Oil theft ends in 8 months

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62484

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Oil theft ends in 8 months — NNPC GMD Army recaptures Gamboru Ngala•P.9

•Plans use of drones to monitor oil vessels, loading bays •350 die in pipeline vandalism in 3yrs •Navy to complement drones with electronic surveillance

•Militants take over pipeline vandalism in Lagos

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By Kingsley Omonobi, Ben Agande, Henry Umoru & Michael Eboh

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BUJA—GROUP Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu has disclosed that oil theft would be Continues on Page 5

Wike, MOSOP lament abduction of Donu Kogbara •Pg13

Mr & Mrs DESPERATE MIGRANT—This African migrant was caught trying to smuggle himself into Spain while squeezed next to a car engine. Doctors say he was lucky to be alive after suffering from dehydration and inhaling petrol fumes. Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Nigerian business magnate, Deinde Fernandez dies at 79 •P.5

C M Y K

COLUMNIST:

Dumbing down Nigerian politics: The disservice of Jonathan’s men •P.17

Adesina takes over at AfDB •P.15

Legacy of abandoned projects by past See Inside govts

2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

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POCKET CARTOON

ARRAIGNED: Former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (left) with his lawyer, after he was arraigned by the Directorate of State Service, DSS, over alleged unlawful possession of several rifles and ammunition at the Federal High Court Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Oil theft ends in 8 months — NNPC GMD Continues from page 1 eradicated in the next eight months as the corporation has put in place measures to check the menace and bring perpetrators to book.

Speaking at a one-day seminar on Security in the Gulf of Guinea, organised by the Gusau Institute in Abuja, Dr Kachikwu said the fight to stop oil theft was not only for the NNPC but also all Nigerians, as the effect of crude oil theft was on all Nigerians.

According to the NNPC boss, some of these measures include the introduction of drones to monitor the pipelines as well as patrol the country’s coastal waters; equipping and increasing the capabilities of the security services to carry out their responsibilities and the engagement of communities to police pipelines in their areas.

While promising to

introduce transparency in running the NNPC, Dr Kachikwu revealed that the PPMC would be broken up into several companies with one solely in charge of pipelines while another would be in charge of products at the depots He said: “The job of keeping our country afloat and making sure that the revenues from oil are transparently received and spent is the main purpose of my work.

When I was first asked by the President to come and take over this job, my first reaction was trepidation and fear, largely because over the last two decades, we have gone topsy-turvy with our oil industry. We, as a country, have lost so much both in terms of revenue and international perception.

I carry a responsibility that is not just making sure that the oil industry generates so much revenue, but also a

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO HATEVER it is in your life you want to achieve, fine a way to start small and then start today. A year from now you may wish you had started today— Karen Lamb. It’s up to you.

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TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

When life says No! It means Yes! Some other time, when life says Rejection! It means Acceptance some other place —Take Heart Quotes O matter what you’re experiencing, life is beautiful. One should love, laugh, and take time to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the scenery while unfolding your own story and journey through life…but mostly to be grateful! Live in the present, don’t let it slip away unobserved and unseized with worry about the future, which is unformed, or ruminate about the past which is gone.

Let go of intrusive memories that do not uplift and tune in to your higher self for inner peace.

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SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS A leader is not a person who can perform better than his people, but someone who can inspire his people to perform better than himself.

responsibility of bringing back high level of transparency in terms of perception. What is happening is that a few people do bad things but it rubs off on Nigeria.

Many Nigerians are doing the right thing.

“Nigeria is the eighth largest producer of oil in the world but you probably would not see that as you traverse our country because a large volume of oil produced lands in the pockets of very few people and many of us remain extremely poor. That is because over the years, we have been unable to transparently deal with our oil.

“Oil theft is a major issue for us. We lose on average of about 50,000 barrels of oil. We lose about $3-$4 billion of revenue and that is just in terms of crude oil itself. When you get to pipelines, most of our pipelines are ruptured and attacked fairly frequently. Last year alone, between June 2014 and June 2015, we recorded between 3,400 to 4,000 attacks on the various pipelines in the country. The effect is a shut-in of about 250,000 barrels a day and when you calculate that, you have a net loss of over $7 billion.

8 months deadline

“A lot is happening.

More challenges are going to be there but we are going to be able to solve the problems. We have given ourselves eight months within which we will hopefully completely eradicate the issue of oil theft in Nigeria. It is a focus that is very firm, very determined and in the process, you are going to find individuals who constitute some of the highest level of personnel in this economy. Oil theft is not just about the poor in the society. It is about the very rich and it takes a rich man to be able to get the market for the crude and enter into the

carriage contract. It is the rich in the country that are actually the problem of NNPC and not the poor.

We will address that very solidly, and we will achieve result for Nigeria.

If we don’t do that we would have lost the essence of our appointment into this position. Working with security agencies, and using lots of technology we will ensure that this business stops. It is critical that the Nigerian face is not seen as a face of theft but a face of decency."

He noted that because of the constant vandalism of the country’s pipelines, the refineries may not be able to function effectively except the issue of pipeline vandalism was resolved, adding that in order to check the menace, the security architecture around the pipelines was being re-engineered.

“The pipelines that traverse our country which are supposed to carry crude into our refineries are perpetually harassed and the net effect is that we resorted to using marines to carry cargoes into our refineries. What it meant is that no matter what you do with our refineries today, unless that is solved, we cannot operate the refineries. Every month, I sit and try to decide whether I should move crude to the refineries or sell the crude and be able to fund the other accounts. The marine services are too expensive for me.

“In the last one year, we have lost about 350 lives — NNPC staff, policemen, community members — as a result of attempts to breach these pipelines.

“Let me get to the export aspect of it. You get calls from all parts of the world — China, America, alleging that cargoes of Nigerian crude are lying in those countries' territories, most of them sold. We are dealing with a case currently of over 14 cargoes in China, where all the documentation appears to be from the NNPC. It might as well be that by the time we finish with the documentation of these cargoes, we will get to find out that they are cargoes probably out of Iran or Iraq who may be trying to sell their goods as a result of the embargo.

But for whatever it is worth, Nigeria has become known, unfortunately as the country with the highest level of crude theft and sophisticated movement of funds.

Use of drones

“It is a major concern for the President and a major concern for all of us in the industry and we are focused on trying to find solutions. We have marshaled out an armada of approaches to this which include

incorporating drones to check movement within our territorial waters towards the ship; we are looking at logistical ways of changing something at our crude oil loading bays; we are trying to equip the Navy sufficiently, in terms of skills and not in terms of arsenal. We are trying to take the bull by the horns to ensure that they patrol within the maritime zone.

“But more fundamentally, the pipelines that carry oil and crude will have to be policed. The present attempt at policing them has not worked, so we are thinking of changing the personnel, using more of the military but also getting into dealing with the community which ultimately is the best security in dealing with these pipelines, as we try to create more incentives for them to own the pipelines,” he said.

Speaking on the new measures being introduced, the NNPC boss said: “It is one of many efforts that we have put in place. But most importantly, we are trying to improve on the psyche of the people who work in the NNPC. We are trying to make them understand that there is a difference between a corporation and a civil service because ultimately we begin to realize that we are here to run a business for Nigeria, we have no need being there,” he said.

Earlier in his keynote address, the Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Mr Patrice Emery Trovoada said Nigeria should place less emphasis on oil production and should instead consider the option of exploring other resources like fish in the Gulf of Guinea in order to diversify its revenue base.

He called for greater cooperation amongst countries of the Gulf of Guinea to check the incidence of piracy and oil theft, adding that his country would continue to cooperate with Nigeria to check the menace.

Navy to complement drones

Meanwhile, the Chief of

Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas said, yesterday, that the Nigerian Navy will collaborate with other security agencies to ensure that any measure that will result to checkmating illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalization is nipped in the bud.

Speaking against the background of disclosure

by Dr. Kachikwu that drones will be deployed to ensure that oil theft is checkmated in the country, Vice Admiral Ibas said: “First, we are deploying electronic surveillance equipment to ensure that this menace is brought to an end.

“Secondly, the Navy has standby response teams ready to move at the quickest deployment because even if the drones are deployed as disclosed by the NNPC GMD, it is the Navy that will be required to implement the response aspect”.

The CNS who spoke to Vanguard last night further insisted “ we are all working in collaboration with NNPC and other security agencies to end this menace which has impacted negatively on our nations’ economy and revenue base. I am assuring you that we will give all the support necessary to achieve the goal as enunciated by the NNPC GMD."

Deinde Fernandez dies at 79 USINESS magnate, B and diplomat, Chief Antonio Oladeinde

Fernandez is dead. He was born in 1936.

Chief Fernandez was born in Lagos into the Fernandez family. He has been in diplomacy since 1996. In 1982, he served as advisor to the Angolan Government on Economic matters for two years. He ran an oil company called Petro Inett, which obtained a 50% share with South African-based Energy Africa Limited in a deal with the state oil company for exploration rights in a 4,700 km2 area of Angola’s coast in 1996.

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Driver accused of impregnating 16-yr-old girl

By Bartholomew Madukwe

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AGOS—A 45-year-old driver, Ganiyu Afolabi, was yesterday charged before an Ikeja Magistrate's Court in Lagos for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 16-year-old girl.

This came as 22-year-old Oluwatudimi Folajimi has been charged before a Yaba Magistrate's Court in Lagos for allegedly forging an identity card of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, to enable him write exams for a 400-level student of medicine.

On the rape case, the accused, who lives at Meiran area of Lagos State, was said to have called the victim to his room under the pretext of sending her on an errand and defiled her.

The suspect was arraigned by the police on a three-count charge of sexual assault, defilement and attempt to procure abortion.

However, when the charge was read to the accused before Chief Magistrate Tajudeen Elias, he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Sgt Jimah Iseghede, informed the court that the alleged offences were committed in May at the accused's residence and contravened Sections 137, 145 and 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The magistrate ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody until September 9 when the court would rule on his bail application.

The 22-year-old alleged impersonator was arraigned on a-threecount charge of felony to wit, forgery and examination malpractice, but he pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate, Mrs. O. A. Erinle, granted the accused bail in the sum of N80,000.

Man, 40, rapes 4-yr-old girl to death in Bayelsa Another 7-yr-old victim dies of HIV/AIDS

By Emem Idio

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ENAGOA—OFFICIALS of United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and other stakeholders in the protection of the rights of the child were shocked, yesterday, to hear of the case of a 40-year-old man that raped a four-year-old girl to death in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The revelation was made by the State Coordinator of Child Protection Network, CPN, Mrs. Mariam Kombo-Ezeh.

She also revealed two other cases of child abuse, which

occurred in the state, including the death of a seven-year-old girl of complications from HIV/AIDS after being raped and infected by a man, and another 13year-old girl gang-raped in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Speaking on Advocacy Engagement with Policy Makers on Domestication of Child Right Act in Bayelsa, Mrs. Kombo-Eze said cases of child abuse and inhuman treatments were on the rise in the state.

She said: “It is pathetic and the cases are on the high side.

There is the need for speedy

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ENIN—POLICE at Zone ‘5’ Police Headquarters in Benin, Edo State, have uncovered an abortion clinic where a medical doctor and four nurses were arrested.

Vanguard learned that a foetus, hospital equipment

Bill, adding “the parents too should rise to the realities of training the boy-child to respect the girl-child. It is a thing of regret to know that the rate of such abuses is high.”

In her message at the event, Chief Field Officer of UNICEF, Enugu office, Mr. Nwanaka Chude Onwurah, commended the state government on the existing policies on the protection and welfare of Bayelsa children.

Onwurah, who was represented by Charles Nzuki, expressed optimism that the Child Right Bill would soon be passed into law in Bayelsa.

Surviving in Lagos, along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. PHOTO: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

Kidnappers demand N50m for Bayelsa chiefs' freedom

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA—THE kidnappers of Chief Blessing Wagio and Chief Isaac

Akono-Igolo have reportedly demanded N50 million for their release a week after their abduction.

The victims, both indigenes of

Okpoama in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and a security operative, whose identity could not be ascertained, were kidnapped

Man, 30, kills 11-yr-old girl, buries her in his room

By Suzan Edeh

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AUCHI—POLICE in Bauchi State have arrested a 30-year-old man (names withheld), for allegedly murdering an 11-year-old girl.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed, told newsmen in Bauchi that the suspect murdered the girl, identified as Hajara Ahmed, daughter of one Bala Ahmed, the Chief Imam

Police bust abortion clinic in Benin, arrest doctor, nurses

By Gabriel Enogholase

passage of the bill on Child Rights into Law.” In her speech at the stakeholders meeting organized by the state government in collaboration with CPN, with the support of UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Ms. Nengi Rufus-Spiff, said the present administration was shocked by the revelations and would never support child abuse under any guise.

According to her, children in Bayelsa State will be properly protected under the proposed

suspected to be abortion equipment, and other exhibits were recovered at the clinic.

It was further gathered that the raid of the clinic was sequel to complaints received by the Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Musa Daura, in charge of the zone on the illegal activities of the

clinic, whose staff were alleged to have been secretly performing the act for several years.

Trouble started when an expectant mother visited the facility, located at Upper Uwa Street, off MM Way, for checkup and allegedly had her pregnancy terminated.

of Bauchi Central Mosque.

He said: “On August 31, at about 6p.m., police detectives attached to Township Division in Bauchi State arrested one Jarelu Ahmed, male, aged 30, of Railway Road, Bauchi.

“After killing the girl, the suspect buried her in his room.

The scene of crime was visited by forensic experts attached to State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID. The victim’s remains was exhumed, photographed and taken to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for postmortem.”

The PPRO said investigation into the case was in progress.

last Wednesday along OgbiaBrass waterways by armed men suspected to be pirates.

Though the whereabouts of the kidnapped victims are unknown, the kidnappers were said to have contacted the family of one of the chiefs, Monday, demanding N50 million ransom before they would be set free.

Vanguard gathered that the victims’ boat, which sailed from Ogbia water front in Ogbia council, was heading to Brass on the Atlantic fringe when it came under attack around Kiberibio area in the waterway, described as a hotbed of pirates attacks.

A source told Vanguard: “The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N50 million. They called the wife of Chief Wagio on Monday at about 10p.m. and made the two chiefs to speak with her.”

Contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat, said he was in a meeting.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 7

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Ex-NSA, Dasuki docked, granted bail

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA—THE erstwhile National Security Adviser, NSA, to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col Sambo Dasuki, was yesterday, docked before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, over alleged possession of illegal firearms.

The Federal Government, in a onecount charge by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri, accused the former NSA of being in possession of a large cache of arms and ammunition.

It told the court that an investigative team of the Department of State Services, DSS, had on July 16, executed a duly signed search warrant at Dasuki’s residence in Abuja, where they discovered arms, live ammunition and twobullet proof Range Rover vehicles.

Specifically, the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/ 319/2015, read: “That you Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, on or about July 16, at your residence, 13 John Khadija Street, Asokoro, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, was found in possession of five Tavor Assault Rifles, 1 Macro Uzi with serial No 60244(Rifle), 20 magazines (ammunition), 1 packet of Ministry of Defence APG calibre gun, Luger No. 033375, small magazine containing 16 rounds of ammunition, and bigger magazine containing live rounds of ammunition.”

The DPP, who is prosecuting the case for government, maintained that Dasuki’s offence was punishable under Section 27(1)(a) of the Firearms Act, Cap F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

According to him, “the suspect made voluntary statement under words of caution, which categorically point to illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

“The prosecution shall lead evidence to prove the guilt of the defendant based on credible and undisputed facts.”

HALLMARK LECTURE: From left— Mr. Jibril Aku, MD/CEO, Ecobank Nigeria; Prince Emeka Obasi, Publisher, Hallmark Newspaper, and Igwe (Professor) Laz Ekwueme, Eze Ijikala ll-Ozoko Igwe Oko, during the Hallmark Public Policy Lecture Series at Nigerian Institue of International Affairs, NIIA, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

Nigeria has no business with poverty—BUHARI

By Emmanuel Elebeke

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BUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigerians have no business with poverty given the enormous resources the country has.

To this end, he has promised to take appropriate measures to stamp out corruption and reposition Nigeria as a prosperous nation that can adequately cater for its citizens.

The President made the assertion, yesterday, at the opening of the 45th Annual Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, in Abuja.

The President, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Anastasia Nwaobia, blamed the poverty in the land on mis-governance and lack of transparency.

Meanwhile, former Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, has recommended compulsory assets declaration for all principal officers in the executive arm of government as a means of checking the menace of corruption.

President Buhari said the nation’s ability to create wealth had increasingly been hampered by lack of good governance and accountability in the management of public resources at all levels in the past.

Buhari said: “As blessed as we are as a nation, Nigerians have no business being classified as poor. Yet, through the greed of some unpatriotic few, our commonwealth has been badly pillaged in the name of public service.

“Our ability as a nation to create wealth has increasingly been hampered by the lack of prudence, transparency and honesty in the management of

public resources by some of those entrusted with the duty of governance at all levels in the past, so much that in the midst of plenty, Nigerians are

now suffering great deprivation.

“This should not be allowed to continue. The project called Nigeria must

be given our all. The nation ought and must leave the throes of poverty and underdevelopment because I believe we are naturally destined for greatness.’’

... as Ezeife, Afenifere, Arewa youths berate President over campaign promises denial

By Dapo Akinrefon, Charles Kumolu & Gbenga Oke

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HE Presidency’s denial that a campaign document, entitled My Covenant With Nigerians, originated from All Progressives Congress, APC, was greeted with angry reactions yesterday.

Many, who spoke to Vanguard expressed disappointment at the denial, describing it as a betrayal of confidence.

The document, which had gone viral on the social media, detailed electioneering promises purportedly made by the President.

Buhari insensitve—Ezeife

Former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, said: “President Buhari has very serious problems. The most worrisome is what seems like a design to scatter this country through his appointments.

“Whether he is spending 100 or 200 days is irrelevant.

Where are his ministers?

Where is the representation on the basis of the geo-political zones? Junaid Mohammed stoked the fire by saying that President Buhari does not owe Ndigbo anything.

“By denying the South-East the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the President acted in an insensitive manner.

“We have six geo-political zones in the country, but the North-East has dominated the appointments made so far.”

level of perfidy. It is most unfortunate.

“That is the price the electorate would pay for not asking questions.”

APC’s greatest deceiver—Babatope

Betrayal of trust—Shettima

Former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said: “I hope it is beginning to dawn on Nigerians now that APC is the greatest deceiver we have in this country.

“That the party is now denying the document that emanated from them during the electioneering campaigns is very unfortunate and in due time we will respond.”

It’s a swindling of electorate—Afenifere

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, described the denial as the highest level of perfidy.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, said: “It is what I will call the swindling of the electorate; it is also what I call obtaining under false pretence. We saw all the promises flying around and APC never disowned those promises.

“They erected billboards all around major cities. I was thinking they would say it was because they met a different thing on the ground. But to tell us that those things were not promised is the highest

On his part, National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima said: “It is one thing for politicians to go to the field and make promises, and another thing for them to implement those promses.

“However, we should not be in a hurry. They have their reasons.

Perhaps, it is as a result of the challenges they are facing.

“Of course, they are aware of these problems. But I think it amounts to a betrayal to tell Nigerians what you would do and you fail to do it.”

Breach of social contract—Ajulo

National Secretary of the Labour Party, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, said: “The ethnic slant in the appointments so far is just too obvious, and we cannot afford to just ignore these ominous signs.

“Do the praise singers of the President expect Nigerians to fold their hands and watch or join them in cheering the President as he tows the dangerous path of sectionalism and nepotism?

“It is uncharitable, breach of social contract and utter deceit and conspiracy against Nigerians for Buhari to deny the knowledge of these campaign promises.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—9

Army recaptures Gamboru Ngala from insurgents, seek Brazil's assistance Headquarters, even as he terrorism menace in the

By Kingsley Omonobi

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BUJA—NIGERIAN troops, yesterday, liberated and retook Gamboru Ngala, the strategic neighbouring town to Cameroon and Niger after a fierce battle.

It will be recalled that Gamboru Ngala is the town where Nigerian troops crossed into Cameroon in a tactical manoeuvre after fierce fighting.

A statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, confirming the successful takeover of the town said: “The Nigerian Army has retaken the

economic and strategic town of Gamboru Ngala, Borno State, from the Boko Haram terrorists group today (yesterday). The triumphant troops are now busy with clearing and mopping up patrols.”

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Gabriel Olonisakin, has commended the field commanders and the troops in the North-East for maintaining the momentum in their efforts to rout terrorists.

General Olonisakin gave this commendation while meeting with principal staff officers and senior officers of Defence

noted that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Presidential directive of ending terrorism very shortly is achieved.

General Olonisakin also unveiled his vision for Armed Forces of Nigeria which is “to ensure a well motivated, trained and equipped Armed Forces that is responsive to national security commitments.”

Similarly, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, has assured that despite random attacks from Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, the Nigerian Army is determined to end

country soon.

Towards attaining this objective, Buratai expressed the Nigerian Army ’s readiness to cooperate with Brazil and friendly countries to end Boko Haram terrorism.

Speaking when he received the Deputy Chief of Army Staff of Brazil for International and Special Affairs, Major General Joarez Alves Pereira Junior, Buratai requested his assistance in facilitation of training billets for Nigerian Army personnel “particularly in jungle warfare” due to the country's current security challenges.

ADESINA'S INAUGURATION: From left— UBA Plc MD/CEO, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele; a guest; former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Adesina's wife, Grace; President, African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and other dignitaries at Adesina's inauguration in Abidjan, yesterday.

Militants take over pipeline vandalism in Lagos—Police

By Evelyn Usman

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HE attack on a team of policemen in Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos, in the early hours of Monday, during which three policemen were shot dead and others injured, was said to have been carried out by militants-turned vandals.

This is just as the policeman, who managed to escape from the scene of the shooting, attributed his survival to his name.

The surviving policeman, a Sergeant identified as Fortunate Endurance Imasuen, according to a family friend who spoke on condition, said: “My name, Fortunate, saved me. For the first time in my life, I knew the meaning of my name.

“I am indeed fortunate and I thank God for my parents who gave me such name.”

Sergeant Imasuen, said to be in a stable condition yesterday, was reportedly shot in the leg.

Impeccable sources disclosed

that the militants, who attacked the policemen, were clad in black shirts and trousers, with red bands tied on their heads.

They were reportedly alerted by their colleagues who were apprehended by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, for onward transfer to the Anti-Pipeline Vandalism squad.

At press time, the whereabouts of the three policemen said to have been shot by the vandals were yet unknown.

Information at Vanguard’s disposal revealed that trouble was allegedly caused by operatives of the SARS who were deplored to the area to checkmate activities of vandals.

A total of 150 SARS operatives were reportedly deplored to Ishawo area to complement efforts of policemen from Owutu Division.

It was also gathered that SARS operatives pin-down point was different from that of policemen from Owutu.

Between SARS, Owutu police

Report had it that while a team of policemen from Owutu allegedly allowed the vandals passage, their colleagues from SARS insisted on handing them over to the Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit inspite of explanation by the vandals that they had allegedly paid an unspecified amount to some of their colleagues.

The argument reportedly went on for about 30 minuites, when all of a sudden, their colleagues, numbering over 50, stormed the area and opened fire on the unsuspecting policemen, killing three of them on the spot.

Although one of the vandals

was reportedly shot dead, his body was said to have been taken away in one of his colleagues' operational vehicles, alongside that of the dead policemen.

Police reacts

Spokesperson of Lagos State Police Command, Patricia Amadin, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, confirmed the attack.

She said: “ The policemen encountered an attack by armed men suspected to be militants at about 3a.m., Monday.

“Meanwhile, the command is on the lookout for three of its personnel discovered missing after the encounter, while an intensive manhunt is on for the fleeing felons.

“The command appeals to the public to volunteer information and report cases of pesons with gunshot wounds to the nearest station.”

Onu denies social media reports over SGF appointment

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—FORMER Governor of Abia State and chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Ogbonaya Onu, has dissociated himself from a social media post that there was a communication between him and President Muhammadu Buhari on why he would not be appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF. Reacting through a statement by his former media aide, Mr. Sunny Onyeukwu in Abuja, Onu denied a submission of the post that his house had, prior to the appointment of SGF and others last week, became “a Mecca of sorts” for those seeking patronage from him in anticipation of his appointment as SGF. Onu, who noted the right of free speech of individuals as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria, however, advised that such rights should be exercised within the arm of the law.

The statement read: “The attention of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has been drawn to a seeming orchestrated campaign apparently originating from the social media to smear his hard-earned reputation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it has become important to state in strong terms that Dr. Onu never expressed the views credited to him in the Facebook broadcast as no such conversation ever took place between him and Mr. President.

“He could not have, therefore, communicated a non-existent conversation to another person, more so with an unnamed individual on telephone.

“Accordingly, it is false, cheap and utterly in bad faith. Already, Dr. Onu has personally issued a rebuttal on the matter, which has been circulated in the social media in a statement dated August 30.”

10 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

New Oyo CP takes over, warns policemen

TRIBUNAL: Isiaka tenders 4,000 documents, closes case

By Daud Olatunji

By Ola Ajayi

I

BADAN—THE new Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Adeleye Olusola Oyebade has advised policemen in the state to act according to the dictates of their profession, saying anyone of them who displays any contrary vision to that of Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase will be dismissed.

He said this during the handing-over ceremony held at the state police command, Eleyele, Ibadan.

According to him, the Inspector-General has a vision of new police force in Nigeria that will be responsible and accountable to the people.

“In the short period since becoming the IGP, he has left no one in doubt about the direction of the Nigeria Police Force. A new vision and dynamism has been introduced and the force has started a process of having a humane face.

“The core values of discipline, hardwork and ethical conduct have been placed in the front burner. ''We now have a charge to uphold the best practices in the discharge of our duties.

Let me reiterate the commitment of the police high command to change the perception of the police as a reactive, corrupt and lethargic institution,” he said.

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B E O K U TA — T H E Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in April 11 governorship election in Ogun State, Prince Gboyega Isiaka yesterday, closed their case at the ongoing governorship tribunal in the state after tendering over 4, 000 evidences before the court and having called nine witnesses.

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AGOS—A 38-year-old man, Bem Takpa and four others were yesterday arraigned before an Ebute Meta chief Magistrate’s court sitting at Oyingbo over theft of a Toyota Hiace bus worth N4 million, belonging to China Civil Engineering Constitution Company, CCECC. The other defendants are Isaac Shalegh, 29; Tor Matthew, 30; Sefa Akuhwa, 34 and Tevershima Ahura, 32.

They are facing a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, dishonest conversion and duplicating of keys, stealing, damage and receiving of stolen goods, preferred against them by the police.

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examinations were not substantial enough to throw out the petition insisting that the Petitioners had provided enough evidence to prove that the election was marred with irregularities and malpractices.

PDP and Isiaka had approached the tribunal, challenging the result of the election, which returned Senator Ibikunle Amosun for second term

Lagos plans stiffer sanctions against illegal sand miners, others

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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PARLEY: Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State (right) discussing with Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN Council members during an audience granted the ICAN leadership

by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State Hoiuse, Abuja, yesterday. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida.

ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR: Ambode seeks ICAN’s support

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS—GOVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State yesterday, called

Five docked over alleged theft of CCECC bus

By Onozure Dania

The last witness, Benjamin Ibikunle told the court that the petitioners deserve victory, saying Isiaka and the PDP had approached the court with a very valid case and expect nothing but victory.

The witness, who was confronted with some of the exhibits before the court maintained that issues raised by the respondents during the cross

in office, saying the results in 9 local councils out of the 20 contained irregularities and were not done in conformity with the electoral law.

The first respondent, governor Ibikunle Amosun is expected to open his defence tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the three-man panel Justice Henry Olusiyi, has called on the respondents to cooperate with the court and not seek for unnecessary adjournment when the defence starts.

The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

The Prosecutor, ASP Adegoke Akinlade, told the court that the offences were committed on August 1, at 5.00 p.m., at Iya Calabar drinking parlour, Alagomeji, in Ebute Meta area of Lagos State.

He alleged that Shalegh, who works with the company had made a duplicate of the keys of the Toyota Hiace bus with Reg No. KTU 878 AX and had facilitated its removal from the premises where it was parked.

He, together with Ahura, Matthew and Takpa had conspired together to carry out the act while Akuhwa is alleged to have received the stolen vehicle and defaced it so that it won’t be recognised.

The offences according to the

on members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, to support the ongoing anti-corruption efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ambode who made the call at the opening ceremony of the 45th Annual Conference of the ICAN, held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, noted that the pivotal role played by accountants daily in the running of government, calls for them to be above board in discharging their duties.

According to him, “I once heard someone say that “Only accountants can save the world through peace, goodwill and reconciliation.

That tells me that the people who can save Nigeria are in this hall today.

“We must kick-start that process now by developing mechanisms that will make it compelling for members of the Institute to exhibit a high level of integrity wherever we find ourselves.

“As custodians and managers of financial resources, we must be above

board and resist the temptation to compromise our professional ethics and personal integrity. This, I believe, should be our focus as we begin the journey of another 50 years”, he said.

He also tasked accountants in the country to commence the process of raising the bar of integrity through pragmatic rebuilding of the nation’s value system so as to redefine the vision of the profession.

Earlier, in his opening address, the ICAN President, Otunba Femi Deru, said accountants must use their skills and expertise to drive the renaissance of the nation’s value system.

He said, “The virtues of selfless leadership, open governance, accountability and integrity must be entrenched in our system.”

Deru said the institute has set up a N50 million endowment fund to help in the fight against corruption, adding; “We have set up framework to reposition the institute for greater service delivery.”

AGOS State government, yesterday, directed relevant ministry to enforce the ban on illegal sand dredgers operating in some parts of the state such as Lekki and Victoria Island.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr Oluwatoyin Onisarotu, who disclosed this, said the enforcement arm of the ministry had been mandated to carry out the directive.

Similarly, the Ministry ’s Department of Drainage Enforcement and Compliance has been directed to mark all structures with extended walls on drainage alignment and all other contraventions on the state’s drainage and planning laws.

Onisarotu stated this during a one-day working tour to drainage sites in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki areas.

He inspected the level of degradation caused by the activities of the illegal dredgers at the end of the Agodogba Avenue in Park View Estate in Ikoyi as well as areas like IgbonEfon-Ologo-Igbokusu drainage channels.

Onisarotu said the activities of illegal sand dredgers have virtually blocked all the major drainage projects within the areas.

He noted that despite the state government’s huge financial commitment to deflood those areas, sand dredgers and building contractors continually degrade the environment as well as prevent discharge of water into the lagoon.

He also discovered that most buildings within those areas have erected structures on drainage setbacks and alignments thereby disrupting free-flow of water into the lagoon.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 11

OONI SUCCESSION: Prince alleges threat to life

Quantity surveyors to sanction erring members

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—THE contest for the Ooni stool has taken a dangerous dimension as a prominent figure of the Giesi ruling house, Prince Adekanye Aderibigbe, yesterday alleged threat to his life over his insistence that only a credible and a true prince from the ruling house would be presented to the kingmakers for confirmation.

Prince Aderibigbe, who spoke at the meeting of the ruling house held at Agbedegbede Lane, More, Ife, also assured that Giesi will present a credible candidate that would be acceptable to all to the kingmakers.

The former university don, who was flanked by members of the committee and sub-committee saddled with the responsibility of verifying names submitted as contestants from Giesi, said he had been repeatedly threatened because he insisted that those who are not from the ruling house but now parading themselves as one, would be disappointed because they would not even be considered.

“A man has been parading himself as a member of Giesi Ruling House and newsmen have been echoing it. He is not a member of this house. He is

By Dayo Johnson

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VISIT: Immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN (right) and the Ambassador of Poland to Nigeria, Mr Andrezj Dycha during a courtesy visit to the former governor at his Surulere Residence, Lagos, yesterday. not a member of Giesi.

“Please quote me. I have been threatened over my stand but I am ready for whatever will happen. I am one of the oldest in this compound and we know ourselves. He is not even a member of any ruling house in Ile-Ife. I have been threatened but I am waiting. I will not say God is on my side but I am on God’s side.’’

He also disowned list of

contestants said to have been screened by the ruling house, stressing that only the secretary of the ruling house, Prince Ropo Ogunwusi, is empowered to relate with newsmen on the activities of the ruling house.

Asked if he feared government interference might come in during the selection process, Aderibigbe, said: “We harbour no such fear. We have started the process and we know an Ooni

that will be acceptable will emerge at the end of the day.

“Interference of any kind will not happen. Whenever we want to pick our candidate, all of you will know and the kingmakers will after that take over. I did not say Ifa oracle will not have a say but Ifa will only choose from the candidates presented to it and Giesi will present a credible person that will occupy the throne.”

Outstanding salaries'll be paid soon, Osun Assembly assures workers

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—OSUN State House of Assembly has assured that the relief package given to the state would be judiciously administered, saying genuine workers would soon have their outstanding salaries defrayed, while the work-in-progress of public infrastructure would not be left unattended to.

It also vowed to drive the anticorruption crusade with its oversight functions, promising to break bureaucratic bottlenecks and red-tapism, which are capable of dragging development at snail speed and reducing institutions to redundancy.

The speaker, Hon. Najeem Salaam, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Goke Butikakuro, stressed that the

parliament under his watch was more than ready to bring all ministries, departments and agencies to account on how budgetary funds appropriated to them were managed with a view to getting them to be on their toes and be accountable to the public.

Salaam reiterated that the state parliament has taken the first leg

By Rotimi Olaleye

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DO-EKITI—THE All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State has called on Governor Ayodele Fayose to explain his application for N9.6b loan as part of the special Federal Government facility for states facing salary payment burden.

The party said since Fayose had

GUN State Housing Corporation has warned members of the public to desist from unauthorised buying and selling of its landed properties or putting up buildings on any of the corporation's estates without approval from the agency.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the Corporation, Mr Akindipupo Enilolobo, who gave the warning, said that the development became necessary to put an end to the increasing cases of encroachment on its estates and lands across the state.

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spelt out for the transgressors.

