THURSDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2018

Access Bank Secures $250m Fresh Tier II Capital Kunle Aderinokun, Obinna Chima and Goddy Egene Following its business combination agreement with Diamond Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc yesterday disclosed that it had finalised terms and

obtained regulatory approvals for it to raise a fresh $250 million tier II capital.

Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, who disclosed this during a media briefing in Lagos yesterday,

said the fund would be available for drawdown in January 2019.

Wigwe also confirmed that Access Bank has obtained a “no objection” from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to undertake a rights issue to

raise up to N75 billion ($207 million) before the end of first quarter of 2019.

He, however, pointed out that shareholder approvals and other regulatory approvals would be obtained before the offer opens.

This, he said would accelerate the capital management plan of the combined entity to support retail growth, previously set out in Access Bank’s five-year strategy.

He said, “Let me let you know we have actually

concluded with some of our partners to raise tier II capital.

That would be ready for drawdown before the end of January and that is about $250 million.

Continued on page 6

NBS: Unemployment Rate Rises to 23.1%, 20.9m Nigerians Jobless … Page 50 Thursday 20 December, 2018 Vol 23. No 8646. Price: N250

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Lagos Pipeline Fire Guts 100 shops, 50 vehicles … Page 11

Buhari Votes N305bn for Petrol Subsidy in N8.83tn 2019 Budget Says technical committee to advise on minimum wage APC, PDP trade words over heckling of president Deji Elumoye, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Shola Oyeyipo, Adedayo Akinwale, Mercy Apollos in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos The vexed issue of subsidy for petrol was a significant part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of 2019 financial estimates to the National

Assembly yesterday, with the president earmarking N305 billion, out of his proposed N8.83 trillion spending plan, for the essential commodity.

The president told the 469-member National Assembly at the House of Representatives Chambers that government Continued on page 6

Fish out Badeh’s Killers, Buhari Orders Security Agents DHQ to probe killing Omololu Ogunmade and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja ordered security agencies to fish out the killers of Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh (rtd), the 15th Chief of

Defence Staff, and bring them to justice.

The president who tasked the security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators face the full force of the law, also challenged Continued on page 10

Atiku in Aba, Vows to Revive Businesses, Manufacturing Sector… Page 6

ESTIMATES FOR 2019…

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, during the president’s presentation of the financial estimates for 2019 at the National Assembly, Abuja ...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

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PAGE SIX

Atiku in Aba, Vows to Revive Businesses, Manufacturing Sector

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday pledged that he and his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, would offer Nigerians uncommon leadership that has never been on offer since the country’s independence in 1960.

Atiku, who spoke during a town hall meeting with representatives of the business community in Aba, Abia State, vowed to revive businesses and the manufacturing sector if elected president in 2019.

He blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for instigating economic regression in the country.

According to the PDP presidential candidate, it is unacceptable that Nigeria has a high unemployment level, saying Nigeria cannot afford to have 50 million unemployed men and women.

He said, “That is why there is insecurity. To be able to do business, you must have a secure environment. Otherwise, you will not even be able to come

out of your house and go to your factory. “We have two very experienced men, both in governance and business: Peter Obi and myself. I don’t think Nigeria has ever produced this type of leadership since Independence. If you are doubting us, you know what you should do? Try the two of us. “If you are producing juice, I am a manufacturer of beverages.

If you are producing plastics, I am a manufacturer of plastics.

If you have poultry, I am a manufacturer of livestock. “If you are selling food in the market, I own fast food (restaurants). If you are in printing, I have a printing industry. If you are into broadcasting, I own television stations. “So, what are you going to tell me?�

Atiku stated that his various companies had been spending N600 million to pay for trucks haulage until he decided to start his own haulage business. “I sat down with them and said, ‘No, we must go into road haulage. Let’s have our own trucks. I can’t spend N600

Atiku million on mere road haulage.’ And today, we’re in a successful haulage industry. “So, my brothers and sisters, the government that has tried to solve most of the challenges that the business community are facing in this country is the PDP government and here is another opportunity, so you don’t repeat the mistake of bringing back this government.�

Atiku, who was inundated with the legion of problems stifling the economy of the South-east zone, said he was very much aware of the challenges that businessmen and manufacturers face since

he happens to be one of them.

He responded to 10-point problem of the business and manufacturing community presented by the President of Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), Mr. Andy Uba Obasi.

He listed the demands to include power, seaports, railway, support for Enyimba economic city, favourable federal government industrial policies, ease of doing business, among others.

But Atiku said, "Whatever can promote business I will do it so long as it is within the confines of the law,� adding, "that is a promissory note I'm giving you because I'm a businessman and I believe in creating jobs, wealth and prosperity."

"I feel your pain; it pains me because I'm a businessman and manufacturer," he said, adding that the business community must work together with his incoming administration "to remove the problems".

Atiku said the business community in the South-east zone has genuine complaints on the issue of the absence of functional ports in both the

South-east and South-south zones.

He said there is need to bring ports nearer to where business is done as it would bring down the cost of doing business and ultimately lead to business expansion and creation of more jobs.

According to him, the presidential ticket given to him with Mr. Peter Obi as his running mate was tailor made for business growth because "we have two very experienced men both in governance and in business."

Obi, who had earlier addressed the business community before his boss, said that the choice of Aba for the meeting was because "it represents the engine room of manufacturing that can change Nigeria."

He said Nigeria would find a different kind of president in Atiku as he is interfacing and interacting with the organised private sector to find out what should be done "to wake up the dead economy."

"Atiku has come to tell you that he has the solutions to the problems; he knows what to do to change Nigeria," the vice presidential candidate said.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, in his remarks noted that Aba remains a very important factor in the national economy, hence the need for Atiku to come down to engage the business community in Enyimba city.

"Aba is a special economic zone that will drive the nation's economic rebirth," he said, adding that the GDP of the commercial city and the entire Abia was likely higher than the national average due to the efforts of the "hardworking business and manufacturing community."

He promised that Atiku would provide a tailor-made solution to the problems hampering industrial growth in Abia where many industries have died due to adverse economic policies in the centrally controlled national economy.

The National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, told the business community that Atiku has been tried and tested and recorded success both in public and private sectors.

"Our country is in distress.

The economy has collapsed, security has collapsed and even the government has collapsed,"

challenge.

According to him, “For us, we have built a very strong capability as far as mergers and acquisitions are concerned.

One of the benefits we have is the fact that having done it before, we have learnt from the mistakes of the past and the benefits of what had been. “So, integrating Diamond Bank is going to be better than all the ones we have done in the past. The Intercontinental Bank transaction gave us the learning point we needed as far as this transaction is concerned. “Our expectation is that this transaction will be finished before the end of next year.�

Wigwe insisted that the deal was a merger and not an acquisition.

He assured staff of Diamond

Bank that the motive of the deal was not to throw workers out of jobs, saying, “Just like both institutions operate on a performance appraisal methodology, it is important that we continue on that part.�

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Uzoma Dozie, said the deal was driven by value.

He stated, “The merger is positive for all of Diamond Bank stakeholders, including customers, employees and shareholders. In particular, customers will benefit significantly through the unrivalled combination of the best of Diamond Bank’s retail and digital leadership with the size of Access Bank’s balance sheet, corporate names and

geographical reach. “In reaching this decision, the shared passion for leveraging Nigeria’s youthful and entrepreneurial talent, and a commitment to better outcomes through financial inclusion have convinced us that this is the right combination. “I believe that the combination of two strong and admired brands, with shared values and complementary strengths, will be a strong force for positive change in the Nigerian and African retail landscape. As a result, this merger creates significant potential for sustainable longterm growth which stands to benefit customers, employees and shareholders alike.�

The Deputy Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, also said, “We are doing this to create value and ultimately when value is created, the main beneficiaries are the shareholders. This is not about ego, but about creating value for our shareholders.�

ACCESS BANK SECURES $250M FRESH TIER II CAPITAL “The reason is to make sure that even though we have more than enough capital today, that in the emerging entity, we have the strongest capital base that is required to support an entity of that nature. “Access Bank has enough capacity to consummate this merger without additional capital. We are also taking steps to ensure that in line with international best practice and the need to create a capital buffer, the new institution that is being created will have adequate capital to support it going into the future.�

According to the Access Bank boss, the combined enterprise would be a large and diversified bank with an extremely extensive retail footprint.

He added, “Together, we would have 27 million customers, which is the largest customer base of any bank on the continent. We would have 33,000 point of sale (PoS) terminals, 3,300 automated teller machines (ATMs) and all of that. “Of course, we have obtained a ‘no objection’ letter from the Central Bank of Nigeria, which is a very important part of the approval process. “Access Bank has grown over time and has built a very strong wholesale banking capability.

We have also shown significant expertise as far as treasury is concerned, risk management as well as our capital management plan. “We created and pushed a very strong value chain strategy

which was our own way of building our retail business. “This was because we realised that the creation of a large diversified bank is critical, not just for Nigeria, but in Africa and the world.

If you go to any part of the world, what you tend to see is that the top three or top five banks technically control market share.�

Speaking further, Wigwe said the combination of Access Bank and Diamond Bank would ensure that “we are able to take and solve customers’ issues right from the wholesale end, down to the man in the village, just because of the use of technology.�

He expressed optimism that the process of combining both institutions would not pose any

BUHARI VOTES N305BN FOR PETROL SUBSIDY IN N8.83TN 2019 BUDGET would continue to subsidise fuel price in order to reduce its burden on the citizenry.

The president’s decision, is, however, likely to generate anxiety among the nation’s 36 governors, who had in recent times opposed subsidy deduction from the Federation Account, arguing that it had remained a shadowy drain on their monthly allocation.

According to him, "We have allowed for N305 billion ($1 billion) for under-recovery

by NNPC on PMS (premium motor spirit or petrol) in 2019.

We will continue working to bring it downwards so that such resources are freed up to meet the developmental needs of our people.�

The president attributed the problem with subsidies in the past to abuse and corruption, adding, however, that because government through the NNPC is the sole importer of PMS, under-recovery is from the NNPC’s trading account.

He said this means the possibility of some marketers falsifying claims has been

removed.

The 2019 budget estimate is N300 billion lower than the N9.1 billion being implemented for 2018 fiscal year.

According to Buhari, N4.04 trillion or 50.31 per cent is earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N2.03 trillion representing 22.98 per cent for capital projects.

Other estimates are N492.36 billion for statutory transfers, N2.14 trillion for debt servicing and provision of N120 billion as sinking fund.

He explained that the sinking fund would be used to "retire maturing bonds to local contractors."

The 2019 budget proposal is based on an oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N305 per dollar.

Other benchmarks are real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 3.01 per cent and inflation rate of 9.98 per cent.

The total projected revenue, according to the president, is N6.97 trillion, which is three per cent lower than the 2018

estimate of N7.17 trillion.

Buhari said the expected income consisted of oil revenue projected at N3.73 trillion, and non-oil revenue estimated at N1.39 trillion.

He explained, "The estimate from non-oil revenue consists of N799.52 billion from company income tax; N229.34 billion from value added tax, and customs duties of N302.5 billion. We have reduced our expectations from independent revenue N624.58 billion.

"Other revenues expected in 2019 include various recoveries of N203.38 billion; N710 billion as proceeds from the restructuring of government equity in joint ventures, and other sundry incomes of N104.1 billion."

The president explained further that the total N8.83 trillion proposed expenditure for 2019 included grants and donor funds amounting to N209.92 billion.

According to him, although the 2019 estimate was lower than the 2018 budget of N9.1 trillion, it was higher than the

N8.6 trillion originally proposed by the executive to the National Assembly.

The budget deficit is projected to decrease to N1.86 trillion or 1.3 per cent of the GDP in 2019 from N1.95 trillion projected for 2018.

"This reduction is in line with our plan to progressively reduce deficit and borrowings over the medium term," he said.

On sectoral allocation, the president said the Ministry of Interior would get N569.07billion, Defence (N435.62 billion), Education (N462.24 billion) and Health (N315.62 billion).

To Set up Technical Committee on Minimum Wage On the contentious issue of new minimum wage, Buhari revealed that a technical committee is to be constituted to advise government on mode of funding workers’ wage increase.

He said, "I am committed to addressing the issue of a new minimum wage and I will be sending a bill to the National

Assembly on this. However, in order to avoid a fiscal crisis for the federal government, as well as the States, it is important to devise ways to ensure that its implementation does not lead to an increase in the level of borrowing.

"I am accordingly setting up a high-powered technical committee to advise on ways of funding an increase in the minimum wage, and the attendant wage adjustments, without having to resort to additional borrowings.

"The work of this technical committee will be the basis of a Finance Bill, which will be submitted to the National Assembly, alongside the Minimum Wage Bill. In addition, the technical committee will recommend modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage in such a manner as to minimise its inflationary impact, as well as ensure that its introduction does not lead to job losses."

Continued on page 10

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN % FORTEOIL 2.35 26.20 9.8 DIAMONDBANK 0.11 1.25 9.6 LEARNAFRICA 0.12 1.38 9.5 NEIMETH 0.06 0.72 9.0 UPDC 0.12 1.74 7.4 TOP LOSERS NGN % ABBEYMORTGAGE 0.08 0.98 7.5 SEPLAT 38.80 555.20 6.5 JAIZBANK 0.03 0.46 6.1 JAPAUL 0.01 0.20 4.7 JBERGER 0.90 20.10 4.2 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,470.00 Volume: 200.997million shares Value: N4.098 billion Deals: 3,035 As at yesterday 19 /12/18 See details on Page 41

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THURSDAY, ͺ͸Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Î&#x20AC; Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS FISH OUT BADEH'S KILLERS, BUHARI ORDERS SECURITY AGENTS them to ensure greater security and safety of all users of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roads.

Buhari, according to his spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, described the killing of Badeh as â&#x20AC;&#x153;very sad and unfortunate.â&#x20AC;?

According to him, the president commiserated with the family of the late four-star general, his friends and professional colleagues in the military, and the people and government of Adamawa State.

Adesina said the president noted that the late Badeh, who was also a Chief of Air Staff, attained professional fulfillment in his over three decades of military career.

He also said the president regretted that Badeh fell victim of incidence of violent and fatal attacks on the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highways.

"He directs security agencies to find the killers of the 15th

Chief of Defence Staff and bring them to face the full force of the law, while ensuring greater security and safety for all users of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roads.

"The president prays that God Almighty comforts all those who mourn Air Chief Marshal Badeh and grant his soul peaceful rest," the statement added.

DHQ to Probe Killing Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force yesterday denied that security details attached to Badeh were withdrawn two weeks before the incident.

This is coming as an eyewitness account said Badeh's assailants were men in uniform and the Defence Headquarters said it would investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

A military source told THISDAY yesterday that the

security details attached to the former CDS were withdrawn prompting him to write to protest the withdrawal.

He said, "His details were withdrawn and he protested about it. For a four-star general and a former Chief of Defence Staff to be killed so cheaply is not obtainable anywhere.

"Under normal circumstances, everybody will have to go down, both the assassins and the details if it is going to be that bad, because he goes on retirement with full complement of his security details.

"Even a two-star general usually has reasonable number of details. It only shows the deterioration in many areas in the system."

The Defence Headquarters said investigation into his death would be carried out shortly.

It said in a statement by its spokesman, Brigadier-General

John Agim, "We will investigate his death and find out what happened. We will look at the situation and review it. He went to his farm when this happened but you know that he must not need full complement of security to go to his farm.

"We are going to conduct an investigation into what happened."

But the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said the killing of the former Defence Chief was unacceptable.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Chief of Air Staff Conference in Abuja, Abubakar said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are no doubt in a state of shock at what happened yesterday when the former CDS was killed along Keffi-Abuja Road. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The entire Air Force family is shocked about the incident and we are expressing our condolence to the wife and children of Air Chief Marshal

Alex Badeh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very appreciative of the sentiments expressed by Nigerians after the incident. It shows they love and support the service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For this kind of thing to happen, it is something that is totally unacceptable.â&#x20AC;?

He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the special grace of God, we will get them and they will face justice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Though we are working hard, we should redouble our efforts; we need to work round the clock, we need to put in more effort. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to collaborate more closely to ensure that these criminals are not allowed to endanger the lives of our people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not entirely a military affair; those guys that shot Badeh came from an environment; so, we all have to put hands together to make sure that our national security is not

undermined by individuals,â&#x20AC;? he maintained.

In his reaction on the alleged withdrawal of Badeh's security details, Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, dismissed the allegation.

"This is not true. As a four-star general he has full complement of security details. To add to it, the Defence Headquarters, where he was CDS, provides details for him, so it cannot be true," he said.

A competent security source who spoke to THISDAY said eyewitness account around the Abuja-Keffi community noticed a strange road block manned by some men in uniform.

"They told us that the road block was mounted by some men in uniform. But around evening they heard some gunshots after which the road block disappeared," the source said.

Bongo Adi, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a very huge discrepancy between the budget allocated and what is given to the ministries by the government. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how we can deal with that situation because it seems like the budgeting system has also become politicised.â&#x20AC;?

self-interests at the expense of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interests.

"By law, respect for the office of the president or head of government in any clime is not a matter of choice but a civic obligation sanctioned by laws. Being an opposition party or critic is no licence for such wayward conduct by the PDP legislative caucus; most especially against the president of the country,â&#x20AC;? it said.

Expectedly, the PDP responded in kind through National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, who said, at a press conference in Abuja, that the jeering showed that Mr. President no longer enjoys the support of Nigerians across the country, adding that he no longer has any political foothold and could only awaits a crushing defeat in the 2019 general election.

According to the PDP, the spontaneous action of the lawmakers, at the joint session of the National Assembly, was a resounding and unambiguous vote of no confidence and unmistaken expression of Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rejection by the Nigerian public, across the divides, who are fed up with his incompetent, divisive and corrupt administration.

It said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What else do Nigerians want from a president, who has openly confessed his lack of capacity to find solutions to the myriads of problems his administration brought and on that note promised Nigerians more sufferings and hardship in the coming year? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is more so as his scripted presentation at the budget session was full of false performance indices, claims of non-existent projects, halftruths, bogus fiscal projections, beguilement and new list of fake promises, which Nigerians have since seen through.â&#x20AC;?

The president had waded through his harassment, presenting his estimates, a key component of which was the N305 billion earmarked for the payment of fuel subsidy claims during the fiscal year, the first of such allocation since the administration took over in 2015.

Buhari also used the opportunity of the budget presentation to unveil his plan to set up a technical committee to advise the federal government on the mode of funding impending workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wage increase.

The presentation, which lasted for about 50 minutes was marred by hailing and booing by senators and House members.

BUHARI VOTES N305BN FOR PETROL SUBSIDY IN N8.83TN 2019 BUDGET Indication that the presentation will be rowdy emerged when the gallery of the House of Representatives, where the session was held was cleared for lawmakers to dissolve into an executive session.

There were feelers that it was an attempt to give the president free passage during the presentation.

Though Speaker Dogara said the executive session would only last five minutes, it went on for more than 20 minutes in what was an attempt to ensure that Buhari was well-received.

APC and the PDP lawmakers had earlier met on Tuesday ahead of yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget presentation to put finishing touches to how to receive the president.

There was confusion on the floor immediately the president stepped into the House chambers as opposition PDP lawmakers started singing protest songs.

The already prepared APC members also hailed the president, assuring him that he would have another four-year tenure.

While the APC lawmakers were chanting 'Sai Baba,' the PDP lawmakers persisted with their song 'freedom come by struggle.'

PDP lawmakers who were disenchanted and were apparently set for showdown continued singing their protest song â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;freedom comes by struggle,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; repeatedly, making the chamber noisy and rowdy.

Occasionally, they disrupted the president's speech, making him stop as long as their noises persisted.

No sooner had the sitting began than fighting broke out between a PDP lawmaker and his APC counterpart in the House Chambers.

Hon. Bashir Babale of APC was engaged in physical brawl with PDP lawmaker, Hon. Douye Diri, who was preparing placards with which they planned to protest.

The lawmakers booed the Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, when he called the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, aside apparently to implore him to pacify PDP members to discontinue their aggression.

Senators too were not exempted as disagreement between Senators Sam Anyanwu and Godswill Akpabio got the two lawmakers to stand up to each other.

Bothered by the open confrontation by the lawmakers, Buhari at a point cautioned

the lawmakers saying, "The world is watching us and we are supposed to be above this."

The drama however, continued as lawmakers booed and hailed the president as he enumerated some of the achievements of his government.

They shouted words such as: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lie! Ah! Iro lo pa (You are lying), propaganda.â&#x20AC;?

In a deliberate attempt to disturb the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speech, some members tampered with the microphone to create noise.

The Sergeant-at-Arm had to direct that the microphone be put off to stop the noise.

While some lawmakers stood up to give the president a clap, some others heckled him shouting, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lies, propagandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

One of the lawmakers called Buhari, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grass cutterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in reference to the scandal, which the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was involved.

As the president was stating how his administration was fighting corruption, some lawmakers shouted him down, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;propaganda, which corruption are you fightingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Grass cutterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; When the Buhari concluded his speech, the session turned rowdy again.

Before Saraki and Dogara could present their speeches, APC lawmakers chanted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;four more years,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; while their PDP counterparts screamed, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no more years.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; After more than 10 minutes into the drama, the Presidential Guards Brigade band began to play the National Anthem signalling the end of the programme, while Buhari was still seated.

The ceremony ended without Saraki and Dogara presenting their speeches.

Security operatives whisked the president out of the chamber leaving the lawmakers behind.

Meanwhile, protesting workers under the umbrella of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) stayed off the National Assembly in continuation of their four-day warning strike that began on Monday.

The budget presentation, however, held amid water-tight security. All entrances leading to the complex were barricaded with multi-agency security operatives manning the gates and thoroughly scrutinising those coming in.

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and other sister agencies were on the ground

ahead of the president's budget presentation, which kicked off at 12.40p.m.

Mixed Reactions Trail Buhari's 2019 Budget Presentation National Assembly members yesterday reacted to the 2019 federal budget estimates presented by the president with mixed feelings.

While some legislators gave the president thumbs up for the N8.83 trillion budget proposed for next fiscal year, others condemned the Appropriation Bill in its entirety.

In his reaction, Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, while frowning at the unruly behaviour of some lawmakers while the president's budget presentation lasted, however, saluted the courage of Buhari for coming up with a budget of hope. He assured that the legislature would scrutinise the proposals with a view to ensuring that the Appropriation Bill was passed in a record time.

Also reacting, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, emphasised that the budget appears to be hopeless but was quick to state that the parliament will do a thorough job before passing the Appropriation Bill.

On his part, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, described the budget estimates as one that will turn things round for the better in 2019.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ben Murray- Bruce, on his part, condemned the budget proposal in its entirety saying the budget has less vote for capital expenditure.

Also reacting, Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Adeola Solomon, said the budget is truly the budget for the next level of economic development for the first time in Nigerian history.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Olajide Olatunbosun, representing Saki West/East/Atisbo federal constituency of Oyo State said Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget is implementable. He expressed optimism that with the administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frugal attitude, it would be enough for it to do more.

The PDP caucus in the House, however, disagreed with the budget presented by the president.

Led by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwuma Onyema (Anambra, PDP), the opposition leaders said the annual budget presentation of

multi-trillion naira budget by the government has become a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hollow ritual it began in 2015,â&#x20AC;? and which has had no meaningful impact on Nigerians.

According to the lawmakers, "Again, the Buhari administration has tabled another and again, this hollow ritual it began in 2015 may soon be followed, as usual, with excuses for non-performance.

"Again too, as it has always done, the APC government known for its unique ideology of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blame-ologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will start apportioning of blames to all else, except itself.â&#x20AC;?

Some economists and analysts also said the 2019 Appropriation Bill will not have any significant impact on the standard of living in the country.

They said this in separate interview with THISDAY. To the Chief Executive Officer of FactBox Company, and an expert in data and information analysis, Mr. Jide Ogunsanwo, said the contents of the 2019 proposed budget estimates does not have what is required to alleviate poverty in the country.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the 2018 budget was passed, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population was 195 million. In simple terms, last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget was the equivalent of an average of N127 per person every day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, we have a lower budget for 2019 and the population has risen to 200 million, which is N120 per person per day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, it is significantly lower than last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. If at N127 per person last year, more people got into poverty, what do we think will happen when we have a lower budget? So, in simple terms, this budget will not reduce the number of poverty in the country.â&#x20AC;?

To the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, noted that the impact of the current yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been significant.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The price of oil is the problem. Typically, over the years, the price of crude oil has always been about 20 per cent below the spot price, but today the spot price is lower than the benchmark price and with that, the benchmark price becomes meaningless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, we need to reduce that and increase the deficit. We need to expand the expenditure. So, we are between a rock and a hard place. To me, what is inevitable and imminent is that there would be a supplementary budget.â&#x20AC;?

Also, a senior lecturer at the Lagos Business School, Dr.

APC, PDP Trade Words over Heckling of President The nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two leading political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday traded words over the heckling of President Muhammadu Buhari during his presentation of the 2019 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly in Abuja.

The president had presented the N8.83 trillion financial estimates for 2019 amidst cheering from his APC lawmakers and jeering from the opposition-led PDP legislators.

Both Senate President Bukola Saraki, who presided over proceedings, and Speaker Yakubu Dogara could do little about the situation as both parties made Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outing uncomfortable.

Reacting to the incident, the APC said the PDP legislators' conduct was disgraceful and unbecoming of their status as lawmakers of the federal republic.

The PDP, however, retorted, saying his members were entitled to show their displeasure at what it called the compound failure of the APC-led administration.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, APC said by law, respect for the Office of the President or Head of Government in any clime is not a matter of choice but a civic obligation sanctioned by laws.

"We condemn in strong terms the action by lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Mohammadu Buhari on Wednesday," it said.

APC said PDP should be aware that the disgraceful conduct and actions of its legislative caucus has succeeded in eroding the remnant of the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s respect, (if any) that the party has in the eyes of any respectable Nigerian.

According to APC, the action has further confirmed its unsavoury image in the eyes of well-meaning Nigerians, that the party is largely populated by self-serving and unpatriotic members, whose sole aim in politics is to promote their

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

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NEWS

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

Southern, Middle Belt Leaders, Jonathan, Magu Condemn Badeh’s Murder PDP demands investigation Shola Oyeyipo, Adedayo Akinwale and Alex Enumah in Abuja Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, former President Goodluck Jonathan and acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, have condemned Tuesday’s assassination of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd), and urged security agents to bring the killers to justice.

This is coming as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock over the gruesome murder and demanded investigation.

The southern and middle belt leaders in a statement signed

by Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Prof.

Chigozie Ogbu (South-west and South-east) and Senator Bassey Henshaw and Dr. Isuwa Dogo (South-south and Middle Belt), said the killing of the retired military officer was a sad development for

Nigeria, and an indication that the country was on the edge of precipice.

“It is a sad commentary on the degeneration of security situation in Nigeria that a former Chief of Defence Staff could be killed like a fowl on the street and no word from the government in a classic replay of the failure of leadership that stalks our land presently.

“It would be a wild expectation though to expect a government that was mute for six days after over 100 solders were killed to be responsive to the death of a former Defence Chief. The primary responsibility every responsible government is to secure lives and property and when failure attracts mute indifference on the part of the government the killers are encouraged to continue their acts as the fear of consequences has been removed.

“We are worried that we are now in this sorry situation where human life is worth not

a thing in our country as we languish under a leadership that is bereft of capacity to secure lives and property, empty of compassion and empathy and drained of human feelings .We never had it this terrible in the history of our country,” the leaders said.

Former Jonathan has also extended his condolences to the Nigerian military, the

entire people of Adamawa State and the family of the immediate family of Badeh, recalling that he successively served his administration as both Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Defence Staff.

According to a statement by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, the former president said the late Badeh served the country to the best of

his abilities.

On its part, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, demanded a wide-ranging investigation into the killing to unravel those behind the dastardly act as well as the motive behind their action.

“PDP insists that our nation is drifting and gradually

assuming the status of a failed state and urges President Muhammadu Buhari to spend the few months left of his administration to provide a leadership that will secure respect for our territorial integrity and the lives of our people,” the statement said.

The party however, condoled

Continued on page. 53

Oshiomhole: I Hope National Assembly Won’t Distort 2019 Budget

Says small parties demanding money to support Buhari Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday expressed hope that the National Assembly won’t ‘distort the 2019 budget as presented.

Oshiomhole has also alleged that many small opposition political parties are demanding money from APC to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari for re-election in 2019.

He described President Buhari’s presentation of the 2019 Budget as “a successful outing.”

Oshiomhole spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after Buhari presented the budget at the National Assembly in Abuja.

According to him, “I think it was done very well and analytically presented. It covers all the issues.

“It gives account of the previous budget, how it was implemented and why we will have to consolidate going forward.

I think it was a successful outing.

“I’m impressed, I’m excited, and I pray that the National Assembly will not distort it in a way that will misrepresent the tenet and well-thought out outcome.”

Reacting to the rowdiness amid the budget presentation, Oshiomhole said: “I think the lawmakers generally agreed that the budget was good.

“All the requirements of the law have been met, which was to lay the budget. How the senators behaved thereafter is their privilege.”

On his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, simply described the

budget presentation as “excellent.”

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole has alleged that many small opposition political parties are demanding money to endorse President Buhari for re-election in 2019.

He also dismissed the allegations of bias made by the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), against security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as unfounded.

Speaking while receiving a delegation of the United Statesbased National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) in his office in Abuja yesterday, Oshiomhole said there is a worrisome development being witnessed as the country prepares for next year’s elections.

He said the ruling party has been inundated with requests from many of these parties which he described as “democratic merchants,” begging to be paid money to enable them announce their support for President Buhari.

He said many of the registered political parties which said they were fielding presidential candidates are now ganging up to endorse other candidates.

“I can tell you how many requests I have received from these so-called political parties that if you pay me this, we will announce that we are supporting your presidential candidate. So these people have formed political parties as platform to trade. We do not need to focus on those who are democratic merchants, creating more confusion, generating more heat,” he said.

PIPELINE EXPLOSION...

Scene of fire accident at Awori U-turn along Abule Egba that affected several cars and shops in Lagos...yesterday

Lagos Pipeline Fire Guts 100 Shops, 50Vehicles NNPC probes incident assures of stable products supply Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Chineme Okafor in Abuja The activities of pipeline vandalism have caused an explosion at the Abule Egba area of Lagos State, and affected some areas of Agege, gutting no fewer than 100 shops and 50 vehicles.

This is coming as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has disclosed it has directed its subsidiary, Nigerian Pipeline and Storage Company (NPSC), to carry out a full investigation to establish the cause of the fire outbreak.

Although there were initial fears that the explosion killed so many people, emergency workers, however, later debunked the claim.

However, five persons, including a widow, Ruth Joseph, and her son, Samuel, sustained varying degree of injuries.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. at Abule Egba before extending to Agric Junction, Abattoir in Agege area.

Those who were on ground to control the situation included police operatives, Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps (LNSC), Lagos State Fire Service and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

Out of the 50 vehicles that were razed, 19 belonged to a dealer, one Usman Hamzat.

Aside Hamzat’s cars parked at Samar Petroleum, three other car shops in the area were also razed.

The fire, which started in front of a private school at Segun Akinola Street, opposite Tiper Garage near Awori Bus stop, Abule Egba, was said to have been triggered by activities of vandals, who allegedly brought in three tankers of siphoned petrol.

According to other residents, the vandals who dug a hole to connect their hose to the NNPC pipelines had dropped the hose inside the gutter without locking the valves.

