Bayelsa: INEC declares election inconclusive

...towards a better life for the people

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

**

VOL. 25: NO. 62644

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

N150

Bayelsa: INEC declares election inconclusive

By Clifford Ndujihe, Samuel Oyadongha, Emman Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Emem Idio

•To fix date for poll in Southern Ijaw soon BUJA—FOR the •Dickson leads with 105,748 votes, Sylva gets 72,594 votes Asecond time in two weeks, the Independent •Jonathan delivers council to PDP; women protest in S-Ijaw National Electoral INEC, has •Dickson, Sylva divided over Southern Ijaw poll’s cancellation Commission, declared an election inconclusive.

The

New Yoruba nation emerges soon — OONI

Be virtuous, Osinbajo charges Ooni Aregbesola tasks him on nation-building

Adds: I’m not in competition with anyone See Page 42 for details

See Inside C M Y K

FEMI ARIBISALA

A lesson in democracy for Buharimaniacs

P.20

YINKA ODUMAKIN

Biafra agitation: Abuja, Aburi or Araba?

COLUMNISTS:

Kidnappers, robbers lay siege to 4 Rivers LGAs

P.17

Kogi poll: Our hands were tied — INEC 8

Mr & Mrs

FG proposes N6trn expansionist budget for 2016 NIGER DELTA VOICE

Social Media Bill: You are on your own, Buhari tells Senate 8

I’m for youth empowerment, says Oba Ogunwusi

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State presenting installation certificate and staff of office to Ooni Ogunwusi yesterday. See more pictures on Pages 14&15.

Commission, yesterday, declared the Bayelsa State Governorship election inconclusive, just as did in the Kogi election.

The sore thumb in Bayelsa has remained the highly volatile Southern Ijaw Local Council of the state.

Continues on Page 5

7

NNPC to be split into 2 companies 12

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

—3

4—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 5

POCKET CARTOON won Nembe

WOMEN SUMMIT— From left: Representative of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Adetoun Adediran; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Sosan; Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode; wife of the Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State; his Wife, Florence and President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Chief Onikepo Akande, during the 4th Oyo State Officials Wives Association (OYSOWA) National Women Summit held in Ibadan.

Bayelsa: INEC declares election inconclusive

Southern Ijaw have been collated.

Continues from Page 1 “Reports of the election Elections could not take conducted on December place in the area, last 6, 2015 in Southern Ijaw Saturday, unlike other LGA reveals that the parts of the state and the election was substantially exercise was rescheduled marred by violence, ballot for Sunday. In spite of the box snatching, hostage deployment of soldiers to taking of electoral officials the area, attempts to including reports from conduct the polls on political parties, observers Sunday met an — local and foreign — impregnable wall, forcing among others. the INEC, yesterday, to “This falls short of again, cancel the internationally accepted rescheduled exercise in standards for credible Southern Ijaw over election. Consequently, widespread violence, the Commission has ballot box snatching and decided in the interest of hostage taking of the integrity of the electoral officials. commission to cancel the The state Resident election in Southern Ijaw. new date for the conduct BAYELSA POLLS RESULT SO FAR A of the election in Southern Ijaw LGA will be LGAs PDP APC PDM announced in due course.”

Sagbama 28,934 5382 406 Before the cancellation Yenogoa 24,258 14,563 451 of polls in Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma 7,619 6,896 137 results from seven of the Brass 6,516 21,755 222 eight local councils of Ekeremor 14,602 7,918 44 Bayelsa had been Nembe 10768 6974 76 announced. Governor Ogbia 13,051 9,106 86 Seriake Dickson, the TOTAL 105,748 72,594 1442 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who polled 105,748 votes, is leading his closest challenger, Chief Timipre

BY AYO ADIO Sylva of the All O not despise little beginnings, relative to what Progressives Congress, you are about to bring forth, the temporal APC, who got 72,594 votes shame is insignificant. It's up to you. with 33,154 votes.

According to the INEC updated register for the 2015 election in the state,

BY ELLA RANDLE are 120,827 What wisdom can you find that is greater than there registered voters in kindness — Jean j Rousseau Southern Ijaw Local PERSON with a golden heart is someone who Council.

Results from five has a flexible and creative attitude towards life, councils – Sagbama, someone with balanced mind and a consciousness that is ready to shift based on truth in the moment, Yenagoa, Kolokuma/ another relative term for what is truth for one person Opokuma, Brass and may be different for another. However, this known Ekeremor, had been question and tested paradigm is a relevant and announced on Sunday.

Yesterday, results from adequate yardstick whenever one is in doubt about Nembe and Ogbia were what action to take when dealing with others. Is it kind? Is it true? Is it fair to all concerned? Is it announced. So far, Dickson won in all the necessary? councils apart from Brass, which was cornered by Sylva.

Electoral Commissioner, Baritor Kpagih, who disclosed this in Yenagoa, said a new date for a fresh poll in the area would be announced in due course.

His words: “You will recall that the Commission conducted governorship election on December 5, 2015. The Commission announced that the polls shall be continued in some local governments including Southern Ijaw Local Government Area on December 6, 2015.

“The results of the elections in all the Local Government Areas except

IT'S UP TO YOU

D

TAKE HEART

A

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

The rat at home told the one in the bush that there is roasted meat in the kitchen.

How Dickson

In Nembe, which has 14 Wards, the PDP polled 10,768 votes while the APC had 6,974. The PDM scored 76 votes.

Nembe is also the home town of Dickson's Deputy and runing mate, Gboribiogha John-Jonah, a retired Air Force officer.

According to the Returning Officer, Dr Samuel Ebiye of the Federal University Otuoke, the local council has 66,384 registered votes out of which only 18,799 were accredited.

Jonathan delivers Ogbia

In Ogbia Local Council, which has 13 wards and where former President Goodluck Jonathan hails from, the ruling PDP emerged tops with 13,051 votes, beating APC (9,106 votes). The PDM got 86 votes.

Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Dr. Evans Eze of Federal University, Otuoke, said the area has 69, 253 registered voters, of which 24,532 voters were accredited. The number of rejected ballots was 880 and total votes cast, 23,358.

Police ban public rallies, procession

Before the results of the polls in Southern Ijaw were cancelled, the Bayelsa Police Command banned all forms of processions, rallies or demonstrations in the state.

Deputy InspectorGeneral of Police in charge of Training and Development and Bayelsa Election, Hashimu Argungu, in a statement said information at the command’s disposal revealed plans by some disgruntled elements to carry out illegal demonstrations, processions and rallies in the state capital.

“This form of conduct will jeopardize the ongoing electoral process. Therefore, the command warns the intending perpetrators to desist from such acts as it will deal decisively with any person or group of persons who wishes to engage in any conduct that will compromise the existing peaceful atmosphere,” he warned.

Argungu urged members of the public to go about their normal businesses, “as the security agencies are poised to guarantee the safety of lives and properties.”

Women protest in Southern Ijaw

However, women drawn mostly from Southern Ijaw Local Council, but cutting across all the councils of

the state, yesterday, defied the ban on street processions and demonstrations to protest what they described as the widespread irregularities in the conduct of the rescheduled election in the council and called for cancellation of the exercise.

The protesting women, clad in black, bore placards with the inscription,”Leadership is about building and not destroying!” , ‘’INEC are you still independent?”, "Buhari are you still for everybody and nobody?”

“No vote in Southern Ijaw wards!”

They moved towards the INEC collation centre, chanting war songs but were stopped by men of the Joint Task Force code named Operation Pulo Shield, the Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. The aggrieved women, led by the State Woman Leader of the PDP, Madam Faith Opuen, alleged that the decision of INEC to collude with the APC to disenfranchise the people of the state was wicked and unconstitutional.

She said though the decision to reschedule the election was normal, the refusal of INEC to put in place necessary machinery to protect lives and materials for the election invalidates any outcome of the election in Southern Ijaw.

PDP Reps accuse JTF of hijacking poll materials for APC

Meanwhile, the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, yesterday, accused security agents of hijacking electoral materials for the governorship elections in Southern Ijaw in favour of the APC. It specifically accused the JTF of chasing away its party chieftains and supporters from voting and facilitating rigging to favour the APC. The PDP caucus, in a statement read by the Minority Leader of the

House of Representatives, Rep Leo Ogor, flanked by Rep Rima Shawulu said: “The desperate attempt to kill and bury democracy and the right to choose by the APC-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari is to say the least, not just despicable, but also portends end for the nation.

“As it is already known, the people of Bayelsa braved the odds to go out and vote in spite of threat and boast of the APC that it will use security agents and soldiers to take over the state. Citizens were told that they should not bother to go out and vote because the election result had already been written in favour of the APC. “The people of the State ignored the threats and handed over victory in the state to the Peoples Democratic Party despite the killings, mayhem, ballot box and result sheet seizing."

Dickson, Sylva divided over Southern Ijaw poll’s cancellation Dickson and Sylva were on parallel paths, yesterday, over the INEC’s cancellation of results from Southern Ijaw, the home council of deceased first civilian governor of the state, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha. While Dickson hailed the move, Sylva kicked, saying that the REC has no power to do so.

According to Sylva, the power to cancel a duly held election rests with the State Returning Officer and not the REC and as such the votes should be counted.

However, Dickson hailed the cancellation of the rescheduled election in the council area saying if the commission had heeded to his advice, it would have saved the nation from the avoidable waste of public funds.

He pointed out that the decision to hold the election on Sunday by INEC was ill advised, taking into consideration the security situation and peculiar nature of the area.

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 , 2015

We're paraded because we could not bribe Police — Suspected cultists

By Esther Onyegbula

L

AGOS — SEVEN suspected cultists, said to be terrorizing Ijora Badia and its environs in Lagos, have been arrested during initiation by officers of the Lagos State Police.

But some of the suspects identified as Nora Benson, 18; Monday Dennis, 21; James Francis, 31 and Jeremiah Okereke, 21, denied the allegation.

The police claimed they carried out the arrest following the directives of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatia Owoseni, to rid the state of cultists and cult-related activities which have claimed the lives of several innocent persons in recent times, in the state.

I am not a cultist

One of the suspects, 18-year-old mother of one, Nora Benson, said she was attending a friend’s party when she was arrested.

She said: "I live in Lekki but I used to worked in Ikoyi before I fell sick and went for operation. It was not up to three weeks I came back. I have a two-year-old son but I am not yet married.

“My friend, Blessing, invited me to a party. Everyone goes to parties even in a church we go for parties. I don’t know where she is now. She left with her boyfriend three hours before I was arrested at the venue of the party. I don’t know the address of the place because I have not been there before.”

Talking about the tattoo on her skin, Nora, who is from Cross River State, adding she got the tattoo when she went to play football in Egypt. “I drew it on my hand when my colleagues were drawing tattoo. I played with Ultimate Queens. I left my son inside the house at about 6pm when I was going out. I thought I would spend about an hour.

“So, I thought I was going to spend less than an hour at the place. I was troubled when I didn’t see Blessing who invited me. I decided to find my way out of the party venue so that I can go back home before the vigilante got me.”

Referring to the colour of clothes she was wearing, Nora said the red and white was not the dress code of the party.

She said: “I just decided to dress like this and I don’t know why these other people are dressed like me. I have told the police that I don’t have anybody around because I just packed into the compound about three weeks ago.

I rented the apartment immediately I came from my village to seek greener pastures.

I left my home town because the father of my child could not take care of me and my baby. He keeps fighting me, using cutlass to attack me. Instead of me to die with my child, I had to leave.”

Kidnappers of Fed Medical Centre staff demand N7m ransom

By Dayo Johnson

A The suspects

We could not bribe the Police

Another suspect, Monday Dennis also denied being a member of any gang, adding that the police refused to release them as they could not bribe them.

“My friend popularly called

Million, invited me to a party at Ijora Badia. We were drinking at about 10pm, when members of a vigilante group arrested us and took us to the station.

“Some of us who had money have been released on bail while they transferred those that could

not pay to SARS. It is one Yetunde that informed the police that I am the gang leader.

I am not a cultist. The policeman that interrogatedmeaccusedmeofbeing stubborn,disrespectfulandnotgiving him money. I am 29 years old and a cleaner in Ikoyi.”

RRS arrests 4 suspects, recover 6 bags of Indian hemp

The suspects

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsuru Olowoopejo

L

AGOS—THE Lagos State Rapid Response Squad, RRS, an arm of the Lagos State Police Command headquartered in Alausa, Ikeja, yesterday, paraded four men found with Indian hemp.

The leader of the RRS team, Insp. Adeniba Olorunshola, told newsmen that his team stormed a hideout notorious for the sale of Indian hemp in Oyingbo area of the state on Sunday.

According to him, the team acted on a tip off and after two weeks of surveillance decided to swoop in on the hideout.

Olorunshola said that six bags of Indian hemp were recovered from the hideout which had underground escape tunnels.

He said that four suspected peddlers were apprehended but the main suspect, a man popularly known as “Aroso” escaped in the raid that took place on Sunday night.

He said that the suspects would be handed over to the NDLEA after investigations had been concluded.

Olorunshola said the manhunt for the drug kingpin, “Aroso” would continue.

KURE—THE abductors of a pharmacist with the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Mrs Queen Adeyeye, also a widow, have contacted her family requesting for ransom of N7 million.

Dependable family source hinted that the abductors contacted the family of the widow late on Sunday.

But the family members have pleaded that the request of the kidnappers was on the high side.

Vanguard was informed that the family and her Church (Deeper Life Bible Church) were pleading that the ransom be reduced to N1 million.

It was gathered that the husband of the victim died in December last year after a protected sickness.

One of his son who travelled to Ukraine to study medicine last year was said to have been contacted by the family on how they would raise the ransom money.

The kidnappers, according to report have insisted that they would not go below N3 million.

Vanguard learned that the family is at a cross road and had contacted all the friends of the husband of the victim to raise the ransom.

Familyofthevictimandleaders of her church are said to be meeting to decide on how to secure her release.

It will be recalled that Mrs Adeyeyewaskidnappedaftershe returned from a church vigil last Saturday. Shewasambushedby the kidnappers at her residence located at Ishelu Quarters, Owo area of the state on Saturday.

Agent in court over alleged N4.1m theft

L

By Onozure Dania

AGOS—A 35-year-old clearing agent, Isiaka Muritala, who was alleged to have obtained the sum of N4.1million from his customer under the pretext of clearing two cars for him, was, yesterday, arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Muritala, who resides at Ketu area of Lagos State, is facing a twocount charge of fraud and stealing, preferred against him by the

police.

The prosecutor, Inspector Kenneth Asibor told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offences on July 16, 2015, during working hours in Lagos.

He said that the defendant obtained the sum of N1.3 million from one Martins Eruga, under the guise of clearing two vehicles, a Toyota SUVs, which he failed to do.

The prosecutor also alleged

that the defendant delivered one of the vehicles to Mr Eruga but stole the Toyota Rav 4, which is valued at N2. 8 million.

He further stated that the total amount allegedly stolen was N4.

1 million.

Magistrate, Mrs. Abimbola Komolafe, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000, with two sureties in like sum.

She said that the sureties must be gainfully employed and one must be a blood relation of the defendant.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2015—7

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA — THE Federal Government, yesterday, unveiled 2016 budget proposal of N6 trillion, allocating 30 per cent of the budget to capital expenditure.

The proposed budget is predicated on crude oil price of $38 per barrel and crude oil production of 2.2 million barrel per day.

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, also approved and submitted the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, to the National Assembly.

In the current budget, the government submitted a budget proposal of N4.38 billion to the National Assembly which raised it to N4.9 trillion. The 2015 budget was predicated on crude oil price of $65 per barrel and crude oil production of 2.28 million barrel per day.

The 2016 proposed budget is about N1.62 trillion or 27 per cent higher than what was proposed for the 2015 budget. The crude oil bench mark for next year’s budget is lower than the current crude oil price of $41 per barrel.

Briefing State House correspondents after an emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, Minister of National Planning and Budget, Udoma Udo Udoma, stated that in view of the current economic realities, FEC predicated the budget on $38 of barrel of crude oil as benchmark for the MTEF. He also said that the budget is premised on the hope that Nigeria will produce a total of 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per day.