The Speaker also disclosed that the parliament would obtain the report of ongoing workers’ audit and frisk it in order to be updated on the actual numerical strength of the work force of the state with a view to giving rough tackles to the wouldbe manipulators of the process.

Ekiti APC seeks clarification on N9.6bn loan, as Fayose warns revenue officers

OGUN LANDS: Govt warns against encroachment

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of its anti-corruption crusade through the passage of the procurement bill into law, stating that the law when signed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola would drive the processes of contract award, purchases of the government and other state transactions; noting that punitive measures were well

KURE—THREE members of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS, risk jail term if found culpable of various professional misconduct for which they are being investigated.

The NIQS President, Mr Murtala Aliyu, who said this in Akure noted that the three members had been sanctioned by the Disciplinary Committee of the professional body for various misconducts.

Aliyu spoke at the opening of the 2nd Research Conference, held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

According to him, the sanctioned members were from Lagos, Kogi and one of the South East states.

Aliyu, who was a former Minister of State for Power and Steel, said the institute had decommissioned the sanctioned members from the projects they were handling in addition to the withdrawal of their licenses.

The sanctioned practitioners he declared “would appear before a panel and if found culpable may be sent to jail.”

The NiQS boss said; ''Though the involvement of quantity surveyors in the cases of collapsed structures is now well pronounced, the role of this class of professionals in building structures cannot be underestimated.

always insisted that he did not owe workers’ salaries, there was no need to draw from a facility approved for only states that were indebted to workers.

Ekiti State was among the 21 states in the Federation that applied for the loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. The loan, which attract nine percent interest rate, has repayment period of 20 months, and it was designed by CBN as

a bail-out fund for states owing workers salaries.

APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday said the governor’s explanation became pertinent against the background of persistent claims that he did not owe workers in the state civil service.

Meantime, Governor Fayose has warned that any government official involved in fraudulent act

or undermining efforts of his administration to raise the revenue profile of the state would be severely dealt with.

He handed down the warning during a chat with Directors of finance and revenue officers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, advising them to block all leakages and be innovative in order to raise the state’s internally-generated revenue within the next six months.

12—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Youths protest alleged killings, kidnappings by cult group in Delta A

Festus Ahon

SABA—SAPELE youths numbering over 50, have stormed the streets of Asaba, the capital city of Delta State, protesting the alleged killings, arson and kidnappings by White Ladders cult group in Sapele.

The youths, who defiled the heavy rainfall besieged the Ministry of Justice, where they presented a petition to the Department of Public Prosecution,DPP. They carried placards with different inscriptions, such as; “Stop this bribe DPP Boss,” “DPP prosecute the killers of our brothers from Okirighwre community in Sapele,” “We cry to the IG to come to our aid and rescue us from the hands of cult group, White Ladders,” among others.

Accusing the DPP of being compromised to shield and grant the suspects bail, they alleged that the leader of the White Ladder’ cult group (names withheld), had made lives unbearable for many of them, decrying that they had been chased out of Sapele since 2009.

The spokesman of the youths, Mr Gabriel Omofeye, said the protest was to draw government attention to their situation, lamenting that their lives was in

great danger following the purported plan by the DPP to release three arrested suspected cultists currently in detention in Sapele prison.

Omofeye alleged that all the killings, arson and kidnapping that had taken place since 2009 in Okirighwre community in Sapele were masterminded by the cult leader (names withheld), who had also chased them out of the community for refusing to join

his cult group.

He listed some of the people allegedly killed by the cult leader in 2009 to include Mr. Tikawayie Akpojevughe, Oghenebrorhine Tetebe and Tony Kajagbor, decrying that the suspected cult leader was being shielded by some powerful politicians in the area.

He appealed to the DPP not to release those arrested in connection with the killings on bail for security reasons, lamenting that

if released they will come after them refusing to join the cult group.

Addressing the protesters, an official of the Ministry of Justice in Department of DPP, Mr Champion Umukoro denied the allegation that DPP was given N5 million to shield arrested suspected cultists and thanked the protesters for conducting themselves in an orderly manner.

WORKSHOP: From left: Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe, Ambassador Ahmed Magaji, Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Patrice Emery Traovoada, Chairman of Gusau Institute, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau and former Senate Leader, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, during the workshop on Security in the Gulf of Guinea in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

NSCDC arrests 10 suspects over Agip pipeline vandalisation in Bayelsa

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA—THE Bayelsa State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested 10 persons suspected to have vandalised crude oil pipeline owned by Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, along the creeks of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

According to NSDC, the suspects were arrested within the time frame of six months over alleged involvement in pipeline vandalisation and oil theft.

Deputy Commandant of the NSDC, Anikan Udeoyop, who confirmed the development during a meeting with the State Commissioner of Police, Department of State Security, DSS, officials of the Agip Oil Company and the leadership of the Southern Ijaw communities of Ondewari, Okputuwari, Umbugbene and Kemebiama, said that the incessant raid and arrest along the creeks had contributed to the peace in the troubled area.

Udeoyop commended the state security outfit, Door Akpo for the working partnership with the Corps.

He announced that the NSDC had approved the registration of

two additional private security guard company in the state bringing the total number to 50.

On attacks on bank customers

in the state, the NSDC confirmed that though the screening and approval of the security companies was meant to assist the existing

security agencies on security issues, “The Corps is already packaging a three-month security training programme for physical self defence and for bank personnel in the state.”

Omunu, Timinimi, others join APC

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ARRI—THE Akulagba of Warri Kingdom and chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ayirimi Emami and a prominent Gbaramatu chief, Michael Johnny, have welcomed the immediate past Secretary to Warri South-West Local Government, Mr. Victor Omunu, a renowned Ijaw community leader in the council, Mr. Saturday Timinimi and over 500 new

members into the APC. The ceremony marked the formal declaration of the APC members after under-going registration at their various wards in Warri SouthWest council at the secretariat of the APC, behind the Warri SouthWest Secretariat in Ogbe-Ijoh.

Addressing party faithful , Chief Emami admonished old members not to exhibit acts capable of discouraging new entrants into APC and enjoined all members of the party to close ranks so as to

brace up for subsequent elections.

He added that his formal defection to the APC, should be emulated by those at the grassroots.

Chief Johnny on his part expressed optimism that a governorship re-run was imminent in Delta State and members of the APC were prepared to take over government in the state at any time.

40 girls jostle for Miss A-Ibom Tourism crown

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By Tom Moses

YO—OVER 40 girls from the 36 states of Nigeria seeking to be crowned the coveted Miss Akwa-Ibom Tourism Queen, have been admitted to camp for the oneweek pageant which the grand finale holds on September 4, 2015.

While in camp, the tourism queen hopefuls would be given special trainings on their unique modeling, preferred vocational

programmes and consequently, examined to ascertain their level of assimilation and their preparedness to wear the crown.

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of I.V. Entertainment, the outfit with the Nigerian Tourism Board franchise to plan and organise the event, Lady Violet Kenneth, said in a chat with Vanguard that the contestants would be in camp for one week for them to be groomed on the etiquettes and expected standards of queens and models so that as they returned to their

respective communities, they would be sufficiently equipped to teach the younger ones on how to live and be useful to their families and communities.

“This event is informed by the quest to showcase the tourism potential in Akwa Ibom State because a lot of people are not quite aware of the tourism endowments and attractions that inundate this state including the unsung developmental projects spread across every part of the state."

Egbema IYC lauds Okowa for restructuring DESOPADEC

By Gabrie Enogholase

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ENIN—CHAIRMAN of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, in Egbema Kingdom, Delta State, Prince Igiriki Brakaimi, has commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta over the restructuring of DESOPADEC law, despite the controversy that trailed it, saying that the restructuring will ensure that oil producing communities in the state were adequately taken care off.

He commended Okowa for his foresight in the restructuring of the commission.

Brakemiye expressed the appreciation of the Egbema people to Governor Okowa, for appointing one of theirs and other capable Deltans into the commission as Executive Directors.

In a statement in Benin, Edo State, Brakemiye, said that the appointments are “Square pegs in square holes.”

Group asks Buhari to revoke BEDC license

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A R R I — VANGUARD for Social Conscience, VSC, a Warri-based group, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to revoke the operating license granted Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, because of the company’s gross inefficiency and a clear demonstration of abysmal corporate incompetence to provide power for the people.

The group also pleaded with the President to halt the obnoxious extortion of money by the company under the dubious guise of the a so called “service charge.”

Director of the group, Evangelist Anirejouritse Tedeye, in a statement, yesterday, said that the call became imperative and urgent because BEDC’s inability to provide adequate electricity for use was causing hardship on the people as they can no longer tolerate same.

He questioned the rationale, legality and morality of the “service charge” as well as outrageous crazy bills for analogue meter users.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—13

Wike, MOSOP lament abduction of Dornu Kogbara

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, yesterday, lamented the abduction of Dornu Kogbara, Vanguard Newspaper columnist, describing the development as very unfortunate.

The governor who spoke on a monitored radio programme in Port Harcourt, expressed concern over the frequent change of commissioners of Police in the state.

According to him, in the last three months, the state has had two different commissioners of police while in the last one year, it had about four Commissioners of Police.

Vanguard gathered from family members of the kidnapped Dornu, that there was no new development after her abduction in the early hours of Sunday. A family member saidt they would prefer not to speak to the media until they got good news.

Meanwhile, the apex Ogoni body, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, has condemned the abduction, saying it was worrisome that another Ogoni was taken hostage in the state.

President of MOSOP, who spoke through his media aide, Mr Bariaria Kpalep blamed security challenges in the state

for the abduction.

He urged government to take urgent steps to beef up the security in the state for the safety of all.

He appealed for her unconditional release, describing her as a harmless journalist who should not be exposed to such predicament.

He said: “MOSOP condemned in strong terms the abduction of yet another Ogoni, Dornu Kogbara. Although we do not

know what may have led to this unfortunate and reprehensible act, the action is, no doubt, bestial.

MOSOP finds it difficult to rationalise her abduction as she is an acknowledged responsible, humble, peaceful and harmless journalist, who has been using her journalistic endowment to advance and promote the cause of humanity. Ms. Donu Kogbara does not deserve this sort of treatment.

“MOSOP is deeply concerned that she is yet another Ogoni victim of the disturbing and deepening security challenges in

the state. We are convinced that had adequate security arrangements been in place, she would not have suffered her present fate. The questionable circumstance under which she was reportedly abducted strengthens our doubts on the quality of our security services.

“It is our concern that for sometimes now, we appear to be losing the battle against men of the underworld who have gone berserk and have been terrorizing and inflicting pains on the people but regrettably met with counterfeiting response."

VISIT: From left: Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Mr. Jide Ajani, Corporate Affairs Manager, Vanguard Media Ltd, Mr. Victor Omoregie, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Victor Attah, and General Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Kunle Adekoya, during the former governor's visit to Vanguard Newspapers, Apapa, Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

Stop colluding with mgt to sack workers, union warns officers

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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ENIN CITY—NATIONAL Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic

Products Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, yesterday, said it had uncovered the growing rate at which

unscrupulous union’s officers connive with management across the country to sack and victimize factory workers for personal gains.

President of the union, Mr. Boniface Isok, at the ongoing 24th

Army plans upgrade of armoury to tackle insurgency of Electrical and Mechanical in line with the Public

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By Simon Ebegbulem

ENIN CITY—THE Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Turkur Burutai, yesterday, said that the army will improve its armoury with modern equipment which would assist it in wiping out the Boko Haram insurgency by December 2015.

The Army chief during the opening ceremony of the 17th Combat Service Support Training Week at Nigerian Army School

Engineering in Auchi, Edo State, said that the Nigerian Army was focused and determined to end insurgency so that the North East will be free and peaceful like other parts of the country.

He explained that the army was currently faced with the dearth of spare parts and technicians for its newly acquired equipment, which he said were procured through “haphazard means,” adding that efforts were being made to address the issue,

Procurement Act. Burutai, who was represented by Maj. Gen. S. Muazu, said “I have already set up the Nigerian Army Procurement Committee and the Directorate of Army Procurement in the Army Headquarters. Let me assure you that efforts are on to get the requisite spare parts for the newly acquired equipment and also train our personnel on effective equipment maintenance up to Fourth Line Level of repairs.”

Why Dickson'll return as Governor, by Commissioner

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By Emem Idio

ENAGOA—THE Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ayibatonye Owei, yesterday, said that the performance of Governor Seriake Dickson in all sectors of the state's economy will guarantee his return as

governor on December 5.

Owei, in Yenagoa while receiving leaders and members of a political group, Bayelsa Liberation Forum, BLF, in his office, said supporting Dickson second term was necessary to sustain the development efforts of the

current administration.

According to Owei, the governor ’s spread of developmental projects in the eight local government areas of the state had endeared him to the people, an indication that they will vote massively for him.

Annual Industrial Relations Seminar holding in Benin City, Edo State, vowed that the union will severely deal with any officer involved in such practice.

He said he found it unbelievable and the height of betrayal that union’s officers elected by workers to fight for and defend the interests and rights of workers could turn around to connive with management or employers to victimize the same workers.

According to him, “It has come to our notice that some of the branch executives are conniving with their management or employers to sell out their co-workers for personal gains. Henceforth, any officer found wanting shall be sanctioned appropriately.”

Advising those involved in the ignominious practice to desist from the evil act as the union had put measures in place to fish out and deal with such unscrupulous officers, he told Vanguard that though the management had been shielding some of officers involved, that the leadership of the union at the national level would soon catch up with the people engaged in the practice for personal aggrandizement.

Allow private varsities to access TETFUND, don urges FG

By Olayinka Latona

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ENIN—THE Vice Chancellor of Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Prof.

Benard Aigbokhan, has pleaded with the Federal Government to extend the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, to private universities in the country.

The Vice-Chancellor, in Lagos during a preconvocation press briefing, on the maiden convocation of the institution scheduled for August 4, 2015, noted that large part of the source of TETFUND were tax from the private sector and as such, private institutions should be allowed to benefit from the fund.

Aigbokhan said the call becameimperativebecauseboth public and private universities have the same goals of training and research but are all underfunded.

He added that funding has becomeamajorchallengefacing tertiary institutions, especially private schools, as he called on the Federal Government to modify TETFUND Act for it to accommodateprivateinstitutions.

Lawmaker worries over abandoned NDDC projects

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By Tom Moses

YO—DEPUTY Chief Whip of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Otuekong Nse Essien, yesterday, bemoaned the number of abandoned projects in the state by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. Essien who represents Onna State Constituency in the Assembly, complained of what he described as lack of commitment by the Federal Government's agency towards the development agenda of the region.

Essien at an interaction with journalists in Uyo, noted that “If such development agencies live up to their expectations, the multiplier effects would have been properly felt by the local residents.

“The poverty level at the grassrootshasbecomesoalarming andtheproblemsareaggravated by the absence of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and electricity."

14 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

How to sustain election gains,

by KassimMomodu

A

BUJA—TO sustain and improve on the success of the 2015 general elections, Alternate Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Voter Education and Mass Mobilization Committee, Dr Momodu Kassim-Momodu, has urged the government and the electoral commission to embark on continuous voter education and mobilization.

He said this while delivering a lecture on: ‘Review of Nigerian Bar Association Efforts at Voter Education’ at the just concluded 55th Annual General Conference of the Association in Abuja He said though, the participation of the Association in election monitoring, electoral justice, training and capacity building for ad-hoc and professional personnel responsible for the conduct of elections in Nigeria has been successful, there is need for NBA’s direct involvement in finding sustainable solution to preelection challenges such as voter education and mobilization.

He said the successes recorded in the 2015 polls came with major challenges such as non-availability of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to prospective voters, non-functionality of Card Readers in some polling stations or states and the question of whether voters should remain at the polling stations to witness the counting and their subsequent announcement.

PDP, APC bicker over plot to tinker with tribunals in PDP states

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor & Henry Umoru

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC were last night locked in a war of words over alleged plans by the present administration to meddle with election tribunals in some PDP controlled states.

The PDP accused the APC controlled administration of shopping for pliable judges to supposedly replace principled

HE Office of Accountant General of the Federation has once again reassured the public that the implementation of the Treasury Single Account policy will boost revenue collection, block leakages, ensure transparency and timely disbursement of funds to beneficiaries.

According to the AccountantGeneral of the Federation, Alhaji

because they were the cash cows of the opposition party.

The PDP, in its statement had claimed that it has “concrete evidence that the APC administration in its desperation is set to transfer uncooperative tribunal judges and replace them with malleable ones to overturn PDP’s electoral victory in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Taraba and Delta states and hand them over to the APC. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh,

VISIT: From left: Engr. Emeka Ezeh, Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Prof.

Vincent Asor, President/Chairman, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), and the Registrar of the Council, Mr. S.A. Shehu, during a visit by CPN to the BPP.

Global reports downgrade Nigeria’s 2015 economy growth rate and South Africa”. Rencap was

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

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OLLOWING last week’s report on Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) update local and international

TSA policy'll boost revenue collection — OAGF Ahmed Idris, compliance to the

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judges arbitrating election cases in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Taraba and Delta States with the aim of the APC taking over the states.

The assertions were immediately dismissed by the APC which affirmed that it would not micromanage the judiciary even as it accused the PDP of being jittery on account of the fact that it stole the elections in the affected states.

The APC affirmed that the PDP’s fears about Rivers, Akwa Ibom and the other states were essentially

Presidential directive on the implementation of the TSA would promote effective management of public resources, thereby ensuring cost effectiveness and accountability.

He made this disclosure during separate courtesy visits to his office by the managements of Access Bank, Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa, UBA.

economic and research reports have revised growth forecast for Nigerian economy downwards.

For Rennaiance Capital (Rencap Group), a multinational financial institution, Nigeria’s economy will grow year-on-year (Y-o-Y) by 2.8 per cent, down from its earlier forecast growth rate of 3.4 per cent.

Afrinvest Group, one of Nigeria’s leading investment banking institutions, said the economy growth rate would be down to 3.5 per cent as against 5.0 per cent it had projected this year.

In its report Rencap Group stated “we revise down our 2015 growth forecast for Nigeria to 2.8% (from 3.4%) following this week’s release of exceptionally weak growth data from Nigeria

referring to the data from the National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) in its latest economic statistical report focusing on the Nation’s GDP for second quarter (Q2) 2015.

The NBS report indicated that the real growth rate of the monetary value of all goods and services produced in the country during the period slowed to 2.4 per cent Y-o-Y, down from 4.0 per cent in Q1, 2015 and 6.5 per cent in Q2, 2014.

This was on the back of the low crude oil prices and decline in oil production to 2.1mbpd from 2.2mbpd in Q2, 2014.

in a statement said that: “Part of the plot is to use the Department of State Services (DSS) and some unscrupulous officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tamper with official records of evidence and other electoral documents in INEC’s custody for presentation at the tribunals, which would be manned by the compromised judicial officials”.

“We have uncovered an unholy alliance between the DSS and INEC to interfere directly in the activities of election tribunals in some PDP states by removing and altering some records in INEC and instigating the APC to insist that there were no elections in those states.

Noting earlier assertions by erstwhile chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega that elections were conducted in the aforementioned states, the PDP claimed that the APC controlled administration using security agencies and the new leadership of INEC commenced a process of coercing the tribunal judges to subvert justice. The party said that judges proving difficult were set to be transferred.

“The PDP insists that the judiciary should not be interfered with, and should be allowed to play its role in our democracy. The APC should stop harassing, intimidating or attempting to remove judges who are not responding to their dirty tricks.

Rebuffing the allegations, the APC charged the PDP to stop denigrating the judiciary by suggesting that Tribunal judges handling the various election petitions can be influenced, saying the APC-led Federal Government will not micromanage the judiciary.

The party in a statement issued in Lagos last night by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the PDP is throwing wild allegations against the Tribunals in Rivers and other states because the party knows it stole the votes in those states. ‘’The affected states are the cashcows of the PDP, hence the party is so jittery about losing the states, which they know they did not win in the first instance.''

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—15

Obi of Onitsha accuses security operatives of leaking information to criminals ...pledges to join NDLEA on drug war

By Vincent Ujumadu

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treat informants with utmost secrecy and good faith, as that is one way of successfully fighting the war against criminals, especially illicit drug peddlers in the state.

Noting that illicit drug usage was capable of destroying a whole generation, the royal father charged the NDLEA to do everything possible to arrest one particular drug baron in Onitsha (names withheld) in order to minimize cases of drug trafficking in the area.

He expressed disappointment that the alleged notorious drug

peddler was still moving about freely and pledged his full support and involvement in the war against drug offenders in Anambra state.

According to him, Onitsha as a cosmopolitan city, would need additional policing for more effective results, explaining that youths in his domain had already formed an anti- drug club, made up of graduates and others, who crusade against illicit drug usage in the area.

The anti- drug youth club, he added, is mostly used during the long vacation to sensitize the

younger ones on the dangers of using illegal drugs, as well as teaching morals that would restore core values of the people.

The NDLEA commander had earlier solicited the assistance of the traditional ruler on how to curb illicit drug business in the area , saying that Onitsha and Anambra state in general had become notorious for drug offences.

He said their modus operandi was for drug traffickers to secure shops in Onitsha Main Market from where they syndicate illegal drugs, such as cannabis sativa.

WKA—THE Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe yesterday accused some security operatives of leaking vital information to suspects, including the identity of informants, such that the hoodlums turn around to threaten such informants and members of their families.

Speaking at Ime Obi in Onitsha when the commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Anambra State, Mr. Sule Momodu paid him a courtesy call, the Monarch, who is the chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, recalled that on one occasion, he personally reported a certain hotelier who was alleged to be involved criminal activities in his kingdom to the security agencies, only for the hoodlum to come to him some days after he was arrested and threatened to deal with him and members of his family if he( the monarch) repeated it.

He said: “Incidentally, the person, an hotelier, is not from Onitsha. In his hotel, you could see young girls less than 15 years of age, dancing naked and committing all manner of atrocities. Babies were even sold in the hotel.

“I had to mobilize my people and we went there and pulled down the hotel and I asked them Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi (wearing bowler hat) with Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ajjaunpur Ghanashyam (wearing grey suit), with Indian businessmen and Ebonyi to come and kill me.”

He urged security agencies to State cabinet members, in Lagos,

Osinbajo calls for new ideas to Africa’s economic development •As Adesina takes oath of office as new AfDB president, lists 5 priority areas

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has challenged African leaders and other economic experts to come up with new economic ideas that would ensure rapid development of the continent.

Osinbajo threw up the challenge while speaking at the investiture of the new African Development Bank President, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, in Abidjan yesterday.

The Vice President who urged for “uncommon creativity, innovation and change” recalled that western economies particularly the United States of America took the path to emerge from its recent economic meltdown in 2008.

According to him “in 2008 western economies faced with what Ben Bernanke (then Chairman of the US Reserve Bank) described as the “deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression”

abandoned conventional freemarket thinking and embraced State bankrolled stimulus plans to forestall the imminent collapse of their economies.”

According to him, the action by the US took then “proved once and for all that the monster called the economy cannot be allowed to prowl the streets with its free-wheeling, free market struts without the leash of a trainer.”

Osinbajo further stated that African countries needed a new strategy in the face of daunting challenges.

“Do African economies not require a different paradigm?.

How can trickle down paradigms work when half our populations are extremely poor? Do we not need some attention to social investment? he asked.

He also declared that “Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest segments, universal primary healthcare schemes, school feeding programmes,

can energise local economies and create important multipliers in the economy.”

The Vice President however expressed optimism that the African Development Bank given its recent achievements under the immediate past President, Donald Kaberuka, can greatly assist Africa address some of its socioeconomic problems.

He hoped that under the new leadership of Adesina, “the AfDB needs to redouble its efforts in addressing the needs of these fragile areas, through institutional support, emergency assistance, and bold pro-poor interventions in health, education and agriculture”, urging the new AfDB President “ to focus on how economic policy can produce economic empowerment for women, and all categories of our people who have become disempowered and whose voices are seldom reflected in

the rhetoric of policy.”

Meanwhile, the AfDB President who was Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Agriculture at the event unfolded a 5-point agenda which he said would be given utmost priority in the next five years of his tenure.

In his inaugural statement delivered after he had taken the oath of office, Adesina listed the priority areas to include Light Up and Power Africa; Feed Africa; Integrate Africa; Industralize Africa; Improve quality of life for the people of Africa.

Adesina who spoke passionately about his commitment towards confronting the numerous challenges facing the continent said “unlocking the potentials of Africa for Africans will be our goal at AfDB.” Present at the impressive ceremony were the President of Cote D’Ivoire, Allasane Quattara and his Prime Minister, Daniel Kaplan Duncan.

CORRUPTION:

Govt directs monthly auditing of MDAs in Ebonyi

By Peter Okutu

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BAKALIKI— EBONYI State government, yesterday, directed the AuditorGeneral of the state to regularly conduct a monthly audit of the financial status and expenditure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in the state.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the state executive council meeting at the government House, Abakaliki, the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Dr. Emmanuel Onwe stated that the directive was necessary in view of the recent financial loopholes discovered by the present administration in some sectors of the economy.

He noted that such initiative would further checkmate acts of corruption by civil servants and appointees of government who at the slightest opportunity would want to embezzle government funds and properties under the guise of discharging their constitutional responsibilities.

According to him, the measure would aid the Internally Generated Revenue of the state and instil the culture of financial prudence in the state, especially among those occupying positions of authority at all levels of governance.

Mrs Okonkwo goes home

L

ATE MRS. Omamatu Okonkwo from

Nchonunu Umunuko Ukpo in Nnewi South LGA of Anambra State, who died on August 9, 2015, aged 105, will be buried on September 11, in her compound, after wake the previous day.

She is survived by four children, 21 grand children, and 27 great grand children.

Late Mrs. Okonkwo

16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Anambra begins clampdown on illegal vigilante operatives ...recognizes only 4,000 registered ones

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NITSHA—ANAMBRA state government have begun a clampdown on some members of the state vigilante services, AVS who are considered to be illegal in the state and outside the recognized ones which are 4,000 in number.

Chairman of Anambra State Vigilante Supervisory Committee and former Commissioner of Police

in Delta State, Mr. Ikechukwu Ayodele Aduba (retd) who disclosed this yesterday to newsmen, noted that the essence of clamping down on the illegal vigilante operatives was to help control the spate of crime rate amongst local vigilance operatives in the state.

Aduba also noted that the clampdown exercise became

imperative in view of the urgent need to arrest the discordant and disparaging activities of the various vigilante groups in the state, adding, “AVS, as a selfless and service-oriented outfit ought to work under the strict supervision of the police but most of them exceeded their bounds, thus leading to abuses”.

According to him, “This issue

Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, flanked by his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi; Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Solomon Onah; State Chairman, Hospital Management Board, Dr. Arthur Idoko;Senator Chuka Utazi (Enugu North, left), and Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sam Ngwu (right), as he performs the foundation laying ceremony of 200-bed ultra-modern specialist hospital, at Orba, Udenu Local Government Area.

Divest from oil to industrialization, agriculture, NCCIMA tells FG, Nigerians

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

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NITSHA—Authorities of Nnewi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NCCIMA have charged both the federal and state governments, as well as other stakeholders in the country to divest from oil into industrialization and agriculture as the only panacea for economic development of the country.

President of NCCIMA, Mr. Humphery Ngonadi who made the call at Nnewi, the industrial city of Anambra state at a two-day seminar organized by the Chamber, said the call became imperative based on the recent development in the world economy where the price of oil has fallen drastically, thus having a negative impact on countries that solely depended on oil.

According to Ngonadi, “Basically, our call is to support the present administration’s clamour for change from total dependence on oil. We plan to use

this summit to make a loud statement on the need for Nigerians to divest from oil into industrialization and agriculture.

"It is my belief that by the end of the summit, more potential entrepreneuers must have been created through intellectual enlightenment, as the resource persons were carefully selected from the academics, government and the private sector."

The two-day event with the theme, “Moving the Economy to the Next Level Through Non Oil Sector” which featured a launch of compendium of commercial and industrial activities in Nnewi, was attended by both industrial and commercial investors who exhibited their various products. .

of some AVS members working at cross purposes ultimately defeated the purpose for which they were established.It is my observation that some of them are even operating out of pecuniary and selfish motives and often times, violated human rights and engage in unlawful use of fire arms,thus usurping the functions of the statutorily created outfits.

“For avoidance of doubts, vigilante outfits are not supposed to bear fire arms”, he stated.

On torture cells being operated by some vigilante groups, Aduba warned that no illegal cells and illegal detention camps are allowed, stating that offenders when caught would be made to face the wrath of the law.

“No illegal cells and illegal detention are allowed.

Suspects arrested should be promptly handed over to the police within a limited time.

Principally, the vigilantes are to concern themselves with sourcing of information and monitoring/surveillance of the environment and joint patrols.

Such information and intelligence gathered are to be passed on to the police”.

Reiterating the resolve of the committee which he heads, that includes the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Alfred Achebe, former Deputy Governor of the state, Emeka Sibeudu and nine others, to rid the state of criminals, Aduba declared: “Our concern is to identify the unregistered groups, raid and mop up their illegal arms," even as he admitted that effecting change in a system was always a difficult challenge.

He expressed satisfaction that the concerted efforts of the vigilante outfits and security operatives, especially the police, had resulted in many serious crimes being burst in the state and beyond.

Judiciary committed to decongesting prisons —Imo Chief Judge

By Chidi Nkwopara

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WERRI—IMO State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Paschal O. Nnadi, says the state judiciary remains committed to partnering with the legislature and other stakeholders in actualizing all viable plans to de congest the prisons in the state.

Justice Nnadi made the promise when he played host to members of the House of Assembly Committee on Judiciary

in his office.

“There is no doubt that the prisons are congested. The Judiciary is very interested in partnering with relevant stakeholders to decongest the prisons, within the ambits of the law”, Justice Nnadi said.

While informing his visitors that he had already commenced jail deliveries since he came on board, Justice Nnadi also disclosed that his visits were instructive.

“It was noticed that some of the

inmates had spent more time in prison than they would have stayed, if properly convicted for their alleged crimes. Some of the inmates also had minor cases that could have been instantly handled, while others had major cases that will take longer time to dispense”, Justice Nnadi said.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and House Committee Chairman on Judiciary, Mr. Innocent Arthur Egwim, said they were on the visit to plead for the decongestion of the prisons.

Church to establish agric varsity

By Chinenyeh Ozor

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SUKKA—THE Catholic Men’s Organization, CMO, Nsukka Dioceses, is to establish a University of Agriculture in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State in view of the vast arable area.

This was made known by the Dean of the Adani Catholic Deanery, Rev. Father Frederick Omegoha, who represented the Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rev. Professor Godfrey Onah on the occasion. He added that the church was determined to make the locality the food basket of the state and the nation in general.

He spoke at the Sacred Heart Parish, Nkpologwu, during a thanksgiving service for Senator Chuka Utazi, who is a native of the area, explaining that the local government area has been known throughout the state for abundance of agricultural produce over the years. ‘’It is of interest that the CMO of the diocese has concluded arrangements to establish a university of agriculture at the local government area to boost food production in the state and the country."

Chief Ibironke passes on

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HIEF ALBERT Ibironke, the Asaolu of Emure Ekiti in Emure Local Government Council, Emure Ekiti, Ekiti State, is dead, aged 72.

The lying in state and service of songs hold at his residence, 136, Ikare Road, Odo Emure Street, besides Emure Local Government Secretariat, Emure Ekiti, tomorrow, while the church service to precede interment holds September 4, 2015, at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Emure Ekiti.

He is survived by children among whom is Mr. Ibikunle Ibironke.

Late Chief Ibironke

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 17

“I

t was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way”.

This quote by Charles Dickens personifies the Nigerian story and the constant battle for our country’s soul.

The war is fought, on one hand, by feeding falsehood (based mostly on sentiment and ethnicity) to the undiscerning masses and nurturing our people’s penchant for ill-informed ideas, therefore building support for irresponsible, negligent leaders. Jonathan’s men didn’t create the system all of this is based on but they certainly helped perfect it.

And in a curious turn of events which amounts to nothing more than the dumbing down of our public discourse, whereby, as they would clearly like it, common standards of justice or personal conscience should no longer hold sway, they expect that all should be forgiven simply because they agreed to concede defeat.

If one told all the swindlers, thieves, con artists or murderers out there that all one needed to do to be pardoned, or to go free was to “admit” or “concede” defeat, the world’s prisons would surely be empty, and crime rates would assuredly sky rocket.

Conception of justice Is this the message we want to send? That in Nigeria, no matter the evidence available, so long as one is rich and powerful, some people are continuously above the law? What an infantile, self-serving conception of justice. What blatant disdain and hatred for the common man: do the poor get justice?

The rule of law the peace committee calls for, in dealing with Jonathan’s men, which is simply code for being pampered and handled with kid gloves, does not apply for the average Nigerian. The EFCC courteously “invites” politicians in for a chat (they can refuse to come, they can even refuse to attend their own court hearing) but the poor are carted off in police trucks for petty offenses, some never to be seen again, awaiting a day in court that never comes.

I hear eminent Nigerians defend the indefensible, using childlike arguments and ideas to mask their support for incomprehensible evil. The former President’s men asking for more “respect” for their boss shows just how much politicians completely misunderstand the concept.

Respect for our leaders or rather, for the office they occupy does not make them

tprincewill@yahoo.co.uk

Dumbing down Nigerian politics:

The disservice of Jonathan’s men untouchable or godlike, nor does it mean we must ignore their erring should it occur.

If Jonathan fought corruption as vigorously as it is now claimed, why did he pardon Diepreye Alamieyeseigha? Why does everyone accused of corruption claim to be misunderstood?

Why did he give posthumous honours to dictators?

What favour did he need to curry, him, a President? If the PDP governed Nigeria with such virtuousness, why did it become a collection of “bad boys” running for office?

The candidates it presented under the former President in particular, had infamous rap sheets in and outside Nigeria, aka “ records of arrest and prosecution sheets”. They were known for their dodgy dealings.

Some of the President’s closest allies were too. All the bad boys, the hustlers, sometimes alleged murderers whom even Obasanjo had quieted down and somewhat distanced the PDP from where seemingly let loose under Jonathan.