The petrol was said to have circulated through the gutter to Abattoir area where it ignited fire as a result of activities of early morning butchers, destroying every property along the path the fuel traversed.

Areas affected by the inferno included Arowolo Street, Shogbawole, Adefegba, Katonwi, Santos, Taiwo Adewole, Wamon Taofeek, Owode, Akinlere streets.

Others included Charity Road Junction opposite Oko Oba Market and parts of Ile-Epo and Abattoir The residents also accused fire service of late arrival to the scene, noting that emergency responders

got there around 4a.m., two hours after the explosion.

General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Adesina Tiamiyu; Police Commissioner Edgal and officials from NNPC and other agencies visited the affected areas.

The Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Tunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, was on the spot with his men to prevent hoodlums from looting victims property and money when they ran for their lives.

Personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Red Cross officials were also on ground to protect live and property.

According to Tiamiyu, the fire affected nine streets, destroyed 38 vehicles, four tricycles, 71 shops, 30 rooms, two blocks of flat and a church auditorium.

Edgal accused the residents of the area of complicity, adding that they cannot claim they were not aware of activities of vandals in the area.

He told them to be thankful that the fuel passed through the gutter which cushioned the severity, noting that it would have been disastrous if the reverse were the case.

Meanwhile, NNPC yesterday disclosed it has directed its

subsidiary, Nigerian Pipeline and Storage Company (NPSC), to carry out a full investigation to establish the cause of the fire outbreak, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.

It said the NPSC would also begin the repair of the broken line immediately, assuring that the incident will not result to scarcity of petroleum products within Lagos and its immediate environs.

NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, in a statement, assured of adequate petroleum products supply in Lagos and its environs despite the pipeline fire incident.

Baru, said the NNPC had effectively put in place strategies to ensure that the unfortunate incident would not undermine products supplies during the festive period.

He maintained that the NNPC has enough stock of petrol, and other products, adding that the company’s petrol stock would last about 45 days even in the absence of fresh supplies.

Baru equally advised members of the public not to engage in panic buying, and commiserated with families of the victims of the fire incident, while admonishing Nigerians to keep away from NNPC’s pipelines.

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

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NEWS

Stop Harrassing Amnesty International, Falana Tells Nigerian Army Report has vindicated Danjuma, says Jukun group Sunday Okobi A human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, has asked the Nigerian Army to end “attack, harassment and intimidation of Amnesty International and focus instead on addressing the several allegations of serious human rights violations and abuses by the Army.”

This is coming as a sociopolitical and cultural group, Jukun Development Association of Nigeria (JDAN), has described the latest Amnesty International (AI) report indicting the Nigerian Army as accomplices in the killings

by Fulani herdsmen as a vindication of one of the sons of Jukun, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).

In a statement issued yesterday, Falana noted that, “the Nigerian military has also been indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Presidential Panel on Procurement of Arms and Ammunition, Judicial Commissions of Enquiry and the International Criminal Court (ICC) on gross human rights abuse and war crimes which are similar to the allegations documented by Amnesty International.”

Falana said, “I am very concerned that rather than telling Nigerians what they would do to address the very damaging allegations made by Amnesty International of grave human rights abuses against the Nigerian Army and other security agencies the Army is targeting Amnesty simply for working to hold the Army to account.”

“Contrary to the false claim of the Army, the Muhammadu Buhari government in 2016 instituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses by the Nigerian Armed Forces in the North-east region and other parts of the country. The panel confirmed grave human rights abuses by the military. Unfortunately, the government has not been able to release the report. Further, the government has not released the White Paper on the panel’s findings.”

“The Nigerian Army killed 347 Shiites in Zaria in December 2015 under the pretext that there was a plot to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai. The Judicial Commission of Enquiry instituted by Governor Nasir Elrufai

Gunmen Abduct Anglican Bishop in Rivers Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Bishop of the Ahoada Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Clement Ekpeye, has been abducted by yet-to-beidentified gunmen from his official residence in Ahoada, Rivers State.

Ekpeye, who hails from a community in Ahoada East, was kidnapped at the Bishop’s Court in Odiemerenyi road in Ahoada East Local Government Area, where he resides.

The Clerical Synod Secretary of the Diocese of Ahoada confirmed the incident on WhatsApp and described the development as shocking.

He requested for prayers for the Bishop, even as he pleaded with the kidnappers to release the victim unconditionally.

The Rivers State Police Command also confirmed the incident and said it has launched a manhunt for the abductors of the Bishop.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni (DSP), said the kidnappers invaded the home of the cleric and picked him at gun point.

“The matter is with us.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, have moved in. They are tracing the road the kidnappers followed.

They police is serious after the kidnappers,” Omoni added.

Osun Gets $20m to Fix Healthcare Hameed Adedeji Osun State government is to get $20million to fix healthcare facilities, Minister of Health, Prof.

Isaac Adewole, has said.

He stated this yesterday when he received Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, in his office in Abuja.

According to a statement by the state government, the money is the earning of the state from the World Bank-supported Saving One Million Lives (SOML) programme for result initiative.

The programme is aimed at giving incentives based on achievement of results (health outcomes) and helping to drive institutional processes needed to achieve results.

It also seeks to catalyse change

in the way health business is done by focussing on results and governnce.

The programme is financed through the $500 million International Development Association (IDA) credit to the federal government over a period of four years, for distribution to states on the basis of performance.

States are assessed based on the implementation of a number of maternal and child healthcare indicators, which determine what is earned.

Oyetola said Osun State would use the money to fix 332 out of the over 900 Primary Health Centres (PHC).

This will be on the basis of one PHC per ward, so as to bring healthcare to the doorstep of the people at the grassroots.

of Kaduna State dismissed the basis of the massacre and recommended the prosecution of the culprits.

But as the indicted officers and the troops were not prosecuted for conspiracy and culpable homicide the Army again opened fire on another group of Shiites in Abuja in October 2018. At the end of the attack, 52 Shiites were killed in cold blood. Even though the soldiers who committed the reckless massacre in Abuja have been identified in a video they will not be brought to trial for now!”

“Last week, the Army did the same thing to UNICEF, an institution that is doing so much to protect the human rights of Nigerian children in difficult

circumstances in the North-east region and across the country. We are not unaware that the Nigerian authorities did not like the recent report by UNICEF that 13.2 million Nigerian children are out of school, sadly the highest number in the world.”

According to the human rights lawyer, “the ICC has recently revealed that it received a total of 169 communications from Nigeria and its assessment has shown that security forces in Nigeria have committed war crimes varying from murder, torture, and intentionally attacking the civilian population”.

In another development, a socio-political and cultural group, Jukun Development Association of

Nigeria (JDAN), has described the latest Amnesty International (AI) report indicting the Nigerian Army as accomplices in the killings by Fulani herdsmen as a vindication of one of the sons of Jukun, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).

The association’s National President, Chief Benjamin Bako, stated this yesterday when he spoke with journalists in Lagos, adding that the AI report is a welcome development.

According to him, Danjuma and JDAN have been vindicated in the eye of the world that the allegations of “collusion by the Nigeria army and Fulani herdsmen in the wanton killings in the middle belt and some parts of Igbo land were

very accurate after all.”

Bako described the former Defence Minister as “a man of proven high integrity and sound moral standards, who is not given to frivolities and doesn’t speak without proof.”

He further said: “As an elder statesman Danjuma’s intervention was to help the institution which has given him fame and prominence to rediscover itself thereby purging itself of bad elements that are bent on destroying the good reputation and excellent tradition of the military institution. Rather, Danjuma was called all manners of names and hunted like a commoner.”

5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

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

COMMENT

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

CHALLENGING AFRICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SYOUTH AS ANTI-CORRUPTION WARRIORS The Africa Youth Conference reveals creative resistance against corruption, writes Okello Oculi

O

n 9th and 10th December, 2018, Abuja became a pilgrimage site for Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Civil Society youth activists fighting against corruption; each with a project being implemented at home.

They came as a novel push against corruption

by President Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure as African Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champion of anti-corruption in 2018.

The Africa Youth Conference was shadowed by a stampede in South Africa of exposing corruption among African officials in various institutions. Also, a day before the conference, the Democratic Republic of Congoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Dennis Mukwege, had in his acceptance speech openly accused corrupt Congolese officials and politicians of feeding youths with mind-bending drugs so that they can commit horrendous murders, rapes and sexual violence against women and men.

In collusion with multinational corporations, they intimidate and chase away communities from lands where valuable natural resources like coltran, diamond and gold exist to be looted with impunity. Mukwege urged his audience to join in ending the corruption and violence in the Congo from which the coltran in their cell-phones and diamonds in their jewellery are extracted.

Despite this gloom, the Africa Youth Conference at Abuja revealed creative resistance against corruption. One delegate each from Tunisia and Kenya reported about their projects for turning educational institutions - from primary school classrooms and playgrounds to university campuses - into campaign arenas for fighting against corruption.

Students drawn from Abuja-based Anglican Girls Grammar School and Olumawu Basic School (and trained by Africa Vision 525 Initiative, an NGO), simulated a Youth African Union Summit on fighting corruption. Their President of Nigeria (Adedoyin Itunu) asserted that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Avoiding Paying Tax is a Form of Corruption; and proposed teaching the habit of paying tax into secondary school pupils. A Junior Secondary School pupil whose uniform requires less cloth than that of a Senior pupil would pay a lower tax. Likewise, the taxes on books used in corresponding classes. It was not clear if the collected tax revenue would be used by a Minister of Finance in a cabinet of a democratically elected secondary school government.

One delegate from Ethiopia saw moves by opposition groups in his country to exploit ethnic loyalties as a strategy for protecting senior government officials charged with corrupt records. He asked for advice on how to fight corruption when corrupt officials fight back. It is not clear if he was a member of Oromo community from which the new Prime Minister comes, and was using ethnic loyalty to denounce critics from the Tigre ethnic nationality.

Fatimata BA/Fatima Abdullahi, the youth president of Senegal, broadened the boundary of corruption by asserting

FATIMATA BA/FATIMA ABDULLAHI, THE YOUTH PRESIDENT OF SENEGAL, BROADENED THE BOUNDARY OF CORRUPTION BY ASSERTING THAT CORRUPTION IS NOT ONLY ABOUT STEALING MONEY BUT MUST INCLUDE STEALING THE FUTURE OF THE GIRL-CHILD BY DENYING HER EDUCATION THROUGH CHILDMARRIAGE

that corruption is not only about stealing money but must include stealing the future of the girl-child by denying her education through child-marriage; not promoting working women, preventing women from being elected into parliament. She waved with open pride the data that Senegal had, following the 2012 Constitution, achieved a parliament with a membership of 41.6 per cent women.

Kinza Ramiro/ Suleiman Audi, Youth AU President of Angola also broadened corruption by linking it to the denial of economic income, education and health, to a racial group.

He pointed out that hostility by the newly elected president of Brazil to Cuban doctors working in Brazil had resulted in communities of peoples of African Descent residing in rural areas and in urban slums losing Cuban doctors and nurses who provided medication and health care. Brazilian doctors prefer to work in urban areas to earn more money. This was a case of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Political Corruptionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The Youth President of Egypt (Nefertiti Hosni/ Eziane Ugbah, matched Angolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision of building an Africa University and Medical School in Brazil for students of African Descent from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;all over South Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, with a vision of turning the Sahara Desert White With Millions of Sheep and Cattle. The livestock would be feed on Alfalfa Grass. Muamar Gadaffi had shown this example in the Libyan section of the Sahara. Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s importation of food supports corrupt awards of contracts in wheat and sugar.

The water for her project would be drilled from under the sands of the Sahara, and not drawn from River Nile over which war mongers wish to fight with Ethiopia for building her â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renaissance Damâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The Youth President of Madagascar (Miora Nandrianina/ Miriam Gambo), offered Africa a traditional sport, â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAVIKAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to the Olympics. Madagascarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young men traditionally won future wives by putting their arms around the neck of a bull and showing courage, tenacity and agility in hanging on as a bull swings its neck.

Unlike barbaric attacks on a bull in Spanish â&#x20AC;&#x153;bull fightingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, SAVIKA regards a bull as sacred. Not inventing a rare sport is a case of Intellectual Corruption.

Rwandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Youth AU President (Shamarima Mbabazi / Hephzibah Dada), announced a project in which her scientists seek to crossbreed cows with Anopheles Mosquito to produce an Anti-Malaria drug to be found in milk yielded by cows. If the experiment succeeds, Rwanda will have a vast market for her â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Anti-Malaria Milkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Creating products for rich markets such as that of China, would turn brilliant brains and hearts and minds of officials away from stealing public money.

Correspondents of the Voice of Nigeria (Oluwadamilola C. Oluwasola) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (Julia Okwute) drove the drama with educative questions for the audience.

WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IN CHARGE?

Phrank Shaibu writes that everything must be done to wrestle power from an administration run by a cabal

T

he recent lamentation by Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, that there are two powerful people literally holding her husband hostage and frustrating whatever efforts the Nigerian President may have desired to make in order improve his governance credentials, did not come as a surprise to many Nigerians.

Mrs. Buhari is no stranger to this kind of sabre rattling and the helplessness of her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential powers, his grip and impact on the key decisions that have shaped and defined his administration in the last three and half years. In fact, many interpret his now infamous â&#x20AC;&#x153;I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,â&#x20AC;? to really mean that President Buhari never even intended to act as president for one day and that this is one presidency that would be neither here nor there, everywhere and nowhere, visible yet ineffectual, present yet absent in nature and action; all of which have lent further weight to the complaints of the first lady that other people and not her husband are indeed in charge of Nigeria.

Those who have followed her will recall that her frank alarms, raised at critical periods in the journey of her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidency, have often been pointers confirming what many Nigerians already know, which is that President Buhari is not and has never been in charge of running Nigeria since his inauguration on May 29, 2015. And this assessment of her attitude to her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidency came to fore once again when Mrs. Buhari, who spoke at a conference organized by Project 4+4

in Abuja, reportedly accused two persons, whose names she did not however mention, as constituting a cog in the wheel of President Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans to develop Nigeria, more than he has done so far.

According to the report, Mrs. Buhari lamented that her husband could have achieved more or even achieved all he had planned in one year, but for two people in government who will never allow things to move fast. The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife said that she was disappointed in men who rather than fight these two men will go to them in the night begging for favour.

In her words, the Nigerian first lady said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have realized that Senator Babafemi Ojodu, Special Adviser, political, to the President, and Dr. Hajo Sani, and wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Osinbajo, are not comfortable with my saying this and want me to confine myself to my prepared speech but we must say the truth.â&#x20AC;? The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife then insisted that the powerful duo were retrogressive elements preventing the government from moving forward.

While we can take the allegation at face value as the unhappiness of a first lady whose assumed powers and influence as first lady, as we have witnessed with previous presidentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wives before her, have been unceremoniously clipped, by those who are more powerful than her, Nigerians must look at her statements in the proper context of national governance, which is that after all said and done, the Buhari administration has failed abysmally in the last three and half years, as a result of a cabal that has slowed down our development.

The allegations that a cabal is in charge of the presidency is as old as the Buhari administration itself and the first hint was given when Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, during one of his trials at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, alleged that a powerful cabal within the President Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government had hijacked power from the retired general. Mrs. Buhari herself got into the fray, when she gave an interview to BBC Hausa service in 2016, and raised the alarm that President Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government has been hijacked by cabal who are â&#x20AC;&#x153;behind presidential appointmentsâ&#x20AC;?.

Mrs. Buhari was to raise another storm, this time in the social media in 2017, when she openly affirmed that those she referred to as hyenas and jackals who had taken advantage of her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illness to annex the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powers, would sooner than later be sent out of the kingdom of Aso Rock. Her comments which were made on her Facebook page, while she was in London to visit her then sick husband, read thus: â&#x20AC;&#x153;God has answered the prayers of the weaker animals. The hyenas and the jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom. We strongly believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals.â&#x20AC;?

However, from her latest harangue, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obvious that the weaker animals are still in bondage, a situation which played out when she openly went against the leadership of her husbandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fractured political party, APC, after her brother Mahmud Halilu, was deliberately denied the governorship ticket of Adamawa State and compelled to step down for Governor Jibrilla Bindow, by those

she angrily described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the cabal.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In all analysis, the conclusion to be drawn from the statements and actions of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari is that the political fate and destiny of Nigeria and Nigerians today, are in the hands of two persons, working in concert with a few more people, and the result is the clueless, confused, directionless and amorphous government, which has left Nigeria much worse than the country was when they took over.

Aisha Buhari has simply given Nigerians one more reason why they should vote for a government that is focused, fixed, inclusive and participatory. A government which as has been defined in â&#x20AC;&#x153;the AtikuPlanâ&#x20AC;? to get Nigeria working again, will ensure that the interest, welfare, well-being and goodwill of all Nigerians will be at the centre of every action and decision of the leadership and not the interest and selfishness of two persons, who have hijacked Nigeria for themselves at the expense and suffering of the rest of the people.

The only politician now who has the capacity, capability, intelligence and experience to break this wicked hold of a few people on Nigeria is Atiku Abubakar and the formidable pan Nigerian coalition of seasoned and tested leaders, who are now poised to liberate Nigeria from the cabal and open up the country to growth and development which two people have prevented President Buhari from achieving in his four years as Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President, according to his wife.

Shaibu, is S.A. Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar

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

EDITORIAL As Akindele Goes To Jail…

Richard Akindele deserves what he got

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n a bid to put an end to what has become an epidemic of shame on the campuses of institutions of higher learning in Nigeria, Justice Maureen Onyetenu of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday sentenced a former Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) lecturer, Richard Akindele, to two years in prison for demanding sex for marks from a student. With that, the professor becomes the first university lecturer in the country to secure a jail term for sexual harassment of students.

We hope the sentence will help to deter other predators on our campuses.

Akindele, a senior lecturer in the Department of Accounting, had been dismissed in June this year by the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife for gross misconduct after he was found liable in the sex-for-mark scandal involving a postgraduate student, Miss Monica Osagie. According to the ViceChancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Joint Committee of Council and Senate of the university which probed the allegation against the professor recommended his dismissal.

As we have stated on this page on several occasions in recent years, MANY OF HIS LIKES while demanding HAVE BEEN AWARDING sexual gratification for marks from MARKS TO THOSE students may be STUDENTS THAT ARE a more blatant READY TO WARM of the THEIR BEDS, THEREBY manifestation moral decadence RELEASING HALFthat has afflicted the BAKED GRADUATES nation, there should be no excuse for such INTO THE SOCIETY irresponsible behaviour from those who are paid to teach our children.

Yet, for years, this social malaise had straddled our tertiary institutions, threatening the future of many female students who are usually held to ransom by randy lecturers. In several cases, many of these female students have had their academic carrier extended, and sometimes truncated, because of their refusal to succumb to such demand for sex.

Letters to the Editor

Unfortunately, the malaise is so endemic that even those at the highest levels of most institutions are believed to be neck deep in the unwholesome practice. In several instances, heads of departments to whom students report the harassment; and members of panels to which the reports were referred for investigation, were themselves involved in the abuse.

That then explains why for years, gangs of sexual abusers who acted as though above the law have been allowed to operate freely on the campuses of most institutions of learning in Nigeria.

It is indeed very depressing that the campuses of our institutions of higher learning ordinarily considered as sane and safe havens for the acquisition of knowledge and inculcation of character have been taken over by predators who are paid to impart knowledge. In the Akindele saga, the Ife authorities said the lecturer acted in a manner that compromised his position given the manner he was negotiating alteration of examination scores in exchange for sexual favour.

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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

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TIME FOR A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE

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ne of the greatest dangers in the lifespan of a nation is apathy. To sit idly by while events unfold before our eyes is both irresponsible and selfish. Especially today, in a country suffering under a severe economic, political and moral crisis, to sit back and do nothing is simply not an option.

So what can we do? How can we make a difference? It would be wise to ask if you are okay with the current situation. Are you okay without employment? Think about your friends and family.

How many of them have jobs? Out of those who do have jobs, how many of them have fulfilling jobs, or jobs that fit their talents, skills and training?

And what about security? Ask yourselves if you’re comfortable with the levels of daily fatalities. Are you okay with Boko Haram’s relentless murdering? Are you happy with your president lying to the nation, declaring Boko Haram’s defeat (on more than one occasion) when they are quite clearly running riot in the North East and Lake Chad region? Are you okay with herdsmen rampaging through the Middle Belt and parts of the north, wreaking havoc and sowing death and destruction with every turn? Are you okay with internally displaced Nigerians being forced from their homes in our very own nation in 2018?

Are you okay with the violence faced by our women? The death and destruction on our roads? The low life expectancy due to disease and poverty?

And what about food security? Have you walked around the streets of Lagos? Have you driven around the towns and villages

rraigned on 19th November by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) on four counts of alteration of age and demanding sex to pass his student, Akindele had changed his plea in the course of the trial. But the trial Judge rejected a suspended sentence and plea bargain which the defendant’s counsel, Francis Omotosho, argued for, on grounds that such leniency should be premised on public interest. “The menace is getting to secondary and primary schools.

I am a pastor and a counsellor. I know the mental torture many of our female students have been subjected to by the likes of the respondent. The adverse effect of such action is huge. Many of his likes have been awarding marks to those students that are ready to warm their beds, thereby releasing half-baked graduates into the society,” Justice Onyetenu said.

While no statement can be stronger than the one made by Justice Onyetenu, it is important to recognise that there are many lecturers like Akindele on our various campuses who abuse their powers. This is the time to begin to call them out!

of our huge nation? Have you seen the horrors of mass poverty?

Recent surveys, including one by the recent Brookings Institution in Washington now suggest we are the poorest nation in the world.

How can one remain apathetic?

Are you okay with our broken education system? With our children and our children’s children not having the basic opportunities they deserve to flourish? Education is a right for all children, good education. Why should our children be any different?

And for those learners who do make it to university, and leave with a degree. What then? Are you okay with the lack of opportunities they face? Are you okay with their frustration in underemployment, or in most cases hard and fast unemployment?

Are you okay with the APC and unelected bureaucrats looting the nation’s coffers to enrich themselves? Are you okay with a president who came to power to fight corruption, only to find that four years later we are in a worse situation?

Are you okay with living in a state of permanent crisis?

If your answer is no, then here is what you can do. Demand accountability. When a candidate lies to you, vote them out. When a candidate fails in his or her duty to provide basic services to the citizenry, vote them out. When a candidate, or indeed a president, relies on the apathy of a nation to keep him in power, despite his countless failures and broken promises, vote him out.

It’s time for a movement of change. It’s time Nigeria put apathy behind us. It’s time we went from passive mode, to active mode, and held our leaders accountable.

Victoria Abuto, Abuja

KWALE: CALL POLICE TO ORDER

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t was intimidating and sad that after closing from a church programme at 9pm in Life Redeemers Assembly, Kwale, some group of policemen who were said to have come from Kwale Division ran into my friends and I in front of my church recently.

My brother was arrested for no reason and every other person was chased for no just cause.

I had to hide myself in my church rest room in order for me not to be arrested too.

Meanwhile, the Police were said to have earlier chased some group of boys in Odinga’s Compound, Azunze, beside Forte Oil fuel station but their arrest was abortive as the boys ran away and it was also alleged that the police took some cell phones,

sandals, etc., which the boys left behind. Sequel to this, was when they came to my church and arrested my brother in front of my church and drove off immediately.

However, I am bringing it to the notice of the Inspector -General of Police without prejudice to come to our aid as my brother is not a criminal but was illegally arrested by the Police in front of my church.

Moreover, I am of the opinion that the Police should be trained to operate intelligently and not by intimidating the citizens and denying them of their fundamental human rights and forging allegations and charging for bail when it is supposed to be free.

Blessing Egutu, Umusadege, Kwale, Delta State

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

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

‘Buhari is the Best Option for Nigeria Right Now’ On the sideline of the recent peace meeting with aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Lagos House, Marina-Lagos, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State told journalists, including Nseobong Okon-Ekong, why where he is campaigning for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari You have been in the forefront of campaigning for President Muhammadu Buhari, why do you think he deserves a second term?

As an average Nigerian, not necessarily as a governor now, I will pitch my tent with, endorse and vote President Muhammadu Buhari in this forthcoming presidential election on the basis that having crosschecked all the presidential candidates, I believe at this auspicious time in this country, the right person that can actually take us to the next level and the next trajectory of prosperity and progress of Nigeria is President Muhammadu Buhari and I am very clear about what I am saying.

Apart from the fact that he has been President in the last three and half years, he has also been Head of State in the military era. If you cross-check all the other candidates, most especially the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when you put both of them on a weigh balance, there is one that has integrity more than the other, there is one that is more passionate about Nigeria and Nigerians, most especially the poor, than the other. We are voting for Buhari on the basis of integrity. He is passionate. I cherish those two values.

It is very clear that we are just like like-minds. I can tell Nigerians that those two values can bring prosperity to Nigeria. You need somebody that has character and is likely to create an enabling environment in this country.

Beyond character and integrity, you can see that in the last three and half years, we have made fundamental preparation to push this economy to its positive trajectory and that’s what President Muhammadu Buhari has been trying to do and Nigerians don’t understand.

If you have cumulative 16 years of disruptive infrastructural tendencies, there is no way one single tenure can allow a corrective measure of the infrastructural deficit, you have to create that environment to allow you to do that. Let me give one simple example.

Today, we are having the reconstruction of the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway by President Muhammadu Buhari. This particular expressway which is more or less the nerve-centre to the economy of this country has never been touched in the last 40 years. Of this 40 years, 16 years of PDP was inclusive. Within three and half years, we have been very bold and very adamant that you need to rehabilitate the Apapa axis for you to be able to push the economy of Nigeria forward because anything that happens around the Lagos economy has a positive trajectory to the nation’s economy as a whole. So, it’s very clear, if you see a government that decides that and says that, look, even in these decades of abandonment, they want to take on this whole issue, knowing well that in another two to three years, it would be delivered, so they need to monitor it, giving it back to those who abandoned it is not a good course to run. When you look at the reconstruction of the Niger Bridge, it’s been on for the last four decades also, these are fundamental infrastructure. So it gives you more or less a very clear mind what this government of Buhari will do if he is taking on fundamental things that would push the economy forward. All we need is to support him and also make a whole lot of economic technocrats available to

secured city in Africa right now. Is it possible for me to do it alone? Of course it’s through the support and assistance of President Muhammadu Buhari. If there is anybody that is ever going to talk about security, the peace that we are enjoying and the protection of lives and property in Lagos is a reflection of the Federal Government’s desire to keep Lagos safe. I am going to urge all Nigerians to continue to stick with the APC and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, because in terms of security, within the context of what we met and what we have now, Nigeria has been peaceful and in order to sustain that, you need to keep that government in power and that’s the more reason why we should vote for Buhari in this coming election.

Ambode rally round him and take this country to the next level.

So, if you move away from infrastructure and you are looking at investment in agriculture, a very clear example is Lake Rice, it was just to prove a point that we can do local production of our own rice and project our own revenue of which President Buhari has been critically supportive. We just need additional one or two years to allow us to do that and then importation of rice would become

There are clear examples why we must all rally round President Muhammadu Buhari and give him that second term for him to be able to consolidate on all the things that are very dear to us; the things that would grow the GDP of Nigeria, the things that would enable the poor to have access and create more jobs and also allow the economy to move forward in terms of what we have in fiscal and monetary rates and policy. Those are the things that the President needs from Nigerians to be able to push this country forward

a thing of the past.

When you look at things that have to do with inclusive governance, you know all these TraderMoni and allowing SMEs to have access to interest free loans is what you mean by inclusive governance.

PDP never did that for 16 years, so why will you now say the PDP candidate is coming to do inclusive governance?

There are clear examples why we must all rally round President Muhammadu Buhari and give him that second term for him to be able to consolidate on all the things that are very dear to us; the things that would grow the GDP of Nigeria, the things that would enable the poor to have access and create more jobs and also allow the economy to move forward in terms of what we have in fiscal and monetary rates and policy.

Those are the things that the President needs from Nigerians to be able to push this country forward and that’s why the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari is the best option for Nigeria right now.

With the prevalent incidents of attacks and skirmishes in some parts of the country, would you agree that President Buhari has failed on one of his fundamental campaign promises to secure the nation?

Security is the number one achievement of this government. When he came to power in 2015, the security situation in the North East was not what it is now. People might want to be politically funny and try to create stories from nothing, but the truth is that what we had in 2015 and the relative peace we are experiencing in 2018 in the North East are totally two different things. This 2015 security crisis was handed over by the PDP to the Buhari administration. Against all odds, the country has regained lost territories and the enemies have been pushed out. There is relative peace in the North East and the truth is that Lagos, which I govern, is the most

One of the frequently talked-about short coming of the Buhari is the perceived one-sided fight against corruption. His opponents claim Buhari’s fight against corruption is targeted at key figures in the opposition political parties, what do you think?

Everybody is very clear about what is going on. In any environment, when you put up a crusade that you want to fight corruption, it’s very clear that corruption will always fight back. The way we do things in this country, they are not the right ways that can give us prosperity and President Buhari decided on his own that he would champion this crusade irrespective of how corruption will fight back. When you have had 16 years of corruption and we’ve just only had three and half years of reversing it, the way they are fighting back is trying to take government from him so that we can go back to our old ways of putting this country in penury, that is the crux of this election; the real fight in this election is that, do we want to reverse the anti-corruption drive so that we do things the same way that we used to do it and then the economy is not growing? The other option is, do you want us to continue our crusade to make sure that the way and manner we do things are the appropriate way that we can be accountable to our people?

That’s what this APC government is about and that’s what the government is trying to do to say that, you know what, you want to reverse 16 years of rot, you cannot do it and stop in three and half years, you must continue and take it to the next level so that in years to come, there would have been a lot of sanity in the system and it would be more about getting our people to have the right attitude against corruption in the way we do things, the way we relate to ourselves and the way we deliver services and dividends of democracy to our people. That is what the APC government and President Muhammadu Buhari is all about as against a former Vice President that is not in a good position to come and champion the anti-corruption drive. These are the issues. They are very clear and Nigerians should understand what it is all about.

We speak in terms of integrity, in terms of character for our President and then we can stand and vouch for that integrity.

It’s all about character, that’s what you see even in the way I govern Lagos.

That’s why I align myself with President Muhammadu Buhari.

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

POLITICS

‘Our Trump Card is Being Authentic’ Fela Durotoye, presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) reveals to Udora Orizu his campaign plans and why Nigerians need a new orientation What policies will you bring on board if elected president of Nigeria?

Looking around the entire spectrum of our nation, it’s clear our nation’s biggest problem is lack of vision and leadership. Unfortunately, we have a lot of career politicians who haven’t added any benefit to the Nigerian people, and are too involved in playing politics to be involved in governance. We have a nation that is incredibly blessed with amazing potential, but its people are broke. It’s an irony. Nigeria needs true selfless leadership, not only in the presidency, but in all elective offices across the country. I offered myself to serve as a symbol of a new Nigeria, where everyone; from the market woman, to the child in school, to the entrepreneur has an opportunity to pursue happiness.

My three major policies are to reduce the size of government and its attendant wastage. Second, we would be creating economic zones across all 774 local government areas. Third, we would be facilitating national reorientation programmes for all Nigerians.

We must reduce the size of our government. No economy that wishes to be globally competitive spends as much as 70 per cent of its national budget on recurrent expenditure. We have an enormous wage bill given to our law makers, while the government says it can’t pay the minimum wage of N30,000 that is causing so much debate.

We have police officers and service men living in dumps and we have legislators paying for expensive hotels and rooms for a whole year. It doesn’t make any sense. When we get elected, our administration will run a lean and effective government that focuses on getting things done.

