FRIDAY 11TH JANUARY 2019 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Fashola Takes over N100bn Sukuk Infrastructure Bond Fund earmarked for 28 roads in six geopolitical zones

Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, was yesterday in Abuja handed the second tranche of the

federal government’s N100 billion sovereign Sukuk bond initiated to fund about 28 key road projects across the country. Speaking at the handover ceremony performed by the

Debt Management Office (DMO), the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, disclosed that Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs); Deposit Money Banks (DMB) and retail investors were top subscribers

of the bond. The minister who explained that the seven-year bond was oversubscribed by 132.2 per cent as at December 2018, added that over 642 kilometres of road networks across six

geopolitical zones of Nigeria would benefit from the fund. She added that the PFAs which manages Nigeria’s largest pool of domestic capital of N8.3 trillion pension fund subscribed to the Sukuk bond

by 40.69 per cent or N40.692 billion; followed by the N17.5 billion (17.5 per cent) and N17.32 billion (17.3 per cent) the DMBs and retail investors Continued on page 10

Foreign Airlines Earned $1.7bn from Ticket Sales in 2018... Page 10 Friday 11 January, 2019 Vol 23. No 8668. Price: N250

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Buhari to Campaign in 36 States, Says He Will Win Hits the road on Saturday with Bauchi Govs absent at council inauguration, party explains their presence not necessary Omololu Ogunmade and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has set out campaign plans that will see President Muhammadu Buhari visiting all the 36 states of the

federation with a grand finale rally in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. THISDAY gathered from presidency sources at the strategy and inaugural meeting Continued on page 8

Dogara: Northern Elders’ Conspiracy of Silence Fuelling Insecurity Secondus asks APC leaders to explain source of wealth Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday said northern elders were not doing enough to end the insecurity

in the region, contending that their conspiracy of silence fuelled the escalation of the challenge. Dogara spoke in Lafia during the party’s launch of Continued on page 10

INEC Enumerates Seven-step Procedure for Voting on Election Day... Page 8

STANDING WITH THE PEOPLE... Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and party faithful in Laﬁa, capital of Nasarawa State, during the launch of his campaign in the state…yesterday

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INEC Enumerates Seven-step Procedure for Voting on Election Day You must guarantee credible polls, German govt tells commission Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday released the steps a voter would take to cast their vote on Election Day during the general elections, starting with the presidential and National Assembly polls on February 16. This is as the German government urged the commission to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the polls. The electoral body enumerated seven steps, itemising them on its verified Twitter handle, @inecnigeria as follows:

Step 1: Upon arrival at the polling unit, join the queue and present yourself to the INEC official (APO111) at the polling unit who will determine whether you are at the correct polling unit and check if the photograph on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) matches your face. If satisfied, he/she will direct you to the next INEC official (APO1). Step 2: The official (APO1) will request for your PVC to confirm that your card is genuine and your details, using the smart card reader. He/she will ask you to place your

finger on the card reader to confirm that the PVC belongs to you by ascertaining, the card reader will contain the name, photograph and finger prints of all those registered in their polling unit.

Step 3: You will then meet the next official (APO11) who will request for your PVC to confirm that your name and details are in the voters register. Your name will be ticked and your PVC returned to you. He/ she will then apply indelible ink to the cuticle of your appropriate finger for that election to show you have been accredited to vote. (If your name is not found on the register, you will not be allowed to vote). Step 4: The presiding officer (PO) stamps, signs and endorses the date at the back of the Ballot Paper. The PO will roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and give to you. He /she will then direct you to the voting cubicle where you vote in secret. Step 5: You will stain your appropriate finger for the election with the ink provided then use your stained finger to mark the space or box provided on the ballot paper for your

preferred candidate/party. Roll the marked ballot paper (in the manner the PO gave to you).

Step 6: Then leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of people at the polling unit. Step 7: You will then leave the polling unit or wait if you so choose in an orderly and peaceful manner to work the process up to declaration of result. It also noted that the result of each polling unit shall be pasted at the unit and for everyone to see. You Must Guarantee Credible Elections, German Govt Tells Commission Meanwhile German government yesterday urged INEC to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the forthcoming general elections. The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck, stated this when he paid a courtesy call to INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the commissionâ€™s headquarters. The envoy said that the 2015 election was already

a standard set by the electoral body, adding that the European Union was expecting a better standard in next month elections. He stated: â€œNigeria is the biggest country in Africa; it is the economic power house. It has 200 million people. It has the dimension of Germany and France together. That is how big you are. You are heavy weight giant in the continent. â€œWhatever happens in Nigeria has very important repercussion on the rest of the continent and I will say on the rest of the world because Nigeria is a very important country seating on a lot of wealth, oil and natural resources. â€œSo, the way we handle public stability, political stability and economic challenges will be closely watched anywhere, everywhere in the world. You have important elections coming up. Last election has been an example in the continent and also around the globe, for how you do political transition peacefully. 2015 is in the back of every politician's mind around the world. â€œSo, the standard is there. Of course you will be measured against the standard, whether the same, I will not say transition

because it depend on the outcome of the election, but the same peacefulness will reign in February and you have very important role to play there.â€? â€œIf things go well, people take it for granted that is an easy election. Things are a bit more tense, people look at you; that is where you come into the game and you have to be the guarantor of free and fair credible elections.â€? Responding, Yakubu said that the electoral body could not afford to disappoint Nigerians, and the international community. He said he is aware that the eyes of the world are on Nigeria for the reasons the Ambassador had mentioned, adding that he was also aware that in 2015, Nigeria conducted elections that were commended around the world. He added, â€œIt is 35 days today to the 2019 election; already the long term observation mission of the EU is in Nigeria for the election, this is a further affirmation of the interest of the international community on elections. â€œWhat happened in 2015 is certainly not a fluke, we hope 2019 will be a further affirmation of maturity of Nigeria democracy.â€? He commended the support

of the German government and development partners for their support to INEC and the ECONEC members.

which he said was called for the consideration and approval of the structure and operational modalities of the campaign council. He added, "Needless to add, your selection was not easy, because in forming this council, the party settled only for the best. You are the cream of the party and I assure you that with unity of purpose and effective harmony and communication, there is no political opponent you cannot overcome. "I wish us the best of luck in this campaign. Our agenda for this meeting is to consider and approve the structure and operational modalities of the Presidential Campaign Council - the terms of reference of your various directorates and organogram that will determine how you will relate with each other and how you will eventually discharge your responsibilities in the campaign. "I trust this will ensure a smooth campaign and a resounding victory for our party and its candidates. I therefore urge you to carefully read the documents and make observations designed to improve our performance. "The document containing the proposal on the structure and operational modalities of the council and its directorates for the 2019

election is hereby presented for your consideration and approval.â€? Answering questions at the end of the closed-door session, National Chairman of APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, disclosed that the president would lead campaigns in each of the 36 states of the federation. According to him, yesterday's meeting was convened to review the party's programme of activities, calendar of campaigns, various interests group within the country, the business community, the youths, women, people with disabilities and various special interests groups. He said, "The whole country is Mr. Presidentâ€™s constituency. So, he will have to visit each of the 36 states with appropriate message reminding people always. "You know in the country today, given the challenges of survival, people tend to forget where we are coming from, they just look at where we are.â€? On why the governors were absent at the meeting, Oshiomhole said they had the responsibility of governing their states and so it was more beneficial for them to remain in their states than to come to Abuja. He said, "Because they are governors, they are governing their states. Donâ€™t forget that elections are not defined in Abuja, it will take

place in the 36 states and Iâ€™m sure there are APC members who are campaigning for the House of Assembly, various Federal House and Senate constituencies, governorship constituencies. "So, it will not be helpful to bring them to Abuja. Here, it is about policies. It will be consummated and translated to practice across the 36 states, 774 local governments and awards."

British High Commissioner Meets Electoral Body, Others In a related development British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has reiterated her countryâ€™s support for Nigeria during the general elections. She also reiterated the United Kingdomâ€™s support for the efforts of INEC chairman, Yakubu, and his team to oversee credible, peaceful, free and fair elections. This was contained in a tweet via her verified Twitter handle, @CatrionaLaing1. The High Commissioner visited INEC Headquarters in Abuja yesterday. Laing, alongside the Head of DFID in Nigeria, also met with leading civil society representatives, the purpose of which, she said, was to learn about the civic advocacy space in Nigeria and to discuss views on the upcoming elections. â€œUK promises continued support for deepening democracy in Nigeria,â€? the High Commissioner said.

BUHARI TO CAMPAIGN IN 36 STATES, SAYS HE WILL WIN of the partyâ€™s presidential campaign council, held at the Presidential Villa yesterday that the party has scheduled its national campaigns to last for 18 days commencing on January 12. "The next stage of presidential campaign has been scheduled to begin next Saturday, January 12 in Bauchi. "The plan is for the president to campaign in all the 36 states, though some states will be paired so as to conclude the tour in 18 days," a source said. The meeting, which was presided over by the president, who assured the participant he was sure of victory at the February 16 poll, was, however, not attended by any of the partyâ€™s governors that are members of the council. But the partyâ€™s National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Isa-Onilu, quickly dispelled claims that the governorsâ€™ absence was a sign of worsening crisis in the party, explaining that being an administrative meeting, the presence of the state chief executives was not mandatory. According to a THISDAY source, however, the meeting dwelt mainly on campaign schedules and strategies to adopt in order to cover all the states in view of the time constraint. He said Bauchi and Gombe States would be

the next port of call for the APC presidential campaign train, which would hold on Saturday. It was learnt that Buhari and top leaders of APC would be using the Bauchi campaign rally to formally receive former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Muâ€™azu, into the ruling party. The source explained that the campaign schedule was drawn up in such a way that the president would visit some of the states in pairs. For instance, the source said that the president would campaign in Rivers and Bayelsa States in one day. Other states likely to be paired include, Ebonyi and Cross River, Enugu and Anambra, Kogi and Benue. The ruling party had earlier said that it would unleash an intensive national campaign in the New Year that would take it into the general elections.

Buhari Sure of Victory at Presidential Poll President Buhari earlier in the day told members of the presidential campaign council that he was confident of winning the forthcoming February 16 presidential election. Speaking at the opening session of the inaugural meeting of the campaign council at the Banquet

Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari said even though he was sure of victory, members of the council should notwithstanding leave no stone unturned in leading the party's campaigns effectively. He also tasked members of the council to justify the confidence people have in them by dedicating themselves to the task of winning the polls. He said, "I would like to appeal to you to dedicate and commit yourself once again to the task at hand. There is no doubt that victory is with us - it is ours, but that shouldn't mean we should rest even for a moment. "Even though we are confident of winning, I urge you to work as hard as you can so that we can maximise the scale and extent of our victory. I urge you to rise to the challenge of the great expectations this party and Nigerians have for you and the confidence that I personally have in the ability of all of you to deliver." He used the opportunity to remind members of the council that their selection was rigorous; pointing out that their appointment into the council showed that they were the best of all. He then proceeded to remind them of the essence of the meeting,

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Foreign Airlines Earned $1.7bn from Ticket Sales in 2018 Chinedu Eze Foreign airlines operating in Nigeria sold tickets worth about $1.7 billion from January to December 2018, THISDAY investigations have revealed. The amount indicated that there was an increase in sales in the second half of 2018, buoyed by passenger surge during the yuletide, as the foreign airlines sold tickets worth $800 million in the first half of the year, against $900 million they earned in the second half of the year. In 2017, total ticket sold by foreign airlines in the country was about $1.4 billion. A combination of the figures for 2017 and 2018 showed that in the last two years, the foreign airlines earned $3.1 billion from ticket sales in Nigeria, excluding revenues earned from cargo movement into the country. President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Bankole Bernard, said collation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)

indicated that the total class of tickets sold within the period could even be higher. However, the NANTA president told THISDAY that IATA would make the final announcement on the total tickets sold by the airlines. â€œWe are still waiting, you know the trading is done on IATA platform and it is at the end of the year that they would collate everything, because they have changed their system a little bit. So, we believe that by the end of January we should have the exact figure of trading for 2018. But I can only have an estimate which is over $1.4 billion,â€? he said. Bernard explained that the cost of ticket for international travel in Nigeria is higher than what obtains in other West African countries because of government policy, inadequate infrastructure and poor services, including inadequate fuel supply and these inconveniences are monetised and added to the cost of ticket by airlines operating in Nigeria.

can see an avenue for them to make money and they are making money. If you speak with any of them they will tell you it is as a result of demand and supply. For instance, if an airline comes into Nigeria

and there is no aviation fuel, the airline is going to fly to Ghana and quickly go and refuel. But guess what? That cost is going to be on Nigerian passengers. So, if the cost is going to be on Nigerian passengers definitely the cost of ticket to Nigeria or out of Nigeria is going to be more expensive than other places. Why? The reason is because we have not made available infrastructure that will support smooth operation. â€œSo, there are several reasons why the cost of tickets in Nigeria will be high. And movement is inevitable, Nigerians enjoy flying, they enjoy travelling from one point to the other. So, a lot depends on the government, if the government can help in the area of policy implementation that brings relief to the aviation industry then the economy has the tendency of even growing faster. If four aircraft should land on any of our terminal you need to see how rowdy the airport will be, it is almost unbearable. Why should it be like that?â€?

Executive Director, Zenith Travels Limited, Mr. Olu Ohunayo, told THISDAY that government must tinker with its Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) in order to create opportunities for Nigerian airlines to compete with their foreign counterparts by introducing Fly Nigeria Act, which would make it compulsory for foreign airlines to partner indigenous carriers and share revenues from ticket sales. According to him, Fly Nigeria Act would make it compulsory for anyone travelling on government expenses to patronise Nigerian airlines or their partners. Ohunayo said by so doing, the local airlines benefit from revenues earned on ticket sales by international carriers. He said the government can also back indigenous carriers and support them to operate international destinations by playing the inevitable aero politics on their behalf. He decried the huge amount repatriated out of the country every year by foreign airlines.

government funding sources; while also deepening the Nigerian capital market, mobilising more savings and promoting financial inclusion.â€? The minister added that the use of the Sukuk proceeds has an in-built investor protection mechanism, which includes the registered trustees monitoring the disbursements, and the fund been ring-fenced in a dedicated account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that they are utilised only for road projects. â€œThe funds will be released to the federal ministry of power, works, and housing based on the framework agreed with the trustees in

order to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of the proceeds,â€? Ahmed indicated. Similarly, the Director General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, in her remarks about the Sukuk issuance, said investors in the bond had become comfortable with its offerings and impacts on Nigeriaâ€™s economy, and were willing to participate in the second tranche. Oniha explained that borrowing by the government has had a multiplier effect on the economy. She added that contractors on the countryâ€™s roads had now gone back to their construction sites and that work would now start in

the interest of Nigeriaâ€™s economy. â€œSukuk has become a veritable tool for financing infrastructure which has several multiplier effects including job creation and boosting economic activities. In addition to being a viable tool for financing infrastructure, the sovereign Sukuk promotes financial inclusion and the development of the domestic financial markets,â€? said Oniha. According to the DMO, the Sukuk bond, which would be due in 2025, has an interest rate of 15.743 per cent. It is also part of the domestic borrowing plan of the governmentâ€™s 2018 budget.

â€œThey want to use our security services; they want to use INEC so that they can rig. This election has been won by PDP, you have won the election, so defend it, protect it, it is your right,â€? Atiku noted. Secondus said while PDP candidates and leaders are engaging the people for votes, Buhari and APC leaders are hiding in the villa planning how to rig election. According to him, "Let me reiterate this warning to them, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, that any attempt to manipulate the election would be an invitation to a national crisis. "If they love this country, they must not attempt to thwart the will of the people because it would be a recipe for crisis,â€? he said. Secondus said that the president's wife, Aisha, confirmed that the presidency under her husband has been hijacked and wondered what other proof Nigerians need to show that Nigeria is in a wrong hand. He also stated that some politicians in Lagos talk about corruption when they are thieves, who have milked

the state dry. Secondus said that APC has already collapsed with some of their state governors talking with the PDP. According to him, â€œIt is important that the entire country and those who are watching from home, who see the crowd of the people here, they would see that we are talking to the people and canvassing for votes. Now APC is sitting at home and at Villa, they are planning to rig the election. They are not talking to the people.â€? He added, â€œWe are here with former vice president, Atiku, who you can see, who you can feel, and who you can trust. He is energetic, he is resourceful, industrious; he is ready to engage you; he is ready to persuade you.â€? He asked, â€œBut, what of APC candidate?â€? Secondus answered, â€œBuhari cannot be seen, they are hiding him in the Villa. We challenge him to come out to talk to the people, to engage the people in hours of debate. If not, we warn the INEC and the security agencies not to rig this election. If they want to rig this election, they are planning for crisis in Nigeria. Will you accept any rigged election?â€?

Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika He explained, â€œThe foreign operators can see the huge vacuum and they will constantly capitalise on it. I will not call it exploitation; they are not exploiting us; they are into business and they

FASHOLA TAKES OVER N100BN SUKUK INFRASTRUCTURE BOND respectively subscribed with. Other subscribers to the fund, the government said included fund managers and other non-bank financial institutions with N11.652 billion or 11.65 per cent; non-interest bank and ethical funds with N10.943 billion or 10.94 per cent; and other institutions investors who subscribed to the tune of N1.885 billion or 1.89 per cent. According to her, each of the six geopolitical zones would get N16.67 billion from the fund, to undertake road projects which include six in North-central and South-south states, respectively; five in the North-east states; four in the North-west and South-east

states respectively; and three in the South-west states. It stated that key road projects such as the dualisation of the LokojaAbuja-Benin; Abaji-Lokoja; Kano-Maiduguri; OyoOgbomosho; Benin-Shagamu; and rehabilitations of the Enugu-Onitsha and EnuguPort Harcourt roads would be considered in the second Sukuk funding window. Ahmed stated that there was a significant increase in the level of participation by retail investors in the fund subscription from about four per cent in the debut issuance in 2017 to 17.33 per cent in 2018, adding that this represented a good development in the governmentâ€™s push for

financial inclusion and deepening of investorsâ€™ base of governmentâ€™s securities. Ahmed, who noted that a total of 1,876 retail investors participated in the second Sukuk issuance, explained that the proceeds would support the governmentâ€™s capital spending in its 2018 budget for road constrained rehabilitation. â€œEach of the zones has equal allocation of N16.67 billion. The roads will ease commuting, spur economic activities across the country and further close our infrastructure gap,â€? said Ahmed. She further stated: â€œThe Sukuk funding option is part of the initiatives of the government to diversify

DOGARA: NORTHERN ELDERSâ€™ CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE FUELLING INSECURITY its presidential campaign in Nasarawa State, where the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, asked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, particularly in Lagos State, to account for their wealth. Also speaking at the event, the partyâ€™s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, promised to commit 40 per cent and 30 per cent of his government to women and youth. Dogara wondered why the Borno elders that were so vocal in 2015 suddenly became silent despite the escalation of Boko Haram crisis in the state. The speaker said the 2019 election is not about President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku, explaining that it is a referendum about insecurity and hunger in the land. He stated, â€œOn the issue of insecurity, all of us know what is happening at Borno, in Abuja, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina States; even Sokoto and even Nasarawa States, Benue and Plateau States. I cannot even mention all, but I only mentioned the states where the situation is so endemic. â€œNow, the issue is this, when this thing was prevalent in 2015, we heard

Borno elders; where are Borno elders now? Where are the leaders of Northern Nigeria, where this problem has become endemic? What are they saying? The truth is that if we don't rise to the challenge sooner than later, if things continue this way, we are not going to have a country.â€? He added, â€œSo, it is our responsibility to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of insecurity, because without security we cannot even understand the meaning of democracy. â€œNow, the sad commentary about the elite in Nigeria is that we have all by our silence become enabler to those who have been unable to tackle this insecurity. And you know what enabler do? Enabler don't build a country, they only instigate or worship an individual to a position where they will compare such a person with God and none of us was built to receive worship. Any human being who accepts worship will meet destruction. â€œThat is why we are witnessing destruction in Nigeria, because we have elevated some human beings to the status of God. And we need to rise up as a people to rescue the country from

the clutches of insecurity,â€? he added. On education, Dogara said that if you want to destroy a community, a state, a nation, all you need to do is to lower the standard of education in that society, community or nation, adding that once you succeeded in doing that you have killed the nation. He said, â€œRight now in Nigeria universities lecturers are on strike, if it was a decent government that is committed to the future of this country, it wouldn't take one week to resolve this problem. Unfortunately, this problem is lingering and if we shut down education, we have shut down progress, shut down the future for our teaming youths who are gathered here. We shut down progress for this country called Nigeria. â€œSo, 2019 election is a referendum on education, I have multiplied it from education, to hunger, next time we will talk about the fight against corruption, health, social welfare and the rest.â€? Atiku said that the turnout of the people, which has not been seen in Nasarawa before, was a clear indication that PDP has been accepted in the state.

He said, â€œNow, I want to ask you, do you want to continue with the poverty rate we have in this country? So will you vote for APC? No way; do you want to continue with the unemployment rate we have in this country? Are you going to vote for APC? Never; do you want to continue with the insecurity in this country? â€œBefore they said it was only North-east, today the insecurity has gone to North-west, it has gone to North-central, and do you want to continue with them? Because they donâ€™t know how to govern, and if you donâ€™t want to continue with all these vices, I appeal to you to vote for PDP.â€? Atiku added, â€œAgain, let me make this commitment, particularly to the youth and women of this country, I have committed 40 per cent of my government to the youth, 30 per cent to the women, making total of 70 per cent. This is because I want you to succeed us.â€? The former vice president urged the people to stay behind after casting their votes till results are declared, alleging that APC wants to rig the election and that is why they have not been campaigning.

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Ten Feared Dead in Kogi Communal Clash Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja No fewer than 10 people were feared dead in a renewed communal clash between Ebirra Mozun and Bassa-Komu ethnic groups in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State. This latest incident followed the recent return of the Ebirra people who were displaced from their various communities due to the crisis which started last year April. It was gathered that following the intervention of elders from the area, the Ebirra-speaking people who left their homes in many communities as a result of the crisis, were asked to go back home by the state government in order to pave way for a lasting peace among the two ethnic groups. In the spirit of reconciliation, the Ebira refugees who were accompanied by the security operatives and political appointees, including the Administrator of Bassa LGA, Sam Alumka, and others returned to Oguma, the headquarters of the local government on Wednesday, and were expected proceed to

their various villages and communities. It was however, alleged that an uncomplimentary remark by the paramount ruler of BassaKomu ethnic group, the Aguma of Bassa, William Keke, ignited the latest crisis. He was alleged to have said that the returning Ebirra people should go back to Lokoja or where they were coming from. A source familiar with the crisis also stated that the Ohiogba of Mozum, Alhaji Halidu Bukar Ali and other Ebira leaders who were at Aguma of Bassa’s palace to receive their people back home were nearly ambushed by suspected militia of a warring group, but for the intervention of the security operatives who brought the situation under control. According to the source, after the escape from an ambush by the Ohiogba of Mozum and the Ebira leaders, the alleged “unguarded statement” by the monarch spread quickly to the various communities of the council, resulting to anger and renewed violence. In the process, over 10 people were said to have lost their lives in some of the affected

General Elections: Nigeria May Turn to Killing Field, Odinkalu Warns

Politicians stock-piling arms, ex-militant leaders reveal

Segun JamesinLagos and Adibe Emenyonu inBenin City A former chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, has raised the alarm that there were enough arms in the hands of private citizens in the country to create a killing field if next month’s elections are not free and fair. This is coming as ex-militant leaders in the Niger Delta region have expressed worries that politicians are stockpiling large arms and ammunition to unleash terror and mayhem against suspected political opponents with sole aim of rigging next month’s elections. Speaking yesterday on the Morning Show of Arise News, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, Odinkalu said his greatest fear is violence, adding that this can only be averted if the police, the biggest security outfit in the country, is seen to be neutral in the activities leading to the election. “If the security services don’t behave responsibly and with neutrality, there are enough arms in private hands in the country to create a free-for-all killing field and I don’t think anybody should pray for that,” he said. On the issue of human rights abuses in the country, he said even though he cannot really confirm if human rights abuses have increased under President Muhammadu Buhari, he is however, sure that disobedience to court orders have increased under the present government. He described it as ironic that people who disobey court orders will one day run to the same courts to enforce their rights when they are out of government.

Odinkalu said there is nothing like fake news, but false news which he said that most government agencies like the military and even the Minister of Information engage in. He lamented that when these false news are challenged by citizens, they are accused of not being patriotic enough. He however insisted that if the government can stop these false news, the people would be at a point where they can believe the information the government or its agencies push out to them. Commenting on the electoral guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he said the guidelines was not spectacularly different from that of 2015, except for some minor modifications. Meanwhile, ex-militants leaders in the Niger Delta region have expressed worries that politicians are stockpiling large arms and ammunition to unleash terror and mayhem against suspected political opponents with sole aim of rigging the elections. The ex-agitators under the aegis of Ex-agitators Leadership Forum, disclosed that through their intelligence gathering, they have identified some locations where these arms are kept and called on all ex-militants not to allow themselves to be used by desperate politicians as thugs to undermine the elections. In a signed press statement read before journalists yesterday in Benin City, Edo State, the forum’s National Adviser and spokesperson, Walter Serete, and Comrade Godstime Ogidigba, respectively, noted that what the region need right now is sustainable peace and development.

communities. It was reported that two residents of Mozum, Kagiwa Hussain and Aminu Usman who were returning from Oguma to Mozum were also killed by hoodlums in millitary uniform who were believed to have been sponsored by one of the warring factions. As at the time of writing this report, peace had returned in Ibiroko, Oguma, Sheria, Auta

and Ojugbe towns, which were deserted for months, while crisis was still raging at Ikede with heavy casualties on both sides. Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Mr. William Aya, while confirming the incident to journalists yesterday, said only two people died, adding that the situation was under control. He said two people lost their lives in the renewed violence

between the two warring ethnic tribes who have been at daggers drawn in the eastern part of the state for months. Aya however, added that the state police command has drafted a team of Mobile Policemen, conventional policemen and the Nigerian Army personnel, with an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of the operation to restore normalcy

as quickly as possible. “Two people were killed. One was killed yesterday, and the second today. Calm has returned in the affected areas. ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) is in charge of operation, while mobile policemen, conventional policemen, area commanders and army are already there to restore law and order as soon as possible”, he said

CAMPAIGN BEGINS...

L-R: Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Bola Tinubu; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Director General of the party’s campaign council and Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, arriving for a meeting of the council at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja…yesterday

Boko Haram Kills Two Soldiers as Troops Decimate 80 Terrorists Nigeria, China sign N2bn military assistance pact Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja An Army officer and a soldier were killed while five soldiers wounded as Nigerian military engaged Boko Haram terrorists in a gritty battle that led to the death of over 80 terrorists in different battlegrounds notably in Baga Naval Base, which was recently reclaimed; Cross Kauwa and Monguno in Borno State. This is coming as Nigeria and China signed a N2billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer assistance to the Nigerian military in order to strengthen its counter-insurgency measures. The Nigerian army said the fallen soldiers, part of the newly formed 707 Special Forces Brigade, were evacuated while the

wounded were still responding to treatment. Sources within the theatre of war said the night skyline of the battlefields were rent with loud explosions and fireballs as the combined forces of the army, air force and navy engaged the terrorists in a simultaneous ground and air assault. While the combined troops of the army and the navy shelled insurgents’ locations with armoured tanks, the air force constantly bombarded the terrorists. A statement from the army said the military also captured some equipment from the terrorists. According to the statement, “In the determined efforts to wipe out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists that now goes by the appellation of Islamic State of West Africa Province

(ISWAP), the gallant troops of the newly formed Nigerian Army Special Forces Command (NASFC) of Operation Lafiya Dole have given the terrorists that attacked troops’ location in Baga a bloody nose. “The triumphant troops, particularly the highly revered 707 Special Forces Brigade, which is the vanguard of the great exploit, dealt the decisive blow that neutralised several terrorists along that axis despite prior warning to them by some unpatriotic elements. It further stated that “the remains of the two fallen heroes and the wounded have since been evacuated. The injured soldiers are in stable condition and receiving medical attention. “The troops are now busy consolidating and clearing vestiges of the terrorists within the northern

Borno State axis with special emphasis on the Lake Chad region.” Meanwhile, Nigeria and China had signed a N2billion MoU to offer assistance to Nigerian military to strengthen its counter-insurgency measures. The Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, and the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Ziyou Pingjian, signed the MoU on behalf of their countries. The signing of the military assistance implementation agreement was a follow up to the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to China in September 2018 where discussions on infrastructure financing for strategic projects and gratis for the armed forces were held with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

JAMB: Remita Commences Sales of 2019 UTME Forms Kuni Tyessi in Abuja In preparation for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Remita, a leading electronic payment platform, has commenced the sale of the forms. This is coming on the heels of the 2019 UTME ePIN and form sales by the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) which commenced yesterday. Chief Commercial Officer of SystemSpecs of Remita, Mr. David Okeme, while reacting to

this development, said: “With this development, every candidate seeking admission into higher institutions across the country is guaranteed a pleasurable experience as they can purchase their PINs on Remita at any time of day.” He said candidates are required to first create their profile by sending their surname, first name and middle name where applicable by text message to the JAMB short code 55019 as they are expected to receive a confirmation code on the same telephone number which will be used to procure the ePIN.

Okeme said: “The candidate should then proceeds to the Remita website, click ‘Buy JAMB form’; select ‘Sale of JAMB/UTME Registration Forms’ as ‘Name of Service/Purpose’, and enter the registered phone number, the one on which the confirmation code was received. “Thereafter, candidate’s name, email and other details will appear and then payment can be made using their debit/credit card or via internet banking or from any bank of their choice, Remita partners, designated agents and selected

CBT centres nationwide. Once payment is completed, PIN is delivered to the candidate’s phone number and also displayed on their Remita receipt.” He added that “alternatively, candidates can also purchase their ePIN from the JAMB website and select Remita as the payment method. They can then proceed to pay using the channel most convenient for them.” JAMB is the Nigerian entrance examination board for tertiarylevel institutions.

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Vote-buying May Mar Nigeria’s Elections, US Warns Saraki seeks urgent stakeholders’ action EFCC plans rally against voters’ inducement Deji Elumoye and Alex Enumah in Abuja The United States has raised the alarm that widespread vote-buying could mar Nigeria’s general elections coming up next month. This is coming as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday called for the convocation of a stakeholders’ meeting by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address the issue of alleged buying of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) by politicians ahead of the general elections. To stem the increasing cases of inducement of voters, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has also finalised plans to host a concert aimed at rallying the grassroots against the menace. The US Deputy Ambassador, Jonathan Cohen, who spoke yesterday during a United Nations Security Council meeting on West Africa, urged politicians, civil society groups and community leaders to ensure that the election was free and fair. Cohen said, “The United States sees a risk that widespread vote-buying could challenge the

integrity of the election process. “We are concerned about reports of intimidation and partisanship by security forces, heightened insecurity and inability of internally displaced persons or persons with disabilities to vote.” AFP reported that the UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said Boko Haram attacks had increased over the past months. He explained that during the last week of December alone, the Islamist militants staged three attacks on army bases. Chambas said “tensions are high” in Nigeria ahead of the vote, but that prospects for peaceful elections had brightened with the signing of an accord last month in which parties pledged to support calm and order. Meanwhile, Saraki, yesterday called for the convocation of a stakeholders’ meeting by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address the issue of alleged buying of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) by politicians ahead of the general elections. The stakeholders meeting which, according to Saraki, should be summoned as soon

as possible by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, with the sole aim of formulating plans and ideas on how to render useless, the intention of politicians who Yakubu claimed are buying PVC. The Senate President while reacting to a statement credited to INEC boss that some politicians were already scheming to purchase PVCs, urged the INEC boss not to stop at raising the alarm but immediately devise water-tight arrangement to make futile the efforts of such unscrupulous politicians. Saraki in a statement by his Media Adviser, Yusuph Olaniyonu, declared that all stakeholders must come up fast with a solution to render useless the antics of those who intend to procure voter’s cards.

According to him, “we all need to put our heads together and I am sure that such stakeholders’ meeting will not only nip in the bud the looming danger, it will also engender general confidence in the system and create a system in which all stakeholders become problem solvers”. Saraki emphasised that buying of PVC by politicians as alleged by INEC chairman constitutes a major threat to the successful conduct of the polls, as it can become the single factor to decide where victory swings in the election. “We have continued to maintain that manipulation of election results does not start and end on election day. It starts long before the day and goes on even after the declaration of results. That is why we have to continually be

vigilant and once we identify any threat to free, fair and transparent conduct of a credible election like the INEC chairman has done, all stakeholders must put heads together to block the loopholes”. In a related development, the EFCC has finalised plans to host a concert aimed at rallying the grassroots against the inducement of voters and raising the consciousness of Nigerians against various forms of money laundering activities. The “Say No to Vote Buying” concert, scheduled for January 13, 2019, at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, according to Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, is part of the commission’s corruption prevention efforts, aimed at sensitising the public against the ills of corruption.

Acting Head of Media and Publicity at EFCC, Tony Orilade, in a statement issued yesterday said the concert, which is being organised in partnership with Olaranwaju Toriseju, popular comedian fondly referred to as Ambassador Wahala, will hold by 2p.m, and will feature comedy by emerging comedians like Dr. Ayuba, Ghana Must Go, Koboko Master, Stainless, Washington, Mr. Odey, MC 3310, Cee Dee, Charles Aworum, MC Philip, Asawana, Chucks D General, Nick B, Sam and Song, Funny Bruno, and music by Victor Velmo, Yung Fresh, Maisty Sanusi, Fortune Tunez, Braine and Magic Steppers. “There will also be stage plays and talk shows,” he said.

I Will Expose Kwankwaso’s Financial Atrocities, Says Ganduje Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has said it is high time his government came out to divulge all the alleged financial atrocities committed by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s administration. Ganduje stated this yesterday when he inaugurated 12 campaign committees in the Coronation Hall at the state Government House. According to him, the reason he chose this time to expose the Kwankwaso’s government after serious pressure to do so by the populace is because of the chain of lies the former governor is spreading in his recent political outings in the state. Ganduje said: “There were cases of embezzlement on projects such as the five kilometres roads embarked upon by his (Kwankwaso) government where the monies meant for the projects were released and siphoned and the projects abandoned till date.”

The governor said all the documents on such projects were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies which are going to make a thorough investigation and expose the looters of the state resources. Ganduje, however, revealed the names of the committees as that of Transport, Security, Publicity, Contact, Women, Disabled among others. He said these committees are expected to work assiduously by ensuring the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels. “We are going to embark on a rancour-free electioneering and take the sanctity of human life seriously. “We are going to make sure that we do not engage in attacking personalities, rather, we are going to embrace an issue-based campaign,” the governor stated.

BURIAL SERVICE...

L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu; and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; at the burial service for the late founder of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun at the Cathedral Church of St. Stephen, Oke-Aluko, Ondo..yesterday

APC Commends Amnesty Programme Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under the leadership of Prof. Charles Dokubo, saying it has been positively transformed. The party noted that the active participation of the Niger Delta people in matters of national concern resulted from Dokubo’s untiring efforts at deepening the prevailing peace and stability in

the Niger Delta region. According to a statement issued by the Dokubo’s media aide, Murphy Ganagana, a letter of commendation signed by its National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, the party applauded Dokubo’s efforts at ensuring development in the oil-rich region. It said the positive transformation of the PAP was in line with the Change Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“The party commends your efforts to bring development to the all-important Niger Delta region and ensure that the region actively participates in matters of national concern, irrespective of political affiliations. “Under your watch, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has been positively transformed and has ensured stability in the Niger Delta region. This is in line with the change agenda of the President Buhari administration

as enshrined in our manifesto. “While there remains more work to be done in bringing about total and lasting peace to the region, we urge you not to relent, but continue to explore all means and avenues to ensure the success of the programme and its developmental initiatives for the region,” the letter said. The party assured Dokubo of its cooperation, commitment and support towards sustaining peace in the Niger Delta.

Buhari Lacks Capacity to Fix Nigeria,Says Titi Abubakar Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The wife of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar, has asked the Nigerian electorate to vote out President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 16 election. She said the president lacks the knowledge and capacity to meet the expectations of Nigerians. Mrs. Abubakar who spoke yesterday in Abuja at an event with

the theme: “Kick Out Hunger, Kick Out APC”, also said that Buhari lacked knowledge of the economy and should not be allowed by Nigerians to realise his second term ambition so as to avoid shutting down the country. “The President himself, I don’t think he knows the economy. The government has devastated the economy and we must reorganise Nigeria by bringing in competent managers,” she said. She said the All

Progressives Congress (APC) has crippled the country’s economy and brought hunger and poverty to Nigeria, but assured that if elected, Atiku would “get Nigeria working again.” She added, “We are going to get Nigeria working again; people are hungry. Hunger is causing many of our children to go into prostitution. It has become clear that the current political establishment has lost its way and Nigerians have to endure the epic

disappointment. “We want Amina Zakari out of that place so that everybody will be Atikulated. Why did Buhari refuse to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law? It is because of the rigging they want to do. But we should vote on that day and defend our votes; we must ensure our votes counted. “We are flagging off a campaign on how women, especially those at the grassroots will vote during the elections.”

