THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER 2018

Wabote: No Local Content Defaulter will be Spared Chika Amanze-Nwachuku and Ugo Aliogo The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will sanction local and international companies that flout the local

content law, its Executive Secretary, Mr. Simbi Wabote, has warned.

Wabote, who gave the warning in an exclusive interview with THISDAY yesterday in Lagos, said there would be no sacred cows in

the implementation of the local content law as well as sanctions against defaulters, insisting that any company, contractor or operator that contravenes the law, would be sanctioned accordingly.

He said, “In implementing

the act, there is no doubt that there will be people who deliberately want to circumvent the process, who try to flout the law and do what is not right. We have a very robust monitoring outfit, when we discover such, we sanction them

and we ask them to restitute for what they have done.

So a lot of companies- local and international companies, contractors and operators, have been sanctioned for flouting the local content law and it is an ongoing thing.”

He noted that international oil companies (IOCs) in strict compliance with the local content law, support the local companies that do businesses for them, adding that the biggest Continued on page 6

FIRS Generates N5tn, Targets N300bn More by End of Year … Page 8 Thursday 13 December, 2018 Vol 23. No 8639. Price: N250

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Appeal Court Affirms Disqualification of Rivers’ APC Candidates ... Page 9

Presidency Goes for Broke, Knocks Obasanjo, Says He’s Confused Shola Oyeyipo and Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The presidency was full of harsh words for former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday,

dismissing his recent utterances on President Muhammadu Buhari and his government as unworthy of credible consideration, and an evidence that the former president was confused.

Speaking to journalists

in Abuja, presidential spokesperson, Malam Garba Shehu, said whoever Obasanjo chose to support in the 2019 elections was irrelevant, as the former president had publicly changed his mind on the matter several times

over the past few months.

He said, "Former President Obasanjo denounces one person today and supports that same person the next day. When it pleases him, he brings God into the matter and uses that as his excuse

for whatever position he has chosen."

Shehu added that he was not surprised that newspapers reported Obasanjo expressing neutrality at a weekend forum, only for the former president to take a completely different

position after a day or two.

"We have learnt not to take his utterances seriously anymore. We know that the slightest wind can make him change his mind again. After Continued on page 8

Finally, Atiku, Ezekwesili Sign Peace Accord

Ask Buhari to assent to electoral reform bill Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Adedayo Akinwale, Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Victoria Yesin in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday signed the peace accord, stating, however, that the best way to guarantee peace in any election, or any human interaction, is to ensure evident justice to all concern,

appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment Bill) 2018.

While promising to abide with the terms of the accord, he said, “I’m delighted that Mr. President has agreed to sign this peace accord, but we want to appeal to him to also sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018. ‘’Mr. President needs to Continued on page 6

INEC Creates Framework on IDPs Voting in 15 States … Page 6

GLOBAL FINTECH LEADERS… L-R: Advisor to the CEO, Channel VAS, Mr. Salim Khoury; Director, Mr. Shiv Falod; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and Chief Commercial Officer; Mr. Yannis Benlachtar, during a private meeting with the senior representatives of the company, a global Fintech leader that originated from Nigeria, in London…recently

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INEC Creates Framework on IDPs Voting in 15 States Asks PDP to go to court over Kashamu Segun James in Lagos, Adedayo Akinwale, Udora Orizu and Mercy Apollos in Abuja As part of its commitment to inclusivity in the electoral process, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is targeting 15 states where it plans to conduct 2019 elections for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Its National Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, disclosed this yesterday at a Stakeholders’ Validation Conference on IDPs Voting in Nigeria, saying that the electoral body created the policy framework to guide the conduct of IDPs voting operations and bring the IDPs communities into the voting net.

Yakubu stressed that in 2015 general elections, the commission had a framework, such as the one day for IDP voting, which he said enabled the commission to accord Nigerians the opportunity to vote essentially in three states of the North-east of the country, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

The chairman stated, “This time around, it appears that displacement resulting in a number of citizens, not residing in places where they were ordinarily registered to vote, has led to much wider displacement. “We interacted with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), at the moment, we are looking at about 15 states, for a variety of reasons citizens are not living in their natural and normal places of domicile. “Some as a result of the insurgency affecting some states in the North-east, some caused by farmers and herdsmen clashes, banditry in North-west and others by environmental factors, natural disasters, such as flooding that have ravaged a number of states and all these have led to the displacement of the

citizens who are residing in internally displaced persons camps.�

He assured Nigerians that those who were displaced by circumstances beyond their control, would not be disenfranchised; stressing that proper democracy could only take place when it's inclusive and participatory.

The chairman stressed, “Intra-state IDPs shall participate in all election categories when and where applicable, while inter-state IDPs shall only participate in presidential elections in order to limit the challenges associated with political perception and suspicion over transmission of results across state boarders and constituency boundaries.�

Also yesterday in Abuja, INEC signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with transport unions for efficient logistics delivery in the 2019 general elections and beyond.

INEC Chairman described the signing of the new MoU as another giant step in the commission’s preparations for the 2019 general election as one of the critical challenges to the conduct of elections in Nigeria was logistics.

The unions that signed the MoU with INEC were the National President of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

The commission, however, revealed that the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) was yet to sign the MoU, noting that there were issues still needed to be addressed by the union before it could sign it.

Yakubu said that the commission required over 100,000 vehicles to deploy personnel and materials from its state offices to 774 local government areas, 8,809 electoral wards and

119,973 polling units, which he described as a huge undertaking.

He assured Nigerians that INEC was determined that all polling units nationwide would open at 8 a.m., saying the commission was determined to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience in the 2019 general elections.

Yakubu stated, “In order to achieve this commitment, INEC requires over 100,000 vehicles. The logistical requirements are beyond the internal resources of INEC to provide. “It is for this reason that the commission has been in partnership with the NURTW for which an MoU was first signed with the union in January 2015. “However, with the increase in the number of voters as well as political parties since the last general elections, we need to increase the pool of our service providers to meet the consequential increase in the number of vehicles.

Accordingly, we decided to expand our collaboration beyond the NURTW.’’ Yakubu appealed to the unions’ leaders to ensure that there was no failure on their part, especially when it is too late for the commission to make alternative arrangement or to hike fares and put INEC in a difficult situation on the eve of elections.

Speaking at the event, the National President of NURTW, Alhaji Najeem Yasin, pledged that the union would contribute its quota to ensure the success of 2019 general elections.

"I will like to assure INEC that in 2019, we will do our best than what we did in 2015,’’ he said.

The National President, NARTO, Dr Kashim Bataiya, also pledged that the association would carry out its assigned duty effectively as stated in the MoU. "We will do everything possible to carry out our duty

effectively for the deployment of personnel and materials and other logistics. Bataiya also commended INEC for its early preparation, saying that would avoid regret.

On his part, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, pledged that his commission would work with INEC in the area of certification of vehicles to be deployed in the elections.

"We will ensure that 80,000 vehicles required by INEC are certified and that their driver trained in order to ensure they are fit for the task for delivery of electoral logistics and general transportation," he promised.

Oyeyemi who was represented by FRSC Assistant Corp Marshal, Mr. Victor Nwoko, said the corps would do more than it had been doing in collaboration with INEC, to ensure the success of 2019 general elections.

Meanwhile, the electoral body has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to go to court and vacate the order directing the commission to accept only the list of candidates presented on behalf of the party in Ogun State by the Buruji Kashamu faction.

The commission said it is only the court that could reverse its decision to accept and list Kashamu as the party’s governorship candidate for the state.

Saying the same position would hold for Zamfara State, where it has insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not be allowed to field candidates in the next general elections having not conducted its primaries within the stipulated time, INEC reiterated its policy to obey only valid orders of court in its operations.

The National Commissioner

and Head of Legal Services of the commission, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, said these while fielding questions on the ‘Morning Show,’ programme of Arise TV, a broadcast arm of THISDAY, yesterday.

She reiterated that unless the courts direct otherwise, it should be taken that the APC does not have a candidate in the election in the state.

Agbamuche-Mbu said that INEC monitors all primaries and where monitoring did not take place, there cannot be any candidate from that political party.

"INEC has continued to say that there was no primaries conducted in Zamfara State.

We wrote to the party to let them know that we did not monitor any primaries in that state," she said.

She stressed that members of the party are already in court as three cases have been instituted on the issue.

"They are in court. There are about three cases on the issue. So we will wait to see what will happen at the end of the day," she said.

On the protracted crisis in the Ogun State PDP, where the party has disowned the recognised governorship candidate for the party, Senator Buruji Kashamu, she said that the policy of the INEC is that every order of court is obeyed until it is set aside.

"So it was a court order that stated that the INEC must accept and receive this particular candidate. We have received it and accepted it. It is left for the party to go to court and set it aside."

Also, Agbamuche-Mbu admitted that there was evidence of underage voting in the last election, especially at the IDPs Camps in some states.

According to her, "We have evidence and photographs of IDP camps, photographs of 2007 and 2011 elections that were used. Some of these photographs were actually doctored. We actually went

out of our way to visit some of these areas. In one or two places that we went to, we found that children were brought and given PCVs to look at the cameras and photographs were taken.

"So what INEC is doing at this time is that we are looking at the register, we are cleaning the register. Recently we had all the register pasted at the local government offices and our offices; and people have been invited to look at it and if there is any claims and objections they should say; and we have got quite a few. “So we have been doing all we can to clean up our register.

In 2019, the register you are going to get is a cleaned and perfect one."

On non-Nigerians in the voters register' and what implication this would have on the credibility of the election?

Agbamuche-Mbu stressed that the commission was working with other government agencies to ensure that this would not happen in the 2019 elections.

"We are in touch with the Nigerian Immigration Service, we are collaborating with them so that they can help us identify the non-Nigerians in the register. So when the final register is published, you will see that there will be no underage voter on it," she assured.

On the PVC that were not collected, she lamented, "Sadly, we have a lot of none collected PVCs. We have been going around to sensitive the people to come and collect their voter cards. Some times in the next few weeks, we are going to deploy the cards all the way to the ward level.

We are trying to simplify the process of collection. We are hoping that more, and more people would come forward to pick their PVCs. "In fact, in Imo State the Resident Electoral Commissioner suggested that we allow people to come on Sunday's to collect their PVCs."

which was signed by quite a number of registered party chairmen and their presidential candidates. I want to apologise for the omission that PDP was not able to attend that ceremony. “In order to dispel the views that PDP boycotted this signing of the accord yesterday (Tuesday) was completely wrong. I spoke to

the presidential candidate and the party officials in order to disabuse the mind of people and to make Nigerians aware that everybody involved cares for peace and wants a peaceful election. “It was not only the PDP that was not there yesterday, one or two parties were not there. This morning, we hosted Mrs. Obi

Ezekwesili, who because of her engagement she couldn’t come to sign; she has signed and she has gone.�

Three months ago, we were able to recruit forensic auditors who are now busy on the field trying to verify documents of most of the companies and I can tell you since that exercise commenced, we have seen an upsurge in the remittances to the NCDF. “Several companies that we noticed before the forensic auditing started that were not remitting, we were able to fish them out and notified them about the consequences of such and they were able to comply. Nobody has remained recalcitrant for us to punish.�

Wabote had at a recent event announced that defaulters of the local content law in the nation’s oil and gas industry

are to lose five per cent on total contract sum.

He said non-compliance with the law, would also result in the suspension of projects/ contracts, withdrawal of NCDMB’s services and project cancellation and unrecoverable sunk cost. Other penalties for non-compliance, according to Wabote, are escalation to other regulators to withdraw or suspend licence, withdrawal of approval for declassification of contractor from pre-qualification list, application of the full weight of the law in accordance with Section 68, and publication of non-compliant operators in newspapers and professional gazettes.

PDP Should Go to Court over Kashamu

FINALLY, ATIKU, EZEKWESILI SIGN PEACE ACCORD understand that as long as he refuses to sign this bill, we will have doubt that this government is truly committed to free, fair and credible elections.�

Also, contrary to media report yesterday, the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), said at the signing event that

PDP did not boycott the signing of the peace accord on Tuesday, apologising to the party for the omission.

On its part, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday claimed that the presidential candidate of PDP tried to avoid signing of the accord.

Abubakar, who spoke when Atiku in company with

party chieftains visited the Bishop Mathew Kukah centre in Abuja to sign the peace accord, said the clarification became imperative in order to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that thought the party boycotted the peace agreement.

He said, “As you are all aware yesterday (Tuesday) we signed the peace accord,

WABOTE: NO LOCAL CONTENT DEFAULTER WILL BE SPARED culprits in circumventing the local content law are Nigerian producers.

Wabote told THISDAY, “The IOCs have been very supportive of the local companies that do business with them.

The local companies have challenges in dealing with indigenous producers. The indigenous companies are the biggest culprits in terms of circumventing the Act. But the IOCs, in compliance with the local content act, support the local companies. “For instance, in the drilling and oil servicing activities in the country, 90 per cent of these activities is managed by Nigerian companies. These were

businesses hitherto managed by foreign firms such as Halliburton, Slumberger and Baker Hughes.�

The NCDMB boss also said that the forensic auditors recruited to determine and recover unremitted NCDF obligations in the oil and gas industry have been doing great work, adding that the industry has recorded an upsurge in remittances of the compulsory one per cent of contract sum to the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) on account of that.

The local content law stipulates that one per cent of every contract in the upstream sector of the Nigerian oil and

gas industry shall be deducted at source and paid into the fund.

The fund, managed by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is meant for projects, programmes and activities directed at increasing Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.

Prior to the appointment of the forensic auditors, most companies reneged in remitting the amount to the fund.

Wabote explained, “On assumption of office, we agreed that we are going to launch a forensic audit on all those companies since the inception of the Act in 2010 to see how we recover unremitted funds.

Continued on page 8

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FIRS Generates N5tn, Targets N300bn More by End of Year Ejiofor Alike The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has said the agency has generated N5 trillion by the second week of December 2018, and is at the verge of hitting a target of N5.3 trillion at the end of the year.

THISDAY gathered that if FIRS achieves the N5.3 trillion revenue target, that will be the highest revenue ever generated

by FIRS in history.

The highest revenue in FIRS history, it was gathered, was the N5.07 trillion generated in 2012.

This year’s generation of N5 trillion by the agency is significant as it was at a period when oil prices oscillated between $50 and $70 per barrel.

Crude oil price was at an average of $100 to $120 per barrel between 2010 and 2013.

Speaking yesterday at the induction of new members of

the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in Abuja, Fowler said FIRS has been able to record significant achievements following maximum support from the presidency, Ministry of Finance, the JTB and other taxation stakeholders. “This year, the FIRS, with the support of the presidency, Ministry of Finance, the JTB and other stakeholders, has been able to generate up to N5 trillion. We believe that we should be able to close at least at N5.3 trillion, which should be the highest in the history of FIRS. “And we believe that with that additional revenue, the state and federal governments would be able to provide more services and more development to the people of Nigeria,� he said.

Fowler urged the new inductees to equip themselves with new ideas and embrace the Information and Communication Technology

(ICT) to be able to face the reality of revenue collection in the ever-changing society.

Fowler said, “I see it as a privilege to be addressing this class of inductees today as history has chosen you at this critical point in time in our country’s development to steer the ship of sustainable revenue generation. “While preparing for this occasion, I came across an observation by the American inventor and author, Ray Kurzweil, where he noted that the rate of scientific and technological change is exponential rather than linear.

This observation pre-supposes that the better part of applied wisdom requires that in our journey of life, we are capable of identifying the most apt moment to know at what point to adapt to the ever-tumultuous sea that modern existence represents. “It also indicates that we should be able to develop

the ability to accept and embrace positive change, maybe due to the fact that change is inevitable, but more significantly that oftentimes, change presents us with the rare breaks that we can exploit to advance individual and collective goals and objectives.�

The FIRS boss also stated that as global society continues to transform in structure and process, especially with new technologies and ways of doing things, the role that has been presented before tax administrators in an emerging economy such as Nigeria were quite enormous.

He said rather than being overwhelmed by the rapid changes of the 21st century, taxation stakeholders should remain undaunted and see the opportunities that are possible to us as a people in general and as tax administrators in particular.

According to him, “Developments in global

politics and economics indicate a trend towards increased deemphasis on proceeds from oil and other commodity exports.

Huge investments are being made every day by more advanced economies towards seeking alternative energy sources; and sooner rather than later, oil as a mainstay of the country’s economy will indeed no longer be sustainable, it is just a matter of time. “The JTB presents a unique platform for you to be that change. Your positive actions as the drivers of revenue generation are capable of achieving much impact. They are capable of providing the much needed funds that will provide the care that saves the life of that infant who is born in the remotest parts of Birnin Magaji in Zamfara State. They can provide the funds that ensure that a disadvantaged little child can have access to free quality education in a government- funded public

school in Ijesa-Isu in Ekiti State.

Your actions as drivers of sustainable revenue generation in your respective jurisdictions beyond the bigger picture can achieve the little things that bring about great outcomes in the life of a nation. “It is in the light of this that I charge you, even as you speak the words of your Membership affirmation, that you look beyond the immediate and see the deeper significance of your roles and your responsibilities as members of the JTB.�

Fowler added that the modest achievements his agency had been able to accomplish in terms of internal revenue growth in recent time were strong indications of the immense possibilities before the stakeholders. “We are encouraged that the results of the nine-month period in 2018 indicate that we shall be breaking new boundaries by full year,� he added.

to May 2007.

The lawmaker claimed that under Obasanjo’s watch, most of Nigeria’s strategic investments were sold without much to show as returns to the nation. He asked, “What happened to all our steel rolling mills and other strategic investments that were sold by (former vice president) Atiku (Abubakar) under Obasanjo’s supervision?

What about the $16 billion spent under his watch supposedly for electricity?

Where is the electricity today? ‘’He also acquired stupendous wealth during his second coming as president.

How did he acquire that?

Could that have come from his salaries as president from

1999 to 2007?

Going down memory lane, the former Nasarawa State governor said no Nigerian of repute who knows Obasanjo’s antecedents would be surprised at his current criticism of Buhari.

He added, “He had done it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari shortly after he handed over to him. Obasanjo citicised Babangida when he was in power; he did same to Abacha. And so, nothing is surprising.�

Adamu, who is a frontline campaigner for Buhari said, “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered about Obasanjo’s criticisms given what is already out in the public space about the morally

questionable happenings within his household. ‘’But he is going off the tangent of fair comment in this circumstance, and I believe eminent citizens of this country need to call him to order before some of the young people he thinks he can fool start casting slur on him.�

He said Obasanjo needs to learn some lessons in decorum from past leaders like Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), Shagari, as well as Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), stating that it was an abuse of rights for someone who was regarded as a statesman to be indecorous in his use of language.

their personal police, they turned the military to their personal security.’’ However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday claimed it is obvious that the presidential candidate of PDP tried to avoid signing the national peace accord, ahead of the country’s 2019 general elections. ‘’To all discerning Nigerians, the PDP and Atiku’s dubious claim of a communication lapse as reason for their no-show at Tuesday’s formal signing ceremony is hogwash, as the peace committee duly and formally invited the PDP and Atiku like other candidates and political parties contesting the 2019 Elections,’’ Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the National Publicity Secretary of APC stated yesterday.

He added, ‘’Atiku’s eventual decision to sign the peace deal is clearly a face-saving move following widespread condemnation that greeted his initial refusal to agree to the peace deal.

We, however, must not lose sight of the dangerous and ominous signs the PDP and Atiku have inadvertently shown Nigerians in the lead-up to the elections. ‘’Again, this brings to the fore, PDP's open declaration

in August this year that the Party will deploy all means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude to manipulate the 2019 election.’’ The APC reiterated that security and other relevant agencies must be on high alert to check this alleged dangerous threat posed by the PDP’s planned actions for the general elections.

"Mr. President doesn't want to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, but he just joyfully went and signed the peace accord.

It is very clear that the president is running away from the provisions of the bill that when it translates to an Act, it will checkmate any shenanigans," she said.

The presidential candidate said she had earlier in a press statement called on the president to do what is right for Nigerians and make sure he signs the bill.

"The president cannot practice what is called political corruption by using his exalted office to further his personal interests.

According to Transparency International, any time a person uses public office for personal gains, that person is practising corruption and I hope that the president is well advised to do what is right for Nigerians that has given him so much,� she said.

Ezekwesili said the next option open to Nigerians under the circumstances is for the National Assembly to take measures to override the president's veto. " We need an Electoral Act that will lead to an improvement of the 2015 election and not anything that will be in retrogression," she said.

PRESIDENCY GOES FOR BROKE, KNOCKS OBASANJO, SAYS HE'S CONFUSED all, this is the same man who publicly tore his party registration card barely four years ago, and he now claims to be backing the same party," Shehu said.

Obasanjo had last week rapped Buhari, saying the president was heading an incompetent and corrupt government that must be changed in 2019.

The former had since declared support for the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, contending that he was the best choice in the circumstances that the nation had found itself.

In a related development, Senator Abdullahi Adamu

(Nasarawa West), yesterday expressed concern over Obasanjo’s “indecorous� and “undignified� criticisms of Buhari, saying while the former president was entitled to criticise and campaign against the re-election bid of the president, he shouldn’t be pedestrian in doing that.

Obasanjo was reported to have denied being neutral in the choice of who emerges as president of Nigeria in the impending 2019 presidential election, stating that he would not sit on the fence when he needs to be out and active for people to know where he stands in the best interest of the country.

According to a statement by his media aide, Mr. Kehinde

Akinyemi, Obasanjo had said, "Only a fool will sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity, nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious."

However, reacting to the statement in a chat with newsmen in Abuja yesterday, Adamu stated, “Chief Obasanjo is pushing his luck too far by using indecorous language in criticising the president.

He wondered what Obasanjo’s record in Office was when he ran the country first from February 1976 to October 1979, and subsequently from May 1999

FINALLY, ATIKU, EZEKWESILI SIGN PEACE ACCORD Speaking after signing the accord, Atiku said that PDP was committed to a peaceful, fair and credible elections.

He stated, “We have always said that and we believe in that. I am a democrat, ab initio; I was never converted; I have always being a democrat and I fought the military to return this country to democracy. “However, the best way to guarantee peace in any election, or any human interaction is to ensure manifest justice to all concern.�

According to the peace accord, the presidential candidates who signed the peace accord, agreed to run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels, pledging to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitements, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by themselves and their agents.

They also agreed to refrain from making or causing to make in their names and that of their parties, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections; to commit themselves and political parties to the monitoring of the adherence to the accord by a National

Peace Committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders.

Meanwhile, at the first interaction of Atiku with various women groups in Abuja, he assured that women would play a leading role in his administration.

He said when PDP was in power, the party advanced the interest of women, assuring that if voted into power he would commit to a strong representation of women in his administration.

While fielding questions from the women groups, he stressed that since the population of women is about 50% of the country’s population, representatives of the people at all levels must reflect the population. “Some will argue that gender disparity is a deal that cannot be achieved overnight, I disagree, we can achieve it; the PDP almost achieved it until the government of APC came and took you back again,’’ the PDP presidential hopeful stated.

He continued, “Therefore, are you going to vote for APC again? You know I stand before you here today and I want you to hold me accountable, I will commit to a strong representation of women in our PDP government and also recall

that when I was the vice president, I demonstrated this belief, I brought some of the brightest women into our government, and therefore, gender should not be barrier.�

He explained further that the only way to have more women in elective position is to get the parties to make it mandatory and by giving certain percentage of women in elective position, adding that “deputy governors should be women otherwise, if we allow it to evolve on its own it will take maybe another hundred years.�

On injustice being allegedly committed by security agencies, Atiku said, “These security agencies have sworn their allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria not to a particular government and not to a particular individual. ‘’We must make sure that their allegiance is to Nigeria, not the individuals. It is very tempting, this government is doing the reverse, and they are demanding allegiance to their government and their persons, not to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “So, therefore, that is why we see injustice being committed by security agencies all over the place; you didn't witness that with the PDP government, but only when APC government came; they turned the police to

Buhari Promoting Political Corruption, Says Ezekwesili Meanwhile, the former Minister of Solid Minerals Development and the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, has accused Buhari of refusing to sign the electoral reform bill for personal interest.

Speaking on a morning programme on Ray-power FM, Ezekwesili said that most Nigerians had expected the president to cue into the effort to sanitize the country's electoral process by assenting to the amendment bill.

However, Ezekwesili said by vetoing the bill four times, the president may be wittingly or unwittingly giving the impression that he is encouraging political corruption.

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NEWS

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

Appeal Court Affirms Disqualification of Rivers’ APC Candidates Party appeals, S’Court fixes March 8 for judgment Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday compounded the woes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State as it dismissed three appeals by a faction of the party against the October 10 judgment of the State High Court, which declared the congresses of the party void.

But the faction, led by Minister of Transportation,

Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has headed to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgments, which has put the likelihood of APC fielding any candidate in the state in the 2019 elections on the balance.

The Supreme Court has, however, fixed March 8, 2019 for its judgment on the appeal.

The Ojukaye FlagAmachree’s faction loyal to Amaechi had gone to the Court of Appeal to challenge the judgment of the state High

Again, Secondus Accuses FG, APC of Plotting to Cripple PDP Govs The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, yesterday accused the leaderships of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police of plotting to cripple PDP-controlled states and ensure they lose focus on the 2019 elections.

Secondus alleged that the federal government’s agencies entered into a secret pact with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cause severe damage to these states so that they could take control of the states He noted that the grand design is to distract the party from its journey to reclaim power and rescue this country from the inept rule of the APC. According to a statement from Secondus’s media office signed by Ike Abonyi, the opposition party said it was privy to a credible intelligence showing that the ruling party had mapped out a strategy to ensure that PDPcontrolled states are adequately inconvenienced and frustrated enough not to have concentration to tackle their re -election.

Secondus singled out Bayelsa State, which has had eight police commissioners in three years as well as Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi States where the police leadership in the states had been changed at random at the dictates of APC government.

“In Akwa Ibom State, the House of Assembly crisis engineered by the APC and the police clearly became an interested party playing a bias role to ensure it danced the music of the APC. “In most PDP states, despite the governors being the statutory chief security officers, police commissioners have set up parallel structures to undermine the security of the states just to satisfy their pay masters.

“They have resolved to inject crisis in PDP-controlled states and ensure that our governors who are refusing to play ball are permanently distracted for their re elections.

“They have deployed huge cash in these states to either use labour or state legislators to inject crisis, frighten the governors and force them to do a deal with them.

ASUP Commences Indefinite Strike The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) yesterday began an indefinite strike over non-implementation of the 2009 and 2017 agreement reached with the union by the federal government.

The polytechnic lecturers have joined their university colleagues who have been on strike since November 4.

The National President of ASUP, Usman Dutse, said the federal government had invited the union for dialogue on December 17 but the strike would continue till then.

Prior to the strike, the union had on October 2 issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government before it extended it to November. But even then, it did not commence the strike.

But Dutse said the strike had commenced, adding that there is total compliance by all chapters.

“We have zonal coordinators and a monitoring team, zone by zone, all over the country. Already from the report we are getting, we are satisfied with the level of compliance from all our zones but we are reviewing the day’s activity in a meeting now,” he said.

Meanwhile, the News Agency

of Nigeria reported that students were seen writing their 2017/2018 second semester examination at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos.

But none of the striking lecturers was seen in all the examination halls monitored.

At the Lagos State Polytechnic, an official, Salami Olugbenga, said they could not join the strike because there was no organ of the union in the polytechnic since December 2017.

Dutse said the government has failed to implement and fulfill agreements it reached with the union as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed.

The union went on strike over non-implementation of the NEEDS Assessment report of 2014, non-payment of salaries in state-owned institutions, nonpayment of allowances, and the victimisation of union members, among others.

ASUP went on strike in November 2017, but when the federal government reached an agreement to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment, the strike was suspended 15 days after.

Court, which in the matter brought before it by Ibrahim Umar and 22 other aggrieved members of APC loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, had declared the party congresses as null and void.

President of the Court of Appeal had set up a special three-man panel, led by Justice Abubakar Yahaya, to hear the appeal registered as Number CA/PH/198. The appeal court also struck out two joinder applications filed by FlagAmachree, the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers, Mr. Tonye Cole, and other elected candidates of same faction.

Delivering his judgment yesterday after few hours break, Justice Yahaya said the appeal against the Justice Chinwendu Nwogu High Court judgment lacks merit,

adding that the application for joinder failed to observe the 14 days rules of appeal.

While delivering judgment on the substantive appeal that bordered on Justice Nwogu’s judgment, the panel ruled that the Flag-Amachree’s faction failed to seek leave of court before appealing against the judgment.

The appeal court also ruled that the judgment delivered at the lower court was a consent judgment, adding that FlagAmachree’s faction should have done the needful legally before approaching the court.

Addressing journalists shortly after the judgment, counsel for the 23 aggrieved respondents, Mr. Patrick Luke, explained that the special appeal panel struck out three different matters.

He narrated, “The first was an appeal against the judgment of October 10, 2018 delivered by the High Court of Rivers State. After listening to our argument, the court dismissed that appeal because they filed their appeal outside the terms provided by the Constitution and they ought to file that appeal within 14 days upon delivery of judgment by the lower court.

“But they filed the appeal 25 days later, thus it was status barred and it was accordingly dismissed by the Court of Appeal today.“The other two matters were based on application for joinder. Also the two applications were also struck out for lack of merit.

“The implication is that the judgment delivered

by High Court of Rivers

State on October 10, 2018 is valid, subsisting, sacred and inviolable.”

Also in his reaction, counsel to Flag-Amachree, Mr. Emenike Ebete, noted that the judgment was delivered based on the wisdom of the court after hearing their argument.

The Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Chinwendu had on October 10 declared the Ward, Local Government and the State Congresses of the State Chapter of the APC held on the May 19, 20 and 21 respectively null and void.

S’Court Fixes March 8 for Judgment The Supreme Court yesterday slated March 8 to determine the legality or otherwise of primary elections the APC Cont’d on pg 53

FOR PEACEFUL 2019 ELECTIONS…

L-R: Former Head of State and Chairman, National Peace Committee , Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd); former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; National Chairman PDP, Uche Secondus; Deputy Ambassador, European Union, Richard Young; and Vice-Presidential Candidate of PDP, Mr. Peter Obi, during the signing of peace accord by Atiku in Abuja. ..yesterday

APC ‘ll Pay Dearly in Oyo for Defrauding Me, Shittu Threatens Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, has threatened to work against the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu, at the February elections.

Shittu who lost in the race for the governorship ticket said without restitution, there won’t be peace in the APC. The National Working Committee of the APC had raised the Peace and Reconciliation Committee for each of the six geopolitical zones to reconcile aggrieved members ahead of the general elections.

With Shittu’s threat, the minister has joined the list of Governor Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun State) and his counterpart in Imo, Rochas Okorocha,

who had threatened to work against the party’s governorship candidates in their states.

Speaking yesterday during a media chat in his office Abuja, Shittu accused the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and Oyo Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, of being the brains behind his exclusion from the party’s primaries.

Shittu however, revealed that he and other aggrieved aspirants across the country are collaborating to float a coalition platform that will be used to campaign for President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection.

The minister said it would amount to a fruitless exercise if the party feel it would achieve peace and reconciliation without correcting the anomalies that took place during the primaries.

“It is hearkening to say we must have peace even if there is no justice. As for me, I don’t recognise the candidate of APC in Oyo State. I am in court and I believe I will triumph over those who were less than intelligent to foist a stranger on our party in Oyo State. You don’t expect me to support such a candidate.

Before you talk of reconciliation, you must talk of restitution, “ he said.

Shittu said it won’t make sense for him to “be defrauded out of a primary process and still simply behave like a slave” by supporting the system that cheated.

He said he was not going to beg the party to do the right thing, adding that it is the party that “will certainly pay for it.”

He said, “I will be a bastard to be defrauded out of a party

primary and behaves as if I’m a slave. They asked us to pay N22 million (for nomination form) and didn’t advertise any condition other than as provided in the constitution.

After we have been screened and certified, the chairman of our party unilaterally and in violation of the constitution got me out of the way so that they can impose newcomers on the party - somebody who was barely two months in the APC. “You cannot expect me at my level to support such candidate. I believe I gave enough warning. Of course, they had the opportunity and they missed it and the party will certainly pay for it,” he added.

He denied media reports that he had closed down the Buhari Campaign Office he opened in Oyo State.

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Fashola Urges Court to Dismiss Falana’s Suit Seeking to Compel FG to Fix Oshodi-Apapa Road We can’t solve Apapa’s gridlock alone, LASG insists Gboyega Akinsanmi The Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to dismiss the fundamental rights suit filed by the leading human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, challenging the failure of the federal government to remove the gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

This is coming as the Lagos State Government yesterday decried the worsening state of traffic congestion in Apapa Central Business District and its environs, and declared that the gridlock was indeed beyond what it could address alone.