That he didn’t know of their activities is frightening: who then was in control? Many feel it is the untenable defense of a village boy who unexpectedly came to power and wanted to act as the “big boys” did before him, “chop and clean mouth” but without the networks, or the devilish cunning and sophistication of a Maradona to get away with it.

But that was another era. The

The former President’s men asking for more “respect” for their boss shows just how much politicians completely misunderstand the concept

much as spit on the sidewalk without a fine.

It took a Hausa man to order the clean up of Ogoniland. It’s a slap in the face of ethnic politics, so it stunned many that Buhari should concern himself with a region which viciously and virulently attacked him, spurned on by the antiquated ethno-religious beliefs of Jonathan’s nearest and dearest.

Northern members of the PDP were uncomfortable with such a stance, as was any decent, rational Nigerian who knows a man can be good or bad no matter where he is from.Jonathan’s men polarized us based on our origins, making us talk about where people were from so we wouldn’t notice what they did or didn’t do, ushering with the help or suggestion of one Marilyn Ogar, who is happily now only a footnote of an unhappy time, state security into electoral matters, a further absurd but dangerous development.

Dangerous development

Ex-president Goodluck Jonathan excuse that some others before have gone free will never make murder acceptable in society so why corruption? It isn’t an ethnic based gang up, a North vs.

South affair, which the

dumbing down of our public discourse portrays it to be.

It’s the return of law and order, the appointment of a competent sheriff who says in his town, cowboys will no longer so

Those times of confusion and lawlessness will not be missed.

Shakespeare once said: “love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”.

The PDP under Jonathan loved all (its members), trusted all (those who were part of the would-be Niger Delta cause which apparently ended up being code for the indiscriminate looting and impoverishment of all), and therefore wronged all.

How many ordinary people in the Niger Delta have benefitted from the Jonathan years? Yet, all the pipeline vandalscriminals in other climes - are now dollar millionaires while the Niger Deltans or Nigerians with day jobs suffer immensely from bad roads and poor power supply.

Federal Government appointments

W

E must see the futility of appointments going to any particular person or group not based on competence, but on their tribe or state. How does one build a modern, efficient civil service or government with such unfortunate, provincial thinking?

Federal character served its purpose but in a modern Nigeria it serves only to ignite old hurts and hatred, especially in a post-Jonathan era where campaigns were ethnic based and the South-South’s loss of power creates a psychosis, a loss of contact with reality or a fixation over being left out,

whereas in our nation’s history, the South-East continuously decided of its own accord, to isolate itself from the rest of Nigeria.

The psychosis might be born from real, past injustices, but today it is time to come back to the table of adult negotiation and hard work rather than hiding behind a “nobody likes us” mantra, like school children on a playground. When will the specter of Biafra cease to determine all ideas in the SouthEast?

At what point did the Jews decide after the Holocaust that rather than obsess about

Germany and the wrongs done to them, they would work hard to bring prosperity to their land?

Governors of Igbo states haven’t done particularly well in terms of social spending and generating revenue for their citizens.

That has nothing to do with Buhari. After 16 years of single party dominance Nigeria should look like Singapore after Lee Kuan Yew. But in the usual dumbing down of our politics, politicians will focus on ethnic based attacks and sentiments to hide their failures.

industry, the fund improved their personal livelihoods. We don’t have industries in Nigeria, we have collections of rent seekers and sycophants. Luckily for Nigerians, our current President doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on Channels TV.

Nollywood

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REMEMBER the army of Nollywood actors surrounding Jonathan, repeating official statements they had no knowledge or understanding of. The Nollywood intervention fund bought Jonathan a few famous friends.

But rather than develop the

18— Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has long been identified as a hub of corruption in the public sector, which is why many calls have been made for its total re-organisation.

One of such calls was made by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), which in its forensic audit of the Corporation last year, called for an overhaul of its current business model as it is no longer tenable for a result-oriented national oil company.

Nigerians were, therefore, not surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari has decided to carry out measures in effecting change as he deems fit. However, we are worried that the new Group Managing Director, Mr Emmanuel Kachikwu, is merely being made to “clean up” the discredited model of business by removing some top directors and managers and downsizing the directorate levels.

Reforming the NNPC We expect something more radical to be done towards giving this nation an oil industry that will no longer be a beehive of corruption, and at the same time, make it an attractive destination for massive foreign and local investment capital.

We, therefore, call on the Buhari administration to unfoldi its vision of a reformed oil industry, based on which a comprehensive roadmap of reforms will be established. Even the abandoned Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and other policies and legislations should fit snugly into the vision.

Thereafter, we expect NNPC to

be unbundled and an industry regulator created to ensure that players in the sector run within the vision, laws and rules that will be evolved. We believe that the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the industry should be privatised under the strict supervision of the new oil industry regulator. That way, the industry will attract investors and provide a lot of jobs while government interference and manipulations that usually lead to corruption will be eliminated.

If we merely attempt to “clean up” and subsequently maintain

the existing industry model, we will not be able to prevent corruption from returning to it sooner or later. The NNPC will continue to be a nest of ethnic and regional nepotism and an enduring honeypot of successive regimes and ruling parties.

The task of reforming the oil sector goes beyond empty barrel messianism or cheap political rhetoric. It must be a decisive and sacrificial departure from the past culture of state control, which bred corruption. The world is moving in the direction of running national oil companies on business model. Even communist and socialist enclaves are moving in this direction, with startling positive results. Nigeria can no longer be an exception.

Buhari must unfold a bold and progressive agenda for genuine change in the oil industry. The sooner, this is done, the better.

OPINION

Yakassai against Zakari: The In-laws controversy

By Ade Rotimi THE technical competency of Mrs. Amina Zakari to hold the office of chairperson of the IndependentNationalElectoralCommission,INEC, was not in doubt.

Everyone would concede that five years on the job was adequate for a periodic assignment such as election supervision. What had been at issue was the morality of the President appointing her to the position of “acting chairperson” of INEC, an institution that may supervise elections that he or his party, may be involved in.

On Saturday, August 15, 2015, her published defence of this morally hazardous issue exposed her competency in the act of naturalistic discourse.

Her logic dented the public perception of her ability to hoist the flag of an institution for which a principal mandate is to educate Nigerians on the proper practices of democracy and good governance (see Section 2 of 2010 Electoral Act as Amended).

This exposition was inadvertently unshielded when she sought to controvert the understanding of the concept “in-law” as implied by the assertion of respected elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai who declared, in regard to Mrs. Amina Zakari’s father, the late Emir of Kazaure, that: “He (the late Emir) married the senior sister to Buhari and he (Buhari) started his childhood in the late emir’s house.

"The mother of this woman (Amina Zakari) was either the first or second wife. Aside from that,

Buhari stayed with him for some time in Kazaure.I know that the relationship is true”. Alhaji Yakassai revealed that he knew the latter claim to be a fact because the late Emir, a friend of his for many years, worked with him as his Permanent Secretary before becoming an Emir.

But controverting the claim, Mrs. Amina Zakari averred that she knew the President personally but that he was not her in-law.

According to her definition: “I can’t say the General (Buhari) is my in-law. I am not married to his son. My daughter is not married to him. That is what I understand about being an in-law”.

Beforeexaminingthewiderportentsofthisstatement, the authoritative definition of in-laws should be set to rest. Most common authoritative dictionaries define an in-law as “a relative by marriage (or through affinity)”.

That Mrs. Zakari chose the relative by marriage, which suits her purpose, is either indicative of mischief or superficiality in dialectics. Portraying indifference for the appointment, Mrs. Zakari said that: “I did not lobby for it. I had packed all my things out of INEC; I wanted to leave on the 30th (of June)”. This is curious considering that Mrs. Zakari’s tenure officially ended on July 21, 2015.

Why was she packing to leave on the day Professor Jega’s tenure and not hers was coming to an end? Was she given pre-knowledge that she will be ending her own tenure prematurely for her “acting chairman” mandate tenure? Might this flight from INEC one month prior to the end of her actual tenure be a mechanism, as the psy-

chologist will suggest, to cover perceived disappointment that Prof. Jega may have given her coveted position to another person? What does the date 30th June have to do with her?

If it is superficiality in democratic dialectics, it characterises an inadequacy for the task at INEC that belies the many eminently qualified Nigerians who can combine the administrative acumen with a deep grasp of the democratic values, which embody the leadership norms that INEC must advocate for.

This deficiency is dangerous given the suspicion that she has familial relationship with the President. Under those circumstances, a person would be expected to have very profound depth in the values and philosophy that underscore the task of leading INEC, to be able to adequately separate family obligations from national democratic ethos.

It is important that the chief advocate of elections in Nigeria must be someone with better than a superficial grasp of the essentialism of public discourse as a forte of democratic norms

INEC, a critical institution in the consolidation of democracy, requires leadership from individuals with unquestionable commitment to its fundamentals.

The ideal of election management provides citizens the periodic opportunity to choose between competing policies and actors who can lead the delivery of such policies through political party platforms. It is thus a process for holding politically elected officers accountable for their actions.

In addition, elections help to give concrete symbolism to the power of the people over those they elect, which is the notional power of sovereignty.

It is, therefore, important that the chief advocate of elections in Nigeria must be someone with better than a superficial grasp of the essentialism of public discourse as a forte of democratic norms.

Given Mrs. Zakari’s expression on “in-laws”, how can Nigerians lightly surrender the peoples’ institution for expressing sovereignty to one who given her affinity to the president, will be unable to provide a platform for free public discussion, or guarantee free opportunity of choice between competing policies and actors in an election.

Looking back now at her five years in INEC, one cannot find any public interview, article or body of work, where she succinctly advocated democratic ideals or practices to advice that she has competencies to contradict the perception of a superficial grasp of democratic advocacy inherent in that office.

To leave INEC to her is to surrender our hard won democracy at a time that it should be consolidated.

• Dr. Rotimi, a commentator on national issues, wrote from lbadan.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—19 —19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

Is Buhari naive or just a plain hegemonist?

RESIDENT Muhammadu Abuja last week. President Buhari Buhari may have started has been pilloried for the generally P moving into dangerous territories. slow pace at which his He may indeed have begun the process of his own unravelling and ultimately of the destruction of his presidency by his own action.

Considering the constant thrusts of the many criticisms levelled against him before and since he emerged as president, many would argue that the man has always moved and stayed in what I here call dangerous territories, as I would expatiate on shortly. But thirty years, one would imagine, should have been more than enough to wean a person of some of his less desirable propensities.

To hold such a notion is not a demonstration of naivety but of faith in humanity, in the capacity of all thinking beings to change for the better. It is an allowance for ‘second chance’, another opportunity to repair what could have been better handled the first time. But to have that opportunity and insist on frittering it away in the same old way is the real definition of foolishness.

It is such foolishness that must have informed the latest in the series of presidential appointments announced from

administration is moving with regards to addressing the many problems by which the country is confronted. He has been criticised for his failure to appoint ministers to assist in driving the vehicle of his administration more than three months after his inauguration. We need not detain ourselves on the details of his response to these criticisms. Suffice to say that some of us were content to cut him a slack and see things from his own angle, especially as it appeared that some of these criticisms were sour grape abuse motivated by very selfish interests if not a deliberate attempt to distract the government. There were, nevertheless, specific criticisms of the nature of several of the appointments made by President Buhari and what these appointments portended.

Two of these early appointments were those of Amina Zakari, the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Lawal Daura, the Director of the Department of State Security. Both appointments and the appointees were bitterly

criticised for potential conflict in interest given the alleged familial connections between the president and the appointees. The controversy generated by this was yet to blow over, indeed amid this controversy, the presidency made more appointments. But criticisms of the overtly ethnic/regional/ religious bent of the series of appointments which were overwhelmingly in favour of the north persisted. The north gave the president the highest votes even if those votes could not have led to his victory without votes from other parts of the country. The north west and north east have no doubt been over patronised in terms of the appointments so far made by Buhari.

Administration officials have sought to explain these provocative anomalies (for that is what they are in an ethnically diverse country like Nigeria) away by saying subsequent appointments would be balanced and would better reflect the ethnic, religious and gender diversity of the country. But they never forgot to add that the appointments so far made were based on merit. Which leads one to ask if merit only resides in the north and among Moslem men. If the merit yardstick, measurable in terms of educational and professional

But Buhari seems to be listening now only to his own drum beats, and is arrogating too much wisdom to himself

Reflecting on social contract between Okowa and Deltans

By Prince A. Abugo

W

HEN democracy was established in Athens 2,500 years ago, the credit for this was given to Solon, the law giver; Cleisthenes, the father of Athenian democracy and Pericles. The factors responsible for the rise and growth of Athenian democracy are applicable to Nigeria in the light of the 1993 presidential election annulment that led to social stasis.

That social stasis was to usher in democracy or government by the people.

So it can be said that the dictatorship era of 1985-1999 with its attendant lack of freedom and absence of rule of law paved the way for the birth of May 29, 1999.

Democracy stems from Pericles understanding that: “Our government is called democracy because its administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of the many”. The representative democracy necessitated by large population as distinct from direct democracy made Abraham Lincoln to define democracy as: “The government of the people, by the people and for the people”.

Democracy without duties and responsibilities is anarchy; the state owes the people basic duties as the people owe the state responsibilities. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is presently saddled with the administrative responsibility of overseeing the welfare, wealth creation and security of the people of Delta State. And it behoves of all Deltans to rally round him for a better state where peace, justice and development can be felt. He obviously understands the imperative of a stable economy when he said: “Creation of jobs for our youths in the state

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is to make them economically independent”.

That is why 6,000 jobs are to be created in three areas of agriculture, vocational and technical education.

As the Governor strives to revive institutions to restore values, we must cooperate in discharging democratic responsibilities because disobedience and ingratitude retard a society. We must not be seen to be indifferent to the danger represented by social miscreants who distort government policies in various ministries, agencies and institutions. We must pray and watch through involvement as government change agents as there cannot be duties without responsibilities. In what way are we contributing to government efforts when we indulge in corrupt practices, are indifferent

We must not abdicate our responsibilities; when both high and low see their position as an opportunity to give and not only to take, the prosperity of the state is assured

competence is dutifully applied, it is doubtful if the north would make the scale at all. It was in recognition of this fact that the federal character principle was enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. It was made more to cater to the needs and anxieties of northerners than southerners. To every one qualified northerner (using education as yardstick of measurement), there would be a hundred qualified southwesterners at least to say nothing of other parts of the south.

Which goes to show that Buhari may have other reasons other than merit alone for the appointments he has made so far. Last week’s appointments that included those of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration and Chief of Staff to the president are simply outrageous. The president even bent over backwards to appoint a retired soldier, Hameed Ali, to the career position of Comptroller General of Customs. That is like appointing a retired navy commander the Inspector General of Police! The appointments ensured a clean sweep of all important positions from the presidency down to the ministries by the north. And the effect of this would go on for many years even after the Buhari presidency. It is as if other parts of the country are conquered territories. That the president does not feel embarrassed making these appointments is astounding. The appointments show poor judgment and an appalling sense of history.

It is even worse that the president has gone on making these appointments without any sign that he is aware of the justifiable criticisms of those who feel left out of the scheme of things. He should not begin to take the support of

to our duties as civil servants, public servants, business men and political appointees? Is that how to promote the welfare of the state?

Our duties entail not only voting but as citizens to project the state in our homes, offices, markets, streets and in whatever we do, and in the process help government safeguard our collective interest. I consider it rather defeatist when I hear people say “if you cannot beat wrong values join them”.

Rather we should avoid those perpetuating evil values if you cannot change them.

So as citizens, we must do what is necessary to support the good efforts of Governor Okowa as anything contrary is sabotage. Our school headmasters, teachers, civil servants, principals, provosts, lecturers, and every sector must reflect this wave of responsibility. The state belongs to Deltans and the Constitution envisages that the Governor cannot be everywhere, hence the provisions of duties and obligations we owe the state. As agents of the state, we must discourage corruption, indiscipline and all forms of exploitation that may tarnish our way of life. That way the labour of our heroes past would not be in vain.

In every stratum, same mantra is needed.

As a medical doctor, Governor Okowa understands the importance of health to national development. Indeed, he has entrenched this values on every sector. Today public hospitals are functional but the hospital management must reflect his ideas, they must see life as sacred and see the dignity of man as important. As citizens, we must reflect his patriotic image, not to divert patients to our private clinics, not to steal government drugs, not to extort the state.

There is need to be punctual in the discharge of our duties.

Our environment is polluted, streets littered with filth; we dump refuse indiscriminately on roadsides, gutters and waterways and turn around to blame the

Nigerians from the north for granted, to say nothing of others from regions outside the north.

Given the nature and number of appointments already made by Buhari, whatever is left by way of appointments are the “leftovers”, more or less the dregs. The stark truth before Nigerians today is that the inner cabinet, key advisers of the president, are from the north.

The appointments do not recognise the support of nonnortherners who ensured Buhari became president much less those who did not support his electoral quest. The parochialism that will create is better imagined.

Decisions from a government like this have the potential to reflect the views of only one section of the country. It is a shame that these appointments are forcing Nigerians to have the kind of arguments we should have moved beyond. Making appointments that remind Nigerian of their ethnic and sectarian differences is moving in dangerous territories. It was things like this that led to the rise of agitations in the NigerDelta.

A leader should not be deaf to the complaints of the people. But Buhari seems to be listening now only to his own drum beats, and is arrogating too much wisdom to himself. This ironically was the main thrust of the charge levelled against him when he was overthrown by Ibrahim Babangida in 1985. He needs to be reminded that his major selling point as president is his reputed frugality and the capacity this has to stem the tide of corruption. Otherwise, there is little to recommend Buhari as an intellectual much less a thinker in the sense in which that word is understood in politics or philosophy.

government. Efforts of government are frustrated by such odd attitudes. The resulting health hazards are avoidable if we fulfill our obligations by embracing environmental sanitation and desisting from blocking water ways. Markets are filled with dirt and filth creating health and environmental hazards. Is this how to pay a government committed to our welfare?

We must not abdicate our responsibilities.

When both high and low see their position as an opportunity to give and not only to take, the prosperity of the state is assured.

Taxation is obligatory and tax collectors must be upright; tax evasion is unfaithfulness to government because tax is the key to sustaining a state. Delta can attain the Lagos feat in revenue collection if we as a people resolve to serve in truth, heart and might.

Corruption drains wealth, negligence and incompetence bleed government. In developed countries, technological advancement and development thrive because of efficient taxation; it is obligatory to pay tax. When you don’t pay tax, why complain of inadequate social services? The affluent, including firms and companies defraud the state. This type of corruption drains the state.

We criticise government arbitrarily because we refuse to remove the log in our eyes but bother about the speck in other people’s eyes. We fail in our responsibilities and duties yet expect miracles from others.

There are some armchair critics out there who hide under ethnic, tribal, sectional shades to complain about Okowa’s election as governor. These critics would rather prefer to retard us with greed and selfishness.

Okowa was not elected on tribal sentiments but competence, pedigree and acceptance by the masses.

*Prince Abugo is the Special Assistant to Governor Okowa on Social Advocacy.

20—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Let the probe begin, no more noise

By Ebele Orakpo

Baby without hands: ‘A blessing from ‘I God’, says mother

MUST commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his determination to probe and bring to book corrupt public officials and at the same time, recover our stolen moneys,” said Tunji, a commuter in the Apapa-bound bus.

“Yeah, that’s a step in the right direction. I salute his courage and pray that God gives him the grace to succeed,” said Bayo.

“Yes, his intention is good but for God’s sake, enough of the noise, the unsubstantiated accusations and counter-accusations by hid foot soldiers.

Please they should settle down to the real business of governance and stop all the noise or else, they will be proving right the saying that empty vessels make the most noise. Quietly gather your facts, start the probe and stop the noise pollution,” said Sunny.

By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi

I

T is always a cause for joy when a woman successfully puts to bed after nine months or so of pregnancy. The joy is greater if the delivery comes without any problem and the baby is found to be healthy, normal and without any defect.

Unfortunately this was not the case for 20-year-old Blessing Samson, an indigene of Lussa in Bogoro Local Government Area.

On July 4, 2015, Blessing delivered a baby boy who has since been christened Chongfilawos. The problem is that the baby was born with a defect of not having what can be considered as normal hands. What could pass as hands are three fingers jutting out from a shortened arm. Even though the young mother was initially puzzled by this deformity in her child, she has since come to terms with the reality that the situation cannot be changed.

When Vanguard Metro, VM, visited the family in Gudun Sayawa, Blessing was found staying with her parents, Mr and Mrs Samson, and it is not clear whether the nursing mother was legally married or not, since the family did not disclose that information.

Going for ante natal Blessing’s mother, Mrs Diana Samson, said that her daughter could not be taken to the Primary Health Care Centre at Dumi, about three kilometres from Gudun Sayawa, because she experienced labour late at night.

Mrs Diana said: “My daughter Blessing was going for antenatal from home. Her labour started late in the night and we had to call a birth attendant to assist her to deliver. At first we were shocked when we saw the child without hands.

But as Christians we believe God has purpose for everything, so we started thanking God. “This is the first time we are seeing this kind of baby in our community. We need the support and love of everyone to help this child lead a normal life. We also appealing to NGOs and the C M Y K

Noise pollution

*Blessing with her baby government to help with the education of this child because the father is just a poor farmer and from what we have seen this child needs special support.”

Mrs Baraya appealed to well-meaning individuals in the community not to discriminate against the child, but show him love and support him to achieve his dreams.

I love my son Chongfilawos because he is a blessing from God despite the fact that he has a deformity in his body

The mother of the baby also narrated to VM her experience after she discovered that she was delivered of a baby without hands.

She said: “”Chongfilawos is a blessing from God . I call him a blessing child because his birth was easy . When I saw him like this at first, I was not happy. But later I prayed and told myself it is the will of God . I love him and I will protect him with everything I have.

“I love my son Chongfilawos because he is a blessing from God despite the fact that he has a deformity in his body. His birth was easy as I did not experience any complications during his birth.

“The father of my child, Jehu Luka, a peasant farmer, lives in Lussa village, but he was away when my baby was born. When he learnt that I delivered, he came to check his child and

left”.

A neighbour, Jude Frank, who said he hails from Anambra State, said he expected to meet Blessing crying for delivering a baby without limbs but was amazed when he found her praising God. “I thank God that they have accepted the child as a creation of God. People have been coming to support the child with clothes.

We can assist with clothes and food but I think the family will need the assistance of government to bring this child up,” Jude said.

Reacting to the development, the Medical Director of Pahlycon Hospital, Hassan Garba Mohammed, said that a congenital abnormality is responsible for a baby born without limbs or it could be as a result of genetics inherent in the family.

“Ah, ah, bros, in as much as we all want the government to settle down to the business of governance, certain things need to be done first which include recovering our looted funds and punishing all the thieves,” noted Tunji.

“I read somewhere recently that the fiery lawyer, Femi Falana praised ex President Goodluck Jonathan for fighting corruption without making much noise,” said Rose.

“Oh really? Why the sudden u-turn? The Igbo say if a young woman marries two husbands, she will choose the better of the two,” stated Sunny.

Said Ugo: “I have always advocated the death penalty for thieving public officials. That is the only meaningful deterrent, nothing else will work.”

“No! That will be going to the extreme!” said Tunji.

Replied Ugo: “Of course, so is the stealing our common wealth. Do you know how many people they have sent to their untimely graves and mental institutions due to their greed and selfishness?

Do you know how many children’s lives and future have been truncated by these wicked souls? Moneys meant to be used to provide basic necessities are misappropriated.”

“But why are we so

greedy? Honestly, this primitive wealth accumulation beats me hollow,” said Rose.

“It is called the spirit of deprivation. You can see it in all of us. We always feel things will never be enough so we fight and grab everything. For instance, in a class of 100 students, 80 seats are provided so people get to class very early to secure seats for themselves and their friends who are yet to come. A lecturer brings 50 copies of handouts for 100 students so the first 50 get and the rest will have to make photocopies. In the homes, a mother puts two pieces of meat for three children so they struggle and fight,” said Rose.

“That is all so true! You just hit the nail on the head,” said Tunji.

“My take is that there should not be sacred cows and due process must be followed. No witch-hunting and nothing should be done out of hatred. Don’t judge and condemn people on social media.

Prosecute them in a court of competent jurisdiction.

If possible, let the trials be televised live. All this

My take is that there should not be sacred cows and due process must be followed; no witch-hunting and nothing should be done out of hatred throwing of figures around is childish; let people with evidence against public officials come forward and let the accused be tried, not just in the immediate past administration. I hope he will be courageous enough to probe even those who sponsored his election if there is any evidence of corrupt enrichment against them,” said Rose.

“For this war to be successful, we need to change our mindset as a people.

It is not enough to recover the loot and dump the looters in jail, we need a real change from the inside,” noted Sunny.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

— 21

IMF urges African countries to cut budget, increase tax rate exchange instruments in

By Omoh Gabriel

T

From Left: Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole; Director, Development Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Mudasiru Olaitan and Executive Principal/ Heads Banks Financial Institutions, Standard Chartered Bank, Oloruntimilehin George at the workshop on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund organized by Bankers Committee’s Sub Committee on Economic Development Sustainability & Gender in collaboration with the Development Finance Department of Central Bank of Nigeria held in Abuja.

ATM error: CBN orders banks to set systems for automatic refund to customers

By Peter Egwuatu, Yinka Kolawole & Rosemary Onuoha

“ The implementation of the guidelines will enables issuing banks, other financial institution, processors and cards schemes upgrade and maintain their card operations to ensure optimum security, efficiency, cost effectiveness and customer friendliness.”

The platform, he added, also serves as a tool for banks and other financial institutions to assess their card issuance portfolio and ensures that consumers that carry Nigerian -issued cards operate within acceptable standards.

“From a regulatory perspective; the CBN acknowledges that less thanoptimal,inefficientorpoorlydesigned systems will ultimately have anegativeimpactonsystemicstability, economic development and growth. It has therefore consciously

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has directed banks to set up systems that will enable the automatic refund of money to customers in which Automated Teller Machine (ATM) dispense errors to their transactions.

The apex bank has also issued guidelines for card issuance and usage meant to provide minimum standards and requirements for the issuance and usage of payment cards in the country.

The , CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Dipo Fatokun disclosed this to newsmen , saying

$3,117.00

2.00

$10.71

0.02

$52.27

47.63 CURRENCY

BUYING

-1.88

-1.57

CENTRAL

DOLLAR

196 196.5 197 POUNDS 301.9968 302.7672 303.5376 EURO 219.6376 220.1979 220.7582 FRANC 202.8986 203.4161 203.9337 YEN 1.6153 1.6194 1.6235 CFA 0.3175 0.3275 0.3375 WAUA 275.2852 275.9874 276.6897 RENMINBI 30.7355 30.8144 30.8932 RIYAL 52.2388 52.3721 52.5053 SDR 275.9876 276.6917 277.3957 KRONA 29.4246 29.4996 29.5747

CBN Exchange Rate as at 01/ 09 /15

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The implementation of the guidelines will enable issuing banks, other financial institution, processors and cards schemes upgrade and maintain their card operations to ensure optimum security and efficiency

pursued the growth of a payments system. He further noted that CBN istakingstrategicstepstoensurethat the level of fraud arising from e-paymenttransactionsarereducedtothe barestminimum SpeakingduringtheFinanceCorrespondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN)Bi-MonthlyForumheldin Lagos, Fatokon said the Payments SystemVision2020launchedin2013, was meant to achieve the re-organisationoftheNationalPaymentsGovernance Structure and encourage more people to embrace e-payment transactions.

E-payment transactions Fatokun, who was represented by the CBN Deputy Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Musa Jimoh, said the project identified agriculture, smart cities, health, transportation, hotels, entertainment, government flow, education and Consumer Bill Payment as well as direct debits as focus areas.

However, Fatokun explained that the absence of a unique identifier in the banking industry has negative consequencesonthegrowthofe-payments and that the need to resolve thechallengethatpromptedtheCBN, in collaboration with the Bankers’ CommitteetolaunchtheBankVerification Number (BVN) project. The project, he said, will help build confidenceofcustomersonthee-payment channels and enhance integrity of transactions.

“The BVN initiative is aimed at protectingbankcustomersandfurther strengtheningtheNigerianbanking system by uniquely identifying all bankcustomersandactsasastop-gap, prior to the full implementation of the NationalIdentityCardsystem,”hesaid.

HE International Monetary Fund IMF has called on Africa countries to address fuel subsidy, cut 2015 expenditure profile, increase in tax rate and exchange rate flexibily where possible as measures that could help countries tied over the raving global oil price crash.

Speaking at the IMF Africa causes meeting held in Angola Mr. David Robinson, the Vice-Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and one of the speakers at the African Caucus said that the fall in oil prices is a significant negative shock for the oil exporting countries which have had to make marked adjustments.

David Robinson, who presented the theme “Africa: Regional Economic Outlooks” pointed said that public financial measures countries affected by crash in oil prices can adopt include “budget cuts in the 2015 expenditure, above all in investments, fuel subsidies reform, taxation measures, including tax rate increases, and greater exchange rate flexibility wherever possible”.

Robison noted that the oil producing countries have to tackle issues such as the orderly implementation of spending cuts, prioritise social sectors and infrastructure and mobilise non-oil revenues. It is necessary to address low liquidity in the foreign exchange markets in countries with flexible arrangements and the absence of foreign

We have perfected our plot so that there could be power outage in Port Harcourt, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa without affecting other states

countries whose currency is indexed to the Euro.

The forum of Africa caucus of the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Group in its deliberation urged Africa leaders to take immediate action to combat illicit financial flows in Africa. The forum assembles more than nineteen Ministers of Finance and fourteen Governors of the Central Banks of Africa countries.

Speaking at the forum The President of the African Group and Minister of Finance of Angola, Armando Manuel, declared in the welcoming speech to the participants at the Luanda Caucus- 2015 meeting that the development of the continent continues to be affected by insufficient resources He said “This obliges us to look for other sources of financing including savings that can be made from restricting illicit financial flows from Africa, especially measures that can be taken to radically reduce these mass monetary outflows and guarantee that they are used for development in the African continent”.

The emphasis of this fell on combatting illicit financial flows to improve the mobilisation of internal resources, a topic addressed

by Thabo Mbeki, the ExPresident of South Africa.

The forum assembles more than nineteen Ministers of Finance and fourteen Governors of the Central Banks representing approximately forty member countries of the African Caucus, including Angola.

Also in his opening speech Manuel Vicente, representing the President of Angola, José Eduardo noted that African countries must have a more comprehensive outlook, integrating the diversification of the economy based on national and regional value chains in potential competitive sectors. ”In truth, we have to add more value to our resources, whether in the directly productive activities, or through infrastructure and additional or supporting activities such as, transport and telecommunications systems, banking and financial systems generating

22 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

You don’t have to take a huge initial lump sum from your Retirement Savings Account

,

15 insurance firms unite with 10,000 hospitals for accident emergency

M

ORE than 10,000 private hospitals and fifteen insurance companies in Nigeria have signed a memorandum of understanding with Eagle Search and Rescue Foundation on accident and emergency in the country.

The major objective of the project is to render emergency rescue assistant to accident victims by providing first aid medical treatments and transmitting information such as state of health, location and immediate requirements of such victims to their next-of-kin.

Speaking at the signing event in Lagos, Group Coordinator/ Visioner of Eagle Search and Rescue Foundation, Mr Sunday Olu Ajanaku stated that their collaboration with Premium Manifest Alert Limited is the largest organised private sector service contributors to the social security and medical industry in Nigeria.

Ajanaku said that the foundation is already functional in 30 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory where there is presence of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, AGPMPN, for prompt medical treatment of all accident victims.

Accident victims He said, “The National Executive Council of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria through their 10,000 financial member hospitals at National and States level have agreed, acting on our behalf, to treat all accident victims presented by our accredited agents and other relevant traffic management stakeholders all over the Federation with effect from September, 2015.

“The roads and their conditions usually are first to be blamed but little did we know that due to abuses like overspeeding. This organisation has stopped searching for causes and culprits, preferring to contribute to putting what’s wrong right.

“With this MOU, we will be subscribing to any other data collating agencies aimed at assisting accident victims and compiling statistics and general data on road mishaps and domestic accidents towards combating its causes and

reducing the frequency of occurrence.”

National Coordinator, Consortium of Insurance Brokers and Insurance Companies, Adesogan Omodele affirmed that by issuing every registered students and individuals with an Emergency Identification Card which will be carried along at all times, most importantly when embarking on a journey is a service to humanity. Omodele noted that giving prompt and rapid skilled first aid assistance to accident victims, running free Ambulance Services on major roads/highways and linking accident victims with their relatives will constantly save lives.

“This organisation has come to serve as practical with radical approach to tackle and find gradual solution to these problems.

Gradual solution Infact, who were these people that lost their lives/ properties on road accidents than the 85 percent of the informal sectors of our economy like the artisans, traders, market men/women, journalist, teachers, Health Workers and others, the children of the poor masses particularly the students from various tertiary institutions that have the energy to travel around for their futures. We seek to give relief to all and sundry both in the formal and Informal sector of the nation by creating substantial employment opportunity to our teaming Nigerian youths nationwide.”

He added, “All registered group/persons under this premium shall directly or indirectly benefit from our free life/accident insurance policy on completion of the general registration and data collation of the beneficiaries nationwide this follows the issuance of insurance certificate, holder’s identification card and distribution of same to the addressees of the card carrier and card ready alert will be sent to the beneficiary mobile phone for collection of the insurance certificate and ID card for fast and easy movement and identification purposes all over the world particularly our country Nigeria.”

Send comments & enquiries to insuranceandyou@yahoo.com C M Y K

INSURAN

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You don’t have to take big initial ‘lump-sum' after retirement Stories by Rosemary Onuoha

A

S a contributor to the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, when you retire, you don’t have to take a huge initial lump sum from your Retirement Savings Account, RSA, because such action could have a significant impact on your retirement savings, thereby reducing what you could be taking home on monthly basis.

Accordingly, you are advised to take less lump sum except if there is need to do otherwise, because the less lump sum you take, the more money you get as monthly retirement benefit.