He said: “At today’s Federal Executive Council meeting, the council approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, which sets out the policies of government over the next three years. It sets out the fundamental economic underpinning of the budget.

“The highlights are as follows: we projected and we are working with $38 crude oil price, we consider that to be very conservative but because of the uncertainty, we felt that we should start with a conservative crude oil price.

“We are also working with 2.2 million barrels a day production.

We believe it is achievable, particularly because with the possible passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which we are working to achieve, we believe that the production figure is a modest figure that we should be able to produce something higher than that.

Expansionist budget

“And so next year, we are looking at an expansionist budget.

We are looking at a budget that will be N1 trillion more than last year. So, we are looking at a budget of about N6 trillion.

“Last year’s budget, including the supplementary, was about N5 trillion. So, we are looking at a N6 trillion budget. All the increases

actually will be spent on capital, because there is the need to increase the capital because of the infrastructure issues that we have to address.

"We are projecting almost 30 per cent capital project, up from the 15 per cent or so that is in the current budget. We will try and reduce overheads, but keep personnel cost in check. We are not going to adjust it by much, but we are expecting some savings from the IPPIS system which we are using. So we are not cutting anybody’s salary, everybody will get their salaries.

“Following from this, the MTEF will be submitted to the National Assembly, and we expect a feedback from them, thereafter we will be working to try and get the budget finalized, it when the budget is finalized that you really see the details of what we intend to do. This is just a medium term economic framework.”

Funding

Flanked by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Minister of State for National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, at the briefing, Udoma said budget would be further funded by increasing efficiency in income tax and borrowing. He also assured that the workers salaries would not be cut to keep in tandem with the economic challenges.

“We will get the funding from two sources. We are looking at trying to increasing our non-oil revenue. We are looking at trying to get more money from the various government agencies, policing their collection and trying to get more money from them. We will also look at keeping down our recurrent budget that means we are looking at savings that we can make from overheads.

“We will look at the efficiencies from our revenue collecting

UBA GHANA @ 10: Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Managing Director, UBA Ghana, Mrs Abiola Bawuah; Governor, Central Bank of Ghana, Dr. Kofo Henry Wampah; GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; and DMD & CEO UBA Africa, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, during the celebration of 10th anniversary of the establishment of UBA Ghana, in Accra, weekend.

FG proposes N6trn expansionist budget for 2016

Raises capital budget to 30% Submits MTEF to National Assembly soon Crude bench mark of $38 per barrel 2.2m barrels of crude oil production We are not cutting civil servants salaries agencies like the FIRS, in terms of company income tax, in terms of VAT, and then the difference, we will have to borrow. But the level of borrowing that we anticipate will be well within the maximum allowed, which is three per cent of the GDP, because we want a prudent budget. We want a credible budget. So, we are working on that now.

“So we are not cutting

anybody’s salary everybody will get their salaries, “he said.

Speaking on the exchange rate with regards to the budget, the minister stated that government was working with the projection from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. This was even as he stated that FEC was also looking into the issue of subsidy removal in the budget.

On the exchange rate, we are working on the exchange rate that

the Central Bank of Nigeria has given us, that is the rate we are working on. On whether subsidy will be retained, we are looking into that”, he said.

Meanwhile, President Buhari, before the commencement of the FEC meeting, sworn in additional p e r m a n e n t secretaries, Akindele Bamgboshe and Mamoud Isa Dutse.

Both were among the recently appointed 18 permanent secretaries who were not sworn in alongside their colleagues as they were abroad on official assignment.

Fuel crisis: Blame FG for your woes, oil marketers tell Says FG not sincere, lament delay in subsidy payment Nigerians

By Sebastine Obasi & Michael Eboh

A

BUJA— THE fuel crisis took a dramatic turn for the worse, yesterday, as massive queues were seen in almost all the petrol stations selling the products in Abuja.

Also, some oil marketers, who spoke to Vanguard, blamed the prolonged scarcity on the insincerity of the Federal Government and called on Nigerians to expect a further worsening of the situation in the days ahead.

This was after a slight improvement was recorded few days after the Senate approved the supplementary budget which was to be used mainly for payments of subsidy claims to oil marketers.

Specifically, over the weekend, light queues were recorded in some petrol stations in Abuja, while most of the petrol station did not record any queue. But

Scarcity worsens as traders warn of tougher days ahead Senate to engage CBN to fast track FOREX for oil marketers the situation worsened, yesterday, as the queues returned with only a few petrol stations in town selling the product Some marketers who spoke to Vanguard blamed the renewed intensity of the crisis on the fact that they are yet to receive payments for their subsidy claims, a situation that had made it difficult for them to purchase the product.

Specifically, one of the marketers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, wondered what is delaying the payment of the claims, while he accused the Federal Government of not showing concern for the plight of Nigerians.

The marketer disclosed that Nigerians should expect tougher days ahead, stating that if the subsidy claims are eventually paid, it would take days for oil

marketers to access the funds, place order for the products, get the consignment and start distributing the products to all the nooks and crannies of the country.

He said: “Nigerians should hold the Federal Government responsible for the sufferings they are currently passing through. This government was aware of outstanding subsidy claims from their first day in office, but they had to wait for six months, until Nigerians could no longer bear the suffering in silence, before they took any action.

Senate to engage CBN to fast track FOREX for oil

However, the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) said it will engage the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to fast track the

availability of foreign exchange to enable marketers import petroleum products, so as to ease off the continuing scarcity.

The Committee Chairman, Uche Ekwunife, stated this during the committee’s visit to depots in Apapa, Lagos. Her pronouncement came as marketers said that bad roads and infrastructural decay have continued to hamper their movement from the depots to different parts of the country.

“We will make sure the relevant agencies do the needful to enable marketers get the issuance on time so as make logistic arrangement for importation of the products. As for foreign exchange, we have to engage the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to fasttrack the availability of foreign exchange.

The CBN should tell us why the marketers will not have access to import the product as at when due,” she said.

8—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA — PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, distanced himself from the proposed Social Media Bill currently being debated in the Senate seeking to restrict Nigerians from “criticizing” political and public office holders.

This is just as the United Nations is considering the petition filed by rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), against the bill The President speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, stated that the principle of the bill was inconsistent with democratic ideals of free speech enshrined in the constitution of the land.

He added that he had sworn to protect and uphold the dictates of the constitution and would not in anyway go against it.

President Buhari, however, stated that he was “not averse to lawful regulation, so long as that is done within the ambit of the constitution” which he swore to uphold, noting that free speech was central to democratic societies anywhere in the world.

“The President won’t assent to any legislation that may be inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria,” he said.

He further explained that without free speech, elected representatives won’t be able to gauge public feelings and moods about governance issues.

“As a key component of democratic principles are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might,” he said.

Shehu explained that President Buhari was fully aware of the public reservations about the proposed legislation but assured that there was no cause for alarm “because the Senate is a democratic Senate.

The bill, however, has passed second reading in the Senate.

UN hears petition on the bill

Meanwhile, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. David Kaye is considering the urgent appeal against the bill In a statement, yesterday, by SERAP executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said: “SERAP can confirm that the Office of the Special Rapporteur is now considering our petition. We have received communication from Marcelo Daher at the Office of the Special Rapporteur to this effect.

The Special Rapporteur has also requested a copy of the bill, which SERAP has promptly sent to Marcelo Daher.

“SERAP appreciates the prompt attention to this matter by the Office of the Special Rapporteur.

We urge the UN to pursue this matter to a satisfactory conclusion

From left: President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio and Senate President, Bukola Saraki at the Presidential Villa,weekend.

Social Media Bill: You are on your own, Buhari tells Senate Says it's inconsistent with democratic ideals of free speech As UN hears petition on the bill by SERAP by ensuring that the Nigerian Senate is not allowed to strangulate media freedom and social media in the country,” the group said.

According to the group, “the only option for the Senate now is to withdraw this obnoxious bill without further delay and end this international embarrassment. SERAP will be prepared to withdraw the petition at the UN if the Senate can follow this honourable path.”

SERAP, last week, sent an urgent appeal to Mr. David Kaye requesting him to “use your good offices and position to urgently request the National Assembly of Nigeria, specifically the Senate, to withdraw a bill which if passed into law would undermine the internationally recognized right to freedom of expression and press freedom on the internet in the country.”

The urgent appeal

Mr Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was copied in the urgent appeal.

In the urgent appeal, the organisation expressed serious concerns “that the National Assembly of Nigeria will any moment from now pass a bill to jail for two years and fine anybody or group of persons who send any alleged false text message or post false message on the social media

against another person.

“SERAP is concerned that rather than increasing universal and inclusive access to the Internet for all Nigerians, the National Assembly of Nigeria is working to undermine access of citizens to the Internet. Yet, freedom of expression entails the ability to both speak and receive information, including through the social media and other generated content services such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and chat applications.

“By initiating this bill, the National Assembly is impermissibly restricting the ability of the citizens to use these tools to communicate, connect, and seek independent sources of information.

“SERAP also contends that the bill will restrain access to Internet and social media, curtail the freedom of the press, and online content in illegitimate, disproportionate, or otherwise unlawful and abusive ways. The real targets of the bill are social media and human rights defenders that might be critical of government policies or report on corruption involving high ranking government officials.

“International law provides that any restriction to rights online must be provided in law, pursuant to a legitimate aim, and limited to only what is necessary and proportionate. SERAP believes that the bill falls far short of international requirements of legitimacy, necessity and proportionality.

“The bill will also have chilling effect on freedom of expression in the country, as it will create an atmosphere of fear among bloggers and online activists who may not post critical commentary on Facebook or other social media platforms for fear of being sent to jail."

Kogi: Our hands were tied —INEC Says Faleke’s gov'ship quest, a legal absurdity I'll not be available for swearing in with Bello on Jan 27—Faleke

By Omeiza Ajayi, with agency report

A

BUJA— Following the conclusion of the governorship election in Kogi State, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained why it could not declare any other person other than Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress, APC as the duly elected governor of the state.

INEC said its hands were legally bound and so could not have changed the rules in the middle of the game.

This happened as Bello’s Deputy, Mr James Faleke, declared that he would not be available for swearing in with Bello on January 27. Faleke had, upon the death of his principal, Prince Abubakar Audu, written INEC to declare him as winner of the polls, despite INEC having initially declared the poll as inconclusive.

However, speaking on a television programme monitored in Abuja, Director in charge of

Voter Education, Publicity, Civil Society and Gender Liaison, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said the commission decided to err on the side of the law.

According to him, the guidelines were clear on situations that could warrant the declaration of an election as “inconclusive.”

He said despite the fact that only about 13, 227 voters out of 49, 000 registered voters participated in the supplementary election, “INEC had a constitutional duty to conduct that election within certain parameters or framework.

“If INEC was satisfied that even one vote could make a difference, then we had no option than to conduct the election. It was not the making of INEC. Definitely, we would have loved to complete everything on November 21.”

The commission’s spokesman said INEC has learnt its lessons and going forward, it will advocate a review of all relevant laws to capture the various

issues thrown up by the Kogi debacle.

“We have learnt our lessons but we could not have changed the rules mid-way. A referee cannot just come up halfway into the game and say what used to be offside is no longer offside. The laws can only be reviewed after the match has ended,” he said.

On Faleke

He added that at no time did Faleke withdraw from the race, saying it would have amounted to a legal absurdity for the APC to have made Faleke its governorship candidate and then making him nominate a new running-mate. Such a development, he said, would have thrown up fresh legal challenges.

“We got a letter from Faleke saying he is the governorelect. At no time did he withdraw. APC never withdrew his name either. In any case, we never relate with individuals. We only deal with candidates through their

parties.

“Even so, his withdrawal would have been correct if it was within the time for withdrawal, which is 45 days before the election, and if his party had forwarded his withdrawal letter to the commission. When he was nominated as deputy governorship candidate, it was his party that forwarded his resume, affidavit and other details to INEC and not Faleke himself,” he explained.

I'll not be available for swearing in with Bello, Jan 27— Faleke

Meanwhile, Mr Faleke, has said he will not make himself available for swearing in with Alhaji Yahaya Bello on January 27, 2016.

Faleke stated this at a meeting of APC stakeholders in Kogi West Senatorial District in Kabba, Kogi State , yesterday He explained that this was in furtherance of his earlier letter to the national leadership of the party not to work with Bello, then governorship candidate.

Faleke, who was reacting to resolutions reached at the meeting that he should pursue the legal option to a logical conclusion, held that the Audu/Faleke ticket remained intact and unchanged.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

—9

10—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 , 2015

FG can't stop Biafra, BIM boasts

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

NEWI—BIAFRAN In N dependence Movement, BIM, has said that

the Federal Government has no power and capacity to stop the actualization of sovereign state of Biafra, saying that the matter is now before the United Nations, UN for consideration.

Addressing newsmen in Onitsha on the recent protests by Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Uchenna Madu-led MASSOB, in Onitsha a Personal Assistant to former leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, Mr Emmanuel Omenka, said BIM which replaces the Uwazurike-led MASSOB accused the MASSOB led by Madu as a violent group.

Mr Omenka who addressed newsmen with his Anambra Central Administrator of BIM Mr. Vincent Iloh, said IPOB and Maduled MASSOB are perpetuating the recent mayhem in the South East and South South zones, adding that both should be held responsible for the destruction and loss of lives during the protest.

According to Omenka, “Uchenna was expelled from MASSOB in 2014 because of anti-MASSOB activity. When you don’t follow the organogram, we expel you. So, they were expelled for not following the organogram.”

He said: “The God we serve will still help us to actualize a Biafra State without splitting blood. We are BIM now and we are more determined than ever to actualize Biafra without violence. Iloh on his part, said: “Those politicians that are sponsoring Madu and their cohorts will never succeed because Uwazuruike remains the only Igbo man that stakes his life for the course of the Igbo nation.

“He is the leader we know in Igboland and who will take us to the Promise Land not minding the intimidation, blackmail and arrest by the Federal Government security forces against our members.”

Meanwhile, the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB as led by Mr Madu, has said that the recent change of name

by Uwazurike of the MASSOB group he led before he was removed is a tactical way he wants to withdraw from the struggle for the actualization of Biafra, confirming what they have been saying that he has been compromised.

The MASSOB National Director of Information, Mr Samuel Edeson said that Uwazurike has been known for his inconsistency and selling out when the chips are down and has proved them right in removing him as MASSOB leader before he announced his new group.

“Uwazurike’s acceptance of his removal by announcing BIM as his new group is a good riddance for the bad nonsense he planted into MASSOB before we removed him. We are happy that he has proved us right, now we will be more focused in our struggle for actualization of a Biafran State,” he said.

C M Y K

LASU re-issues ASUU chairman's PhD certificate L

By Our Reporter

AGOS—THE Lagos State University, LASU, has reissued the withdrawn Ph.D certificates of Dr Adekunle Idris, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, LASU chapter and Dr Mufutau Yusuf.

Idris made the disclosure at the university’s Ojo campus yesterday in Lagos.

The re-issued certificates were sequel to a directive by the Governing Council of LASU. He said that the certificates were re-issued on December 3, after a thorough investigation by an ad-hoc committee of the council, headed by the ProChancellor, Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo.

“The re-issued certificates read: PhD Business Administration while the withdrawn Certificates read: Business Administration (Marketing).

“What was done was simply removing the marketing in bracket, rather than withdrawing the certificate as was implemented by the administration of the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa.

out considering that of the PG school,” he said.

Tijani Akapo re-instated

According to Idris, the university had also re-instated the Temporary Appointee, Mr Tijani Akapo and others who were wrongly disengaged since 2013 by Obafunwa.

“The truth is constant though it tarries, it will always prevail in the long run.

“We remain focused and daunted in the struggle for the emancipation of the Nigerian masses and interest of all our members,” he said.

The chairman charged the council to bring to book all those involved in creating the embar-

rassment to his person and the university, to deter others in the future.

Idris said that as a person, his lawyer was studying the decision of the university on the re-issuance of the certificate and would take appropriate legal action at the right time.