In a counter-affidavit deposed to by one Ayodele Otedola, a litigation clerk in the Federal Ministry of Works, on behalf of the minister, it was stated that the gridlock on the road “is always caused by tanker drivers who normally follow the route to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for the purpose of loading and offloading their

goods”.

The counter-affidavit also stated that the minister’s “effort to clear the road and remove the trailers and tankers has not been easy but that effort has been redoubled to achieve this goal”.

In his preliminary objection against the suit Fashola has contended that the failure to repair the road has not in any way restricted or breached Falana’s freedom of movement.

The minister also challenged Falana’s locus standi to file the suit since he has not shown that he has suffered over and above other motorists or people that use the road.

In the suit Falana has argued that the state of the road constitutes a threat to his life and violation of his fundamental right to move freely in Lagos, as guaranteed by Sections 33 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Articles 5 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.

In the substantive case Falana is seeking several reliefs, including “a declaration that the refusal or failure of the respondents to remove obstructions, repair and maintain the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is illegal and unconstitutional as it constitutes a threat to the fundamental right to life of the applicant guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The human rights lawyer is also seeking an order of the court directing the respondents to

remove all obstructions, and repair and the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

The federal high court has fixed January 19, 2018 for hearing the substantive suit and the preliminary objection.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government yesterday decried the worsening state of traffic congestion in Apapa Central Business District and its environs, saying that the gridlock was beyond what it could address alone.

The state government has however, disclosed that it had designed a policy initiative christened ‘Rapid Intervention Squad’, to help unlock traffic congestion in all inner-city roads and highways in the state.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson, made the clarification at a joint press conference with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Taiwo Salami and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Israel Ajao, among others.

Lawanson acknowledged that Apapa’s traffic problem “is very complex”.

“In its real sense, it is not a Lagos problem. Rather, it is a Nigerian problem, which Lagos alone cannot solve.”

He explained the complexity of Apapa’s traffic congestion, which according to him, stemmed from the volume of cargoes that entered the Apapa

ports daily, the number of tank farms located in Apapa and the control of federal agencies outside the purview of the state government.

He added that the Apapa ports alone “are responsible for two-third of cargoes shipped into the country”.

“Aside, at least, 60 tank farms are located in different part of the business district. Most shipping companies in Apapa do not have holding bays for their consignment.”

Lawanson unveiled Rapid Intervention Squad (RIS), a new traffic control initiative, designed to put an end to the intractable traffic congestion the state had been experiencing in the recent time

APC House Caucus Backs Buhari on Electoral Bill Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the House of Representatives has said the Electoral Act Amendment Bill sent to President Muhammadu Buhari was an “imperfect document” capable of disenfranchising millions of Nigerians in the 2019 general election.

Led by the Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the APC members in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, who rose from a closed-door meeting of the caucus, said President Buhari’s resolve to jettison the bill was in the best interest of the Nigerian electorate.

Gbajabiamila said there was the need for Nigerians to get a better understanding of the issues at stake.

“Perhaps, a lot of people don’t understand the import and the implications of signing an imperfect document. If the document is imperfect and you can’t read it or interpret it, then you can’t even override

that imperfect document. You have to first of all amend that document and start the process all over again, and send it back to the president.

“The president has done well.

If you study the constitution very well and if you look at Section 57, it does not oblige him (president) to give any reason for veto. All he has to do is return it and say ‘I am withholding my assent.’ He doesn’t have to give you any reason, but every time he has done that he has brought forward cogent and verifiable reasons why he is not signing it.

“On this particular one, I believe the thrust, spirit and the reason why Mr. President has refused to sign it, which we identify with, is that every vote must count in Nigeria. We have been mouthing this thing and singing this thing for ages. This bill that was sent to the president, and we raised it on the floor at the time of consideration; the effect of it is that you can only accredit voters through the electronic system. It forecloses manual registration.

Buhari’s Minister Resigns, Becomes Emir of Nasarawa Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jubril, has tendered his resignation from the federal cabinet to assume duties as the 13th Emir of Nasarawa Emirate in Nasarawa State.

The federal minister-turned traditional ruler who arrived for yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, was dressed in full royal regalia.

Jubril was named as the new Emir of Nassarawa on December 7 by the Nasarawa

Emirate Council, and was ratified by the state Governor, Tanko Umaru Almakura.

A send-forth session was later held in his honour at the Presidential Villa.

Earlier, President Buhari had congratulated Jibrin on his selection as the new Emir of Nasarawa.

The president, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, congratuled the people of Nasarawa Emirate and the state government on the hitch-free exercise, which led to the emergence of Alhaji Jibrin as the 13th Emir.

FEC MEETING...

L–R: Minister of Power, Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung; Minister of State, Power, Mustapha Baba Shehuri; Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu; and Minister of State for Works, Suleiman Hassan, at the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja …yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Senate Passes Bill for Establishment of South East Development Commission Okays six-man NDIC board Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday passed the Bill for the establishment of South East Development Commission as a catalyst to develop the commercial potentials of the geo-political zone.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly also confirmed the appointment of Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, and five others as Chairman and members of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, (NDIC).

The Bill for the establishment of the Commission, which was co-sponsored by Senators Samuel Anyanwu (Imo West) and Stella Oduah ( Anambra North), went through the third reading and was passed at plenary that was presided over

by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment

Wants Kaduna airport named after Abba Kyari

and Public Service, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central), had in his presentation of the 22-page report for the establishment of the Commission, enjoined his colleagues to ensure the quick passage of the two-year old Bill so as to fasttrack the development of the zone and address the ecological problems facing the five states that make up the South East region.

Paulker thereafter moved the motion for the Senate Committee of the Whole to consider the committee’s report and was seconded by Senator Olamilekan Solomon ( Lagos West).

Ekweremadu at this point read out the 30-clause report one after the other for the Senate to approve.

Some of the amendments made to the Bill include Clause 4, which now reads that the Commission will run for 10 years before winding down and Clause 15 (2B) to read

that one per cent and not 25 per cent of the monies due to member-states will come from the National Ecological Fund to fund the Commission.

The Bill awaits concurrence from the House of Representatives before it will be transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

Also yesterday, the Senate approved a six-man Board for the NDIC with Mrs. Ronke Sokefun as Chairman.

This was sequel to the presentation of a 14-page report of the Senator Rafiu Adebayo-led 13-man Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, urging the Senate to confirm the nominees as members of the Board of the corporation.

The other confirmed Board members are Alhaji Garba Bello, Brig-Gen Joseph Okoloagu (rtd), Mustapha Mudashiru, Festus Keyamo and Adewale Adeleke.

The seventh nominee, Alhaji

Garba Buba, however, failed to appear before the committee for screening and was not recommended for consideration.

Ekweremadu while congratulating the new appointees urged them to live up to expectation and contribute their quota towards the improvement of the activities of the NDIC. The Senate also yesterday urged the federal government to immortalise former governor of old North Central state, BrigGeneral Abba Kyari (rtd), by naming Kaduna Airport after him.

This was sequel to a motion on the need to honour the late Abba Kyari for his selfless service to Nigeria which was sponsored by Senator Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno Central) and 12 other Senators including Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Senators Jeremiah Useni, Shehu Sani, Barnabas Gemade and Ali Ndume.

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Agbaje: Business Community Threatened Not to Donate to My Campaign Says Tinubu, APC paying lip service to democracy Olawale Olaleye The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, yesterday, said the ‘powers-that-be’ in the state had been threatening the business community not to donate to his campaign otherwise they would be sanctioned.

Speaking at a meeting with select journalists in Lagos, Agbaje, who is making a third attempt at the governorship slot in the state, painted a disturbing picture of what he was up against in his aspiration, saying what he had seen so far were clear indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leader, Bola Tinubu, were merely paying lip service to democracy and its ethos.

Confident of victory in this particular election, the PDP stalwart said the people of the state must pay attention to the fact that as governor, he would be his own man, while his major rival and candidate of the APC, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would be answerable to someone else, who unfortunately has no legally recognisable place in the state’s body polity.

“I am angry as a Lagosian and we are determined to fight to make this place better. The powers-that-be have been threatening the business community not to give me anything. That’s what I’m up against here,” he said smiling, apparently at the futility of such an effort.

Agbaje, who resisted subtle pressure during the question and answer session to throw jabs at his opponent, said a class example of his fears of what Lagos would become under another APC governor, was the lame-duck governor that Ambode had become since he was denied the ticket to seek re-election, saying nothing was working again in Lagos.

Reiterating his position that Tinubu and the APC had always paid lip-service to democracy, Agbaje said “Since Ambode’s failed re-election bid, there has not been governance again in Lagos. The governor is just meant to keep quiet if he intends to keep his job to the very last days.”

While noting that APC’s candidate for the office would have to bow to the dictates of his godfather, he said if elected governor, the buck would stop at his own table but asked: “will the buck stop at his own table? “What is the legacy of APC in the last 20 years? Is it in education, health or where?

“No blueprint can be his and even if approved, it is going to be because some people have vested interests,” he said, harping on the fact that the choice between him and Sanwo-Olu is distinct and incomparable by all standards.

He insisted that the APC candidate should stop talking about credential because he has none.

Assuring the audience that his relationship with the leader of the PDP in the state, Chief Olabode George, was still intact, Agbaje also said his support base was still intact too and more determined this time around, because of what was at stake.

He recalled that his 2015 defeat was largely impacted by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat as the effect of his loss spiraled through to the next cadre of election, which covered his.

He, however, said his base, which gave him the kind of votes that demystified the perceived invincibility of the APC was still intact and had swelled in ranks and also willing to make him the next governor of the state.

“We are better today than we were in 2015,” he said, confidently.

Buhari, Okowa, Sultan Call for Unity at Olu of Warri’s Anniversary President Muhammadu Buhari, Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday affirmed that peace is very vital for a progressive country to be achieved.

They spoke at the third coronation anniversary celebration of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli.

The event took place at the Olu Palace, in Warri, Delta State.

President Buhari, who represented at the occasion by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated that with peace, development would take place, noting that Warri contributes a lot to the Nigerian project.

He listed the dredging of the Warri Port, reactivation of Warri refinery among others as part of the programmes of the federal government in the area.

Okowa, in his speech at the occasion, commended traditional

rulers for building bridge of unity, noting that when different kingdoms are peaceful, the country would be peaceful.

The governor, who congratulated the Olu on the anniversary, stated that “after your coronation, you went to visit several traditional rulers in the state and the country, and this has helped to create peace; we are happy for that gesture because with peace, development will take place.

“We have promised to tell Deltans the truth; we will constantly fund the trans-Warri/ Ode-Itesekiri road project because it is in the interest of the state; we are committed to doing what we ought to do.”

He listed some of the projects executed by his administration in Warri kingdom, disclosing that his administration was committed to executing drainage project in Warri which would gulp more than N3 billion.

Agbaje also dismissed allegations that he had been trying to play the ethnic card through some of his

recent tweets, saying it was the opposition that came up with the ethnic game and all he tried to do with his

response was allay the fear of the non-indigenes that Lagos does not hate them but the establishment in the state, a

statement of fact he claimed was reinforced during last the elections by the leaders of the party in the state.

COURTESY VISIT…

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right), and the Director General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Patience Oniha, during a courtesy visit by Oniha to the governor, at Government House, Benin City...recently

APC Asks Supreme Court to Sack Tambuwal Alex Enumah in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday asked the Supreme Court to sack Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, on the grounds that the election that produced him as the party’s candidate in 2014 was marred with irregularities.

Counsel to the APC, Abduganiyu Arobo, in a new twist to the appeal seeking the removal of Tambuwal for not being the lawful candidate

of the party, conceded to the appeal filed by Senator Umaru Dahiru to get judgment entered in favour of the appellant.

At the resumed hearing of the appeal yesterday at the apex court, the APC also de-briefed its lead counsel Mr. Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), who stood for the party at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal where he got favourable judgments for the party. When the matter was called Arobo announced his appearance for APC shortly

after the senior lawyer made same appearance.

In the drama that ensued, Arobo told Justice Mohammed Musa Dattijo-led panel that the senior lawyer had been asked to step aside from the suit and that a letter to that effect had been served on him.

Okutepa in response admitted receiving a letter but insisted he would not step aside until the issue of his legal fees is resolved.

Justice Dattijo who demanded for a copy of the letter, drew the

attention of the senior counsel to a portion of the letter that he was engaged for the party by governor Tambuwal and that he should approach Tambuwal for the payment of his legal fees.

Consequently, Okutepa announced his withdrawal from the appeal.

He however, told the apex court that he ran into stormy waters with the party when he declined to agree to reverse the positions canvassed by APC at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

ECOWAS Court Bars NBC from Censoring Political Broadcast Alex Enumah in Abuja The Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has barred the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from censorship of political programmes by broadcasting stations across the country.

The ECOWAS Court’s verdict, which was delivered Tuesday in Abuja came more than three years after a Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Mr. Festus Oguche, and Crownfield Solicitors, dragged the NBC

before the community court, challenging what the NBC called “Additional Regulations for Live Political Broadcast.”

The said regulation dated May 30, 2014, was contained in a letter to all broadcasting stations across the country, directing that it must be notified by broadcasting stations in writing, at least 24 hours, before a live transmission of a political programme.

Delivering judgment in the matter, the three- man panel led by the ECOWAS Court of Justice President, Justice Edward Asante, upheld all the seven -point declarations sought by

the plaintiff.

The plaintiff in the suit had sought for “an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the federal government, its agencies, servants and proxies from further doing anything, either by way of official policy, directive, instruction and/or investigation that will in anyway impede against the existence and operations of free press in a democratic society, which is guaranteed as fundamental freedom”.

The court also held that the action of the defendant in directing that all live political broadcasts by broadcasting

stations in Nigeria be referred to it was tantamount to censorship of free press and contrary to the fundamental freedom enshrined and guaranteed under African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

Other declarations upheld by the Court include that the NBC’s directive was against the provisions of the fundamental freedom enshrined and guaranteed under Sections 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

FG Blames N’Assembly for Delay in 2019 Budget Presentation Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja The federal government has attributed the delay in the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari to the failure of the National Assembly to provide a date for the presentation.

This position was made known by the Minister of

Budget and Planning, Udoma Udoma, who briefed State House Correspondents after yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in company of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.

The minister said the budget was ready for presentation, and that the

council had been waiting for the National Assembly to give a date for the presentation.

Udoma also told journalists that N7.13 billion had been approved for six companies to protect six sections of the the country’s waterways.

Speaking on the budget, he said: “As you already know, the budget is ready. We are

liaising with the National Assembly because they are to give us a date. If they say today, we will go. The budget is ready.”

As at October 24, FEC had approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for the 2019 – 2021, which is a template for the 2019 budget.

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Submit to APC’s Supremacy, Ambode, Shettima Urge Aggrieved Aspirants Eromosele Abiodun The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and his Borno State counterpart, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, yesterday continued their reconciliatory efforts to pacify aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest over the outcome of the recent party primaries, with a call on aspirants from Lagos and Ogun States to accept the party’s supremacy and work for its victory at all levels during the 2019 elections.

Ambode and Shettima, who

had earlier met with aggrieved aspirants in Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States, said it was important for members of the party in the South-west to accept the outcome of the primaries and the party’s supremacy in order to approach the general elections with a united front.

The two governors, who are both members of the National Peace and Reconciliation Committee set up by the APC to pacify aggrieved party members in the South-west, said those aggrieved should consider making the necessary sacrifice no matter how difficult it is, in

ASUU: No Regret Stopping Gowon, Soyinka from Speaking at Uniabuja Event The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, Dr Kasim Umaru, has said the union has no regret for disrupting anti-corruption event in the institution.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the union led by Umaru prevented Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), and former Education Minister, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili from speaking at the event.

The ASUU Chairman told NAN in a telephone interview yesterday that the union disrupted the programme because of the ongoing strike.

He said such magnitude of programme could not hold in the institution because lecturers were also involved in the event.

“Those eminent personalities for the programme are all aware of our plight and did nothing; we disrupted the event because we are on strike,” he said.

The convener of the event and National Coordinator of African Initiative Against Corruption and Exam Malpractice AFICEM, Dr Francis Abioye, regretted the action of the ASUU, saying they erred by disrupting the event.

Abioye said the management of the university had earlier approved the institution’s auditorium as venue for the anti- corruption programme.

He said the programme was not an academic event, but was organised to educate Nigerians, especially students against corruption and related cases.

Abioye, who is also the General Manager, Zoology Garden in Owerri, Imo State, urged the federal government to fund education, saying that Nigeria could not progress without a stable educational system.

In his remarks, the university Student Union Government (SUG), President, Mr. Chizurum Anabaronye, said the development was regrettable and disappointing.

“It is unfortunate because students would have benefited immensely in the programme considering the personalities involved in the programme.

“Wole Soyinka is a person every student wants to see and the only opportunity to hear him speak was disrupted; we mobilised the students for the event but later communicated to them on the development,” he said.

NPA Concessions Old Warri Port’s Terminal B Eromosele Abiodun The Governing Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) after a meeting held in Lagos yesterday approved the concession of Terminal B, Warri Old Port to Messers Ocean and Cargo Services Limited.

The NPA in a statement after the meeting, which was chaired

by Chairman of the Board, Mr. Emmanuel Adesoye, said its decision to concession the port was in continuation of the port reform process initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in 2006.

According to the statement, the new concessionaire emerged from seven pre-qualified bidders who responded to a Request for Proposals (RfPs) issued by BPE on September 27, 2017.

The statement explained that Ocean and Cargo Services Limited will operate the terminal, which has been

abandoned for the past 10 years under a concession agreement for a 25-year term.

“Within this period, the concessionaire would rehabilitate infrastructure at the terminal and deploy modern technological infrastructure with the aim of making the facility competitive.

The development plan for the Terminal will be reviewed every five years to make it responsive to changes in operations.

“Terminal B, Old Warri Ports was first concessioned to Associated Maritime Services Limited in 2006 but the company was relocated to the Warri New Port upon the collapse of the quay wall in April 2008.

“The Terminal covers an area of 4.39 hectares and consists of facilities like a 760 metres long quay deck with appropriate quay hardware, open cargo storage areas as well as engineering and maintenance yards, “the statement said.

the overall interest of the party.

Speaking at the meeting held at Lagos House, Marina, Ambode said while it was gratifying that there was no issue in Lagos State largely due to the personal sacrifices that were made, but added that the same could not be said of Ogun State.

He urged concerned party members to do the needful to ensure peace.

“More significantly, we can see from the reflection of those here and I can declare that we do not have any issue in Lagos State and that we are one family. But again that is not to say that there

is no platform for reconciliation; we do not know whether there are some aspirants in the crowd who are aggrieved but we can say affirmatively as a party that we are one family in Lagos State.

“This is not, however, to create any prejudice to whatever is happening in Ogun State.

Without the setting up of this Committee, it is very clear that things are not the same in Ogun State like we have in Lagos State and we do recognize that. That is why this Committee is more or less anxious to see whatever it is that we can use as ingredients in creating peace in Ogun State.

“Whatever happens in

Ogun is a reflection of what is happening in the whole of the Southwest and we are ready to make sure that this our Committee brings everybody back into one family fold. So, we have come with open minds and even when closures have been made, the feelings and input here is what we are taking to Abuja tomorrow and also making sure that NWC (National Working Committee) get a very clear picture of how you feel and ultimately if there is a need to let the highest organ of the party intervene in a way that everything that is happening in Ogun State reflects what is

happening in Lagos State, we would be very happy to do it and we are committed to making sure that every representation is taken to party headquarters for redress and whatever it is that can be done,” Ambode said.

Also speaking, Shettima said the meeting in Lagos was the last for the Committee in the South-west after similar meetings were held in Ekiti and Ibadan earlier in the week, saying that the recommendations and solutions gathered from the interaction with the aggrieved aspirants would be collated and sent to the National Working Committee for further actions.

SHOW OF APPRECIATION…

L-R: Head, Customer Engagement, Polaris Bank, Yewande Sanyanwo; Head, Sustainability, Bola Adesanoye; Managing Director/CEO, Tokunbo Abiru; Founder, COPE, a breast cancer- focused NGO, Ebun Anozie; Chairman, COPE Trustees, Prof. Giwa Osato-Osagie; and Tutu Alu of Corporate Banking, Polaris Bank, during the courtesy visit by Board of C.OPE to Polaris Bank in Lagos… yesterday PHOTO; ETOP UKUTT.

Health Workers Threaten to Down Tools Nationwide over Unpaid Arrears Health workers across the country have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over the federal government’s failure to keep its promise of prompt payment of salary arrears and other allowances owed them.

The workers, under the aegis of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), issued the warning yesterday at

the end of the 45th session of their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, President of the union, Josiah Biobelemoye, said government’s perennial failure to honour agreements entered with the union informed the resolution to shut down health facilities and embark on the industrial action any moment

from yesterday.

Though Biobelomoye did not announce any date for the commencement of the strike, he urged the public to hold the government responsible for any inconvenience that may be experienced during the period.

He said: “Comrades, we have to prepare ourselves. We will no longer take that deceitful story of ‘there is no money.’

“It is our view that corruption cannot be fought when injustice is not addressed. If the same ministry of health can appropriate to pay illegal items such as skipping to the medical doctors who are not even entitled to such benefit, there is no reason they should tell us skipping allowance for other health workers has been abrogated.

Lagos CP Counters Shogunle, Says Having Public Sex is Indecent, Illegal Chiemelie Ezeobi Days after the Head of Police Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), ACP Abayomi Shogunle, advised consenting members of the public to engage in public sex in their cars, the Lagos State Command, yesterday countered his submission.

The state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, in a statement said such act of public indecency is not allowed in the state.

The statement made available to THISDAY by the

state police spokesperson, CSP Chike Oti, stipulated that the law holds that such offender is liable on conviction to two years imprisonment.

He said: “The attention of the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal, has been drawn to an online publication credited to @ POLICENG_PCRRU to the effect that ‘Sex in a car in a public place is not a crime in Nigeria provided; location is not a place of worship; parties are 18years plus, the act is consensual (agreed to by parties) and parties are of

opposite sex.

“If threatened with arrest over above, please contact @ POLICENG_PCRRU’.

“Sequel to the development, the CP Lagos has been advised by the Director of Public Prosecution of the state Ministry of Justice and the Legal Department of the state Police Command, Panti, Yaba, with relevant sections of the law as follows: Section 134 (a) Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 prohibits any indecent act in any public place without lawful excuse.

The law holds that such person

is liable on conviction to two years imprisonment.

“Section 136 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015, provides that any person who commits any act of gross indecency with another person in public commits an offence and liable on conviction to three years imprisonment.

“It must be noted that section 134 which deals with offences against morality, particularly section 134 (a), has it that indecent act in a public place makes both parties engaging in the act liable to imprisonment for two years.

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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COMMENT

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

ARCHITECTURE FED ON CULTURE

Okello Oculi canvasses the need for architecture that reflects the environment

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n 1835, Sir John Sloane received a medal of merit as “the Architect of England’’ for service to Architecture. He had brought Rome’s tradition of building with roots in the ancient Egypt of Black African Pharaohs. Since political independence across Africa from the 1960s, Africa’s architects have shown a passion for introducing Africa’s various cultural values into their craft.

These values include noting contradictions such as that between laughter and anguish in social life; the diversity of geographical locations and history including the colonial brutalities; the importance of spaces ranging from dance arenas; where women cook and hunters roast their kill in the wilderness; religious sites, and accommodating schools, universities and hospitals as novel ritual venues.

Architect Mariam Kamara in Niger Republic has contradicted the doctrine that “modernity’’ must go with the use of imported Euro-American building materials. She has created cheap housing in “NIAMEY 2000’’ Project through the use of local materials commonly inherited from local traditions.

In South Africa, architects have discovered rare insights in structures of traditional huts and their engagement with ventilation; taming heat and extreme cold, and use of mud and grass for thatched roofs.

The exploitation of abundant sunlight has received mixed reception. In some cases there appears to be a conspiracy between architects, electrical engineers and hawkers of air-conditioners to pretend that Africa also shares the Scandinavian tragedy of being without sunlight for six months in a year. Accordingly, this school of architecture indulges in creating lucrative contracts for importers of such so-called “infrastructure for the building industry’’. Lack of economic patriotism and architectural ingenuity are dressed in mystified jargon.

In Abuja Municipal Area Council there exists a stark contest between the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Banquet Hall at the Presidential Villa. While Architect Sunday Biyi Alabi flooded MFA with sunlight, and thereby shown awareness of the abundance of sunlight as a national economic resource, the builder of the Banquet Hall flooded the ceiling with electric light bulbs.

This contest assumes comic status in Argungu Town where the builders of the Government Reserved Area (GRA) used low roofs as a mark of modernity in contrasts to the “primitive’’ high ceiling in traditional architecture. While the traditional design allows air to circulate upwards, thereby ensuring cooling for as many as fifth persons seated in the reception hall, a reception room in the GRA treats guests to dense heat that is generously supplemented with up to 10 swirling fans imported from South Korea. The genius of traditional architects is ignored in exchange for lucrative contracts for purchasing “modern furniture’’.

The challenge of using space in such a way that it promotes

AMBASSADOR RALPH UWECHUE’S LONDONBASED “AFRICA MAGAZINE� NOTED THAT CLIENTS, INCLUDING THE LATE ADAMU CIROMA AND SHEHU MUSA YAR’ADUA, PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN ENJOYING FREEDOM FROM PRYING EYES OF VISITORS AND GUESTS

maximum privacy for key family members is a cultural value which Biyi Alabi gave priority to. In an interview with him (published in 1978 by former Ambassador Ralph Uwechue’s London-based “Africa Magazine’’), he noted that clients: including the late Adamu Ciroma and Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, put much emphasis on their wives and children enjoying freedom from prying eyes of visitors and guests.

He had to ensure the unity of a household with a dignity which came with the right to privacy for its members.

Architects who have served clients with Tiv focus on outdoor spaces for the consumption of alcohol and “Bush Meat’’, erect ‘overseas’ structures located under a roof and low walls but away from the main house. Visitors to Kenya’s capital Nairobi, are routinely lured by urban elite folklore to eat at “Nyama Choma’’ -an outdoor site at the edge of a wild animal reserve for consuming meat of deers, antelopes, buffalos and other victims. Masai cattle also join that economy of carnivores During white racist rule in South Africa, diplomacy for winning over Euro-American critics was conducted in sites located in a game reserve under moonlight and cover of roars of lions and laughter of hyenas. This concept of using wild open spaces has become deeply integrated into advertisements for South Africa’s tourism. The mind of builders and managers of racial segregation in South Africa ignored the contradiction between this enjoyment of space by descendants of Euro-America and the trapping of black people in urban and rural slums.

The pandemic in Nigeria and Kenya of buildings collapsing during construction as well as under occupation for considerable time, tends to pass into public silence with the rapidity with which their horrors shock public awareness. Architects have tended to hide their heads; and hear silence throw her wings over their shame. They have also benefited from the press deflecting blame on to building engineers. The issue of architecture reflecting African ideals - which buildings and spaces should arouse and consolidate inhabitants - has been ignored.

Euro-America succeeded in disrupting and derailing nation-building by inciting military coups in African countries which did not win power under the leadership of cohesive and highly disciplined liberation movements.

The loss of high values led to triumphs of corruption, drug addiction and wealth-grabbing without hard work.

Architects are yet to rise to the challenge of reversing this negativity. Architect Biyi Alabi admired Japanese response to uncertainty (which is at the core of earthquakes), by creating “Sumo Wrestling’’ – a sport for power in hippos. Their buildings stand on pillars that are so huge that an adult person cannot put arms around. May his vision animate Africa’s architects.

THE HUMBLING JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE Our governments should adhere to the merit principle as the objective condition for national transformation, writes Olu Obafemi

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Gratitude is a noble instinct� which I exhort and hereby explore to express profound gratitude to your excellency for accepting the decision of the Board of the Nigerian National Merit Award to confer this award of the Nigerian National Order of Merit 2018 on me. Similarly, it compels me to take a deep reflection on how I arrived at this point in life. The story of my life’s journey provides instruction on the value of merit in the attainment of possibilities for individuals, groups and societies.

In the early years of the sixties, I gained admission into two missionary-run colleges in the then Kabba Division—today’s Kogi State. The fees of the institutions were simply beyond the means of my parents who were a peasant farmer and a food vendor. I had to wait till the following year when I passed the Common Entrance Examinations and gained admission into one of the Northern Nigerian government’s Provincial Secondary Schools, sited, equitably, in the 14 Provinces of the Northern Region. Even at that, the relatively small school fees of 13 pounds a year could only be paid after my father had sold his cocoa/coffee plantation and my mother the finest of her few clothes.

It was not until the third year when, by government policy, the Provincial colleges in the region became full-fledged government colleges, that my parents were marginally able to sponsor my secondary education with less hardship. This was

because a policy had been enacted to make fees relatively favourable to the children of the poor— who paid fees as low as Three pounds—while the children of the well-to-do and civil servants paid up to 15 and 20 pounds.

When it was time for me to go for the Higher School Certificate (H.S.C) programme, a family decision had to be taken for my sister to stay back for me to move on, with the expectation that on completion of my course, I would train my other siblings through school. My father, a non-literate intellectual with an unquenchable thirst for education for his children, was contemned and scorned by his peers for insisting on my further schooling, rather than throwing me into the labour market as they all did. As it turned out, the ECWA missionaries who owned the Titcombe College, Egbe, had a scholarship scheme for the best HSC student every term. This was how I was able to complete the remaining five terms without my parents paying a dime.

My undergraduate and graduate studies were financed through the Kwara State Government Scholarship and the University of Ilorin Staff Development Schemes. Two critical lessons emerge from this narrative.

One, that with good educational policies combined with merit, the children of the poor with humble and lowly parentage can rise to stand before the President to receive the Nigerian National Order of Merit, the highest honour and recognition for ‘academic and intellectual contributions made by citizens of Nigeria’.

Two, as government is clearly aware, education is the foundational tool for national development in a knowledge-driven world and deserves to be given priority attention. Happily, this government recently declared a state of emergency in the educational sector in the country so that education can regain its pride of place in the nation.

A combination of good Mission, Regional, State, and federal educational policies of the sixties and seventies opened access and opportunities to any qualified pupils and students to obtain sound education. Merit alone, a system of recognition and reward based on excellence and worthiness, shorn of all sentiment and prejudice, and run by a board of eminent and seasoned intellectuals and scholars on behalf of the federal government, has produced the NNOM laureates seated here today.

This has affirmed my conviction that merit is a veritable credo of governance. I thus propose that it is forever good to stick to what is just and right.

Your Excellency, what remains is for our governments to adhere to the Merit principle as the objective condition for national transformation. As a humanist, I harbour Utopian ideals (in our stories that I tell) for my country for Meritocracy as an ideology of governance. A merit-based democracy will take the nation away from desperation and exasperation to renewed inspiration, aspiration and genuine national patriotism.

Since political independence, our governments have never suffered from policy deficiency. That explains the reason for establishing the Nigerian National Merit Award. That was also why the

National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies was erected—both institutions established nearly four decades ago--to hold sound, knowledge-based discourses to etch policies on the various aspects of nation building and national development. Your Excellency, what has been in deficit is the political will to deploy the requisite strategies for policy implementation for national reconstruction and transformation.

Your Excellency, with the Change philosophy of your government, added to your proverbial and nation-wide personal reputation for integrity and commitment to national development, peace and national security, the time is now to utilise the merit inherent in these institutions and other similar institutions in this potentially great country, with the bubbling energies of its teaming youths, whose future depends on today’s envisioned governance. It is time for us to inclusive and open participation space for the production, distribution and exchange of the nation’s mammoth endowments—material and ineffable-- in order to take the nation to where it can, and should be, as the country on whose shoulders the destiny of the Africa continent rests.

On this pragmatic aspiration, Your Excellency, I accept, most humbly and with profound appreciation, this covetable honour, on behalf of the numerous other highly merit-driven innovators, creators and inventors in the service of our nation.

Excerpts from Prof Obafemi’s acceptance speech on being awarded the 2018 Nigerian National Order of Merit

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EDITORIAL The Bane Of Child Marriage In Nigeria Child marriage is an issue that must be addressed because of its grave implications

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hat the prevalence of maternal and child mortality has grave impacts on our human capital development is not in doubt. What many may not know is that it also has strong connection with the incidence of child marriage in Nigeria. That explains why the recent disclosure by the United Nations Women Africa that Nigeria has the highest child brides in the world with 23 million girls married off in childhood is very disturbing. Critical stakeholders must come together to address some of the retrogressive practices that inhibit the progress of our girls and women, including child marriage.