Next, we would create economic zones across all LGAs. Our nation is incredibly blessed, but the people are poor, and unfortunately, we have conditioned our governors to wait to receive federal

Durotoye allocations from the centre at the end of the month, without adding value to their state economies.

At the moment, we give 13 per cent derivative as resource control. My administration proposes a 20/20/20/40 formula. That’s 20 per cent to the community that the resources are mined, 20 per cent to the local government area, 20 per cent to the state where resources are mined, and 40 per cent to the federal government. The 60 per cent will not be directly accessed by the state governors, but it will be placed in an independent Infrastructure Fund whose job it is to build roads, hospitals and schools at the same time across the country according to the federal government standard. Lastly, we will have a national reorientation programme to define who a Nigerian is and share the values of who we are. Once we get our values right, we will become a more productive people.

From 1999 to date, what is it that you

think the government has not done that you can do differently?

I believe vision is incredibly important. No administration has painted a vision of the kind of nation we want to build. When you want to build a house, you may be surrounded by the best carpenters, builders, masons, architects or bricklayers; valuable as they are, they can’t work effectively if there’s no vision of the type of house you want to build. That has been one of our problems. We have bricklayers building according to what they want, masons doing what they want and so on. There is no clear goal, so everyone is going their own way. What my administration will do is to first define the nation we want to build; and I’ve clearly defined it to be the most desirable nation to live, work and do business by December 31, 2025. Next is to get all ministries to define their visions in line with our corporate goal. For example, the Ministry of Education will have a goal that Nigeria’s educational system will be the first choice for Nigerians and Africans to educate their children and the most preferred destination for global universities to invest in by December 31, 2025. This goal will automatically affect the policies we create, the universities we build, the curriculum we create, the lecturers we hire and so on to attract the kind of people who will choose to educate their children in Nigeria.

Money politics has become a norm in the Nigerian political space. What is the implication of such on the chances of youths contesting for elective positions?

I believe that money politics has eaten deeply into the fibre of our politics, where today, the ruling class has impoverished the electorates, not only using economics, but by also refusing to educate them. Education sets people free, it causes people to ask questions. The more ignorant

the electorate, the easier it is to impoverish them.

Today, we have people asking you to shake body for them after you have engaged with them. But I believe that in 2019, money will fail the ruling class because Nigerians are tired of being poor and enslaved and all they want is a New Nigeria with opportunities for all. I’m glad to see that more young people have taken responsibility to aspire for elective offices under new party platforms simply because the cost of running on either the APC or PDP is too high. My party, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) has 141 candidates running across all offices in the nation and it was easier for them to pick up nomination forms, and because this is a social media savvy generation, they are able to share their messages online and also engage the grassroots, so I believe it’s a welcome development What’s your party’s ideology and what’s your trump card?

Our ideology is simple: A New Nigeria. We don’t want a better Nigeria. We want a 180-degree turn from what we currently have. We want a nation where light is present and generators are absent. We want a nation where the government partners with businesses and doesn’t prey on them. We want a nation that educates our children, not just to find jobs, but shows them how to create jobs. We want a nation where our many doctors and nurses who have left our shores to practice abroad can come back and build a new healthcare system. We want a nation where our police officers and law enforcement agencies are the most professional and distinguished professionals in the world. We want a nation that is the prosperity capital of the world. Our trump card is being authentic and showing Nigerians that we are just like them and that they can trust us to give them a nation they would be proud of.

‘The Current Leadership in Benue is Not Prepared for Governance’ Mr. Emmanuel Jime, Benue State governorship candidate of theAll Progressives Congress in the 2019 governorship elections fields questions from George Okoh on his plans for the state What is the truth about the alleged sour relationship between you and the leader of your party in the state, Senator George Akume There’s no truth in the story. You have to keep in mind that we are in a political environment where stirring up controversy is common to some people. If there isn’t controversy, a number of people are going to go back to their bedrooms hungry. There are people who benefit from it. To have proper governance in the state, it is important that leaders carry others along, working together and drawing from each other’s experience. People forget so soon that Senator Akume was governor of this state for eight years and there must be something about someone who has been governor for eight years that you can gain from. Sometimes in the area of the mistakes that they may have made in the past. They are better equipped to let you gave sufficient information about certain errors that may have been committed in the past in order to assist you so that you can avoid those errors and of course, become better governor yourself.

The relationship I enjoy with Senator Akume is one that is rooted in the fact that having been governor, it was important for me and indeed important for anybody who aspires for leadership to accord those who have passed through the system before you the respect that they deserve. I have had no cause to believe that Senator Akume does not mean well for the state. I have a very good relationship with Akume and those who wish that there should be friction between us are peddling these rumours of a fictional rift. When I get to the office next year, I probably will be having a very good relationship with Samuel Ortom as well because I think that my style is to be able to learn from the mistakes of the past and to be able to do that, there’s need to have a good relationship with those who have occupied that position.

What difference would you make if elected governor?

What I bring to this particular project to govern Benue State is the experience that I have had in

Jime public service. I have served at different levels in public service of our country and our state.

I was member of the state house of assembly, became Speaker and I represented a portion of this state at the federal level legislature for eight years. I am currently managing one of the most important parastatals of the federal government, the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).From my own perspective, these have prepared me for this office. I can say with all due modesty that I don’t see any of my predecessors that had the same level of preparation that I have both mentally and physically. I come to this project with sufficient preparation for the office in a way that I believe most of my predecessors did not have the advantage or the privilege that I have.

There are a couple of things that I personally find a bit challenging as far as leadership and indeed leadership recruitment in our state is concerned. Not many of our leaders have had the courage of their conviction. Unless and until you have the courage of your convictions, there is going to be a difficulty in how you meet up with governance. If you don’t have the courage of your conviction, it means that you can easily

get distracted. I am going to bring that as a quality. I believe that I possess the courage of my convictions and I am one who can be very focused in fighting for what I believe in. This is a requirement for leadership that I can say I possess. You have to also understand that being sincere in leadership is also a very important ingredient. I have served in a number of places like I said and in all of the places that I served, I have kept faith with the people. During my stewardship, I have always done the best to be a true public servant of the people in the mandate that I have held. It’s not going to be any different because I believe that you have to earn the trust of the people that you are providing leadership over. I am not saying that other leaders have not been able to earn the trust of the people but I think it’s fair to say that part of the problems that a number of our leaders had in the past is that a lot of people do not trust them enough. That is one of the qualities that we are going to bring on our process. In the current administration, for example, this particular element that is totally lacking. I am one who doesn’t usually like to criticize people who occupy offices that I am aspiring. In this case, I think I can make exception to say that with the current leadership doesn’t appear to be prepared for the responsibility of governance.

The evidence is there for everybody to see.

With the clarity of purpose and a clear understanding of what the economic issues of the day are and my ability to relate with the current economic trends, I owe the people a responsibility to perform because I run a federal government parastatal whose responsibility is to assist the federal government in managing Nigeria’s economy. This makes me realise that we have to grow the Benue economy in order for us to be able to deliver on all the other important indices of governance. For instance, if you don’t grow internally generated revenue, much of all the beautiful plans that you may have will fail. I have an interest in making sure that our infrastructure is developed to the level that can carry our economic aspirations. Today, I think it’s fair to say that we can hardly find five

kilometers of any motorable road in our state.

That is a sorry state to be in. For instance, in Makurdi, we live on the banks of River Benue, isn’t it true that our people are still fetching drinking water from streams? That shouldn’t be the case. The last time I checked, the previous administration brought the greater Makurdi Water Works to a point where today, all that is left is reticulation to circulate the water around. The question is why has that not been done? This has a lot of impact on our people and I don’t think that much attention has been paid to it.

In summary, I believe you can have all the beautiful plans that are out there from the days of Governor Akume with the Benue Advance Plan and then of course, Suswam had Our Benue Our Future. Beautiful plans that are out there that all you need do is to dust them up. But you may have had all beautiful plans but if you are not prepared for the responsibility and you don’t have the courage of your convictions, you cannot get them implemented. These are some of the areas where we need to do things differently to have a total paradigm shift in the way that governance is being delivered.

You have been the DG of NEPZA. How well have you used that position to attract developmental projects to Benue?

Let’s understand that this is a federal parastatal.

The functions of NEPZA is to grant licenses to individuals who wish to participate in the free trade zones. In my time as MD of NEPZA, we have licensed close to 20 private free trade zones. And because there hasn’t been one single application from Benue State, you simply will not just go and dash it to an area where there isn’t an application. I believe that part of the problem is that most Benue business people don’t understand the advantage of participating in the free trade zones scheme. We have what you call the public free trade zones that are established by the Nigerian government.

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

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FEATURES

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

Propagating Road Safety Awareness for Children As part of efforts to give back to the society and catch future road users, the Ikeja branch of the National Association of Seadogs, in conjunction with Federal Road Safety Corps, recently organised a one-day road usage awareness seminar for school pupils in Lagos, Sunday Ehigiator writes

W

ith emphasis on road use as a lifelong learning process, the education of children and adolescents as future road users and drivers is important, especially at this time of the year, which is believed to be the busiest, due to the increased number of road users, traveling for the festivity period.

Road safety is a safety measure to reduce the risk of road accidents and roadside injuries, often caused by reckless mistakes of people driving on the road. On a daily basis, the number of road accidents, which often leads to death, have been blamed on driving errors and lack of adherence to road traffic rules.

According to the statistics of World Health Organisation, 2008, it was found that most of the hospitalistion cases and leading cause of death are because of road trauma. This goes to butrress the point that everyone needs to be well aware of the road traffic rules especially children and young people, who are at significant road accident risks.

Catching them Young Based on this non-negotiable fact, the Ikeja branch of the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), popularly known as Pirates Confraternity, in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), recently organised a one-day road usage awareness seminar for pupils of Primary School Ikeja and Ogba Primary School Ikeja.

At the event, the NAS President, Ikeja Chapter, Mr. Godstime Awoze said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Road safety is the safety of people from roadside injuries and accidents. It involves various methods and measures which must be followed by the road users to prevent serious injury and accidents. As the president of the National Association of Seadogs, Ikeja Chapter, we see it as a prerogative to partner FRSC and be able to drive in the message of road safety to road users especially in this festive period.

"We decided to pass the message across to the parents through their children because we realise how embarrassing a parent would feel if it is their children that corrects and teach them road signs and other way of compliance to safety measures while driving. Also, these children are also road users; they walk on roadsides and even cross mainroads. They will one day own a car and drive on same road. Hence, it is good they start to learn all they need to learn about road safety even at this age.

"We also recommend that government should inculcate road safety awareness in primary and secondary school curriculums; that way, we can curb future traffic offenders, and bring up traffic compliant citizens to take over our roads in the future."

Road Safety Measures Speaking at the event, Head of Operations, FRSC Ikeja Unit command, Mrs. Saratu Oddi, admonished the pupils to always obey road signs when trying to cross roads; especially those with traffic lights. She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we all are aware, road accidents, injury and death has been very common now-a-days. People not following the road traffic rules and road safety measures are the main cause of such accidents on the roads.

"We always hear in the news or from our friends about road accidents because of wrong side driving, lack of road safety rules, measures, high speed, drunk driving, etc. Government has made variety of road traffic and safety rules for everyone using the road for their safety, all in a bid to reduce the number of daily road accidents. We should follow all the rules and regulations such as practicing defensive driving, using safety measures such as seat belt while driving, maintaining appropriate

L-R: Assistant Route Commander, FRSC Ikeja Command, Mr.Taiwo Ogundola; President, National Association of Seadogs(NAS), Ikeja chapter, Mr. Godstime Awoze; Chief Route Commander, Mrs.Saratu Oddi and Mr. Nnaemeka Nwankwo, at the road safety awareness for pupils of Estate and Ogba Primary Schools organised by NAS

speed limit, understanding and obeying road signs, not picking calls while driving, and ignoring every distractions while driving. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Road safety risks have been on the increase because of driver's distraction due to the use of cellphones or other electronic devices while driving. In such cases, traffic laws and rules helps us a lot to keep away from such. Road safety measures are the only tools that can save us from the expensive traffic fines, serious offences, withdrawal of driving licenses, etc. Pedestrians should also know the rules of walking on the road like proper use of crosswalks, use of zebra crossing, etc.

"Road safety must be paid proper attention to by each and every one of us, whether using vehicles or not. Children and students are the most vulnerable group of road accidents, minor or major injuries and even death, because of lack of adult supervision.

We should not be late in making children

Meanwhile, the affected workers are not against the termination of their contract but are appealing to Governor Masari to apply due process and follow the laid down guidelines as stipulated in the contract agreement letter, such as giving them three months notice or payment of one month salary

aware of the road safety rules and measures in their early ages. It should be the duty of parents and teachers to teach them properly under their nice supervision."

Higher Risk Groups According to statistics, it has been established that in most road accidents cases all over the world, children are involved. So they are at higher risk than other age groups. Thus, they need road safety knowledge and education from their early ages. It should start from their home and schools by adding this subject to their syllabus.

While addressing journalists, Awoze said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Children are children, no one can be sure about what they will do next at home or at other crowded places, especially on the road during traffic situation, and this festive period.

They are completely innocent, they cannot judge the vehicles speed moving on the road.

Drivers also cannot recognise their mood to move on the road especially when they try to cross the road in front of the vehicle because of their small height.

"Children cannot judge how often vehicles can come on the empty road, they can cross the road from anywhere on the road because they have no idea about the proper place to cross the road. Hence, they become fearful soon and do not understand what they should do when they see vehicles coming to their direction."

Road Safety Recommendations for Kids Awoze thereby recommended that, "parents should teach their children to be extra attentive and look left and right before crossing the road. Children should always cross the roads by holding hands of their elders or friends, they should never run on the roads, or be in a hurry or leave parent's hands while crossing.

"They should be calm and very cautious on the road without getting distracted by anything. They should practice following

sidewalks only or always use the left side on the roads where sidewalks are unavailable. They should be taught to only cross the roads at crossroads after seeing traffic signals for pedestrians, and must be aware of the meaning of colors (red means stop, green means go and yellow means also stop), traffic light basics and importance of traffic signs on the roads. They should use rear side of the passenger seat while getting out of a car or bus, and should be taught to not play on the roads or other places outside their playing zone.

"They should wear helmet and use all the measures while riding bicycle on the roads and ensure proper functioning of brakes, horns and steering. They should not use earphone or other music listening instruments while riding bicycle on the road.

"Lastly, parents should show good examples to their children by wearing seat-belts while driving a car or helmet while driving a bike anytime. Parents should follow all the road safety laws and traffic rules while driving to establish good examples in front of their children as they are first example in the lives of their kids."

At the end of the event, a notebook containing thorough knowledge of Nigeria road signs, signals, roads and pavement markings were delivered to the pupils by the safety bodies, to aid their road safety comprehension. This is because road signs in Nigeria and markings together with signals by authorised traffic officers are to ensure a smooth and safe traffic flow.

Undoubtedly, road safety is very important for people of all age groups given that it will help reduce the number of road accidents and injury cases. But there is a role for all to play; everyone should strictly follow all the rules, regulations and signs of road traffic lights, children should be taught by their parents at home and get proper study by the teachers in school.

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PERSPECTIVE

Why Enugu has Remained Peaceful

By Samson Ezea Enugu is peaceful, secure and lively.

It is investors friendly. These are the words on the lips of many residents and visitors to the state in recent years. Among those who have attested to thisinclude members of the Police Service Commission, who during a recent visit to the state disclosed that by the police report, Enugu recorded the lowest crime rate in the country in the last three years. Also not left out in this testimony was the popular global gospel artiste, Don Moen, who was also in the state recently for an event.

While this is a welcome development, considering that nothing could be achieved in an atmosphere of insecurity and restiveness. The peacefulness of the coal city is not an accident.

It is a result of right leadership, programmes and actions provided by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led administration in the state. On assumption of office in 2015 as the first governor of the state on opposition platform since 1999, Ugwuanyi was faced with major challenge of paucity of fund to carry out government obligations. Coming from a financial background coupled with his leadership experience and good heart, Ugwuanyi took off with equanimity and reached out virtually to every major stakeholder and group in the state, be it religious, political, traditional, or tribal. His message was simple and prophetic; Enugu Is In The Hands Of God.â&#x20AC;? From then, in everything Ugwuanyi does in the state, he puts God first. He promised and assured the people of peace, good governance, transparency, massive infrastructure and respect for all and sundry. Not many took him serious or by his word, knowing that lip service is the stock in trade of a typical Nigerian politician.

But to the surprise and support of many, Ugwuanyi has lived by his words in the last three years plus and testimonies are bound.Within this period, his government instituted the culture of fiscal discipline, selfless service and self-contentment in public service. Government functionaries and workers live modest and genuine life, so also the governor and his close aides. It is leadership by example.

Fanfare, razzmatazz, financial profligacy and wastages that usually characterized government activities has been drastically reduced, if not eliminated completely. Governance became a serious business in the state and every public servant was made to shape in or shape out. The residents of the state are happy with the government, because public funds are no longer cornered or squandered by government officials or politicians.

Being mindful of the backlog of infrastructural deficits his government inherited alongside dwindling resources, Ugwuanyi quickly embarked on the construction of many roads in rural areas to open up the areas for easy access and reduction of ruralurban migration. Apart from roads, the government provided electricity, boreholes and health centres and other amenities to make life of rural dwellers meaningful and comfortable.

Also believing in the dictum that government is a continuum, Governor Ugwuanyi has not only continued to maintain the tarred roads and street light built by his predecessor, he has constructed additional roads and street light in the state capital and adjoining cities. That is why in Enugu today, night life which makes a city different is effective, booming and enticing.

There is no dull moment in the state, because almost every street is tarred and adorned with street lights. Taxiand

Governor Ugwuanyi

tricycle drivers operate 24 hours unperturbed and secure. So for those who are not mobile, movement is not a problem in the state, because taxi or tricycles are always handy at affordable price.

In making his key appointments, the governor spread it among the three senatorial zones in the state. This is unlike his predecessors that concentrated every major appointment in his zone without minding whose is gored.

The same approach was adopted by the governor in project allocation to the extent that people of Enugu North zone where the governor hails from seem not to be happy with him. But the governor does not believe in sectional politics as he has always said that he is the governor of all Enugu residents irrespective of religion, status or tribe. That does not mean he has not done many projects in Enugu North, which one of them is the popular Opi-Nsukka road that was a shame of the sleepy town of Nsukka town for decades. Also being mindful of the fact that majority residents of the state are civil servants, Ugwuanyi pays workers salary every 23rd of the month and pay 13th month in December. This has enabled workers in the state plan with their salaries that has been prompt and regular since Ugwuanyi became governors. The same thing is applied to pensioners in the state too. The government has employed more than 850 workers and engaged the youths in vocational training to the praise and admiration of their parents and relations. This is happening at a time, most state governments are struggling to meet up with their financial obligations and Enugu is almost at the bottom in the monthly federation allocation order. It

was because of this that workers in the state gave him award as workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;most friendly governor.

In the area of politics, despite being the first governor of the state to emerge on opposition platform since 1999, Ugwuanyi was never distracted nor tempted to join the ruling party. He rather remained focused in providing good governance and peace in the state, knowing that party platform is secondary to good governance. He respects every opinion or view concerning the state but hardly gives in to such unless it is in the overall interest of the people. While most incumbent governors and their predecessors have been engaged in political battle of supremacy, the situation is different in Enugu under Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;swatch. The governor has continued to humbly accord due respect to his predecessors and other major stakeholders in the state, despite their different political leanings. Prevailing in the state ahead of 2019 elections is decent, tolerant and inclusive politics, which was made possible by the governor.

Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government has never muscled the opposition in the state, despite several provocations, especially as 2019 campaigns gather momentum.

One hardly read or hear the governor attacking anybody or engaging in war of word with anybody over anything, be it politics or governance. Even when his aides want to do so or fight on his behalf, he usually called them to order, reminding them that the peace of the state remains paramount. To him, Enugu indigenes and residents are brothers and sisters before and after politics and dialogue is the way forward. He detests politics of bitterness, prebendalism and cronyism. In most

of his political appointments, which is a mix of the young and old breeds, youths have the lion share. This has encouraged active youth participation in the politics and governance of the state. This has changed the popular saying that the youths are leaders of tomorrow to youths are leaders of today.

Ugwuanyi is not only a grassroots politician who understands the political terrain and configuration of the state, he is deep-rooted at the grassroots and is never noisy. He is a silent achiever and operator, who never like blowing his trumpet. This gives him an edge in the politics of the state. He is everywhere in the state and greatly loved by majority of the people. The people will quickly tell you that he sleeps and wakes up, thinking about the problems of the state and its solutions.

After the ugly Lejja farmers/ herders clash, Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration effectively devised a solution to the problem. That is why since then, there is nothing like such clash in the state.

Now, farmers and herdsmen co-habit peacefully and cordially like in the olden days. No wonders, ahead of 2019 polls, there is no cacophony of voices against Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reelection, rather there has been avalanche of endorsements from different groups and bodies, who see him as a performing and humble leader that deserves second term in office. Not many is angry with Ugwuanyiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration, because the governor has been fair, kind and helpful to all and sundry in the state to best of his ability and resources at his disposal.

Ezea writes from Independence Layout, Enugu State

22

IMAGES

L-R; Chief Executive OďŹ&#x192;cer, Lifepage Property and Investment, Mr. Oladipo Clement; Director, Mrs. Omolola Clement; Finance Director, Mr. Peter Adesanya; and Executive Director, Mr. Opeoluwa Oni, at the oďŹ&#x192;cial unveiling of Lifepage Property and Investment new Logo in Lagos recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Lead Actor, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;weeks in Lagos â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;, Mawuli Gavor; Nigeria Actress, Mrs. Joke Silver, and Director, Catherine Fasega, during the media briefing to announce the launch of the new movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;2 weeks in Lagosâ&#x20AC;? held in Lagos,â&#x20AC;Ś recently..SUNDAYADIGUN

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Photo Editor Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039; Email Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x203A;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĚśĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ë&#x203A;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Home AďŹ&#x20AC;airs, Mrs. Toyin Awoseyi: Commissioner for Home AďŹ&#x20AC;airs, Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef receiving the report of 2018 Hajj from the Chairman, Lagos State Muslim Welfare Board, Dr. Tajudeen Yusuf and the secretary of the board, Mr. Rahman Ishola, during the presentation in Alausa , Lagos..... recently

Members of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), during the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50th anniversary thanksgiving Jumat service held in Abuja recently

L-R;District Governor, Heritage Lions Club, District 404B1, Lekan Babalola;Wife of the incoming President, Dasola Tijani; Incoming President of Lagos Platinum Heritage Lions Club, District 404B1, Oludare Tijani; and Regional Chairman, Adelaja Adeleye , during the installation of Oludare as President of Lagos Platinum Heritage Lions Club in Lagos recently

L-R; Managing Director, CCD Superstores, Pastor Mrs. Risi Ogunbor; Chairman, Nosak Group, Dr. Toni Ogunbor; Founder /Group Managing Director, Dubril Oil Ltd; Dr. Uduimo Itsueli;and Vice Chairman, Mutual BeneďŹ ts Assurance Plc, Mr. Tunde Dabiri, at the awards/night of honour as Toni Ogunbor was honoured with life time achievement award to mark 70th anniversary of the University of Ibadan in Ibadan recently

L-R: National Director, SOS Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village, Isolo, Mr. Eghosa Erhumwunse; Best graduating student of Dulux painterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academy, Chioma Obi; and Managing Director, CAP PLC, Mrs. Kemi Ogunnubi, at the 2018 Duluxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workshop YOMI AKINYELE titled: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colour activationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Lagos recently

L-R: Media Executive Project Smile, Ms Isioma Nwani; Project Initiator, Dr. Amy Shumbusho; winner of the project 6.0, Bukola Grace Balogun; Smile Ambassador for Smile360, Omoni Oboli; and Project Expediter, Ms Adanna Okpara, YOMI AKINYELE during presentation of certiďŹ cate to the winner of project smile 6.0 in Lagos recently

SMILE 1.jpg

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BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08024557078, 08152447875

ÍŻ Ͳ Ë&#x153; Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ Íś MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

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Quick Takes Park to Host Lagos

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Western Digital Expands Products

COURTESY VISIT

L-R: Director, Enyimba Economic City, Ugochukwu Okoroafor; founder, Nigeria and Entrepreneurship Summit and Honors (NESH), Emeka Ugwu-Oju; Head of Trade & Economics Section, European Union (EU) Delegation, Filippo Amato; Communications Consultant, NESH, Emma Agu and Economic Officer, EU Delegation, Ibi Ikpoki, when a delegation from NESH visited the Head, Delegation of the EU to Nigeria and ECOWAS at the EU office in Abujaâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

Report: Right Spectrum Deployment Will Generate $565bn in Global GDP Emma Okonji A new report launched by the GSM Association (GSMA), a global telecoms regulatory body has predicted that unlocking spectrum for the mobile industry to deliver innovative 5G services across different industry sectors, could add as much as $565 billion to global GDP and $152 billion in tax revenue from 2020 to 2034.

In Nigeria, the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), last month, announced the readiness of Nigeria to roll out 5G network with the appropriate spectrum such as the 26GHz, 38GHz and 42GHz bands by the year 2020.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Pro. Umar Garba Danbatta, had said trial testing of the

TELECOM rollout plan had commenced in the country beginning with the Eko Atlantic project.

However, the new GSMA report noted that next-generation 5G services would improve access to healthcare, education and mobility while reducing pollution and increasing safety.

The report also said these outcomes would rely on government support for the identification of sufficient millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum for the mobile industry at the next ITU World Radio Communication Conference in 2019 (WRC-19).

The GSMA report, titled: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Socio-Economic Benefits of 5G Services Provided in mmWave Bands,â&#x20AC;? was the first to examine

and quantify the impact of mmWave spectrum on the overall contribution of 5G networks to society. mmWave spectrum will carry the highest capacity 5G services.

It has the ideal characteristics to support very high data transfer rates and ultra-reliable, low latency capabilities, which will support new use cases and deliver the benefits of 5G to consumers and businesses around the world.

Analysing the report, the Head of Spectrum, GSMA, Brett Tarnutzer, said the global mobile ecosystem knew how to make spectrum work to deliver a better future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mobile operators have a history of maximising the impact of our spectrum resources and no one else has done more to

transform spectrum allocations into services that are changing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Planning spectrum is essential to enable the highest 5G performance and government backing for mmWave mobile spectrum at WRC-19, to unlock the greatest value from 5G deployments for their citizens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More than five billion people already rely on the mobile ecosystem to deliver services that are integral to their daily lives and fundamental to the economic sustainability of the communities they live in. 5G can offer more benefits and a whole new range of services to even more people, but this will not be possible without access to this vital spectrum,â&#x20AC;?

Continued on page 24

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Glo Unveils New OďŹ&#x20AC;ering

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Group Honours Ethiopian Airlines

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Survey Reveals High Level of Distrust among Employers, Employees Emma Okonji The December 2018 monthly forum organised by the Indian Professional Association, which held recently, has revealed the high level of distrust between employers and employees at workplaces.

The forum, which focused on the complex relationships between employers and employees, revealed an ongoing trend, where employers now have a deep distrust in their employees.

The founder of CWG Plc, a technology solution company, who doubles as Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia Busi-

ECONOMY ness School, New York, Mr. Austin Okere, who presented the keynote paper at the forum, said he was at a recent entrepreneurship forum, where over 70 per cent of attendants who were mostly entrepreneurs and business leaders, declared a deep sense of distrust for their employees.

Employers believe that most staff are no longer loyal, they are ungrateful and always disgruntled, they steal and do underhand deals, some are resigning without notice and consideration, and that in most cases, members of are

running their own businesses on the side; most times in the same business segment.

Okere, cited a recent survey, which revealed that almost one-third of workers were cynical about their organisation and their leaders. The survey showed that change at work was linked to employee stress, distrust and intent to quit.

According to Okere, many organisations do not clearly define their purpose or their cause. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In my experience, it is not all about the pay but also about self-worth and pride in the job; the notion of being part of something special.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Employees reported having more trust in their companies when the organisation recognises them for their contributions, provides opportunities for involvement and communicates effectively,â&#x20AC;? Okere said.

Narrating the CWG way of how best to deal with employees, Okere said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many employers are so disconnected from their employees that they would easily miss a major tragedy in their personal circumstances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is not saying that we should run a nursery, but at the same time, employees are not Continued on page 24

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those in technology circle have great responsibility to cushion the effects of political uncertainties, because technology remains the driving force that will sustain economiesâ&#x20AC;?

Minister of Industry,Trade and Investment,

Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah

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REPORT: RIGHT SPECTRUM DEPLOYMENT WILL GENERATE $565BN IN GLOBAL GDP Tarnutzer said.

According to the report, mmWave 5G would not only provide consumers with ultra-fast mobile broadband services including immersive entertainment, but would also stimulate a host of applications that will enable citizens and businesses to do tomorrow what they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do today.

These innovations will include enhanced remote healthcare and education, industrial automation, virtual and augmented reality, and many others.

The early lead already being established in 5G in the Asia Pacific and Americas regions are expected to generate the greatest share of GDP attributed to mmWave 5G, at $212 billion and $190 billion respectively.

Europe is forecast to have the highest percentage of GDP growth attributable to mmWave of any region, with 2.9 per cent, the report added.

SURVEY REVEALS HIGH LEVEL OF DISTRUST AMONG EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES machines, they are emotional beings.â&#x20AC;?

He stressed the need for openness among employees and employers, insisting that openness engenders trust and engagement, since lack of effective communication leaves room for dangerous rumours. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our mantra is to treat everybody as the owner of the business so that they see the big picture. The staff have very high autonomy and there is a deep alignment, and therefore they displayed a deep sense of responsibility and accountability. We embrace mistakes as part of learning, albeit you cannot make the same mistake twice,â&#x20AC;? Okere said in his keynote presentation.

He added that as the workplace becomes more diversified, it may be expedient to expand horizon and foster integration by working with people who have the same values, while also talking to people from different backgrounds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Above all leading self, is as important as leading others. The best place to look for the change you desire is usually within you,â&#x20AC;? he further said.

NCC Begins Review of Telecoms Customer Service Agreement Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced the review of its customer Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the resolution of consumer complaints and escalations to service providers.

The measure, according to NCC, would ensure faster and more effective resolution of consumer complaints in the telecoms industry and improve overall consumer experience on all telecoms networks.

The review would be carried out by a joint NCC-Industry Working Committee, which the commission has set up to ensure robust stakeholder participation in the exercise, and in furtherance of its consultative approach to rule-making.

Speaking during the inauguration of the NCC component of working committee at its headquarters in Abuja recently, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare, re-emphasised the NCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to ensuring superior consumer experience on all telecoms platforms.

He noted that as a consumer-centric telecoms regulator, the NCC believes that effective and timely resolution of consumer complaints as fundamental elements of consumer protection, pointing out that these are also fundamental statutory obligations of the commission as detailed in Sections 4 and 105 of the

Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003; the Quality of Service Regulations 2013, the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, 2007 and other similar instruments.

He therefore charged the committee to ensure that reviewed SLAs entrench the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumer-centric focus, while also taking due cognisance of the relevant ecosystem, technology and other factors affecting service

quality.

NCC had met with service providers and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella industry organisation in Lagos on the 26th of September, 2018 to discuss ways of enhancing the speed and quality of complaints resolution. At that meeting, the commission expressed its strong displeasure about delays in complaints resolution,

while operators pointed to the need to review some of the SLAs to reflect developments in technology and other factors impacting performance. The meeting therefore resolved to establish a joint NCC-industry Working Committee to study the matter and make recommendations, which the commission will take into consideration in setting out new complaints resolution SLAs for the industry.