Idris hailed the courage of the 10th Governing Council headed by Prof. Ninalowo, to speedily resolve the issue.

“The commitment shown thus far by the members of the Governing Council was unprecedented.

Union lauds Governing Council

the zeal thus far shown by the Governing Council to tackle the myriad of problems on ground,” he said.

LASU Senate under the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa had withdrawn 19 PhD certificates over what the management termed error in the title of the certificates issued.

The 19 certificates included that of Idris, the ASUU-LASU chairman, and one Dr Adeoye Yusuf.

17 out of the 19 certificate withdrawn were later re-issued to the affected persons after clarification, while that of Idris and Yusuf were withheld.

“The union is appreciative of

Decision of the Council

“The decision of the council vindicates our Dr Idris and Dr Mufutau.

“It also vindicated the position of ASUU on this unnecessary crisis created by the administration of Obafunwa and his cronies,” he said.

Idris said that he graduated in 2012 and the PhD certificate was signed by Prof. Obafunwa but was apparently withdrawn to distract the union’s leadership following a crisis with the union.

He said the re-issued certificate was, however, signed by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Fidelis Njokanma.

According to Idris, the PhD thesis was supervised by Prof.

Ade Oyedijo, LASU, Dean, Business Administration and the then Coordinator of the Ph.D programme.

He said Prof. Ben Oghojafor, former Dean, Business Administration, University of Lagos, was the external assessor of the thesis.

“The university through the School of Postgraduate Studies had directed Oyedijo to investigate the certificate and write a report.

“Oyedijo had written a one man report which did not go through the department or faculty, stating that the certificates had error.

“He recommended that it should be withdrawn, without specifying that it should be corrected and re-issued, while the Post-Graduate School recommended that it should be corrected and re-issued.

“The Senate 17 members out of 87, decided and approved the recommendation of Oyedijo with-

INSPECTION: From left: Senator Ibn Na-Allah, Sen. Stella Oduah, Sen. Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwanso, all members of Senate Ad-hoc committee on Aviation, during their inspection tour of new facilities at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday.

Senate's c'ttee wants better funding for aviation sector

By Lawani Mikairu

L

AGOS—THE Senate Committee on Avia tion yesterday lamented the paucity of fund in the aviation sector and said efforts will be made by the committee to recommend that more fund should be allocated to the sector in next year federal government budget. The committee expressed these sentiments while inspecting facilities at the Lagos Airport.

The tour took the Senators to the new terminal building under construction at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to see the state of work at the terminal which is expected to be completed in March, 2016. The Total Radar Coverage, TRACON, project also at the airport was also inspected by the visiting senators.

Speaking with aviation reporters after the tour, a member of the committee and former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwakwaso said: “We want to thank the Managing Director of FAAN through you. We started this tour this morning at the Abuja airport this morning.

"We have seen the progress of work at the various facilities and we also saw the equipment. We are happy on the one hand and also not happy on the other hand because a lot still has to be done in the country’s aviation industry.

“We have seen the facilities, equipment and we are going back and put heads together and see what we will recommend to the senate to see how we can move the industry forward.“ Also speaking during the tour, the former Minister of Aviation, Princes Stella Oduah said the facilities at Lagos Airport need overhauling and proper maintenance and this requires extra fund to achieve. She said: “We will write our report and make recommendations to the Aviation minister on how to increase the revenue drive in the sector.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—11

A’Court upholds Kashamu’s election

By Ola Ajayi

I

BADAN—THE Court of Appeal in Ibadan has dismissed the verdict of a lower election petition tribunal in Ogun State which had earlier nullified the election of Senator Buruji Kashamu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and declared him winner of the election.

Prince Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had challenged the victory of the senator representing Ogun East senatorial district in the March 28 election saying the election was marred by large scale irregularities noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, erred by declaring Kashamu winner of the election. The tribunal ordered a re-run of the election in 91 out of 110 polling units in the senatorial district.

Dissatisfied with the judgment of the lower tribunal, Senator Buruji headed to the Appellate Court for redress.

Following allegations of compromise and a petition written against a three-man panel which had earlier been

constituted, the panel was dissolved and a new one reconstituted.

The Chairman of the threemember appeal panel is Justice Mitshelia, A.G. Dr. Alex Izion held brief for Senator Kashamu Buruji; while Mr. Ajibola Oluyede stood in for the PDP. Yussuf Alli,SAN, represented the first and second respondents, Prince Dapo Abiodun and the APC. While reading the lead judgment, Justice M.L Shuaib said the tribunal erred adding that it was curious, illogical and perverse of the tribunal to place so much reliance on the evidence of a prosecution witness PW 44 and admit as evidence documents that were clearly inadmissible under the law and also act on such evidence to truncate Kashamu’s victory.

According to the panel, “PW 44 sold himself out and the tribunal should not have held that he was an expert when he himself had agreed that anyone could do what he did. No expert opinion is needed in this case since

PW44 stated that anyone, even a layman, could do what he did and he has no degree in statistics.”

“There is no certification of the admitted printout by the said forensic expert. So, it is not an exhibit and he also sold himself out when he stated that the Appendix A, B and C which constituted his report was printed from a computer, but the tribunal held that it was PW44’s statement on oath and not a print out.

“The case of the first and

…As Court also upholds Ajayi’s victory I

T was a moment of joy yesterday for the Chairman of the Committee on Aids, Loans & Debt Management of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi, representing Boripe, Ifelodun & Odo-Otin Federal Constituency in Osun State as he floored his main rival, Mr. Kayode Oduoye, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,) at the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure.

The Court of Appeal in its judgment, yesterday, unanimously affirmed Ajayi's victory and dismissed all the grounds of Appeal filed by Oduoye.

In his remarks after the judgment, Ajayi described the appellate court's ruling as “an affirmation of the rule of law and democracy,” adding that the ruling is “a victory for the party and the people of my constituency whose mandate freely given at the last election was challenged by the PDP and its candidate. The confidence reposed in our party's focus and direction has finally been given judicial approval.”

He assured the people of his constituency of his genuine commitment to their wellbeing and overall development of the area, noting that “I have never been more hopeful of a better Nigeria than now, and with your support for our party at all levels Nigeria will surely get back on track.”

He called on his challenger, having exhausted all legal avenues open to him under the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to work with him.

“As his representative I enjoin him to bring his ideas for the development of our constituency to the table for consideration and action.”

It would be recalled that shortly after the National

Assembly election in March 2015, the PDP's House of Representative candidate went to court to contest Ajayi’s victory at the election petition tribunal in Osogbo. The tribunal dismissed Oduoye’s petitions and upheld APC candidate’s victory with costs awarded against the petitioner.

second respondents (Abiodun and APC) in this appeal collapses like a pack of cards as the respondents failed to lay necessary foundation for the admissibility of the annexes.

Exhibits A, B and C are expunged as inadmissible.

PW44 was a hatchet man brought to truncate the appellant’s victory and since his testimony is that he thoroughly analyzed some documents from INEC’s register and used a computer to draw a table and print it

out, the annexes are indeed a printout. It is wrong of the tribunal to place so much reliance on the evidence of a discredited witness and use an inadmissible document to arrive at its judgment.”

The three-man panel comprising Justices A. G. Msheila, M. L Shuaib and Ignatius Agube, also adopted the same judgment.

Speaking on the judgment, Prince Kashamu described it as a victory for democracy and the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District.

12—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

FG splits PIB, to break NNPC into two companies

By Michael Eboh with Agency Report

T

HE Federal Government has broken up the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill into different versions and is proposing splitting the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, into two companies - the Nigeria Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAM) and a National Oil Company (NOC) that would be run on commercial lines and partly privatised.

According to a report obtained from Reuters, yesterday, the Federal Government is breaking up the PIB and is replacing it first with a law to overhaul the petroleum sector with the aim of closing loopholes that bred corruption.

Under the draft legislation, the report stated that the NOC will be an “integrated oil and gas company operating as a fully commercial entity and will run like a private company.''

According to the report, the onus would be on the board of the company to make profits and raise its own funding. The NOC would be expected to keep its revenues, deduct costs directly and pay dividends to the government.

To start off, the report stated that the NOC will receive about $5 billion, or at least the five-year average of the amount of money

•Senate to get first PIB this week •To replace DPR, PPPRA with N PRC NNPC had to put into joint venture operations, while it would be partially privatised with the Federal Government divesting a minimum of 30 per cent of its shares in the company within six years of its incorporation.

NPAM, on the other hand, is expected to manage assets where the government is not obligated to provide any upfront

funding. “These include oil licences run under productionsharing agreements in which independent oil companies cover operating costs and pay tax and royalties on output,” the report noted.

Compared with previous PIB drafts, the report stressed that the law curtails ministerial powers as board appointments are made by the Nigerian

president and confirmed by the Senate.

If passed, the report further stated that the law would also create a Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC) to oversee everything from oil licence bid rounds to fuel prices, while a Special Investigation Unit would also be set up under the NPRC with the powers to seize items and make arrests without a warrant.

LAUNCH: From left; Mr Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank;Dr Yemi Kale,Director General National Bureau of Statistics;with Abisola Adefaratti,Head of Tax and Treasury British American Tobacco west Africa Area and Gabriel Ogbechie,Managing Rainoil, at the launch of Stanbic IBTC Bank Purchasing Managers Index, in Lagos, yesterday.

Photo: Akeem Salau.

Rivers to support private sector for economic growth

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has promised a robust relationship with the organised private sector to strengthen the growth of the economy.

The governor, yesterday at Government House, Port Harcourt, when he played host to President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Chief Edem Edem and his team, said his government will continue to partner the organised private sector to grow the business climate.

The governor also directed the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority to provide a permanent trade fair site for PHCCIMA's annual international trade fair.

Earlier, President of NACCIMA, Chief Edem, lauded the governor for steps so far taken to encourage growth of the business climate in the state.

Meantime, PHCCIMA will hold its trade fair at the former Liberation Stadium, now Yakubu Gowon Stadium.

President of PHCCIMA, Dr

C M Y K

Emi Membere-Otaji, said that international exhibitors would participate in the fair.

Membere-Otaji said local governments and companies will have their special days

during the fair to exhibit their areas of strength.

FG tasks tertiary institutions on adoption of NVQ

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN—THE Federal Government has charged tertiary institutions to adopt the National Vocational Qualification, NVQ, so as to train the manpower needs of the country in the various sectors of the economy.

To stem the tide of mass failures in Senior Secondary School Certificate Educations, it directed secondary schools across the country to comply fully with the secondary school curriculum.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, at the 23rd convocation of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, disclosed that the Inspectorate Division of the Federal Ministry of Education would be strengthened to ensure compliance with secondary school curricula henceforth.

The minister, who was represented by Mrs Hilda Onyekwere, commended the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, for adopting the NVQ as a strategy for skills development, saying that the NBTE has been working with

stakeholders in the Technical Vocation Education and Training, TVET, to institutionalise NVQs in the country and recently with “the

Federal Ministries of Power, Works, Housing and Transport to formulate a National Skills Development Policy/Plan for Nigeria."

Maritime Workers shut down NIMASA offices in Delta

By Akpokona Omafuaire

W

A R R I — T H E Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, yesterday, shutdown the Central Zonal Offices of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in Warri, Delta State.

The workers alleged perceived marginalization and inability to engage the union members in labour matters relating to the Federal Government establishment, as well as depriving them of their dues.

MWUN accused NIMASA of allegedly recruiting unqualified

personnel to work in the industry.

The protest began with the closure of the Seafarers Standard on Warri-Sapele Road near 3rd Marine Gate, then the Central Zonal Office near Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force as well as Maritime Labour Offices of NIMASA at the Warri Port, all in Warri.

The workers accused an official of illegally crewing over 15 new ships out of its domain without its permission.

The MWUN members carried placards with inscriptions such as “Seafearers legitimate workers have been hijacked by NIMASA,” “Enough is Enough, among others.

Overloading: FRSC to prosecute erring motorists in mobile courts

U

By Tom Moses

YO—AS the Christmas and New Year celebrations draw closer, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in Akwa Ibom State has warned that motorists who overload their vehicles would be apprehended and sentenced instantly after trial at the corps' mobile court.

Information Officer of Akwa Ibom State Command of the FRSC, Mr. Godsgift Owen, disclosed this, yesterday, during an interaction with Vanguard in his office in Uyo, noting that during Yuletide, commercial motorists were in the habit of overloading their vehicles thereby endangering the lives of commuters.

To curb the excesses of motorists in this season, Owen said the command had commenced aggressive enlightenment campaigns and as such would demand maximum cooperation and compliance with road-safety regulations from road users.

Delta community warns oil firm against exploration without MoU

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—THE People of Umueziogoli community in Ukwuani Local Government Area, Delta State, have warned Platform Petroleum Limited, PPL, against commencing oil and gas exploration in their land without entering into a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with them.

PPL, operator of Platform/ Newcross Jont Venture, recently discovered a new oil deposit in Umueziogoli village.

The community, in a protest letter through their solicitor, E. Irogboli, said they would not tolerate any form of shady deal from the company.

The people, in the letter addressed to the company’s Base Manager, in Asaba, vowed to resist any attempt to co-opt Umuosele (Obi-Iloh) into the exploration deal.

The letter said: “Your company should stop taking Umueziogoli community for granted. An MoU between your company and Umueziogoli indigenes only shall be constituted for this transaction."

Vanguard, MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—13

Ibori faults Ribadu on $15m bribery allegation F

ORMER Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, has described as horrible, revolting, nasty and totally false, the claim by Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Chairman in newspapers that he (Ibori) approached Ribadu with $15 million to stop his investigation.

In a statement, Mr. Tony Eluemunor, media aide to Chief Ibori, said: “Ibori’s first reaction was to once again overlook the wild claim as Ribadu appears to be back at his game. As the Senate and some security agencies appear to be asking questions about some unwholesome events at the EFCC, including the mismanagement and criminal diversion of funds from the sale of confiscated property into personal pockets, Ribadu may have a need to attempt to burnish his fading image, fearing the investigations may ask questions about events during his tenure. But he should be told that lying against even an enemy, just to gain some unearned applause and perhaps fence off some approaching investigation and image disaster, must have a limit.

“Ribadu claimed in the stories that 'Ibori approached me with $15 million to stop his

investigation. I called my people because the money was in big bags, which two people could not carry and we deposited it in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, as evidence against him.’

“This nonsensical statement has remained in the public domain only because some people have suspended their sense of disbelief and condemned themselves to every hogwash that Ribadu invents in the attempt to spruce himself up in borrowed plums.

“It is on record that Ribadu has made at least five statements over this same claim, and no single one agreed with the other. Also, both Ibrahim Lamorde (the immediate past EFCC Chairman) and one James Garba, a CBN staff then seconded to the EFCC, made police statements which contradicted Ribadu’s. Even Senator Andy Uba said in a statement that EFCC collected the said money from his house.

“Nigerians should know that it was the money from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term tenure elongation bid that was dressed up as a bribe just to demonize Ibori.

Some $5 billion were

employed to bribe the national and state legislatures to support the accursed project, with certain individuals receiving from N50 to N200 million.

“The attempt to shoot Ibori down began in 2003, when

A

B U J A — PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari and other eminent Nigerians, yesterday, challenged the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other opposition parties in the country to learn from the tenacity and rough path to glory of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to advance the democratic space and good governance in the country.

They threw the challenge at the public presentation of the book: From Opposition to Governing Party: Nigeria’s APC Merger Story, written by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, at Yar’ Adua Centre, Abuja.

In his remarks, President Buhari, described the book as a compendium of political history of APC’s success story, worthy of emulation by every opposition party.

The President, who commended Onu for

C M Y K

authoring the book, traced the history of APC’s merger, which he said was a very tortuous journey for all the merger forces that gave birth to the ruling party.

He said the book would not only be an asset to the economic development of the country but also politically. He stressed the need for every politician and party to learn for the book what it takes to rise from opposition to ruling party, describing it as an intellectual exercise.