According to available reports, some 45 per cent of Nigerian girls are married—usually against their will—from age 13 to 18 in some parts of the country.

Not only are they denied of their childhood, the society is also robbed of the harmony expected in homes with matured partners. Wasila Tasi’u, 14, who in 2015 rebelled against the practice of forced marriage in Kano State, confessed to poisoning her 35-year-old husband and three others. While that is not a common occurrence, it THERE IS AN URGENT nonetheless underNEED FOR THE scores the gravity of GOVERNMENT AND the situation.

Nothing demCIVIL SOCIETY TO onstrates that more EMBARK ON AN vividly than the AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, national outrage PARTICULARLY IN AREAS that has greeted the WHERE CHILD BRIDE IS social media reports IN VOGUE and photographs of a 70 years old man in Niger State, Mr Yakubu Chanji, who has just married a girl said to be 15. In the absence of any law to deal with the situation, there is nothing anybody can do to deter such men yet there are also health implications to such early marriage for girls. Nigeria is reputed to have the highest incidence of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in the world, with an estimated 20,000 new

Letters to the Editor

cases reported every year. VVF, an abnormal fistulous tract that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine, is often caused by childbirth and most of its victims in Nigeria are predominantly victims of child marriage.

Some of the enablers of child marriage in Nigeria include illiteracy as well as religious and cultural practices. All these factors came into play in 2013 when the Senate resolved to retain Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) despite the fact that its review committee had, in its draft amendment bill recommended the deletion of Section 29 (4) (b) which stipulates that “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.” Though this section deals with the qualifying age for renunciation of citizenship, its connection with child marriage arose from the preceding Section 29 (4) (a) which provides that “full age means the age of eighteen years and above”.

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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

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.

GOV BAGUDU AND 24-HOUR ELECTRICITY

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t is strange in Nigeria that a state like Kebbi can boast of 24-hour electricity. I thank Governor Atiku Bagudu for setting this example. The governor’s mission was to provide 24 hours uninterrupted power, hence, he bought over 200 transformers and other important electricity facilities that would make it possible for the distribution company to supply regular electricity to Birnin Kebbi and the 21 local government areas of the state. The current electricity supply is as a result of the government’s strategic move to tapping from the power supplied to the Niger Republic. States and local governments have adjusted to the reality of power privatization in Nigeria. The reality that emerged after privatization for states and local governments is to limit investment in power sector since 2013. Governor Bagudu has increased Kebbi State investment in the areas of reinforcing and re-strengthening the existing 33/11KV network. Over 80% of the distribution transformers, ranging from 100KVA to 500KVA which are already overloaded were reinforced and re-strengthened. Governor Bagudu has increased the participation of people and community leaders in collecting revenue for Kaduna Discos. The governor tied transformers to the people in terms of revenue generation for the disco. The governor has involved the people in the maintenance of electricity poles

hile there is no generally acceptable marriage age among the states, Section 23 of the Child Rights Act makes it a criminal offence to marry a girl under 18 years and prescribes a penalty of five years’ imprisonment. Unfortunately, many of the states in the north have yet to adopt the act despite the benefits and protections it confers on every child. We call on these states to do so forthwith, and for those who have enacted it into law to also commence implementation. But beyond that, there is an urgent need for the government and civil society to embark on an awareness campaign, particularly in areas where child bride is in vogue, with a view to highlighting the health, educational, economic, social and psychological implications of this practice.

All factors considered, marrying a girl off early is not in her interest. However, to get rid of the menace, policies that reward parents who encourage their daughters to go to school should be put in place, while financial penalties should be imposed on those adults who withdraw their daughters and their wards before completion of secondary school.

across Kebbi State.

Governor Atiku Bagudu bought more transformers, assisted electric transmission and distribution agencies with necessary facilities to Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (which supplies Kebbi State) and also created infrastructure to boost regular power supply in the state. Power cuts only last for minutes – not hours like in all the other states in Nigeria. In Birnin Kebbi alone, there are four power control stations. What is largely responsible for stable electricity supply in Birnin Kebbi is the availability of necessary electricity facilities like transformers, injection stations and others.

The federal government was reported last week, to be planning to sell electricity to Burkina Faso - a neighbouring West African country. This rather shocking and disturbing information was revealed by the Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, Mr. Lamu Audu, at the annual Power and Utilities Roundtable organised in Lagos

by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). According to Audu, MESL which operates Kainji and Jebba hydro power plants took this decision so as to fully utilise energy being rejected by electricity distribution companies. Kaduna disco is equally appealing to Governor Bagudu to allow Kebbi State take more of the stranded energy.

Inwalomhe Donald, Birnin Kebbi

RE: THE LADY IS NOT FOR TURNING

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n his recent piece on Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s book, “Fighting Corruption is Dangerous,” Dr Omolade Adenubi confirms that he is an intellectual lightweight hiding behind a professorial title and the name of a great institution.

Why someone supposedly working in a well-known institution would engage in what is typically known as a “hatchet piece” is beyond comprehension and best left to people’s imagination. The piece is scarcely worth commenting on except that it impugns the character and reputation of a great lady old enough to be his grandmother, Prof Kamene Okonjo.

Essentially, in the piece titled “The Lady is not for turning” Adenubi who identifies himself as a professor at the University of Michigan calls Prof Kamene Okonjo a liar, all but in name, since he claims her story of being kidnapped by people who told her they had taken her because her daughter the finance minister did not pay oil marketers is false. Prof Adenubi, without any proof, writes that it was just one of a regular series of ongoing kidnappings at the time.

The ivory towered Prof Adenubi lacks the courage to directly interview Prof Kamene Okonjo, a Boston University PhD, retired professor of Sociology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Enugu State University, who at 88 years old is still alive and could tell him the truth.

Adenubi’s resort to such low tactics in his desperate and doomed effort to discredit NOI’s book is unbelievable.

It is clear that he is one of the intellectuals who, from their comfortable perches abroad, specialise in throwing stones at those who have actually taken the brave step of coming home to serve.

The other fact-challenged claims made

by Adenubi about the book all serve to reinforce the overall impression that his piece is a sponsored one.

It is sad that rather than engage the serious issues and events detailed in NOI’s book, Adenubi opted to take the low road. It is his types who are misusing their position to mislead people and ensure that Nigeria never moves forward.

Deolu Davies, Lagos

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THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

‘Nigeria is the Most Skewed Federal Structure in the World’ Peter Ishaka probes the lofty intentions of Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki to address the perceived marginalisation of the ethnic groups in the Midwest region What exactly is the Midwest Summit about?

The Midwest Summit is actually a gathering of the 12 tribes of the Midwest Region. When you say 12 tribes, it’s actually by the Grace of God that we’re almost as biblical as we can get. There’re 12 tribes, we have five tribes in the present day Edo State largely, and we have seven in the present day Delta State.

So what this is about is actually to address the emasculating situation where the Midwest Region has found itself. The Midwest Region is perhaps the only part of Nigeria that has been so terribly marginalised. And nobody seems to talk about it.

We’ve been put in the back burner; meanwhile we stand at the trigger of this nation. We’re the singular most important fabric of this nation. And we have to remind people that prior to the unsolicited intervention of the military in our polity, the Midwest happened to be the real exercise in democracy that this country has ever had. The Midwest remains the only and singular constitutionally created part of the Nigerian federation.

This was as a result of the 13th of July 1963 plebiscite. The Midwest was created as a separate and equal federating region of this country through due constitutional process. It was endorsed by majority of 89.01% of eligible indigenes of the area which was then in the Western region. So by the 8th of August 1963, the Western region assembly affirmed the outcome of that exercise. And by the next day, the 9th of August 1963, the Midwest region was born. We endured military rule for three decades.

But we have continued to suffer the consequences of the near destruction of the entire fabric of our socio-political and economic life. We now ask ourselves today: is this the country our forefathers who fought against British imperialism hoped for?

The answer is definitely no. So we decided that we can no longer afford to sit back and hope as usual, that the negative passions of ethnic jingoists will blow away. Or that the convenient dismissive stance of those who gained from the present situation will resolve the problem. The Midwest Movement is a vanguard for the Edo and Delta peoples made up of professionals, entrepreneurs, captains of industries, those in the press, academics, politicians of all shades. We decided that we must address these now.

A couple of years ago, some ethnic jingoists started drawing maps all across Nigeria, purposely creating new fiefdoms for themselves. In this their unilateral declaration, the place that has become some form of sandwich and butter for them is the territory of the Midwest. We’re taking into consideration history, because we cannot be blind to the history of our people. We decided to come up to let everybody know that we cannot be the canon folder to anybody or any group. We shall not be collateral damage to the selfish intentions of any group of persons or ethnic jingoists. We decided to assert the distinctiveness and the uniqueness of the Midwestern people, both as a people and a geographical expression.

Nigeria has been faced with so much debilitating upheavals, and those who have suffered are the people of Edo and Delta. It is time to say we do not advocate for a dismembering of this nation. We want a more equitable, a more justifiable distribution, not only of the wealth of this country, but also of the originating sources of those wealth.

The summit is to put together all those who aspire to rule Nigeria after 2019 to tell us their plans.

What is the plan of each of these parties and their presidential candidates? That is what we want to know, because if there’s any of them that do not commit openly to the restructuring of the nation, to use the right word, to the re-federalisation of Nigeria, we will do everything humanly possible to make sure that they don’t even have access to campaign in the region of Edo and Delta. That is the real reason for the summit.

Why now?

Why didn’t we call this summit when all the others were screaming about Biafra and Oduduwa or Middle Belt is that we’re a very strategic and tactful people, we believe that when we aggregate our collective brain power, we’ll be able to discern how best to tactfully and strategically move our

Obaseki region forward. We chose now because we wanted all the parties to choose their presidential candidates.

There is no need joining the huge cacophony, going around Nigeria or social media. We know that at the end of November we will know who all the presidential candidates are. We have thus invited all the presidential candidates who have agreed to come We have invited all stakeholders and those who are opinion moulders and leaders in our polity.

Now is apt, the election is just two months and a few weeks away.

Why did you choose Asaba as the venue?

The choice of Asaba is very deliberate. Edo and Delta are like Siamese twins; we are the two component parts of the whole. In Urhobo, we say when one hand washes the other, the hands will be clean. So what we do is to demonstrate the unique engineering that takes place in the Midwest, we have decided to move our activities fluidly between both states. All our major meetings have been held in different senatorial zones. When we held our Midwest Declaration, it was held in Benin, in August last year. In October last year, we also held our first major plenary and we chose the rural town of Ufuoma in Ughelli to host it.

But today we chose Asaba because Asaba is the home town and birth place of the first Premier of the Midwestern region, the Rt Honourable Chief Dennis Osadebe, who was also the first Senate President of an independent Nigeria in 1960. That is why Asaba was chosen. And secondly, Asaba is the gateway from the east into the Midwest and Asaba was the first casualty of the invasion of the Midwest by the Biafran forces. More so, Asaba is a major theatre during the Nigerian Civil War. That is why we are a little wary now, in case Nigeria is faced with any kind of debilitating conflagration.

In 1967, all the battles that took place outside of the eastern region took place only in the Midwest. So we were like canon folders, we were like collateral damage, we were the pacifists who were meant to pay for our pacifism. This time, we won’t let that happen.

Nigeria will remain a nation that must take into consideration the critical positioning of the Edo and Delta peoples as the nexus of this nation.

That is why we call ourselves the Heart Beat of Nigeria or the Big Heart of Nigeria.

Who are those expected to attend the summit?

We have written to and we have got confirmations for those outside of the Midwest region; those who are attending the summit are basically all presidential candidates. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari had been written, but in his capacity as the APC Presidential Candidate, same with Atiku Abubakar, as the PDP Presidential Candidate. We have Kingsley Moghalu, who is attending as the YPP Presidential candidate, we have Omoyele Sowore, who is attending as the AAC Presidential candidate, Alister Soyede, attending as the Presidential candidate of the YES

Party and our home grown presidential candidate like Victor Okhai and the Better Nigeria Peoples Party candidate, the Reverend David Esosa Ize-Iyamu.

They are those coming.

All those who have been involved in the leadership, whether the leadership is economic, business, industry, political, academic, all persons, community leaders, youth, student leaders, women leaders are congregating in Asaba. Asaba is going to be a gathering of the tribes, so every Bendelite, every Midwesterner, all those who are involved in the Midwest project and have contributed immensely to the Nigerian federal project are the ones we expect to attend. It is an all comers affair but it is going to be strictly structured.

I listened to the short video on the creation of the Midwest region in 1963. Are you nostalgic about your past?

A man who does not appreciate his past cannot discern and construct his future. We are nostalgic about the past. Remember the simple phrase, ‘Up Bendel’, it was something that took the entire nation by storm. We were almost at every juncture the best in every thing we did. The Midwest projected Nigeria to the rest of the world. We are nostalgic and we want to be able to resurrect that nostalgia because it gives hope A good leader must be a dealer in hope. What is seemingly spread across the Nigerian polity today is hopelessness. So we think that the resuscitation of the ‘Up Bendel’ indefatigable Midwesterners’ spirit would be able to shoot to the fore the need for us to make the voices of our Edo and Delta peoples heard .

In that nostalgia, we are also educating our youths and our leadership who seem to have forgotten about that very nostalgic past, we are telling them that in Nigeria, barely two years and 10 months after independence, Nigeria went to the polls and created a region and that all the constitutions of Nigeria, right from the Macpherson constitution through to Independence 1960 Constitution or the 1963 Republican Constitution, even the faulted 1979 Second Republic constitution or even this fourth republic constitution of 1999 only prescribed one way to create a federating unit in Nigeria and that is via a plebiscite or a referendum. But the only time that has been successfully done was on 13th July 1963 when the Midwest plebiscite was held. Every other thing has been balkanized by military fiat.

So we want our people to know that as at 1966 January 15, when the military first intervened in politics in Nigeria, we were one over four, until 1967 when General Yakubu Gowon, balkanized Nigeria into 12 states, he shrunk us from being one of four equal federating units to one over 12, by creating 12 states. Prior to that, there were just four capitals in Nigeria: Kaduna for the northern region, Enugu for the eastern region, Benin City for the Midwestern region and Ibadan for the Western region.

Now there was further balkanization on the 3rd of February 1976 when General Ramat Murtala

Mohammed divided Nigeria into 19 states again by fiat and the Midwest was only barely rechristened Bendel, which was a combination of Benin and Delta provinces. Meanwhile, the western region has been re-divided into Ondo, Ogun, Lagos and Oyo State. The eastern central states were re-divided into Anambra and Imo, and then there was Rivers State.

And then the north which used to be one region was now turned into 10 states but the Midwest remains just one state. So we moved from one over four, we were shrunk to one over 12, and Murtala Mohammed shrunk us to one over 19 until 1991 when General Ibrahim Babangida now divided Nigeria into 30 states. With some level of magnanimity they split our state, the Midwest State, which they later christened Bendel State into two, moving the Benin part which they christened Edo State and the Delta part, Delta State. Meanwhile we now shrunk to two over 30, until 1996 when General Abacha created 36 states and we became two over 36 or arithmetically one over 18. So it is a very simple thing and in that nostalgia we are also feeding people with the negative repercussions of the shrunken destinies of the Edo and Delta peoples.

I want to take you back quickly to the 60s, in the times when all those who were involved in the politics of this country sat around the table and negotiated the union; that was why they were federating equal units with equal rights all contributing to a central government and the most prevalent fiscal federal structure then was a simple arithmetic of 50, 30, 20, where the originating unit held on fiscally to 50 % of all revenues, of all resources that are derived from it, and then they put into the central or federating accounts another 30% while the federal government hold on to 20%. So the 50, 30, 20 per cent formula worked. It was along the line around 5% here and there, until the declaration of the unitary government and the practice of same by successive military administrations. By the time it got to the 1975 entrance into our national life by the Murtala Mohammed regime, it was totally wiped out. We can remember that in 1980 the late Prof.

Ambrose Ali, as the governor of the old Bendel State har to take the federal government to court on the allocations and the revenue formula. That lasted for a while and the state government won that case, but again the advent of the military in 1983 when Major General Buhari came to power abrogated or truncated that again until 1999, 2000, when led by the then Delta State governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, there was a resuscitation of the fight for resource control which led to a paltry 13% derivation. There must be a devolution of power. There must be a restructuring of the Nigerian federation according to federal lines because the Nigerian constitution is based on a lie, a lie that says ‘we the people’. How, where, when did we the people accede to that constitution?

It is actually a unitary constitution, where every power is actually at the centre. Nigeria is the most skewed federal structure in the world. There must be a systemic dismantling of the Nigerian federal structure as it is presently constituted and then it should be structured along negotiated federating lines, principle and paradigms. That is the only way we can actually move forward as a nation.

What additional demands are you making for the old Midwestern region?

We are asking that Nigeria should be structured properly. The first thing you can do outside of devolution of political power is to address the fiscal, financial implications of our federalism.

That the states of Nigeria should go cap in hand every month or every other month to Abuja to a funny federal revenue allocation commission is a travesty in federalism. The federal government has nothing to share, it only takes. Then there must be a look at the list, the exclusive list, the concurrent list must be clearly looked into. What business does the federal government that owns no farms have with Ministry of Agriculture? There must be first and foremost the need for a proper federal arrangement and our demands in these are key and those are part of the things that would form our Midwest Charter. At the end of this, we will have a Midwest Charter and all the candidates who are running must agree to it.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

POLITICS

‘Do Politicians Know WhatThey are Doing WhenThey Arm Hungry People?’

Mr. Iboro Otu, Akwa Ibom State governorship candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party tells Nseobong Okon-Ekong that he strongly believes the present crop of politicians in the country are only driven by naked selfishness with an intent to have their way by any means necessary Why do you think members of the public allow themselves to be used by politicians to cause mayhem?

I don’t think any right thinking person, who has a job, food to eat and a future, would allow themselves to be so cheaply used in causing mayhem. I strongly believe these paid hands are hungry and jobless miscreants – ironically stymied by same politicians - whose only avenue of making money is by presenting themselves as tools and agents of destruction.

Again this takes us to why I strongly believe gainful employment and economic progress aren’t adequately supported in Akwa Ibom state because certain people in certain quarters believe when youths are kept unemployed and hungry, they’ll do any bidding of theirs. Such myopic and self-destructive pattern have existed over the years. Our present crop of politicians, sadly, have weaponised poverty. They have designed a formula where our youths believe when you do the bidding of politicians, you stand a chance of getting political relevance. This is how most of the present crop of political leaders rose. This is also why you notice they are bereft of ideas and can’t even make one correct sentence. This issue has been the bedrock of our problem. Events unfolding now are early signs of the chickens coming home to roost. This is why people like us are rising up, because if we don’t, we will lose our state. I mean, look at what is happening presently in the state house of assembly? Imagine how our governors both past and present are exchanging dirty words in the open. This isn’t supposed to be!

We need to take back our state and develop our communities. Our women and mothers are dying as a result of lack of access to adequate childbirth services. Our healthcare sector is in a

Otu coma, so is our educational sector and the rest of the sectors that are supposed to provide gainful employment for our people. We are supposed to be preparing ourselves for the future, not bickering about our aging past. Our present crop of selfish politicians don’t cut it. We are taking back our state from these actors.

If politicians love the people, why do they mastermind destruction of lives and property?

Our politicians don’t love our people. They love themselves and use our people to achieve their aims. And even at that, I strongly doubt they love themselves at all when I look at the actions they stand behind. No one has monopoly over violence. History can tell us events that start big wars and even the Arab spring were not tectonic events but little impunity taken too far. This is why I often ask, do these politicians know what they

are doing when they take hungry people and arm them? Many local governments are ungovernable and inaccessible to both our state government and security services, how did this come about?

Where did these guys get the weapons? These are serious questions that need to be addressed.

Our present crop of politicians only care about their pockets. They only care about their bank accounts. They only care about their greed.

They don’t care about anybody, everyone else is dispensable.

My candidacy is geared towards putting this to an end. Akwa Ibom indigenes deserve better.

What we are doing today is work towards ending this modern day slavery of our people, where the collective purse of our state in controlled by a cultic few who have been sharing state dividends among themselves while the rest of the state go hungry. Enough of the working monkey and chopping baboon.

We are beginning to see states like Akwa Ibom that were once generally acknowledged as peaceful, showing signs of becoming a flash point in the 2019 elections, what is responsible for this?

These are signs of chickens coming home to roost. This stage was set many years ago when a government came to power and setup up a reward system where political thugs and minions were rewarded with power. The thugs bred more thugs and upcoming youths saw thuggery as a way to political relevance and prosperity, and thus were negatively inspired. What happened afterwards was a proliferation of pitiable scenes where young people would gather every morning from Monday to Sunday in parlors and joints, waiting for political godfathers to stop by so they could sing praises and get raises. Nothing has

destroyed the fabric of our society and demoralised the spirit of hardworking men and women in this state than these events. Every other thing crystallised from this. When educational excellence and innovation aren’t rewarded. When research and development, commerce and industry aren’t supported, when godfatherism supersedes competence, what do you expect? That government abandoned hardwork and rewarded praise singers and political jobbers.

Pockets of discontents in several areas as we see today – in and outside of government - are now consolidating into core fronts and exhibiting themselves in ways we see today. Bottomline; thugs aligning to take power by all means necessary.

Unless people like us succeed with our stepping in to offer a viable alternative, the 2019 elections in Akwa Ibom state may likely see the prophesied ‘War in Warsaw’ because the two ruling parties have readied for the electioneering war. Through their myopic prism of graft and impunity, they see power as a zero sum game where winner takes all.

Violence and intimidation has always been their modus operandi. Fortunately or unfortunately, ‘Hitler’ has moved camp, as such, the forces are equal and opposite. I must warn them on both sides of the aisle, Akwa Ibom is too big for them. Akwa Ibom will outlive them. A lot of politicians like them have come and gone and so will they. They are on the wrong side of history and posterity will judge them. Warsaw is a great city today. I have seen many great men and women in world history – Abraham Lincoln included - who only had one house address.

Akwa Ibom will be great again.

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

‘Nigerians Should Forget the PDP’ Emmanuel Umohinyang, Convener of the Re-elect Buhari Movement fields questions from Emmanuel Otaru on the Peoples Democratic Party’s recent call for the resignation of the Inspector General of Police and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission What is your reaction to the call by the PDP for the resignation of the Inspector – General of Police and the INEC Chairman?

I think the Peoples Democratic Party, known for its antics does not have the morality to ask heads of institutions to resign. Under its 16 years of maladministration, we saw how the abuse of institutions was carried out during that era. Under the PDP, the office of the IGP was an appendage of the ruling party. We also saw that under the PDP, INEC, which is not truly independent now, was not . When a party like that begins to make insinuations, one begins to wonder whether, we have lost our sense of history. Funny enough, their call is targeted at the person of Ibrahim Idris, the IGP, but I think instead of PDP calling for his resignation, Nigerians should be calling for the IGP to be given an extension of tenure because in the last couple of years, he has done credibly well. Don’t forget that IGP Idris is UN-trained. He has worked in various missions abroad. He had been a pillar of strength to so many countries where he performed creditably well. He is a man who has won several awards including UN awards. When a party like the PDP makes such insinuations, it baffles me, and I think we must commend President Muhammedu Buhari, who appointed Idris IGP. Under his watch, he has brought sound, workable, credible reforms of the police.

He is pro-welfare. He ensures his men are properly taken care of. Recently, you saw the increment in the salary of the police. This may have been started by other IGPs, but he ensured that he brought that process to a conclusive end by getting the President to approve an increase in salary for his men. Idris does not sit down in the comfort of his office and push out orders. He leads his men from the front line. Those calling for his resignation over claims of partiality do not know who IGP Idris is because if they do, they would have known that this is a man who will never allow any of his men to be used to circumvent the will and wishes of Nigerians. Under his watch, we have had the conduct of elections which have been adjudged as credible by foreign

carry out the policing of that state or those who have over stayed in such a place. The argument of some of these governors is that staying long will allow better policing of the terrain, but that is not enough because it is not the CP who goes after criminal elements. His own is to give directives to his men. Even when he leaves, his men are there to do the job on the field. The Police Act gives the IGP the powers to regulate the affairs of the police, It is not the duty of governors or political parties to interfere.

Umohinyang observers. On the INEC Chairman, I have not seen any area where INEC has performed below expectation under the administration of President Buhari. I think such insinuations are largely due to the fear of where Nigerians have decided to pitch their tent in 2019. I think Nigerians should forget the PDP because they do not enjoy their support.

Having gone through the era of, ‘stealing is not corruption’; nobody would want to return to that era.

Don’t you think the call for IGP’s resignation over the repeated changes of Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa State is an issue?

It is not the duty of any governor or political party by reason of the Police Act to decide how long a commissioner of police is to stay in a state.

The IGP is the one in-charge of the operations of the police. The information available to the the IGP, is not to our knowledge. Don’t forget that the disadvantages and advantages of the police staying long in a place. If a police officer stays too long in a place, familiarity may be taken advantage of, and there is the danger of compromise which may throw up security risk. The IGP has necessary information and it is on the strength of such information that he relies since he owes it as a duty to Nigerians to pull out CPs who may no longer be able to

How do you see the role of the police in the recent Akwa Ibom House of Assembly crisis?

Those who make allegations against the police are those afraid of their shadow. They think we are still operating the old order where the magic of 16 is greater than 19 in the governors’ forum election under the past administration. Under the Buhari administration, institutions have been given the power to work independently. Look at what the EFCC is doing. We no longer have a situation where EFCC is let loose on political opponents. We don’t have anything like that. You should know that the party that is complaining has always had the habit of abusing institutions of government, and so they think the present administration will do same, but they got it dead wrong because under Buhari nothing like that will happen. Accusing the IGP of interfering in the House of Assembly crisis is ridiculous. The IGP will never stoop so low as to interfer in an issue connected with the House of Assembly of a state. What for? Does the IGP want to become the speaker of the state House of Assembly? People who make these kinds of statements are people who have lost substantially.

Nobody will use the police for political advantage in 2019. Whosoever has such intention should bury it, not under this administration. The President will not allow the wishes of Nigerians to be truncated because he is involved. That is the President and that is the President Nigerians will return by the grace of God in 2019.

What is your reaction to CUPP’s adoption of Atiku Abubakar as consensus presidential candidate in 2019 I think the endorsement by CUPP should not take anybody by surprise. All the officials of CUPP are PDP, and some of these political parties like Festus Keyamo said are husband and wife political parties, but I tend to disagree with Keyamo’s position. Husband and wife means they are two.

I believe they are cousins and nephew political parties. They don’t have offices. They have no structure, no organs of the party as it is outlined in the constitution. What they do is fronting as political parties with a common goal, going back to where we are coming from. If you look at them too, you will discover that they are almost children of the same parents. They all started in the PDP and returned back. Endorsement does not translate to victory in an election, if it does, former president Goodluck Jonathan would have continued in office.

It is Nigerians who will determine their President in 2019, not political parties without structures.

What is your position on the President’s refusal to sign the election bill into law?

I think our constitution made it very clear that where the President withholds his assent, the parliament with two – third majority can override the President, but can this parliament muzzle two – third? The answer is no.

The President did not refuse to assent the bill as people may want to say because he feels it will work against him. This bill was passed on the 20th of October, 2018. The president looked at the closeness of signing the bill and the 2019 elections, which is two months and some fractions away. INEC had been working with the previous Electoral Act in preparation for 2019, so the President felt signing the new bill may cause confusion in the polity.

Don’t forget that this President believes in the improvement of our electoral system because he has been a victim of a spurious election on three occasions, but he was a beneficiary of a credible process in 2015, thanks to the card reader.

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FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08152252325

Advocating Fairness for Victims of Human Trafficking, Irregular Migration Adibe Emenyonu who covered the annual conference of the Nigerian Society of International Law in Benin City, Edo State capital, reports that it was an advocacy for nations to deal with victims of human trafficking and irregular migration with utmost fairness

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labour laws require employers to demonstrate the lack of local labourers before issuing visas for migrant workers and allow workers to engage without having to seek the permission of the current employer; and that countries should set up institutions to monitor labour recruitment agencies in order to eliminate recruitment fees for migrant workers.

t the 41st annual conference of the Nigerian Society of International Law (NSIL), held in Benin City, Edo State capital, it was an opportunity to advocate for better treatment of human trafficking victims and irregular migrants.

Tagged: "Security, Human Trafficking and International Law" it was an advocacy for fairness from countries while dealing with victims of human trafficking and irregular migration. The attendees included judges, renowned jurists, Diplomats, legal practitioners, top civil servants, both serving and retired with speciality in international law and jurisprudence.

The two days event was declared open by the Government of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof.

Yinka Omorogbe.

Some irregular migrants

Addressing Human TrafďŹ cking Epidemic Delivering a keynote address on behalf of the governor, Omorogbe said matters of international law would in no small measure aid government at all levels in addressing security challenges and human trafficking epidemic in Africa. She stressed that issues of human trafficking and and security required to be resolved by appropriate international law Omorogbe who doubles as the chairperson of Edo State Taskforce Against Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking, noted that her agency has engaged in overhauling awareness campaigns against the menace in most vulnerable villages of the state She added that the investigation and prosecution team were carefully drawn from the various security and legal officials to ensure thorough and quick justice.

Fifth from left, the newly elected President, Nigerian Society of International Law, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe; fourth from right, Prof. Isaac Oluwole Agbede, immediate past president of NSIL; fourth from left, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, first vice president; and other members of NSIL at its 41st annual conference in Benin City

Protection of Victims In their paper presentation titled: "Human Rights Violation in Irregular Migration: The Anti-Trafficking Act (2015) and Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking in Nigeria", Ijeoma Anozie, Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja; and Charles Ndubuisi Iroh, Legal Officer, Women's Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), Lagos; posited that Nigeria like other countries of the world confronted with the menace of Human Trafficking only began to receive legal attention in 2003.

Even at that, they said the status of the trafficked person is problematic especially in situations where victim's legal presence is problematic and questionable.

According to them, "the reason is not farfetched. Many of the victims fall within the category of Irregular Migrants resulting in relevant domestic laws in their destination country not offering adequate protection.

"More often that not, after being identified as victims of Human trafficking, they are either deported immediately to their country of domicile or granted temporary permission to stay and help the host country to prosecute the traffickers before being deported".

With this, they are of the opinion that the controversy between victims of human trafficking and irregular migration will continue to rage until relevant stakeholders begin to see the migrant as a human being and entitled to a form of protection.

The duo also recommended that the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement of persons should be strengthened to prevent it from serving as a stumbling block to the protection of migrants rights and prevention of human trafficking.

They further noted that Nigeria should negotiate bilateral agreements to protect Nigerian migrants and regularly review implementa-

tion agreements, adding that, "the return and repatriated procedures of victims/survivors should ensure the security of victims and their reintegration. There are serious allegations that victims contrary to human rights principles, the repatriated trafficked persons are not permitted to return with their money or properties.

"They (victims) should be allowed to stay in the host country for a period necessary to undertake penal proceedings against the traffickers and make civil law case for recovery of unpaid wages and compensation".

They noted that by taking such approach, whether the victim is trafficked for sex work or another form of forced labour becomes irrelevant, because the victim's rights are protected regardless of why they are trafficked.

According to them, law enforcement officers in destination countries handling smuggling, labour abuse and sexual abuse cases should be trained to identify trafficking and develop more positive attitudes towards victims of human trafficking.

Forced Labour Similarly, Besides, Oluchi Azoro-Amadi, Research Fellow, Department of Public Law, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja; and Izuoma Egeruoh- Adindu, also a Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja; in their joint paper presentation titled, "Forced Labour as an Incentive for Human Trafficking: The Need to Regulate Informal Sector Employment Globally", pointed out that there are many national and international laws governing labour.

They said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) resolution of decent work, fundamental principles and rights at work place directs states/, countries to ensure that matters such as conditions of work; safety, health and income security, as well as basic rules of fair treatment of vulnerable persons are guaranteed.

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In their views, the fundamental objectives are basically to redress inherent inequality between employers and workers while promoting enterprise, thereby aimed at bringing about social justice.

To them, bringing the multitude of workers and enterprises under the protection of the law would be a major step in the direction of discouraging human trafficking for forced labour.

They are of the opinion that labour remains a current factor in human trafficking owing largely to the extralegal characteristics of the informal sector economies of both developed and developing economies.

They said because globalisation comes with a growing demand for labour; particularly cheap, disempowered labour, the quest has led to the preponderance of forced, bonded and compulsory labour with migrant smuggling the nexus between human trafficking and forced labour.