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍŻÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍˇ

COMMENT

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

THE LAST MAN STANDING

Enameguolo Orugbo celebrates Femi Falana, renowned lawyer and human rights activist Boys are those that run to people, men are those that people run toâ€ŚTonia Tortor

he time is ripe for Nigerians to flow with the tide and beat the politicians to their own game. Why? Politics as currently practiced in Nigeria, is a struggle for power and not a call to service. As the gallant Nigerian security personnel sacrifice their lives for the avoidable â€œBoko Haram Warâ€?, it is not out of place to celebrate great minds who have served, and are serving, their fatherland, in and out of political office. Chief Gani Fawehinmi leads the pack, Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM). SAM says it all. He is closely followed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for his educational exploits and immense contribution towards educating a generation. Last and not the least is Femi Falana. Tunde Bakare says great men like Jesus and Mandela do not have titles. The billion dollar question is, if Gani Fawehinmi were alive in the present day Nigeria, what would he do? He would fight for the masses because that was all he knew and loved to do. Gani, Nigerians miss you and pray that the likes of Femi Falana will give young Nigerians a sense to hope for a better tomorrow. You were a moral compass and dogged fighter. The barrels of military juntas were not enough to silence your voice or dampen your resolve. They incarcerated you and each time you came out reenergized. Sir, your efforts were not in vain, we celebrate you even though you are long gone. Those that incarcerated you while fighting for the common good will have none to remember them for good when they are gone. The Yorubas of Nigeria are highly educated, thanks to Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was a man who saw the future and invested in people. Awo, as he was called, was denied the presidency, not because of competence or character but because of politics. As his granddaughter bestrides the presidential palace as wife of the current Vice President of Nigeria,

YOUR SELFLESS EFFORTS TOWARDS DEFENDING THE WEAK AND CONTRIBUTING TO TOPICAL ISSUES ARE NOT IN VAIN

one thing is certain. Awolowo definitely has the last laugh and Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), is a proud alumnus of Awolowoâ€™s university of cerebral minds. Awolowo is dead and some ask, â€œWhy celebrate the deadâ€?? Firstly, Hebrews 11:4 says, Abel though dead, still speaks. Secondly, Femi Falana is here and in the class of Awolowo, so letâ€™s celebrate him. It is difficult to modestly describe Nigeriaâ€™s living legend, Femi Falana. He is a loving husband of one wife (Funmi Falana), a celebrated lawyer, human right activist and father of Falz the Bahd Guy. Falz the Bahd Guy, is the brain behind the viral song and video, â€œThis is Nigeriaâ€?. Mr. Femi Falana, your selfless efforts towards defending the weak and contributing to topical issues, are not in vain. As the world celebrates a New Year in 2019, Nigerians at home and abroad celebrate you. It is hoped that this will encourage the likes of Dr. Reuben Abati to regain their footing in Nigeriaâ€™s moral space and advise the likes of Festus Keyamo (SAN), to thread softly with politicians. It takes years to build but a split second to destroy. Ponder. The youths of Nigeria and Africa must be intentionally signposted to greatness and not just riches. Instablog9ja is awash with stories of youths stealing female panties for ritual purposes, at a time Japanese youths are launching 5th generation robots and Elon Musk is unveiling an underground tunnel to alleviate traffic congestion in Los Angeles. In about five weeks Nigeria will go to the polls to elect a new crop of government officials. Youths, please reflect on where your names will appear for posterity. In this piece, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Chief Obafemi Awolowo have been celebrated. Tomorrow it may be you. To the last man standing, Mr. Femi Falana, your efforts are appreciated and Nigerians say thank you. Dr. Orugbo,jetageNG@gmail.com

HE LAUGHED TO THE SUMMIT Dele Olowu pays tribute to Godwin Abbe, a general and an administrator, at age 70

ajor General Godwin Abbe (rtd.) has turned 70 on 10th January. In this span, he has experienced several important incarnations; he served in two instances as Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom, 1988 to 1990; then of the old Rivers State from 1990 to 1992. He was also Minister of Interior from 1997 and famously moved on in 2009 as Minister of Defence. At this time, he earned to himself, the distinction of helping to calm down raw militant nerves and of also establishing the amnesty regime. Major General Abbe has been an outstanding soldier in many respects. But, humour, the common currency for most of his exchanges can sometimes distract from the subliminal character of his output. His humour is rampaging and may have been given greater impetus by the profession and environment which have produced him. The military it seems, tends to appropriate humour as an instrument for making their charge more bearable. For those who deal with grisly subjects such as death and violence, a bit of gallows humour can be a great headwind! Typical of this humour is the conversation reported to have taken place in Cairo during the Napoleonic wars. Two French Generals, one, one-legged, the other fully able, were ruminating on the unevenness of postings in the French army and the resultant home sickness. Having listened patiently to the blandishments of his colleague, the abled General cautioned his oneâ€“legged colleague that since he had one foot in France, his case was less dire than the condition of those who had their two feet in Cairo! A good laugh is a soldierâ€˜s delight. Within our own military, the humour tradition runs fairly deep. One outstanding example of how our military deploys laughter as the best medicine, can be seen in the career and conduct of General Olusegun Obasanjo. He is a well known merchant of humour and often pushes his act to the limits of comedy. So also is General Mohammed Buhari, who for all his appearance of severity, can put down any rhetorical challenge with his deadpan humour. His â€œother roomâ€? response to the challenge from his better-half, may be considered inelegant, but it has, with laughs on all sides, put down a major insurrection in his bedroom! Major General Abbe, thus comes to the humour party, very properly served by the rather

well-established customs of the Nigerian military. But that is not all. At the family level his own father, Chief Abbe, a policeman was also quite well known not only as a severe disciplinarian, but also as a humorist and raconteur. I personally knew Abbe the father, as a great aunt of mine was married to him. He was then the highest ranking police officer in Burutu. This would have been in 1956, and policeman Abbe lived in a cute little bungalow not far from the beach. The house always seemed to be full of people and frequently there would be the inevitable overflow. Abbe seemed to enjoy it all as he played policeman, arbitrator, match maker, bridge builder, judge, officer of the law and enforcer in turns. The monstrous and noisy AJ5 motor cycle in which Policeman Abbe roared through the island of Burutu, left little doubt about his own personal eminence. Major General Abbe was the son of this colourful policeman and I would not meet him until well into the 1960s by which time the Abbes had become well established in Benin City. It was a huge family, with its homestead in new Benin right in the middle of an area which warehouses one of the most elaborate instances of Igbo trading success. Chief Abbe the policeman was a fluent polygamist. He knew how to make you laugh and also enjoyed laughing at himself. He bred prodigiously and his household had so much manpower, district felons looked at the Abbe estate as well as the neighbouring Ibo commercial assets with great trepidation. . General Abbe finished from Kings Memorial College Ilesha of in 1966, Nigeria had just entered the years of crises. Just when the Federal troops crossed the battle line in July 1967 at Garkem and bore down on the secessionists, Godwin Abbe, without any notice to his father, crossed his own little battle line and went on to join the Nigerian Army, at a recruitment centre, a few streets away from his fatherâ€™s home in Benin. The dismay this caused was compounded when it became known that Godwin Abbe had enlisted on the 10th July 1967 and was mustered as a private soldier in the Nigerian Army on September 20th 1967. Even though the army presented a regimental experience, General Abbe now jokes about his enlistment, as being amongst the most defining moments of his entire career. His fatherâ€™s anxieties about his personal safety were more than counterbalanced by the superstitious assurances

grandmother who urged Godwin Abbe that if he ever found himself in danger, he was to look back and would find her behind. General Abbe has not been able to report any such sightings but surely he has profited from providential favours. For example he was recruited straight into an ideological and professional crisis. For soon after enlisting, Biafra occupied the Midwest on August 9, 1967 and Abbe was shipped off to Agwu training depot in the Biafran enclave, from where he was expected to fight on the side of Biafraâ€™s 44th Brigade. It seems Abbeâ€˜s fairy grandmother intervened. Not only was Biafra cleared out of the Midwest within six weeks, Godwin Abbe was also able to return and take his place in the ranks of Nigeriaâ€™s Federal Forces. Of his forced march to Biafra, General Abbe now takes a light hearted interpretation. He regards it as an excursion which would consequently invest him with multiple insights into the Nigerian crisis. In spite of Abbeâ€˜s status as a private, he worked so hard that within one year he was moved into the officer cadre. In July 1968 Abbe was granted a combatant commission in the rank of 2nd lieutenant. A veteran of the civil war, by 1986, Abbe had risen to the rank of full Colonel. General Abbe is a paratrooper and also an alumnus of the United States Army Infantry School in Forte Benning, Georgia. General Abbe was the first Nigerian staff on secondment to the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College in Teshi from 1980 to 1983. Abbe who became a General in 1995 has held a wide range of strategic military appointments, GOC, head of TRADOC, member of the AFRC and Director of Operations. But none has given Abbe greater visibility or the opportunity for greater good than his appointment as Minister of Interior in July 2007 and Minister of Defence in 2009. His appointment as minister coincided with a period during which the Niger Delta crisis was at its most hurtful. The nationâ€™s crude oil output had dipped to 700,000barrels per day while militant rhetoric had never been more daring. Many had expected General Abbe, given his military ancestry, to propose a smashâ€“all approach. Others, considering his Niger Delta links hoped he might be conciliatory. It was a tricky test but owing to his deft handling of the negotiations, an amnesty Programme was worked out. It seemed to contain little triumphs for all parties. So impressed were

the authorities that General Abbe was moved on to the Ministry of Defence so he could supervise the Amnesty Programme personally. General Abbeâ€™s service years were not surprisingly a huge success. By training and nature General Abbe is a soldier. He poured his heart and soul into the profession. But in politics, many would have considered the environment inhospitable for him. Naturally a lone wolf, he would have been a fish out of water in the more fraternal environment of party and partisan politics. But General Abbe seemed to have joined proceedings and made a success of it, even from the deep end. His leadership of the PDP in Benin came like a natural behest, and when it became necessary to nominate a minister, his name seemed to be on many lips. General Abbe has scored many distinctions; his appointment as minister of defence was the first such for a southern minority; his appointment as directing staff in Ghanaâ€™s Armed Forces Staff College was the first such for a Nigerian; and General Abbeâ€™s odyssey to Biafra and his return to Federal authority was a unique experience not shared by many of our warâ€“time troops. At the nuclear family level, it is perhaps a brag point for Abbe that he has remained married to the same woman he took to the registry when he was only 22. Such precocious nuptials do not commonly make the distance. And the union has been blessed by an allâ€“male cast of six boys, all of them graduates: two engineers, one military officer, one doctor and two economists. These days, General Abbe lives in semiâ€”retirement and spends time in an elite school in Benin owned by his wife. The General teaches civics and good order. He gloats about his age and frequently taunts me saying he has put the daylight between us. He is older than me by a mere 19 days but gives the impression that he is my in-house Methuselah. General Abbe is a delight to discuss with, even though several years ago, in an incident he now disclaims, he is reported to have told me Â´I do not argue; I shoot.â€™ He is a jolly 70 and now reflects among other things on his life as a paratrooper; on his engagements in the civil war; on his public service opportunities and on his jaunt around the world seeking military refinement. He exaggerates when in typical Abbeâ€“speak: he declares that his life has been a picnic. But it has been truly close. The grandmother, his good luck charm, could not have been far away! Happy birthday.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

EDITORIAL The Fumes Of Death There is need for enlightenment campaign on the use of generators

family of six lost their lives in a rather cheap manner recently in Igboetche, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The family decided to keep the generator in the bathroom as they were retiring to bed because of rampant theft of generators in the area. All of them died in their sleep. They have joined the long list of thousands of people who had been lost across the country to generator fumes over the years. As we have highlighted on this page on several occasions in the past, the fumes emitted by generators are fatal, often without the victims, who are mostly asleep, knowing or realising the danger. They also have long-term hazards as a possible cause of lung cancer. Experts therefore advise people using the device to never run a generator indoors or in any area where ventilation is limited and people or animals are present. We understand IT IS ALWAYS SAFER TO that due to the PUT THE GENERATOR poor electricity OUTSIDE, AND AWAY supply in Nigeria, FROM A WINDOW, AND most ofﬁces, shops NEVER IN AN ENCLOSED and homes are SITUATION now being run by generators. The present administration, despite all the boast, is yet to impact positively on the power sector. There is hardly any family, particularly in the urban areas, which does not depend on power generators. So bad is the situation that in some areas as many as 10 generating sets could be found within a radius of ﬁve metres. To be sure, generators provide power for light, fans, fridges, television to video games and such like. But aside the noise and pollution they emit, there are also health costs. As most

Letters to the Editor

health experts have warned, fumes from these generators could be deadly. The fumes contain carbon monoxide, a dangerous invisible and colourless gas. When inhaled, carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the tissues and can easily lead to death. The signs on the victims are dizziness, nausea, headache, even confusion, symptoms mistakenly attributed to too much alcohol or sun; or something else. That explains why the story of people who sleep at night with their generators on without waking up the next morning has now become rampant. Besides, exposure to moderate and high levels of carbon monoxide over a long period of time has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. This could lead to a shorter life span.

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

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ZAKARI: NO TO A BIASED REFEREE

ast week we saw the latest scandal between APC and the INEC, a big argument over the identity Amina Zakari. There are three main arguments I have seen in the APC defence. Taking on the first two: one, she is only a relation through marriage. Two, she is very qualified for this position. Before we reach these arguments, let me lay out my grievance with the president. Buhari is a man of his people, not of the people. In campaigns he thinks tribally. When he can’t win people through his identity, he makes promises to you based on your identity. But even his own people are crying out in hunger and in fear. His own state Katsina is lawless, his neighbours in Zamfara are told what to do. Borno and Yobe are sent corrupt officers and soldiers without the best tools. Poverty overwhelms over 110 million, if you don’t know someone who is desperate then I don’t think you are a true Nigerian. So when we see family members appointed to powerful positions, I do not care for one second how she is related to the president. We are looking at someone who has grabbed power from the people once before in his life, we must not allow him the tools to grab it again. On the second point, I do not think Zakari can be qualified. For this position in this moment you need brains, but you also need honour. She could be the smartest

hat is particularly worrisome about this development is that as pervasive as it is, there is still no public awareness campaign by the relevant authorities on the dangers posed by generators. Therefore, against the background that hardly a week passes without reports of fatalities resulting from generator fumes, users must be made aware of the necessary precautions to take. In effect, it is always safer to put the generator outside, and away from a window, and never in an enclosed situation. Indeed, most of the deaths recorded were as a result of unsafe generator use in badly ventilated environments. We feel the general public should be adequately enlightened on the danger posed by generators, and how they can be safely used, mostly at homes. This should be the responsibility of the health and environment authorities at both the federal and state levels. By so doing, we will be able to save our people from painful but cheap deaths.

woman in Nigeria for all I care, if she is in a position to tear this country apart, her honour should compel her to refuse the appointment. There are many important jobs that need qualified candidates. Maybe she can be put in charge of resolving the minimum wage disaster, the education strikes, or the corruption in our military. God above sees how many crises we have in this country. Go and solve one - do not cause a fresh one. She is related to the president, it will not be hard to get an appointment! If she cannot understand this solution, she lacks the honour to be qualified in the first place. The last point in defence of this situation is comical. I have read a statement saying “in a football match, the teams do not decide or bother about who the referee is. It is never done. Rather, they focus on how to win the match.” Raise his hand the one man in Nigeria who thinks this is true. I have been an Arsenal fan for my entire life, and I can promise you that if we were playing our great rivals Tottenham with a referee related to their manager, I would hope our fans would not let this pass quietly! I would expect the same of Alex Iwobi on the field, and I expect the same of all Nigerians at home, who should be insulted that this barefaced conflict of interest should be defended for any reason. Chukwuma Udegbunam, Lagos

ZAMFARA, BANDITS AND THE POLICE

write to you as a humble resident of Gusau, Zamfara, to describe the shocking lives we are leading here. I do not mean the violence threatening our families at every corner, even in daylight. Sadly this is now normal. What will shock you is how blind people are, and how far we are from solving our problems. The federal government is betraying us; our “military strategic president” is as bad as managing police as he is with economists. All police who have served here just enough time to begin to know the forests where the bandits are based are taken away. There is not enough manpower, and even those who have become effective are taken away. Where could they be more needed than here? The only strategy Buhari knows is how to hold power. Zamfara is on fire, and the politicians are the thieves only interested in what is valuable inside the burning house. The local APC party has seen our misery and is using it to benefit

themselves. Their corruption meant they were supposed to stay out of this year’s election, but they have a plan – create the conditions for an emergency, and at the last moment override the system and run for election. Violence, corruption and wasted opportunities. None of this so far is shocking, but what has shocked me is how obvious it is that it will work now. I had believed after 2015 that our country was on the right path, but now I see that people will still vote for their oppressor. If the APC tricks come through, they will probably win, and that is the shocking truth. We are truly in the bottom of a pit, and I can only hope the humanitarian words of Atiku Abubakar reach my neighbours down here, so that we can finally pull ourselves up after months and even years of disaster. Atiku at least has a plan, he will listen to us, give power and dignity back to Zamfara. That would be a real shock after four years of disappointment. Muhammadu Yakubu, Gusau

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019

POLITICS

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

PERSPECTIVE Why Akwa Ibom People Have Faith in Emmnauel Amos Etuk

t is the season of political consolidation across the country. It is that season where history beckons on the people to make a choice that would chart the course of their future under the present political dispensation of our struggling nation, Nigeria. It is that season where leaders, visionary leaders see beyond the horizon of the landscape of the future of the society they govern as new templates usher new hopes, new possibilities, new beliefs and policies that will give the people a firm belief and faith in leadership to chart a prosperous future. For Akwa Ibom State, the Land of Fulfilment the laudable strides in superior performance in governance under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel is a committed approach in making decisions that has enhanced long term policies directed at yielding positive results for human development and the successful implementation of life touching capital projects. The dawn of this new foundation in Akwa Ibom State is hinged on the five point agenda of job creation, poverty alleviation, wealth creation, economic and political inclusion and infrastructural consolidation which today has turned the State into a desired destination for investments and industrial hub expanding and exploring new economic frontiers that over the years have increased the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State economy.

Emmanuel

In over three years of leading the people of Akwa Ibom State and driving the vision to meet the set targets of the Akwa Ibom Project, Governor Udom Emmanuel has delivered beyond expectations of even his greatest critics and despite the challenging economic dynamics affecting the nation, has positioned the State on the right track of a rapid economic transformation. For the people of Akwa Ibom State, there can be no other choice when the gubernatorial polls will hold on March 2, 2019 as an overwhelming majority have a firm faith on the amiable leadership strides of Governor Udom Emmanuel to continue the lofty programmes he has initiated for the people.

Perhaps, the greatest focal point of his administration in the past three years has been the dawn of a sustained peace upon the State which has transcended into every sector. That Akwa Ibom State today is referred as Nigeria’s peace model State with an ambience that has given the people new hope can be attributed to the calm mien of this great leader whose sincerity and upbringing has made him focused that the unity, peace and love happily sustained under his leadership follows the path of the visions of the founding fathers of the great State. Investments in Akwa Ibom State over the past three years have been encouraging and the industrialisation drive of the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration have left new legacies in the landmarks of the State with 14 industries fully established, changing the economic fortunes of the people and laying a new prosperous future for the brighter horizon of future generations. Some of the industries established so far under the present administration include the Pencil factory at Etinan Local Government Area, the Syringe and Metering Factory at Onna Local Government Area, the Rice Mill at Ini Local Government Area, Fertilizer Blending Plant at Abak Local Government Area, the Prime Hatchery at Uruan Local Government Area, the Plastic Factory at Itu Local Government Area, the Flour Mill Industry, Coconut Refinery, Hydro Form Block Industry just to mention a few. Despite the challenge of a dwindling economy with inconsistent policies at the

centre nationally, the visionary approach to governance has made the implementation of these Projects become a reality with a conducive a peaceful atmosphere that has attracted several investors to Akwa Ibom State and enhanced tourism development to its best potentials. At a time the Federal Government was contemplating the commencement of manufacturing pencils in the country, Akwa Ibom State has successfully commissioned the Pencil Factory providing employment opportunities using available raw material with huge commercial turnovers. In the ever expanding economic terrain, the establishment of the toothpick factory has been a successful channel for new window of opportunities and possible export while the Syringe Factory which has been described as Africa’s largest can adequately cater for the needs of the continent with the total number produced in huge commercial quantity. During the 30th Anniversary of the State creation last year, Vice President, Prof.Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) described the facility as a legacy as Akwa Ibom State was offering new economic platforms that will enhance national development. The syringe factory can produce over 300 million units and it is expected that the set targets will multiply by the end of this year as it breaks the shores of the international market. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

A Rare Figure Focused on Getting Things Done Femi Salako

ne unique thing about the 2019 electioneering is that almost all the political parties are putting up candidates for election. Either qualitative or quantitative candidates, every registered political party seems to be having it going good for them, now that they have a candidate flying the flag of the patty. But of all candidates put forward for the Senate race of Ogun West Senatorial district, one man undoubtedly stands out, he seems to be the only one among all with a special surgical understanding of what the district needs at this time. Former Chief of staff to Ogun state governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tolu Odebiyi, who resigned his appointment last year to run for Ogun West Senate race is no doubt the man.

Daring all odds when the present was looking bleak, Odebiyi gave way for the will of the party by jettisoning his governorship ambition in the interest of the district and opted to vie for the Senate seat for the love of the people. Of course, the importance of Ogun West is not lost on Odebiyi, if not now, when? For a man who had toured the nooks and crannies of the Gateway State during his state wide consultation for governorship, he sure understands what the problems are and how to solve it. As a true democrat and a scion of one of the foremost political leaders in Ogun West, Odebiyi’s focus and political decisions have always been about the people. He demonstrated this while he worked as the Chief of Staff to Governor Ibikunle Amosun. Odebiyi’s lifetime of connections with the district, including being born into a political family, are some of the qualities that put him at

working hard, reaching out to the nooks and crannies of Ogun West to campaign and have a better feel of the People’s pulse. His relentless, maybe obsessive, work is the common thread that has stood him out over the years in private and public sectors where he has worked and served the state, this explains his continued success. His constant political work and grassroots mobilisation might seem excessive, but they are so essential to grasping Odebiyi’s popularity and acceptability among the core voters who live him for what he stands for. He has not stopped enjoying inter-party support, across party lines, members of the opposition too always have good things to say about Odebiyi and his refined style of politics.

vantage point ahead of others in the race. Every waking moment of his life has been focused on Ogun West and how to make it better for all. The district ought to be the most developed and flourishing in the state judging by its proximity to Benin Republic where a lot of bilateral trading go on between Nigeria and its Benin neighbour. Saying the future of Ogun West rides on Odebiyi’s aspiration, will never be out of place. He is the overwhelming favourite to prevail in what could be a landslide victory in the Senate race. A closer look and analysis of his top contenders shows none among them have the wherewithal of challenging his political clout and popularity. His electoral strength, popularity and credibility among the people seems to be dissuading his major contenders. Despite all odds working in his favour, Odebiyi is not taking the race for granted, he is

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

OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TRIBUNAL UPDATE

PDP Witnesses Accuse INEC of Improper Filling of Form EC8A By Our Reporter Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) witnesses on Thursday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presiding officials deployed in the conduct of the governorship election in Osun State of not properly filling the various Forms EC8A after the close of voting on election days. The witnesses stated this while testifying before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Apo, Abuja, in the petition filed by the party and its candidate in the election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, against the victory of Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The petitioners alleged that the election was marred with massive rigging, vote buying and other forms of malpractices and that the election was not conducted by INEC in compliance with the laws.

Joined as respondents in the petition are INEC, Governor Oyetola and the APC. Answering questions under cross examination by INEC counsel, Agbede Adesina, the PDP agent for Unit 9, Ward 4 of Olorunda Local Government Area, Adegoke Phillip Adetunji, informed the Tribunal that certain information, like the number of accredited voters was on the certified copy of Form EC8A tendered in evidence, these was not on the pink copy issued to him at the polling unit. According to Adetunji, “I can see 245 (number of accredited voters) on the white copy but this is not on the pink copy I signed on the day of election.” He stated that he signed the result sheet after complaining that the space meant for accredited voters was not filled by the presiding official on the result sheet, declaring that, “nobody listened to me.” The witness further told the tribunal, while being cross examined by counsel to Governor

Oyetota, John Bayeshea (SAN), that he did not have any complaint about the scores of political parties but he only complained about the improper filling of the result sheet. According to him, “I have no complaint about scores of parties. My complaint is that the space for accredited voters was not filled.” Another witness, Adepoju Bashiru Akanmu, the PDP agent for Unit 2, Ward 11 of Osogbo LGA, told the tribunal that he signed the white copy of the result sheet, saying that he did not have any complaints about the scores of parties. “This one (certified copy) is fake. There is no recording of accredited voters on the pink copy,” he stated. He told the tribunal that PDP score was 51, adding that the 537 recorded for the number of voters registered, 220 accredited voters and the 219 used ballots recorded in the respective spaces were not on the pink copy he was issued at the polling unit. Ganiyu Sadia Motunrayo, who confirmed

that she was not the person whose name was sent to INEC as PDP agent for Unit 3, Ward 18 of Osogbo LGA, told the tribunal that she complained about the non-recording of the accredited voters on the result sheet. “INEC (officials) did not write the number of accredited voters. I complained about it but they did not write it till the end of election that day,” she stated. The witness also told the tribunal that she did not have any complaints about the score of each party but the non-entry of the number of accredited voters on the Form EC8A (result sheet). “My only complaint is that INEC did not write the accreditation number. Don’t you see my statement?” she asked APC counsel, Abiodun Layonu, who was cross examining her. The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ibrahim Mohammed Sirajo, later adjourned continuation of hearing in the petitioners’ petition till Monday, January 14..

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019

PERSPECTIVE

Battle Royale for Abia Central Senatorial Zone Samuel Onyeodiwe Ekeke

s the countdown to the February 16, National Assembly Elections draws near, one place that would be a centre of action and attraction is the Abia Central Senatorial Zone of Abia State where the incumbent senator and former Governor of Abia state, Chief Theodore Ahamaefula Orji will slug it out with former senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Chief Chidi Onyeukwu Ajaegbu. Chief Theodore Ahamaefula Orji popularly called Ochendo by his numerous admirers is an incumbent senator contesting under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while his other opponents, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu is of the All progressives Congress (APC) and Chief Chidi Onyeukwu Ajaegbu is contesting under the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) Chief T.A Orji is from Ibeku in Umuahia north local government area of the state while Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Chief Chidi Ajaegbu are both from Osisioma Ngwa local government area of the state. The trio are successful men and woman who have made their marks in both politics and their chosen careers. Chief T.A Orji was the chief of staff to the former governor of Abia state Dr.Orji Uzor Kalu between 1999-2007 and later succeeded his principal to become a Governor of the state where he served for eight years between 2007-2015 and became the first politician in the state to have transited to the senate after being a governor in 2015, a position he has held till date. His other opponent, Senator Mrs Nkechi Nwaogu was in the House of Representatives for eight years between 1999-2007 representing Osisioma , Ugwunagbo and Obingwa federal constituency before ascending to the senate for another eight years where she represented the people of Abia senatorial zone of the state. In all she was in the National Assembly for sixteen years. The third contender for this position is Chief Chidi Onyeukwu Ajaegbu, a former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He also played prominent roles in the politics of the state where he has helped many of the successful politicians in the state but is contesting for elective position for the first time. Abia central senatorial zone is made up of six local government areas of Ikwuano, Umuahia North, Umuahia South, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South and Osisioma. Three of the local governments are of the Umuahia extraction while the other three are of the Ngwa extraction. And since the inception of the present political dispensation the position of the senate for the zone had rotated between these two ethnic nationalities of Umuahia and Ngwa. In 1999, Senator Bob Nwanunnu from Ngwa land represented the people of the zone at the senate and after a term he was succeeded by Senator Chris Adigije from Umuahia who also spent a term in the senate between 2003-2007. Then Senator Nkechi Nwaogu from Osisioma in Ngwa land took over in 2007 and represented the zone for eight years

Orji of two terms breaking the jinx of one term syndrome due to the political rearrangement and movement that happened in the state in 2007 when the former governor of the state, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu left the PDP and formed the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA). It was a consensus agreement between the political leaders of the zone then that Senator Nkechi Nwaogu had to do two tenures which terminated in 2015. And in 2015, the senatorial slot of the zone moved back to the Umuahia clan and that threw up the incumbent Senator and former governor of the state Chief T.A Orji from Ibeku in Umuahia presently representing the zone in the senate. And that same year, 2015 saw the emergence of a governor of the state Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu from Ngwa land for the first time since the creation of the state over twenty two years ago due to the dogged support of the former Governor: Chief T.A Orji who stood vehemently firm in the spirit of Equity as enshrined in the Charter of Equity by the founding fathers of the state that the governorship slot of the state rotates every eight years amongst the three senatorial zones of the state. This singular decision of the former governor of the state Chief T.A Orji to allow a governor of the Ukwa Ngwa extraction to emerge in the state clearly made Senator T.A Orji outstanding as leader in the state as he was given the acronym, “Abia father of equity”. It is crystal clear that no former leader of the state who had believed or agreed that an Ukwa Ngwa man could become the governor of the state and this was evident due to the avalanche of men of timber and caliber that came out from the Old Bende zone of Abia north and Abia central zone that jostled to arm twist the former governor’s stance of his position but chief T.A Orji resisted all the pressure and stood his ground that an Ngwa man must succeed him. Even as the election of 2019 approaches, the Old Bende zone of the state, that’s Abia North and Abia Central are still averse to that decision that is why the present governor of the Ngwa extraction still detest them leading to the emergence of governorship candidate of both the APC, Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah and APGA, Dr. Alex Oti, all from the old Bende out

2 019 against an Ngwa governor of the PDP, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. For an Ukwa Ngwa man, Chief T.A Orji remains their hero and leaders of the state in Umuahia and Ukwa axis that make up Abia central of the state have unanimously endorsed senator T.A Orji to return to the senate while their son, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu from Ngwa land is wholly supported to return for a second term as a governor in the state to complete his eight years as was enjoyed by his counterparts of the Abia North and Abia Central senatorial zones. So the odd overwhelmingly favours Chief T.A Orji to do a second term in the senate while an Ngwa man completes a second term as governor. The other two contenders against the incumbent senator can see the handwriting on the wall. One other thing that would remain a puzzle in the eyes of the other political game watchers of the state is the continued popularity being garnered by Senator Theodore Orji since he went to the senate in 2015. However, the reasons for this may not be farfetched because apart from his monumental achievements as a governor of the state for eight years, his outstanding performance in the senate for the past three and half speak volume as a leader with the interest of his people at heart . It is on record that the Senator T.A Orji is the first in the country to publish a score card of his numerous achievements in the senate so far. It is obvious that the six local government areas that make up Abia Central senatorial zone have benefitted from his outstanding performance in the senate and the works are there to speak for themselves. When he entered the senate, Senator T A Orji established a scholarship scheme under which he gives ten10 students from each of the six local governments areas of his senatorial zone scholarships every year and as at today 180 university scholarships have been given by the senator and the beneficiaries have formed an association for themselves. This is a legacy that would outlive the senator as the educational empowerment would continue to speak for him for eternity. The senator also established an Eye Clinic in Umuahia where over 670 successful eye surgeries have been conducted and people suffering from glaucoma and cataract are being treated free of charge up till date. And in Osisioma Ngwa where two of his opponents are from, Senator T.A Orji has provided six functional bore holes, a transformer and a skill acquisition program me under which beneficiaries where energized with over N87 million cash to start different businesses and trade. There are also many primary and secondary schools renovated by the senator across the senatorial zone while he constructed a road at Ikwuano local government area with another at Ameke in Umuahia north local government area of the zone with a bridge which is expected to be commissioned soon. He has also done electricity projects in Umuahia north, Isiala Ngwa north and Isiala Ngwa south local government areas of the state. In fact Chief T.A Orji has two awards from

The Authority and Blueprint newspapers as the most productive senator and for good representation in the state. At the senate , Senator T.A Orji has to is credit one of the greatest bills that have made not only the people of his senatorial zone but the entire state happy and that is the bill to make Abia State Polytechnic, a federal polytechnic. That bill has been passed at the senate and is just waiting for the assent of the president. This is among other bills which the senator has presented in the senate. Like or hate him, Senator T.A Orji believes in the words of Mother Theresa who once said, “life not lived for others is not worth living.” This singular philosophy drives Ochendo’s magnanimity and philanthropic disposition such that the low, high, and mighty, the dark and fair, male and female have all benefited from the numerous empowerment programs of the senate. Apart from human calculation, Chief T.A Orji appears to be a man of destiny so like William Shakespeare said, “what can be avoided whose end is proposed by the mighty gods” no wonder many attest to the fact that the senator is a character extraordinaire whose influence radiates across the length and breath of the west African sub-region. The testimonies have made many people across the state to align with Senator T.A Orji in all his aspirations and political adventures. For Dr. Obike Onyejiofor, a university don, he described the former governor as a man of rare exemplary qualities. He said, “I met him when he was a governor and unlike what is obtainable in most African society, Chief T.A Orji has exhibited high level of humility. He is assessable, dedicated and pays attention both to the rich and the poor. He is one politician whose mobile line is in the market square, he replies all his SMS no matter the content whether negative or positive, so why won’t people love him.” He said, “Chief T.A Orji has performed well as senator and every odd favors him well for a second term as his programmes and achievements are obvious for all to see. What else do you need in representation that he has not achieved within the last three and half years?” Barrister Mike Nwankudu who hails from Isiala Ngwa North local government area of the state, said, “You don’t change a winning team. Senator T.A Orji is an epitome of good representation and as I talk to you the 180 students enjoying his scholarships in various tertiary institutions of Nigeria are all over the field campaigning for him, you can understand the multiplier effect of that.” He said, “the other contenders for the position are also good and qualified but Senator T.A Orji stands poles above them and in a free and fair election, he will certainly emerge as the winner and our people have resolved to stand by him and vote massively for his re-election.” He stated that, “there is no way an Ngwa man will corner the two positions meant for them and their Umuahia brothers by taking both the governorship and the senatorial position .” Whatsoever the case maybe, the electorate and the performance and political pedigree of the contenders will determine and shape the outcome of the election.

Why They Believe Buhari is Dead Wole Arisekola

hen he became the Head of State in 1984, no one believed he could come back decades later to mount the mantle again as a civilian president. Even the coup that forced him out of power was masterminded by those who foresaw the future that he might make an impact to lead the nation to a greater path. But if those who removed Buhari from power in 1985 knew he would ever come back, they would have killed him like they did Tafawa Balewa, Aguiyi Ironsi and Murtala Muhammed. They never imagined, in their wildest imagination, that there would ever be a Buhari Presidency, like they guessed the likely emergence of Idiagbon, they would have poisoned him immediately. They thought the Buhari ambition would be a lifetime joke, but when they saw the reality in 2014, they

organised assassins to eliminate him in Kaduna, his beloved city. He is from Katsina but based in Kaduna; like they killed Bola Ige in Ibadan in his beloved city. He was from Esa Oke but based in Ibadan. However, Buhari escaped but his car was shot many times and convoy bombed. Buhari defeated the combination of his destiny annihilators. Just like the biblical story of Moses too, if the Egyptians knew he would free their slaves, they would have killed him inside the palace when he was a baby. Even as the President, Muhammadu Buhari was poisoned, those who poisoned him knew he couldn’t survive because others like Abiola, Abacha, Idiagbon didn’t survive. The mystery of his survival has turned the reasoning of his assailants upside down. The Buhari they know is dead, just like the biblical Moses was different when he re-appeared to the Egyptians. He wasn’t running away again, he called Pharaoh by name; he messed up all

the magicians of Egypt. Moses was the first Jubrin from Sudan. And Godswill Akpabio, a disciple of President Muhammad Buhari is just another good example, Akpabio an Israelite among the Arabs, the anointed son of the living God of Akwa Ibom is on a mission again for the better future of his people. While he (Akpabio) was building a human shield around himself, they were busy building mansions and buying luxury cars, and now, all of them put together can’t match him. And just like President Muhammad Buhari’s integrity is so strong among his followership, because he had built around himself meaningful Nigerians who think of prosperity for the nation. The presidency-led by Buhari government has promised same way, Akpabio promised that the 2019 gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom will be the cheapest ever in the history of the state. Likewise, President Buhari boasts that APC will not loot the treasury or empty the Central

Bank of Nigeria to buy votes. INEC officials are not going to be paid to manipulate figures in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Security men will do their job as stipulated by the terms of their engagement. Above all, voters will be allowed to vote according to the dictates of their conscience. While 2019 is already sealed, because the Egyptians must contest with Moses, Moses did not die and Moses has taken up the challenge to ensure that the oppressed people of God must remain free. Even with what is gravitating in the political domain of the nation; from all quarters, his re-election campaign movement is still intact and moving towards a possible victory that will lead to an assured promise land. Against all the shenanigans that have been mounting against his return to power in, there are clear indications that the man is unstoppable. - Arisekola is a Lagos-based journalist

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŻ, 2019

BUSINESSWORLD

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

Í˛ Ëœ Í° ÍŽ ÍŻ Íś MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

REPO 20 % 23.75 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

21.50% 15.13% 15.25%

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

355.69 % 0.39% 1.78%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 2.41% YEAR TO DATE 7.96%

EXCHANGE RATE ÍąÍŽÍ´Ë›ÍˇÍłËšÍŻ ĚŠ ĚŠ

Quick Takes NIMASA Holds Awards

MEDIA BRIEFING

L-R: Regional Head, Unity Bank, Segun Ladipo; Managing Director, ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investment Limited, Opuiyo Oforiokuma; Chief Operating OďŹƒcer, The Elevation Church,Tunji Iyiola; Senior Communications OďŹƒcer, Dekemi Akinyede and Senior Investment OďŹƒcer, Agriculture Fund, ARM Limited, Theo Onadeko, at the 2019 Vantage Forum press conference in Lagos...recently

Paucity of Funds Impediment to Second Abuja Runway Chinedu Eze Despite the N21. 5 billion budgeted for the construction of the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, industry experts have argued that it will still take a long time before the project is completed. The experts said the urgency of the need for the second runway may not be matched by funding, even as they insisted that the amount earmarked this year for the project was less than 50 per cent of the total contract sum of N67 billion. Industry observers also decried the cancelation of

AVIATION the project in 2009, due to its rejection by the National Assembly then, saying that the legislators then lacked foresight. In addition, they noted that in 2009 when the project was cancelled due to alleged inflated cost of N63.5 billion, government would now undertake same project at N67 billion. â€œThis is after all the inconveniences, the destruction of aircraft landing gear at huge cost to the airlines and the safety threat caused by the undulating surface of the existing runway which expired

about 10 years ago,â€? the source said. After several months the dilapidated Abuja airport runway exposed airlines to danger and damaged some aircraft like South Africa Airways flight and that of Emirates, which forced the airlines to withdraw service to Abuja. The airport was closed for six weeks and resurfaced at huge cost to businesses and services at the federal capital city. In this yearâ€™s budget, the federal government said it would spend N21.5 billion on the construction of second runway at the airport, N1 billion for the completion of

the international terminal at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and N8 billion for working capital for the suspended national carrier, which government intends to revive and N500 million for transaction advisers. The runway construction and the national carrier projects are just two out of over 100 projects of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) contained in the 2019 Appropriation Bill. Most of the projects bother on upgrade of facilities at Nigeriaâ€™s airports. Continued on page 22

Global Container Market Predicted to Expand 5% in 2019 Eromosele Abiodun Experts at Brickstone Investment Managers Limited have predicted that stronger global economic growth will demand growth of the global container market at five per cent in 2019 and the next couple of years. In a report presented at the second edition of the Nigeria Ship Finance Conference and Exhibition (NIFSCOE) held in Lagos, the experts said container oversupply could begin to decline from 2019 onwards, provided that contracting stays relatively muted. The conference with the theme: â€œAdvancing Ship & Maritime Infrastructure Financing in Nigeria: Innovative Concepts & Sustainable approaches,â€? was organised for stakeholders in the maritime industry to provide solution to lack of financing for

ECONOMY Nigerian ship owners. The experts added that as interest rates begin to rise globally, consumer demand could be affected negatively by a reduction in disposable income which will have a roll-on effect on the container demand. According to them, â€œProtectionism has increased all over the world and the globalisation process is gradually decreasing. With time, this could shorten supply chain and container demand.â€? On the dry bulk market, the experts added that China is the largest dry bulk market and any changes to its demand will ultimately affect the industry. â€œHer attempt to cut industrial overcapacity while strengthening domestic industries could lower import demand heavy

industries. On the flip side, her plans to support infrastructure development along the new silk road could counterbalance some of the effects of the aforementioned. Increasing use of batteries from vehicles and energy storage could create stronger demand for various metals (lithium, copper, etc.) which would support minor bulk demand. If an increasing share of material is recycled, reused or remanufactured, demand for raw materials will decline, affecting dry bulk demand negatively, â€œthey stated. On his part, Chairman, PAC Capital Limited, Chris Oshiafi said the uncertainty arising from wide-ranging geopolitical, economic, and trade policy risks such as inward-looking policies and rising protectionist sentiment are immediate threat to the maritime industry.

â€œHowever, the Intra-African trade drive presents a relief to the region. Technological advances such as block chain applications, cargo and vessel tracking, autonomous ships, and the Internet will be the catalyst to achieve higher efficiency. Nigeria cannot afford to play catch up. â€œBy diversifying our economies and enabling greater integration into regional and global value chains, Africa can improve its containerized trade and port traffic volumes. â€œNigeriaâ€™s shows that 25 per cent improvement in port performance will ultimately translate to 2.1 per cent increase of gross domestic products (GDP). â€œNigeria loses over N2 trillion annually to foreign countries due to the inability of the indigenous ship-owners to fully participate Continued on page 22

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd), Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, and theMinisterofTransportation,RotimiChibuikeAmaechi,willbeleading otherstakeholderstotheNigerianMaritimeAdministrationandSafety Agency(NIMASA)MaritimeAwardsscheduledtotakeplaceonSaturday, 12th January, 2019 in Lagos. The Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi and Borno states as well as ministers are also expected at the occasion. OthersexpectedtoattendareAlhajiAlikoDangote,Mr.FemiOtedola,Dr. NikeAkande,aswellasroyalfathers,includingHisHighness,theEmirof Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido, His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba AdeyeyeEnitanOgunwusi,topgovernmentofficials,NationalAssembly members and members of the diplomatic corps. Theevent,taggedâ€œNIMASAMeritAwardsandCorporateDinner,â€?which wouldbehostedbytheMinisterofTransportationandchairedbytheSGF, wouldalsoshowcaseanarrayofstakeholdersintheNigerianmaritime industry, some of whom would be recognised for their outstanding contributions to the realisation of the Agencyâ€™s mandate of driving the sector in 2018. TheawardcategoriesincludeShippingCompanyoftheYear2018(Dry Cargo), Shipping Company of the Year 2018 (Wet Cargo), Maritime Education and Training Institute of the Year 2018, Manning Agent of the Year 2018, and Seafarersâ€™ Employer of the Year 2018. Themed:â€œOurJourneytoExcellence,itwillbeaneveningtocelebrateour CoreValuesofCommitment,Accountability,Professionalism,Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence, Leadership, and Discipline in the agency and industry as a whole.â€?

Mukan Appointed MMIA Commissioner

The Inspector General of Police has appointed Mr Joseph Mukan, as the Commissioner, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Police Command, Lagos. The spokesman for the command, DSP Joseph Alabi, confirmed the development to aviation correspondents in Lagos onWednesday. He said Mukan, was a former Police Commissioner of Bayelsa before he was recently transferred to the nationâ€™s busiest airport to replace AIG Aminchi Baraya. â€œThenewCPisathoroughbredprofessionalandhewillbringhiswealth of experience to bear towards improving security at the Lagos airport. â€œHe has since resumed duty with a stern warning to touts and other unscrupulous persons to stay clear of the airport or face prosecution, â€œ Alabi said. Meanwhile, Alabisaidnofewerthan165personswerechargedtocourt forcommittingvariousoffencesattheLagosairportbetweenJanuary and December 2018. Accordingtohim,someofthesuspectswerechargedwithassault,stealing, obtainingbyfalsepretencesaswellasunlawfulentryandtouting,which contravenethe FederalAirportsAuthorityofNigeria(FAAN)byeLaws. Alabisaidthecommandmade257arrestsandsecured46convictions within the period under review. Thespokesmansaid32personswerestillunderinvestigationwhile60 others were awaiting trial. He stressed that the command was committed to making the airport anditsenvironssafeandsecurefortravelers,airlineoperatorsandother airport users

Boeing Sets New Record

Boeing delivered a record 806 commercial aircraft in 2018, beating its previous year total of 763, its previous all-time high. Airbus.comreportedthatwithAirbusannouncingan800-planedelivery totalfortheyear,Boeinghasretainedtopspotindeliveriesfortheseventh straight year. Boeingrampedupdeliveriesinthefourthquarter,with238commercial aircraftdeliveredaftersupplychainproblemshadlimitedthecompletion of some aircraft earlier in the year. â€œIn a dynamic year, our production discipline and our supplier partners helped us build and deliver more airplanes than ever before to satisfy thestrongdemandforairtravelacrosstheglobe,â€?BoeingCommercialâ€™s chief executive Kevin McAllister said. The 737 family was the top performer again in 2018, with 580 handed overtocustomersduringtheyear,almosthalfofwhichweretheupdated MAXfamily.Boeingdelivered69737sinDecemberalone.The737made up 72 percent of the annual total. The787performedstronglywith145deliveredfromitstwoassembly plants, but the 777 continued its drop in delivery numbers as Boeing prepares for the introduction of the new 777X next year.