He said: “Onu has not only contributed economically by writing this book but politically. It is a product of intellectual and political work. We are

any newspaper or magazine to check all the statements on this bribery allegation and see how each of them, including Ribadu’s five different statements, howls to Ribadu himself: “you are a damned liar.”

PUBLIC PRESENTATION: From right, Dr. Mac-John Nwaobiala, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education (retd); Author, A Girl and Proud, Mrs. Ekwutozia Osime; Special Guest, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; President, Queen 's College Old Girls Association, Mrs. Shirley Okharedia, Past President of Federal Government College Warri Old Students Association, Mr. Dauda Iliya, Author’s husband, Mr. Theophilus Osime, Dr. Larry OsaAfiana of Lagos Business School and Mrs. Joy Chinwokwu, CEO, Best of the World Publishers, at the public presentation of A Girl & Proud, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Buhari, others urge opposition to learn from APC’s success story

By Emmanuel Elebeke

some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors were opposed to Obasanjo’s second term bid. That money, sourced from wherever, was used against Ibori, as part of that long-time bring Ibori down project. We challenge

inclined not to learn from the history but this book will serve as a compendium of our checkered political history for everyone to learn from our political past and move the nation forward."

14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 , 2015

PRESENTATION OF STAFF OF OFFICE & CORONATION OF OBA ADEYEYE ENITAN BABATUNDE OGUNWUSI, OJAJA II AS 51ST OONI OF ILE-IFE PHOTOS: DARE FASUBE, SOLA OYELESE & BUNMI AZEEZ

CORONATION: Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State (left), presenting Staff of Office to His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife, during the official coronation of the Ooni of Ife, at the Enuwa Palace in Ile Ife, Osun State, yesterday.

From left: Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande.

From left: His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife, Former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd)and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and Oyo State Governor, Senator his wife Senator Daisy Danjuma.

Abiola Ajimobi.

From left: Mr Gbenga Adefaye, GM/Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Media Ltd, Ambassador Gunju Adesakin, and Chief Abiola Ogundokun.

Cross section of Traditional rulers from the South West at the event.

C M Y K

Father of the new Ooni of Ile-Ife, Prince Ropo Ogunwusi and his wife.

Former Governor of Oyo State, Otunba AlaoAkala (left) and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Governor of Osun State.

Yoruba cultural group entertaining guests at the occasion.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—15

Presentation of staff of office & coronation of Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife

From left, former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence, Saa'd Abubakar and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the presentation of staff of office and official coronation of Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II as the 51st Ooni of Ife, at Enuwa Palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday.

Photos: Dare Fasuke, Shola Oyelese & Bunmi Azeez

Former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aliyu Wamakko (right), and other dignitaries

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State

Former Kano State Governor, Alhaji Balarabe Musa (right), and other dignitaries.

Professor Adeyemi Aderibigbe, and Chief Bisi Akande, former interim National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, (right)

Sat Guru Maharaj Ji (right)

The crowd at the Enuwa Palace entrance

Another group of entertainers.

Assistant Brand Manager, Eagles Schnapps, Gbemileke Lawal (left); Asiwaju Oloosa of Ekiti State, Awofemi Alameku, and Senior Brand Manager ,Squadron Dark Rum, Zekeri Dokpesi

Arewa cultural group entertaining.

C M Y K

Cross section of traditional rulers

16—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Controversy trails resumption of suspended LG chairman in Edo

B

By Gabriel Enogholase E N I N —

CONTROVERSY has trailed the administration of local governments in Edo State following the decision of the state House of Assembly to reinstate the suspended Akoko-Edo Local Government Area Chairman, Mr. Folorunsho Akerejola and a recent advertorial, setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate him and other suspended council chairmen.

It will be recalled that the state House of Assembly while extending the suspension of the four other council chairmen by two months recalled Mr. Akerejola in what critics described as suspicious circumstance.

One of the affected council chairmen whose suspension was extended by two months, Mr. Osaro

Obazee of Oredo Local Government, had last week, expressed dissatisfaction over the entire scenario, saying that they were all suspended for the same reasons including inability to pay workers but one of them was recalled while others had their suspension extended by two months.

An indigene of Akoko Edo council, Mr. Samuel Oyewole, while reacting to Akerejola's recall, said: “The jubilation in AkokoEdo prior to the recall and the speed with which Akerejola resumed office simply tells you that it was a bought resolution which gave them inkling to the outcome of the House's decision.

“Four persons were earlier suspended but the last person who was suspended was recalled before others. Isn’t that an abnormal case? What happened and why did the

House separate him from the others? Why was the chairman, House Committee on Information, Chris Okaeben, suspended during the course of the investigation as it concerns Akoko-Edo? “For the avoidance of doubt, we have the entire details of what transpired, how, where and when. All those involved in the ‘arrangee’ and ‘negotiated’ recall should not sleep because they just murdered sleep. We shall do everything possible to recover everything, and from those who benefited from the tarring of our roads in Akoko-Edo. “All detailed information have been processed and same will be forward to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to behold the shameful outing at a time we are supposed to join President Muhammadu Buhari in his anticorruption campaign."

MONEY LAUNDERING: Ohakim gave me $2.29m to buy mansion, witness tells court

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—A star wit ness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Abu Sule, yesterday, narrated before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, how former governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, gave him $2.29 millon at night, to help him acquire a mansion in Abuja.

The witness, who testified as the PW-2, yesterday, told the court that he was the Managing Director of Tweenex Consciates Limited, a company the antigraft agency insisted was used by the former governor to launder funds that

Diplomatic Circle honours Jonathan

F

O R M E R PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has engraved his name in Africa’s book of first, as he will be honoured on January 21, 2016, at the yearly Dinner Gala night of Diplomatic Circle in Geneva, Switzerland.

He is the first African leader in and out of office to be so honoured by this revered group for his democratic credentials and upholding human rights.

C M Y K

were allegedly stolen from the Imo state treasury.

In his evidence-in-chief, Mr. Sule, narrated how Ohakim approached him, expressing his intention to buy a choice property in Abuja. The witness said he immediately embarked on a search mission, following which he discovered that a mansion situated at No. 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro , was put up for sale by the owner, one Alhaji Muktari Isah MaiDebino , for a price of N270 million.

“I quickly informed Chief Ohakim about the house and the price it was going for. He asked me to come for the money. When I got there, he gave me the the dollar equivalent of the money. He gave me $2.29m in cash. I collected the money from him at the Imo State governor’s lodge in Asokoro, at night. The money was paid in one tranche. The following day I called Alhaji Muktari Maidebino and we met at Unity Bank in Maitama where he collected the money and handed over the documents of the house.

He used the money to offset a loan he collected from the bank where he retrieved the documents”.

The witness told the court that in a bid to conceal the real identity of the owner of the house, Ohakim, in-

structed that the property should be registered in the name of a company.

He said: “My lord, when I collected the original title deeds, I informed Chief Ohakim. After a bit of delay, he said I should use my companies two names for the Deed of Assignment and Power of Attorney. Because he has been my benefactor, I went ahead and did the documents as he requested. The house was never given to me as a gift.

I handed the originals of the documents to Chief Ohakim even though I kept the photocopies. I was the one that signed the documents. “After we perfected the purchase, we used about one and half years to renovate the house, after which we handed it over to him in 2012”, the witness added.

He told the court that before Ohakim parked into the house, he persuaded him to prepare a tenancy agreement to make it look like he rented the mansion from Tweenex Consciates Limited. “Consequently, we gave him an offer letter and he wrote a letter of acceptance where he attached three cheques to the tune of N20m. We issued him a receipt and tenancy agreement. Unfortunately, I could not find the original copy of that offer letter, but I have the photocopies”.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 17

I

T will take some time for those Douglas Anele fondly refers to as Buharimaniacs to realize that, in a democracy, there is nothing definitive about the outcome of an election. When an election has been concluded, those who opposed the winner are not required to shut up or go into exile. They are required to go into opposition. Those who opposed the winner are not defeated. As a matter of fact, their opposition may be justified subsequently by the actions and inactions of the winner.

In his six months in office, President Buhari has done little to change the view of his opponents that he was the wrong choice as president of Nigeria. On the contrary, he has done a lot to confirm their fears. Rather than enjoy a honeymoon period, the president has squandered his earlier goodwill. As a matter of fact, if the election were to be re-held today, Buhari would not win. If he would, it would only be by the smallest of margins.

Sensitive supporters Buhari supporters are very touchy. They would not have anybody criticize their president, even when such criticisms are justified. They feel vindicated

by Buhari’s victory and believe that should be the end of the matter. However, Buhari’s victory is actually the beginning of the matter. With his victory, the matter ended with Jonathan and Buhari becomes the issue. This is what the president himself has failed to understand. In the last six months, he has insisted that Jonathan is still the issue. He is not any longer.

Buhari’s supporters are beginning to be embarrassed by his poor performance since he assumed office. Many who continue to support him do so because they are already committed to him. They find it difficult to admit they may have made a mistake. They are very sensitive whenever anyone criticizes the government. Some even become abusive and react on social media blogs by telling such persons to: “Go and hug a transformer.”

No such luck! Since Buhari supporters did not hug transformers under Jonathan; neither will Jonathan supporters hug transformers under Buhari. Since Buhari supporters did not go into exile under Jonathan; neither will Jonathan supporters go into exile under Buhari. Since Buhari supporters did not keep silent under Jonathan, neither will Jonathan supporters keep silent under Buhari.

Lessons in Democracy: Buhari supporters need to take courses in “Democracy 101.” Jonathan’s supporters will not vanish into thin air just because he lost an election. Neither will they lose their voice because of the government’s onslaught against everything Jonathan.

It is absolutely important that C M Y K

A lesson in democracy for Buharimaniacs the voice of the opposition continues to be heard loud and clear.

The rights of losers are protected under the Constitution. Indeed, the rights of losers become more important than the rights of winners in a democratic system.

Losers are protected from winners, ensuring that today’s losers can become tomorrow’s winners.

It should not be forgotten that Jonathan defeated Buhari in 2011. Therefore, Buhari supporters should not be too pumped up simply because Buhari defeated Jonathan in 2015. Nobody ever said the 2015 election was the election to end all elections. Neither do elections under the Nigerian presidential system of government subscribe to the principle of “winner takes all.”

Part of the problem here is that this is the very first time a government in Nigeria will be defeated by the opposition at the federal level. Therefore, the victors and their supporters are acting as if it is the end of the world.

Rather than celebrate and promote the process that made this change of government possible, Buharimaniacs seem determined to ensure it will hardly be repeated.

One-party government That is why both the government and its supporters insist the APC is entitled to everything by virtue of winning the 2015 election. That is why they are so angry that a PDP man is Deputy Senate president. An attempt was even made on his life. That

Since Buhari supporters did not hug transformers under Jonathan; neither will Jonathan supporters hug transformers under Buhari

is why all the signs point to a determination to create a one-party APC state in Nigeria by hook or crook.

The APC is not satisfied with winning; it is determined to strangulate the opposition PDP to death. That is why the APC keeps absorbing PDP defectors every day; so much so that it is already becoming a parody of the PDP. That is why PDP victories are being overturned while APC victories are being confirmed.

That is why those who were prominent actors in the Jonathan administration are being hounded, harassed and tried in the court of manipulated public opinion. That is why every PDP member is a demon, but when he defects to the APC he automatically becomes a saint. When you point out these contradictions to APC supporters, they remain unconcerned because deep down they do not believe in democracy. They only see it as a means to an end.

Exaggerated victory It is important to remind our dear Buharimaniacs that, out of a country of 170 million, only 15 million voted for Buhari in 2015; 155 million did not. Those 15 million only constitute 52% of the votes. That can hardly be construed as an overwhelming support by any stretch of the imagination. Buhari won the election, but only just. Like his supporters, he is mistaken in thinking he needs to pay more attention to those who supported him. On the contrary, he now has a responsibility to win over those who did not.

However, the president has lost many of those who gave him the benefit of the doubt in March 2015. Six months down the road, nothing has changed for the better. Some things have even gone from bad to worse. Fuel crises and fuels queues are back. The financial hemorrhage of the petroleum subsidy remains. Food prices have hit the roof. We are back to the jungle days where warehouses of private citizens are raided and dubious officials cart away bags of rice belonging to hapless market-women.

Buhari’s infamous body language is no longer celebrated.

The bad old days of power shortages are here again with a vengeance. The president’s boast that

the back-bone of Boko Haram will be broken by December 2015 is now clearly a pie-in-the-sky.

Boko Haram remains to date the most deadly insurgency in the world; killing more innocent people in Nigeria than any other terrorist group anywhere else.

This makes it all the more ludicrous that the same people who labeled Jonathan “clueless” are offended when people call Buhari “Baba Go-Slow” or “Baba No Movement.” They have not stopped criticizing Jonathan even though he is no longer in power and is not responsible for the government’s lack of policies; how then can they expect Nigerians not to criticize Buhari since the buck now stops with him?

Double standards Time was when everyone who approved of Jonathan’s government was castigated outright as a PDP contractor. Since that label no longer passes muster, every critic of the present government is now called a Buhari hater. But then how much love do Buharimaniacs have for Jonathan? If Jonathan did not deserve love, why must Buhari now be entitled to it?

People like me never supported Jonathan until we saw the virulent hatred of his opponents. We never cared for the mischievous PDP until we discovered that Jonathan’s opponents were so desperate for power, they were even prepared to destroy the nation in the process. They were so determined to seize power; they threatened to “soak the dog and the baboon in blood” if they did not get their wish. Thank God, Jonathan was not like them in defeat.

I, for one, came to Jonathan’s defense because it is an article of my faith to defend the weak and not the strong. Even though Jonathan was the president, within the context of Nigerian politics, he still was the weak because he comes from a minority ethnic group. Therefore, those of us who believe in one Nigeria objected to the gang-up of the majority groups against him.

Farewell to Jonathan: Before the election, I had written already a “Dear President Jonathan” article prepared against the expectation that he would be reelected. In that article, since overtaken by his defeat, I stated

beforehand that my undiluted support for him ended with his re-election. With his re-election, we would insist on cashing the cheque for our support by demanding that his second-term must be very different from his first.

Indeed, in my Vanguard column of 13th May, 2014 entitled: “A Season of Conspiracies against Goodluck Jonathan,” I wrote the following: “We must forget our differences and join hands to ensure that Jonathan prevails in spite of all the stumbling blocks and minefields put in his way. So doing, we would be able to make effective demands on the president.

He would have to listen to us.

“With the added pressure from the international community, we will insist that the corruption that has gone through the roof under his administration must finally come to an end. The time is long overdue: some malefactors must be arrested, prosecuted and jailed. No more pussy-footing.

Nigerians require a transparent government; and we require this ‘yesterday.’”

Buhari apologists However, Jonathan did not win the election: he lost. But what do we have today? Instead of inspiring him to greater heights, Buharimaniacs have become his apologists. Instead of coming out to express their disappointment at the government’s dismal performance to date and insist he must keep his promises, Buharimaniacs are now the ones making excuses for him. The same people who were impatient with Jonathan are now preaching the virtues patience for Buhari.

Those demanding that the rule of law must be upheld under Jonathan now make excuses for the disregard of the rule of law under Buhari. Those who would normally insist that the innocent must be deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, are now calling for Diezani and Dasuki to face the firing squad without proof of guilt. Those who refuse to question where APC got the money to fight its costly election, are suddenly furious that the PDP might have used government funds for the election.

Unexpectedly, 100 days is no longer acceptable as a yardstick for evaluating the competence of a new government. It is now suitable to take five months to choose ministers who turn out to be the same old and tried crop.

Suddenly, the Minister of Petroleum can no longer be held responsible for petrol shortages just because he now happens to be the president himself.

One thing is becoming crystal clear. Buharimaniacs are economical with the truth.

Buharimaniacs are not democrats. Buharimaniacs have neither regard for, nor understanding of, democracy.

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 IT all started as most great things – small. In 2002, an idea to make the next Tuesday after the Thanksgiving Day in The United States of America a day specially set aside worldwide for voluntary giving to charity was spawned.