Against this background, Azoro-Amadi and Egeruoh-Adindu, argued that there is need to regulate the informal sector employment worldwide in order to suppress the recruitment of undocumented, unskilled and disempowered workers through human trafficking.

They therefore recommend that human trafficking should not be treated as a stand-alone phenomenon but that states must guarantee labour rights for all workers without regard to rationality or immigration status in all sectors including domestic, agricultural, contract including sex work and equal protection under the law; that informal employment regulation is an essential way to protect workers from exploitation.

They also averred that countries should develop rational immigration polices to permit sufficient migrant workers to entre their country to meet the unmet demand for labour, adding that this will lower the risk of migrants having to go underground to unlicensed recruiters and smugglers.

Also that government should ensure that

Migratory Rights Not done, Dr. Gbadebo Olagunju, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Lagos State University (LASU), while speaking on "Security Versus Migratory Rights and The Protection of Migrants in International Law", argued that migration is a recognised and compelling human phenomenon rather than a stigma as being presently misconstrued.

He said migrants should be fundamentally protected at customary international law even though states try to derogate from such protection hiding under the guise of state/national security.

Olagunju insisted that while it is indisputable that control/regulation of borders lie solely with the individual states, it must not derogate from the protection of the basic rights of humans at those borders unless "we want to argue that by mere being a immigrant, a human being is no more one and therefore should be treated like an animal, a contention which will be difficult to sustain in law and reasoning".

The law teacher, further pointed out that though the question of national security had always been an issue since time immemorial, it did not however remove the development of the fundamental principles of fair treatment for aliens/ migrants at traditional/customary international law, and cannot see why the paranoid feeling of insecurity that is being canvassed today to justify the inhuman treatment to migrants.

He therefore reminded states that while they are entitled to regulate movement across their borders, they should so do within the confines of their obligations under the international law which includes international human rights law.

He further noted that the vulnerability of migrants to abuse and the tendency of governments to treat them purely based on national security which is often driven by hostile domestic political pressure is uncalled for.

"Subjecting immigrants to hostile political pressure is like making them pawns in the game of chess and sacrificing them at the alter of politics which indeed is a violation of international law", Olagunju stated.

Appeal Earlier in a welcome address, president of the society, Emeritus Professor Isaac Agbede, appealed to judges, jurists lawyers diplomats as well as lecturers and students to brace up to the challenges of lifting the affairs International Law to lofty height.

Highpoint of the ceremony was the election of Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof, Yinka Omorogbe as the new President of the Nigerian Society of International Law (NSIL). She succeeded Prof.

Isaac Oluwole Agbede, a Professor Emeritus of the University of Lagos.

Other elected officers of the Society are Professors Bola Akinterinwa and Ademola Popoola who were elected Vice President I and II respectively while Dr. Asikia Karibi-Whyte as Secretary General succeeded Associate Prof.

Rufus Olaoluwa.

Also elected were Prof. Emanuel Okon, Director of Publications; Dr. Olayinka Owoeye, Financial Secretary; Mr. C.N Nwaneri, Publicity Secretary and Mrs. Grace Ezeiruaku, Treasurer; while Dr. Ezekiel Mobolaji and Dr. Azubuike Onwura-Oguna became Deputy Secretary General I and II respectively.

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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Quick Takes Gage to Reward Excellence in Digital Industry

Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă?Ăž ÞÙ ĂŒĂ™Ă™Ă?Ăž ÞÒĂ? ÚËĂ?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’ Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?ĂŁĂ?ĂžĂ?Ă— ĂŒĂŁ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;ĂžĂ?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÚÖËãĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁË› Ă’Ă? Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă?Ëœ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ ËŠ Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?ËŞ Ă—Ă‹ĂŽĂ? Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Ăž ĂšĂ&#x;ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ăž ÞÒĂ? ËŠ ÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?ËŞ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă?Ë›

Ăž Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ Ă“Ăž ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă™ĂšĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ&#x;Ă˜Ă“ĂžĂŁ ÞÙ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ— Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ? ĂšĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?âÚĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂŽËœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ăž ÞÙ ĂŽĂœĂ“Ă Ă? ËŤĂ‹Ă? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ù×Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă‹Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă•Ă?ĂŁ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“ĂŒĂ&#x;ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă™Ă? Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂžĂ’ Ă“Ă˜ Ă—Ă‹Ă”Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽË›ËŹ Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– Ă?ÚÙÞÖÓÑÒÞ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă“Ă˜ ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă‹Ă? Ă“Ăž Ó×ÚËĂ?ĂžĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă™Ă—ĂŁËœ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ? ÞÙ ĂĄĂ?ĂŒĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?Ă?Ëœ ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă?Ă‹Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă“Ă‘Ă˜ ÞÒËÞ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂšĂ?ĂŽ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂŒĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă˜Ă‘Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă“Ă‘Ă˜Ëœ Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžËœ ËÚÚĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă‘ ÙÞÒĂ?ĂœĂ?Ë› Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ?ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă?Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ëœ ĂœË› ÙÕĂ? Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹Ă“Ă—Ă™Ëœ Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽË? ËŤ Ă’Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ ĂžĂ’Ă™ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ëœ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă™Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ÞÙ Ă?Ă Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?Ë› Ăž Ă“Ă˜Ă Ă™Ă–Ă Ă?Ă? Ă‹ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ăž ĂŒĂŁ Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÞÙÚ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽËœ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?Ă—ĂŁ ÞÒËÞ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ?Ă? ĂœĂ?ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÍłËœÍŽÍŽÍŽ ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ ĂšĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ù×ÚÖÓĂ?Ă’Ă?ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă–Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ĂœĂ?Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă–ĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă? ÞÒËÞ Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă&#x;Ă—Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă™Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜ĂžË› Ù××Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ù×Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ă‘Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽËœ ËŤÍ°ÍŻ Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? ĂĄĂ“Ă–Ă– ĂŒĂ? Ă‘Ă“Ă Ă?Ă˜ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă“Ă Ă? Ă•Ă?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă? ĚŽ Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžËœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂšĂ“ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹Ă“Ă—Ă™ Ă?Ă˘ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ Ă‹ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂž Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÞÒĂ? Ă”Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ‘Ă?Ă?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă’Ă‹ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? ÚÙåĂ?Ăœ ĂŽĂ?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ—Ă“Ă˜Ă? ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă?ĂœË› ËŤ Ă’Ă? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ? Ă‹ Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă‘Ă? Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ù×Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă– ÞÒĂ? Ă Ă™Ă“ĂŽËœËŹ Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă?ÞËÞĂ?βˏ

BUSINESS EXPANSION

L-R: Chairman, Dr. Frederick Igbinedion; MD/CEO, Ernest Uduje; Head Sales and Marketing, Ibiyemi Okuwoga and Senior Software Developer, Sanusi Segun,all of itex Integrated Services Limited, during a press briefing to announce the company’s expansion in Lagos...recently

Nigerians Must Embrace Technology to Leapfrog Economy, Says Minister Emma Okonji The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah has called on Nigerians to embrace technology in order to leapfrog the Nigerian economy.

The minister, who made the call at the annual dinner and awards party organised by Technology Distribution, an arm of Zinox Group, which held recently in Lagos, said even though Nigeria was going through hard times as a result of uncertainty in the polity, those in the technology circle have a great responsibility to cushion the effects of these uncertainties, because technology would remain the driving force that would sustain economies. “Nigerians must therefore

TELECOM adopt modern technology solutions and become innovative in order to change the Nigerian narrative,� Enelamah said, adding that government looks forward to technology developers to come up with solutions that would address the collective and specific challenges of Nigeria and Nigerians in the 21st Century where technology is the key driver of economic activities.

He commended the Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh for his entrepreneurial spirit and innovativeness in bringing the gains of technology to Nigerians.

According to him, such efforts by Zinox Group, has brought about excellence,

which he said remained key in any business endeavour.

He challenged entrepreneurs to do more in order to move the country forward.

Ghanaian Minister of State in Charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong, who represented the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo at the award night, said he was excited to come to Nigeria to witness the celebration of technology by Technology Distribution (TD).

According to him, “TD Ghana is driving the frontiers of technology in Ghana and I salute Zinox Group for extending TD to Ghana.�

Akufor-Addo commended TD for celebrating its customers and its staff, within and outside Nigeria for their doggedness in driving technology across

West Africa.

In her speech at the event, Chief Executive Officer, TD Nigeria, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, expressed appreciation to the partners, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders whose patronage, support and loyalty were indispensable to the company’s sterling performance in 2018. “We remain ever grateful and recognise indeed that it is you we are here to celebrate.

Your presence here symbolises a cherished relationship either directly with TD, our principals and associates. We made a promise to you to remain the key driver of trade revolution across Africa. At the start of this Continued on page 24

Opeke Wins Business Leader Award

Ă’Ă? ËÞË Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? ĂŁĂ˜Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? Ě™ Ěš ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ Ă˜Ă? Ëœ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă•Ă? ĂšĂ?Ă•Ă?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś ËÞË Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? ĂŁĂ˜Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ăœ ĂŽĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Í°ÍŽÍŻÍś Ă?ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ™Ă˜ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁË› Ă’Ă? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ăœ ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹ Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă™Ăœ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‹Ă– ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂŽĂ™Ă˜Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă™Ă?Ăž Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ÚËĂ?Ăž ÍŻÍ° Ă—Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ’Ă? ÞÙ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă“Ă–ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ÎËÞË Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ ÞÙ Ă•Ă?ĂŁ Ă?ÞËÕĂ?ÒÙÖÎĂ?Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;ĂšĂ? Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă˜Ă Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ?ÒÙÖÎĂ?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ Ă™ĂĄĂ˜Ă?ĂœĂ?Ëœ ÙÚĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ?Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă?ĂŽĂ“Ă‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽËšĂ™Ăœ ÑÙà Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžË› Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂšĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž ĂšĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă– Ă™Ă? ÎËÞË Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? Ă?âÚĂ?ĂœĂžĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă’Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă‹Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽËœ ĂšĂ?Ă•Ă? ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă’Ă?Ăœ ĂœĂ™Ă–Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă’Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă“Ă˜ Ă˜Ă? ÞÙ Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ëœ ĂžĂ‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ÞËĂ?Ă• Ă™Ă? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă“Ă–ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹ Ă“Ă?Ăœ

Ă?Ă?ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?Ă“Ă?ĂŽ ÎËÞË Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— ÞÒĂ? Ă‘ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ăš åÓÞÒ Ă?Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă˜Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ăž ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽËœ Ă‹Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă– Ă‹Ă? Ă’Ă?Ăœ Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă–Ă“ĂžĂŁ ÞÙ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂž Ă’Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă–Ă?Ëœ ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?ÞÓà Ă?Ă–ĂŁ ÞËÕĂ? Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă?Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ“ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă—Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ě‹ĂŽĂ™Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă–ĂŽ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă–Ă? Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹Ă‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÙÞÒĂ?Ăœ åÙ×Ă?Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă’Ă?Ăœ ĂžĂ?Ă‹Ă— ÞÙ ĂŽĂ™ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ë› ĂšĂ?Ă•Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ’Ă™ ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ÞÙ ËÞÞĂ?Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ?Ëœ Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹ Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ě‹Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă&#x;ĂžĂ? Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă™ ĂĄĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă’Ă? ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜Ă•Ă?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? ËÞË Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ? ĂŁĂ˜Ă‹Ă—Ă“Ă?Ă? ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹ĂĄĂ‹ĂœĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ—Ă?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁËŞĂ? Ă?Ù××ÓÞ×Ă?Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ ÞÒĂ? ÎÓÑÓÞËÖ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ë›

SMEs to African Trade Fair Announced

Ă’Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? ĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÑãÚÞ Ě™ Ěš Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă‹Ă˜Ě‹ Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă—Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă?ĂŽĂ“Ă&#x;Ă— Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂšĂœĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă? Ě™ Ă?Ěš ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? ÞÙ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?ÓÚËÞĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă&#x;ĂœĂ‹Ă– Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ‹Ě‹ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ? Ă‹Ă“Ăœ Ě™ Ěš ĂžĂ‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÚÖËĂ?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă“ĂœĂ™Ëœ Ă‘ĂŁĂšĂžËœ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ ÍŻÍŻ ÞÙ ͯ;˛ Ă’Ă? ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂœËœ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă? ĂŒĂ?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă˘ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĚ‹ Ă—ĂšĂ™ĂœĂž Ă‹Ă˜Ă• Ě™ Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă˘Ă“Ă—ĂŒĂ‹Ă˜Ă•ĚšËœ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă–Ă–Ă‹ĂŒĂ™ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă˜Ă“Ă™Ă˜ Ù××ÓĂ?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă™Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ă‘ĂŁĂšĂžËœ Ă’Ă‹Ă? Ă‹ĂžĂžĂœĂ‹Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ÍŻËœÍŽÍŽÍŽ ĂœĂ?Ă‘Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ?ĂŽ Ă?Ă˘Ă’Ă“ĂŒĂ“ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ? Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ͳͯ Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă? Ă?âÚĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ ĂŒĂ? ËÞÞĂ?Ă˜ĂŽĂ?ĂŽ ĂŒĂŁ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ÍľÍŽËœÍŽÍŽÍŽ Ă Ă“Ă?Ă“ĂžĂ™ĂœĂ?Ë› ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž ĂŒĂ“ Ă—Ă?Ă•Ă?Ă•ĂĄĂ&#x;Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă? Ě‹ Ă–Ă™ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ëœ ĂœĂ™Ă‹Ă?Ă’ Ă’Ă™Ă?Ă?Ëœ Ă’Ă™Ă?ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ăž Ă&#x;ÖÞÓ Ă™Ă˜Ă?Ă?ÚÞĂ? Ă“Ă—Ă“ĂžĂ?ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă˜ĂŁĂ‹Ă— Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĚŽ Ă‹Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂŒĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă‹ Ă?Ù×ÚĂ?ÞÓÞÓà Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? ÞÒËÞ Ă“Ă˜Ă Ă™Ă–Ă Ă?ĂŽ Ă?âÞĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă Ă“Ă?ĂĄ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜ĂŁ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ? ĂŒĂŁ Ă—Ă?Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă™Ă? Ë› Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă“ĂŽ ÞÒËÞ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂšĂ™Ă˜Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă’Ă“Ăš ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ùà Ă?Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă—Ă—Ă™ĂŽĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ă™Ă?ĂžĂ? Ă™Ă? ĂœĂ?ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă—ĂšĂ‹Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ ÞÙ ÑãÚÞ ÞÙ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?ÓÚËÞĂ? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂžĂœĂ‹ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă‹Ă“Ăœ Ă‹Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă–Ă– Ă‹Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă?Ăž Ă™Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ?Ă— åÓÞÒ Ă?Ă˘Ă’Ă“ĂŒĂ“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂŒĂ™Ă™ĂžĂ’Ă?Ë›

HP Frets over the Rise in Counterfeit Products, Adopts New Measures Emma Okonji Worried by the increasing rate in counterfeit products that have flooded the Nigerian market, especially with Hewlett Packard (HP) branded products, the company has decided to partner the Nigerian Police in order to address the situation that is adversely affecting the sales of genuine HP products in Nigeria.

In collaboration with HP’s Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Programme, authorities in Nigeria have identified and confiscated fraudulent print supplies that were produced as counterfeit.

IT Although some of the products look exactly like HP products, carrying HP branded stickers, they are not manufactured by HP. The products are always substandard unknown to buyers who mistake them for the original HP products.

Such counterfeit products according to HP, do not meet standard manufacturing specifications and develop fault within shirt period of use.

To address the menace of counterfeiting, HP has worked closely with local officials in Nigeria to identify and close down over 12 criminal

operations trading in counterfeit cartridges for HP printers.

In October 2018, the Police raided numerous premises across Nigeria, including Abuja, Lagos, Edo State and Rivers State. The sites raided included outlet stores and hidden manufacturing sites for fakes. In total, the authorities confiscated 67,000 illicit print cartridges.

HP said: “Counterfeiting is a crime. For users, such illegal imitations can cause a multitude of problems that can cause performance and reliability issues. Should your printer break because of using counterfeit printer ink or toner,

you could also have issues with your manufacturer’s warranty becoming not applicable. “In contrast, original HP products are designed to meet HP’s strict quality and reliability standards, based on a long history of inventing and testing. Original HP LaserJet and HP inkjet cartridges, unlike counterfeits, benefit from superior performance and consistent results.�

Commenting on the new development to address counterfeiting, the Director, Global Anti-Counterfeit Programme at HP, Glenn Continued on page 24

“Digital infrastructure is so critical to improving productivity and helps build economies and we are truly committed to ensuring that West Africa is well connected with the rest of the world�

MainOne CEO,

Ms. Funke Opeke

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NIGERIANS MUST EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY TO LEAPFROG ECONOMY, SAYS MINISTER year, we made a promise to serve you. This promise, we are constantly reviewing annually and often times more frequently just to allow for measurability and accountability. “In 2019, I urge you to look forward to a year of nimbleness and more agility in every area of the business life-cycle.

The world is going cloud and you can be rest assured that, TD is not left out. We have made significant investments in ERP solutions platform to ensure that the overwhelming majority of our processes are cloud-based and ensure that the business is driven largely by technology,� she stated.

HP FRETS OVER THE RISE IN COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS, ADOPTS NEW MEASURES Jones, said: “HP is proud of its continued work with local authorities especially the Police in Africa to combat the sale of counterfeit print supplies.

We thank the Nigerian Police authorities for their cooperation and swift action in this successful seizure and their determination to apprehend and prosecute counterfeiters who break the law.� “Through our unwavering efforts and commitment to removing counterfeit products from the market, we continue to focus on the protection of our customers through our Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud Programme,� he said.

Jones disclosed that across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), over the last five years, approximately 12 million counterfeits and components have been seized by local authorities. He explained that HP has conducted over 4,500 audits and inspections of partners’ stocks or suspicious deliveries for customers.

Through HP’s Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Programme, the company actively educates its customers and partners to be vigilant against fake printing supplies.

It also cooperates closely with local and global law enforcement authorities to detect and dismantle illegal operations that produce counterfeit HP printing components.

EFInA: Digital Payment Increases from 12% to 16% in Two Years Nume Ekeghe and Ugo Aliogo The newly unveiled 2018 access to financial service in Nigeria survey findings released by EFInA has revealed that there is a significant increase in digital payment from 12 per cent in 2016 to 16 per cent in 2018, adding that the usage is driven by the deepening of financial inclusion.

The survey explained that the main barriers to financial inclusion remain lack of product/services awareness and knowledge, institutional exclusion and affordability. “Banked population went up by 1.4 per cent. The growth has been driven by transaction products. A number of adults relying on informal mechanism only increase significantly – as more.

Adults move into informal employment. Payments are mostly cashed based, driven by the size of the informal sector,� the survey said.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, EFInA, Esaie Diei, noted that though the country is still far from meeting the target of reaching full financial inclusion, EFInA in partnership with the key stakeholders would ensure that by 2020 they would get to the target.

He commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for issuing the payment service bank guideline, stating that the newly released survey would help stakeholders understand the position of activities in

the financial services sector and what needs to be done.

Diei expressed hope the regulators would take into consideration the key issues raised by the survey report to improve policies and regulations in order to meet the target, adding that despite the progresses in the survey, the concerted efforts of all stakeholders are required.

According to the survey, “Formal labour market is not absorbing enough Nigerians. Reduction in formal

employment lead to reduced disposable income leading to reduced savings. Adults resort to starting small businesses (driven by the agriculture sector) to survive day to day expenses is the most important financial need while planning for unexpected shocks and planning for long term goals are second and third priorities respectively. There as continued measure of financial inclusion and usage aligned with the revised NFIS. There was also continued policy and

regulation that responds to market innovation. “There was increase financial intermediation for small businesses where majority of adults are employed/where they earn money. There was target those adults using informal only - introducing mobile money and agents services to 14.5 million adults that rely exclusively on informal mechanism.�

In her remarks, the DirectorGeneral Nigeria, Insurers Association (NIA), Mrs. Yetunde

Ilori, lauded EfInA’s for the continued release of credible market information on the Nigerian financial sector; She also noted that the data from the research done has continued to be the most credible information needed by the industry for market development, product pricing and planning purposes.

Ilori added that the yearly report gives a deeper analysis of our market and throws up potential opportunities that need to be realised.

DRIVING BUSINESS WITH 4G LTE

L-R: Country Manager, West Africa, Taxify Nigeria, Uche Okafor; Head, Legal and Corporate Services, Smile Nigeria, Gbolahan Thomas; Brand Manager, West Africa, Taxify, Terver Bendega; General Manager, Sales and Distribution, Smile Nigeria, Onamari Horsfall and Head, Brand and Communications, Smile Nigeria, Lotanna Anajemba, after the signing of the partnership deal between Smile and Taxify to boost Driver- Rider Trip experiences with 4G LTE mobile connectivity, which held in Lagos...recently

Nigeria Needs Digital Skills to Grow Economy, Says DBI Boss Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The Administrator of Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Dr. Ike Adinde, has advocated for the acquisition of digital skills by both the educated and uneducated Nigerians in order to further grow the economy. He stated this in Abuja recently when the institute hosted a one-day interactive forum with human resource managers and information communications technology (ICT) directors to get feedback on the institution’s performance in 2018.

On Nigeria’s low investment in human capital development, citing the recent

World Bank report on Nigeria that the country is still battling with low investment in human capital development, Adinde said digital skills acquisition would change the narrative and position Nigeria with comparative advantage that is driven by technology.

According to Adinde, most skills that abound in our economy today cannot drive a modern economy, saying the World Bank report indicates that we need develop digital skills that is needed by modern economy. “We know it and we can see it from a cursory observation of the kind of skills that abound in our economy. Today, like I said

in my earlier speech, most people are unemployed not because they don’t have education but because they don’t have the requisite skills that the industry needs. So we can distinguish between unemployment as a result of jobs not being available and unemployment as a result of not having the employable skills that industry demands and that is where the World Bank report is important. “The World Bank report is important to Nigeria to the extent that it also indicate we need to develop skills that the modern economy needs, like the digital skills. Many of our young people do not have the requisite digital skills to

play in the modern economy.

That is where DBI comes in.

Most of the programmes that we offer today are designed to help our young people and graduates across all disciplines to acquire digital skills that will enable them to mainstream into the modern economy,� Adinde stated.

He added: “We believe that with what the NCC and other government agencies are doing, there is every likelihood of bridging the gap soon. “DBI is driving the initiative of the national occupational skills system, which will target vocational skills development in ICT. We are looking at a target of 10,000 beneficiaries

annually if the programme that we are unleashing works. As we are currently working with the National Board for Technical Education (NABTED) to train external assessors and quality verifiers, DBI wants to eventually becomes an award body for those skills. So that once you pass through the assessment we can award you a certificate that places you at a certain competency level.�

Adinde said the major aim of the forum was to appraise the performance of the institution on the training of the workforce of both the private and public sector so that the institution can effectively plan for the coming year.

Group Business Editor

ĂŒĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă‹ Ă’Ă“Ă—Ă‹ Capital Market Editor

ÙÎÎã Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ äĂ?

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ Senior Correspondent

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

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

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

Report Highlights 2019 Customers’ Business Expectations Emma Okonji One month after Vodafone Group unveiled its newly rebranded enterprise division, where it noted the importance of addressing key concerns about digital transformation and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, the company recently launched its research report on 2019 Customers’ Business Expectations.

The company polled enterprises from a number of

sectors on priorities and concerns going forward, mostly related to technology.

Across the areas covered, the operator group noted increased customer expectation for businesses to take a “people-centric approach� during a period of increased use of automation.

This includes: ethical use of AI and addressing concerns from employees disrupted by the new technology.

The research also pointed to enterprise success becoming

increasingly tied to a company’s ‘purpose, ethics and trust’, with 93 per cent of the business leaders surveyed stating they believed companies were now expected to act ethically by customers. From an ethical business outlook, 83 per cent said the new business trend for 2019 would ultimately generate more revenue.

Vodafone Business CEO, Brian Humphries said: “Our research has identified the key concerns, challenges and opportunities that businesses will face over the next

year. In an era of unprecedented change, the most important factor for businesses is customer centricity.�

Director of Marketing at Vodafone Business, Iris Meijer, said the concept of customer centricity had stood the test of time. “When we began to explore the idea of our brand refresh, reaching out to our customers from the home office to the boardroom, each was worried about the same thing: digital

transformation,�Meijer said.

The Vodafone Business brand was revealed at the company’s financial update in November as one of a number of sweeping changes to the structure and strategy of the operator group.

However, in the latest research report, which was released this December the company highlighted its latest Business and Trends survey report, the results of which form some of the core elements of the new ‘customer-centric’ strategy.

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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Uduje: Innovative Solutions Will Transform Businesses, Sustain Growth Managing Director and Chief Executive, Itex Integrated Services Limited, Mr. Ernest Uduje, spoke with Emma Okonji about the company’s expansion plan, designed to sustain business growth. Excerpts: notifies the merchant and customer and also reverse the payment. So our robust system takes care of all the payment and reconciliation issues, just as it is done in banking.

In spite of the efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to drive cashless economy, Nigeria is still regarded as a cash-based economy. As a FinTech company that plays in the technology space, what could be responsible for this?

Nigeria is still regarded as a cash-based economy because of the huge volume of cash that is still in circulation, even though several Nigerians do online and mobile financial transactions, as well as the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sales (PoS) terminals for financial transactions.

From inception, Nigeria has been a cash-based economy, where every transaction is done with the exchange of physical cash, but that narrative is changing gradually, with the introduction of cashless economy by the CBN. The adoption of cashless has been slow, which is a major reason why many Nigerians still prefer to carry cash around for their financial transactions.

Again, we need more infrastructure that will complement the existing infrastructure so that people in rural communities can have a feel of cashless economy. So we need to get the solutions that work for as as Nigerians and as Africans to help drive cashless and close the financial inclusion gap.

There has been some form of collaboration between banks and FinTech players, which was not the case in the past. What is driving this new development and how will it help in enhancing cashless economy and digital ďŹ nancial inclusion in the country?

Initially there was lack of understanding about the roles of FinTech in the financial service industry, but as technology evolves, the roles of FinTech are becoming clearer to the financial players, especially the banks, hence the new collaboration between banks and FinTechs, based on trust and business growth. Now the banks and the financial sector regulator are beginning to appreciate the roles of FinTech and the trust level has grown tremendously. The truth is that a lot of financial transactions and innovation that are going on in the banking industry, were generated and developed by the FinTechs, and the banks cannot do without FinTechs in this era of technology advancement, where technology is demystifying some financial transactions that were hitherto seen as the exclusive rights of the bank staff alone. Today people can sit in the comfort of their homes and do financial transactions, using their mobile devices without going to the physical bank building and that has reduced human traffic in the banking halls and also reduced time spent in banking halls. This is just the beginning, because there are several innovative solutions and products that are coming out from FinTechs and the bank customers will benefit more from the innovations that are yet to come.

Itex just announced its expansion plan after years of operating below the radar.

What must have motivated this expansion plan, and how will it beneďŹ t customers?

Yes, we have been quiet in our operations for some time now because we were working hard on our expansion plan, which we have just announced. We needed time to plan and get our plans right hence we have been quiet for some time, but now that we are ready with our big plan, we can no longer remain quite but sell our plan to our customers who will largely benefit from the expansion plan. We are expanding our business within Nigeria and across Africa, and we have a lot of products that will drive businesses and sustain them over time.

What are some of the products in your new business plan that will grow and sustain businesses?

We have products for the financial technology space, especially for the unbanked that will further drive financial inclusion. We have

As a FinTech company, what are some of the identiďŹ ed challenges that are hindering agency banking in Nigeria?

The major challenges are infrastructure and basic knowledge in information technology.

Poor infrastructure has been identified as a major challenge and the government needs to build robust infrastructure that will enhance technology development in the country. The people need to have basic knowledge of evolving technologies that are driving businesses and this is important for business growth and continuity. Itex, for instance, is involved in training and retraining of merchants, developers and customers in the area of agency banking and product development to further drive financial inclusion in Nigeria.

Uduje

solutions for settlement systems, web acquiring systems, merchants acquisition, among others.

Some of our expanded service offerings from payment channels include PayVice, Terminal Application Management System (TAMS), Internet Payment Gateway, Afrimart and other bespoke services.

The Itex POS terminal application software is highly robust, with extreme flexibilities that allows for customised transactions (both traditional and digital) required by merchants or acquirers. Itex has an extensive client portfolio spanning 19 African countries, with more than 67,000 PoS terminals deployed to merchants, commercial banks, agent network, transnational corporations and governments across Africa.

The PayVice is a value-added service, which includes an electronic wallet system that enables funds transfers, utility, transport and logistics bill payments. Our PayVice also enables QR Code payments.

The truth is that a lot of ďŹ nancial transactions and innovation that are going on in the banking industry, were generated and developed by the FinTechs, and the banks cannot do without FinTechs in this era of technology advancement, where technology is demystifying some ďŹ nancial transactions that were hitherto seen as the exclusive rights of the bank staff alone

Based on the Itex expanded products and services. What are the sustainability strategy to remain relevant in business, in the face of competition?

Our sustainability strategy is in our quality of service, speed in service delivery and innovativeness. Our goal is to make traditional payment system relevant for the customers and also demystify the use of new technologies.

For instance, when the QR Code payment system came out, we ensured that we embedded them in the existing payment channels, which enables customers to still use the old traditional payment channels, rather than building a new technology architecture and system that will work with the QR Code payment system.

What are some of the innovations championed by Itex in recent times, vis-a-vis the evolution of new technologies?

The first technology innovation we had was with the TAMS platform, which enabled us to unboard merchants, in spite of the challenges of doing business in the country.

Another innovation we carried out, was with PayVice, which enabled us to drive agency banking network and ensure that financial transactions were carried out on the agency banking networks, were hitch-free. We also had a number of innovations with the B2B businesses, using our Afrimart solution.

Authentication and authorisation of ďŹ nancial transactions have been an issue with agency banking. How is Itex addressing the challenge?

We have done quite well to ease authentication and authorisation of financial transactions with agency banking by providing a platform that makes financial transaction records available to the merchants and the customer. For every single financial transaction, the system generates a printout of the translation, and in some cases, there are bank alerts sent directly from the banks.

This ensures proof of transactions. But none the less, some merchants would want to take undue advantage to operate differently, but we have put a robust system in place to address the issue of authentication and authorisation of every single transaction. If the transaction sales through, the system notifies both the merchant and the customer, and if for any reason, the transaction fails, the system also

The federal government is key about job creation in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy. How has Itex been able to create jobs in the Nigerian market, going by the new forms of technology evolution?

At the moment we have over 1,500 agents on our platform, but that was a shortfall from our target of meeting the 5,000 mark by the end of the year, as a result of the changes in our operational structure as a business, coupled with the tough business environment we had this year. But we are looking at meeting the 5,000 agent target by the first quarter of next year, and we plan to increase the number to 10,000 by the end of 2019. For these agents, we are creating jobs and source of livelihood for them and their families.

Looking at the explosion of digital payment system in the ďŹ nancial sector, what in your views are the values that digital payment brings?

The value of digital payment is massive and encouraging. For instance, it has helped in reducing the cost of printing of notes, since money will be determined through figures and people will begin to play with figures when carrying out financial transactions. It has also reduce the risk of carrying cash around, because we have heard of cases of robbery and cash carted away from individuals at the point of physical cash transaction. Again, we used to have bullion vans for cash movement from one bank to another, but all that have reduced and government is spending less in printing of notes and in transfer of such printed notes to various banks. Digital payment has brought about speed of payment and financial transactions, as against what it used to be in the past, where it takes days and weeks for some financial transactions to be successfully completed.

There has been a cold war between telecommunications operators and the banks, over the operation of mobile money. While the banks feel it should be bank-led, the telecoms operators think it should be telco-led. What is your take on this controversy?

Mobile money can be bank-led or telecoled but what matters is the success of the system. In some regions of the world, it is bank-led, while in other regions it is telco-led, but in Nigeria, it has been bank-led, since its inception.But I am glad that the CBN is bringing in the telcos into the scene by the recent pronouncement on mobile licensing that is open to telcos and I can see that most telcos have applied for the licence and they have been licensed by the CBN to be part of the system. What this means is that we will see more penetration in agency banking and mobile money operations in Nigeria. But again Nigeria is a different market from other markets and we hope that the new development will further drive cashless in Nigeria.

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Konga Records High Volume Sales in 2018 Yakata Promo Stories by Emma Okonji The management of Konga, Nigeria’s e-commerce giant has expressed its deep gratitude to all its customers, merchants and vendors for a successful 2018 Yakata sales, which it said, recorded high volume of sales.

