MONDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2018

Report: Nigeria Needs $12bn to Replace NNPC’s Dilapidated Pipelines Chineme Okafor in Abuja A study carried out on the operational status of the over 5,000 kilometres of pipeline network belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) across the country, has revealed that

the pipeline network would need $12 billion to be replaced or $1.1 billion to be fixed.

Sponsored by the United Kingdom-funded Facility for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform in Nigeria (FOSTER), for the NNPC, the study was aimed at outlining

an intervention plan to transform government-owned downstream oil pipelines into a proper business with incentives to attract private sector participation.

The report, which was obtained by THISDAY, stated that product losses from

vandalism on pipelines owned by the NNPC, as well as costs incurred by the corporation to repair them have been enormous, and suggested that they be segmented for either privatisation or commercialisation.

The study equally did

a comparative study of pipeline commercialisation models for possible adoption, along with policy recommendations developed for commercialisation with guidelines for implementation.

However, the report did not cover the extensive upstream

crude oil pipelines owned by oil producing companies and downstream gas pipelines in its study.

“The exact mechanical condition of the network is unknown, and it would cost more than $12 billion Continued on page 8

ISWAP Ultimatum Fuels Boko Haram Resurgence in North-east … Page 10 Monday 31 December, 2018 Vol 23. No 8657. Price: N250

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INEC Meets ASUU on Friday, May Recall Ex-Corps Members for Election Duty Southern, Middle Belt leaders urge electoral body to resist manipulation Adedayo Akinwale, Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos Following the failure of the federal government to find a lasting solution to the lingering strike by public university lecturers, the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to hold a consultative meeting with the lecturers' union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on January 4, ahead of the 2019 polls, THISDAY has learnt.

The meeting, according to

the electoral body, will be limited to the involvement of their members in the 2019 general elections.

ASUU had last month embarked on industrial action to protest the poor funding of Nigerian universities and alleged plan by the federal government

to increase students’ fees and introduce an education bank.

But INEC had raised the alarm that the lingering ASUU strike would no doubt have serious impact on the preparations for the conduct of the 2019 elections.

“They are one critical resource

and their absence will have adverse effects on the ad hoc staff requirement of INEC,” the commission had said.

Speaking on the issue, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, told THISDAY that the commission

is hopeful and positive that its scheduled meeting with the leadership of ASUU and the leadership of other unions in federal tertiary institutions would yield the desired result.

According to him, “ASUU Continued on page 8

Buhari Campaign Calls out Atiku on Alleged Record of Corruption Alike Ejiofor The Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation last night accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of spreading fake and unsubstantiated allegation of corrupt practices against President Muhammadu Buhari to divert attention from Atiku’s alleged record of corruption and abuse of office.

In a statement issued by the spokesman of the organisation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, the

group stated that Nigerians cannot and should not be insulted by the PDP after 16 years of looting of the country, by now putting forward a man whose record of corruption they very much acknowledge.

The statement titled, “When the thief is shouting ‘thief’: The case of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” highlighted what the Buhari campaign group described as some of the indisputable facts regarding Atiku Abubakar.

The campaign organisation cited the report of the US Continued on page 8

FG Promises to Immortalise Shagari … Page 8

UNWINDING WITH THISDAY… CEO, Financial Derivatives, Mr. Bismarck Rewane; Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Chief Jim Ovia; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu, during the THISDAY Thanksgiving in Lagos…Saturday

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FG Promises to Immortalise Shagari SGF to head committee to determine honour

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Sokoto disclosed federal government's plan to institute a suitable memorial for the immortalisation of the Nigeria's first democraticallyelected President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

Shagari passed on last Friday at the National Hospital, Abuja at 93.

Buhari, according to a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, made the promise when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former president.

According to Adesina, the president's promise was contained in a letter addressed to Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, and read by the governor

at the event.

The letter, according to Adesina, read, "I received the very sad news of the passing away of Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"This, indeed, is a grievous loss, which will be felt throughout Nigeria, irrespective of any difference.

The late Alhaji Shagari was

a landmark figure being virtually our last link to the post-independence government of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, and the first elected President of Nigeria.

"Please convey to his immediate family, the government and the people of Sokoto State my heartfelt condolences on the passing away of this great statesman.

"The federal government will in due course institute a suitable memorial to the late former president.

"May his soul rest in peace."

Although the president did not state the nature of the immortalisation, a top presidential source told THISDAY in confidence that it was not the sole responsibility of the president to immediately come up

with how Shagari would be immortalised.

According to him, the president would later hand the responsibility to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, who in collaboration with a team led by the SGF would eventually recommend how the late ex-president would be immortalised.

not invalidate the results. This allows compromised polling officers to change figures between the Polling Units and the Ward Collation centres.

"Our attention has been drawn to media reports on Sunday that the commission has come under pressure to delete the electronic transmission of results from the Polling Units (PU) to a central server and the pasting of results at the polling units in the proposed guidelines for the 2019 elections in sync with the refusal to sign the Electoral Bill passed by the National Assembly.

"If these reports are true, it may just confirm the fears that the perpetual boast by the ruling party and its allies of assurance of victory in the 2019 presidential polls even before it holds is not based on winning the hearts of the people but through underhand means" the group statement said.

SMBLF advised INEC to

be mindful of the fact that the credibility of the conduct of the 2019 elections has a lot to do with the continued existence of Nigeria as a country and therefore must be above board like Caesar's wife.

"INEC must use form EC 60E which will contain the scores of every candidate at every PU which must be pasted at every Polling Unit and transmitted to a central server by the presiding officer in the presence of agents."

The group also urged Nigerians to be on the alert as it may be possible that some forces are already in talks with some foreign mercenaries to interfere with our electoral process.

"We demand a categorical statement from the Nigerian government on this to assure the country that our electoral process is not about to fall into the hands of foreign manipulators just as we call on our people to remain ever vigilant."

the PDP to publish a single line in the sub-committee recommendation of the House of Representatives on the NEMA emergency purchases where the report accused the vice president of embezzlement of funds. “We also challenge them to show any proof whatsoever of their allegations regarding the TraderMoni,� the group said. “After three days of publicly announcing that they have hard proof that the president’s relations bought shares in Etisalat and Keystone Bank, the PDP has not produced a single piece of paper, a document of any sort to buttress the grave

allegations it made. This is how shameless and callous the Atiku team has become, all in a desperate bid to get their hands on the public purse,� the group added.

The group also challenged Atiku to produce his tax receipts for 2015, 2016 and 2017. “It is shocking that a man who has not been paying his personal income Taxes now says he wants to ‘get Nigerians working again’ - whatever that means. He is only deceiving himself and not the intelligent Nigerians that we know,� the group added.

INEC MEETS ASUU ON FRIDAY, MAY RECALL EX-CORPS MEMBERS FOR ELECTION DUTY leadership and the leadership of the commission led by the Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, will hold a consultative meeting with the leadership of ASUU on the 4th day of January 2019. “The scheduling of the meeting is a clear indication that both parties are concerned and determined to find a middle ground that will enable the members of ASUU to continue their additional services to the country. “The commission wants to emphasise that the meeting with the various unions will be limited to the involvement of their members in the 2019 general elections and how to manage the current industrial action for it not to affect the patriotic contributions of staff and students in the electoral process. “The desire and wish of the commission is that the staff and students of federal

tertiary institutions should be in school at least a month before the 2019 general election. “Based on this, the commission has appealed and is still appealing to all the parties involved in the negotiations to consider the overall interest of the nation and negotiate in good faith.�

Asked if the electoral umpire was seeking alternatives should the federal government and ASUU failed to reach a compromise, Okoye noted that the commission was confident that all the parties involved in the dispute and negotiations would negotiate and resolve the issues expeditiously and in good faith.

He said it was also incumbent on the various stakeholders in the electoral process to nudge the parties towards a negotiated settlement of the issues that led to the industrial action in the various tertiary institutions.

The national commissioner

added that the conduct of election is a multi-stakeholder venture and the success of the election would be in the best interest of all Nigerians.

Okoye said, “However, in the unlikely event of the strike action lingering beyond the projected timeline, the commission will still impress on the members of the various Unions to still serve the country from wherever they are.� “The vice-chancellors and the lecturers can still perform as Returning Officers and Collation Officers whether school is in session or not. The commission can still document students in federal tertiary institutions wherever they are and still train them as Assistant Presiding Officers.� “The commission can also look into its database and harvest former corps members that have just completed service and use them to make up for any shortfall. Alternative

measures will depend on the outcome of the meeting with the leadership of ASUU.�

Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Urge Electoral Body to Resist Manipulation

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has called on the INEC to resist pressures from those bent on sabotaging the 2019 elections who are allegedly asking for compromise of the polls.

The SMBLF in a statement signed by Yinka Odumakin, South-west; Prof. Chigozie Ogbu; South-east; Senator Bassey Henshaw, South-south and Dr Isuwa Dogo, Middle Belt argued that rigging usually starts with the changing of results announced by the Polling Officers as though party agents are expected to countersign results but the refusal of any agent to sign does

BUHARI CAMPAIGN CALLS OUT ATIKU ON ALLEGED RECORD OF CORRUPTION Congress titled, “Keeping Foreign Corruption out of the United States: Four Case Histories,� which allegedly featured Atiku’s case as one of the four notorious cases of money laundering in the world.

Quoting the report, Buhari Campaign Organisation said, “Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, a US citizen, is the fourth wife of Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria and a former candidate for the Presidency of Nigeria...... from 2000 to 2008, Ms. Douglas helped her husband bring over $40 million in suspect funds into the United States, including at least $1.7 million in bribe

payments from Siemens AG, a German corporation, and over $38 million from little known offshore corporations, primarily LetsGo Ltd. Inc., Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd., and Sima Holding Ltd�.

According to the organisation, Atiku’s coconspirators - Williams Jefferson and Siemens in the bribery deal were convicted and Jefferson went to jail.

By running for President of Nigeria, the group argued that Atiku intends to get some immunity from prosecution. “Already he is hoping to obtain a visa to visit the US, as a guest of the State Department,

a concession that the US will grant to a presidential candidate of Africa’s biggest nation,� the organisation added.

Buhari’s campaign team also stated that both the BBC and Voice of America reported that “In a probe ordered by Obasanjo, (then Nigerian president) the vice-president was accused of diverting $125 million from a public development trust fund into his personal businesses.�

The organisation also recalled that a Senate subcommittee investigating the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) had indicted Atiku, having

found that he abused his office by aiding and abetting the diversion of public funds in the sum of $145 million� as loans to his friends. “This report was a subject of a full-blown investigation by the EFCC, which actually recommended his prosecution in a court of law. That report is still pending and alive till today,� Keyamo said.

According to the organisation, no amount of fake news or ridiculous false allegations against the president or vice president can wash away the well-documented history of theft.

The group challenged

REPORT: NIGERIA NEEDS $12BN TO REPLACE NNPC’S DILAPIDATED PIPELINES to replace the entire network today, and more than $1.1 billion to repair and inspect it comprehensively,� said the study.

It added: “The pipeline network is a worthy investment that is currently vastly under-utilised due to a myriad of problems. For efficient management and to encourage competition, the products pipelines can be divided into three sections: the Western, Eastern, and Northern sub-networks.

Additionally, the upstream segment for supply of crude oil to the Kaduna refinery can be managed as a dedicated crude oil sub-network.�

According to the report, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) – a subsidiary of the NNPC, which manages the lines have been unable to make the most of the pipeline network, which traverses the country, and consists of 4,315 kilometres of multi-product

pipelines and 701 kilometres of crude oil pipelines. “The pipelines are operated

by Products and Pipelines Marketing Company (PPMC), and are utilised to transport crude oil from Warri to the Kaduna refinery, and to transport refined products (that is, premium motor spirit (PMS), automotive gas oil (AGO), dual purpose kerosene (DPK), and aviation turbine kerosene (ATK)) nationwide. “The key challenges identified with PPMC operations of the pipelines under exclusive government ownership comprise, refinery operations: low availability of the refineries results in sub-optimal utilisation of the pipelines; security, pipelines vandalism, and theft of products: this is well entrenched in Nigeria; product pricing and downstream market regulations: these stifle private sector participation in the value chain, and related losses have been

estimated at up to $15 billion per annum; poverty and chronic underdevelopment: this is partly responsible for the chronic incidences of vandalism and theft of products,� it explained.

It stated that while Nigeria faces challenges in its pipelines, pipeline transportation business has however been thriving in many countries, particularly the United States.

Nigeria, the report noted, still relies on expensive road tankers to take products across her length and breadth.

The study recommended that deregulating the downstream sector, and privatising or commercialising all its value chain, such as the refineries; pipelines network; pumping stations; and product storage depots, will ensure that the sector operates in a sustainable manner, such that market realities will keep its longterm viability.

According to the report, “Subsequent to their privatisation/ commercialisation, fix/repair the four inland refineries and ensure they operate at optimum availabilities.

If this is not achieved, it is unlikely that private investors will show a keen interest in acquiring/managing the pipeline network. “Split the pipelines network into the indicated four segment sub-networks, i.e.

Western, Eastern, Northern and Crude Oil, and privatise/ commercialise each as distinct companies. “Avoid the pitfalls associated with the privatisation of PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria) assets in the electricity supply sector.

Generate employment for the general public and the host communities via the pipelines privatisation/ commercialisation process.�

On the issue of pipeline

vandalism, the study stated that its severity was higher in the south than in the north, adding also that there is a ‘market’ for both crude and refinery products tapped from the pipelines.

It equally questioned the capacity of the PPMC to secure the lines, saying, “The responsibility for pipelines rests with PPMC. However, it appears that PPMC do not have a unit capable of managing the entire spectrum of pipeline operations, particularly those related to technical maintenance. “Even basic security surveillance of the pipeline RoW is severely compromised.

The opportunities that these technical and security-related operations offer to engage the communities on the pipeline RoW - and thereby improve government presence therein - are not maximised.

Instead, only a token effort is made.�

TOP GAINERS SOVEREIGNTRUST DIAMONDBANK UPDC CHAMPBREW BERGPAINTS TOP LOSERS IKEJHOTEL LEARNAFRICA UACN

NGN NGN 0.02 0.22 0.18 1.99 0.17 1.91 0.16 1.81 0.75 8.60 NGN 0.17 1.53 0.15 1.36 1.05 9.75 UNITYBANK 0.10 0.98 MUTUALBENEFITS 0.02 0.20 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,480.10 Volume: 1.962 million shares Value: N6.544 billion Deals: 4,080 As at yesterday 27/12/18 See details on Page 43

% 10 9.9 9.7 9.7 9.5 % 10 9.9 9.7 9.2 5.6

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NEWS

ISWAP Ultimatum Fuels Boko Haram Resurgence in North-east Atiku accuses Buhari of neglecting fight against terror for politics Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The threat by the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) to expel Boko Haram from its fold for failing to meet the three-year ultimatum given to it to recapture Nigerian territories it previously occupied in the North-east, has fuelled the group’s renewed attacks on military personnel and installations in the crisistorn region, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that ISWAP’s threat has put pressure on the terrorists to intensify attacks on the Nigerian troops so as not to be expelled by the Islamist group.

This development, it is learnt, has changed the dynamics of the war on terror in recent months.

A survey carried out by the International Terror Monitoring Group (ITMG), a global group that monitors the activities of terrorists across the world, showed that the three-year ultimatum given to Boko Haram to recapture territories formerly under its control had expired.

It said, “The ISIS has threatened to expel Boko Haram from its fold for its inability to sustain the tempo in the ongoing war with the Nigeria Army as reflected in it losing areas that hitherto were strongholds, such as Camp Zero in Sambisa Forest as well as the lucrative Kukawa-BagaChad-Niger route. “The critical aspect of the deal for the Boko Haram insurgents is in their desire to continue to have supplies in arms and ammunition from the ISIS group. “Their main supply would be cut off, and they stand the risk of going into oblivion should that happen. “The renewed onslaught against the Nigerian Army is to put out a bold face to the ISIS network that they Boko Haram are in control of major

communities in North-east of Nigeria, and which is far from the case. This much they have tried to achieve but with a heavy price in the number of casualties it suffered.�

THISDAY’s investigation also revealed that the continued stay in office of the military service chiefs is fuelling sabotage in the ongoing war against terrorism, thus prolonging the crisis.

THISDAY gathered that despite the recent promotions in the military, partly designed to douse tension and complaints over stagnation and career retrogression of senior officers arising from the tenure extension of service chiefs, the discontent is playing out in the form of sabotage of the ongoing war on terror.

Top military sources, who spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity, said the sabotage, which has led to the killing of soldiers on a daily basis by insurgents was a corollary of alleged "corruption at the highest levels" of the military high command.

He said, "The service chiefs have lost a sense of direction.

What other senior officers want is for them to leave because they have run out of ideas.

"There is also corruption or why will budgetary allocations not be properly applied and soldiers are dying daily because they have no quality weapons to fight people with more sophisticated weapons?

"Yet people are in the media everyday lying about imaginary victories recorded.�

Another high ranking military source said the situation had become untenable "because when I know how much you have signed away for arms procurement, feeding, payment and all that and I can't see the evidence and you post me somewhere empty-handed, what do you think I will do?"

But in a swift reaction, the spokesman of Defence

Buhari Headquarters, Brig. Gen. John Agim, said there was no case of sabotage in the war.

According to him, “I have not seen the report - International Strategic Studies Association report - that accused military high command of corruption you talked about. If I react to it they may say it is not what they said.

"Who is talking about corruption and sabotage? The citizens have a right to know but when a citizen sits down and begins to talk about what he knows nothing about, then you are discouraging those who are fighting the war.

"If there is sabotage, we in the military should know those who are saboteurs. You cannot sit somewhere and talk about sabotage and corruption.

"Some senior officers died

SON: We Destroyed N23bn Substandard Goods in 2018 Jonathan Eze The Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Osita Aboloma, has said N22.7 billion substandard goods were destroyed this year, adding that the agency would intensify its efforts to tighten the noose on how these types of goods find their way into the country.

At a destruction exercise held at the weekend in Lagos, Aboloma appealed to importers of fake and substandard goods to desist from wasting huge sums of money on importation of goods that have no consumer

or end-user’s utility.

According to him, these goods would end up being destroyed if intercepted, pointing out that the agency would stop at nothing to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

"We have been destroying over time and for this year alone we have about N22.7 billion worth of products where some have been destroyed while some are awaiting destruction. We have thousands of electric cables, stuffed tyres and cylinders in our warehouse waiting for further investigation and analysis," he said.

He said SON could not

be happy destroying these goods because the action brings nothing but drain on the national economy and hard-earned foreign exchange, maintaining that SON remained a business facilitator established to help genuine businesses to grow.

He said, "Please stop wasting your money importing substandard goods, we cannot afford to compromise on quality because the lives and property of Nigerians are paramount and our primary responsibility is to protect Nigerians from these goods that are injurious to families and the nation at large.�

in action so who is sabotaging who? There is a point the citizens will get to then they have to fight the war themselves because if you discourage soldiers and they can't fight, you have to fight the war yourselves."

Meanwhile, hundreds of Baga residents and surrounding towns have fled to Maiduguri as insurgents’ attacks intensify.

THISDAY gathered that they have been arriving Maiduguri in their numbers since Saturday.

A faction of Boko Haram, ISWAP, which split from the insurgency in 2016, had claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base in Baga, a town in eastern Borno State, which the Nigerian Army said took place last Wednesday.

The fight to control Baga - a strategic town as it borders Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon - forced hundreds to seek safety in Maiduguri, some 200 km (124 miles) to the south.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which Buhari vowed to end when he took office in 2015, aims to create an Islamic state in North-east.

It has forced about 2.7 million people to flee their homes since 2009 and killed around 30,000.

The military and insurgents also clashed in Monguno, a town in the adjacent local government area to Baga.

But Islamic State, in a statement issued through its news agency Amaq, said its fighters “killed and injured dozens, took four apostates as captives, burned many barracks, and seized weapons and ammunition.�

But the Nigerian Army said in a statement yesterday that some people with sinister motives were creating panic

among residents, forcing them to seek refuge in IDP camps.

It said, "It has been observed that some unscrupulous individuals with likely sinister motives within and outside Borno State are trying to create panic and unnecessary humanitarian problems for undisclosed reasons.

"It has come to our attention that these people are plotting to instigate the inhabitants of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno communities to abandon their communities and relocate to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps for undisclosed reasons.

"The inhabitants of these towns and the general public are please urged to discountenance such calls and remain calm. Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole and other security agencies will shed more light on the issue in a security council meeting with the Borno State Government, scheduled to hold on Monday, December 31, 2018.

"We would like to further state that there is no basis for the people of Bama, Dikwa and Monguno to vacate their respective communities.

However, Operation Lafiya Dole troops in conjunction with Borno State Government are working towards relocating the residents of Baga, to safer locations in view of the ongoing military operations in the area.

"Members of the public are advised to remain calm as the military is in firm control to guarantee their safety and security. We would like to warn that any attempt to cause further panic through this false alarm would be viewed very seriously."

In a related development, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) also said it neutralised a hideout of armed bandits in Zamfara State and reactivated an intelligence gathering base in Port Harcourt.

"The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Diran Mikiya has successfully neutralised an armed bandits hideout at a compound West of Tsamari in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

"The attack was conducted at dawn on December 28, 2018 following intelligence reports indicating that the compound was being used by the armed bandits as a camp from where they launch attacks against innocent civilians," the Air Force said.

On Port Harcourt operations, the Air Force reactivated some helicopters to enhance operational efficiency.

"In furtherance of the commitment of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to ensure availability of more serviceable platforms for the prosecution of the ongoing war against insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, during his

operational visit to 115 Special Operations Group (115 SOG) Port Harcourt, inspected the ongoing in-house reactivation works on Mi-35P and EC135 helicopters,� NAF’s spokesman, Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said in the statement.

Atiku Accuses Buhari of Neglecting Fight against Terror for Politics

Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has accused the federal government of wasting valuable time and resources on reelection campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari while neglecting the Boko Haram crisis that has continued to consume the lives of innocent citizens.

In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, Special Assistant to Atiku on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said if Buhari had spent half of the resources and time he has devoted to his reelection project on the Boko Haram crisis, the crisis would have been resolved by now and hundreds of precious lives would have been saved. ''There is no gainsaying that Buhari has got his priorities wrong and has acted in a manner that suggests total disregard for human lives.

Or how else does one explain a situation where citizens, including security agents, are being hacked down daily by the Boko Haram insurgents and all the government is doing is to waste time and resources on an undeserving reelection bid?'' Atiku queried.

Atiku who was reacting to December 27, 2018 attack on two military bases in Borno State and the seizing of the outpost of the Multinational (Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon) Joint Task Force (MJTF) in the border town of Baga by Boko Haram fighters expressed worry that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has completely lost control of the engagement with Boko Haram and can show no instance when the military had any dominance of any aspect of the conflict. “Two days earlier, on December 25, 2018, 14 Nigerian Army and police personnel were killed in an ambush

by Boko Haram. It is now apparent that those saddled with ensuring the security of lives and property in the country are grossly incapable of doing so, the current APC government lacks what it takes to prosecute the Boko Haram war with the kind of vigour and precision that it deserves.� the statement said.

Atiku called on Buhari to probe reported massive corruption, running into billions of dollars, in the purchase by senior military officers of major military capital goods and military consumables, including the troops’ own food.

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COMMENT

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

SYMBOLISM, PARLIAMENT AND AFRICA’S UNIVERSITIES Okello Oculi writes that Africa must be run for excellence

T

he Christmas season in Nigeria found state-owned universities closed. University teachers are on work-stoppage fuelled by anger over disputes with keepers of keys to government vaults. Like previous confrontations, they are voices crying in the wilderness. This may partly be due to public awareness of ASUU’S teaching hours being sold illegally to private universities; and their children attending private universities at home and abroad: including other African countries.

The timing of the strike to coincide with the heat of election campaigns seems not to have drawn voices of politicians to local, state and federal executive and legislative posts. As symbols of informed voices of the public who voted for them, silence by legislators is startling and provokes some reflection.

For a start, Nigeria’s national and state legislators have been given budgets to scrutinise. A key theme in budgets is the volume of investments expected to be injected into the economy; with much focus on attracting ‘’Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)’’. On this matter, a valuable lesson can be drawn from Lee Kuan Yew’s recollection about their strategy for making Singapore a ‘’beautiful bride’’ – to recall Nnamdi Azikiwe as a presidential candidate – to international capital.

Yew’s political team anchored their strategy on producing very high quality graduates from their educational institutions. Brilliant, highly disciplined and patriotic graduates would appeal to multinational corporations as most valuable and productive workers. Yew celebrates the success of this strategy combined with exploiting the geographical location of their tiny state within short distances from vast markets in India, China, Japan and Indonesia.

This is surely a development strategy which politicians, Nigerian business executives, the Nigerian Labour Congress and parents should converge around. Its advocacy should be a ‘’point of contact’’ between academics and the other three sectors – including the media.

Tunisia’s founding leader, Mohammed Bourghiba, provided a useful lesson in mobilising politicians and scholars into a confluence with his country’s religious leaders by presenting nation-building and development as a ‘’Jihad’’ which demanded education for men and women; and an end to the obligation of fasting so that energies of Tunisians would be optimally used throughout the year.