It was meant to kick-start the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Some corporate organisations, in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation, have gradually and assiduously worked, not just to make #Giving Tuesday acquire international relevance but also to raise millions of dollars in support of many worthy, charitable causes around the world.

This new #Giving Tuesday fad has, this year, jumped out of its original birthplace, the USA, and made an exciting landfall in Nigeria, though most people are still curious as to what it is all about.

However, the air of curiosity is

Behold, the #Giving Tuesday! giving way to clarity, as the Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), which has in the past two years, been campaigning to raise awareness against the deadly but growing epidemic of cancer in Nigeria, has won the support of some prominent Nigerians who are now leading the fundraiser for an ambitious undertaking known as the Big War Against Cancer in Nigeria.

Perhaps, as their own way of giving back to the Nigerian society for the great opportunities it afforded them to actualise their

dreams, Ambassador Christopher Kolade (CON) the Anchor, and Professor Pat Utomi (OFR) the Chairman Fundraising for CECP have, like their American counterparts, been rallying the support of the Organised Private Sector to join the army and wage a Big War Against Cancer in Nigeria.

The imperatives for this “war” are obvious, going by the grim data from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Breast cancer deaths rose from 30 daily in 2008 to 40 in 2012, while in men prostate cancer deaths climbed

from 14 daily in 2008 to 26 in 2012.

The progression is similar for all other categories of cancer. Out of about 100,000 diagnosed of the disease annually in Nigeria about 80,000 die; one of the highest death rates from cancer. This is attributable, mainly, to the low awareness and lack of relevant equipment for diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Nigeria.

We commend this effort to popularise #Giving Tuesday in Nigeria and use it to fight cancer, a disease that has no regard to the socio-economic status of those it attacks. This disease can only be contained with massive publicity to enable Nigerians know the importance of early detection, which can be the difference between life and death.

We must all support this campaign with financial, logistical and moral giving. Let us make #Giving Tuesday work for us. Go out and give something today!

OPINION HID AWOLOWO: The rare gesture of the Ladoke Akintola family

By Chris Egbuna

A

REMARKABLE aftermath of the passage and interment of the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief Mrs. Hannah Idowu Dideolu, HID, Awolowo was the bond of friendship and solidarity that it elicited even among erstwhile foes. Perhaps nothing gave fillip to this pervading spirit of camaraderie than the commendable gesture by the family of the last Premier of the defunct Western region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. In an uncanny show of solidarity with the Awolowo family, the Akintolas sent an emissary to Ikenne with a condolence letter, which described the life and times of HID Awolowo as “remarkable”. Not done yet, the Akintolas caused to be published a full-page condolence message in The Punch of Tuesday November 24, 2015. The full-page message signed by the two surviving children of the late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, Chief Abayomi Akintola and Dr. Abimbola Akintola, urged the Awolowos to be comforted by the fact that their matriarch lived an eventful life.

For keen watchers of the recent political history of Nigeria, the condolence message was remarkable in more ways than one.

It need be recalled that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, first Premier of the defunct Western Region, was at a time locked

in a bruising political combat with his deputy and successor as Premier, the late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. Indeed, their quarrel was such that it has been linked partly not only to the demise of the First Republic but also to the unfortunate Nigerian civil war.

While Chief Awolowo survived the imbroglio and went ahead to serve in the General Yakubu Gowon military government, Chief Akintola was not that fortunate as he fell to the bullets of the January 15, 1966 coupists. In the 21 years that he lived after the demise of Chief Akintola, it is not on record that Chief Awolowo took any concrete step to heal the wound the political schism concomitant upon his feud with Chief Akintola inflicted on the nation’s body

For choosing peace and friendship over feud and the enemity, the Akintolas deserve our appreciation and accolades

polity, especially as it pertains to the Yoruba race. However, it is salutary to note that concerted efforts were made after the passage of Chief Awolowo in 1987 to reunite the remnants of both the Awolowo and Akintola families. At different fora, the children of the two now departed leaders, especially Chief Abayomi Akintola and the late Chief Oluwole Awolowo met and declared that the animosities of old have been laid to rest. Remarkably, at the obsequies of the late Chief Mrs. Faderera Abeke Akintola in 2002 both Chief Oluwole Awolowo and the late Chief Abraham Adesanya, then leader of Afenifere (a proAwolowo political platform) were in attendance and duly paid deserved obeisance to the departed matriarch of the Akintola family. At her 90th birthday HID Awolowo extended an invitation to the Akintolas who responded by attending the church service that was the highlight of the birthday celebration.

Thereafter a lull seemed to have pervaded the horizon, not even the demise of the late Chief Victor Ladipo Akintola in 2006 elicited a sympathy visit from the Awolowos neither did the demise of the late Chief Oluwole Awolowo necessitate a visit by the Akintolas. Now, all of that seem to have changed with the Akintolas showing a rare benevolence and large heartedness. Not only did the Akintolas send an emissary with a well crafted sympathy letter to the Ikenne homestead of the Awolowos, they had the good sense and magnanimity to publish a full-page condolence message to condole and show solidarity with the Awolowos in their moment of distress.

As we applaud the Akintolas for this rare

spirit of nobility, it is hoped that both families will now cast away the bitterness of the past years. This is more so as the real dramatis personae in the persons of Chiefs Ladoke Akintola, Obafemi Awolowo and spouses Faderera and Hannah have moved on to immortality. Also, it would be appropriate to enjoin supporters of both families and sundry political jobbers to sheathe their sword and allow peace to reign by not fanning the embers of discord for apparent selfish political gains.

For choosing peace and friendship over feud and the enemity, the Akintolas deserve our appreciation and accolades. It was the great Winston Churchill, hero, orator and statesman, who made the profound quip: “It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war”. Churchill who ruled Britain both in times of war and peace no doubt came to the realisation that in every contest that involves war and peace that peace ultimately wins. The Holy Writ in the Beatitudes notes that “Blessed are peace makers for they shall be called sons of God”.

Evidently in every contestation between war and peace, the latter ultimately triumphs.

With the kind gesture of the Akintolas to the Awolowos as pungently exemplified in the condolence message published in the aforementioned national daily on the eve of the interment of the late Chief HID Awolowo, a lingering national sore appears to have been dutifully attended to and our humanity is enriched and better for it.

*Mr Egbuna, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015— —19

Of saints and others

By Sunny Ikhioya

A

CCORDING to Wikipedia: “A saint is a person who is recognised as having an exceptional degree of holiness, or likeness to God.” In other words, a saint is beyond human, he is in the spiritual realm and infallible. He cannot be faulted because all he does is right in line with the traits of the Almighty God. Who can question the Almighty God? Because of this, man has decided to capitalise on the phrase, “I am no saint”, to explain away his frailties.

When called upon to answer to some behavioural conducts that tended towards criminality, man will say he is not a saint, under the guise that every human being is liable to mistakes. But, there are mistakes and there are mistakes.

Mistakes that are personal to you, that will not negatively affect a third party is allowed, nobody will fight you for that. A mistake that is allowed to cause negative influences on third parties is not acceptable by societal standards and that is why there are checks and balances. That is why there are laws and procedures to put such negative mistakes in check.

The country is experiencing a gradual change in our standards of measurement, of viewing negative behaviours; of accepting

lies as truths, of ‘conscienceless’ men posing as messiahs of the people. If our politicians do not inculcate the right values on the people, there will surely be obstacles ahead for this nation.

Some of the sufferings being experienced in this country today are as a result of the poor foundations laid by the founders. It was founded on distrusts and battles for ethnic and religious hegemonies. Our fathers are dead now but the children have taken over, based on the culture that they have been fed on. There was a time in this country, between the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s when examination malpractices were the order of the day. The graduates of that era are now leaders in the society. Tell me, what values these ones will pass on to the younger ones as role models?

Also, we have seen parents of considerable means manipulating the admission of their children to schools at the detriments of those who have passed on merit. Tell me, what morals these ones have to pass on to the generations coming after them?

I am bringing out these examples because the challenges that Nigeria is facing as a nation are complex and multi- dimensional in nature, if you attack it from one direction you will fail and that is

Cole on coal

By Patrick Dele Cole

A

MONG the many gifts God gave to Nigeria is an abundance of coal.

Many years ago when we were told about gas, we were also told that our coal was

not cokeable; was of lower quality, could not produce the high temperature needed for power plants, etc. As for gas, we were told that it was associated with oil and had to be burnt or flared, that it was dispersed over a large area and would cost too much to gather and piped for domestic or commercial use.

These statements were made by our own engineers, echoing what the International Oil Companies, IOCs, had said. As for coal, we were told it was next to useless, cost too much to extract. Yet we conveniently forgot that there were six ships that shipped coal from Port Harcourt to Lagos for the power plant there which gave uninterrupted power to half of Nigeria.

The civil war produced a perfect reason for abandoning the Enugu coal fields; a few years before we learnt that we have plenty of coal in Itakpe which didn’t need the mines of Enugu, since Itakpe coal was good for strip mining.

The interesting point about Enugu was that South Africa, Argentina and other Latin American countries continued their interest in Enugu coal. If ever there was one issue which was killed by lack of political will, it was coal.

By 1976, it soon dawned on us that there was no way we could industrialise without coal. The Ukrainians came to build a steel plant in Ajaokuta but political interference, Ukrainian, Nigerian and Russian greed, will not allow this project to be finished. The plant to build the flat steel was never comC M Y K

why a holistic approach is recommended for any one desirous of making a change.

The simple lies of the sixties have transformed into a monstrous propaganda machinery that even the Nazi master propagandist Joeseph Goebbels will be seething in envy where ever he is now; we have surpassed all of the standards.

The most frightening aspect is the fact that our educated and enlightened ones are lending credence to these lies. I was comparing two politicians on my Facebook page; one from the South-South and the other from the South West. The one from the South-South is presently serving jail sentence for corruption crimes he committed while in office, while the one from the South West is presently one of the political lords of the land. And you know the answer a friend gave to me? “Our guy is smart now ”. When sentiments are in favour of your group it is right, when the same is expressed in relation to another group it becomes wrong and crimi-

Everybody wants change but the people ruling us have not displayed exceptional conduct for the youths and coming generation to learn from

pleted, meanwhile the machine tools factory had been built in Osun State.

This was an integral part of the Ajaokuta steel project. We had built six direct reduction steel plants all over Nigeria waiting for the steel ingots that would spew out of Ajaokuta.

One day someone got up and told us that this entire project is uneconomical and moth balled them. Mittal, the biggest steel producer of the world bought the remnant of the steel plant but government intervention and insensate request for back handlers slowed him down. It is believed also that there were two Mittal brothers and we sold to the wrong one. Typical, he was accused of stripping the steel plant and the whole of the steel project died, just as the paper mill project and the aluminum smelting plant were more or less dead.

Let me invite you to the project awaiting the Ajaokuta steel plant: these are the six direct reduction plants, awaiting steel ingots from Ajaokuta, the Ogbomosho Machine Tools Factory, the railway line from Ajaokuta to Sapele/Warri, 100 million Nigerians waiting for steel to do two million jobs.

In China, the construction of a 700cc

What we have in the ground is not doing us any good; we need to exploit our coal for all it is worth, follow new studies and give us cheaper electricity and cheaper steel

nal.

We must be careful in this country. The greatest fraud you can commit against a people is that of dis-information. When you feed the people with wrong information, you are afflicting them with the poverty of the mind and when such a situation occurs, anything can happen. What do you think is responsible for the ISIS and Boko Haram ideology? It is poverty of the mind, it is advanced through ethnic, religious and racial sentiments. Once ignited, it becomes a consuming fire. The reality is starkly facing us here in Nigeria today: Boko Haram is not caused by poverty, it is the result of wrongly fed information on a malleable and disconnected people.

That is why our politicians must be careful with the manner they make statements in the name of politics. The way our politicians disgracefully and without conscience. To be fair, it did not start today; under the PDP, especially with the Olusegun Obasanjo’s government. So many promises were made, I did not see one fulfilled; power, roads,infrastructures, employment and others. They will give you a deadline for completion and when the date is due without fulfilment, no explanation is given for this. They were so arrogant and disdainful of the people.

Now, the APC government must take note; the fact that the people accepted this nonsense from the PDP all these years does not mean

power generation plants is targeted for 2018, completion with new alloys. Another innovation in the coal fields is something called “circulating fluidised bed combustion” for power generation.

This technology was designed by a university in China and taken over by the government of China with university participation. More exciting research has followed coal. The researchers are talking about “poly generation“- using coal as feedstock to generate many products- electricity, chemicals, liquid fluid, natural gas, etc.

There is even talk of using coal as a hybrid power generation option. I obviously do not understand the technicalities involved here. But I don’t understand one thing- our coal is lying useless in Enugu, Oji, Itakpe and elsewhere.

Our coal fired generators has been out of service for over 20 years. The Ministry of Mines and Power has little to show for the coal industry. No one is thinking of generating electricity with coal; no one is even studying coal as an electricity fuel. There are great number of environmentalists who regard coal fired generators for electricity as a no. Do they know that the UK today has 39 per cent of the power produced by coal; the over 45 per cent of US power is coal-based. Forty-five per cent also in Germany. But in Nigeria, it is zero per cent.

Let me end by telling you a story of a Nigeria enterprise which went to South Africa to invite South Africa Synthetic Oil Liquid, SASOL,-the world famous SASOL that helped South Africa beat the oil embargo by producing oil from coal. Our South African friend’s partners arrived after we had agreed to one of these bilateral agreements to cooperate. Our minister saw them for 10 minutes. The next three years were spent finding time for the minister to meet them. When they eventually met the South African asked what was the

that they will accept it again; the people are now better informed.

This government came in with a lot of promises to the people and the people have great expectations; therefore, this government must disconnect from the lies of the past.

Our politicians must exhibit exemplary conducts for the coming generations to emulate.

Report has it that the late General Murtala Mohammed purged himself of all ill-gotten wealth when he came to power; he showed personal example through his conduct. Everybody wants change but the people ruling us have not displayed exceptional conduct for the youths and coming generation to learn from. You field candidates who have issues with the EFCC for elections and you want people to believe in your change? As it is now, change means different things to different people, depending on the side you are on. Our politics is crowded by bad men who got their wealth and positions through questionable circumstances. The ones we need are those who genuinely want the course of this country to change for the better, who truly love this country and who are ready to make the necessary sacrifice to reach the goal, not the ones pretending to be Saints.

*Mr. Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

estimated volume of the coal reserves in Nigeria. Katakata burst! Why should South Africa want to know our reserves? If South Africa needed to know they should pay for the survey? What was the Enugu reserve figure? Either the minister did not know or he bluffed his way through; again this was the job of the company, not the ministry!!!

China is the largest coal producer in the world. In 2012, China produced 3.7 billion tons. Proven reserves of coal in China in 2010 were 114.5 billion tons.

Coal fired generators in China account for 86% of China’s needs. By 2020 China’s coal consumption for energy will still be 55% of its energy mix compared to 74% in 2014. China is pushing ahead with coal generators with little environmental deficiency, improved efficiency and reduced emissions, etc, through the support of clean coal technology which has lately vastly developed: “The future is in highly developed and efficient ultra-super critical pulverised coal plants”.

All the conversion coal points should be examined, converting coal by working different chemical processes – gasification and new combustion processes. More details about new discoveries in coal generation could be given but unnecessary.

What we have in the ground is not doing us any good. We need to exploit our coal for all it is worth, follow new studies and give us cheaper electricity and cheaper steel. Is gas a more useful tool for electrification and even for production?

Nigeria needs a gas policy, a coal policy even if we still have to meet world environmental standards. What we cannot do is to delay the matter much further.

*Ambassador Dele Cole, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos

20—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 8, 2015

Biafra agitation: Abuja, Aburi or Araba?

It was held between January 4 and 5, 1967. Aburi, Accra Ghana was chosen as a venue because Ojukwu’s safety could not be guaranteed anywhere within the Western or Northern part of the country.