Konga used the 2018 Yakata sales promo to thrill

shoppers with unmatched discounts and massive deals in the month-long campaign.

Satisfied with customers’ participation, Konga has announced new dates for future editions of the widely popular sales promo which will henceforth run from November 11 to December 12. “Konga Yakata will now

go live every year starting with Singles Day on 11/11 and end on the 12/12 with Nigeria Pink Day which will mark the climax of its Yakata sales,� Konga said in a statement.

According to the management of Konga, the new Yakata has an enhanced human face with the launch

of the Konga Citizen Support Project, which is the social responsibility arm of Konga.

At the end of every Yakata, Konga will donate a variety of items required for the festive season to needy and less-privileged Nigerians.

Konga will also leverage its retail stores and other platforms nationwide to

collect and deliver the items to the recipients, including donations contributed by public spirited Nigerians and corporate organisations.

The e-commerce company also unveiled its festive season promotion tagged Konga Jara, widely regarded as the final Christmas sales countdown, which will run

yearly from the 15th till 31st of December.

Konga Yakata, which ran this year from Tuesday November 8th through Friday November 30th 2018, attracted unprecedented traffic to the company’s platform online and huge footfalls to its retail stores nationwide.

NCC, ALTON to Discuss Broadband at NITRA Forum The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will tomorrow in Lagos, join industry stakeholders to discuss broadband challenges as well as the milestone reached in the planned 30 per cent broadband penetration target by the end of 2018.

The event, which is being organised by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA), is scheduled to hold in Ikeja, Lagos.

NITRA, under the supervision of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), is an umbrella body for journalists reporting information and communications technology in Nigeria.

NITRA, in collaboration with NCC, Spectranet Internet Service Provider and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), promises to use the fourth quarter forum to address the challenges of broadband, especially with last mile connectivity.

The Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta is the keynote speaker at the event that is expected to draw the largest gathering of ICT industry players under one roof.

Themed: “Achieving Last Mile Connectivity Through Affordable Broadband,� the forum will not only highlight the opportunities and challenges of deploying af-

fordable broadband in Nigeria but will also look at the strategies being adopted by the NCC to achieve this.

Experts argue that in order to address Nigeria’s last mile connectivity, it’s important that the government creates incentives that would encourage telcos to invest in connectivity in rural areas and other less profitable regions.

Achieving last mile connectivity in Nigeria, therefore, requires a concerted effort among government, civil society organisations, policy makers, mobile operators, service providers, and the academia, among others. It also requires a combination of solutions ranging from policies to technologies, transparency to regulations, among others.

NCC had in 2016, rolled out its 8-point agenda aimed at promoting broadband access and penetration. Through the agenda, NCC hopes to promote deployment of universally available, fast and reliable network infrastructure that will stimulate seamless broadband penetration to drive technology innovation and overall productivity of Nigeria’s economy.

In the last two years, NITRA has through the quarterly forum, engaged ICT stakeholders to brainstorm on various topical issues affecting the ICT industry in Nigeria.

Fashion, Lifestyle e-Commerce Platform Debuts in Nigeria WAWOOH, a leading African focused fashion and lifestyle e-Commerce platform has commenced operations in Nigeria, with a media launch in Lagos.

WAWOOH is set to facilitate growth in Africa fashion industry by providing an online platform for fashion designers and consumers to engage in transactions and to collaborate.

Speaking during the launch, Chief Executive Officer, WAWOOH, Kunle Oladipo, reiterated the commitment of the company to unlocking more opportunities for fashion creators by providing them with an online platform to showcase their designs to a larger audience. ‘’ Through our WAWOOH platform and WAWOOH Marketplace platform, we have created a solution that will help fashion creators increase their earnings. This platform which features thousands of unique fashion items from leading designers across Africa also has a unique feature that enables

you input your measurement online, and order for a bespoke/ made-to-fit item which will be delivered to your doorstep.

We have also put in place an escrow system which ensures vendors aren’t paid until you have indicated that you received your order in perfect condition.

This is to maintain a high quality of service.’’ Oladipo said.

Business Development Manager, WAWOOH, Bolaji Omitogun said : “We are focused on projecting positive narratives about Africa through fashion, we are showing the world the creativity, brilliance and craftsmanship of Africans. We currently have a large database of designers who showcase a diverse line of bespoke and ready to wear African fashion items, modern attires & accessories including: customised native Ankara apparels, embellished Aso-oke or Batik dresses, patterned dresses, bags, native Hausa caps, Ankara bags & shoes on WAWOOH. ’’

MERITORIOUS AWARD

L-R: CEO, Dedalus Global, an Investment Consultancy Firm, Mr. Leland Rice, presenting the Best Infrastructure Company Award to the Managing Director, Rack Centre, Dr. Ayotunde Coker, during the 2018 Africa Fintech Summit Award, which held in Lagos, where Coker delivered the keynote address...recently

Owerri Tech Hub Hosts Free Winner Emerges in Ekojara.

Data Science, AI Boot Camp com Online Rafe Draw Ugo Aliogo The Owerri Tech Hub recently played host to a free Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) boot camp for youths in Imo State and its environs.

Media Enthusiast, Opeyemi Olugbemiro, explained that the hub organised the training in partnership with United States (US) based talent recruitment company, 115Garage and Coven Labs to train participants on beginner modules in Python and R for data science and Artificial Intelligence.

Olugbemiro, in a statement, said this would form part of its efforts to boost tech participation and provide viable digital opportunities for the talent pool in and around Owerri.

The Chief of Operations Officer at the Hub, Desmond John-Bosco, said training remained one of the planned efforts by the hub to build a skilled community of innovators and startup founders, John-Bosco added that they would continue to engage development partners to support young entrepreneurs in the state.

According to him, Owerri Tech Hub would announce more opportunities in the coming months. “The participants most of whom were experiencing Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for the first time, expressed excitement

about the project and the different groups showcased practical applications of their gained knowledge in solving different socio-economic problems including achieving the sustainable development goals during their presentations. “The solutions explored by the various groups (R and Python) included a data analytics of maternal mortality ratio in West Africa with data-based suggested panaceas to the problems, a study on the connection between GDP growth and education of the population and several other projects,�

John-Bosco said. “The operators of the hub have expressed commitment to keep up the good work of organizing relevant training and events for the startup community, running talent acceleration and incubation programmes for startups and having hackathons were entrepreneurs and founders can access needed funds to scale their businesses. “Following the successful hosting of the #StartupSouth4 that brought to town some of the biggest names in the Nigerian tech ecosystem, we can agree that Owerri is getting more attention from the community and with more innovation-focused offerings from the Owerri Tech Hub, we may just be on the verge of a new tech cluster in South-Eastern Nigeria,�

John-Bosco added.

A small business owner, Blessing Jonah, recently won a Toyota Corolla worth N2.5 million from Ekojara.com an online gaming platform.

Since the unveiling of the brand, this is the first time an automobile was showcased as a prize, which indeed, produced a winner within one month of promoting the prize, a initiative that has been described as a remarkable rare feat.

Speaking to journalists during the draw, the Chief Executive Officer of Ekojara, Hillary Nwaukor, said Blessing won the Toyota Corolla vehicle with just N2,500 after an online raffle draw that was characterised by probity and transparency was drawn.

He congratulated the winner for having the conviction and courage to play the game on Ekojara.com, while urging other members of the society, especially within Lagos to take their chances in a subsequent online draw, as anybody can win. “Remember, everybody stands a chance to win.

Someday, we imagine that people will have a fair chance to win big items such as a Prado SUV on Ekojara.com, this is just the beginning,�

Nwaukor further revealed, adding that one of Ekojara’s aspirations is to see members of society win houses in highbrow areas like Lekki. “Our goal is to add value to the lives of our people through a pure bazaar game of chance.

The only requirement from our

people is to be ready to take advantage of the fair chance provided by the online gaming company. Reasons being that you need to be in it to win it,� Nwaukor said.

According to Blessing Jonah, the joy of winning such a valuable item with a token appears to be immeasurable. “At first, when I was contacted, I found it unbelievable.

In fact, I was sceptical when a friend recommended Ekojara this is my first time of playing a game on Ekojara and I feel very excited. I urge fellow Lagosians to try their luck and continue playing because nobody knows who is going to win next.�

To participate and stand a chance to win any item on platform, players must first download Ekojara App from Apple Play store. Those who do not have smartphones can simply sign-up online from the website, where the Android app version is also displayed. “This is a game for many Nigerians who are willing to stake as low as 0.20 per cent of the published value of an item. Blessing Jonah won this Corolla vehicle with N2,500; which is 0.10 per cent of the value of the car in the market. In fact, we are running a bonanza on a second vehicle were bidders will stake as low as N500 perchance for the car thus reducing the risk to 0.02 per cent. All listed items to be won on Ekojara’s website have been verified by industry regulators,� Nwaukor said.

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McMedal: Promoters of Foreign Firms are Putting Pressure on Forex Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mr. Olusegun McMedal, speaks on many issues including hiring of foreign communications firms by some Nigerian political elites. Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts In recent time, some corporate organisations and leading political parties have been accused of hiring communications agencies abroad.

What is Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)’s stand on this and what do you think government should do to enhance professionalism in the communications industry?

With my experience as the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos chapter of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), I have been able to know that government neglect of professional bodies is not limited to NIPR but to all professional bodies. That is why we see government putting round peg in a square hole when considering appointment. Today, we have many people who are not members of professional bodies, holding professional positions and this is affecting delivery and growth in many sectors. The explanation has always been that it is a political appointment but the masses are suffering for it. It is that neglect of professionalism that usually call for appointment or hiring of foreign practitioners by leaders of some political parties and government institutions, in areas, where professionals can be sourced locally.

The question I have always asked is that how can government grow local practice and practitioners by going abroad to look for experts that can be gotten in Nigeria. Like they say in politics that all politics are primarily local; all communications practice is also primarily local. It’s therefore absurd for government to bring in films from abroad when we have similar films with equal capacity in the country. Unfortunately, those who are promoting foreign agencies are putting pressures on our hard earned forex. If government put professionals where they should be, the country will be better for it.

There is no country that grows today without respecting her local professionals.

What are the measures being taken to curb quackery in PR industry?

One of the greatest challenges in the PR landscape is the free and easy entry into the profession. Like a friend would say ‘entering PR in Nigeria is like entering Seme border’. Even though the law emphasises that nobody can practice public relations under any guise without first being a member of the institute, we are surprised that top corporate bodies and even government hire people that are not members of NIPR to perform the functions.

At every forum, we push for compliance with the law that establish NIPR among our members. At the national level, under Dr. Rotimi Oladele, the issue on how to defeat quackery and strengthen professionalism was squarely dealt with few years ago. As a first process, the institute embarked on re-certification by asking members to bring their certificate to get membership numbers. Today, every certified member carries a unique membership number. It wasn’t there before because there was no control. As things are, anybody who stands out there and not re-certified is technically not a member of NIPR. If any member commits a blunder in the course of his or her professional dealing, the moment his name is forwarded to NIPR, he will be traced and dealt with. Before now, tracing was extremely difficult. Another area we are trying to explore is through the ministry of Justice. Don’t forget, NIPR falls under the Ministry of Information and so the Minister in charge has oversight function in NIPR. It will interest the public that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation is also a stakeholder and with him, NIPR will soon set up a tribunal where offenders would be tried from time to time. When this is instituted, our monitoring and compliance unit will be able to have stronger teeth and bite where and when necessary.

Besides, to catch our practitioners young, we have taken the campaign on ethics and professionalism to schools where Mass Communications is being offered. For instance, two months ago, all the Mass Communications students of Covenant University got enlisted as students members and we want to introduce this in other schools. With this, the students will have the idea of what they are coming out to do on graduation and no the dos and don’ts of the practice.

NIPR has consistently used its annual

The drama presentation at the #LaPRIGA Awards, tagged: #AutiConnect; is a special advocacy project to increase awareness, acceptance, respect and support for people living with Autism Spectrum Disorders [ASD]. It is estimated that 190,000 children in Nigeria suffer from Autism.

McMedal

award and recognition platform –LaPRIGA to send message on the importance of public relations to nation building. What should stakeholders expect this year?

This year is the third edition of LaPRIGA, an acronym for Lagos PR Industry Gala and Awards.

It is a platform that was conceived three years ago to recognise excellence and celebrate practitioners, individually and as corporate organisation for identifying PR as a tool for communication in their businesses and operations, thereby contributing to the nation’s economy. The theme of the edition is; the HATTRICK. Just like we have it in football, when a player scores three goals, it is referred to hat trick. The theme is very symbolic to us in NIPR Lagos. One, the event is in the 3rd edition, having held it for three consecutive years. Two, some of the elements that made LaPRIGA itself can be discussed under three functions; celebrate, network and full entertainment. With this, we come to another hat trick. Back to the question what new thing to expect. From first edition to the second, we have learnt some things that would reshape the third edition and make it possible for us to add more values. As PR practitioners, we started this in a little way before it gets bigger.

I have been able to know that government’s neglect of professional bodies is not limited to NIPR but to all professional bodies.

That is why we see government putting round peg in a square hole when considering appointment

The way we started was somehow funny because we didn’t have something like this in mind then.

As the chairman of the annual general meeting planning committee under my predecessor, Mr. Joseph Okonmah, we focussed on corporate social responsibility(CSR) and thought of appreciating some corporate bodies that had touched lives.

They are about nine that we identified then but unfortunately, we couldn’t complete the process because of the cancellation of the election that was to bring back Mr. Okonmah for second term in office. Therefore, when I came on board, I decided to revitalise it by suggesting to our members the need to still go ahead and reward those people we have pencilled down. It was accepted and we kicked off. That was the genesis and it turned out to be like an experiential outing. We were able to identify our lapses and worked on it in the second edition. Let me quickly add that the feedback we got after the event encouraged us.

It was then we realised that there was a vacuum.

From the feedbacks, it was easy for us to know that the time had come for PR practitioners to set aside a date to celebrate, reward and network as we have it till today. Until three years ago, it was always talk and training and the rest. This year, we have upped the game in many ways including the unique venue we have settled for –The Raddison Blu, Victoria Island, Lagos. We see the venue as a place that would impact well on the PR brand in Lagos State as well as befitting our guests and honourees. In line with our practice, our juries for this year are knowledgeable people and industry champions, same for our honourees; they are also people of good pedigree. While reviewing the past editions, one of the things that impressed us most is that our judgement on whom to reward in any category hasn’t been questioned or become subject of controversy. The reason for this is because of the process and the quality people we are working with to get it done.

Breaking it down, #LaPRIGA is a complete immersive experience presenting in its true essence a celebration of musical artistry, depth and richness as well as spectacular visuals and fine dining by a top international chef, accompanied by soothing soul music and drama from popular acts.

It is a night of elegance, class and entertainment exclusively for the communications industry and most influential stakeholders.

Another special highlight of the event is the presentation of #LaPRIGA Awards to practitioners and corporate bodies in recognition of their professional excellence and contribution to the development of the profession over the years.

As chairman of NIPR Lagos State, can you please share your experience?

First, coming on board has opened my eyes to many things about NIPR Lagos chapter, especially in the area of operations and activities. As a result of this, I have also discovered that NIPR leadership in Lagos is tasking and is like a full-time job. I was new in the institute when I vied and won the chairmanship –I was barely three years as member. There were oppositions from some quarters over the fact that I was new, which I understood and appreciated. But then, there were people, especially senior practitioners, who were impressed with my contribution as chairman of the AGM planning committee in the previous administration and so encouraged me to aspire.

They believed that if I became the chairman, it would be a lot better for our chapter. Then I started consulting and I was surprised when some of the people I spoke to told me frankly that the job would take most of my time and affect my business. They, however, added that ultimately, I would be better for it at the end as it would prepare me for better practice years ahead. They told me I was in the process of sowing and that I would reap at the end. It was also emphasised that for that period of sowing, I have to manage my time.

Two things have helped me so far; my closeness to many people in the previous executive and my well articulate manifesto. With these two, I understand the institute and I had the idea of what I was coming in to do. Since I came on board, I have not, in any way, veered off my manifesto. One, I wanted people in the corporate Nigeria to be much more interested in NIPR, especially those who were members but had abandoned the institute; I wanted to bring them back. I wanted new members too from those who ordinarily should be members but thought there was nothing there. I was passionate in doing things that would attract them. Today, anytime NIPR does induction, Lagos State has always topped the chart, in some cases doubling the number of other chapters. Therefore, some of these people, who had deserted have come back and we are still working on others. As we all know, it is work in progress. Personally, the leadership of NIPR, Lagos chapter, has redefined my person in many ways. I know by the time I leave office, I would be a better person in my approach to issues, temperament, team work and other areas. In all these, I’m grateful to my team and other members because I never dreamt of becoming the Lagos NIPR chairman. They have not only made me one, they have supported me to achieve my objectives for the professional body. Another set of people that have made the job easy are our friends in the corporate world.

What is the relationship between NIPR and other stakeholders, especially PRCAN? There have been collaborations, synergies and understanding that the motive of all is to strengthen the industry. Early enough, I identified three stakeholders; Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), The African Public Relations Association (APRA) and the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN). Working with this belief, I have been able to maintain a good relationship with the three bodies. For instance, PRCAN and APRA Presidents, John Ehiguese and Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, have been my mentors over the years. Also, almost all members of BJAN are my personal friends; from the immediate past chairman, Goddy Ofose to the new one, Princewill Ekwujuru, we have strong relationship and this has helped us to succeed together. Apart from the fact that I have the ears of these people, I also see Lagos State government, corporate affair managers of organisations and photo journalists, as strategic partners and we extended hands of fellowship to them.

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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Central African Republic Formalises Membership of Afreximbank The Central African Republic has formalised its membership of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) with the recent deposit of the instrument of the country’s ratification of the Bank’s Establishment Agreement with the continental trade finance institution.

Speaking during a ceremony at the Bank’s headquarters, the Minister of State and Economic Adviser to the President, Claude Rameaux Bireau, who led a five-member delegation, said the Central African Republic had very high expectations from Afreximbank and looked forward to strengthened cooperation with the institution.

Bireau said the Central African Republic would move quickly to take up shareholding in the Bank and announced that the government was already working with the African Development Bank to support it in that regard.

He added that the country would participate in the IntraAfrican Trade Fair, which was being organised by Afreximbank in collaboration with the African Union. The trade fair will take place in Cairo from 11 to 17 December.

Earlier, the President of Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, stated that the Bank was created to support African countries in both good times and bad times and that the ratification of the Agreement by Central African Republic would make it possible for it to effectively do business in the country. “The ratification grants us the special privileges and immunities that make it possible for us to take the risks that other commercial banks cannot,� Oramah explained.

He announced that the Afreximbank had been reviewing six projects, which the country

had identified as priorities in order to see how to support them, saying that Central African Republic, with its rich resources, could be an investors paradise if well-marketed.

The Central African Republic had initiated the process of joining the Bank on 28 November 2017 when it presented an instrument of accession to the Bank agreement to Oramah when he met with President Faustin-Archange TouadĂŠra in Bangui.

Under the terms of the agreement for the Establishment of the Bank, which was signed by Participating States in Abidjan on 8 May 1993, countries that did not sign on before it entered into force are required to first issue an instrument of acceptance and accession and then proceed to formally ratify the agreement in order to fully activate their membership of the Bank.

‘AMPs Strengthen AMCON’s Debt Recovery’ The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Kuru, has again pledged the full support of the corporation to its Asset Management Partners (AMPs) in the pursuit to recover the 20 per cent or N740 billion of the total Eligible Bank Assets (EBAs) of AMCON portfolio of N3.7 trillion that are out there in the hands of obligors.

He made the declaration in Lagos at the 2018 edition of the AMCON/AMPs feedback session recently.

AMPs are firms AMCON engaged in 2016 to complement its recovery efforts as part of its renewed strategy to resolve some 6,000 accounts within its portfolio of accounts.

The AMCON boss who was represented at the event by the Group Head of Enforcements

at AMCON, Mr. Aliyu Kalgo, while declaring the two-day event open, said the corporation places equal importance on the ability of the partners to recover the outsourced accounts, saying their efforts count towards the achievement of AMCON’s core mandate.

He urged the APMs to discharge their assignments within the defined rules of engagement as stipulated by the AMCON Act and as seasoned professionals.

Kuru said: “It is a wellknown fact that AMCON has a unique and limited mandate; therefore, AMCON must maximise every opportunity to state its cases with the highest quality of representation, which was why we came up with the AMP programme that have been of tremendous development in our efforts to recover debts owed the country by a

few individuals who have over the years remained recalcitrant. “We are very grateful for all the AMPs who work with us towards achieving our recovery mandate. We are mindful of the enormous responsibility placed on your hands in this regard,� he assured.

On plans of AMCON to ensure that AMPs experience a hitch-free recovery processes, Kuru, who argued that the debt when recovered would go a long way to boost the economy, added, “We will continue to emphasise the need for more diligence even as we continue to partner with you. In the future, we will enlist AMPs who have made significant recoveries as part of the facilitators for similar events so that they will share some insights and critical success factors with us as well as their colleagues.

Group Launches Mobile App to Tackle Violence Vanessa Obioha Harnessing the reach and connectivity of mobile applications in providing a seamless experience, the THR media at its recent event titled: ‘Proffering Solution to Sexual Gender Based Violence,’ launched a social mobile application known as HERfessions.

The app affords its users an anonymous platform for peer-topeer interactions and also provides technical support through trained psychiatrics, lawyers and officers to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence; connecting them to numerous stakeholders who are invested in educating, supporting, and counselling victims.

Based on the need to connect women and girls going through some of the negative psychological effects inflicted on them through physical abuse, creator of the application Osasumwen Paul-Azino, noted the importance of the app in improving the mental health of women and girls going through the trauma associated with gender

based violence. “It’s a women and girls’ mobile application because we are particular about providing the proper value chain for gender based violence. “Yes, we advocate for a change, we have ensured that women get safe space but we also need to find platforms that address mental health issues because it is a public health issue and we need to be able to address them. “So, we thought this mobile app will give these women an anonymity where they are able to talk about their issues without fear of being criticised or judged,� she said.

Preceding the launch, a panel was set up to highlight some of the limiting factors peculiar to and facing the female folks in the society today, and some of ways in which women can get their voices to be heard.

Simi Olusola, Adenrera Olayinka Adeyemi, Mbanefo Perpetua and Gbonjubola Babalola comprised the panel.

In the near future, Paul-Azino hopes to expand the scope of the app to accommodate the male counterparts by way of extending some of its services to men and boys who have also experienced sexual assaults and domestic violence. She believes that such experiences can be replicated in relationships of men scarred by the experience. “The idea is to bring everybody together in the collaboration. Boys also get raped. One of the things that we leave out is that when gender based violence happen, particularly between intimate partners or domestic violence, children are usually part of the story.

It is almost like secondary trauma because whether male or female, you see the trauma and then you replicate it in your life, or in your relationship.� “There are stakeholders who attend to the men and the boys in the spectrum, and we hope that as we start –this is a first step for us– we are able to integrate men and boys,� she declared.

FROM THE FARM

Dimieari Von Kemedi

Northeastern Nigeria Needs Urgent Investments to stabilize, and lead Nigeria’s Renaissance Today northeastern Nigeria is synonymous with terrorism, hunger and poverty. But the story could have been different if not for Nigeria’s unfortunate reliance on crude oil.

As my plane approached landing during a recent visit to Yola I saw first hand the abundance of opportunity in the region.

There was beautiful flatland as far as the eyes could see and water everywhere in what looked like an inland delta of the River Benue.

Waziri Ahmadu, the Adamawa State Commissioner for agriculture estimates that there could be 2 million hectares of arable land in the state. That’s enough to provide Nigeria’s rice paddy needs if fully under irrigation without recourse to any other state in the federation.

Last week however the news was not about the size of the harvest from Adamawa, Gombe, Borno, Yobe Taraba, or Bauchi, rather it was about the donation of 140,000 bags of assorted grains and several thousand cartons of condiments to the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) for the benefit of persons affected by the crisis in the northeast.

Along with food, Saudi Arabia committed ten million US dollars towards supporting NEMA interventions in the region. In 2017 the United States Government committed thirty million US Dollars to support the Northeast.

And in February of the same year $672 million was committed by donors to provide relief to people in the northeast of Nigeria.

Several other countries and multilateral organizations have made similar commitments, in all surpassing the billion dollar mark. This is separate from donations and support related to arms and military training.

As peace gradually returns to this super region there is need to deploy a significant portion of these funds to support farmers and other entrepreneurs in order to put people to work and grow the economy in a sustainable way.

Importing food from outside Nigeria to feed Internally Displaced Persons could have the unintended consequence of depressing local markets and creating difficulties for farmers.

It could also lure people away from farms into the “aid business� and create a dangerous bubble that will collapse once the aid agencies leave. The collapse of this bubble could spark another round of criminality including robberies, kidnappings and extortions.

As the Inter Africa Free Trade Agreement comes into effect the northeastern states would be an export corridor for food as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The recharging of the lake chad with waters from the River Congo can be paid for from revenues derived from creating a great agricultural belt in the region where more than ten million hectares can be cultivated to feed the world. This will create a $33 billion per annum economy on produce alone without factoring in processing, transport and logistics, financing, consultancy, equipment and other support services. In case anyone is wondering how I arrived at this figure I simply assumed two planting seasons for rice over ten million hectares on an average yield of five tons per hectare. By including other higher value commodities the figure will be in fact rise.

The investment needed to accomplish this is less than $10 billion (excluding the cost of recharging lake chad), an amount that should not be difficult to mobilize.

This will create more than 5 million quality direct and indirect jobs in the region over a five-year period and spur advances in other industries as well as health and education.

And of course terrorism will not find any foothold.

Dimieari Von Kemedi works with smallholder farmers in the Alluvial Agriculture network. kemedi@alluvialtrade.com www.alluvialtrade.com

Diamond Bank Highlights BeneďŹ ts of ‘XclusivePlus’ to Customers Diamond Bank has introduced a premium lifestyle subscription service for its affluent banking customers called ‘XclusivePlus.’ Speaking on the new proposition, the Head, Consumer Banking, Diamond Bank, Kari Tukur, was quoted in a statement to have said: “We have seen a rise in customer spend in the past few years for luxury travel, luxury experiences and luxury products among the emerging affluent client segment. “Our proposition is well positioned to further enhance their lifestyle and provide them with the most satisfying rewards.â€?

She went on further to explain. ThT XclusivePlus membership comes with an automatic card upgrade to the Diamond Visa signature

naira debit card.

Diamond Bank, according to her, was the first bank in the country to introduce the product. “This is a naira card with higher spend limits and enabled for international spend. With this card, our customer will enjoy lots of world class travel and lifestyle benefits such as free access to over 800 Premium airport lounges globally, great discounts and VIP treatment at luxury hotels around the world, free travel insurance cover for them and their family for medical emergencies, lost luggage, flight cancellation and much more anytime they travel. This insurance is also valid for foreign visa applications. “There are also benefits closer to home, including

free cinema tickets all year around for the movie lovers, free premium events tickets such as concerts, comedy shows and art exhibitions and lots of great offers and discounts from a wide range of merchants across the country ranging from restaurants, bars, hotels, shopping and much more. “XclusivePlus subscribers are also invited to various seminars, conferences and round table discussions covering a wide range of topics such as Wealth Management & Investment, Economic Outlook, Financial Planning, Assess to Finance and lots more. “These events will give them the opportunity to acquire knowledge from industry experts and network with like minds.

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Evertop Unveils Actress, Bidemi Kosoko as Ambassador Nollywood actress Bidemi Kosoko has been unveiled as the brand ambassador and face of Evertop Realties Limited brand in the Nigerian Market.

At a ceremony held to announce the partnership and official signing of the contract, Managing Director of Evertop Realties Limited, Mr. Seun Joseph, said the choice of Miss. Kosoko was because of her exceptional characteristics.

Joseph noted that the actress has worked assiduously in the Nigerian film industry and has risen through the ranks to become a name to be reckoned with, particularly in the Yoruba film industry.

He said: “I believe that showcasing Miss. Kosoko as the face of our brand will increase our brand equity in the market and improve the level of patronage.�

Joseph stressed that the company is into sales of genuine landed properties,

apartment building and customer support services. He added that company’s core businesses cut across facility management, project management, real estate advisory services and estate agency, noting that these services were offered to customers at affordable prices.

Kosoko said the company sells valuable properties at choice areas across the country, noting that one of the reasons why customers need to patronise them is because it has eliminated the challenge of land speculators commonly known as “OmoOnile� in Lagos.

She said: “This is a company that sells all kind of properties at different locations in Nigeria. Trust me, those who buy from us will not have issues with land speculators or government agencies because we ensure we get all necessary documentation for our properties.�

Access Bank Presents ‘Born In Africa Festival’ Stories by Raheem Akingbolu Access Bank is introducing to the African entertainment and lifestyle scene, a highly entertaining fusion of Music, Art, Film and Fashion called Born in Africa Festival (BAFEST).

Designed uniquely to retell the African story globally and better connect the world to Africa, BAFEST is set to hold on December 16th, 2018.

The festival is a celebration of the unparalleled dynamism of the true African spirit, birthed from a need to tell the true African story in all its glory. It’s a full day event where Africa’s finest creatives showcase their talents to the world.

Speaking about BAFEST 2018, Group Head, Communications

& External Affairs, Access Bank Plc, Amaechi Okobi, said: “We are proud to be showcasing the best of African Vibes at this historic event. It is the climax of all our efforts to change the Nigerian and African narrative.

Our string of event partnerships such as the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Art X Lagos, the African International Film Festival and the finale, the Born in Africa Festival all aim to change the continent’s negative narrative as well as to project it as a hub for entertainment and creativity. “BAFEST is a day-long event which kicks off at 9am with the Fashion, Art and Film Park, where various artistes and fashion designers will exhibit their works, while some of Africa’s finest Filmmakers

will host movie screenings. The main concert featuring Africa’s biggest talents starts at 6pm.�

The festival takes place in Lagos and features notable music stars such as Awilo, Sho Madjozi, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Falz, Olamide, Yemi Alade, Kizz Daniel, D’banj among others.

The event opens at 9.00 a.m with the Fashion, Art and Film Park, where various artists and fashion designers like David Tlale and Tiffany Amber will exhibit their works, while some of Africa’s finest Filmmakers will host movie screenings.

A music concert will close off the day’s activities, starting at 6.00 p.m.

BAFEST is powered by Access Bank and produced

by Livespot, producers of the

critically acclaimed Love Like A Movie event series.

Access Bank Plc, known as one of Africa’s most innovative financial institutions, was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1998 and serves its various markets through four business segments: personal, business, commercial and corporate & investment banking.

The has consistently been seeking ways to expand across the African continent, it currently operates through a network of about 366 branches across major cities and commercial centers in Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, United Kingdom, and representative offices in Lebanon, the UAE, India and China

CSR: StarTimes Supports People Living with HIV/AIDS As part of activities to mark the 2018 World AIDS Day, pay-TV company, StarTimes has called for more support to be given to Nigerians living with the virus across the country.

This was communicated on the sidelines of the 2018 World AIDS Day commemoration event held recently in Abuja as it joined other stakeholders in the fight to increase awareness and fight against HIV/AIDS in a bid to eradicate the virus completely from Nigeria and Africa at large.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, StarTimes Nigeria, Justin Zhang, “StarTimes is committed to the complete eradication of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria using its media footprint across the country and its’ ability to reach millions of Nigerians even in villages where aid workers are not able to access� He added that “the company would assist

in the area of broadcasting informative content and engaging youths via entertaining mobile engagements that educate�

Also speaking, the National Secretary, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Abdul Dangirma, commended the federal government for its effort to treatment and prevention of spread of the virus while calling for more to be done in the area of user-fee charged to beneficiaries of antiretroviral drugs.

In May 2017, UNAIDS and StarTimes signed a memorandum of cooperation in Beijing to officials a cooperation to reduce the impact of HIV across Africa by disseminating messages to the general public to increase awareness of HIV and UNAIDS’ work and to reduce the stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV.

Access Bank Presents Born in Africa Festival (BAFEST) Access Bank Plc has disclosed plan to introduce to the African entertainment and lifestyle scene, a highly entertaining fusion of music, art, film and fashion known as ‘Born in Africa Festival’ (BAFEST).

Designed uniquely to retell the African story globally and better connect the world to Africa, BAFEST is set to hold on December 16th, 2018.

The bank explained that the initiative was part of its drive to constantly push new boundaries.

A statement from the bank explained that the Born in Africa Festival would be a

celebration of the unparalleled dynamism of the true African spirit, birthed from a need to tell the true African story in all its glory.

It is going to be a full day’s event where Africa’s finest creatives would showcase their talents to the world.