Nigeria’s business leaders need to be nudged to go beyond noting severe declines in the quality of graduates produced by Nigeria’s educational institutions. As parents, many contributed to a pandemic of purchasing examination questions; hiring persons to sit examinations for their children; using electronic devices to broadcast correct answers to children sitting examinations, etc. Failed parenting led to deporting wards to Singapore, Malaysia, Ghana, and Kenya if they failed at home.

The Nigerian Labour Congress has been muscular in calling out workers on strike in demands for wages, yet silent on ensuring high

THE NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS HAS BEEN MUSCULAR IN CALLING OUT WORKERS ON STRIKE IN DEMANDS FOR WAGES, YET SILENT ON ENSURING HIGH QUALITY WORKING CULTURE IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO GUARANTEE EXCELLENCE IN THE QUALITY OF WORKERS AS PRODUCTS

quality working culture in educational institutions to guarantee excellence in the quality of workers as products: from primary schools to universities and colleges. The explosion of ‘’Sexually Transmitted Degree (STDs)’’ must compel a combative convergence between NLC, ASUU and professional associations.

As an example, President Julius Nyerere once proposed that due to lack of spaces in higher education sectors, primary schools should train skills for inventors and food processors in the agricultural sector.

ASUU, the NLC and business leaders should push similar radical policy dialogue.

The Singapore example could very well have been also noted in Japan and China. Their debt to Buddhist religious injunction, are worth close study. The Chinese Communist Party imbibed discipline as a matter of military survival and victory during 20 years of conducting guerrilla warfare. Nigeria’s universities have ignored Japanese and Chinese Studies as vital fields of study from which to mine possible lessons for their own mission. As an example, Japan’s innovative linkage of local anthropological insights with the management rules of giant corporations including Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Nissan, etc.

British and American politicians, military leaders, diplomats and business leaders committed to conquering and holding empires have a long legacy of studying foreign countries. Scholars like Darwin (who collected diverse biological species by hitching a ride on a commercial ship travelling to distant unknown ecologies), led to modern day ‘’Area Studies’’. Accordingly, in early December 2018, a satellite carried a German- manufactured instrument which was sunk deep into Mars to collect data about its interior. Some of the companies which are looting minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo most certainly bought a stake in that Mars expedition.

China, Japan, and India are complex Asian countries with civilizations which were NOT disrupted by the way European invaders wrecked civilizations in Africa. Their ancient civilizations have been strong pillars and navigational tools for building ‘Modernity with Asian Characteristics’. Africa’s scholars, politicians, trade union leaders, public intellectuals, diplomats and business adventurers must jointly with Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Indian enterprises support studies of their civilizations and economies in African universities and research centres.

Nigerian politicians, academics and trade unionists must take note that in 2018 China has seven million inventors. In Japan, Britain, France, Germany and the United States it is the aristocracy which led academic and leadership excellence. In China and Russia the leadership of their Communist Parties put excellence as tools of war to beat back hostile capitalist powers. ‘AFRICA 2019’ must also run for excellence.

Elites adorning symbolisms of being alumni of famous foreign universities - after merely stopping at a ‘BUS STOP’ on a campus weakens ASUU’s allies for excellence.

OSUN ECONOMY: AGRICULTURE TO THE RESCUE? Governor Oyetola is repositioning the state with the aid of agriculture, writes Abiodun Komolafe

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he world is not smiling! Even the most pretentious of all beings will readily admit that times and things are no longer as easy as they used to be. Of course, these are not limited to Nigeria. South Africa recently got out of recession, the first in more than a decade while countries like Turkey, Spain, even, Venezuela, once the most oil-rich nation on earth, are passing through chaotic socio-economic times. Yes, this is the world in which Nigerians dwells today; and by default, it is also the world in which the State of Osun has found itself!

It is with these in mind that Nigerians must commend Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun for taking the lead in efforts to impact lives through massive food production as well as reposition the economy through wealth creation-induced activities.

In a Keynote Address to the ‘2018 Farmers Open Day Festival’, tagged, ‘Odun Alagbinla’, Oyetola urged Nigerians to brush up their knowledge about modern techniques in agriculture just as he promised his administration’s desire to boost agriculture and food security in the state. While reiterating his commitment to “take advantage� of its “agrarian-based economy to the fullest and make the state the food hub of Nigeria�, he vowed that government would, among other things, consolidate on the agricultural land expansion programme with an additional target of 20,000 hectares to the Land Bank.

Already, more than 40,000 hectares have been given out under the scheme, and about 100,000 smallholder farmers have benefitted from it. His administration also promised

to establish nine new farm settlements with “integrated agricultural development on crops, livestock, fisheries and Comprehensive Farm Service Centres where farmers will have access to farm inputs, extension services, information and market intelligence services.�

Oyetola lauded government’s strategic partnership and innovative implementation of collaborative initiatives with the International Institute of Agriculture (IITA), a development that has led to the enhancement of farming methods and improvement in yield with its attendant inflow of income.

Quite frankly, ‘Odun Alagbinla’ speaks to Oyetola’s positive way of introducing farmers to improved agro-inputs and modern farming techniques, which, irrefutably, has become a way of life in a world gone hi-tech. Good that this intervention is coming at a time the unemployment rate in Nigeria is fast climbing to the alarming two digits boundary. According to a report recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the number of persons in the labour force increased from 85.1 million in the third quarter of 2017 to 90.5 million in the third quarter of 2018� while “the total number of people classified as unemployed increased from 17.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 20.9 million in the third quarter of 2018.�

Sad also to know that Nigeria’s crude oil, once respected for its sky-high rating, has in recent times become victim to consistent meltdown. Now, a barrel of crude goes for as low as $40 in the international market even as the number of barrels produced

per day now fluctuates with stammering destiny. Sadder still, it is at a time the global significance of the proverbial cash cow is dangerously haemorrhaging, due, principally, to new discoveries in technology.

Suffice it to say that Osun has never been a “sleeping partner in progress� with other active stakeholders. In the last five years or so, government has implemented programmes like Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme (OREAP) and Osun Broilers Out-growers Production Scheme (O’BOPS), all in a bid to shoot the state to greater heights agriculturally. So far, so impressive! Osun currently has the lowest poverty rate in Nigeria. It is also Nigeria’s most peaceful state; second richest state and 5th largest economy, with its forestry sub-sector also 5th in the country. Besides, it is on record that more than 7,000 farmers from 500 cooperative societies have benefited from the state’s low interest loans under the Quick Impact Intervention Programme (QIIP). While support to large scale farmers has shot Osun into the second position in the production of poultry, the Rural Access and Mobility Programme (RAMP) has within a short period of time constructed more than 400 kilometres of rural roads in the state. ‘Valet omnino facere valet benefacientes’!

Now that handouts from the national government are no longer assuredly guaranteed, or reliable, Oyetola already has his thinking cap on, and has his job cut out for him. The import of his address at Ago Owu in Isokan Local Government Area of the state is to reinvent agriculture, so as to regain its pride of place, as it were, before the advent of the so-called ‘oil-boom’ era. For instance, a litre of palm oil now sells for as much as N400 in the market;

as against a litre of premium motor spirit (pms), which currently hovers around N145.00.

A profitable venture in agriculture leads to improved revenues even as it helps checkmate the scourge of rural-urban drift. Innovative agricultural initiatives, like those in display during ‘Odun Alagbinla’, will drastically reduce, if not totally eradicate, the menace and activities of kidnappers and ritualists who are marauding every part of the country nowadays.

Cash crops like Cocoa, Coconut, Rubber and Oil palm play significant roles in the generation of income, gainful employment opportunities to the rural economy and opening-up of the state for commercial activities, among others. Since hope leans on an anchor, Lagos and Kebbi have also shown how collaborative efforts between, and, among states can be profitable.

As fate would have it, 70% of Osun’s over-four million people are farmers. So, it is time Osun stopped behaving like Peter whose shadow was healing the sick while the healer in him lacked financial dominion. But then, who says dear state cannot rear cattle for local consumption? Like the woman with the issue of blood who became whole on touching the hem of Christ’s garment, who says wanton destruction of lives and property, occasioned by farmers/herders’ clashes, cannot be curbed through agriculture? If farms and farming could rescue South Africa from its recession, who says Osun cannot be in the forefront of Nigeria’s return to her enviable position as the ‘Giant of Africa’?

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun!

Komolafe wrote from Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun

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EDITORIAL The Anarchy In Zamfara State The security agencies could do better

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hat armed bandits have a strong foothold in Zamfara State is no longer news. What worries is that these criminal gangs are now so emboldened that they seem to have overwhelmed the capacity of the state, given the manner they confronted and killed 16 policemen in one fell swoop early this month. From cattle rustling to political thuggery and all forms of gangsterism, these lawless boys roam the streets, carrying out deadly raids on farming and herding villages without any provocation and forcing the dwellers of the communities to abandon their farms and flee for their lives.

In desperation, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has expressed support for the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the state. “I am in support of the declaration of state of emergency if it will save the lives of people of the state,” said Yari who was away from the state HUNDREDS OF when the latest THOUSANDS OF crisis broke. “If the HECTARES OF LAND provisions of my REPORTEDLY MAY GO office had allowed UNCULTIVATED IN THE me to carry arms STATE DURING THE against the bandits, l would have done FARMING SEASON so. But, if I am not BECAUSE OF THE around, there are GROWING MENACE capable hands that collaborate with the security team in the fight against the bandits.”

Yari’s words are hollow since this problem persists essentially because he has not provided responsible leadership in the state. In March this year, the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, threatened to seek the intervention of the United Nations (UN) in a bid to end the protracted attacks on his domain by gunmen. The first class traditional ruler told the visiting Yari that having

failed in the discharge of their obligations to provide security for the law abiding residents in his domain on different occasions, he had come to the conclusion that he needed to seek help outside the country.

Indeed, the recent killings and kidnappings of innocent people in the state are dark testimony that the security services have more work to do to rout the criminals who are increasingly making several parts of the state inhabitable. As things stand, hundreds of thousands of hectares of land reportedly may go uncultivated in the state during the farming season because of the growing menace which has forced the people of the state into open demonstration.

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

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

he Secretary of All Farmers Association of Nigeria in the state, Alhaji Sa’idu Tanko Kura said recently that small holder farmers who constitute the majority of the farming population in the state depend on animal traction to till their lands. But this farming method had been mainly depleted owing to the unending cattle thefts in the farming and herding communities. With the bandits having overpowered the capacity of the state to enforce law and order, dwellers in several villages are now at their mercy.

It is recalled that in 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari sent special military units to fight the armed bandits. He followed up with an official visit to the state during which he personally flagged-off the military operations aimed at rooting out the menace of cattle rustlers and armed bandits not only in Zamfara State but the entire axis of North-west. That has proved to be ineffectual as the bandits continue to kill and maim almost unchallenged. What that suggests quite clearly is that beyond the need to deploy more security assets to contain the activities of these brutal bandits, the authorities must also realise that the current culture of impunity in our country will not end until people with criminal tendencies know for certain that the law can, and will, always catch up with them.

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A TIME FOR CHANGE

LIVING IN THE PAST, BUILDING A FANTASY

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here are two things that keep people occupied over the last few days of December.

It is a ritual repeated all over the world.

First, there are the reviews, letting everyone review what has happened over the course of the year that is nearing its end.

Then, there are the previews, trying to predict what will happen in the year to come. Both are too often just pieces of gossip, easy reading to bridge the time between Christmas and New Year.

Sometimes, there are some important pieces of information though. So it is important to sift through all of this noise to find the precious gems of information. Recently, several experts have given their opinions on the price of raw oil per barrel for the year 2019.

While I am not disposed to decide which of the many experts is completely right, one can discern the overall trend.

Unfortunately, the price of the barrel is unlikely to be rising above its current level in the next year, and if it does, it won’t be for long. There are many factors for this – global production rates, economic growth rates in the consuming countries, large global reserves coming online and so on. This is unfortunate, but

it should be of interest to us because of a different reason: President Buhari’s budget for 2019.

If you followed the debate around the budget closely, it is anchored on a benchmark price of 60$ per barrel of crude oil – over 10$ more than the current price! And as a consequence, Buhari’s budget and all his planning are standing on a base that will crumble immediately. Buhari lives in the past, and is building a dangerous fantasy for tomorrow.

He had four years to diversify our economy! Only failed states like Venezuela base their national budget purely on the price of a commodity. Other countries have tried this and it simply doesn’t work. Look at Zambia and its reliance on Copper. The country is an economic disaster. Nigeria deserves better than this.

We have more to offer than just our natural resources.

We are a bright people, full of human potential. We have an educated youth, a mass of ambitious young Nigerian minds yearning for more. They need options, they need opportunities. The status quo where we rely on a volatile oil price is simply unsustainable. It is time we get political leaders who understand this. We shall decide soon.

Chukwuma Udegbunam, chukunam85@gmail.com

“

A delusion is something that people believe in despite a total lack of evidence.” Does this definition remind you of something? This definition is by all means an accurate description of President Muhammadu Buhari over the last few weeks. This has been exemplified most glaringly over the last few days.

To recapitulate: Boko Haram terrorists overrun the brave soldiers of the Nigerian army at Metele, killing over 100 soldiers. Officials complain that the organisation is exploiting the army’s weaknesses, which means that the terrorists have figured out exactly how to sow horror, without an adequate response by the armed forces.

Then, some weeks afterwards, Islamic State militants seized the town of Baga, capturing a base of the Navy. It is a disgraceful and embarrassing defeat to let these people gain territory like that on our soil.

Yet a day later, President Buhari claims - for the umpteenth time - at a campaign rally in

Uyo that he has defeated Boko Haram, and that all the other campaign promises have been fulfilled too.

Is the President serious? How can he proclaim such an obvious delusion, without being called out on it immediately? It seems like he has lost complete touch with the crisis facing all of us Nigerians. He probably believes that every citizen enjoys 24-hour electricity and that the naira can be exchanged one-to-one for the US Dollar (both campaign promises!).

Apparently, the president’s health problems are more serious than previously reported.

And this is no laughing matter – it is a question of life and death for our brethren in the North.

We can’t afford to be led by a president so delusional about the state of Nigeria. In such dire times of crisis, we need a different, clear-sighted leader, someone with a clear plan to make Nigeria safe and prosperous again.

This is not the time for delusion. This is the time for change.

Lawrence Gemade, Abuja

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5 ) * 4 % ": t MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2018

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Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

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

M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E

When Tomorrow Comes Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Ojo Maduekwe write that key pivotal events witnessed in 2018 will likely shape the 2019 national election, making it not only a politically intriguing one, but also entertaining Heightened Insecurity Ahead n assessing Nigeria in 2018, key pivotal events point to a frightening new year.

Being an election year, one thing is a constant in 2019, which begins from tomorrow. Nigerians are sure to witness a heightened insecurity across the country.

As it is with the months preceding national elections, there are already pockets of violence in the form of terrorism, armed robbery, kidnapping, including intimidation of citizens by security operatives.

The Boko Haram terrorist group, claimed by the federal government on several occasions to have been “technically defeated�, are ambushing, killing soldiers, taking over their bases, and hoisting flags.

This renewed attacks has prompted the Governor of Borno (one of the most attacked states by Boko Haram in the Northeast region), Kashim Shettima, to call for an emergency security meeting of all the stakeholders.

Several news sources are awash with reports of Boko Haram attacks on military locations in the Northeast, especially in parts of Borno state. Even the Nigerian army on December 26, owned up to an attack by the Boko Haram insurgents on one of its formation at Baga, Borno.

According to the army in a Twitter post, “Gallant Troops of 7 Brigade, Baga are currently engaging and neutralising Boko Haram terrorists who attempted to infiltrate their location in Baga. Details later.�

Although the army said that the insurgents were “neutralised� during the attack, even claiming they were in pursuit of the insurgents, several news sources disputed that claim, reporting that on the contrary, the insurgents had overran the military base and taken control of the town.

Just as is being insinuated in several quarters, the Nigerian army thinks the heightened insecurity is due to the upcoming 2019 national election, and is conducting a nationwide Operation Python Dance to checkmate it.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, during the operation’s flag-off ceremony in Maiduguri, capital of Borno, said the exercise was necessitated by the increasing security threats such as “terrorism, militancy, kidnapping and banditry�, and claims that “dissident groups and criminal elements could cash in on the situation to perpetrate large-scale violence before, during and after the 2019 general elections.�

bers have been accused of raiding Middle Belt villages in the North-central part of the country, killing and raping girls and women, and who the Global Terrorism Index ranks as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world, can come out openly to endorse Buhari.

For the many atrocities committed by members of MACBAN, the federal government has excused and handled them with kid gloves. People fear that to retain a government biased towards their interests, MACBAN would deploy all of its arsenal to ensure that Buhari was elected again.

I

Abubakar

Buhari

According to Buratai, the exercise would last from January 1 to February 28, 2019, covering the periods of the 2019 presidential and national assembly elections. That of the governorship and state assembly would take place on March 2, according to the election timetable.

One would expect that the measures being put in place by the army would alleviate the fears of Nigerians. Not so. With the daily disappearance of soldiers during attacks by Boko Haram, and now the abscondment of 167 police officers that were to be deployed against the group, it appears the masses are fast losing faith in the security agencies to protect them.

Miyetti Allah’s #StandWithBuhari Sometime in August, one Garus Gololo who is the Benue State coordinator for the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), an umbrella body for the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria, asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to resign, “or we will force him out.�

Distancing the association from the comment made by Gololo, MACBAN in a statement signed by its secretary, Othman

Buratai

Ngelzarma, said the group was “non-partisanâ€?, and “with no interest in the political terrain‌â€?

Fast forward to four months after, the same MACBAN that categorically stated that it was non-partisan and had no interest in politics, during the association’s 5th General Meeting with over 2000 attending members, endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for reelection.

This time, guess who spoke on behalf of the group? The National President, one Muhammadu Kirowa. According to Kirowa, the association’s decision was because, “no administration had looked into our plight the way President Buhari has done since the inception of the association.�

Speaking earlier at the same meeting, Ngelzarma, who had signed the August statement promising that MACBAN was non-partisan, had also pledged the group’s continuous loyalty and support for Buhari.

Making spurious claim of having “over 20 million members� in Nigeria, MACBAN said those in attendance were representatives from Nigeria’s 774 local governments, and their view was to support Buhari.

Observers consider it a disturbing trend that an association whose marauding mem-

2019 and the Role of Money Right from picking a party form, to lobbying party stakeholders to emerge the candidate up until the campaign period and the actual Election Day, money has always played major role during elections in Nigeria. Several observers believe that the 2019 will not be an exception.

Judging from the alleged vote buying witnessed during the 2018 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, there are concerns the 2019 elections would be worse, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), trying to outspend each other in soliciting for the people’s vote.

The APC-led federal government has been accused of using the anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to go after opposition fund, and pave the way for it to be the only party with enough fund to buy votes and win the elections.

In making this allegation, critics of the ruling government reference the EFCC’s plan to monitor campaign funds donated to political parties for the 2019 elections as well as donors’ identities.

Critics say the EFCC is biased in its fight against corruption, shielding members of the APC from prosecution. They cite instances like the filing of fraud charges against the Akwa Ibom governor, Emmanuel Udom, while leaving his Kano state counterpart, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, caught on video taking bribe money from state contractors.

They also accuse the APC of using dubious means of raising fund for Buhari’s reelection, citing the donation of N1.77 billion given to Buhari by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and the Fertilisers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN).

Also, critics of the APC have accused it of

Olawepo-Hashim

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MONDAY DISCOURSE using its Trader Moni scheme, one of the government’s initiative under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), for vote buying. They say the timing of the distribution of the money to traders and the fact that vice-president Yemi Osinbajo goes about distributing it himself was suspicious.

Atiku vs Buhari: To Debate or Not? Buhari has been advised by his party members not to participate in the January 19, 2019 debate being organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) in partnership with the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), with one of the president’s appointee, Prof. Itse Sagay, selling the idea his deputy, Osinbajo, can debate in his place.

Sagay who is Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), told the media that the vicepresident can represent the President “if that is what the government wants�, and since the debate was not about eloquence but “what the various parties have to offer.�

Participating parties for the debate according to the NEDG are the APC’s Buhari; PDP’s Atiku Abubakar; the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Oby Ezekwesili; Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Fela Durotoye, and Young Progressives Party (YPP), Kingsley Moghalu.

Out of these five candidates, Buhari is the only one that appears reluctant to debate.

When a similar debate was organised by Channels Television, Arise TV and the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) in 2015, his party also refused him from debating.

The APC’s defense then was that some Nigerian media organisations were at the

Mahmood

time compromised, and could not vouch for the independence of some of the organisers of that year’s debate. Now the ruling party does not have any defense except that Osinbajo can represent Buhari.

Ever since the NEDG released the date for the debate, and was suspected that Buhari would decline, high ranking members of the opposition PDP have been on the offensive, taunting the president to debate.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has challenged Buhari to debate Atiku. “We challenge President Buhari to come out and debate and tell the people what he wants to do... Let him debate on issues with our candidate. Let him come out and debate.�

Secondus who accused Buhari of playing politics of “intimidation and arm-twisting�, said the PDP had “the best candidate in the country today�, and won’t accept a situation that Buhari would debate by proxy. “If you want to rule Nigeria, come out and tell the people what you intend to do.�

The PDP candidate himself has said he is “ready to debate Muhammadu Buhari�.

Shortly after watching the vice-presidential debate of December 14, Atiku Tweeted: “I watched with pride as Peter Obi laid out our vision to get Nigeria working again, I can’t wait for the presidential debate.�

Critics of Buhari accuse the president of being incompetent and that his party, the APC, knows that he would be disgraced by the

conducted by some of the 91 political parties in Nigeria which led to about 698 litigations against INEC. Though INEC is not the cause of the problem, the commission was joined in the suits because it monitored the conduct of party primaries. There is also the threat by 75 political parties under the auspices of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) to boycott the 2019 general elections if the new amendment in the electoral act is not assented to. However, the political parties are already further divided with the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), comprising over 40 groups queuing behind the presidential candidate of the PDP. On the flip side, political groups like the United Peoples Party (UPP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) have pitched their tent with Buhari, by adopting him as their presidential candidate.

Buhari with representatives of dierent youth groups

more vibrant and knowledgeable candidates of the PDP, ACPN, ANN and YPP. They say the APC is worried Buhari might embarrass the party if allowed to debate.

Do Youths Have the Ace? The 2019 general elections has been promoted in several quarters as the biggest opportunity for Nigerian youths to assert themselves in the polity. With the country having one of the most youthful populations, said to be, between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of the country’s population, all the political parties have made attempts to woo this critical segment. Already, President Buhari advertises the Not-too-Young-To-Run law as one of the achievements of his administration. Alhaji

Oshiomhole

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the main opposition, PDP has promised Nigerian youths that 60 per cent of the composition of the federal executive council under his administration will comprise youths. He said specifically that the Ministry of Youth Development will be run by an individual under 30 years of age. The campaign for increased participation of youths in the election can be said to have yielded positive fruits. The enthusiasm by youths is not only visible in the attempt to run for public office. A good majority of Nigerian youths are said to have been enraged by the purported reference to them as ‘lazy’ by Buhari and have been awakened to get their PVC to teach the president a bitter lesson. According to the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during INEC’s Campus Outreach at University of Lagos, Nigerian youths had a major role to play in determining the outcome of 2019 general election as they constituted the bulk of electoral officials and voters. Yakubu said: “We have about 120,000 polling units nationwide, each polling unit is manned by minimum of four ad-hoc staff and majority of which are youths serving their father land. We registered 9.7 million new voter’s majority of which are young people. These youths also constitute the bulk of voters during election. So Nigeria youths need to take it upon themselves to register, vote and make necessary changes

that they all desire.�

Participation by Other Political Parties: While there have been arguments for and against the propriety of having 91 registered political parties, the fielding of candidates by these parties for the Presidential and National Assembly elections has provided a pointer to the spread, and possibly the strength of these partisan groups. From the ‘Summary of Submission of Form CF002 for Presidential and National Assembly Elections’ issued

by INEC, the Peoples Trust, PT, which has Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate leads the pack of newly registered parties with a strong presence, by presenting 194 candidates. The breakdown shows that the

Can INEC Be Trusted to Deliver a Free and Fair Election?

The INEC is trapped in a seeming paradoxical situation from which it cannot escape.

At different times, the two leading political parties, the APC and the PDP have accused it favouring the other (or planning to do so). As things stand, no one is sure if the commission has been given all or some of the over N180 billion it requested for the conduct of the elections. Apart from suspicion of complicity in the alleged plans by the ruling APC to rig the elections, there are genuine concerns that the commission may have been deliberately starved of funds to stop it from an excellent delivery of its mandate. But those who strongly criticise INEC for alleged plans to help the APC rig the elections in its favour point to what they describe as the commission’s openly partisan

Secondus

party has one presidential candidate and one candidate for the office of the vice president.