â€œIt is important to explain that even though the subject of a National Minimum Wage is in the Exclusive Legislative List, we have been meeting with the state governors because it is imperative that the federal government carries the state governments along in determining any upward review of the minimum wage for workersâ€? President

Muhammadu Buhari

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BUSINESSWORLD PAUCITY OF FUNDS IMPEDIMENT TO SECOND ABUJA RUNWAY

Following the closure of Abuja airport in 2017 to repair the dilapidated runway of the airport and diversion of flights to Kaduna, the federal government began move to construct a second runway. It had initially earmarked N10 billion for the project in the 2017 Appropriation Bill and started initial move towards the construction of the project. Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika noted the importance of a second runway, saying, â€œI saw the need and called for it but it fell on deaf ears. At the time of Yarâ€™Adua, government saw the need but the project was condemned on the excuse that the money was too much. â€œThere is second runway in Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt. I think the focus of the government within the limited resources is to do a second runway in Abuja and if we need additional runway, during the concessioning, the man, who would win it will do it.â€? Industry observers still doubt, despite the seeming commitment of government to the project that it would not be completed in due time. GLOBAL CONTAINER MARKET PREDICTED TO EXPAND 5% IN 2019

in lifting of the over 150 million of cargoes from the country including crude oil exports,â€? he said. On the outlook for the industry, he said the growing demand for Nigeriaâ€™s food and cash crops in Europe and Asia is expected to continue to spur an increase in agriculture production for export. â€œThe export of non-oil products is set to increase the foreign exchange earnings of the country and reduce exchange rate pressure. The import substitution strategy of the government is encouraging more investment in local manufacturing capacity e.g, clothing and textiles and subsequent supply (export) to the African markets, â€œhe added. He stressed the need for the federal government to decongest the Lagos ports and develop the existing and newer ports in Nigeria to global standard.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Abuja-Kaduna Rail Service Generates N80m Monthly Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has hinted that it generated over N80 million monthly from the AbujaKaduna train service in 2018. The corporation disclosed that, the figure was higher than the N16 million generated monthly in 2017. It however noted that, in spite of the increase in revenue, the corporation was yet to break even, as it still spends over N100 million monthly as running cost. The Managing Director of the Corporation, Mr Fidet Okhiria, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja. According to him, â€œWhen we started, we were earning about N16 million and spending about N56 million, but right now, we can comfortably say we earn over N80 million although we still spend over N100 million, which is closer to breaking even. â€œBy the time we have more coaches and run more trains, I think the expenses will reduce and more patronage will come in.â€? Okhiria added: The issue we have now is that we only run passenger trains; we donâ€™t have freight to move from Kaduna to Abuja. â€œIf we are able to link up with some people to move freight, we will be able to break even because presently, by the

Comms/e-Business Editor

Ă—Ă—Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă˜Ă”Ă“ Capital Market Editor

Ă™ĂŽĂŽĂŁ Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă? Senior Correspondent

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

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; Ă¤Ă? (Aviation) Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ‹ ĂœĂ™Ă•Ă? (Labour) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Cap Mkt) Ă”Ă“Ă™Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă•Ă? (Energy) Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă?Ă”Ă™ (Nationâ€™s Capital) Reporters

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time we inject power from the public power supply, I think our expenses will also come down.â€? The NRC boss, while attributing the high expenses to the purchase of diesel for generators at the train stations, said, â€œRight now, all our

stations are still powered by generator 24/7, we buy about 99,000 litres every month to power those generators; so, it eats deep into our expenses. â€œBut by the time we are able to connect to the public power supply which we hope by this month will be done,

the cost of buying diesel will drastically reduce and then, we can break even.â€™â€™ He revealed that in 2018, the number of train trips also increased from four to eight, adding that, 10 more coaches would be deployed on the route.

He said: â€œThe goal is to run hourly train service on the route as Nigerians become more confident in the service, even as we are close to breaking even on the Abuja-Kaduna train, we have made progress because of the efforts we made.â€?

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

L-R: Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS) Project Head, Nancy Freeborn; Representative of Intels/Managing Director, Phillip Embleton; WEPSS best performing trainee, Joy Tom-West and Government and Public Affairs Manager of Intels, Rex Asaikpuka, at the 2018 graduation ceremony for WEPSS trainees, in Onne, Rivers Stateâ€Śrecently

Stakeholders Applaud FG on Completion of Abuja Airport Terminal Kasim Sumaina in Abuja Some tourism experts and international airline operators have commended the federal government over the completion and opening of the new international terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja. Speaking with Journalists in Abuja, the organiser of the Akwaaba Africa Travel Market and a tourism expert, Mr Ikechi Uko, said building airport infrastructure would go a long way to reposition the nationâ€™s aviation industry. Uko, said having a 15 million passenger-capacity terminal in Abuja could attract more international airlines into Abuja and position the city as a major touristâ€™s destination in Africa. According to him, â€œI need

to commend the people who created the vision and they were not even thinking of three million or five million passengers but 15 million, which is remarkable.â€? He observed that the move was nothing but, â€œthinking far ahead and we need to commend them. â€œI also need to commend Nigerians who have been patient because Abuja airport has not had new facility like this since it began operations and I think it is a good way to go for Nigeria because it will improve our image. â€œopefully, it will bring in more major international airlines,â€? he said. Uko, said access had been the biggest problems of tour operators in Abuja, adding that airlines only go to places where they would have access to good

facilities. â€œCreating more access will position Abuja as a big destination for conferences because Abuja is second to Accra in the whole of West Africa. â€œWith more access and more airlines, Abuja can become number one because with the new airport, Abuja can become number one meetingsâ€™ destination,â€? he said. Also, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), Mr Nkereuwem Onung, said a lot more needed to be done to ensure proper utilisation of the facility. Onung, who stated that it was not enough to have a beautiful airport with increased capacity, said it was necessary to ensure that more airplanes were landing and taking off at

the airport. He called on the government and industry players to encourage more airlines to come in as well as support the existing ones to have more aircraft. â€œKudos to government for the infrastructure which is good but we need to do more to be able to utilise it. â€œWe are carrying international visitors to Lagos and Abuja for meetings and to Calabar for carnival, when they land and they see our beautiful airport it will speak well. â€œThe issue is let there be more inbound flights and a lot of other issues that must be corrected on the aviation industry. We have been talking about the national carrier and all of that. â€˜â€˜If you add all those and you have a beautiful airport,

the economics of aviation will improve and once that happen the tour operators are in business,â€? he said. Also, the Traffic and Sales Manager, Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tilahun Tedesse, said the airline might commence operation from the new terminal this month. Tedesse said the new terminal was an international airport standard, adding that it was a big change from the existing terminal. â€œThe checks in counters are very big and I am sure that passengers will greatly enjoy the comfort. â€œI must commend the federal government for the wonderful work that they have done because the terminal is very beautiful and I think it is a Christmas gift for Nigeria,â€? he said.

Samsung Eyes Opportunities in Nigeria after Egina Success Eromosele Abiodun

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Ă™Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ Ă¤Ă?

NEWS

With the successful completion of the Egina Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) unit and the achievement of first oil in the facility, Samsung Heavy Industries, together with partners, could be eying other business opportunities in Nigeria. According to a statement by the company, the completion of the largest floating oil platform in the world, Egina, was significant achievement. â€œA number of records were broken during construction.

This is the first ever project to meet Nigeriaâ€™s demanding new standards for â€œlocal contentâ€?, which in simple terms means Nigerian-owned business delivering work in Nigeria. â€œThis project went further than just that. Nigerian parts and expertise were even flown to Samsungâ€™s headquarters in Korea to be installed in the early stages of construction of the Egina before it was sailed to Lagos for final construction,â€? the statement explained. â€œThis success story has been made possible through Samsung Heavy Industriesâ€™ belief

in the potential of Nigerian companies and workers to deliver to their tough, exacting standards. Over 9.7 million hours of time have been spent by the Nigerian workforce, with over 6,000 Nigerians in employment on the project at its peak via Samsung and its partners and subcontractors,â€? the statement added. â€œPerhaps even more exciting than this direct opportunity for the best companies and workers is the potential it opens up for the country as a whole. As we all know, the oil and gas industry is growing

across the whole of Africa, and that means many more floating oil platforms and other pieces of large equipment need to be repaired, maintained and built,â€? the company said. Before Samsungâ€™s fabrication and integration yard (known as the SHI-MCI yard) was completed, the only choice was to complete this work outside of Africa, removing opportunity and investment from Nigeriaâ€™s shores. â€œNow, the choice is clear: Nigeria is home to a world-class yard and is standing ready to take on the next challenge.

Is this the end of Samsungâ€™s ambitions for Nigeria? Not at all. Their vision is a future of extraordinary growth and opportunity, building on their now-proven model for heavy involvement of local companies and local workforce talent. The combination of Korean efficiency and expertise, fused with Nigerian talent and passion, presents limitless possibilities for a future repairing, maintaining and building high value ships to serve needs in Africa and beyond â€“ just watch this space,â€? the company added.

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BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

â€˜FG Introduces E-Yellow Card to Stop Touting at Airportsâ€™ Stories by Chinedu Eze The federal government has said that it introduced E-Yellow card in order to stop touts from hawking and selling fake cards to passengers at international airports in the country. The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), international health certificate, popularly called Yellow Card, is to be used to capture vaccinations against yellow fever and other diseases, which some countries do not want anyone with such ailment to enter their country. This has been abused over the years with touts and some airport workers hawking and selling fake ones to unsuspecting travellers. But now, the federal government has introduced Yellow Card that is transmitted electronically and it comes with advanced security features, thus

putting to an end the era of fake issuance of yellow cards. The Airport Manager, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Mrs. Victoria Shinaba, explained that the card, which is machine-readable, is said to have the ability to store vaccination history of the holder. The Federal Ministry of Health said the card was designed to put an end to the era of fake yellow card issued by unauthorised personnel and that the existing yellow card officially expired on August 1, 2018. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) working in tandem with the Ministry of Health said it is also prepared to ensure that any yellow card presented by travellers at the nationâ€™s airports are genuine. Shinaba said the e- yellow card is a welcome development and that the agency was particularly happy about it because

its introduction would stop touting of the cards at the MMIA. â€œAt least all this touting of our yellow card will completely be eradicated, people will not get outside the country and they say they are carrying fake yellow card and those doing back hand businesses with it will also be eradicatedâ€?, she said. Shinaba said FAAN was working closely with the Port Health Services in the area of sensitisation of the travellers to keep away from touts who peddle and hawk the document. â€œWe have given them the go ahead to deploy banners so that people are aware, passengers are aware, the explanation of how to get the e-yellow card is simple and the design too is good, you can code it to know whether is genuine or not, it is a positive one, we are working closely with Port Health on thisâ€?, Shinaba said.

Airbus Achieves New Aircraft Delivery Record Airbus said it delivered 800 commercial aircraft to 93 customers in 2018. With the feat, it stated that it met its full year delivery guidance and also set a new company record. The aircraft manufacturing company disclosed that deliveries were 11 per cent higher than the previous record of 718 units, set in 2017. It noted that for 16th year in a row now, Airbus has increased the number of commercial aircraft deliveries on an annual basis. The company said in total, the 2018 commercial aircraft deliveries comprise: 20 A220s (since it became part of the Airbus family in July 2018); 626 A320 Family (vs 558 in 2017), of which 386 were A320neo Family (vs 181 NEOs in 2017); 49 A330s

(vs 67 in 2017) including the first three A330neo in 2018; 93 A350 XWBs (vs 78 in 2017); 12 A380s (vs 15 in 2017). In terms of sales, Airbus said it achieved 747 net orders during 2018 compared to 1,109 net orders in 2017. At the end of 2018, the backlog of Airbus commercial aircraft reached a new industry record and stood at 7,577 aircraft, including 480 A220s, compared with 7,265 at the end of 2017. â€œDespite significant operational challenges, Airbus continued its production ramp-up and delivered a record number of aircraft in 2018. I salute our teams around the globe who worked until the end of the year to meet our commitments,â€? said President Airbus Commercial Aircraft,

Guillaume Faury. â€œI am equally pleased about the healthy order intake as it shows the underlying strength of the commercial aircraft market and the trust our customers are placing in us. My gratitude goes out to all of them for their ongoing support.â€? He added: â€œAs we look to further increase our industrial efficiency, we will continue making the digitalisation of our business a key priorityâ€?, Faury added. Over the last 16 years, Airbus has steadily increased its production year-by-year with the final assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse, Tianjin and Mobile complemented by the addition of the A220 line in Mirabel, Canada, during 2018.

Emirates Introduces Discounted Fares for Nigerians Middle East major carrier, Emirates has introduced discounted fares for its Nigeria customers. The campaign commenced on January 7 and will last till January 21, 2019, while travel period is scheduled for January 13th to June 30th 2019. The airline said Nigerian travellers planning to travel to various destinations in Europe from Lagos would pay $3955 on Business Class and $725 on Economy class, while from Abuja to these destinations would cost $3075 on Business Class and $820 on Economy class. Similarly, Nigerian travel-

lers going to the Far East from Lagos, would pay $4025 on Business Class and $740 on Economy class, while from Abuja to these destinations would cost $3745 on Business class and $850 on Economy class. Travellers from Lagos to Americas would pay $3905 on Business Class and $970 on Economy class, while moving from Abuja to these destinations will cost $3950 on Business Class and $1,105 on Economy Class. In addition, the fare for travellers from Lagos to the Middle East is $3120 on Business Class and $675, while Abuja to same routes

cost $2955 on Business class and $605 on Economy Class. â€œWhether it is celebrating a special occasion, taking the family on a holiday, making that trip of a lifetime, or attending a reunion with family or friends, there is never a better time to turn those travel resolutions into travel plans, said Regional Manager West Africa, Afzal Parambil. â€œEmirates is offering the chance to explore great destinations at great value, while making sure that journey itself is a great experience. We hope our special fares will help our customers have a flying start to 2019â€?, he added.

Air Peaceâ€™s Leap of Faith

Chinedu Eze It was described as ambitious with the sceptics expressing doubt when in less than three years of operation as domestic airline, Nigeriaâ€™s largest carrier; Air Peace announced that it would start international services. To cement that plan, the airline acquired four long haul equipment, Boeing B777 and made a firm order of 10 Boeing 737 MAX, the latest aircraft in the line of the ace US aircraft manufacturer, Boeing. These successes must have jarred many Nigerian industry observers and others in the world. Before the end of two years of operating to domestic destinations, the airline started the West Coast and berthed in Accra, Ghana. It has just increased its frequency to that destination. And it had added other destination, including Monrovia, Freetown, Banjul and others. With over 3000 direct staff and many suppliers and thousands of Nigerians whose economic well-being indirectly depend on the airline operations, Air Peace has started contributing significantly to the Nigerian economy. As one industry observer noted, â€œThis is the time the government should have closer look at the airline and protect it, as it is done in other countries because it is creating jobs for the teeming citizens.â€? For Air Peace to operate long haul flights, it must go through some strict safety checks in accordance to international standards; to show the world it can operate safely. The airline plans to operate to London, Houston, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg. In late November 2018, the Nigerian carrier scaled a major regulatory hurdle supervised and audited by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). It successfully performed the partial emergency evacuation and ditching demonstrations as part of the safety tests for the operation of its Boeing 777 aircraft. Emergency aircraft evacuation refers to an exercise at evacuatingthose on an aircraft when an emergency occurs on the ground, in water or mid-flight. The ditching demonstration, however, simulates a planned water landing and evaluates the airlineâ€™s ability to handle such emergency. An emergency evacuation demonstration is mostly required when an airline proposes operating a specific aircraft type and model entering into its service for the first time. Once the signal is given, the aircraftâ€™s emergency evacuation equipment and 50 per cent of the required emergency exits and slides must be ready for use in a maximum of 15 seconds. Although simulated, evacuation drills

are a risky operation for crew and other participants - often leading to injury of varying degrees. The airline successfully passed the emergency evacuation test. Spokesman of the airline, Chris Iwarah said the Air Peaceâ€™s emergency demonstrators, led by Capt. Simon Donoghue, were able to deploy the four slides of the eight-exit Boeing 777 aircraft within 10.5 seconds, which is 4.5 seconds ahead of the maximum time allowed. Also on Tuesday, Air Peace passed the last hurdle towards its plan to begin long-haul operations to serve its yearning customers on international destinations. The Nigerian carrier commenced demonstration flights to Dakar, Senegal with NCAA inspectors on board from the Murtala Mohammed International airport, Lagos. The demonstration flight was embarked on with its B777 aircraft flown by Chief Flight Officer, Captains Victor Egonu and Simon Donughue. Iwarah explained that the non-revenue flights to demonstrate Air Peace capabilities with the Boeing 777 next would visit Kano, Port Harcourt, Freetown, Johannesburg and Sharjah. â€œThis is what goes into ensuring the safety of our valued customers and crew â€“ costly but necessaryâ€?, he said. The airline, which made history as the first Nigerian carrier to acquire and take delivery of a Boeing 777-200 on February 23, assured that it would soon announce dates for the launch of its long-haul operations to London, Houston, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg. About a year ago, Air Peace had planned and acquired the needed equipment for the long haul service. The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, had told THISDAY then, â€œWe will go into international operations very soon. We planned that we would go into international operations two years after we had started. So it was in our business plan to go international, to help conserve Nigeriaâ€™s foreign exchange and to help create Nigerian wealth for the people of Nigeria. â€œAir Peace is not unaware of what the foreign airlines have been doing to our country. A nine-hour flight from Johannesburg to London would cost less than a six-hour flight from Lagos to London. This country has been raped; our foreign reserves have been depleted in the hands of foreign airlines. â€œAll foreign airlines are making a kill out of Nigeria because Nigerian airlines are not firmly operating international destinations. So Nigerians are now at the mercy of these foreign airlines in terms of outrageous fares that they charge. So we decided to go international and we are taking it step by step.â€?

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Sanusi: Nigeriaâ€™s Aviation Industry is Shrinking Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, in this interview gives an insight into the state of the Nigerian aviation industry. He holds the view that despite seeming passenger growth, the sector is shrinking and insists that concession of nationâ€™s airports will make them more efficient. Chinedu Eze presents the excerpts: the product itself. The availability of the product will be always assured. The reason why the product is not available is because the tankers are slowed down on the road or the road is no longer motorable and these break the chain of the 400 or 500 tankers that keep coming to the airport. So the moment the chain is broken, if it is an hour it affects us here. So if we have that pipeline it will be continuous supply.

I heard that Aero Contractors is the ďŹ rst airline in Nigeria to appoint a woman as the Chief Pilot? Yes, this is the first time Nigeria is having a female chief pilot in a mainstream airline. We appointed her not because she is female but because she has earned it as a hard working pilot and has shown good leadership in managing the pilots. So Aero Contractors has given Captain Imoleayo Adebunle the elevation as Chief Pilot totally on merit. And she is the first female chief pilot for Aero contractors for fixed wing. And this is for Aero Contractors and Nigeria as it is the first of its kind. How do you see the industry in 2019? I just heard that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) recently sanctioned four airlines (for various infractions). We welcome that because that gives you the feeling that the actual regulator is doing what is supposed to be done. So it is something that we really, really love to see happening most of the time. So the regulator coming out to say that we have done this, we have sanctioned these airlines gives us confidence. It is not only about saying the regulator is there but actually doing the job. It is a welcome development. I think it is a positive thing. But what do I think about the industry as a whole? I think the industry needs a kind of re-organisation. It needs a kind of jolt because if you look at it this year a lot of airlines have gone under. Medview has gone to one aircraft operation and a lot of other airlines have gone to one aircraft operation. Despite the fact that the passenger growth has increased, but the amount of aircraft operating in the country has reduced. Now what does that goes to tell you? It tells you that the aviation industry is not growing. The aviation industry actually is shrinking. Despite the fact that the passenger demand is high but the growth in the airlines are going down. The passenger growth is increasing; the market is expanding, but unfortunately the aircraft are reducing in numbers. And the reason is basically no investment coming in. Of course, the only airline that is bringing in more airplanes is Air Peace. But I think in 2019 the government must affect deliberate policy not only on the infrastructure but also in the airlines. This means that the federal government should look at the airport, runways and also look at the health of the airlines and try and see how they can encourage mergers, encourage new entrant and encourage bringing back to life those that have gone under. So, my look at 2019 is for the federal government not only to invest in infrastructure but also to look at the airlines. This is because you can have a very good infrastructure if you donâ€™t have airlines you donâ€™t have the aviation industry. Over the years government seems to be detached from the problems affecting the airlines; they just regulate them and the industry. Do you think this will change? That is their attitude. That is then and us attitude. That is what we should remove. Government should be worried when airlines are not doing well. We should look at it as other economies have looked at airlines in their country. United States of America looks after American airlines, supporting and also making sure they grow. It is not that we are always supporting but we want you to grow, we want to be a dominant player in the market globally. But in Nigeria it is not like that; it is not let us make sure you are a dominant player in the market. Rather, government seem to put impediments that tend to suffocate the growth an airline through inimical policies. They donâ€™t allow the airline to grow; they donâ€™t give them the necessary impetus or the necessary support

Sanusi

for them to grow. How do you see federal government supporting airlines through the Bank of Industry (BOI)? The best thing that they can do to the airlines is to give them money at affordable rates. And they can do that with BOI, they can do that with even the pension funds. We have so much money in pension funds, why canâ€™t you give the airlines a dollar denominated loan and the interest rate should be in single digit, two per cent or three per cent as what other airlines in other countries get and at long term; letâ€™s say 15 to 20 years. First, you create the criteria for them to

We got Aviation Training Organisation license. We have been on this for a long time because we wanted to get it right; we wanted to make sure we have a training organisation that is based on a solid foundation, which can be grown into a centre of excellence

access the fund. You tell them what they need to do to access the fund. And you ensure that they plough the money into aviation. And you donâ€™t need to even give them money directly you can actually go and get equipment. You can decide to partner with Boeing, Airbus or any of these manufacturers and say, okay we are giving $500 million but we want it in equipment. So letâ€™s say 30 aircraft and we are giving it to airline A, B and C, they will pay us over a period of 10 or 15 years. And they can use Afreximbank; they use any of these banks to finance it. That is how I see the aviation industry being transformed like the banking industry as well. But if we decide that people should bring their money from their pocket to buy new airplanes and invest in the industry, I think it will not be the best. Do you see aviation fuel being adequately supplied and at a good price in 2019? No. This is because up till now we are still deficient in the infrastructure. If you look at the interview that I gave the last time, I said till the time they have done the pipelines from Apapa directly to the airport the fuel will always be insufficient and very expensive especially to Lagos. And almost 60 per cent to 80 per cent of fuel consumption is in Lagos. So you can imagine when 33,000 litre tankers are trucking such consumption. So when you go to the airport road you will see probably up to 300 or 400 tankers there. But do you think our hope for efďŹ cient fuel supply at low prices will come after Dangoteâ€™s reďŹ nery? That is our dream and we are looking forward to the refinery coming to fruition. And I hope Dangote will also go ahead and pipe the product all the way to airport and forget this piping project that we have being waiting for in years. If he could pipe the product directly to the airport that will bring the cost down and also bring the safety and

What ways would you want the airports to be given out in concession to private investors? When they are going to do a concession, they should look at the entire country. If you look at the best airports and you pick them out, then the rest what happens to them? So what I think we should do, like they do outside the country everywhere in the world, you have an airport authority that caters for a couple of airports; maybe even three or four airports grouped and run together. This will guarantee so that the airport that is very viable; that everybody wants to buy, like the Lagos airport has some group of airports not very viable, around it and they will be managed together. Government has to know that they are concessioning these airports not only for them to be viable but they should be concessioned for strategic reasons. When you want to close one major airport, these other airports around it are your alternate airports that you can use. So they are also for strategic reasons, Ibadan airport could be strategic as an alternate for Lagos. And if you look at Abuja, Minna airport is strategic for Abuja or Kaduna airport is strategic for Abuja. And if you look at Port Harcourt, Owerri airport is strategic for it. Then you can now develop those small airports to what you the concessionaire want. If you want a cargo airport you can develop a cargo airport. If you want agro airport then you develop it to that level. Whatever you want to do at the airport you do because you know your business plan. You have opened aviation training school. What are your plans for the school? We got Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) license. We have been on this for a long time because we wanted to get it right; we wanted to make sure we have a training organisation that is based on a solid foundation, which can be grown into a centre of excellence. Now, we are starting with two approvals on our ATO, which are flight dispatcher and cabin crew. We intend to grow that into a bigger school and eventually into a research centre. We want to build Aero Contractors to be a one-stop shop in aviation. After the training organisation approved by NCAA, we have maintenance organisation that is also approved by NCAA; we have maintenance facility, charter business and scheduled flight service. These are four strategic business units that we would like to grow separately so that they can feed the market. The market is under served in all these aspects that I have mentioned. We intend to build all these strategic business units into full business organisations that can sustain themselves and be profitable.â€? We want to use the training school to support the industry. What we want to do is to partner with all the training centres in Nigeria and run programmes. We have also plans to extend to the West and Central African sub-region. Aero as a company has been existence since 1959, so we are deeply rooted and to have a training school is unparalleled. And I think that when we start fully, hopefully in January, the industry will see what I would want to call, quality.

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INTELS Empowers Fresh Batch of 92 Women Stories by Eromosele Abiodun

INTELS Nigeria Limited has completed the training of a fresh batch of 92 women under its Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS). A Corporate Social Responsibility programme of INTELS, WEPSS was established in 2013 with the vision of empowering 5,000 community women in the Niger Delta over a 20-year period, through training in fashion design and tailoring. The successful trainees are the second batch of 110 intakes in 2018. A total of 77 women had earlier in the year graduated in the first batch of intakes. But 18 year-old Joy Tom-West emerged the best performing trainee, winning a start-up kit which includes an industrial sewing machine, steam iron, chair, scissors, seam ripper, box of tailorsâ€™ chalk and a measuring tape. Phillip Embleton, who represented the companyâ€™s Managing Director at the event, urged the graduates to use their newly acquired skills for the development of self and community. He also encouraged them to appreciate the dedication and hard work put in by their trainers over the course of the four months training under the programme. Embleton said: â€œThese are our successful candidates of the second session of the WEPSS scheme for 2018. I hope you give a

big thank you to all your trainers because they have worked very hard. â€œAs you know, this is a community empowerment scheme, so I hope this training will help you in your careers and with your future lives; to use the skills that you have learned for good.â€? Project Head of WEPSS, Nancy Freeborn, described the occasion as special because WEPSS had clocked five years in November. She said: â€œThis graduation is a special one for us because in November 2018, WEPSS turned five. We are very proud to be a part of the journey to success. This project was established in 2013 with the aim of empowering community women through the acquisition of tailoring skills. The project commenced on November 6, 2013 with an intake of 300 rural women. â€œThese women were trained for a period of nine months, using different specialised machines and after that, all were retained as factory hands. They remained at WEPSS, working and producing garments. It will interest you to know that WEPSS has produced over 50,000 garments over this period. We have been able to produce this much within our manufacturing infrastructure.â€? Freeborn said that WEPSS has, over the years, increased its focus on training programmes while placing less emphasis on garment manufacturing. In this regard, she said the

centre currently absorbs a minimum of 300 trainees annually, who are taught to produce different types of garments. She said: â€œThrough this scheme, INTELS has contributed to the national economy by continuously deploying materials and machines from the global market, thereby promoting Nigerian content development. You would be so amazed to see the types of garments that we have made here; all to international standards.â€? Freeborn added that WEPSS also donates some of its products to charity homes. â€œEvery year, WEPSS makes thousands of garments for different charity homes. This year 1,050 garments were donated to the Compassion Centre for the Physically Challenged in Port Harcourt,â€? she said. INTELS Regional Human Resources Manager, Micheal Ndon, who was represented at the event by Gabriel Chujor, said: â€œIt is amazing to see what you have done here. All the trainees have done so much. Opportunity has been given to you and you must grab it with two hands. Regardless of your circumstances, all of you have done exceedingly well. What we expect of you is to hear great things from you in the next few years to come. Donâ€™t let your time here be wasted. INTELS has assisted you; it is now left for you to go out there and do your best.â€?

SIFAX Boss, Corporate Affairs Manager Bags Awards For their outstanding performance, provision of inspiring leadership and support, SIFAX Groupâ€™s Group Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO, Taiwo Afolabi, and Corporate Affairs Manager, Olumuyiwa Akande, ended 2018 on a high note by bagging various recognition awards. The awards were conferred by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) and the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). At the maiden edition of the SCAN Awards, Afolabi, bagged the award for Distinguished Leadership In Maritime Sector while Akande received the award for Best Media Relations Manager. According to President, SCAN, Yusuf Babalola, Afolabi has demonstrated unrivalled leadership excellence in the maritime sector which has propelled SIFAX Group to unprecedented growth in the last few years. â€œAs an indigenous company, SIFAX Group has held its own among

its foreign competitors and this is made possible by the insightful leadership of Afolabi,â€? he said He also noted that since Akande, took over the reins as the Corporate Affairs Manager of SIFAX Group, the media has tremendously enjoyed his support which has translated to better media mileage and corporate reputation for the company. He said: â€œThe media have enjoyed the support of Akande since he took over as the Corporate Affairs Manager. His open door policy has endeared us to him and the department. We have a wonderful relationship with him and for this, we have decided to award him for the great work he is doing in repositioning SIFAX Group for excellence.â€? At the 2018 Lagos PR Industry Gala and Awards night, SIFAX Group was awarded the Best PR Support Company of the Year Award in recognition of the companyâ€™s consistent support for the programmes and activities of the Nigerian Institute

of Public Relations, Lagos State Chapter. Also the Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc, one of the subsidiaries of the SIFAX Group, Basil Agboarumi, was also awarded the NIPRâ€™s 2018 Leadership award. According to Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the NIPR, Mr. Segun McMedal, SIFAX Groupâ€™s support towards public relations in Lagos State has helped the body to achieve a quantum leap in its activities. â€œThe company has constantly supported us and we are so happy to reward such loyalty today,â€? he hinted. McMedal also noted that the choice of Basil as one of the recipients of the 2018 Leadership Award was a well informed choice. â€œWe are so delighted that a fellow of the institute rose to become the Managing Director of Nigeriaâ€™s foremost ground handling company. We are awarding him today for displaying a high level of exemplary leadership since he joined the company,â€? he noted.

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DĹ?ĹśĹ?ĹľĆľĹľ ZÄžĆ‹ĆľĹ?ĆŒÄžĹľÄžĹśĆšĆ? Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ ĆŒÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;Ĺ˝ĹśÍ— ĎÍ˜ >ÄžĹ?Ä‚ĹŻ Ä?ĆľĆ?Ĺ?ĹśÄžĆ?Ć? ĆŒÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;Ĺ˝Ĺś Ç Ĺ?ĆšĹš ĆŒÄžĹŻÄžÇ€Ä‚ĹśĆš Ä‚ĆľĆšĹšĹ˝ĆŒĹ?Ć&#x;ÄžĆ? Íž Ĺ˝ĆŒĆ‰Ĺ˝ĆŒÄ‚ĆšÄž ÄŤÄ‚Ĺ?ĆŒĆ? Ĺ˝ĹľĹľĹ?Ć?Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ˝ĹśÍżÍ˜ ĎŽÍ˜ ĆľÄšĹ?ĆšÄžÄš ÄŽĹśÄ‚ĹśÄ?Ĺ?Ä‚ĹŻ Ć?ĆšÄ‚ĆšÄžĹľÄžĹśĆš Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ ĆšĹšÄž ĹŻÄ‚Ć?Ćš ĆšĹšĆŒÄžÄž ÍžĎŻÍż Ç‡ÄžÄ‚ĆŒĆ?Í˜ ĎŻÍ˜ sÄ‚ĹŻĹ?Äš dÄ‚Ç† ĹŻÄžÄ‚ĆŒÄ‚ĹśÄ?Äž ÄžĆŒĆ&#x;ÄŽÄ?Ä‚ĆšÄž Ížd ÍżÍ˜ Ď°Í˜ dĹšĆŒÄžÄž ÍžĎŻÍż ĆŒÄžÄ¨ÄžĆŒÄžĹśÄ?Äž ĹŻÄžĆŠÄžĆŒĆ? Ä¨ĆŒĹ˝Ĺľ Ĺ˝ĆŒĹ?Ä‚ĹśĹ?ÇŒÄ‚Ć&#x;Ĺ˝ĹśĆ?ÍŹÄžĹśĆ&#x;Ć&#x;ÄžĆ? Ç‡Ĺ˝Ćľ ĹšÄ‚Ç€Äž ĹšÄ‚Äš Ä?Ĺ˝ĹśĆšĆŒÄ‚Ä?ĆšĆ? Ä?ÄžÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒÄžÍ˜ ^ĆľÄ?ĹľĹ?Ć?Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ˝Ĺś Ĺ˝Ä¨ K/Í— ^ĆľÄ?ĹľĹ?Ć?Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ˝ĹśĆ? ĹľĆľĆ?Ćš Ć?Ć‰ÄžÄ?Ĺ?Ä¨Ç‡ ĆŒÄžÄ‚ Ĺ˝Ä¨ /ĹśĆšÄžĆŒÄžĆ?Ćš Ä‚ĹśÄš ĹľĆľĆ?Ćš Ä?Äž Ä‚Ä?Ä?Ĺ˝ĹľĆ‰Ä‚ĹśĹ?ÄžÄš Ä?Ç‡ ĆšĹšÄž Ä¨Ĺ˝ĹŻĹŻĹ˝Ç Ĺ?ĹśĹ? ÄšĹ˝Ä?ĆľĹľÄžĹśĆšĆ?Í— ĎÍ˜ Ĺ˝Ç€ÄžĆŒ ĹŻÄžĆŠÄžĆŒÍŹ Ĺ˝ĹľĆ‰Ä‚ĹśÇ‡ Ć‰ĆŒĹ˝ÄŽĹŻÄž Ĺ?ĹśÄ?ĹŻĆľÄšĹ?ĹśĹ? Ä?Ĺ˝ĹśĆšÄ‚Ä?Ćš ÄšÄžĆšÄ‚Ĺ?ĹŻĆ? Ä‚ĹśÄš Ä?ĆŒĹ?ÄžÄ¨ Ĺ˝Ç€ÄžĆŒÇ€Ĺ?ÄžÇ Ĺ˝Ĺś Ä‚ĆŒÄžÄ‚ Ĺ˝Ä¨ Ĺ?ĹśĆšÄžĆŒÄžĆ?ĆšÍ˜ ĎŽÍ˜ WĆŒĹ˝Ĺ˝Ä¨ Ĺ˝Ä¨ ĆŒÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;Ĺ˝Ĺś Ĺ˝Ä¨ ĆšĹšÄž Ä?Ĺ˝ĹľĆ‰Ä‚ĹśÇ‡Í˛ sÄ‚ĹŻĹ?Äš ĆľĆ?Ĺ?ĹśÄžĆ?Ć? >Ĺ?Ä?ÄžĹśĆ?ÄžÍ• d y ĆŒÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÄ‚Ć&#x;Ĺ˝Ĺś ÍžĹ?Ä¨ Ä‚Ć‰Ć‰ĹŻĹ?Ä?Ä‚Ä?ĹŻÄžÍż Ĺ?Ć?Ć?ĆľÄžÄš Ä?Ç‡ ĆŒÄžĹŻÄžÇ€Ä‚ĹśĆš 'Ĺ˝Ç€ÄžĆŒĹśĹľÄžĹśĆš ĆľĆšĹšĹ˝ĆŒĹ?ĆšÇ‡Í˜ Ĺ˝ĹľĆ‰ĹŻÄžĆšÄžÄš Ć‹ĆľÄžĆ?Ć&#x;Ĺ˝ĹśĹśÄ‚Ĺ?ĆŒÄžĆ? Ć?ĹšĹ˝ĆľĹŻÄš Ä?Äž Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ?ĹśÄžÄšÍ• Ć?ĆšÄ‚ĹľĆ‰ÄžÄš Ä‚ĹśÄš ĆŒÄžĆšĆľĆŒĹśÄžÄš Ä?Ç‡ ÄžÍ˛ĹľÄ‚Ĺ?ĹŻ ĆšĹ˝ >Ĺ˝Ĺ?Ĺ?Ć?Ć&#x;Ä?Ć?Í˜Ä?Ĺ˝ĹśĆšĆŒÄ‚Ä?Ć&#x;ĹśĹ?Î›Ç Ä¨Ć‰Í˜Ĺ˝ĆŒĹ? ĹśĹ˝Ćš ĹŻÄ‚ĆšÄžĆŒ ĆšĹšÄ‚Ĺś ĎąÍ—ĎŹĎŹĆ‰Ĺľ Ĺ˝Ĺś &ĆŒĹ?ÄšÄ‚Ç‡ ĎŽĎąĆšĹš :Ä‚ĹśĆľÄ‚ĆŒÇ‡ ĎŽĎŹĎĎľ Ç Ĺ?ĆšĹš ĆšĹšÄž Ć?ĆľÄ?ĹŠÄžÄ?Ćš t&WÍ˛^ Í˛ :Í˛ K/Í˛ĎŽĎŹĎĎľÍ˛ĎŹĎŹĎ >Ĺ˝Ĺ?Ĺ?Ć?Ć&#x;Ä?Ć? ^ÄžĆŒÇ€Ĺ?Ä?Äž WĆŒĹ˝Ç€Ĺ?ÄšÄžĆŒÍ• Ä‚ĆŠÄ‚Ä?ĹšĹ?ĹśĹ? Ä‚ĹŻĹŻ Ć?Ä?Ä‚ĹśĹśÄžÄš Ć?ĆľĆ‰Ć‰Ĺ˝ĆŒĆ&#x;ĹśĹ? ÄšĹ˝Ä?ĆľĹľÄžĹśĆšĆ? ĆŒÄžĆ‹ĆľĹ?ĆŒÄžÄšÍ˜ ^ÄžÄ‚ĹŻÄžÄš ĹśÇ€ÄžĹŻĹ˝Ć‰Ć? ĹľĆľĆ?Ćš Ä?Äž ĹšÄ‚ĹśÄš ÄšÄžĹŻĹ?Ç€ÄžĆŒÄžÄš ĆšĹ˝ t&W ZÄžĹ?Ĺ?Ć?ĆšĆŒÇ‡ Ĺ?Ĺś Ä?ĆľĹŠÄ‚ Ä?Ç‡ ĎĎŽÍ—ĎŹĎŹWDÍ• &ĆŒĹ?ÄšÄ‚Ç‡ ĎŽĎąĆšĹš Ĺ˝Ä¨ :Ä‚ĹśĆľÄ‚ĆŒÇ‡ ĎŽĎŹĎĎľ Ç Ĺ?ĆšĹš ĆšĹšÄž Ć?ĆľÄ?ĹŠÄžÄ?Ćš Ä?ĹŻÄžÄ‚ĆŒĹŻÇ‡ Ç ĆŒĹ?ĆŠÄžĹś Ĺ˝Ĺś ĆšĹšÄž ÄžĹśÇ€ÄžĹŻĹ˝Ć‰ Í˛ t&WÍ˛^ Í˛ :Í˛ K/Í˛ĎŽĎŹĎĎľÍ˛ĎŹĎŹĎ >Ĺ˝Ĺ?Ĺ?Ć?Ć&#x;Ä?Ć? ^ÄžĆŒÇ€Ĺ?Ä?Äž WĆŒĹ˝Ç€Ĺ?ÄšÄžĆŒ Ä‚ĆšÍ— hEt&W Ä?ĆľĹŠÄ‚ Ĺ˝Ä¸Ä?ÄžÍ• ĎŽ hÄšĹ˝ hÄšĹ˝ĹľÄ‚ ^ĆšĆŒÄžÄžĆšÍ• Ć?Ĺ˝ĹŹĹ˝ĆŒĹ˝Í• Ä?ĆľĹŠÄ‚Í• EĹ?Ĺ?ÄžĆŒĹ?Ä‚Í˜ ^ĆľÄ?ĹľĹ?Ć?Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ˝ĹśĆ? Ç Ĺ?ĹŻĹŻ Ä?Äž ĆŒÄžÇ€Ĺ?ÄžÇ ÄžÄš Ä?Ç‡ t&W Ä‚ĹśÄš Ĺ˝ĹśĹŻÇ‡ Ć?ÄžĹŻÄžÄ?ĆšÄžÄš Ä‚Ć‰Ć‰ĹŻĹ?Ä?Ä‚ĹśĆšĆ? Ç Ĺ?ĹŻĹŻ Ä?Äž Ä?Ĺ˝ĹśĆšÄ‚Ä?ĆšÄžÄš Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ä¨ĆľĆŒĆšĹšÄžĆŒ Ć‰ĆŒĹ˝Ä?ÄžĆ?Ć?Ĺ?ĹśĹ?Í˜ ÄžÄ‚ÄšĹŻĹ?ĹśÄž Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ć?ĆľÄ?ĹľĹ?Ć?Ć?Ĺ?Ĺ˝Ĺś Ĺ˝Ä¨ K/ Ĺ?Ć? Ä?Ç‡ ĎąÍ—ĎŹĎŹĆ‰Ĺľ Ĺ˝Ĺś &ĆŒĹ?ÄšÄ‚Ç‡ ĎŽĎąĆšĹš :Ä‚ĹśĆľÄ‚ĆŒÇ‡ ĎŽĎŹĎĎľÍ˜ tKD E h^/E ^^ KtE Z^ Z E KhZ ' dK W Zd/ /W d Í˜

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Joint Ventures as Alternative for Ship Financing Eromosele Abiodun writes on the need for stakeholders in the shipping sector to embrace joint ventures as alternative sources for ship acquisition For several years, shipping has been recognised as one of the catalysts for socio-economic development. Because of distances it has since the ancient times been at the fore front of opening up of the world and thus a major driver in of the process of globalisation. Specifically, container shipping has been both a cause and effect of globalisation. Container shipping is believed to be the worldâ€™s first truly global industry. Container shipping could claim to be the industry which, more than any other, makes it possible for truly global economy to work, it connects countries, markets, business and people, allowing them to buy and sell on a scale not previously possible. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to imagine worldâ€™s trade, and ultimately our lives as consumers, without container shipping. Shipping has led to a phenomenal growth in world merchandise trade, which has consistently grown faster than output. In 2006, goods loaded at ports worldwide are estimated at 7.42 billion tonnes, up from 5.98 billion tonnes 2000. The value of total world export increased from $6.454 trillion in 2002 to $40.393 trillion in 2005 representing an increase of 64 per cent. However, the reverse seems to be the case in Nigeria. It is on record that no fewer than 90 per cent of shipping companies owned by Nigerians have either completely shut down their operations or are barely struggling to survive. Ironically, all the shipping companies based in Lagos are either dead or struggling to survive while the ones in Warri and Port-Harcourt are thriving. THISDAY findings also revealed that all the companies are also heavily indebted to banks and are mostly unable to service the loans they took to buy ships. The companies, sources volunteered, also owe their crew arrears of salaries ranging from six to 14 months, while some have sold off their vessels. Genesis Worldwide Shipping, which was once seen as a thriving indigenous shipping company just four years ago, has completely gone under with not a single ship to operate. The company, at its peak less than five years ago, had six ships. The same fate has befallen Joseph Sammy Nigeria Limited with one of its staff describing it as â€œalmost dead.â€? Piqued by the spiral effects of the death of indigenous shipping due to lack of funds and unfavourable policies, maritime stakeholders have questioned the federal Governmentâ€™s wisdom in warehousing over $100 million in the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) while its purpose suffers. Speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) for public relations officers of maritime and related organisations, the Public Relations Officer of the Association on Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Kayode Farinto, said the problem was due to lack of patriotism. â€œOur indigenous ships will continue to die because of the fact that we are not saying the truth. CVFF takes care of assisting our indigenous ship owners with funds. The CVFF holds nothing less than N70 billion in an escrow account. What happens to that fund, â€?he said. Similarly, the Special Adviser on Seafarers Affairs to the President-General of the Maritime Workersâ€™ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Henry Odey, said that Nigeria was only able to rescue citizens trapped in Liberia during its civil war because the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) was still operational.