Speaking about BAFEST 2018, Group Head, Communications & External Affairs, Access Bank, Amaechi Okobi said: “Access Bank is delighted to present Born in Africa Festival and we are excited about the interesting line up of African stars and creatives that would be performing and showcasing.

WOMEN IN INFRASTRUCTURE

L-R- Executive Director, Inter-Bau Construction Limited, Mrs. Doris Mbadiwe; CEO Beecit Solutions Limited, Mrs. Bukola Femi-Ajala; Founder, WICA and Executive Director, Centre for Ethics and Sustainable Development (CESD), Dr. Olajumoke Akiode; CEO, Siemens Limited Mrs. Onyeche Tifase and CEO Afrigrants Resources Limited, Ms Thelma Ekiyor, at the Women in Infrastructure Community Africa (WICA), Consultative Forum organised by CESD in Lagos...recently

Heineken Celebrates Africanism at Fashion Show Patrons of the Heineken brand and fashion enthusiasts have been given a royal treatment that aligns with the classical status of the Heineken Brand at the 2018 edition of Backyard Fashion Show in Lagos.

First of its kind, the fashion & lifestyle event, which held recently in Lagos witnessed amazing teams of fashion designers, make-up artists, photographer & models showcase the very best of African fashion.

Supported by international premium beer brand, Heineken, the event featured 360 degree cameras capturing attendees in their glamorous ensembles, with green carpet host Paul on hand to interview the A-list guests.

The live afro-jazz band opened the show to the delight of those present with a spectacular performance. The Fashion show also featured designer labels such as Johnny Lingo, Doo by Iyanu, Ina and Denike

who showcased their exquisite pieces on the runway.

Speaking at the event, Brand Manager Heineken, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Olaoluwa Babalola said: “The maiden edition of the Backyard Fashion show is one of a kind. It was put together to promote creative and talented underground fashion brands in Nigeria. As an international brand present in 192 countries around the world, Heineken is happy to be a part of this

initiative. The brand continues to provide experiences that will shape the future of fashion in Africa,� The show, which was themed “Africanism� had attendees show up in an array of afro-centric attires thereby showcasing exquisite and creative pieces depicting African heritage and culture through fashion. The theme intends to show reflective contemporary African styles and versatility that tell a story of our heritage and the African pride.

Mastercard Partners Firm to Boost Payments MasterCard and one of Africa’s leading payment service provider, DPO Group have announced a collaboration to enable more than 40,000 African merchants to accept Mastercard payments.

The partnership would connect more people and businesses to the global economy. The collaboration was expected to enable DPO act as a Pan-African switch by using the Mastercard Payments Gateway Services (MPGS). DPO would now be able to independently authorise

transactions without any bank integration required.

Through the solution, Mastercard would enable payment partners like DPO to easily and securely accept a wide range of digital payment methods from all over the world and for numerous industries online, in-person and via mobile.

The collaboration seeks to enable both small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are critical to the growth of the African economy and global

enterprises, to better process payments across Africa via a simple integration to a single platform.

The collaboration between Mastercard and DPO would improve merchant benefits like seamless, secure digital payment acceptance; access to cutting-edge technologies; fraud management, and global connectivity through recognised payment methods. “Mastercard’s partnership with DPO is an important milestone in our vision to

financially include every African.

Our partnerships with DPO and other key FinTechs across Africa, allows Mastercard to speed up building of the acceptance railroads that will drive the growth of secure and convenient electronic payments. This in turn acts as the engine that drives faster economic growth across the continent for the benefit of millions of Africans,� Raghav Prasad, Division President for Sub-Saharan Africa, was quoted to have said in a statement.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Call to EndChild Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation As part of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three, United Nations Women has collaborated with Western and Central African Traditional Rulers in quest to end child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Ugo Aliogo and Sunday Ehigiator write Decades ago, mothers across Nigeria ensured that their female children were circumcised, an obnoxious practice. Many live with the scar today.

Mothers regarded Female Genital Mutilation, (FGM) as a traditional practice which they vowed to protect, and others believed it was one way of preventing the girl-child from becoming promiscuous. Other reasons were to protect family honour, hygiene, virginity; modification of socio-sexual attitudes (countering failure of a woman to attain orgasm); increasing sexual pleasure of the husband; enhancing fertility and increasing matrimonial opportunities among others. Contrary to these views, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted that FGM has no health benefits for girls and women.

Recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights, FGM reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women. Meanwhile, experts have noted that FGM is associated with hemorrhage, infection, acute urinary retention due to trauma, damage to the urethra or anus, chronic pelvic infection and other health implications such as prolonged labour, leading to fistulae formation, and increased perinatal morbidity and mortality amongst others. Victims are also bound to suffer mental and psychological agony which is deemed the most serious complication because the problem does not manifest outwardly for help to be offered.

According to WHO, more than 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM in 30 countries, Nigeria inclusive, where the practice is prevalent while about three million girls are at risk annually. Worse still, majority of these girls are scarred for life before they turn 15, as many of them are married off between ages 11 and 13 in worst cases.

As part of measures to put an end to practice, the United Nations in collaboration with monarchs from over 23 Anglophone and Francophone countries embarked on a five days dialogue session.

The purpose of the Western and Central Africa regional consultations and dialogue with traditional Leaders and Institutions was to galvanise and amplify the efforts and strategies of the leaders in ending child marriage and FGM/Cutting in the region.

The consultation also was aimed at consulting and proposing a framework for commitments that would be agreed upon and presented at the African Union (AU) summit schedule to take place early next year by traditional and cultural leaders and institutions on the elimination of child marriage and FMG/Cutting. The consultation also initiated the establishment of a platform for advocacy, policy dialogue, and scaling up of initiatives by leaders and institutions to end child marriage, FMG/C and other harmful practices in the region. It further proposed a framework for the AU summit traditional and cultural authorities on ending child marriage and FMG/C. Speaking at event, the AU goodwill Ambassador for early child marriage (ECM) NyaradzayiGumbonzvanda, who presented a multi-country analytical study of legislation, policies, interventions and cultural practices on child marriage, said the figures do not look good for Africa.

She stated that 125 million of more than 700 million women alive today and married as a child live in Africa, adding that 17 per cent of the total world figure and the majority of them are in sub-Saharan Africa. “125 million of more than 700 million women alive today and married as a child live in Africa.

17 per cent of the total world figure and the majority of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Regionally, 11.6 per cent and 42.8 per cent of girls are married by the age of 15 and 18 respectively.

On a national average, Niger has 76 per cent of girls married by 18, Chad 72 per cent, the Central Africa Republic 68 per cent, Burkina Faso 52 per cent, and Nigeria 44 per cent,� she noted.

Gumbonzvanda added that although Nigeria is ranked at the bottom, in terms of actual number of girls, the country has more incidences of child marriage than the other countries.

The Minister for Women Affairs, Aisha Abubakar,

who represented at the event by Umai Mohammed, said child marriage was very common in Kano State.

According to her, “Child marriage is prevalent in the north with an estimated 65 percent of girls below 18 already married. Although there are no reliable data, about 50 million will be married if there are no interventions.�

Speaking on the implication of early marriages, Abubakar said 65 percent of obstetrics fistula occurs in girls below 18 largely due to early childbirth.

In his address, UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon, said if nothing is done to accelerate progress, the number of child brides in sub-Saharan Africa would double by 2050.

He added that sub-Saharan Africa would overtake South Asia to become the region with the largest number of child brides in the world.

According to him, “The sheer scale of these numbers is shocking. But when we simply talk about numbers, we are doing a disservice to what they actually mean. Each number represents a young girl who has the fundamental rights to make decisions that affect her life, but who has now been prevented from exercising that right.

Every single of those individual girls matters.�

The harmful traditional practices have devastating impact including loss of life, risk of disease such as ďŹ stula, loss of education and life opportunities, trauma and other psycho-social impacts resulting in deepening poverty and perpetuating a cycle of abuse

He expressed confidence that the gathering of traditional and cultural leaders on the subject would help to get a “new global spotlight and re-energize the movement to end child and forced marriage and FGM. Kallon added that strong leadership and commitment of traditional and religious leaders are critical to winning the fight against child marriage and FGM. Delivering the keynote address, the Emir of Shongai, HaliruYahaya, said leaders who fail to do anything against FGM and child marriage are also perpetrators.

He said: “We have been called protectors, if we are so called and these things happen under us then we are perpetrators. I know we (traditional rulers) get ignored from time to time and I can say that we have procured more stability for this country than any government. Involving traditional rulers in goals like these is key to achieving them. A classic example of this is when a few years ago, Nigeria became a pariah state due to polio but when traditional rulers were consulted on its eradication, we gave orders and two years after, polio came down by 90 percent.�

He also noted that one of the ways to tackle early marriage is to ensure girls are compulsorily kept in school till they finish their secondary education. “I am a medical doctor and if you see a girl with VVF (Vesico Vaginal Fistula), you will be staunchly against child marriage. A girl with VVF has no future, although there are surgical operations to correct it but they are quite complicated because of the size of the area and then after the surgery, everything fails again.�

At the end of the five days dialogue, Traditional and Cultural leaders across West and Central Africa on Friday unanimously adopted a document detailing an action plan to end child marriage and female genital mutilation in their communities.

The action plan titled, ‘Kings of West and Central Africa Lagos Declaration on ending child marriage, female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices,’ was presented at the closing conference of the consultation and dialogue with traditional and cultural leaders and institutions on child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM/C) organised by United Nations Women in Lagos.

In the document, the traditional leaders agreed that child marriage and female genital mutilation are forms of slavery, rape, criminal and savagery acts, obnoxious violations of human rights and gross infringement of the values underlying our traditions, the spirit of communal self-respect.

The traditional rulers agreed to break the silence on the brutal crimes perpetrated in name of culture and traditions. They also recognized that the fight against child marriage and FGM/C demands the collective and concerted contribution of many actors and partners. They called on government and stakeholders to play their part. “We value accountability to ourselves on the decisions. We will put in place the monitoring and evaluation approaches for us to track our own progress, and seek the same of government and other stakeholders for accelerated efforts to end these practices,� the document stated.

They also expressed support for initiatives targeted at putting appropriate laws in place to ensure that 18 years is legalised as the accepted marriageable age irrespective of religious and cultural affiliations. “We will contribute to ensuring comprehensive legal protection from these harmful practices, thus enshrining the age of 18 as the minimum age of marriage with no exceptions, amending existing laws in our countries that still justify child marriage based on custom or religion; seeking enforcement of criminal laws related to these crimes and promulgating our own community bye-laws to reinforce prevention.�

The traditional rulers also vowed to use the power of office to fight child marriage and FGM/C, stating that as custodians of traditions, they are faced with the reality that “our region carries the highest prevalence of child marriage and FGM/C in the world, impacting millions of our girls.� “The harmful traditional practices have devastating impact including loss of life, risk of disease such as fistula, loss of education and life opportunities, trauma and other psycho-social impacts resulting in deepening poverty and perpetuating a cycle of abuse.� They noted.

The journey to consultations with traditional and cultural leaders started when the African Union was faced with the sad reality that despite the existence of laws against child marriage and FGM in Africa, approximately 120 million girls have undergone child marriage and FGM. The AU realised that the continental vision of ‘the Africa we want’ (Vision 2063) will not be achieved if nothing is done about child marriage and FGM, therefore launched the AU campaign to end child marriage in 2014.

To supplement this initiative, the UN women initiated the UN Women African strategy (20182021), birthing the engagement of traditional and cultural leaders towards ending child marriage and FGM.

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Ricca: Challenges in Nigeria Should Be Seen as Opportunities The Country Cluster Head, West Africa, BASF, Jean Marc Ricca, in this interview with speaks on the need for government to address infrastructural challenges and improve Ease of Doing Business in the country in order to stimulate economic growth. Ugo Aliogo presents the excerpts: Food insecurity is a key challenge for Africa and for Nigeria.You have been able to penetrate the African market and gradually you are entering into the Nigerian market. What are the opportunities for investments that you have seen in this market?

We have a large number of touch points with the food value chain so to speak almost from cargo to cargo all the way from seeds and the challenge of improving productivity upstream on crops. Then you have to check how you reduce the amount of post-harvest losses. Take tomato as a prime example, 46 per cent is just wasted during transportation. Then you have everything related to transformation and the food industry all the way down to biodegradable plastics. This is the theme for today; we are trying to bring all those stakeholders together on one single approach towards food security. This is typically what an event like this one is all about. Here you have construction chemical partners, you have insulation, you have packaging, laundry, they all get together because this not something that we would solve, nobody can actually solve the problem. We need to team up, bring together all those stakeholders whether they be regulators, I mean National Administration Food Drug Control (NAFDAC) and others, but also the entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations (NGO), everybody who can have a valuable contribution to solving these problems.

Does it translate into business opportunities for us? Of course, because we need to make money as a group so that the solution is sustainable. It is not about using money to try to solve it that would not bring us anywhere because the day there’s no money, nothing happens. So we need to create models and value at a very local level.

It has been 53 years in Nigeria. How would you describe the investment climate here?

If you sow negative energy, it usually comes back to you as very negative. It’s not just lip service but we really look at challenges as possibilities.

So if you have a very negative look at Nigeria, you would only see problems. If you look at it positively, there are many opportunities. Look at plastic waste, there are 750,000 tonnes in the streets of Lagos every year that’s a massive challenge.

But it could be a business opportunity for people who see this as the opportunity to start a circular economy. It is a tough business environment, its complex sometimes it is even hostile but this is what we have. Every one of us have to overcome these challenges, we need to try avoiding creating new ones because as a country, we are very good in shooting ourselves in the foot. But the outlook is positive. So this year was a bit tougher, next year nobody knows the result but it doesn’t change our commitment. I mean, you can’t be in Nigeria and you’re here just for one year our experience for all those years shows that you may have a couple of years which are tough, but don’t stop, invest. I would give you a very practical example despite the difficult economic circumstances we would open in February the first ethnic hair care laboratory in Africa.

The people from the cosmetic division said, if you want to understand the needs of the African woman in terms of hair care, don’t do that from Europe, come in Africa and we went to Lagos.

We have to continue investing and we have to continue being focused on enabling value creation for Nigeria in Nigeria.

What has been the key driver for you in business that has helped you deepen market penetration in Nigeria?

People. In an environment like this, you need to have the best people in the industry. You need to find them, you need to grow them and you need to keep them. That again is not lip service, it’s real. My problem is not about finding customers and markets; they are here everybody has needs.

The problem is to bring something from there to here and that’s a massive undertaking for us. Yes, we are driving our local production forward, but we still as a country still heavily rely on import and moving products across border is an absolute nightmare. I am not blaming anyone because we are all part of the problem, but going to Lagos

solution. It starts really by enabling the farmers in between we can put trains from Kano to Lagos.

But I think the first man and the last are the areas we need to focus on.

Ricca

port is a real challenge and there is a lot more that we could do if we didn’t have to spend so much time, energy and money in just crossing what is in many countries a no brainer.

It is not easy doing business; it’s really all the infrastructure on business which is to be probably to be improved. It takes everyone, we always put the blame on government, government has to do this no, they may help a lot, but everyone has to do this, private sectors, regulators, customs, everyone has to start pushing in the right direction.

During the presentation a while ago, you talked about food fortiďŹ cation. In food you also talked about business case, food innovation cluster and the social case. I will like you to explain on those areas especially the food fortiďŹ cation aspect?

First of all, we measure our successes in total value to the society. When we put forward a business case which is a project and that project we would assess it to see if it is worth the money that we are going to spend driving it. So you are going to get the number if we get $1 in and get $1.5 out, for us that are not good enough. We also measure what our contribution to society is, here in Nigeria it is very straight forward it is how many jobs you create. It is not necessarily the job that I create but the job that I could create

In an environment like this, you need to have the best people in the industry. You need to ďŹ nd them, you need to grow them and you need to keep them. That again is not lip service, it’s real. My problem is not about ďŹ nding customers and markets; they are here everybody has needs

upstream. In the recycling space, you can create a large number of jobs you may think that they are low tech jobs but yes, they are jobs in some communities that is really helpful. Or you can create jobs downstream by enabling your customers to run his own business.

To make it also specific, when we sell 1 to one of our customers, they usually sell 10. It’s a kind of a multiplying impact and food fortification is a prime example. Without vitamin A, you have no food fortification, so we enable this and after that there is a subsequent impact that you measure in terms of money, in terms of impact on society and the least impact on environment as possible.

How do you contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of food sustainability?

This is driven in group level, direct contribution and when we talk about total value to the society, if you go on our website there is an index where we mention everything from an environmental, social and economic standpoint. The SDGs in a project like this one you create jobs and many impacts on SDGs that you have. We try to consider that it’s not to look from a total company standpoint; we track all the projects according to the certain structures.

Nigeria’s population is expected to rise sharply by the year 2030, what’s the way out of food insecurity?

There are several ways. One, we need to grow the agricultural sector and we need to ensure that farmers have the right tools, technologies and products to maximise their yields. There is a massive improvement that we can do upstream.

I have seen the post-harvest losses; it is a key area where we are already very involved but it is a multi-stakeholder project.

We need to build cold room capacities. We are talking about millions of cubic meters which us to be put on the ground so that from the transportation storage upstream the farmers have access directly to cool storage. The food processing area also needs to be developed, retail is not yet developed.

What other measures do you advise as a stakeholder in this industry that we can tap into as a country to fully achieve self-sufďŹ ciency in food production in Nigeria?

I think we need to bring together all those stakeholders, private sectors, regulators, government.

My experience shows that going micro on small pilot projects, teaming up with one community one crop is the right thing to do because I don’t see food security as a kind of one size fits all

How much success have you recorded in the area of corporate social responsibility as a company?

It depends on what you mean by CSR. We are very active and there’s one big space for us which is education particularly science education and particularly women in science. This is really business driven this is not CSR. We will need leaders in twenty years from now. We want to support children particularly young girls at the age of 8-12 trying to open their eyes to what science is.

As far as I now when you go to some if the local schools, they’re far away from having access to even science awareness, if we accompany them as they grow by tapping the primary, secondary schools and universities then we may or may not have a chance to have our future leaders in 10 to 15 years or more.

We are engaged much in Lagos and the most prominent one we had very recently at the national conference of pharmaceutical society of Nigeria we had our first young female pharmacist of the year award.

Specifically supporting young pharmacists in science is absolutely critical. So that’s what CSR is, CSR is not just about giving an award or giving a grant, it needs to be sustainable from a business standpoint.

We have a program with an NGO called AD Africa purely linked to employability and we have the third round where we take very young graduates straight from school and we embed them with this for a minimum of 6 months up to one year.

The idea is to equip them, giving them a chance to operate in a multination such as ours.

What kind of partnerships are you creating with the local farmers to improve food sufficiency and what’s your assessment on the agriculture sector in Nigeria are we growing at the pace at which we are supposed to grow?

We are highly collaborative and we know that success will come on the condition that everyone having something to bring to the party should team up. Today is a prime example, so we are very active in bringing people together on agriculture alliance and this type of initiatives.

One of the particularities which is not unique to Nigeria, same in many countries in Africa and Asia is that we are dealing with a large number of small farmers so they don’t have the scale, the financial ability to buy proper products to support them, they don’t even have the knowledge on how to use whatever product they would buy.

We are training thousands of farmers everyday just to step up safety and maximizing the use of the product.

The other area where I see there is a massive gap is coaching. Today farmers can produce a large number of tomatoes but if they don’t reach the consumers then what’s the point? I think there is a huge effort for everyone of us starting from retail to company like us who make insulation foams who can be helping in building your cold room to operators to farmers upstream getting all together. I am a very strong believer that we need to do that at local level as the problem of the farmer in Zaria is different from the one in Gombe State.

Can you give an insight on the focus of this event?

The event brings together multiple stakeholders so that they don’t take connectivity for granted.

NAFDAC talking to us, talking to maybe operators and I think when brainstorming together what they could do could actually be having an impact.

I would expect concrete measures or proposal in the cold chain space particularly for Lagos state because we have big needs here. I would look at the area of food fortification, gladly NAFDAC is here and how do we work together to ensure compliance, how do we raise the standards in terms of harmonizing the quality of the products out there. The beauty is that it brings together all our businesses; we have people from all over the place.

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THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 13, 2018

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08152252325

Giving Life to Indigent Sickle Cell Carriers The Omotoke Gambari Foundation recently reached out to 63 children living with sickle cell anemia with the aim of celebrating them despite their health challenges and indigent situation.

Sunday Ehigiator writes

T

he recent death of popular radio presenter, Tosyn Bucknor, from health complications relating to sickle cell anemia has again brought to the fore that the disease is one of the leading causes of death globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia; a condition in which there is not enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body.

Normally, the red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through the blood vessels.

In sickle cell anemia, the cells become rigid, sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons.

These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

Although, there’s no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia, treatments can relieve pain and help prevent problems associated with the disease.

Causes The disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells the body to makes the red, ironrich compound that gives blood its red color (hemoglobin). Hemoglobin allows red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and misshapen.

The sickle cell gene is passed from generation to generation in a pattern of inheritance called autosomal recessive inheritance. This means that both the mother and the father must pass on the defective form of the gene for a child to be affected. If only one parent passes the sickle cell gene to the child, that child will have the sickle cell trait. With one normal hemoglobin gene and one defective form of the gene, people with the sickle cell trait make both normal hemoglobin and sickle cell hemoglobin. Their blood might contain some sickle cells, but they generally don’t have symptoms. But they are carriers of the disease, which means they can pass the gene to their children.

Increased Awareness Despite increased awareness, statistics have shown that a lot of work is still needed to be done to achieve its extinction.

It was against this backdrop, that Omotoke Gambari established her foundation, with the mandate to promote awareness of the Anemia, care for carriers, and provide adequate support to the carriers here in Nigeria.

According to Omotoke, the recent get-together with its 63 children living with sickle cell anemia, with the aim of celebrating them despite their health challenges and indigent situations, was a perfect way to end the year after the hassles experienced in the year, and also a thanksgiving to God for life despite their obvious condition.

At the party, which was held on a beautiful little lawn in Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, the giggle, excitements, laughter and happy noise of the children who jumped on bouncing castles and rode on fun-train, was satisfactory, as carriers are also worthy of a happy life despite their condition.

Objectives The foundation launched in August this year is already a home to 63 kids with this genetic defect. Among her objectives and activities since founding the organisation is to educate the patients as well as their parents; since many of them are less privileged and uneducated.

From providing hospital care when they go into crisis, to giving free drugs to the kids, monthly meetings which is both advisory and supportive, conducting Trans-cranial Doppler scan (TCD) for children who are two - 16 years who are most at risk of having a stroke, and also offering free treatment to all children concerned, the foundation has been of cardinal impact in the lives of the 63 carriers, breathing in them a new life.

Chairperson, Omotoke Gambari Foundation, Mrs. Omotoke Gambari, flanked by children they support at the foundation’s end of year party in Lagos recently

L-R: Retired Chief Matron and Genetic Counselor at Onikan Health Centre, Mrs. Olabisi Olaiya Adefisan; the mother of the Chairperson, Omotoke Gambari Foundation, Mrs. Gbemisola Oyegoke; Chairperson Omotoke Gambari Foundation, Mrs Omotoke Gambari and board of trustee member and husband to the chairperson, Mr. Omar Gambari, at the end of year party in Lagos--

Symptoms Omotoke, who is also conditioned by the genetic misdemeanor, while further speaking with THISDAY on the conditions of a’ sickler’, said “I was somewhat lucky because I am privileged to come from a comfortable home; I received all the attention and care I needed, observed and treated whenever the need arose.

“Complications come in different forms in a patient. It is important to understand that the term ‘sickler’ is from the word sickle which is the abnormal shape of the cells in the patients; as a result, these cells could get stuck in the blood vessels. Getting stuck in the wrong places could lead to organs failures and infections.

“The weather could also lead to complications; a patient need not stay in either a very cold or very hot environment. Malaria could also lead to complications, and so anti-malaria vaccines are advised. In the case of injuries, an SS patient does not heal at the same rate with that of a ‘normal person’.

“In many extreme cases, there is constant need for blood transfusions, in a bid to flush out the SS blood cells and replace with other healthier ones.”

Health Complications According to a Retired Matron and Genetic Counselor, Mrs. Olabisi Olaiyi Adefisan, “one of the health complications associated with persons living with sickle cell disease; especially in males is painful unwanted erection. It occurs to boys/ men within ages four to 45 years. It usually comes at night.

“Another complication that could arise from this condition is leg ulcer. This is common in sickle cell disease. Although this could happen to any

gender, studies have shown it can be prevalent in males compared to females.

“Leg ulcers are a chronic painful problem.

They result from minor injury to the leg area; predictably, because of relative poor circulation of blood, compounded by sickling and micro-infarcts.

Healing is delayed and infection becomes established.

“The risk associated with sickle cell disorder could be classified into conditional and standard risk. “Conditional risk is a situation of being free from stroke for the next six months while standard risk on the other hand is being free from stroke for the next one year. The only way to know what risk a carrier belongs exactly is by conducting the TCD scan.”

She added that signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia vary from person to person and changes over time.

She further posited that, “Anemia as earlier said is another symptom associated to carriers.

Sickle cells break apart easily and die, leaving one without enough red blood cells. The red blood cells usually live for about 120 days before been replaced. But sickle cells usually die within 10 to 20 days, leaving a shortage of red blood cells.

“Without enough red blood cells, human body can’t get the oxygen it needs to feel energised, causing fatigue.

“Episodes of pain are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints.

Pain can also occur in your bones.

“The pain varies in intensity and can last for a few hours to few weeks. Some people have only a few pain episodes. Others have a dozen or more crises a year. If a crisis is severe enough,

one might need to be hospitalised.

“Some adolescents and adults with sickle cell anemia also have chronic pain, which can result from bone and joint damage, ulcers and other causes.

“There is also painful swelling of hands and feet. The swelling is caused by sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow to the hands and feet. “Another is frequent infections. Sickle cells can damage an organ that fights infection (spleen), leaving you more vulnerable to infections. Doctors commonly give infants and children with sickle cell anemia vaccinations and antibiotics to prevent potentially life-threatening infections, such as pneumonia.

“Other is delayed growth, and Vision Problem.

Red blood cells provide the body with the oxygen and nutrients you need for growth. A shortage of healthy red blood cells can slow growth in infants and children and delay puberty in teenagers. And as, tiny blood vessels that supply the eyes may become plugged with sickle cells, this can damage the retina; the portion of the eye that processes visual images, leading to vision problems”.

Management of Sickle Cell in Children To manage sickle cell disease in children, it is often advised that carriers should ensure to go to all doctor’s visits and share any concerns or new symptoms, avoid peculiar pain crisis triggers, such as extreme temperatures or stress, talk to the doctor about which activities are right for you and which you should avoid, avoid smoke, drinking of alcohol, or use of illegal drugs, drink lots of liquids and get enough rest, and as well as letting an adult know right away if they don’t feel well.

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 13, 2018

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NEWS

Foundation Takes Diabetes Awareness to Nigerians Rebecca Ejifoma The Founder, Wellness Patron, Mrs. Danielle Akpakwu has commenced campaign to dispel the myths and misconceptions about diabetes and best nutrition to manage it.

The one-day awareness and free test campaign held in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the theme, ‘Diabetes Demystified’ was to clarify the myths around diabetes. She said: “My aim is to help clear the fears surrounding diabetes and let people understand that there is a lot to learn.

Conquering diabetes starts by gaining knowledge and the right information and the importance of nutrition in the management of diabetes.”

According to the founder, a lot of people think diabetes is a stigma and a curse, instead of viewing it from a place of strength. She added: “My dad was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My uncle, my brother-in-law and my husband were diagnosed

with same.

“This sickness made my dad research into the role of food and nutrition in managing diabetes. He is alive, old and strong. I have become informed about cooking diabetes-friendly food.

Speaking also, an Endocrinologist and Diabetologist, Dr. Ilerhunmwuwa Nosakhare, said Type 1 diabetes could be found in adults and children. He defined it as a chronic metabolic disorder that is characterised by hyperglycemia.

He said: “This is due to absolute insulin deficiency often from autoimmune destruction of the insulin a producing. Children are more predisposed to having this type of diabetes. Out of every three children, one will have Type one diabetes.”

The expert disclosed that statistic has risen from 108million to 422million in 2014, adding that the prevalence is rising rapidly in middle and low-income country like Nigeria.

NiBUCAA, NACA Push for Sustained Political Will to AddressHIV Martins Ifijeh The Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) have stated that sustained political will on funding and investment will help in addressing issues around Human Immuno Virus (HIV) prevalence in the country.

They said there were several opportunities and innovative technologies to expanding access to HIV testing as part of plans for the country to meet the 90-90-90 target.

Speaking during a walk to commemorate World AIDS Day in Lagos recently, the Executive Committee Chairman NiBUCAA, Dr. Shaibu Musa, said this year’s commemoration was significant because it

represented the 30th edition of the international day set aside to raise awareness and ignite conversations on the scourge and effects of HIV&AIDS in communities and workplaces.

He said: “NiBUCAA is poised to providing HIV&AIDS Testing and Counseling (HCT) services to 10,000 Lagos residents. The acceptance and statistics from the designated centres have been impressive so far.

“Residents, should in the spirit of the commemoration, know their HIVstatus in line with the 90-90-90 benchmark of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV&AIDS.” Musa added that collaborative efforts and increased investments in awareness, provision of HCT services and

antiretroviral therapy (ART) to infected persons would help to reduce the country’s HIV&AIDS burden.

“The theme of this year’s commemoration, Know Your Status, is a call to action.

Although efforts are being made to make antiretroviral therapy (ART) available to affected pregnant women, we are optimistic that improved investments in awareness and getting citizens to know their HIV status would help to reduce the country’s HIV&AIDS burden.

“HCT services should be made accessible to every citizen just as antiretroviral therapy (ART) should be within the reach of infected persons.”

Assistant Director, NACA, Mr. Raheem Mohammed,

lauded NiBUCAA for sustaining engagements with the private sector whilst calling for sustained political will to deepen the response to HIV&AIDS. He said: “NACA appreciates NiBUCAA on several efforts in strengthening engagement with the private sector in Nigeria in order to enhance domestic funding for HIVresponse.

“The gap in HIV diagnosis is a major limitation for our HIV programme and for the country to achieve the 90-90-90 targets.

“There are several opportunities and innovative technologies to expand access to HIV testing which willrequire a sustained political will for funding and investment.”

Foundation Canvasses for Adequate Nutrition to Tackle Pneumonia in Children Rebecca Ejifoma With a high record of children under five dying from pneumonia, medical experts have said that urgent intervention is needed to save Nigeria from becoming the country with the highest burden of deaths from the disease by 2030. They also called for more immunisation and adequate nutrition for children. Speaking at a round table session in Lagos recently, a Public Health Specialist with Save the Children International, Dr. Olutosin Adeoye, said malnourished and poorly immunised or unimmunised children are mostly at risk of pneumonia, adding that Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Congo will bear the highest burden of deaths among under-five years old, if no action is taken.

Following recent studies indicating that pneumonia

could kill nearly 11 million children by 2030 (Johns Hopkins and Save the Children, 2018), the expert said most of these preventable deaths would take place in Nigeria if urgent action was not taken.

According to Adeoye, women are key factors in the fight against pneumonia. “If women will do exclusive breastfeeding for their babies for the first six months, it will boost their children’s immunity and protect them from pneumonia among other diseases”.

Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Advisor, SCI, Dr. Opeyemi Odedere, described pneumonia as a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the small sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which could result into pus or fluid filled alveoli. This could lead to painful breathing and ultimately limits oxygen intake.

Promasidor Launches New Product to Promote Healthy Living Mary Ekah Producers of Cowbell Milk, Promasidor Nigeria, has launched a new product, Sunvita, as part of plans to promote healthy living.

Hosting journalists at a media breakfast and factory tour to unveil Sunvita Cereal at their head office in Lagos, recently, the Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria, Anders Einarsson, said the company has over the years been committed to satisfying Nigerians with it variety of products.

Einarsson said the new product was locally sourced, adding that apart from the company employing more workers, it will serve an avenue of job creation

for young entrepreneurs.

He said: “It’s unique, it’s a tremendous work of research and development. More than 75 per cent of the ingredients are locally sourced. This is to deepen the agricultural value chain.

“We will not only do employment as we expand, but job creation in the financial market.

The product is designed to meet the key feature of convenience.”

Speaking on same vein, the Head of Marketing Department, Promasidor, Abiodun Ayodej, said since the past 25 years, the brand has been loyal to consumers satisfaction with it wide range of product, assuring more satisfaction from Sunvita Cereal.