There are 52 senatorial candidates and 140 aspirants for the House of Representatives respectively running on its platform. Following the PT closely are the Justice Must Prevail Party (JMPP), 182, Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) 176, the Action Democratic Party (ADP), 136, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), 115 and the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), 106. At the bottom of the ladder are the New Generation Party (NGP) and the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) that both have one contender each for the House of Representatives. The Modern Democratic Party (MDP) and the Youth Party (YP) have two nominees each for the House of Representatives. Four of the 89 political parties vying for various offices only have candidates for the position of president and vice president. They are the People’s Coalition Party (PCP), We The Peoples of Nigeria (WTPN), AUN and the Reform and Advance Party (RAP). Other parties whose total number of candidates for the 2019 presidential and national assembly elections in are in the single digit bracket are the Save Nigeria Congress (SNC) which is fielding five candidates, the Change Nigeria Party (CNP) with seven contenders and the Liberation Movement (LM), presenting nine runners.

A major cause of concern within the political parties is the rancorous primary elections

role in the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, in which the candidates of the PDP lost to the APC under controversial circumstances. As things stand the PDP has largely succeeded in creating a situation that if the APC eventually wins (particularly the presidential) election, its allegation that the ruling party’s victory was obtained fraudulently will be widely accepted.

Interest of Foreign Organisations in the Nigerian Elections As the seventh largest population in the world, a leader on the African continent with a growing economy (even if challenged), an active and very enterprising youths, the potential of Nigeria is not lost on the rest of the world. The country has been on the threshold of a major breakthrough for many years. The advanced economies of the world know the importance of having a seamless and rancor free political transition in Nigeria, at least to maintain civil stability on the continent. Every major global organization is interested in monitoring events leading to Nigeria’s national elections and the actual voting process itself.

In order to deepen democratic institutions in the country and increase education of the populace, these bodies have trained different actors on the Nigerian political turf and continue to engage in activities that will ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process in the country.

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FEATURES

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

Expectations, Aspirations and Goals for 2019 Chiemelie Ezeobi, Ayodeji Ake and Sunday Ehigiator, who sampled the opinion of some Nigerians, write that their core expectations and goals for 2019 is for government to provide infrastructural development, basic amenities, ensure violence free elections, as well as create a better business environment for all to thrive in

Patrick Agbambu

Wilson Ighodalo

Akinwale Kasali

Ebun Anozie

Onojiade Ogudu

Samson Alamu

Y

ear in, year out, the needs of Nigerians practically remain the same; provision of basic amenities by their elected officials, infrastructural development across board, ensuring a favourable business environment and adequate security, amongst others.

The incoming year is no different. As the curtain gradually drops on 2018 to open up to 2019, the clamour across board is for security of people and properties, good governance, fair and violence-free elections, stable economy, vibrant health sector, viable education sector without incessant strike actions and basic amenities- good roads, stable power, adequate housing and potable water.

For the students across tertiary institutions , their sole goal is do the strike action to be called off so they can resume academic activities.

For petty traders, their sole desire is for their

businesses to thrive , while for the unemployed, it's no farther than getting good paying jobs.

THISDAY went to town to sample the opinions of Nigerians across board; from security buffs to businessmen and women, to students, bankers, drug abuse activist and politician amongst others.

Here are the excerpts:

Patrick Agbambu: President/CEO Security Watch Africa Initiatives 2019 is going to be a deciding year for Nigeria and Nigerians. Security will take front burner in the affair of the nation. Build up to the General Elections will aggravate the current security situations and throw up some new challenging security issues. The insurgency and terrorism issues in the North-east and Zamfara State will continue to be around, there will be kidnap of some high profile personalities, particularly, politically-exposed-persons and kidnap for ransom.

These will be sponsored by some disgruntled, unpatriotic and criminally mind politicians aimed at scoring political points and gaining some ground. The governments and Nigerians at all levels must resist this.

Federal government is on the right path with the allocations in the 2019 budget for security.

The problem has always been the release of appropriated budgets and timely release for that.

We must move away from chasing shadows with funding for security. Governments and its agencies must design and intensify public enlightenment and awareness to counter the activities of the evildoers in Nigeria.

Wilson Ighodalo: President, The Drug Salvation Foundation and Focal Person, South-west Zone, Community Intervention Network on Drugs (CIND) Drug dependency is an increasing problem

that cuts across every national, ethnic, religious, gender and socioeconomic divide and carries devastating social and economic consequences through its impacts on crime and health.

The increasing incidents of substance abuse, particularly abuse of illicit narcotic and psychotropic substances, across the broad spectrum of the population is serving to impede state (governmental, communities and or individual) plans and efforts towards development.

Too often, government is quick to develop policies and programs for people who use drugs without first understanding drug use and people who use them. It is time government shows more interest to enlighten people on the use of drugs, misuse, abuse and why human rights violations/ stigma against drug users should be wiped.

Also government should support NGOs championing the cause in Nigeria. I will not

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FEATURES

Jide Oyediran

Babatunde relent in creating awareness until people see substance use as a disease that needs early diagnosis and treatment.

Akinwale Kasali: Businessman I want my aspirations to come to reality by being a force to reckon with in my field. I expect the nation to move from the cadre of developing countries to a developed one, with the economy being stabilised.

The forthcoming election should be free and fair with no chaos or bloodshed before and after the election no matter the results. The party at the center should be sportmanly in any situation it finds itself after the election. Come 2019, I want the government to make power, infrastructure, housing, portable water, good roads available to Nigerians.

There should be a paradigm shift in government, with the people enjoying the dividends of democracy. Stability in our economy and good governance, and Free and fair election and bloodless transition of power if the party at the center losses.

Mrs. Ebunoluwa Anozie: Cancer Care Specialist My expectations in 2019 are a peaceful and credible elections while being hopeful that whoever emerges president already has plans to move the country forward in the midst of recession. My prayer is to see huge improvements in both the health and education sectors. I am expecting our leaders to lead us with utmost integrity devoid of corruption. We need to get back our lost glory.

Omojiade Ogudo: Businessman 2019 will certainly be a promising year for me.

A year I will say it's pregnant. 2019 will come with great challenges and opportunities. It will be a year of personal leadership development and growth. In the polity, it's a shift in the

Aregbe Idris

Richard

Matina Ehizogie Nigerian political dispensation as Nigeria will clock 20 years of active democracy in Nigeria.

For me, it's growth and advancement. But it will come with its own challenging moments.

Above all, my expectations for 2019 is a year of great accomplishments. In business, life pursuits and community projects we are embarking on at the organisation, I see a colourful 2019.

Jennifer

Peter Ehigiator This also applies to Lagos state, let's support a candidate that is ready to move the city further than where we are at the moment with the right political affiliation and that is the All Progressives Congress.

So my expectation for 2019 is all about way forward and next level; we need to do more for our country and be ready to play our part. We the youths must be part of the process.

Samson Alamu: Businessman It is an election year. As a Nigerian, all I look forward to is for our youths to wake up from their slumber and choose the right leader to lead us and make our economy better. It depends on what sector of the economy you are into; for those in related businesses that showcase politics, e.g advertising, gifts items etc. It’s most likely to be a good year for them. However, for those in construction and infrastructure, I believe it will be a slow year, but a year full of positive expectations.

Jide Oyediran: Employee My expectation as a Nigerian in 2019 is to see a better Nigeria with great hopes for all. A good wellbeing, available and affordable amenities and a secured nation, a pride of Africa and a place to reckon in the world. A good and sincere governance and corrupt-free citizenry.

I look forward and anticipate for a much better Nigeria. God bless Nigeria.

Aregbe Idris: Politician In 2019, I want to see youths come together and give our best to our dear country to make sure that the country continues to be safe and peaceful. In doing that, what we need to do is to give our support to someone who we believe in and that person is President Muhammadu Buhari to take us to the next level. We need to be sure we are fully ready and participate in the process, and not just tossing it to the hands of the people who are ready to set us back again.

Richard Imhoagene: Media Strategist with Kano State Government The most important determinant for how 2019 will turn out is the election. I expect Nigerians to have sense and not throw away the next four years of their lives. I expect that poverty is reduced to the barest minimum and unemployment will be reduced drastically.

I am also expecting that our leaders begin to fear God and lead with honesty. The fight against insurgency, unknown bandits and insecurity in the nation should be done the right way without ethnic or religious sentiments. The safety of Nigerians should be considered paramount.

Lastly, it is important that people get the reward they deserve for good and for bad. The system should be made to reward hardwork and punish corruption speedily and without favouritism.

Opara Chidinma: Insurer with Prudential Insurance I expect an improved government with a peaceful election. And a more action, less-worry kind of attitude. A better version of myself towards achieving my set goals. And towards 2019 election, I hope God bless us with a better leader to take us to our destined promise land.

Babatunde Jolaosho: Banker Politics-wise, nothing will change.

Economy-wise, things will get harder for the unwise, just as our president has said we should expect. And I am hopeful that by 2019, my

personal goals will be achieved with discipline and not passion.

Matina Ehizogie: Petty Trader I used to have provision store in front of my house as a housewife with a husband who is a force man and was never around. But this year has really been a downturn on my business that I had to close down. The prices of everything I sell went outrageously high. I tried to cope but I was running into debt I had to quit. Next year I am hopeful we would have a new government that would show more concern to inflation rate and put in facilities to cub inflation. I hope to be able to come back to business because when you are married to a salary earner, without other means of income for the family, things are always tight and many projects you want to do end up being abandoned or cut to size. Generally I pray for a better Nigeria.

Peter Ehigiator: Student I am a student of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. It started like a joke when we first heard ASUU strike but It's about three months now that we have been home doing nothing. The government seems not to care about our future. If we don't resume back to school as most of us don't have anything to do, we could take to crime and increase insecurity in the country. I have great expectations for next year 2019. Particularly, I want to concentrate more on a side hustle pending when this strike is called off. I hope to improve in my academics and really hope to be able to hit the studio and record some of my tracks. I'm tired of staying at home doing nothing, I pray government answers ASUU so they can call off this strike because I am tired of hearing about deadlocks after every closed door meeting.

Editor's Note: The Features Desk hereby wishes Nigerians a Happy New Year! God bless Nigeria!!!

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IMAGES

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Photo Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ ÔËÖË Email Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜Ë›Ă‹Ă”Ă‹Ă–Ă‹ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

Chairman, Arewa Community Support Group for BOS 2019, Alhaji Mohammed Alhassan (Middle) with the Chairman, APC Arewa Community, Lagos State, Alhaji Muhammed Dandama, presenting a communique of support plans to the APC candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, during a courtesy visit to Sanwo-Olu Media centre, Ikoyi Lagos......recenly

L-R: U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Stuart Symington; President, Africa Business Conference, Babatunde Akin Moses; Vice- President, Africa Business Conference, Raymond Ihuoma; CEO, General Electric Nigeria/ President, American Business Council, Lazarus Angbazo; Dean, Lagos Business School, Enase Okonedo; MC Seun; at the Africa Business Conference. The Conference was organised by the American Business Council in partnership with the Lagos Business School in Lagos...recently

L-R: Head, Legal Department, CFL Group, Adesola Fagbemi: Group Managing Director/CEO, Lai Omotola and Head of Marketing, Marcel Nweze, during a media brieďŹ ng on the state of the Nation Economy and CFL progress report, in Lagos..... recently PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO

Members of Babatunde Olusola Sanwo-Olu, Touching Lives Environmental Cleaning Project Convened led by Mr. Sesan Awonoiki (in Purple Colour T-shirt), during a cleaning exercise at Eputu Town, Lekki Lagos.......recently

L-R: Executive Director, Rejevenee/main sponsors of the event, Lilian Ama-Aluko; Ambassador, Queen Moremi Ajasoso/House of Oduduwa, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi and CEO, YellowDot Limited, Olubukola Bolarinde during the stage production of Moremi the Musical, at Terra Kulture, Lagos....recently

L-R: Dietician, Michael Shoretire: Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Development, Mrs. Joyce Onafowora: Dr. Olusola Malomo and Dr. Nkem Chimezie, during a seminar on nutrition for Children with special needs, at Ketu Lagos...recently PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO

L-R: Chief Security OďŹƒcer, Neave Kannemeyer, National Sales Director, Godwin Oche, both of International Breweries, Music Artiste, Oritsefemi, Marketing Director, Tolulope Adedeji, International Breweries and Femi Adebayo, Brand Ambassador, Trophy Lager at the 40th anniversary celebration of Trophy Lager in Ibadan... recently

Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode with her husband and kids, during the 2018 Children’s End of the Year Party at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja‌‌recently

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

A S

A T

REPO 18.42 % 17.17%

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

15% 12.75% 12.63%

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima

Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08024557078, 08152447875

D E C E M B E R S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

355.69% 0.39% 1.78%

2 8 , 2 0 1 8 S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

2.41% 7.96%

EXCHANGE RATE N307/1US DOLLAR* ĚŠ

Quick Takes Afreximbank, AGF Seal Deal

BUSINESS RETREAT

L-R: General Manager, Mecha Technology, Yun Seok Jeong; Executive Director, Infrastructure Business Unit, Inlaks,Tope Dare; Sales Manager, Hyosung, Hosoo Lake Lee; Chairman, CeBIH, Stanley Jacob; Division Manager/VP Global Business Division, Hyosung, Chang-Hak Kim and Head of R & D, Hyosung Lee Hoon, at the CeBIH business retreat 2018 held in Abeokuta.,Ogun State ‌recently

TheAfricanExport-ImportBank(Afreximbank)hassignedanagreement with the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) for a $30 million re-guarantee facility to support African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the trade value chain to access funds for their activities.

Gwen Mwaba, Director,Trade Finance, signed the agreement on behalf of Afreximbank, while Constant Nzi, Chief Risk OďŹƒcer of AGF, signed for theFund,duringaceremonyheldonthesidelinesoftherecently-concluded Intra-African Trade Fair in Cairo.

The agreement provides for the facility to be used to support the ďŹ nancing needs of African SMEs by enhancing their access to long-term ďŹ nancing, thereby acting as a catalyst to enable them to grow, create more jobs, sustain the existing labour force and develop intra-African and extra-African trade.

There-guaranteefacilityisaimedatprovidingcomforttoďŹ nancialinstitutions in lending to SMEs, which tend to be regarded as a risky segment; enabling the ďŹ nancial institutions to transform their short-term deposits into long-term ďŹ nancing to SMEs; and supporting Afreximbank’s SME support initiative and AGF strategic plan.

The facility is expected to support positive social-economic changes among the more than 6,000 SMEs that are expected gain access to guaranteed loans from African local banks, thereby contributing to trade development, economic growth and poverty reduction.

Itel, Google Host Carnival

CBN Introduces Consumer Complaints Management System Nume Ekeghe In a bid to enhance financial stability and promote consumer confidence in the banking system, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced consumer complaints management system (CCMS).

In a circular signed by the Director Consumer Protection Department, CBN, Mr. Kofo Salam-Alada, the banking sector regulator explained that the policy becomes effective from January 2, 2019.

It stated: “The Central Bank of Nigeria in furtherance of its mandate to promote a stable financial system embarked on the development of the consumer complaints management system, an automated system aimed at easing complaints management to engender public confidence

ECONOMY in the financial system. “With effect from 2nd January, 201, Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFIs) are required to assign tracking number for every complaint received from their consumers; issue an acknowledgement, which shall contain the assigned tracking number to the consumer and commerce upload of complaints to the CCMS on a daily basis.�

It further stated: “In addition, BOFIs are enjoined to always comply with the timeless stipulated in the CCMS for resolution of the various categories of complaints.� “Please note that noncompliance with this circular shall attract sanctions in line with the banks and other financial institutions Act (BOFIA), Cap

B3, LFN 20004.�

Also, in a separate report posted on its website, the central bank in its latest Consumer Expectations Survey Report states that the consumers’ overall confidence outlook improved in Q4 2018, showed that more consumers were optimistic in their outlook.

It states; “The index at 9.7 points was 8.7 points higher than the index in the corresponding period of 2017. Respondents attributed this favourable outlook to improved family income, family financial situation and economic condition. The consumer outlooks for the next quarter and next 12 months were positive at 33.2 and 28.4 points, respectively. “This outlook could be attributed to the expected increase in net household income, the

anticipated improvement in Nigeria’s economic conditions and expectations to save a bit and/or have plenty over savings in the next 12 months.�

It also stated that in the next 12 months most respondents expect prices of goods and services to rise with an index of 13.3 points.

The major drivers would be rent, food & other household needs, telecommunication, electricity, debt payment and purchase of house.

On buying outlook, it states: “The overall buying conditions index for consumers in the current quarter for big-ticket items stood at 46.1 points. This indicates that majority of consumers believed that the current quarter was not the ideal time to purchase big-ticket Continued on page 24

NPA Vows to Improve Operational EfďŹ ciency, Cargo Clearance Eromosele Abiodun The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, has assured stakeholders in the maritime industry of its renewed vigour and determination at improving on its operational efficiency and accomplishments recorded in 2018 in the new-year.

Also, she promised terminal operators and port users that it would further open its doors for all players to surmount various bottlenecks with a view to providing a healthy and smooth environment for all stakeholders.

Bala-Usman, who stated this in a statement over the weekend assured port users of NPAs renewed efforts towards the swift evacuation of cargoes from the Nigerian Ports to the

MARITIME hinterlands and Nigeria’s land locked neighbours.

While recalling the Ease of Doing Business introduced by the federal government, she disclosed that the NPA had partnered with notable organisations and the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing for the reconstruction of dilapidated roads within the Ports axis for efficient Port Services across board. “Management would sustain and step up the culture of efficiency and transparency.

It reiterates that it has put in place structures to drive this dream through the launch of the Revenue Income Management System (RIMS), which is a web based billing and revenue collec-

tion application fully automated for the entire billing circle of the NPA amongst others. “The authority wishes to inform all, of its desire at improved collaboration with Sister Agencies towards a more seamless operation in the Ports environments with intent to reduce human contact. “In this regard, it is partnering with the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) for the quick facilitation of the Single Window platform aimed at simplifying and harmonizing formalities, procedures and the related exchange of information which will be a major priority in the coming year. “Management further assures all willing investors of its renewed determination at attracting investments to the Ports across the country through

infrastructural development. “Management wishes to stress that there has been constant dredging of the Channels to attain the expected draught level for incoming vessels at our Ports. This is expected to lead an unprecedented revenue generation and with the expectation that this effort would further be surpassed in the new-year, “she said.

Management assures all of its unflinching support in building on the successes of the Sector towards the growth and Development of the nation especially in the area of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and economic rebound in the near future.

She added, “Meanwhile, cargo owners are advised to take advantage of the recent

Itel Mobile has partnered Google to host Ikeja community and its shopper to a day of fun and throwback thrills in the 2018 edition of the annual computer village carnival.

The event provided an opportunity for Itel to give out massive discounts on all Itel smartphones, fantastic freebies, mega rae draw and there was also live performance from Nigeria’s legendary musician, Danfo driver.

Speaking at the event, Itel Marketing Communications Manager, Oke Umurhohwo, noted that the carnival provided an opportunity to tell the Itel story, adding that they are not concerned about sales, but also they are extending love as they do business. “Forus,atItel,itisnotaboutsalesatthispoint;ratheritisaboutextending love as we come to do our businesses. We are here basically to engage with the community and have fun. We have packages such as buy one Itel phone and get a free Itel phone. We also have another promo of buy one Itel phone and you stand a chance of winning home appliances,� he noted.

He also noted that 2018 has been a tough year for them, but expressed conďŹ dencethatwiththeirbusinessstrategy,theyhavebeenabletonavigate the diďŹƒcult waters, “so far it has been quite good. In this year, we gained more market share, both in the future and android phones.â€?

Umurhohwo, further noted that in the future phone, they are number two in Nigeria with 13 percent market share and in the android phone; they are among the top ďŹ ve brands and yearly they have grown compared with other years. The Itel Marketing Manager remarked that in 2019 they are hoping to build on what they have done in 2018.

Headdedthatattainingnumbertwopositionsinthefuturephonemarket, means a lot to them, stating that they have started o as a future brand and they cannot neglect where they started from.

Egypt’s Central Bank Holds Rates

Egypt’s central bank left its key overnight interest rates steady last Thursday, keeping the deposit rate at 16.75 per cent and the lending rate at 17.75 per cent. All 13 economists polled by Reuters had expected rates to remain unchanged. “Current policy rates and the ination outlook remain in line with achieving the targeted disination path,â€? Reuters quoted the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to have said in a statement. “The MPC closely monitors all economic developments and will not hesitate to adjust its stance to achieve its mandate of price stability over the medium term,â€? it said. Headline ination slowed to 15.7 percent in November from 17.7 percent in October as fruit and vegetable prices declined, after rising for three consecutive months. Core ination, which strips out volatile items such as food, slowed to 7.94 percent in November, its lowest since April 2016, from 8.86 percent in October.

GDP grew by 5.3 percent in the ďŹ scal year that ended in June 2018, the highest rate in 10 years.

“The aviation market is under served in Nigeria in manpower development, aircraft maintenance, charter services and airline operations�

CEO of Aero Continued on page 24

Captain Ado Sanusi

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BUSINESSWORLD CBN INTRODUCES CONSUMER COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

items like consumer durables, motor vehicles and house & lot. “Overall buying intention index in the next twelve months stood at 50.3 index points, indicating that a good number of consumers intend to buy these items in the next 12 months. “The buying intention indices for consumer durables, motor vehicles and house & lot were below 50 points, indicating that respondents have no plans to make these purchases in the next twelve months. “However, the index for consumer durables stood close to 50, indicating that a few respondents are contemplating purchasing furniture, gas cookers and electronics in the next twelve months).�

It further added: “For rates outlook in the next 12 months, with indices of 5.0 and 6.6 points, consumers expect borrowing rate to rise while the naira is expected to appreciate in the next 12 months.�

NPA VOWS TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, CARGO CLEARANCE

regime of incentives including the downward review of charges to ameliorate their financial burden; these include a regime of three free days to 21 free days, for the next four months. The demurrage free period on the return of the empty containers has been increased from the current five days period to 15 days as well. “Finally, the authority appreciates the unflinching support, collaboration and cooperation from all stakeholders in its drive towards greater service delivery and customer satisfaction.�

Bala-Usman recently called on terminal operators, shipping companies, port managers and allied stakeholders to do all they could to mitigate the effects of the present congestion at the nation’s seaports.

She had said the issue of ports congestion should be of concern to all and therefore they should look into the issue of evacuation of empty containers, increase in free days of storage, wavering of demurrage for a definite period of time, creating a window of some period to accommodate the concerns of importers, etc

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Jonathan Eze

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) Eromosele Abiodun (Cap Mkt) Ejiofor Alike (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Maritime)

NEWS

‘Elections Pose Risk to Nigeria’s GDP Growth Forecast’ Raheem Akingbolu with agency report Nigeria has been identified as one of the countries that will likely experience negative economic outlook next year as a result of the general elections holding in the first quarter of 2019.

According to a report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), most African countries have a positive economic outlook, apart from those with upcoming elections, including Nigeria and South Africa.

In the report titled: “In Economic Insight: Africa Q4 2018,� launched recently, the accountancy body estimated GDP growth forecasts for various regions including East Africa which was seen to grow by 6.3 per cent, Western and Central Africa by 2.5 per cent, Franc Zone at 4.6 per cent and South Africa by 1.2 per cent.

According to the report, in West and Central Africa, average growth was predicted to be at 2.5 per cent. Ghana’s forecast was expected to expand by a decent 5.2 per cent, highlighting a stable economy.

However, this was not so for Nigeria whose growth was forecast at 1.8 per cent. The

weak performance was aptly attributed to the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, the report indicated that Zimbabwe’s government was already suffering from post-election credibility difficulties, with international lenders and investors unconvinced that the scenario has improved in Harare – after violence and fraud allegations marred July’s

election.

In North Africa, Libya and Algeria are set to hold polls in the near future, in December 2018 and April 2019, respectively. Nevertheless, Libya’s election would almost certainly not go ahead as the legal framework for it was not yet in place. Incidentally, the two countries are the region’s fastest and slowest growing economies this year, at 14.7

per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively. Egypt which held elections in March to overwhelmingly return President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to power, was expected to grow by 5.3 per cent this year.

The certainty of Mr Sisi’s grip on power appears to be helping the country’s economic rebound. The Franc Zone was expected to see GDP growth of around 4.6 per cent this year.

Cameroon was expected to post a GDP growth rate of four per cent this year – up from 3.2 per cent in 2017.

This was despite the unpopular re-election of President Paul Biya and the violence that accompanied his re-election.

Elections and accompanying political instability are said to be evidently have a complex relationship with economic growth.

ENHANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

L-R: General Manager, Customer Experience, MTN Nigeria, Kolawole Oyeyemi; General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, Onyinye IkennaEmeka; Managing Director, CMRG Limited, Lanre Fasakin and CEO, Terragon Group, Elo Umeh, at the launch of MTN Smart Survey in Lagos‌ recently

Air Peace Unveils 2019 Projections, Plans Long-haul Service Chinedu Eze Air Peace has unveiled its 2019 flight operations and disclosed that it would kick-off its long haul service in the New Year.

These long-haul include Dubai, Sharjah, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

A statement issued by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, quoted the airline’s Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema, to have urged staff of the airline to gear up to raise the bar of flight services to the travelling public in 2019.

Onyema, commended the travelling public for preferring Air Peace and staying loyal to its brand in 2018, attributing the success of the airline in four years to the unflinching support of its customers, pledging that the airline would spare nothing in

making their experience truly rewarding, exciting and safe.

Air Peace said it was focusing on broadening opportunities to give its customers greater comfort, beginning with the extension of its operations from its hub at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos to the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) on January 2, 2019.