Groupings and JVs Meanwhile, in a bid to find solution to the problem, experts in the nationâ€™s maritime industry have called on

WORLD FLEET OF COMMERCIAL VESSELS BY COUNTRY OF OWNERSHIP, AS AT JANUARY 1, 2016 THREE COUNTRIES REMAIN AT THE TOP

GREECE is by far the largest owning country with 293 million dead weight tonnes or 16.4% of the 1792 million dead weight tonnes world total

The top 5 owning countries comprise exactly half of the world total

JAPAN is the second largest with 229 million dead weight tonnes or 12.8%

300

CHINA is in number three position with 159 million dead weight tonnes (8.9%)

250

GERMANY is in fourth position with 119 million dead weight tonnes

200

SINGAPORE 95 million dead weight tonnes

150

100

Nigerian ship owners as well as other stakeholders in the shipping sector to embrace groupings and joint ventures as alternative sources for ship acquisition. For instance, Principal Partner of the Law Firm, Kenna & Partners, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN) who made a presentation at the second edition of the Nigeria Ship Finance Conference and Exhibition (NIFSCOE) in Lagos on the theme, â€œAdvancing Ship & Maritime Infrastructure Financing in Nigeria: Innovative Concepts & Sustainable approaches,â€? said that shipping has evolved globally lamenting but Nigeria has continued to look at the issues from the traditional standpoint. Ajogwu argued that ship ownership has gone beyond one man owning and managing vessels to an era where group of individuals/ organizations own vessels and outsource the management to experts in the business. Nigerian ship owners, he said, need to utilise the power pool system as it would be better they own five per cent of a vessel working for any of the

We only use the chart to see the draft of the water. These are infrastructure challenges and there are no provisions for emergency vessels for incidents offshore Nigeria. These are infrastructure deďŹ cits that the government should address

International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) than to own several vessels without businesses and the vessels end up making them bankrupt. According to him, â€œYou could either have the money to buy the ship or you have to take on debt capital or a hybrid of both equity and debt. Todayâ€™s sophisticated shipping and the resources required means that the traditional way of it is obsolete. â€œPeople need to raise funding but a ship isnâ€™t a hotel that you build and expect patronage. Rather, you have to secure the source of repayment upfront by having contracts within the oil and gas sector. It is this stream of cash flow that would enable you repay the debt.â€? Ajogwu also warned the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) not to disburse the CVFF to individual ship owners because the NIMASA doesnâ€™t have the capacity to ensure repayment. He said: â€œNIMASA doesnâ€™t have to reinvent the will with regards disbursement of CVFF. They should do onward lending to the banks so that they lend to the ship owners. The banks have the wherewithal to do the feasibility study of the projects as well as the business plan. The banks are also in better position to chase after the ship owners to ensure that they are successful and repay the loans, â€?he said. He also noted that there are some ship building and ship acquisition funds all over the world that Nigeria can benefit from. â€œThese funds help the European ship builders to sell while it helps us acquire the vessels. We should be able to tap into such opportunities. We have to build companies or funds that own ships. Nigeria isnâ€™t in Mars; we are in a world where some of these processes have been tested so we just have to replicate the initiatives to suit the local environment in the country.â€? He stressed the need to separate assets ownership from operations as most Nigerian ship-owners lack the managerial skills to handle the management aspect of the assets. On his part, the Managing Director of

PAC Capital Limited, Mr. Christopher Oshiafi noted that British Airways owned less than 10 per cent of the airplanes in its fleet. He stated that ship owners could approach Export Credit Agencies (ECA) with the Nigerian Import-Export (NEXIM) Bank and other Pan African banks. Oshiafi maintained that availability and reliability of cash flow from the project would convince the financiers that the ship owners would be able to repay the debts. He also admonished the NIMASA to provide assurances to the financing banks to provide the deficits if the revenue from the investment falls below projected expectations as this would enable the financiers become more willing to sponsor ship acquisition. President of the Nigerian Indigenous Ship owners Association (NISA), Mr. Aminu Umar described the business environment for ship owners in the country as â€œextremely challenging.â€? He lamented that beyond the obvious challenges of funding, there is also another problem of infrastructure. â€œThe infrastructure isnâ€™t up to the global best standards and it has posed several safety issues to ship owners. We have ugly experiences as a result of channels that arenâ€™t dredged and there are no tugboats to assist the vessels. The channels arenâ€™t well dredged so vessels encounter accidents and we canâ€™t see the underwater. We only use the chart to see the draft of the water. These are infrastructure challenges and there are no provisions for emergency vessels for incidents offshore Nigeria. These are infrastructure deficits that the government should addressâ€? he said.

Need for CVFF Concerned by the plight of ship owners, NIMASA late last year announced that it would disburse the indigenous CVFF in the first quarter of 2019. The Director General the agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said the fund which was derived from two per cent deductions from every contract awarded, was meant to help grow the capacity of indigenous ship owners and also provide the needed capital for them to acquire vessels.

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Amina Isa

There is a Place for me in the Music Industry

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AMINA ISA: THERE IS A PLACE FOR ME IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Amina Isa, aka Missaei, the only daughter of Abdulrazaq and Kate lsa, both renowned Nigerian business tycoons is multitalented. Although she is just 25 years old, she has started making her mark both home and abroad with her unique talents. She is a singer, song writer and also a fashion designer and would probably go into filmmaking in the nearest future as she had also recently delved into film production. Born in Los Angeles, California, Isa a graduate of Public Relations from Syracuse University, NewYork, now holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Southern Californiaâ€™s renowned Film School. On a recent visit to Nigeria to mark her 25th birthday, celebrate her graduation from school as well as launch her music and fashion brand, Isa in this interview with MARY NNAH, talks extensively how she intends to impact positively on Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Excerpts: How did your journey into music start? I have been singing for as along I can remember, but actually getting the courage to get into the studio and recording a song started five years ago and ever since, itâ€™s been just going to the studio, recording music and becoming more comfortable with that whole experience.

it was like a kind of natural progression for me as well until I came up with my fashion line, Koy and Victoria. It is a womenâ€™s wear brand targeted towards women aged 18 and above. Koy and Victoria is a lifestyle brand that is for the women that loves to feel good, feel free and sexy as well as being able to explore travel. A lot of the pieces are transitional, and you can wear them when you are going partying or just casual. So, you can dress it up or dress down

Now are you doing this for the passion or for the money? Definitely not for the money. If itâ€™s for anything, itâ€™s for the love. Just getting into it professionally was just a natural progression because I have been doing it in private for so long. And it is also something that I can utilise to get my name out there, meet people and network. Itâ€™s not for the cash. Music is kind of very competitive here in Nigeria. How do you intend to grow your brand, stand out and then remain on top of the game? I honestly believe that if you do what you love and you are honest about it and you are genuine, things will fall in line to work for you. Thatâ€™s how it has been with my life. Anything that I hundred percent put my heart into, I always find the way to make it happen for me. It might not be the way others would want for themselves, but it always work out for me. So I believe that though it is competitive, and a lot of people have a lot of disappointments, I know that I will find a path that works right for me in this industry and I believe that there is room for my kind of sound. I havenâ€™t really heard any other artist or a team of artists that have done the kind of music that Iâ€™m trying to do, so Iâ€™m confident, that there is a place for me in the music industry, competitive or not, I think people need the kind of music that I have to offer. What inspires your kind of music? I listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I get influenced by different kinds of music but I am more of the kind of person that likes listening to easy music â€“ kind of music that you can just put on when you are getting ready, when you are driving â€Ś you know not really trying to party but the kind you listen when you just want to relax. So Iâ€™m inspired by things that I see, what I feel when I go to certain places like when I am on vacation, how I am feeling when I am with my friends â€“ those are the kind of vibes that I try to recreate in my music. I really get that sort of feelings when I listen to some Sade songs as well as Mr. Eazi.

Where are you based? Right now I am based in Los, Angeles, USA and some pieces are being produced here in Nigeria too. We have the adire pieces, the silk adire collection which is made here in Nigeria. We got the fabric here in Nigeria and made it here in Nigeria but it is marketed globally.

Aminaâ€™s parents, Kate and Abdulrazaq Isa with their little son

Whatâ€™s your niche in fashion? The thing about Koy and Victoria is â€Ś well, I call it laid back luxury brand, so you can dress it up and dress it down by either adding or removing jewellery. It is the kind of clothing that anybody can wear. It is the kind of clothing that any woman can wear and look beautiful. How have you been able to combine both, trying to excel in the fashion line as well as in music?

Isa displaying on runway her Koy and Victoria fashion brand

I think they go hand in hand. I think that I can use the music persona to help elevate the fashion. But I think that this is something that a number of successful artistes have done. This is something that I am passionate about. It is a natural thing and I enjoy doing it. I have been singing all my life but I just started recording in a recording studio. So, that is how I have been able to deal with that and I have enjoyed every minute or should I say opportunity that came my way. What should people expect from Koy and Victoria in 2019? In 2019, we would officially be launching so that means you can go on our site and actually buy the physical pieces. This is just a prelaunch. In 2019 you would be able to shop the brand and see it on your favorite blogs and be able to buy these pieces as well. Where do you hope to be in the next 10 years? In the next 10 years, I would be an established brand globally but known as being a Nigerian brand catering to women of all sizes, all shapes and making them look beautiful as well as working on my music consistently.

How has the journey been so far? Any challenge trying to reach your aim as a musician? I think itâ€™s a little premature to really see how it is in the industry for me per se because I just graduated from my Masters at USC in California, and prior to that I wasnâ€™t really 100 per cent into music, I was focused on school and I was putting music on the side but now it is turning into something that is more on the fore front of my energy. So we would see how it goes and God willing, everything goes according to plan but you know people plan and God laughs. Who knows what will happen but so far so good. How many songs are you launching today? Is it like an album? No, I havenâ€™t gotten to an album stage. I am still trying to let people know who I am, be aware of the brand, be aware of the kind of music, just basically who I am and then an album will follow shortly after. I am working on some new stuff. I have a song that I came out with last year, which is doing pretty well now and I am going to be singing that tonight. The song called Flex, I dropped one December 1, it is called â€œTell Meâ€?. And the music video for that is coming out soon so

Is your fashion line high-end? Itâ€™s made market. So the most expensive thing is probably going to be about $250 dollars and the most affordable thing will probably be around $65 dollars. Why? You may ask. That is because it is made out of silk.

Who or what do you consider as your greatest inďŹ‚uence? My parents have been very supportive and I am very blessed in that regard. My father Mr. Abdulrazaq lsa, the Chairman/CEO, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited has been extremely supportive, while my mother, Mrs. Kate lsa, the CEO, Katchey Company Limited, is a champion, helping me to stay motivated and stick to my passion. Isa performing on stage

keep logged on to my Instagram to see it. My Instagram is @missaei You are also a fashion designer. Can we talk about your fashion brand? Koy and Victoria is my baby. I sort of came up with the concept, may be three to four years ago but prior to that I have always

been in tune with fashion â€“ taking fashion classes while I was in the university and even in secondary school, I will draw sketches, I customised my school uniform. I would get into trouble but I was still doing it. And it was just something that was always a part of me. People always told me that I had great fashion sense and that I should start a fashion line, so

If you had to advise young people today, what would you tell them? Donâ€™t listen to that voice beside you that says that you are not good enough. That you donâ€™t have what it takes and so on. Just do what you love, do what you want and stay true to yourself. You know what if you donâ€™t; you are going to see other people doing the things that you know you could have done.

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Film Critic Unveils Football-themed Book to Inspire Children Stories by Mary Nnah Augusta Okon, a film critic and adaptation advocate, has unveiled â€˜The Dreamer, The Traitor and The Forgottenâ€™, which is the latest childrenâ€™s book currently turning heads in her direction for good The sports-based book revolves around the much loved game of football, which is a departure from the norm, and explores the world of a child as a young dreamer with the desire to leave his footprints in the sands of time. The story is one of courage, hope, determination to succeed in the face of opposition and to encourage children never to give up on their dreams. The story unveils nine year old Prince, who has dreams of becoming a great footballer. However, his parents kick against it, preferring the highly rated profession

Film critic, Augusta Okon

carrying prestige and the weighty financial reward. As events unfold, he realises thereâ€™s a traitor who is bent on pulling him down

as no one believes in this young dreamer living in the backward town of Imoren, not even his friends. An encounter with The

Forgotten, a mean old man feared by the indigenes with a haunted past, sets him on course into discovering something that would change his life forever. According to Okon, â€œI chose the game of football based on its global acceptance and I dare say itâ€™s the number one sport that commands a huge viewing audience both locally and internationally. â€œThe game of football has proven to be a powerful medium and unites people of different tribes, religion and race every time a match is played. â€œGrowing up in the 80â€™s, I heard of players such as Thunder Balogun, Mathematical Segun Odegbami, Samuel Okwaraji, Henry Nwosu, Muda Lawal, Philip Osondu, Fatai Atere, Etim Essien, Friday Ekpo, Nduka Ugbade and Stephen Keshi, among others and

Gospel Artists Inspire at Praise and Worship Concert Determined to connect worshippers to God in a solemn fashion, gospel artiste Mike Omizuwo, brought together over 20 artistes at the second edition of the Praise and Worship Experience Conference 2018. It was a musical concert and album launch tagged, â€˜Praise and Worship Conference with Mike Praiseâ€™ held at Festac Town Lagos. The event is a bi-annual programme that makes both worshippers and singers to learn to worship in different ways. According to the convener, he has experienced God in an indescribable way and wants everyone to share in such elation. â€œIt has been from one level of glory to another, a wonderful experience. I want to celebrate God for this wonderful privilege to grow,â€? he noted. For Omizuwo, popularly known as MikePraise, there is great gain to worship in Godâ€™s presence, hence, the reason he pulled together a handful of anointed gospel ministers to shake the earth for the Heavens to rejoice. The gospel minister and father of four also talked about the events outcome and what he hopes for the event in the future, â€œTodayâ€™s

L-R: The Convener of Praise and Worship Experience, MikePraise; Dave More and Blessing Eminike at the second edition held at Festac Town, Lagos

outcome was wonderful God is really working here. I know next edition will be heaven on earth.â€? Since his mission cuts across boundaries he said: â€œPraise and Worship Experience with MikePraise will not be limited to Lagos. I am thinking of making it international running within and outside Nigeriaâ€?. The concert was held alongside the launch of his album, which he said was in

continuation of Godâ€™s calling for him. â€œThis album launch is something everyone has been waiting for. God gave me this song raw from heavenâ€?. Expressing the impact of the album, MikePraise, he expounded that some of the songs which are uploaded online already, have been blessing lives. â€œI am so happy that today we have officially released the album to the whole worldâ€?. The album, â€˜Greater than

allâ€™, is a blend of 11 tracks. The songs comprise: God all by Yourself, Greater than all, Be Magnified, Your Love for Me, Marvelous God, Ado Ado, Hallelujah, I Will Trust You, My Courage, My Story has Changed and Jesus Cares. â€˜Greater Than Allâ€™ is his third album. â€œIt has been wonderful all the way. God is my inspiration. My ministry is to impact lives. This particular idea was given to me when I was a teacherâ€?, he added. Speaking further he said, â€œGod instructed me to go infuse joy in the heart of men. I had started running a praise and worship edition earlier for a while but stopped. This time, it shall continue to run twice yearly.â€? Speaking also, one of the guest ministers, Clarkson Ikwunze, expressed profound satisfaction over the worship conference. â€œIt was a very beautiful gathering. I think itâ€™s an opportunity for the convener to be able to push himself from where he is to where he wants to be.â€? Assuring that the programme would get even more interesting subsequently, Ikwunze said, â€œWe will be having more events and keep building and moving. The most important thing is Godâ€™s presence and people being blessedâ€?.

18 Exemplary Leaders Honoured with SILC Awards The premiere of Success in Leadership Conference (SILC) Award in Port Harcourt, Rivers State was welcomed with outstanding ovation right at the centre hall of Mina Hotels where 18 leaders were awarded. These 18 recipients were recognised with honours of the SILC Leadership Awards in partnership with Hall of Fame foundation at the occasion tagged, â€˜Servant Leadershipâ€™. This was in an effort to spur leaders to keep the fire burning in discharging their duties across the nation. Founder and President of SILC, Ifeanyi Oluebubejesus, described the award as a booster for better performance for leaders across the country. â€œItâ€™s all about servant

leadership, a timeless concept whereby one enters a relationship, organisation, ministry, business, government with an intention to serve before one discovers the necessity for leadership. â€œThe essence of leadership is service. The measure of a leaderâ€™s success is not acquisition but in contribution,â€? he noted. While reminding participants that occupying a leadership position does not make one a leader, but gives one the opportunity to become a leader, he said, â€œSomeone can be in a position of authority but not leading or influencing anyoneâ€?. Oluebubejesus, however, charged participants to emulate â€œOur Lord Jesus who is a personification of servant leadership. Jesus said He

came to serve and not to be served. That is why we are here today to award those who have been servingâ€?. The 18 distinguished icons, decorated with SILC Leadership Award, were: Chairman of Ifelodu Local Government, Shuaib Fatai Ajidagba (Ajifat) as Patron; Callistus Obielu Nwanchukwu (Ph.D), Dr. Akeneh Andrew Smith (Ph. D), (Mrs.) Patricia Ndidi Tamunodiepiriye AmadiFubara (a barrister), Mrs. Uchenda Bibian Okogbule (a barrister), Gladys Aniosa Nweye and Ekpa Moses Humphrey. Others are: Tamunosaki Williams Briggs, Mrs. Justina Elekima, Mrs. Ngozi Ezekiel Hart, Dodo Inyeme Ngozi Stephen, Elder Obele Isaiah Chu, Francis Ntouer, Ajinwo Franklin (a

barrister), Amadi Samuel Madubuchi, Mr. Umejuru O. Yerimah, Chief Polycarp Ndounteng and Kolawole Paul Olumide. Expressing joy at the outcome of the ceremony, the Coordinator of SILC PH and Vice President, Mrs. Justina Elekima, stressed that the vision of the organisation was to raise exceptional leaders who would transform the third world. â€œThis epoch making event is to spur leaders who are setting the pace and trailing the blaze in their chosen career by honouring them with the SILC Leadership Awards.â€? Elekima, an ambassador and recipient of the award, urged participants and awardees to grasp this honour as a call to serve in their various fields of practice.

Nigerians were passionate about watching their local clubs play. â€œBoys played street soccer, inter- house soccer and it was fun. Unfortunately, our parents kicked against a career in sports and entertainment and we had to choose to either be a lawyer, doctor or an engineer. â€œToday the table has turned and the former is now the rave of the moment. Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Victor Ikpeba and Obafemi Martins, among a host of awesome Nigerian footballers made the game of football a delight to watch. â€œFond memories of what we experienced growing up in the 80â€™s are captured in the book, making it easy for children in this generation to connect with our past, explore our world, and be

inspired to be the best at what they do.â€? The bookâ€™s title which no doubt has a filmy ring to it, style of writing was influenced by the movie side of her. Her previous book â€˜The Quest For The Gem of Arubiaâ€™ which was shortlisted for the 2016 ANA/Ngozi Chuma Udeh Prize for Childrenâ€™s Literature was fantasy based. The Dreamer, The Traitor and The Forgotten encourages children to discover their talents, and encourages parents to aid in harnessing their talents rather than opposing their chosen field. Children will find the illustrations by Trevon Crox visually appealing and be further drawn into the world of possibilities, keeping them engrossed with the story until the last page.

Meduoye Tasks Nigerians on Electoral Participation, Preaches Peace General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Reverend Felix Meduoye, has tasked Nigerians, irrespective of creed and religion, to participate in the forthcoming elections. He gave this charge at a media briefing on the state of the nation at the Church headquarters in Lagos. He said: â€œNigerians irrespective of creed and religion must take more than passing interest in politics to make those in government accountable. â€œFor them to also overcome poverty and have a better life, they must determine their own destinies by voting their conscience in the coming elections. Focusing on infrastructure deficit, insecurity, challenge of leadership and the economy, he restated that the country was presently going through trying times, adding: â€œThere is apprehension in the land as a result of the political, social and economic issues in Nigeria. â€œPolitical leadership has failed the nation and this evident in all levels - judiciary, legislature and executive. The failure of leaders to provide the needed direction has left the country comatose as the nationâ€™s human and material resources have not been well harnessed for development.â€? He lamented that in spite of the nationâ€™s huge economic potential considering its population advantage, its economy was still tottering as industrialisation has suffered fatally with low capacity utilisation, unemployment, underemployment and incessant strikes. â€œHunger and poverty are

fanning embers of anger, frustration and disappointments in many quarters and Nigerians are becoming increasingly intolerant of one another. These negative features should be of great concern to all of us.â€? He added that due to the parlous state of the countryâ€™s socio-economic milieu, Nigerians should use the forthcoming general elections to determine their destinies and future by voting for the right candidates in a non-violent, free and fair manner. Meduoye, who spoke in company of other members of the church council, stressed that Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources but the blessings have been grossly underutilised because of leadership failure. â€œThe forthcoming elections offer us another opportunity to determine the destiny of this country through active participation in the electoral process. Nigeria needs intervention and complete turnaround. â€œAs we go into the elections, our focus should be on critical areas such as security, economy, infrastructure, education, youthsâ€™ empowerment and crusade against corruption, among others and how these will be effectively tackled and fixed to ensure our collective growth and development,â€? he said. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be unbiased, non-partisan and uncompromising in executing its responsibilities, adding they must allow fairness, fear of God and accountability to guide their conducts.

L-R: National Secretary, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Ikechukwu Ugbaja; General Overseer, Rev Felix Meduoye and 2019 Convention Chairman, Pastor Paul Olagunju, during a national press conference by the church, in Lagos

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A Night of Many Ye(s)! Though Burna Boy (and his mum) stole the spotlight at the 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards, VANESSA OBIOHA writes that the show had other memorable moments

o doubt, Burna Boy was the King of the Night at the recent Soundcity MVP Awards. The singer who emerged refined after a troublesome 2017 proved to his fans and detractors that he still got the burning flame. He took home four awards including Best Song of the Year for his critically acclaimed hit â€˜Yeâ€™. The producer of that successful hit Phantom also went home with the award for the Best Producer of the Year. While the singer was absent at the event, his mother who represented him wore her sonâ€™s success proudly like a badge of honour. She danced and made memorable lines such as â€˜expect more madnessâ€™ which has generated quite a number of memes on the internet while the singer basked in the euphoria of his success. His fellow artistes like Davido who won the Best Pop Award congratulated the artiste on Twitter, stating that it was Burnsâ€™s turn to shine. Beyond the euphoric aura of Burna Boyâ€™s wins at the show, the Soundcity MVP Awards which was berthed in 2016 had other memorable moments. Now recognised as the Grammy of the Nigerian music industry, the show didnâ€™t gain much traction until last year. That previous edition was characterised by outstanding performances by musicians and choreographers, accompanied by the loud cheers of the enthusiastic audience who rooted for their favourite artistes to clinch the awards and dared to disagree with some of the results of the night. Before the unanticipated break, only few music awards existed and some of them grappled with fundings even as they compete fiercely to claim dominance in that space. Gradually, some of these awards either strolled into oblivion or experienced a lull such that their prominence faded into obscurity. But that was not the case of Soundcity which rode on the consistency of its platforms on the airwaves to sustain the interest of the public. Moreover with a shrewd businessman with a creative mind, Tajudeen Adepetu at its helms, success was bound to happen. Thus, its comeback was a breath of fresh air for the music denizens who had long been starved of an award show that truly represents the industry. Returning this year, the show capped the plethora of events such as Wizkid VIP Experience, Spice Lifestyle Achievement Honours, Afrobeats Concert on the XChange platform for the festive period. Spearheaded by Adepetu, the events were strategically scheduled to deliver a holistic musical and lifestyle experience throughout the festive period. Though they were notorious for late starting, each of these events signalled a

Burna Boy

Burna Boyâ€™s mum making an acceptance speech

dynamic shift in the events landscape. The 2018 edition which held at Eko Convention Center of Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos retained some of its elements though it had a calmer crowd. Nevertheless, the show still had its dramatic moments. Finding the right hosts for the event seems to be a challenge to the organisers. If last yearâ€™s choice of Ebuka ObiUchendu was a killjoy, this yearâ€™s hosts Moet Abebe and VJ Adams both employees of Consolidated Media Associates, the owners of Soundcity Africa TV and radio channels were vapid. The duo lacked the charisma to host an award of such magnitude. Abebe was greeted by catcalls and jeers apparently directed to her curvy shape which was very revealing in her outfit of the night. Instead of warming the crowd a bit, she dived right into her speech, trying to keep up with the teleprompter. Her speed of delivery which ordinarily would have earned her some flattery was lackluster. Her co-host Adams who could have done a better job spent most of the night backstage, interviewing winners. Having the likes of IK Osakioduwa or Illrymz host the show wonâ€™t be a bad idea as these two possess the magnetic appeal required for such shows. Notwithstanding, the crowd was already charged for the night, having been thrown into a frenzy by the hype god Dotun and the array of artistes who performed in quick succession earlier. By the time the award went into full gear, the mammoth crowd was enthusiastically ready. One of the notable elements of the Soundcity MVP Awards was the rich and diverse lineup of artistes that brought both the new and established acts on one stage. Last year saw 2Baba, Tiwa Savage, Skales, Kizz Daniel, Iyanya, Cassper Nyovest, M.I. and Sarkodie delivering epic performances accentuated by the

colourful mix of dancers This yearâ€™s script however boasts of few A-list acts. There was Patoranking who gave the most brilliant performance of the night, the two Apata sisters, Teni and Niniola; South African AKA and Busiswa, Phyno, as well as Illbliss. Each of these performers had dancers on stage who effectively delivered their message or lyrics through their dance moves. But unlike last year where the dancers gave a very riveting performance of Skales â€˜Bootyâ€™ song as well as Iyanyaâ€™s â€˜Good Vibesâ€™ song, this edition major dance spectacle was from Chinko Ekun whose performance of â€˜Able Godâ€™ had dancers dressed in flowing white attire, Busiswa and Niniola. Coming on stage with her fiery persona, The Gqom queen, Busiswa and the choreographers entertained the crowd with striking dance moves including the famous Zanku dance. Her larger-than-life stage presence endeared her to the crowd as she sang, danced and rocked the stage as if it was only meant for her. From the moment she stepped on stage, she got the likes of DJ Spinall up to his feet, dancing to her repetitive hooks and beats. Rounding off her set, she introduced Niniola who featured her on her â€˜Magunâ€™ remix. The duo displayed their dance moves before Busiswa finally bowed out. Not one to be outdone, Niniola dove into her performance like a super diva, an image sheâ€™s been pushing since she released her debut album â€˜This is Meâ€™ in 2017. She removed the glittering jacket she wore to reveal a very well toned body covered in a sexy apparel. An afro-house goddess and a dancer, she launched into her popular hits such as â€˜Maradonaâ€™ while displaying her dancing skills, particularly the Zanku moves. Her energy on stage was highly applauded compared to her sisterâ€™s Teni who is yet to master her stage presence. While Teni was adjudged the Breakout

Star of 2018, her stage performances are often monotonous. So far, sheâ€™s been riding on the acclaimed success of her â€˜Caseâ€™ song to woo the crowd. There were times she leaned on her projected image of a bad-ass singer to sustain her stagecraft, and when that magic fades, she turned to the crowd for help by pitting competition among them. The formula is still working for her but we hope to see a better hat-trick this year. It was, however, Patoranking who really displayed brilliant artistry on stage. Last year saw the singer unboxing himself from the reggae dancehall genre while retaining his Patois style. From his house hit â€Ãvailableâ€™ to his global conscious pop hit â€˜Heal the worldâ€™, the artiste pushed the envelope to reveal his versatility. He did same at the Soundcity MVP Awards stage. Performing with a live band, he was introduced on stage with the famous Buju Bantonâ€™s song â€Õur Father in Zionâ€™. Dressed in a matching outfit, the singer launched into his â€˜Suh Differentâ€™ hit followed by â€Ãlubarikaâ€™. He switched back to another love song â€˜Love You Dieâ€™ before performing the popular hit â€Ãvailableâ€™. For this particular act, the backup singers started with a freestyle â€˜Kowoleâ€™, setting a mellow tone that was quite different from the upbeat rhythm of the song. An orchestra of sounds followed this performance, once again showing that Patoranking has evolved in his artistry. From the guitar, keyboard to the saxophone, Patoranking gave an Afrobeat rendition of his hit, earning him a great applause from the crowd. The hip hop session saw Illbliss, Phyno and AKA performing. However, it was the latter who got the loudest ovation, particularly his performance of â€˜Fela in Versaceâ€™ that had the legend name displayed on the stage screens. Quite a few expected Phyno to move the crowd but his laid-back act didnâ€™t quite stir the crowd. Even Illbliss enjoyed a better reception than the â€˜Fadaâ€™ crooner. As has been the tradition of the awards, the crowd always want their voice to be heard. There were discordant voices when Wande Coal was announced the winner of Viewers Choice Awards which boasts of other strong contenders like Wizkid. The crowd also booed when Navy Kenzo was announced winner of the Best Group. Their voices were highly pitched when Teni the Entertainer was proclaimed the Best New Artiste of the year in review while they gave a defeating applause as Burna Boyâ€™s â€˜Yeâ€™ was declared the Song of the Year. Other winners of the night included DJ Neptune who took the Best DJ award, Wizkid in the Best Collaboration category for the Starboy family hit â€˜Socoâ€™, Busiswa who clinched the Best Female MVP and dedicated it to Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade and Patoranking who won the Video of the Year award for â€˜Heal the Worldâ€™.

Does Lady Gaga Stand a Chance at the Oscars? Vanessa Obioha Usually, the Golden Globes is seen as a precursor of the Oscars, particularly in the most competitive categories. There are times however that permutation doesnâ€™t work perfectly. For instance, last year, both award shows werenâ€™t on the same page on the Best Picture trophy. While the Golden Globes crowned â€˜Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouriâ€™ winner in that category, the Oscars chose â€˜The Shape of Waterâ€™. But the Golden Globes predicted

Lady Gaga

right that Frances McDormand deserved the Best Actress in Drama Motion Picture award, which is why the chances that Lady Gaga will be favoured by the Academy suddenly appeared slim. Prior to the the 76th edition of the Golden Globes which held on Sunday, Lady Gaga was the projected winner of the Best Actress award in a category that had Glenn Close (The Wife), Nicole Kidman (The Destroyer), Rosamund Pike (A Private War) and Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me). Gaga was highly lauded for her performance at the Bradley Cooperâ€™s remake of â€˜A Star

is Bornâ€™ and was expected to swoon the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organisers of the show. With the new twist at Sundayâ€™s event, critics are weighing in if Gaga stands a chance at the Oscars which started its nomination voting on Monday, January 7 and will round up on Monday, January 14. While some agree that Close may be seen as a major threat in the Academy, others argued that Gagaâ€™s performance can still fetch a nod. The Academy will announce its official nominations on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

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E-TRENDS

Teni Gets Emotional after Winning Best New Act at Soundcity MVP Awards ...As Peruzzi reacts badly Sunday Ehigiator Fuji star, Pasuma alongside the â€˜Double WaSunday Ehigiator Fast-rising singer, Teniola Apata, popularly known as â€˜Teniâ€™, could barely hide her emotions as she was announced â€˜Best New Actâ€™ at the just concluded Soundcity MVP Awards Festival. Teni who took to twitter to express herself said â€œI just won the Soundcity â€˜Best New Act Awardâ€™. Let me sleep and wake up, maybe Iâ€™m dreamingâ€?. She later went on to admit missing her late dad, General Apata whose remembrance is in

two days. According to her, â€œMy fatherâ€™s remembrance is in two days! I just won an award today! Itâ€™s already an emotional time of the year for me, but this time, I am emotional that he is not here to witness this!â€? She was barely done tweeting when her conominee in the same category, Tobechukwu Victor Okoh, popularly known as Peruzzi, took to his Twitter page to tell the world that he deserved the award. According to him, he had put in more work, and even earned more money than the female superstar or any other new act in 2018. He wrote, â€œPersonally I would say I worked the

Peruzzi and Teni

hardest last year than any other new act, same way I made more money last year than any other new act last year in the country. â€œThere is a way I see myself. It is my race, there is

a way I am running it. Focus on yours. Facts over-hype. Itâ€™s really simpleâ€?. This might just be the beginning of another celebrity duel yet unfolding in 2019.

Buhari to be president for another four years, if thatâ€™s not a country with many backward unprogressive fools, I donâ€™t know what it isâ€?. @Abisolathegreat wrote; â€œMan this canâ€™t be true, @burnaboy referered to Nigeria as a home of â€˜Backward unprogressive foolsâ€™? If this is true, then something has gone terribly wrong. To say this is shocking is an understatementâ€?. @XammyOfficial wrote; â€œThis can never be my MCM. Wondering where all those â€œBackward unprogressive foolsâ€? who claims to be Burna Boyâ€™s diehard fans areâ€?.

Burna-Boy

I Once Dreamt IWould Marry Funke Akindele, But She Didnâ€™t Believe Me -JJC Skillz

Here are some tweets below; @Chrisblin wrote; â€œBackward unprogressive foolsâ€? because you were corrected to embrace the pyramid pattern of how things works First feature and you want to be the headline artist. One can overreact but failing to admit oneâ€™s mistakes is where the problem lays. He thinks heâ€™s Mandela too.â€? !6ODMF@"KBMB XSPUF â€œBurna Boy just called some Nigerians backward unprogressive fools and some people are angry, in a country where many people are doing everything for

@EnekemGreg wrote; â€œBurna Boy Just called Nigerians â€˜Backward 6OQSPHSFTTJWF 'PPMT *U BMM started from a FONT. You all have given too much power and Attention to the wrong person this time, Man is now intoxicated because he makes songs that sound good when you are highâ€?. @Pearllyndah wrote; â€œOkay. Now itâ€™s beginning to seem like Burna boy just wants to trend. Because saying â€œNigeria is the home to the largest number of backward unprogressive foolsâ€? was a really unnecessary thing for him to have saidâ€?.

Kizz Daniel Unfollows Davido on Instagram after Slap Saga Sunday Ehigiator

Sunday Ehigiator JJC Skillz in an Instagram post has revealed that he once dreamt that he will marry his wife, Funke Akindele but she never believed him. According to Skillz, â€œI have to testify. God is great. I had a dream one night around Christmas 2012 that I will be married to @ funkejenifaakindele and believing in the mighty God I trust. I approached and she didnâ€™t believe me. â€œA week of romance ended. We broke up and

Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz

I wrote this song to send a message of what is to come. My God has never lied or lead me astray. A year later she had a calling to find me and so the story continues. The Master architect is at workâ€?.

The much anticipated Soundcity MVP Awards Festival has come and gone with Damini Ogulu, well known as Burna Boy, emerging the biggest winner of the night after his hit banger â€˜YEâ€™ scooped four awards from the following categories; Best Male MVP, Song Of The Year, Listener â€™s Choice and Artiste of the year. Phantom, the the producer of â€˜YEâ€˜ won the award for the Producer of the year, beating the likes of Killertunes, Julz, Sars, Nahreel, Northboi, Dj Tira, Speroachbeatz, Fresh VDM And Kel P for the prize.

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Sunday Ehigiator

mentally advanced enough to fight for themselves. They will forever have my genuine undying love. â€œTo the few proud young African Intellectuals who will not conform to whatever bullshit they are given, you are the only hope of Africa. God bless you all.â€? Although, after deleting the post he promised to hold a press conference where he will further explain the reasons and justification for his actions, however, many Nigerians who reacted to this, dragged the singer who according to them is allowing his â€˜hype last year get into his headâ€™.

Sunday Ehigiator

Below are the lists of the winners from the show, which was held in Lagos.

Coachella: BurnaBoy Loses Cool, Brands Nigeria â€˜Home of Unprogressive Foolsâ€™ Music Star, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy is at it again and this time, the target of his wrath are Nigerians, who he says represent the largest number of â€˜unprogressive foolsâ€™. Drama started when the â€˜Yeâ€™ croner pointed out an issue with the way his name appeared on the lineup poster where he was announced as one of the performers at the upcoming 2019 edition of the Coachella festival. He complained about the size of the character, and tamed it as derogatory to his person and standards of Africa, he represents. This however generated a lot of reactions on Twitter. Perhaps, taken aback by the negative comments and opinions from a number of his citizens, Burna Boy took to his Instagram page to complain about the â€˜backward unprogressiveâ€™ mindsets of Nigerians. In a now deleted post shared on Friday, January 4, 2018, Burna Boy wrote: â€?Donâ€™t worry; I know for a fact that my own country, Nigeria is home to the largest number of backward unprogressive fools. â€œI will still fight for them because they are not

Full Winners List Of 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards

Just after the online accusation that David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido slapped Kizz Danielâ€™s manager, Tumi Lawrence, the FlyBoi Inc. CEOOluwatobiloba Daniel, seems not to find that act funny at all, as research reveals that he has unfollowed Davido on Instagram. It would be recalled that Davido and his gang members were accused of slapping Kizz Danielâ€™s manager, Tumi, during Davidoâ€™s December 2018 concert, with the victim confirming that he was

Kizz-Daniel-Davido

actually slapped but couldnâ€™t point who did the slaping; if it was Davido or a member of his gang. This however lead to Kizz Daniel leaving the concert abruptly without performing, in a show of respect for his manger. However, although Davido denied being the culprit, it was established that Tumi was actually slapped at his concert.

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Wizkid Quits Music Temporarily? Sunday Ehigiator Has the Starboy records boss and frontline act, Ayodeji Balogun, known professionally as Wizkid, quit music? That was the question on the lips of all after he announced his intention to temporarily suspend his music till March. The â€œOjuelegbaâ€? crooner took to Twitter, to announce that he would be taking a much needed rest till March 2019. Wizkid, who did not reveal the reason for his intended break, uploaded on Twitter a video of him having fun

with his crew members with the caption: â€œGone till March! Thank youâ€?. Also, an associate of 4UBSCPZ !:VOHNJMMJ3B[BLJ wrote, â€œWiz needs rest. We are going to (sic) miss you till Marchâ€?.

Wizkid

NFVCB Starts the New Year With an Enforcement Workshop Vanessa Obioha For three days, the National Film and Video Censor Board under the leadership of Adedayo Thomas hosted Nollywood stakeholders and security agents to a workshop in Lagos. The workshop was necessitated by the prevalent film censorship and classification issue that have continued to torment the film industry. Titled â€˜Strengthening Enforcement Against 6ODMBTTJĂ FE 'JMN BOE 7JEFP Worksâ€™, attendees were divided into four committees with the mandate to come up with different solutions to the grappling challenges faced by the board; from data collation to strategic approaches on field operations. The third day saw the groups delivering a presentation on their proposed solutions. The President of the Association

Movie Producers while presenting his groupâ€™s paper touched on the importance of the board to build structures that will ensure the enforcement of its rules while pointing out the need for the board to evaluate who is worth the movie producer title. The second group on the other hand delved into the importance of data and information and the way forward. Presenting the paper for the group, Yetunde Onanuga from the Nigerian Police Force called for the review of the MOBICON bill while Keppy Ekpeyong decried the import of western culture in the movie industry and generally in the country. He said that this disturbing trend is killing local production. He however suggested to the board to plan unscheduled visits to cinemas that violate the board rules as a means of curbing the release of unclassified movies.