Delegates at the meeting agreed to the following :•“Members agree that the legislative and executive authority of the Federal Military Government should remain in the Supreme Military Council, to which any decision affecting the whole country shall be referred for determination provided that where it is possible for a meeting

O

NLY political illiterates would not understand that the sustained agitation for a Biafra Republic which has seen weeks of protests across the South East is not a development that can be wished away .It may look so but it is not like warts that whatever you do they usually go away by themselves – unless you have an underlying condition that affects your immune system. The bad thing is that it takes time for them to disappear. Three out of 10 warts will go on their own in 10 weeks. Within two years, twothirds of all warts will go without treatment.

If treatment was easy and effective, then no one would wait to get rid of a wart. But the cure can be worse than the condition: any treatment will irritate the healthy skin around it. Why not just cut them out, you may ask?

Because the warts often grow back.

Security agents To treat or not to treat is the dilemma Nigeria is at the moment, over a ticking bomb that the situation represents .The alleged killings of nine of the protesters at the Onitsha bridge by security agents is bound to change the tenor of the hitherto peaceful protests .Those were unnecessary casualties if the Nigerian state were not dumb given what it faces till date post the extra-judicial murder of the founder of “original “ Boko Haram in 2009.

Outside our shores many of the merchants of death in ISIS that are troubling global peace today have been identified as children of those killed when America bombarded Iraq. They are now waging war of attrition in their vengeful mission with innocent blood spilled on daily basis.

A multi-ethnic state like Nigeria should know that it had no immunity from the wave of selfdetermination that is sweeping across the globe in the post coldwar era. Contrary to the illusion of peace which some scholars predicted with the emergence of a unipolar world, the word “genocide” has been heard around the world in the era of globalisation than any other period in history.

Many of the conflicts going around the world today are not about wages and social issues but about civilizations as humans are now defining themselves in terms C M Y K

to be held the matter requiring determination must be referred to military governors for their comment and concurrence.•Specifically, the council agreed that appointments to senior ranks in the police, diplomatic, and consular services as well as appointment to superscale posts in the federal civil service and the equivalent posts in the statutory corporation must be approved by the Supreme Military Council.

• The regional members felt that all the decrees passed since January 15, 1966, and which detracted from previous powers should be repealed if mutual confidence is to be restored.

In response to the accord, the Federal Government promulgated Decree No. 8, which was mainly an embodiment of the accord.

Embodiment of the accord

*Pro-Biafra protesters of their culture, religion and history. Many countries that were united by ideology but divided by culture have disintegrated (USSR,Yugoslavia et al) or are under strains(Nigeria, India, etc).Those that were divided by ideology but united by culture have come together (East and West Germany).The European Union has been far more successful than the United Nations in recent times because of cultural kinship in this age of self-determination.

It is within this context that the command and control center (Abuja) appears to be losing grip of the country by the day with centrifugal forces on the ascendancy. It is nothing but sheer malady for Abuja to continue to delude itself that Nigeria can still be handled in the old way of an overbearing centre lording it over the constituent units with force of arms. It has since lost that monopoly with the proliferation of arms in the hands of non-state actors which have

It is nothing but sheer malady for Abuja to continue to delude itself that Nigeria can still be handled in the old way of an overbearing centre lording it over the constituent units with force of arms

seen the embarrassing situation where men of our armed forces run from insurgents. Abuja today is no more than an incompetent and ineffective bloat that cannot even write a letter to communicate the proper percentage of reduction in fine to MTN. Abuja is damn useless in the resolution of any crisis confronting the union as it has withered over the years.

In moments like this,we must turn to Aburi. The Aburi Accord was reached in 1967 at a meeting attended by delegates of both the Federal Government of Nigeria (The supreme Military Council) and the Eastern delegates, led by the Eastern Region’s leader Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu. The

•Ojukwu meeting was billed to be the last chance of preventing all out war.

The accord finally broke down because of differences of interpretation on both sides. This led to the outbreak of the civil war.

This column holds that with trustful give and take, the unity of the country can still be preserved via negotiated settlement(Aburi). And there is no need reinventing the wheel as the over 600 resolutions passed at the 2014 National Conference presents a good start.

If Abuja however continues to block the Aburi Accord, God forbid that we should head to Araba as a country. Araba in Hausa means to separate. The term first appeared on placards carried by rioters in Bauchi in May 1966 after promulgation of the illadvised Unification Decree No 34. That is why the May riots, which quickly spread to other towns in the North, are sometimes called the Araba riots. It was later to be the code name for the July 1966 revenge coup staged by Northern officers .It behoves the leadership of the country to embark on reconstructive surgery to steer the country away from this direction. And the time is NOW

Feedback

Re:Na wetin MTN do sef?

M

Y name is Olusola Kayode Babatunde. At the moment, I have been on an indefinite suspension without pay by my supposed employers. The suspension commenced on the 11th of November 2013. They claimed I have been consistently flouting management directives. It will be exactly two years and three months and I feel it is important that I share this with you. Honestly, at the moment I just can’t explain how I feel and have felt in the last couple of months. I not only feel hurt, used but abused by my said employers. Not only emotionally but psychologically.

Rest assured that my colleagues who are still in the system are only just suffering in silence. All is not well. My odyssey with MTN Nigeria commenced in August 2009 when a close family friend enlisted me for a job test with the telecommunications giant.

Sincerely as at the time of my

enlistment, I had completely lost all hope of anything working for me in my country, Nigeria. The multilevel marketing business I was doing was quite slow for lack of experience on my part ,hence the arrival of the job was such a great news and relief for me. As the opportunity for the job came, I did the test, passed and did my first and second stage interviews.

Second stage interviews Interestingly, my first stage interview was handled by a top executive. And I remembered succinctly when he asked me after perusing my Curriculum Vitae thus: “Assuming your business booms, would you still have time for the job?” To Which I responded in the affirmative that I would give it a go. Secondly he asked me: “Per adventure if you found yourself in a team or situation whereby your

supervisor is much younger than you ,would you be able to cope?”

To which I responded that I don’t have issues with authority figures irrespective of age.

The next phase was my training and internship. My job officially commenced in the year 2010, at my job location VGC call center.

Honestly to say the truth, my job experience was just superb. It was challenging, but the working atmosphere was so splendid.

However, it is worthy to note that immediately after my training with my colleagues, we were gathered together by some official, a lady I can’trememberhername,whothen briefed us that we should in no way see ourselves as full time staff of MTN but as contract staffs of the agency they claimed recruited us, that is MEMCOS. Hence, we are Independent Service Contractors, ISCs and should not see ourselves in direct connection with the giant company.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

— 21

EU worries over drop in FDI to Nigeria

By Favour Nnabugwu

E

UROPEAN Union (EU) has expressed concern over mixed response from foreign investors into Nigeria due to consistent drop in the country ’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from $8.9 billion in 2011to $4.9bn in 2014. The EU Ambassador and Head of delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Michel Arrion paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) yesterday, to chart a way forward and how the Union can help improve Nigeria’s FDI. The fall in FDI, The EU Ambassador said, is more worrisome to the Union because of the drop in the country’s oil earnings, which according to him, “is something that decreases the government’s capacity to make up shortfalls in private investment in infrastructure or other important capital projects.”

INAUGURATION: From left, Convener, Fiesta of Flavours, Mrs. Yewande Zaccheaus; wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode; Chairperson-designate, FirstBank, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika; and Deputy Managing Director-designate, FirstBank, Mr. Gbenga Shobo, at the inauguration of Fiesta of Flavours’ Food and Beverage Fair, in Lagos.

2013 and to N4.9billion last year.

As a result, Nigeria has been overtaken by South Africa and Mozambique which accounted for 14.3 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively. The main message we are sending to Nigeria is that the country is in competition with other countries. So, investors in Europe, Strafford, Brussels, or France have to decide where to invest; am I going to Brazil, Indonesia, India or Nigeria.”

He said the drop is due to a combination of factors while admitting that Nigeria has a lot of comparative advantage and many opportunities for any European investor, having come a long way together in terms of

Capital projects Nonetheless he said, “Europe remains Nigeria’s important partner with regard to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In 2013, for instance, Netherlands, France, UK and Italy made up 49 per cent of Nigeria’s FDI stock (OECD Investment Policy Review on Nigeria 2013).”

“FDI into Nigeria has dropped from a peak of $8.9bn in 2011 to $7billion in 2012 and further down to $5.6billion in

tradition, history and geography. He said that Nigeria will have to work on its waning

There are a lot of countries who are just using a relatively rich currency or relative weak money just to be a bit more competitive

image so as to assure in investors of the safety of their investment.

“The difficulties in Nigeria are certainly linked to the tradition and image of Nigeria.

It has to work on its image. Also the question of enabling environment, corruption and rule of law we all know that. The worst thing Nigeria can have is the negative result of the doing business ranking of the World Bank. If Nigeria could put in place an action plan to improve its ranking in doing business, I think it will help a lot. Investors are looking for that kind of ranking to choose among the different options they have for investments.”

Devaluation of Naira Arrion who did not clearly state whether the country should devalue its currency or not, confessed that Nigeria is severely affected by the fall in oil prices stating that if the country did not want to devalue its currency, it will be forced to do so sooner or later.

According to him, “It is better sometimes to manage a proper and broad way of devaluation rather than to broke for six months to try to resist some things that is inevitable rather than the question of yes or no, if we are going to devalue, the question should rather be when or how much.

Transcorp raises N9bn bonds 201.8

0.35

2,913.00

-3.00

17.41

-0.39

108.52 +0.76 99.80 CURRENCY US DOLLAR POUNDS

. EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

BUYING

+0.38 SELLING

196 196.5 292.7456 293.4924 206.7408 207.2682 191.1636 191.6512 1.5872 1.5912 0.2979 0.3079 268.4934 269.1784 30.6351 30.7137 52.2291 52.3623 27.7114 27.7821 268.5004 269.1854

197 294.239 207 192.1389 1.5953 0.3179 269.8633 30.7937 52.4955 27.8528 269.8703

CBN Exchange rate as at 07/12/2015

C M Y K

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

T

RANSCORP Hotels Plc has raised a N 9.758 billion bonds.

According to the Managing Director of the hotel group, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, this represented the second tranche of the N 30 billion bond it plans to raise for the expansion programme of the hotel.

He told journalists, in Abuja, at the weekend, that the proceeds would be committed to projects that would keep Transcorp Hotel Plc ahead of competition.

Specifically, he disclosed that Transcorp Hilton Abuja, would receive a face lift and additional construction of a 5,000-seater Multipurpose Banquet Centre. His words, “The transaction is a 5-year fixed-rate bond, due in 2020. The subscription is in addition to a prior issue of N10 Billion, being Series 1 in a Senior 7-Year 16.00%

Fixed Rate (Unsecured) Bonds Due 2022 issued in October 2015. With this, the total amount the company has successfully raised to date is N9.758 billion.

“The Series 2 Bond will carry a gross coupon of 15.50% per annum for a period of five years. The redemption on maturity, expected to be 2020, will be at 100% of the nominal amount of the Bonds.The Bonds are available in denominations of N1,000, and will be listed on the main market of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and also the FMDQ OTC platform for enhanced tradability. FSDH Plc is the lead issuing house, while United Capital Plc and Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited are joint issuing houses.

“We are embarking on a full renovation of the historic Transcorp

Hilton Abuja and its 670 rooms and on-site facilities. This is the first major renovation of the historic Transcorp Hilton Abuja for the first time in its 30-year history, save for a minor one ten years ago. This bond issue will finance the upgrade, new hotels and the development of a 5,000-seater multi-purpose Banquet centre here.

“This is the completion board meeting signing ceremony for tranche 2 of our bond. If you recall, few months ago, we launched a N30 billion bond Programme out of that we did the first issue of N10 billion, in October and it was fully underwritten, so we secured the first N10 billion and we started the second tranche which is for another N10 billion.

But this time through book building which is where we reach out to investors to indicate what they are interested in investing in and at what terms.

22 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

IFRS 9, which was issued on July 24, 2014, is aimed at improving and simplifying reporting for financial instruments, as well as enable accelerated response to the global financial crisis

INVESTOR'S ,

,

TOP 10 PERFORMING STOCKS

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

M

AY & Baker Plc led others on the top 10 performing stocks last week, rising by 10.64 per cent or N0.10 to close at N1.04 from N0.94. Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc trailed behind with 10.22 per cent or N2.75 increase, closing at N29.65 from N26.90 per share, followed by Cutix Plc which rose by 9.55 per cent or N0.15 increase to close at N1.72 from N1.57 per share.

Learn Africa Plc closed as the fourth most active, rising by 6.45 per cent or N0.04 to close at N0.66 from N0.62 per share; Law Union and Rock Insurance Plc went up by 5.77 per cent or N0.03 to close at N0.55 from N0.52, while Red Star Express Plc advanced by five per cent or N0.20 to close at N4.20 from N4.00.

Others w e r e Mcnichols Plc that rose by five per cent or N0.06 to close at N1.26 from N1.20; Continental Reinsurance appreciated by five per cent or N0.05 to close at N1.05 from N1.00; Beta Glass Company (Nig.) Plc advanced by 4.99 per cent or N2.42 to close at N50.93 from N48.51, while Unilever Nig. Plc appreciated by 4.81 per cent or N1.92 to close at N41.82 from N39.90 per share.

May & Baker Plc which led the pack, last week restated desire to raise additional equity capital, after shareholders approved the decision by the company to raise N3.2 billion at the last general meeting in 2014.

The fresh capital injection, according to the company, would enable it improve its ability to compete in current and planned businesses, specifically positioning it to enhance its pharma business, which contributes 70 per cent of the company’s revenue. However, the company has not been able to commence the offer, due to low market appetite, readiness of members to take their rights, current state of the company’s share price at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Available financial statement of the company for the half-year ended June 30, 2015 showed that the company has risen from the woods. May & Baker had in comparative period in 2014 recorded loss after tax of N161 million. However, the unaudited reports for the six month period showed that it recorded 10.7 per cent growth in revenue to N3.41 C M Y K

billion from N3.08 billion in comparable period of 2014. Gross profit improved from N972.59 million in 2014 to N1.16 billion, 19.2 per cent increase. Operating profit doubled by 105.7 per cent from N155.16 million to N319.1 million. The company recorded modest pre and post tax profit of N43.73 million and N29.73 million respectively.

Also, earnings per share stood 3.03 kobo as against loss per share of 16.44 kobo in comparable period of last year. The share price trades at little above par value status, and oscillates around N1.00 and N1.50 per share, price which the company considers as undervalued ‘considering latest investments and improved financials.’

Okomu Oil Palm P l c , which closed as the second most active stock in the week, may record a reversal in its full year result having been on a downslide in the last three years. Over the past three years, the company has reported a steady drop from its peak profit figure of N10.52 billion in 2011 to N1.55 billion as at the end of 2014.

Already, the company’s half-year financial result for the period ended June, 2015, showed that it posted 30.3 growth in profit after tax to N1.84 billion, which is well above the full year after tax profit of N1.55 billion the company reported at the end of the 2014 financial year. Specifically, its PAT grew from N1.41 billion in H1 2014 to N1.84 billion. Similarly, pre-tax profit rose 23.6 per cent to N2.14 billion as against N1.73 billion in the corresponding period in 2014.

Revenue also saw marginal growth of 2.5 per cent from N4.87 billion in H1 2014 to N4.99 billion.

Its net assets appreciated by 16.1 per cent from N23.23 billion to N26.98 billion. The Managing Director/ CEO, Dr. Graham Hefer, said the company hopes to double rubber production capacity this year.

Cutix Plc, another company in the top league, is leveraging upbeat in infrastructure development in the country to boost earnings and profitability. The company produces insulated power cables, PVC insulated power cables, polyester aluminium enamelled wire, speaker wire and cable, bare aluminium strand wire and cable, and irrigation cable.

Making money from MPC decisions (2)

By Babajide Komolafe

T

HE recent decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made investment in savings account, bank deposit, treasury bills and bonds less profitable.

By reducing its Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 11 per cent from 13 per cent and allowing banks to have additional N771 billion cash for lending to the economy, by reducing their Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) to 20 per cent from 25 per cent, the Committee indirectly reduced interest rate on all classes of investment.