It confirmed that its LagosKaduna, Lagos-Asaba, LagosAkure and Lagos-Port Harcourt NAF Base flight operations would be moved to MMA2 from January 2. The facility, it said, would eventually handle all flights under Air Peace Hopper, the airline’s subsidiary.

The expansion, Air Peace said, would create more space for it to provide exceptional flight services in an atmosphere of comfort.

The airline also assured that its main project for 2019 would

be in the area of giving the flying public a reliable, affordable, safe and convenient option on major international routes, including Dubai, Sharjah, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

The international services, Air Peace said, would give Nigeria and West Africa a sense of pride in the global aviation industry. It said it was in the final stage of doing demonstration flights with its Boeing 777 aircraft to Sharjah, Dakar, Freetown, Johannesburg, Port Harcourt and Kano as part of the process to induct the aircraft into its service. “2018 was both challenging and exciting for us. It was the year we upped our record of firsts. In the year under review, we launched a number of domestic and regional routes under our no-city-left-behind project on the platform of our subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper.

“We also made history as the first domestic airline to acquire and register the Boeing 777 aircraft in Nigeria. We have so far acquired four Boeing 777s, with two already delivered. “We also successfully renewed our International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) after a very rigorous process. We also diversified the aircraft in our fleet with the inclusion of six 50-seater Embraer 145 jets, which have so far helped our Yuletide operations in no small way. “The real big leap came in September when we signed a deal with American planemaker, Boeing for the delivery of 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, making us the first to achieve the feat on the West Coast of Africa. “We are sincerely grateful to our loyal customers without

whose support, preference for our brand and patronage we could not have made a success of the target we set for ourselves in 2018. It was quite a challenging year too, given the dire economic situation across the world, but our esteemed customers supported us through it all. “In 2019, we are going to implement a series of bolder decisions aimed at giving the flying public a truly exciting experience. Already, we have begun the expansion of our flight operations to the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) in response to our customers’ wish for a better space to serve them. “This becomes effective January 2, 2019 with the operation of our Lagos-Akure, Lagos-Asaba, Lagos-Kaduna and Lagos-Port Harcourt NAF Base services from the facility. All flights under our subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper will eventually be moved to MMA2.

FG Disburses $40m toVulnerable Nigerians, IDPs James Emejo in Abuja The National Coordinator, Youth Employment and Social Support Operations (YESSO), Mrs. Hajara Sani, has said a total sum of $40 million had been disbursed to the poor and vulnerable people as well as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) under the World Bank assisted $400 million social empowerment programme.

YESSO is a flagship intervention programme aimed at strengthening the social safety

nets system at the state level as well as increasing job opportunities for the poor, vulnerable women and youths who are captured in social registers to boost human development of households.

She said the scheme is currently catering for over 1.55 million persons from 340,000 households across the country.

She added that a unified register of IDPs in six NorthEast states alone had about 1.53 million individuals from 195,118 households being catered for.

Addressing journalists on the achievements of the scheme, five years after it was established, Sani said efforts were ongoing by government to incentivise IDPs whose home communities had been liberated from insurgents to relocate and start a new life, having been empowered by various skills sets while in their temporary shelters.

She said the social empowerment programme had been a huge success so far, athough challenges persist.

She said list of beneficiaries

are periodically verified before interventions were done in order to ensure effectiveness and credibility of the programme, adding that there are payment system guidelines and legacy documents produced by YESSO. She said about 91 beneficiaries had been provided with starter packs to enable them start their own businesses.

According to the YESSO National Coordinator, several families had indicated interest to be resettled, adding that once the project commences in full,

each family will be given a total sum of N200,000 in four tranches to relocate to their permanent homes. She explained that YESSO had three components aimed at reducing poverty and promote work opportunity through Public Workfare (PWF), Skills for job (S4J) and Targeted Grant Transfer programmes. she said: “The PWF involves cash transfers of N7,500 monthly, based on public workfare program for youth with low level of education from poor and vulnerable households.

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BUSINESSWORLD

MONDAY INTERVIEW

Adeduntan: Significant Opportunities for Consolidation Abound in Banking Sector The Managing Director/CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Subsidiaries, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, in this interview reveals that with about 12,000 agents across the entire network, the distribution of its automated teller machines across the country, the bank has built a solid foundation upon which it can rapidly grow its business and that the financial institution will continue to be a dominant player in the retail banking segment of the industry. Obinna Chima, Goddy Egene and Nume Ekeghe present the excerpts: There was a major development in the banking industry some days ago, which saw Access Bank and Diamond Bank signing a business combination agreement. How did you receive the news considering that it is one that is going to shift the balance of power and ranking in the banking industry, and for First Bank being one of the industry leaders, are you prepared to cope with the emerging competition in the industry?

We have had two waves of consolidation in the market. The first was in 2004-2005 which was orchestrated by Professor Chukuma Soludo. The second wave happened between 2009 under Governor Lamido Sanusi which was what saw to the acquisition of Intercontinental Bank by Access Bank. So, we have seen two big waves and there have been other minor waves. And if you also look at the number of tier 1 banks we have today in Nigeria, that is compare the size First Bank, GTBank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank and the United Bank for Africa, when you put them on an African landscape, our banks are actually quite small. That is the truth.

In fact, from the last statistics I reviewed, there was no Nigerian bank in the top 10 banks in Africa. When you then realise the fact that Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, but we are not in the top ten banks, that tells you two things: Firstly, that there is a significant opportunity for growth for banks but secondly opportunities for further consolidation. So what is contemplated by the merger agreement between Access Bank and Diamond Bank is not strange. For operators like us who have been watching this strategic landscape, it was not unexpected. For banks and indeed any institution or any business venture, you do have two opportunities or two key options of growth. You can decide to grow organically or you can decide to grow inorganically, which is what Access Bank is doing. You may now go further to look at the tier 1 banks. There are banks in the tier 1 bucket who have never done any M&A and GTBank and Zenith Bank stand out.

First Bank has done one or two relatively small M&A which in reality you can take out. So it would appear that just looking at the market, that banks like First Bank, GTBank and Zenith have perfected the act of growing organically. Whereas when you look at Access Bank, the bank was a major beneficiary of 2004/2005 consolidation in the industry. As at that time, they acquired Marina International Bank, Commercial Bank Credit Lyonnais, so they were a very key participant in that wave. In the second wave which happened between 2011, they were also a big beneficiary bank. So what I’m saying is that broadly speaking, there are banks that have perfected the act of growing organically and there are banks that have also perfected the act of growing inorganically. Nothing precludes one, and none is mutually exclusive.

What does it mean for the industry? I think it is very good. I think for the size of our economy, we actually require bigger banks.

Like I said, there is no Nigerian bank in the top 10 banks in Africa whereas Nigeria is the largest economy. So it is kind of counter intuitive and that scenario is wrong. The top four banks in Africa are South African and that speaks to the strength of South African banks. If our economy is bigger than that of South Africa, naturally you would expect that we should have bigger

Adeduntan banks and even if not bigger, but to become comparable in terms of size to those banks.

I think we are on a journey it is an industry that would continue to see growth from my perspective. Like I said earlier, people can choose a path on how to grow and all they can also choose both.

So what I’m saying is that broadly speaking, there are banks that have perfected the act of growing organically and there are banks that have also perfected the act of growing inorganically.

Nothing precludes one, and none is mutually exclusive

But with this development, do you foresee First Bank also adopting an inorganic growth strategy in the medium term, considering the intensive competition we expect to too in the industry?

As an institution, you always have the option of organic versus inorganic growth. Unlike two of the tier 1 banks that have never been involved in any M&A activity, we have a history in M&A. Also, a bigger part of our history is actually growing our businesses on our own.

So what that says is that both capabilities are inherent in our DNA and are available to us. What we would do continuously as a management working under the guidance of our board is to re-evaluate our position.

And to say what are the growth opportunity for us, either inorganic or organic growth.

What is the update on your African subsidiary, are they now proďŹ table?

I’m happy to announce to you that we have fully recapitalised our subsidiary in Ghana.

You would recall that in the course of 2017, the Bank of Ghana announced a significant increase in the minimum pay up capital for all banks operating in Ghana. I’m happy to inform you today that First Bank Nigeria own 100 percent of FBN Ghana. We have fully recapitalised FBN Ghana and we are now fully compliant with the new minimum capitalisation.

What we done with our subsidiary is that we have basically reposition all of them and they have moved from where I would call them net taker of resources, we have broken even and as we journey in 2019 we expect growth and an increasing contribution to the groups profitability.

Last year, you had expectations for your bank, were your economic projections and expectations for the bank met and how will you describe 2019?

You would recall that the Nigerian economy was recently in a recession and we came out of the recession in 2017 and what consistently the key operators have said is that the recovery remains fragile. However, we have recovered and we are recovering. When you look at the growth that has been recorded in the course of 2018 you sit back and say we could have done more but, if the growth was also not well orchestrated the way it has always been orchestrated, we could have also slipped back. So for me, I would give the economy a pass mark.

As we move into 2019, the expectations are that things may be a bit slow on the back of the elections and given the fact that naturally, key players especially on the fiscal side of the economy would be focussing on CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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ADEDUNTAN: THERE IS SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSOLIDATION IN BANKING SECTOR re-elections.

But post that, the projections that I have seen are all quite positive and they all speak to the fact that the expected growth should be higher than what we recorded in the course of 2018.

For First Bank, we started a massive transformation program in 2017 and 2019 is the end of that strategic cycle. That plan is focused on transforming the entire business with the work stream focusing on the way we serve our customers and around innovation. There are projects around reigniting the passion of our people, there are projects around strengthening our technology platform and there are projects also around save guarding our assets which is essentially risks management. We are quite delighted from the progress we have made over the last two years and we believe that in the course of 2019, we would have accomplished all the critical components 2017-2019 strategic agenda. We are also looking forward to 2019 because with what we are doing; we have basically built a new foundation to enable our bank to run more as digital bank rather than a branch led institution. Today, based on what we are doing, more than 80 per cent of our customer-initiated transactions are actually carried out on alternative channels.

That means, 80 per cent of our transactions happen on Firstonline which is done online, Firstmobile which is done with your mobile phones and USSD which is done on both smart and basic phone. That for us is our star product because today we are the clear leader in that segment of the economy. We currently have almost 6.3 million customers processing transactions on our USSD platform. If you look at Firstmobile, we are a very close to number two, with over 2.5 million of our customers processing transactions. We process very close Adeduntan to 25 per cent of the industry volume in terms of transactions. We are quite delighted with understand the contest which the CBN has what we have achieved so far. We are basically adopted those measure and that is also equally building the foundation and we believe our very important. next cycle would be around significant growth First Bank is the cashcow of FBN Holdon the back of the fact that we have fixed the foundation and we trust the foundation ings. What are you doing in terms of risk that we have built that it would enable to management as well as to ensure you grow rapidly and we are going into 2019 deliver maximum returns to shareholders?

I alluded to it when I spoke about the projects with that highly optimistic mode. and all the transformation work we are doing.

You predicted growth for the economy in You are right; First Bank is a big entity within 2019, with the recent interest rate hike in FBN Holdings and the largest. Part of the work the US, don’t you think this would affect stream I earlier mentioned is one that focuses on safeguarding our assets. We have done Nigeria’s growth trajectory next year?

You need to sit back and look at the impact a lot of work around our risk management. of the US on the global economy. The reality For example, when we started this journey of it is that because of the size of the US about three years ago, we recruited a new economy and also because for all practical Chief Risk Officer (CRO), we revamped the intent, a chunk of global trade is denominated credit risk system, we have implemented a in the US dollars. So, whatever happens in new risk management solution and in fact the US economy because it has a vibrating we have also implemented one now that has impact across the entire world, affects other reached a very advanced stage. And what economies. So when US interest rates go up, you see if you have been monitoring the NPL it does have an impact on everybody. Don’t ratio for FBN holdings, of which First Bank is forget that whether as a country or as a substantial contributor to that, you would see financial institution, we all are going into that it is a dropped materially. We still have the international capital market to borrow some wave but we are quite optimistic that money. So when interest rates go up, the by the time we are wrapping up our current implication is that when you want to tap strategic cycle by December 2019, we would that market again, you have to go at a higher be single digit which is quite significant. rate. Because the question the investors would always ask is why they would want to take emerging market risks when they can also get a decent return within their own economy.

The simple answer is that it would impact economies that are US-dependent, Nigeria being a key one. But globally, any action or inaction in the US has a significant impact because of the size of the US economy on the global space.

One issue manufacturers and some businesses complained about in 2018 is the tight Monetary Policy Rate(MPR), how did that impact on your operations during the year?

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Monetary Policy Rate stance has always been tight. So what I would say is that it was not unexpected.

If you look at the major pronouncement of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) throughout the year actually retained for the most part all the key MPC matrices. So it is something we have all been dealing with and would continue to deal with. But you need to also

I’m happy to announce to you that we have fully recapitalised our subsidiary in Ghana.You would recall that in the course of 2017, the Bank of Ghana announced a signiďŹ cant increase in the minimum pay up capital for all banks operating in Ghana. I’m happy to inform you today that FirstBank Nigeria own 100 percent of FBN Ghana

the industry today and we would continue to also focus on that and that is focused more on the middle income earner.

Sustainability banking is one the areas the CBN is asking banks to embed, what are you doing in this area?

First Bank is committed to Global Sustainability as it is an area we have been very active in over the years. For many years, we partnered with Lagos Business School on its Sustainability centre. In addition to this, we are a member of The United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC). Internally as a bank, we have the right policies, the right framework and when we are going into projects that we believe would fall into sustainability; there are certain things that we look out for as part of our transactions or credit review. For example, when we look at a credit, we look at the environmental impact and analysis.

We would now often ask questions on how projects would impact on the environment; if it would result in flooding or displacing people and what plans do you have to ensure that the environment is not destroyed or degraded on the back the project you are doing. So it is a critical part of what we watch out for.

What are some of the initiatives taken by the bank to drive ďŹ nancial inclusion, especially in the area agency banking?

Agency banking is one of the most successful initiatives we have introduced over the last 12- 18 months. Indeed, over the last year, we now have close to 12,000 agents across the entire network. Our agents are present in all local government in Nigeria except for one or two local governments. And what means is that when you layer that over 700 operating branches and we also have the largest distribution and network of ATM of about close to 3000. So that makes First Bank a bank with the largest distribution network as far as financial services is concerned and that is quite significant. With the kind of foundation, we have built; we are confident that we have built a solid foundation upon which we can now rapidly grow our business. And that was speaking to the distribution network and to the revamped risk management system within our institution.

Looking at the retail business space, what is First Bank going to do differently in 2019, to ensure you remain one of the leaders in that segment of the market?

Remember my response to the issue of agency banking. Agency banking is actually targeted at the unbanked and the people at the base of the pyramid. Our star product; USSD banking I referred to where I currently said we have customers in the excess of 6.2 million is also targeted at people at that level.

So a combination of our agency banking and it is still growing. I mentioned that we currently have about 12,000 agents and we do have a growth projection around that but equally important is the fact that our USSD continues to grow. The reason why we have been quite successful with that is that you don’t need to have an expensive phone to be able to transact. Once you have a basic phone and you are able to send an SMS then that automatically becomes a tool to which you can transact. So a combination of growing our agent network and our very solid and rapidly growing USSD banking for us remains the winning formula in ensuring we have more people at the bottom base of the pyramid.

Don’t also forget that we operate from over 700 branches and our mobile banking called Firstmobile is actually the second in

There is still the perception about First Bank as not appealing to the younger generation, what are you doing to do to attract a younger generation?

That used to be the case some three to five years ago. I don’t have the statistics readily available now, but I would tell you that even from an internal perspective, more than 75 per cent of our workforce is less than 40 years. So that is a very young workforce. In the course of 2018 alone, and no other bank has done anything near that, First Bank recruited 700 fresh graduates to join our workforce. Mind you, the maximum entry age is 27 so that gives you an idea of what you have done. And as I am speaking with you; we have advertised that we want to bring in younger people. So we are carrying out massive refreshment of talent and injecting a lot of young people at the base of our institution. If you also look at our customer profile within the retail statistics, I also know that between the age of 18 to 45 that is the age bracket between which the majority of our customers are. It is a perception issue that we have been working on and perception takes a while before you can completely change. So whether you are looking at our staffing or our retail base, we are actually indeed a very youthful bank.

Do you think the budget proposal presented can drive growth?

Yes. What is your outlook for 2019, and what message do you have for customers of First Bank?

We are quite optimistic about 2019 despite the fact that there is an expectation of a slowdown in the first half of the year on the back of elections. I did mention that GDP growth expectation based on IMF predictions is actually better than 2018.

For us at First Bank, 2019 is also a very significant year for us. By March next year, our bank would be 125 years old and that is quite significant. We are by far the oldest financial institution in Nigeria and in the entire West Africa. But we are old in terms of age and if we have a large chunk of our customers that are youths. So we are old in terms of age but very youthful in terms of operations.

You would also notice that in the course of 2018 we launched our financial laboratory which we call First Digital laboratory whose essence is to do research for our new products and innovations. For example, today we are the only bank doing Whatsapp Banking. So this is an institution that is old but in terms innovation, culture it is youthful.

To our teaming customers, First Bank has always been there, we would continue to be there for them and more importantly, we intend to take our game to the next level in terms of innovation, quality of customer service, in terms of our ability to provide customer with necessary support to grow their business.

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‘Network-generated Data Will Create Enormous Wealth in 2019’ Emma Okonji The Secretary-General, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations that oversees global telecommunications activities, Mr. Houlin Zhao, has said information and communication technology (ICTs) solutions have spread across the nooks and crannies of the globe, with data being generated everywhere.

According to him, based on 2018 statistics on global data generation and usage, networkgenerated data would create enormous wealth for countries

in 2019.

Zhao, made the assertion, while presenting the second issue of the ITU Journal – themed ‘Data for Good’, which featured 15 papers addressing the data dimensions of contemporary innovation in fields such as blockchain, network trafficpattern prediction, aviation safety, smart sustainable cities, environmental resilience, healthcare and artificial intelligence. “We have amassed an enormous wealth of data, creating a resource of enormous productive value. “These papers explored the growing importance of data in

view of technical considerations as well as those relevant to business, governance, policy, law and consumer protection.

The authorship features diverse geographic representation, resulting in issues rich in different perspectives on data’s potential to support social and economic development,� Zhao said.

In his analysis, the Editorin-Chief of the ITU Journal, Professor Jian Song of Tsinghua University, said: “In both its first and second issue, demonstrated its dedication to an interdisciplinary study of our highly interconnected world.

ITU standards are capitalising on advances in data analytics in fields spanning network orchestration, smart cities, multimedia coding, quality assessment, cloud computing, security and more.�

The Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, Chaesub Lee, said: “Analyses of networkgenerated data bring more automation, precision and dynamism to network management and control. Data generated by smart cities informs the improvement of public services and the efficiency and environmental sustain-

ability of city operations.

Multimedia services build on advances in data compression and data analytics assessing performance, quality of service and quality of experience. Cloud computing systems record event data from aircraft, cars and other connected machinery to pinpoint the source of performance anomalies. Security measures for data protection are fundamental in building trust in ICT.�

City leaders are looking to ITU for data processing and management specifications to support interoperability and data sharing in smart cities

home to large-scale Internet of Things applications, Lee said.

ITU studies of machine learning are investigating novel solutions to challenges surrounding data quality and availability, experimenting with machine learning algorithms built on datasets as well as models incorporating expert knowledge.

ITU and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new collaboration initiative to develop data-driven evaluation methods for the performance benchmarking of Artificial Intelligence (AI) use cases in health.

Zedcrest Capital Makes New Appointment Raheem Akingbolu One of the leading capital management firm, Zedcrest Capital Group, has announced the appointments of Babatunde Sanda and Stella Duru to its Board of Directors as part of its corporate governance strategy and business expansion drive.

According to the company’s Group Managing Director, Adedayo Amzat, the organisation was charting a new growth strategy targeted primarily at the retail opportunities in the market with the aim of creating more wealth for its clients. “After operating in the market for over five years, the time has come to deepen our market penetration. Our Fixed Income and Currencies (FICC) operations have been primarily driven by a focus on wholesale dealing and brokerage to foreign portfolio investors, local pension fund administrators, asset managers and banks. “We have identified High Net-worth Individuals (HNIs) and the retail space as new areas of focus and expansion for our Business. To this end, we will be unveiling bespoke fixed income and wealth management

solutions for the HNIs and retail markets through our newly licensed Asset Management subsidiary (Zedcrest Investment Managers) while we continue to serve our wholesale customers through ZedCap Partners, our SEC licensed inter-dealer brokerage business,� said Adedayo.

Sanda has over 36 years cognate experience with over 18years experience in Auditing and Consulting, spanning three of the biggest international professional firms namely Coopers & Lybrand, Ernst & Whinney and PriceWaterHouse where he rose to the position of Senior Consultant in 1990. He holds degree in Business Administration from the University of Benin as well as Advanced Management Program of Stanford University, California, USA. On the other hand, Duru is the only female Partner in Banwo & Ighodalo’s Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group. Her core areas of practice are Energy & Natural Resources, Project Finance and Corporate Finance.

She is renowned for her extensive experience in the power sector and authors articles in leading law publications.

Firm Introduces Blockchain Lottery Chinedu Eze International Lottery and Gaming Limited (ILGL), trade-named NaijaLottery, has signed contracts to introduce Quanta, a licenced blockchain lottery.

The ILGL is one of the largest gaming companies in Nigeria, and has been granted a Grade ‘A’ National Licence from the National Lottery Regulatory Commission to offer lottery games throughout Nigeria.

Under the agreement, Quanta and ILGL would combine forces to apply blockchain technology to revitalise the traditional lottery, and to act as a platform to further strengthen growth in African market. The partnership would be a major development in the penetration of blockchain technology into traditional business models. NaijaLotteryTM sells National Lottery tickets in every city and state, offering large prizes to winners. The company is committed to implementing the highest international standards

of responsible gaming, protecting minors and discouraging addictive playing. ILGL employs best-in-class technology and related services.

Quanta is the first fully licenced blockchain lottery in the world.

Developed on the breakthrough Ethereum blockchain technology, Quanta transforms conventional lotteries for the better, revolutionising the gaming industry. Its blockchain-based lottery games are fully certified to ensure utmost trust and transparency for the players and the regulators. “Now is the time to build on the momentum of the traditional Nigerian lottery market. Together, we will continue to build a safe and trustful platform that ensures fairness and transparency, while offering amazing functionality to players and helping to boost the local economy, creating an even more compelling experience to optimise lottery playing for the 200-million Nigerian market,�

Managing Director of Naija Lottery, Charbel Saadeh said.

BRAND POSITIONING

L-R: Senior Brand Manager, Star Lager Beer, Oludare Olateju; Portfolio Manager, National Premium, NB Plc, Sarah Agah; Brand Manager, Star Lager Beer, Onyebuchi Nwangwu and Media Manager, NB Plc, Toheeb Azzez, at Olamide Live-in-Concert held in Lagos...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

WAPIC LaunchesTravel Insurance Policy for InternationalTrips Ebere Nwoji Wapic Insurance Plc has launched Travel Insurance Policy to cover individuals against unforeseen incidents during international trips.

The product, according to the company covers compensation for in-flight loss of checked-in luggage, compensation for delay of flight and delay of luggage, payment of medical assistance for illness or accident sustained while traveling as well as transport or repatriation for medicals for the insured and/ or family members who are travelling with the insured among others.

Speaking at the launch of the product at the company’s office in Lagos, its Managing Director Wapic Insurance, Mrs Adeyinka Adekoya, said, the product also covered transport or repatriation of remains of insured and emergency return

home following the death of a close family member.

She stated that the company ensured that premium payable for the policy is as affordable as N5000, while children from three months to 18 years travelling with their parents will pay 50 per cent of the premium.

Adekoya, also said those between 66 and 75, have their premium increased by 50 per cent while those between 76 and 80, have their premium increased by 100 per cent.

For those who are 81 and above, only the Schengen Policy is available for them. But the premium shall be an increase of 300 per cent�.

She explained that the policy was designed to cover individuals against unexpected incidents during international travels.

On the company’s decision to launch the product at this time, the Wapic Insurance boss said: “Wapic has produced this travel

insurance product after thorough investigation and engagement with key stakeholders, and we are proud that this product above all else, addresses the issue of accessibility. “We, at Wapic, are very excited at launching this product aimed at helping our consumers to feel secured during their international trips, even in the face of unplanned emergencies. The ability to access pocket-friendly and sound travel insurance is critical for travellers to enjoy their international trips with peace of mind.�

She said before the company decided to launch the product, it had observed over time very little or no awareness of travel insurance and its benefits and discovered that travellers would be at a disadvantage if they ever had an emergency during their trip. “From simple issues, such as inflight or checked-in baggage

loss or more complex issues, such payment of medical bills or accident sustained while travelling or even cost of repatriation in a worst case scenario. “As we launch the Travel Insurance product, Wapic plans to invest in sensitising our customers and prospects about the benefits of buying travel insurance through our various digital channels. The idea is to increase product awareness and patronage and also to elicit interest and ongoing debate in the public domain on the relevance and importance of Travel Insurance for the protection of life and personal property,� she said. ‘According to her, Wapic has produced this travel insurance product after thorough investigation and engagement with key stakeholders, and is proud that this product above all else, addresses the issue of accessibility.