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NEWS

Great Expectations for Winning Edge Conference Stories by Mary Nnah Renowned marriage counsellor and female preacher, Rev Funke Felix-Adejumo is filled with great expectation for her forthcoming annual winning edge conference that gathers thousands of women across the globe. Billed to hold from January 12 to 13 at the Tafewa Balewa Square in Lagos, Felix-Adejumo said this yearâ€™s edition promises to be bigger and better and would also be different from any other one held previously. Speaking recently to announce the forthcoming event, which seems to be one of the largest gathering of women in Nigeria, she said, â€œThe Bible makes it clear that Godâ€™s intention about us and everything that carries His signature must get better and better. It is the Lordâ€™s doing that each year more and more women are drawn to attend the conference. â€œWe strive by the grace of God to offer more than spiritual impartation. For example, we offer a â€˜shop for free service for widowsâ€™. Here, widows shop clothes, shoes and food at no cost. Last year, we had MTN partner us by providing generators and solar lamps towards this. Every year we try to meet more needs, and God has been faithful.â€? This year, apart from the returning speakers: Bishop Felix â€˜Remi Adejumo (Nigeria); Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo (England); Mrs Jumoke Adenowo (Nigeria); Pastor Tumise Ewedemi (United Kingdom); Pastor Rose Shaboka (Tanzania) and evergreen music ministers like Ebenezer Obey, Nathaniel

Funke Adejumo

Bassey and Tope Alabi, Winning Edge 2019, she revealed, will feature new speakers sharing their personal journeys of faith and testimonies inspiring ladies to aspire some more, dare some more and increase their circle of influence. â€œFor the first time we will be hosting Pastor Poju Oyemade, Dr. Cindy Trimm, Pastor Bola Godman-Akinlabi, Mrs. Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi, Pastor Laurie Idahosa and music ministers: Tim Godfrey, Midnight Crew and a host of othersâ€?, she added. The female preacher, who gathers thousands of women every year, expressed her desire for the women during this yearâ€™s edition of the winning edge conference. â€œWhat I would love to change among women would be their mentality, their self- esteem, their perception of life and their selfdevelopment. A woman is not inferior in any way to the man No! No! No!â€? â€œThe African woman in particular is faced with so many challenges: geographical,

cultural, financial, historical, religious, social, personal and ethnic, etc. Over the years, the woman was only â€˜seenâ€™ and not heardâ€™. Things are changing but not at the expected pace. â€œEvery woman deserves honour. Every woman deserves dignity. No woman deserves to be abused or maltreated no matter the situation. No woman should stay in an abusive relationship. â€œThe covenant of life is superior to the covenant of marriage. You need to stay alive to be marriageableâ€?, she noted. Encouraging women to have more confident in themselves, she said, â€œAs a woman you must believe in yourself. Like yourself. Love yourself. Invest into yourself. The totality of a 21st century womanâ€™s financial life should not depend on her husband. â€œNo matter how little, a woman should add value to her family life. Financial dependency is one major reason why many women stay in abusive relationships; itâ€™s not the best way to live.â€?

The relationship expert gave credit to her husband for being very supportive over the years, adding, â€œI am blessed to be happily married to a most secure man- Prince Felix AdĂŠrĂŞmĂ Ishola Adejumo. â€œI call him â€˜my Oasis of Calmâ€™. He is my number one Mentor. After my Lord Jesus Christ, my husband is my â€˜Safe Havenâ€™. He has mentored me over the years to give myself peace of mind and never to compete with anyone but myself. â€œMy husband is quiet on the surface but solid with a capital â€˜sâ€™ on his inside... my oh my... He is a rare specie! My entire life got on a meaningful direction when God blessed me with this gem of a man.â€? Sill speaking abut her supportive husband, she said, â€œHe regularly tells me things like: â€œDarling, I believe in you, donâ€™t die under my shadowâ€?; â€œI made up my mind a long time ago never to oppress you. â€œI am more than an African husband; Iâ€™m a Bible-husband. What you cannot get today you will get tomorrow, donâ€™t worry yourself to death.â€? Felix-Adejumo who stressed that a woman is affected by what she hears, said, â€œI have been privileged to hear positive words from my husband and those words have helped in making me the person I have become today by Godâ€™s Grace. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for the honour of being Mrs. Felix-Adejumo.â€? The preacher who has published 88 books with some translated to French language, said her next book titled: My head is fit for a crown, will be launched during the Winning Edge 2019.

Chief Daddy Races To N235.5 Million in 18 Days EbonyLife Filmsâ€™ Chief Daddy closed its 2018 recordbreaking run with an astounding N235, 469,368 - the highest box-office total for a Nigerian film in 2018 and the thirdhighest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time. The Niyi Akinmolayan film overtook King of Boys and squeezed past Merry Men, the fifth and fourth on the list of highest-grossing films, and into third place behind The Wedding Party and The Wedding Party 2. This amazing feat makes EbonyLife Films a producer of all three movies at the top of the all-time box office chart. The emergence of Chief Daddy capped the end of a remarkable year for Nollywood, despite a slow start, in which three films went beyond the N200 million barrier, a feat only achieved by the Wedding Party movies in 2016 and 2017. Ayodeji â€˜AYâ€™ Makun had his biggest hit to date with the dramatic comedy, Merry Men, that posted N235.2 million by the end of its run. Kemi Adetibaâ€™s King of Boys was the second big Nollywood movie of 2018, scoring over N220 million. Also, it was a landmark year for Niyi Akinmolayan, who directed two films, The Wedding Party 2 and Chief Daddy, that gained number one status in the same year. One interesting aspect of Chief Daddyâ€™s performance over the holidays was that, despite Aquaman posting higher revenues due to higher ticket prices for its 3D and IMAX screenings, many more viewers went to see Chief Daddy,

making it the most-watched movie for the season. The Niyi Akinmolayan film opened in cinemas on Friday, December 14 and has maintained the number one position for local movies since then, despite competing with a strong lineup of holiday releases. And Chief Daddy is off to a bright start for 2019, with revenues over N14 million on New Yearâ€™s Day, taking it to N250, 260,945 in total. Moses Babatope, COO of FilmOne Distribution is pleased with the filmâ€™s performance. â€œOur overall goal for Chief Daddy was N200 million, given the glut of releases on the December schedule, but it reached the target in just 16 days. It has exceeded our expectations, making it one of a handful of films that have made 2018 an outstanding year for Nollywood.â€? Mo Abudu, Executive Producer, is excited about her filmâ€™s trajectory. â€œWe knew Chief Daddy would do well but it has outperformed our projections. â€œItâ€™s a little reminiscent of the early days of The Wedding Party, when all the shows were selling out but we had no idea how far the film would go. I have to give credit to our amazing cast, who gave so much time and energy to meeting fans at cinemas all over Nigeria and in Accra - we couldnâ€™t have done this without them.â€? Chief Daddy is still showing in cinemas across Nigeria and at Silverbird cinemas in Accra, Ghana.

234Finance Bridges Gap with Mentor-matchup Challenge GText Homes Unveils N10B Project, Commemorates 10th Anniversary

In a bid to address unemployment challenge in Nigeria and facilitate skills among youths, 234Finance has ushered a fresh perspective on entrepreneurship by leading the charge with Mentor Matchup Challenge 2.0. 234Finance.com is an online platform that promotes African entrepreneurship by bridging the gap between investors and early stage start-ups in Africaâ€™s emerging market. The event which took place recently in Lagos gathered established and emerging entrepreneurs or representatives from their start-ups. Managing Partner, 234Finance, Ezinne Nwazulu, succinctly explains; â€œWe put together the Mentor Matchup Challenge 2.0 because there is a huge knowledge gap between millennials and the generation before us. â€œThere is an urgent need for the two groups to interact, engage and learn from each other. Knowledge they say is power. The Mentor Matchup Challenge 2.0 bridges the knowledge-gap young Africans lack access to, for practical solutions to the challenges they face in running businessesâ€?, she noted The Mentor-matchup Challenge 2.0, came just in time to coincide with the end of the year prep and goal setting for the new year. The event was also spaced into a trifecta of interactive sessions that proved to be both informative and fostered practical learning. The event started out with â€˜Growing a Global Brand in Africaâ€™s Emerging Marketâ€™, a panel discussion moderated by the incomparable communication guru Yasmin Ocansey; her expertise cuts across the communications spectrum- including broadcast journalism in both radio and television.

Ayodeji Ake

L-R: Founder of Ekete, Favour Ugu; founder of Nicnax Granola, Ejiro Jakpa; Managing Partner, 234Finance, Mrs Ezinne Nwazulu and General Manager, Seedspace, Alessia Balducci, at the event

The panel featured CEO of OrĂŹkĂ, a global agri-beauty brand, Joycee Awosika; Financier and Head of Moneda, Ejike Ugwu; Fitness Professional and Founder of Shredder Gang, Bunmi George, and Nigerian Businessman and the CEO of the Zebra Group, Buffy Okeke-Ojiudu. As the conversations swayed among the panelists, it examined the role of an entrepreneur in shaping the outcomes of their startup or brandâ€™s future and its importance of exploring emerging trends in the global economic landscape, while being equipped with the right team to build a sustainable venture. The second session was the Mentor-matchup Challenge and attendees were distributed according to the following sectors; MediaandEntertainment,Financial Services/Fintech, Agribusiness, E-Commerce and Energy. They were seated in the round with an assigned mentor sharing tips and responding to niggling business challenges. Amentee was nominated from eachsectortosummariselearnings

fromthemini-sessions.The icing on the cake was having investors sit in for these sessions and share unfiltered knowledge based on their practical experiences. Among the investors present were MD/CEO Nepal Oil & Gas Services, Ngozi Ekeoma; Managing Partner OUI Capital, Olu Oyinsan; Chairman, Tetrazzini Foods Limited, Prince Okonkwo and CEO, Properis Holdings, Kayode Fadahunsi. The funding expert, Ifedayo Durosimi â€“ Etti facilitated an inspiring talk- Accessing Grants For African Startup, which happens to be the title of her book that an attendee was lucky to win by answering a riddle session. The final part of the trifecta was the core purpose of all registered applicants in attendance. One pitch after another, the start-ups were tasked with sometimesgrueling questions from both judges and investors seated. The judges in attendance included CEO, Abile Advisory, Joshua Okorie; Head, Meristem Capital, Senami Johnson; CEO, BPI Advisory, Deji Agboage, and General Manager, Seedspace,

Alessia Balducci. The pitching brought out the competitiveness in the attendees, while most did okay, others excelled and were announced top six. Alessia Balducci and Alex Ekeoma, Director of Geo Travel and Tours took the stage to announce by virtue of the judges analysis, the top two pitches. Startups, Ekete and Nic Nax, won $2,500 each equity-free grants, courtesy of Geo Travel and Tours and Nepal Oil & Gas Services Ltd. The riddle sessions also resulted to multiple winners. Other rewards during the event were two spa sessions from OrĂŹkĂ Group and a brand new laptop from Abrott Technologies. The Mentor-matchup Challenge 2.0 sired from 234Financeâ€™s mandate to promote African entrepreneurship, which was certainly evident in the caliber of guests that participated. The event provided a rare and valuable opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to build relationships with businesspersons at the top of their game, free of charge.

With the aim of ensuring sufficient housing for Nigerians at a very low cost, GText Homes unveiled new N10 billion low cost housing project, which it said includes package for low income earners. At the end of the year Dinner and Carol program organised in commemoration of GText Homes 10th anniversary, held in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer, GText, Stephen Akintayo, predicted that the project will increase number of house ownership in Nigeria. â€œPart of our plan is to kick start a working idea of having 200 housing estates in each of our estates. At the moment, we have about five estates- four in Lagos and one in Abuja. â€œWe want to have 200 housing estates so that we will be able to provide shelter for people who do not have house of their own and thatâ€™s our major priority for 2019. The 200 housing estates will be low cost housing affording to low income classesâ€? he said. As a mentor and a motivational speaker, Akintayo harped on commitment and hardworking as the key to success. â€œThere is nothing to be ashamed of as young man or woman hustling because there is dignity in labour. I have sold popcorn and today I am not there anymore, which shows there is dignity in labour. â€œI am glad we have raiser a lot of people. For me, its another way to say thank you to those we

have raised and those that have identified with our brands. â€œYears ago, I look at the mirror and feel Iâ€™m not handsome and today, Iâ€™m happy Iâ€™m one of the handsome men in the world. Once you are consistent, you will go far. LIt took people like Dangote and Oyedepo 16 years to reach the exponential growth. By 2019, we will reach exponential growth. Young people need to understand that time and season is very important to growth. We need to know that things take time. I want to tell nugetiams that not all that glitters are goldâ€? he said. Lending his voice to the forthcoming general election activities, he urged Nigerian youths to get involve in politics. He said: â€œIt will appear that by accident the youths will get to that position and if we are not prepared for it, there will be problem. I see those who will turn the nation around but we must get involve. â€œWe want to ensure that through the real estate, we will make people have better life. I want to encourage the youths to become a technocrats.â€? Speaking about the event, General Manager GText Homes, Mr. Ademola Okunuga noted the idea behind this event was to give thanks to God and to appreciate all their clients. â€œThis is our 10th anniversary , although we did the thanksgiving early this year but this is just like a get-together in the mood celebrationâ€? he said.

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ART WEEKEND

â€ŚFor pure art enthusiasts

Nuruddin Farah: An Authorâ€™s Wisdom from Exile Yinka Olatunbosun reflects on the substance in the words of the Somali novelist, playwright and scholar with 22 years of selfimposed exile, Nuruddin Farrah, during his last visit to Nigeria at the Ake Book and Arts Festival in Lagos

uruddin Farahâ€™s first novel,From A Crooked Rib, published in 1970 was considered a critique of patriarchy and misogyny. He made a lot of female friends after this book hit the shelves. In his second novel, he decided to write about a misogynist- a self-hating, women-hating character. It turned out to be his one of his most controversial books. Titled, A Naked Needle, the book didnâ€™t sit well with the Siad Barre Government in Somalia. â€œI was given thirty years in prison if I return to Somalia,â€™â€™ said the author during a session with Kunle Ajibade, a veteran journalist, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment during the military era in Nigeria. â€œThen, I was sentenced to death for a novel called Sweet and Sour Milk.â€™â€™ It was great to meet Farah, and greater to hear from a writer who is socially committed and determined to live in exile. At 73, his unwavering spirit was palpable as he spoke to a large audience-completely overwhelmed by his very simplistic approach to very complicated subjects in the world of his works. He had been nominated consistently for the Nobel Prize in Literature, won other prestigious literary prizes while his books had been translated into 17 languages. He saw the opportunity that life in exile offers to a writer. â€œSo, I went I into exile and continued writing. I usually say this to young African writers that if you live in the same household as your mother or older brother, you may not be able to do much writing. But if you go away from them to somewhere

Nuruddin Farah.

else, you may be able to do excellent writing because this distance in exile allows you the possibility of seeing things from distance and therefore evaluating things for what they are.

In Somalia, my family members would always say to me, â€œWe love you but you are stupid risking your life.â€? The only thing that happened immediately to the members of my family was

New Reality Show for the Love of Music Yinka Olatunbosun

that eight of my brothers and sisters lost their jobs. They couldnâ€™t work for the state so they had to find other means.â€™â€™ Farah was a terror to dictatorship in his home country as well as other dictators in Africa. For him, dictators are everywhere, not just in government. â€œI donâ€™t see dictator as someone who comes out of the blue and for whom we are unprepared. I usually see very many dictators in very many households in Nigeria, Somalia and most places in the world. It is because we tolerate the tyrants the father who is a tyrant or the mother who is the matriarch and a tyrant. We enable these tyrants in every household to invest their authority in the Dictator Supreme. Many husbands who treat their child badly or their wives badly in households will only make dictators in government. We only see the president because we all suffer from the President. If we do not have the small tyrants in every household, there wouldnâ€™t be tyrants in government,â€™â€™ he said. Farah broke down civil war into a concept that evolves from a domestic setting. Using the example of a married couple in dispute, he explained to the audience that as soon as one of the couple seeks a third party in the matter, alliances that will threaten to union can easily be formed. One painful decision that Farah had to make was to take A Naked Needle out of print. He said it had become a bible for misogynists based on misinterpretation and he would not wish to be responsible for men mistreating women.

â€˜YoungContemporariesâ€™ Returnsâ€ŚTomorrow Yinka Olatunbosun

To elevate the hymn culture, Hymnodia, a new reality television programme was recently launched at a city mall in Lagos in a frenzy atmosphere of singers with shoppers-turned-audience. Hymns are essential ingredients of popular inspirational music and there has not been a music reality show to promote it as much as popular music. The launch was like a pilot edition, with many shoppers found singing along to the music. Initiated by Philosoville Limited, it featured crowd-moving performances of the 30-member choir, signaling its call for entry to the show. The Managing Director, Philosoville Limited, Kufre Ekanem noted that Hymnodia seeks to revive the hymn culture and worship as a critical element of what cohesive societies require. He added that Hymnodia revolves around members of a world class choir who contest to showcase their skills as singers, writers and hymnodists to deliver soul-lifting songs. â€œIt is designed to redefine the perception on hymns and reposition the minds of Nigerians on the almost forgotten art and value of hymn creation, writing and singing,â€™â€™ said Ekanem. At

Rele Galleryâ€™s annual exhibition of emerging artists is set to take off. The show called â€œYoung Contempories IIIâ€? aimed at identifying, promoting, and mentoring young Nigerian visual artists has been strategic in offering artists a great stake in the global art marketplace. Yasser Claud-Ennin, Habeeb Andu, Abisola Gbadamosi, Dandelion Egho Eghosa and Samuel Olowomeye are the featured

artists whose works will be on display at Rele Gallery, Onikan from January 14. Their works bear themes of multi-layered identities, sexuality, and socio-political discourse. The gallery had previously showcased works on abstract expressionism, abstract landscape, abstract figuration and human anthropology by the prolific visual artist, Ayoola Gbolahan and recently hosted Art Salon featuring a body of work entitled â€˜Beyond Oilâ€™ by Chamberlin Ukenedo.

From left: Dr. Elisha Attai, Founder, African Women in Leadership Organisation; Ezinne Kufre Ekanem, Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, Rosemaryâ€™s, The Soft Furnishing Company; Kufre Ekanem, Managing Director, Philosoville Limited, initiator of Hymnodia and John Senaya, Chief Executive OďŹƒcer, J S and Associates, during the ďŹ‚agoďŹ€ of Hymnodia, a reality TV programme, at Ikeja City Mall, Lagos

the moment till January 21, many who find the sound of the show fascinating are visiting the Hymnodia website to apply. Part of the requirements are a maximum 60 seconds self-video of hymn rendition shared on leading

social media sites using the hashtag #hymnodiahq. The 13-week show will culminate in choir performances. The winner of Hymnodia will be announced at the grand finale of the contest on April 21, 2019 with the

reward of ASAPH, a specially designed trophy, a brandnew car and a cash prize of N5million. Hymnodia is set to be an annual event of reinvigorating rhythms to reward creativity and outstanding talents.

A view of the exhibition at Young Contemporaries 2017

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FERTILITY

with DR. KEMI AILOJE Info@lifelinkfertility.com; Ă?ĂŒĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ?Ë? lifelinkfertility.com 08033083580

MENSTRUAL DISORDERS (Part 1) cycle). Range of Bleeding Days: Bleeding usually lasts around 2 to 7 days. Menstruation stops occurring after menopausewhich usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age.

or the next few weeks we would be discussing the fundamentals of the female reproductive function in order to fully understand menstrual disorders. Many a time women observe changes in menstrual pattern which they are unable to identify as either normal or abnormal. The regular, cyclic monthly flow of menstruation is a hallmark of women in their reproductive age, this is often regarded as menstrual cycle. Reproductive age women, have been termed to be aged between 15-49years of age. For us to appreciate what menstrual disorders are, we need to have a sound knowledge of the menstrual cycle. The onset of puberty is characterized by series of hormonal changes that eventually results in the first menstrual period. This usually begins between twelve and fifteen years of age, a point in time known as menarche. In the preindustrial era menarche occurred later than it is happening in our current industrial society. It is not out of place for some individuals to start as early as age eight. The average age of the first period is generally later in the developing and earlier in developed world. After menarchemenstruation is suppressed by pregnancy and breast feeding. Understanding The Science Of The Menstrual Cycle The menstrual cycle is the regular natural change that occurs in the female reproductive system, specifically the uterus (womb) and ovaries that makes pregnancypossible. The cycle is required for the production of oocytes (eggs), and for the preparation of the uterus for pregnancy. About 80% of women have been reported to feeling some symptoms

one to two weeks before the commencement of menstruation and some during menstruation. Common symptoms include: Acne, tender breasts, bloating, feeling tired, irritability and mood changes. These symptoms interfere with normal life and therefore qualify as premenstrual syndrome in 20 to 30% of women. In 3 to 8%, they may be severe affecting their quality of life. Range of Cycle Length: The typical length of time between the first day of one period and the first day of the next is 21 to 45 days in most young women and 21 to 35 days in adults (an average of 28 or 29 days

Hormonal Interplay During The Menstrual Cycle The menstrual cycle is governed by hormonal changes. These changes can be altered by using hormonal birth control to prevent pregnancy. These hormones influence activities in the ovaries and the uterus (womb). Each cycle can be divided into three phases based on events in the ovary (ovarian cycle) or in the uterus (uterine cycle). The ovarian cycle consists of the follicular phase, ovulation, and luteal phase whereas the uterine cycle is divided into menstruation, proliferative phase, and secretory phase. The hormones at work are the Follicle stimulating Hormone (FSH) and the Luteinizing Hormone (LH). The FSH stimulates the growth of follicles within the ovary. Afollicle is a fluid filled sac in the ovary that often contains the immature eggs. FSH also stimulates the production of estrogen by the ovary. The estrogen produced causesincrease blood supply to the womb making the endometrium (inner baby bed) more thickened in preparation for implantation. Under the influence of FSH the immature eggs in the ovary grow and develop to maturity. The LH is usually responsible for the maturation and release of a matured egg. This release is what is referred to as â€œOVULATIONâ€? which occurs approximately mid-cycle, 24â€“36 hours after the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surges or reaches its peak, the dominant follicle releases an egg. After ovulation, the egg only survives for 24 hours or less without

fertilization while the remains of the dominant follicle in the ovary will eventually shrink and die off. The LH hormone also stimulates the production of progesterone which is baby loving hormone and promotes implantation and early fetal development. The ovulated eggs if met by sperm in the female fallopian tubes will result in fertilization, forming an embryo which moves to hatch and implant in the endometrium(inner baby bed in the womb). The presence of pregnancy will sustain increased level of progesterone and estrogen while the absence of pregnancy will cause a fall in the level of these hormones with a resultant shedding of the already prepared inner womb lining and this is what is referred to as â€œmenstruationâ€?. What Then Is Menstrual Disorder: It is an abnormal condition in a womanâ€™s menstrual cycle or can also be referred to a class of problems affecting a womanâ€™s monthly menstrual cycle Irregular menstruation occurs when there is variation in menstrual cycle length of more than approximately eight days for a woman. Classification of Menstrual Disorder: Disorders of cycle length, Disorders of menstrual flow, Disorders of ovulation and Dysmenorrhea Disorders of Cycle Length: As earlier stated the normal intervals between menses ranges from 21-35days. Metrorrhagia is often used to describe a condition of irregular menstruation that occurs between the expected menstrual periods. Abnormalities such as intervals of less than 21days may be seen in some women and is referred to as Polymenorrheaâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Śâ€Ś..â€Śâ€Ś... to be continued next week

with LEKAN FATODU

Overscenes

lekantodu@yahoo.com 08060140882

British-Nigerian, Olusoga becomes Professor at Manchester University For Nigeria and Nigerians in diaspora, itâ€™s a bright start to the new year. News of the elevation of renowned British-Nigerian scholar, David Olusoga, to the status of a Professor at the respectable University of Manchester conveys tremendous positive symbols and fuels optimism for Nigeriaâ€™s reputation abroad. An inspiring figure like Olusoga is one of the few Nigerians in diaspora that help to keep hope alive that the usually unpleasant and scary statistics about the conduct of young blacks in the UK, particularly those of Nigerian heritage, would change for good. Also a popular film-maker, Olusoga, who has received many awards on account of his excellent contribution to the British film industry, provides favourable counter narrative when conversations tend to focus only on Nigerians who are running foul of the law in foreign lands. According to a statement by the University, Olusoga, also a historian and broadcaster, joined the University of Manchester as a Professor of Public History. Olusoga, who presented the BBCâ€™s landmark series, Civilisations, in 2018 alongside Simon Schama and Mary Beard, is one of the UKâ€™s foremost historians whose main subject areas are empire, race and slavery. Perhaps topmost on his arrays of awards is the Queenâ€™s honour which decorated him as Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). Olusoga was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and British mother, and migrated to the UK with his mother as a young child. Yet, he has never faltered on the good path as some young people do. Rather, he has

Davis Olusoga

sustained the ethos of excellent upbringing and value which has made him a good reference point in many aspects of life. It wasnâ€™t that Olusoga had a peculiar head-start. Neither did he have a privileged early life, an absence of which many young blacks found on the wrong paths have claimed contributed to their bad behaviour. Instructively, like any other everyday kid, Olusoga grew up on a council estate where he faced threats and attacks to his family home from some political dissidents that

eventually forced them out of their home. This lesson Iâ€™m certain, if consistently being brought to the fore in counseling and mentorship to younger people, will help to deconstruct wrong thinking and reshape their minds with a view to developing a generation of goal-getters and high achievers. Like the popular saying goes, everyone needs a role model. Growing up, Olusoga saw Trevor McDonald, a distinguished British newscaster and journalist, as one of

the outstanding black people in the UK whose path was worthy of emulation. â€œI got into history because I wanted to make sense of the forces that have affected my life,â€? he said. â€œIâ€™m from that generation who would look at Trevor McDonald on television â€“ his gravitas and authority â€“ and see hope and potentialâ€?, he added. Little wonder Olusoga also became a television producer after leaving university, working on programmes such as Namibia Genocide and the Second Reich, The Lost Pictures of Eugene Smith and Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner. He subsequently became a presenter, beginning in 2014 with The Worldâ€™s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire, a documentary focused on the Indian, African and Asian troops who fought in the First World War, followed by several other documentaries. His most recent TV series include Black and British: A Forgotten History, The Worldâ€™s War, A House Through Time and the BAFTA award-winning Britainâ€™s Forgotten Slave Owners. Olusoga is also an award-winning author who has written several widely-acclaimed books which include Civilizations: Encounters and the Cult of Progress, The Worldâ€™s War, which won First World War Book of the Year amongst others. Undoubtedly, this is the kind of cheery news that Nigerians home and abroad always crave. It is a beautiful story that inspires hope and underscores the gains of painstaking, focused and meritorious labour. And we hope the year brings more of such with it as it goes by.

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COLLAGE EVENTS

Church Set to Host Vantage Forum, Launch New Expression in January

THISDAY Reporter, Peter Uzoho, and wife, Ruth , during their wedding ceremony at the First Baptist Church Ohoba, Ohaji/Egbema, Imo State... recently

Mr. Adeleke Adeniran and wife Folakemi during their wedding reception in Lagos...recently

The Elevation Church (TEC), a dynamic non-denominational Christian ministry, is set to host Vantage Forum; a high-profile business and economic outlook event. The church will also launch a new expression, amongst other activities this January. Now in its fifth edition, Vantage Forum; a bespoke business outlook event for entrepreneurs and business executives, will hold on Thursday, January 31, 2019, by 9am at the Pistis Conference Centre, 1 Resurrection Drive, second turning after Oando, Jakande, Lekki Lagos. It is tailored to mid-level managers, business executives, existing and aspiring entrepreneurs, and C-level executives. According to the Lead Pastor of TEC, Godman Akinlabi, â€œVantage Forum is an annual entrepreneurial advancement initiative of The Elevation Church focused on empowering individuals to achieve the highest levels of distinction in their businesses and careers through provision of resources such as business seminars, workshops, and mentorship programs. â€œThe quality of the discourse makes it an event more suited to senior business executives, owners of medium-sized businesses and high net-worth individualsâ€?. This yearâ€™s edition will be looking at â€˜2019 and Beyond: Stimulating National Prosperityâ€™ and will engage respected individuals who have been carefully selected to ensure balanced analysis and discussions. According to the Chief Operating Officer of the church, Pastor Tunji Iyiola, â€œVantage Forum started in 2014 when it became clear that there was a knowledge gap between the policy makers, economists and those who were actually in business. â€œWe saw the need for a business outlook event that focused on the analysis of the economic and political terrain with a view to giving businesspersons a roadmap to run with for the year. It is hard to win a race when you are running blindâ€?. The event will feature Group CEO, Emerging African Capital Group Investments Ltd, Toyin Sanni; MD, ARM-Harith Infrastructure, Opuiyo Oforiokuma; Economist & Chief Consultant BAA Consults Limited, Biodun Adedipe; MD, Inlaks Limited, Femi Adeoti, and a host of experts in the business, financial and economic sectors to discuss trends and strategies to excel in business this year. One of the invited speakers, Oforiokuma, remarked that the church has a role to play in the marketplace. According to Oforiokuma, who will be speaking on the role of infrastructure as an enabler to business and national development, infrastructure is a direct contributor to national GDP growth. â€˜We will provide insights into why infrastructure is such an enabler. People will leave that day, not just better informed, but even more committed to joining hands to improve the infrastructure situation in the society,â€? he added Previous editions of the Vantage Forum had featured eminent personalities in the business world, including the Chairperson of First Bank, Ibukun Awosika; CEO of Economic Associates, Ayo Teriba, MD of SystemSpecs, John Obaro; Group MD and CEO, FCMB, Ladi Balogun; and CEO of Financial Derivatives, Bismarck Rewane. Also, TEC is set to launch a new â€œGreater Lekkiâ€? expression for people who reside in the Abraham Adesanya, Sangotedo, Ibeju Lekki, Epe environs. The inauguration service will hold on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 9.30am prompt at the T & T Parkwest Events Centre, Opposite Crown Estate, Sangotedo Lagos. While wishing members and all Nigerians a happy new year at the crossover service on December 31, 2018, Akinlabi announced that the theme for 2019 is â€œDonâ€™t Limit Godâ€?. According to Akinlabi, the church has had an eventful and impactful 2018 and 2019 is set to be even greater. â€œGod is set to do never-before-seen amazing things this year if the people do not limit God with their mindsets, personal abilities or disabilities, limited know-how, finances, amongst other things,â€? he added.

TheEventXperienceAfricaMaidenEditionSettoHold L-R; Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon(Anasthesiologist), Dr. Bal Swaroop Sahu; Surgical assistant, Pradeep Verma; Paediatric Cardiac surgeon, Dr. Ashish Katewa; Surgical Assistant/leader of the team, Alok Verma and Perfusionist,Sumit Maji, during the free heart surgery by the lndian medical team at University Teaching Hospital, Enugu...recently

L - R; Convener, Re-elect Buhari Movement (RBM), Mr. Emmanuel Umohinyang; South-south Co-ordinator Buhari Presidential Campaign, Senator Godswill Akpabio and RBM National Co-ordinator, Prince Goodluck Obi during the visit of Akpabio to RBM in Lagos...recently

The inaugural edition of The Event Xperience Africa (TEXA) is set to hold from 15 - 17 January, 2019 in Lagos. Tagged BE MOREâ€ŚDO MOREâ€ŚINSPIRING NEW FRONTIERS, the conference will bring together professionals from across Africa to discuss industry imperatives, growth opportunities, and global trends. The conference which is targeted at event and allied industry professionals and beginners, will feature curated classes, networking sessions, and panel sessions with speakers and topics which include the business components of event management (finance, legal, branding and marketing), leveraging technology, professionalism beyond craft and creativity, hospitality and creating memorable events, attaining global excellence and more. Organised by Nigeriaâ€™s pioneer event planner and founder of Zapphaire Events, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, TEXA is designed for event planners, designers and decorators, concert

and show producers, bakers/ caterers, audio visual experts (lighting, cinematographers, photographers, screens etc.), entertainment specialists (musicians/ bands, dancers) and other service providers in the event space. Other professionals poised to benefit from the conference are corporate stakeholders such as brand and corporate communications managers as well as experiential marketing companies. Speakers include the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Ibukun Awosika and international industry veterans such as Lebanese wedding planner and designer, Ziad Nassar (Once Events); United States-based event planner, Chioma Dure (Dure Events), and Dubai-based wedding planner, Zainab Alsalih (Carousel Weddings and Events). Also speaking are industry icons such as Yewande Zaccheus, Edi Lawani, Steve Babaeko, Jide Odukoya, Bovi, Dj Obi, DJ Spinall, Tosan Jemide (of Cakes by Tosan), and other renowned speakers.

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POTPOURRI

Aregbe Idris Pledges to Empower 500,000 Youths Ayodeji Ake The Youth Organising Secretary of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC), Aregbe Idris, has said that the party is ready to empower another 500,000 youths in the next administration. Aregbe Idris made this statement at the grand finale of a recently concluded soccer competition sponsored by the office of the youth of the APC in Surulere, Lagos. He said sports and tourism are the most viable ways of engaging the youth and that the APC-led government is ready to leverage on these avenues to ensure every youth in Lagos is productively engaged. â€œOur programmes are designed to bring the youth together, engage them, and let them know that APC cares. â€œWe so much believe in the youths, their energy, and power and as a party we are ready to assist them; that is why the office of the youth has constantly been developing the community by coming up with different community projects and support programmes, and sport is a major development

L-R: Ex-footballer, Gboye Shobowale and APC Youth Organising Secretary for Lagos State-, Idris Aregbe presenting the trophy to Paddington FC for the winning competition

tool that will help the youth and connect them.â€? Aregbe said. While he also urged lagosians to support and vote for candidates who are ready to move the city to the

next level, he maintained that the youths should play their part and participate fully in the electioneering process. â€œAs youths, there is an urgent need to play our part

and be sure we are not tossing the government into the hands of people who will set us back again, we need to do our part for this country to move forward,â€? Aregbe added.

Phyno, Kcee, Humble Smith, Bracket, Others Light Up Ojoto Prominent artists Phyno, Kcee, Humble Smith, Ruff cCin, Bracket, Funny Bone, Frank De Don, Jimmy Jatt and a host of many other celebrities were all present at Ojoto Unity Carnival organised by the millennial real estate entrepreneur Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, who has for over a decade been providing Nigerians with affordable luxury homes in Nigeria. The carnival, tagged â€œOjoto Unity Carnivalâ€? is a live entertainment concert organised to thrill the indigenes of Ojoto and neighbors who came back to celebrate Christmas and new year from far and near in Ojoto Community in Anambra State. It was an event that sons and daughters will not forget in a hurry as â€˜the first ever unity carnivalâ€™ which caused hours of gridlock from Ojoto Boys Secondary to Oba junction. Various displays and performances from the like of Phyno, Kcee, Humble Smith, Ruff Coin, Bracket, Funny Bone, Frank De Don, Jimmy Jatt and others at the carnival created enthusiasm among the fans, guests, indigenes who came from far and near to witness the first unity carnival organized by the real estate guru. The all-star concert featured top superstar artists which left fans and guests clamoring for more excitement. It was kick-started with a football competition that was powered by Victoria Crest Homes, another real estate company and a subsidiary company of Nedcom Oaks, which has also provided affordable luxury homes to Nigerians. The competition, which was tagged â€˜Igwe Unity Cup, Ojoto 2018â€™ was played by teams in Ojoto community and the host club Victoria Crest FC. The competition, which kicked off on December 25, 2018 at Ojoto Boys Secondary School pitch witnessed

Hero Rewards 500 Consumers in Yuletide Promo Hero lager, a beer brand from the stable of International Breweries Plc, a proud part of the AB InBev family, has rewarded over 500 consumers with cash prizes worth over N90 million and gifts through its national consumer promo, tagged HEROnaires Mega promo, which ran for three months. The promo which began on October 14, 2018, was aimed at rewarding consumers above the legal drinking age of 18 with N1 million weekly wins for 17 weeks. The promo also offered other consolation prizes including cash prizes of N50, 000 each to other winners. The consumer promotion was also a part of Heroâ€™s efforts to connect with its loyal consumer base, especially as the year end is a season for spreading love and celebrating with family and friends. â€œFor International Breweries, Christmas represents a perfect time and season for giving back, gifting and rewarding its loyal customers for their patronage all through the year,â€? said Marketing Director, International Breweries, Tolu Adedeji. â€œThe â€˜HEROnaires Megaâ€™ promo underlines the companyâ€™s commitment to impacting the lives of its customers for good and putting smiles on their faces. â€œIn this time of the year, a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference. What better way to salute our customers than to create opportunities for them to become millionaires through the reward scheme, particularly in this season of sharing, caring and giving,â€? she added. Numerous winners from different walks of life and

parts of the country were rewarded with various cash prizes, and many expressed joy and excitement over their good fortune. Speaking in Igbo, through a translator, Mr. Ugwuanyi Onyebuchi, one of the N1 million winners said, â€œI am super excited and still cannot believe that I have won N1 million just like that. I heard that people have been winning but I never imagined I will be one of them. Thank you very much Hero lager, Ndi Oh Mpa.â€? At the conclusion of the promo, Marketing Manager, Hero lager, International Breweries Plc, Obumneke Okoli, stated that Hero lager keeps fulfilling its long standing promise to continue rewarding consumers in various regions and zones in Nigeria. â€œWe wanted to reward our consumers in a unique way and we are very excited to have impacted lives and homes positively, especially during the yuletide with the staggering amount of giveaway. This was also our little way of saying thank you.â€? Some of the weekly winners of N1 million were presented their dummy cheques at the Hero music extravaganza, another way by which the brand connected with its consumers this festive period. The fiesta held in cities like Onitsha, Enugu, Abuja and Calabar with impressive performances from popular Nigerian musicians like Omawunmi, Zoro, Rudeboy, Timaya, Duncan Mighty, Reekado Banks, Harrysong, Slow Dog, among others, who thrilled fans till the break of dawn.

Vitafoam Donates to First Three Babies of 2019 Ayodeji Ake

Phyno

a display of sportsmanship characterised by love and harmony amongst the players. Former Super Eagles Star Daniel Amokachie popular known as the Bull was present, alongside other Nigerian professional footballers like Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode and Emmanuel Emenike. The host, Victoria Crest FC defeated Ofunwa FC at the grand finale to lift the trophy and went away with the grand prize of N300,000, while Ofunwa FC got N200,000 Prizes were also awarded to the highest goal scorer and most valuable player in the competition. Okonkwo, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Victoria Crest Homes Limited and initiator of the event, during an interview with journalists stated that both initiatives were borne out of the joy of the season and giving back to his community. According to him, â€œthese initiatives were borne out of the spirit of love and giving back to my community during this festive season

so as to help the indigenes and visitors who have come to the town to unwind and have fun this season in an entertainment-like atmosphere. This is a season of love and we want to create excitement for our people.â€? He further thanked the indigenes, fans, visitors and invited guests for their support by seizing the moment to bask in the excitement of the yuletide. His Royal Highness, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu of Ojoto, who was present during the football match, which ended in a penalty shootout, congratulated Victoria Crest FC and Ofunwa FC. The traditional ruler further thanked Okonkwo for creating an exciting atmosphere for the people of Ojoto, neighboring communities and beyond during the festive season. Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Marcopolo Group, Dr. Frank Okafor, disclosed that Okonkwo has been greatly involved in giving back to his community. According to him, the convener just recently

constructed roads in Ojoto, distributed transformers to light up the community. He added, â€œthe indigenes of Ojoto are seriously commending him for impacting positively in the lives of the people of Ojoto and Anambra.â€? He added that both the Unity Cup and Carnival apart from bringing the people together, will light up and attract more development to Ojoto. The real estate guru is however, not a neophyte in the business of giving back to the society as it is something he has passion for. He established an educational foundation through which he supports in the payment of the WAEC and NECO fees for indigenes of his community. Knowing fully well that education is a very vital tool in the society, his foundation recently awarded scholarship for all ojoto indigenes in tertiary institution. Okonkwo also has an empowerment foundation for widows, where he annually gives start-up funds to some of those widows so that they can set up their mini trading

A leading manufacturer of flexible, reconstituted and rigid foams, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, has again kept to its long tradition of over one decade of donating gifts to the first three babies of the year and the management of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital (LIMH). The first three babies of 2019 born, at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital were the centre of attraction on the New Yearâ€™s Day, during the presentation of gifts by the management of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc. According to records, the first baby of the year, a male, was delivered at exactly 12.00am to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Adegbesan, weighing 3.7 kg. The second baby, a female, who weighed 2.8 kg, was born at 12:01am to the family of Mrs. Taiwo, and the third was delivered by Mrs Ojewale at exactly 1:58am, a male child weighing 2.9kg. The gifts included: wooden baby cots, mattresses, pillows, duvet, baby pillows, feeders and lots more to the first baby. The Vitafoam Nigeria Plcâ€™s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, explained that it was consistent with the companyâ€™s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. He explained further that it had been a sustainable tradition of the company to be involved in the part of a childâ€™s life and will always be at the core of their annual visit to LIMH.

Adeniyi said: â€œA child of today is tomorrowâ€™s leader and his upbringing will go a long way into the factors that shape his adulthood. â€œChildrenâ€™s products occupy pride of place in the companyâ€™s diversified portfolios which take into consideration the needs of various groups in the society.â€? â€œVitafoam has been known over the years for good quality products, believes in being part of the childâ€™s life from cradle. We have always been known to provide for the home. â€œWe have products that meets the needs of the baby up to a toddler and when he becomes an adult.â€? Stating that Vitafoam believes in being part of the childâ€™s life from cradle, he continued, â€œthere is every chance that the child will use Vitafoamâ€™s products as he grows up. The child will recommend Vitafoam to others, then, it continues from one generation to another. We are part of the childâ€™s life from the day the child is born and that is our motivationsâ€?. Therefore, in support of maternal and child birth in the state and as part of her annual usual practice, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc donated quality mattresses to the management and of LIMH to ensure that the hospitalâ€™s facilities are always in good state. Commending Vitafoam Nigeria Plc for the donation, the Chief Medical Director of LIMH, Dr. Olumuyiwa Eniayewu, pledged to put the materials to good use.