As a result, interest rates have been on the downward trend, with the rate at which banks lend money to each other falling by 35 per cent on the average.

Thus, if you desire maximum returns or profit on your investment, you have to look elsewhere.

Naturally, the stock market should be the next or best place to invest in a regime of falling interest rate. However, the

performance of the Nigeria Stock Exchange in 2015 has been very discouraging. The total value of stocks listed on the Exchange (known as market capitalisation) has fallen by 20.3 per cent this year, implying that the prices of stocks have fallen by 20.3 percent on the average since January 1st.

In fact, last week, investors suffered N4.7 billion reduction in the value of their investments on the Exchange.

The massive decline in market value is basically driven by uncertainty. In the first quarter of 2015, the uncertainty about

Nevertheless, and in the light of the MPC decisions, investment in the stock market remains attractive for a number of reasons

the general elections, and exchange rate of the naira, caused many investors to sell off their shares, leading to sharp decline in share prices.

However, since June, the market has been falling due to uncertainty about the economic direction of the Buhari Administration and predictions of further devaluation of the naira.

Nevertheless, and in the light of the MPC decisions, investment in the stock market remains attractive for a number of reasons. The first reason is the decline in share prices, which means investors can now buy cheap.

Performing companies For example, the share price of First Bank, which rose as high as N60 per share before the 2009 crises, has fallen to N4.76 per share as at last Friday. Similarly, shares of GTBank which investors bought at over N40 per share prior to the crises, has fallen to N19.97 per share as at

MARKET NEWS

KPMG calls for adoption of IFRS 9 financial system as enable accelerated response

By Ediri Ejoh & Prince Okafor

P

ROFESSIONAL service firm, KPMG has called for the adoption of the new International Financial Reporting Standard, IFRS 9, for a more professional financial measurement.

IFRS 9 replaces IAS 39.

The Senior Manager, Department of Professional Practice, Mr. Yemi Badejo, who made this call at a breakfast meeting organized by KPMG Nigeria, stated that the new standard enhances the ability of investors and other users of financial information to understand the accounting of financial assets and reduces complexity.

According to him, “the introduction of IFRS 9 is to balance the shortcoming of IAS 39, which was perceived to be complex and rules based classification methods and its impairment method are based

on trigger that are deemed to be too little-too late.

“Also, its ‘own credit risk’ principle allowed banks to recognize fair value gains from their financial liabilities designated at FVTPL, as It does not reflect economic reality as evidenced in the global financial crisis”.

He explained that the IFRS 9, which was issued on 24 July 2014, is aimed at improving and simplifying reporting for financial instruments, as well

IFRS 9 as an expected Credit Loss Model, will recognize expected credit losses from initial recognition

to the global financial crisis.

He explained that there would be no more costs exemptions for unquoted equity instruments as expected loss would replace incurred loss, while impairment loss will be recorded from date of initial recognition.

Badejo posited that implementing the new standard would require significant efforts and resources for many Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria and advised them to start early.

On the differences with IAS 39, he said: ‘Expected loss model’ replaces IAS 39 ‘Incurred loss model’, impairment trigger no longer required before impairment allowance is recognised and it does not apply to equity investments Also speaking, Partner, Head of Risk Consulting, KPMG, Mr. Olumide Olayinka, said that IFRS 9 as an expected Credit Loss Model, will recognize expected credit losses

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 23

,

S FORUM

It has to do with electronic crediting and another thing is that it is usually the best, immediately they credit you, you must get the alert that you have been paid

,

INVESTORS SPEAK

E-dividend mandate'll reduce unclaimed dividend — Shareholders

By Providence Obuh Electronic Dividend (e-dividend) was introduced to forestall the rising incidence of unclaimed dividend in the Nigerian Capital Market.

Shareholders who spoke with Vanguard Investors Forum, explain how e-dividend works and its benefits over paper dividend. Excerpts:

From left, Assistant Director, Research and Technical, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Arize Nwobu; 2nd Vice President, CIS, Mr Dapo Adekoje; Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State; Acting President/ Chairman, CIS, Mr Oluwaseyi Abe and Registrar & Chief Executive, CIS, Mr Adedeji Ajadi during courtesy visit to Anambra State Government House by CIS. Friday. Thus the decline in the stock market offers opportunity to buy the shares of blue chip, top performing companies at cheap price. It is expected that once the new administration announces the 2016 budget, and thus signal its economic direction, there would be economic certainty and investor confidence, and thus share prices will rise, offering opportunity for investors to sell at higher prices, and make good returns.

Secondly, most of the companies are still making profit, and paying dividend. So, in addition to the from initial recognition and at each subsequent reporting period, even if they have not yet been incurred.

Also, “in addition to past events and current conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts affecting collectability are also considered when

possibility of returns through capital gain, investors can still make money through dividend payment.

However, investing in shares can be very risky. The fact that a company is performing well today, does not mean it would continue to perform well. Thus, it is expedient to be cautious in considering the stock market as an alternative to investment in bank deposit, treasury bills and bonds.

There is, however, a more secured alternative. This would be the subject of the next edition. (Please send comments, complaints and suggestions to vanguardinvestorsforum@gmail.com).

determining the amount of impairment.

Olayinka, argued that “for financial institutions with an established credit risk management framework, there are significant opportunities to use the existing skills and resources."

Berger Paint restates commitment to shareholders’ value Managing Director/CEO, Berger THEPaints Nigeria Plc, Mr Peter Folikwe,

has restated his resolve to ensure shareholder value through commitment to the highest standard of corporate goals.

Besides, Folike explained that his on-going turnaround efforts at Berger Paints is to reposition the company to take its rightful place as one of the most profitable quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchang (NSE) .

Speaking at the conferment of Fellowship Award on him by the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) at the weekend, Folikwe stated that within his short period of assumption of office at Berger Paints, the company’s earnings has grown by 50 per cent and 89 per cent respectively in the half year and nine month periods.

Folikwe, who described the award as a call to duty, explained that he would continue to leverage on his training and exposure to advance positive changes in the

corporate world.

Conferring the award on him at a colorful ceremony organized by the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, the institute’s President, Mr Ganiyu Koledoye, described Folikwe as a quintessential turn -around manager who has recorded milestones writhing the short period of his assumption of office as the Chief Executive Officer of Berger Paints Nigeria Plc. Koledoye advised the new fellows to take active part in the activities of the Institute in order to move it to the next level.

Folikwe was appointed the Managing Director of Berger Paints Nigeria Plc in April 2015 and six months after, the business has begun witnessing a turnaround in its performance as evidenced by its half year and nine months results which grew by 50 per cent and 89 per cent respectively.

Folikwe is a graduate of Marketing from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

M

R. Bello Olowonikoko, Nigerian Shareholder's Solidarity Association: Edividend mandate is a mandate form that registrars issue to investors to complete and take it to their bank for verification of their signature.

Thereafter, the investor will return the form to the registrar concerned for execution.

The e-dividend helps to reduce a lot of unclaimed dividend, and that is the one advantage.

Remember, some shareholders have been shouting that they don’t get their dividend, one of the reasons is that when they change their place of residence without notifying their registrar, they cannot get the dividend warrant because the registrar would have posted it to their former address.

But with the e- dividend mandate, the moment the e-mandate form is filled and signed by the bank after verification and returned to the registrar for implementation, once dividend is declared by a comapny, the registrar will just post the dividend acruing to a shareholder directly into his bank account.

Do all registrars in Nigeria issue

Unlike physical dividend, e-dividend cannot be stolen, misplaced, lost or destroyed by fire or water

e-mandate form to shareholders?

Most registrars issue e- mandate form. When you go through annual report, there are pages where emandate warrants are attached .

There are two of them, one for bonus and the other for dividend .

If there is any bonus approved at AGM, instead of sending them paper certificate that majority may not even receive due to non-notification of address change, the registrar will automatically transfer their bonus into their Central Securities Clearing System, CSCS, statement of account the moment the shareholders completes the form.

National Coordinator, Proactive Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Taiwo Oderinde: e-mandate dividend is an electronic means of posting shareholders dividend directly into his or her bank account .

E-dividend mandate It is for people who have mandated the registrar to pay their dividend into their bank account by completing the e-mandate form . e-dividend mandate is a kind of instruction from the investor to the registrar. It is usually attached to the back of the Annual Reports. By completing the form, you are mandating the registrar to stop paying you physical dividend but to credit your dividend directly into your bank account. It has to do with electronic crediting. It is the best; immediately your account is credited, you will receive alert that you have been paid. Unlike physical dividend, e-dividend cannot be stolen, misplaced, lost or destroyed by fire or water.

24—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Indigenous operators produce 6% of Nigeria’s oil

By Michael Eboh

I

NDEPENDENT and marginal oil fields’ operators as at the end of the third quarter, Q3, accounted for about 5.72 per cent of total crude oil and condensates production, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC financial statement.

The NNPC, in its Monthly Financial and Operations Report for October 2015, said the Independents/Marginal Fields operators produced 32.825 million barrels of crude oil and condensates in the nine-month period, compared to total production of 574.325 million barrels between January and September 2015.

Using an average oil price of $53.78 per barrel, as stipulated in the NNPC report, the 32.825 million barrels of crude oil and condensates produced by the Independents/Marginal Fields operators translates to $1.765 billion, an equivalent of N353.07 billion.

The report gave the production breakdown as follows: •January 2015 - 4.057 million barrels; •February - 4.134 million barrels in; •March - 5.224 million barrels; •April - 3.28 million barrels in; •May - 2.126 million barrels; •June - 3.372 million barrels; •July - 4.359 million barrels; •August - 2.242 million barrels, and; •September - 4.024 million barrels

Independents and marginal fields In general, the report put total crude production in Nigeria in the nine-month period at 574.325 million barrels, an average of 2.1 million barrels per day, at an estimated value of $30.887 billion or N6.177 trillion.

Further breakdown is shown below: •January - 68.067 million barrels; •February - 61.861 million barrels; •March - 64.156 million barrels; •April - 60.84 million barrels; •May - 63.49 million barrels; •June - 59.09 million barrels; •July - 67.5 million; •August - 63.34 million, and; •September - 65.98 million barrels.

C M Y K

In addition to the independents and marginal fields operators’ contribution, the Production Sharing Companies, PSC, recorded the highest crude oil and condensates production during the review period, accounting for 239.623 million barrels or 41.72 per cent of total production.

The Joint Venture, JV Companies followed, accounting for 31.7 per cent of total crude oil production with 182.29 barrels of crude oil and condensates.

This was followed by Alternative Finance with 16.3 per cent or 93.569 million barrels, while the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, produced 26.017 million barrels representing 4.53 per cent of total production.

On NPDC’s performance, the NNPC report said: “NPDC production is expected to hit production level of 250,000 barrel per day, after the

completion of the on-going NPDC re-kitting project.

“Production from NPDC wholly operated assets amounted to 7.855 million barrels or 30 per cent of total production; with Okono Okpoho (OML 119) alone producing more than 79 per cent of the NPDC operated Assets or 24.08 per cent of the total NPDC production”.

“Also on the AWARD: From left: Prof. Mike Onyekonwu, Chairman, Oil and Gas Trainers NPDC operated Association of Nigeria, OGTAN, and Engr. Emeka Okwuesa at the Petroleum JV assets, in Technology of Nigerian, PETAN, award night in Lagos. which NPDC own 55 per cent controlling interest, crude oil of the NPDC total production. stood at 7.359 million barrels or production amounted to 10.803 On the JV assets not operated 28 per cent of the company’s million barrels or 42 per cent by NPDC, production level production.”

Oil crash: Retrenchment is no solution —Okwuosa …Predicts slump will last longer

By Clara Nwachukwu

R

ETRENCHMENT of workers as the first option of coping with the current oil price crash as many companies are doing, may not be the best as this will only heat up the polity the more with attendant increase in crimes and restiveness.

This is even as the price sump is anticipated to linger longer than expected between six months and a year or more, if current over supply of the oil market continued.

Rather than laying off workers, the Group Chief Executive, Oilserv Group, an indigenous services company, Mr. Emeka Okwuosa, suggested that companies should adopt more creative ways of handling the challenges of a low oi price regime.

“I believe strongly that trying to cut cost by reducing staff strength is the worst thing that can happen to any economy...”

Speaking recently with journalists in Lagos, Okwuosa said: “I believe strongly that trying to cut cost by reducing staff strength is the worst thing that can happen to any economy. This is because more people will be thrown into the job market; crime will increase, desperation will increase.”

Since the price slump set in, thousands of jobs have been lost.

Operating companies all over the world across all sectors and value chain have responded differently with a view to coping with the challenges including laying off staff, cutting down costs and budgets, suspending investment

decisions and a host of others Apart from retrenchment, he disclosed that some companies have also slashed salaries, saying: “Some companies have gone to the extent of bringing workers together to say: ‘Look this is realistically what we have, can we cut down the salaries temporarily, so that everybody can get something across board.

And we will maintain everybody there and work together to see how we can increase our intake.”

He noted that “There are many ways to do that it is a matter of understanding between the companies and the workers. But reducing staff strength is the worst thing to happen and whenever it can be avoided

should be avoided.”

Impact of slump

Okwuosa disclosed that the price slump has not only led to huge operational losses but also seen the loss of about 50 percent of industry activities.

According to him, “To calculate what it translates into in terms of billions of dollars, requires some works and it requires some scenarios and picking information from different entities. What is important is that activities have dropped and will still continue to drop if oil price does not rebound.

“I’m saying clearly that I don’t see the oil rebounding even in the next six months or one year.

Kachikwu insists on market stability

By Michael Eboh

T

HE Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and President of OPEC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has warned that no new investment can be made in the global petroleum industry, unless efforts are geared towards ensuring a stable and balanced market.

Speaking at the 68th Meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, Conference

in Vienna, Austria, Kachikwu said: “A balanced and stable market will be of crucial importance in the years ahead to ensure continued investment in the industry as it gears up to meet the world’s burgeoning energy needs.”

He noted that in the last six months, operators and stakeholders had witnessed continued volatility in the global oil market, adding that prices have continued to drop with the OPEC Reference

Basket decreasing from a monthly average of about $60 per barrel in June, to just over $41 per barrel in November.

He argued that there is no doubt that the oil industry is in the midst of another challenging cycle, especially as the decline in prices reflect the continued oversupply in the market with crude and product storage at record highs.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—25

VISIT: From left,Managing Director, NIPCO Plc, Mr Venkataraman Venkatapathy; member, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Sen. Biodun Olujinmi and Committee chairman, Senator Uche Ekwunife during an inspection visit to NIPCO Plc, in Lagos.

Policies, infrastructure stifle LPG use ...As Nigeria loses World Bank loan to low consumption

By Sebastine Obasi

E

XPERTS have identified critical issues that hamper the growth of liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, also called cooking gas consumption in Nigeria, even as Nigeria has lost access to World Bank loan due to low consumption.

Speaking at the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association, NLPGA, conference, held in Lagos, the Chairman, Allied Gas Limited, Mr. Muyiwa Kupoluyi, said lack of government intervention, dearth of infrastructure and logistics have been the bane of LPG

consumption in Nigeria.

According to him, the industry has been left unattended to thereby denying the nation the expected benefits of high consumption of the product.

He said: “LPG is an orphan. It has been neglected by the government for a very long time.

The only intervention from government was during former President Obasanjo’s administration. He approved 350,000 metric tonnes of LPG, but we could only take 16,000 tonnes due to lack of infrastructure and logistics.

“The World Bank could not give

loans to dealers because of low consumption of the product in Nigeria. In fact, they were willing to give loans and support Nigeria in that regard, but were deterred by the low level of LPG consumption in the country.”

Also commenting, the Managing Director, Borkir Gas, Mr. Sahabi Tukur, identified logistics as the most pressing challenge, as it is difficult to move LPG from one point to the other, just as lack of access to jetties has continued to hamper the availability of the product.

According to him, “Logistics is the most pressing challenge. It

is difficult to move gas from one point to the other. It takes about 8 days to do a turnaround from Lagos to Kano due to bad roads and congestion at the Apapa area.