Dare, noted that the NCC component of the working committee comprised of subject-matter experts drawn from the various departments of NCC. He therefore charged them to bring their expertise to bear in developing SLAs and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which will deliver enhanced consumer experience and superior service quality for telecoms consumers across networks.

DRIVING INNOVATION

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;R: Managing Director, SystemSpecs, John Obaro; Director, Ecosystem Accelerex Network Ltd, Chidinma Lawanson; Managing Director, Global Accelerex Ltd, Tunde Ogungbade; ED, Business Development, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Chirstabel Onyejekwe; Chairman, Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH), Stanley Jacob; Ag. Managing Director, NIBSS, Niyi Ajao and Head, Agent Banking, Kenya Commercial Bank and keynote speaker, Edwin Otieno, during the fourth quarter PoS Innovation Summit held in Lagos...recently

Firms Pilot Digital Wallet for Agriculture Scientists from IBM Research and start-up Hello Tractor are piloting an agriculture digital wallet and decision-making tool.

The solution would provide demand and supply visibility for farmers, tractor fleet providers and banks to give farmers the equipment and technology they need to build a sustainable farm.

In sub-Sahara Africa more than 60 per cent of farms are powered by humans, with less than 20 per cent provided by engines, a model which is not sustainable as food demand increases due to population

growth, which is averaging 11 million per year, according to research report.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, 35 to 50 per cent of postharvest losses for perishable agricultural products are lost annually in the region due to poor planting practices.

To address this, in 2014, Hello Tractor had launched a mobile platform to enable farmers to access tractor services on demand.

Using a mobile app, the service aggregates tractor service requests such as ploughing and then pairs

them with recommended tractors and operators, while simultaneously tracking how many hours each piece of equipment is in the field and area serviced.

The CEO and Founder of Hello Tractor, Jehiel Oliver, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through valued relationships with companies like John Deere, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been very successful in increasing mechanisation access in small holder communities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To reach the next level, we need to add additional services including predictive fleet utilisation and maintenance; operator and tractor scoring; financing and

the crop yield forecasting.â&#x20AC;?

The new services will be tested in a pilot phase, starting in the first half of 2019.

According to the research, machine learning would help to predict crop yields, which combined with advanced analytics and the blockchain, can be mined to develop a credit score for loans.

The report said using machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT), owners will be able to view and manage fleet utilisation, predictive maintenance and forecast future tractor utilisations based on history, real-time

weather and remote sensing satellite data.

The report further said banks and financial institutions can view and track utilisation of tractors to determine a credit portfolio for the farmer and tractor owner, while also evaluating forecasted utilisation to make credit decisions for tractor owners based on verified and trusted data on the blockchain.

Also, governments can utilise data and actionable insights for various decision support capabilities such as for structuring incentives, enforcing regulations prioritising

Expert Harps on Community Trust to Drive Financial Inclusion Group Business Editor

Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039; Capital Market Editor

Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;ĂŁ Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

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

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x201C; Senior Correspondent

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

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

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

Emma Okonji The co-Founder and CEO, Social Lender, Faith Adesemowo, has stressed the need for Nigeria to build a community of trust and credit worthiness in order to further drive financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked.

She said her company, which has a lending solution platform, has already imbibed the culture to build a community of trust and credit, designed to complement the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in driving cashless economy.

Adesemowo, maintained that Social Lender helps financial

institutions to extend formal credit not only to salary earners but also to young professionals, small business owners, market women, entrepreneurs and students to leverage on their social reputation.

She, however, emphasised that the principles of lending was still the same across all platforms, adding that digital lending platforms are only â&#x20AC;&#x153;here to enable traditional lending to run more smoothly, efficiently and bring them to the space they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t typically operate in.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; According to her, Social Lender does not focus only on users with internet and smart phones, but also on the

community of the individuals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social Lender is not a lender but a platform that enables lenders target demography or segment of the market. We run a co-label and white-label partnerships with lenders and financial institutions,â&#x20AC;? she said.

She further explained the social reputation algorithm behind Social Lender, saying it is enough to guarantee willingness and ability to pay back loans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes into account the usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; community, engagement, network and several other indicators both online and offline. This is dependent on the data the user gives us permission to.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The solution collects this data and processes it to give the user a social reputation score. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an artificial intelligence-based solution that gives usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability and willingness to repay small loans under a particular ticket size,â&#x20AC;? Adesemowo said.

She added that the ability to repay larger loans is a slightly different parametre, which technology can only do by reviewing transaction history of the user. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have an end-to-end lending platform that can review usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; transaction history with some of our partner banks and partner financial institutions.

This feeds into the partner

specific business rules for lending specific amounts. I should emphasize however that social reputation score is the main asset of Social Lender,â&#x20AC;? she said.

She noted that open APIs and blockchain technology would afford lenders the opportunity to enjoy more services when using any lending platform. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With Open APIs, more financial institutions will have access to data that was previously sited in silos that will help expand the space. This is happening gradually. We hope for a similar regulation to enforce financial institutions to share more data over timeâ&#x20AC;?, she added.

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Boosting Telecomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Advocacy for Customer Satisfaction The Industry Consumer Advisory Forum, which operates in advisory capacity, will enhance telecoms consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s satisfaction if its objectives are well implemented, writes Emma Okonji In order to effectively address the myriad of challenges faced by telecoms subscribers and to effectively regulate the telecoms sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, in February 2009, established The Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) with sets of objectives that will help address telecoms subscribersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; challenges, which range from poor service quality, incessant drop calls, inability to recharge mobile phones, fast depletion of data, to receiving of unsolicited messages.

Since its inception, ICAF, under the guidance of NCC, has identified several challenges and made appropriate recommendations on how best to address the challenges.

Determined to do more in promoting telecoms consumer satisfaction, ICAF recently held its 2018 fourth quarter open meeting with the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Progressing From Customer Service to Customer Experience-The Consumer â&#x20AC;&#x2122;3 Point of Viewâ&#x20AC;?.

Although telecoms subscribers see ICAF as a veritable platform to address consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; challenges, they were of the view that proper implementation of the objectives of ICAF, would boost its advisory mandate and also enhance telecoms consumer satisfaction across various networks.

ICAF objective Pursuant to the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA 2003), the NCC, in line with its consumer centric desire and in order to ensure non-discriminatory service delivery, as well as an acceptable quality of experience by consumers of technology products and services, established ICAF with some objectives to help address consumer challenges.

Some of the objectives include the review of Consumer Code of Practice Regulation and suggestions for improvement; Initiate and facilitate consumer protection, information and educational programmes; Recommend on how the requirements and interests of persons with special needs and the elderly are fully taken into account in the development and provision of products and services; Invite public opinion in collaboration with NCC in consumer issues; Offer stakeholder opinion in policy and strategic initiatives towards an acceptable and sustainable quality of experience of products and services; and to make recommendations on all issues within the scope of activities of ICAF to NCC, among others.

Commending the objectives as laudable, industry stakeholders are of the view that if they are properly implemented, they will give the consumers a voice of their own to demand for their rights.

President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the establishment of ICAF was in the right direction, but insisted that its objectives must be strictly implemented to protect the consumer. He frowned at a situation where the challenges of telecoms consumer are not well addressed, even in the face of ICAF and called on ICAF to hold telecoms service providers accountable for any neglect in telecoms consumer services.

To achieve the ICAF objectives, NCC has rolled out several customer-centric initiatives.

They include: Setting quality of service and key performance indicators (KPls) for all consumer interactions and particularly for the resolution of consumer complaints and escalations; imposing obligations to eliminate unsolicited SMS through the â&#x20AC;?2442/DNDâ&#x20AC;? platform; mandating operators to establish customer services centres in all state capitals and major towns so that customers can have easy access to their network providers when lodging complaints; and also mandating licensees to issue â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trouble ticketsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which enable the tracking of all complaints to determine whether they are resolved within the given time frame.

Subscribersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ordeal Most of the participants at the ICAF forum,

Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu

who were telecoms subscribers from various networks, narrated their ordeal. Aside network challenges that they face on a daily basis, some narrated how they have been defrauded through their SIM cards that are linked to their bank accounts, and called on telecoms operators and the banks to protect their hard-earned monies.

President, Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, Mrs. Mary Uduma, while reacting to the presentation of the Executive Secretary of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbolahan

The telecom industry in Nigeria is witnessing an explosion of competition.

Consequently, there has been an increase in customer relationship. In order to remain relevant, telecom operators need to invest more in retaining and serving their customers. Creating exceptional customer experience will tackle these concerns and lead to a general increase in Average Revenue per User (ARPU), given that the demand from customers for multi-play services such as broadband, mobile wallets, data and content, can actually boost revenues if customers can be retained

Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Pro. Umar Garba Danbatta

Awonuga, commended telecoms operators for their efforts in providing telecoms services amid tough business environment, but urged the operators to do more, especially in the area of service quality and protection of consumer rights.

Regulatory position The Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, who represented the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe that through adequate education, information sharing and the provision of an array of channels for redress, we can safeguard all telecom consumers and promote the climate where consumer experience will grow and flourish seamlessly.â&#x20AC;?

Speaking on the theme of the forum, Dare said it was well selected, considering the fact that over the years, the telecoms industry has focused efforts on improving customer service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To achieve the objectives, NCC has rolled out several customer-centric initiatives such as Setting Quality of Service (QoS), KPls for all consumer interactions and particularly for the resolution of consumer complaints and escalations; and frontally tackling issues of call masking, â&#x20AC;?forcedâ&#x20AC;? VAS and data subscriptions, among others,â&#x20AC;? Dare said.

According to him, NCC would continue to ensure consumer protection, through ICAF.

ICAF as advisory body Speaking on the role of ICAF as advisory body, Dare said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we are well aware, ICAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deliberations and advisory on a number of consumer related issues in the past, contributed to formidable changes for the betterment of the consumer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore it is no surprise that yet again their advice on the unwholesome practices of data termination and forceful subscription on VAS supported the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s directions to service providers in these areas. Today consumers who were previously unable to access unused data upon expiry of their data plan, can now do so within given timelines, since June 2018. Complaints have also reduced on the issue of forceful/automatic renewal of data services and activation/subscription to data and Value Added Services (VAS) without prior consent, since May 2018. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The telecom industry in Nigeria is witnessing an explosion of competition.

Consequently, there has been an increase in customer relationship. In order to remain relevant, telecom operators need to invest more in retaining and serving their customers.

Creating exceptional customer experience will tackle these concerns and lead to a general increase in Average Revenue per User (ARPU), given that the demand from customers for multi-play services such as broadband, mobile wallets, data and content, can actually boost revenues if customers can be retained.â&#x20AC;?

The strategy Explaining the best strategies to deploy in addressing consumer complaints, the former Chairman of ICAF, Prof. Felicia Monye, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since inception, ICAF has made recommendations on diverse issues of telecoms services, which the commission has duly implemented.

For instance, the issue of unsolicited messages was exhaustively discussed at different ICAF meetings culminating in the adoption of the 2442 Do-Not-Disturb short code. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this short code, consumers now have a choice as to what messages, if any, to receive. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumer advocacy has migrated from customer service to customer experience. In times past, it was thought that rendering good customer service was sufficient to achieve and retain patronage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commerce has experienced remarkable changes including competition, globalisation and enhanced level of consumer awareness and expectations. These factors have necessitated the need to explore other ways of relating with customers. A prominent identified way of achieving this is through moving from customer service to customer experience.â&#x20AC;?

According to her, in Nigeria, some companies now have Customer Experience Departments, thus buttressing the importance of this phenomenon. Some organisations also organise customer experience conferences. She added that the essence of the ICAF Forum was to gather information, which would help all stakeholders to improve on the growth of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

The current Chairman of ICAF, Mr. Igho Majemite, said ICAF would continue to pursue its objective of providing maximum protection to consumers.

Given the importance of telecoms consumers in the telecoms sector, there is need for NCC to ensure that the objectives of ICAF are fully implemented to the letter in order to enhance customer satisfaction.

5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

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5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

31

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Ě&#x201C;

Vodacom, Microsoft Collaborate to Enhance Businesses Stories by Emma Okonji Vodacom Business Nigeria has entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft, through its 4Afrika initiative and Descasio to build capacity and help improve operational efficiency among its customers using the suite of Microsoft Azure Cloud platform services.

Microsoft Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform, which would enable customers to rapidly build, deploy and manage its applications, data, runtime and more in the cloud. The platform allows users to leverage existing skills using the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular languages, tools, and frameworks in a resilient, scalable and reliable global datacenter network.

Speaking at a meeting in Lagos, Managing Director for Vodacom Business Nigeria, Wale Odeyemi said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our vision is to be a leading

digital company that empowers a connected society and we have realised the benefits that strategic collaborations with key stakeholders within our ecosystem can bring to helping us realise this vision faster. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vodacom actively pursues a collaborative approach that leverages the combination of core competencies of its partners to increase customer value that complement our already rich products and services in addressing our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs to optimise their operations through increased flexibility, agility and resiliency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to our secure connectivity services, this collaboration with Microsoft and Descasio ensures our customers can move data and applications from their intelligent edges to Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intelligent cloud, while accelerating their cloud

adoption journeys.â&#x20AC;?

Odeyemi further added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As organisations re-invent themselves in response to ongoing digital disruptions, the appetite for cloud service adoption is also increasing as businesses seek to improve agility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Microsoft Azure addresses this need by providing diverse services under one platform,

thereby creating more streamlined workflows and driving business efficiency.â&#x20AC;?

Through the 4Afrika initiative, Microsoft aims to bring smart devices, connectivity and technology training to African entrepreneurs, youth, developers and graduates by focusing on three critical areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; World-class skills, Access and Innovation.

Speaking at the event, the Head, Strategic Partnership for Microsoft 4Afrika, Soromfe Uzomah said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through these partnerships, Microsoft aims to empower businesses, across different verticals, with the tools they need to succeed in a technology driven world and the platforms they require to create breakthrough innovations

and accelerate Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital transformation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To successfully achieve this transformation journey that enables business growth on the African continent, we need to depend not just on what we do in our own capacities but on the capabilities, functions, channels, and insights we all can tap into through partnering with others.â&#x20AC;?

Slot Systems Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Launches Book Slot Systems Limited, dealer in sales of branded mobile phones, information technology products and their accessories, with physical shops spread across the country, recently celebrated its 20 years of doing technology business in Nigeria.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration in Lagos, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Slot Systems Limited, Mr. Nnamdi Ezigbo, said he had gathered wealth of experience in handling Slot business in the last 20 years and decided to share part of his experience in a book he wrote and launched to mark Slotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20th anniversary.

The book, titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Entrepreneurship The Slot Wayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comes in 200 pages, with focus on entrepreneurship and how best to succeed in business.

Political Economist and management expert, Prof.

Pat Utomi, described the book as a valuable case study that would benefit and guide entrepreneurs in their business decisions. According to him, every entrepreneurial

venture does not come easy and needs some useful tips that will guide entrepreneurs, which are highlighted in the book. He commended Ezigbo for handling a successful business in 20 years, and also commended him for his imaginative initiate to put his 20 years of experience into a book for up-coming entrepreneurs.

Former Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Sam Ohuabunwa, who chaired the occasion of the 20th anniversary and book launch, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mortality rate of start-up businesses in Nigeria is alarming and Ezigbo needs to be emulated for building a successful business in IT for the past 20 year, an experience that must be read in his book to encourage and guide up-coming entrepreneurs.â&#x20AC;?

Serial Entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It takes a large heart and high level of spirituality to succeed in business in Nigeria and the story of any successful business must be told to the younger generation.â&#x20AC;?

Layer3 Supports Innovation Lab Layer3, a leading techsolutions and Internet Service Provider (ISP) has collaborated with Civic Innovation Lab to provide high-speed internet services for entrepreneurs and startups.

Civic Innovation Lab is an Abuja-based incubator for social entrepreneurs focused on leveraging tech and innovation in creating social impact.

With numerous challenges faced by entrepreneurs and early stage start-ups in turning their ideas into viable businesses, Layer3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support to Civicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tech-incubator will enable a community of social innovators solve civic problems seamlessly.

According to the Head of Business Development of Layer3, Stephen Agogo, â&#x20AC;&#x153; We are committed to powering entrepreneurs and start-up businesses using innovative

technologies to provide solutions to the peculiar issues in Nigeria. Civic Innovation Lab is one of the innovation hubs we are currently supporting in Abuja and we will continue to encourage initiatives like this to foster the socio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; economic development in Nigeria and the rest of Africaâ&#x20AC;?.

Speaking on the partnership, Chief Executive Officer, of Civic Innovation Lab, Mosope Olaosebikan, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Civic Innovation Lab, we are passionate about creating social impact using tech & innovation. We are keen on improving access to business support services for start-ups and social entrepreneurs. This support from Layer3 will enable a strategic partnership, which ensures that our diverse community access affordable and efficient internet services.â&#x20AC;?

PRODUCT LAUNCH

L-R: Chief Operating OďŹ&#x192;cer, Bingo9ja, Tele Oyegoke; Board members, Onuorah Iyizoba; Chinedu Iyizoba and Chief Executive OďŹ&#x192;cer, Eni Eniola, at the media launch of Bingo9ja gaming platform in Lagos...recently

Firm Deploys New Gaming Dell Predicts Increased Data, Clouds, IT Technology Demands in 2019 A new gaming company, The co-Founder and Bingo9ja has introduced a gaming platform that will revolutionise lottery business in Nigeria and make it more exciting to play and win big, using a cutting-edge technology.

Bingo9ja will specifically deploy Blockchain Technology to change how people play the lottery in Nigeria with ground operations starting this week in Lagos.

The company, Ikorne Games, parent company of Bingo9ja, aims to make it easy for all gaming enthusiasts to play different kinds of lottery and classified games from the comfort of their homes either by using their Blockchain backed Mobile App, Blockchain node integrated terminals and the USSD applications.

With the fast development and adoption of the Blockchain technology all over the world, Bingo9ja is looking at breaking popular conventions and stigma attached to playing lottery games, popular known as Lotto in Nigeria, thereby creating a â&#x20AC;&#x153;techy lifestyleâ&#x20AC;? movement of gamers.

Speaking at the media launch in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Ikorne Games, Eni Eniola, stated that the intention of the company is to use the ease and proliferation of mobile phones while leveraging on cutting-edge technology to make gaming more accessible to everyone.

Chief Operating Officer, Tele Oyegoke, said not only will Bingo9ja gamers be able to play the games using multiple channels, they will also be able to use their Bingo9ja loyalty pass cards in participating stores, petrol stations, restaurants and lifestyle outlets.

Bingo9jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game centre plans to introduce seven different fun games with a daily bonus, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;spin and winâ&#x20AC;? game. Other games include â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fast Cashâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scratch and Winâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bingoâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bingo Megaâ&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pick 3â&#x20AC;?, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pick 4â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kenoâ&#x20AC;?.

Eniola also promised that in the coming months, there would be an addition of different types of fun games particularly interactive peer to peer games that not only allow gamers to play with friends in home and abroad, but also gives gamers a chance to win numerous prizes and money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The goal is to gradually introduce different types of fun and engaging games and also with the possibility of winning millions of naira,â&#x20AC;?

Eniola said.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The games will be drawn live on all social media platforms, after which winners using the mobile app can withdraw their winnings instantly while gamers who played via the agents terminals could pick up their winnings from the agentsor get credited directed into their bank accounts, whichever is preferred.â&#x20AC;?

The latest Dell Technology study has revealed how the next big breakthroughs in technology will reveal new opportunities for customers.

According to the report, there has been no shortage of technology innovation over the course of the current year, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), 5G, Cloud, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Blockchain at the forefront of a lot of the conversations within teams and with customers.

With 2019 around the corner, we are incredibly excited about what the next 12 months will bring, as we plan for whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to come even farther in the future, the report said.

While analysing the implications of latest technology innovation as it relates to the year ahead, the report said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With data growing at the edge and the need for realtime powerful compute at scale to support AI and Machine Learning workloads, the data centre is officially becoming distributed.

Multi and hybrid cloud adoption models will further evolve and place cloud computing capabilities at every layer of the data journey to address the unique needs inherent at each layer.

This shift closer to the edge will support analytics and data management outside of the core as an extension of on-premise cloud, the report said, adding that AI and ML applications will enhance and transform the user experience by reducing both technology and human complexity.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The line between human and machine tasks will change and more of the thinking tasks of every business and system will be driven by machine intelligence.

AI and ML will continue to leverage the influx of data to drive greater efficiencies and insights that will optimize both the apps and devices we use every day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PCs will be able to predict power consumption needs based on usage patterns while apps will continue to learn from user preferences and behaviors to deliver more personalised experiences. Even large-scale enterprise systems will use AI and ML to drive greater automation and intelligence, making it easier for humans to gather insights or make strategic decisions based on data as we move from peta-scale to exa-scale to zeta-scale,â&#x20AC;? the report said.

The report cited Gartnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s estimate that in 2021, AI augmentation will generate $2.9 trillion in business value and recover 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity.

5G is undoubtedly being covered in many predictions for 2019, but what may not be obvious is how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s driving the need for software-defined IT strategies more than ever before.

5G requires a software-defined network and new distributed compute models. These will ultimately need to be supported by a full software-defined data center stack to ensure all that data can move at speed and scale, while being managed, analysed, stored and protected,â&#x20AC;? the report said.

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5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

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Patti: Social Media RedeďŹ ning Approach to Luxury Market Managing Director, Africa and Israel, Cartier, a luxury goods conglomerate company, Alessandro Patti, was in Nigeria recently and spoke to journalists on the emerging trend among consumers of luxury goods and the place of social media in the marketing mix. Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts: With the advent of information technology and internet revolution, the world has gone digital as social media now dictates most businesses and inter-personal relationships. As a promoter of luxury goods, how has this influenced market trend among your core consumers and market strategy?

First, let me address the issue of market strategy and point out clearly that strategy has to be defined country by country. With social media, we have got in our hands two lives and two platforms to play with. The first one is print media; magazines, newspaper and the other side, which is the second life will be digital simply because Cartier is a responsive company. We are producing our movie and we are producing our advertising in-house.

Now, the big challenge is how you feed the digital campaign and literarily, if we go to Instagram, Facebook, we are really uploading every new contents, new videos and new messages. This is key because of the need to engage the new generation of our target market â&#x20AC;&#x201C;the youth segment. I will say two years ago in January 2016 for instance, Cartier has a new chief executive officer, who drew a new vision and we really understood that we need to engage with new generation â&#x20AC;&#x201C;the millennium through content on the communication rather than unspecific products. The past approaches; in your 20s you buy a steel watch, in your 30s you buy a gold watch and in your 40syou buy for your wife. The natural level of your income, you buy watches which are luxury. Today this model is still valuable in few markets but overall in Nigeria, we have the millennium that are already millionaire and so at 35, they could afford and buy watches for their wives. The approach has changed because the way the economy is developing is dictating different approaches in luxury market.

Is Nigeria well positioned as the gateway to the continent luxury market?

Yes! As Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always said, there are five key countries for us in Africa and Nigeria is one of the top five countries and the strength of Nigeria is that is a huge market. Consumers who can afford luxury are limited but they travel a lot and they are ambassadors. These set of people scatter around the world; when you go to London, Paris or New York, they are all there. If you base it on specific clients, you will still discover that Nigerian has the sense of beauty as well as of art. Most of them are art collectors; they look for unique piece they look for the best. They are simply satisfied with the very best and when these ambassadors travel, they convey the sense of luxury but when they travel abroad they need to trade.

Being high in entrepreneurs, businesses or as our clients, if they already know Cartier, then they can buy. Therefore, any manufacturer that knows its onion and strives for success of luxury in Africa are looking at Nigeria as one of the biggest economy in Africa Now that you have given this background, can you shed more light on the Cartier brand?

Cartier is a known and most important luxury watch brand in the world and we have more than 170 years of history.

Everything started in Paris in 1847 and especially the third generation of Cartier were three brothers; Jeff, Jiff and Jack.

Succinctly speaking, the timelessness of Cartier among all the other luxury brands makes it unique. Our creations of today are treasures tomorrow.

Though you have spoken about your long relationship with Polo, can you tell us the attraction that made Cartier settled for Polo luxury from day one?

There is no other attraction than the fact that we share the same business philosophy with the same brand DNA. As I speak, we are working on more investment in terms of distribution and the ultimate goal is to bring to Nigeria the same experience that is being enjoyed globally. We want Nigerians to find here what they can find in France or UK because we know that Nigerian clients travel a lot. We want our patrons in Nigeria to have the full offer of services and products. We are working on this with Polo.

Patti

These three brothers between 1890 and 1940, travelled all over the world to find inspiration for the creation of luxury watches and meet potential clients and buy raw materials like stones gold and diamonds. So the spirit of travellers and partnerships is part of our mission and that is why Cartier brand is one of the luxury finery brands in Africa and in the whole continent. We have been working since more than 35 years and in Nigeria, where we have John Obayuwana and his Polo luxury, as representative, if I think correctly, it is one of our long lasting relationships.

Let me at this point add that we are very happy and I can say that the values of Cartier and the value of Polo luxury group are intertwined.

We are very well connected, we all

As Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always said, there are ďŹ ve key countries for us in Africa and Nigeria is one of the top ďŹ ve countries and the strength of Nigeria is that is a huge market.

Consumers who can afford luxury are limited but they travel a lot and they are ambassadors. These set of people scatter around the world; when you go to London, Paris or New York, they are all there

share creativity. For instance, Cartier has a contemporary art Foundation in Paris and when you enter the Polo building in Nigeria, you see a lot of arts, so creativity and passion for art are the common values we share.

In the last 17 decades, what exactly has been the staying power of the brand over the years?

Our staying power is perhaps the long term vision of the founding fathers, which has been maintained by their successors. We want to create a style that is timeless and long-term vision, even in creativity. We have successfully kept the style and we have kept the innovation. We are determined from day one to respect the initial values and be timeless and focused on clients always. We are client centric, we want to really offer services, products in the best way possible to our clients all over the world to have them satisfied and these elements comes through the brand ethics. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a promise of the brand to the customer to offer quality production and quality services for use. In nut shell, this is the secret of the Cartier brand -the best products and services with long term vision.

What are those things that differentiate Cartier brand from other brands?

I will say the style. 10 years ago, iPhone was not in the market and Cartier was one of the top luxury brands in the world. In the next 10 years, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure iPhone would have been replaced with another item but Cartier watches and Cartier creations will still be there if it has existed in the last 171 years.

The same style we gave to those consumers at the early days is the same promise that we give to our current clients. Again, the Santos de Cartier, our legendary timepiece was designed in 1904 more than 110 years ago and still maintains the same design though a little bit smaller but the truth is that for 110 years, the style is still there.

How affordable is your brand, especially to the youths?

Overall, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disclose the figure because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been already declared by the president. In our overall campaign worldwide sales, if we look at the Cartier, 40 percent of sales go to the millennium. However, in China itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than 50 percent. The consumer engagement is continuous because we are timeless creation to create specific collection for the clients. We have to respect the promise we make in the area of styles and quality through the channel lines globally, so the product stays the same worldwide.

How receptive is the brand to the Nigeria consumer â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trends?

Let me emphasise again that we have a worldwide collection. From feedbacks we have gotten so far, Nigerians love our brands. It is now left for us to connect them more through advertising in order to make a proposal on the correct product they want. On the other side, from our own point of view, we will try to engage with them more and more through clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience and new international services. We want to be the first international luxury brand in terms of services, quality and leadership, so I think Cartier is absolutely among the top of my plans for Nigeria.

So far, what have been the challenges in pushing the brand globally?

I may not be able to single out a specific challenge but with the opportunities, the fast rising economy and with the population, we need to engage more in specific communication tools.

So the challenge is the challenge is to know the appropriate tool of engagement. It could be lifestyle magazines or social media today and something else tomorrow, depending on the emerging trends. We are still investigating and working everyday to identify which channels we can better engage this millennium. The way we communicate with them is specific to each market but I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say there is a specific challenge right now in Nigeria. To be optimistic, on the economic slowdown which is everywhere, I think we are recovering very fast.

What is the next big plan for the African Market?

There are few countries we are targeting in Africa so I would say our strategy is bringing the services to Nigeria and the top five countries in the world. The challenge therefore is to build the atmosphere that will be conducive to the Cartier brand.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Media and Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anti-corruption War The media has been identified as a key player in the anti-corruption fight and urged to lead the vanguard, writes Ugo Aliogo The role of the media in the anti-corruption fight is very critical. Corruption is a challenge that confronts all countries. However, the solution to fighting corruption can be home-grown. A critical element of a countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anti-corruption campaign is an effective press.

In the anti-corruption fight, the media is important in raising public awareness about corruption, its causes, consequences and possible remedies. It also investigates and reports incidences of corruption aiding other oversight (and prosecutorial) bodies.

According to a study, the effectiveness of the media, in turn, depends on access to information and freedom of expression, as well as a professional and ethical cadre of investigative journalists.

Additionally, such issues as private versus public ownership of the media, the need for improved protection of journalists who investigate corruption and media regulation are also critical.

That was why at the second edition of a policy roundtable organised by Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the role of the media in anti-corruption campaign,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; was brought to the fore of discourse with a focus to create a solid roadmap for the media in its anti-corruption fight.

The forum provided an atmosphere for frank reflection and analysis of the anti-corruption issues in Nigeria with a view to arrive at a broad and comprehensive position on the fight against corruption in the country from the media, civil society organisations (CSOs) and government perspectives.

The discussion focused on mapping areas of strategy for synergy building for robust engagement of media and anti-corruption reporting, success, challenges and opportunities in the fight against corruption.

Speaking at the event, the Director, Centre Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, said the centre was established to mobilise the global opinion and resources for democratic development.

She noted that the centre also provides an independent space to reflect critically on the challenges posed to the democratisation and development processes in West Africa.

Hassan, said CDD also provides alternatives and best practices to the sustenance of democracy and development in the region, adding that it is focused on strengthening democratic governance.

She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since the issue of corruption remains persistent in Nigeria, putting in place adequate and effective anti-corruption response mechanism with a view a towards tackling the menace remains looming. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These different dimension of corruption have characterised Nigeria landscape and by implication made it to be consistently rated among the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International (TI), in its corruption perception index. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taking pragmatic measures to curb corruption are of vital importance for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future given its implication on security, political, social and economic prospects of the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Poverty, insurgency, militancy, infrastructural decay and all forms of social vices which are peculiar to the country are results of culture of corruption that are deep-rooted into the social fabrics of the society.â&#x20AC;?

In his presentation, with the topic: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;AntiCorruption Strategy and Media Engagement: Journey so farâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, said CDD is a key partner in achieving the mission of the commission in curbing corruption in the country.

He also noted that the media has a role to play in the anti-corruption fight and helping the commission achieve the anti-corruption crusade.

Magu, who was represented at the event by the acting spokesperson, EFCC, Tony Orilade, said the CDD platform provides the opportunity to solicit support from the media in the fight against corruption. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The single main problem militating against the development of country is corruption. It is a cankerworm that has eaten so deep into

Marina

the fabrics of the society with the attendant ills on the citizenry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That Nigeria has all it takes- human and mineral resources to truly be the giant of the Africa, is an obvious fact.

So grave is the impact of corruption that the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, described the battle to rid Nigeria of corruption as a battle between good and evil,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

The EFCC boss explained that fight against corruption is not between tribes, adding that it is a collective battle for the soul of Nigeria, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a battle for the future generation of yet unborn Nigerians; it is indeed, the battle for the future of Africa.â&#x20AC;?