F R I DAY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍˇ

ENTREPRENEUR

AyomideCondotti:Travel,UnlikeOil,HasnoTimeline

Ă˜ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?ĂĄ ĂĄĂ“ĂžĂ’ Ojo MaduekweËœ ĂžĂ’Ă? Ë› Ë› Ęś Ă?Ă‹ĂŽ Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ăœ Ă™Ă? Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă’Ă™Ă–Ă“ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ? ĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă–Ëœ Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ËŞĂ? ĂžĂ™Ăš ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁËœ ĂœĂ?Ë› ĂŁĂ™Ă—Ă“ĂŽĂ? Ă™Ă˜ĂŽĂ™ĂžĂžĂ“Ëœ ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă“Ă˜ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă–Ă&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? ĂžĂ™ ĂžĂ’Ă? Ă?Ă’Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă?Ă˜Ă‘Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂžĂ’Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂžĂ™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă— Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ

018 Travel Industry Review One of the biggest topics for 2018 was Tanzaniaâ€™s partial ban on its visa on arrival policy. Tanzaniaâ€™s decision to cancel the visa-on-arrival policy for all Nigerians without any formal communication is rather unfortunate. What is more unfortunate is the silence of the Nigerian government to this decision. As a player in Nigeria and Tanzania tourism industry, I can confidently say that Tanzania had a good number of visitors from Nigeria, and tourism receipts from Nigerians positively impacted their GDP. As a company, AfricHolidays was one of the first and biggest influencers of â€˜Travel to Zanzibarâ€™. From an income and trade perspective, it baffles me that while other countries are opening their borders and embracing the â€˜One Africaâ€™ policy, Tanzania is closing theirs. It now takes a minimum of three weeks to process a Tanzanian tourist visa and a trip to their Abuja Embassy. That aside, there were highpoints to Africaâ€™s travel and tourism worth celebrating in 2018. Ethiopia announced Visa on arrival for all Africans, South Africaâ€™s tourism continued to enjoy a boom partly thanks to Visa policies amongst other new tourist regulations by the South African Government, Egypt saw a boom in its health tourism while Kenya and Rwanda welcomed more business and leisure travelers. African vs Nigerian Travels At the moment AfricHolidays is focused is on giving our clients the thrill of a relaxed vacation within and outside Nigeria, actively seeking to create more options while promoting local tourism. The local tourism industry is challenged on multiple fronts; a lack of options, shortage of awareness for the little available tourist spots, poor maintenance culture on our tourism spots, lack of tourism grants, lack of the basic structural tool to encourage the development of the industry amongst others. As a tourist in Nigeria, what are the interesting things to do here? 90 per cent of the answer will revolve around attending music concerts and parties. Of course, we are thankful to the Nigerian entertainment industry for holding the fort, but technically that is not their job, but the travel industryâ€™s role. The ideal goal would be a Nigeria where each state is a travel destination on its own, each state showcasing its rich culture in a successful revenue generating and deeply entertaining manner. Calabar for its rich Efik culture, Ondo for the food, (hello, Pounded Yam galore), Ogun and Plateau states for hiking expeditions, Bauchi and Gombe for desert safari, I could go on. Nigeria has the tools to actively compete in the travel, and more importantly, the tourism world market space. We have the volume in terms of airline traffic outbound as well as the terrain, weather and culture to support and attract inbound traffic. With the right support, the Nigerian travel and tourism industry is capable is generating more income than the oil and gas industry. Plans for 2019 For 2019, AfricHolidays wants to be able to showcase the huge value chain in the travel and tourism industry in Nigeria, in not just how much the country can make but in job creation and empowering people. We are also going to be very vocal about the strength of the Nigerian passport and visa approval situations. Not all Nigerians want to relocate; a huge percentage of Nigerians want to travel for strictly tourism, business and shopping purposes. We will be pushing for the dialogue and the opportunity to proffer other visa assessing tools such that the genuine Nigerian travelers are given the opportunity to truly explore the world. After all, who knows Nigerians more than we Nigerians? In 2019, we also plan to keep supporting the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) in its drive to sanitise the industry.

Ayomide Condotti

Future of the Nigerian Travel Industry 2018 saw a consolidation of the Nigerian travel industry under the guide of Mr. Bankole Bernard, President of NANTA, a re-organization and sanitation if I may call it that of the Nigerian travel industry. All Nigerian travel agents are now required to have accredited NANTA ID Card. We make a general appeal to the public to protect themselves and deal only with a NANTA accredited agent. The goal for 2019 is to ensure that the Nigerian public enjoy the

Nigeria has the tools to actively compete in the travel, and more importantly, the tourism world market space. We have the volume in terms of airline trafďŹ c outbound as well as the terrain, weather and culture to support and attract inbound trafďŹ c. With the right support, the Nigerian travel and tourism industry is capable is generating more income than the oil and gas industry

best in travel and tour services without fear of being defrauded. Condottiâ€™s Top Five Cities for 2019 The travel industry is a positive to the health industry, by providing avenues for relaxation for a stressed mind. We all need someplace to go relax. Making this decision can be stressful, if you do not know where to look. You donâ€™t have to feel lost, allow an expert point you in the right direction. Here are Mrs. Condottiâ€™s Top five Travel destination for 2019. Enjoy! Zanzibar (Tanzania) - As much as the government policy was a negative, I will still recommend this wonderful city to travelers. Everyone needs to go to Nungwi once in their lifetime to chill and experience the serenity of this very beautiful place. I hope the government would rethink its visa on arrival policy, nonetheless I am unapologetic in recommending this wonderful city to any traveler in 2019. Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) - The second place to visit that would be top of my list will be this beautiful resort town in Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh, which is between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea, and is known for its sandy beaches, clear waters and coral reefs. Photos do not do justice to this town. You just need to visit to get a clearer perspective. Cape Town (South Africa) - Cape Town will be my third pick. Thereâ€™s just some good feeling in being able to buy something, eating and strolling on the streets of Cape Town without purpose. The joy in taking in the sight while enjoying the people is so relaxing. Someone can be strolling down the road and begin to dance and then others

would join you. I donâ€™t know you, you donâ€™t know me, we donâ€™t speak same language but then we understand each otherâ€™s vibe. This to me is life, and light. And to sum it up, you can find some of the most beautiful house music in South Africa. Banjul (Gambia) - Banjul is like Nigeria, but a calmer and more loving country. Beaches in Banjul and Nigeria are the same, except that they have better structures and maintenance. They intentionally invested in their travel and tourism industry. But the most attractive thing for me about Banjul is that the people are kind. When I started AfricHolidays many years ago, the vendors I had to deal with in the Gambia had never met me, but they dealt with me in trust. Gambians are a beautiful people; they just love and are always eager to welcome you to their culture. Nairobi (Kenya) - This would be my fifth recommendation. I like the foods in Nairobi. I am not an animal lover, and so all that advertisement that projects Kenya as a place to go see giraffes I find them upsetting; more so because there is more to the country than just the animals. I dislike it that Africa in general, and the country in particular is portrayed this way, just about animals, when there is so much more. Kigali (Rwanda) - Let me add Kigali as an extra. First of all, I love how Rwanda has reformed itself. Kigali is an example of how someone or something was bad and had hit rock bottom but rose and rebuilt itself. If the people of Rwanda can rebuild Kigali to where it is today then nobody has any excuse. That said, I love Kigali for its cleanliness, security and safety. Also Lake Kivu is a beautiful place to drive to.

F R I DAY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍˇ

METRO

â€ŚYour city life in print

Ray of Hope for WAPI Beneficiaries

Sunday Ehigiator writes that the recent scholarship awarded to 12 indigent students by the old students of West African Peoples Institute, Calabar, Cross River State, was a ray of hope for the beneficiaries

or Master Divine Etetim Willie, an SS1 student of West African Peoples Institute, (WAPI), Calabar, Cross River State, though in his teens, his future like many others had been rather bleak. Curiously, it was due to no other reason than the fact that the wherewithal to actualise his dream of using the platform of education to fulfill his dream of a great future was lacking. In fact, that he was able to get to his present class was a miracle because his path from the beginning had been filled with thorns due to his poor background. Though brilliant, the thought of being sent away from school daily agitated his mind because he was not sure where the resources would come from. Coming from a state that has many young children hawking on the streets of Lagos or Abuja or serving as househelp, his prayer must have been that he should not end up in this group. As if God was listening to his prayers, hope eventually came his way as the news of a scholarship scheme for indigent students filtered into the school last year. Many of the students especially the indigent ones never believed what they heard as what they were told was unprecedented in the history of WAPI, which was founded in 1938. However, whatever doubts they had faded when the school principal, Mrs. Mercy Etim confirmed the authenticity of the news to the students and teachers. She told them that the scholarship which is courtesy the schoolâ€™s 1997 set would be awarded to 12 students in junior and secondary classes and would also cover payment of WAEC and NECO fees. This was unlike past scholarship schemes enjoyed in the school which only saw beneficiaries through their secondary education. Etim, however, added a caveat - the would-be beneficiaries though indigent must possess sound moral and academic records. The news was like sweet music to the ears of Divine, who though was qualified on the two fronts, still prayed to make the list. Eventually, the school set the ball rolling to pick the 12 deserving students and a list of awardees was made public late last year. Those who were lucky in the junior secondary school category included, Idongesit Francis Eton, Elisha Samuel Offiong, Cletus Ekwere Edem, Favour Thompson Okon. Awardees in the senior secondary category were Otu Archibvong Nyong, Divine Ikechukwu Amadi, Sunday Joseph John Ekpenyong and Andem Etim Effiong. As the gates of the school were flung open for the formal presentation of the scholarships on December 29, 2018 anxiety was boldly written on the faces of the beneficiaries and their parents. However, all that faded much later as beneficiaries were called one after the other to receive their scholarships. So impressed was the chairman of the occasion, Barrister Ansa E. Ansa, an old student of WAPI who showered praises on the 1997 set of the school for their benevolence, that he particularly singled out Mr. Emmanuel Umohinyang, one of them for rescuing the school from a state of hopelessness through several intervention initiatives. Ansa, a 1978 set of the school did not mince words when he described the 1997 set as the most viable set WAPI has produced since it was founded in 1938. According to him, the turnaround that the school underwent to bring to its current state was the handiwork of the 1997 set. He said: â€œHaving seen what the 1997 set of this school has done, I make bold to say that you are the most viable set. Many of

Umohinyang with some scholarship beneďŹ ciaries

L-R: Nkanu Nkanu, scholarship beneďŹ ciaries, Umohinyang (middle) and Mrs. Etim

what has been achieved can be attributed to the support of Mr. Umohinyang. â€œI have heard so much about him and I am happy to see him. Nobody has

Whatever we are doing today is our way of giving back to our roots. I almost could not write my WAEC despite three extensions of date during our ďŹ nal year, but for our principal, Mrs. Mbang who rallied support for me, after discovering that I had not paid for my exams because I had no parents to do

organised their set like Mr. Umohinyang has done.â€? As the chairman of the occasion was speaking, a former Physics Teacher in the school, Mr. Awosiminiala Fila smiled and nodded endlessly. When he eventually rose to speak, he thanked God for what his old students have become and the fact that they remembered the school that made them. He said: â€œIâ€™m so glad in my lifetime that the labour of the past will not be in vain. When we were growing the seeds, we never knew that the seeds would grow into trees. I pray for Barrister Umohinyang that God will take him to where he should be.â€? Others in audience could not but speak highly about the contributions of the 1997 set towards the development of the school. The set is linked to the provision of furniture for staff and students and the new borehole. This is aside other multimillion naira projects, including perimeter fencing, repair of the school generator, refurbishing of the administrative blocks, school hall and more. So happy was the school principal,

Mrs. Mercy Etim that she heaped endless praises on the â€™97 set for their support, even as she singled out Umohinyang. In his speech, Umohinyang whose foundation partnered the 1997 set for the scholarship award said the initiative is just one of the avenues through which they are giving back to WAPI. He said: â€œWhatever we are doing today is our way of giving back to our roots. I almost could not write my WAEC despite three extensions of date during our final year, but for our then principal, Mrs. Mbang who rallied support for me, after discovering that I had not paid for my exams because I had no parents to do. â€œI want to assure you all that we shall continue to do our best for WAPI in the years ahead as our own way of giving back to the school and humanity.â€? One of the scholarship awardees, Divine Willie was full of praises for the Nkanu Nkanu-led 1997 set for coming to his aid, saying â€œI want to assure you on behalf of other awardees that we shall not disappoint you all.â€?

F R I DAY Ë¾ Í¯Í¯Ëœ Í°Í®Í¯Í·

CRIME&SECURITY

Theft OfTompoloâ€™s Equipment: Navy Dismisses, Jail Three Personnel Sylvester Idowu in Warri

5IF /JHFSJBO /BWZ IBT EJTmissed and jailed three of its QFSTPOOFM GPS UIFGU PG FRVJQNFOUT worth millions of naira belongJOH UP FY NJMJUBOU MFBEFS $IJFG Government Ekpemupolo alias i5PNQPMPu 5)*4%": SFDBMMT UIBU UIF TUPMFO FRVJQNFOU XFSF QBSU PG UIPTF DPOÃ TDBUFE GSPN 5PNQPMP CZ UIF Federal Government. 5IF DPOWJDUT 1FUUZ 0GÃ DFS &LPOH 4BNVFM -FBEJOH 4FBNBO &MJKBI *HCVEB BOE 4FBNBO 6TNBO %BOEBXB 4IVBJCV XFSF EF LJUUFE ZFTUFSEBZ BU UIF /JHFSJBO /BWZ 4IJQ %FMUB //4 %FMUB BOE XFSF UBLJOH UP 0LFSF 1SJTPOT 8BSSJ UP serve their sentences having been DPOWJDUFE CZ B $PVSU .BSUJBM " $PVSU .BSUJBM JT B NJMJUBSZ court or a trial conducted in such court and its empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law. 4QFBLJOH UP KPVSOBMJTUT BGUFS the de-kitting of the convicts, $PNNBOEFS //4 %FMUB 8BSSJ $PNNPEPSF *CSBIJN %FXV TBJE the conviction of the accused has put paid to insinuations in certain RVBSUFST UIBU UIFSF XFSF BUUFNQUT to shield the personnel.

The dismissed naval personnel after they were de-kitted

i 4PNF UJNFT JO +VOF TPNF PG PVS QFSTPOOFM XFSF EFQMPZFE UP .JFLB +FUUZ JO 8BSSJ UP LFFQ EVUZ BOE UIFZ were caught stealing some of the FRVJQNFOU JO UIF +FUUZ 8IFO UIFZ reported to us, they were arrested and a thorough investigation was carried out. i"GUFS UIBU B $PVSU .BSUJBM XBT recommended and the three perTPOOFM XFSF USJFE 8IBU ZPV TBX was the out come of the sentence QBTTFE CZ UIF $PVSU .BSUJBM UIBU we carried out, a dismissal and XF BSF TFOEJOH UIFN UP QSJTPOTu he said. %FXV BTTVSFE UIBU UIF NJMJUBSZ

has a tradition of trying erring personnel, the reason why the case UPPL UPP MPOH OPUJOH UIBU $PVSU .BSUJBM KVTU MJLF DPOWFOUJPOBM courts, takes time to adjucate in issues in other to give fair hearings to accused. i * XBOU UP NBLF JU DMFBS UIBU UIF /JHFSJBO /BWZ IBT OFWFS BOE will never condone any case of indiscipline, especially any issue that will bring disrepute to UIF TFSWJDF 8F EP OPU DPWFS BOZ of our personnel that is caught involved in such cases, that is why we have dismissed and send them to prisons â€œ, he assured.

Angry Workers Protest Alleged Slavery by Manufacturing Coy Ayodeji Ake

"OHSZ QSPUFTUFST JEFOUJÃ FE BT XPSLFST PG 1MBEJT .BOVGBDUVSJOH $PNQBOZ %PQFNV -BHPT SFDFOUMZ staged a protest demanding for salary upgrade and reinstallment of their internal labour union. 5IF QSPUFTUFST TUPSNFE UIF DPNpany in solidarity with coloured QMBDBSET XJUI XPSET MJLF A3FJOTUBUF our union and excosâ€™, â€˜say no to odious slaveryâ€™, â€˜10years of casual workers is no longer allowedâ€™, â€˜no more monkey dey work baboon dey chopâ€™. 4QFBLJOH UP OFXTNFO POF PG UIF NFNCFST PG UIF MFBE UFBN .S &NNBOVFM &[FLJFM MBNFOUFE UIBU they have been made slaves by the company, who allegedly doesnâ€™t have regard for them, nor feel their pains. )F TBJE i8F BSF CFJOH NBMUSFBUFE BT TMBWFT 8F XPSL GSPN BN JO UIF NPSOJOH UP UJMM QN BOE UIFZ BSF OPU BQQSFDJBUJOH VT 5IF NBOBHFNFOU FOKPZ BMM UIF CFOFÃ UT and neglect those who work to ensure production is going on. i5IFZ EPO U IBWF QMBOT GPS VT Here, we have casual workers PG ZFBST BOE BU UIF FOE PG UIF EBZ UIFZ EPO U BQQSFDJBUF VT 5IF DBTVBM XPSLFST SFDFJWFT / as salary, and some of them come from distance to ensure work is in progress. â€œHere we have basics receiving / BT TBMBSZ 8F IBWF TUBGG who have worked up to 10 years BOE ZFU UIFJS TBMBSZ OPU VQ UP / 8IFO USBOTQPSUBUJPO BOE GFFEing is deducted from their salaries, then how much is the take home. 8F IBWF CFFO QMFBEJOH UP UIFN UP do something but they refused to TIBSF PVS QBJO u Another lead team member, .S 'SJEBZ &EFU TBJE UIF /BUJPOBM -BCPVS 6OJPO WJTJUFE UIF

The protesting workers

company recently on the same issue. According to him, the union leader addressed them as illiterates constituting nuisance in the neighbourhood. i8F IBWF CFFO XPSLJOH IFSF for many years and there is no JNQSPWFNFOU 5IJT JT B DPNQBOZ where they donâ€™t even pay comQMFUF TBMBSZ 8IBU UIFZ EP JT UP employ people and claim we are illiterates. i8F XBOU UIF OBUJPOBM VOJPO IFSF 5IFSF XBT B UJNF UIFZ XFSF here to solicit for us, but from what was on ground, itâ€™s convincing UIFZ XFSF CSJCFE /PX UIF POMZ NPVUIQJFDF XF IBWF UIBU Ã HIU for us is our union, and now, the union members have been awarded JOEFÃ OJUF TVTQFOTJPO XIJDI DPVME lead to permanent termination. i8F IBWF CFFO XPSLJOH IFSF with no gain. All we want is the IFBE PG BENJOJTUSBUJPO .ST "CJPMB 0MVCJZJ UP CF TBDLFE 4IF JT UIF PVS QSPCMFN u IF MBNFOUFE .S 5FNJUPQF 0MBEJQVQP XIP JT also among the lead team members noted that the company has been marginalising them. He explained that the company failed to recognise graduates who

are casual workers whenever there are vacancies, rather they employ friends and relatives. i8F LOPX PG DPNQBOJFT XIFSF ZPV FBSO VQ UP / JO B NPOUI BOE UIFJS XPSLT BSF CFOFÃ UJOH #VU here, itâ€™s impossible for someone UP FBSO NPSF UIBO / JO B month. i8F IBWF CBTJDT SFDFJWJOH / as salary, so tell me how more years will the basic spend for them to JODSFBTF IJT TBMBSZ *G UIF XBOU UP appraise us, they appraise us with cash not up to a thousand naira. 8IFSFBT UIFZ HP BIFBE UP FNQMPZ graduate, we are not angry about that but we tired of being treated as slaves. i8IFO UIFZ OFFEFE HSBEVBUFT many of us that are graduates here applied but they didnâ€™t recognise VT 5IFZ DBMMFE VT JMMJUFSBUFT BOE thatâ€™s the way they have been preTFOUJOH VT UP UIF XIJUF NFO 0OF PG the national union members came recently and also addressed us as JMMJUFSBUFT 5IJT JT WFSZ BOOPZJOH XF BSF TBZJOH OP UP TMBWFSZu IF said. As at press time, all efforts by 5)*4%": UP SFBDI 1MBEJT .BOVGBDUVSJOH -UE QSPWFE BCPSUJWF BT calls and messages were ignored.

CRIME SITUATION REPORTS

SECURITY TIPS (PART 43)

..School Resumption Tips Asmostchildrenhaveresumedforthe2018/2019academicsession,remember that unscrupulous people are lurking around, so itâ€™s up to us to protect our children in the little way we can. Here a few security tips to consider: r %PO U XSJUF ZPVS DIJME T OBNF XIFSF JU DBO CF FBTJMZ TFFO 3FNFNCFS UIBU anyone who calls your child by name is no longer a stranger. r %PO U ESPQ ZPVS DIJME BU UIF HBUF BOE [PPN PGG .BLF TVSF UIF DIJME FOUFST the school premises. r "MXBZT DBMM UIF UFBDIFS PS UIF TDIPPM BVUIPSJUZ MBUFS UP DIFDL JG ZPVS XBSE is in class. r*OGPSN UIF TDIPPM BVUIPSJUZ JG ZPV XJMM CF DPNJOH MBUF r .BLF BEFRVBUF BMUFSOBUJWF JG ZPV XPO U CF PQQPSUVOF UP HP UP UIFJS TDIPPM after closing. r %PO U QVU ZPVS UPUBM USVTU JO 0LBEB CJLFT ESJWFST BOE LFLF OBQFQ SJEFS *G ZPV IBWF DIJMESFO CFMPX ZFBST PME QMFBTF FOTVSF UIBU UIFSF JT BO PMEFS adult to pick them. r 5FBDI ZPVS DIJME DIJMESFO OFWFS UP XBML BMPOF r 5FBDI UIFN OPU UP BDDFQU SJEFT FWFO JO UIF TDPSDIJOH TVO r 5FBDI UIFN UP TUBZ JO TDIPPM XIFO UIFSF JT IFBWZ SBJO 5IFZ BSF OPU UP walk on gutters during the rain, itâ€™s base might be faulty. r1MFBTF MFU VT FOEFBWPVS UP HJWF PVS DIJMESFO GPPE UP TDIPPM OP NBUUFS XIBU they easily get carried away during break begging their friends. r .BLF TVSF UIFZ DBSSZ CPUUMF T PG XBUFS TP BT OPU UP CFH GPS POF JO TDIPPM *U DBO CF EJTBTUSPVT Source: Unknown

EMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR IMO STATE POLICE COMMAND B 1PMJDF $POUSPM 3PPN /PT PS C $PNNJTTJPOFS PG 1PMJDF D %FQVUZ $PNNJTTJPOFS PG 1PMJDF "ENJO E %FQVUZ $PNNJTTJPOFS PG 1PMJDF 4$**% F %FQVUZ $PNNJTTJPOFS PG 1PMJDF 0QT G "SFB $PNNBOEFS 0XFSSJ H "SFB $PNNBOEFS 0SMV I "SFB $PNNBOEFS 0LJHXF J 1PMJDF 1VCMJD 3FMBUJPOT 0GÃ DFS *NP 4UBUF Source: Imo State Police Command

CITIZENSâ€™ COMPLAINT LINES FOR SARS r%*( %FQBSUNFOU PG 0QFSBUJPOT r*(1 9 426"% m$"--4 4.4 8IBUT"QQ &NBJM JOUFHSJUZYTRVBE!HNBJM DPN r*(1 .POJUPSJOH 6OJU JHQNPOPUPSJOHBCK!ZBIPP DPN r$1 '4"34 r'PSDF 1VCMJD $PNQMBJOU #VSFBV $BMMT 4.4 8IBUT"QQ $BMMT 4.4 8IBUT"QQ &NBJM CBJMJTGSFF!HNBJM DPN QSFTTGPSBCVKB!HNBJM DPN 5XJUUFS !1PMJDF/( XXX GBDFCPPL DPN ngpolice. r1VCMJD $PNQMBJOU 3BQJE 3FTQPOTF 6OJU 1$336 m $BMMT POMZ m 4.4 BOE 8IBUT"QQ POMZ 5XJUUFS !1PMJDF/(@ 1$336 XXX 'BDFCPPL DPN 1PMJDF1$336 r/(04 $404 TFHB!BMJFOTNFEJBMUE DPN LPSFEFCFMMP! DBTQFSUBJONFOU BHFODZ DBTQFSFOUFSUBJONFOU!HNBJM DPN PMVPHVOTBLJO!IPUNBJM DPN BOE H XSJUFS !HNBJM DPN

EME

F R I DAY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍˇ

LIFE

Sir George Odabi: An Epistle Seen and Read of All Men Educationist and former gubernatorial aspirant in Edo State, Barr. Ken Imansuangbon and his wife, Kate pay tribute to Sir George Ikechukwu Odabi, an educationist per excellence who would be committed to mother earth today, Friday, January 11, 2019. Mary Nnah writes

â€œH

e was a loving father w h o c o m mitted his life to God and humanity. His life was full of passion, not only to his immediate family but the society at large. As a husband, he was loving. As a father he was caring and in the church of God he was committed to His maker and in his community, he was a selfless man whose milk of kindness flew ceaselessly. But death they say it is inevitable. So on November 13, 2018, the universe lost one of its finest beings when Sir George Ikechukwu Odabi, JP, native of Agbor Obi, Delta State bade the world fare well at the age of 84.â€? Talking glowingly about the man who became a father figure since his path crossed with his daughter, Kate, over two decades ago, his son-in-law, educationist and former gubernatorial aspirant in Edo State, Barr. Ken Imansuangbon described the late Sir George Odabi as a man of high moral quality; peaceful, tough, gentle but strong. â€œHe led by example, never judged people and always had something nice to say about everyone. He was generous, visionary and focused. As the founder of Deo Gratias International school, he moulded lives and enlightened young minds for the growth of the society, the nation and the world at large. The school is a living model of the rich legacy he left behind. He is simply a hero with endless impact because his contribution to the education sector is immortal and timeless. â€œMy father-in-law was head and shoulders above many others. He was a disciplined man with tremendous respect for people and himself. He led his family in the right way and cared for them beyond the ordinary. His outstanding traits of kindness, honesty, diligence, Godliness and love all reflect in my beautiful wife, Kate Imansuangbon. I remain eternally grateful to him for raising such a virtuous woman.â€? Speaking further, Imansuangbon said the news of his demise struck him and the world with a mixed feeling of sadness and joy; sadness because a jolly good fellow is gone; joy for the reason that he lived a fulfilled life and his legacy lives on. â€œHis life is indeed, a didactic piece for all those who knew him. There is no doubt that he is resting in the bosom of God Almighty. We will carry on your struggle to change Nigeria through education. We will not let the candle dim. You had hoped for a better Nigeria. Trust me, we will leave behind a nation you dreamt of. We will miss your peaceful, childlike smiles. Rest on great hero! Till we meet again,â€? he said. Speaking about the man who moulded her life to become the woman she is today, one of the deceasedâ€™s children and an executive director of Pace Setters Group of School, Abuja, Mrs. Kate Imansuangbon, said her late dad was an epistle seen and read of all men. In an emotional voice she said, â€œDaddy I certainly believe, we shall meet on the other shore!.â€? Extolling the virtue of a man who instilled discipline and good values in all his children, Imansuangbon said â€œWhat a life you lived here on earth before you moved on to glory. Glory I say for your life was truly an epistle seen and read of all men. â€œDaddy you taught me to forgive before I am even offended. You taught me to love unconditionally. You never recorded peopleâ€™s mistakes or weaknesses. You saw them all as human frailties! You gave excuses for other peopleâ€™s wrongs. You taught me never to bear a grudge, keep malice or be easily angered. You were humility personified. You never spoke ill of others, neither did you gossip, slander or bias others about another. â€œYou had a slogan you believed strongly in and lived by which says â€˜Give everyone a feeling of importance and your job is half doneâ€™. You kept no record of wrongs. You bridled your tongue and never got yourself involved in arguments or fights. You were a gentleman to the core. â€œYou usually whispered to anyone of

Late Sir George Odabi

His life is indeed, a didactic piece for all those who knew him. There is no doubt that he is resting in the bosom of God Almighty. We will carry on your struggle to change Nigeria through education. We will not let the candle dim.You had hoped for a better Nigeria. Trust me, we will leave behind a nation you dreamt of. We will miss your peaceful, childlike smiles. Rest on great hero! Till we meet again

us you found using too many words to â€œtalk lessâ€?. You had a special dance you rendered when the days were blue that got us all cracking, making spirits bright again. You had the voice of the nightingale when you sang in your unique mixer tune, you sounded like a host of angel. â€œYou were a soccer player and fan. You loved long tennis too. You had a very hearty laugh like no other which reflected the beauty of your heart. To my mum, siblings, myself, my husband, children and many others whom you came across, you were a practical Christian, whose lifestyle and actions spoke much louder than words. â€œDaddy, you fondly called your wife (my mum) â€œMineâ€? and every other woman you kindly referred to as â€œsister or daughterâ€?, by your lifestyle you demystified the complications life brings and remained a very honourable, simple gentleman. â€œThank you daddy for bearing all the fruits of the Holy Spirit as in Galatians 5:22-23 Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering,

Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance, by doing so you taught me and others that it is humanly possible. I love you so much daddy. May God bless your very gentle soul as we meet again, when the roll is called up yonder. Adieu!â€? Activities marking the final burial ceremony began on Monday, January 7, 2019, with a Christian Wake Keep at Odabi Close, Hollywood, Mabuchi, Abuja. On Tuesday January 8, there was a Requiem Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Maitama, Abuja after which his remains left Abuja for his home town in Agbor, Delta State. On Thursday January 10, there was a Christian Wake Keep at his at Obi Ikechukwu Road, Agbor and today, Friday, January 11, there would be a burial service at St. Columbus Catholic Church, Agbor Obi, Delta State. Entertainment of guests will take place at his Agbor Obi country home. Sir Odabi who is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren would be sorely missed.

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍŻËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍˇ

New Era of Innovative Lending to MSMEs Paul Adegboyega Less than a year since it commenced lending operations in November 2017, the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is in many significant ways helping to redefine the shape, size and depth of small business financing in the country. This is refreshing given the urgent need to re-orient the national economy away from dependence on the oil and gas sector by building other critical growth sectors of the economy such as agriculture, services, mining and light manufacturing. Over the years, several initiatives by government, alone or in collaboration with the private sector, either by design or implementation, have failed to close the funding gap required for this important subsector to grow in spite of the fact that it accounts for about 60 per cent of national income. Statistics indicate that this sub-sector gets less than six per cent of commercial banksâ€™ loan; and loans are largely short-term at high interest rates that live little room for growth. Indeed, the bankâ€™s operational roll-out strategy that puts eligible financial institutions at the centre, innovative ideas designed to plug systemic gaps and mitigate lending risk to the sub-sector along with the unmatched longer loan repayment durations is inspiring new levels of confidence and spurring increased enthusiasm within lending circles. DBNâ€™s lending products excite bank CEOs largely due to innovative attractions designed to address longstanding negative perception of the sector. The proposed setting up of a credit guarantee subsidiary will facilitate the sharing of risks with commercial banks by providing up to 50 percent guarantee on the loans that the banks give to small businesses. This is a huge relief. Over the years, banks have grown extremely cautious about lending to small businesses. Some of the reasons for this include a long history of non-performing loans recorded and outright losses which affected balance sheets of banks. Preference has been for high yielding oil and gas contracts. DBNâ€™s risk sharing feature will provide the comfort that banks require to lend to small businesses without much fear. The implication is that more commercial banks are opening up their vaults and lending more to the sector than before. When the bank commenced lending in November 2017, it had three micro finance banks as participating financial institutions. Today it has grown the number to nine. Recently, at an event at its head office, DBN strengthened its partnership with LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited, one of the three micro finance banks that it commenced pilot lending with in November 2017, to provide lending to about 10,000 Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) to alleviate the financial constraints they face. LAPO Microfinance Bank is a pro-poor financial institution committed to the social and economic empowerment of low-income households through provision of access to responsive financial services on a sustainable basis. The second reason is that DBNâ€™s access to longer term funding which supports provision of long tenors of up to 10 years with about 18 months moratorium, give the banks a brand-new product to sell to a category of customers they had hitherto shut out of the lending window. Before the entry of DBN, commercial banks, because of the short-term nature of their funds could only finance loans that are re-payable within short time frames ranging from one to 2 years. Small business owners looking for longer term loans of up to four, five to ten years to buy equipment, expand operations to enjoy economies of scale were unlikely to be attended to simply because the banks did not have the liquidity to handle them. DBNâ€™s ability to raise and make available for on-lending by its participating financial institutions longer term loans from inter-

Okpanachi

national development finance institutions has now closed this funding gap and made it possible for banks to accommodate this category of businesses. The significance of the unique DBNâ€™s small business financing strategy is twofold: The first part is that it provides a business incentive for commercial banks to draw more from their balance sheet to lend to the small businesses requiring short term credit. This is a big deal! Over time, as the model matures with business owners paying up on time, it will help reverse the focus of commercial bank lending to the subsector. The second implication is that the strategy provides commercial banks with another reliable and sustainable source of liquidity that they can draw on to satisfy a category of customers who require longer term loans of up to 10-year tenors to finance equipment purchase and expand their businesses. It is also noteworthy that the longerterm financing window that DBN brings comes with its immense benefits for small business owners too. One of such benefits is helping them to conserve operational cash flow. Longer term loans help small businesses to make capital improvements,

Start-ups and thriving small businesses form the foundation of vibrant economies. As Nigeria exits the recession and tries to build a possible post oil economy, institutions such as DBN are going to increasingly play vital roles as catalysts that will ignite sustained growth in critical sectors of the economy such as agriculture, light manufacturing, hospitality and mining

acquire equipment or purchase supplies without using operational cash flow. This helps them to leverage their earnings to grow the company and provides leverage for ownerâ€™s equity. Again, longer term loans also help small business owners to stave off investor interference by reducing the need to pursue equity investment from potential business partners. In addition, it allows small businesses to have more security when budgeting for costs and expenses, allows more flexibility and the maintenance cost are also generally low once they are secured. At the heart of DBNâ€™s appeal and promise is the quantum of resources at its disposal, the strong governance structure surrounding its operations, speed of disbursement that speaks to its willingness to impact the sector. Take DBNâ€™s large financial war chest of about $1.3billion. In a recent media interview, the MD/CEO, Mr. Anthony Okpanachi stated that the bank had lined up a whopping N60billion that its participating financial institutions including commercial and micro finance banks can draw from to on-lend to small businesses. A large sum of this is targeted for lending via micro finance banks because of their reach and history of dealing with small businesses. This amount of capital injection by a single entity into the sector is unarguably unrivalled. And itâ€™s only a slice of the sum that it has at its disposal. The bank has already surpassed its 2018 target of lending to 20,000 micro, small and medium scale enterprises in its first full year of operations. The impact in terms of contribution to the GDP, job creation and wealth creation is bound to be huge. The bank also understands the need for speed. DBN partner banks attest that in most cases, once they conclude internal vetting processes and requisite documentation for loan applications, DBN disburses the loans to the beneficiaries within 72hours. The bank also has a monitoring and evaluation system that tracks to ensure that loans are used for the purpose it was given, monitors to know the impact on the business and economy in terms of job creation, business expansion and wealth creation. This holistic and proactive approach to business financing is both novel and revolutionary and if sustained will go a long way in spurring sustained growth of the small business subsector. Another innovative aspect of the DBN Small Business Financing Strategy is the plan to finance complete start-ups. This is a promising industry that commercial

banks for a lot of reasons, some owing to inadequate funding and risk do not lend to or even when they do, lend at breakneck interest rates. In todayâ€™s age of innovation where novel ideas of graduates transited to start-ups that now dominate and define todayâ€™s world, DBNâ€™s plan to provide the necessary financial backbone to catalyse their growth in the country is timely, relevant and portends a lot of good for the advancement of the national economy, productivity and wealth creation. In a recent media interview, its Managing Director, Mr. Tony Okpanachi, spoke enthusiastically about this plan of the bankâ€™s lending strategy: â€œPart of what we are doing differently is that we are ready to help start-ups. As part of our capacity building initiatives, we are telling the financial institution that once a project comes and they assess it to be bankable to should reach out to us. â€œThis will be facilitated through the proposed credit guarantee subsidiary. It will take up the risk with them to give funding to start-ups. Our plan is to come up with products that we are going to sell through these financial institutions to fund star-ups. â€œFor now, we are collaborating with financial institutions themselves for their buy-in. Once that is done and we are able to earn their confidence, we will approach them with customised products that they will assist us in offering to star-ups. â€œThis will be in phases, but we are committed to assisting start-ups actualise their aspirations. The overall objective is to make access to funding easy for them,â€? he added. Start-ups and thriving small businesses form the foundation of vibrant economies. As Nigeria exits the recession and tries to build a possible post oil economy, institutions such as DBN are going to increasingly play vital roles as catalysts that will ignite sustained growth in critical sectors of the economy such as agriculture, light manufacturing, hospitality and mining. The spirited moves by the management of DBN to create impact and support small business growth through targeted financing initiatives is therefore, relevant and should be encouraged. The participating financial Institutions (PFIs) particularly banks should embrace this noble initiative and work with DBN as good corporate citizens to ensure that this sector is provided with the resources it requires to flourish. -Adegboyega, is a public policy analyst

F R I DAY Ëž JANUARY 11, 2019

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

VFD Group Raises N2.7bn through Rights Issue, Private Placement The VFD yesterday announced that it successfully raised N2.78 billion from rights issuance and private placements, higher than its original target of N2 billion. The company disclosed this in a statement yesterday. The VFD Group is a financial services focused proprietary investment company that creates value by working within Nigeriaâ€™s informal financial sector to create innovative products and solutions that are accessible to the everyday Nigerian citizen and entrepreneur. â€œWe had planned to raise N1

billion from existing shareholders via rights and the other N1billion via private placement from new shareholders. The offer opened on December 3, 2018, with Kairos Capital Limited acting as the financial adviser, and closed on December 31, 2018. â€œDespite the short timelines, the capital raise was successful, as it was oversubscribed by 39 per cent on both counts. This over subscription is indicative of the confidence existing and new shareholders have in VFD Group,â€? it explained. According to the group, the

new funding would enable it pursue the goals mapped out for this financial year as agreed by the shareholders at the last Annual General Meeting (AGM), saying â€œone of which is the goal to establish a presence in every key sector of the financial services industry, including banking. This is coming on the heels of the Groupâ€™s plans of conversion to a Public Limited Liability Company. The considerations of the offer will be presented at the next meeting of Groupâ€™s Board of Directors.â€?

...Sells Stake in NEM Insurance In a related development, the VFD Group yesterday disclosed that it has sold a significant block of its stake in NEM Insurance Plc. The sale occurred in conjunction with other key stakeholders of the insurance company. â€œA combined block of one billion, six hundred million (1,600,000,000) ordinary shares of NEM Insurance Plc, representing about 30 per cent of the latterâ€™s

issued share capital, was sold to new shareholders. The trade which happened at year end 2018 closed at a significant premium to the closing price on the floor of the Exchange. â€œWe have had extensive discussions with the Management and Board of NEM Insurance Plc in the last couple of months over our interest in working with the team, to unlock the latent value we see in them.

However, as we could not agree on the modalities for working together in pursuing this vision, we recently reached an amicable understanding and have thus decided to exit our investment in this great company. â€œWe wish the management and board well in their visionary leadership of the company, given its huge potentials,â€? a separate statement by the company explained.

L-R: Director General of SMEDAN Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda and Managing Director NEXIM Bank, Mr Abba Bello after signing an MOU aimed at empowering MSMEâ€™s to beneďŹ t from the African Growth & Opportunity Act initiative, in Abuja...recently

MARKET INDICATORS

FCMB Supports Society for the Blind The First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has handed over a hostel it renovated and equipped with modern facilities to the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) at its Vocational Training Centre (VTC) located at Oshodi, Lagos state. The bank said the move was part of its commitment to continually empower and impact lives in all segments of the society, In addition, an automated water system constructed by the bank was also donated to the training centre. The gesture was part of the bankâ€™s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which focus on poverty alleviation, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. â€œIt is aimed at effectively supporting the efforts of the FNSB towards enhancing the standard of teaching, as well as learning of the visually impaired students of the VTC. This is coming on the heels of FCMBâ€™s donation of 15 Braille machines to the Society two and half years ago. The Braille machines (comparable to a typewriter) are designed to aid the visually impaired in reading and writing, with a view to ensuring they

have unfettered access to sound education,â€? it explained in a statement. Speaking at the commissioning and hand-over ceremony of the hostel and water system to the institute recently, the Group Head, Corporate Affairs of FCMB, Mr. Diran Olojo, said that the ank recognises the importance of every segment of the society. He added that: â€œAs a corporate organisation, we believe that it is necessary to constantly extend the hand of fellowship, support and love to the physically challenged and other less privileged groups through CSR programmes of this nature. We will continue to champion and execute initiatives that will help and empower a wide spectrum of people, communities and other stakeholders to ensure the emergence of a sustainably progressive society. â€œWe will continue to do our best to help remove barriers, give new hope, provide resources and expand possibilities as well as opportunities, so that people with vision impairment and other challenges can achieve their full potential. Ultimately, our aim is to contribute to the further development of Nigeria. We therefore urge the students

not to see physical challenge as an impediment to the attainment of their respective ambitions.â€? In his response, the Vice Chairman of Council, FNSB, Engineer Gbola Sobande, expressed gratitude to FCMB for its outstanding support over the years to the Society and by extension students of the school. According to him: â€œFCMB has been a very strong pillar of support to the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind and Vocational Training Centre. The latest projects undertaken by the Bank further confirm that it truly cares for this institution, the students and society. On our part, we will continue to ensure that the Centre produces more graduates that would be useful to themselves and the country. â€œIn addition, to contribute our quota in ensuring the sustainable operation of the centre, we are planning to establish business ventures to generate internal revenue. We already have a farm and our students also produce well-made handicrafts which we have been selling for a few years. We will build on these layers to ensure the continued existence of the centre.â€™â€™

Heritage Bank to Deepen Retail Banking Heritage Bank Plc has restated its commitment to deepen its full stream retail banking franchise to match the rapidly changing needs of its customer, as well give the unbanked, especially in the rural areas the opportunity to enjoy seamless financial services. The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, made this known in a statement made available to the media, whilst stating that the bank would continue to grow by appealing to key client segments especially in the retail space and also focus on under-penetrated banking segments while building loyalty amongst the bankâ€™s existing customer base. According to Sekibo, one of the

ambition of the institution in the 2019 financial year is to emerge as a systemic important bank in the Nigerian banking industry, which remains its underlying corporate growth strategy. The bankâ€™s helmsman said Heritage Bank was committed to building an enduring and resilient banking franchise in the country, affirming that the bank was on a growth track and was not unmindful of the headwinds facing the political and economic environments. Sekibo stressed that the bank will continue to pursue its strategic aspiration of not only being stable but also being sustainable in earnings and profitability in its growth plan.