Giving the advice during the 2015 National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents Annual

General Meeting held in Lagos, Head, Research &Corporate Strategy Department of the National Pension Commission, PenCom,

Mr. Umaru Farouk Aminu said that retirees should take less lump sum payout if they don’t have need for it, adding that less lump-sum will help retirees keep more money in the Retirement Savings Account (RSA).

Monthly payout

One danger with a lump sum is that you may be tempted to spend too much today, leaving you short of money down the line

Aminu said, “If you take a lump sum, you must assume responsibility for how the money is invested and how much you can afford to spend each month.

One danger with a lump sum is that you may be tempted to spend too much today, leaving you short of money down the line. By choosing a steady monthly payout, you’ll avoid

IoD holds biennial presidential investiture

By PROVIDENCE OBUH and BUSAYO SAMUEL

I

NSTITUTE of Directors (IoD) Nigeria, has announced plans to hold the investiture of Mr Samuel Yemi Akeju, as the 14th President/Chairman, Governing Council.

In a statement, Director General, IoD, Mr. Victor Banjo, said that the Presidential Investiture Ceremony which is scheduled to hold on September 6, 2015, is a forum used to showcase the institute’s adherence to good corporate governance as demonstrated by the seamless succession plan that the Institute has been able

to sustain for thirty one years.

The Investiture programme will feature Special Awards to some distinguished Nigerians and presentation of the Council and Executive Committee Members. Eminent leaders of the Nigerian business community from both the public and private sector as well as members of the diplomatic community are expected to attend the event.

The Institute of Directors Nigeria founded in 1983, is a prime leadership organisation that champions corporate governance and promotes business ethics. It is an affiliate

of the Institute of Directors UK. IoD activities span across all sectors of the economy and aims at securing greater effectiveness and efficiency in boardrooms. IoD offers a network of over 110,000 members in over 100 countries, and membership is drawn from directors, business leaders, policy makers in the public and private sector across diverse enterprises and industries.

IoD Nigeria supports directors by equipping them to be more effective in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities to their organizations.

AGM – From left: Head, Business Development &Sales AIICO Pension Managers Limited, Mr Godwin Igbanoi; Executive Secretary, Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), Susan Oranye; Head, Research &Corporate Strategy Department, National Pension Commission, Mr Umaru Farouk Aminu; Chairman of National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO), Modestus Anasoronye and Head Corporate Communication, Premium Pension Limited, Mr Paddy Ezeala, at the 2015 Annual General Meeting of NAIPCO in Lagos.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

the temptation to run down your pension money at the initial stage.

Aminu said that 26 states in the country have enacted pension reform law that will power the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in their respective states. He said that

only seven states out of the 26 have commenced implementation of the CPS. Aminu further disclosed that the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have all been added into

the board of PenCom, adding that other members of the board include the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Union of Pensioners; the organised private sector and federal Government.

PARNERSHIP – From left: Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Mohammed Kari; President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu; and Managing Director of NICON Insurance Limited, Mr. Bayode Samuel at the brokers evening in Lagos.

NICON extends hands of fellowship to brokers N

ICON Insurance Limited has extended hands of fellowship to insurance brokers as the past few years have been most challenging and harrowing with resultant decline in its fortunes.

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Bayode Samuel who made the appeal to brokers to assist the company in reversing the trend said that prior to its privatisation, NICON Insurance was the flagship of the insurance industry in Nigeria.

Samuel said, “This position was incontestable until the blueprint to privatise some government establishments in the country came into force.

At that time, NICON Insurance had enjoyed an unparalleled market environment devoid of stress and strain.”

Stress and strain He said that privatisation came with a lot of changes that drastically upturned the flow of events, saying, “The monopoly on federal government insurances was broken.

The insuring public had wide choices to make in the insurance market. The relaxed mood of the company therefore,

had to be awoken. It was then the real challenges of competing in the insurance market began.”

Samuel said that they have swung into serious action with concerted efforts aimed at rebranding the company. This has become pertinent due to the fact that every establishment over time, carries out reforms that will reposition the organisation in the comity of equals as wells as clients.

Commity of equals He said, “We have, since the inception of my tenure, carried out radical structural and human rebranding exercises with the intent of placing the company on a balanced pedestal.

We have engaged highly cerebral staff to drive our new strategic direction and road map to reposition our company. In acknowledgment of this, we have won various awards.

NICON Insurance is collaborating with NIA in the process of engaging students of Actuarial Science in higher institution on internship programmes. This will no doubt help in advancing insurance profession in Nigeria.

“We have sent our staff to train at various reputable institutions

so as to equip them sufficiently for proficient productivity. Our operations have so far not been different from what obtains everywhere in the industries.

We have always done our best possible to jump across series of hurdles to have come thus far.

It has not been rosy more especially with our erstwhile estranged relationship with you our partner and professional associations, but we are confident that the current management team will fix things right in the shortest time possible.”

,

CE & YOU

— 23

You are advised to take less lump sum except if there is need to do otherwise, because the less lump sum you take, the more money you get as monthly retirement benefit

,

NCRIB seeks strengthening of laws to license members

T

HE Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, has appealed to the new Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Mohammed Kari to strengthen the laws that empowers it to license brokers in the country.

President of the NCRIB, Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu, who made the appeal at the August brokers evening in Lagos said the NCRIB among other things is looking forward to the strengthening of the law with respect to the provisions that made NCRIB registration a pre-condition to licensing by NAICOM. Shoderu said that the step will further enhance professionalism and buoy up the image of the industry.

Shoderu used the forum to beckon on the leadership of

As part of resolve to reposition the company, Samuel said that they have decided to extend strategies to six regional and 40 branch offices across Nigeria for optimal and superior performance.

He said, “From January this year to date, we have paid a total claim of over N138.11 million, made up of N50.98 million in general business and N87.13 million in life and pensions businesses.

Undoubtedly, the insurance industry in Nigeria is a wholly brokers’ market. The extent of success of any underwriter therefore is determined by the rapport with the Brokers.”

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as a matter of urgency to ensure that crashes of air craft in Nigeria becomes a thing of the past.

Shoderu said, “They should also ensure that no airline operator is allowed to operate without adequate insurance cover. Adequate insurance will guarantee, that in case of any unfortunate incident, the bereaved families will have something to fall back on. On our part as insurance brokers, we have taken our awareness campaign to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

Aviation industry We have had meeting with the representative of the Association and a further meeting is to be rescheduled for a later date, not only with AON, but also other professional bodies in the aviation industry, to ensure that the mechanism of risk taking provided by law is strictly adhered, to avoid double tragedy for the families of victims.”

Shoderu however called on government to also throw its federal might behind the entrenchment of insurance policies not only in aviation industry but all other sectors.

“There are almost six compulsory insurance policies that have been highlighted by our regulator; we need government support and baking to enforce them. It is of common knowledge that incumbent administration will not tolerate corruption of any sort, I like to say that avoidance of compulsory insurances is high level of corruption, therefore, it must be included in the ongoing fight against corruption,” Shoderu said.

C M Y K

24 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

West Ham seal season-long loan signing of Victor Moses

Ideye leaves West Brom

W

est Brom forward Brown Ideye has joined Greek champions Olympiakos.

The Baggies broke their club record to sign the 26-year-old Nigerian from Dynamo Kiev 12 months ago for a fee of around £10m.

The striker made 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals, but his only match this season came against Port Vale in the Capital One Cup. Meanwhile, West Brom have signed Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard on a two-year deal.

Ideye will join former Leicester midfielder Esteban Cambiasso in Athens after the 34-year-old joined Olympiakos earlier this month.

V

•Victor Moses •Brown Ideye

De Gea’s move to Real collapses

D

avid De Gea’s £29m move from Manchester United to Real Madrid has collapsed because the necessary paperwork was not submitted in time.

No official announcement has yet been made by either club.

As part of the deal to sell 24-yearold De Gea to Real, United were planning to bring Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas, 28, in the opposite direction. There is no precedent for Spanish clubs being given additional time to conclude transfers as there is in England.

Blame for the failure to complete the deal is already being apportioned.

Reports in Spain claim United were responsible for the deal collapsing.

Park, where he will link up again with manager Slaven Bilic after playing for the West Ham boss during his time in charge of Croatia.

Former Crystal Palace star Moses could be joined by fellow winger Michail Antonio from Nottingham Forest but Crystal Palace are confident of getting the deal over the line.

The east London club have been busy in the final stages of the transfer window after securing the Alex Song on another year-long loan from Barcelona and could also sign Emmanuel Adebayor from Tottenham before the 6pm deadline.

However, West Ham’s move for Adebayor will have to be a permanent deal now Moses has completed a loan move to Upton Park.

Why I left United — Di Maria P

ARIS Saint-Germain attacker Angel di Maria has spoken about the “rows” he had with Louis van Gaal that led to his Manchester United exit.

The Argentina international moved to the Ligue 1 champions in July after failing to join the Premier League side on their United States tour.

Di Maria spent just one season with United, making 27 league appearances and scoring three times before his big-money PSG move.

The 27-year-old said his relationship with Van Gaal deteriorated during his time at Old Trafford and was part of the reason he decided to leave.

“Van Gaal has his philosophy and one of the things that made me want to leave is that,” Di Maria told ESPN Radio Argentina.

“It is difficult to adapt to Van Gaal. I had a couple of rows with him.

FIFA quiet on De Gea paperwork

F

•David de Gea

ictor Moses has signed a new four-year contract with Premier League champions Chelsea before completing a season-long loan move to West Ham. Moses was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge after spending last season on loan at Stoke after another loan spell at Liverpool the year before that.

But the winger has penned a surprise new deal with the Blues and will now spend the remainder of the campaign on loan with the Hammers.

West Ham have announced the signing of striker Nikica Jelavic from Hull as the Premier League club take their number of deadline-day signings to three.

The 30-year-old has signed an initial two-year deal at Upton

IFA has stated information regarding David de Gea’s seemingly failed transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid is “confidential” amid suggestions of an appeal.

The Spain goalkeeper looked set to complete his long-mooted switch to the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday, but De Gea was left in limbo after the deadline passed in his home country without a move being finalised.

Reports in Spain have suggested a missed deadline in filing the relevant paperwork scuppered the deal.

There have been suggestions the clubs could appeal to FIFA over the delay, but world football’s governing body kept tight-lipped over whether information regarding the deal had been entered into its International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) in time.

“In terms of TMS processing paperwork etc. the information in the International Transfer Matching System is confidential to the registered users of ITMS,” said a FIFA spokesperson.

“We are therefore not in a position to give information on transfers.”

“I started well and after that I got injured. Things didn’t go well for me and Van Gaal changed my position.

“I spoke with [PSG coach Laurent] Blanc and his thinking was that I’d play in a similar position to where I did at Real Madrid.”

Di Maria made his PSG debut on Sunday, coming off the bench to set up Ezequiel Lavezzi for the third goal in a 3-0 win over Monaco.

And he was delighted with the crowd’s response to him.

“I didn’t imagine a reception like this,” Di Maria said.

“It was the most beautiful presentation I have ever had. The truth is that I’m happy to come to PSG and to have team-mates like Lavezzi and [Javier] Pastore.”

•Di Maria

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 25

Eagles await Enyeama, Musa, Oboabona

T

HREE members of the Nigeria squad called up for Saturday’s 2017 Africa Nation’s Cup (Afcon) qualifier against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam have yet to join the rest of the side in Abuja.

Vincent Enyeama, Ahmed Musa and Godfrey Oboabona are the three players still being expected.

The three players were given special dispensation by head coach, Sunday Oliseh to join the rest of the squad on Monday.

“Twenty of the players have

already hit camp and we are only expecting three more; Enyeama, Oboabona and Musa. They have however all spoken to the coach and will join us on Monday,” media chief of the Super Eagles, Toyin Ibitoye told supersport.com on Monday morning.

Ibitoye added that the “late arrival” of the trio would not affect the team’s preparations for the game against

Tanzania which will take place at the 60,000 capacity National Stadium, Dar es Salaam.

“Our preparations will not be affected even though the players in question are extremely important.

“Musa’s Wife just gave birth and he needed to sort out certain personal issues.

“Enyeama and Oboabona also told the coach why they will be coming in on Monday,” he added.

Nigeria currently sits in second place Group G of 2017 Afcon qualifying but trail the leaders, Egypt only on goals difference.

Everton sign £9.5m Mori from River Plate

E

VERTON have announced the signing of the defender Ramiro Funes Mori from River Plate. The 24-year-old Argentinian has joined the Premier League club for a fee of £9.5m, committing until 2020.

Everton tweeted: “EFC complete signing of defender Ramiro Funes Mori for a fee of £9.5m on a five-year deal.”

A deal had been agreed last week, although the fee then was reported to be just £5.5m but there was a delay in completing the paperwork as there were work permit issues to overcome for the South American.

However, that has all now been sorted and the manager Roberto Martínez has found cover for one of the key positions he identified at the start of the window having allowed Sylvain Distin and Antolín Alcaraz to leave at the end of last season.

“When I heard about Everton’s interest, I didn’t think twice. My agent told me about this opportunity and Everton did

•Enyeama

Nwosu, Sofoluwe charge Eagles to beat Tanzania

BY JACOB AJOM

A

s the Super Eagles prepare for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against their Tanzania counterparts this weekend, former Nigeria internationals have called on the team to ensure they attained victory over their hosts.

In a chat with Sports Vanguard in Lagos yesterday, 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Henry Nwosu said he was confident, the Super Eagles will come out of the encounter unscathed. “I expect nothing but victory,” but insisted, they must approach the match with caution. “My advice is that the coach should use the first 15 minutes to study the game before either applying the necessary pressure if need be. In as much as we want to beat them, we have to be very careful. As we are attacking we must also be ready to defend. It should be total football.”

Nwosu observed that there is no margin for error as group leaders, Egypt will be aiming to consolidate their position by scoring more goals against Chad. “We need this match because it is always very good to win away from home. It gives you a good feeling and a psychological advantage over your next opponents.”

•Ramiro

We’re ready for Eagles — Tanzania coach T

he national football team, Taifa Stars, head coach Charles Boniface Mkwasa said that they are focused and ready for the crucial African Cup of

Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Nigeria.

The Taifa Stars are currently training in Turkey in preparation for the forthcoming AFCON qualifier against

•Taifa Stars

the Super Eagles at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on September 5.

Mkwasa, who spoke after his side’s 2-1 loss to Libya in a build-up match, expressed confidence in the ability of the team, adding that he was positive about their fitness and readiness for the clash after a week-long camp in Turkey.

“The training has helped build the players’ stamina, you can see they play with vigour all the time, they defend and attack as a team, this is a good sign for the lads ahead of the game against Nigeria,” he said.

He said the team has trained well in all aspects of the game, including building stamina and the tempo of their game.

The coach reiterated that the Turkey camp was beneficial technically, as they were able to work with the players and implement their training programme in an ideal environment.

The Stars squad held their last training session yesterday before boarding the plane back home for final preparations ahead of the visit of Nigeria.

The Stars will host former African champions, the Super Eagles looking to bounce back from a 3-0 opening defeat away to Egypt. The Eagles, on the other hand, will be seeking to maintain their winning start following a 2-0 triumph over Chad on match-day one.

•Mkwasa

•Sunday Oliseh

Uzochukwu promises Tanzania hell

A

mkar Perm new boy Izunna Uzochukwu has vowed to give his all if fielded in Nigeria‘s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania on Saturday in Dar-esSalaam despite being a new player in the Super Eagles.

The 23-year-old midfielder says he is fully prepared to battle for a place in the team and help Nigeria maintain their 100% record in their AFCON qualifiers.

“My aim is to give a performance that will earn me another call-up to the national team,” Uzochukwu said.

“I’m ready for the competition which this invitation brings.”

Uzochukwu who is one of the four Russianbased players called up by Sunday Oliseh for this weekend’s fixture also expects the game to be a close and hostile one, but believes the Super Eagles can exploit the defensive frailties of the host by the pacy forwards in the team.

“We have an ambition and that is to win.

They will want to intimidate us but we have players that can take them on in attack,” he added: Uzochukwu has played five of Amkar Perm’s seven games in the Russian league this season.

26—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

DIARY 3rd AFICTA Submit Theme: (ICT: Lighting the wat to development and prosperity across Africa), September 1- 3, 2015.

4th PARKTONIA PROTEA HOTEL, Johanessburg, South Africa.

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2015 Cape Town, South Africa November 8-12, 2015

Preview Pedometer walking stick puts you back to shape

F

OR anyone who needs a bit of help getting around and would also like to keep track of how far they have gone, the Pedometer Walking Stick is a very useful tool.

Anyone who is experiencing difficulty walking on their own or has recently injured their leg and would like to track their recovery should use this stick.

It is built from sturdy aluminum and keeps track of how many steps the user has taken based on how many times the rubber base hits the ground.

It also keeps track of distance and time and even has a calorie counter, making it a great tool for staying in shape.

C M Y K

Nigeria, one step to harmonized national database ...as FG makes NIN usage mandatory by January 2016

By Prince Osuagwu

I

N just about one year, the consistent clamour for a national database that would properly aggregate and keep accurate data of citizen and others living in the country could be over.

This is because baring any unforeseen circumstances, from January 9, 2016, Nigeria would be a proud host of a national database. In addition, citizens and others legally living in the country would have and begin to use a digital identification cum wallet, the National Identification Number, NIN, which would tell accurately who they are, their ages, work and a whole other information in just one stripe.

Digital identification Most importantly is that this wallet will help to make accessing services like insurance, international passports, drivers license and others so easy like never before in the country.

This is a result of Federal government’s new directive that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should expeditiously harmonize their biometric databases.

The implication of the

directive is to enable the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC which issues the NIN to round off its activities to take off on implementation of usage.

Following the directive, NIMC has also extended its original deadline of September 1, 2015 to January 9, 2016 for

Most importantly is that this wallet will help to make accessing services like insurance, international passports, drivers license and others so easy like never before in the country

I N S I D E

implementation of mandatory usage of NIN to begin.

The Commission had earlier directed that all transactions involving the identification of individuals as specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, must be done with the NIN beginning from September 1, 2015.

But with the new directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, On the harmonization of the databases, the commission, said it was imperative to shift the deadline to ensure no data from any agency ministry or directorate was left out.

It also explained that the extension would enable it advance on the ongoing database harmonization efforts with the MDAs which has reached

Payporte drives online presence through Opera web pass

PAGE 28

advanced stages NIMC says some of the people it has reached advanced data harmonization level included the central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC; Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS; Pension Commission, PenCom; Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, FMARD. According to the corporate Affairs Manager of the Commission, Mr AbdulHamid Umar, “the extension would also help avoid the situation similar to what was experienced when the CBN wanted to enforce the cut off date for the BVN, leading to a late rush to meet the deadline/ massive turn out of citizens and the troubles they had to go through. It would also help ensure that the need for double enrolment is reduced to the barest minimum during this transition period when

Continues on page 27

Three months after, ICT practitioners pick hole in cybercrime law, demand amendment

PAGE 27

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—27

Three months after, ICT practitioners pick hole in cybercrime law, demand amendment

By Emeka Aginam

B

ARELY three months after former Presi dent Goodluck Jonathan signed the Cybercrime bill into Law to the admiration of the Information and Communications Technology, ICT industry, practitioners of same industry have picked holes in the law demanding amendment.

Worried by the growing rate of Cybercrimes in Nigeria, legal experts in the Nigerian information Communication Technology ecosystem and IT experts have called for the urgent review of the Nigerian Cybercrime Law 2015, that was signed into law by At the recently concluded Technology Times Outlook 2015 , organized

by Technology Times, experts in the industry including technology lawyers pointed to some parts of the document that needed review, saying that if the government did not heed

the call, cybercrimes will still remain unabated. They contended that with Nigeria currently ranked third in the list of countries with high rate of cybercrimes, amendment of the bill will go a long way in checkmating the growing rate of cybercrimes in the country.

Part of the people calling for this amendment included a seasoned technology lawyer and Managing Partner, Technology Advisor, Mr. Basil Udotai.

The law is too heavy on the financial sector.

We do not need to be inventive. We just have to be creative

Udotai claimed that after reviewing the Act, was not robust enough to help Nigeria fight advanced fee fraud which had turned out to become a global issue. However, he advised that should the government heed the call, there was need for inclusiveness and multistakeholders approach in the review of the bill.

According to him, government can look at the existing cybercrime laws in other organized economies so as to be in conformity with international best practice. He spotted challenges in the areas of enforcement, compliance, among others, which he said cannot be amended except by the constitution.

“It is interesting that, at last, Nigeria has been able to put in place the cybercrime law. The law does not recognize a single enforcement institution, which is an aberration and a development that may lead to confused legal strategy. The law is too

heavy on the financial sector.

We do not need to be inventive.

We just have to be creative,” he explained.

For the Ex-Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, Mr. Alex Muoka, the Act is the most unclear piece of legislation ever seen because of certain flaws.

He said that the law lacks enforcement institutions, adding that he foresees big task for lawyers while applying the law.

Similarly, the Head, legal Services and Board Matters Unit, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Emmanuel Edet, noted there is a ‘very big gap that exists in

the law.”

He said the Cyvercrime law created funds to be generated but did not give direction on how the fund would be spent. “The law also dabbles into the consumer laws that ordinarily should not be a subject matter of the law. The law is meant to prescribe punishments for anyone, who commits cybercriminal offences in the country. “Most of the provisions in the laws are too specific, whereas in law, we should be more generic so that the law will still be applicable in case the current variables specifically mentioned by the law, experiences alterations,” Edet added.

Why Nigeria needs National Postal Commission – Mori Baba

By Emmanuel Elebeke

S

INCE the advent of Information and communications Technology, ICT, the impact on the Nigerian Postal Services Nipost, has not been favourable as the fortunes has continued to nosedive, as a result of huge apathy from the customers towards post services.

Apart from the need for a total revamping of the Post occasioned by this development, experts have shared the view on the need for the

establishment of a National Postal Commission (NPC) to engender proper regulation of the industry and at the same time check the excesses of the independent courier companies operating in the country.

According to the immediate past Post Master General of the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST), Mallam Mori Baba, there is urgent need for a National Postal Commission, which will steer the regulatory role of the industry, including the NIPOST. Baba, who spoke in an NTA

interview The Focus said the benefits inherent in establishing the NPC is huge, giving that it will afford the Post the opportunity to reposition and expand its infrastructure and compete positively in the larger market with greater returns for proper operation of the system.

Consequently, Mori Baba said

passing into the law the pending Postal amendment bill with the National Assembly would not only address the lacuna in the existing Act but incorporate the Commission. “ We need a new bill on NIPOST. My prayer is there should be a National Postal Commission, which will

Nigeria, one step to harmonized national database Continues from page 26

the harmonization is being implemented”.

“Furthermore Management has taken into consideration the fact that the CBN had extended by a few months, the deadline for the completion of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise thus extending the time frame for the completion of the harmonization it has begun with the CBN on the BVN programme” he added.

It is expected that with the planned harmonization which will effectively link all MDA biometric databases - INEC, FRSC, PenCom, FIRS/JTB, NHIS, FMARD, among others, citizens will not anymore, be required to have their biometrics taken every time by these institutions in the near future.

Also the MDAs will invariably act as valid agents to the NIMC, collecting their C M Y K

own data as well as providing data required for the issuance of the NIN by the NIMC, based on the minimum national standards for biometric and demographic data capture already set by the MDAs. Meanwhile, the commission also revealed plans to provide pre-enrolment services on smart phones.

Enrolment centres This will ensure that citizens can start their enrolment using their smart phones, a development that would ensure that in the next couple of months citizens, of all ages, would have completed their demographic enrolment before they proceed to NIMC Enrolment Centres for their biometric data capture to complete their enrolment.

Umar said that Commission believes that this will help to decongest the Enrolment Centres as well as ensure that citizens enroll at their convenience as the cut off date draws

nearer. It will be recalled that a few months ago the NIMC had announced that it would start to enforce the use of the NIN by citizens in the conduct of certain transactions as specified in Section 27 of the NIMC Act, 2007.

But the need to complete the initiation of the process of harmonization, to ensure that at least legacy databases of MDAs are linked is an important process that would facilitate citizen’s adoption and participation in the process.

The NIN is an 11 digit number assigned to an individual upon successful enrolment into the National Identity Database (NIDB). It is what represents the unique entry of a persons personal information in the National Identity Database. Once issued to an individual that number cannot be used again.

regulate the industry including the NIPOST. The benefits are huge for NIPOST. “If the existing Act is amended to accommodate the new thinking. It should be a national operator recognized by government. There should be NPC that will regulate the entire postal service, including the Nipost.

Postal service “The benefits are huge, if the Act is amended. But my fear is that there will be too much regulators in the telecom sector.

The new commission should be able to put in place what is required to make the industry come alive and be more robust.

“Recall that a NIPOST Amendment bill was sent to 6th and 7th Assemblies, they did the first reading and nothing happened. It is our candid hope that something will happen in the 8th Assembly to get it passed.

“With this anticipated law, NIPOST will be like courier company and so will have nothing to do with courier companies. The Commission is going to be an independent body that will regulate the industry including the NIPOST.

28—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Payporte drives online presence through Opera web pass

By Richard Udofia

O

NE of Nigeria’s online classified platform, Payporte global system recently established a partnership deal with an e-service medium, Opera mini web pass to provide free 100,000 days of free internet service to customers.

Managing Director of Payporte company, Mr. Eyo Bassey, made this known in Lagos at the official launching of the companies partnership as this move will boost more participation online.

Bassey said that, this feat was made possible through Opera’s web pass, which enables brands to sponsor no-cost internet access through mobile operators to provide their customers with easy-tounderstand method of accessing the net.

He stated that this is one innovative way by which these companies encourage more customers to get involve more actively on the internet because of the numerous activities available on the net. He said the e-commerce market is changing the way many Nigerians shop these days.

Our company is thrilled to provide free internet to current and future online shoppers and give them a taste for everything the internet has to offer,” Bassey added.

However, he maintained that the company will be responsible for all the costs prospective and active customers who surf the net to buy goods from opera mini platform. Bassey claimed that there is no restriction to customers who visit the online platform to purchase commodities of any kind, be it used or new goods.

Mobile penetration However he maintained that, data usage in Nigeria remains low in comparison to mobile penetration. Initiative as this, aim to provide a free taste of the internet for those who do not regularly go online.

Having presence in Ghana, Kenya, South-Africa among others, our outfit is not moved by price mechanism in the market as we remain the only classified

company to still be operating at N160 to a dollar, he said.

E-commerce is revolutionising the way many Nigerians shop.

Our company is thrilled to provide free internet to current and future online shoppers and give them a taste for everything the internet has to offer,” Bassey added.

On trafficking congestion, the managing director admitted that measures are in place to manage illegal penetration and checkmate saboteurs while also promising more involvement of other Telcos to key into this innovation.

As part of its corporate social service to offer free browsing services to customers, he promised to ensure more e-services rural penetration, as more telcos and service providers are on the brink of commencing swift partnership at attaining this goal.

The business development manager, operator sales of Opera mini, Mr. Murray Spark, said that as at July this year, an average of twenty three million subscribers surf the net using Opera mini.

NIG to help ensure efficient broadband penetration in Nigeria

By Richard Udofia

P

RESIDENT of Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Eng. Adebayo Banjo has assured internet users in Nigeria that his association would work with relevant bodies to ensure that the country enjoys more effective and efficient broadband penetration.

Banjo made the promise at the association’s annual conference and exhibition 2015, which held in Lagos last week. Banjo said that Information and communications Technology, ICT has become an integral aspect of human activity, noting that any activity that is not rooted on it will certainly go into extinction.

“This year’s conference is particularly important because of the significant moves towards the development of the broadband technology to increase its penetration, usage and affordability in the country, which is why it has the theme: “Internet Penetration, the way forward”.

He identified critical success factors like provision of infrastructures, implementation of appropriate legal and regulatory

•Adebayo Banjo

frameworks, Political-will of the government to implement right policies among others as measures that will go a long way at improving broadband penetration in the country.

“We are working round the clock to ensure that by 2018, broadband penetration in the country would have risen above 20 percent.

However, Banjo noted that one of the ways to effectively achieve this is when Government gives NigerianCommunicationcommission, NCC, the free hand to sanction and monitor all defaulting

Telcos, adding that this action will ensure efficient and effective broadband penetration in the country.

Meanwhile, President of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Eng. Lanre Ajayi , also promised that ATCON, as umbrella body of telecom companies would support the government in making sure that broadband becomes a basic necessity in every home.

He claimed that before now the internet was known to be used only in the educational sector for research, but today every facet of Nigeria’s economy cannot do without the existence of ICT. Nigeria can now boast of about 58million active subscribers far greaterthanthepopulationofSouth Korea and more local content are springing up in different sectors to promoteemploymentgeneration,ict compliancedriveneconomythereby boostingefficientbroadbandpenetration in the country.

Ajayi however noted that some of the challenges facing broadband penetration today in the country has been the nonavailability of spectrum.

VANGU ARD, WEDNESD AY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 —29 ANGUARD, WEDNESDA

Does this affair mean I don’t love my husband?

Dear Bunmi, ’M A secretary and made an irrational decision nine months ago to sleep with my boss. He was years older but extremely sophisticated and sex with him was good. So was sex with my husband. My lover is happily married, so what we had was a fling.

But why was I attracted to another man when I love my husband? My boss had since been promoted and he now heads a branch office. The affair is more or less dead. But why did I have it? Does it mean my marriage is doomed? Please, help.

Abah, by e-mail.

I

How do I net a new boyfriend?

Dear Bunmi, ’VE JUST split up with my boyfriend of two years and this got me really upset, especially since all my friends are paired up. So I need some tips on how to find a man fast. I don’t want to be the only one out of my group of friends that looks like a loser!

I

Moirat, by e-mail.

Dear Moirat, You won’t be the only person in the world who finds herself without a partner, albeit temporarily. And guess what?

Some of them are not panicking and thinking it’s the end of the world. Some are using the

opportunity to become independent, to enjoy being in charge of their lives.

So instead of giving you tips on getting a man, let me encourage you to enjoy life. The happier you can be in yourself, the happier you’ll be when you’re finally in a relationship.

My husband has love-children Dear Bunmi, FEW weeks ago, I found out that my husband of almost 30 years has been having an affair for the past 10 years.

This is the second time he’s done this, and both relationships have been with younger women who’ve given him a child each.

His latest mistress is 26, a young Youth Corps member and my husband is in his mid-50's.

He keeps telling me it was just sex with these women and doesn’t want to lose me. We have five children and I’m scared he’d start yet another affair again.

How can he do this to me and our children and then tell me he still loves me? I’m disillusioned with him and have lost respect for the man I was once crazy about.

Emma, by e-mail.

A

Dear Emma, A single affair doesn’t have to spell the end of a relationship many people, male and female, are guilty of making foolish mistakes or errors of judgment.

But two affairs, both with much

younger women leaving him with children he said he didn’t want?

Well, that’s different! Your husband says he loves you, but he certainly has a peculiar way of showing it! He’s definitely enjoying the best of both worlds at the moment and he seems to be getting away with it apart from your resentment. Now, after 30 years of being married, what makes you think he’ll suddenly

be able to stop cheating on you?

Your man is obviously a serial adulterer and all you could hope for is that age would slow him down. Don’t ever stop talking to him and showing him how hurt and resentful his unfaithfulness is making you. You have five children, continue enjoying their progress and pray that this randy husband of yours would one day see the light!

Now, after 30 years of being married, what makes you think he’ll suddenly be able to stop cheating on you?

Your man is obviously a serial adulterer and all you could hope for is that age would slow him down. Don’t ever stop showing him how hurt and resentful his unfaithfulness is making you... and pray that this randy husband of yours would one day see the light!

I

where he lives. Another friend of his had told me of this pregnancy and when I confronted my boyfriend, he begged for forgiveness and

He denies the boy is his Dear Bunmi, FEW years after we got married, my husband was involved with an undergraduatefand the affair was the talk-of-the-town.

She eventually had a baby, but my husband, who had all along denied the affair, said the child wasn’t his.

The child is now in the secondary school and my husband is still very friendly with his mother who has never got married. It has got to a stage now where I want the truth about this child. I shall even pay for the DNA ~st if I have to.

Fadeke, bye-mail.

A

Dear Fadeke, Paternity testing with DNA is

momentary and stupid lapse of judgment and thank goodness your boss is no longer around to make your fling marriagethreatening. Some marriages even end up stronger after an affair. You love your husband and this guilty conscience that’s tearing into you means you won’t make the same mistake again.

Sister-in-law from hell!

My boyfriend got another girl pregnant!

DearBunmi, ‘M DEVASTATED after my boyfriend admitted he was responsible for the pregnancy of another girl not far from

Dear Abah, To be faithful “till death do us part” might be a wonderful idea, but there is plenty struggle - and slip - along the way. While an affair isn’t pleasant, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a dreadful marriage. Sometimes, we’re tempted simply because we want something new. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’re not happy with what we have nor is an affair anyone’s fault.

It’s impossible to make a partnership affair proof. No matter how loving, sexy or beautiful you are, everyone is prone to temptation at some stage.

This doesn’t mean your partner is no longer in love with you. Most of the men who admit to having affairs claim to be happier in their marriages than other men who say they had never had one. Women are more likely to cheat on their men if they’re not happy at home, but that still doesn’t mean they don’t love their partners.

Your fling seems to be a

No matter how loving, sexy or beautiful you are, everyone is prone to temptation at some stage.

Women are more likely to cheat on their men if they’re not happy at home, but that still doesn’t mean they don’t love their partners. Your fling seems to be a momentary and stupid lapse of judgment... You love your husband and this guilty conscience that’s tearing into you means you won’t make the same mistake again

expensive and it requires blood or oral samples to be taken from the mother, the child and the possible father. In the meantime, have you wondered what difference knowing the father of the child would make to your marriage? You’ve lived with this situation up till now when the child is in secondary school and you have to consider what it would mean to your marriage if it eventually turns out that your husband is the father.

Would you leave him if he were? Being the child to your home maybe? I would leave things the way they are if I were you and concentrate on looking after the family. The boy is your husband’s problem, not yours.

said it was a drunken one-night stand and that it didn’t mean anything.