Magu, further stated that the quest to ensure that an environment that encourages corruption is not created, was a duty reserved for everyone, including the media, stating that it should not be left to the commission and its sister anti-graft agencies.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we have observed as an anti-graft agency in recent times is that when you fight corruption, corruption fights back, and often times it does so through the media. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In spite of the cordial relationship, which we have over the years strived to cultivate with the media, we have seen unfortunate instance, where a section of the media has decidedly chosen to instead, be ready tools

These different dimension of corruption have characterised Nigeria landscape and by implication made it to be consistently rated among the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International in its corruption perception index

in the hands of the corrupt, manifested in malicious, opinion articles and paid advertorials designed to malign the good intentions of the EFCC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It should be noted that the journalists and bloggers, are not only the writers of history, they are expected to be partners in progress with the EFCC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No one is an island of knowledge or sole repository of the know-how of fighting corruption. We must be united in this fight against corruption. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we approach the election season, it is necessary to once again stress that the EFCC will remain impartial unbiased in the discharge of its duties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In view of this, let me restate our commitment that we shall play our role effectively to ensure a free and fair election. We have put in place necessary machineries to make sure that vote-buying become a thing of the past.â&#x20AC;?

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, International Press Centre, (IPC), Mr. Lanre Arogundade, urged the media to focus its reporting on what the society is losing as a result of corruption, â&#x20AC;&#x153;because sometimes it seems as if we are celebratory when we report these issues.â&#x20AC;?

He said there was need for the media to explain using figures how the monies looted by public officials can be properly converted to building public infrastructure such as healthcare delivery, education, road infrastructure and others.

Arogundade said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The media should explain using figures how the monies looted by public officials can be properly converted to building public infrastructure such as healthcare delivery, education, road infrastructure and others. This will help the public to think and take actions. Many things in the country are creating confusion.â&#x20AC;?

The IPC Executive Director further stated that the media should endeavour to play the advocacy role by ensuring that they let the public know that if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t join the anti-corruption fight, they would continue to suffer under-development.

He advised the media to examine the inadequacies in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legislations and see how the institutions can be strengthened; adding that there is need to have strong institutions to fight corruption.

Arogundade, added that much as the government of the day is fighting corruption, media report should not be centred on praising them always, He remarked that the media should consider how to put in place structures that would

ensure that when a particular government leaves office, the country would not return back to the days of underdevelopment.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the online media could play a lot of role, first is that what we have seen from some of them, they are not weighed down by the problem of resources, compared with the professional media that has faces the challenge of salaries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are smaller in size, and they can use so many tools online to carry out their investigations and report some of these issues.

The online media are mostly privately owned; you rarely hear of government owned online media. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, they are placed at a better advantage in the essence that they are much more independent to be able to carry out anti-corruption and transparency stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the media has tried very well, but there is need for more efforts to be put in. There have been instances, where the media have taken up public officials and followed it up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The challenge is that it is only few media outlets that seems to be pushing the anticorruption agenda. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the media outlets pushing the anti-corruption campaign. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Nigeria, we have over 200 media outlets, and it is just few media outlets that are pushing the campaign forward. What has been lacking in the past 10 years is many media outlets keying in investigative reporting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think some of the challenges have to do with ownership, (which would be government or private) in some cases it would be private where the private owner has political interest. Therefore, the journalist is unable to report some of the corruption cases because of media censorship.â&#x20AC;?

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is also the challenge of resources because the media itself is facing economic crisis. If a journalist is going for investigative reporting, he should have enough resources at hand to be to travel and do investigative stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, I think ownership and lack of scarce resources are major limitation on the part of the journalists who want to do investigation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Journalists should engage more in collaboration. In this era, investigative reporting is not what you do alone. If you walk as a team, if your medium doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t publish it, you can publish in another medium. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I also encourage journalists to look for alternative source of reporting. You can freelance with some of the international media houses. So that the stories that you have done that will otherwise die because of media censorship can be publish it.â&#x20AC;?

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Fasuyi: LAEAF to Empower Women The Chief Executive Officer of Proclips Media & Communications Limited and the founder of Lady of Africa Empowerment and Advocacy Foundation, Bukola Fasuyi, in this interview with Kayode Fasua, unfolds her plan to transform the lives of rural women and other indigent persons in Nigeria. Excerpts: What are the latest programmes under the Lady of Africa Empowerment and Advocacy Foundation?

What we have just come up with, apart from floating adire native fabric carnival, is the Lady of Africa Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gold Club. This is a pivot group working through Role Model/Protege concept, to create new female leaders. Membership is open to women from all walks of life. This is a pivot group, working to create new female leaders.

Activities are pivoted on our Women Empowerment Programme that is designed for mentoring and youthcapacity building, in order to create new female leaders. Lady of Africa Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gold Club is aimed at creating a cooperative society in a modern sense, with high level of business ideasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exchange, and social interaction. Our mission is to create a platform through which African women can exchange ideas and network in order to synergise on the peculiar challenges facing women all over Africa. We intend that they should come together as one big movement with the aim of aiding the rapid progression of African women into the mainstream of the society.

The Lady of Africa Empowerment and Advocacy Foundation, best known as LAEAF, caters for the less-privileged, physically challenged and indigent people, most especially women. The Foundation has resettled a number of indigent and afflicted people, ranging from those suffering terminal ailments to victims of mundane jealousy and others too numerous to mention. In order to be able to mobilise women from all walks of life into a very big movement to further strengthen the campaign for women empowerment, the Lady of Africa Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gold Club was thus created under the Foundation.

So what other benefits are available under the LAEAF? There is the provision of human capital development, training and other forms of support for unemployed young people. This is apart from the provision of assistance to women with health issues; most especially cancer victims. We also have Lady of Africa Annual Conference. This is aimed at examining the human development indices of African women, which create avenues for networking with women in successful career. We also offer

Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed

assistance of vulnerable women; especially indigent women, young girls, single mothers, widows and physically challenged women, toward achieving their life goals. Besides, we organize periodic enlightenment, empowerment and inspirational programmes in issues relating to women development. Also, there is the Lady of Africa Monthly Dialogue that creates an avenue for members to meet with successful women in various professions in their localities and gain from their wealth of experience.

What is the Adire cultural carnival all about?

I personally adore the African cultural values and I express this

through LAEAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Adire Street Cultural Carnival Concept: An Indigenous Culture in aids for humanity.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; As a way of promoting the African, especially, the Yoruba culture, my team members and I, in collaboration with the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) regularly take part in international arts exhibition and fashion shows where African cultures are promoted.

For instance, in the Ondo State Cultural Festival held in Akure on December 15, we partnered the organisers as we played crucial roles.

Annually, we take no fewer than 50 Nigerians to different parts of the world to experience how culture is promoted in other countries. These individuals, on returning home, help

in propagating the importance of our culture. Proceeds realised from sales of arts and African wears at these international exhibitions are used to empower the less-privileged back home in Nigeria. Besides, when it comes to fashion and textile industry in Africa, Nigeria occupies a pride of place. As a country globally recognised for her rich culture and diverse tradition, the country boasts of an incredible array of fashion choices and fabrics. Notable among these fabrics is the adire, which has found favour among people all over the continent of Africa and as far as Europe, America, Canada and Asia. The fashion industry has also continued to grow by the day, with more and more people coming into adire production, and bringing in various innovations. As a way of promoting this very thriving fashion and garment industry, which by the way will also be doubling as promotion for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture and tradition, the LAEAF has embarked on a mission to take the highly appreciated fabric to an entirely different level, through exhibitions and carnivals.

As a result, we hope to empower up to 20 million Nigerian women and youths through various activities. Already, a lot of people in the country- both the privileged and the less-privileged-have been empowered through direct and indirect job opportunities created by the Foundation using its various promotion and marketing of the fabric. The LAEAF believes the time is now, to take Nigerian fashion to global platform and inevitably, make Nigeria a home for all fashion lovers.

To further accomplish its objectives, the Foundation is hereby calling for support from culture-loving people, corporate organisations, federal and state governments and parastatals, toward ensuring that this dream comes to fruition.

What endorsement has your NGO got from relevant government institutions?

The Lady of Africa Empowerment and Advocacy Foundation has been recognised and endorsed by the National Council of Arts & Culture, as well as the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture. The two organisations have vowed to collaborate and partner with the Foundation in her activities and future endeavours.

Tackling Corruption in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Extractive Industry Anietie Martins The hope of a transparent extractive industry regime in our dear country is waning. The euphoria that greeted the passage of the NEITI Act in 2007 has evaporated into a toxic atmosphere of corruption. How did we get here? What is the implication for longsuffering masses? What can we do?

Nigeria leaders in decades have allegedly earned global notoriety in fleecing the commonwealth of the people.

Despite huge mineral deposits, Nigerian citizens

continue to wallow in abject poverty whilst her leaders live in obscene opulence. For instance, Nigeria is now home to the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest population of poor people.

What India and China can do for their citizens, Nigeria cannot not do for her 200 million citizens.

The reason: corruption.

The extractive industry, allegedly lends itself as a textbook case of corruption. In a rare moment of â&#x20AC;&#x153;palace shenaniganâ&#x20AC;?

A case of corruption in the extractive industry is the so called fuel subsidy claim.

Nigeria has three

refineries which were built some three decades ago. Because of corruption under successive administration, these refineries have not been working optimally. This creates room for massive fuel importation and then subsidy claim on the imported fuel.

The recent trajectory of alleged oil subsidy fraud actually began in the last administration. The key players are still strutting the corridors of power. A former boss the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Farida Waziri, had recounted her ordeal in the web

of corruption and power whilst trying to do her job. In an interview published in Nigerian newspapers, Waziri had claimed that she was sacked because of she was fighting corruption in the oil industry in her own words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I came to Lagos on a vital intelligence on the subsidy scam and as soon as I arrested a key culprit, I got a call from the Presidential Villa asking me to release the suspect, because, in their words, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;he is our personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but I refused to let him off and days after, I was removed from office,â&#x20AC;?

Currently, Farouq Lawan, a former member of the Federal House of Representative and Chairman of the Oil Subsidy probe is being charged for receiving bribe from Mr. Femi Otedola.

The implication of the above for Nigerian masses is that they will continue to pay the price for the greed of their leaders. The price will be: collapse of education, health and infrastructure.

It will result in more and more chronic poverty.

The only solution is return to NEITI principles of transparency and accountability. Atiku

Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic Party, has vowed to sell off the NNPC. Whilst liberalisation is good, nothing in the track record of its apostles in Nigeria suggests that the people will get a fair deal.

The future appears bleak. The most realistic hope may be anchored on the international community that initiated Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative in the first place. The is a need to set milestones and insist through effective sanctions that corruption must stop.

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Scaling Up Access to Finance for Farmers Access to finance is critical for the growth of the agriculture sector as well as to drive mechanised farming in the country, writes Obinna Chima Unarguably, the Nigerian agricultural sector has gone through a chequered history.

The uninspiring performance of the sector in terms of its contribution to the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue has also been a source of concern to successive governments.

This had led to the creation of various initiatives by both the monetary and fiscal authorities, aimed at taking the agriculture sector out of the doldrums.

Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution has remained insignificant.

That is why with Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dwindling revenue profile, experts have stressed the need for more support to be given to the agriculture.

Nigeria, just like most countries and institutions have continued to push for large-scale agricultural transformation as part of efforts to achieve increased growth and reduced rural poverty.

Based on the fact that the country is blessed with favourable climatic conditions, vast arable land and fertile soils, it has never been in doubt, the significant role agriculture should play in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quest to achieve sustainable development.

That is organisations such as Blaid Farms ventured into the agricultural sector as well as support the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food security objective.

Blaid Farms is a mechanised farm that is situated on 48-hectares of land in Abuja.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Ochuko Momoh, believes that there is need for concerted efforts to increase agricultural productivity in the country.

To her, improving access to finance for farmers would go a long way in enhancing their output as well enhance job creation.

For the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), its development finance initiatives have led to increased support for farmers in the country.

For instance, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, recently pointed out that under its Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP), the central bank has ensured that Nigeria emerged from being a net importer of rice to becoming a major producer of rice, supplying key markets in neighbouring countries.

As at October 2018, a total number of 862,069 farmers cultivating about 835,239 hectares, across 16 different commodities, have so far benefited from the Anchor Borrowers programme, which has generated 2,502,675 jobs across the country.

Also, under the auspices of the Bankers Committee, the sum of over N60 billion has so far been set aside under the AGSMIES fund to fund micro, small and medium scale enterprise businesses in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors of the economy. There is among other initiatives, the Commercial Agric Credit Scheme, for farmers.

Emefiele, had pointed out that the CBN recognises that the greatest challenge confronting MSMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and local farmers is access to credit, and that to unlock growth potentials in the country; these groups must access funding seamlessly.

But Momoh is calling on the central bank to intervene in ensuring that participating financial institutions in its various schemes in the agricultural sector simplify the process so that genuine farmers in the country can access such loans to meet the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic diversification objective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The process of getting these loans is too long. To get the loan can take you over eight months. Go and find

Blaid Farmsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Greenhouse

out. It is a very long process. Go to the banks to find out how many people have gotten this loan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes, they tend to support those with one or two hectares. But such kind of farms cannot feed a village. We are talking about supporting farms that can feed very large number of our population. I tell people that Nigeria would generate more revenue by exporting food than crude oil if we take it seriously,â&#x20AC;? she said in an interview with THISDAY. She stressed that agriculture in Nigeria has a lot of potential. However, Momoh maintained that access to credit has remained a challenge for farmers in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had this land for almost six years, but getting the finance was very frustrating. Like I said earlier, the process of getting agriculture loan is very frustrating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For instance, to access agriculture loan, one of the requirements is that you must first have an existing farm. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somebody wants a loan to set up a farm, but they are saying a first criteria is that the person must have an existing farm. Of course, we had the land, but we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have anything on the land,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Blaid Farms carries out all-year round cultivation and is not affected by rainy or dry season. Its eggs, vegetable, lettuce, as well as our fish, are allyear round production. The farm has provided job opportunities for several Nigerians and has continued to embark on corporate social responsibility initiatives to support its host community.

Blaid Farm has a greenhouse; therefore, the weather condition doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t affect its crops. Owing to this, some of its crops, such as lettuce, are harvested every 21 days.

It is an integrated farm and so if one crop doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do well, others would cover the cost of production.

Everything in the farm is automatic and technology-driven. Some of its customers are Shoprite and other retailers in Abuja and Lagos, with an ever-rising demand for its products in other states in the country.

It operates the recycling aquatic fish farming system. This system of fish farming produces 15 tonnes more than the local fish farming system. That is

Mrs Momoh

because oxygen is supplied all the time to the fish. Tilapia mainly is very sensitive to oxygen. It is not like the catfish. Catfish doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care about oxygen, but tilapia requires enough oxygen, clean water and feed to grow.

So, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hi-tech system. The system requires only two people to operate it, unlike the traditional method that requires a lot of people. It delivers 20 tonnes per year.

Another challenge farmers face in the country is the high cost associated with export of agricultural produce. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You would not believe that we got markets for our products in Ghana, but we cannot export these products.

Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we export? The airlines alone, because these are perishable things â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tomatoes, lettuce â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and so they must go by air and not by road. â&#x20AC;&#x153;First of all, the airline is charging you $1.30 to carry just one item to Ghana, not the United States and not London. That is not bad enough. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then all the government taxes you have to pay comes to $2.50. So, to export one kilo of cucumber comes to $3.70. Now, you have not talked about the amount the person that is selling in Ghana is going to clear it with.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, to export one kilo of cucumber, we have to pay $3.70. How much is the cucumber? N300! So, luckily, we are still struggling to satisfy the Abuja market. Our customers from Accra have been calling and I have told them about the challenge we are facing,â&#x20AC;? Momoh said while narrating her ordeal.

Nevertheless, her passion for farming will not allow the challenges to deter her, even as she continues to look up to the central bank and other financial institutions for support. She also expressed gratitude to Standard Chartered Bank for the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support.

Her projection is that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;in five years, I want to be able to own 300 hectares of farmland. We are working on having orchards, 30 hectares of banana plantation and 30 hectares of farm plantation and in that way, you are able to feed every one.â&#x20AC;?

Momoh added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am getting demand for eggs and other farm produce from Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, but I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet the demand. So, we would keep developing the farm. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a lot of potential, not only for the local market, but for import as well. But there is need for appropriate government policies.â&#x20AC;?

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Between House of Representatives and PenCom Adeyemi Oke In recent times, the legislative arm of government in Nigeria has received serious bashing and severe criticisms on very many varied reasons, both legitimate and invalid.

Some critics were so extreme as to suggest the abolition of the institution or the merger of the two chambers of the National Assembly to produce a unicameral legislature.

For instance, a simple search on the internet or review of social media discourse on our National Assembly would undoubtedly produce a result that shows a preponderance of negative narratives and disturbing commentaries on the operations of that arm of government.

The erstwhile INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, was on point when sometimes ago, he had decried the way in which some Committee chairmen at the National Assembly allegedly demand for bribes from chief executives of government agencies.

Regardless of the above explanations, however, one certainly wonders whether certain inapt behaviour or conduct of our legislators or the institution itself, are excusable in the light of the almost twenty years of uninterrupted democratic experience in the country and the enormous resources continuously deployed to build the capacity of both the institution and the its members in order to creditably discharge their responsibilities.

On a daily basis, we witness incidences of sheer inaptitude or inconsistencies in the legislative modus operandi of both the two chambers of our National Assembly.

However, due to space constraint, this writer would give just one example to demonstrate to the extent of the disturbing reality of the decay in our hallowed legislative chambers.

On Thursday, 28 November 2019 Nigeria witnessed an unimaginable show of illogicality at the plenary of the House of Representatives.

A motion moved by Hon. Iorember Benjamin Wayo, had sought to investigate one of the federal government agencies, PenCom, over what was described as the failure of the executive to appoint a governing board for the agency. Those who watched the proceedings of the House on that day and in particular the debate on that motion, saw how unsuccessfully the House Leader tried to persuade his colleagues not to engage in such an exercise in futility.

The House Leader realised the illogicality of investigating an agency over a matter that is outside its purview. However, the majority of his other colleagues, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, did not share his views.

They were clearly either deliberately uninterested or genuinely unable to

Acting DG, PenCom, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar

discern the necessary implication of that motion.

It may be relevant to draw the attention of the reader to the fact that PenCom is a regulator of the multitrillion naira worth of pension industry but just one out of many other federal government agencies whose governing boards are yet to be reconstituted. It is therefore not difficult to discern the motive for singling out the agency for such illogical investigation, especially at this point in time.

The interesting dimension of the matter is, however, the apparent inconsistency of the House of Representatives when it comes to resolution for the investigation of PenCom. Six months earlier, the House of Representatives had, on 23 May 2018, resolved to investigate PenCom within two weeks, over allegations of violation of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act and financial mismanagement. Since then, the two weeks period has not expired and indeed, the resolution has entered what may be described in Nigeria as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;voice mailâ&#x20AC;?.

What actually happened to that resolution is still not known but I guess the mover of that motion, Hon. Zakari

Galadima, must be asking himself why in the first place he wasted his time.

Indeed, the illogicality and inaptitude of the action of the House of Representatives lies in the fact that it forgot to focus itself to addressing the unfinished business of Hon. Galadimaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motion, which are issues relevant to the interest of the electorates as they relate to matters of probity and accountability. Instead, the House chose the expediency of undertaking another venture regardless of its irrelevancy. Indeed, Lord Acton, that British historian of the late 19th century, was right when he stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.â&#x20AC;?

There is no gain saying that by behaving the way it did, the House of Representatives appears to have chosen the path of bad behavior in the conduct of its legislative activities.

The institution has ignored the lessons replete in human experience that bad behaviour naturally attracts dire consequences against its perpetrators. Indeed, such persistent negative behaviour incrementally erodes the moral authority of the National Assembly, thereby shrinking the sphere of influence of both the institution and

its members in the political space.

It is therefore high time that the leadership of the House of Representatives reconsidered its modus operandi and retraced itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steps on the matter of PenCom and other agencies of government with a view to focusing on the proper discharge of its legislative mandate.

Agencies are created to serve the needs of the people. It is a serious cause for legislators to create unnecessary problem to intimidate the agencies just as a guise to plunder our common wealth.

The National Assembly must purge itself of inappropriate or inconsistent behaviour which tend to suggest that it is afflicted with poverty of philosophy. It must be realised that the legislature in a democracy not only provide the opportunity for citizens to ventilate their views on matters of governance but also serve as a check against abuse of power by the Executive. Our elected representatives are therefore trustees of our political affairs. They must therefore act as such and keep the trust at all times.

-Oke, wrote in from Ibadan, Oyo State

Community Honours Monarch The Ndikelionwu Kingdom, one of the autonomous communities in Orumba North local government area of Anambra State and home town of one of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost writers and distinguished administrators, Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike, is set to celebrate Ikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 years as traditional ruler of the community on December 28.

In a statement issued in Lagos by Chike Uchime, Editor of Forward Magazine and the event planning committee, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ceremony will mark ten

years of His Majesty, Eze Professor Chukwuemeka Ikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ascension to the throne of his ancestors in 2008 and will offer our people the opportunity to celebrate peace and tranquilit,y among other laudable achievements.â&#x20AC;?

A literary icon, Ike became a household name in Nigeria and abroad with his fascinating novels among which were: Toad for Supper (1965), The Naked Gods (1970), The Potterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wheel (1973), Sunset at Dawn (1976), as well as The Chicken Chasers (1980), Expo

77 (1980), The Bottled Leopard (1985), and several other Fiction and non-fiction publications.

At the end of the Nigeria Biafra War in January 1970, Ike was appointed Chairman of the Planning and Management Committee of University of Nigeria Nsukka and functioned as Interim Chief Executive of the university combining the roles of Vice Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the university He retired from the university service in 1971

to become the Registrar and Chief Executive of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), as the first Nigerian to hold the position and the first Registrar authorised to sign the Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Certificates.

His Majesty also held other academic and leadership positions in the ivory tower, some of which include: Visiting Professor of English, University of Jos (1983 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1985), Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council, University of Benin (1990 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1991),

Pioneer Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council, Anambra State University (2001 -2005).

He has received many national and international awards including Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) from University of Nigeria Nsukka.

He is the founding president of the Nigerian Book Foundation and is the current Deputy Chairman (South), Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers.

Reminiscensing on the achievements of the Traditional Ruler,

the President General of Ndikelionwu Welfare Association, Okechukwu Okereke, said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ten years ago, when our Eze was installed as the Eze Ndikelionwu, we were all happy and we prayed that during his reign as the Eze, the people of Ndikelionwu would begin to experience unprecedented development, and that peaceful co-existence would reign among the people of Ndikelionwu.

We thank God that ten years after, our prayers have been answered.â&#x20AC;?

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 20, 2018

36

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 08152252325

Events that Shaped the Health Sector in 2018 As 2018 winds down, Martins Ifijeh chronicles major events that shaped the health sector

Cross section of participants during the launch of BHCPF logo at the 2nd THISDAY Health Policy Dialogue in Abuja

Health workers strike almost brought the sector to a halt

E

very year comes with its defining moments and the things that make it memorable. Year 2018 was not different. It was the year of the unpredictable, high or dashed hopes. For many Nigerians, it was a mixture of the good, bad, and the ugly; leaving behind tales of sweet or sour memories.

Polity-wise, 2018 represented a year of striking happenings; from the dismissal of the ‘almighty’ Lawal Daura by the then Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for invading the National Assembly with operatives of the Department of Secret Service; to accusations and counter accusations by senators sympathetic to either Senate President Bukola Saraki, or President Muhammadu Buhari; to the incessant herdsmen/farmers clash that saw hundreds of Nigerians lose their lives; up to the proposed establishment of Nigeria Airways and the subsequent suspension of the project by the federal government; and then the political intrigue that saw the All Progressive Congress (APC) dump Governor Ambode of Lagos State to settle for Sanwo Olu as its gubernatorial candidate for the state. It was indeed a year of many colours.

In all of these happenings, the health sector was not left out. The industry experienced its fair share of important happenings

The health sector is one area where there were major happenings which impacted the lives of the citizens either positively or negatively.

It started with high hopes following government’s promise to address primary healthcare issues head on. But the thousands of deaths from preventable disease outbreaks remains the downside for many

including world ratings on health indices, among others. The health sector is one area where there were major happenings which impacted the lives of the citizens either positively or negatively. It started with high hopes following government’s promise to address primary healthcare issues head on. But the thousands of deaths from preventable disease outbreaks remains the downside for many.

Implementation of National Health Act In a sector prone to discussions on what has gone wrong and what will never work, there was a renewed hope earlier in the year when the federal government dusted from its archive the National Health Act, which it had dumped in 2014 immediately after passing it into law. It then said it was going to implement it this year.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had said President Muhammadu Buhari had given his assurance that implementation would commence this year, and that Nigerians would experience better primary healthcare service. But as typical of our governments, the implementation they talked about is still in a virtual phase as the year winds down.

Launch of Basic Health Care Provisions Fund With the government’s willingness to implement the National Health Act, it moved into action during the second THISDAY Healthcare Policy Dialogue to actually launch the logo of the Basic Healthcare Provisions Fund (BHCPF).

With series of events set in motion, the National Assembly earmarked in the 2018 budget one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund, which is N57.15 billion for funding the BHCPF. Funding the BHCPF would mean that each primary health centres across the country will become functional and operational; giving room to at least 2000 vulnerable Nigerians in each of the 774 local government areas in the country to access better care.

But as typical of the Nigerian government, it has become lethargic to the very laudable policy promise it made to the Nigerian people, such that with just few days to the end of 2018, no funds have been released for the implementation of the BHCPF. The government has perhaps turned a blind eye at the point of providing the needed fund to enable it achieve its desired intent.

This is an event that almost boosted

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 20, 2018

37

HEALTH

Despite several depressing stories that have come out of the Nigerian health sector this year, the Nigerian government was able to pull off the establishment of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) through the signing of a bill for an Act to establish it

r

healthcare positively in 2018, but the reverse became the case.

Suspension, Reinstatement and Resuspension of NHIS Boss If there is one head of parastatal that has had a running battle with his people in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, it is Prof. Usman Yusuf, the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). His reign was full of accusations and counter accusations, which sometime last year led to his suspension by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole on issues bothering on corruption and nepotism.

But the suspension didn’t go down well with Buhari who was on medical leave abroad at the time Yusuf was suspended.

By February, he was reinstated against the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, which led to outcries from healthcare stakeholders, opposition parties and some staff of the scheme.

Two months ago, the NHIS Council again suspended him for refusing to carry out decisions of the board, as well as corruption allegation leveled against him. This again turned into verbal fisticuff between his supporters and those against him. Earlier last month, Buhari finally sent him on an administrative leave, which has now presumably put to rest his reign in NHIS. During these times, the scheme did not grow beyond its four per cent mark. Feelers say the scheme is even worse off now than in its 12 year history. Nigeria till date has one of the worst health insurance scheme, having grown the scheme to only four per cent since the past 12 years when it was established. Ghana established its scheme at about the same time Nigeria did, and it has grown to 45 per cent, while the one established by the supposed giant of Africa still crawls at four per cent.

Ban on Codeine A documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in May this year was what the Nigerian government needed to take action on the level of abuse of codeine, tramadol and their allied substances by millions of Nigerian teenagers and youths, hence its temporary ban on codeine.

The health ministry announced the ban on production and importation of the substance, while it recalled 2.4 million bottles of the cough syrup already in circulation.

Adewole who had set up a 22-man committee to address the worrisome menace of codeine abuse in the country, had said that with more people, especially young Nigerians getting increasingly hooked to the cough syrup, there was need for stringent measures for its control.

Just a month after the ban on codeine, media reports suggests some importers had resorted to smuggling tramadol into the country, as the market for substance abuse continue to grow in large scale.

Afterwards, the federal government lifted the ban on codeine syrup, but said it would put stringent measures in place to tackle the menace. But has the worrisome practice stopped or reduced in the country?

Establishment of NCDC Despite several depressing stories that have come out of the Nigerian health sector this year, the Nigerian government was

Insurgents also waged war on the sector

Yusuf

able to pull off the establishment of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) through the signing of a bill for an Act to establish it.

NCDC from inception has been saddled with the responsibility of championing preparedness, detection and response to outbreaks of infectious diseases. The new Act which will establish NCDC as a fullfledged parastatal will also ensure that its valuable work is sustained and supported.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has experienced several disease outbreaks ranging from yellow fever, Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, measles and the likes.

Killing of Health Workers by Boko Haram There was nothing as depressing as the killing of a humanitarian health worker, Saifura Ahmed by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction of Boko Haram. The victim, along with two others was abducted during a raid on the military facility in Rann, Borno State on March 1, an attack that led to the killing of four soldiers, policemen and other humanitarian workers.

In a video seen by THISDAY, the deceased was wearing a white Hijab and was shot from behind. The insurgents claimed they contacted government over the captive but

Adewale

did not get any response. Ms Ahmed was a staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Ahmed is not the only health worker that lost her life to the dreaded group this year, tens of nurses and doctors have had their lives cut short by Boko Haram during the course of carrying out humanitarian services to vulnerable Nigerians in the Northeast.

In March a UNICEF doctor and three aid workers were killed, along with several soldiers in Rann.

Health Workers Strike It is almost an unwritten law in the health sector constitution that either doctors or other health workers must go on strike each year in Nigeria as part of an expanded ritual to assert their dominance over each other or to make their demands heard by the government.

This year wasn’t any different. The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) on April 17 embarked on an indefinite strike which pitched the health ministry against the union and paralysed the health sector.

In between the two months it lasted, the country lost many patients who perhaps today would have been looking forward to celebrate the New Year.

The federal government, healthcare stakeholders, doctors and health workers

have in this 21st century have not found the right model to addressing issues around strike actions in the health sector.

Posers While lessons can be learnt from the major events that shaped the year, what are the fantastic breakthroughs made in the course of the past 12 months? How many breakthroughs were recorded in the sector, where are the researches, where are the vaccines to stop malaria, Lassa fever and other indigenous diseases, where are the 10,000 revitalised PHCs the minister of health talked about, where is the N57.15 billion the National Assembly earmarked for BHCPF, where is the implementation of the NHA the presidency and Ministry of Health talked about? Where are the radiotherapy machines? Has our indices on maternal and child mortality reduced?

Has mortality rate for cancer, sickle cell, tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera reduced? Did doctors and health workers refuse to go on strike this year?

These are events that could have shaped the health sector for good in 2018 if they were actualised. Can we really say progress has been made in the health sector this year? You be the judge!

Wishing our esteemed readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

38

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 20, 2018

INTERVIEW

Idris: Insurance Scheme Will Reduce Health Issues by 10% in Lagos Last Tuesday, the Lagos State Government launched arguably the biggest mandatory health insurance scheme in the country with a projection to have all 25 million Lagosians under its coverage. In this exclusive interview with Martins Ifijeh, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, said the programme will drastically reduce poor health indices in the state, while poor residents will no longer worry about cost of healthcare. He also spoke on other sundry issues. Excerpts: When you enroll, we don’t automatically start treatment, we give about two weeks for equity sake. Access to care starts in January 2019. We presently have over 150 facilities ready. So we will be starting from local government to local government. Any local government that is ready will commence enrolment. First year, we will target 10 per cent of Lagos population, that is 2.5 million people, and then we will progress from there.

How will the launch of Lagos Health Insurance Scheme improve health of Lagosians, especially the poor?