Heritage Bank Boss Charges Leaders to beTeachable The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Heritage Bank Limited, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, has advised aspiring leaders to be open and teachable in order access fresh insight to overcome challenges of leadership.

He gave this charge while speaking at the Emerging Leaders Forum held in Owerri, Imo State. “Somebody just asked me how do you get victory over

yourself as a leader because we keep talking about change of mind-set as a leader. I said from what I know, the place of leadership is in the classroom and you will never graduate from that classroom�, he said.

Listing the principles of successful leadership to include personal commitment, conviction, partnership and focus on the future, Sekibo said: “There is no economic growth without

partnership. In everything you do in life, one times zero is zero, one times one is one. “Two times two is four folds and that can only happen if you allow partnership and agreements. That is key to success. “Also, there must be personal commitment to success. Rigorous commitment has to be personal in achieving leadership. When you are committed and you are able to get others to be commit-

ted with you, that is leadership. “To learn this Leadership styles, you must remain open and teachable, remove obstacles from the past, recognising the key factors that makes you a leader. “You must have personal conviction if you want to be a leader and in the midst of that conviction, you must be able to attract other people to join.�

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Organisation Lauds Dana Air The Uyo chapter of the Royal Circle of Friends (RCF) International has described Dana Air’s efficiency and on-time performance at its Cultural and Award day held recently in Uyo. Registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Royals is a social –cultural, multilingual, and non-partisan group with membership across the country and vocations.

The airline said the President of the organisation, Royal Uduak Okokon, while presenting the certificate and award to Dana Air said, “As part of our yearly rituals of always meeting to review our score card and return the thanks and praises to God for his goodness towards us as individuals and as a group, we wish to also recognize and appreciate individuals and companies that have contributed to the development of our state and have also impacted us positively with their services and activities. “Let me on behalf The Royals present you this certificate and award as the Best Airline of the Year 2018. This is in recognition of your efficient customer service, good customer relations, passenger handling, and timely

day–to-day flight operations which has been observed over time to be in strict compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA).’’ Speaking after receiving the award on behalf of Dana Air, the Uyo Station Manager, Ms Anthonia Aneke said “Dana Air will continue to do its best to offer excellent services and safe flight operations in accordance with standard and recommended practices. “The people of Akwa Ibom are time-conscious and despite the upsurge in traffic across our destinations at the moment, we have maintained our operational efficiency with an excellent ontime performance and amazing customer and in-flight service.

This has endeared us to the good people of Akwa Ibom state making us their choice for air travel.’’ Commenting further, Aneke said Uyo is home to Dana Air considering the number of years we have been flying to the state and our longstanding relationship with the government and good people of Akwa Ibom state speaks volumes.

MTN Nigeria Unveils Survey to Drive Businesses Emma Okonji MTN Nigeria in partnership with Communication and Marketing Research Group Limited (CMRG), has launched a business tool for customer insight, focusing on delivering a better business experience.

Christened ‘MTN Smart Survey,’ the service offers survey delivery through the USSD channel to MTN subscribers that have been profiled based on specific attributes, such as age, gender, location, among others.

The tool was also designed in a way that rewards custom-

ers with N100 MTN airtime upon completion of questions administered through the survey.

The MTN Smart Survey is in line with the established fact that by 2023 governments will begin to explore replacing census with big-data technologies.

That is, the rate at which technology is constantly changing our realities and forcing more organisations like start-ups and the already established organisations to get on board, leveraging data to drive revenue growth.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, Lynda

Saint-Nwafor, explained that businesses and organisations who subscribe to the service would be provided with analysis, reports and recommendations based on the feedback of the respondents through an accredited research agency. Saint-Nwafor, also reiterated MTN’s commitment to providing tailor made solutions for everyday business challenges.

According to her, “We are excited to know how this platform will help in sharpening business ideas and directions in the Nigerian market and MTN Nigeria remains committed in providing platforms to provide

seamless business flow, the MTN Smart Survey is not just a tool but a strategic driver and a real enabler of business performance.�

Guests in attendance from different business sectors in Nigeria were opportune to test the survey platform beforehand to know how this business tool can interest their customers and business at large.

MTN said it would continue to seek ways to contribute to the Nigerian economy by extending its partnership capabilities to brighten the lives of small business owners within the country.

iPhone XR Marketer Promises Consumers Improved Raheem Akingbolu As part of its strategies to impact lives of consumers, especially during this festive period, Redinton Nigeria, the sole distributor of iPhone brand in the country, has introduced iPhone XR, the latest technology from the stable of Apple Incorporated, to the Nigerian market, with the assurance that it would further boost the social status of its users.

At the unveiling of the new phone in Lagos, the Marketing Executive, Redington Nigeria, Olafisayo Fapounda, said iPhone XR is beautiful in everywhere and represents all that is good about luxury.

Fapounda described the new offering as the ultimate of mobile phone satisfaction because it comes with the latest technology at a friendly price, adding that it was introduced to the Nigerian market with one year local warranty. While breaking down the top nine features of the colouful handset to show why it is worth the consideration of phone users in the country, he pointed out that iPhone XR is the most pocket-friendly flagship iPhone. “The vision of the promoters

of apple brand is to change everybody’s life –to make life more beautiful, convenient and easy to live in, without stressing your finances. Apple wants everybody to have something from the arrays of its products, including the blind. For Nigerians, iPhone XR comes with one year local warranty. What that means is that after the one year provided by apple, you get another local warranty which makes it two years. Perhaps one of its greatest advantages lies in its affordability.

It is more affordable than even iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. People want more of technology and iPhone XR has innovatively come out with this so that an average patron of the brand will not be left out. iPhone life in itself changes lives,�

Speaking on the competitive advantage of iPhone in the market, the marketing executive, was quick to emphasise that security has remained the winning strategy for the manufacturers of iPhones.

He also pointed out that the premium lifestyle it gives to users with the power to take consumers to a different world in luxury has not been beaten by any phone manufacturers.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

L-R: CEO, MoneyStewards, Motunrayo Ade-Famoti; CEO, dkbMARKETS Limited, Aderemi Banjoko; Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank, Gbenga Shobo, and Chairman, Ibukun Awosika, at the FirstBank youth empowerment programme held in Lagos‌recently

9mobile Promises Exciting 2019 Emma Okonji 9mobile has expressed gratitude to its customers and all Nigerians for their steadfast support and loyalty in 2018, and assured them of continuous delivery of excellent services in the coming year.

The Acting Managing Director at 9mobile, Stephane Beuvelet, in an end-of-year message, said the management was deeply grateful to customers and other stakeholders for their unwavering support and confidence in the telco amidst the operating challenges in the outgoing year.

He said the successful recapitalisation of the company which outcome includes a seamless change in shareholding structure and the inauguration of a new board and management, was

dedicated to the customers, employees and other stakeholders for believing in the 9mobile brand. “In the spirit of the season, I will like to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to you all our stakeholders, for keeping faith with us in the globally challenging and a uniquely blustery year. “We have come this far only because we had you standing strong with us every bit of the way; and it is not just this year, but indeed, since our inception,� he said.

Beuvelet, added that 9mobile management sincerely appreciates both the commitment of its internal stakeholders and encouragement from external stakeholders. “Our key stakeholders

in one way or the other provided the critical lifeline that we needed to thrive. Most importantly, as our valued customers, you stayed with us, demonstrating unalloyed loyalty and confidence in 9mobile. As a result, today, we are here standing, and we are grateful�, he asserted.

The Acting MD said, in furtherance of its commitment to delivering superior customer experience, 9mobile is set to break many new grounds in 2019 by kick-starting a new strategic direction with bold initiatives that guarantee optimum value to customers. “From an aggressive enhancement of network capacity and innovative features to boost HD voice and video/data services, LTE network coverage

expansion to 15 new cities, more innovative data offerings including triple play and streaming service, to digital services that support your everyday needs such as our 9Pay payment service, we are set to break fallow grounds in emerging areas like Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning capabilities to drive superior customer experience,� Beuvelet said.

He assured further that 9mobile would continue, “to expand our 3G and 4G networks to bridge mobile broadband service gap, deliver cloud-enabled services to support SMEs and financial inclusion capabilities, and deploy an array of innovative brand loyalty reward programmes.�

activation decision that will unlock the full potential of such multimillion Naira investments.

The report, Adeoye said is a realistic evaluation of celebrities’ clout and real impact on brands awareness scores, affinity and usage/ consumption of brands endorsed/represented. It also made a diagnostic view of celebrities for talent management/ PR firms. The report is in 3 parts.

The first one is mind share, market penetration and favourite

ranking of celebrities. This is dimensioned by key demographics and category usage second part is perceptual mapping of celebrities which involves “Real� perception imprint of celebrities and understanding brand fit and the third part deals on real values of celebrities endorsement dimensioning into celebrities clout framework: Real value of celebrities to brands within the Nigerian market (Awareness likability and usage/ consumption impact).

Firm Highlights Criteria for Selection of Brand Ambassadors Raheem Akingbolu A research agency, Prerrine consulting, has declared that many Nigerian brand owners are only ‘shooting in the dark’ while considering brand ambassadors.

According to the firm, over the years, many companies in Nigeria have signed on brand ambassadors, perhaps on the rule of thumb, but only a few of them could really measure the impact of such deal running

into millions of Naira.

The companies either fall under pressure to sign a brand ambassador or choose a celebrity based on popularity without taking other nuances into account.

When this happens, the brand will suffer disconnect with the consumer and the intention of engaging the brand ambassadors which is promotion and increasing product sales, will be impaired.

To resolve the hurdle, the firm, which is a specialist marketing

research and strategy firm with strong focus on helping clients achieve desired business results and future growth consulting, recently unveiled Nigerian entertainment and celebs report 2017 which will give companies insight on choice of brand ambassador for particular products particular regions or national.

The report, it is expected will save companies huge cost wasted on blind and inappropriate engagement of brand ambassadors.

Speaking on the report conducted in partnership with insight public is, Seyi Adeoye, the CEO of prerrine consulting said the report will definitely avail brands the intelligence on the use of celebrities as brands ambassadors or endorsers.

The report also provided detailed analysis for brand custodians as to which celebrity best fits their brands image and specific marketing objectives, which in turn would inform

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Uduk: SEC More Committed to Investor Protection The Acting Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms. Mary Uduk, in this interview speaks about a range of issues in the nation’s capital market. Goddy Egene presents the excerpts: What are some the initiatives SEC is implementing to boost investors’ conďŹ dence?

We are doing a lot to boost investors’ confidence in our market. But I want to say that both local and foreign investors are very good for the market. For instance, the foreign investors, because they trade their shares all of the time it leads to price discovery as against the local investors that just takes a long term view on their investments. Investors’ fears can be of two folds: Firstly, they could be afraid because they feel that capital market operators will mismanage their investments and secondly, is looking at the volatility of the market that makes investors sceptical. For the first scenario, we have a number of initiatives that we have put in place to boost investors’ confidence. We have the electronic -Dividend Mandate System(EDMS), the Direct Cash Settlement (DCS)as well as multiple subscription in place. For the second category, investors have to take ownership of their investments. They have to be able to monitor their investments, attend annual general meetings (AGMs) as well as read the annual reports sent out to them.

We also protect them through the National Investors Protection Fund (NIPF), risk based supervision that enables us to supervise the operators to ensure that they do not do what they are not supposed to do. And again the Complaints Management Framework (CMF) enables investors to know where to complain to and how long it takes for such complaints to be resolved. For those of the investors that are averse to risk, they should get their financial advisers to advise them properly on where to invest. We also advise retail investors to invest in Collective Investment Schemes and Mutual Funds because those are managed independently by professionals and they are diversified thereby reducing risks. We are committed to protecting investors in the work we do.

In the area of investor education, what is SEC doing new?

An informed investor is able to take advantage of the market in and out of season. The commission regularly carries out various investor education campaigns around the country to inform investors of the benefits of investing in long term securities among others. We are also partnering the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to come up with a curriculum for basic and secondary schools on Capital Market Studies. The planning and writing of that curriculum has been completed and the editing has been done.

What role is technology expected to play in the Nigerian capital market?

Technology when properly leveraged will reduce the cost of doing business in the capital market. We know that technology is driving a lot of things in the market at the moment. For instance, in the banking system, technology is driving the payment system. Even with phones people can buy, make payments and even obtain loans among others. We have seen that there is a lot of innovation and cost reduction in the money market due to technology, and so we also want to do the same in the capital market. To this end, the Capital Market Committee(CMC) has set up a road map committee to come up with a guide for the capital market to enable us also leverage on technology to do business and reduce cost. We already have a Division in the SEC dedicated to Fintech that will help up look at all the technologies that relate to the capital market. In the capital market, technology has assisted in improvements of processes like the use of Block chain to do settlement. We also have technology driving the platforms through which people are now able to come in to invest.

Innovations in financial technology, have made possible the potential of using digital tools to make financial services available to a wider range of consumers and enterprises, promoting financial inclusion and the affordability of financial services. A financially inclusive society will provide increased access to finance, especially for women, help support sustainable growth and will create a million more jobs. The gains

one application forms for particular companies and they did that by juggling their names and sometimes using fictitious names. What they fail to realise is that the capital market has a way of checkmating such violations. To be able to claim these shares, they have to be able to identify themselves. For those juggled and fictitious names, they do not have identities that are traceable to these individuals and so they were not able to claim their shares. Therefore, they cannot trade and are also unable to claim dividends and other benefits that may accrue to them. We also realised that a lot of the unclaimed dividend is as a result of this issue because investors cannot claim their shares and are unable to claim their dividends.

A lot of these people bought shares in companies that were doing well and wanted to increase their holdings hence the use of multiple and fictitious names. What we have done now is to go back to the receiving agents to go through their records particularly those paid for and let them to be registered. Investors are also advised to contact their registrars. I want to stress that there is absolutely no penalty attached to multiple accounts regularisation. Investors are enjoined to visit their stockbrokers, registrars, bankers or any other capital market operator through whom the shares were purchased on guidance for the steps to take to regularise them. We just want it for the sake of the growth of the market and for their own sake. So that they will be able to take ownership of their shares and also reap the benefits of buying those shares. We are not penalising them, we just want the market to grow and boost investor’s confidence.

Uduk of having a more inclusive financial system are enormous, as it helps broaden financial markets and make policies more effective After recovery in 2017, the market has not performed so well in recent times. Why is this so?

A large percentage of these who do business in our market are foreign investors and as at the third quarter of 2018, the capital outflow stood at N513 billion as against N477.7 billion inflows. We can see that the impact of increase in interest rate in advanced countries not just in the United States(US), has impact on capital outflow thereby leading to reduced performance in our markets. I want to say that the interest rate increase in advanced economies not just the US, does not affect only Nigeria but also affects other emerging and frontiers market in the world.

What is the update on Access Bank/ Diamond Bank Merger and what is the fate of shareholders?

On Access Bank and Diamond Bank proposed merger, we have received a formal notification informing us about their proposed merger, but we have not yet received any formal application form them. But some people are worried about the fate of the shareholders. The fate of the merger is actually to be determined by the shareholders, they are the ones to either support it or disallow it depending on the proposals before them.

What is the value of unclaimed dividends and how much has been paid out this year?

Besides, what efforts is the SEC making to reduce this unclaimed dividends proďŹ le?

The law provides that 15 months after dividends have been declared unclaimed ones should be returned to the companies. As at September 2018, the value of unclaimed dividends stood at about N100 billion and those that were reduced this year stood at about N10 billion. The EDMS allows investors’ accounts to be credited immediately they are mandated with the registrars and the relevant banks. Within 24 hours your dividend hits your account and even the backlog that were not paid for years also hits the account. You also must have heard of our multiple subscription initiative which we have extended for another one year because we want investors that subscribed

to shares in multiple names to regularise their accounts. Many of them do not even remember the names with which they bought the shares and this increases the quantum of unclaimed dividends in the market. That is why we are engaging with the receiving agents to check into their records and see how this can be reduced and the owners can claim their dividends.

I urge more Nigerians to take advantage of the on-going e-dividend registration in a bid to reduce the unclaimed dividends profile as well as increase liquidity in the capital market and the economy. The Commission is currently leading the entire capital market industry in an effort to migrate all shareholders to an e-dividend regime.

The essence of the EDMS is to eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of unclaimed dividend. Unclaimed dividend is an undesirable feature of the Nigerian capital market which denies investors/shareholders the gains of participating in the capital market. It denies the economy access to the huge amount of money which should have accrued to shareholders and would have gone into circulation to oil the wheel of the economy. It is a consequence of the bottlenecks which are inherent in the erstwhile paper dividend warrant regime such as postal system inefficiency, change in investors’ addresses, poor fidelity and human fallibility in dividend payment processes, amongst others. The e-dividend regime bypasses these limitations by ensuring that dividends which do not exceed 12 years of issue are credited directly to an investors account after declaration by the paying company and within a stipulated payment period through simple interbank transfer.

May I therefore implore Nigerian investors to key into the e-dividend registration exercise by visiting the nearest bank branch or registrar. In addition to migrating to the e-dividend regime yourselves, kindly tell everybody you know to do same in their best interest.

Multiple share subscription deadline is now till December 2019, why are investors reluctant coming out to regularise their accounts?

I would not say they are hesitant because it is in their interest to come forward and consolidate their holdings. We are aware that during the banking and insurance sector consolidation of 2005-2007, a lot of investors completed more than

What other initiatives is the Commission working on?

We are implementing a number of Capital Market Masterplan Initiatives which are aimed at making our market deeper, vibrant and more effective. As you are aware, the commission launched its 10-year Capital Market Masterplan in 2015. The master plan is the outcome of consultations and work with the entire market community to identify challenges and opportunities to help catalyse our market to a world class capital market. The implementation of the 10-year master plan will transform the Nigerian market, facilitate the diversification of our economy, encourage savings and create wealth.

This will no doubt grow investor confidence, improve the breadth and depth of the market in terms of product offerings, engender market integrity, and contribute to the country’s economic growth. We have also developed a two-pronged approach to addressing the intractable challenges associated with transmission of shares related to the estate of deceased investors. The first step would involve engagement with and enlightenment of the Probate Registry with a view to providing solutions to the cumbersome process of transmitting shares. Secondly, rules would be developed around the time frame for transmission shares and the fee structure. The commission is working with other major stakeholders in setting up a committee that will look into and proffer solutions to problems around identity management in the Nigerian capital market.

So for instance, to boost the EMDS and DCS we are engaging Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) on behalf of the capital market community to facilitate identity validation and account validation in an effort to enhance market processes. The electronic distribution of annual accounts by public companies to shareholders continues to record tremendous success as shareholders have largely accepted the new initiative and are willingly providing their email addresses. Alongside other stakeholders, we have continued sensitisation to further enlighten shareholders on the benefits of the initiative.

On the need to grow the market for trading in securities on unlisted public companies, we are making concerted efforts in collaboration with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other stakeholders to assist public companies that are yet to register their securities to do so without much difficulty. These initiatives continue to highlight and promote developments and trends in the Nigerian capital market and drive financial inclusion aimed at reducing adult exclusion from financial services.

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BEDC Hailed over Power Supply Restoration Following the restoration of power to Ode Aye town in Okitipupa Local Government area of Ondo South, after a long while, the traditional ruler of Ode Aye, Ondo state, Oba William Akinmusayo Akinlade, the Halu of Ode-Aye kingdom has commended the staff and management of BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) for the restoration of electricity to the town.

Flanked by his subjects all in jubilant move after being

reconnected, Oba Akinlade was quoted in a statement to have said: “We thank God after a long while light is now on. We thank BEDC. We thank the staff, management and everybody working in BEDC God will bless you all. You will not be put into blackout.�

The citizens who rejoiced along with the Oba equally praised BEDC over the restoration and sang that darkness will no longer be their portion again with the

restoration adding, “after all there is now light at the end of the tunnel�

On Monday, the management of BEDC led by the Chief State Head, Ondo/ Ekiti state, Mrs. Kunbi Labiyi, had charged the company’s field staff to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that Ode-Aye people enjoy electricity beginning from the 2018 Christmas celebration.

BEDC has announced its plan for the ancient town

of Ode-Aye, one of the major communities that have suffered electricity deprivation in Southern senatorial district of Ondo state, with Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, issuing a stern directive through his Technical Committee on Power that everything must be done to end the unacceptable darkness that have enveloped the region in the past twelve years In the same vein, in

fulfilment of its pledge to Ekiti state government, BEDC had on Wednesday also restored electricity supply to some communities in Ekiti state namely; Erinijiyan, Ipole- Iloro and Ikogosi.

The BEDC had recently during a meeting with the Ekiti state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi assured that power would be restored to the tourism corridor of the state before end of December. Communities

in the tourism hub which have been out of supply included; Ikogosi-Ekiti host of the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, Ipole-Iloro, base of Ariata Waterfalls and Erinijiyan Ekiti.

The CEO had at a press briefing hinted that there was ongoing rehabilitation of Ikogosi/Erinijiyan/ Ipole Iloro on Aramoko 33kv feeder, adding that communities in these areas should have more stable power soon.

and Specialty (AGCS), boasts a network of offices in more than 70 countries plus network partners in other locations that enables them service clients in more than 210 countries and territories worldwide.

He said the Allianz Group - headquartered in Munich, Germany - is one of the world’s leading insurers and asset managers with more than 88 million retail and corporate customers.

According to him,Allianz

customers, benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. “The Allianz Group manages over 650 billion euros on behalf of its insurance customers and an additional 1.4 trillion euros of third-party assets.

Allianz holds the leading

position for insurers in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and in 2017�.

He said the firm, has over 140,000 employees in more than 70 countries and has achieved total revenue of 126 billion euros and an operating profit of 11 billion euros for the Allianz Group.

In July 2018, Nigerian insurer, Ensure Insurance, was acquired by the Allianz Group and rebranded to Allianz Nigeria in December 2018.

Allianz Gets Ratings Ebere Nwoji Global insurance giant, Allianz has been assigned an -AA (very strong) as best in class insurer financial strength ratings by the Standard &Poor and A+(Suoerior) from A.M Best, both in 2018.

With this, the company has reaffirmed capacity to bear special risks across continents and has reassured its clients across the globe of financial security.

Speaking on the firm’s latest quality service achievement, the Global Head of Engineering at Allianz, Chris van Gend, said this was made possible by the presence of an experienced team of around 4,700 expert staff, from risk consultants to claims specialists.

A statement quoted him to have said as a leading global insurance program provider, Allianz, manages 2500+ lead programs with

approximately 19,000 local policies attached. “Our risk consulting, claims and underwriting teams are among the most technically accomplished of any major insurer and can lead the largest engineering risks and construction projects across the globe, giving us a reputation earned through years of practical experience,� said van Gend.

According to him, Allianz’ Global Corporate

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M O N DAY Ëž DECEMBER 31, 2018

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

PTAD Pays Benefits to 759 Next of Kins of Defunct Agencies Ebere Nwoji The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has disclosed that in continuation of its settlement of the benefits of next-of-kins (NoK) of deceased pensioners of federal government parastatals, it has paid full benefit to another set of 259 NoKs of NITEL, Delta Steel Company Limited (DSC), New Nigeria Newspapers (NNN), Nigerian Reinsurance Corporation Plc and NICON Insurance Plc beneficiaries.

According to the directorate,

this was in addition to 500 NoKs of NITEL retirees who had already been paid the sum of N1,565,190,623.12, following their conclusion of documentation and federal audit clearance for payment.

The agency in a statement, said in the computation of the final entitlements, there was no common cut-off date as the agencies concerned were privatised at different dates.

It also pointed out that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) had paid pension to all those eligible at the time of

privatisation. “Therefore, the payment made by PTAD only covered the period between the end of the five years after privatisation and the date of demise of the principal pensioners, as only claims beyond those five years are justifiable under extant laws. “The NOKs of those who died before the expiration of the five-year post privatisation period are not entitled to any additional benefits as the payment made

by BPE qualified as guaranteed pension in conformity with the law�, PTAD said

First Bank Expands Agency Banking Network As part of efforts to deepen financial inclusion, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that it has extended its agent banking campaign to 14 major markets and business points across Bayelsa, Cross River and Delta States.

The market activation which spanned over three weeks between November 24 and December 16, 2018 was an intensive period of customer engagement, education and awareness creation of the Firstmonie agent network as well as financial inclusion, the bank revealed in a statement.

The event took place in Ogbonogo Market, Koka Junction, Bonsac Junction, Ibusa Junction (Delta States) while Calabar, Cross River State had the event at Mobil Junction, Etagbor Junction, Watt Market, Marian and Etim Edem

Markets. Swali, Tomba, Opolo and Nembe communities also felt the impact of our activation campaign in Bayelsa State. “In just about 18 months, the Firstmonie agent network has expanded to almost every local government area in Nigeria (98% coverage) demonstrating our readiness to make financial services available to everyone irrespective of their location. “Firstmonie Agents are positioned within rural and semi-urban locations across the country to provide basic financial services such as account opening, cash deposit, cash withdrawals, airtime purchase, bill payments and much more to every Nigerian. “Through this channel, the bank is committed to providing convenient services that endear trust, provide ease of access to

financial products, thereby saving time and travel costs. Transactions carried out through this channel are securely authenticated,� it explained in a statement.