We’ve been together for four years and I really thought he was ‘the one’. I’m heart-broken that, just around the time I thought we’d be settling down, another woman will be having his baby. I don’t want to turn into a witch and stop a child from having a father either.

What should I do!

Fidelia, by e-mail.

Dear Fidelia, Of course, you’re feeling absolutely devastated. Not only has your trust been broken, but there’s going to be a constant reminder of it in the form of a child. And you’re right - it would be deeply unfair to cause any difficulties for your boyfriend in him doing the right thing for this child. But can you really accept this situation?

At the end of the day, only you can decide if you could trust him enough not to do it again in future or if you could play the role of a step-mother-albeit reluctantly.

Dear Bunmi, BOUT TEN years ago, my husband’s brother met a woman - now his wife - who took an instant dislike for the rest of the family unit.

She carried on as if she was superior to the rest of us. We tried to be friendly with her but she snubbed us so many times and lots of rows erupted.

Eventually, we called a truce a few years ago, thanks to the intervention of much older family members.

Unfortunately, she’s started being difficult and nasty again. My husband and his brother no longer speak any more and their mother is really upset. It depresses me

A

that this could go on for ever, estranging the family.

-Ndidi, by e-mail.

Dear Ndidi, It’s very sad when a marriage divides instead of unites an existing family structure. By all means have another stab at reconciliation for everyone’s sake. It really does sound like you have tried but the situation seems unresolvable.

As the saying goes, if you can’t change something, change how you feel about it.

Sometimes, you just have to let go and move on with your life. Maybe by ignoring this trouble-maker, she might come back to her senses.

Share your problems and release your burden. Write now to Dear Bunmi, Vanguard Newspapers, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

30—VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

We've fulfilled our promises to Kogi — AWONIYI

2015: KOGI DECIDES

•Assures of power rotation in 2019

By Kingsley Fanwo

Why I and not Wada should fly PDP flag — AMOTO

K

OGI State Deputy Governor, Arc. Abayomi Awoniyi said the administration of Capt. Idris Ichala Wada has fulfilled it promises to the Kogi State electorate.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Mike Abu in Lokoja, Tuesday, Awoniyi said the administration has been able to improve the living standards of the people within the available resources at the disposal of government, saying the success stories of the administration were the result of efficient application of resources by government.

According to the Deputy Governor, the government is implementing a plan which will lead the state to greater prosperity and reposition it as the Centre of Commerce in the country. He said the achievements of the administration are a product of effective planning which are aimed at affecting the lives of the ordinary men and women on the street.

In his words: “We have been receiving commendations

A

•Awoniyi: Deputy Governor of Kogi State from Kogi people home and abroad for the achievements we have recorded in the various sectors of the economy. These achievements are not by accident. At inception, we set up a committee to help develop a

blueprint for the development of Kogi State. We are committed to ensuring that their wonderful recommendations are not wasted and that is the reason we have achieved so much as a government.

APC PRIMARY: Mixed reactions trail Audu’s emergence

By Boluwaji Obahopo

M

IXED reactions have continued to trail the emergence of Prince Audu as the All Progressive Congress, APC, governorship standard bearer.

While many stakeholders from the Western and Central Senatorial Districts have received the development with disappointment, many others are, however, celebrating seeing it as the best option opened to the state.

Audu first governed the state between 1992 and 1993 and subsequently between 1999 and 2003. He is credited with laying the infrastructure development of the state. His success is, however,

•Abubakar C M Y K

mired in allegations of corruption to the tune of N11 billion for which he is still being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. One Ahmed Sanni who hailed his emergence said, “APC got it right! Prince Abubakar Audu is better positioned now more than ever before to dismantle and uproot the incumbent governor, Capt Idris Wada.”

But Abayo Samson fears that Audu could rekindle his battle with the state’s civil servants.

During his stint between 1999 and 2003 he was believed to look down at the bureaucracy and described civil servants as liabilities while the pensioners

were labelled dead woods Some in the ruling PDP, however, see Audu’s emergence as a blessing in disguise for his party saying the challenge of beating Audu was a less arduous task than some of the other younger aspirants that were in the APC.

Younger aspirants “His (Audu) victory to me is a blessing in disguise for our party, the PDP. PDP will win the Kogi State in the general election coming with empirical evidence from the 2003 revolution that ousted Audu then,” he boasted.

John Odaudu on his own believes Audu’s victory at the party primaries won’t guarantee him winning the general elections: “Audu won the APC primary but it does not mean he will win the general election. For Audu to win I believe APC will lose this governorship election. For us we will prefer any candidate presented by PDP, than for us to see Audu to win this gubernatorial election. We are tired of him because of his pride."

By Kingsley Fanwo

FRONTLINE governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kogi State, Mr. Banjo Amoto has expressed confidence in himself to win the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in the primary scheduled for September 10, 2015.

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in Lokoja, the aspirant said Kogi needs fresh ideas to move forward.

Amoto appealed to PDP delegates not to toe the line of their APC counterparts who nominated a failed aspirant as candidate, urging them to shun money politics and vote the best candidate.

He said the present situation of Kogi State demands special intervention by proven hands with the competence to revamp the economy of the state and reposition it for efficiency and service to the people.

“I am putting myself forward to serve the people of this state because I have confidence that I can move this state forward if given the opportunity to serve.

“Kogi must remain with the PDP because I remain the party with proper understanding of the needs of the Kogi people.

Our governor has done his best but I believe I can do better.

“What we need to harp on in Kogi is the possibility of generating high revenue to

cater for the needs of our people. We have enough mineral resources to attract many local and foreign industries to the state and create jobs for our people.

“A government under my leadership will ensure we tap into tourism and agriculture.

We have about 27 mineral resources in Kogi which should be harnessed to make us less dependent on revenue from the federation account.

“If I don’t believe in the future of this state, I won’t be in the race. But I will keep appealing to my supporters to eschew violence and politics of character assassination”.

•Amoto

PDP: We 've perfected the formula for defeating Audu

K

By Boluwaji Obahopo

OGI State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has welcomed the choice of Prince Abubakar Audu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC for the November 21, 2015 governorship election.

The PDP said with the choice made by the APC, the election has already been won by them and lost by the opposition party in the State.

The state publicity secretary of the party, Prince Bode Ogunmola, in a statement, remarked that the Nov 21st election is already a done deal for the PDP, expressing optimism that PDP will defeat Audu at the poll again and again.

He recalled that the PDP has since 2003, defeated the ex governor at least four times and noted that the November election won’t be an exception, adding the PDP is already celebrating its victory.

Ogunmola said, “The choice of the former governor is the biggest blunder of all times. This election will be a walk over for the PDP. Audu will be no match for the candidate of the PDP, because the electorate in the state rejected him in the past and they will continue to reject him no matter the number of times he presents himself for election and no matter the platform.”

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—31

Why Buhari should ignore haters of Ndigbo around him — IWUANYANWU

President should ignore people like Junaidu and Duro Onabule who have called us rebels.

The Igbos will not secede and I can assure you that we have remained in Nigeria in the past 50 to 60 years without producing the president and we survived, we shall overcome even this present situation.

Apart from the appointments, how would you rate the Buhari administration so far?

Well for me this is just two months of the Buhari administration so we may not begin to judge him. In education, the government has not done anything and has not said anything, in infrastructure we have not seen anything, electricity, no policy, no project, and health is no different.

He is still battling with insecurity in the North East and corruption so he said. We welcome the fight against insurgency wholeheartedly like other Nigerians; we also support the fight against political kleptomaniacs who squandered the resources of this country and looted her treasury.

UPON assertions of marginalisation against the South and the Southeast in particular, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu, a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cautions the President against those who may be encouraging him to ignore the South East on the argument that they did not vote for him in the 2015 general elections.

He spoke in an interview in Abuja.

Excerpts:

Political kleptomaniacs

By Jude Opara

W

HAT is your stance on the recent appointments made by the president?

Well my position has been very clear; there is one Nigeria and the South East is part of that Nigeria. Secondly, there is only one president for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is no president for the PDP or the APC, there is no president for the North or the South.

When somebody contests an election under a political party, but the moment he wins, he is for everybody, so the concept of ‘they did not do anything’ does not even arise, it is totally a negation and violation of the basic tenets of democracy.

•Iwuanyanwu: It is illegal to shut out a whole zone said to have voted in 2015?

Historically in 1999 when the whole Nigeria voted for Obasanjo, the South West, his brothers voted for the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

When he won the election he ran an all inclusive government and brought in people like Bola Ige into the government, the North was predominantly All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) then and Obasanjo brought them into government.

So to single the South East now on the basis of what we voted is a gross injustice.

Now, voting is an exercise of fundamental right as enshrined in the Constitution and we have the right and entitled to that.

Tenets of democracy Everybody has the right to vote based on conviction and interest, the voting pattern was clearly based on conviction and interest and to shut the South East or any section of Nigeria out on the basis of what they voted for is against democracy.

Having said that, let me also contend with the issue that we didn’t do anything; Imo State is an APC state and Buhari received votes from every part of the South East, so if he shuts out the South East on the basis of what we voted and what we didn’t vote it will also include those who voted for him, where then is the justice?

But is this the first time a zone or group will vote in the manner the South East was

South East cannot be singled out for exclusion or punishment on the basis of decision we took collectively or individually in the 2015 election; it is an invitation to instability and most importantly, it is illegal for anybody to shut out a whole zone punitively on the basis of where they voted and where they didn’t’ vote.

The South East has always supported every government in this country, we supported Obasanjo, we supported Yar’Adua, we supported Jonathan; none of them is an Igbo man, none of them is from the South East, in the same way we are going to support President Buhari.

One northern politician has dared the South East to

South East cannot be singled out for exclusion or punishment on the basis of decision we took collectively or individually in the 2015 election; it is an invitation to instability

attempt another secession if they don’t like what they are getting from the present government. Are you worried by such comments?

You see we will not attempt any suicidal move like the secession they are trying to provoke us into.

I have said that we will remain steadfast in our convictions about Nigeria it is better to vote out of conviction than to vote just for conformity.

We are having problems in the North East now, some say it is religion, say it is injustice, some say it is poverty, no matter what it is, it is taking a whole global attention and the nation’s resources to be able to solve; we must not create another situation like that.

That is why I think that the

It is in this area of appointment that we advise him for caution; he has obviously not done well.

We have been at the receiving end, the Jonathan’s administration, no single project was commissioned in Imo, Abia or Ebonyi, none. In Anambra, it is the unending story of the Second Niger Bridge, it is a perpetual story and yet it is not yet done and of course in Enugu it is the so called international airport that looks like an advanced level airstrip so we have nothing more to show.

The subject of marginalization in the South East is real and we are saying that it is impossible and I repeat impossible for this country to aspire to be a first class nation in Africa or the world while creating second class citizens in the South East, it is impossible.

KOGI GOV: PDP welcomes Audu's entrance

By Boluwaji Obahopo

K

OGI State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has welcomed the choice of Prince Abubakar Audu as the candidate of the APC for the November 21, 2015 governorship election.

The PDP said with the choice made by the APC, the election has already been won by them and lost by the opposition party in the State.

The state publicity secretary of the party, Prince Bode Ogunmola, in a statement, remarked that the Nov 21st election is already a done deal for the PDP, expressing optimism that PDP will defeat Audu at the poll again and again.

He recalled that the PDP has since 2003, defeated the ex - governor at least four times and noted that the November election won’t be an exception, adding the PDP is already celebrating its victory.

Ogunmola said, “The choice of the former governor is the biggest blunder of all times. This election will be a walk over for the PDP. Audu will be no match for the candidate of the PDP, because the electorate in the state rejected him in the past and they will continue to reject him no matter the number of times he presents himself for election and no matter the platform."

C M Y K

32 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

LIBRA; This is not the right time to rely on promises made by others. Continue to take matters-of-theheart seriously. Reason with your reliable associates.

SCORPIO; Tension within the domestic scene will start to ease off. Yet you will need to watch what you do within your base till after 10.15pm tonight.

SAGITTARIUS; Both yourself and other important personalities to you are beginning to see things from same point of view making it easy for you to eliminate unnecessary rift.

CAPRICORN; Venus moves into a positive angle to your Star and encourages peaceful settlement.

Exhibition of maturity on your part will favour you better.

AQUARIUS; Gradually you are dropping aggressive approach you have adopted in the last few days to the betterment of your cause. Remain practical till after 10.15pm

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

NE of the O greatest fallacies mankind is saddled with is the belief that the rich don’t cry. But my questions are:

So, The Rich Also Cry? why should the rich cry? Is the rich not a human being? Has he no feelings? Does he not eat? Does he got not go to the

TERROR MUDA

toilet? has he no blood running in his vein? Does he have more than one head?

I pity the rich man. He wants

in “Scavenger Elite”

companionship, yet, no one is ready to offer him any, because, everybody sees him as self-sufficient in everything.

By Lanre Kehinde

PISCES; Better than yesterday; however that is not to say you should throw caution to the wind.

Improvement on your love life indicated. Try to comport yourself.

ARIES; After a few days of fun you may need to settle down to serious business. Those of you working till very late evening will need to be more careful till after 10.15pm. Reason with your tried and trusted old hands(friends) TAURUS; Venus moves into a positive angle and boost your sparkling personality to the betterment of your cause. Could be a nice day for the-youngat-heart GEMINI; It is important you don’t allow your mind to wander unnecessarily so that minor but costly mistakes would be averted. Avoid late evening confusion.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in “HEY’

By Andy Akman

CANCER; Recent tension generated by controversy over money will start to ease off. Be more vigilant if you are working late in the evening.

LEO;. Other people will continue to have their says and if you try to indoctrinate them tensed atmosphere will be aggravated. Be patient VIRGO; Entrance of romantic Venus into your Star Sign will enhance your prospects. Both financial and love related success are possible.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

What’s my financial standing?

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Joshua, I want to know about my future, especially what I should expect from my love life both in the immediate and far future. However that is not to say I am not interested in good financial standing.

Awopagba, Jos. Dear Awopagba, The challenge here is inability to hold on to your gains (profits) partially, by the contact made between your natal Saturn and Venus as stated under your career and some other times by your love of easy life. Although the Saturn influence can be mitigated as I said under your career, the love of luxury comes from your stallion Taurus which must not be totally discouraged but should not be allowed to go beyond your control. Yes envy and jealousy can creep in as indicated by the oppositions between your natal Venus/Saturn in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio, but that is not enough excuse for either failure or manipulation of occult powers against you.

Whatever anybody says and/or does GREAT FINANCIAL SUCCESS is your portion.

The most influential planet during your birth hour is Venus-the planet of MONEY and LOVE. You are the romantic type whose magnetic personality and open handedness are sources of big trap to his members of opposite sex. As handsome as you are you truly crave stability in your love life/home. The happiness you desired will be yours.

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

Confusion in Uga over Traditional Prime Minister position as pastor burns Ikoro Uga shrine

VOL. 1 NO 42

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

- Page 5

Legacy of abandoned projects by past govts

BY CHIOMA GABRIEL

T

HE SOUTH East of i g e r i a is littered with jumbo projects started by past administrations but never continued by subsequent ones.

It is the same story across the states.

Past reports revealed that the abandoned government projects across the country are N12 trillion in worth.

The President of Chartered Institute of Project Management of Nigeria, CIPMN, Dr. Victoria Okoronkwo said the South East zone has the highest number of abandoned projects and Abia State leads in the region.

The institute had sent out people to six geo-political zones of the country to find out the number of abandoned projects and they discovered that about N12 trillion projects had been abandoned across the country with Abia State in the South East having the highest number.

N

Projects and programmes This had become a hydraheaded monster that had been bleeding this country since independence and had prevented the masses from enjoying maximum benefit of their taxes and the infrastructure established with national resources and this needs to be critically looked at.

Whenever a new government comes into power, virtually all ongoing projects and programmes of the proceeding government, no matter how laudable and people-oriented are often abandoned by the new administration.

This is becoming the case of the second Niger Bridge project started by the Jonathan administration but now facing abandonment by the new administration.

Abandoned projects in Nigeria today has assumed an alarming and scary rate and C M Y K

their effects on the national economy are disastrous. Every new government considers the projects and programmes of his predecessors more as the legacies and ideas of the past administration rather than as programmes meant to benefit and add value to the well-being of the masses.

Many have argued that the need to discontinue an ongoing project or programme of a preceding administration usually arises from the fact that majority of contracts for those projects were either awarded to party men, political associates, friends and families of the past administrations who might not possess any technical knowledge whatsoever on the projects.

In this edition, our correspondents across South East states of Nigeria, are taking a look at the abandoned projects in Igboland communities.

We’re abandoned, Abia oil producing communities lament

By Anayo Okoli/Eric Ugbor MUAHIA— ORDINARIALLY, the presence of natural resources that contribute to the development, growth and welfare of society

U

An abandoned road

should be a thing of joy and blessing to the communities where such resources are located.

But in most Nigerian communities, rather than being a blessing, such resources often turn to burdens on the people.

This is because instead of them being God’s gift attracting development to them, they attract neglect and suffering. Perhaps because such communities are usually without very prominent people, especially political

leaders, projects meant to bring development and raise their living standard are always diverted or abandoned.

The story of oil producing communities of Ukwa West and Ukwa East local government areas of Abia State is not different.

The oil that qualifies the state as an oil producing state is from the area, but the people from the area cannot be said to be enjoying any benefit from an endowment bequeathed to them by God. For example, a very busy Federal Government owned road that transverses the communities and their neighbouring community of Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, had been abandoned for years.

That it had been abandoned is not the only problem, but the pains, hardship and perennial stress and inconveniences they had been subjected over the years cannot be quantified. Motorists now spend countless hours on this road, trying to meander their way out of the very deplorable

Continues on page 2

2 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

In Ebonyi, it’s a litany of woes

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI—THE issue of abandoned projects remains a phenomenon within the state capital, Abakaliki, following the administrative and economic lapses of the immediate past administration in the state.

However, immediately the present administration came on board on May 29, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State decided to embark on assessment and reevaluation of projects started by the last administration in order to know their actual status and possibility of completion.

The projects visited include the Ebonyi State International Trade centre, hostel accommodation at Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Abakaliki, the Ochudo Secretariat, Ebonyi International Market, installation of streetlights within the state capital, the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, Ebonyi Rice City Hotel, among others.

Others yet to be visited by Governor Umahi include Oferegbe and Okawu Water Schemes, uncompleted Ebonyi unity bridges, among others.

These projects started by the last administration were not

Abandoned Centenary Tower executed by former Governor Martin Elechi’s administration completed as some are in a state of complete dilapidation and obvious decay resulting from former Governor Elechi’s lack of intensive supervision of them.

For instance, the Ebonyi International Trade Centre started by former Governor Sam Egwu’s administration is in a state of complete abandonment.

South East Voice learned that the location of the trade centre

has now become free lodging centre for the homeless people in the state even as hoodlums have keyed into the opportunity of its abandonment to perpetrate evil within the state capital.

The environment has been taken over by grasses, lizards and other dangerous animals as nobody is advised to go in there at night for any form of business transaction.

Also, the Ebonyi State International Market and Ochudo Secretariat commissioned by the past administration were equally not completed. This development made the present administration to conclude arrangement to return monies to the people of the state, who had paid for shops at the international market.

The governor did not only

We’re abandoned, Abia oil producing communities lament Continues from page 1 road. In fact, with the rains now in its peak, the road has been completely cut off and rendered impassable for any motorist.

The road, a 50 kilometre dual carriage Obehie-Azumini-Akwa Ibom federal road was awarded to a Chinese construction firm, CCECC, by the Niger Delta Ministry in 2011 but it had since been completely abandoned by the company after scraping the surface, which also worsened the condition of the road, leaving the communities to wallow in abject neglect and abandonment.

The condition of the road has adversely affected the economic life of the communities.

Road contract Their inter-state petty trading with the communities from the neighbouring two states has since been paralysed as they can no longer transport the goods through the dilapidated road, a condition that has complicated their woes. The enthusiasm with which the people welcomed the award of the road contract has since evaporated.

Though nobody has officially explained to the communities why contract for the road was abandoned, unconfirmed information filtering into the ears of the communities blamed it on failure of the Ministry of Niger Delta to pay the construction firm.

What the communities are passing through is regrettable.

For Chief Kenneth Nwaogu, a C M Y K

Another abandoned road project businessman based in Obehie, “it is unfortunate that our people have been abandoned for years to undergo sufferings as a result of deplorable road. When contract for the road was awarded we heaved a sigh of relief that as an oil producing area that we have finally been remembered, but you can see that our hope and expectation have been dashed.”

“This road served as a route for the people of Cross River, AkwaIbom, Abia and Rivers states, but since the road deteriorated beyond use by any sort of vehicle, our people have been going through hell.

Unquantifiable hardship “They have not told us why the contract was abandoned, exposing our people to this level of unquantifiable hardship."

Also lamenting the condition of the road, a legal practitioner, from

the area, Mr. Chidiebere Akparanta, said “because our people are law-abiding people that is why the government is taking them for a ride. You can’t imagine this happening in any other oil producing state of the federation.

“Ukwa is the major oil producing area in Abia with many capped wells scattered across Ukwa area, yet the people have virtually nothing to show for the natural endowment of God on their land.”

The plight of the people recently touched the Abia State government as the former Governor Theodore Orji shortly before lleaving office, last year inaugurated a committee to see how a palliative measure could be put in place to make the road passable for the people.

The committee, under the leadership of the Chairman of the Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission,

ASOPADEC, Chief Emeka, provided palliative repair of the road which eased movement and brought relief to the people, but the rains had since washed it away.

Sources from the construction firm accuse the Federal Government of refusing to fund the project. The sources claimed that the company is currently being owed the sum of N3.2 billion for the job already executed on the project. The source, however, expressed hope that work will resume on the project as soon as the Federal Government makes funds available.

The construction firm is currently being owed the sum of N3.2 billion for the job already executed.

Sources, however, expressed hope that work will resume on the project as soon as the Federal Government makes funds available

Also, the Ebonyi State International Market and Ochudo Secretariat commissioned by the past administration were equally not completed. This development made the present administration to conclude arrangement to return monies to the people of the state, who had paid for shops at the international market threaten to de-commission the project, but also condemned the action of the past administration for collecting monies from market people when the project in question had not been completed.

Ebonyi Rice City Hotel project is the worst as the place had over the years served as a conduit pipe for siphoning public funds. The project was started by the first executive governor of the state, Senator Sam Egwu as there is no hope in sight for its completion.

Okawu water scheme, among others, are also in a state of abandonment.

Financial debt burden Having evaluated the cost implications and financial debt burden surrounding each of these projects, Governor Umahi discovered that the past government left a financial debt running into billions of naira for the payments of contractors in the state.

One of the obvious failures of former Governor Martin Elechi’s administration was its inability to decipher the priorities of the people of Ebonyi State on a scale of preference. The government because of the crippling impact of this failure, further erroneously embarked on multiple capital intensive projects which in the long run posed a threat to its financial capability and credibility.

It is factual to state that the last administration started well but ended badly, especially in the area of project choice and execution throughout the state, apart from the less capital intensive ones such as the Civil Servant Training Centre and the International Conference Centre, which it completed.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 3

Road projects: How Gov Okorocha shortchanges Imo •It's not true—Okorocha; says he's recommenced work on flyover

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

W

HEN GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha came on board in 2011, several things especially the construction of roads, commenced with jet speed. He told Imo people that he was in a hurry to develop the state. Road works commenced virtually in all the 27 local council areas of the state. However, midway into the projects, the citizenry started noticing that most of the roads became abandoned by the contractors charged with the responsibility of paving the roads.

Okorocha equally experienced the sad situation recently, when he paid working visits to the local government areas. In some places, he ordered the arrest of the contractors that allegedly ran away with mobilization fees without doing the jobs for which the money was paid.

Apart from this, there was also the Joseph Dina saga, which sadly led to the sacking of the former deputy governor, Sir Jude Agbaso. The leadership of the State House of Assembly, the state government and Joseph Dina, collectively accused Agbaso of collecting N458 million as bribe, out of about N1.5 billion released to the contracting firm owned by Mr. Dina.

Contracting firms He, however, gave the contracting firms the option of going back to site and continuing with their assignments, refund the money or face prosecution.

Despite this order and the setting up of a task force headed by the present Secretary to Imo State Government, Sir Jude Ejiogu, government is yet to inform the people about the number of contractors arrested or who refunded the alleged missing money.

Soon after the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, flagged off the construction of a second Niger Bridge at Onitsha, Governor Okorocha equally flagged off a fly-over in Owerri, Imo State capital.

In the governor’s characteristic manner, a house that was constructed before the Nigeria civil war, close to the Nworie River, was destroyed by government agents, to pave way for the proposed fly-over.

The inhabitants of the house woke up one morning to behold earth moving machines stationed in front of their building. Before they knew what was happening, the machines descended on their home.

The rumbling noise from the rampaging machines and the distress cries of the hapless, helpless occupants of the building, attracted sympathizers to the scene. People’s plea never deterred those sent to demolish C M Y K

the structure.

Some of the occupants, who dared the machine operators and their sponsors by staying put in their rooms, were, however, forced to flee for their dear lives when the machines finally descended on the building. The occupants barely managed to salvage whatever they could from their living rooms, before the building became history.

Construction work on the planned fly-over commenced almost immediately and when the governor visited the scene, he promised to deliver the project on or before the end of

Governor Rochas Okorocha

It was a very sad experience. The building he pulled down was not an illegal structure. I am not even sure that the proposed fly-over is part of the Owerri master plan

2014! This is August 2015, and only four months is left to the end of another year. What is on ground are about 14 pillars and the beams across them.

One of the former occupants of the building, who visited the scene at the time our correspondent went to assess the situation, lamented that “government should not have destroyed our residence when it did.”

Although the man refused to identify himself, he, however, recalled with grief, the trauma he

and members of his family had to pass through when the bulldozers struck.

“It was a very sad experience.

The building he pulled down was not an illegal structure. I am not even sure that the proposed fly-over is part of the Owerri master plan. Honestly, there was no urgent and explicable reason for the government to throw us out of the house. I don’t wish that type of experience for my worst enemy,” the man told our correspondent and walked quietly away.

Other respondents wondered why the present administration carefully refused to continue the fly-over started by the immediate past governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim.

They stressed that it would have been more meaningful for the administration to complete the existing projects, which have gone to an appreciable level of construction, before commencing a new one and sacking families from their homes.

Addressing journalists in Owerri recently, Governor Okorocha, who carefully avoided to address the plight of the people whose building he crushed near Nworie River to make way for his proposed flyover, however said that “work has re-commenced at the fly-over started by Ohakim.”

He also debunked the rumour making the rounds that he ordered the contracting firm to use mere blocks in the construction of the fly-overs.

“The original drawing of the flyover had no roundabout but I have added it. The blocks people say I am using to construct the fly-over would be used to beautify the structure. I am also continuing with the dualization of the Owerri-Orlu-Akokwa federal highway. Nobody is talking about this project but I am not worried,” Okorocha said.

••Ezihe, Umucheke Okwe cut off

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—The people of Ezihe Umucheke, Okwe, Onuimo local council area of Imo State, are passing through untold hardship, following the inaccessibility of the roads leading to this rural sleepy community.

South East Voice gathered that in his bid to improve life and well-being of the people from the area, the immediate past governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, awarded a road contract to Marcol Engineering. Work commenced almost immediately and an appreciable job was done before the change of guards in the state administration.

Imo people voted against the continued stay of Ohakim and Chief Rochas Okorocha stepped in as governor. Soon after, the Okorocha administration allegedly stopped funding the project and the contracting firm left the site.

The people’s suffering therefore started. As if to mitigate the people’s suffering, Governor Okorocha awarded a fresh contract for the six-kilometre Eziama-Umucheke OkweUmuago road. This stretch of road was expected to connect Onuimo local council area to

Ideato South Local Government Area of the state. In his own wisdom, the governor awarded the road project to two different contracting firms.

The contractors went into action.

People’s hopes were raised, especially when the government planted sign-posts at intervals on this road. The inscription on these sign-posts read: “Rescue Mission Project.” That was all.

The contractors, who were largely unknown in road construction world, started scraping the top soil and later left

Many villagers living outside the community told South East Voice that they may no longer find it easy to visit their ancestral homes, and some have virtually put off doing so until the dry season sets in

the scene. Nothing else happened thereafter on the road.

A villager, who simply identified himself as Kelechi, recalled that “the saddest thing one of the two new contractors did was to bulldoze the Udegwu bridge and abandoned the project thereafter.”

Kelechi equally recalled that the contracting firm destroyed two high tension electric poles located near the bridge, in the process of removing the top soil of the road.

Tampering with top soil “The two poles were later replaced by the villagers, who could not stand the darkness they were forced to experience,” Kelechi said.

South East Voice also gathered that apart from refusing to replace the damaged electric poles, the contractors abandoned the project after tampering with the top soil along the stretch.

Another villager that identified himself as Hyacinth, expressed worry that “with the rains in full force, the place has become hopeless.”

Apparently inundated with persistantcries from the villagers, the governor paid a recent visit to Onuimo local council area to see things for himself. To say that

he was shocked at what he saw is merely putting it mildly.

Okorocha not only said that the contractors were handsomely mobilized to do the job, but also wondered why they abandoned the projects. Expectedly, the governor immediately ordered the arrest of the contractors.

Government went a little further to declare the contractors and former transition committee chairman of the local government area (names withheld) wanted.

The sad thing is that several months after these people were declared wanted, nobody had either been told if they had been arrested, taken to court or how much had been recovered from the fleeing contractors.

While this situation remains, the people have continued to suffer untold hardship. Many no longer find it easy to visit their homes. Some of the villagers living outside the community told South East Voice that they have virtually put off visiting their ancestral homes until the dry season sets in.

Efforts made to get the state government’s side of this story before going to press, failed as the governor’s Special Duties aide, Mr. Emma Ibediro, who is a native of the area, could not be reached on his mobile line.

4 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY,

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Abandoned projects litter Anambra road reconstructed by the administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime. Even at that, there is the unavoidable stretch from the 9th Mile Corner which every motorist going to Enugu must pass through and which has remained a nightmare to every driver.

Similarly, the Oba –Nnewi, Arondizuogu- Okigwe federal road had become a forgotten issue. If the road was fixed, it would be a shorter route for those travelling to Okigwe, Umuahia and some parts of Awgu in Enugu State from Onitsha. There was a time it was rumoured that Federal Government had

The federal secretariat in Awka

By VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—OF all the abandoned federal projects in Anambra State, the most worrisome to the people are the Second Niger Bridge, the Enugu–Onitsha expressway and the federal secretariat in Awka.

Since the former President Olusegun Obasanjo era, the idea to construct a second bridge across the River Niger had been on the front burner and after over 10 years of playing politics with it, the present administration had finally decided to suspend the project.

Recall that during his campaign for second tenure, Obasanjo hurriedly came to Onitsha and told the people he was laying a foundation stone for the project. It was later observed that there was actually nothing on ground to show that any project was taking off there.

they had something to hide. And with the recent announcement that work has been suspended, the people have come to realize that everything about Second Niger Bridge is all politics.

Like the Second Niger Bridge, users of the Enugu –Onitsha expressway had been experiencing hardship on the road for many years due to its

dilapidated nature. The worst section of the road on the Anambra end is the UmunyaAwkuzu axis. The Anambra State government is, however, working on the Amawbia-Amansea section of the road that passes through Awka.

The stretch from Awka to Enugu is virtually abandoned as motorists currently use the old

C M Y K

School rehabilitation For instance, there was a time local government areas in Anambra State petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the abandonment of constituency projects worth over N300 million by contractors and officials of the Federal Ministry of Housing after collecting mobilization fees.

The allegation was that some of the contractors for the projects in some local governments absconded after collecting mobilization fees from the appropriate federal agencies.

Even some of the borehole projects allegedly completed fail to function barely few weeks after adjudged completed and commissioned and nobody questioned reasons for such failures.

6 years on: Ndigbo lament abandonment of Enugu Intl Trade Fair Complex

By FRANCIS IGATA

E

NUGU—People of the south-east geopolitical zone have lashed out to the Federal Government over its failure to construct the permanent site of the Enugu International Trade Fair Complex, six years on.

The Federal Government had designated Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu, International Trade Fair Complexes since 1992 but had completely constructed that of Lagos and Kaduna, leaving Enugu untouched.

South East Voice’s visit to the fair located along EnuguOntisha expressway showed that the efficacy of the fair has ebbed copiously even as shanties and

South south affiliation When the immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan took over as president, it was thought that with the South South affiliation with the Eastern part of the country, he would make the Second Niger bridge a priority project. But this was not to be as nothing was done there until the tail end of his administration when he was seeking for second tenure, and like Obasanjo, he went to Onitsha to perform the infamous ground–breaking ceremony.

A recent visit to the site of the ground breaking ceremony showed that nothing had been happening despite all the claims that work was in progress. In fact, what was visible during the visit was a group of men preventing people from taking photographs in the area, an indication that

The idea to construct a second bridge across the River Niger had been on the front burner and after over 10 years, the present administration had finally decided to suspend the project

awarded contract for the road, but as usual with other federal projects in the South East, it turned out to be untrue.

The latest of the abandoned projects is the federal secretariat located opposite the state secretariat in Awka. Though work progressed speedily after the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim flagged it off, it was recently discovered that the contractor was gradually removing his equipment from the site.

Again, it is not only big federal project abandoned in this part of the country, even such small projects as boreholes, water supply, school rehabilitation, among others, were also abandoned.

A water borehole lying prostrate at the right side of the entrance gate.

makeshift tents dotted the entire landscape.

Bushes had taken over parts of the site. There was no sanitary facility where participants and guests can ease themselves at the fair. The consequence is better imagined. The offensive odour from surroundings make a statement. The abandoned water borehole with over head tank lie prostrate and rusty at the right hand corner of the entrance gate.