A huge chunk of the scheme is directed at the poor. That is why the law establishing it says a minimum of one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund of the state will go into a pool which is an equity fund basically to address people who cannot afford to pay. That is to guarantee a financial protection for them.

In preparation for the launch, we did a poverty assessment of some of some areas like Makoko as a pilot. We have a designed tool to know those who are poor. Their own contribution will be paid from that equity fund. Again, insurance is more like subsidisation such that the rich covers the poor.

Some key diseases like Human Immuno Virus (HIV) and Tuberculosis, which are common with the poor, will be financed by some organisations that have signified interest.

Idris

Are civil servants automatically put into the scheme?

Our law says every resident of the state must contribute. The issue of civil servants came up when we were marketing the scheme. They will be paying 25 per cent from their own salaries while government will pay 75 per cent as part of their contribution to the scheme.

Initially we settled for 73/30 ratio, but they later came back that they would love to do 75/25 ratio, which was okay by us.

Bringing this up at the heat of elections, don’t you think it is a ploy to bribe Lagosians into voting APC in the next governorship elections?

No. We have been on this for a long time.

The concept started during the time of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. We had to put it on hold because federal government wanted to centralise it. The committee Asiwaju set up then was headed by the late Prof. Ransome Kuti.

So at that time, we started with the free health coverage, but overtime we realised free health cannot work. No government can fully fund the health sector. So what governments are doing is to de-emphasise free health and reduce out of pocket payment. So it has nothing to do with politics.

Sickness doesn’t know politics. As a matter of fact, we should have launched this scheme a year ago, but we needed to perfect our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform.

How is this scheme different from the free health programme the state has always had?

When in 1999 we realised we can’t afford free health because it requires pumping huge funds which government doesn’t have, we then narrowed it down to some specific issues for under five children, 65years and above persons and pregnant women. As a government we couldn’t implement it, because that alone will cost N8 billion a year. So there was need for government to look for alternative source of funding. 65 per cent of Nigerians pay out of pocket. So if we re-channel that into a proper scheme where everybody contributes, it makes things easier.

What are the basic problems this scheme will be covering?

The scheme has about three plans-basic, private and then general. We are starting with the basic plan which involves care at the primary healthcare level. Treatment of commonly seen conditions like malaria, typhoid, measles, including immunisation, counseling for non-communicable diseases like cancers, among others will be covered.

We are also focusing on maternal and child care because that’s part of where you have high mortality rates.

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is voluntary, are you towing the line

of the federal government, or is your scheme mandatory?

We realised the folly of the federal government, so we are not towing that line. Countries that have successfully implemented health insurance scheme made it mandatory. Again, in those countries, a lot of money is being pumped into it, and then taxation is high so they can fund it. Our scheme is mandatory for every resident. That is why for the poor, the equity fund will cater for them.

When we were planning the scheme, we looked at areas of challenge NHIS had, so we made ours mandatory. We will use Health Management Organisations (HMOs) and Health Insurance Agents (HIAs) because they have the expertise.

We will be limiting their participation to some specific areas, for which we will pay.

How would you get the informal sector to buy into this scheme?

The informal sector constitutes a huge chunk of the population, and that’s where the real work is.

We have mapping which has details of everyone in the informal sector; luckily, we have an agency of government dealing with them. We have met with the various union executives, and they have expressed interest. We also need to continuously reach out to them through persuasion. Some of them are already on one scheme or the other, but whether that scheme is better or not is a matter of them knowing what we are offering.

One of the major issues with states that have started their health insurance scheme is lack of proper ICT. Has Lagos taken this into consideration?

That is why we are even starting late. Because we needed to perfect the kind of ICT platform we wanted. You can’t run insurance scheme successfully without a robust ICT. The platform we adopted has been used in Kenya and Ghana.

We went to Kenya to understudy it. We piloted it in two health facilities in Lagos and it worked.

Our scheme is data driven, because it will connect the different players like providers, the agency, residents, and health insurance agents. There will be payment platforms to contribute their funds.

We are encouraging family enrolment as well; that is father, mother and four children. That way, it is cheaper. With N40,000 payment a year, you will realise each member is spending around N500 a month for healthcare. The ICT platform is to connect everyone to provide data for use, without which we can’t track anything. We will be tracking funds, commodity, etc.

Have you done a pilot study to show if this scheme will work?

We have piloted this pre-payment scheme in four local governments. If you recall, we had the

community insurance scheme before this. The results showed it is workable and doable.

In one of the pilot we had in Ikosi Isheri, which is like a primary care facility, we got it refurbished and we got the private sector to provide service.

People were enrolling and they paid. Cases that were not seen there were referred to Gbagada General Hospital. Surprisingly, in one of the town hall meetings, they said they won’t mind paying more if all services were provided in Ikosi. So it is something people have embraced.

Will you be using only government facilities as providers or are private facilities involved?

The concept of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one to improve access to care and quality of care. So we are not limiting it to government hospitals alone, because even private providers cover over 60 per cent of Lagos population. So one of the things we said we will do is to support them. All those interested. All those interested are encouraged to register. However, they must conform to our requirements, one of which is quality of care.

As a way to assist them, we established access to finance initiative, which we are piloting. It is a way of getting a number of financial institutions together to contribute so that they can provide loans to these private health facilities at a much cheaper rate. Before, now, banks would not provide loans less than 29 per cent interest rate, but we negotiated to nine per cent. Since people are contributing, they have a say. You can decide who you want as your primary healthcare provider, whether it’s public or private.

Population of Lagos is growing rapidly.

Do you have the facilities to accommodate all residents into the scheme?

No country can provide health insurance 100 per cent even though we aspire to provide it.

You know people are moving into Lagos because of what they perceive as better economy. So as they move, they have to conform to our law. You must contribute to the scheme which makes you entitled to the service.

Financial institutions do not normally fund the health sector the way they fund other institutions, but with what we are doing, they are beginning to have interest. When we guarantee you can pay that loan back they will give. We have also started teaching our providers how to manage loans, because if they pay back, they will get more loans.

Our law says periodically all stakeholders will sit down to examine progress and challenges. So as our population surges, we will deal with it. If insurance works very well, it means government can then use money this has freed up to address other public health issues.

Since last Tuesday, the real enrolment has started.

You have started a lot of enlightenment to educate Lagosians on the scheme; do you have laws in place to punish residents who do not subscribe to the scheme?

What we are more interested in is trying to change behaviour and mindset of our people. You don’t change that by force. You need to let people fully understand what you want to do. That is why we are doing a lot of advocacy. This is a way of gaining the confidence of the people. If you start using the stick, you are killing the scheme.

Regulation is a continuum, one is persuasion, the other is stick, what we are pushing is persuasion, because people are naturally not used to paying for health services. Nobody forces us to insure our cars or houses, so why can’t we insure our health.

Many people are not insuring their health because they don’t fully understand why they should.

People contribute money for meetings as a culture; it is virtually the same thing. Those contributions they make in meetings help them, so will health insurance.

What is the stick approach if at all you decide to use it?

In that law, we try not to penalise offenders from day one, because now we are focusing on persuasion. But if after a while they refuse to pay, it means they are cheating people who are paying.

We will have agents in each local government who will be enrolling people, moving door to door and market places, etc.

Do you intend starting with everybody resident in Lagos at once or bit by bit?

Starting with civil servants is the easiest, but the focus of UHC is targeted at everyone. So as we talk to groups, once they have the number they will enroll them.

We are doing it in stages, from local government to local government. From feelers, this will spur other local governments to sit up. As more providers apply to offer service, they are credited so targeting a particular group may not necessarily fulfill the spirit of UHC. Can you break this scheme down in figures and numbers so that the ordinary residents will fully understand the benefits?

We will cover many people under many health services, and in doing so, we want to improve on our health services, for instance infant or maternal mortality. We can’t track this overnight, it will take some time.

Do you have a projection?

Yes we do. It will reduce infant mortality rate by 10 per cent over a period of time. That is why the ICT platform is very important because we will get data and use it to analyse data. We will do impact accessment. We have support from the Dutch government. We will collect data from the beginning, then periodically we track progress.

If we have more people into the health scheme, the projection is that the statistics will be better. If you have more children on immunisation it means it will be routine and not periodic immunisation.

Once the people are contributing, they have a say.

They can ask why they are not getting immunisation and all that, otherwise they report the provider. It’s more like a check and balance. If you contribute to something you have a say. Once you report your provider and we investigate it to be true, they are penalised.

39

T H I S D AY ˾ , DECEMBER 20, 2018

NEWS

Expert Harps on Proper Malaria Test before Treatment Uchechukwu Nnaike A Professor and Consultant Medical Parasitologist, Wellington Oyibo, has stressed the need to conduct proper diagnosis and test before any malaria drug can be administered on anyone to avoid mistaking any other condition for malaria.

Oyibo, who is the Head of the African Network for Drug Diagnostic Innovation (ANDi) Centre of Excellence for Malaria Diagnosis at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, disclosed that apart from malaria, there are over 300 causes of fever.

He however said because malaria is over diagnosed, people assume they have malaria anytime they are down with fever and go ahead to treat

without any test.

He regretted that many people, including health facilities do not trust the Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (MRDTs), adding that they only believe in the long lab test.

“The capacity to do the lab test is low because of the processes and equipment involved. As a result, the country loses out because millions of the RDTs that are being donated through the global fund are not used.”

According to Oyibo, the ANDi Centre is a World Health Organisation (WHO) Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests Verification Facility, the only facility in Africa so designated; therefore the MRDTs are good and have been quality assured, He said the test is 98 per cent accurate

and reliable so people should use it, as it is also fast and helps for quick treatment of malaria if detected.

He described the malaria rapid diagnostic test as an output of science that can be used anywhere in the country, which does not need electricity and look like the urine pregnancy test.

While emphasising the importance of diagnosis, the don said: “Without diagnosis, medicine is blind; without diagnosis, the capacity and opportunity we have to deal with malaria will be difficult because we will be misrepresenting facts and the patients will not be getting the right kind of attention.

“One great danger we see when you don’t do good diagnosis for a patient that

you suspect to have malaria is that patient could have a life threatening condition, which you want to just assume is malaria and then you gloss over that condition. “A child could have pneumonia; fever is a way the body responds to diseases, but if you keep taking anti-malaria medicines then you delay treatment for the actual cause of that problem and then it might be too late.”

He said the centre conducts research, clinical trials and surveys; biomarker assessments and diagnostic implementation; pre-procurement test testing of RDT samples to ensure that they are suitable for use in hospitals, adding that they m must pass quality control before being deployed for use.

L-R: Musical artists, Nikki Laoye and Kemi Odutola, during the celebration of Christmas with children living with cancer by Dorcas Cancer Foundation, held in Lagos UniversityTeaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba recently

Medical Union Workers Berates Presidency Over Health Sector The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has lamented that President Muhammadu Buhari has deliberately refused to give them audience despite many attempts to see him about the unhealthy industrial relations in the health sector.

President MHWUN, Josiah Biobelemoye, stated this at the public lecture to mark the 40th anniversary celebration of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); titled: “Industrial Relations in Nigeria Today, Challenges and

Prospects,” in Abuja recently.

He insisted that until the president gives audience to the health workers, he will never know the truth about happenings in the health sector.

He, however, reiterated that, there must be justice and fairness in the health sector for it to enjoy peaceful industrial relations.

MHWUN further regretted that Buhari has given audience three times to the members of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), but failed to give the health workers audience even once since he came to power over three years ago.

“The president must change the way he handles the issue of health. The president cannot give audience three times to less than five per cent of the people who work in the health sector and when the over 95 per cent of the workers in the health sector are agitating that he cannot give us audience.

“When he does that, he will know the truth.

What we are saying is that justice should be given to us.

The president should give us audience.”

He therefore called on the government to respect collective agreement entered between his

Phamatex Pharma Bags Awards Phamatex Industries Limited has been named ‘’Best Pharmaceutical Company of the Year’’ by the Health Writers Association of Nigeria(HEWAN).

According to the leadership of the association who organised the awards in collaboration with Maximpact Communications, the award was conferred on Phamatex because of its good manufacturing practices, quality products, availability and affordability of her products and investment in state-of –theart manufacturing plant and

technology. The company’s ant-malarial, Lumapil, was also named ‘‘Best Anti-malarial of the Year.’’ Receiving the awards on behalf of staff and management of Phamatex, it’s Managing Director, Prince Christopher Nebe, said, “ On behalf of Phamatex Group which comprises of Phamatex Industries Ltd and Phamatex Nigeria Ltd, I express great delight and humbled by these awards and recognition from HEWAN. Phamatex is a group of companies that is into manu-

facturing and importation of drugs in Nigeria. “We have one of the finest range of products in the country which includes Lumapil which incidentally won HEWAN’s Anti-malarial of the Year. We are also the exclusive agent of Hovid products in Nigeria.‘’We are known for high quality and these awards are an encouragement to continue to maintain quality standards.

We are WHO and NAFDAC compliant. I thank HEWAN and commend them for these awards.

Peter Uzoho Multiple award winning actress, model and entrepreneur, Efeilomo Michelle Irele has reiterated commitment to her humanitarian project for autistic children.

Last year, the actress, commonly known as Efe Irele launched her foundation, ‘Efe Irele Autism Foundation’ which aims to cater and create awareness about children with autism in the society, and follows it up with a yearly gathering title: Christmas with the Family’, to celebrate children with the ailment.

According to Efe Irele, this year’s party has been scheduled to hold on December 26 at a yet to be determined venue.

“Autism is not a disease; and it is not something that people should be ashamed of,” she explained.

She said she is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that children in the foundation get the best of care, revealing that her love for her brother who is autistic – a condition that includes impairments in social interaction and developmental language and communication skills among others, motivated

her to launch the foundation.

“Having witnessed firsthand, the stigmatisation melted out to my brother while he was growing up, the need to educate and enlighten the society on autism became paramount,” she said.

She noted that no many parents, particularly mothers without the knowledge of medicine would notice the disorder would be able to notice it when they give birth, noting that her mother could do so because she belonged to the field of medicine.

Efe Irele further said: “When my mother gave birth to my brother, she noticed it because she was in the medical line; she knew what autism is about, but many that are not in that field will not know. She educated me, though I was really young, but I understand the whole thing.

“I am proud to take my brother out; we go to places and I am proud to talk about him. If you are meeting me for the first time, you will know in less than 10 minutes conversation that I have aspecial-needs brother that I am so proud to talk about him.

Lagos College of Medicine Graduates 6,000 Doctors Since Inception To raise N2b from Alumni

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH CANCER

Kuni Tyessi ÓØ ÌßÔË

Actress Restates Commitment to Helping Autistic Children

group and the government, reiterating that: “until the bias stops, the health system cannot work well. There will be no peace if other professions are seen as more superior to others”.

The health workers, Biobelemoye said, have been working hard to maintain peace in the sector, but however, alleged that, “but this has eluded us because some people have deliberated refused to allow the peace to remain.

“There have been deliberate efforts to cause chaos in the system so that they can use that to advance their own hidden venture of privatization so

Martins Ifijeh The University of Lagos College of Medicine has since inception graduated a total of 6,000 medical doctors and dentists, some of whom have become past ministers of health, commissioners, vice chancellors, heads of parastatal, among others.

The college says having graduated several high calibre members of the society, there was need for the school alumni and public spirited individuals to contribute funds towards revamping the institution.

Stating this at a press conference in Lagos recently, the Chairman, Organising Committee of the High Table/Fundraising Dinner, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru said the institution aims to own a research centre which would cost at N2 billion, and other capital projects including

utilities.

“This will not only benefit the institution but will help in reducing brain drain and medical tourism.

“The vision of the college is to become world class, continental centre of innovation driven by the core values of excellence in research, learning and teaching in a conducive environment.

He said the black tie event which is billed to hold Saturday, February 2, 2019 will be a continuous tradition similar to what obtains in Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard Alumni Dinner.

He reeled out some achievements of the school to include being the first dental school in West Africa in 1967;being the first to be designated a college of medicine in Nigeria; being the first Dental Centre of Excellence in Nigeria in 1984, among others.

Reps Advocate for Increase in Health Budget Kuni TyessÓ ÓØ ÌßÔË House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Health, Mohammed Usman has reiterated that budget for health must be increased in order to face squarely the challenges inherent in the health sector, especially as it relates to family planning.

Usman stated this in Abuja reecently at Every Woman, Every Child seminar which was organised by Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) and with the theme “Building a

common agenda: drive towards achieving Nigeria’s EWEC and family planning 2020 commitments. He said the basic healthcare provision fund was being implemented; however health indices in the country have been relatively poor in the face of its entire growing population.

He said: “Hopefully, in 2019 we can convince the government to increase the budget as we must work collectively. Compared to other countries, we are not

doing well. There is the need for us to meet the target and stay committed.

“Most of the problems in Nigeria are implementation challenges and we must change this attitude. Family planning commitments are there and with few years to 2020, I am not sure we can achieve up to 50 per cent of the family planning 2020.

“This year, we were able to push the executives to implement the basic healthcare provision fund of the NHAct.

40

T H U R S DAY Ëž DECEMBER 20, 2018

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Marketers Raise Concern over Looming Danger in Petrol Stations Peter Uzoho Marketers of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) product commonly known as cooking gas have raised fear of imminent calamity arising from the sale of cooking gas at almost every filling station in Nigeria.

The marketers under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) decried the unwholesome practice in which owners of petrol stations now have add-on cooking gas skids in their stations without considering the lives and properties of the Nigerian masses who either patronise them or live around the stations.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the President

of the association, Mr. Nosa Ogieva-Okunbo, called on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the federal government to take urgent action towards bringing an end to such dangerous practice.

Ogieva-Okunbo said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is this monstrous machine called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Add-on Skidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that is being installed in petrol stations. As you are aware, our associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main aim and objective is to deepen the use of gas in this country, and we want majority of Nigerians to be connected to the use of gas, either as a source of energy for automobiles or for cooking purposes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we cannot close our eyes while the lives and properties of Nigerians are being put in a dangerous situation. Based on

this, I decided to meet with you and tell you that the danger ahead is enormous. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a time bomb waiting to explode. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you go to filling stations these days, you see that they are putting up add-on gas plants â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cooking gas plants in their filling stations, stations that were originally not approved for gas plants, they were approved for petrol, diesel and kerosene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to DPR to urgently step into it, step up their activity and to stop forthwith, granting or approving add-ons to filling stations, and all existing filling stations with add-ons must be dismantled because it is an aberration to the rules and guidelines for operating in the LPG industry.

AFC Invests $25m Equity in Infracredit Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited (InfraCredit) has announced its successful closing of a US$25 million equity investment from Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

In this primary transaction, AFC has become a shareholder in InfraCredit alongside the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). On account of this investment, Sanjeev Gupta, Executive Director, Financial Services of AFC, and Banji Fehintola, Treasurer and Senior Director of AFC, would join InfraCreditâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Directors, a statement explained.

InfraCredit is a specialised infrastructure credit enhancement facility established in 2017 by

the NSIA in collaboration with GuarantCo (a member of the Private Infrastructure Development Group) to provide guarantees that enhance the credit quality of local-currency debt instruments issued to finance eligible infrastructure projects in Nigeria. The company maintains a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;AAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long-term national scale credit rating from Agusto & Co and GCR. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of InfraCredit, Chinua Azubike said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our partnership with AFC as an equity investor will help accelerate our transformation while better positioning us to execute on our strategy and mission to unlock long-term local currency

financing for infrastructure. We are delighted to have investors who share our values and vision for success.â&#x20AC;?

Also, the President & Chief Executive Officer of AFC, Samaila Zubairu said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very pleased to work alongside InfraCredit and support its goal of bringing more bankable infrastructure projects in Nigeria on line. AFC has always been committed to supporting the continent reach its economic potential through strategic investments in infrastructure. To maximise our impact, it is important to partner with highly esteemed and reputable organisations such as InfraCredit.

Firms Partner on Technology Transformation Oluchi Chibuzor A media outfit has disclosed that it has gone into a partnership with the Association of Africa Initiatives and Inventors (AFII), to harness skills in the country.

Speaking at the event, the founder, Luz De Calcio, Femi Akinola, said the aim of the partnership with AFII was to lay down necessary foundation that will facilitate discoveries of untapped scientific and technological ingenuity and traits of young Nigerians.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want our children to become inventors that is why we are introducing them to established inventors in the likes of Innoson auto mobile company, Ndubuisi Ekekwe, microchipa, Cyprian Emeka,

Yemi Adesokan, Ume Ifeanyi Charles among others. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want our children to be producers of Phones, laptops, wrist watch and others. So as we celebrate and appreciate the vanguards and pioneers of invention in Nigeria and Africa, we are awakening the spirit of invention in our teeming youth,â&#x20AC;? he stated. Akinola, stressed that the media outfit is committed to driving innovation, adding that Nigeria and Africa do not lack the competence to challenge the western world to make waves in science and technology, but the unfavourable environment that that has stiff-necked innovation and reduces mental intelligence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only problem our geniuses have is lack of opportunity and horrible socio-economic

environment, no wonder we have brain drain, however we must make Nigeria move forward technologically,â&#x20AC;? he maintained.

He therefore called on government and other investors to commit their financial resources and technical know-how and harness the inventive potential of young people, saying that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through adequate attention given to science and technology that Nigeria can close to the advanced economies.

Sunday Joseph, who is the team leader of group that has benefited from the organisation, displayed their brainchild game called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mathematics Just On Point,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; aimed to help students overcome the difficulty in solving mathematical problems.

20,918 Households Benefit from FGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SIP in Plateau Seriki Adinoyi Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă?

The Executive Assistant to the Governor of Plateau State in charge of the federal government Social Investment Programme (SIP), Dr. Sumaya Hamza, has disclosed that 20,918 persons from across six Local Government Areas of the state have benefitted from the programme since its inception. Hamza, disclosed this while receiving delegations from Centre for Social Justice, Abuja, on Monitoring Recovered Assets in Nigeria through Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA), a subset of the Anti-Corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) project, which is supported by the Department for International Development

(DFID).

She said after social register was generated, the poorest of the poor were captured based on poverty ranking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For us in Plateau State, we have 17 local governments; the first six in the state which are Bassa and Jos-East, Kanke, Bokkos, Langtang North and Wase.

Beneficiaries are paid N5, 000 every month per household and this figure is at July. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The National office is currently down-sizing and data cleansing, so the figure dropped drastically and some household have been removed from the intervention list and they are now are agitated.â&#x20AC;?

On its part, the Centre for

Social Justice said it was monitoring the disbursement of $322.5 million Abacha loot and the $900,000 Alamieyeseigha loots.

Lead Director of the centre, Eze Onyekpere, said prior to the advocacy visit to the cash transfer office in Jos, they had already dialogued with government agencies on asset recoveries at the national level.

Represented by its Programme Officer Public Finance Management, Fidelis Onyejegbu, he said, the objective of the MANTRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s project was to make the public more aware and knowledgeable enough to hold government accountable on issues of recovery and management of looted assets.

L-R: Executive Director Business Development NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete , Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Managing Director, NEXIM Bank, Abba Bello, at NEXIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stand during the Intra-AfricanTrade Fair held in Cairo, Egypt...recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2018 Broad Money (M2)

24,303,049.86

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,912,604.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,668,378.21

---- Demand Deposits

9,244,225.90

-- Quasi Money

13,390,445.76

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

15,619,134.18

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

8,683,915.68

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,267,136.53

---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,823,345.45

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

5,433,209.43

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-1,609,863.98

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,443,791.08

--Other Assets Net

-17,583,220.85

Reserve Money (Base Money)

6,746,646.49

--Currency in Circulation

1,668,378.21

--Banks Reserves

4,357,551.58 Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2018

The price of OPEC basket of ďŹ fteen crudes stood at $56.08 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $58.24 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 Ëž DECEMBER 20, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Neimeth Returns to Profitability, Declares Bonus Issue for Shareholders Goddy Egene The Board of Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc has recommended that the sum of N86,325,333.00 being part of the sum standing to the credit of share premium be capitalised and be used in paying in full 172,650,646 of the unissued ordinary shares in the capital of the company on behalf of shareholders. The bonus share will be in proportion of one new share for every 10 shares

already held.

In notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Neimeth said the shareholders to benefit are those, whose names would be on the register at the close of business on Thursday, 17th January, 2019. The pharmaceutical firm recovered from loss in 2017 to a profit in 2018. Specifically, Neimeth posted a revenue of N2.269 billion for the year ended September 30, 2018, up from N1.534 billion in 2017.Cost

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R

DEALS

of sale jumped from N604.670 million to N1.107 billion, while gross profit stood at N1.161 billion in 2018, as against N929 million in 2017.

Finance cost fell from N84 million to N76 million. The company ended the year with a profit before tax (PBT) of N202 million compared with a loss before tax of N404 million and profit after tax of N184 million in 2018, which is a recovery from a loss of N411 million in 2017.

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Neimeth, which had a rough patch in recent times following the challenging operating environment. However, the Chairman of the company, Dr. ABC Orjiako, announced plans to overhaul the corporate structure of the company in such a way that it will refocus it for a meaningful and sustainable growth.

The company came up with three strategic imperatives to revitalise sales and generate more revenue, reduce costs and

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

optinmise efficiency and transform the organisational culture towards a new Neimeth. According to the company, new practices were adopted which contributed to better inventory management, production planning and coordination between manufacturing and sales activities most importantly.

Going by the latest results, the restructuring efforts have to yield fruits as the company has returned to profitability for the full year.

Meanwhile, the NSE All-Share

O F

Index fell by 0.35 per cent yesterday as the bears regained control of the market. Similarly, the market capitalisation depreciated by 0.35 per cent to close at N11.22 trillion, compared with the appreciation of 0.67 per cent recorded the previous day.

The depreciation recorded in the share prices of Dangote Cement, Zenith Bank, Lafarge Africa, GTBank and Seplat were mainly responsible for the decline suffered yesterday.

1 9 / 1 2 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

42

!.967*'< +)+2(+6

! & # ! %

ThisDay Afrinvest Index slips by 0.15% Yesterday, the ThisDay Afrinvest 40 Index shed 0.15% to

93*'2+38'1 +6,462'3)+ +86/)7 ,46 ! & # !

3*+;

close at 1285.57 points. The index performance was dragged by GUARANTY ( 1.1%), DANGCEM ( 1.6%) and ZENITH ( ϭ͘ϯйͿ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ ǁĞŝŐŚ ϰϭ͘ϲй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ index.

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚƐ ŽŵŝŶĂƚĞƐ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ŝŶ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛s ^ĞƐƐŝŽŶ͙ ^/ ĚŽǁŶ ϯϴďƉƐ dŚĞ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĚŽŵŝŶĂƚĞĚ LJĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͛s trading session as the NSE All Share Index (ASI) declined 0.4% to ƐĞƩůĞ Ăƚ ϯϬ͕ϳϬϰ͘ϵϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ ŝŶ SEPLAT ( 6.5%), DANGCEM ( ϭ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĮƚ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ GUARANTY ( 1.1%). dŚƵƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ Eϯϵ͘ϵďŶ ƚŽ

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ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ ZENITH ;ϱϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕

(N1.2bn), DANGCEM (N502.7m) and WAPCO (N457.3m)

ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ Performance across sectors was largely bearish as 3 of 5 indices under our coverage trended southwards. The Oil & Gas index declined the most, down 3.0% following sell pressures in SEPLAT ( 6.5%) and TOTAL ( 1.5%) followed by ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ /ŶĚŝĐĞƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ůŽƐƚ ϭ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů ŽīƐ ŝŶ DANGCEM ( 1.6%), GUARANTY ( 1.1%) and ZENITH ( ϭ͘ϯйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ

*6-7 ! *607;. #<0*9 "./26.9@ !

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WAPCO (38.7m units) and FBNH ;ϭϱ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ZENITH

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$9*6:,798 7;.4: !4,

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; ͺ͸Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚͜

43

MARKET NEWS

May & Baker Nigeria Promises to Sustain Dividend Payout Goddy Egene

Managing Director of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, has assured shareholders that the company has the capacity to sustain its dividend payout going forward.

May & Baker Nigeria had in 2017 increased cash dividend by 233.3 per cent to 20 kobo per share compared with 6.0 kobo per share paid for the 2016 business year.

Speaking at a media lunch in Lagos, Okafor said while dividend payment is subject to the decision of the board and extant regulations, the company has the capacity to sustain its dividend payout.

Given the performance of the company in the past three quarters, the MD said May & Baker Nigeria was on good footing to sustain its dividend payout despite envisaged increase in outstanding shares due to the recent rights issue.

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

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Despite all the constraints, our business has managed to thrive as shown by our results in the past three quarters. Our turnover has been growing despite the recent streamlining of our business into core healthcare business. We have also grown our profit. We think we have done well enough, considering our circumstances,â&#x20AC;? Okafor said.

May & Baker reported gross profit of N2.385 billion

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 1812-2018, unless otherwise stated.

for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, which showed an increase of 10.6 per cent from N2.156 billion in 2017. With finance cost dropping by 37.25 per cent from N479.60 million in 2017 to N300.94 million in 2018, profit before tax jumped by 89.19 per cent to N609.94 million as against N322.39 million recorded in comparable period of 2017.

Profit after tax from continuing operations also

leapt by 89.82 per cent from N218.505 million to N414.76 million. With the addition of net profit of N329.57 million from discontinued operation, total net comprehensive income grew by 240.65 per cent to N744.33 million in 2018 as against N218.505 million in 2017. The company had during the period divested and sold its noodles business as part of its strategic focus on its core healthcare business.

The company recently

closed its rights issue to raise N2.45 billion from existing shareholders.

According to Okafor, the net proceeds of the rights issue will be invested in some key projects including N400 million to finance part of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equity in Biovaccines Nigeria Limited and over N500 million on capacity expansion for one of its cash cow products, paracetamol for which it is building a dedicated plant.

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 158.55 160.01 -10.55% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 276.38 278.10 19.59% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 1.34% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 7.15% 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 12.80% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.21 2.23 -3.97% 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 16.33 16.82 -10.64% ARM Discovery Fund 353.06 363.70 -9.25% ARM Ethical Fund 28.06 28.90 2.69% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.76% 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 100.00 100.00 13.90% Paramount Equity Fund 11.49 11.79 3.65% Women's Investment Fund 100.93 103.52 0.30% 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 13.31% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 94.94 95.14 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 98.40 98.72 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 12.41% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.85 0.85 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.16 1.16 10.80% 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 1,170.82 1,171.58 11.74% FBN Heritage Fund 140.57 141.76 0.78% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.93% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $112.88 113.41 3.90% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $112.67 $113.24 3.75% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 146.23 148.30 -7.93% 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 3.23 3.23 11.80% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.03 1.03 2.79% 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 2,934.26 2,962.88 -1.72% Coral Income Fund 2,750.47 2,750.47 12.35% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.63% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 106.41 106.82 6.04% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.51%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.14 2.16 1.59% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.44% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 124.32 124.52 8.01% 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 4.73% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,094.73 1,094.73 13.29% 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 11.22 11.31 -13.41% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.94% 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 1.36 11.82% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.17 12.24 10.31% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.70% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.19 128.62 -1.17% 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 1.70 1.70 14.48% 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 2,305.01 2,319.00 4.87% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 188.76 188.76 8.39% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.95 0.96 -5.45% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 246.34 246.38 14.12% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 159.54 161.37 -10.91% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.04% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,426.20 8,527.96 -11.39% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.11 1.11 7.08% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Wealth for Women Fund N/A N/A N/A ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 11.10 11.25 -8.70% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.21 12.33 -6.23% Zenith Income Fund 20.69 20.69 12.12% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.43%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

9.00 139.60 51.74

-20.11% 5.39% 1.79%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.26 116.23 87.96

10.36 118.67 89.60

-13.35% -18.64% -19.49%

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

4.01 7.09 14.46 12.29 141.72

4.05 7.17 14.56 12.49 143.72

-15.25% -25.85% -17.14% -37.33% 5.45%

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.