RESEARCH MEETS DEVELOPMENT

L-R: Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, during a partnership meeting between NIPRD and Edo State Government, held in Benin recently

Reddington Unveils State-of-the-Art Surgery, Critical Care Facility in Lagos Martins Ifijeh As part of efforts to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system and fill the gap for surgical services, Reddington Hospital has unveiled a state-of-the-art surgery and critical care facility.

The centre, known as the Davidson Specialist Surgery and Critical Care Centre was formally opened by the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Laure Beaufils, in Lagos recently.

The centre is named after Dr Neil Davidson, an Oxford trained consultant physician and the founding medical director of the hospital.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Reddington’s Group Medical

Director and Chief of Surgery, Dr. Olutunde Lalude, said the centre was established to fill the gap in surgery and critical care in the country.

He said: “What is new is the tight integration and teamwork between surgery, anaesthesia and critical care which is crucial for optimal results following major surgery and treatment for major life-threatening conditions.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Reddington Hospital Group, Dr. Adeyemi Onabowale, said the theatre has been upgraded with an array of modern surgical suite technology and new state-ofthe-art critical care equipment.

He said: “We now have an operating theatre and Intensive care unit that can compare with any hospital in the developed

world. We also invested in the right expertise including highly experienced theatre and ICU staff, some of who are UK trained.

“We can now offer almost every kind of surgery including general surgery, keyhole surgery, plastic surgery, neurosurgery and more at this new facility.”

He described the new critical care centre as the jewel in the crown of the integrated facility at Reddington Hospital.

“It is composed of a seven bed combined Intensive Care Unit (ICU/HDU) fully equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment necessary to deliver high quality critical care. The centre is designed with infection control in mind including special infection resistant walls,” he said.

Reddington Hospital was recently re-accredited by COHSASA as it continues to meet rigorous international quality standards in its healthcare practices.

The award, according to the hospital management, followed a rigorous, week-long assessment by a quality audit team from South Africa.

The Reddington Hospital is a Multi-specialist tertiary hospital established in 2006, which provides care in a wide range of areas including Advanced Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Neurology, Gastroenterology as well as offering services in General Surgery, Orthopaedics, ear, nose and throat, Paediatrics, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and others.

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T H I S D AY Ëž , DECEMBER 13, 2018

NEWS

Quick Takes from UNICEF Nutrition Book r4VSWFZ TIPXT UIBU UIF à STU EBZT CFUXFFO B XPNBO T QSFHOBODZ BOE DIJME T à STU UXP ZFBST PG MJGF JT B DSJUJDBM XJOEPX of opportunity to prevent child malnutrition. r &YDMVTJWF CSFBTUGFFEJOH JNQSPWFT B DIJME T OVUSJUJPOBM status. When a child is exclusively breastfed, the child’s IQ increases, immunity against child killer diseases are assured, chances of succumbing to malnutrition is limited, money that would have been used for illness is saved. r *OWFTUNFOU JO DIJME OVUSJUJPO TBWFT DIJMESFO GSPN JMM IFBMUI death and reduces poverty in adulthood. r 3FTFBSDI IBT TIPXO UIBU GPS FWFSZ EPMMBS JOWFTUFE JO child nutrition, there is a return of $16 dollars on investment. r8PNFO FNQPXFSNFOU JNQSPWFT UIF OVUSJUJPOBM TUBUVT of children. r4BWF UIF MJWFT PG DIJMESFO JO /PSUIFBTUFSO /JHFSJB TBZ OP to violence, promote food and nutrition security in the region. r *OTVSHFODZ JT XPSTFOJOH DIJME NBMOVUSJUJPO JO UIF /PSUIFBTU -FU T KPJO IBOET UPHFUIFS UP à HIU NBMOVUSJUJPO JO PVS TPDJFUZ r " NBMOPVSJTIFE DIJME JT FWFSZCPEZ T CVSEFO -FU T BMM join hands to save Nigeria’s future. Think Nutrition, Save the future! r *OTVSHFODZ GVFMT NBMOVUSJUJPO NBMOVUSJUJPO EFTUSPZT PVS GVUVSF &OE UIF JOTVSHFODZ *OWFTU JO /VUSJUJPO UPEBZ UP à HIU child malnutrition. r'PS IFBMUIZ BOE QSPTQFSPVT OBUJPO JOWFTU JO DIJME OVUSJUJPO r.BMOVUSJUJPO BNPOH DIJMESFO JO UIF /PSUI &BTU SFRVJSFT urgent attention; we must take action now. r 'PPE TFDVSJUZ B NFBOT PG UBSHFUJOH DIJME NBMOVUSJUJPO in Nigeria. r (JWF ZPVS CBCZ WBSJFUJFT PG GPPE BGUFS TJY NPOUIT JO addition to breast feeding. r 4FWFSFMZ "DVUF .BMOPVSJTIFE 4".

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At Diaspora Summit, Adewale Solicits Functional Health Services in Nigeria Charles Ajunwa The President and Founder, Women Focus Canada Inc, Dr. Oluremi Remi Adewale, at the 2018 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit, which held recently in Abuja, solicited for functional health services in Nigeria.

Adewale made this solicitation in a paper presentation titled ‘Health Care: Ensuring Functional Health Services Provision in Nigeria’.

In her presentation, Adewale reminded Nigerian leaders of the Abuja Declaration of 2001,

in which all the African Union countries met and pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve the health sector.

She indicated that over half of the population in Nigeria lives below the poverty line, on less than a dollar a day and were unable to afford the high cost of private healthcare.

She said: “In addition, 55 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, making delivery of health services more challenging. Collectively, health access in Nigeria is only

at 43.3 per cent. “Adequate funding is critical for improving the health of all citizens; however, funding alone will not rescue the Nigerian healthcare system.�

She stated that Canada spends approximately 11.5 per cent of its GDP on health. “Canada’s health indicators report a high life expectancy of 82.1 years and a low infant mortality rate of 4.5 per 1000 live births, which many attribute to its universally available healthcare system.�

Adewale recommended that certain aspects of Canadian

healthcare system can serve as a model for improving Nigeria’s healthcare.

She further stated that, much like the Canadian system, healthcare should be decentralised to give local governments control over healthcare resources as they will be in a better position to assess the needs of the region.

Adewale concluded that proper implementation of these recommendations should improve health indicators, strengthen the economy, and positively influence Nigeria’s future.

Source: Culled from UNICEF Nigeria

PAU Graduates 41 Health Managers Martins IďŹ jeh The Pan Atlantic University, -BHPT IBT HSBEVBUFE UIF Ă STU cohort of 41 participants from JUT )FBMUI .BOBHFNFOU 1SPHSBN developed by PharmAccess Foundation and Enterprise Development Centre.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Country Director, PharmAccess Foundation, Njide Ndili, urged the graduants to become healthcare ambassadors for good business practices and to carry your knowledge forward to others in their establishment.

She said: “We also welcome more partners to support us in our efforts and in making this healthcare business training a prerequisite to running a healthcare facility, so that many more healthcare professionals DBO CFDPNF CFOFĂ DJBSJFT PG JU “From all of us at PharmAccess Group, we congratulate you as you go forth. We remain committed to supporting you as we build our healthcare industry together.â€?

She said Pharmaccess has been catalysing the health markets in Nigeria for over 11 years, and has in that time designed and implemented various initiatives. i5ISPVHI UIF .FEJDBM Credit Fund, it has provided technical assistance to banks and facilitated the provision of loans to about 400 healthcare businesses amounting to over $5.5million.�

She said in the course of its work, PharmAccess realise the need to build the capacity of healthcare providers to run their CVTJOFTTFT BT QSPĂ UBCMF FOUJUJFT “This is why it partnered

with a reputable institution like Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University to design and deploy the Health .BOBHFNFOU 1SPHSBN ).1 u 5IF ).1 JT B CMFOEFE MFBSOJOH DFSUJĂ DBUF QSPHSBN EFTJHOFE to teach healthcare providers about the business of healthcare. “ PharmAccess subsidised the tuition fees for the participants graduating today by 50 per cent.

This was done in partnership with Commonwealth DevelPQNFOU $FOUSF $%$ 6, PharmAccess also engaged its partner banks, Diamond and Sterling , to provide support for the program with the aim of making it more affordable to healthcare professionals all over Nigeria,� she added.

5IF Ă STU DPIPSU PG UIF QSPHSBN commenced in December 2017 with 41 participants from the public and private sectors of the healthcare system.

Participants were drawn from Lagos, Owerri, Asaba, Warri, Enugu, Calabar, and Awka.

According to one of the participants, Dr. Babatunde Olujobi, “Doctors are not taught about business in medical school and this program is one of the best things that has happened in the healthcare in Nigeria recent times. The Healthcare sector will remember PharmAccess positively for this.�

Through its robust network and diverse activities, PharmAccess has provided participants in both DPIPSUT PG UIF ).1 JNNFOTF opportunities to partner with Lagos and Delta States to operate health facilities under a public-private partnership arrangement.

L-R: Director, Enterprise Development Center, Mr Peter Bankole; CEO, Quest Advisory Services Ltd, Mr Bayo Rotimi; graduand, Dr Cecilia Olayide Amotsuka; and Business Development Director, Medical Credit Fund, Mr Olufisayo Okunsanya, at the graduation ceremony of healthcare professionals under the Health Management Programme of the Enterprise Development Center, Pan Atlantic University, held in Lagos recently

NLC Blames Nigeria’s Political Class for Failed Health Sector Kuni Tyessi Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË A leading healthcare service provider, SYNLAB Nigeria, recently lived up to its social DPSQPSBUF SFTQPOTJCJMJUZ $43

when it took medical experts to over 2000 residents of Bariga community in Lagos to render free healthcare services.

Doctors-on-Air, alongside $MBTTJD '. BOE /BJKB '. XFSF on top gear to render medical services as part of activities the company designed to give back to the society.

Some of the services ren-

dered include: dental care, eye screening, skin care, blood pressure checks, breast and cervical cancer screening, hepatitis screening, blood sugar checks and cardiology, among others. Speaking on UIF FYFSDJTF .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS SYNLAB, Dr. Pamela JacksonAjayi, described the healthcare mission as humanitarian. “ She said: “On our programme, we preach prevention and early detection. We propagate that people should go for screening.�

She, however, noted that

although they preach early detection and free screening, not many can afford it.

She added that, “there are some people who cannot afford to go for test. Because we are conscious of this fact, we decided to bring free test and screening to the people.�

According to Ajayi, SYNLAB had earlier given over 1,500 business women vouchers at a discounted price for general wellness check at Ilupeju. “Formerly known as PathCare, SYNLAB has exhibited a penchant for high quality

service delivery and commitment to the communities where it operates over the years. An expansion exercise in the last three years has seen the company serve more Nigerians,� she added.

Reacting to the outreach, the Chairman Bariga LCDA, Kolade Alabi lauded the organisation for choosing Bariga. “We thank all the organisers of this event. I must say that I am impressed with the level of turn out from our people.

It shows that they take their health seriously�.

Gowon Berates Quackery in Lab Science Profession Kuni Tyessi Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË A leading healthcare service provider, SYNLAB Nigeria, recently lived up to its social DPSQPSBUF SFTQPOTJCJMJUZ $43

when it took medical experts to over 2000 residents of Bariga community in Lagos to render free healthcare services.

Doctors-on-Air, alongside $MBTTJD '. BOE /BJKB '. XFSF on top gear to render medical services as part of activities the company designed to give back to the society.

Some of the services rendered include: dental care, eye screening, skin care, blood pressure checks, breast and cervical cancer screening, hepatitis screening, blood sugar checks and cardiology, among others. Speaking on UIF FYFSDJTF .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS SYNLAB, Dr. Pamela JacksonAjayi, described the healthcare mission as humanitarian. “ She said: “On our programme, we preach prevention and early detection. We propagate that people should go for screening.�

She, however, noted that

although they preach early detection and free screening, not many can afford it.

She added that, “there are some people who cannot afford to go for test. Because we are conscious of this fact, we decided to bring free test and screening to the people.�

According to Ajayi, SYNLAB had earlier given over 1,500 business women vouchers at a discounted price for general wellness check at Ilupeju. “Formerly known as PathCare, SYNLAB has exhibited a pen-

chant for high quality service delivery and commitment to the communities where it operates over the years. An expansion exercise in the last three years has seen the company serve more Nigerians,� she added.

Reacting to the outreach, the Chairman Bariga LCDA, Kolade Alabi lauded the organisation for choosing Bariga. “We thank all the organisers of this event.

I must say that I am impressed with the level of turn out from our people. It shows that they take their health seriously�.

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

39

40

T H U R S DAY Ëž DECEMBER 13, 2018

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

FG, MDAs Expended $8.28bn on Medicals, School Fees in 2017 Nume Ekeghe The 2017 Annual Activity Report of the Banking and Payment System Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has revealed that the federal government spent $8.28 billion on medical services and school fees abroad in the year under review.

The amount was an increase of 123.18 per cent, compared with the $3.71 billion recorded in 2016.

The rise was attributed to increase in government activities within the reviewed period.

The report posted on the

central bank’s website showed that total payments to Nigerian High Commissions and Embassies amounted to $0.23 billion in 2017, up from $0.20 billion in 2016, representing an increase of 15.00 per cent.

According to the report, the sum of $0.012 billion was paid in respect of federal governments’ obligations to international organisations in the year under review, as against $0.010 billion in 2016. This was an increase of 20 per cent.

During the reviewed period, the sum of $0.34 billion was paid to various service providers, compared to $0.81 billion in

2016, indicating a decrease of 58.03 per cent.

Also, in terms of receipts and monetisation of foreign exchange inflows from oil and gas, it states that there was a decline in crude oil receipts compared to the previous year but however an increase in gas receipts. “In 2017, crude oil receipts amounted to $2.10 billion against $2.35 billion in 2016, while gas receipts stood at$0.66 billion compared to $ 0.07 billion in 2016. The total receipts amounted to $2.76 billion, in the review period, from $2.42 billion in 2016, representing an increase of $0.03 billion (14.45%).�

DBN Well Suited for Real Sector Financing, Say Experts James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË A Professor of Finance and Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof.

Uche Uwaleke has said the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is currently well suited to serve the real sectors of the economy “since commercial banks are profit oriented and the real sectors which are growth drivers are highly risky�.

Speaking in a chat with THISDAY, He said the importance of a strong Development Bank to the Nigerian economy cannot be overstressed.

He added: “The experience of many emerging economies especially the Asian Tigers illustrates the critical role of these specialised banks in funneling credit to the real sector. “At present, a few banks in Nigeria are performing these roles. These include the Bank of Industry and Bank of

Agriculture. But these banks are grossly undercapitalised. Their functions also overlap.�

The Managing Director, DBN, Mr. Tony Okpanachi recently said the bank had signed on at least 35,000 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)/ end borrowers within its first full year of operation.

He added that the number translated to a 75 per cent increase over the 20,000 MSMEs projection earlier announced for the year, stressing that the development further underscored the significant progress which the institution had made since it commenced formal lending activities in October 2017.

Other analysts who spoke to THISDAY further stressed need for DBN to put in more presence at various geopolitical zones of the country if they are to make the desired impact especially on SMEs within short period of time.

However, Okpanachi added

that the milestone recorded reinforced other positives that have been notched up by the institution.

These, according to him, included the planned establishment of a subsidiary which would be responsible for providing partial credit guarantees to lenders.

The unit would begin operation with $35 million in start-up funding in 2019- seeking to provide 50 percent guarantees for all credit disbursed through DBN and the funding will be increased as the unit takes on more portfolios.

The DBN has further reached agreement with 19 participating finance institutions (PFIs) and has strong focus on development objectives such as job creation and poverty alleviation is supported by a strong, confidence boosting world class governance structure which has clear reporting standards.

NBCC Targets Increased Membership in 2019 The Nigeria-British of Chambers and Commerce (NBCC) recently held its 41st Presidential dinner and awards in Lagos. Welcoming guests to the event, the President, NBCC, Akin Olawore, expressed gratitude to guests and corporate members of the chambers for their consistent support throughout the year.

He stated that the event was a special occasion for the chamber as it was a platform for members within the Nigerian and British business communities to network.

He added: “The year 2018 has been an activity packed year for the chamber, as we have engaged in strategic partnerships and collaborations aimed at promoting business relationships between the Nigerian and British business communities whilst also adding value to our member partners which is the aim of the chamber.�

Olawore, stated that the chamber in its drive to add value to its members whilst providing opportunities to grow their businesses, has initiated plans through strategic collaborations which would prove beneficial for members within the information technology sector in the coming year. Olawore intimated guests of the NBCC plaza, which is the proposed permanent site of the chamber, and tasked members and guests for continued support in making the project a reality.

The guest speaker and Chairman of the Channels Media Group, John Momoh, commended the chamber over its role in providing a platform for members to come together and speak about business innovation, while also promoting bilateral trade and new business models in the

digital era. He added, that with technology, there was the need for such platforms to bring together members within business communities to test knowledge for the growth of their businesses and the larger business communities for growth.

Momoh described the digital era as an amazing era for growth and development with opportunities for simplified affairs if exploited in resolving prevalent global issues as can be seen with digital platforms like Amazon and Facebook. “The immersion of technology and innovation in the digital age could help save cost through effective and impactful ideas and would largely improve the standard of life and longevity of the people.

Desarrollar Partners Firms on Real Estate Solutions Desarrollar Limited, a lifestyle and leading real estate solutions company in Lagos, Nigeria has gone into partnership with Union Trustees Limited, First Bank Trustees Limited and Banwo & Ighodalo and The Lodt Legal Partners to improve real estate services and solutions.

The partnership which was signed in Lagos, recently, would unveil Nigeria’s most secure and institutionalised real estate trust

consortium aimed at safeguarding the financial investments of Nigerians and Africans living abroad and in Nigeria.

According to the Lead Partner, Desarrollar Limited, Mr Ikemefuna Mordi, the trust framework includes Nigeria’s leading Trustees, legal firms and real estate firms which will work towards ensuring and providing real estate solutions.

Ikemefuna said: “Desarrollar

and its partners have created an institutionalised safe-haven to protect Nigerians and Africans in the Diaspora and those living on the African continent from fraud, deception and, sometimes, misplaced dependence on dishonest family-based relationships, through delivering full, seamless and stress-free lifestyle colutions to the Nigerian and African communities both at home and abroad.�

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2018 Broad Money (M2)

24,303,049.86

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,912,604.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,668,378.21

---- Demand Deposits

9,244,225.90

-- Quasi Money

13,390,445.76

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

15,619,134.18

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

8,683,915.68

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,267,136.53

---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,823,345.45

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

5,433,209.43

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-1,609,863.98

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,443,791.08

--Other Assets Net

-17,583,220.85

Reserve Money (Base Money)

6,746,646.49

--Currency in Circulation

1,668,378.21

--Banks Reserves

4,357,551.58 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESNDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2018

The price of OPEC basket of ďŹ fteen crudes stood at $58.57 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $59.72 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Oriente (Ecuador), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H U R S DAY ˾ DECEMBER 13, 2018

MARKET NEWS

NSE All-Share Index Sheds 0.25% as Market Pares Gains Goddy Egene Price depreciation suffered by Nigerian Breweries Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Access Bank Plc among others made the stock market to close negatively yesterday.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index, which had appreciated 0.39 per cent on Tuesday, shed 0.25 per cent to close at 30,642.35 yesterday.

Although 20 stocks shed value compared with 24 gainers, the market closed bearish due to the losses by heavy weights.

Conoil Plc and AXA Mansard Insurance Plc led the price losers’ chart that also had stocks such as Nigerian Breweries Plc, ETI, FBN Holdings and UBA. The petroleum products marketing and insurance firms went down by 10 per cent apiece. Chams Plc lost 9.0 per cent , while A.G Leventis Nigeria Plc shed 7.4

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R

DEALS

per cent.

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc and Regency Alliance Insurance Plc depreciated by 5.3 per cent and 4.7 per cent in that order.

Continuing profit taking sent Diamond Bank Plc to close 4.2 per cent lower. The stock had a bullish run last week as its price jumped 56.9 per cent due to renewed demand by investors who reacted positively to national banking licence issued to the bank by the Central Bank of

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Nigeria (CBN).

Prior to last week, Diamond Bank shares suffered serious value erosion following speculations of its likely acquisition by another bank. However, the speculations were denied by the financial institution, a development that was followed by the approval its application by CBN to convert from an international bank to a national bank.

According to the bank, the move follows its decision to

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

sell its international operations, which included the disposal of its West African Subsidiary in 2017 and Diamond Bank UK, the sale of which is currently in its final stages. “The change to national bank status also enables the bank to maintain a lower minimum capital requirement of 10 per cent as against 15 per cent required for international banks.

This creates room for the bank to deploy more capital for stronger growth in the quarters ahead

O F

through additional investment in technology platforms, customer acquisition and expansion of loans to the critical sectors of the economy.”

And in apparent positive reaction to these developments, some investors increased their demand for the shares of Diamond Bank Plc, which bolstered the stock by 56.9 per cent. However, profit taking has set in since the beginning of the week, hence the negative close yesterday.

1 1 / 1 2 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

Ëž THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018

42

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43

MARKET NEWS

SAHCOL Assures Investors of Long-term Value Creation Goddy Egene

Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited(SAHCOL) , has said it would create longterm shareholder value through profitable operation and expansion of its business beyond Nigeria.

The Executive Director, Sales & Marketing, SAHCOL, Olaniyi Adigun, stated this while presenting the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Facts Behind the Offerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to stock market stakeholders at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in Lagos on Tuesday.

SAHCOL, which is one of the foremost ground handling companies in Nigeria, is currently selling 406, 074,000 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N4.65 per share through an initial public offering (IPO). The shares would be listed on the NSE after the conclusion of the IPO, that is expected to close on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.

Adigun said the SAHCOL has continued to grow its assets and emerged as one of the leaders in the ground handling business

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

in Nigeria. He said the eventual listing of the company would increase its visibility and broaden its access to capital to fund future growth plans and initiatives.

He noted that since its privatisation, SAHCOL had built strong competence as one of the leading aviation ground handling service providers in Nigeria, growing its market share from 21 per cent in 2009, to over 40 per cent at present with over 100 per cent growth in revenue and total assets.

Adigun said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAHCOLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future

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 1112-2018, unless otherwise stated.

strategy is to create long term shareholder value through the profitable operation and expansion of its business beyond Nigeria, and into other West African markets with a vision to become the leading provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services in the West Africa sub-region. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The leading ground handling operation is strategically positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities in the Nigerian aviation industry, leveraging its established brand and reputation, strategic alliances, technical capacity,

state of the art technology and equipment, and fully-trained and experienced staff.â&#x20AC;?

He said a huge investment was committed in SAHCOL since its acquisition by the Sifax Group, noting that to make it competitive and to enable it wrest some market share from its rival, heavy handling equipment were acquired to build the most modern and most sophisticated storage and handling facility in Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Oscar Onyema, hailed the company for choosing the

exchange to further inform the market of its ongoing transaction and other strategic investment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are pleased that SAHCO Plc has chosen to use this platform to further inform the market of this ongoing transaction and other strategic and corporational developments in the company.

Given that the market is driven by timely and accurate information, the reaction of the market through this forum is very welcome and we encourage the companies to continue in this trend,â&#x20AC;? Onyema 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 158.72 160.11 -10.48% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 275.99 277.65 19.41% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 0.84% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 6.98% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.70% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.21 2.23 -3.74% 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 16.38 16.87 -10.37% ARM Discovery Fund 353.77 364.43 -9.07% ARM Ethical Fund 28.21 29.06 3.23% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.68% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Paramount Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Women's Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 12.47% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 94.55 94.72 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 98.17 98.54 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.33% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.85 0.85 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.16 1.16 10.55% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,179.32 1,180.08 12.32% FBN Heritage Fund 140.62 141.81 0.82% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.84% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $112.70 $113.12 3.57% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $112.47 $112.82 3.41% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 144.44 146.48 -8.98% 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 1.20 1.22 -6.99% Legacy Debt Fund 3.22 3.22 11.56% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.03 1.03 2.50% 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 2,934.09 2,962.42 -1.73% Coral Income Fund 2,744.04 2,744.04 12.09% 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 13.78% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 106.27 106.65 5.90% 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 100.00 100.00 12.17%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.14 2.16 1.54% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.44% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 123.91 124.09 7.65% 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 1.20 1.22 4.43% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,091.91 1,091.91 13.03% 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 11.10 11.19 -14.22% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.45% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.35 11.79% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.14 12.20 9.97% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.38% 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 127.66 128.08 -1.58% 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 1.69 1.69 14.13% 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 2,297.08 2,311.80 4.53% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 188.64 188.64 8.33% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.94 0.95 -6.44% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 245.84 245.88 13.90% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 159.90 161.74 -10.71% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.95% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,372.86 8,474.55 -11.93% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.10 1.10 6.95% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.17 1.18 -1.34% United Capital Bond Fund 1.58 1.58 10.39% United Capital Equity Fund 0.70 0.71 -7.90% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.65% United Capital Eurobond Fund 106.76 106.76 6.67% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.08 3.73% 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 11.09 11.24 -8.62% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.15 12.27 -6.17% Zenith Income Fund 20.65 20.65 11.89% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.43%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

9.00 139.56 51.67

-20.11% 5.36% 1.65%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.22 115.12 87.38

10.32 117.55 89.02

-13.66% -19.41% -20.01%

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

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva GrifďŹ n 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.98 7.23 14.46 12.14 141.33

4.02 7.31 14.56 12.34 143.33

-15.95% -24.38% -17.11% -38.10% 5.19%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.13

17.03%

SPECIALIST FUNDS Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and FMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN/DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS

Theresa May Survives as UK Parliament Upholds Vote of Confidence British Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday survived a bid by her own MPs to unseat her, winning a confidence motion by 200 to 117 votes.

The vote was triggered by hardline Brexit supporters in her Conservative party who despise the deal she struck with the European Union last month.

“The result of the ballot held this evening is that the parliamentary party does have confidence in Theresa May as leader,” said Graham Brady, who chairs the committee of backbench MPs that oversaw the vote.

The result leaves May, who won a majority of 83, weakened but immune from a further internal challenge for a year.

However, she only achieved her colleagues’ backing after making a last-minute pledge ahead of voting to step down

before the next scheduled election in 2022.

The prime minister still faces a battle to get the Brexit deal she agreed with the EU through the UK Parliament, with all opposition parties and, clearly, dozens of her own MPs against it.

Speaking shortly after the result was announced, Mrs May said she would be fighting for changes to her Brexit deal at an EU summit on Thursday.

“I am pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight’s ballot,” she said.

“While I am grateful for that support, a significant number of colleagues did cast a vote against me and I have listened to what they said.”

She spoke of a “renewed mission - delivering the Brexit people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that really

works for everyone.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the embattled leader had vowed to fight the attempt to remove her “with everything I’ve got”.

Mrs May earlier vowed to fight on to deliver her Brexit deal, which she argues is the only option for leaving the EU in an orderly way on 29 March.

But in a last-minute pitch to her MPs before the vote she promised to stand down as leader before the next scheduled election in 2022.

While “in her heart” she wanted to fight another election as leader, she realised her party did not want her to. However, she resisted calls to put a firm date on her departure.

If she had lost the confidence vote Mrs May would have been forced to stand down as Conservative Party leader, and then as prime minister.

But she is now expected to travel to a summit in Brussels on Thursday to continue trying to persuade EU leaders to change the deal - they have previously said it cannot be renegotiated.

The outcome of the vote was welcomed by Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who said avoiding a no-deal exit from the EU was their “shared goal”.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led calls for the confidence vote, said it was a “terrible result for the prime minister” and called on her to resign.

Andrew Bridgen, who voted against Mrs May, said it was “huge opportunity missed to reset our Brexit negotiations with a new prime minister” and there was a risk of “deadlock” in Parliament. But former senior minister Damian Green said it was a “decisive” victory for the prime minister, which should allow her to “move on and get on with the job in hand”.

While reacting to her victory Labour Party frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey said: “This deal that she has on the table will not get through Parliament.”

She said Labour would table a no-confidence motion that all MPs - not just Conservatives will be able to vote in when they

felt they had a chance of winning it, and forcing a general election.

The SNP’s Stephen Gethins urged Labour to “step up to the plate” and call a vote of no confidence in Mrs May, accusing the government of “playing games with people’s lives”.

DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds said his party, which helps keep Mrs May in power, was still concerned about the Irish backstop plan, which most MPs were against.

“I don’t think this vote really changes anything very much in terms of the arithmetic,” he told BBC News.

But he said the DUP would not support a no-confidence motion in Parliament at this stage.

Five Rwandans to Stand Trial in Belgium for 1994 Genocide Five Rwandans will go on trial in Belgium over their alleged role in war crimes and genocide in Rwanda in 1994, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

“This is the first time that a Belgian (criminal court) will have to deal with facts qualified as genocide crimes,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Four trials linked to the massacres in Rwanda were held in Belgium between 2001 and 2009, although the defendants faced only charges of war crimes.

But the prosecutor’s office said the criminal court in Brussels will “also have to rule on the crime of genocide” in the new cases.

“The five accused still benefit from the presumption of innocence,” it said in a statement.

It said pre-trial authorities last week ruled that the five appear in the criminal court “for acts committed in 1994 in Rwanda in connection with the genocide of Tutsis and the massacre of moderate Hutus.”

The five were divided into two cases. In the first, one defendant is referred to the court for murders and rapes; another for murders, attempted murders and rape; and a third for murders and attempted murders. In the second case, one individual is referred for murders, and another for murders and attempted

murders.

All the defendants are only identified by their initials. In 1993, a law was adopted that allows courts in Belgium — the former colonial power in Rwanda — to try Belgian residents, whatever their nationality, for crimes allegedly committed abroad. In 2001, four Rwandans, including two nuns, were convicted by a Brussels court.

In 2005, a Brussels court sentenced two Rwandan businessmen to 10-12 years in prison after they were found guilty of war crimes and murder linked to the genocide.

Then, in 2007, a former Rwandan army commander, ex-major, Bernard Ntuyahaga, was also convicted.

In 2009 a Brussels court sentenced Rwandan Ephrem Nkezabera, dubbed the “genocide banker”, to 30 years in prison for war crimes including murders and rapes during the bloodbath.

UN figures said 800,000 people were killed, most of them from the Tutsi minority.

Trials have also been held in other European countries like Sweden, the Netherlands, Finaland, and Norway as well as in Canada and Rwanda itself.

Cases have also been heard in Tanzania, whose northern city of Arusha hosts the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Former Trump’s Lawyer, Michael Cohen Sentenced to Three Years in Prison Michael Cohen, US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was yesterday sentenced to a total of three years in prison.

He was sentenced for his role in making illegal hush-money payments to women to help Trump’s 2016 election campaign and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia.

US District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan sentenced Cohen to three years for the payments, which violated campaign finance law, and to two months for the false statements to Congress. The two terms will run concurrently.

Cohen pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charge in August and to making false statements in November.

British Prime Minister, Theresa May, beaming with smile after surviving a vote-of-no confidence...yesterday

Spanish PM Hardens Stance on Catalonia Independence Ahead of Election Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez yesterday he would stand firm against what he called “inflammatory” Catalan separatist rhetoric.

The prime minister said this during a session at Parliament in Madrid, Spain, The declaration represents hardening his stance towards the region and upping the stakes in a broader political game.

“Over the past few days we have heard, from some of the leaders of the independence movement, an unacceptable inflammatory rhetoric,” Sanchez told lawmakers.

Sanchez also said that

national police could be sent to Catalonia if local authorities did not do more against protests like one that shut down highways at the weekend.

The speech drew unfavorable initial reactions from across the political spectrum.

Catalan separatist lawmaker Carles Campuzano called it “a big mistake,” adding: “You can’t govern Spain ignoring the demands of Catalonia.”

The conservative Partido Popular (PP) and centre-right Ciudadanos said the speech was too soft.

“You have said absolutely

nothing on Catalonia,” PP chief Pablo Casado said.

“You can’t say anything as you depend on their votes (for the government) to survive.”

Analysts said the Socialists’ fiasco in Andalusia, where the far-right Vox also made an unexpected breakthrough, was partly due to anger with Sanchez’s overtures to Catalonia.

“The government is toughening its stance, it seems it has understood that its position on territorial issues has cost it votes,” said Pablo Simon, a political science professor at Madrid’s Carlos III university.

Sanchez has earlier adopted a more open approach towards Catalonia’s pro-independence leaders than his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy.

He said he was still willing to talk with Catalan leaders, but that they must first come up with proposals representing all of the region and not just its separatists. His government’s economic policies would help heavily-indebted Catalonia, he added.