ECCIMA In an opening address at the 26th Enugu International Trade Fair last April, the President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, Mr. Ifeanyi Okoye,said.”Since we commenced the hosting of the fair here,six years ago, we have been striving to improve on the facilities in the complex. “We are once more appealing to the Federal Government to set aside adequate fund for the direct award of contract to a competent contractor to complete the development of the Enugu International Trade Fair Complex just as was done in Kaduna and Lagos.

PARTICIPANT CRIES A participant at the fair, Mr. Christopher Ozonweke regretted that,”The flair of the fair has been lost. Go round and check. You will hardly find a foreign participant or exhibitor in this fair.

“How can the nation’s industrialisation, investment inflow and employment generation be achieved with these shabby structures and facilities in the fair?. The idea of deepening efforts for market oriented and committed policy reform for the improvement of our business environment to support and encourage the manufacturing/industrial sector and particularly to ensure that our products compete effectively in the international market may be elusive.

Ethnic nationalities Okey Agbo, a businessman wondered why President Goodluck Jonathan had to treat Ndigbo with levity in his six year stay as president.

His words:”The 26th Enugu International Trade Fair has come and gone now. Every year,the organisers of the fair keep appealing ,for construction of the permanent site as was done in Lagos and Kaduna. “In this country,we have three major ethnic nationalities,Igbo,Hausa and Yoruba. The citing of the three international trade fair complexes at Lagos,Kaduna and Enugu represents the regional structure of the country and is meant to engender even economic growth of the regions.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 5

Confusion in Uga community over Traditional Prime Minister position •pastor burns Ikoro Uga shrine

BY OBIALUNAMMA NWADIOGBU

E

KWULOBIA—TENSION has gripped the Uga community in Anambra state over the position of Ikenga Uga, the traditional Prime Minister and the burning of the Ikoro Uga shrine by an overzealous pentecostal Pastor. Traditional worshippers are protesting the perceived assault and prominent indigenes are not happy over the development.

One of the community elders Nze Titus Medo Umenzekwe expressed dismay over the dastardly act that is currently generating crisis in the community.

Ikoro is a message medium for every community in Igboland and at the sound of an Ikoro, the villagers would gather for information. It is being ignored now in most communities due to modern communication gadgets to summon emergency meetings.

The pentecostal Pastor allegedly burnt the Ikoro shrine in a bid to liberate the community from strange things said to be happening in Uga but a journalist, Jude Mascot Obiagwu dismissed the insinuation of evil happening in Uga because according to him, many Uga sons and daughters are among the richest in Anambra and many are doing well all over the world.

Pentecostal pastor burning Ikoro Uga shrine

Burning of the Ikoro

Gov Obiano

Pissed off by the development, a Septuagenarian and former Chairman of Awarasi village, Uga , Aguata local government area, Nze Titus Medo Umenzekwe condemned the burning of Ikoro and alleged that Prince Chidi Ezenwugo purportedly elected by a section of Uga community as Igwe Uga monitored the burning of the Ikoro and enumerated the crisis in Uga which only two things would resolve. According to Nze Umenzekwe, obeying the constitution and obeying the judgement of the court on Uga crisis is the only solution instead of burning of the Ikoro. He said Prince Ezenwugo was not properly elected as Igwe and therefore he should stop parading himself as the Igwe elect of Uga town. He said any Igwe elected without the Ikenga Uga is not Igwe elect, adding that Ikenga Uga must be recognized for Uga community to have peace C M Y K

and progress or else crisis would continue in the town that has been in legal battle for years.

Nze Umenzekwe further alleged that some people including the member of the state House of Assembly, Dr Ikechukwu Umeh and President General of Uga Improvement Union, Dr Godwin Akam are fuelling the crisis by upholding the recognition of the son of the late Igwe Felix Ezeobieri Ezenwugo to ascend the throne yet without allowing the Ikenga Uga, Chief John Oragwa to perform his duties even when different courts gave judgement in his favour.

Trading blames But in a ceremony allegedly to mark the end of the tussle and emergence of Prince Ezenwugo as Igwe-elect, President-General of Uga Improvement Union (UIU), Chief Goddy Uche Akam, said the union followed its 1984 constitution which states that “the office of Igwe of Uga shall be

IGP, Arase Solomon hereditary.”

This, Nze Titus Medo Umenzekwe punctured by asking why he recognized the constitution on Igweship but refused to recognize the office of the Ikenga Uga as stipulated by the constitution and refused to obey court order that said nothing would be done without Ikenga Uga. Chief Akam, who said there was no contention as to the family or kindred the contestant would come from, pointed out that whoever is adopted and presented to Uga Representative Assembly (URA) for ratification assumes the position.

Nze Umenzekwe accused Akam of dissolving the Uga Representative Assembly (URA), before the selection of the Igwe elect and using persons who are not Isiobi Oka and Isiobi Awarasi in electing the supposedly Igwe because the true personalities for the position are in court battling for their position sequel to non

recognition by Akam and others against constitution and earlier court judgements.

Akam disputed that and stressed that the emergence of the Igwe-elect was done at St James’ Anglican Church field before the Igwe-elect was presented to the General Assembly for acceptance at Nkwo Uga, a common gathering square for the four quarters of Umueze, Oka, Umuoru and Awarasi that make up Uga community for selfish reasons.

Umenzekwe then asked that if that was the position , he should produce the recorded video tape for the community to view and see the rightful Isiobi Oka and Isiobi Awarasi breaking kola nuts and performing their rightful duties, alleging that such scenario never played out as Akam used vigilante groups from almost all the communities in Aguata to intimidate the people of Uga on that event because he sensed trouble.

Umenzekwe rejected the stand of the President General on the crisis in Uga and appealed for a true reconciliation and peace as enshrined in Uga constitution of 1984, accusing the PG of balkanizing his community based on ego which public position should not be seen as indulging in.

Umenzekwe wept over the continued crisis that has bedevilled development, peace, progress and growth of his community since 1984, appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to intervene and bring a lasting peace to Uga community.

He advised all government officials whose names were being dropped to please urge those trying to destabilize Uga to sheath their sword and seek for permanent peace by being constitutional and following rule of law.

Nze Umenzekwe requested Governor Obiano to direct all contenders in the crisis rocking the traditional stools of Uga to obey the constitution of the community and all court judgements emanating thereto as that is the only solution to the crisis in Uga community. On the

On the burnt Ikoro, he said there is freedom of worship and there is no reason anybody should burn the Ikoro shrine binding the community together whether a shrine or not, adding that even if it is a shrine some people still worship it

burnt Ikoro, he said there is freedom of worship and there is no reason anybody should burn the Ikoro shrine binding the community together whether a shrine or not, adding that even if it is a shrine some people still worship it.

He said there is tension in that aspect now, pointing out that the lingering crisis in Uga was due to disobedience to court judgements and constitution of Uga by people who believe they have people in government and are above the law.

According to Umenzekwe , ‘’court judgement said there would be no meeting in Uga without the regent but they are holding meetings without him.

Court judgement and constitution said if an Igwe dies , Ikenga should take over until a replacement is found but they refused to obey the constitution and the court judgement. This is the crisis in Uga and not Ikoro Uga. The late Igwe’s son was there and they were burning Ikoro Uga. I am appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to reject the Igwe elect until peace is restored by these people disobeying the constitution of the community. Umueze took Igwe for life but denied others their rights. I am not interested in any position but for the right thing to be done. I am not even from the villages. Let Obiano intervene and restore peace”.

Igwe-elect speaks However, the Igwe elect,Prince Chidi Ezenwugo, while admitting the Ikoro was burnt with his knowledge said: ‘’I don’t know that was part of their intention. I don’t know they have such plan but I regret it and pray it doesn’t happen again.

On Ikenga Uga, he said, “ Everybody knows Chief John Oragwa is our Ikenga and it is not being disputed and we recognize him . He is our Ikenga and that is not in dispute. There is judgement in that regards and we are obeying it and the constitution too is clear on that.

There is no crisis in Uga because if there is any crisis, I would not be collectively brought out as Igwe elect. Igwe is hereditary”.

On his part, the member of House of Assembly , Hon Dr Ikechukwu Umeh dismissed the allegations , saying ‘’Nobody is contesting Ikenga with him. The man ‘Chief John Oragwa’ is still our Ikenga” but the selection of Igwe was done right and there is no crisis in Uga for now”.

But Nze Umenzekwe rejected their stand as cosmetic and lamented that the same constitution of Uga Improvement Union (UIU) of October, 1984 that gave powers to the election of Uga improvement Union elected officials in part 11 section V , equally gave powers to election of a traditional ruler in Part X11 and sub-section 68 for offices of Ikenga, Ogene and Ochiagha, yet some privileged and educated individuals are abusing the constitution of the community by not recognizing the roles of the Ikenga Uga et al.

6 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

By FRANCIS IGATA

E

NUGU—RESIDENTS of Ovoko community in IgboEze South Local Government Area of Enugu State have raised the alarm over growing incidence of masquerades who rob and maim victims.

Police in Nsukka, had last week,arrested two masquerades for robbing a trader along the NsukkaObollo-Afor Road.

South-East Voice gathered that in the past few weeks, masquerades had continuously mounted road blocks in such areas as Eha-Alumona, OvokoObollo-Afor, among several other public roads, inflicting heavy wounds on motorists and dispossessing them of their valuables.

How masquerades rob, maim traders in Nsukka

Heavy wounds on motorists A police officer in Nsukka who pleaded anonymity told SouthEast Voice that the police moved into action when the victim, Mr. Chinonso Ezewaji reported the matter at Nsukka Police Area command.

He said when two of the masquerades were arrested, others ran way.

According to him, “when the police team reached Ovoko, along Nsukka–Obollor-Afor Road, where the masquerades were operating, two of the policemen in the bus

Two masquerades in police net pretended as if they wanted to give the two masquerades money,they stretched their hands to collect it and that was

how we hand-cuffed them and others ran away.

“Eight masquerades have been on that road since

morning tormenting road users; the two of them we arrested have denied involvement in robbing the trader, but they have given the names of the culprits. “When we searched one of the arrested masquerades, we saw Indian hemp in his pocket”.

Police reaction:When contacted, Enugu command Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO,confirmed the incident, noting that the police has commenced investigations into the matter.

Amarizu urged communities to regulate and monitor those who wear masquerades as some of them were hiding on it to harass, intimidate and rob innocent members of the public.

“Police is not against any culture but community leaders must know the character of people they allow to wear masquerades in the name of culture.

“A masquerade has no right to mount a road block on busy roads where motorists, motorcyclists and other road users ply on daily basis.

“The police has commenced investigations and must get to the root of this matter as issue of masquerades disturbing people has become a recurring

decimal”, he said.

Victim narrates ordeal: Narrating his experience, the victim (Ezewaji), a trader, said he was on his way from Nsukka to Obollo-Afor when the masquerades in Ovoko stopped him, gave him the beating of his life, after which “they searched me and collected N57, 000 from my pockets”.

Masquerades speak Meanwhile, the two masquerades, who identified themselves as Kenchukwu Eze, a carpenter and Ejiofor Eze , brick-layer alleged that they were not part of the team that robbed the victim. They gave the name of the masquerade involved as Chima Mamah.

“We only collected N20, N100 and N500 from people; we didn’t participate in collecting the N57,000", one of them claimed.

However, kenechukwu Eze, while admitting that the police recovered Indiam Hemp from him, said “If police will release me, I will not wear masquerade or smoke Indian hemp again. It is the left-over of the one we smoked before coming out”, he said.

Help save my husband from liver problem, wife of former DSP begs Nigerians

By VINCENT UJUMADU

S

IXTY YEAR old Maxwell Ezeh, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Uli in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State needs immediate assistance as the fear is that he might give up the ghost if such assistance does not come soonest.

Eze was struck by an unknown disease in 1995, which gradually led to the bloating of his tummy and legs. For the past four months, the former police officer no longer sits down comfortably.

The once elegantly built Eze, father of eight,who retired from the police in 2012, is presently a shadow of his old self and while his legs and stomach are largely swollen, his head and chest are very tinny. His wife, Elizabeth, says the entire family rarely sleeps as their former bread winner remains restless all the night and most of the day.

Narrating her husband’s ordeal to Saturday Vanguard, Elizabeth said: When we noticed that my husband’s health was deteriorating, he underwent a laboratory test at the University C M Y K

of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. The result revealed that he had a small lump in his abdomen. However, the doctor told us that it would be too risky to subject him to a surgical operation as he might very likely lose his life in the process.

Besides, the doctor said the hospital does not have the necessary instruments to carry out the operation and recommended that my husband should be taken abroad for the operation. When we told him that the family did not have the money to take him abroad, he gave us some drugs to be managing the situation locally. Since then, he has been going to different hospitals for treatment. Four months ago, we noticed a sudden swelling of his stomach and legs.”

Latest laboratory examination showed that Eze has developed chronic liver problem and kidney enlargement. Of late, he vomits frequently with attendant high fever. According to the result of his last visit to the hospital, Eze’s blood level has reduced to 35%. and medical experts have again advised that he should be flown to India for proper medical

treatment. The family’s greatest worry, however, is its inability to raise N25 million needed for the treatment, including flight ticket and other logistics.

Due to lack of funds to fly him abroad, the family is appealing to Nigerians to help save his life.

The doctor said the hospital does not have the necessary instruments to carry out the operation and recommended that my husband should be taken abroad for the operation

His wife, Elizabeth had taken the appeal to churches, local governments, some well to do Nigerians and even the state government. Recently, she was at the Government House in Awka and was desperate to see Governor Willie Obiano, although protocol made it difficult for her.

Dismissing insinuations that the husband’s sickness might be a nemesis of bad deeds, the wife said: “My husband was an honest and hard-working officer during his days in the police force and that he cared so much for his family. I have lived with him since 1981 when we got married and nobody had spoken ill of him.

He was never involved in any shady deal and never maltreated anybody.

“I have written a letter of appeal which I want to give to our governor to beg him to help send my husband overseas for treatment. I don’t want my husband to die. I am a trader at Uli market and the business is almost closed down due to my husband’s protracted illness as I spend most of the time to attend to him”.

Maxwell Ezeh, retired DSP

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 7

NGO collaborates with Ebonyi community leaders against insecurity “We want the leaders to allow the women to always participate in security meetings.

Women are special people and are closer to children than their husbands."

Organization, Cleen Foundation yesterday said it was going to collaborate with Community leaders in Ebonyi state to ensure that the issue of

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI—A non g o v e r n m e n t a l

Ebonyi First Lady, Mrs. Umahi carrying one of the quadruplets with Mrs Chidubem Igboji, the mother and the first lady’s aides

4 YEARS BARRENNESS: Ebonyi First Lady splashes

gift items on mother of quadruplets

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI—BARELY a month after Mrs. Chidubem Igboji was delivered of quadruplets at Mile 4 hospital, Abakaliki, the wife of Ebonyi state Governor, Chief Mrs. Rachael Umahi on wednesday visited the family and donated lots of items for the children’s upkeep.

The items include bags of rice, diapers, bags of salt, toilet tissues, cartons of bottled water and cash.

The woman who has been barren for four years and delivered through Caesarian section was filled with joy at the

THE TEAM

Editor: Emeka Mamah - Enugu (08033218645; email: emekemamah@yahoo.com) Anayo Okoli, Umuahia Vincent Ujumadu, Awka Austin Ogwuda, Awka Chidi Nkwopara, Owerri Peter Okutu , Abakaliki Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Nnewi

Francis Igata, Enugu Nwabueze Okonkwo, Onitsha

Ugochukwu Alaribe, Aba Enyim Enyim, Onitsha Chinoso Alozie, Owerri Obialunamma Nwadiogbu, Amawbia Eric Ugbor, Aba C M Y K

presence of the Governor’s wife at their residence in Abakaliki.

The children are all boys as each of them filled the gap of the years of childlessness of their parents.

Appreciating God for His

goodness over the family of Igboji, Mrs. Umahi encouraged the couple to look upon God who will always provide for them at all times She called on them to live together as one united family

and invest in the future of the children.

Responding to the gesture, Mr. Igboji who is a chemist thanked the Governor’s wife for the items and asked God to bless her abundantly.

ANAMBRA COMMUNITY TO OBIANO: Please,

help before erosion swallows us

By VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—THE people of Enuagu, Enugwu Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State have sent a Save Our Soul, SOS, to Governor Willie Obiano to come to their aid over the gully erosion ravaging the community.

Several houses and roads in the area have either been cut off or threatened by gully erosion since this year’s rainy season began, forcing some of the people to relocate to safer areas. Some of the villagers have been trying to control the menace, but with the rains pouring almost everyday, their efforts have not yielded much fruit.

Worried by the development, the people decided to pay a visit to the Government House and when it was not possible for them to have audience with the governor, they decided to write.

Their SOS letter reads: “Your Excellency Sir, Enuagu is one of the 18 villages in Enugwu Ukwu and the village is

Some of the gully erosion sites at Enuagu village, Enugwu Ukwu situated in the valley surrounded by devastating erosion sites. These erosion sites are Isi Nnamkpa, which runs from All Soul’s Anglican Church to the newly constructed bridge down to Amawbia and the Ngene Ocha erosion site from the back of Sir Herbert Nkwocha Primary School, which has created a very deep gully that has affected the source of our spring water.

“These gully erosion SITES developed as a result of the activities of construction companies that failed to properly channel the flood water with adequate concrete gutters when they were working here.

“Over the years, we resorted to self help to control the menacing flood by planting bamboo trees, building of concrete culverts and construction

insecurity was tackled at the rural level.

The community leaders and the NGO struck the deal during a seminar organized by the foundation at Ugbodo, the headquarters of Ebonyi local government area of the State.

Addressing over two hundred community leaders in the area, the Programme Officer of the NGO, Ifeanyi Anyanwu called on them to avoid discrimination against women on issues of combating crimes and criminality in their localities.

“Women should be allowed to participate in security matters in their areas. We learned that some communities do not allow them to discuss security issues and that is why we are here.

“We want the leaders to allow the women to always participate in security meetings. Women are special people and are closer to children than their husbands and as a result of this inculcate moral values in the children”, he said.

Earlier, the Divisional Crime Officer of Ugbodo police Division ASP Godwin Atumah who represented the police during the event, said security was everybody’s business and as such should not be relegated to the background.

He called on the people of the area to always volunteer useful information to security operatives on the activities of hoodlums so as to allow for proper policing of communities in the state.

of catchment pits that had cost us millions of naira with nothing to show for the amount spent.

“It will interest Your Excellency to note that we lost one of our sons, Master Ezuno, a student of Okutalkwe Secondary School, Enukwu Ukwu to flood and a lot of buildings are on the verge of collapsing into the gullies. We have also witnessed land slides that caused deep cracks and depression on our roads with the attendant hardships.'

“As a listening governor that harkens to the yearnings of the people, we the people of Enugau village plead with you to do something to save us from this menace.”

Comrade Vincent Oguno, who signed the letter on behalf of Enuagu community, recalled that the people had earlier made a representation to the state government through its former lawmaker in the state House of Assembly, adding that despite promises made to them, nothing was done.

South East Voice gathered that the erosion problem in Enugwu Ukwu has also attracted the attention of the traditional ruler of the town, Igwe Ralph Ekpe, who has promised to discuss the matter during the community’s New Yam festival taking place this week.

8 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

8 YEARS ON: Ebonyi govt

promises to upgrade school of Health it is alleged that the people of Ngbo community are still making claims to the land.

A management staff of the school of health who did not want his name in print accused the Principal of the institution, Martin Igwe of admission racketeering, insensitivity to the condition of the school and students; and bogus award of contracts and diversion of funds meant for the development of the school into his private pockets.

Reacting, the Principal, Mr. Igwe dismissed the allegations leveled against him adding that he has been following all the laid down rules and regulations governing admission of prospective students into the institution.

Uncompleted building

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI— GOVERNOR Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state has assured that his administration would look into the challenges facing Ebonyi School of Health Technology, Ngbo in Ohaukwu local government area of the state.

He gave this assurance during a media chat with newsmen in Abakaliki.

The school which was established in 2007 by former Governor Sam Egwu has depreciated infra structurally and otherwise.

The school has become an eye sore as it has no toilet facilities apart from the only one in the Principal’s office; the school environment looks like a practical centre for an agricultural institution as students are usually seen standing or sitting outside under trees because of the unavailability of seats in the school.

The working condition of the lecturers in the School of Health, Ngbo is also unimaginable as they do not have offices to handle their tutorial assignments.

One of the students who spoke to South East Voice lamented the indiscriminate sales of handouts in the school which hitherto had been declared illegal by the State Ministry of Health.

The school which has no gate, also does not have a survey plan to determine the size of the land housing the Health institution as

The school has become an eye sore as it has no toilet facilities, the environment looks like a practical centre for an agricultural institution as students are usually seen standing or sitting outside under trees because of the unavailability of seats

He denied any involvement in the diversion of public funds meant for the institution even as he reiterated that he hadn’t powers to award contracts and execute them.

As it stands, students hardly come to the school to read at night as there are no security measures put in place for their safety.

Findings by South East Voice revealed that the school does not have any standard lecture hall, viable school canteen, laboratories and libraries needed for the smooth running of the institution As a matter of fact, there is no sign of any clinic within the school premises as students stand the risk of facing any health hazard or disease outbreak as a result of the poor environmental sanitation of the school and lack of toilet facilities.

Addressing the students, staff and management of the institution, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike who said he has received lots of petitions against the management of the school assured that the present administration would not fold its arms and allow the institution to go moribund.

According to the Commissioner, the state government would look into the challenges facing the school with a bid to providing appropriate solutions to them.

Meantime, some members of the management of the school have blamed Governor Martin Elechi’s administration for the state of the school.

Nekede community threatened by ravaging erosion

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI— THIS is not the best of times for the people of Nekede in Owerri West local government area of Imo State.

They are now living in palpable fear, following the ravaging erosion that is currently threatening to swallow the entire community.

South East Voice who visited the area within the week on a fact finding mission, gathered that the bridge linking Umumbazu to Umuezuruokam had already bowed to the ravaging erosion which engulfed that end of the community several years ago.

Currently, the road which links Owerri to Umuejechi and other six villages of Nekede, has finally been cut off by another segment of the ravaging erosion. The villagers and residents of the area now find it extremely difficult to commute to and from Owerri, where they either earn their living or buy their food needs.

Speaking to South East Voice at the scene of the devastation, an aggrieved son of the community, who simply identified himself as Onumara, lamented that while the bridge across Otamiri River collapsed C M Y K

several years ago, the state government sadly left our only link road to Owerri, at the mercy of the frightening gully erosion.

“The erosion at the Umumbazu-Umuezuruokam axis started like a child’s play but it has ultimately destroyed the Owerri- Nekede-Ihiagwa road.

The same is also true of the erosion before the Agricultural Development Programme, ADP. Today, people from Umuejechi and Umumbazu can only visit their kith and kin at Umukoto and Umuofocha through Owerri and Naze communities, a distance of more than six kilometers”, Opara lamented.

He recalled with grief that all the access roads into and out of Nekede, has been swallowed by the rampaging erosion, adding that the community is now saddled with the problem of seeking new routes in and out of the area.

Speaking also, the community’s Government Liaison Officer, GLO, Chief Christopher Uzoma Kemakolam, recalled that the community did everything possible to draw the state government’s attention to the impending doom before the bridge collapsed but “nobody listened to us”.

Continuing, Kemakolam said that they were forced to take their plight to the National Assembly before the House Committee on Ecology and Environment that was then headed by Senator Grace Bent, visited the area.

“Work actually commenced on the construction of a new bridge but it must be said that it is too slow for comfort”, Chief Kemakolam lamented.

He recalled that Governor Rochas Okorocha had visited the site and promised to get in touch with the appropriate authorities, with a view to getting the project back on track.

Giving a graphic account of how the erosion started, Kemakolam, said “the erosion at the bank of Otamiri River was partially caused by the natives

Nekede erosion

themselves. He explained that Nekede people sold their land to sand excavators and only realized much later that instead of the expected monetary advantages attached to the sale, it brought unimaginable problem to all.

“When the devastation became apparent, we asked the sand excavators to stop but they refused because they claimed they are licensed by the Federal Ministry of Mines to do what they are now doing”, Kemakolam said.

He also recalled that the community reported the matter to Imo State Ministry Petroleum and Environment and followed it up until the Ministry officials visited the site several times.

“It is saddening to note that as

at the time of this interview, nothing positive and to the advantage of the community, has happened in the place. We have now taken them to court, seeking an injunction restraining them from continuing with the excavation”, Chief Kemakolam said.

South East Voice recalls that because of this deadly excavation, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, came from Abuja and Enugu, to assess the devastation for themselves.

The officials took time to properly educate the natives on the inherent danger, if the high tension lines, running across the erosion devastated area, were allowed to collapse.

They reminded the people that apart from the huge cost of replacing the lines, in terms of Naira and Kobo, the loss of a single precious human life, would be colossal.

“As I am talking to you, the excavators are still at work. We are appealing to the state and federal governments to come to our aid because it has now gone out of our control”, the traditional ruler of Nekede, Eze Stephen Agumanu, pleaded.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—33

OMEREJI PANEL: Your allegations are

pedestrian, Wike tells Amaechi P

By Jimitota Onoyume

ORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has described as extremely pedestrian, allegation by former Governor Rotimi Amaechi that the Justice George Omereji panel of inquiry was set up to rubbish him with issues of corruption.

Wike who spoke, yesterday, in Port Harcourt as part of activities lined up to mark his 100 days in office, said it was unfortunate that the former governor who had saturated the media with claims of what he allegedly left for him on May 29, will want to run away from an opportunity offered by the commission to clear the air on his actions bothering on financial matters as governor.

Wike who assured Rivers people that he will not operate a government laced with propaganda and lies, said his administration will uphold the truth at all times.

He wondered why a former governor who claimed he left billions in several accounts in the state coffer for his successor could not pay fees owed WAEC for students of the state origin, who sat for the examination, adding that the same government left unpaid salaries of civil servants,

pensions, school fees of students on the state scholarship programmes overseas and contractors.

“Do you believe that Rivers State Government owed WAEC. It was a government that believed in so much propaganda. You said you kept such money for us and you could not pay WAEC, salaries, pensioners, salaries of Sharks football club. Today Rivers people can sit to say

that our own style is not to use the media to tell lies."

Dismissing allegations by the former governor that the commission will be unfair to him, Wike said it was only a ground for the former governor and his aides to explain to Rivers people some of their actions that the present government was confused about since there was no handover note from the previous administration.

“We saw huge sums transferred to different companies in one week with one address. We don’t understand the details of the transaction and said come and explain to Rivers people at the commission, is this the persecution?”

Wike said at the moment, the state government does not even know the current status of its power assets and other similar valuables.

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. Ayo Igienu, Dr. Sulaiman Adejoh, National President, Messengers of Peace and, Kate Peter, during a briefing on the 2nd edition of Queen of Peace Nigeria at Okochiri, Okrika, Rivers State, yesterday. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

TRIBUNAL: My witness has turned hostile, Ogboru

cries out

A

By Festus Ahon

SABA—IN what appears to be a mid-day drama, the governorship candidate of Labour Party, LP in the April 11 2015 election in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru, has cried out at the Election Petitions Tribunal, saying that his star witness, Mr Felix Enabor, had suddenly turned hostile to him.

The tribunal had at its sitting in Asaba, subpoenaed Mr Felix Enabor, who is the Head of General Administration and Procurement Department, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC office, Asaba to give evidence in the petition

by Ogboru and LP over the conduct of the governorship election in the state.

Soon after Enabor mounted the witness box and his written statement and other documents admitted by the tribunal as exhibits rather than commence with the examination of the witness, Ogboru’s counsel, Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, raised alarm by way of motion, urging the tribunal to label Enabor as a hostile witness.

Emukpoeruo said some paragraphs in the witness deposition were “animus,” and

C M Y K

injurious to the petitioner. But reacting, counsel to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and INEC, Dr. Alex Izyion, SAN, Mr. Timothy Kehinde, SAN and Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, respectively opposed the motion, describing

same as “very basal and unknown to law.”

Izyion argued that section 230 of the Evidence Act was not being complied with, pointing out the request “to label the witness as hostile and animus is not automatic as it cannot be invoked.”

He said; “The petitioner is the one

providing the witness upon an application, it is his witness where the procedure is by deposition, particularly if the witness is adverse to his case particularly to election petition, they have taken a gamble, they either swim or sink with the witness they have called.”

Emerhor laments rising debt profile, development of the state, and unemployment in Delta for the enjoyment of Deltans in

A

By Onoja Innocent

SABA—ALL Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the April 11 election in Delta State, Olorogun Otega Emerhor has decried the sorry state of infrastructural decay, acute poverty, increasing debt profile, high rate unemployment and underdevelopment in Delta State,

particularly in the last 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Emerhor and Delta APC in a statement by his Director of Media and Political Communication, Dr Fred Oghenesivbe said it was painful that the PDP wasted precious 16 years which was more than enough to build standard socio-economic structures and financial empire for the overall

the three senatorial districts.

He said that the PDP dashed the hope and aspirations of Deltans so much so that the populace now wallow in abject poverty and sorrowful standard of living.

The APC chieftain urged the people to partner the APC to end the 16 years of misrule of PDP so as to open a new page for good governance and overall development of the state.

Edo PDP group lauds party's NEC on biometric Samson Esemuede, said the this month. registration The group appealed to all PDP party members were glad with

B

By Simon Ebegbulem

ENIN CITY—A group in the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Edo New Dawn, yesterday, commended the party ’s National Executive Committee for the approval of the party’s biometric registration exercise to take place in the state before the party’s congresses later

members in the state to take advantage of the opportunity by coming out en-mass to register so as to be able to vote for their choice of candidates in the forthcoming congresses of the party.

Addressing journalists in Benin City, after the group’s meeting, the chairman of the Publicity Committee of the group, Mr

the choice of Chief Raymond Dokpesi as chairman of the biometric registration exercise in the state, saying “Apart from being one of the leaders of the party in the state, with a strong character, Chief Dokpesi is a honest, dedicated and patriotic leader whose integrity is never in doubt.”

GOV POLL:

Bayelsa PDP forms new group

Y

By Samuel Oyadongha,

ENAGOA—SOME concerned politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State, yesterday, met in Yenagoa to deliberate on the need to unite contending forces within the party and form a force against anti-PDP forces ahead of the governorship election in the state.

The meeting held in Yenagoa, led to the formation of a political group known as the PDP Integrity group.

The PDP Integrity group, according to the PDP, was set up to unite the leaders of the party and put an end to cases of defection recently noticed within the ranks and file of the party in the state.

Prominent members and interim executive of the new group, are former state PDP Chairman and former Commissioner for Local Government, Deacon James Dugo, the National Coordinator, Ferdison Agada, a former state Assembly aspirant and Director ofMediaandPublicity, Kingdom Blessing.

NDPF wants reopening of shut flow stations

U

G H E L L I — FOLLOWING the continuous neglect of oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region and failure of the oil servicing companies to fulfil the various agreements reached with the communities which resulted in the shutdown of operations at OML 30, 34 and 65, Niger Delta ProgressiveForum,hasmetwith the president generals of the communities with a view to appealing to them to open the shut stations to foster proper and meaningful negotiations with oil servicing companies and the Federal Government.

The forum noted that issues bothering on better life for the people of the oil producing communities were their core interest but cautioned that government must also be given due information and time to ensure that the needs of the people were met.

The forum also urged the communitiestoputtogethertheir grievancesintoadocumentwhich will be presented to the appropriate authority that will address them.

34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 35

Be agents of peace and unity, royal father urges Muslims

By Kingsley Fanwo

A

first-class royal father, the Olukotun of Ife Olukotun, HRH Alhaji Oba Mohammed Ayegbajeje Shuaib, has called on Muslims across the country to promote peace and unity among Nigerians in order to enthrone development and growth.

The traditional father made the plea in a chat with Vanguard in his palace in Ife Olukotun.

He said Prophet Mohammed was an agent of peace, adding that was why Islam was regarded as the religion of peace.

According to him, those who promote violence are operating against the tenets of the Holy Book.

He said: “We are in a critical period as a nation. We need to pray to Allah to return us to the path of peace. ‘’Islam does not in any way encourage people to wage war against our fellow human beings. It is an abomination to take the lives of innocent people. ‘’Islamic leaders must rise up now to mount a sustained advocacy against this inhuman criminality.”

Oba Shuaib, who is also the chairman of South East Yagba Traditional Council, called on his subjects to support government at all levels.

He said all the religions preach in favour of giving support to people in positions of authority because they were ordained by Allah.

He also called on the government of Kogi State and authorities of the Ecological Trust Fund to come to the aid of people of South East Yagba in the face of the ecological problems bedeviling the area.

He thanked the media for giving attention to the challenges faced by the people of South East Yagba, which include criminal activities by cattle rearers.

C M Y K

By Umar Yusuf

Y

OLA—NO fewer than 30 communities in five local government areas of Adamawa State have been submerged in a flood from Kiri Dam. Kiri Dam is in Shelleng local government area of the state.

The flood is coming even as the much dreaded one from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon is being awaited.

Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Relief Agency, ADSEMA, Mr. Haruna Furo, who announced this in Yola yesterday, disclosed that the rescue operation was being mobilized to evacuate trapped people in the area.

“Reports reaching us is that the flood had trapped several communities in Guyuk, Shelleng and Lamurde Local Government Areas. More is needed to be done to rescue the communities,” Furo said.

He said there was still no report of death but noted that hundreds of thousands of houses and farm lands had already been submerged and destroyed by the flood in the areas.

Furo maintained that already, the agency had established some rescue camps for the affected victims at Borong, Demsa and Numan.

According him, the agency has also held an emergency meeting with police marine

30 Adamawa communities submerged in Kiri Dam flood

HANDING-OVER: Former Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade, presenting gifts to Mrs. Kafayat Azeez, who has just been rehabilitated by the state government; her husband, Mr. Azeez Jimoh (left); Perm Sec, Min of Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Dr Akinyinka Eso and Director of Special Needs in the Ministry, Mrs Taiwo Oladunjoye, during the handing-over ceremony of displaced people to their families after being rehabilitated by the Aregbesola's administration, at the Govt Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo, at the weekend. and other appropriate agencies for quick response mission.