The agent banking model, which is in line with the mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is targeted at ensuring individuals and members of the public irrespective of their literacy levels, familiarity with technology or income levels can access financial services. The FirstmonieAgent Channel delivers financial services outside conventional bank branches, often using non-retail agents – Firstmonie Agents - and relying on technology such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals or mobile phones for real time transaction processing.

Sterling Bank SupportsYouth Empowerment Sterling Bank Plc has unveiled champions in the recently concluded iCreate Skills Festival.

About 10 of the winners would be representing Nigeria in Russia in 2019.

The winners were Otareh Alvin who won in the cooking category, Nejo Tolulope (graphics), Silas Adedoyin (web design), Patrick Obafemi (app development), Barnabas Kudi (robotics), Afolabi Caleb Kayode (art), Ms. Malissa Onojo (tailoring), Yusuf Abdullahi (barbing), Kingsley Ihejirika (hair dressing), Ms. Faiza Usman Adamu (make up), Joshua Olalekan (carpentry), Oladoja Peter (tilling), Kumshuan Talgang (plumbing) and Prince Isitua (bricklaying).

The bank had partnered with iCreate Skill Fest 2018 to host the premier youth empowerment festival in Abuja with the aim of transforming skill acquisition across the continent.

A statement quoted the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank,

Mr. Suleiman Abubakar, to have explained that following the huge success of the premier edition the bank has decided to sponsor the second edition, adding that the financial institution would also extend credit facilities to the winners of the first edition and that such loans will be fast track within two weeks.

He said, “Bright Jaja, the CEO and Founder of iCreate Skills Festival gives him hope for the future of this country,� adding that, “there is an on-going conversation about which generation of Nigerians will salvage this country. I have started to worry if my generation will be able to do it, which is debatable, it may or may not. But it is clear to me that your generation will do it.� “I have no doubt in my mind and I only need to meet one young man (Bright) and the belief he has in the future of the country and the energy he brought to it as well as the sacrifices he

has made. I have watched the project over the last couple of months and I have started to see some of the winners come out and every single one of you have convinced me completely that generation that will salvage Nigeria is here,� Abubakar said.

The CEO who also commended the winners, remarked that, “I don’t think we prepared you for this and I don’t think we gave you a ladder to climb up.�

He noted that whether it is the work some of the youths had done in entertainment or the work that they are doing now in the technology space or the work they had done in their various areas of specialization, not just earning a living but actually bringing in respect to the various skills they have because at the end of the day, it is lack of respect that make certain people to avoid certain skills and at the end of the day, the country is stuck with it.

SPAR Partners Group Nume Ekeghe SPAR Nigeria has gone into a partnership with Kinabuti to stage the seventh edition of the annual Christmas outreach to students in the Orile area of Lagos, recently.

The event brought bright smiles to the faces of the less privileged in the suburb.

In his comment on the partnership, Marketing Head, SPAR Nigeria, John Goldsmith said: “We are delighted to be a part of the annual outreach of Kinabuti and friends. We believe in giving back to the society through

noble initiatives like this which embodies the essence of Christmas season which is sharing.� “Our maxim as an organisation is ‘My Nigeria, My SPAR’ has helped us in supporting various charitable projects to enhance the quality of lives of Nigerians and also through our support for local farmers and gainfully employing skilled Nigerians,� he added.

According to Creative Director of Kinabuti, Ms Caterina Bortolussi, the initiative was one of the ways of reaching out to the children of Orile; Coker; Iganmu and her neighbouring suburbs.

She appreciated the contribu-

tion of SPAR Nigeria, one of the sponsors of the event.

According to her, “We want to thank our sponsors most especially SPAR Nigeria; donors; partners and volunteers for their contributions towards the success of this project. The party has grown to be a major event for children in this suburb in a profound way. The smile on the faces of the children and the feelings of their pure joy light up our hearts more beautifully as they received their goody bags. The ecstasy on the faces of these children has continued to encourage us.�

L-R: Head of Training, Air Peace, Captain Ndubuisi Ekwempu; Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema,Capt.WisdomIsangadighiandChiefOperatingOfficer,Mrs.OluwatoyinOlajide,duringthedecoration of Isangadighi, the first Embraer 145 Captain produced by the airline, in Lagos‌recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2018 Broad Money (M2)

24,303,049.86

-- Narrow Money (M1)

10,912,604.10

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,668,378.21

---- Demand Deposits

9,244,225.90

-- Quasi Money

13,390,445.76

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

15,619,134.18

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

8,683,915.68

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,267,136.53

---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,823,345.45

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

5,433,209.43

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-1,609,863.98

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,443,791.08

--Other Assets Net

-17,583,220.85

Reserve Money (Base Money)

6,746,646.49

--Currency in Circulation

1,668,378.21

--Banks Reserves

4,357,551.58 Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT THURSDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2018

The price of OPEC basket of ďŹ fteen crudes stood at $53.92 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $55.13 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

39

M O N DAY Ëž DECEMBER 31, 2018

MARKET NEWS

Notore Records N26.8bn Revenue, Eyes More Growth afterTAM Goddy Egene Notore Chemical Industries Plc, which got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last August, has recorded a revenue of N26.82 billion for the financial year ended September 30, 2018, compared to N35.89 billion it realised in 2017.

According to the company, the decline in revenue was largely due to downtime caused by a maintenance programme on

its plant in the last quarter of financial year.

The audited results showed that Notore recorded a reduction in cost of sales, which fell from N25.461 billion in 2017 to N17.217 billion in 2018.

Administrative expensive went up from N4.421 billion to N6.21 billion, while sales and distribution expenses rose from N320 million to N530 million in 2018.

The operating profit

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

increased by a four per cent from N6.94billion in 2017, to N7.22billion in the year under review. Despite the positive operating profit, Notore recorded a loss of N2.01billion during because of its net finance cost of N10.85 billion and an income tax credit of N1.62billion for the period.

The company is a leading producer of fertilizer products traded locally and exported to West Africa, Southern Africa and

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Europe. And given the efforts of the federal government to diversify the economy with much focus on agriculture, Notore, which operates in the agro-allied space has huge headroom for growth, hence its decision to list on the NSE. The Group Managing Director/CEO of Notore, Mr. Onajite Okoloko had said the listing would increase access to capital in order to fund the company’s future growth

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

initiatives and grant Nigerians the opportunity to participate in its growth history.

The company has been championing the introduction of Urea Super Granules (USG) into the Nigerian market for application by rice producers in flooded farmlands.

Notore sold all the urea it produced, approximately 258,519 metric tonnes, in 2018 into the domestic fertilizer market.

According to the company, it

O F

recently installed a 2,000 metric tonnes per day capacity NPK Blending Plant at its facilities, this will increase its production figures in the 2019 FY. Also, in its commitment to improving product/service quality, processes and customer satisfaction, Notore has transited from its ISO 2001: 2008 Quality Management System (QMS) to the new ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) international standard.

2 7 / 1 2 / 2 0 1 8 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2018

40

32)&; *(*1'*5

! % " ! $

Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index sheds 1.96%

82)&1*27&0 *5+351&2(* *75.(6 +35 ! % " ! 2)*:

Last Friday, the Thisday Afrinvest 40 index shed 1.96% at the close of trade, weighed by losses in GUARANTY (

855*27 5.(*

!.(/*5

0.3%), ZENITH ( 1.3%) and NIGERIAN BREWERIES ( 0.6%).

! % " !

Equity Market Extends Bearish Run͙ ASI down 2.1% dŚĞ EŝŐĞƌŝĂŶ ĞƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ŝƚƐ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƌƵŶ today shedding 2.1% as the All Share Index closed at 31,037.72 points while YTD loss extended to 18.8% and

5.(* 5.(* 5*9.386 855*27 -&2,* -&2,* 5.(* #*.,-7.2, %! 2)*: 73 -&2,* &7*

"

.9.2)*2 &52.2,6 ) %.*0) %.*0)

:

:

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>

>

(-51:0 )52

>

>

1/-81)5 8-= -81-9

>

>

-9:3- 1/-81)

>

>

)5/6:- -4-5:

>

>

63,15/9 3+

>

>

++-99 )52

>

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#51:-, )52 .68 .81+)

>

>

+6*)52 "8)595):165)3 5+

>

>

ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ EϮϯϵ͘ϮďŶ ƚŽ Eϭϭ͘ϯƚŶ͘

! " -:863-;4 -<-3674-5:

>

>

DĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞĚ ďLJ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƐ ŝŶ

!:)5*1+ " 63,15/9

>

>

#513-<-8 1/-81)

>

>

bellwethers NESTLE ( 8.5%), DANGCEM ( 2.5%) and

;155-99 1/-81)

>

>

SEPLAT ( ϳ͘ϴйͿ͘ ,ŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ůĞǀĞů ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ĂƐ

).)8/- .81+)

>

1,-31:? )52

>

>

ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ďLJ ϭϴϵ͘ϴй ĂŶĚ ϱϲ͘ϲй ƚŽ

)5,6

>

>

ϭ͘ϵďŶ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ Eϲ͘ϱďŶ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ

)5/6:- !;/)8 -.15-8?

>

>

ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ WEMABANK ;ϲϱϳ͘Ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ NEM

264; 13 )34

>

>

5:-85):165)3 8-= -81-9

>

>

;ϯϱϱ͘ϲŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ĂŶĚ MEDVIEWAIR ;ϳϲ͘ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ

36;8 1339 6. 1/-81)

>

>

"8)595):165)3 687 6. 1/-81)

>

>

# 6. 1/-81)

>

>

1)465, )52

NEM ;EϵϲϬ͘ϭŵͿ͕ NESTLE ;Eϯϭϴ͘ϴŵͿ ĂŶĚ GUARANTY ;EϮϲϯ͘ϴŵͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

Bearish Sector Performance WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ǁĂƐ bearish all 5 indices

>

"6:)3 1/-81)

86;7 3+

>

>

>

>

68:- 13

>

>

( ;99659 1/-81)

>

>

>

),*;8? 1/-81)

>

>

under our coverage closed lower. The Oil & Gas index

8-9+6

>

>

ƉŽƐƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĚŽǁŶ 4.1% due to losses in

! 331-, 5,;9:81-9

>

>

# -)3 9:):- 5<-9:4-5: "8

>

FORTE ( 7.3%) and SEPLAT ( ϳ͘ϴйͿ͘ dŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϯ͘ϲй ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ

#5165 )52 6. 1/-81)

>

>

;31;9 -8/-8 1/-81)

>

>

>

!:-8315/ )52

NIGERIAN BREWERIES ( 0.6%) and NESTLE ( 8.5%).

)5/6:- 36;8 1339 3+

^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ͕ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ

3)>6!41:0 315- 659;4-8 1/-8

0-41+)3 )5, 331-, 86,;+:9

-:) 3)99

"8)59+687 6:-39 3+

indices also closed lower by 1.5%, 1.1% and 0.6% ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƌĂŐŐĞĚ ďLJ DANGCEM ( 2.5%), MANSARD (

! 3 4 & . 2 * 5 6

5.0%), NEM ( 4.5%), ZENITH ( 1.3%) and ACCESS ( 2.9%). " 1+ 2 -8

81+ - 0/

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ZĞĚƵĐĞƐ &ƵƌƚŚĞƌ

#

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϳdž ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ ϭ͘ϵdž ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝŽƌ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϭ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ against 32 decliners. dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ SOVRENINS (+10.0%) and DIAMONDBNK (+9.9%) and UAC PROP ( 9.8%) while IKEJAHOTEL ( 10.0%), LEARNAFRCA ( 9.9%) and UACN ( ϵ͘ϳйͿ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ͘ KŶ DŽŶĚĂLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ

ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞďĂůĂŶĐŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƉŽƌƞŽůŝŽƐ ďLJ

!" #

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ƉŽƌƞŽůŝŽ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƌƐ͘

" 1+ 2 -8

! 3 4 3 6 * 5 6

session for the year, we expect a ƐůŝŐŚƚůLJ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ

!

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T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; ͚͝Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚͜

41

MARKET NEWS

Analysts Highlight Benefits of SAHCO Initial Public Offering Goddy Egene Financial analysts at Cordros Capital Limited has said the affiliation of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) with maritime cargo handling has potential to boost its revenue and returns to shareholders going forward.

SAHCO has an ongoing Initial Public Offering (IPO) by way of an offer for sale of 406,074,000 ordinary shares of 50kobo each at N4.65 per share. The offer is

expected to close on January 9, 2019.

Speaking on some of the key investment highlights of the IPO, Cordros Capital Limited said SAHCO is the only ground handling company that has affiliation with maritime cargo and also a market leader in cargo aviation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAHCO has made significant investment in ground handling service and cargo storage equipment facilities and possesses the latest technology

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

and equipment. The company recently concluded the construction of it ultra modern cargo import and export warehouse which is arguably the largest in West Africa,â&#x20AC;? the investment banking firm said.

It added that the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound business model and scalable franchise some positive factors investors should also consider and be part of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ownership through the IPO. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAHCO is a leading ground handling operator strategically

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 2712-2018, unless otherwise stated.

positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities in the Nigerian aviation industry, leveraging on its established brand & reputation, strategic alliances, technical capacity (state of the art technology & equipment) and fully trained & experienced staff,â&#x20AC;? they said.

The Executive Director, Sales & Marketing, of SAHCO, Mr. Olaniyi Adigun had said the company would create long-term shareholders value through profitable operation and expansion

of its business beyond Nigeria.

According to him, SAHCO has continued to grow its assets and emerged as one of the leaders in the ground handling business in Nigeria. He said the eventual listing of the company would increase its visibility and broaden its access to capital to fund future growth plans and initiatives.

He noted that since its privatisation, the company has built strong competence as one of the leading aviation ground handling service providers in

Nigeria, growing its market share from 21 per cent in 2009, to over 40 per cent at present with over 100 per cent growth in revenue and total assets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAHCOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future strategy is to create long term shareholder value through the profitable operation and expansion of its business beyond Nigeria, and into other West African markets with a vision to become the leading provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services in the West Africa sub-region.

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 157.84 159.32 -10.95% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.00% Nigeria International Debt Fund 276.59 278.32 19.68% 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 0.84 0.85 2.18% ACAP Income Funds 0.63 0.63 7.27% 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 12.90% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.22 2.24 -3.29% 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 16.93 17.44 -7.33% ARM Discovery Fund 362.47 373.40 -6.84% ARM Ethical Fund 28.61 29.47 4.72% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.97% 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 101.32 102.03 -13.01% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.63% 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 11.56 11.86 4.27% Women's Investment Fund 101.32 103.91 0.68% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.32% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 95.85 96.09 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 12.52% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.85 0.86 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.17 1.17 11.12% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 11.52% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 7.72% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,179.51 1,180.27 11.74% FBN Heritage Fund 145.33 144.09 3.45% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.05% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 113.18 113.73 3.85% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 112.91 113.46 3.73% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 151.58 153.78 -4.80% 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 1.23 1.25 -4.90% Legacy Debt Fund 3.24 3.24 12.09% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.03 1.03 2.92% 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 2,986.74 3,016.92 0.05% Coral Income Fund 2,758.76 2,758.76 12.68% 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 12.80% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 107.30 108.15 7.44% 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 12.61%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.15 2.17 1.98% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.41% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 124.81 125.01 8.44% 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 1.22 1.24 6.07% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,096.53 1,096.53 13.46% 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 11.48 11.57 -11.52% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.46% 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 1.34 1.37 12.71% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.21 12.28 10.64% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 11.90% 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 2,323.83 2,338.17 5.71% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 189.94 189.94 9.06% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.96 0.97 -4.46% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 246.97 247.01 14.41% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 164.78 166.67 -7.98% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.38% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,562.15 8,666.32 -9.98% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.11 1.11 7.24% 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 11.26 11.41 -6.89% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.46 12.58 -3.32% Zenith Income Fund 20.75 20.75 12.39% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.90%

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

10.71 120.37 90.60

10.81 122.92 92.29

-9.66% -15.73% -17.07%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva GrifďŹ n 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.98 7.62 14.95 12.39 143.21

4.02 7.70 15.05 12.59 145.21

-15.92% -20.31% -14.40% -36.85% 6.45%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.13

17.03%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNA TIONAL

45 Killed in Clashes in Chad, Niger More than 30 people have died in northern Chad after Arab fighters, crossing from neighbouring Libya, attacked miners in a region in the grip of a gold rush, rights activists said Sunday.

This is as the French military high command yesterday said some 15 suspected jihadists were killed at the Niger-Mali border by a joint Franco-Nigerien task force.

The clashes broke out on Thursday in the Kouri Bougoudi area of the Tibesti border region, the Chadian Convention for the Defence of Human Rights (CTDDH) said in a statement.

At least 30 gold miners were killed and more than 200 wounded, it said.

Abdul Aziz Youssouf Mustapha, a Chadian with the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), said the fighters attacked all “non-Arabs” who had come to Kouri Bougoudi in search of gold.

All miners were forced off the gold-mining area on Saturday, he said.

A military source confirmed that there had been fighting but did not give further details.

Many of the miners hailed from the Ouaddai region in

central-eastern Chad. Sources among the Ouaddai community also confirmed there had been clashes in Kouri Bougoudi.

Kouri Bougoudi has been a theatre of violence since discoveries of gold were made there in 2012 and 2013.

Miners have rushed in from around Chad and abroad, leading to friction over access to lucrative sites.

The CTDDH accuses the government of orchestrating a takeover of the area by using Arab fighters.

The government has given authorisation to several mining companies to exploit the deposits.

In August, it carried out a military operation in the far north aimed at “clearing out” illegal miners and stopping cross-border incursions from Chadian rebels holed up in Libya.

Meanwhile, the French military high command has said some 15 suspected jihadists were killed at the Niger-Mali border by a joint Franco-Nigerien task force.

“An air raid mounted by fighters and Tiger attack helicopters struck” jihadists gathered near Tongo Tongo, in southwestern Niger, the high command said in a tweet

overnight Saturday to Sunday.

Tongo Tongo was the site of an ambush on October 4, 2017 where jihadists killed five Nigerien and four US special forces’ soldiers.

Nigerien and French soldiers, backed by helicopters, took control of several key positions in the area before mounting a 48-hour sweep.

Overall, about 15 jihadists were “put out of action”, a term generally used by the military to say they were killed.

During the sweep, “some 20 motorbikes were recovered, along with 26 weapons, including machine guns, and ammunition, the high command said.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly praised the operation in a tweet as “an exemple of a successful joint operation in western Niger”.

“The strengthening of the G5 Sahel armies is continuing,” she added, referring to the regional force consisting of troops from Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania which has been set up to fight jihadists.

France, the former colonial ruler, has deployed a 4,500-member ‘Barkhane’ force in the region to conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Brexit: Get Your Act Together, Juncker Advises Britain European Commission chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, on Sunday urged Britain to “get your act together” on Brexit, as he rejected accusations that the EU had a hidden agenda of keeping Britain in the bloc.

“I find it unreasonable that part of the British public seems to think that it’s entirely up to the EU to present a solution for all future British problems,” Juncker told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“My call is: get your act together. And tell us what you want. Our proposals have been on the table for months.”

Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May

postponed a vote in the House of Commons on the withdrawal deal she struck with the EU in November, fearing a huge defeat as many of her own MPs oppose it.

She is seeking further clarifications from Brussels on arrangements relating to the Irish border and has said the vote would take place the week of January 14.

It also means the parliamentary decision would come just weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29.

The main opposition Labour party has accused May of “running down the clock” to try to force MPs to back

her deal rather than risk Britain leaving the EU with no arrangements in place.

“I get the impression that the majority of the British lawmakers deeply distrust the EU and Madame May,” said Juncker.

The European Commission president also rejected claims that Brussels was stalling to stop Britain from leaving.

“One insinuates that our aim is to keep Britain in the EU with all means possible.

But that’s not our intention,” said Juncker.

“We only want clarity about the future relationships. And we respect the result of the referendum.”

DR Congo Holds Presidential Election after Two-year Delay After two years of delays, crackdowns and political turmoil, the Democratic Republic of Congo voted Sunday in presidential elections that will determine the future of Africa’s notoriously unstable giant.

Facing fears of bloodshed and a test of integrity, polling day appeared to be free from violence but frustration over problems and controversial voting machines ran deep.

The vote gives the DRC the chance of its first peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Analysts, though, say the threat of upheaval is great, given organisational hitches and suspicion of President Joseph Kabila, who refused to quit in 2016 after his two-term limit expired.

The election’s credibility has been strained by repeated delays, fears of chaos on polling day and accusations

that electronic voting machines would help to rig the result.

On election eve, talks aimed at averting violence after the vote broke down.

Opposition frontrunners Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi refused to sign a proposed code of conduct with Kabila’s preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

They accused officials with the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) of thwarting changes to the text.

The UN, US and Europe have appealed for the elections to be free, fair and peaceful — a call echoed by the presidents of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and the neighbouring Republic of Congo.

And in the Vatican, Pope Francis led thousands of worshippers in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday in prayers for “normal and peaceful” elections.

Candidates posed for the cameras as they went to cast

their ballot.

“You saw how I campaigned, everything that happened. I’ll be elected, I’ll be president from tonight.” Shadary told Actualite.cd news site, adding: “People must vote. We have to avoid violence.”

Meanwhile Tshisekedi predicted: “Victory is ours.”

Many voters said they were exhilarated at taking part in the first elections after the nearly 18-year Kabila era.

“I feel liberated, freed,” said Victor Balibwa, a 53-year-old civil servant, casting his ballot in Lubumbashi, the country’s mining capital in the southeast.

But there was also much evidence of organisational problems, including with the contested voting machines.

In some places, long queues built up because of a lack of electoral roll, technical problems or because voters could not find their names on the lists, AFP reporters found.

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MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

You Are Turning Nigeria into Police State, PDP Tells Buhari Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm that President Muhammadu Buhari’s

administration is turning Nigeria into a police state, where those opposed to his re-election bid are treated like enemies of the state.

The main opposition party has

House Loses Lagos Lawmaker, Ayeola Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja House of Representatives’ member representing IbejuLekki federal constituency of Lagos State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Abayomi AbdulKabir Ayeola, is dead.

The Lagos lawmaker died yesterday at Saint Nicholas Hospital, Lagos Island, Lagos following a yet to be disclosed ailment.

The Media Aide to the Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Mr. Olanrewaju Smart, confirmed the incident, adding that the House leader had visited the hospital.

A traditional title holder, Ayeola, was a professional teacher who taught in many schools both in Epe and Ibeju Lekki Local Government Areas before he voluntarily retired in 1993.

He was also appointed as Supervisor for Education and Social Services in the old Ibeju Lekki Local Government, the position he held until November 1993.

He later became the chairman, Lekki LGA in October 2003 and was later elected as the first Executive Chairman of Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA) under Alliance for Democracy (AD) in March, 2004.

He won the April 9, 2011 House of Representatives election for Ibeju Lekki federal constituency under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

He was an active member of the green chamber of the National Assembly and prominent member of the Lagos State caucus in the House under the leadership, Hon. Gbajabiamila. He sponsored several bills and motions.

also condemned the continued siege on the residence of Senator Dino Melaye in Abuja, describing it as unwarranted and provocative.

Melaye had last week raised the alarm that the police planned to arrest and inject him with a poisonous substance.

The party noted that the siege showed that the police under President Buhari has become an instrument of oppression to subjugate dissenting voices ahead of the 2019 general

elections.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, stated that the Buhari Presidency is turning Nigeria into a police state, where those opposed to his re-election are treated like enemies of the state.

He said, “The only sin committed by its Presidential Campaign Director of Civil Societies, Senator Melaye, is his return to the PDP and his forthright stand against

the misrule of the Buhari administration, which are all well within his rights as a citizen.”

“Since Melaye, left the APC, the Buhari administration has continued to hound and harass him, as well as the members of his family with trumped up charges, all aimed to silence and put him out of circulation ahead of the 2019 general election.

“The PDP has become extremely worried about

the safety of Melaye and his family members under police lockdown and charges Nigerians to hold President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible should any harm befall him or any member of his family.”

He expressed the hope that opposition figures like Melaye would not suddenly become victims of ‘accidental discharge’, unexplained assassinations or mysterious motor accidents.

Benue, Taraba Govs Offer Amnesty to Criminals Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Darius Ishaku of Taraba State have resolved to grant amnesty to criminals operating along the border between the two states.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the offer is part of the resolution at the end of the joint security meeting between the two states held at the Federal University Wukari in Taraba State.

Ishaku, who read the communique at the end of the tour of some border communities of Abako, Sai and Dogon-Gawa, said the amnesty window took effect immediately and would expire by the end of January 2019.

“We are willing to give amnesty to criminals who are willing to renounce criminality and surrender their weapons so that we can give them better jobs and reintegrate them into the society.

“Criminals who are willing to surrender, including those that defaulted in the past, are free to contact any of us (governors), traditional rulers and security agencies.

“Elections are around the corner and we will like to do this between now and end of January so that we can secure our places and synergise for peaceful elections,” he said.

The meeting condemned the spate of kidnappings, armed robbery and banditry involving youths in the states at the border.

It stressed the need for job creation as a fundamental tool

to reduce unemployment, which made youths to take to criminality.