5 ) * 4 % ": t THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018

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

INTERNATIONAL

British Opposition Leader in Trouble for Insulting Theresa May British opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, faced calls to apologise on Wednesday after being accused of muttering “stupid woman” at Prime Minister Theresa May during a heated exchange over her delaying tactics on Brexit.

But a spokesman for the Labour leader denied he used the phrase, which sparked uproar among ruling Conservative MPs in the House of Commons, insisting he had said “stupid people”.

Corbyn mouthed the words after clashing with May over her decision to delay until January a Commons vote on her unpopular Brexit deal — just weeks before Britain leaves the EU on March 29.

London and Brussels this week stepped up planning for a “no deal” scenario, and Corbyn warned during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday that this would be “a disaster for our country”.

He said that by delaying a vote by MPs, May was “recklessly running down the clock, all in a shameful attempt to make her own bad deal look like the lesser of two evils”.

May hit back by mocking Corbyn’s position on Brexit and describing as a pantomime his failure to call a vote of confidence in her government despite demands from his own MPs. Footage of the “stupid” comment quickly went viral on social media, watched by MPs on their phones as they sat in the Commons chamber — and one of them asked May what she thought.

“Everybody in this House, particularly in this 100th year of women getting the vote, should be encouraging women to come into this chamber and to stand in this chamber and should, therefore, use appropriate language in this chamber when they are referring to female members,” she said.

Several Conservative MPs said the alleged comment was a reflection of abusive language faced by many female politicians and a culture of bullying in parliament that has become a focus for concern.

Some female Labour MPs also weighed in, with Stella Creasy tweeting: “This is not ok.”

But Corbyn’s spokesman said, “He’s clear that he did not say stupid woman and has no time for any kind of misogynistic abuse.”

He said the “stupid people” remark was a response to “the attempt to belittle what is being discussed” on Brexit, adding: “This is a national crisis.”

Commons Speaker John Bercow said he did not see the incident himself but, if true, Corbyn would have to apologise in front of parliament.

In chaotic scenes, however, Bercow — who has himself been accusing of bullying and using abusive language — was shouted down as Conservative MPs rallied to May’s defence.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, a government minister, even stood up to ask Bercow why he had not apologised for allegedly calling her a “stupid woman” earlier this year.

Bercow replied that the issue had been resolved at the time.

He had admitted muttering “stupid” in an argument about the scheduling of Commons business.

South African Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Grace Mugabe South African police said Wednesday an arrest warrant had been issued for Grace Mugabe, wife of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, after she allegedly assaulted a model in Johannesburg in 2017.

“The police investigated and we made an application to the courts and the courts granted a warrant for the arrest… for the assault of Gabriella Engels,” police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo told AFP. The Randburg Magistrates court in Gauteng province issued a warrant of arrest

on December 13, charging Mugabe with “assault causing grievous bodily harm”.

“We are following the Interpol (International Criminal Police) processes, so we are applying for assistance to secure her arrest,” Naidoo added.

The 53-year-old allegedly beat up Engels using an electrical extension cord at a upmarket hotel in the business district of Sandton where her two sons were staying.

The model suffered cuts to her forehead and the back of her head.

At the time, the government granted Mugabe diplomatic

immunity, allowing her to leave South Africa.

Lobby group AfriForum, which has been pursuing the case on Engel’s behalf, welcomed the arrest warrant.

Robert Mugabe, 94, was ousted as president of Zimbabwe in November 2017 after a brief military takeover when generals stepped in to end speculation that he was positioning his wife to succeed him.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has said Mugabe has been in Singapore for medical care and now unable to walk because of ill health and old age.

Judge Gives Order that Could Free Lula from Prison A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Wednesday issued an order that could see former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva soon released from prison, where he is serving a 12-year term for graft.

Justice Marco Aurelio Mello ruled that all prisoners in Lula’s situation — those whose convictions have been confirmed by a second court — should be freed while final appeals were under way if their lawyers request it.

The decision was unexpected and sent a jolt through Brazil’s political and legal circles just ahead of far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration on January 1.

Up to now, the country’s courts had rejected multiple efforts by Lula’s lawyers to win the ex-leader’s release. The full supreme court had said it

was to convene on April 10, 2019 to consider the matter abruptly decided by Mello.

Lula’s imprisonment prevented him from contesting October elections that were won

by Bolsonaro, who lambasted the former far-left leader and repeatedly tied Lula’s Workers Party to corruption.

Lula has said from his cell that he would have easily triumphed in that election — something borne out by voter surveys that showed the ex-president remained broadly popular with Brazilians despite his conviction.

The head of the Workers Party, Gleisi Hoffman, tweeted immediately after publication of the judge’s order that lawyers have already put in a request for Lula’s release.

Lula, 73, was incarcerated in April this year after being

found guilty of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe from a Brazilian construction company, BTP, in return for public works contracts during his 2003-2010 time in office.

He is the subject of five other corruption and money laundering investigations but insists he is innocent of all charges.

In November, he and his successor — fellow Workers Party member Dilma Rousseff — were accused of receiving bribes with money diverted from state-owned oil giant Petrobras, which sits at the center of a vast corruption probe in Brazil known as Car Wash.

He has also been accused of money laundering in his dealings with Equatorial Guinea after he left the presidency.

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

50

NEWSEXTRA

NBS: Unemployment Rate Rises to 23.1%, 20.9m Nigerians Jobless Buhari clueless on way forward, Says Atiku

James Emejo in Abuja The country’s unemployment rate worsened in the third quarter of 2018 (Q3,2018), rising from 18.8 per cent in Q3 2017 to 23.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, the labour report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has shown.

According to the Labour Force Statistics - Volume I released yesterday, the total number of people classified as unemployed-which means they did nothing at all or worked for a few hours (under 20 hours a week) rose from 17.6 million in Q4 2017 to 20.9

million in Q3 2018.

The economically active or working age population (15 – 64 years of) also increased from 111.1 million in Q3, 2017 to 115.5 million in Q3, 2018.

The report also showed that the labour force, which is the number of people who are able and willing to work rose to 90.5 million in Q3, 2018 from 75.94 million in Q3, 2015.

It was 80.66 million in Q3 2016 and 85.1 million in Q3, 2017, the NBS’ report stated.

According to the statistical agency, the total number of people in part-time employment (or underemployment) however, rose

Ogun APC Dares Oshiomhole, Rejects Dissolution Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta The Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected its dissolution by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, describing it as an exercise in futility.

The party noted that its state chapter would remain in office to carry out its legal duties in line with the constitution of the APC. It said the matter was subjudice, as it is before a court of competent jurisdiction, presided over by Justice Jude Okeke of the FCT High Court, Abuja.

In the Suit No CV/363/2018, the Ogun State chapter of the party is seeking the protection of the court against attempts by the NWC to undermine it and abridge its tenure in any form.

According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the state chapter of the party, Chief Derin Adebiyi, “The Ogun APC views its purported dissolution as a brazen disregard for the judiciary, hence the Nigerian constitution and flagrant abuse of power by the Oshiomhole-led

National Working Committee (NWC).

“The action of the NWC is patently illegal; it is an assault on the APC constitution and outside the bounds of acceptable standards in the conduct of party affairs the world over.

It was such acts of impunity that led us in the first place to seek legal protection for a four-year mandate freely given to us by the overwhelming majority of party members in Ogun State in May 2018. “There is no iota of truth in the charge of anti-party activities levelled against us, as we remain committed to the ideals of the APC, “ Adebiyi said.

The party chairman further posited that “you cannot dissolve a legally constituted body, such as Ogun APC exco on a whim. When a matter is in court, all parties are expected to maintain the status quo.

What Oshiomhole-led NWC has done amounts to self-help and bare-faced attempt to render nugatory the judicial powers granted the courts by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

to 18.21 million in Q3 2018, from 13.20 million in Q3 2015, 11.19 million in Q3 2016 and 18.02 million in Q3 2017.

The total number of people in full-time employment (at least 40 hours a week) also increased from 51.1 million in Q3 2017 to 51.3 million in Q3, 2018, the report said.

The NBS, however, explained: “Of the 20.9 million persons classified as unemployed as at Q3 2018 11.1 million did some form of work but for too few hours a week (under 20 hours) to be officially classified as employed while 9.7 million did absolutely nothing.

“Of the 9.7 million unemployed that did absolutely nothing as at Q3 2018, 90.1 per cent of them or 8.77 million were reported to be unemployed and doing nothing because they were first time job seekers and have never worked before.

“On the other hand, 9.9 million or 0.9 per cent of the 9.7 million that were unemployed and doing nothing at all reported they were unemployed and did nothing at all because they were previously employed but lost their jobs at some point in the past which is why they

were unemployed,” the report said.

According to the NBS: “Of the 9.7 million that were unemployed and did nothing at all; 35.0 per cent or 3.4 million have been unemployed and did nothing at all for less than a year; 17.2 per cent or 1.6 million for a year, 15.7 per cent or 1.5 million had been unemployed and did nothing for two years, and the remaining 32.1 per cent or 3.1 million unemployed persons had been unemployed doing nothing for three and above years.”

It, however, pointed out that a rise in the unemployment rate is not entirely equivalent to an increase in job losses, adding: “Rather, an increase in unemployment can occur as a result of several reasons of which loss of an existing job is just one.”

A rise in unemployment, the NBS said, generally means that the number of people searching for jobs has increased, “which can occur because people previously outside the labour force – students and housewives, have decided to join the labour force and are now in search of jobs, or people previously working have lost their jobs

and are now in search of jobs.

Often, it is a combination of these two.”

Controversy had preceded the release of the unemployment statistics by the NBS. The Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive, NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale, had refuted an online report that the presidency had asked him to doctor the country’s unemployment/ underemployment data.

He had threatened to resign if he was asked to tinker with the data in order to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.

The report had alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari had during a recent meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ordered Kale to change the high unemployment statistics and reflect the rising rate of employment in the agriculture sector.

Responding to the statistics, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has expressed serious concern over the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, saying the Buhari-led federal government is clueless on the way out of the unemployment

problems confronting the nation.

Atiku said in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, that hopes for better governance and improved standard of living that many had nursed with the assumption of office by Buhari in May 2015 had since given way to despair and hopelessness.

He said a cloud of uncertainty now hangs over Nigeria, as millions of ablebodied men who are willing and capable are unable to access gainful employment.

Atiku said in the midst of biting unemployment and unprecedented level of insecurity, the APC-led federal government seems utterly clueless on how to arrest the situation, forcing many to conclude that Nigeria is fast becoming a failed state. ‘’In the midst of all these, the government through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is spending money like drunken sailors, shelling out billions of taxpayers’ funds on Tradermoni, a crafty scheme to buy voters ahead of next year’s polls,” the presidential candidate said.

PDP Appoints ARE BLESSED… Communications Consultant YOU Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (left), receiving blessings from the Bishop of Eha-Amufu Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Dan Nkemjika Olinga, when clergymen from various Christian denominations offered prayers for his victory and other candidates on Women Engagement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu East Senatorial District, during the 2019 general election, in Eha-Amufu, Enugu State…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appointed Dr. Nkiru Balonwu as tactical consultant to engage women in Nigeria.

The move underscores the seriousness of the PDP at approaching the presidential campaign for 2019 from an issuesbased perspective, THISDAY reliably gathered.

Balonwu is Managing Partner at RDF Strategies, a strategic communications and stakeholder engagement consultancy, whose ethos is to support visionary leaders and organisations at the frontline of change.

She is also a founding member and chair of African Women on Board (AWB), a network of African women on the continent

and in the Diaspora who aspire to become leaders within their workplaces, communities and governments.

The inspiring speaker and media commentator with a unique voice, is a firm believer in placing effective communications at the heart of successful business and social strategy and will bring her wealth of experience to bear on the PDP campaign in the u coming elections.

Her appointment has been hailed by watchers and analysts as a watershed in Nigerian politics, a move-away from the usual strategy, which sees disbursement of pepper grinders and sewing machines as the only way to empower women in Nigeria.

yesterday.

NLC Rejects Any Renegotiation of N30,000 Minimum Wage Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has reacted to a proposal by President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a technical committee to review the agreed N30,000 minimum wage, saying organised labour will not be a party to such an exercise.

Buhari had revealed the plan to constitute the proposed technical review committee while making the 2019 budget

presentation at the National Assembly in Abuja However, Wabba who spoke shortly after the budget presentation, insisted that as far as the labour movement was concerned, the issue of new minimum wage figure was settled by the tripartite committee, which concluded negotiations on the matter and submitted its report to the president.

“We cannot accept the use of any technical committee to look into the already agreed

N30,000 minimum wage.

“The president promised to pass the report to lawmakers a week after it was presented to him. “Once the tripartite committee has met and agreed on an amount, no other committee can meet on the same issue,’’ Wabba said.

The NLC president said the organised labour is scheduled to meet next week to take a final decision on the issue.

On his part, the President of the United Labour Congress

(ULC), Joe Ajaero, also kicked against the proposed technical committee.

He said the tripartite committee had considered the ability of the state governments to pay the N30,000 before agreeing on it.

“We (labour) have resolved to fight for the new minimum wage even after the upcoming general elections. There would be no retreat or surrender until workers receive the wage,” he said.

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

51

NEWSEXTRA

Buhari Not Interested in Peace, Working to Compromise Election, Ezekwesili Alleges Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has expressed doubt over the willingness of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure peace in the 2019 elections.

She said this during a meeting with the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which are fielding a Joint International Elections Observer Mission.

The IRI and NDI high-level delegates have been in Nigeria between December 14 and 20, 2018, to meet with key stakeholders on the electoral process and assess the pre-election environment.

The delegation is led by former Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield; Executive Vice President for the Middle East and Africa of Grainster LLC, Lewis Lucke; Regional Director for Africa at IRI, John Tomaszewski, and Kenya Resident Country Director at NDI, Dickson Omondi.

The delegation met with the ACPN presidential candidate in Abuja before meeting with President Buhari.

Ezekwesili assured the delegation of promoting peace before and after the election.

She asked the delegation to caution the president against compromising the standard of t“My entry into the presidential race is to win and provide the long elusive good governance to Nigerians so that our country and its people will prosper, become stable and live in harmony,” Ezekwesili said.

According to her, “I have raised the bar in making 2019 an issue/ value-based campaign and forced the dominant parties to start focusing on same. My candidacy is mobilising the citizens into a movement of enlightened voters who can make informed choices in the elections. My candidacy is creating a political disruption of the old extant order of a political class who have always seen politics as a means to personal wealth instead of

service to the country and people.

“With my foray in politics, a new order of politicians and politically conscious citizens are emerging on the scene. Young people and women are the segment of the voting population that are most excited about my candidacy and are volunteering and donating to our campaign.

“As a well-known protagonist

for peace, I have signed the peace accord.

I did not attend the original event due to failure of communication, but went over to the secretariat to immediately sign the accord the next day when the peace committee reached out to me with apologies and accepted its failure to duly communicate the event to me for attendance.”

She added: “The delegation and the international community should join the Nigerian people to prevail on President Buhari to practice the peace accord with exemplary actions in order to build confidence in the process.

“The most crucial thing the President must do to build the confidence of all contestants and

the Nigerian people is to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 into law. Should he fail to do so, we must encourage the National Assembly to override the president and enact the bill to an Act.” Ezekwesili warned that the use of security officers to compromise the election may lead to danger in the country.

Court Backs Balogun-Fulaniled Kwara APC Exco Ruling party rejects verdict Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin, yesterday recognised the executive committee of the Ishola Balogun-Fulani faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

But in a swift response, the national leadership of APC has said its expulsion of the Ishola Balogun Fulani-led APC executive in Kwara State still stands.

In a judgment read by Justice T.S. Umar, which lasted for about one and half hours, the court held that the purported dissolution of the executive committee of the APC led by Balogun-Fulani was illegal, null and void.

The court also held that, as at today, it recognised the executive committee led by Balogun-Fulani as the authentic executive committee of the Kwara state APC chapter.

The court further held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should recognise the list of members of the executive committee presented by the Kwara APC executive committee led by the Balogun-Fulani faction.

Speaking with journalists after the court’s verdict, counsel to Balogun-Fulani faction of the APC, Abdulazeez Ibrahim, said that no cost was awarded for the judgement secured since they did not ask for cost.

Ibrahim also said that the effect of the judgement was that the court has recognised candidates of the Balogun-Fulani faction of the APC, “since it’s the authentic executive committee of the state”.

Also speaking, counsel to the Bashir Bolarinwa faction of the party, Kamaldeen Gambari, said that they were not satisfied with the judgement, adding that the court acted contrary to the facts placed before it.

Gambari, who said that the judgement would not stand, added that he had already filed

an appeal against the judgment by the High Court, expressing the hope that the Appeal Court would upturn the judgement.

Meanwhile, the national leadership of the ruling party has said its expulsion of the Ishola Balogun Fulani-led APC Executive in Kwara State still stands.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, the party said that last judgment of an Ilorin High Court regarding the leadership of the state chapter of APC was being misinterpreted.

APC said: “We wish to restate the National Working Committee (NWC) decision to expel the erstwhile Ishola Balogun Fulaniled APC Executive in Kwara State.

This is in view of widespread misinterpretations given to a judgement of an Ilorin High Court on Wednesday,” it said.

Onilu said the decision to expel Ishola Balogun Fulani and others is well within the powers of the NWC which investigated and deliberated on the anti-party activities of the sacked state executive.

According to the party’s spokesman, “it is important to note that direct primaries were used to elect party candidates for Kwara State, hence state executives had no role to play in the primaries. Only candidates that emerged from the direct primary exercise conducted by the NWC inaugurated committee were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

These candidates remain the authentic flagbearers of APC. “We therefore urge the good people of Kwara State and indeed the APC members to remain unrelenting in our collective and irreversible movement towards total liberation of the state. The “o to ge” train is on course and has full endorsement of the National Working Committee of the party.”

LOCAL CONTENT ON THEIR MINDS…

L-R: Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Bank-Anthony Okoroafor; Managing Director, Lee Engneering, Mr. Leemon Ikpea; Managing Director, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru; and Managing Director, Nestoil Group, Mr. Ernest Azudialu, during the PETAN’s Award Night held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State…recently

FG Nearing Completion of Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line Kasim Sumaina and Sunday Okobi The federal government yesterday hinted that the ongoing LagosIbadan rail project is gradually coming to an end.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who made the disclosure, however, expressed dissatisfaction over China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) pace of work, adding that the contractor might be maximising profit.

Amaechi also disclosed that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would also inspect the project from Lagos to Abeokuta in the first week of January.

The transportation minister gave the hint during the monthly

inspection of the on-going LagosIbadan rail project, Odeda, in Ogun State.

He stated that the rail-line would have been completed by the end of December 2018 up to Abeokuta when Osinbajo would inspect the volume of work done so far.

According to him, “We are gradually coming to the end of the project. Today, we are 6 kilometres from Abeokota. I have been assured that we will be able to ride from Idu to Abeokuta on the standard gauge by the first week of January.

“The idea is to bring the vicepresident and some ministers to join us in the ride. And so far, we have installed anti-theft track to guide again theft.

“I will tell CCECC to concentrate on the track for now by focusing on one rail track to the end because work will be faster that way while they can continue with the other lane.

“When one is on use, work will continue on the second lane.

Building two at the same time slow construction period.”

Speaking further, Amaechi said: “One of the gains of the project is that no fewer than 9,000 Nigerians are on the payroll of the counterpart funding of the Lagos-Ibadan rail project of the federal government and the Chinese contractor, CCECC. The minister revealed that Nigerians working on the project, include engineers and casual workers who are well

over 9,000.

“While we congratulate the Chinese contractor for their technology, we are now saying Nigerians must learn how to build good roads and railway for ourselves like other countries.

We cannot continue to rely on other people’s technology, the earlier we learn that, the better for us,” he said.

Commenting on the man-made challenges of rail project, he said vandalisation of bolts and brazes on the rail-lines, particularly on Kaduna axis are quite alarming.

He said the government, the contractor, CCECC; and the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) had to device means to prevent further theft by procuring anti-theft rail lines.

2019: Buhari’s Campaign Group Accuses Opposition of Incitement Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Buhari Support Organisation campaigning for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed worry over what it described as highly inciting messages being circulated by members of the opposition parties in their campaign.

The group, which is an umbrella body of the various outfits canvassing support for President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), said it is unfortunate that opposition

parties are campaigning with all manners of mudslinging aimed at eliciting sentiments among uniformed electorate ahead of the 2019 general election.

The National Chairman, Buhari Support Organisation (BOS), Dr. Mamud Abubakar, made the observation yesterday in Abuja when he received one of the support groups, ‘No Alternative to Buhari’, led by its Coordinator, Mr. Vicent Uba. In his remark, Mamud said the truth today is that there is no alternative to President Buhari

and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo.

“We are at crossroad here in Nigeria, we have been under bondage for 16 years and the country cannot afford to return to that situation,” he said.

While describing Buhari as an honest person, he alleged that the president is not one naira richer since he assumed office in 2015.

According to him, the APC-led government has achieved so much in the area of agriculture, road construction and rail transport.

Earlier, Uba said the group is committed to the re-election of

President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 because according to him, his re-election borders on the well-being of Nigerians and the country generally.

He said members of the group were standing shoulder to shoulder with the opposition, using media campaigns to debunk their negative propaganda.

He said the group has been showcasing numerous achievements of the President Buhari-led administration to sensitise Nigerians ahead of the election.

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

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Excess Crude Account Shrinks by $1.68bn Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) has shrunk from $ 2.319 billion in November 2018 to $631 million as at yesterday, December 19, 2018.

This indicates that the special account recorded a deficit or withdrawals totaling $ 1.68 billion between last month’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting, which was held in Kaduna and the last one held in Abuja yesterday.

The November FAAC meeting was held in Kaduna at the 2018 Conference of the National Council on Finance and Economic Development (NACOFED) where the three tiers of government shared N788.139 billion for the month of October.

Explaining the deficit recorded in the ECA, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, who briefed journalists at the end of the FAAC meeting, said withdrawals were made by the federal government from the ECA to settle the last tranche of the Paris Club refunds.

Isa-Dutse said, “The balance in the ECA is $631million. The final payment for Paris club refund to states was made

and the figure was deducted and that’s what accounted for the difference.”

Reminded that it was illegal for deductions to be made for such purpose, he responded: “A decision was taken to make this refund and part of that decision is that the refund should be funded from the ECA.” He added that the Federal Executive Council and President Muhammadu Buhari approved the withdrawals.

Prodded by journalists to provide more insight on the withdrawals, the Accountant General of Federation ( AGF) Mr. Idris Ahmed, reinforced Isa-Dutse’s position, retorting, “go and ask the National Assembly whether we got approval.”

Meanwhile, the three tiers of government shared a total of N812.762 billion approved for distribution by FAAC for the month of November.

The allocated amount showed a gross statutory revenue of N649.629 billion, a figure lower than the N682.161 billion received in the previous month by N32.533 billion.

The total distributable revenue of N812.762 billion, comprised the statutory revenue of

Afenifere’s Endorsement of Atiku Treacherous, Selfserving, Says CNPP Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties(CNPP), Ekiti chapter, has condemned the faction of a socio-cultural group, Afenifere, led by Chief Reuben Fasoranti , for endorsing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the next year’s presidential election.

The group predicated its decision to back Atiku on the exnumber two man’s commitment to correct the country’s lopsided structure and inject the doctrine of true federalism into the system.

Atiku, former Vice President, and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will slug it out with President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement issued yesterday by its acting state Chairman, Olu Akomolafe, in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, CNPP condemned the Yoruba leaders for betraying the South-west people , saying the people will resist attempt to allegedly trade with the collective destiny of the region.

“We won’t allow these leaders to sell Yoruba and the rubbish the race’s good name because of politics.

“Yoruba nationals will not subject themselves to any evil force who was out to tarnish the image of the race and put it to disrepute.

“The dividends of democracy being enjoyed under Buhari-led progressive government should be encouraged. All what Yoruba have gained under the Buhari-led government has never happened in Nigeria’s history.

“The Vice President slot which Yoruba is enjoying shall be guided jealously except if any presidential candidate can provide a better position than this. Everyone could attest to the role being played

by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the honour he has brought to us as a people.

“If truly these are Yoruba leaders, why should they abandon a candidate whose deputy comes from their region for a candidate who picked his deputy from other zone? This is mischievous and selfish and Yoruba people won’t allow themselves to be deceived again.

“In case these leaders had forgotten, this was the same way they adopted Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 and they eventually lost out.

“They will suffer similar fate in 2019 because the region acknowledged what President Buhari has done in terms of human capital development and they will reciprocate by voting for him massively in the election”, CNPP said.

It commended Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for prompt payment of workers’ salaries and pensions, querying the rationale behind the alleged diversion of a staggering sum of N18 billion by former Governor, Ayodele Fayose, out of the Paris Club refund that accrued to the state under him, which was specifically meant to defray backlog of salaries and pension .

“We condemn Ekiti State labour leaders for allegedly conniving with the former governor to shortchange the Ekiti State workers. That was not what labour leadership was meant for, they are to defend the rights of workers and promote their welfare”, The conference advised the governor to concentrate on projects that can boost the revenue generation in Ekiti State such as resuscitation of Ikogosi Warm Spring, Fountain Hotels, Ire Ekiti Burnt Bricks, Ekiti Parapo Pavilion and the State Civic Centre .

N649.629billion, gross Value Added Tax (VAT) of N92.079 billion, Forex Equalisation of N70.000 billion and An Exchange Gain of N1.055 billion.

Of the Gross statutory revenue, the federal government received N280.913 billion, representing 52.68

per cent; States received N142.483 billion or 26.72 per cent; Local Government Councils--N109.848 billion, representing 20.60 per cent, while the oil producing states received N47.882 billion also representing 13 per cent derivation revenue.

The Value Added Tax (VAT) component showed that the federal government received N13.259 billion (15 per cent); States (N44.198 billion) or 50 per cent while the Local Government Councils received N30.938 billion, also representing 35 per cent.

Revenue from Company Income Tax (CIT) increased significantly while revenues from Value Added Tax (VAT), Import Duty, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and foreign oil and gas, domestic oil and gas royalties decreased

BUSINESS MEETING…

L-R:Oseloka Mbadiwe; Head of The Thembekile Mandela Foundation/granddaughter to Nelson Mandela, Ndileka Mandela; and Ozuomba Mbadiwe, after a business meeting between Mandela Foundation and Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe Foundation, in Johannesburg, South Africa…recently

NCAC Charges Nigerians on Peaceful 2019 Elections Critical stakeholders and indeed all Nigerians have been encouraged to embrace the long tested culture of peace during and after the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

This admonition was given by a collective assemblage of relevant stakeholders who converged at the headquarters of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in Abuja to preach the message of peace as Nigeria prepares for 2019 elections.

Leading the call for peace, Director General of NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, charged Nigerians to maintain the culture of peace and brotherliness, which

they have been known for from time immemorial.

Runsewe gave the advice while addressing major interested parties like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Council of Women Society, National Youth Council, traditional leaders, NGOs, the media, security agencies and the international community.

Speaking further, Runsewe appealed to other agencies to join the NCAC as it enjoins all Nigerians especially the youths to remain peaceful as the country goes into an election year, noting that Nigerians have always been

peace loving people irrespective of ethnic or political leanings.

Also adding his voice to the call for peace was the chairman of the occasion, Maj. Gen. I. B. M. Haruna (rtd) who reminded Nigerians that the peace accord for 2015 elections has also been adopted for 2019 and should be adhered to by all players.

He extolled the NCAC for leading the call for peace, adding that peace is a major part of Nigeria’s culture even from historical perspectives.

On his part, the Executive Director in charge of News at the Nigerian Television

Authority, Baba Barau, expressed his delight with the NCAC for fulfilling its mandate with a timely initiative like the peace programme, affirming that Nigerians from all divides will continue to coexist in harmony notwithstanding the outcome of the 2019 elections.

The Peace Programme with the theme: Building a culture of peace towards 2019 elections, was organised at the instance of NCAC with the aim of sensitising Nigerians on the need to maintain peace before, during and after next year’s elections.

FG Declares Dec 25, 26, Jan 1 Public Holidays Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The federal government has declared December 25 and 26, 2018, and January 1, 2019, as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year celebrations, respectively.

Minister of Interior, Lt. General (rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau,

made the declaration on behalf of the federal government in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

According to the statement signed by Director of Press of the ministry, Mr. Mohammed Manga, the minister enjoined Christian faithful and all Nigerians to use the period to pray earnestly for

progress and development of Nigeria.

He called on Nigerians to strengthen their resolve to maintain peace and unity in the country before, during and after the 2019 general elections, in the spirit of the season.

Dambazau further urged all Nigerians, “both at home

and abroad, to support the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its determination and sustained efforts towards a peaceful,united and virile nation.”

He wished Nigerians happy Christmas and New Year celebrations.

APM Flags off Campaign in Abeokuta, Adopts Buhari as Presidential Candidate The Ogun State chapter of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) will today flag-off its campaign and adopt President Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.

It will also be an opportunity to present to the public and electorate, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, who is preferred by

Governor Ibikunle Amosun as the governorship candidate of APM in the state, and his running mate, Adepeju Adebajo.

While the party members and their supporters will be clamouring for votes for Akinlade as governor in forthcoming election, they are adopting President Buhari as their presidential candidate.

Akinlade, who recently

defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the APM as a people-oriented movement which would sustain the incumbent’s rebuilding mission of the incumbent government of Amosun According to the House of Representatives member, he remains the most qualified person to succeed Amosun

having been a part of his administration which had transformed the state.

“I am proud to be the governorship candidate of APM. I want to tell you that both of my legs are in APM. APM has come to stay in Ogun State. We are going to build the party and make it a household name in the state,” he had said.

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

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Nigeria Has 20m Housing Deficit, Says Osinbajo Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has estimated the country’s present housing deficit at a staggering 20 million houses.

The vice president made the disclosure yesterday when as the Special Guest of Honour, he performed the unveiling of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Digital Platform at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Osinbajo, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office (OSGF), Gabriel Aduda, charged FMBN to rise to the greater responsibility of seeking innovative ways to attract funding for housing provision, through Public Private Partnerships and partnership with relevant government and financial institutions.

He noted that raising of

long-term housing bonds and other specialised financial instruments will guarantee provision of affordable housing for the public.

He requested that these initiatives must be targeted at achieving the ultimate aim, which is more affordable houses for greater numbers of Nigerians.

He described the digitalisation of the bank as another milestone in the long journey to reducing the country’s humongous housing stock.

The vice president also restated his belief that repositioning of the FMBN is a huge plus that will improve housing provision in the country.

“The FMBN is one of the numerous programs of government since the early 70s aimed at housing provision. However, most have not been successful.

Repositioning the FMBN

DPR: Nigeria to Run Out of Oil in 52Years Reserves depletion rate now 1.93%

Chineme Okafor in Abuja Nigeria will run out of oil in about 52 years if new crude oil discoveries are not made to add to Nigeria’s current reserves of 36.971 billion barrels (bbls), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has disclosed.