Furo added that the aim of the joint meeting was to brief all authorities concerned on how to rescue the communities affected.

“Among the agencies at the

meeting are the police, Customs and Immigration marines and the State Fire Service.

“The rest are the FRSC; the NSCDC; the Red Cross and the Waterways Associations, among others,“ Furo said.

When contacted over the development, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, the state Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, confirmed that the state sister agency had contacted NEMA over the flood.

Gunmen raid Benue High Court, cart away valuables

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI—OVER 25 armed men, suspected to be political party thugs, in the early hours of yesterday

ransacked the premises of Benue State High Court, carting away valuables, including a 60 KVA Marapco power generator.

Vanguard recalls that the attacked premises houses the two

Agency warns against siting cesspits, latrines near kitchens

By Suzan Edeh

B

A U C H I — FOLLOWING the death of 20 persons in Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State as a result of cholera, the Primary Health Care Development Agency has warned people against digging soak-away and pit latrines near kitchens and wells in order to avoid contact with viruses that spread diseases as cholera and diarrhoea.

Acting Chairman of the agency Dr. Yahya Yarima, handed down the warning during a three-day sensitization exercise on the need to observe environmental sanitation by the Misau Emirate Community and Human Development Association, MECAHDA, in Misau local government area of Bauchi State.

He stressed the need for people to maintain a high culture of personal hygiene, particularly in their immediate environment,

pointing out that such a habit would go a long way in curtailing not only the spread of diseases but also avoidance of unnecessary spending on health.

“The saying that health is wealth cannot be overemphasized because it is only when you are healthy that you can look for a means of livelihood. ‘’People should ensure that they maintain a hygienic environment to prevent the menace of flood and diseases.''

National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunals in Makurdi, the state capital.

According to a source, who is a judicial staff, the gang gained entrance into the complex at about 4am, after taking the security guard on duty hostage and beating him to a pulp.

“They gained entry into the premises, after mercilessly beating the security man on duty and tying him up with a rope. He is currently recuperating in a public hospital in town.

“We heard that the about 25 armed men who disguised themselves in Special AntiRobbery Squad, SARS, uniforms, stormed the complex in a Hilux van at about 4am.

“They were said to be asking the security man of files and afterwards broke into the offices and the Registry of Court Two and other selected offices and

ransacked the entire premises after which they fled in the van carting away the 60 KVA Marapco power generator.

“Though for now, we cannot ascertain what the gang took from the offices but we are still taking inventory of our property,” the source said.

When contacted, the Tribunal Secretary, Mr Surajo Gusau, who dispelled the fear of litigants of the safety of exhibits in possession of the Tribunals, said all the documents in the custody of the Tribunal were intact and were not tampered with.

No official of the High Court, including the Chief Registrar, obliged information on the matter.

Benue State acting Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Matthew Oku Austin Ezeani, who confirmed the development, said the matter was being investigated.

UNESCO partners NUBEC to set up literacy centres in Bauchi

By Suzan Edeh

B

AUCHI—THE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO will, in collaboration with the National Universal Basic Education Commission, NUBEC, establish community literacy centres in Bauchi State to promote adult education in the state and the

North East at large.

Briefing newsmen on the plans, Executive Secretary of Agency for Mass Education, Hauwa Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, said the proposed literacy and vocational projects would soon commence and would be cited in Darazo local government area.

She said: “An oversight visit to the state by a delegation from the Federal Government and

UNESCO will be conducted next week to ascertain the state of preparedness on the projects.

“The centres in Darazo local governments are to serve the North East states which will enable adult women and the girl-child to acquire skills and training.

“When completed, the centres will enrol the Almajiri pupils and youths in order to promote non formal education in the region”

36 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

FORUM: From left— Mr. Babajide Komolafe, Deputy Business Editor, Vanguard Newspaper; Mr. Musa Jimoh, Deputy Director, Banking and Payments System Department; Mrs Mudia Augusta, Senior Manager; Mr. Ahmed Wali, Assistant Director, and Rita Jatto, Assistant Manager, all of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, during the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria's bimonthly forum in Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

and Projects; Mrs Bukola Isaac-Oluwasanmi, Head, Customer Relationship Management, and Ms Obianuju Mofunanya, Travel Finance Scheme Manager, all of Ajala.ng, at the media launch of Ajaja.ng in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

DECORATION: From left— Mr. Biola Komolafe, Director, Standard Department; Mr. Salawu Wasiu, Standard Officer 1, Gombe Office; Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director General, all of Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, and Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director, Field Services Department, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, during the decoration of SON Commission Factory Inspectors in Lagos.

BEAfrica: From left— Mrs Sade Okoya, Socialite; Cecilie Binoche, representative of Jackson Family Foundation; Mrs Toyin Adepegba, Brand Manager, Natures Gentle Touch, and Ms Abimbola Okoya, Founder/Chair, Basic Education Africa, BEAfrica, during BEAfrica/Jackson Family Foundation Make That Change seminar supported by Natures Gentle Touch in Lagos.

HAJJ SEMINAR: From left— A cross section of Hajj pilgrims during the first international Hajj seminar at Medview Airlines office, Ikeja, Lagos.

PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

AJALA.NG: From left— Ms Omolua Oyakhire, Head, Brand Marketing

COMMUNITY DAY:

Dr. George Abaye, MD, Port Express Service Ltd, receiving award from; Alhaji Quadri Adeniyi, CDAC Chairman, and Mr. Olatunde Balogun, Chairman, Community Development Committee, CDC, Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area, during the CDCs Community Day and award ceremony in Lagos. PHOTO: Shola Oyelese.

C M Y K

ECOBANK/GLOBAL FUND WORKSHOP: From left— Mr. Babasola Aluko, Group Head, Financial Institutions International Organizations; Mr. Andrew Redpath, Portfolio Relationship Manager, Private Sector Engagement of The Global Fund, and Mr. Osahon Aibangbee, Local Account Manager, Financial Institutions International Organization, during Global Fund and Ecobank workshop in Abuja. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

SHOPRITE: From left— Yanju Olomola, National Key Account Director, Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, Limited; Olajide Ahmadu, Shoprite Festival Mall Branch Manager; Vincent Emokpaire, Customer and Commercial Leadership Still Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited; and Grace Owolabi, Key Account Manager, NBC, during the opening of Shoprite Festival Mall at FESTAC Extension, Lagos.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—37

Security is now about intelligence

Professional (CPP); which is the highest certification you can get in any part of the world. I have also acquired that knowledge, so I have been equipped to do the job. Having the tools and knowledge, what I do at the firm is to put the right pegs in the right holes.

How would you advice women to be security conscious considering the level of insecurity in the country?

Traditionally, women are considered the weaker sex and at times can be taken advantage of. We have to be conscious of that; be alert and vigilant.

Women should cultivate the habit of reading the newspapers and listening to news to know what is happening around them, so that they can know the security trends that are at play and also know how to protect themselves.

We have had cases where women who drive luxurious cars get bumped by another car, while coming out to investigate what ahppened, her car gets snatched.If you don’t read the papers you won’t know the new strategy used by criminally minded people.

— Victoria Ekhomu

Dressing appropriately

*Victoria Ekhomu

CHIEF (Mrs.) Victoria Ekhomu is the Managing Director, Trans-World Security Systems Limited. She is also the Vice President of American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), the leading organisation for security professionals worldwide. She is the first African woman to hold this lofty position. From 20082010, she served as the Regional Vice-President in charge of West and Central African. She earlier served ASIS International as Assistant Regional VicePresident (2006-200) and chairman of the Nigeria Chapter (2004-2005). In 1999, she received the ASIS Nigeria Chapter Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award. She had a chat with Esther Onyegbula.

Excerpts:

W

HAT has been your contribution to security in the country?

In Nigeria,we have addressed various things. I recall when we commenced the inauguration, that one of the issues we looked at was the Advance Fee Fraud, popularly called ‘419’. At that time it was a big problem in Nigeria.

I was messing up Nigerians, no matter how good you were, or how viable your corporation was, the moment you travel overseas and attempt to attract business, they wouldn't want to hear about Nigeria; a lot of international companies even blocked Nigeria.

When you try to get into their network because you are

calling from Nigeria, it won’t go through.It was very damaging to our economy and reputation. We have also looked at terrorism; you know terrorism is not new. We have had it in different stages, even as far back as Dele Giwa. Even then,we addressed terrorism and we have continued to address it.

Looking ata the Banking Sector, we have a lot of fraud happening in that sector. We have taken that; looked at it and addressed it in our conference.

When we have an event, it is usually covered by electronic and print media.

This brings a lot of discourse to the table when it is aired or published. We have also looked

at anti-corruption; during the Obasanjo era, one of his major agenda was anti-corruption.

We have had different conferences, which addressed different burning issues at different times.

How you do you cope, considering the fact that the sector is male dominated?

As you know, security before now required muscular people.You needed to have people who had physical stamina and strength. A lot of people were expected to use their energy and muscles , but security has moved beyond that.

Muscular strength It is now about intelligence.

If you think about Condoleezza Rice who was in charge security for the whole of America,she was a woman.

Back home,the late Dora Akunyili who at a time headed NAFDAC was also a woman.

She was not only effective but performed brilliantly well. We still employ the services of people with muscular strength when the need arises.

Today, security is no longer for dropouts but for intelligent people ,which is why the trend today is training and certification.

People who come from the Army, Air force, Police that come to us for trainings often attest that they don’t have the kind of knowledge that we have in private security. When they acquire that knowledge while they are still in service they are able to improve and perform better at their jobs.

My role here as the Managing Director of the firm is to manage, and I also have the qualification to do so. I have the Certified Protection

We still employ the services of people with muscular strength when the need arises. Today security is no longer for dropouts but for intelligent people which is why the trend today is training and certification

When you are going to the market women must dress appropriately, yo don’t dress to stand out. Women must learn to blend and dress for the occasion, if you stand out then you may become a target.

Women must also know when to move around and the kind of parties they attend. With the new administration coming into power, the budget has not been passed.

People are watching the economy, some people are having problems with their business at the moment, hunger is in the land, so when there is hunger in the land, those who are criminally minded take to crime.Then women will be more vulnerable and become victims if they are not aware.

That is why women need to be proactive.

How can government eradicate Boko Haram terrorists?

Terrorism like you know is a global problem. You cannot utilize conventional method to get rid of them. It is not easy to say this is when it is going to end because it is a different kettle of fish.To bring terrorism to a stop,you must utilise intelligence.

Intelligence is a critical tool that must be utilised and then we must infiltrate their midst.This will enable the military collect more valuable information.

38 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY 5 WEDNESDAY,, SEPTEMBER 2, 201 2015

By Charles Kumolu & Iheoma Nwanyanwu

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NLIKE other operators of barbing saloons, Mr. Festus Harrison does not see his job as a transitory one.

He believes it is a profession that could earn him a meaningful livelihood. So, he never thought of abandoning the job, even when others who learnt the art of barbing with him had left it for other better paying ones.

That thinking remained until the months of February, March, April and May 2015, when he suddenly told VanguardFeatures,VF, of plans to quit the job and seek something else.

That was shocking considering his passion for the job. He told VF that the rationale for wanting to quit was the then prevailing fuel scarcity in the country, which was worsened by the near shut down of the economy.

Given that the acute fuel shortage later abated as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with oil marketers, Harrison dropped his rash decision of quitting his job and is now hopeful of making it big.

Like millions of Nigerians, Harrison was full of expectations from President Buhari as he assumed the mantle of leadership on May 29, 2015.

Dreams into reality He hoped that the new administration would translate dreams into reality and expectations into concrete and visible actions, given that the country was almost grinding to a halt at the time the government came on board.

The challenges of that period was aptly captured by the Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress ,APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who said: “No electricity, no fuel, workers are on strike, billions are owed to state and federal workers, $60 billion owed in national debt and the economy is virtually grounded.”

Nearly 100 days after, the 27year-old Harrison told VF in Lagos that things are really looking up, specifically saying that he spends less operating his saloon given the marginal improvement on power supply.

“Bros, I no go tell you lie, things don change. No be lie.

I no dey buy fuel for my generator again like before.

Light dey dey yapa,’’ he cheerfully said while cutting this reporter’s hair.

He also expressed happiness that electricity bills have reduced since June unlike in

President Muhammadu Buhari during his campaigns...has life improved for the common man yet?

For the average Nigerian, it’s 100 days of hope, anxiety the past when he paid more for services not rendered.

Findings by VF showed that Harrison is not alone, as many said that things are really taking shape in Nigeria, even though they are in a hurry to see the country properly working.

The cost of living which was high as at May 29, 2015, marginally dropped as a result of the regular availability of petroleum products.

But the purchasing power of most Nigerians remains low due to the credit crunch in the country.

thus: “There is no need asking, you can see it yourself that we no longer charge exorbitant prices. A few days to Buhari’s assumption of office many of us stopped working because fuel was expensive and difficult to get. That was why we had price hike.”

Imported food items

Purchasing power of Nigerians Indeed, checks showed that the cost of transportation which hitherto increased by nearly 70 percent, has returned to a bearable percentage, thereby reducing the crippling effect it had on people.

A bus driver, who shuttles between FESTAC Town and Second Rainbow Bust Stop, Mr. Onyeme Amadi told VF

Similarly, a commercial tricycle operator in same area, Mr. Benjmin Okiwelu said: “Most passengers often speak well of Buhari because we now have fuel and an appreciable level of power supply. I still marvel at the level of power supply we enjoy in Ilepo where I live. Was it magic that Buhari performed?”

Further investigations across some markets in Lagos showed that prices of food stuff remain on the increase within the period under review.

The rise in prices became very visible last year but most of us thought it was as a result of the insurgency in the North

The prices were found to be rising at an alarming rate making life extremely difficult for the common man.

The food items found to be most affected are tomatoes, pepper, onions, crayfish, Garri, yam, rice, among others.

Imported food items like frozen chicken, turkey, fish, among others, were also affected, given the enforcement of the ban on importation of

such goods.

Increasing prices of food items: A medium-sized basket of fresh pepper now sells for N10, 000.00, from N5,000.00, while a basket of chili pepper goes for N13, 000.00, as against the N5,500.00 it sold.

A jute bag of onions goes for N12, 500.00 from N11, 000.00, while a 20-litre keg of vegetable oil goes for N6,100 as against N6,000 previously.

A four-litre paint measurement of garri still sells for N500 or N600. At the Daleko Market, Isolo, the price of the various brands of a 50kilogramme bag of rice ranges from N7,000 to N12,000.

A 120 kilogramme bag of beans costs N24, 500.00, against N22.000.00 that it sold earlier.

Similarly, a kilogramme of frozen chicken which hitherto sold for N750 and N800 now sells for N900 and N1200.

A trader at Agboju Market in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Mrs. Bose Timothy, told VF that even though the price of Continues on page 39

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY 5 — 39 WEDNESDAY,, SEPTEMBER 2, 201 2015

For the ordinary Nigerian, its 100 days of hope, anxiety

War against corruption:

Lessons from US system of government

By Vera Samuel Anyagafu & Prisca Sam-Duru

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Market women with their wares...visible price increases Continued from page 38 transportation had normalised, prices of food items are surprisingly on the increase. This, she said, is affecting their sales, as some people have resorted to affordable alternatives. “The rise in prices became very visible last year but most of us thought it was as a result of the insurgency in the North. It was worsened by the fuel scarcity during and after the elections. We expected that prices would have come down by now, but they are going higher and higher.

We don’t fix the prices, the prices at which we buy determine the final prices. But when we explain, customers fail to understand,” she stated.

Prices of tomatoes In addition, she said: “Although, the prices of tomatoes and pepper have gone down, yam, rice and imported canned food items are so high. It is not restricted to these; every other commodity is affected.”

Steady rise in exchange rate: She however pointed at the rainy season, ban on importation and disturbances in the North as the possible causes.

Textile materials are not also left out, as it was discovered that their prices have witnessed a five percent hike, a development that was found to have b e e n provoked by the steady rise in the exchange rate.

However, It has been a importers of difficult various period for us, products, who spoke to but one is VF lamented consoled by that they are g o i n g the fact that t h r o u g h the present difficult times within the government period under has initiated review, given t h e actions devaluation toward of the naira and the new addressing F e d e r a l the problem

Government policy on foreign exchange. Chief Marcilinus Nnaemeka, an Alaba based importer told VF thus: “It has been a 100 days of mixed results.

The government may be getting it right in some areas. Yet, I can fault them on some issues, where they did nothing to cushion the attending effects of their policy on importation and foreign exchange.

“Virtually every sector of the economy is redundant as investors, corporate organisations, financial institutions as well as traders are awaiting the economic direction of government to improve the nation’s economy as it had famously promised.”

Renewed hope: For workers, especially state civil servants who are being owed salary arrears , the past 95 days have been somewhat reassuring, especially following the decision of President Buhari to grant bailouts to states for the purpose of offsetting backlog of salaries.

Though the bailout is yet to result in the payment of the salaries given that some states are yet to fulfill the conditions for the loan, VF learnt many workers are hopeful even as they struggle to survive.

Struggle for survival

“It has been a difficult period for us, but one is consoled by the fact that the present government has initiated actions toward addressing the problem.

In my thinking, Buhari will not allow for such backlog again like the previous administration. Quality changes don’t happen suddenly,” a civil servant in one of the South-South states, who pleaded anonymity, told VF. VF also found that most Nigerians for the first time are having confidence in the Federal Government, a development that was linked to President Buhari’s integrity of being a disciplined leader.

This is mostly evident in most public discourses about the new administration.

Though 100 days is too momentary a period for there to be overwhelming changes or perhaps even to judge the character of the administration, VF found out that Nigerians are in a hurry to see the administration succeed. The desperation is not about the President, but the country that was nearly grounded by socio-economic crisis in the twilight of the last administration.

IGERIANS in the Diaspora, with particular reference to individuals resident in the US and in countries that share close borders with the US, have commended the steps taken by the new Nigerian government to ensure that mutual collaboration with the US government yields positive results in the area of bringing to book, corrupt government and corporate officials in the country.

Nigeria’s problem according to a source who declined having his name in print, is that the custodians of law in the country, often times, are the ones who break the law. Lessons drawn from visiting the US president should also include articulating how the US law makers make concrete efforts to ensure that the laws are enforced.

The source said that when people are not sure about the meaning of a law, why it was put in place, and why it is often faulted by those who legislated it, the situation is often ridiculing.

U S Federalism: C i t i n g example with the system of government in the United States, which he says should be replicated in •Obama and Buhari Nigeria to ensure proper close marking of politically engaged persons, who often times, steal from the public purse, he said that it will pay Nigeria more if they tackle corruption the US government way.

Curbing corruption and promoting better development in Nigeria: He said, “Many countries have recognised the importance of open governance in strengthening democracy, curbing corruption and promoting better development to boost their economies.

In other words, transparency, accountability and citizenship participation, which the US government practices more are necessary conditions to ensure that public office holders are cautious on how they handle public

Many countries governments have in place the institutions and policies to advance promoting transparency, accountability and participation

funds.”

He also stated that for Nigerians to have a remarkable level of trust on the leaders, it is imperative to let citizens know how decisions are made, taxes spent and also who is responsible within governments, to ensure governments are working for the benefit of the governed.

Another source who identified himself as Joachim told Vanguard that although many initiatives have arisen through several non governmental organisations, NGO’s, in Nigeria to promote transparency, accountability and participation in governments, much work is yet to be done to bring the benefits of open governance to Nigeria. He opined that the Buhari administration, should introduce open governance, where citizens have rights to access to information and participation.

Open governance helps citizens engage with government “Many governments have in place the institutions and policies to advance

promoting transparency, accountability and participation, and the appropriate tools and investments are made to enable these policies. The new Nigerian government should articulate from the visit to the US that citizenship participation in public policies and processes means that citizens can hold public office officials to account, and or sanction elected officials and so on. In other words, for Nigeria to root out corruption, there is need to seek to maximise citizens’ effective use of open governance to advocate for and impact change,” Joachim said.

Observation: It is worthy of note that open governance further strengthens countries’ economies for fact that the system allow citizens and their powers generate many positive changes.

Adhering to a transparent agenda, especially in regard to budget reform and spending by politically engaged persons and corporate executives, would build trust within the Nigerian society.

Making more information publicly available is an empowering act that will help rebuild trust between citizens and government, therefore, it is expected that the new Nigerian government, should increase community engagement to evoke a more engaging community.

When leaders are transparent, levels of trust increase, resulting to citizens beginning to feel empowered to take responsibility, and get attracted to your government to boost the economy.

40—WEDNESDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Delay in prosecution of forgers triggers tension in Enugu community •As aggrieved party supporters allege bias

By Abdul-lateef Ligali

T

ENSION is rising in Udi/Ezeagu Federal constituency of Enugu State over the delay by Police authorities at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, in prosecuting two stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were alleged to have forged some documents during the last general election.

Crime Alert gathered that after the PDP primary election held on December 6, 2014, one of the contestants who was protesting the announcement of his opponent as the winner, went to court and tendered forged letters, purportedly from then acting chairman of the PDP in Enugu State, Elder David Ajah, appointing Hon. Paul Anikwe and Mrs. Ify Ozoani, as returning and electoral officers of the party, respectively.

The letters he tendered had Ajah’s signature but only on photocopy without an original ink character document.

It was learned that both Anikwe and Ozoani went further to do a written witness on oath, claiming they were appointed returning and electoral officers for the election and that they conducted a disrupted primary election.

Primary election Shortly after the primary election, one of the contestants filed a suit at an Abuja federal high court, asking the court to declare him winner of the primary election.

Among documents he allegedly tendered at the court to press his claim were two allegedly forged letters purportedly from then acting state chairman of the PDP in Enugu State, Elder David Ajah appointing Hon. Paul Anikwe and Mrs. Ify Ozoani as returning and electoral officers of the party, respectively.

Miffed by apparent impersonation and forgery of his signature, Elder Ajah went to court as a witness for Dennis Amadi, the presumed winner of the election and first defendant in the suit. Ajah, under oath submitted to the court that he did not appoint the suspects, and went further to name those he appointed.

He stated unequivocally that Dennis Amadi won the election.

Armed with documents of the two different claims, on July 6, 2015 Hon. Dennis Amadi, representing the federal constituency at the House of

C M Y K

•Dennis Amadi Representatives petitioned the Inspector -General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, to determine the veracity of Anikwe and Ozoani’s letters of appointment and prayed the police to investigate the matter.

He petitioned through his counsel, M.D. Enape & Associates.

His petition to the IGP was assigned to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Criminal Intelligence and Investigations (CIID)at Force Headquarters, who moved men to Enugu and interrogated the suspects on July I5.

•IGP Arase the Police that the document in dispute bearing his purported signature on a photocopy document was fake and did not emanate from either him or the party. He emphasized that all the appointment letters issued to

Interrogation of suspects The suspects were granted bail but were requested to report to Force Headquarters on July 21, 2015.

Investigations at Force Headquarters revealed that on July 21, the two suspects appeared at the FCIID, Abuja, and continued to lay claim to the appointment letters.

This, then, made the Police request that they should come back on July 28, so that they could meet face to face with the Enugu State PDP officials in person, but on the appointed date, the two suspects however, failed to appear in Abuja with different excuses.

However, Elder David Ajah, honoured the invitation along with the party secretary and told

The lawmaker maintained that the suspects’ failure to honour police instruction was a ploy to delay their prosecution and demanded for the immediate arraignment of all suspects connected with the alleged offences, in a court of competent jurisdiction

genuine persons who worked for the party were counter-signed by the party secretary with the party seal, whereas the photocopy document tendered by the suspects was purportedly signed by the acting chairman only.

Police sources hinted that the presumed winner of the election, Amadi, however, became angry that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) of the case, instead of pursuing the prosecution of the suspects, recommended a forensic examination of the signature contained only on a photocopy document without an original ink-character signature on the document, of which the suspects have not produced the original copy of the alleged document till date.”

Prosecution of suspects Irked by the seeming sleaze over the matter by the IPO, the petitioner, Hon. Amadi again wrote to the IGP on July 31, demanding immediate prosecution of the suspects, having established that the document did not emanate from the party, whose officials are still alive, and having seen the document in dispute and disowned the letters accordingly.

The petitioner said he was embarrassed when the IPO brought the parties to the matter before the Commissioner of Police in charge of forensics, with the suspected beneficiary of the

forgery present and that, according to him, put a credibility question on the process. He also wondered the need for forensic examination of a photocopy document which does not carry the weight and character of ink.

Police instruction The petitioner, in his second letter to the IGP, noted that all relevant witnesses have made statements to prove the alleged offences, and wondered the reason for continued delay in charging the suspects to court.

The lawmaker maintained that the suspects’ failure to honour police instruction was a ploy to delay their prosecution and demanded for the immediate arraignment of all suspects connected with the alleged offences, in a court of competent jurisdiction.

He further wondered if the continuous rounds of interviews by the Police could serve any useful cause of justice, insisting on the immediate prosecution of the suspects to restore dignity and confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.

When Crime Alert visited Police Headquarters in Abuja, sources, on strict anonymity, confirmed that the matter was actually ongoing but could not say anything definitly on the level of investigation.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—41 a yoboilk.com E m a

By S boka@gma

yo sam.e

Only individual rebirth can change Nigeria— Rev Bekee GENERAL Overseer, Gospel Power Assembly, Rev. Friday Bekee, has stressed the need for Nigerians to be agents of positive change. He said the change Nigerians are yearning for should not rest on the shoulders of those in government. Rather, it should be the responsibility of every individual in the country. In an interview with OLAYINKA LATONA during the just concluded 2015 annual convention of the church, themed: “On the Wings of Mercy”, Rev. Bekee argued that as long as change remains the duty of a select few; it will continue to elude us. Excerpts

W

HAT is your assessment of the current war against corruption?

One of the challenges in Nigeria is that we always look at a problem and search for a person to hold responsible. The whole world started with a man created

by God. Every family begins with a man and a woman. When God plans to impart the world, He goes for an individual, alas a nation desiring change, must also involve an individual. Nigerians must see themselves in the light of the word of God; individuals should desire to live right, desire to make an impact in our places of work and homes.

But if individuals refuse to live right, there will not be the desired change. Even people with skeletons in their cupboards often blame other people for the decay in the society. My prayer is that individuals in Nigeria will take the issue of change as their responsibility and know that it is up to us to live right so that our society can be transformed.

It is high time Nigerians were bothered by the weight of corruption and evil that have bedevilled our nation and support efforts to eradicate it. If individual parents will desire to live right and inculcate right values into their children, Nigeria will experience peace and progress.

Leaders in authority If I am preaching to people to live right and I am not right in my activities and actions, my advice will not have any impact.

If our leaders are preaching against corruption and do otherwise, corruption will always be there.

Our president and his vice have shown us some example when they decided to cut down their salary because they are men of integrity. They are individuals who decided to effect change and I will not be surprised if some of our senators or members of the House of Representatives do the same. Leaders should not forget that they are there for the good of the nation and to serve the masses.

Place of ministers of God in rebuilding the nation If pastors and church leaders will live right, live a life of integrity, speak the truth, our lives will speak and if people know that we speak the truth, they will respect us and listen and obey. If ministers of God lead right and show good examples there will be change and our

Fashola, Obiozor for Okonkwo's 70th birthday

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MINENT Nigerians including the immediate past Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and former Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Prof. George Obiozor are tomorrow expected at the annual lecture to mark the 70th birthday anniversary of the former national vice president of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr. Mike Okonkwo.

Several activities lined up to mark the occasion include the 13th Mike Okonkwo Football Tournament and a novelty match, a special early morning communion service, the 16th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture which will be chaired by Ambassador Obiozor and the guest speaker is former Gov.

Fashola.

There would also be presentation of prizes to winners of the 12th Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition at the occasion scheduled for the Shell Hall, Muson Center, Onikan, Lagos on September 3; a musical concert/finals of the special edition of Project Nu Wine: a musical talent discovery competition and a special thanksgiving service on Sunday, September 6 at TREM headquarters, Obanikoro Anthony Oke, Lagos.

A statement signed by Deacon Fred Amobi, chairman, Mike Okonkwo 70th birthday planning committee said Dr. Okonkwo, one time PFN national president, was born on September 6, 1945 to Pa and Ma Okonkwo of Ogbunike.

Holy Family shops for N500m to remodel church

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*Rev. Friday Bekee words will be honoured. But if the people find out that our lifestyle contradicts what we preach, our words will not have impact on the society.

The challenge we have in the Church is similar to the challenge we have in the nation; if the society knows that our political leaders practice what they preach, the masses will respect them and follow suite.

When we live as light wherever we find ourselves, our light will overshadow darkness and there will be a spiritual force that will back-up our words. We should know that God holds us responsible to shine forth as light and be good leaders because there are citizens who are looking for good leaders to follow.

About the theme of the convention On the wing is an idiomatic expression that suggests flying, travelling, conveying. On the wings of mercy suggests that God is sending something to you on the wings of mercy. Mercy is like God’s aircraft, God’s cargo plane conveying one's blessing. It is only mercy that can lift one above hills, mountains and oceans that one could not cross by self. Mercy

The challenge we have in the Church is similar to the challenge we have in the nation

justifies, qualifies and approves us before God. If we can learn to hope and trust in His mercy, what our faith, effort, righteousness, integrity, prayer alone cannot deliver to us, mercy will deliver.

Prayer Army International The Prayer Army International is a new vision the Lord gave to the church recently. It is meant for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and its vision is to raise kingdom-minded intercessors who will pray for the advancement of God's kingdom in their communities, cities, nations and beyond.

HIRTY years after the dedication of the Holy Family Catholic Church auditorium in FESTAC Town, Lagos, Archbishop Emeritus of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie last Sunday returned to the parish to conduct the mass preceding a fund raising ceremony for the remodeling of the church, reports SAM EYOBOKA. Giving reasons for the remodeling project, the parish priest, Rev. Father Simeon Irabor said the vision for the remodeling was conceived over a decade ago due to the astronomical growth of parishioners despite the creation of five quasi-parishes to decongest the mother church. “With the creation of the five new parishes out of the Holy Family parish, one would have thought that the mother parish would be seriously depopulated but it would appear that the number of parishioners is rather

increasing. Every Sunday, six masses are still held at the mother parish and in some of the masses, the halls are filled beyond capacity. “Consequent upon this inadequate space for the proper worship of God in a conducive atmosphere, the vision to expand the church auditorium was explored with its actialisation in a record time of 10 months,” he said, putting the cost of the project at N500 million.

Extolling the sterling qualities of the Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, the Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Okogie, immediate parish priest, Rev. Father Anthony Obadina who, he said, facilitated the drawing or the remodeling of the church and associate priests as well as priests on pastoral supply like the Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, the parish priest said the 30th anniversary was historic and memorable.

Deeper Life partners CAN for city-wide crusade

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By Sam Eyoboka

HE Deeper Christian Life Ministry has announced plans to partner with the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to organise a city-wide crusade across Lagos, stressing that until a radical spiritual rearmament takes place in the country all governmental efforts to develop the nation would not be impactful.

The Lagos State moderator of the church, Pastor Joseph Fasanmi, who addressed Religious correspondents at the Gbagada, Lagos ahead of the crusade said the crusade would begin from September 8 and run through October at different locations in Lagos.

Fasanmi said the church is collaborating with CAN and PFN for the crusade, emphasising that since the advent of democracy in 1999, respective efforts by different governments to improve the socio-economic conditions of residents

of Lagos have pailed to oblivion "because of the moral, spiritual and attitudinal disposition of the people."

Describing the state's leaders since 1999 as "out-crops of a depressed environment who cannot be expected to provide enduring solutions to the multifaceted challenges facing mankind and summed up in one word, sin," he argued that only a completely cleansed heart that can bring about a fundamental and unadulterated transformation in a broad landscape like Nigeria.

Era of change "Although we are said to be in the era of change politically, we all know that over the past three months since a new administration came to be, real change has been measured in coming," he said, acknowledging the positive actions of the

new governor, adding "unless the required spiritual renaissance and moral re-armament are put in place, enduring change in Lagos, or in any other place for that matter, will remain a pipe dream."

Enumerating the various vices that have stalled the growth and development of the state to include corruption, insecurity, kidnapping, prostitution, drug menace, cultism among others, he said the collaboration of the church with CAN and PFN is intended to complement the efforts of the state government.

According to the clergyman, who was flanked by representatives of CAN and PFN including Pastor Leke Akinnola, Primate Olatunji, Pastor (Mrs.) Doris Akpabio, Rev. Tunde Elebute among others, only a heart changed by God through the gospel that can bring about a desired transformation in the state and the entire country.

42 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Change and its consequences

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National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Chief Bassey Edem (4th left) in a warm handshake with the Director, Xmatrix 369 Limited, Arc. Iman Nashe (3rd left) flanked by some members of Exco, Director General, Barr. Emmanuel Cobham and Deputy Director General, Mrs. Janet Omisore at the NACCIMA Contract signing ceremony in Lagos.

Foreign portfolio investment on NSE up 54.30% in July

By Nkiruka Nnorom

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ESPITE the sharp decline in equity prices on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, and probable sell-off by foreign investors as a result of the economic crisis in China, total foreign portfolio investment, FPI, on the NSE rose by 54.30 per cent in the month of July.

Figures from the NSE, showed that the monthly FPI transactions on the Exchange FPI accounted for N107.47 billion or 62.91 per cent of total transactions during the month compared to N69.65 billion polled by foreign investors at the end of June 2015, which represents 34.24 per cent of total transaction in the previous month.

On the contrary, total domestic transactions on the local bourse decreased to N63.36 billion, representing 37.09 per cent of total market transactions within the month.Further breakdown showed that domestic investors conceded about 25.82 per cent of trading to foreign investors as

domestic transactions decreased from 65.76 per cent to 37.09 per cent while FPI transactions increased from 34.24 per cent to 62.91 per cent over the same period.

Also, foreign portfolio investors’ inflows at N48.64 billion, accounted for 28.47 per cent of total transactions while the outflows accounted for 34.44 per cent of the total transactions in July 2015.Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Cowry Assets Management limited, who spoke to Vanguard on the continuous decline in equity prices on the nation’s bourse said: “The continuous decline in the Nigerian stock market is clearly a reflection of the country’s current economic condition and macro economic outlook.