It called for adequate provision of logistics support to the security agencies by both the federal and state governments to sustain surveillance.

The meeting called on the people of the areas to report all forms of criminality to appropriate authorities and not shield criminals in their domain.

“The governors have resolved to constitute a joint security committee made up of people of proven integrity and locals of the area between the two states to address the security challenges and a joint security forces to be constituted with a police station at Sai. “The joint security meeting mandates the boundary committees of the states in conjunction with the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to meet and ensure that boundary issues involving the two states are resolved,” he said.

Ortom called on the people of the two states to report criminals in their domain to security agencies, be law abiding and shun acts capable of dividing them.

The security meeting was attended by heads of security agencies from both states, traditional rulers and top government functionaries from the states, including the immediate past Governor of Benue, Dr. Gabriel Suswam.

GREAT PERFORMANCE…

Wizkid, Ayodeji Balogun, entertains THISDAY guests at the Thanksgiving party in Lagos…weekend

NERC: 20 Gencos Sell Power Without Active Trading Agreements 18 have no guarantees for gas supply Chineme Okafor in Abuja Twenty of the 25 power generation companies (GenCos) in Nigeria’s electricity market do not have active power purchase agreements (PPAs), five years after the country concluded its power market privatisation, THISDAY has learnt.

A status report from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), which was obtained by THISDAY yesterday in Abuja, equally stated that 18 of the 25 power firms do not have guaranteed gas supply agreements (GSAs) with gas producers, thus indicating that the transactional terms between the Gencos and gas suppliers are perhaps operated on best-endeavour basis.

According to the World Bank, PPAs secure the payment stream for a Build-Own Transfer (BOT) or concession project for an independent power plant (IPP).

It is usually between the purchasers or off-taker, which is often a state-owned electricity utility outfit like the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc

(NBET) and a privately-owned power producer.

On the other hand, GSAs are standard agreements for the sale and purchase of natural gas for delivery to a Genco or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) liquefaction plant.

Active GSAs and PPAs are, according to energy market experts, the model documents that signify that the electricity sector of a country is operated on firm contract basis.

However, the NERC document showed that the three hydro Gencos with generation capacities of 600 megawatts (MW) for Shiroro; 578.4MW for Jebba, and 760MW for Kainji do not have active PPAs. Gas-fired Gencos, which include Afam; Delta; Geregu -1 and 2; Sapele 1 and 2; Egbin; Omotosho 2; Olorunsogo 2; Alaoji; Ihovbor; Calabar; Gbarain; Trans Amadi IPP; Rivers IPP; Ibom Power and Omoku, do not also have active PPAs and GSAs. Omotosho – 1 and Olorunsogo –1 also are without GSAs but have active PPAs.

The NERC report stated that only three Gencos – 650MW Afam VI operated by Shell; 480MW Okpai plant operated

by Agip, and 85MW-capacity Paras IPP have both active PPAs and GSAs. It explained that the reason why the Gencos have not activated their GSA was that they were, “yet to receive the expected payment guarantee from NBET or any other federal government agency. They say as soon as the guarantee is obtained, GSA will be activated under 24 hours.”

The NERC report also revealed the aggregate technical, commercial and collection loss (ATC&C) levels of the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the first five months of 2018, with Jos Disco recording the highest average of 74.6 per cent.

Abuja had 45.2 per cent; Benin – 54 per cent; Eko – 28 per cent; and Enugu – 56.2 per cent.

Ibadan, Ikeja, Kaduna, Kano Port Harcourt, and Yola had ATC&C loss levels of 51, 33.4, 70, 54.2, 66 and 68.6 per cent

respectively between January and May 2018.

Meanwhile, Azura Power has announced the appointment of a new Managing Director, Mr. Edu Okeke.

Okeke succeeds Dr. David Ladipo, who has stepped down from the position.

A statement from the power firm which recently completed its 461MW power Genco months ahead of schedule in Edo, stated that Okeke would now replace Ladipo, who it explained, was a co-founder of Azura, and had spent more than eight years at the helm of the company. The statement said during Ladipo’s time, the company developed, built and commissioned its Genco which it said, was Nigeria’s first large-scale, privately-financed, independent power plant.

“As the company transits into 2019, he now passes the baton to his erstwhile deputy, Mr. Edu Okeke. Mr. Okeke joined Azura in 2014 as its Chief Operating Officer before becoming Deputy Managing Director in 2016,” the statement said.

MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Atiku Mandate Group Carpets Miyetti Allah for Backing Buhari Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The alleged endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACABAN)

has drawn the ire of Atiku Mandate Group, which said “the body is certainly one of the most destabilising groups that has wreaked havoc on Nigerians and looking more like an endorsement by Boko

Yari Has Sidelined Me, Zamfara Deputy Gov Cries out Segun James The Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, has said Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari has sidelined him.

Wakkala told journalists in Gusau, the state capital, yesterday that the governor had denied him his rights and privileges .

“For months now, several of the legal fundings that are supposed to be made to my office have been stopped and I have been completely sidelined by the state government. “This attitude against me started since I indicated interest to run for the governorship of the state on the platform of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I know that nothing stops me as a citizen from contesting for any elective position, so I want those concerned and responsible for the interpretation and implementation of the constitutional provisions that accorded me rights and privileges to explain to me why I am being treated this way.

“If my crime is my declaration, then what about my supporting staff made up of casual staff, feeding of security personnel, fueling and services of vehicles attached to my office, what have they done to have their allowances stopped, “he said.

The deputy governor also said that it had still not been officially communicated to him that the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, would be serving

as acting governor of the state.

“I knew this on the pages of newspapers, the social media and when the state Commissioner of Information told a journalist that I am treated this way because I belong to the G8 group.

“My concern at the moment, however, is to see that Zamfara is free from all these security challenges where the killings, kidnappings and animal rustling have taken charge.”

Clarifying further on the matter, the deputy governor’s Director-General on Media, Malam Yusuf Idris, said, “The deputy governor is always in his office and nothing is related to him concerning official matters.”

Yusuf maintained that “the only reason someone else aside from the deputy governor that can act in the governor’s absence is when he (the deputy governor) is removed by the State House of Assembly or from office by court order or death and none of these is the case at the moment,” he said.

When contacted however, Governor Yari told journalists that “my main concern in the state now is how to tackle the security situation and see our people living without any threat to their lives, businesses or property.

“We can only discuss this issue when we begin to talk politics,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the APC in the state is fictionalised between the governor and his supporters and the G8 made up of eight persons including the deputy governor.

NCAA Sanctions Four Airlines over Violation of Regulations Chinedu Eze The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has sanctioned four erring airline operators for various degrees of violations of Nigeria’s civil aviation regulations.

The sanctions include withdrawal of operating licence of one of the airlines and payment of fines by the others.

NCAA in a statement issued yesterday by its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, said the sanctions affected both schedules and charter operators.

The regulatory authority explained that during a spot inspection carried out by NCAA Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) on those operators, a number of deficiencies were observed.

The deficiencies include non-implementation of training programmes of maintenance personnel as required, irregularities concerning helicopter flight identification, deliberate violation of the regulations, performing maintenance

programme without necessary approval and using outdated manual.

NCAA said the above findings were in violation of Nigeria’s civil aviation regulations.

“Consequently, the various operators were fined ranging from N1, 500, 000 to N2 million.

While the operator involved in deliberate violation of the regulations had its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) suspended for 180 days.

“However, the Authority has ensured that the affected personnel in question in the employment of one of the airlines are trained accordingly,” the statement added.

NCAA, however, re-assured all stakeholders that it would continue to ensure that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are strictly followed.

The agency added that it expects strict compliance with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations in the future and that violations would be viewed seriously.

Haram.”

Atiku Mandate Group in a statement in Abuja by its Director of Media and Publicity, Sunny Areh, said it was an endorsement of failure to protect lives and property and a confirmation that there has been a covert and existing relationship between Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and its life patron, the president.

“It is strange but we are

not surprised because being life patron of Miyetti Allah, he has guaranteed the group the forceful land seizures from citizens across the country for their cattle colonies. The endorsement is a reciprocity of being the protector-in-chief of its atrocities,” Areh said.

Continuing, he said “It is laughable that an association that acknowledges mass murders by its members is pledging to collaborate with

security agencies to fish out bad eggs within its fold, when it has always been known that the group enjoys state protection.

“Nigerians should be on the alert on the group’s claims of its plan to mobilise 20 million votes for Buhari as there may be underhand strategies to use cattle grazing routes to ‘caravan’ aliens into the country and also engage in cross border voting,” he warned.

While urging all commu-

nities across the country that have suffered devastating killings by herdsmen to reject President Buhari at the polls for his deliberate failure to protect their lives and property, Areh said all men and women of goodwill should ensure the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the next president who will bring succour to all citizens and get Nigeria working again.

CONDOLENCE VISIT…

L-R: Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, during Buhari’s condolence visit to the family of the late former President Shehu Shagari in Sokoto...yesterday

CUPP Demands Health Check of Presidential Candidates Udora Orizu in Abuja The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has demanded the mental health check of all presidential candidates for the 2019 elections and raised the alarm over the mental status of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

The coalition said its alarm over Buhari’s health followed the allegation made by the president’s wife that the presidency had been hijacked by two or three people and following the consistent

practice of the president not to take questions from Nigerian journalists and only having to read from prepared speeches.

In a statement issued by CUPP’s national spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, the coalition said, “a country of about 200 million people cannot be living and thriving under the situation of being in doubt of the mental stability of the man who holds their mandate to lead and who is seeking an extension of that mandate. The international community is also expressing a similar doubt hence

the reactions in the economy and the withdrawal of their businesses from the country.

At no other particular time in the history of Nigeria has the number of businesses which closed down in the almost four years of the Buhari Presidency happened before in Nigeria.”

Ugochinyere noted that it is on these premises that they demand for an independent team of experts in mental health issues to examine President Buhari and indeed all other presidential candidates to ascertain their mental stability

before polling day so that any person who does not pass the examination should not be allowed to participate in the election.

He assured that the opposition coalition’s consensus candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will subject himself to any such medical exercise for the general interest of Nigeria.

CUPP also calls on President Buhari to face the Nigerian media and stop holding them in disdain as they are professionals that are renowned world over for their expertise.

Telecoms Subscribers Hit 169.1m in November Emma Okonji Telecoms subscribers’ number across all networks rose to 169.1 million in November 2018, up from 165.2 million as at October same year.

The rise in the figure of subscribers’ number, which was released yesterday by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), also showed an increase in

teledensity from 118.03 per cent in October this year, to 120.79 per cent in November same year.

Teledensity is the number of active telephone connections per one hundred inhabitants living within an area and is expressed as a percentage figure. The NCC’s statistics showed that Globacom recorded a total of 1,691,133 new subscribers in November,

thus emerging as the most preferred network for new telephone users that month.

According to NCC, in its monthly report, Globacom with 26 per cent of the nation’s subscribers on its network, moved from 41,582,055 subscribers in October to 43,273,188 subscribers in November 2018.

The report further stated that Globacom picked 1,691,133

customers in November, 2018, while 1,323,282 joined MTN and Airtel recorded 849,173 new customers. However, 9mobile did not add any new subscriber during the period.

With these increases, the total number of active subscribers in the country recorded a growth of 3.86 million telephone users, rising from 165,239,443 recorded in October to 169,104,830 in November 2018.

$5m Bribe Claim: Obafemi Hamzat a Blatant Liar, Says Jonathan Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the running mate to the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Obafemi Hamzat, as a blatant liar and a “Nobody” who in 2015 had neither a recognisable name nor political clout.

The former president’s reaction followed a claim by Hamzat that he rejected a $5million bribe from Jonathan during the 2015 elections.

In a statement sent to THISDAY and signed by his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, he said there is no better way to respond to the frivolous claim by Hamzat than to quickly dismiss it as a blatant lie apparently concocted by a wannabe politician desperate for votes in a campaign season.

According to the statement, Ezeh said: “This character is an obscure individual who in 2015 had neither a recognisable name

nor political clout. The point has to be clearly made that former President Jonathan has never met this man who was obviously not relevant in the national politics of 2015, let alone seek to offer him bribe. “If the former President did not offer anyone bribe, having clearly acquitted himself as a man who does not believe in desperate politics, how on earth could he have sought to compromise an individual he didn’t even know

and who obviously had no means of helping him politically?”

He further argued that assuming anybody had $5 million to spend to better his political fortune as Mr. Hamzat claimed, “Why seek to waste it on man who was just a commissioner prior to 2015, and whose best outing so far is to function as a hand-picked running mate to a governorship candidate in the forthcoming 2019 elections?”

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Falana, Other Activists Ask FG to End Zamfara Killings Udora Orizu in Abuja Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana; Transition Monitoring Group (TMG); Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and other rights activists have

tasked the federal government to end the incessant killings in Zamfara State.

In a petition, the activists regretted that despite the federal government’s assurance to protect the life and property of every Nigerian citizen, bandits have continued to unleash mayhem

2019: PDP Predicts Victory in Rivers Martins Ifijeh The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the party will win the 2019 general elections in Rivers State as there are no credible alternatives in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday and signed by the Director of Information and Communications, PDP, Emma Okah, the party said it has worked hard, fulfilled promises made and served the people well.

Okah said: “In 2015, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, in his convictions, went round the state and saw the plight of his people, felt their pulse, shared their pain and made promises to turn things around for good.

“The state is more developed today than he met it, hence the 2019 general elections will be between a governor who has earned the trust of the people and others who have no traceable signature.”

While stating that APC was enmeshed in multiple controversies, he said sentiments were running high as to what the people of Rivers State should expect, adding that the responses that were pouring in for the governor showed a good measure of appreciation and gratitude for lifting the state higher.

Two Feared Dead in Rivers Boat Mishap Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt No fewer than two persons are feared to have drowned when a fully loaded passenger boat capsized in Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The boat was said to be sailing from Abonema to Idama yesterday afternoon when it lost control and capsized.

THISDAY gathered that local divers rushed to the scene and rescued the victims but two persons were yet to be accounted for as at yesterday evening.

While most people were rescued by local divers, it was learnt that two other passengers lost their lives.

In all, 12 passengers were rescued after the boat accident.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officers, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident.

“I can confirm that a boat accident happened in Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“The affected passenger boat was travelling from Abonema to Idama when the incident happened and the accident claimed the lives of two persons.

“There was recession but Governor Wike ran a divine economy, prudently managed resources and provided infrastructure where those who had money failed to.

He unchained the judiciary, proclaimed autonomy to the judiciary and granted access to justice” he said.

on the people of Zamfara State unabated.

Signatories to the petition included Falana, Kolawole Olaniyan, Chidi Odinkalu, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Adetokunbo Mumuni, Lanre Suraj, Malachi Ugwummadu, Amnesty International Nigeria, SERAP, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) , and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC).

Others are the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR) and TMG. The actvitists noted that despite the assurance of the federal government to protect the life and property of every Nigerian citizen, the bandits have continued to unleash mayhem on the people of Zamfara State unabated.

According to the activists: “We condemn the incessant killing of unarmed people, abduction and rape of women by bandits that have been terrorising the law-abiding people of Zamfara State for quite some time.

“Recently, Governor Abdulaziz Yari announced that he was quitting as the chief security officer of the state and urged Allah to take control of the security situation. Since then, the intensity of the reckless attacks by the bandits have continued unabated. Having been left completely at the mercy of the criminal gangs, the people have decided to draw public attention to their plight by embarking on peaceful rallies.

“Since the fundamental right of the Nigerian people to

assemble peacefully and express themselves freely is guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) we support

the rallies convened by the people of Zamfara State to protest the state of anarchy and chaos in the state.

Bobo Bode-Kayode Passes on at 56 Mrs Osayomwanbo ‘Bobo’ Bode-Kayode Nee GiwaOsagie is dead. She passed on, on December 20 2018.

Born on August 5, 1961, Mrs Bode-Kayode, until her death, was an Executive Director at Omni Medical Centre, Onikan, Lagos. She was the first Female Nigerian Embryologist, an Executive member of the IVF Society of Nigeria and a specialist in child reproduction techniques. During her lifetime, she assisted men and women

with fertility problems and difficulties in conception to have babies.

MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2018 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Offa Robbery: Saraki’s Aide Berates Lai Mohammed Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Media Adviser to the Senate President, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, has berated the Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for his recent utterances over the last April armed robbery attack that claimed several lives in Offa, Kwara State.

Olaniyonu, in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, described the Information Minister as an unrestrained and compulsive perjurer, whose name has become synonymous with misinformation and untruths.

According to him,“the Nigerian public and the people of Offa know that Lai Mohammed’s utterances are synonymous

Ambode: Buhari’s Re-election will Translate to Improved Infrastructure, Security

with deliberate misinformation, unbridled untruths, and outright falsehoods. Right now, he is only playing the cheap politics that he is known to play when the general elections come around.

“The Offa people know how to differentiate between leaders like Dr. Saraki who have stood with them throughout the years and those Lagos-based politicians, like Lai Mohammed, who only come around to

make noise, spew political propaganda, and use the tragic loss of their sons and daughters as cheap political points in an election season,” Olaniyonu said.

Saraki’s media aide was reacting to Mohammed’s claim during a radio interview in Kwara State on Christmas day, that the Senate president had trivialised the Offa robbery, which claimed the lives of 33 Nigerians, by saying that he

had donated N10million to the Offa Monarch as compensation for victims.

Olaniyonu said those who are trying to implicate the Senate president in the Offa robbery affair by all means, are so fixated on that mission that they are messing up with the due process that would give justice to the victims, both dead and alive, and their immediate families.

He explained that “during the

Senate president’s syndicated radio interview, he made it clear that it was unthinkable that anybody would want to link him with armed robbery or violence against his own people. According to Olaniyonu, Saraki also stated categorically that anybody that would want to link him to such violence should first ask what he has to gain from such a dastardly act.

Appoints new head of service Hamid Adedeji Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has stated that the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari would translate to improved security, infrastructure and economy, and lauded the people of Akwa Ibom State for trooping out in large numbers to witness last Friday’s official flag-off of the presidential campaign of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 general elections, saying the development was an eloquent confirmation that Buhari is head and shoulders above the other candidates.

Ambode has also approved the appointment of Mr. Hakeem Olayinka Muri-Okunola as the 21st Head of Service (HOS) in the state.

Speaking to reporters at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Ambode said it was particularly instructive that such a massive crowd received the president and leaders of APC across the country, adding that it was gratifying that the sterling achievements of Buhari in office so far were being noticed and appreciated.

According to him, “This is a great day for democracy and good governance in Nigeria.

The crowd that came to the stadium for the rally eloquently reaffirms the invincibility status of President Buhari.

“I mean if such a large crowd could gather at the stadium to receive the President in the South South, it means the people have seen the light which President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo represent for this country.”

He said as promised by the President, the re-election

of President Buhari come 2019 would translate into improved infrastructure, economy, security and anti-corruption drive, among others, saying that a solid foundation to put the nation on sound pedestal had been firmly established in the last three and half years.

“What I want Nigerians to know and appreciate is that the re-election of Buhari/ Osinbajo ticket in 2019 can only translate to improved security, economy, quality infrastructure and massive scaling up of anti-corruption drive, among others.

“In the last three and half years, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo have laid a solid foundation to put the country on a sound footing for economic growth and development. They have initiated social inclusion policies and constructed critical infrastructure across the federation thereby positively torching all the fabric of the nation,” the governor explained.

Meanwhile, Ambode yesterday approved the appointment of Mr. Hakeem Olayinka Muri-Okunola as the 21st Head of Service (HOS) in theA statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Habib Aruna, said Okunola’s appointment follows the statutory retirement of Mrs. Folasade Sidikatu Adesoye on December 27, 2018.

Muri-Okunola was appointed as The Executive Secretary, Land Use and Allocation Committee (LUAC), a position he held between 2005 - 2011.

Until his appointment, he was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

Ikeja Oba-elect Alleges Threat to Life, Seeks Govt Protection Kayode Fasua The Oba-elect of Ikeja, Lagos, Alhaji Samsonden Adeleye, at the weekend raised the alarm, alleging that a few elements in the community who were unhappy about his impending installation, were plotting to kill him.

Speaking with THISDAY at his Ipodo, Ikeja residence, Adeleye who for the first time, was invited to a state function last week in his capacity as the Oba-elect of Ikeja, said ever since his attendance to the the ceremony, he had been observing some strange movements around his residence.

“My family members had sighted at least thrice, some gunbearing men in my compound who claimed they missed their ways and sped off thereafter. This is most disturbing as they were sighted at night times.

“I know some people are not

happy that they lost out in the Obaship contest but I have tried my best to draw them close, making them realise that only one person can become Oba, and that they will stand to benefit once I ascend the throne.

“Yet, these elements are adamant, and knowing that the state government has now recognised my selection of four years ago as Oba-elect, they think the only way out is to eliminate me, “Adeleye alleged.

He called on Governor Akinwumi Ambode to help draft armed policemen or operatives of the Civil Defence Corps to his home, to secure his life.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, had in a letter he personally signed, invited Adeleye, whom he addressed as Ikeja Oba-elect, to the launch of the Lagos State Health Scheme, which held at the Civic Centre, Eti-Osa, Lagos.

THIS IS OUR MAN...

Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Nsima Ekere (left), and Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, at the flag-off of President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State...recently

Nigeria’s Database of Tax Payers Hit 35m, Says JTB The Joint Tax Board (JTB), has said Nigeria’s data base of tax payers has expanded from 20 million to 35 million.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Mr. Oseni Elamah, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday in Abuja.

Elamah explained that the feat was achieved as a result of the ongoing database consolidation of JTB, an initiative

being executed in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

He said that the figure of the taxpayers comprised both individuals and corporate bodies.

He said that this showed that there was massive expansion of database pointing out that one could imagine when that translated to actual taxes that were collected in Naira and

Kobo. “At the moment, we are trying to break them into classes of taxpayers and various jurisdictions where they reside, state by state.

“Hopefully, by first week of January 2019, this information will be communicated to all the states and then we will ask them to file their reports for tax assessment and it is then, we will tell Nigerians, how many are teachers, artisans,

entertainers among others,” he said.

Elamah disclosed that on the average, about 22 per cent growth in tax revenue had been recorded in both state revenue services and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), when compared to 2017.

He added that this figure was collated as at third quarter; and by the end of last quarter, it would move to 30 per cent.

Jonathan in Sokoto, Condoles Shagari’s Family Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto Former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday condoled the family of the late former President Shehu Shagari, describing the deceased as amiable leader that meant well for Nigeria and the world at large.

Jonathan was accompanied by the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi and Governor Aminu Tambuwal, as well as other leaders of PDP in the state.

He said late Shagari had played key role in the development of

Nigeria and the democratic system. “A unique habit of late former President which only those who had interacted with him would tell is he was a very simple and humble man in spite of various positions he held.“He possessed a very clean and good heart which he had shown clearly

in life time thorough various engagements and activities.

“We are mourning today, however, we are still happy because it is not easy reaching the age of 93. I believed be had done all the works Allah has asked him to come and do on earth,” he said.

Femi-Pearse, Founder of Whispering Palms, Dies at 86 Prof. Ayodeji Femi-Pearse, founder of popular scenic resort, Whispering Palms in Iworo, Badagry, is dead.

The late professor of medicine died at the weekend at the age of 86, following a brief illness.

During his lifetime, Femi-Pearse had an illustrious academic career as Provost, Lagos University

Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Acting Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG) and ProChancellor, Lagos State University ( LASU), among others.

He retired into the hospitality industry to establish the famous seaside Whispering Palms leisure resort in 1991.

In a condolence message, LASU

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, commiserated with the family on the death of the former Chairman of the university’s governing council. “The painful death of Professor Femi-Pearse is not only a great loss to the academic community in Nigeria, but to the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, President

Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over his death.

The president, in a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in Abuja yesterday, condoled with Ibilola, the widow of the departed, and the entire Femi-Pearce family, friends and relations.

ASUU after their Personal Interest , NANS Alleges The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) yesterday said its patience following the strike in the nation’s public universities had been overstretched.

The body said its deadline fixed for December 31 for

the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resolve their differences and call off the ongoing strike was in force, vowing that it would mobilise membe rs to the streets in protest after

expiration of deadline.

NANS Zone C Coordinator, Suleiman Sarki, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, called on the two parties to reach a common ground with the view to ending the strike in the nation’s public universities immediately.

While noting that education was the right of Nigerians and not a privilege, Sarki said “enough is enough.

“Both the federal government and ASUU should know that our silence should not be taken as weakness.

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T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY DECEMBER 31, 2018

MONDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

NFF Confirms Keshi Stadium for Seychelles, Egypt Matches Femi Solaja

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is believed to have settled for the Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State to host the international friendly between the Super Eagles and the Pharaohs of Egypt and the dead-rubber last 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifying Group B match against Seychelles.

A top official in the Glass House in Abuja confirmed to THISDAY in a telephone interview last night that the deal to host the two matches in Asaba is almost a done deal because the Delta State Government has agreed to take 70 per cent of the cost to prosecute the matches.

“We have reached the final phase of discussion and all seem to be done deal as the Asaba stadium will stage the matches all things been equal,” the top official who did not want to be named confirmed yesterday evening.