â€œWe are very optimistic that the Heritage Brand will continue to soar over the current economic tide through its collective efforts to remain an enduring institution,â€? he stated. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to meet customersâ€™ needs and revolutionalise the banking sector via its digital platform, the bank approved the upward review of daily transaction limits for Octopus transactions to N200, 000 for Heritage Bank registered users. The bank explained that other users would be able to transact on the platform within limits assigned their debit cards by their respective Financial Institutions.

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 Ă™Ă–Ă“Ă?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ÍŻÍąĎą

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY, 8 JANUARY 2019

The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $56.11 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $56.43 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), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

F R I DAY ˾ JANUARY 11, 2019

MARKET NEWS

MRS Oil Nigeria Gets Acting MD/CEO, Stock Market Rebounds Goddy Egene Petroleum product marketing firm, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc has appointed Mrs. Priscilla Thorpe Apezteguia as Acting managing director(MD) of the company following the resignation of Mr. Adnrew Gbodume. MRS Oil Nigeria, in a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), said that by the Board of Directors

on January 7, 2019 reviewed and approved the resignation of Gbodume as MD/CEO with immediate effect. Although no reason was given for Gbodume’s resignation, it was gathered that he has returned to the head office of MRS African Holdings, which owns 60 per cent of MRS Oil Nigeria Plc. The petroleum market company recorded a loss N425 million for the nine months

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R

DEALS

ended September 30, 2018, fuelling apprehension the company may end the financial year. The nine months results showed that revenue fell from N81.9 billion in 2017 to N76 billion in 2018. Net financing cost jumped by 484 per cent from N66 million to N386 million. It ended the period with loss after tax of N425 million as against a profit of N809 million in the corresponding period of 2017. MRS Oil Nigeria would

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

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have recorded a loss last year but for an income tax credit of N2.3 billion. The acting MD, Apezteguia holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in International Studies and Business from University of Coventry, United Kingdom. She has over 17 years’ experience in the Oil and Gas sector and has held high-level positions in reputable organisations such as Executive Director, Operations at Energy Solutions Integrated

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Services, Senior Manager, Business Development at Oando Plc, Head of Marketing/ Customer Service Unit, Retail Manager, South West and Sales and Marketing Manager, all at MRS Oil Nigeria Plc. Meanwhile, the stock market rebounded yesterday after hitting new low the previous day. The NSE All Share Index (ASI) appreciated 0.62 per cent to close at 29,517.80. Similarly, the market capitalisation added

N67.5 billion to be at N11.0 trillion. The growth was propelled by gains recorded by Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Dangote Cement Plc and Zenith Bank Plc among. In all, 21 stocks appreciated led by Law Union & Rock Insurance Plc with 10 per cent. It was trailed by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc with 9.8 per cent, while Eterna Plc and GTBank chalked up 8.8 per cent and 6.0 per cent respectively.

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˾ FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

Friday, January 11 2019

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Rises 126bps Yesterday, the Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index rose 126bps to

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϭ͕ϯϴϮ͘ϰϴ ĂƐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ GUARANTY (6.1%), Ticker

ZENITH (2.9%) and DANGCEM (0.9%) weighed most on the ŝŶĚĞǆ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůǇ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϰϬ͘ϰй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ index.

Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

33.20

2 3

Dangote Cement PLC

WEMA and MANSARD included to replace CADBURY, UPDC

Nestle Nigeria PLC

and GLAXOSMITH.

Nigerian Brew eries PLC

FBN Holdings Plc

Equity Market Slightly Rebounds͙ ASI up 0.6% dŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ĞƋƵŝƚǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŚĂĚ ĂŶ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂƐ the All Share Index (ASI) gained 0.6% recovering from a losing

Price Price Previous Current Change Change Price Weighting YTD Index to Change Date

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 1,382.48 1

Zenith Bank PLC

The Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index was rebalanced, with CCNN,

Current Price

1.26%

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

-10.4%

38.2%

18.2%

7.6%

5.6x

0.7x

5.5%

14.1%

-3.6%

-3.8%

34.1%

5.6%

4.9x

1.9x

8.2%

20.2%

3.7x

0.9x

13.0%

27.0%

17.9x

3.8x

6.1%

5.6%

19.7x

3.4%

3.9%

6.1%

19.5%

21.60

2.9%

12.3%

-6.3%

23.7%

3.4%

171.50

0.9%

8.6%

-9.6%

-7.8%

20.1%

9.8%

1,401.10

-3.4%

8.1%

-5.6%

-5.0%

85.8%

26.3%

25.3x

79.00

0.1%

5.9%

-7.6%

0.9%

13.8%

6.4%

26.4x

3.8x

4.8%

3.8%

7.10

0.7%

5.0%

-10.7%

-11.3%

6.6%

0.8%

5.1x

0.4x

3.5%

19.7%

3.3x

0.5x

11.7%

30.4%

0.7x

3.0%

35.9%

12.3%

United Bank for Africa PLC

7.25

0.0%

4.3%

-5.8%

-7.1%

15.4%

1.8%

International Brew eries PLC

31.00

0.0%

3.8%

1.6%

-1.6%

-23.8%

-3.2%

SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

640.00

0.0%

3.7%

0.0%

25.9%

15.3%

5.30

-3.6%

2.8%

-22.1%

-18.5%

14.1%

1.7%

2.2x

0.3x

13.50

0.0%

2.9%

-3.6%

-5.6%

12.1%

1.0%

4.2x

0.5x

Access Bank PLC

Ecobank Transnational Inc

Divinden Earnings d Yield Yield

7.6x 2.8x

-1.1%

45.4% 23.7%

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

46.15

0.0%

2.7%

-3.8%

35.7%

4.6%

6.8x

2.2x

2.2%

ƐƚƌĞĂŬ ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ Ϯϵ͕ϱϭϳ͘ϴϬ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ƐƟůů ďĞůŽǁ ƚŚĞ

Unilever Nigeria PLC

37.00

0.0%

2.6%

0.0%

24.7%

11.5%

17.2x

2.6x

1.4%

5.8%

30,000-mark. DĂƌŬĞƚ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ƐĞƩůĞĚ Ăƚ -6.1% and market

Lafarge Africa PLC

12.00

2.6%

1.7%

-3.6%

0.0%

-53.7%

-7.9%

0.8x

12.1%

-52.5%

ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ŝŶĐŚĞĚ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ďǇ Eϲϳ͘ϱďŶ ƚŽ Eϭϭ͘ϬƚŶ͘ Yesterday͛s performance was buoyed by gains in GUARANTY (+6.1%), DANGCEM (+0.9%) and ZENITH (-Ϯ͘ϵйͿ͘ ĐƟǀŝƚǇ level strengthened as volume and value traded increased ϲϰ͘ϭй ƚŽ ϯϴϱ͘ϰŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ϯϲ͘ϲй ƚŽ Eϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ stocks by volume were CUSTODIAN (120.3m units), ACCESS

(60.5m units) and FBNH (48.9m units) while the top traded stocks by value were CUSTODIAN ;Eϲϵϳ͘ϲŵͿ͕ ZENITH ;Eϱϭϱ͘ϱŵͿ ĂŶĚ FBNH ;Eϯϰϳ͘ϮďŶͿ ͘

Mixed Sector Performance Yesterday, performance across sectors was mixed as 3 of 5 indices under our coverage closed in the green. The Banking index recorded the highest gain, up 2.7% due to price ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ZENITH (+2.86%) and DIAMOND (+5.85%). Similarly, the Industrial Goods and Oil & Gas indices trailed Ϯ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŐĂŝŶƐ ŝŶ DANGCEM (+0.9%), WAPCO (+2.56%), CCNN (+4.85%), FORTE (+5.46%)

Guinness Nigeria PLC

63.00

-10.0%

1.2%

-12.5%

8.8%

5.0%

16.9x

1.6x

2.9%

5.9%

Okomu Oil Palm PLC

82.00

-2.1%

1.5%

7.6%

39.3%

29.7%

7.8x

2.7x

3.7%

12.8%

0.0%

1.4%

-1.4%

34.6%

7.5%

7.0x

2.3x

8.6%

14.3%

Total Nigeria PLC

200.20

11 PLC

184.00

0.0%

1.3%

-0.8%

38.0%

16.8%

6.1x

2.1x

4.3%

16.3%

Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

19.20

1.9%

1.0%

-16.9%

-13.5%

7.6%

2.3%

6.6x

0.5x

5.3%

15.2%

5.7%

39.5%

Oando PLC

4.15

-2.4%

1.0%

-17.0%

-13.5%

10.9%

1.7%

3.5x

0.3x

Fidelity Bank PLC

1.94

2.1%

1.1%

-4.4%

11.3%

1.5%

2.5x

0.3x

Transnational Corp of Nigeria

1.25

5.9%

1.0%

-5.3%

-3.1%

13.6%

3.0%

5.9x

0.8x

1.6%

16.8%

Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

13.80

1.1%

0.9%

-9.5%

-6.8%

32.6%

16.4%

5.5x

1.6x

12.7%

18.2%

-8.7%

-7.4%

-5.8%

-0.7%

-5.6%

8.4%

1.2%

2.2x

0.2x

5.9%

Diamond Bank PLC

1.99

5.9%

0.8%

FCMB Group Plc

1.70

0.0%

0.6%

UAC of Nigeria PLC

9.00

0.0%

0.5%

-7.7%

-5.8%

0.4%

0.2%

70.8x

0.4x

7.2%

1.4%

Sterling Bank PLC

1.98

0.0%

0.6%

4.2%

10.6%

1.1%

5.2x

0.5x

1.0%

19.2%

62.00

0.0%

0.4%

-3.1%

37.0%

24.8%

2.4x

0.8x

3.2%

40.8%

18.00

0.0%

0.4%

0.0%

47.0%

17.5%

9.4x

4.2x

8.3%

10.7%

Forte Oil PLC

28.00

5.5%

0.3%

-2.4%

0.0%

84.6%

8.3%

11.5x

2.1x

Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

6.00

0.0%

0.4%

7.1%

5.3%

1.0%

10.9x

0.6x

Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

28.40

9.9%

0.4%

41.3%

28.5%

7.9x

1.2x

3.5%

0.0%

0.3%

-0.8%

-2.4%

1.1x

1.3% 6.5%

PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

12.00

Chemical and Allied Products P

31.50

0.0%

0.2%

-9.6%

66.2%

30.2%

14.7x

9.8x

Wema Bank PLC

0.58

0.0%

0.2%

-7.9%

6.6%

0.8%

6.6x

0.4x

Beta Glass PLC

67.00

0.0%

0.2%

-1.9%

17.7%

11.5%

8.1x

Dangote Flour Mills Plc

5.70

1.8%

0.1%

-16.8%

-13.6%

against

JBERGER (+9.9%) and ETERNA (+8.9%) while GUINNESS (10.0%), NEM (-9.9%) and RESORTSAL (-9.8%) led the laggards. ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƐƟůů ĐůŽƵĚƐ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ůĂƌŐĞůǇ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉŽůŝƚǇ ƌŝƐŬƐ͘ tĞ ĞŶǀŝƐŝŽŶ ƉƌŽĮƚĂďůĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ŝŶ short-term trading on bellwethers as they have been the ĚŽŵŝŶĂŶƚ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞƐ ŽĨ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ ƟŵĞƐ͘

Afrinvest Securities Limited (RC 603 315) (A Dealing Member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange)

12.3%

4.9%

0.1%

0.3%

34.2%

19.6%

4.7x

1.5x

6.4%

6.10

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

6.9%

3.8%

11.9x

0.8x

2.1%

8.4%

AXA Mansard Insurance PLC

1.80

0.0%

0.1%

-1.6%

10.5%

3.3%

9.4x

0.9x

3.3%

10.6%

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

0.55

10.0%

C UST OD IA N

120.3

3.6%

28.40

9.9%

A C C ESS

60.5

-3.6% 0.7%

4.30

8.9%

FB NH

48.9

33.20

6.1%

D IA M ON D B N K

37.1

5.9%

T R A N SC OR P

1.25

5.9%

UB A

27.0

0.0%

D IA M ON D B N K

1.99

5.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

24.0

2.9%

2.00

5.8%

T R A N SC OR P

10.5

5.9%

28.00

5.5%

GUA R A N T Y

9.5

6.1%

4.9%

F ID ELIT YB K

6.3

2.1%

3.6%

ST ER LN B A N K

4.9

0.0%

ET ER N A

FO CCNN

21.3%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

that

declined. The best performers were LAWUNION (+10.0%),

1.6% 3.5%

19.45

C UST OD IA N

advanced

1.3x 0.7x

Cement Co Northern Nigeria PLC

UP L

stocks

6.8% 15.1%

Transcorp Hotels Plc

GUA R A N T Y

9.2% 12.7%

J B ER GER

8.7%

LA WUN ION

yesterday

45.0%

Presco PLC

dragged by losses in NEM (-10.0%), LINKASSURE (-9.7%),

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ϭ͘ϰǆ ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϳǆ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ

-35.3%

NASCON Allied Industries PLC

T ic k er

Investor ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ measured as market breadth (advance/

0.2x

ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĚŝƉƉĞĚ Ϯ͘ϭй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘ϴй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ /ŵƉƌŽǀĞƐ

28.9%

and ETERNA ;нϴ͘ϴϲйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ

MBENEFIT (-4.8), NESTLE (-3.4%) and GUINNESS (-10.0%).

14.6%

5.80

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

GUIN N ESS

63.00

-10.0%

N EM

1.72

R ESOR T SA L

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

C UST OD IA N

697.6

3.6%

-9.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

515.5

2.9%

0.37

-9.8%

FB NH

347.2

0.7%

LIN KA SSUR E

0.65

-9.7%

A C C ESS

317.4

-3.6%

NP FM CRFB K

1.45

-9.4%

GUA R A N T Y

309.0

6.1%

UA C -P R OP

1.51

-8.5%

N EST LE

200.2

-3.4% 0.0%

M B EN EF IT

0.20

-4.8%

UB A

195.5

R EGA LIN S

0.20

-4.8%

OKOM UOIL

100.4

-2.1%

UN ION D A C

0.24

-4.0%

GUIN N ESS

82.3

-10.0%

A C C ESS

5.30

-3.6%

D IA M ON D B N K

72.0

5.9%

Investment Research

Brokerage Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde |

Bolaji Fajenyo | bfajenyo@afrinvest.com

Jolomi Odonghanro | jodonghanro@afrinvest.com

romotunde@afrinvest.com

T H I S D AY Ëž Ëœ ÍšÍšËœ ÍşÍ¸ÍšÍˇ

MARKET NEWS

Korea Pledges Collaboration with Nigeria on Economic Growth The Republic of Korea has â€œCapacity Building on Operation nations will continue to build pledged to continue effective and Regulation of Financial together, particularly in the area collaboration with Nigeria to Derivatives Markets in Nigeria,â€? of economic and developmental ensure the nation attains its was based on topics such as: cooperation. With that vision in economic development goals. Development of Nigerian mind, he said Korea has abundant Ambassador of the Republic of Derivatives Market, Operation, developmental knowledge and Korea, Mr. Intae Lee stated this Surveillance, and Supervision experiences to share with Nigeria. while speaking at the opening on the Derivatives Market, He said: â€œThe KSP represents of a seminar on the Operations Monitoring and Surveillance what Korea has to offer the world. and Regulations on Derivatives on Derivatives Market of Once a poverty-stricken-country, Market in Nigeria under the Nigeria and Establishment of the Korean people have built Knowledge Sharing Programme( ICT infrastructure for Financial one of the most thriving market KSP) held at the Securities and Derivatives Market. economies. Korea now also boasts Exchange Commission (SEC) According to Lee, the of the 11th largest economic office in Abuja. programme envisaged the growth country in the world. The KSP which is on bright future that the two great Through the KSP, Korea is going A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. investment vehicle that allows both small and Investors with similar objectives buy units of the large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their that willl generate their desired return. investments. The assets are divided into shares that An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, GUIDE TO DATA: etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 09shares. Investors can buy these â€˜sharesâ€™ on the 01-2019, unless otherwise stated.

to share with Nigeria the recipes cooperation between the two for the success of our derivatives countries in the future. market. Through this programme, In her remarks, Acting Director I sincerely hope Nigeria to General of SEC, Mary Uduk, become the financial hub of the expressed appreciation to the entire African continent, not just government of the Republic of the West Africa. Through the of Korea on the programme, KSP, Korea is now offering the saying it will assist greatly in secrets behind our success to developing the derivatives market Nigeria so as to walk together the in Nigeria. paths toward greater prosperity, Uduk said Nigeria will not affluence and success.â€? have a viable derivatives market He expressed confidence that without building the capacity the launching of the first KSP of the regulator and other project will serve as a corner stakeholders, adding that the stone for the bolstered economic KSP will provide an opportunity 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.

to further develop the capital market in Nigeria. The SEC boss also disclosed that the commission will welcome any collaboration with the Republic of Korea to drive to digitalize operations in the commission and the market. â€˜The entire capital market is embracing financial technology and here at the SEC we are working on automating our processes to improve our regulatory work and we are open to collaborations to make this happen,â€? Uduk said.

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 N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.83 0.84 -0.67% ACAP Income Funds 0.61 0.61 7.82% 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 13.11% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.22 2.24 -0.17% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 98.26 98.95 -2.90% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.73% 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 13.92% Paramount Equity Fund 11.29 11.58 -3.58% Women's Investment Fund 99.75 102.31 -2.74% 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 12.96% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 94.38 94.63 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 12.02% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.82 0.82 Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.13 0.60% 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 12.50% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 12.68% 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 1,189.04 1,189.80 0.30% FBN Heritage Fund 138.89 140.03 -3.17% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 13.25% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $114.37 $114.81 4.57% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $114.07 $114.51 4.43% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 115.78 107.86 -22.81% 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 1.17 1.19 -4.12% Legacy Debt Fund 3.25 3.25 0.27% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.03 1.03 0.12% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.47% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 106.02 106.33 5.75% 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 13.51%

Vantage Balanced Fund 2.11 2.13 -1.98% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.31% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 119.27 119.44 -4.53% 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 1.21 1.23 -0.76% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,100.72 1,100.72 0.22% 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 10.80 10.89 -6.09% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.48% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.33 1.35 4.05% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.26 12.30 0.37% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.11% 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 119.60 120.13 -0.95% 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 1.71 1.71 0.16% 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 2,296.35 2,310.10 1.40% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 191.12 191.12 1.83% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.92 0.93 -2.63% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 247.62 247.66 2.21% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 161.28 163.10 -1.13% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.62% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 8,274.69 8,374.28 -0.77% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.11 1.11 2.86% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.19 1.20 -0.59% United Capital Bond Fund 1.60 1.60 0.22% United Capital Equity Fund 0.70 0.71 -2.10% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.20% United Capital Eurobond Fund 107.34 107.34 0.08% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.08 -1.45% 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 10.82 10.97 2.71% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.23 12.34 2.23% Zenith Income Fund 20.84 20.84 8.26% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 12.67%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

6.60 140.00 51.76

-32.85% 0.00% 0.03%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.09 110.81 83.58

10.19 113.01 85.14

-4.37% -5.60% -5.73%

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

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

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

3.67 7.12 13.85 11.28 143.77

3.71 7.20 13.95 11.48 145.77

-8.29% -6.51% -7.34% -8.70% -9.44%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.13

17.03%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund managerâ€™s website and FMANâ€™s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

ADVERTORIAL

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

Tshisekedi Declared Winner of Congo Election, Fayulu Cries Fraud The results of the muchawaited December 30 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo were yesterday declared by the electoral commission with the opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, emerging the surprise winner. The result sets the stage for the country’s first democratic transfer of power. But the runner up in the poll, Martin Fayulu dismissed the result as “a true electoral coup”. “The results have nothing to do with the truth of the ballot box,” the second opposition candidate Martin Fayulu told Radio France International.

Tshisekedi won with 38.57 percent of more than 18 million ballots cast, Corneille Nangaa, the president of the election commission (CENI), told a news conference at about 3 a.m. , that appeared timed to avoid any immediate reaction in the streets. “Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo is declared the provisionallyelected president of Democratic Republic of Congo,” Nangaa said, to a mixture of cheers and gasps inside CENI headquarters. In the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Limete where Tshisekedi lives, thousands of people danced in the streets in celebration and cars slowed down and honked their horns.

Banker Found Guilty of Stealing $83m from Bangladeshi Central Bank A Philippine court on Thursday held a former bank manager guilty on eight counts of money laundering, the first conviction in one of the world’s largest cyber heists, in which $81 million was stolen from Bangladeshi central bank nearly three years ago. The regional court sentenced Maia Deguito, a former branch manager at Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC), to a jail term ranging from 32 to 56 years, with each count carrying four to seven years. She was also ordered to pay a total fine of about $109 million. In February 2016, unknown criminals used fraudulent orders on the SWIFT payments system to steal the funds from the Bangladesh’s central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The money was sent to accounts at a branch of RCBC in Manila then headed by Deguito, before it disappeared into the casino industry in the Philippines. “Her declaration in open court that she has nothing to do with these transactions was a complete and comprehensive lie,” the court said in its 26-page ruling. Deguito facilitated and coordinated and corroborated in the execution and implementation of the illegal bank transactions, the court added. “The conviction of Deguito is consistent with the bank’s position that it is the victim in this situation and that Deguito is a rogue employee,” RCBC spokeswoman Thea Daep said in a statement. Deguito remains free, however,

as bail she posted earlier stays in effect until the conviction becomes final, one of her lawyers, Joaquin Hizon, told Reuters. Her other lawyer, Demetrio Custodio, told Reuters she intended to appeal Thursday’s ruling and carry the case to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to win acquittal. In a separate interview with news channel ANC, Custodio said, “There should be more people who should be more liable for this, other than a very lowly bank officer who has nothing to do with operational matters.” RCBC was fined a record 1 billion pesos ($19.17 million) by the Philippine central bank in August 2016 for its failure to prevent the movement of the stolen money through the bank. A former treasurer of RCBC and five other workers at the branch where the cash was withdrawn face money laundering charges. “We hope that this case could be expedited and could go to trial soon for a decision,” Asad Alam Siam, Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Philippines, told Reuters, regarding the charges. Just $15 million of the stolen money has been recovered from a Manila junket operator, a role that involves marketing casinos to VIPs. Bangladesh bank, finance and law ministry officials are visiting New York this week for talks to try and move forward the recovery process. They will have to make a decision on suing the parties involved.

Trump Threatens to Skip Davos If US Govt Shutdown Continues President Donald Trump yesterday said he would skip the annual international conference at Davos, Switzerland if a government shutdown caused by the row over his demand for a US-Mexico wall isn’t resolved. Trump is planning to attend the Davos meeting in just under two weeks, but said, “if

the shutdown continues, I won’t go.” Swaths of the US government have already been without funding for three weeks while Trump rows with opposition Democrats over his demand for them to authorise construction of hundreds of miles of wall along the Mexican border.

Some chanted that Congo had “turned the page” on the Kabila era, which began in 1997 when Joseph Kabila’s father, Laurent, led a rebellion that overthrew longtime leader Mobutu Sese Seko. Joseph took over in 2001 when Laurent was assassinated. If Tshisekedi’s victory is confirmed in the next 10 days by the constitutional court, he will become the first leader to take power at the ballot box since Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, who was toppled in a coup less than three months after independence in 1960 and killed four months later. The outcome of the contentious Dec. 30 poll is likely to be contested by Fayulu. Vote tallies by Congo’s Catholic church showed Fayulu as victor, according

to two diplomats briefed on the findings. Opposition fears that authorities would rig the vote in favour of Kabila’s handpicked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, did not materialize as Shadary finished a distant third to Tshisekedi and Fayulu, with about 4.4 million votes. However, the result, which observers said was marred by a spate of irregularities, is certain to fuel further suspicion among Fayulu’s supporters that Tshisekedi, shown by the last opinion polls before the election to be running well behind Fayulu, struck a powersharing pact with Kabila. Fayulu was backed by two prominent foes of Kabila, both of whom were barred from standing in the election. Kabila referred to one of them, ex-provincial

governor Moise Katumbi, as “Judas” in a recent interview with local media. Tshisekedi’s camp has acknowledged contacts since the vote with Kabila’s representatives but said they were aimed at ensuring a peaceful transition and denied there had been any kind of deal. Tshisekedi is the son of the legendary Etienne Tshisekedi, who led opposition to three successive presidents over 35 years. Felix’s profile rose after his father died in 2017, soon after negotiating the terms of a transition period when Kabila refused to step down at the official end of his mandate the previous year. Losing candidates can contest Tshisekedi’s victory before Congo’s constitutional court, which has 10 days to hear and rule on any challenges. Any widespread perception

the election has been stolen could set off a destabilising cycle of unrest, particularly in the volatile eastern borderlands where Fayulu enjoyed some of his strongest support. The Catholic Church’s bishops conference said last week that it knew the identity of the winner and demanded that CENI publish accurate results. The Church did not say who it thought the winner was, but briefed diplomats on its conclusions. Authorities cancel led voting on election day for more than one million people, saying the vote could not go ahead because of an Ebola outbreak and militia violence. Observers said many polling stations opened late and closed early and in some places voting machines malfunctioned.

The President-elect of DR Congo, Felix Tshisekedi

UK Government Accepts Plan B Demand If May’s Deal is Rejected Labour leader demands snap election over Brexit deadlock The British government will accept a demand by parliament to set out its plan B within days if Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal is rejected coming week. Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons said yesterday. On Wednesday, parliament voted for an amendment calling on the government to set out its plan B within three working parliamentary days of the Jan. 15 vote, rather than the 21 days specified in Brexit law. Leadsom, when asked by a lawmaker whether the government would accept that timetable, said the government would do so. “The prime minister has shown her willingness to always return to this house at the first possible opportunity if there is anything to report in terms of our Brexit deal and we will

continue to do so,’’ he noted. Report says parliament is not due to sit on Jan. 18, so three working days will be Jan. 21. However, main opposition leader, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, has called for a general election to allow people to decide the Brexit issue. Corbyn was speaking in Wakefield in Yorkshire where people voted in favour of Britain leaving the EU. In a speech, he set out Labour’s Brexit strategy, saying a general election was the best option. “If a general election cannot be secured then we will keep all options on the table, including the option of campaigning for a public vote. “But an election must be the priority. It is not only the most practical option; it is also the most democratic option,” he said. He said if the House of

Commons reject Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal next week, Labour would move towards tabling a vote of no confidence in the government. But he said it would choose a time to table a no confidence measure to give it the best chance of success. Corbyn said Labour would vote against May’s Brexit deal next week, and if a general election is called and won by Labour, he would seek to negotiate a new deal with Brussels. Labour, he said, would want to negotiate with the EU urgently. He said Labour would respect the decision of the 2016 referendum when people in Britain voted by a 52-48 margin to leave the EU. Corbyn also said an extension of the Article 50 implementation period would be a possibility

because clearly there would have to be time to negotiate. Corbyn said Labour policy would be one of negotiating around a customs union, and not allowing workers’ rights to fall below EU standards. He also backs Britain remaining in a European single market. Insisting that Labour would not support a No Deal Brexit, Corbyn said: “I know people are genuinely scared by the prospect of no deal. “I meet people, who are frightened and going through real stress. A general election is the right answer and the best way to break the deadlock. “Labour is ready to bring Leave and Remain voters together to rebuild Britain for the many, not the few.

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

Russia Accuses BBC of Spreading ‘Terrorist’ Ideologies Russia’s media watchdog accused the BBC Thursday of spreading the ideologies of “terrorist groups” via online publications of its Russian service, the latest in a tit-for-tat row over media impartiality. Roskomnadzor, the state communications and media watchdog, said it would investigate whether the BBC was breaking the law. This was the latest volley in a wave of rhetoric against the BBC, after Britain’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom last year said the Moscow-funded RT channel had broken broadcasting standards. “Currently we have discovered materials which transmit the ideologies of international terrorist groups (quotes of terrorist alBaghdadi)” on the BBC’s Russian language website, Roskomnadzor

said in a statement. Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is the leader of the Islamic State jihadist group, also known as ISIS. Russian law does not forbid quoting individuals considered “terrorists”, however, any mention of such outlawed groups has to come with the disclaimer that the group is banned in Russia. The watchdog said it would probe whether material broadcast by the BBC “corresponds with Russian anti-extremism legislation”. The BBC said in a statement sent to AFP that it “fully complies with the legislation and regulations of every country” in which it operates. The Russian statement did not cite any specific articles or dates. Roskomnadzor also said it had requested documents from the BBC’s Russian services to investigate

whether it was breaking a new law limiting foreign ownership of Russian media. BBC’s Russian service is limited to the internet, but it has expanded in recent years and has many top reporters on the team dealing with often sensitive political subjects. Britain’s Ofcom said in December it had found violations of impartiality rules in seven of RT’s shows broadcast after the Salisbury nerve agent attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The statement was not followed by any sanctions. Moscow said at the time that any proceedings against the BBC were a “mirror measure” for Britain’s “constant propaganda against RT”, a state-owned channel.

12 Chinese Workers Arrested for Growing Cannabis in Zambia Zambian anti-drug authorities have arrested 12 Chinese construction workers for allegedly cultivating cannabis without a permit, a top government official said on Thursday. The group was based in the city of Chipata in Zambia’s Eastern Province where they were building a studio for the state-run Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

“It’s really regrettable that the 12 (were) arrested for alleged cultivation of cannabis,” the provincial government permanent secretary Chanda Kasolo told AFP. “The arrest is really regrettable as it will delay the construction works,” said Kasolo. The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said in a

S’Africa’s Electoral Commission Says It’s Ready for National Elections January 10, 2019 6:04 pm by fatima.sule - South Africa -Election Johannesburg, Jan. 10, 2019 (Xinhua/NAN) South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Thursday said that it was ready for 2019 national elections. IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo said in a news conference that the IEC had made significant progress in updating the voters’ roll, which stood at more than 21 million South Africans. “As many as 83 per cent of voters now have complete addresses on the roll. “Besides, the commission has recruited and trained more than 6,000 elections officials and increased voting stations by 300 to 23,00,’’ he said. Mamabolo said the commission had received 47 applications from new political parties, bringing the total number registered to 285. IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini encouraged South African youth, who comprise of 50 per cent of the population, to register and vote. Mashinini encouraged all the political parties to campaign peacefully. South Africa’s exact elections date will be announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa. It is expected that the elections will take place in May.

statement that the 12 were arrested on Monday and 6.2 kilos of plants uprooted. CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as MBAKWE KAOSISOCHUKWU ODINAKA, now wish to be known as CHIADI KAOSISOCHUKWU ODINAKA. All former documents

remain valid. The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as MISS LOVETH KOSARACHI NWORU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS LOVETH CHRISTIAN GEKPE. All former documents remain valid. APCON Abuja and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as SAMSON LOVETH EFUAH, now wish to be known and addressed as FOLARORI LOVETH KHADIJAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OLUWABUKOLA NAIMAT ADEYANJU, now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWABUKOLA NAIMAT ABDULSALAM. All former documents remain valid.The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as DAMILOLA JULIANA OLUKOTUN, now wish to be known and addressed as DAMILOLA JULIANA INEGBESE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I, formerly known and addressed as GANIYAT OLABISI AYOMAYA now wish to be known and addressed as GANIYAT OLABISI AYOMAYA-OYENIYI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as NYE-IGBARIBIA CEPHAS DIRI, now wish to be known and addressed as ERIC CEPHAS CEPHAS. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note

I formerly known and addressed as ADIGUN OLUREMI,

now wish to

be known and addressed OLUREMI

as DAIRO

OLUWAFUNMILAYO.

All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as JOHNSON ADEBUSOLA DEBORAH, now wish to be known and addressed as AZEEZ ADEBUSOLA DEBORAH. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as INU MUNAT ARUAYE, now wish to be known and addressed as ISAH MEMUNAT AISHAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as ODEWALE

OLUWANIIRETIMI

now wish to be known and addressed as ADEDAYO IRETI . All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. ABIGAI ,

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to notify the general public that AYOOLA OLUWATOYIN RIHANAT is the same person and one person as AUDU-AYOOLA OLUWATOYIN RIHANAT. The general public should please take note.

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Politicians’ Desperation Causing Fear among Nigerians, CAN Alleges The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, yesterday said desperation by politicians ahead of the forthcoming elections was generating palpable fear among Nigerians. He, therefore, admonished the citizens not to be anxious, assuring that the elections would be credible and violence-free. Delivering a sermon at the National Ecumenical Centre in Abuja during the nationwide ‘special prayer for the elections and release of captives’ organised by CAN, the cleric also cautioned the electoral officers against manipulating the election results in favour of a particular candidate. The CAN president urged the people to focus on the expected positive outcomes of the polls, warning the youths against being used to perpetrate

violence during the elections. Ayokunle frowned at the discreditable conduct of some politicians, which he said was demonstrated in their flagrant disobedience to party rules and regulations during the party primaries. He condemned the “zero-sum, winner takes all” mentality of the politicians, stating that this was not the spirit of democracy. Ayokunle, who is also the President, Nigeria Baptist Convention said, “We have seen the desperation of the politicians many of whom have taken others to court in flagrant disobedience of their parties. Some even engaged in buying votes to win elections. This is not the spirit of democracy; this is not the spirit of God. “So, all these are generating palpable fear. I want somebody to focus on the promised land, not the way to the promised

land. I see a successful Nigeria.” The Chairman, Pentecostal Forum, Northern Nigeria, Bishop Praise Daniel, reminded politicians that promotion was

divinely ordained, noting that desperation did not guarantee victory. “Nigerians must go out and vote and we must vote

for worthy leaders; leaders that love the nation, not their pockets. We must vote leaders that will build infrastructure, roads, hospitals,

modern facilities that you could see all over the world, leaders that can change the narratives in our nation,” he admonished.

ASUU: We areYet to Conclude Consultations The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it is yet to conclude consultations with its members on the possible agreement presented by the federal government. ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja, said the union was still consulting. According to the ASUU president, the strike is still on, the minister that said we should go and consult and get back to the federal government yesterday. ” So, we are still consulting and will be getting back to the federal government today,” he added The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator

Chris Ngige, last Monday met with the striking lecturers at a reconciliatory meeting. Ngige said some agreement had been reached, that the federal government had released N15.4 billion for the payment of the salary shortfalls, which was one of the major demands of the union. The minister however, said the fund was being worked on, and would be released to ASUU as soon as the process was completed. Ngige also told the striking workers to take the possible agreement reached back to their members and should get back to federal government on Thursday, January 10 for possibly calling off the strike embarked upon since Nov. 4, 2018.

NRC Confirms One Dead in Train Derailment The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has confirmed that one person died at an early morning train derailment yesterday at Ashade railway crossing Agege, Lagos State. The Lagos Railway District Manager (RDM), Mr. Jerry Ochi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that the victim died at the NRC hospital at Ebute Meta while receiving treatment. “Efforts have been put in place to restore normalcy at the scene of the incident,” he said. According to him, the NRC officials have been working to re-rail the train and repair the track. The RDM said the operation would start immediately the tracks were fixed. “We will start our operation in two hours time, when the affected train is re-railed and the track is repaired.

“Our operations continue today because everything is under control and the vehicular traffic jam at the scene of event has been cleared,” he said. Hundreds of passengers escaped death when a mass transit shuttle train derailed at the Ashade railway crossing on the Agege-Ikeja corridor in Lagos. The incident, which happened at about 7.15a.m., leaving some of the passengers injured. Some personnel from various security agencies immediately cordoned off the area, to maintain law and order while the injured were rushed to hospitals in the neighbourhood for treatment. “The derailment happened when the Apapa-bound train skidded off its tracks at the Ashade Railway Crossing at Agege, on the Ikeja Corridor.

PROJECT INSPECTION...

L-R: Deputy Managing Director of Hi-Tech Construction Company, Mr. Danny Abboud; Project Manager, Mr. Willie Barkhuisen; and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; during the governor’s inspection of the ongoing construction of the Oshodi-International Airport Road...recently

Saraki’s Loyalists in Federal Executive Positions to Be Sacked, Says Lai Mohammed The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says some of the loyalists of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, holding federal executive positions will soon be shown the way out. The Minister disclosed this yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State, at a ceremony organised by the Kwara All Progressives Congress (APC) to sensitise and mobilise the party’s women leaders ahead of the forthcoming general elections. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that thousands of Kwara APC women, who turned up at the event, were lectured on their roles and expectations during the general elections. The minister said despite Saraki’s use of his position to sabotage national development to the detriment of the people, his loyalists from Kwara were still occupying executive positions.

He said the federal government would not hesitate to sack those beneficiaries in executive positions. ‘‘Some of the people they nominated to the boards of government’s agencies and parastatals are still there, yet they claim that Kwara has not benefitted from this federal government. ‘‘These people, some of whom are holding executive positions, will soon be shown the way out,’’ he said. Mohammed said Kwara elections, like that of the general poll, would be issue-based devoid of ethnicity, religion or gender. He said the issues the APC is concerned with in Kwara have to do with good governance and better life for the people. The minister alleged that 40 years of the over five decades of the creation of Kwara, the Saraki

family had cornered the state’s commonwealth. ‘‘The main issues here have to do with how our state has been governed in the past 50 years, 40 of which have been dominated by a single family. ‘‘What has happened to the commonwealth, which has been cornered by a single dynasty at the expense of the people. ‘‘Where are the roads and other infrastructure to justify the huge resources that have accrued to the state? ‘‘If you follow a path for so long, and it leads you nowhere, won’t you try another path? These are the issues,’’ he said. The minister stressed that the 40 years of the Saraki’s family in power, the state has no potable water for people to drink, adding that workers had been pauperised because of non-payment of their salaries.

He said the Saraki dynasty in Kwara had rendered the quality of life of the people to the lowest point. On the contrary, the minister said the APC in its campaign had been proudly showcasing what the federal government had achieved since assuming office in 2015. ‘‘Ask them who tarred the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road that they (PDP) took to Bode Saadu, where they launched their campaign a few days ago. ‘‘That road was impassable during the time of the PDP, the same party they are now touting as the one with the magic wand,’’ he said. Mohammed said contrary to the lies of the opposition, PDP, President Muhammadu Buhari was not the reason the states had not performed.

PDP Will Win in Sokoto, Says Tambuwal The Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has declared that the state will deliver 100 per cent victory to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at all levels of elections, despite effort of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to distract the government from pursuing its goals and objectives. He stated this at Silame, the headquarters of Silame Local Government Area (LGA) where he officially flagged off his re-election campaign which also coincided with his 53rd birthday celebration. Speaking before a mammoth crowd of party supporters and faithful, Tambuwal who is also the PDP governorship

candidate, reassured the people of his determination to deliver on his campaign promises even as he insisted that all candidates vying for all elective positions including the presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would be massively voted for by the people of the state. “Sokoto is a PDP state, there is no doubt about that. No matter what some propagandists may say, this state will be delivered to PDP 100 per cent. How can anyone claim that 50,000 of our solid and faithful members defected to APC in the small courtyard of Senator Wamakko. We cannot be detained by the past, especially by those who plundered the state resources

and wanted us to keep quiet. By the special grace of Allah, there will be no retreat, no surrender. We will not surrender our state to people who do not mean well for our people” he added. According to a statement issued by Tambuwal’s Media Office in Abuja, there have been series of attempt aimed at distracting the focus of the Tambuwal-led PDP government in the state for the ample fact that the government has closed all leakages that made it possible for previous government to fleece the state of its hard-earned resources. According to the governor; “our opponents are angry because we have refused to open

the treasury to service so-called godfathers and their thugs. Our mandate is with the electorates and we will do everything humanly possible to deliver on our campaign promises without equivocation. We are doing everything within our powers to ensure that we forestall the incursion of any armed banditry that has continued to ravage our sister Zamfara State. Our hearts and support are for our neighbours always”. He lamented the hunger and poverty that the ruling APC and the Buhari-led federal government have brought upon the people and enjoined the people of the state to vote out the APC.

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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We Didn’t Endorse Atiku, Says Ohanaeze Ndigbo Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has denied endorsing the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for the next month’s presidential election. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Mr. Chuks Ibegbu, disclosed this yesterday in Enugu at a media briefing to mark the second anniversary of the current executive of the organisation. Ibegbu said the clarification became necessary following misconceptions on the event of November 14, 2018 where some Igbo leaders endorsed the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar for presidency. It would be recalled that some Igbo leaders had during a meeting in Enugu attended by Atiku and the national leaders of the PDP, including the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, endorsed Atiku. Ibegbu, however, clarified that the said endorsement was done by the friends of Atiku, adding that the organisation

had not endorsed any particular candidate. The deputy national publicity secretary said the organisation needed to be circumspect, “as our children are in all the political parties.’ “It is erroneous to say that we endorsed Atiku. Ohanaeze Ndigbo did not endorse anybody. That meeting at Nike Lake Resort was organised by friends of Atiku. “However, due to our peculiar circumstance in the country, we will identify with candidates that will restructure Nigeria if voted into power,” he said. He said the organisation would soon meet to take a holistic position on the 2019 general elections. “Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been canvassing for our people to identify with candidates that will restructure Nigeria. “We still stand on that and in the next few days we shall meet to take a holistic position on the elections,” he said. Ibegbu noted that within the two years in office of the Chief John Nwodo-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo, “we have given our modest contribution by re-jigging

Igbo leadership and issues concerning our people”. He said the current leadership of the organisation had built synergy with its affiliate groups

with a view to achieving unity in the area. He said the dexterity and leadership acumen of Nwodo had positively affected the

relationship between the organisation and other ethnic socio-cultural associations in the country. “This has earned the president

general an award as ‘Bridge Builder of the Nation’, which will be presented to him on January 17 by Daily Independent Newspapers,” Ibegbu said.