He noted that one factor that weighs heavily on Nigeria’s economic performance is the price of crude oil, the country’s major export product, saying that

unfortunately, the price outlook of crude in the near to medium term is bleak.

“With such negative outlook and no economic team to steer Nigeria out of certain economic crises, investors have no choice than to vote with their feet despite the relatively attractive pricing of most stocks and benefits declared by some quoted companies” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Mr. David Adonri, Managing Director, Highcap Securities Limited, said the slump in stocks’ prices on the Exchange is caused by a combination of factors, both domestic and internationally.

On the international front, he said that global demand for stocks has fallen drastically due to fall in prices of China shares.

“Equities all over the world are being down priced partly because of fall in commodity prices. If crude oil price goes down, income of producers will decline and that in turn will affect equity prices” he said.

Honeywell Flour Mill’s profit declines by 38.7% in Q1

By Bisola Ologunde

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ONEYWELL Flour Mills Plc has declared a decline in its profit after taxation of 38.7 per cent for the three months ended June 30, 2015.

The company ’s financial statement and accounts released on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, showed that its profit after tax for the period dipped from N462million in June 2014, to N283million in the review period.

Similarly, the company’s profit before taxation which stood at N585million in June 2014 dropped to N394million, representing a 32.6 per cent in decline. The revenue also fell by three per cent to N13.191 billion as against N12.797 billion posted

in the equivalent period in 2014.

However, the company’s finance cost showed a significant improvement with the figure falling to N311million in 2014 from N725million in the previous quarter, translating to a 57 per cent decrease.

The cost of sales also dropped to N10.484 billion compared to N10.936 billion achieved in the same period in 2014.

Meanwhile, Honeywell Flour Mills renowned for its consistency in producing good quality flour and other wheat based products had in 2014 financial year paid a final dividend of N1.34 billion.

Addressing shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, the chairman, Mr. Oba Otudeko,

assured that the company remained committed to providing superior quality products for the complete satisfaction of its customers. He added that in spite of the challenging operating environment, Honeywell Flour Mills would continuously improve shareholder value and return on investment.

“Improvement in efficiency due to automation of several operational processes and better treasury management resulted in 18 per cent growth in profit after tax (PAT) from N2.8 billion to N3.5 billion,” Otudeko said.

The company also increased its shareholders’ fund and total assets by 11 per cent and 15 per cent to N20.6 billion and N63.8 billion, respectively during the year.

HANGE could be positive or negative. When we under stand that someone is going to hit the ground running, we sometimes forget the imagery that goes with the expression. It is someone dropping through the air by parachute into unfamiliar territory and setting about his/her objectives immediately.

On reaching the ground level, the person must release himself/herself from the parachute, gather the parachute into a compact piece before moving from the spot where he/she hit the ground. What if the person goes in the wrong direction, what would be the consequences? Perhaps, it would be better to have a pause, decipher the right direction before someone starts running.

I have had the opportunity of reading the Guardian newspaper of 13 June 1984 which reported on its first two pages the meeting between the then Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and six bishops of the Catholic Church led by Cardinal Dominic Ekandem. The bishops submitted a 15-paragraph memorandum to General Buhari, parts of which memorandum the newspaper reported as follows and I quote: “It will not be in the lasting interests of our nation to confirm the impression that we can never rule ourselves well through elected leaders. That many of our politicians betrayed the trust placed in them does not make politics any less sacred duty of service to the people. The urgent task ahead is to prepare and identify a new breed of publicspirited and honest politicians to whom we shall eventually entrust our nation and to work towards a new set of rules for the noble game of national politics, such that will encourage service and discourage selfish opportunists. We believe that our country has many such people; otherwise there will be no hopes of good government even from a military regime.

The previous political leaders have no doubt a great measure of responsibility for our present predicament, to the extent that We believe that they were entrusted with the our country has destiny of the nation.

They should, therefore, be many such people; made to account for their stewotherwise there ardship. Justice demands that will be no hopes of those found guilty should be punished and those who ofgood government fered selfless and honest service to the nation be promptly even from a milicleared and commended.” tary regime Thirty-one years on from the visit just reported above, President Buhari is back as civilian Head of State. There have been visits to the President, speeches made and all manner of comment on what should be done about getting previous administrations to account for their stewardship. I would advise that we note what the Catholic bishops said in 1984 about a new set of rules for the noble game of national politics.

The Federal Government has put in place a seven-member committee to advise on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. Any suggestions as to the new order should be sent to this Committee.

The Catholic bishops did say some other things to General Buhari in 1984 and I quote;”We have to let you know however, that in spite of all your efforts, life is still very hard for the common man. If we must borrow from overseas to help the situation, all conditions for such loans must be carefully considered. Experience should teach us that no one will give us money for nothing.”

The military government led by President Babangida took over in 1985 and after some public debate, the government took a loan in 1986. The loan came with a structural adjustment programme for the economy.

To be continued

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 43

Task force declares gun-runner wanted in Plateau

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

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OS—FOLLOWING series of operations conducted on the heels of the skirmish at Bisichi in Barkin Ladi local area of Plateau State, the special task force in the area, Operation Safe Haven, has declared one Aminu Hanbane wanted for gun running.

The Operation’s Media Officer, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, in a press statement issued in Jos, yesterday, said Aminu Hanbane was wanted in connection with cattle rustling, proliferation of arms and attacks on communities in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of the state.

Iweha said the Operation’s Commander, Major General Tagbo Ude, had put measures in place to prevent a relapse of violence in the state, urging anyone with useful information, which could lead to the arrest of the suspect and any collaborators, to volunteer same.

The statement read: “The Operation Safe Haven, Op SH has declared one Aminu Hanbane wanted in connection with cattle rustling and the proliferation of arms in Barkin Ladi and Riyom in the hands of

militia men.

“The Operation Safe Haven reiterates its readiness to respond to any act of criminality and all forms of threat reported to it promptly. It would like to solicit for information from members of the community in the discharge

of its responsibility and assure that any information provided would be treated with confidentiality.

“Anyone with useful information which could lead to the arrest of the suspect and any known collaborators is

requested to come forward with such information to the Headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos or any of its sector headquarters, especially at Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South local government councils.”

Teacher docked for defiling deaf and dumb boy

By Bartholomew Madukwe

A

45-year-old teacher, Akintobi Kayode, was yesterday charged before an Ikeja Magistrate Court in Lagos for allegedly committing anal sex with a 14-year-old deaf and dumb boy.

The accused, who resides at No. 8, Oladelu Street, Ogba area of Lagos State, is standing trial on a two-count charge of rape and breach of peace.

According to the prosecutor Jimah Iseghede, the accused committed the offences in May and July in his residence.

The prosecutor informed the court that the accused, after assaulting the boy, overpowered him before he had carnal knowledge of him.

“The boy, who is deaf and dumb, resides in the same neighbourhood with the accused. The accused always send the boy on errands and on that day, he also sent him on an errand and lured him to his house and had carnal knowledge of him by penetrating his anus. ‘’Kayode took advantage of the boy because of his condition. Due to the pains he was experiencing, he told his parents what the teacher had done to him,” Iseghede said.

Sgt. Iseghede noted that the offences contravened Sections 166 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

However, when the charge was read to the accused before the Magistrate, Mrs L.Y. Balogun, he pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate admitted the accused to bail of N200,000 and with two sureties in like sum, adding that one of the sureties should either be a religious or traditional leader.

Magistrate Balogun adjourned the matter till September 30.

APPOINTMENTS: Don Etiebet, Junaid

Mohammed defend Buhari

F

By Gbenga Oke

ORMER MINISTER of Petroleum, Chief Don Etiebet and Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, yesterday, defended President Muhammadu Buhari over the recent appointments, saying Nigerians needs to support the President in his quest to reposition the country.

They also stated that President Buhari hadshown enough commitment that he "is ready to reposition the country in the last three months."

Etiebet, who spoke exclusively with Vanguard, also said if Nigerians analyzed key appointments in the administration of former President Jonathan, they would find some lopsidedness.

His words: “I am bold to say that it is his government as the President of Nigeria in a presidential system and Nigerians expect positive results from him to turn the country around from the precipice of collapse under corruption, indiscipline, injustice, economic doldrums and impunity of maladministration never witnessed in the history of Nigeria.”

In his reaction, Junaid Mohammed said Nigerians need to know that whatever the situation is, the appointments had been made and Nigerians must move on.

He said: “Up till this moment, nobody has been able to point to the fact that those appointments were not based on merit or any of the people appointed were not qualified.

So I dont know why the people feel APC must adopt the mantra of the PDP. "I think there are thousands of appointments that President Buhari is going to fill and so far, he has only appointed just 33, if there is any ethnicity at play, he will not be judged when just only 33 appointments had been made out of the prospective thousands to be filled.”

Jigawa to partner varsity on agric research

By Aliyu Dangida

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UTSE—Jigawa State governor, Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, said his administration would go into partnership with the Federal University, Dutse, in the area of agricultural research.

The governor disclosed this when the ProChancellor and Chairman of the Governing Board of the university, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, led members to pay a courtesy call on him at Government House.

Gov Bello halts continuation of University of Education

By Wole Mosadomi

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I N N A — GOVERNOR of Niger state, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has directed that the proposed University of Education established by his predecessor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, and already approved by the Nigeria University Commission be put on hold because of the lean purse of government.

Already,government has inaugurated an 8-man Committee to determine the sustainability and viability of the university.

Inaugurating the Committee in Minna yesterday, the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, said the administration was not interested in an ‘’ego trip” project but only in a project or programme that could be sustained in terms of funding and meet the aspirations of the people.

'Fejokwu's appointment as SA deserving'

A

SABA—THE appointment of a veteran broadcaster, Mr. Samuel Fejokwu as the Special Assistant, Protocol, to Delta State governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, has been attributed to his outstanding performances and commitment to the broadcasting profession over the years.

A media consultant in the state and an uncle of the appointee, Mr. Emma Fejokwu, made the assertion while speaking with newsmen in Asaba.

He commended the state governor for finding one of their own to be so appointed, stating that the gesture which was well deserved was an honour not only to the Fejokwu family, but also the entire Onicha-Ugbo.

The media consultant, while congratulating the Special Assistant, Protocol, remarked that there was need for him to remain focused and committed to his new appointment as a way to justify the confidence reposed in him by the governor and the management and staff of Delta Broadcasting Service, DBS, Asaba, where he served until his appointment.

44—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Herbal medicines must be scientifically evaluated, says NAFDAC

By Chioma Obinna

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OVERS of traditional medicines in Nigeria must hear this. Any herbal medicine to be used in the country must have gone through a scientific evaluation in order to minimise the rampant cases of negative health consequences arising from use of such medicines.

This is the latest directive by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC. Director General of the Agency, Dr. Paul Orhii, argued that as a result of the complexity of herbs in particular, traditional medicines must be subjected to scientific evaluations in order to guarantee their safety, quality and efficacy.

Orhii, who spoke in Lagos at the opening of the 13th African Traditional Medicine Day event, expressed worry over alarming reports of negative health consequences caused by use of herbal medicines and called for total subjection of herbal products to rigorous scientific evaluations like conventional medicines.

Speaking at the event with the theme: "Regulation of Traditional Medicine

US delegation visits First Consultants Medical Centre

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VISIT: From left: Acting Consul General, US Consulate General Office, Lagos, Mrs. Dehab Ghebreab; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mitchell Wolfe, and Medical Director, First Consultants Medical Centre, Dr. Benjamin Ohaeri, during a visit by a US delegation to First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos, weekend.

SIX-MAN delegation from the US Consulate General in Lagos paid an official visit to the First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos, weekend.

Head of the team, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Mitchell Wolfe, commended the hospital for its prompt effort and contribution towards the containment of Ebola in the country.

The Acting Consul General, US Consulate General Office, Lagos, Mrs. Dehab Ghebreab, said the US Consulate Office and the Nigerian government at Federal and state levels developed a successful partnership to defeat Ebola.

Receiving the visitors, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Benjamin Ohaeri, paid glowing tribute to all those who died in the battle to stop Ebola in the country. "Nobody could put all this together alone, but we had to take the lead, because for us it is personal,” he noted.

Production in the African Region", Orhii maintained that the long term use of traditional medicine is not a guarantee for its safety as any medicine, whether traditional or conventional, can cause health risk.

NAFDAC's Director, Drug Evaluation and Research Directorate, Mrs. Titilope Owolabi, who spoke on behalf of the DG, noted that although there has been an upsurge of interest in the use of traditional medicine in developed countries, primary concern regarding traditional and complementary therapies remains safety of the consumer.

"Safety is the starting point in evaluation of traditional medicines and procedures. Reports of the patients experiencing negative health consequences caused by the use of herbal medicines are on the rise. Thus, the role of NAFDAC as a regulatory cannot be over emphasised."

He said to ensure safety and quality of herbal products, the agency has established standards and appropriate guidelines for the production, listing and registration of herbal medicinal products in Nigeria among others.

President of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, NANTMP, Prof. Omon Oleabhiele advocated for the creation of a mandatory traditional medicine board in all states of the Federation to effect a perfect regulation of traditional medicine.

Reports of patients experiencing negative health consequences caused by the use of herbal medicines are on the rise

Making surgery safe in Nigeria P

ERHAPS the commonest health reason Nigerians who can afford it go abroad is to have surgery. Indeed, if you ask anyone inside the country their greatest concern should they be hospitalised, for many, it is the prospect of surgery.

Anaesthesia and surgery is much safer today than 30 years ago. Death during or soon after an operation is due to 3 factors: the patient has specific medical problems, the surgery is complicated by bleeding or infection, and anaesthesia related factors.

In Zimbabwe anaesthesia related death is 1:3000; in Zambia 1:1900; in the UK and USA 1:200,000. If you need surgery in Togo, you have some serious thinking to do....their figure is 1:150!

The WHO states that 50 percent of anesthesia-related deaths in Nigeria occur in pregnant women.

WHO working groups have identified four potential standards for improving surgical safety: 1 Safe surgical TEAMS 2 Safe anaesthesia 3. Prevention of surgical site infection 4. Measurement of surgical services.

They determined 10 essential objectives for safe surgery. The TEAM will 1: Operate on the correct patient at the correct site 2: Use methods known to prevent harm from administration of anaesthetics, while protecting the patient from pain.

3: Recognise and effectively prepare for life-threatening loss of airway or respiratory function.

4: Recognize and effectively prepare for risk of high blood loss.

5: Avoid inducing an allergic or adverse drug reaction

for which the patient is known to be at significant risk.

6: Consistently use methods known to minimize the risk for surgical site infection.

7: Prevent inadvertent retention of instruments and sponges in surgical wounds 8: Secure and accurately identify all surgical specimens.

9: Effectively communicate and exchange critical information for the safe conduct of the operation.

Lastly,10: Hospitals and public health systems will establish routine surveillance of surgical capacity, volume and results.

Note that, of these ten objectives, the anaesthetist is directly responsible for 2, 3, 4 and 5. Government and policy makers should take the lead on Objective 10.

In furtherance of these objectives, the WHO, in 2009, published a checklist of must-dos for every surgical case: Before induction of anaesthesia Has the patient confirmed his/her identity, site, procedure and consent? Is the site marked? Is the anaesthesia machine and medication check complete?

Is the pulse oximeter on the patient and functioning?

Does the patient have a known allergy?

Does the patient have a difficult airway/aspiration risk?

Does the patient have a risk of >500 ml blood loss (7 ml/kg in children)?

Before skin incision Confirm all team members have introduced themselves by name and role. Confirm the patient’s name, procedure and where the incision will be made Has antibiotic prophylaxis been given in the last 60 minutes?

Anticipated critical events To surgeon: what are the critical or non-routine steps?

doctor@lagospainclinic.com How long will the case take? What is the anticipated blood loss?

To anaesthetist: are there any patient-specific concerns?

To nursing team: has sterility (including indicator results) been confirmed? Are there equipment issues or any concerns? Is essential imaging displayed?

Before patient leaves operating room Nurse verbally confirms The name of the procedure Completion of instrument, sponge and needle counts Specimen labelling (read specimen labels aloud, including patient name) Whether there are any equipment problems to be addressed Surgeon, anaesthetist and nurse review the key concerns for recovery and management of this patient.

According to the WHO, only 31 institutions registered for the Surgery Checklist in Nigeria; only one (UCH Ibadan) is actually implementing it.

YOU, as a knowledge-empowered patient can: Make sure your identity, operative site, procedure are confirmed.

Ask as many questions as you need before you give YOUR CONSENT. Request a pulse oximeter probe be put on your finger.

Tell the TEAM about any ALLERGIES. Ask if you will need antibiotics.

Since 2010, in the UK and USA, the WHO checklist is done for EVERY single procedure.

It is a start to making surgery safe in Nigeria.

VANGUARD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015—45

Migrants stranded as Hungary bars them from rail station

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UNDREDS of migrants are stranded outside a major railway station in the Hungarian capital Budapest after police sealed off the terminal to stop them travelling through the EU. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs defended the closure, saying Hungary was trying to enforce the EU law.

Thousands of people, many fleeing war and

persecution, are trying to reach northern Europe to claim asylum.

EU states are engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity to find a solution.

The BBC’s Europe correspondent Chris Morris says the crisis has highlighted the limitations of the EU’s system for coping with refugees.

Under an EU rule known as the Dublin Regulation, refugees should seek asylum in the first EU country they

enter. But with countries such as Italy and Greece saying they cannot cope with the numbers, many have headed north.

Hungary had earlier appeared to abandon efforts to register migrants.

However, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters on Tuesday that Hungary would now register all migrants and send those it considered to be economic migrants back to the state from which they entered the

Stranded migrants sitting on the ground yesterday at a train station after being prevented from entering Hungary by Hungarian police

Street battles rage as ISIL inches deeper into Damascus

T

HE Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has battled Syrian rebel forces in a

southern district of Damascus, bringing ISIL fighters within about 5km of the centre of the capital.

ISIL fighters on Monday night waged street battles against a loose coalition of Syrian rebels in Asali, part of the southern Qadam district, after seizing two streets there over the weekend, a monitoring group and ISILaffiliated media reported.

“This is the closest ISIL has ever been to the heart of Damascus,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said the fighters had advanced from the adjacent al-Hajar al-Aswad neighbourhood, where they have

been based since July 2014.

The ISIL-affiliated news agency, Aamaq, said the fighters had taken over buildings in Qadam and killed 15 rebels.

Rebels, who control several districts in southern Damascus, are battling on two fronts, ISIL from the south and troops belonging to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad from the north.

Opposition-held Qadam has been relatively quiet since a truce there a year ago between rebel groups and regime forces, who still have a strong grip over the centre of the capital.

ABORTION: Pope Francis relaxes forgiveness rules

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OPE Francis is making it easier for women and doctors to seek forgiveness for abortion, by allowing all priests to forgive it.

In Catholicism, abortion is viewed as such a grave sin that it can punished with excommunication.

In most countries, only a bishop can approve forgiveness for abortion.

They would then delegate an expert priest to hear the confession.

The change is only for the coming Jubilee Year, beginning in December.

However, the rule relaxation will not affect

Catholics in England, Wales and Scotland as all priests there can already forgive abortion without seeking permission from a bishop. The Pope said many women who sought an abortion did so because they “believe that they have no other option”.

He added that he had “met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonising and painful decision”.

The easing of the rules is being seen as a shift in Catholic Church policy, reflecting the Pope’s outspoken views on compassion and mercy.

Second Bangkok bombing suspect arrested

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second foreign suspect has been arrested in connection with the deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine in August, the Thai prime minister has said.

The male suspect was arrested in Sa Kaeo province, east of Bangkok on the border with Cambodia, Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters.

He described the man as “a main suspect”.

A foreign man was arrested in Bangkok on Saturday over the blast at Erawan shrine, which killed 20 people.

Thai military authorities have been interrogating the 28-year-old man, but they have not yet released his name or nationality.

46 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Beijing 2015 Fallout:

Okagbare succumbed to pressure not injury, coach claims

BY BEN EFE

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IGERIA’s failure to win a medal at the just concluded IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China remains the talk of the moment for athletics enthusiasts.

Yesterday renowned athletics coach, Toni Urhobo declared that Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s claim of injury to Blessing Okagbare was diversionary.

Urhobo said Okagbare bowed to pressure of competing at the big stage with the big girls of world athletics.

Okagbare despite running one of the fastest times in the season, failed to measure up in the women 100m. She placed 8th in the race won by Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce of Jamaica.

Okagbare who vowed to bounce back in the 200m, made a no show and that caused a furore.

“It wasn’t injury that made Okagbare crash out. She cracked under pressure,” Urhobo argued “Running in the grand prix is totally different from competing in the world championships or

•Okagbare Olympics. The grand prix where she has been making good times is a one day event, unlike the worlds championships; they are gruesome and you have to go through the rounds, you need a special kind of training to be able to cope with the pressure.

“If she was injured, why were the members of the women 4x100m expecting her to compete until the very morning of their heats? Urhobo quarried.

“We are waiting to see whether she will compete at the All Africa

Games. That’s where she feels more comfortable, whereas other African big acts don’t come there with their stars; they rather use the Games as a launching pad.”

known as ‘Mathematical’, a name given to him in his active days by late ace sports commentator, Ernest Okonkwo because of his zig-zag, deceptive, extraordinary dribbling skills and mastery in outwitting defenders is one of the best players to have played football in Nigeria and by his decision to join the race for the FIFA presidency stands out as the first authentic African to aspire to the position since Blatter agreed to step down as President.

Liberian football chief Musa Bility remains the other African who showed interest in the Zurich office but his interest was smothered

by Confederation of African Football, CAF, which distanced itself from his interest.

Chief Segun Odegbami, our source assured yesterday ‘’has all the credentials C M Y K

required for the office of the FIFA Presidency’’, He therefore is among a shortlist of declared and likely candidates that includes the likes of UEFA president Michelle Platini and Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan.

Candidates have until October 26 – exactly four months before the vote – to come forward to signify interest. They must have the confirmed backing of at least five of Fifa’s 209 member nations, and be cleared by the world governing body ’s ethics committee, to be able to stand.

Our source who urged Nigerians to support the great ambition of Odegbami added yesterday that his entrance into the race would be a good omen for Africa noting that many Confederations will queue behind the Nigerian soccer idol. ‘’This is a good thing

FTER some six years in existence, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) is all set to host its first ever Ladies Open Golf Championship.

The tourney scheduled to hold on September 26 and 27 will be playing host to some 400 golfers from across the nation.

And those coming are already bracing up for a real golf challenge since the vast UBTH course is not only perilously long but it could indeed be treacherous since it could readily punish any miscued shot.

“We have a great course here”, says the Lady Captain of the club, Dr. Monica Obaedo. “The course is not only pretty but very challenging. Our Greens are solid and could passionately be compared to Greens of some ‘heavyweight’ Clubs in the country. But we have a little problem here. We have not been able to showcase our

Elephants Continues from BP chartered airplane.

The Elephants, who defeated Ghana’s Black Stars to lift only their second continental title in Equatorial Guinea earlier in the year, are excited about coming into Nigeria’s oil –rich city.

Augustin Sidy Diallo,

Odegbami Continues from BP

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for all Nigerians.

Odegbami, beyond playing football is articulate and has been in football since he retired. He has an academy and satisfies section one of article 13 of the FIFA Statutes on such election’’, our source said.

The section spells out conditions a candidate for the office of FIFA President must meet.

The article puts it this way: The candidate shall have played an active role in association football (as a board member, committee member, referee and assistant referee, coach, trainer and any other person responsible for technical, medical or administrative matters in FIFA, a Confederation, Association, League or Club or as a player) for two of the last five years before being proposed as a candidate (cf. art. 24 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes).

president of the Federation Ivoirienne de Football (FIF), confirmed on Tuesday that the Elephants’ delegation would hit the Rivers State capital on Friday morning.

Sunday’s match at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium is the first time Nigeria is hosting a competitive international involving two other countries. The Elephants and Leone Stars will kick off at 4pm.

It was also gathered that the Seirra Leone delegation of 33 persons, led by president of the Sierra Leone Football Association, Isha Johansen, will fly into Port Harcourt on Wednesday evening aboard an ARIK Air plane.

UBTH brace for 1st Ladies Open course to a whole lot of Nigerians. This is reason I am pleased this Ladies Open is coming at this time. I mean close to 500 golfers will visit and see our somewhat ‘hidden treasure’.

Obaedo disclosed that the Ladies Open would be thrilling since the ever sports loving Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole and

Tanzania pros Continues from BP expecting.

“We expect the pros from TP Mazembe Samata and Ulimwengu and Ngassa from Free State Stars in South Africa on Thursday,” said Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) spokesman Boniface Wambura.

Incidentally, all the pros are strikers.

Tanzania trained in

Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam will be at 10pm (8pm Nigeria time) of the same day.

Nigeria’s delegation will be made up of 23 players, technical officials, a number of Members of NFF Executive Committee and Management, NFF Staff, some representatives of the media, football stakeholders and members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club.

Both countries have not met at senior level since December 1980, but there

Turkey for a week and lost a friendly 2-1 to Libya as part of their preparations for Saturday’s showdown.

In June , they lost their opening qualifying match 3-0 in Egypt.

They are currently handled by Charles Boniface Mkwasa in a caretaker capacity after Dutchman Mart Nooij was fired after a loss to Uganda in a CHAN qualifier in June.

Kenyan athletics Continues from BP “Hotbed of Champions.”

Javelin gold medalist Julius Yego, 400-meter hurdles champion Nicholas Bett and steeplechase winner Ezekiel Kemboi were among those met at an airport in Nairobi by Deputy President William Ruto, who danced with them on a red carpet.

Kenya surprisingly topped the medal table at the worlds in Beijing ahead of Jamaica and the United States after winning seven golds and 16 medals overall.

Middle-distance champions David Rudisha and Asbel Kiprop didn’t

Eagles Continues from BP

the Chief Medical Director of the UBTH, Professor Ibadin, shall be backing the event all the way. The Lady Captain equally disclosed that the Spirits behind course, Professors Eugene Okpere and Waziri Erameh promised that visiting golfers would witness a show that would linger in minds of ‘Golfers All’ for a long while.

have been clashes at junior level, and an African Women Championship qualifying fixture, in recent years.

That December, 35 years ago, the Taifa Stars had good reasons to hope for an upset when they held reigning African champions Green Eagles to a 1-1 draw in Lagos in the first leg of a 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture. But two first half goals by John Chidozie and Christian Nwokocha in Dar es Salaam two weeks later sent Tanzania packing from the race.

return home, instead traveling to Europe for the continuation of the Diamond League series.

But while the East African nation celebrates, Kenya’s track federation head has announced that investigations are underway into the failed doping tests of two team members, who were sent home early from the championships.

Joyce Zakary, a 400meter runner, and hurdler Koki Manunga tested positive for banned substances in Beijing, further denting Kenya’s reputation with the country already the subject of allegations of widespread doping and ineffective controls.

On Monday, Athletics Kenya President Isaiah Kiplagat said investigations were underway in Kenya after Zakary and Manunga were provisionally suspended by the IAAF for failing the targeted doping tests performed at their hotel just before the competition.

“In spite of being accused of using drugs, Kenya is still on top of the world,” Kiplagat said.

“These two girls have given their story and I don’t want to comment on that because they have recorded their statements.

Investigations are on.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 — 47

Chelsea unhappy as Man U beat them to Martial C

HELSEA have been left fuming after AS Monaco informed them that they would not be selling Anthony Martial this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Despite keeping Chelsea’s hopes of signing the striker next summer alive, Monaco instead decided to sell Martial this window after Manchester United submitted a shock bid for the teenager.

Sky Sports reported that Martial has completed his medical ahead of his £36 million move to Old Trafford.

The striker was given permission to leave the French national team’s training camp to travel to Manchester to complete

the deal, he has since returned to link up again with his international teammates.

The Mail reports that United were one of three top European clubs that were tracking Martial, with Chelsea one of the interested parties.

Monaco had not intended to sell Martial this summer. However, they could not resist United’s substantial bid leaving Chelsea unhappy with the French club.

United were determined to get their man this summer and sources close to Monaco claim that the fee could actually rise to £58m once all the various addons are applied, per the Mail.

Berahino: I won’t play for West Brom again

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AIDO Berahino will be feeling David De Gea’s pain after he was denied a move on transfer deadline day. He’s taken a very different to the Manchester United man, however.

The West Brom striker took to Twitter to make his frustration known and, with the tweet aimed at the club’s chairman, vowed to never play for the Baggies again.

He furiously typed: “Sad how i cant say exactly how the club has treated me but i can officially say i will never play Jeremy Peace.”

•Martial

Adebayor refuses to slash salary E

MMANUEL Adebayor was in danger of missing out on a move away from Tottenham yesterday unless he backed down over the paying up of his contract at White Hart Lane, Press Association Sport understands.

The 31-year-old Togo international is not part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team plans at Spurs and has been heavily linked with a move to either Aston Villa or West Ham over the duration of the transfer window.

A potential loan move to Upton Park was ruled out when the Hammers signed their second

•Adebayor

Brown signs four-year Chelsea deal

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HELSEA’s highlyrated 18-year-old forward Isaiah Brown has signed a new fouryear deal with the champions, the club confirmed on Tuesday.

The Blues released a statement on their official website in which they confirmed Brown had put pen to paper on a new contract at

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Stamford Bridge, but would remain on a season-long loan at Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem this term.

Speaking after the deal had been confirmed, Brown wrote on his Twitter account: “Very happy to have a signed a new 4 year contract with @ChelseaFC, hard work doesn’t stop!”

domestic loan player in Chelsea’s Victor Moses, with Premier League rules stating no more than two players from the same division can be loaned out at one time.

That left Adebayor needing to be a free agent to seal a permanent move, but it is understood the former Arsenal and Manchester City forward wants the final year of his Tottenham deal paid up in full, a fee of around £5million, if the contract is to be terminated early.

If no arrangement can be made, he may be forced to remain at White Hart Lane at least until January.

'Real Madrid promised De Gea 10m Euro’

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•Brown

EAL Madrid report edly promised David De Gea 10m Euro compensation if they didn’t sign him from Manchester United before the end of the transfer window.

De Gea’s move from Old Trafford to Santiago Bernabeu collapsed on Monday, deadline day

in Spain, with Madrid blaming United for the paperwork being filed late with FIFA and the LFP. AS report that Los Blancos made an arrangement with De Gea that said if they didn’t complete his signing before midnight on August 31, he would receive 10m Euro.

•Berahino

Serie A spendings top La Liga, Bundesliga

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ITH 608 Euro m spent in the transfer window, Serie A is richer than the Liga or Bundesliga,.

La Gazzetta dello Sport provided a roundup of the expenses for all clubs put together, and it came to 608m Euro m at mercato closure.

This was higher than the 571m Euro spent by La Liga and the 439m Euro spent by the Bundesliga, though still substantially lagging behind the Premier League’s 1,106m Euro .

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Eagles fly to Tanzania tomorrow T

HE delegation of Super Eagles of Nigeria to Saturday’ s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania will fly out of Abuja at 3pm on Thursday, thenff.com can confirm.

Arrival at the Julius Continues on Page 46

Tanzania pros join team

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ANZANIA said they expect their overseas pros led by TP Mazembe pair of Mbwana Samata and Thomas Ulimwengu to join the rest of the squad on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s AFCON qualifier against Nigeria

Elephants to storm P.Harcourt in chartered flight

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UST as the Super Eagles are heading to Tanzania for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in a chartered aircraft, and will return in the same aircraft immediately after the match in Dar es Salaam, African champions Cote d’Ivoire have announced that their ‘Elephants’ will fly into and out of Port Harcourt aboard a

•Yaya

Continues on Page 46

THE CAT: Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama makes a flying catch in an international match.

in Dar es Salaam.

Free State Stars striker Mrisho Ngassa is the other foreign pro the Taifa Stars are Continues on Page 46

FIFA: Odegbami joins race to replace Blatter

BY TONY UBANI

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•Odegbami

ATRICK Olusegun Odegbami is set to announce that he will stand in next year ’s election to replace Joseph Sepp Blatter as President of World soccer-governing body, FIFA. Odegbami better Continues on Page 46

Kenyan athletics conquerors get heroic reception

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OME of Kenya’s newly crowned track and field world champions returned home on Tuesday and

were ferried to a celebratory breakfast in a convoy of limousines bearing the logo

Continues on Page 46

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

FRI DAY'S FRIDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Avarice (5) 5 Method (6) 8 Elbow (5) 10 Sofa (6) 11 Parched (4) 14 Tell (6) 15 Shortage (7) 18 Tankard (3) 19 Fish (3) 21 Remainder (4) 23 Skirmish (5) 24 Minus (4) 27 Fellow (3) 29 Gratuity (3) 31 Denied (7) 32 Staggered (6) 34 Fruit (4) 35 Coma (6) 38 Yearned (5) 39 Aristocracy 6) 40 God (5)

DOWN 2 Regret (3) 3 Involve (6) 4 Owing (3) 5 Scorch (4) 6 Seaman (6) 7 Demure (6) 9 Determined (7) 12 Material (3) 13 Fruit (4) 16 Relax (4) 17 Claw (5) 20 Under (7) 22 Secure (4) 24 Enticing (6) 25 Pace (4) 26 Noiseless (6) 28 Show (6) 30 Vegetable (3) 33 Cart (4) 36 Colour (3) 37 Sever (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Aviary 5, Beat 8, Piled 9, Rid 10, Dial 11, Life 12, Limit 13, Locker 16, Mere 18, Vast 20, End 22, Van 23, Elk 24, Late 25, Once 28, Enrage 30, Tooth 32, Emit 33, Iota 34, Ice 35, Meant 36, Seed 37, Penned.

DOWN: 1, Airily 2, Indecent 3, Redeem 4, Diligent 5, Believe 6, Editor 7, Teem 8, Pal 14, Revolting 15, Ask 17, Ran 19, Alsatian 20, Eat 21, Devoted 26, Engage 27, Defend 29, Mess 30, Time 31, Hot.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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