The final group stage match against Seychelles is inconsequential as the Super Eagles had already qualified and topped the AFCON 2019 group. Another decent football source revealed that the main reason why Delta State negotiated to stage both matches was primarily because of the attraction of having the six-time African champions Egypt in Asaba.

The international match against Egypt will attract top players like Mohammed Salah of Liverpool FC, Mohammed ElShenawy and Ahmed Hegazi.

The Governor Ifeanyi Okowa administration is said to be passionate about sports tourism and a visit of the top English Premiership star will be a big boost to Asaba and neighboring towns within the state.

“When Asaba hosted the African Athletic Championships, cynics lampooned the governor for the huge amount spent to stage the five-day event that was engulfed by many flaws

but the presence of top athletes in the continent at the event boosted tourism not only in Asaba but Delta State as a whole,” the top official explained.

But should NFF go ahead with its plans for the matches, it will be against the thoughts of the team’s Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, who has over

times complained about the state of the pitch and location of the dressing room during last month’s ‘Round Table Session’ with senior sports journalists in Lagos.

“Asaba fans are very friendly and passionate about the team but the pitch was very difficult for us to play just as the location of the dressing room when the

team bus makes final stop is another problem,” the FrancoGerman coach pointed out at the forum.

Since the refurbishment of the stadium, it has played host to 2018 Aiteo Cup final as well as the international friendly against Cranes of Uganda.

The official game against Seychelles will hold March

21 before the Pharaohs storm Asaba five days later for the game primarily aimed at keeping Super Eagles in shape for the 2019 AFCON scheduled to hold in June. CAF is to name the host country for the continental showpiece on June 9. Both South Africa and Egypt are in the running to host.

Chukwueze Attracts Premiership Interest Nigerian international Samuel Chukwueze is attracting interests from the English Premier League.

According to the Leicester Mercury, both Arsenal and Leicester City are keen on landing the Villarreal attacker in the January transfer window.

Atletico Madrid has also expressed interest in the winger.

Chukwueze has scored four goals in 13 matches across all competitions for the Spanish club this season, after breaking into the first team following an impressive string of performances in the Segunda division.

The 19-year-old won the 2015 Under-17 World Cup with Nigeria, earning a move to the Spanish LaLiga club from Nigeria’s Diamond Academy in the aftermath.

Chukwueze made his debut for the Super Eagles in a friendly match against Uganda last month.

Both Arsenal and Leicester have Nigerian internationals on their books with Alex Iwobi plying his trade for the Gunners. The Foxes boast Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi in their ranks.

Earlier this month, rumors linking Chukwueze with a move to Atletico Madrid was dismissed by newly appointed coach of the Yellow Submarines, Luis Garcia.

Chukwueze who is rated as the most sought after teen footballer in Europe is reported to be on the priority list of the Spanish giants if they succeed in moving on their forward Vitolo in the January transfer window.

The news sources from Spanish media reported a fee in the region of €40m has been proposed by the Rojiblancos with Chukwueze yet to agree fresh terms at Villarreal.

Responding to the rumors, Garcia who once decribed the 19-year old Nigerian as a jewel ruled out the possibility of Chukwueze leaving the club for a fee in the region of what was reported last week.

His response will no doubt calm the nerves of fans of the club who were already weighing up the prospect of the forward who has five goals in all competitions leaving the team at a time when he appears to have cement his spot in the first team.

Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu with his cheque and the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy as rewards for emerging the best boxer at the GOtv Boxing Night 17 held in Lagos…last Friday

Wahab Wins WBF Title as Oladosu Emerges Best Boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 17 Nigeria’s Segun “The Machine” Wahab at the weekend emerged as the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Inter-continental Super Featherweight Champion after defeating his Tanzanian opponent, Issa “Peche Boy” Nampepeche, at the GOtv Boxing Night 17.

Wahab got a unanimous decision victory from the judges after dominating the 12-round fight, which held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. He now has a chance to take a shot at the WBF world title at the weight division.

Also, Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, won the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy

Enugu to Host Blind Football Trial The Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu will come alive from January 15 to 20, 2019 when blind football players converge on the former capital city of the Eastern Region for a national trials being packaged by the Nigeria Para-Athletics Federation in-conjunction with the BINA Foundation for Persons with Special Needs.

Secretary General of the Nigeria Para-Athletics Federation, Patrick Abobi, who disclosed this, said the trial is aimed at selecting the players that would represent the country at the forthcoming African Blind football championship in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire later

in the year.

He warned that the trials is purely for visually impaired players and is open to all that fall within that category and advised those not connected with blind football to stay clear of the trials.

He appealed for a large turn out of players from where only the very best would be selected to represent Nigeria.

Abobi hinted that provision has been made for free feeding, medicals and local transportation to ease movement of players within Enugu and its environs.

He added that those who excel at the end of the exercise would be selected

for the national team and invited to camp towards adequate preparations for the continental football fiesta in Abidjan According to him, the federation is taking the continental championship very seriously hence the collaboration with the BINA Foundation for Persons with Special needs for an open and transparent trials in Enugu The Para-Athletic Secretary General therefore appealed to all talented but visually impaired football players to storm Enugu for the exercise and warned that any player that did not turn up for the the trials would not be part of the national team no matter how good he may be.

for the best boxer on the night and claimed the cash prize of N3 million after he knocked out Mubarak “Morgan” Hamzat in a national light-weight contest.

Oladosu, the reigning West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight champion, matched his pre-bout boasts as his rapid, all-action style saw him knock out his opponent in the first round.

Another entertaining contest saw US-based Nigerian, Oluwafemi “The Eagle” Oyeleye, defeat his Ghanaian opponent, Victus Kemavor, in a middleweight challenge.

Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi enhanced his reputation as

he defeated Yusuf “Murphy” Mufutau in a national light welterweight challenge.

Mufutau threw in the towel in the eighth round the bout’s last round.

In another action-packed contest, reigning African Boxing Union (ABU) champion, Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph, secured a unanimous decision victory over Hammed “Ese” Hammed Ganiyu in a national light weight challenge. Joseph maintained his cool as he was forced to go the distance of eight rounds fight by his hard-hitting opponent.

Other bouts saw Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola knockout

Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai in a national super feather-weight challenge, Femi Akintayo crushed Ebubechukwu “Coded Man” in the fourth round of their national middleweight challenge, while 18-year old Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi, defeated Saheed “Gbeminiyi Ahmed in a national bantamweight contest.

There were also spectacular musical performances on the night from some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars: Burna Boy, Wande Coal, Teni Da Entertainer and Daddy Showkey, as well as a lively display from upcoming act, OJ Flames.

China Criminalises Doping China is set to make doping a criminal offence, with any athletes found to have broken the law handed jail terms and “criminal punishments”, it has been reported.

According to China’s official state news agency Xinhua, the country will make doping criminal in 2019, with the Sports Ministry and judiciary currently creating a draft proposal.

Xinhua claimed it is a “strong signal” that China is against doping.

“We are nearing the end of our study and research into a judicial interpretation on anti-doping,” the Director of China’s General Administration of Sport, Gou

Zhongwen, told Xinhua.

“It will be promulgated in 2019, probably in early 2019.

“Those guilty of doping will face criminal punishments.”

China is the latest country to make doping in sport a criminal offence.

Germany introduced a law in December 2015 that mean athletes who test positive for performance-enhancing substances could face a prison sentence, although so far no-one has been charged with such an offence.

Earlier this month, United States senators introduced the Rodchenkov AntiDoping Act in the House of Representatives, which they

claim will establish criminal penalties for doping offences.

The senators claimed the Act will establish criminal penalties for participating in “a scheme in commerce to influence a major international sport competition through prohibited substances or methods”.

They warned this will apply to all major international sport competitions in which US athletes participate, as well as where organisers receive sponsorship from companies doing business in the US or are compensated for the right to broadcast their competition in the country.

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An Amazing Year for Lesser Sports Two standout events of 2018 were the World Cup in Russia and the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. The Super Eagles that represented Nigeria at the global football showpiece was the youngest of all the 32 teams. As the result of the experimentation of Franco-German tactician, Gernot Rohr, in his first two years in charge, nobody expected any miracle from happening at the Mundial. In this first part of the review of sports in Nigeria in 2018, DURO IKHAZUAGBE takes a look at the so-called lesser sports given little attention yet produce the best results when it matter most.

Team Nigeria’s Paul Kehinde, Roland Ezuruike and England’s Jawad Ali shortly after the presentation of medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia

In barely hour from now, the year 2018 would have become history. The journey of 365 days would have come to a full stop. As a FIFA World Cup year, Super Eagles performance at the Mundial in Russia appears to be the benchmark for gauging the success or otherwise of the sports sector in the country. The reason is because: Nigerians eat, drink and do everything that concerns the Beautiful Game with utmost passion. Whether such a decision is fair to the women’s game where the Super Falcons have bestrode the African Women’s Nations Cup like birthright with little accolade and attention from all that matter in the country’s sports, is a matter for another day ‘Lesser sports’ like Table Tennis, Basketball, Wrestling and Badminton who exceeded what football brought to Nigeria in the year under review, have continued to remain in the background despite Aruna Quadri and colleagues winning silver in the team event of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia and Aruna in particular also went as far as the quarter final stage at the ITTF World Championship. In basketball, D’Tigress won the AfroBasket as well as bagged ticket to the 2019 World Cup. Their male counterparts, D’Tigers as defending champions went all the way to the final of the Men’s AfroBasket but lost and still qualified for the World Cup. Odunayo Adekuoroye won

gold in freestyle wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast 2018. It was an addition to the gold she claimed at the 2014 Games in India as well as the World Championship bronze medal of 2016.

2018 was also a very good year for badminton, a hitherto lesser sport totally ignored and left to rot like most other racket games. But Francis Orbih who took over the mantle of leadership at the BFN, has turned around the fortunes of the sport.

It has continued its steady climb to the top in the continent. Through personal efforts like what Daniel Igali is doing for wrestling, Orbih has shown to the rest of Africa that Nigerian badminton players are podium stuff. From one competition to the other around Africa, Dorcas Adesokan and Aanu Opeyori have become the most feared players in Team Nigeria. Yet, this is the same sport players have been begging for funds from the Federal Ministry of Sports to attend events before Orbih took charge.

The story of Nigeria’s maiden outing at the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, North Korea reads like a fairytale. Team Nigeria’s Bobsled and Skeleton team, The ‘Ice Blazers’ made up of the quartet of Seun Adigun, Akuoma Omeiga, Simi Adeagbo and Ngozi Onwumere created a new identify for Nigeria. Of course as novices in the

Nigeria’s Bobsled team debuted at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, North Korea

sport who had less than few weeks preparation with no known coach of the sport as guide, they finished 19th out of the 20 teams in the event.

They were celebrated for breaking new grounds in sports for Nigeria. For Adigun in particular, transiting from being a hurdler to Bobsled was simply an adventure.

If Super Eagles could not go beyond the Group Stage at Russia 2018, celebrating those who were considered infinitesimal in reckoning but turned out the ‘head corner stone’ is definitely not out of place.

Nigeria’s Special Sports athletes, like always have remained the bedrock of the country’s sports. In 2018 like in the previous years, they turned their disability to ability. The Para weightlifters took away the gloom that enveloped the country’s contingent when after several days of competition, there was no gold medal recorded yet for Nigeria at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Roland Ezuruike and Paul Kehinde won gold and silver in the men’s event while women’s heavyweight champions Ndidi Nwosu and Esther Onyema harvested gold in that category. Lucy Ejike narrowly lost the gold of that same class to settle for a precious silver.

The medals they won contributed immensely in helping Team Nigeria to a decent finish on the final medals’ table of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Four years ago Team Nigeria dominated the track and field events at Glasgow 2014 Games with Blessing Ighoteguonor Okagbare the star athlete winning the sprint double in the 100 and 200m. She left the long jump gold for her fellow Delta athlete, Ese Brume to smile away with. But this year, with an inconsistent season caused by recurring injuries, Okagbare was in Gold Coast for just the 4x100m relay event so as not to aggravate the healing process she was going through. But Oluwatobiloba Amusan ensured that Team Nigeria had a track and field gold to celebrate. She gave signal of what to expect at the Games when she dusted reigning World Champion Sally Pearson in the semi final of the World Indoor Championships.

She shocked Jamaica’s 2015 World Championship winner, Danielle Williams to win the 100m hurdles gold in her season’s best time of 12.68sec. It was just three seconds short of the Games record of 12.65.

After years in the doldrums, Handball found a new energy in Sam Ocheho. He disbanded the senior national team and introduced the Prudent Energy Handball League. To ensure steady inflow of talents to the senior cadre, he introduced the Under-12 and Under-15 championship. In his words: “From what we have seen in the national team we need to start using younger players, we need to go back and start using fresh legs.

EPL: Man City Wins to Reduce Liverpool’s Lead at the Top

rFree scoring Man Utd earn third straight win under Solskjaer Manchester City survived a brief scare to beat Southampton and reduce league leaders Liverpool’s advantage to seven points.

Southampton responded to David Silva’s early opener when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg took the ball off Oleksandr Zinchenko and fired it into the top corner.

City had luck on their side when Raheem Sterling’s shot deflected off James Ward-Prowse to make it 2-1.

Sergio Aguero’s back-post header completed the scoring before half-time.

Southampton goalscorer Hojbjerg - who had only just returned from suspension - was shown a straight red card for a lunging tackle on Fernandinho with just over five minutes to go.

City had a number of decent chances as Silva, Aguero and Riyad Mahrez all went close in the first half and Aguero smacked the crossbar after the break.

Southampton threatened too and Charlie Austin was twice denied by City keeper Ederson in the first half before Hojbjerg’s equaliser.

But the Saints were ultimately undone by Pep Guardiola’s freeflowing side, who move up to second

place in the table.

Liverpool went 10 points clear of City at the top of the table with a devastating 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal on Saturday, meaning the defending champions needed victory to keep pace in the title race.

City appeared to feel the pressure on Boxing Day when they squandered an early lead and allowed Leicester to win 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.

But they stood up to the challenge at St Mary’s - peppering Southampton’s goal from the off and responding to the equaliser with two quick goals on the stroke of half-time.

City’s opening goal was straight from Guardiola’s textbook: Bernardo Silva’s neat build-up down the right and cut-back into the centre was comfortably put away by an unmarked David Silva.

Sterling’s shot was then deflected

by Ward-Prowse and flapped into the net by Alex McCarthy to make it 2-1 before Aguero headed in Zinchenko’s cross at the back post with ease.

It means City can cut Liverpool’s lead to four points when the two teams meet at the Etihad Stadium on 3 January.

Elsewhere, Manchester’s United’s transformed attack once again combined devastatingly to give caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his third successive win with an impressive victory over Bournemouth.

A first half of cavalier attacking football saw United score three times, with Paul Pogba netting his second double in successive games and Marcus Rashford grabbing the other.

They are now only three points behind fifth-placed Arsenal, having trailed by eight following the moralesapping 3-1 defeat at Liverpool earlier this month.

Pogba poked in his first after Rashford had mesmerised both Nathan Ake and Diego Rico on the right, before the French World Cup winner headed in from Ander Herrera’s precise delivery.

RESULTS Cry’Palace 0-1 Chelsea Burnley 2-0 West Ham South’pton 1-3 Man City Man Utd 4-1 Bournemouth

Manchester United players mobbed Paul Pogba (centre) in celebration of his second goal in the team’s 4-1 defeat of Bournemouth yesterday.

Monday, December 31, 2018

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MISSILE Saraki to FG

“If you look at it, that this subsidy must continue, then let it be efficient. Instead of doing that, the NNPC wrote the government saying that without putting the money in the budget, they can take the money straight from revenue, called cost recovery. This is fraudulent, it is illegal. There is nothing we did not tell Mr. President that this cost recovery is wrong.”

– Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, taking a swipe at the APC-led federal government, accusing it of lying to Nigerians.

MAGNUSONYIBE GUEST COLUMNIST

Elections and Meaningless Campaign Slogans

S

loganeering and symbolism are very effective and critical tools used by marketing experts to attract and retain the attention of their targeted audience. They are conceived with a view to ingraining messages into the memories of targeted audience through its catchy or clever appellation.

As such, it is not by sheer happenstance that the most globally recognisable products and services such as the iconic Coca-Cola-had ‘coke is it’ as its slogan; much the same way that Nike- the foremost sports wear firm had ‘Just do it’ while Citibank had ‘Citi never sleeps’ and Zenith Bank has ‘In your best interest’ as their slogans at one point or the other in the development process of the brands.

A critical study of the slogans and symbols would reveal that they actually conveyed clear and unambiguous messages to their target audiences hence the products and services became famous.

When you juxtapose that art of selling products and services in the world of commerce and industry into the arena of politics and politicking, you would realise that trying to convince a constituent to vote for a particular politician entails identifying a common issue/cause and then marketing the leadership and competence qualities of the candidate that would provide solutions to the identified challenge to the electorate.

Like what obtains in the commerce and industry space, it involves the crafting of slogans and design of symbols that would best deliver the vision and mission of the politician succinctly.

In Nigeria, rather than crafting a slogan/mantra or symbol clearly defining and delivering the agenda of a candidate contesting for a public office, most slogans/mantras swirling around the political firmaments today are tilted more towards verbosity as if in competition with a former member of House of Representatives, Patrick Obahiagbon a.k.a lgodomigodo who has turned bombastic writing and speaking into an art.

The assertion above is validated by the fact that most political slogans in Nigeria are mere mumbo jumbo as opposed to conveying any distinctive and meaningful campaign message.

Arising from the foregoing, as someone who knows a thing or two about strategic communication, I’m of the view that heading into election 2019, there has been bastardisation of slogans/mantras and symbols which is geared more towards the sound rather the content.

To drill the conversation to the current existential reality, what positive message does ATlKULATE convey to an average voter and what emotion is expected to be activated when Atiku Abubakar supporters and loyalists pose the question: Are you ATIKULATED? Compare the blandness of ATIKULATED as a slogan to the positivism and clear messaging intrinsic in: I STAND WITH ATIKU which is an unequivocal declaration and pledge of support to Atiku Abubakar in his quest for the presidency a second time.

A couple of weeks ago, l was in Enugu where l was attending a friend’s wedding and saw billboards with pictures of the governor of the state with a bold inscription: Enugu State is in God’s hands. Is Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi informing the good people of Enugu that he is God or a god? If that’s the case, is that not being messianic?

Similarly, just last week, l was in Benue State

Buhari

where l was involved in the funeral ceremonies of my mother in-law, Rt Hon Maria Aikulola and l saw erected billboards with imposing photos of Governor Ortom, the incumbent governor of the state. His surname Ortom had been rebranded ORTOMATIC. Is the message in the billboard aimed at conveying a message to voters that the governor’s election is automatic?

If that’s the case, is the impression not being created that Ortom’s return to power in 2019 is a done deal with or without the support of the good people of Benue State? Is that not a case of extreme presumption?

Owing to time constraint, l don’t have the luxury of delving much into the situation in Kano where KWAKWANSIYA movement, when Musa Kwankwaso held sway as governor, was and remains a formidable political force after the concept was elevated to an art through effective sloganeering and symbolism via the wearing of red caps by devotees.

For the similar reason of time limitation, I also would not be dwelling on the concept of Buharism or Buharideen whose adherents are manifestly dye-in-the-wool, if not fanatical supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari due to the myth of incorruptibility that he evinces.

Nevertheless, without much ado, I would like to quickly make historical references to how the dexterous use of sloganeering and symbolism in politics propelled presidential candidates to victory in the USA-a country that Nigeria is modelling her presidential system of governance after.

By far the easiest reference points would be Presidents Barrack Obama and Donald Trump, the 44th and 45th presidents of the USA, respectively.

In contemporary USA history, the aforementioned presidents are on record to have effectively used slogans/mantras in remarkable ways to turn the tide of politics in the USA in their favour.

Take for instance Barrack Obama who crafted the popular slogan ‘Yes We Can’ and which propelled him into the White House against the run of play.

As a black presidential candidate whose progenitors were mere slaves and servants in the White House, USA seat of power, Obama had huge odds stacked up against him. So he needed a powerful punch line such as ‘Yes We Can’ to inspire the electorate into believing that nothing in life is impossible. And the strategy

worked.

The ‘Yes We Can’ slogan was necessary because it was inconceivable that a scion of a black American who not until 1865 after the 13th amendment were slaves in the USA could rise up to become the number one citizen of the country.

The seeming impossibility of a black man becoming president of the USA was reinforced by the inability of Rev Jesse Jackson to become president after vying for the presidency several times without success. So the strategy of applying ‘Yes We Can’ slogan as a battle cry was intended to be a kind of shot in the arm for the despondent and weary minority electorate. It was also aimed at firing up their emotions and galvanizing them into a movement that would spur the Caucasian millennial young adults (who were not born during the dehumanisation of blacks through slavery) into opting for competence as opposed to allowing primordial sentiments that were still being nursed by their parents becloud their judgement. Thus, the little known Barack Obama defeated the formidable Hilary Clinton of the Clinton dynasty in the Democratic party primaries and went on to trounce the republican party candidate, Mitt Romney in the 2008 presidential elections.

For the sake of emphasis, it is apropos to recall that before Obama’s emergence, it was thought impossible for a black man to become president, hence ‘Yes We Can’ became a sort of magic wand designed to lift Obama from a first term senator in Chicago into the hallowed Oval Office of the president located at No 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC. Against the foregoing backdrop, ‘Yes We Can’ is obviously a distillation of Obama’s audacity of hope to become president in a land where his forebears were slaves a little over 100 years ago.

Another veritable reference point is the current president of the USA, Donald Trump who has also toed a similar path of enjoying the benefits of a slogan/mantra bolstered by an existential issue-ultra nationalism.

Riding on the prevailing global anti globalisation sentiments as reflected by the British people voting to exit the European Union now referred to as Brexit, Trump stoked the fire of ethnicity in the USA by adopting the ‘America First’ slogan.

By so doing, the toxic undercurrents of discontent in rural America against foreigners came alive with Trumps ‘America First’ agenda.

Ultimately, Trump became the messiah being looked up to mainly by folks in rural America calling for walls to be built around the USA borders to keep away immigrants, especially their South American brothers who they are accusing of stealing their jobs and Africans who Trump alleged are from ‘shithole’ countries.

In less than two years ‘America First’ slogan has been so powerful to the extent that today, we are all witnesses to the xenophobic sentiments that have become very dangerously pervasive in the USA. This is evidenced by the rise of the obnoxious Ku Klux Klan (KKK) which is a throw back to the darkest days of racism and segregation, and reflected by other ethnic supremacist groups now fanning the embers of racism in the USA hitherto known as the land of the free where every citizen of the world went freely to chase the so called American dream.

Another angle to the Trump phenomenon is that as a self made multi billionaire, most American voters elected their current president with the hope that he would deploy his wealth building skills towards turning around American

economy.

Remarkably, the PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar is like Trump, a multi billionaire who literarily turned straw into gold by pulling himself up by his bootstraps after being orphaned at infancy.

However, not much has been done to push that Unique Selling Point (USP) as strength for the PDP presidential candidate.That’s perhaps because the opposition has tried to damage his reputation by tarring him with the brush of corruption. In my considered opinion, with no evidence of corruption or conviction in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world against Atiku Abubakar, his accomplishments as an astute wealth creator which are evident by the business empire and institutions that he has founded or Co founded, should be projected.

Clearly, it is through similar self promotion, that Donald Trump whose optical scope does not go beyond the USA, became the president of the most powerful country on earth.

So by and large, what the trend of slogans/ mantras and symbols analyzed above indicate is that, it is basically the candidates for election into public offices who are smart enough to key into the prevailing pressing issue of concern to the electorate at that particular point in time, and use it as rallying force or battle cry, that emerge victorious at the polls.

In the light of the foregoing, what is the malaise afflicting a broad spectrum of Nigerians today that would be potent enough to be used as a rallying force to get the electorate to vote out the current government in power? Is it the alarming incidents of insecurity of lives and property especially in the north east; the scandalous rate of poverty ravaging the masses nationwide, or the lack of credible economic plan/strategy to lead Nigeria into prosperity from the current sorry state of the economy and the chord of disunity that has been sown in the course of campaign for 2015 elections and perpetuated by the 97/5% rhetorics by then president-in-waiting, Muhammadu Buhari, post election?

In 2015, then opposition party, APC now the ruling party, orchestrated the alarming rate of corruption in the country which it promised to eradicate as a battle cry and Nigerians listened to what sounded like a clarion call. And that’s largely because candidate Buhari, a man who had become a cult figure or mascot for uprightness and integrity was the person seeking to replace President Goodluck Jonathan, then incumbent President who had been tagged with corruption toga.

Given the perfect hatred that Nigerians had for corruption as they generally believed that politicians with sticky fingers and fraudulent public servants are responsible for their plight , the CHANGE mantra that the APC adopted as its slogan was most apt and auspicious .

One thing that can be gleaned from the details in my cataloguing of the positive effects of use of slogans/ sloganeering and symbolism in politics is that it is a very efficacious tool.

So the message that l’m striving to convey is how deeply, effectively and far-reaching a slogan based on philosophy has gone in changing the political atmosphere in the USA as evidenced by the good fortune of Barack Obama and Donald Trump who became presidents of the USA on account of correct messaging. r Magnus Onyibe, a development strategist, alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA and a former Commissioner in Delta State sent this piece from Agbor.

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