WARD-TO-WARD CAMPAIGN…

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, acknowledging cheers from members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during his visit to wards in Egor Local Government Area…yesterday

Osinbajo, Akeredolu, Fayemi Attend OPC Founder’s Funeral Buhari Appoints El-Yakub as SSA on N’Assembly Matters Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday attended the funeral of late Dr. Frederick Fasehun, the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) at the Cathedral Church of Saint Stephen, OkeAluko, Ondo, Ondo State. The OPC chieftain passed on December 1 at the Intensive Care Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH). Osinbajo was accompanied to the service by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, and Governor Kayode Fayemi, among others. Former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko was also in attendance. In his tribute, Osinbajo said it was a great honour to be at the service to express his own condolence on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of Nigeria. He said Fasehun was exceptional in everything he did as he was medical doctor, a sociologist as well as a versatile acupuncturist. “He studied acupuncture in 1977; and set up the very first acupuncture centre in Africa at LASUTH. “He was such a brilliant medical doctor; one would have thought that he would just restrict himself to practice of medicine. “Of course, many of us know he was the proprietor of Bestcare Hospital, which catered for the poor; so many people were able to receive medical attention. “But beyond that, I think that what he will always be remembered for is what he did with the OPC; of course, many of us know about the struggle. “He was not really a politician; his first interaction that we know within the democratic struggle was when he founded the Movement

for Social and Economic Justice.’’ Osinbajo said when the deceased founded the OPC, he decided that it was not enough for the Yoruba people to be recognised for their industry and for their enterprise, but to seek beyond that. He said the first set of members of OPC were artisans, who Fasehun taught excellence and integrity and also at the same time, teaching them democratic principles and activism. The vice president said he was happy that Fasehun lived a good life and knew God. In his tribute, Akeredolu said Fasehun would be remembered for excellence and for championing the cause of the Yoruba nation. Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the Archbishop of Abuja Province and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, prayed God to comfort the family of the deceased and all he left behind. Okoh, whose message was read by the Most Rev. Gabriel Akinbiyi, Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of Ondo and Lord Bishop, Diocese of Akoko, also prayed God to give Fasehun’s family the fortitude to bear the loss. In his sermon, Akinbiyi said that from the tributes from family members and friends, it was evident that he impacted on lives. He said that Fasehun remained faithful and committed to serving God in spite the post he held. The bishop prayed that God would give Nigeria a leader after God’s heart as the “nation goes for elections.’’ He said that one of the lessons from Fasehun’s life was that one could face trials and difficulties and still maintain standard. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, also sent a condolence message.

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja appointed Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National

Assembly Matters (House of Representatives). El-Yakub replaces Hon. Kawu Sumaila who recently resigned his appointment to contest election into the House of Representatives to represent Sumaila/Takai Federal

Constituency of Kano State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the new appointee, whom he

described as an APC stalwart in Kano State, was also a member of the House of Representatives from 1999-2007. According to him, El-Yakub represented Kano Municipal federal constituency.

Senator Tinubu’s National Assembly Office Burgled The National Assembly Abuja Office of Senator Oluremi Tinubu representing Lagos Central senatorial district has been burgled with some critical items carried away. The incident was discovered on Wednesday as her staff resumed work. It was discovered that the unknown burglars

quietly tampered with the inner office through which they accessed the office. According to a statement issued yesterday by Nifemi Aje, a legislative aide to Senator Tinubu, the CCTV was demobilised. “Items removed included an HP laptop computer, Smile internet device, machine box

attached to CCTV HP screen and some copies of Laws of the federation. Traces of footsteps were discovered on the office rug. The wall cabinet was left disorganised,” the statement explained. The statement added that a report of the incident has already been lodged at the Police

Post at the National Assembly, adding that the senator had been assured that the investigation had commenced into the matter. “We do not know those who perpetrated the burglary or those who sponsored them. We are, however, waiting for the outcome of police investigation into the matter,” the statement added.

I Will Liberate Nigeria from Poverty, Economic Stagnation, Says Ezekwesili Udora Orizu in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has said that one of the reasons why she wants to be president is to liberate Nigerians from poverty and economic stagnation. Ezekwesili made this promise while addressing market traders during her campaign at the

popular Mararaba Market, in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, near Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. She said she was out to liberate Nigeria and its people through her ambition, from official corruption, poverty, economic stagnation among many other vices, she noted, had pervaded the country for long. She called on the people to only vote for the candidates of

APCM in the forthcoming general elections, saying it was the only party which manifesto had the interest of Nigerians at heart. She explained that she chose the street campaign method in her presidential bid so as to afford her opportunity of directly meeting with the electorate with a view to knowing their problems preparatory to solving them when she assumes the office of the president.

The presidential candidate used the occasion to interact directly with some traders, who assured her that they will vote for her at the poll. “I come here not only to formally inform you that I am running for the office of president but to also campaign and seek for your votes. I am doing this with a view to giving you a better life,” she told the traders who listened to her with rapt attention.”

Firm Sues Importers, Police for Right Infringement Raheem Akingbolu For what was described as ‘unlawful seizure of its goods and detention of its driver’, a firm, Echo Breeze Nigerian Limited, a member of the Association of Nigeria Tyre Marketers, has sued the Importers Association of Nigeria and questioned the right of the association to barricade road to disrupt businesses and extorts money from members of the public.

The company has also challenged one Mr. Obi Adrian Ifeanyi, who claimed to be representing IMAN in the Southwest for usurping the power of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), NAFDAC and security agencies empowered by the government to effect standardisation of manufacturing and imported goods in the country. In a suit filed at the Ogun State High Court, Sagamu division, the

company joined the association and the Nigerian police in the suit for seizure of its goods at Sagamu and detained both the goods and the driver of the truck. When a manager of the company, Mr. Chimezie Maduka, led a cross section of journalists to Sagamu Police Station during the week, his lorry with the Edo State registration number, BEN802XC, was among the three lorries impounded in front of the station. The two other lorries

were conveying electrical equipment and tyres to Onitsha and Benin respectively. Speaking on the issue, lawyer of the Association of Nigeria Tyre Marketers, Mr. Olusola Kazeem Salawu, said the action was an infringement on the fundamental human right of Maduka and his company, since none of them is a member of IMAN, the association Ifeanyi claimed to be representing.

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MTN, CBN Settle Out of Court Davidson Iriekpen Following the resolution of the dispute between MTN Nigeria

Limited and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday accepted the

Kashamu Bows to Pressure, Resolves to Work with Adebutu Femi Ogbonnikan in Abeokuta The senator representing Ogun East senatorial district at the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, has formally directed all his supporters and associates to work with members of the Ladi Adebutu group popularly called ‘LADO’ within the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Lado group is led by Adebutu, a member of the House of Representatives, who has been locked in a supremacy battle with Kashamu over the control of the state party structure and the governorship ticket. In a statement issued yesterday in Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, Senator Kashamu said it was better for the contending groups to work and win together in the overall interest of the party. As the saying goes, “United we stand; divided we fall”, he said, adding “It is only in unity that we can stand tall together.” “It is true we are in court. But, we are hopeful that the issues will be resolved sooner than later. However, in the overall interest of the party, it is better and wiser for us to work together as members of the same family pending the resolution of the issues in court. We may have had our disagreements and issues,

and have submitted them to the court for adjudication; yet, we have been talking to one another. “We reckon that whichever way it goes, the court cannot bring about genuine reconciliation and peace. So, we have resolved to be agents of peace and reconciliation. Let us put aside our ego, prejudices and personal interests, and work together for the party in the hope that whoever carries the day will work for the party, its members and the generality of the people. “It is in the light of the foregoing that I wish to formally and publicly urge all my leaders, elders and supporters to work with the Lado group within the Ogun State chapter of the PDP ahead of February 16 and March 2, 2019 elections. Irrespective of our differences, we are members of the same family. At the end, it is the party that wins; not any individual or group.” Kashamu therefore urged that the ongoing unity meetings and rallies between the two groups within the Ogun State PDP should be intensified and held in the 236 wards, 20 local governments and three senatorial districts of the state. These, he said, will be capped with a “Mega Unity Rally” to be held on a date and venue to be announced soon.

Emir of Lafia Dies in Abuja Emmanuel Ukumba in Laﬁa

The Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Traditional Council, Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai, has reportedly died in Abuja after a prolonged illness. The death of the Lafia Emir was announced yesterday in Lafia, in a statement signed by the Nasarawa State commissoner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Haruna Osegba, on behalf of the state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura. The statement read: “Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura announces with heavy heart and

deep sense of loss the demise of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Lafia, Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai I.” “The Emir of Lafia and chairman Nasarawa State Traditional Council died on Thursday January 10, 2019 after a prolonged illness.” The statement added that the deceased royal father was born on August 14, 1935 and ascended the revert stool of the Emir of Lafia on May28, 1974. According to the statement, the emir’s body will be taken from Abuja to Lafia today (Friday) for funeral prayers at the Emir’s Palace, Lafia after Jumat prayers.

Akwa Ibom Will Be Industrialised in EightYears, Says Gov’s Aide The Special Adviser to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State on Bureau of Political/ Legislative Affairs and Water Resources, Pastor Sunny Ibuot, has said the state will be completely industrialised within eight years of Emmanuel’s administration. Ibuot made this known during a recent courtesy visit made to him by Iwaad Atai Uyo, a socio-political group. Ibuot hinted that soon, the state will begin operations of its own airline – Ibom Air, adding that with the influx of companies and industries, the state will not only experience an economic boom, but will be completely industrialised to the benefit of Akwa Ibom people. He advised members of the group to propagate the achievements of the governor who, he said, has good plans for

the state as he has diversified the economy, re-oriented the youth through the dakkada creed and other empowerment programmes initiated by his administration through the five-point agenda. Ibuot urged them to exercise their civic responsibility by collecting their PVCs at INEC offices and be part of voting during elections saying, “It will be a great disservice if we as a people allow an individual to come and supersede and impose a surrogate in the state to truncate development, peace and progress”. In addition, he warned against violence during elections, emphasising that no political ambition of any aspirant is worth the blood of any citizen. He went further to call on the group to renew their registration with the bureau so as to be captured in the database update.

out-of-court-settlement by the telecoms firm and the apex bank. The CBN had last August directed MTN Nigeria to reverse repatriations valued at $8.1 billion done on its behalf by four commercial banks between 2007 and 2015 on the basis of Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs), which were alleged to have been irregularly issued to MTN Nigeria. It, however, reversed decision on December 24, 2018. But before then, the telecoms giant had gone to court to challenge the apex bank’s decision. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, MTN counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) who lead other Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr. Damian Dodo; Professor Fabian Ajogwu and Adeniyi

Adegbonmir, informed the judge that parties in the suit had resolved their dispute amicably and consequently filed a terms of settlement dated December 28, 2018. Counsel to the CBN, Mr. Henry Ejiofor, confirmed the position in court and urged the court to enter a terms of settlement as the judgment in the case. Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) represented by Olanike Idenu, who however did not oppose terms of settlement, asked that its name as the second defendant should be struck out from the matter. In a short ruling, Justice Saidu thanked all the parties for not wasting the time of the court by going through the rigour of trial. He consequently, adopted

the terms of settlement as the judgment of court. The judge also struck out the name of the AGF from the suit. At the last adjourned date, Olanipekun had hinted the court that his client had decided to pursue an out-of-court settlement with the CBN. He said his client had approached CBN for an amicable settlement of the dispute. Olanipekun said, “May it please your lordship, the matter today is slated for hearing of pending applications, but we owe the court a duty to inform it that parties are engaged. “Counsel have conferred, and in view of this, we are asking for a short date for report,” On his part CBN counsel, Sowemimo, said, “We have

advanced stages towards settlement, and it remains to cross the Ts and dot the Is; it is just for report of settlement,” Following the development and based on agreement of parties, Justice Saidu, adjourned for a report on the settlement. However, the settlement was given further credence on December 24, 2018 when the CBN said it had reversed its sanction on MTN. The Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, explained that following the keen interest shown by various stakeholders, sequel to the regulatory action, the CBN committed to engage further with MTN with a view to achieving an equitable resolution.

TALKS ON MINIMUM WAGE…

L-R: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; state Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC); Virginus Nwobodo; Chairman of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC); Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe; and TUC Secretary, Bennett Asogwa, during workers’ New Year prayer rally, held at the state secretariat… yesterday.

NNPC to Crash Price of Cooking Gas Chineme Okafor inAbuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday unveiled plans to crash the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas in Nigeria. According to a statement by the corporation, the crashing of the price would be achieved through the implementation of a new commercial framework, which would ban the export of propane and butane, two major components

used in the production of LPG. NNPC, in the statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, explained that the plan to stop the export of propane and butane would be implemented by its Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD). According to it, the export ban would boost supply of LPG to the domestic market, thus resulting in a natural downward slide in the price of the product in the country.

The statement quoted the Group General Manager, COMD of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, as saying that: “Currently some of our butane and propane entitlements are exported largely due to lack of vessels to make sure that these things come into the domestic markets and the absence of a commercial framework.” “What we are going to do is to make sure we put the right commercial framework in place so that those exports are converted into domestic consumption,” Kyari, added.

He further disclosed that the COMD was working in concert with stakeholders to create the enabling environment for in-country production of LPG and cessation of export of the country’s equity butane and propane entitlements due to absence of in-country vessels for transport and other considerations. Kyari said the goal of the COMD in 2019 would be to complete the automation process in the marketing and sale of Nigerian crude oil grades which started in 2017.

Lalong, Jang in War of Words over Killings in Plateau Nine guber candidates sign peace pact Seriki AdinoyiinJos Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong has reacted to the comment attributed to the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Jonah Jang, where he alleged that he governs the state from Abuja. This is coming as nine gubernatorial candidates in the state have signed a peace pact towards peaceful election, even as Lalong has tasked politicians to refrain from Utterances and acts that are capable of heating up the process. Jang had said during a campaign rally for Jeremiah Useni governorship candidature that he

did not build the Government House at Little Rayfield for Lalong to occupy. But reacting, through his Commissioner of Information, Yakubu Dati, who described the rally as “poorly attended”, Lalong added that “it is unfortunate that Jang could face the people of Plateau State and make claims to good governance when his tenure as governor has been one of the worst in the history of Plateau State.” Dati also said, “It was rude of Jang who has been charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the theft of Plateau State’s money to talk down on the same people he had

caused untold hardship and suffering to through the harsh policies of his administration, which recognised only family and friends and to remind them of the arrogant and divisive manner he had governed the state with.” He said he had expected Jang to be contrite and show remorse for the damage he had done to the state and to hide his face in shame for allegedly failing to live up to the promise he made before he became governo. But describing Dati’s reaction as a rant, Media consultant to Jang, Mr. Clinton Garuba, pitied him for struggling to manage a drowning governor that has been rejected by

the people of the state. He said, “Yakubu Dati and his apologists can go to town with any story they fabricate against Senator Jonah Jang, but it will have no effect, and cannot erase the magnificent achievements of the Senator while he was governor. “Today, the cars Dati’s principal and indeed the APC administration in Plateau State drive were bought by Jonah Jang. Most of the roads he plies in the state capital and on the way to his village were constructed by Senator Jonah Jang. The office he works in and the government house he sleeps in on the few nights he spends in the state were built by Senator Jonah Jang. What more does Dati want?

FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Abdulsalami Identifies Maritime Sector as Alternative Source of Revenue Martins Iﬁjeh As part of plans to diversify the Nigerian economy, a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has said it was high time alternative sources of revenue were developed for the country, noting that the maritime sector was well-positioned to do so. Abdulsalami, who spoke ahead of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Maritime Awards in Lagos yesterday , also commended efforts by the agency to motivate stakeholders and staff, as this would help them take advantage of the policies in place to invest and grow the economy. He said: “What NIMASA is doing in the industry and the idea behind the awards are quite in line to motivate stakeholders and staff to take advantage of the policies in place to invest and grow the Nigerian economy.” On his part, the Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, disclosed that the successes recorded so far in the maritime sector were as a result of the cooperation of stakeholders in the industry. He added that the award was part of the efforts to celebrate and reward excellence in the Nigerian maritime industry and to also encourage more local participation in the shipping business as well as draw attention to the vast

opportunities in the sector for both foreign and local investors to grow the blue economy, which has become the focus of global investments. “As an agency, we recognise the role of our stakeholders in the drive to realise a robust maritime sector. Without stakeholders, there will be no NIMASA and by extension, no maritime industry. We are therefore hopeful that in the coming years, we will continue to work assiduously to meet the yearnings of the industry as we hope to engage more in collaboration, so that all of us can boast of a robust maritime sector,” Dakuku explained. The Head of Corporate Communications at NIMASA, Isichei Osamgbi, said the past year was quite eventful for the agency under Dakuku, as many important milestones were recorded. He identified some of the milestones to include the provision of sea-time for over 500 cadets; the arrival of modular floating dockyard that will create capacity and help retain mult-imillion of dollars in-country through vessel maintenance; and championing the collective bargaining agreement for industrial harmony with improved wages and entitlements for maritime workers, among others. He said the proposed award is scheduled for Saturday, January 12, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. “It is expected to attract dignitaries from all walks of life,

among who are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, who is billed to chair the event, and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who is the host. Also expected are Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi and Borno States,

as well as ministers. “Others are Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Dr. Nike Akande, as well as royal fathers, including the Emir of Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, top government officials, National Assembly members, and members

of the diplomatic corps. “The award categories include Shipping Company of the Year 2018 (Dry Cargo), Shipping Company of the Year 2018 (Wet Cargo), Maritime Education and Training Institute of the Year 2018, Manning Agent of the Year 2018, and Seafarers’ Employer

of the Year 2018.” He said staff of the agency will be honoured for outstanding performance with an ‘Employee of the Year’ award picked from the 11 winners of the ‘Employee of the Month’ awards from January to November 2018.

PROMOTING EDUCATION...

L-R: Director, Directorate of Education, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Independent Campaign Group (BOSICG), Mr. Tokunbo Wahab; Proprietor, Caleb International Schools, Dr. Ola Adebogun; Deputy governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Dr. Kadir Obafemi Hamzat; and Director General, BOSICG, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, during a One-day Seminar in Lagos…yesterday KOLA OLASUPO

PDP Condemns Police Unwarranted Attacks on Its Supporters in Jigawa

Gen Alkali’s Murder: Police Declare 13 More Suspects Wanted

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Plateau State Police Command yesterday declared 13 more suspects wanted in connection with the death of a former Army Chief of Administration, the late General Mohammed Alkali, who was allegedly murdered and his corpse discovered at an abandoned well in Dwei, Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) of the state last year. The police, which had earlier declared eight persons wanted,

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has condemned in totality, the Wednesday’s unwarranted attack and use of brute force by the police against thousands of its supporters in Gumel, Jigawa State. The attacks was said to have been instigated by agents of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to forcefully stop PDP rally in the state. The Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday said that it was now clear that the Presidency, have realized that its smear campaigns against PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, cannot change the resolve by Nigerians to vote out APC government. He accused the APC and the Police of fomenting crises and violent attacks against its members, while cautioning that Nigerians might no longer continue to tolerate such incendiary acts ahead of the elections. Ologbondiyan said, “The PPCO particularly condemns in totality, the Wednesday’s unwarranted attack and use of brute force, including firing of tear gas by the police against thousands of lawabiding members of the PDP in Gumel, Jigawa State, on instigation of agents of Buhari’s presidency and the APC to forcefully stop our rally in the state. “The PPCO equally condemns the unprovoked invasion and violent attack on the Ondo

State campaign office of the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, by armed thugs sponsored by the APC. “This is in addition to series of other attacks by the APC and the police, including arresting and detaining our members on trumped-up charges, as well as pulling down our campaign materials in various states of the federation. “We know that the Buhari’s presidency had to deploy brute force to disrupt our rally in Jigawa State when it realised that the rally will amplify and reinforce President Buhari and APC’s rejection, particularly in their supposed stronghold, the North-west.” Ologbondiyan stressed that police now have the order to harass, intimidate and unleash violence on its members in a bid to intimidate and instill fear in our people across the nation “This informed the ferociousness exhibited by the police in the Jigawa attack where many PDP members were manhandled, injured and traumatised by armed policemen despite the fact that our party obtained official permission from the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) for the rally”, he added. The main opposition party said it had it on good authority that the attack on its presidential campaign office in Ondo was coordinated by the APC, which is now in frenetic mode over the soaring popularity of the party and presidential candidate in the South-west geo-political zone.

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

including the Village Head of Dura – Du District, Mr. Yakubu Rap, who are currently standing trial in court after they willingly submitted themselves, said in a press statement that it arrived at the recent names after painstaking investigation. Among those declared wanted in the latest efforts to apprehend the culprits, are 12 males from Dwei village in Du district and one other male from Gushen village, all of Jos South LGA of the state.

The Police named the suspects as Kannan Nyam, SolomonGyang Jang, Dustine (Surname Unknown),Dung Deme,Gyang Murrak, Da Chuwang Samuel, NyamSamuel and Dung Gbeh, Daddy Dogo, James Dung, Gyang Dung and Jay Boy. The Police Spokesman of the Command, Mathias Tyopev who signed the statement added that the suspects were declared wanted following further investigation into the circumstances that led into the

death of the former retired army officer. He said, “After an elaborate, discreet and painstaking investigation into the Culpable Homicide case of late Major General IM Alkali (retired) by Plateau State Police Command Jos, it has further revealed that the following suspects now at large had actively participated in the illegal activities that led to the death of the late General.”

Leave Obaseki Alone, Gov’s Aide Warns Edo PDP The Edo State Government has warnedthePeoplesDemocraticParty (PDP) to leave Governor Godwin Obaseki out of their “predictable and cheapsmearcampaign,”urgingthem to focus on the weighty issues that impact on the lives of the people. In a statement by SpecialAdviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, the state government cautioned the PDP to, as a matter of civic duty, tell the people what they intend to do for them and not drag the hardworking governor into their

smear campaigns. According to the governor’s aide, “It is not hard to see that the PDP has been undone by the fact that they are faced with a purposeful, well-runandtransparentgovernment. Hence, they have gone to town with a fictitious story about a non-existent fraud allegation in government that exists only in their imagination. For the records, we make bold to say that the alleged fraud does not exist.” He said that, as a government whose programme is anchored on the development of the state and

its people, Governor Obaseki’s administration has the mandate to run an issues-based campaign during this season and keep the people abreast of the numerous developmental programmes that directly impact on their lives. He added, “But as is their stock in trade, the PDP is making spurious allegations about a non-existent fraud, showcasing once again a lack of understanding of governance. “The records are there to show what the Governor Obaseki-led governmenthasdoneandcontinued

to do for the people of Edo State, from job creation to infrastructural development, investment promotion and industrialisation, which all residents in the state can readily testify to, in the governor’s efforts at repositioning the state for prosperity. Thatiswhat we are campaigning with this season.” The governor’s aide advised the opposition to emulate the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) issues-based campaign and desist from the campaign of bile and bitterness.

Abuja ICT Park Will Create Investment Opportunities, Says FG EmmaOkonji The federal government yesterday in Lagos said the initiative to establish Abuja Information and Communication Technology (ICT) park inside the Abuja Technology Village would open investment opportunities for Nigeria. The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, who made the disclosure at a business roundtable for

industry stakeholders, said although the initiative to establish the ICT Park was from the federal government, foreign and local investors have indicated interests to invest in the ICT Park, which he said would in turn boost the economy. According to him, “In line with the knowledge-based initiative, the federal government, through the Ministry of Communications, designed a programme to establish a National ICT Park with the aim

of providing an enabling platform, where ICT knowledge can be acquired through appropriate initiatives, including incubating tech ideas into viable startups, research and development, testing and certifications of ICT solutions.” He, therefore, called on the major stakeholders and private companies operating in the ICT ecosystem to cooperate with government on the initiative and support its plans for the successful implementation of the project.

Stakeholders present at the forum lauded the initiative but cautioned against policy inconsistency in government’s willingness to execute national projects that will benefit the masses. Chairman of SmartCity Plc, Sir Ademola Aladekomo, said Nigeria truly needs a national technology park with facilities where people could work, live and play with lots of technology incubators and accelerators that are relevant to the people.

5 ) * 4 % ": t FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2019

ÍšÍšËœ ÍşÍ¸ÍšÎ Ëž T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Winter Transfer: Fenerbahce Loan Offer forVictor Moses Fenerbahce of Turkey is believed to have made a loan offer for Chelsea winger Victor Moses. Moses, 28, has been frozen out by Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, making just five appearances this season. He featured prominently in Antonio Conteâ€™s 3-4-3 formation as Chelsea won the Premier League title in 2017. But Sarriâ€™s change to a backfour has left Moses, naturally a winger, on the sidelines. Turkish publication TRT Spor claims yesterday that Fenerbahce have held talks with Chelsea about signing Moses, with the deal believed to be a loan. The Super Lig club are trying to avoid a shock relegation â€“ they are second from bottom and one point from safety. Fenerbahce chiefs believe Moses could boost their survival hopes throughout the remainder of the season. The former Nigeria interna-

tional has been linked with permanent moves to Crystal Palace and Cardiff, but his wages are proving to be a stumbling block. Moses is contracted to Chelsea until 2021. Meanwhile, former Watford striker, Odion Ighalo, has told Sky Sports News he wants to return to the Premier League this month. His Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai who have been relegated to the lower division however wants to recoup the ÂŁ20m they spent to sign him from Watford in January 2017, if they are to sell. Shortly after joining Changchun Yatai, Ighalo claimed his preference was to remain in England. He said at the time Crystal Palace and West Brom were interested but the figure Watford were asking for was too high. Ighalo has scored 36 goals in 55 games for Chanchung Yatai. But he is expected to fly into

NFF Lines up 10 Pre-World Cup Friendlies for Super Falcons The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has firmed up plans to provide African champions, Super Falcons, with what could turn out to be their best â€“ever preparation for the FIFA Womenâ€™s World Cup finals. Communication Director of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, confirmed yesterday that the Falcons will kick off their preparations with participation in the Four â€“Nation Invitational Tournament in China between 17th and 20th January. â€œIt will be followed by participation in the Cyprus Womenâ€™s Cup (25th February â€“ 7thMarch), before planned friendly matches with Spain or Canada before a final training camp in Austria that could also take in two tune-up games,â€? he noted. On Tuesday, players and officials of the nine-time African champions were at the Embassy of China in Abuja for visa processing. The team is expected to fly out of Nigeria to China on Monday. Hosts China, Romania and Korea Republic are the other teams taking part in the four â€“day invitational. Overwhelmingly voted as the Women National Team of Year 2018 in Africa at the AITEO-CAF African Football Awards in Senegal on Tuesday, the Super Falcons are determined to adequately prepare and be competitive at this year â€™s global tournament â€“ a championship in which they have only reached the quarter finals once before, 20 years ago. Already, the NFF has announced that the Falcons will have their final camping programme at the same Avita Hotel and Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria, where the Super Eagles stayed before flying

to Russia to participate in last yearâ€™s FIFA World Cup finals. On return from the invitational tournament in China, the Falcons will begin visa processing for Cyprus, where a 12 â€“Nation Invitational Tournament awaits between 25thFebruary â€“ 7th March. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Italy, North Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, South Africa and Thailand are the other nations taking part. Of the lot, Nigeria, Italy, South Africa and Thailand will be going to France. Spain (who play African team South Africa, as well as Germany and China in Group B) and Canada (who play African team Cameroon, as well as New Zealand and The Netherlands in Group E) have approached Nigeria for friendly matches. Jamaica, who play Australia, Italy and Brazil in Group C, have also written to the NFF expressing interest in playing the Super Falcons. Nigeria, the only African country to have featured in all previous editions of the FIFA Womenâ€™s World Cup since the competition was launched in China in 1991, will tackle host nation France, Korea Republic and Norway in Group A of this summerâ€™s finals. The Super Falcons will open their account in France against Norway, at the 21,000 â€“capacity Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims on 8th June, before matches against Korea Republic in Grenoble on 12th June and against hosts France in Rennes on 17th June. The 8th FIFA Womenâ€™s World Cup finals will hold 7th June â€“ 7th July this year, with France up against Korea Republic in the opening match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 7th June.

the UK this week to discuss his future.

The Nigerian joined Watford in 2014 and scored 16 goals in

55 appearances in the Premier League for the Hornets, forming

a successful partnership with Troy Deeney.

SUPER 8 PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSâ€Ś

Kada City of Kaduna emerged champions of the NNL Super 8 Playoff yesterday in Aba. After a 1-1 draw at regulation time, Kada defeated Bendel Insurance 4-3 in penalty shoot out to grab the trophy. Kada, Insurance, Remo Stars and Gombe United are the four teams promoted to the NPFL

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Lobi Stars Set for Mamelodi Challenge Today Femi Solaja After 18 years of absence, Lobi Stars of Makurdi return to elite continental club tournament when they host Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the 2018/19 CAF Champions League Group A clash tonight. Interestingly, in their last outing in year 2000, it was a home match which they lost 0-2 to more experienced Ashanti Kotoko of Ghana at the Aper Aku Stadium. But starting from 5pm Nigerian time this evening at their adopted home in Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu, the â€˜Pride of Benueâ€™ will take a bit of advantage of their under strength opponent who are in Nigeria without

their main striker Jeremy Brockie. The South African club side will need to look elsewhere for firepower as they will be without their star forward, Brockie, because he was suspended. Lobi Stars, a major beneficiary of the abridged domestic topflight league return tonight to the competition banking on recent pre-season form. They are not bothered by the late kick off of the NPFL season as they reached the group stage after defeating Kenyan giants Gor Mahia in the first round tie late last year. The match ended aggregate 3-3 draw but the away rule gave the Nigerian team the edge to proceed to the group stage.

They will look to Sikiru Alimi, who hit the back of the net twice against Gor Mahia, when they take on a much-fancied Sundowns side. Meanwhile, Sundowns booked their place in the last 16 after eliminating Libyan giants Al Ahli Benghazi in December 2018. The South African ABSA Premiership giants thumped Al Ahli 4-0 on aggregate with the first-leg encounter having ended in a 0-0 draw. Although odds favour the visiting side to get the result in Enugu, teamâ€™s top striker, Chile Azu, who joined the squad from Go Round FC insisted that home advantage will give them the edge to win the clash

get the maximum points on match day one. â€œWe have resumed and have started training for the start of the CAF Champions League. We are taking every training session seriously and are hoping for the best ahead of the first game with Mamelodi Sundowns. â€œWe know the assignment at hand and are more than ready to make our fans happy right from the first game until the entire six games we are going to play in the group stage. We are going to be focused on our preparations while we are going to wait to get more information about them. We are not afraid,â€? he commented at the end of the teamâ€™s final training session yesterday.

Edo FA Boss Salutes Obaseki over Complete Bendel Insuranceâ€™s Promotion to NPFL Sports Editor Chairman of Edo State Football Association, Frank Ilaboya has given a pat on the back to the state governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu over the promotion of Bendel Insurance to the elite class of the nationâ€™s domestic league. An excited Ilaboya who spoke after Insurance beat arch rivals 3SC to confirm their NPFL qualification in the Aba Super 8 play off said the return of Insurance was clearly a fall out of the massive support the club enjoyed from Gov Obaseki. â€œThe support for Insurance from the state government was total. The players got all that they needed to perform from the governor. Gov Obaseki rebranded the club and I m so excited that after over a decade Insurance are back to where they rightly belong. â€œThe Deputy Governor,

Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu has equally been wonderful. He not only motivated the players but even stepped unto the pitch to play making history as the first sitting deputy governor to lace boots in the Nigerian league. As FA chairman, I m happy this is happening in our time,â€? Ilaboya said. Ilaboya who is Owan West Local G,overnment chairman said soccer fans should watch out for Insurance this season as they would make their return in grand style insisting that the target of the club would be to do well and possibly pick a continental ticket. â€œAs we speak, the government is working on the Ogbe Stadium which would be used to host the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival. We would also want the arena to host continental football and with the kind

of wonderful attention sports is receiving in the state, Insurance would go continental,â€? Ilaboya said. He further disclosed that the stateâ€™s female team, Edo Queens would also get the same kind of treatment Insurance are getting. â€œGov Obaseki is also planning big for Edo Queens. The female team would soon be rebranded and just like Insurance we want to see Edo Queens climb to the top of female football in the country. â€œOn the whole, the state government has total package for sports. It is not just the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium that is being reconstructed. The government is building 20 mini stadiums in all the local government areas across the state. Sports in this state has never had it so good,â€? Ilaboya concluded.

Loses Dad Elder Solomon Ajayi Esan, father of Complete Sports Editor, Dare Esan is dead. He died on December 26,2018 at his residence, P.D 21,General Hospital Road Ilaje, Ilesa in Osun State after a brief illness. He was aged 95 years. A devout Christian, Elder Esan who was a foundation member of Egbe Ife Kristi of St. Petersâ€™ Anglican Church, Isona, Ilesa will begin his final journey home on Friday February 8, 2019 with a Christian Wake at N.U.D Primary School, General Hospital Road, Ilaje, Ilesa. He will be buried on Saturday February 9, 2019 after a funeral/ thanksgiving outing at St Petersâ€™ Anglican Church in Isona, Ilesa at 10am. He was a former national president of Iwara Progressive Union. Elder Esan is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grand children.

Friday, January 11, 2019

UT H

& RE A S O

Price: N250

MISSILE Shehu Sani to el-Rufai

“For a governor of a state who came into oﬃce with a Muslim-Christian ticket now going for a second term and saying some people don’t matter, I don’t want to be associated with that kind of person, because all I know is that, with all his arrogance, haughtiness and egoism as a governor, power is ephemeral. There is a time he will be out of oﬃce and he will account for whatever he has done” – The senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, accusing the Governor Nasir el-Rufai administration of insincerity.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

The Vindication of Jonathan “In 2015, we campaigned against GEJ for paying fuel subsidy at 30milion liters/day for a daily consumption of 20million liters. Today the APC is paying for 50million barrels on daily consumption in a situation in which it is inconceivable that Nigeria can consume up to 30 million liters per day”– Senate President Bukola Saraki

n the unraveling of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency, it is difficult not to read the vindication of President Goodluck Jonathan. Bad as the Jonathan’s government was made to look, there are no indices of comparison in which this government has not fared worse. Given the comprehensive and almost inexplicable failure of the Buhari government there is the temptation to seek recourse in the metaphysical rationalisation that there is the element of karma at play here. Rising above his disappointment at the loss of power in 2015, Jonathan was full of good faith and goodwill in his acceptance of defeat and the obligation of gracefully turning over the reins of government to his opponent. As we have come to learn, though, the maneuverings that secured the victory for Buhari were not totally transparent and above board-the shenanigans in Kano inclusive of the mysterious death of the resident electoral commissioner and his family in a conflagration, is illustrative. The coincidence is also striking that the commissioner of police in Kano State at this crucial period was no less the incumbent Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. Top among the explanations for his meteoric elevation to the apex of police authority is the interpretation that it can only logically be a deliberate reward for special services rendered. In turn, he has reciprocated the gesture with naked Buhari and APC partisanship. A lot of Nigerians have wondered at the ease and readiness with which President Olusegun Obasanjo reconciled and endorsed the presidential candidacy of his former deputy and main opponent of Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election, Atiku Abubakar. The explanation for this retraction is self-evident in the present danger that the reelection of Buhari, more than any other contender in memory, poses to Nigeria. With regards to the 2015 Buhari choice, there is a lesson to learn in the fact that almost all the critical stakeholders who rallied to his support have had cause to regret their role in aiding and abetting the election of Buhari especially Obasanjo. As President, Jonathan had his conspicuous shortcomings and inadequacies but a lot of these were also exaggerated and contrivedyet he bore no grudge and happily joined Nigerians and international well-wishers (who had sold themselves a dummy) in the consecration of his successor as the long awaited messiah. But how has this gesture be reciprocated? Bereft of basic decency and honesty his successor chose to exploit him as the perpetual fall guy for their unmitigated governance failure. In one of the illustrations of the tragicomedy propensities of the Buhari

Jonathan

presidency, my friend, Garba Shehu, made the following allegation: “The claims that President Muhammadu Buhari spent 166 days without forming a cabinet, that absolutely is untrue…It took him time to form a cabinet because the outgoing administration in 2015 did not cooperate with the transition committee. The president was given handover notes 48 hours to the handover of power and for whatever reason, the president at that time determined that…the question that President Buhari was asking, for details of this and that, amounting to running a second government in office. And he came out to all his ministers and permanent secretaries not to cooperate with Buhari that this country will not have two governments running at the same. What this means is that President Buhari had to wait to come into office and learn about all the inner things that they had done so that he can build on the processes. The government he inherited was horribly disjointed, it was broken.” I don’t know how the presidential spokesman would feel after he might have had time to reflect on this clownish extenuation of an outright signal failure of the Buhari government. The implication of Shehu’s peculiar rationalisation is, no less, the attribution of omniscience and omnipresence to the former President Jonathan (who while in retirement was still able to determine the fate and destiny of his successor) corresponding to the abject helplessness of the incumbent president to own its tenure and stewardship. And since Jonathan has been designated with the unique power to determine Buhari’s failures, the corollary is that he is equally invested with the power to enable the successes of the Buhari regime-if any. To be fair to Shehu, he was just toeing the escapist path charted by his principals. You will recall the laughter that greeted the concluding remarks of Osinbajo at the vice presidential debate when-as tendentious, he had to apologise for the failure of their administration with, you guess right, the 16 years of PDP!

Earlier in the week, President Buhari had an interview with the Arise Television network (he would not consent to a live interview-for obvious reasons) that was remarkably characterised with incoherence, absent mindedness and falsehood. Against the background of the fixation with the Jonathan government, one of the lines that struck most was the proprietary claim he staked to the transformation of the agricultural sector, which, according to the president, is attested in the attainment of food security and near zero importation of Nigeria’s staple diet, rice. One of the precursors to sustained economic development is continuity of inherited developmental projects and policies and so buhari could legitimately take credit for the conclusion of whatever projects he inherited from his predecessor. What is questionable is the penchant of this government to lay exclusive franchise to inherited projects to which it has little or no contribution. Here is the testimony of the President of the World Food Prize Foundation, Mr Kenneth Quinn, on the occasion of investing former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, with the World Food Security Prize award “Although, Adesina is now President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), his breakthrough achievements as Minister of agriculture of Nigeria also helped him win the prize… As Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015, Adesina successfully transformed his country’s agriculture sector through bold reforms… he introduced the E-Wallet system which broke the back of the corrupt elements that had controlled the fertilizer distribution system for 40 years…The reforms he implemented increased food production by 21 million metric tonnes and attracted 5.6 billion dollars in private sector investments, thus earning him the reputation as the ‘Farmer’s Minister…Mr. Quinn said the bold reforms included creating programmes to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production, and to make cassava become a major cash crop”. The above was the asset (in the Agricultural sector) that this government inherited on assumption of office in 2015 and the last time I checked, the personality who bore this testimony was neither a Nigerian nor a member of the PDP. Given the crisis ridden tenure of the incumbent Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbe, especially the self-inflicted distraction of government intervention in the Fulani herdsmen crisis, it is doubtful the minister would have had sufficient capacity left to do anything meaningful and substantial in his primary task of attending to the development of agriculture. He would most likely be remembered for the introduction and deployment of the cattle colony innovationwhich totally consumed his attention. In his typical muddled and somewhat primitive turn of mind, the president has a way of flaunting his ignorance at how modern economies work. He exhibited this dysfunction (in the Arise television parley) by attributing the uptick in agricultural harvest to the intervention of a providential

abundance of rainfall in the past three harvest seasons rather than innovative policies. I have cited this personal inadequacy on account of the fact that this is not a one off gaffe, the President has repeatedly harped on this logic whenever he is minded to comment on the fortunes of the agricultural sector during his tenure. So, in the twenty first century, Nigeria has the albatross of a president who predicates agricultural development on rain-fed policies. In the same television appearance, the president exclaimed, in righteous indignation, how, in the 16 years of stewardship, the PDP recorded zero achievement in infrastructural development including road construction and referred his interviewers to the Power, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola for corroboration. Partly on account of phobia for flying I frequently ply the road from Lagos to Abuja with stop-over at home in Ekiti. The journey goes through Lagos-Ibadan-Ilesha-Ekiti-Kabba-OkeneLokoja-Abuja. When I moved to Abuja in 2002, the long stretch between Lokoja and Abuja was a two lane highway. In the timespan between 2002 and 2015 that road has been dualised and repeatedly improved including major works on the Gwagwalada township section; upwards of 25% of the reconstruction of the LagosIbadan expressway had been accomplished; the Ibadan-Ilesha segment had undergone repeated rehabilitation; the Ilesha-Akure axis had been reconstructed. Four years on, beyond the current modest contribution to the Lagos-Ibadan rehabilitation, the greater part of this road network has suffered neglect and degenerated palpably-not to talk of the war zone degradation of the roadway to the Apapa ports nerve centre of the Nigerian economy. So the question is Where exactly are the evidences that entitle this government to bragging rights on infrastructural development? Are they to be found in the commissioning of airports development in Port Harcourt and Abuja or the commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna railroad? How does a President who commissioned these landmark achievements of his predecessor wake up the following day and with a straight face claim that no infrastructural development took place under the PDP administration? In comparing the incumbent administration with the Jonathan government, the following recent remarks by the International strategic studies association, kill two birds with one stone-regarding the score marks on national security and corruption-“The insurgent groups grow stronger, and the government forces grow weaker and more beset by morale collapse. It is fair to say that the Nigerian intelligence community itself is no longer sure what groups even comprise ‘Boko Haram’, the only significant engagement which the Nigerian military leadership – up to and including the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. (rtd.) Mohammed Babagana Monguno – seem to prioritise is the fight to stop the leakage of information about massive corruption, running into the equivalent of several billions of dollars.”

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