The DPR also explained that the current reserves depletion rate of Nigeria’s oil reserves is 1.93 per cent, adding that on the average, Nigeria produced 1.973,995 barrels of oil per day (bpd) as at the end of June 2018.

These details are contained in a report of the achievements of agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the last the three years, which THISDAY obtained in Abuja yesterday.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had recently launched the report.

According to the DPR, Nigeria’s gas reserves as at January 1, 2018 was 199.09 trillion cubic feet (tcf) which it said, represented an increase by 0.18 per cent over January 1, 2017.

“The nation’s oil and condensate reserves as at January 2018 stood at 36.971 billion barrels with a depletion rate of 1.93 per cent and a life index of 51.79 years,” said DPR in the report.

It added: “Average daily oil and condensate production stands at 1.973.995bopd as at end of June 2018. The national gas reserves status as at January 1, 2018 is 199.09TCF representing an increase of 0.18 per cent over January 1, 2017 position,” the report said.

The DPR stated that the increase in gas reserves was made possible by the discovery of four new fields within the year under consideration, and from where 43 billion standard cubic feet (bscf) of associated gas and 37.43bscf of non-associated gas were added to the reserves.

In 2017, Pan-African bank, Ecobank, disclosed that data obtained from the DPR showed that Nigeria had been suffering from stagnant oil reserves since 1980, and that its 38bbls reserves at that time would last her about 55 years.

SOUTHERN, MIDDLE BELT LEADERS, JONATHAN, MAGU CONDEMN BADEH’S MURDER his family, the government and people of Adamawa State and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss, while urging security forces to immediately swing into action and leave no stones unturned until the killers are brought to book.

In his condolence message, Magu expressed shock over the incident and called on security agencies to ensure perpetrators of the dastardly act are apprehended and brought to book..

Magu’s condolences and that of the commision were contained in a letter dated December 19, 2018 and addressed to the Chief of Defence Staff, General A. G. Olanisakin.

The EFCC’s statement signed by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Tony Orilade, said, “Magu condemned in the strongest term, the “crude and senseless manner of the attack leading to the death of the former CDS”, and called on the relevant security agencies “to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are apprehended and brought to book”.

While condoling with the family of the late CDS, Magu said, “We pray the Almighty God will give the Defence Headquarters, the Nigeria Air Force, Adamawa State and other stakeholders, the grace to bear the irreparable loss.”

we believe is a huge plus and will improve housing provision in Nigeria.

“The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) has

human capital development as one of its cardinal objectives and housing provision is key in achieving that goal.

“May I, however, call on the

FMBN not to rest on its oars or get caught up in the success syndrome that says you have arrived but rather arise to a greater responsibility of

seeking innovative ways to attract funding for housing provision through private sector funds,” Osinbajo said.

10 HEARTY CHEERS...

L-R Facilities Manager, Midel Group, Afiniki Barau; CEO of Midel Group, Ms. Gidi Adoghe; and Head of Finance, Midel Group, Josephine Roland, during Midel Group’s 10 years anniversary in Abuja ...recently

Travel Ban List: Uzodimma Berates Obla The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has described the claim by the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Funds (SPIRRPP), Chief Okoi Obono Obla, that he (Uzodinma) is among those affected by the federal government travel ban has been dismissed as a “baseless, lawless and a wicked concoction by a paid agent.”

The SPIPRPP chairman had at a recent press conference in

Abuja announced Uzodimma’s name as one of those under its investigation who have been banned from traveling abroad by the federal government.

The outcome of the purported press conference by the SPIPRPP chairman was however published in some national dailys While further reacting to Obla’s claim yesterday, the Hope Uzodimma Campaign Organisation dismissed the inclusion of the Senator’s name in the list as wrong, saying it was a baseless and lawless action, and

cited a persisting court order which restrained the panel chairman from investigating the senator as evidence.

A statement issued in Owerri, the Imo State capital, by the Director of Media and Special Duties of the campaign organisation, Declan Emelumba, alleged that it was clear that Obla is a paid agent working for political opponents of the APC candidate because according to him, “in spite of a persisting court order restraining him from any further action against the senator, he (Obla) went ahead to include his name

in the list just to satisfy his pay masters.”

According to the statement “On November 23, 2018, Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in suit No FHC/PH/FHR/211/2018 gave an order restraining the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Funds from doing anything pertaining to the contract between NPA and Niger Global, which was the basis of the panel’s claim that it was investigating Uzodinma’s company, Niger Global.”

Ikeja Electric Expands Network Maintenance to Ensure Stable Supply Peter Uzoho In a move to ensure customers have an enjoyable Yuletide, the management of Ikeja Electric (IE) has announced the expansion of network patrol teams and field operations preemptive maintenance across its network.

The move, which will see various installations undergo preemptive maintenance work, as well as increased number of patrol teams to ensure swift

repair of faults was confirmed in a statement released by Head, Corporate Communications of IE, Felix Ofulue.

Ofulue said the company was aware that its customers need stable supply of power to enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations.

According to him: “The company is not unaware of expectations of customers to enjoy regular and stable power supply during the yuletide, so, a lot of measures have been put in

place to ensure that customers’ hopes are not dashed. We have started replacing faulty cables and equipment to ensure easy evacuation of power as received from the National Grid (NG)”.

“In addition, we our Fault Clearing Teams in all Business Units have been reinforced and enhanced to meet the demands which expectedly will increase this period because of the pressure that our facilities will be subjected to. We are mindful that during

holidays, customers in festive mood will need more supply and this load on our aging infrastructure may cause some faults and trips. Our teams are ready to ensure they are rectified in the shortest possible time” he said.

Ofulue advised customers not to resort to using those road side electricians to clear fault in their areas, adding that such people usually compounded the problem on the network.

FG Sets Aside $650m to Complete Five Major Roads, LagosIbadan Expressway Ready 2021 Bennett Oghifo The federal government has stated that the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is to be completed in 2021 and that work on the road is not expected to stop until it is ready.

It also announced that $650 million has been set aside to complete the road and four others, including Abuja-Kaduna-Kano, the last section of East-West Road, Mambila Plateau and the Second Niger Bridge.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Adedammola

Kuti, stated this yesterday at the opening of a section of the road that was shut for reconstruction to ease movement during the festive period.

Kuti said the infrastructure fund of the federal government was growing and that if he had his figures right, “it must have risen to about $1 billion but I know that it is not less than $650 million.”

The 127.6 kilometre LagosIbadan expressway reconstruction and expansion was started by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in July 2013 and the cost of the total works was put at

N167 billion in 48 months by two contractors, Messrs Julius Berger Plc and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Limited.

The reconstruction and expansion works did not go as planned because of inadequate funding but this has been resolved with the setting aside of $600 million by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, according to Kuti.

He said the road ought to have been completed in 2017 but that because of additional work, “we now have to take into consideration the construction of

under-passes, flyovers and even toll plazas, and with additional works, you expect the completion date to also shift; we are moving it forward to 2021 but the work is not going to stop like we experienced in the past which was due to poor funding. Right now, this federal government has set aside enough funds for the completion of this job.”

The project, he added, was ongoing and that the federal government was committed to completing it, and had set aside huge sum of money that it would benefit from massively.

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ͺ͸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

Oboh Makes History, Becomes First Nigerian on EuropeanTour Ajimotokan in Abuja Georgia Oboh has achieved a historic feat by becoming a full member of the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the first and youngest Nigerian to accomplish the feat.

The 17-year-old carded 72 on the fourth day of the LET Qualifying School at the Lalla Aicha Tour School at Amelkis Golf Club in Casablanca, Morocco to make the top 60 from the field of 115 competing at the Q â&#x20AC;&#x201C;School.

The qualification will accord her with playing privileges for the 2019 season.

She had earlier returned scores of 78,73,70 in the last three days to make the cut and join the field that will play in the final round today.

It is a remarkable feat for the British-born shot-maker whose steady progress has continued to command interest from sponsors and the Nigerian golfing community.

Her father, Godfrey, who is

on her bag in Morocco, said his emotion at the turn of event is indescribable, saying all the hard works over the years have finally yielded fruits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thank all the people that have supported and prayed for Georgia, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t describe my joy at this moment. I am overwhelmed that finally she is now a full member of Ladies European Tour,â&#x20AC;? Godfrey Oboh said.She is the second youngest player in the competition behind Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rina Tatematsu.

Oboh gleaned her first professional title last month with victory at the Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire Open in Abidjan.

Last night, she expressed elation after the fourth day of the qualifiers that her dream of competing at an elite level has finally come to pass. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am happy my dream of starting my career on the European Tour has become a reality. This will surely give me the opportunity to play with the best golfers in the world. I thank God and I am grateful to my

family and supporters for their prayers and encouragement since I started this journey. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The first day was full of ups and downs for me but I believe I played much better

National Sports Festival in Abuja, said with more internationally recognised competitions, squash players in Nigeria would be motivated to strive for greater heights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think firstly this tournament is going to help our ranking positions. For me, if I perform well in this tournament, my ranking will move up after adding up my previous scores,â&#x20AC;? he said.

In the same vein, Iguodala Desmond who played in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s qualifying round, believes the game of squash in Nigeria is gradually bouncing back to life as with about four tournaments staged this year alone, a major improvement compared to previous years.

posted a course record-equalling 10-under-par 62 in the third round, which included nine birdies in a row: an all-time record on the LET. With a 54-hole total of

13-under-par 203 in the 90hole marathon qualifier, Law ended the day a stroke ahead of Swedenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Linnea StrĂśm, who posted the 10-under at Amelkis in pre-qualifying last week.

Georgia Oboh is the ďŹ rst Nigerian lady on the European Tour having qualiďŹ ed from the LET Qualifying School at the Lalla Aicha Tour School at Amelkis Golf Club in Casablanca, Morocco to make the top 60â&#x20AC;Śyesterday

Excited Players Hail Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Trafford Squash Club, Call For More PSA Tournaments Still basking in the euphoria of playing in the first ever PSA Senior Squash Tournament organised by the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Trafford Squash Club, excited players at the tournament are advocating for more PSA sanctioned tournaments in the country to stand the chance of getting enough ranking points for international competitions.

The players expressed their feelings yesterday as the PSA National Closed Satellite Tournament organised by Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Trafford Squash Club stroked off on the squash courts of the 81 Division Army Officers Mess in Marina, Lagos.

One of the players, Ogunyemi Taiwo Omotayo, who played at the just concluded

on the second day. It was indeed an improved outing on the third day and the final day was a bit better despite starting with the first tee-off on a lake,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bronte Law

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about squash, when you tell them you play squash they are confused. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Nigeria only few people know about this game and with more awareness through competitions like this, people will key into the game,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The opening day of the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Trafford tournament witnessed qualifiers into the main draws as the top ranked squash players secured wide cards into the competition.

Top rated players like Yemisi Olatunji and Lanre Abdulrahman are among the seeded players that will storm the squash courts today as the main contest to clinch the exciting prize money at stake begins.

Onazi Restates Commitment to Super Eagles Nigeria international Ogenyi Onazi has underlined his commitment to the Super Eagles as he sets his sights on a return to the national team.

The 25-year-old missed the West Africanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last three competitive matches due to injury, having last played for his country in a 3-0 win over the Seychelles after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Onaziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in that game attracted a lot of criticism, but the Trabzonspor midfielder is committed to making a return to Gernot Rohrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s squad as they up their preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a tough time I must admit, but despite all the criticisms I remain committed to playing for my country,â&#x20AC;? Onazi told BBC Sport yesterday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whenever I go out there to play I give 120%, but unfortunately my achilles tendon problems slowed me down. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now things are looking up again for me at club level, I hope to keep giving my best to my country as well.â&#x20AC;?

Onazi, who was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the AFCON title the last time the country qualified, has been in superb form for Trabzonspor, playing a key role in the

clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise up to fourth spot on the Turkish Super League standings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After what happened in Russia it was important for all the players to ensure a return to the African Cup of Nations,â&#x20AC;? Onazi continued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an exciting feeling to achieve that and we can only hope that collectively we can all bring our good club form to the national team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The last time I played in the tournament we won it and we as players have to go back again with the mentality to win it, and if we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be there,â&#x20AC;? he conceded.

Wike to HonourTeam Riversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Contingent to National Sports Festiva Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the state government would honour the itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contingent to the 19th National Sports Festival which ended last Sunday in Abuja.

Team Rivers finished as runners up to run-away winners Delta State.

Speaking yesterday after receiving the National Sports Festival Second Position Trophy at the Government House Port Harcourt, Wike directed the State Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye, to arrange for a

date when the state government would host the contingent.

Wike also received a Special Recognition Award for his contribution to the development of wrestling in Africa.

He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thank our contingent to the National Sports Festival for making the State proud. I think with better preparation, we would have emerged the first place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have very good athletes and they showed themselves as great performers during the National Sports Festival. By the next Sports Festival, Rivers State will emerge the firstâ&#x20AC;?.

Wike said the people of the

Niger Delta are happy that states from the geo-political zone took the first three positions at the National Sports Festival. Edo State picked the third position behind Delta and Rivers. He said the Rivers State Government would continue to invest in the development of sports.

Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye, said the state received a trophy for being the first runner up at the 19th National Sports Festival.

He said that the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contingent displayed courage and dedication to win the second position.

Carabao Cup: Spurs,Chelsea through to Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;final

Squash action on Day One of the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TraďŹ&#x20AC;ord PSA National Closed Satellite Squash Tournament

Goals from Son Heung-min and Dele Alli gave Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Arsenal and sent them through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup last night.

Elsewhere on the night, Substitute Eden Hazard scored a late winner as Chelsea beat Bournemouth to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The match was six minutes

away from going to penalties when Pedroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back-heel gave Hazard a chance, with his shot deflecting off Charlie Daniels and past Artur Boruc.

Son pounced onto Alliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart ball over the top to put Spurs in front after just 20 minutes at the Emirates.

Alli then coolly chipped it over keeper Petr Cech with the outside of his boot in the second half to

make it 2-0.

The England midfielder was then hit on the head by a plastic bottle thrown from the crowd shortly after that goal.

It was a heated atmosphere at what was the second north London derby in 18 days; victory ensured Spurs made the last four for the first time since 2014-15, when they were beaten in the final by Chelsea.

55

ͺ͸Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Î&#x20AC; Ëž T H I S D AY

THURSDAY SPORTS

Solskjaer: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brilliant to Be Back to Old Trafford Manchester United have named former player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager until the end of the season, a day after sacking Jose Mourinho.

Solskjaer spent 11 seasons at Old Trafford, scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.

The 45-year-old takes over with United sixth in the Premier League. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manchester United is in my heart and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brilliant to be coming back in this role,â&#x20AC;? said the Norwegian. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is an opportunity I had to take. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.â&#x20AC;?

Solskjaer, who earlier this month signed a new deal as manager of Norwegian club Molde, will be joined by Mike Phelan, who returns as first-team coach having previously worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.

Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, both part of Mourinhoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coaching staff, will continue to work under Solskjaer.

Solskjaerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first match in charge will be against Cardiff - where he endured an ill-fated spell as manager - on Saturday.

He was relegated from the Premier League with the Bluebirds during an eight-month spell as manager in 2014, then sacked after a poor start to the Championship campaign.

United will look to appoint a permanent boss at the end of the season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles,â&#x20AC;? said Ed Woodward, Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive vice-chairman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.â&#x20AC;?

Letter from America

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer excited by return to Old TraďŹ&#x20AC;ord

The club appeared to inadvertently announce his arrival 12 hours earlier, when a video featuring Solskjaer scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999 was briefly on their official website.It led to Norwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Minister Erna Solberg welcomed Solskjaerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment on social media, writing: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils.â&#x20AC;? She later deleted the tweet.Moldeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2018 season has finished for the winter and does not restart until March.

Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement announcing Solskjaerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival as caretaker manager made no mention of whether or not he will return to Molde when the Premier League season ends.

But the Norwegian club stressed they were only â&#x20AC;&#x153;lendingâ&#x20AC;?

Solskjaer to United, indicating they expect him to return to his previous role. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a big opportunity for Molde FK, we think it will be developing and helping to put Molde further on the football card,â&#x20AC;? Oystein Neerland, the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief executive officer, said.

Solskjaer is in his second

Brilliant Bale Bags Hattrick, Real Reaches Final F I FA C L U B W O R L D C U P 2 0 1 8 Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick yesterday as Real Madrid progressed to the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 final with a 3-1 victory over Kashima Antlers at Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Zayed Sports City Stadium.

The result means Los Blancos will face host team Al Ain in the showpiece decider on Saturday 22 December, while Kashima meet River Plate in the match for third place.

Both sides enjoyed chances in an entertaining first-half but it was Real who got the breakthrough just before halftime. After Toni Kroos went

close with a strike just inside the D, a marvellous flick from Marcelo saw the Brazilian find Bale inside the danger area and the Welshman unleashed a low left-footed strike which flew past Kwoun Suntae.

After the break, Karim Benzema saw an effort cleared off the line by Shuto Yamamoto. The defender was then involved in Realâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second when he attempted to play the ball back to goal only for Gareth Bale to sneak in and get the better of centre-back Jung Seunghyun before finding the net.

Gareth Bale scored hat trick last night to put Real Madrid on the road to clinching a third FIFA Club World Cup title

spell as Molde manager after returning to the club, little over a year after he was sacked by Cardiff, in October 2015.

In his first spell, Solskjaer led the club to their first Norwegian title in 2011, going on to retain the trophy in the following season.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has said that his career at the club is now a closed chapter following his sacking as manager a day earlier, but the Portuguese confirmed he would return to management. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manchester United has a future without me and I have a future without United,â&#x20AC;? Mourinho told Sky Sports. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why should I be sharing more now, even with the supporters, any of my feelings? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the way Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been critical of managers that leave clubs and speak about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened and whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to blame. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not me. I just

want to finish like it happened yesterday and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game over. I hope you media respect this way for me to be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Until I get back to football I have my right to live my normal life. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I want to do.

United is the past.â&#x20AC;?

Mourinho, who replaced Dutchman Louis van Gaal in May 2016, won the Europa League and League Cup in his first season.

He then guided United to second place in the Premier League and the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Chelsea, in his second.

Yet his third season was riddled with problems both on and off the pitch, including the breakdown of his relationship with record signing Paul Pogba, before United pulled the plug with the team sitting sixth in the league.

M a n U t d â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s n ext s i x f i xt u r e s Sat 22 Dec Wed 26 Dec Sun 30 Dec

Cardiff v Man Utd Man Utd v HuddersďŹ eld Man Utd v Bournemouth

Premier League Premier League Premier League

Wed 2 Jan Sat 5 Jan Sun 13 Jan

Newcastle v Man Utd Man Utd v Reading Tottenham v Man Utd

Premier League FA Cup third round Premier League

Igbinovia, Falola Dominate at Elegushi Tennis Championship The first edition of the of the competition and from Elegushi Tennis Championship has ended in Lagos with the duo of Sunday Igbinovia and Kunle Falola claiming the first price after defeating Jude Osaji and Ayo Laja in a pulsating final match lasting over two hours at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Lagos.

The Blind Double tournament was sponsored by the Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, (Kusenla III).

Speaking at the event, Oba Elegushi stated that he is supporting the game of tennis to keep alive the legacies of his father, Late Oba Yekini Adeniyi Elegushi, who was a fervent tennis player and enthusiast in his lifetime.

He added that the game of tennis enjoys huge followership among Lagosians of different ages and it is only through competition such as this that the amateur players will continue to get involved and improve on their skills. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I decided to support this initiative, it is the first edition

feelers on what has transpired on the courts here in the last two weeks, I think we will continue with thisâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will ensure we have a bigger competition next year and include the younger generation because tennis is played across all ages and we must improve on what we have done this yearâ&#x20AC;?, Elegushi stated.

The tournament, which lasted for one week, had 42players competing for honours. There was trophy and medal presentation to the winners, runners up as well as other players who participated in the tournament.

The well-attended event was witnessed by top political, businesses and community leaders which included former APC Legal Adviser, Dr Muiz Banire, Hon. Noheem Adams of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Central Business District, Hon. Anofi Elegushi, Hon. Jide Obanikoro amongst others.

Its been difficult doing anything. Your head, no, your brain is frozen. And your fingers anytime you bring them out of the gloves are numb.

You want to write but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring yourself to. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a clear-cut case of disobedience to constituted authority. More like a soldier refusing to carry out an officerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order. It is like your brain and your hands are on AWOL leaving your mind to fret about being able to meet schedules. Repeatedly deadlines are missed.

Today becomes tomorrow.

And tomorrow transmutes into another tomorrow... That is how it has been for me ever since I got here. In about three weeks (just because I am fighting the intemperate cold weather) I have almost finished the giant VSO brandy bottle my son bought for me on Thanksgiving Day. Today, I am girding my loins and shaming the -3° cold to get this piece across.

I will not come to America and allow myself to be cowed when I have survived the antics of misgovernment in my country. So how has it been since I got here? The Diasporans want to know what it was like at home.

They want to know if it will be possible for Atiku Abubakar to defeat incumbent Muhammadu Buhari next year. My Ghanaian taxi (he has upgraded to Uber) driver friend is no longer as loquacious as he used to be. He now regards the Super Eagles as superior to his Black Stars even when he is quick to chip in that their President is better than our Buhari. It does appear that Nigerians here have lost substantial interest in our sports. They seem to have more interest in politics. In the four weeks I have spent I have had more time to situate things happening to my mind.

Now I no longer worry about my sanity or wonder if it is possible for everyone else to be mad and only me being sane. Coming to America has cleared my mind. I spend a lot of my time watching television. Particularly Channels Television where I watched news about Nigeria daily. And CNN where my sensibilities as a journalist are so assaulted that I begin to wonder if the western media still have anything to offer us in terms of balance and focus. And of course, I have regularly kept touch with home through the social media. So much so that I think I know a little more about our country than most people at home. For instance, I got to know that Bendel Insurance borrowed from the past to defeat 3SC by a penalty scored in the 20th minute of added time.

More pleasantly, I know that after a faulty first match, our Super Falcons went on to win the African Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nations Cup. Its like Cameroon, Ghana and the Banyana Banyana (South Africa) teams have to wait some more years to catch up.

But our girls need to know that they have what it takes to compete valiantly at the global level.

I also got to know that finally the National Sports Festival held in Abuja. And that Delta State, the perennial winners again topped the medals table. The disappointing thing about the Festival was that reports indicated that this version was worst than the one hosted in Lagos about six years ago. The point to be made is that the decay pervading our country has expectedly spread to our sport!!!

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curious why I love our country more each time I step out of it. And I get saddened that we are unaware of the potential for greatness that abounds in our nation. We have the best collection of gifted football players in the world yet our football is not rated in the first ten in the world. We once had world famous Dick Tiger, Rafiu King Joe, Hogan Kid Bassey, and Obisia Nwankpa. Now, we have no one. We have tremendous natural resources that should make us one of the richest countries in the world yet we remain on of the poorest. We have perhaps one of the best educated minds in the world yet we are being ruled by simpletons whose goals are to take us back to the dark ages.

Whenever I step out of Nigeria I wonder why we must put up our fourth best team for a match we must win. This view was put more poignantly by an Ivorian/Burkinabe exfootballer residing temporarily here in America. According to him: â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nigeria disappointed me. I started playing soccer because your country won soccer gold at the Atlanta â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96 Olympic Games. Every African was proud of the feat of the Dream Team. But today, where is Nigeria in (global) football?

If your country moves, Africa moves. But now, You sleep, so Africa is sleeping. Oh! Nigeria must wake up to take her place among the leaders and show the light to the rest of us Africans.â&#x20AC;?

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all doom and gloom here. I am enjoying, rolling specially with my grandchildren who I hope will belong to a better Nigeria. A Nigeria achieving its potential not only in sports but in all aspects of our life as a nation.

Surely, that cannot be too difficult. Or is it?

Thursday December 20, 2018

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& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE Bola Tinubu to Jimi Agbaje “Those who said they want freedom should go and learn tailoring and vulcanizing and we will do freedom for them later” –APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, responding to charges by the Lagos State PDP gubernatorial candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje that Lagos needs to be delivered from his (Tinubu’s) political stranglehold

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Badeh and a Nation Under the Gun THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

T

he circumstances under which Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh died on Tuesday underscore the gravity of the security challenge facing us in Nigeria today.

Whatever may have been the motive of his assailants, that a whole former Chief of Defence Staff could be taken out just like that is very telling of how unsafe our country has become. Badeh’s death also came at a period he was answering charges over how billions of Naira meant for national security were dispensed under his watch. While I commiserate with his family, it is important for the authorities to understand that the violence we experience from sundry criminal cartels will not end until we revamp the criminal justice system in the country.

Since Badeh is a prominent citizen, I am expecting the usual hollow statements from the authorities that his killers will be found and brought to justice. We all know that will never happen. Today, there are too numerous homicide cases that remain unresolved, and given our collective amnesia as a nation, the criminals in our midst also know this so they continue to ply their trade, almost certain they would never be caught. This situation of state helplessness was summed up yesterday in just one tweet by award-wining writer, ElNathan John: “It is easy to just kill a person and walk away in Nigeria. How cheap life is. How common death is. How casual.”

I am aware that we have a very weak, almost ineffectual police force, but escapism, which is our national default, is no solution.

We must find a way to make the police work for the society by upholding the rule of law. The essence of using the court system to deal with crimes is for the State to: (1) ascertain, without any doubts, that the suspects indeed committed the crimes for which they were charged; (2) establish if there were accomplishes and (3) get all the facts that could prove very useful in future cases.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, both the state and the mob reason alike which is why we confuse vengeance with justice. Yet, until we begin to apply the law in dealing with crimes, the entrepreneurs of violence will continue to be in business. Driving troops to resolve security challenges that are ordinarily within the purview of the police has never worked. And it cannot work because defeating security threats entails more than an application of force. Aside the fact such a cynical approach to law and order has scant regards for intelligence, the abuse of human rights that comes with

Note of Appreciation

F

ollowing yesterday’s publication of the piece, ‘Wedding Without the Bride’, to mark the 20th anniversary of my marriage, I received several messages of congratulations. I appreciate everyone as I pray that thanksgiving and things of joy will not depart from our families and homes.

Meanwhile, I wish all my readers Merry Christmas in advance.

Late Badeh

it is what has now pitched our country against global institutions like Amnesty International and UNICEF. In a paper I once cited on this page titled, ‘who is better equipped to handle violent civil disobedience in Israel—the Police or the Army?’, Dr Pinhas Yehzkeally of the Israeli National Security College argued that the Police are far better when it comes to dealing with domestic crimes. Should the situation deteriorate to the very unwanted necessity of using lethal force, according to Yehzkeally, “there will be many fewer casualties if the police, and not the army,

I

are doing the shooting”. That, he reasoned, is because “it is much easier for outside agencies to properly investigate improper actions of policemen than of soldiers.”

The sad irony of all the killings we experience in the country is that up to date the police have not successfully prosecuted and brought conviction against any of those suspected to be involved. We will hear of arrests, followed by a parade and then media trials where “confessions” are obtained but that is where the story usually ends.

It is this blatant failure of the authorities to use the instrumentality of the law to bring perpetrators to book that has directly encouraged these bestial killings for which our country is now notorious.

In my column last week, I used how the Department of State Services (DSS) subjected a woman to both humiliation and media trial in Abuja to illustrate the point about the peril of jungle justice. As I argued in the piece, to the extent that 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. Where those essential attributes are circumscribed for expediency, you can only encourage violent men who have scant regards for life to be on the prowl.

This precisely is the point being made in Kenya where a high court last week granted a conservatory order to restrain the Director of Criminal Investigations and the Inspector-General of Police from publishing photos of suspects yet to be arraigned. According to the petitioner, Mr Henry Namiti Shitanda, posting booking photos on the internet is an infringement on the privacy of suspects and conveys a

strong connotation that they are already guilty even before trial.

That the police and DSS in Nigeria still engage in parade of suspects and media trials is because they don’t learn from their own experiences. For those who may have forgotten, on 4th May, 2012 in Benin city, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Secretary of the then Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was assassinated. In Benin, the police paraded a gang of ‘assassins’ who confessed to killing Oyerinde. But in a curious twist, the DSS held its own press conference in Abuja where another gang of suspects ‘confessed’ that they killed Oyerinde in a violent robbery attack. So, two different gangs of killers were alleged to have committed the same crime, at the same time, in the same place and for different reasons.

As to be expected, the issue died down and till today, nobody is sure whether Oyerinde was killed by the Benin ‘assassins’ paraded by the police or the six ‘armed robbers’ paraded by the DSS in Abuja, three of whom were said to be wearing exactly the same shirts worn by some Boko Haram suspects also paraded by the agency a few months earlier!

With Nigeria gradually descending to the Hobbesian state of nature where the life of the ordinary citizen is fast becoming “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”, there is an urgent need to reform not only the administration of justice but also the operational strategy of the police and the DSS that should go beyond parade or suspects and media trials. Crimes must be thoroughly investigated at the end of which suspects must have their day in court. That is the only way to stop all these senseless killings that now define our country.

2019 and Why ‘Structures’ Matter

f there is any take-away from the vice presidential debate held last Friday night, it is the difficulty in faulting the argument that only President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition PDP are in serious contention for the February 2019 election. That does not confer any special attributes on the duo or reduce the credibility of the other presidential contenders. It simply speaks to the reality that you need a solid political platform to do well in any election at that level.

Following the debate, my brother, Amara Nwankpa, said on Twitter that since the first appointment a presidential candidate makes is that of their running mate, what transpired was a reflection of the poor choices made by the principals of these vice presidential candidates.

My reading is that the difference between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Governor Peter Obi and the three others at the debate is the political support systems that facilitated their emergence as presidential running mates. That is also why their principals are the front runners.

To do well in a presidential election, you need a political party that commands national recognition and acceptance. You need several politicians (of all sorts) spread across vast constituencies to buy

into your aspiration. And you need a lot of money.

These are some of the major ‘structures’ that win elections anywhere in the world, including in the United States from where we borrowed the presidential system. According to political economist, David Brady, even with all his money, “(Donald) Trump, who was a Democrat for many years had to come in through the primaries and take over the Republican Party.”

I doubt if any presidential candidate has traversed the length and breadth of the country as much as Omoyele Sowore has done in recent weeks. But like former CBN Deputy Governor, Dr Kingsley Moghalu, whose BIG ideas for the development of the country I have also written about, Sowore’s chances of winning the election seem very slim. The same can be said of Tope Fasua, Fela Durotoye or perhaps even Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, who, for me, has the best agenda to reposition the country of all the presidential candidates in the field. And I have taken the trouble to read practically all of them.

I served under Ezekwesili when she chaired the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) board between 2004 and 2007 and by sheer force of personality, she was one of the people driving the agenda to make the oil sector more accountable to the people on the

global stage where she commanded great respect and admiration. Ezekwesili has the intellect, experience, exposure and character to make a good president. But if you ask me, I honestly cannot name the political party under which she is running. That is a big issue.

In Nigeria, it is the logos of political parties, not photographs of candidates, that are on the ballot papers which then makes it more difficult for those contesting outside the recognized parties, no matter how popular they may be as individuals, to make appreciable showing during elections. Besides, ‘structures’ within our context also include an unspoken national geo-political consensus.

Whatever may be the other grouses against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, his Original Sin was daring to torpedo that consensus at a period it was generally agreed that power would shift to the north. In similar vein, that unspoken consensus will most likely dictate the outcome of the 2019 election which is why both Buhari and Atiku are favoured.

So, while many of the contenders from the South with formidable credentials are not prevented from exercising their constitutional rights, the feeling that they are swimming against the tide is very strong.

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