Rajoy was ousted in a noconfidence vote in June whose government took control of the region for several months after it unilaterally declared independence in October 2017.

Saudi Arabia Seeks New Political Bloc in Strategic Red Sea Region Saudi Arabia is seeking an alliance with six countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a strategic area vital to global shipping and increasingly an arena of contention with regional rivals like Iran, Turkey and Qatar.

Representatives from Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Jordan gathered in Riyadh yesterday to discuss the initiative without reaching

final agreement.

A team of experts is expected to meet “soon’’ in Cairo for technical talks.

Eritrea, with Red Sea islands and a mainland coastline of 1,150-kilometres (715 miles), was not present.

Nor was Ethiopia, which has no access to the sea but the largest population in the Horn of Africa.

“This is part of the kingdom’s

efforts to protect its interests and those of its neighbours and … to stabilise the region that we live in and to try to create synergies between the various countries.

“The more cooperation and coordination that you have among the countries of this region, the less negative outside influence will be on this region,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters after a day of closed-door meetings.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates increasingly view the Horn of Africa coastline as their “western security flank’’ and fear their adversaries could gain a foothold in the region.

The Red Sea also includes the Bab al-Mandeb strait, through which an estimated 3.2 million barrels of oil per day flows toward Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

51

NEWSEXTRA

Asset Forfeiture: Patience Jonathan, EFCC Know Fate March 8 Alex Enumah in Abuja The wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience, and the Economic and

Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on March 8, 2019, know their fate in an appeal filed by Mrs. Jonathan, challenging the powers of

Next Level: FG to Provide Premium-free Health Insurance to Poor, Says Osinbajo Shola Oyeyipo The federal government is working towards establishing a compulsory Health Insurance Scheme where government pays the premium for the poor, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed yesterday.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo was quoted as saying that the proposed scheme was part of the ‘Next Level’ agenda.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) had on November 18 inaugurated its campaign for the 2019 general election tagged: `Next Level.’

Osinbajo spoke last Tuesday

night as guest of honour at the Invest Africa forum hosted by the publishers of Africa Report magazine at London’s Royal Society hall.

“On healthcare, to cut the long story short, the next level is the National Health Insurance scheme. However, at the moment, we have National Health Insurance, which is not compulsory.

“So, we are looking at compulsory National Health Insurance and we are also looking at how to pay the premium, especially for the poorest in the society,” he stated.

The vice president, who took questions from the publishers of Africa Report and the audience, explained that the plan was to have a co-payment arrangement.

the commission to seize her properties when she has not been convicted for any offence.

The Supreme Court yesterday reserved the date for judgment after taking submissions of counsel in the matter.

There was argument from counsel to the former First Lady, Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe SAN, and Rotimi Oyedepo who stood in for EFCC. Counsel to Patience, Ifedayo Adedipe SAN, in his

argument, urged the Supreme Court to set aside section 17 of the Advanced Fee Fraud as contained in the EFCC Act on the ground that it is in conflict with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The appellant complained that the section of the EFCC Act which empowers the anti-graft agency to temporarily take over properties of Nigerian citizens on mere suspicion is offensive to a provision of the constitution which

presumes suspects innocent until allegations against them are proved beyond reasonable doubt. The grouse of the former first lady was that the offending section 17 permitted the EFCC alone to approach the court, make submission to request for interim forfeiture without any recourse for opportunity for citizens to defend themselves.

The appellant further argued that by the provision of the section 17, individuals are

already guilty even without trial as the law did not give equal opportunity to the EFCC and the suspects.

She therefore prayed the apex court to reverse the provision because it is in conflict with the 1999 Constitution that protects the citizens.

However, the EFCC urged the court to dismiss the appeal on the grounds that the section 17 complained about was mis-conceived.

Abia 2019: I’m the Governorship Candidate to Beat, Nwagba Warns Opponents Sunday Okobi The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abia State, Mrs. Blessing Nwagba, has said she was most suitable candidate running for the governorship position in the 2019 general election that would deliver the change needed in the state.

Nwagba stated that she would anchor the governance of the state on three pillarseconomic revitalisation, infrastructural transformation and social development-adding that time was ripe for total emancipation of the state from bad governance.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Nwagba, who spoke in Umuahia, the state capital during the official

opening of her campaign office, pointed out that Abia leaders would be deceiving themselves to believe that there was still enough time to develop the state if they continued with the same ritual of recycling the leaders that have neglected the development of the state.

According to her, “I have seen the rising poverty like none other.

I have seen industries crumble, and businesses taxed and levied to their own death. I have seen our young people go from being industrious and savvy to sycophants rallying around politicians for cheap handouts.

“I have seen our hopes and aspiration dashed. A child born in Abia State today is taking a big gamble, being left behind by the rest of Nigeria and the world.

Magu Congratulates Ribadu on Global Anti-corruption Award Alex Enumah in Abuja The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has congratulated the pioneer Chairman of the commission, Nuhu Ribadu, for winning the most coveted Global Lifetime Award for Anti-corruption.

Magu, is one of the pioneer staff that worked closely with Ribadu at the inception of the agency.

In a statement from the Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Tony Orilade, the Acting Chairman described the honour conferred on Ribadu by the Qatar-based Think Tank, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre, as “a testament to the formidable work which you have done in promoting good governance and accountability in the conduct of

public affairs in Nigeria, Africa and across the world”.

Magu, while adding that the award was a very well-deserved one, noted with delight that the world has not forgotten Ribadu’s “pioneering efforts in establishing the culture of accountability especially in Africa”.

“Your trailblazing exploits as pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was a turning point in smashing the global stereotype of Africa as a corrupt continent,” he added.

According to Magu, “for us at the EFCC, this award is both a source of personal joy, as it is an affirmation of the work of the agency, which you led between 2003 and 2007, as well as an inspiration to continue in your footsteps, assured that whatever sacrifices we make today, will not be in vain.”

FUND RAISING...

L-R: Chairperson, BoT QRC Alumnae, Lagos, Mrs. Carol Ufere; Vice Chairman, Techno Oil Ltd, Mrs. Nkechi Obi; Rear Admiral Itunu Hotunu (rtd); Mrs. Obaze; Former Secretary to the State Government, Anambra State, Hon. Oseloka H. Obaze,; Outgoing President QRC Alumnae Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Chizor Malize; and President QRC Alumnae Lagos Chapter, Idu Okwuosa, at the 2018 Alumnae Red Ball/Fund Raising event held in Lagos... recently

APPEAL COURT AFFIRMS DISQUALIFICATION OF RIVERS’ APC CANDIDATES conducted in Rivers State for the purpose of nominating its candidates for the 2019 polls.

A five-man panel of justices of the apex court led by Justice Musa Dattijjo, adjourned the matter for judgment on a day that APC begged the court to dismiss the appeal challenging the process that led to the emergence of Cole as its gubernatorial flag-bearer in Rivers State.

The appeal marked SC/1070/2018, was lodged before the court by 22 chieftains of the party led by one Abdullahi Umar.

While adopting their brief of argument, the appellants, through their lawyer, Mr. Henry Bello, urged the Supreme Court to re-affirm the ruling it delivered on October 22, and nullify outcomes of the primary election that produced Cole and other candidates in the faction of the party that is loyal to Amaechi.

The appellants equally urged the apex court to dismiss a pending appeal marked CA/ PH/198/2015, which the said faction lodged before the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal.

However, APC’s lawyer, Dr. Kayode Olatoke (SAN), prayed the Supreme Court to dismiss the case and uphold the list of candidates that were okayed by leadership of the party.

It would be recalled that the apex court had on October 22, nullified an interim order of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, which gave APC the nod to conduct its ward, local government and state congresses in Rivers State.

In a ruling that was delivered by Justice Centus Nweze, the Supreme Court, faulted the appellate court for halting the execution of a Rivers State High Court order that barred APC from going ahead with its planned congress, pending the determination of a suit that was entered by Umar and the 22 others.

It noted that the high court had on the basis of the said suit, issued injunctive reliefs that expressly forbade the APC from conducting congress in the state.

According to the Supreme Court, Justice Chiwendu Nwogu of the High Court gave the interim order of injunction on May 11, the same day that some hoodlums loyal to a faction of the party, besieged the high court premises in Port Harcourt.

It observed that despite the attack and the restraining order from the high court, which was further reaffirmed on May 13, the APC which was a respondent in the matter, went ahead and conducted

its ward, local government and state congresses on May 19, 20 and 21.

The apex court said it was baffled that the APC, “in the most impudent manner”, ran to the Court of Appeal to apply for stay of proceeding and execution of the high court order with respect to the suit marked PHC/78/2018.

It further observed that though the appellate court declined to stay proceedings of the high court, it however stayed the execution of the May 11 order by Justice Nwogu.

Dissatisfied with the decision, Umar and his group that dragged APC to court over their alleged exclusion from the primaries, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.

They argued that the appellate court engaged in judicial rascality by refusing to abide by Supreme Court decisions on the issue of stay of execution of valid court orders.

The appellants told the apex court that the appellate court violated the principle of staredecisis (judicial precedents) and accorded favourable ruling to the APC, even when it was “in grave disobedience to two orders of the lower court”.

While acceding to the appellants’ prayer, the Supreme Court held that the appellate

court should not have vacated the injunctive order the Rivers state high court issued against the APC on the conduct of its congresses.

Justice Nweze held that the action of the appellate court amounted to “sacrilegious exercise of judicial discretion,” saying it committed “gross insubordination,” by refusing to abide by precedents already set by the Supreme Court.

He said the appellate court was wrong when it judicially indulged the APC, even in the face of abundant evidence that the Party was in contempt of subsisting court orders.

“It is a very serious matter for anyone to flout a positive order of a court and still approach the court for remedy.

“It is unfortunate and wrongful for the Court of Appeal to have entertained a party in contempt of a valid court order to the extent of granting judicial favour by way of staying of execution of an injunctive order when the party at the center of the dispute was in gross contempt of court”, Justice Nweze held.

Stressing that the respondent acted “in the most impudent manner,” the Supreme Court held, “The simple truth, therefore, is that when the respondent applied for stay of execution, it was in gross abuse of a court order.”

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Peoples Trust Faults Decision of Election Debate Group Nseobong Okon-Ekong The presidential candidate of Peoples Trust (PT) political party, Gbenga OlawepoHashim’s campaign organisation has condemned its exclusion from the scheduled

presidential debate by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), alleging that the selection of candidates is biased, antidemocratic and an agenda of the ruling All Progressives

We Have Not Joined PDP, Say Akwa Ibom APC Stakeholders Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State have described claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State as ‘fraudulent’, insisting that they remain committed members of the APC. Addressing journalists in Eket on the heels of the PDP’s purported reception of APC members at the Ibom Hall Grounds in Uyo, the APC members comprising of former chapter chairmen, former chapter secretaries, other former state and chapter officers, former aspirants, and ward executive officers, refuted the defection claim.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders from the 31 Local Government Areas of the state, former Senatorial aspirant in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Mr. Uduakobong Akpoho, said the Ibom Hall event was a charade packaged to mislead the public.

“We convened this press

briefing to refute claims of the charade carried out at Ibom Hall by the PDP claiming that our members have joined them. We are foundation members of the APC. Our party is intact.

“None of the people they listed defected. None of the people you’ve seen here today defected. I want the world to know that the purported defection is a figment of their own imagination. What you saw today on TV was advanced political fraud, it is a scam”, he noted.

Akpoho reiterated the stakeholders’ support for all candidates of the APC in the general elections and warned the PDP against deceiving the general public.

Also speaking, APC Youth Leader, Eket Senatorial District, Hon. Comrade Idara Udoh, said the crowd at Ibom Hall was hired by the PDP, and challenged the party to present evidence to counter his allegation.

Amnesty Programme: 455 Beneficiaries Undergo Vocational Training No fewer than 455 beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme are currently undergoing vocational training in various skills as the critical reintegration phase of the programme gathers momentum.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, disclosed this yesterday at the official opening of vocational training for 72 delegates in various trade areas at the Fouzz Fashion Institute, Igando, Lagos.

Dokubo said the mandate of the Amnesty Programme is basically to train and empower its beneficiaries, apart from serving as a vehicle to maintain peace and security in the Niger Delta.

“You are going to attain the goals for which the Amnesty Programme is set up. Amnesty Programme is a vehicle to train and empower people so that they can fend for themselves.

This is an opportunity for all of you; for me, you must know why you are here and for each one of you, there is a bright prospect. Whatever you do and wherever you put your heart, you will excel”, Dokubo told the trainees.

He gave the assurance that at the end of the training which will last for six months, the delegates will be empowered in their various trade areas.

“After being trained, you will also be empowered so that when you leave here, you will have a job to do. My visit here is to see how you are faring.

“I plead with you to obey the rules while in training, study hard as if your life is in danger. When you come out of this training centre, you will be better off in your life. You are all from diverse background, but with what you are doing, we know where you are going. Anything that will enhance your training, I will do it so long as it is legal and viable”, Dokubo, according to a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Murphy Ganagana.

Earlier in her remarks, Managing Director, Fouzz Fashion International Limited, Enetimi Evah, noted that the delegates were passing through a transformation process as the training progressed and expressed optimism that they would be change agents on graduation.

“Right now, we are training the delegates in fashion designing and leather works.

They are all doing well and I am very proud of them. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate Prof. Charles Dokubo for the wonderful job he is doing and also thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his determination to transform the Niger Delta region”.

Party (APC).

Spokesman of the presidential candidate, Mr. Hassan Ibrahim, stressed that the exclusion is no doubt regrettable because the party had long indicated interest in participating in the debate.

The spokesman said it was their hope that the debating group was not working for the APC to undermine the strides the party is making with its spread across the country.

PT, which is fielding Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate, had recently emerged top among the nearly 28 newly registered political parties, fielding candidates for political positions in the next year’s elections, with 194 persons running on

its platform.

The party, in alliance with other parties, is promoting the presidential candidacy of Olawepo-Hashim, and has a total of 194 contestants on its platform, including 140 for the House of Representatives, 52 for the Senate and president and vice-president.

Following closely the PT are the JMPP 182; MPN 176; the ADP 136; the ZLP 115, and the ACD 106.

The PT said candidates included in the debate apart from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar performed woefully in terms of spread and comparativeness in the just concluded nomination exercise.

While Kingsley Moghalu had 70 nominations, Fela Durotoye

had 21, and Oby Ezekwesili had 50. The PT nomination was 194 signifying national spread, acceptability and effectiveness of political structure.

According to the party, recently, the weekly Facebook rating of presidential candidates in Nigeria had recorded that Olawepo-Hashim had made head start over others in the data released on December 10, 2018, in Abuja, where he recorded Facebook engagements of 28,000, while Atiku had 24,000.

President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the scheduled February 16, 2019, poll had recorded 16,000+ engagements, while Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye and

the other presidential candidates were trailing far below with single digit ratings. “These are incontrovertible data, not the sentiments or wishful thoughts of individuals. They empirical evidence that can be easily verified,” it stated.

The statement regretted that it was surprising that despite these records, the party is being excluded from the debate in what looks like a stage-managed process.

“We urge Nigerians not to be disturbed by this. The PT is working with other political candidates who are interested in having their voice heard towards the 2019 presidential election, and we shall surely triumph in stopping this subterfuge,” the party promised.

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

THURSDAYSPORTS

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

Nigeria First to Qualify for Beach Soccer World Cup F I FA B E A C H S O C C E R W O R L D C U P Duro Ikhazuagbe Nigeria became the first country to book a place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019 on Wednesday afternoon after defeating Egypt 7-6 in the first semi final of the ongoing CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The sweet victory by the Supersand Eagles qualifies Nigeria as one of the two teams to represent Africa at the global stage in Paraguay next year.

Wednesday afternoon was indeed memorable for Abu Azeez. He did not only net four goals in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7-6 victory against Egypt, but also because he scored his 100th goal for Nigeria in the process. Azeezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total haul now stands at 103.

The veteran Abu Azeez, who opened his goals tally of the tournament with a brace against Libya on Sunday, scored one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four goals against Libya to take his tournament tally to three â&#x20AC;&#x201C; same as Emeka Ogbonna before adding the four

goals yesterday. Azeez is going into the final with seven goals to his credit.

In their first match of the tournament, the Supersand Eagles tied 4-4 with Senegal in regulation and extra time, before losing 0-2 on penalty shoot-out to the four-time African champions.

The second and final qualification place for Africa will be decided today when Senegal and Morocco contest the other semi-final.

Speaking shortly after defeating Egypt, coach of the Supersand Eagles, Audu Ejo Adamu declared that the target of his team is the trophy, and not just the ticket to the FIFA World Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We came here to go all the way, by qualifying for the World Cup and winning the Africa Cup. We have achieved one of our objectives; the other is pending on Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am happy that these boys did the nation proud by staying calm and then going hard when necessary to get the World Cup

Č&#x160; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x160;Â&#x152;Â&#x2018;Čą Â&#x201C;Â&#x2DC;ČąÂ?Â&#x160;Â&#x203A;Â?Â&#x17D;Â?Â&#x153;ČąÂ?Â&#x203A;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2018;¢ȹÂ&#x2019;Â&#x2014;Čą Â&#x203A;Â&#x2019;Â?Â&#x160;¢Č&#x201A;Â&#x153;ČąÄ&#x2122;Â&#x2014;Â&#x160;Â&#x2022; ticket. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that we have qualified for the World Cup, we will be relaxed to play the final with huge confidence,â&#x20AC;?Adamu

stressed.

Victory for the Supersand Eagles on Friday would mean a second AFCON trophy for Nigeria within 13 days, following

the Super Falconsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; success at the Women AFCON championship in Ghana.

Supersand Eaglesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; qualification for Paraguay 2019 will be

Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sixth Beach Soccer World Cup participation. In their previous appearance at Bahamas 2017, they failed to progress past the group stage.

SuperSand Eagles celebrating beating Egypt 7-6 yesterday to qualify for the Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay next year

Golf: Nigeria Secures Membership of Europe PGA

Usheoritse, Boluwatife Emerge Fastest Man and Woman in Abuja

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Femi Solaja

Nigeria has joined the PGA of Europe as an international affiliate Member Country.

It joined Botswana in becoming the latest African countries to be conferred with the PGA of Europe membership.

The PGA of Nigeria was founded in 1969 and has a membership of 173 professionals working in around 70 golf clubs.

The PGA of Nigeria membership has increased from four at its very beginning to become a well-established body that operates closely with the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF), as well as further afield with almost ten per cent of its members working internationally in Ghana, Cameroon, Togo and Senegal. Various local state governments have begun to provide golf lessons in schools as a vehicle for

youth empowerment, alleviating poverty, generating employment and helping the environment, and the PGA of Nigeria continues to work with the federation to increase this involvement.

Secretary of the PGA of Nigeria, Jide Bolaji, added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nigerian PGA aims to promote and develop golf, seek career development and capacity building opportunities and update its members in the profession, and we have a clear strategic plan to achieve this. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The future of golf in our country is bright and there are many opportunities to for us to develop, and now with the support of the PGAs of Europe, our future can be even brighter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are delighted that the PGA of Botswana and the PGA of Nigeria have taken the steps required to fulfill our membership requirements and standards for

Affiliate Membership, which has taken our European and International membership to 38 countries,â&#x20AC;? said PGAs of Europe Chief Executive, Ian Randell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In conjunction with the PGA of South Africa, we have worked with them for many years and now look forward to visiting each country and assisting their further development so that they may progress from Affiliate to Full International Member countries in the very near future. For more than two decades, we have conducted golf development activity not just in our own Member Countries, but also all over the world, particularly in the delivery of golf development expertise for The R&A in its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Working for Golfâ&#x20AC;? programme, and it is fantastic to welcome these two nations formally into our membership.â&#x20AC;?

Stakeholders Applaud Bet9ja/EFCC National Anti-corruption Marathon Initiative The maiden edition of the National Anti-corruption marathon has received commendations from participants and stakeholders in the country.

The marathon organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in partnership with Bet9ja was staged in support of the Federal Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fight against corruption as well as in commemoration of the United Nations World Anti-corruption day.

Speaking on the success of the marathon, the Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, applauded sports enthusiast and national heroes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mary Onyali, Samson Siasia amongst others for lending their support to the

initiative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every effort must be made by Nigerians to sustain the anti-corruption fight of the government. No one should ever think of bringing corruption back to the country. It destroys our integrity as a people and as a nation,â&#x20AC;? Magu said.

He enjoined everyone to take the anti-corruption crusade as a serious war that must be won to save the country.

On his part Chief Executive Officer of Bet9ja, Ayo Ojuroye, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;anti-corruption war can only be won through an inclusive strategy that involves public private partnership. This should not be left for the government alone to champion. Everyone, especially the organized private

sector must join the movement to rid Nigeria of corruption.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;How far we go as a country in driving socio-economic growth and development is a function of how well we are able to tackle the menace of corruption,â&#x20AC;? Ojuroye added.

He further said that Bet9ja saw the opportunity to join this movement by advocating the right values among youths and adults alike. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a core belief of Bet9ja that organisations must contribute and be part of the solutions to socio issues confronting its operating environment, with the aim of creating a society that enables everyone to prosper genuinely,â&#x20AC;? the Bet9ja CEO concluded.

The duo of Margaret Boluwatife of Ondo State and Usheoritse Itsekiri of Rivers State yesterday emerged as the fastest male and female athletes of the 19th National Sports Festival in Abuja.

Boluwatife hit the finishing line in 11:45 secs to win the gold medal of the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100m race, leaving Peace Ukor of Akwa Ibom State (11:52) and Joy Idoh Gabriel (11:53) of Delta State to settle for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

In the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event which was the last race of the day, Usheoritse bettered his semi final race to win in 10:27 secs while Ogho-Oghene Egwero of Delta State placed second in 10:32 secs.

Enoch Adegoke of River State who ran same 10:32 as Egwero was awarded the bronze due to his slower reaction time. The

N AT I O N A L S P O R T S F E S T I VA L 2 0 1 8 finals in most of the field events are to be concluded today.

In football, Lagos Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest to win the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event varnished yesterday following the 1-3 loss to host Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The match was played at the Abuja National Stadium.

The team will now play Nasarawa who lost 2-3 to Bayelsa in the other semi final in the Third Placed match for the bronze medal at the same venue tomorrow.

In chess, the blitz event of the sport will enter the quarter-final stage tomorrow (Friday) in both male and female categories.

In the female section, the qualifiers include; Ofowino Toritse (Delta), Hafsat Bello

(Delta), Perpetual Ogbaiyoyo (Bayelsa), Dzaayem Vivian (Edo), Enoch Emmanuelle (Oyo), Sampson Peace (Oyo), Aishat Jimoh (Lagos) and Azumi Suleiman (Kogi).

The major casualty in the play-off event was veteran player, Rosemary Amadasun.

In the male section, International Master Odion Aikhoje of Bayelsa State was the major casualty after falling to reach the quarter-final phase of the competition.

The qualifiers are; Chukwunonso Oragwu (Delta), Dapo Adu (Lagos), Adebayo Adegboyega (Bayelsa), Eugene Unwana (Akwa Ibom), Femi Balogun (Oyo), Abel Soyoye (Ogun) and Daniel Anwuli (Oyo).

Gov Udom Honoured for Assisting Eagles Qualify for World Cup The Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, was on Monday night in Abuja honoured for his contribution to sports development in Nigeria, especially for his support for the senior national team, the Super Eagles during their qualification for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The honour was bestowed on Governor Emmanuel at a Gala Night organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the organisers of the 2018 National Sports Festival at Transcorp Hilton Hotels in Abuja.

The Federal Ministry of Youth

and Sports and the National Sports Festival organising Committee honoured states, individuals and corporate organisations for their support for sports development in Nigeria in the year 2018.

Akwa Ibom State was given special Award for the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in promoting the game of football and supporting the Super Eagles to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Russia with a game to spare last summer.

The citation poured encomiums on Governor Emmanuel for his support and commitment in developing and maintaining sports facilities in the state.

Receiving the Award on behalf of the Governor, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, commended the organisers of the event for honouring the governor and the state, and said he was mandated by Gov. Emmanuel to dedicate the Award to the youths and good people of the state who have adopted the Super Eagles and troop to the Nest of Champions in their thousands to support the national team.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Madrid 0-3 CSKA Moscow Viktoria Plzen 2-1 Roma

THISDAYt THURSDAY DECEMBER 13, 2018

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MISSILE

Bishop Kukah to Nigerian Politicians “Here in Nigeria, people think of power in relation to the ability to give a big cheque, sign a contract or give out oil wells. This is absolute nonsense because it doesn’t carry with it the moral authority…look at the day Mark Zuckerberg went to (the American) Congress, it affected the stock market” –Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah on how real power is one that has direct impact on the people

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

The Trial of Citizen Amina Mohammed

O

n Monday last week, the Department of State Services (DSS) paraded in Abuja a woman named Amina Mohammed allegedly for impersonating the wife of the Kogi State Governor in order to gain access to the presidential villa. In the course of the media trial that followed, Ms Mohammed kept shouting: “It’s (allegation) not true. Chikason has been buying property from the federal government and he has been doing it and you all know all the directors that are involved.

Chikason knows the process; entering the Villa is not done by fraud, the First Lady’s sister (name withheld) is involved; a former SGF (name withheld) is involved. I cannot be put to shame before the whole world. I have been here for four months, I came here on my own. I am not a fraudster; I am a citizen of this country”, said Ms Mohammed.

Embarrassed by the turn of events in the light of Ms Mohammed’s determination to state her side of the story, the DSS quickly ended the proceeding. However, as bad as what was initially put out in the social media would seem, a more damning video has surfaced on Twitter of how Ms Mohammed was harassed and manhandled by both DSS officials, led by a woman and a battery of journalists whose behaviour, to put it mildly, was as shameful as it was unprofessional.

Instructively, at about the same time a woman was being pursued like a common felon within the premises of a national security outfit for an alleged offence of impersonation, a former governor who is serving term for embezzling N1.162 billion was being handed N80 million by the Senate. That, according to the PUNCH newspaper report, is from the proceeds of his N750,000 monthly salary and N13.5m jumbo office “running cost” which the former Plateau State Governor, Mr Joshua Dariye, still enjoys as a “distinguished”, even if now behind bars!

That, I must say very quickly, is not the business of this intervention so let us return to Ms Mohammed. Yesterday, I sought the view of Mr Femi Falana, SAN, on the sordid practice of media trial for which our security agencies (without any exception) have become notorious and his position is that apart from violating the fundamental right of criminal suspects to fair hearing and dignity, it is discriminatory and unconstitutional. “While it is not unusual to parade poor criminal suspects who are accused of stealing handsets whose value is less than N10,000, you hardly find them parading rich and powerful criminal suspects who loot the treasury to the tune of several billions of Naira. Since ours is a class society, the humiliating treatment of criminal suspects is limited to the poor of our society while the fat cats who get arrested and briefly detained by the police and the anti-graft agencies are not exposed to media parade or any form of humiliation, no matter the gravity of their alleged offence”, said Falana.

While we will deal with this issue of different sets of law for the rich and poor in Nigeria another day, there are questions

Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami

about the DSS and its exact role within the framework of national security that remain perplexing. If you try to find out anything about the agency online, this is the best you will come up with, and only on Wikipedia: “The State Security Service (SSS), self-styled as the Department of State Services (DSS), is the primary domestic intelligence agency of Nigeria. It is primarily responsible for intelligence gathering within the country and for the protection of senior government officials, particularly the president and state governors.”

If the primary role of the DSS is to protect the president and state governors, then its operatives are no better than bodyguards.

But an agency that goes with the appellation of State Security Service should serve a more ennobling purpose. At a period when our country is facing a new form of security challenge that involves the use of drones, rocket launchers and other high grade weapons by Boko Haram insurgents and their affiliates, the DSS should be more preoccupied with gathering useful intelligence to counter those serious threats.

In a recent lecture titled, “Intelligence, security and the law”, Dame Stella Rimington, a British author and former Director General of MI5 (equivalent of our DSS), said the threats security operatives “deal with are, for the most part, substantial, purposeful and organised covertly. What makes our role distinctive is the way in which we use secret sources and techniques to find out what those whom we investigate are at pains to conceal. Often working closely with others, we gather, assess and develop intelligence to the point where direct action to counter the threat is appropriate.”

The operative word here is ‘Covertly’ but that is not what obtains in Nigeria where DSS officials not only wear jackets to openly display where they work, they also make indiscriminate arrests for minor offences that should ordinarily be within the purview of the police. Here, for instance, is what obtains in the UK, as explained by Rimington: “At the point where executive action is needed, other agencies or departments take over.

The Home Office may seek to exclude or deport terrorist suspects, or the Foreign Office may refuse entry visas to members of hostile intelligence services. But it is the Police and Crown Prosecution Service which are responsible for the arrest and prosecution of anyone who has broken the criminal law.”

In Nigeria, from soldiers to traffic wardens and officials of anti-corruption agencies, everybody is arresting and prosecuting alleged offenders. That would ordinarily not be a bad idea if they are doing it the right way. The problem is that these agencies prefer mob trial in which accused persons are put before camera and are forced to make “confessional statements”. But by standing her ground, Ms Mohammed is telling the DSS that she would not submit to jungle justice and sadly, the journalists brought into the picture could not appreciate that point. No matter the gravity of the offence she may be accused of committing, I am with Ms Mohammed on this matter. We are either a nation governed by law or a jungle where might is right.

This, I must add, has always been my position and I made it very clear in December 2015 as guest speaker at the annual dinner of the Lagos State branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). I started by recalling an interview I read of a British legal practitioner, Mr. David Whitehouse, who was asked whether he would defend someone he considered guilty of the offence to which the person was being charged. Whitehouse began by saying it is interesting that people never ask: “How can you prosecute someone you know to be innocent?”; then he added: “There is a huge difference between knowing someone is guilty and suspecting or believing they’re guilty. We work under extremely strict rules of ethics and we’re subject to the law.”

Security agencies also work under strict rules of ethics and are subject to the law. To that extent, it is wrong to subject a suspect to any brand of trial that is outside the judicial process. But let us hear more from Whitehouse on the peril of jungle justice.

“The first case I tried as a recorder with a jury, I was certain that the defendant was guilty at the end of his evidence. Then he called a completely independent witness who proved beyond any question that he was totally innocent. I was wrong and it taught me a very important lesson, which is that it’s not for me to make up my mind.

So I try to keep an open mind at all times.”

In Nigeria today, most of the officials who

man the critical institutions saddled with criminal prosecution do not have such sense of decency. Once you are accused, especially by more powerful individuals who may feel slighted, you are deemed so guilty that you can never prove your innocence. In the mob trial of Ms Mohammed in the full glare of camera, the DSS and their media collaborators went beyond the call of duty apparently to satisfy whims of some people the woman allegedly impersonated. So, it is easy to surmise that the agency is not seeking the end of justice; they want to exact vengeance for some powerful individuals on whose big toes Ms Mohammed must have stepped.

But there is a bigger issue here. Given the manner in which journalists are usually invited to quiz accused persons in Nigeria, the media must understand that it is increasingly being used by security agencies whose officials are either too lazy to conduct thorough investigations or are incompetent in that regard. Since it is an essential component of the rule of law that an accused person should receive a fair trial, the principles of ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty’ and ‘guilt beyond reasonable doubt’ are sacrosanct. The danger of media trial therefore is that if the prosecution fails in their work, as they most often do in Nigeria, Judges would then become fall guys when the cases collapse in court. And if such cases border on graft, especially under the prevailing situation, failure to convict--even without evidence--would be deemed as “corruption fighting back”!

Whether those in authority realise it or not, the serial denial of the rights and constitutionally guaranteed liberties of citizens by agencies of state are antithetical to peace and progress. Indeed, when those who man these agencies begin to use their powers to trample on the rights and freedoms of citizens in promotion of private agendas, then there is a clear and present danger to the country.

All said, what the DSS and the unreflective journalists who were complicit in the harassment of Ms Mohammed forget is that the impulse which drives wielding power to settle personal scores is the same that fuels other abuses, including corruption. The corollary is that any society that promotes or condones such naked abuse of power is not going to develop. The private whims of some individuals, whatever may be their station in life, should not in any way be disguised as national security.

Interesting Times!

No matter how credible, elections are never completed in Nigeria until the outcomes have been resolved in court, including for technical reasons. In that wise, we should expect some legal fireworks after the 2019 elections, given the depositions by many of the candidates in their INEC forms. How do you explain a situation in which in the forms

filled by two senatorial candidates who are brothers of the same parents, the younger is two years older than the elder brother? Or a situation in which two gubernatorial candidates who have been parading university degrees suddenly file in only their secondary school certificates in order to beat the NYSC they illegally dodged?

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