“Apart from roads, development of the railway through private, public partnership, PPP, arrangement must be encouraged by the government to ensure the safety of trucks, as well as elongate the life span of the nation’s roads.”

Tukur explained that gas facilities are expensive, noting that an average LPG truck costs about N30 million, which makes investment in the sub-sector, scary.

Contributing, The Managing Director, Ultimate Gas, Alhaji Auwalu Ilu, said that funding is a key challenge, as there is more import from of LPG from outside the country than from Nigeria LNG Ltd., due to cost.

He said: “It does not make economic sense to buy brand new trucks and cylinders due to bank loan overhang just as the cost of getting vessels and other equipment is prohibitive.”

Ilu canvassed for low interest rate by banks, which he said will go a long way in attracting more investments in the gas subsector, and decried the low value of the Naira, which he said is affecting the importation of LPG equipment.

On his part, the Commercial Manager (LPG), NLNG, Mr. Abdulkadir Ahmed, argued that high cost, lack of awareness and accessibility are some of the hindrances to LPG penetration in the country.

1.7bn people have no access to electricity—ExxonMobil …Nigeria, China, others to lead global demand

A

By Chris Ochayi

BUJA: Over 1.7 billion people around the world have no access to electricity, just as demand for energy will rise significantly in the nearest future, the General Manager, Deep Water Operations, ExxonMobil, Mr. Oladotun Isiaka, has said.

Isiaka, at the launch of the ExxonMobil’s ‘2015 Energy Outlook Series’, in Abuja, disclosed that with the world’s population in excess of seven billion, energy demand will continue to increase as the standard of living improves, adding, “When the standard of living increases, the demand for energy will also increase.

He argued that oil will still sustain the global energy need for the next 100 years, adding that global demand for energy in the next 25 years would be led by countries outside of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD.

C M Y K

According to him, the countries include Nigeria, China, and India, noting that supply glut in the oil sector will continue into the foreseeable future as supply outstrips demand in many countries.

He said: “The franking technology now avails us the

It does not make economic sense to buy brand new trucks and cylinders due to bank loan overhang just as the cost of getting vessels and other equipment is prohibitive

opportunity to know it is there.

Based on this and the amount of energy we use as at today and what we are projecting, what we use over 25 to 40 years, this tells us that we have 100 years of oil to support energy needs.

“Countries outside the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including China, India, and Nigeria, would lead global demand for energy in the next 25 years.”

Despite data showing that global reserves have risen to six trillion barrels, Isiaka said this would last for only a hundred years based on today’s energy consumption and projected future demands.

He noted that population increase, improved standard of living and growth in the middle class, especially in India, China and other key growth areas of the world, will continue to drive energy demands.

“Energy demand trends from 2010 to 2040 are expected to

vary significantly around the world, as countries move along very different trajectories in terms of key demand drivers including population, demographics, economic growth and income levels,” he maintained He pointed out however that most of the growth in energy demand would come from countries outside the OECD. On the world’s oil reserve, he said: “In 1981, it was estimated to be below 2 trillion barrels, then slightly above 2 trillion barrels by 1990, and as of 2013, it was estimated to be six trillion barrels.

“It is not that the oil just got deposited there. It has been there for millions of years, but it is the advancement in technology that has now availed us the opportunity to know it is there and to be able to bring it to the tank.

“Ultimately, what you want is for the oil to go to the tank. And if you do not have the capacity to bring to the tank, then it is going to stay there forever.”

‘Gas plan will ensure energy security’

T

By Sebastine Obasi

HE Co-founder and Executive Director of Falcon Corporation Limited, an oil gas company, Audrey JoeEzigbo, said that energy security in the country will only be achieved through the implementation of Nigerian Gas Master Plan, NGMP. Joe-Ezigbo, who said this in Lagos, noted that the NGMP would have addressed three strategic objectives. These include delivery of gas-topower to ensure about threefold increase in generation capacity by 2015; achievement of a gasbased industrialisation, thereby positioning Nigeria as the regional hub for industries such as fertilizer, petrochemicals and methanol, which require natural gas as feedstock. It will also ensure the deepening of Nigeria’s export gas market by making it more robust and profitable.

However, she said other key things need to be addressed including the issue of pricing and deregulation. “We must address the pricing issue across the value chain to attract investment into the sector. This is the only way we will be able to ramp up the pace of investment in gas field development to be at par with investments in power generation – a situation which has led to the current demand supply mismatch.

Demand supply mismatch

“Similarly, the issue of policy needs to be addressed. This indeed is where the PIB discourse comes into play. We need to allow private investment to drive the industry, while the government sticks with providing an enabling environment and regulatory oversight. The government must give attention to enabling policy to drive investment by the private sector.

“Investors need to be certain of returns that are secure and sustainable over the long term.

Investors need to be assured of sanctity of their contracts.

Investors want to be certain that the regulatory environment is stable, and they will not have to contend with regulatory undulations and outright summersaults that have potential to cripple their investments or threaten their revenues.

“And then of course, due attention, must be paid to the reduction of undue bureaucratic bottlenecks and systemic redundancies that impinge on the close-out timelines for project reviews and approvals, in order to minimize cost escalations and distortions.

26—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Emergence of DISCOs has not solved power problem — MAN

By Princewill Ekwujuru

T

HE Federal Government has been urged to enact a compulsory power policy that will compel the deployment of solar energy system in private homes as a remedy for power generation and supply shortages in the country.

A clergy, Mr. Adebayo Johnson, made the call in a chat with Vanguard while speaking on the possibility of using solar energy as alternative power source to augment electricity supply especially in residential homes, to reduce the suffering of Nigerians with regard to the epileptic power supply situation in the country.

Johnson, who disclosed that he has been using solar energy in his house for about 18 months, said he has recorded tremendous improvement in power situation in his home.

Against this backdrop, he said he is canvassing for the use of solar power because people wonder how he powers the gadgets in his home, despite the fall in supply in the country. “I keep telling them it’s solar; but they wouldn’t believe. For this reason, I took it upon myself to explain to Nigerians the workability of solar energy system in power supply.”

According to him, “I noticed that in the past there are some solar components that are sold

By Nkiruka Nnorom

M

SUMMIT: Deputy Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Olumide Adeleke; Managing

Director, Lubcon Limited, Mr Taiye Williams; Principal Partner, Lubeservices Associates, Kayode Sote, and a delegate, Anne Dirkling, during the second edition of the Nigerian Lubricants Summit, in Lagos.

Operator seeks legislation on solar energy in the market that are now obsolete, and today, there are new components that have come on line that helps in solar generation and makes it so efficient and effective.”

Continuing, he said: “For instance, before now there was the PWM controller which gives

you about 30 or 38 percent of the sun rays that you can harvest for your battery bank. But right now, we have MPPT controller that can harvest as much as 98 percent and with this 98 percent we can go as much as having so much energy that can go into your battery bank. What does it take?

Collapse of govt depots responsible for fuel queues

By Prince Okafor

T

HE collapse of government owned petroleum depots across the country has been cited as the major reason behind the takeover of the federal highways by petroleum trucks.

Speaking at the 10th PETAN Annual Oil and Industry Awards & Dinner in Lagos, the Managing Director, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, Mr Austin Avuru, argued that only the urgent repairs of the 19 depots will arrest the situation.

According to him, “Enugu depot have not received product for the last 10 years, so we import all our products to Apapa, and all the tankers around the country have to travel to Apapa to pick products.

“If your tanker picks 33,000 litres from Lagos to Enugu, the bridging fee that you receive is higher than the value of the product you are picking from Apapa to Enugu. Products are supposed to be picked from the nearest depot, Markurdi, Ilorin, Kaduna, Gombe; they don’t exist that is why all of them are in Lagos. As long as the depots don’t work, it doesn’t matter how mighty Lagos State Government is, he won’t rid Lagos of those tankers.

“Products distribution is in shambles, leading to scarcity, the National Assembly approved a supplementary budget of N500 billion higher than the actual

C M Y K

capital spent for the whole year just for the purpose of paying arrears for subsidy.”

Against this backdrop, he declared: “The downstream is completely collapsed, every time the Lagos State Government attempts to move the terminals away from Apapa, what they don’t realise is that the real problem is in the collapse of our 19 depots built around the country for the purpose of delivering petroleum product within three hours drive to the station.”

Oil production: Avuru also blamed the drop in traditional fields oil production on “the huge funding gap that have crept into JV operations, most JV operators have moved to deep water to provide additional one million barrels per day and that has made it difficult for us to realise

Nigeria is a huge gas basin sitting on a ream of oil, and we have so much gas to prove it

that we have actually being seeing consistent decline of production over the past 10 years since 2005.

“Nigeria is a huge gas basin sitting on a ream of oil, and we have so much gas to prove it, but in the past three years since the power sector reform, domestic gas demand has jumped from 300Mscft a day to about a billion per day BCF. We estimated that the amount will be about 3BCF a day by next two years at the end of 2017, all of a sudden we are now actually looking for gas.

Domestic potential For us at SEPLAT the demand for gas for domestic potential power producers on us is four times what our current reserve has and I am asking is where is the gas.

“So there is absolute nervousness about the ability of the industry to deliver the gas that the power sector needs to deliver between 15 and 20 Gigawatts of electricity Also speaking, the PETAN Chairman, Mr Emeka Ene, noted that “It’s not a surprise in the global oil industry that the supply exceeds demand. Any trader will tell you, when you go to the market you buy low and sell high; the best time to drill wells is now when the price is low and not when the price is high.

You get battery bank, an inverter and then you get your solar panels.”

Johnson, who is irked by the incidence of high telephone tariff, attributed this to the inability of telecommunication companies to seize the opportunity provided by solar energy to power their base stations. He said: “Most importantly, my challenge is the communication companies which call rates are high, and all of them are looking for a way to reduce this telephony cost. But it’s not possible for them because the price of diesel and petrol are expensive and when you get to any of the sites you notice that their generators are always running, but they can deploy solar system in these locations.

Solar system “If the solar panels are there, with batteries already there and both are incorporated into the system it will work and Nigerians will have drastic reduction on call rates. This is also applicable to Automated Teller Machine, ATM, most of the ATMs you see are located in a place where the bank is, and they have generator nearby because of the fact that power is not always available.

But solar can be deployed to that location and the banks can put the ATM there and you power it with the solar system and it will run.”

Johnson further recalled: “I traveled to Yola, and half of my journey into the Koma hills there was no light at all so there was no communication. There was no way to talk, no way to make calls; nothing was working there because there was no light. The few cell sites we saw there couldn’t work because they were running on diesel, even getting fuel there was also difficult.

ANUFACTURERS in the country have lamented the very poor power supply situation in the country, saying that the emergence of electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, has not brought improvement in quantum of electricity problems.

The President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, DR. Frank Jacobs, said this at the 48th Annual General Meeting, AGM, of MAN Ikeja Branch.

Jacobs, who spoke on the theme: “Serious Constraints to the Sustainability of the Real sector,” in Lagos, noted that the marginal improvement witnessed in power supply in recent times is fraught with a lot of discomforting development.

He stressed that the country, especially manufacturers, still contends with inadequate and poor supply, high tariff, including fixed charges, arbitrary and startling increase in tariff rate, as well as unwarranted disconnections.

Unwarranted disconnections According to him: “As you are aware, MAN responded amply to this challenge by having a robust engagement with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) during which we decried the insufficient power supply to our industries and vehemently disapproved of the high tariff and the fixed charges and rates on D1, D2 and D3 meters under the obnoxious MYTO2.1.

“Although this led to the review of the MYTO 2.1, we have gone beyond that by securing a court injunction to restrain NERC and the DISCOs, nationwide, from implementing the MYTO 2.1 and disconnecting our bonafide members on account of non-payment of litigious MYTO 2.1 rates.”

Similarly, Chairman, MAN, Ikeja Branch, Prince Oba Okojie, said: “A look at manufacturers’ ledger and account books point a sore thumb to avoidable expenses and unnecessary over-heads.

The major culprit here is sourcing for alternate power source. The amount spent on diesel, petroleum and gas cannot be quantified.

“A stable power source will drastically cut down cost for manufacturers, thereby making the sector viable and competitive.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 27

C M Y K

28—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Quantity surveyors seek measures to make governments more accountable

By Jude Njoku

T

O ensure accountability, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS has called for the setting up of a central body of professionals to monitor and make those in government accountable. The body would be expected to develop frameworks that will make government more accountable to the populace.

The construction cost experts who rose from their th 26 biennial conference and election general meeting in Lagos, also canvassed the establishment of cost data bank with adequate dissemination of information to all stakeholders.

In a communique signed by the new NIQS Vice President, Dr Bedford Ejike Anunike and the re-elected Secretary, Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Mr. Olujide Oke, the Institute recommended the use of international construction measurement standards in Nigeria to enhance the activities of the industry since Nigeria. This recommendation is premised on the fact that Nigeria is said to be next to China in construction activities and the industry will help grow the economy.

Professional bodies They enjoined professional bodies to use their expertise to make policies that are feasible.

The quantity surveyors also used the well attended conference to call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to engage the services of quantity surveyors because they have the expertise in contract documentation, procurement and administration.

Participants at the biennial conference who x-rayed the role of professionals in politics, policies and national development, posited that good governance should first invest at home and should invest abroad only if there is a surplus.

“Government should not only attract foreign direct investment but should also retain it.

To make professionals in Government responsive to the expectations of professional bodies, those expectations should be declared and made known to

no respect for rules. Poor enforcement of laws in Nigeria has caused the entire populace to be shortchanged.

In a related development, the new president of the Institute, Mrs Mercy Iyortyer has outlined her vision for the quantity surveying profession. Speaking shortly after her investiture as the first female president of the 46year-old professional body, Mrs Iyortyer released a seven-point action plan for actualising her vision for the quantity surveying for profession.

Quantity surveying

•Mrs Iyortyer acknowledging cheers after her investiture as NIQS President. With her is the immediate past president of the institute, Mallam Murtala Aliyu. them. Professionals should also see the services they offer as personal and individual first to our local community because professionalism in about public interest,” they said..

The biennial conference which was discussion - based observed that: *Contracts are treated as sacred in most countries but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. * Current research shows that the nature of our culture is responsible for the underdevelopment being experienced in Nigeria because most of our leaders do not see themselves as servants to the people they governed. *Good governance is consensus oriented, accountable, participatory, transparent, responsive, equitable and inclusive, it follows the rule of law, it should be effective and efficient. *There is a need to establish

Government should not only attract foreign direct investment but should also retain it

appropriate standards in the Nigerian Built Environment. *Quantity Surveying is a profession that can help prevent corruption if engaged because the profession controls the entire budget of contracts.

It further observed that the relationship between transparency and investment is direct, that is, the more transparent a country is, the more inward investment she receives. There cannot be foreign investment if there is

She pledged to build the capacity of members by organising training on the New BESSM4 for all members as well as develop or work in partnership with development partners on a QS Software that will incorporate BESSM4 Quantity Take off as our Standard Method of Measurement. She promised to support and strengthen the QS Academy to update existing skills and to offer specialised training in new frontiers.

The new NIQS boss who promised to set up a “lobby committee” to pursue the interests of the profession, also pledged to flag off the construction of the Institute’s head office project in Abuja.

Firm woos subscribers with creative payment plans

By Kingsley Adegboye

A

LAGOS-BASED property development and real estate investment company, Messrs Chattel Realty and Investment Company Limited, has announced “creative payment plans” for would-be subscribers.

The Managing Director of the firm, Mr. Ifeanyi Okafor who disclosed this at a media briefing, explained that the core value of his company is affordability.

According to him, with the creative payment plans, prospective home owners and real estate investors can make monthly or weekly subscription towards owning plots of land at their various estates.

“In two to four years, depending on the payment plan of subscribers, they can own plots in our estates,” Mr. Okafor said.

The Chattel Realty and Investment Company boss who said his firm currently operates site and service modeling with plans to go

into actual development of residential estates in the near future, lamented that housing shortage across the nation is growing on daily basis.

He noted that the scarcity is not being properly addressed by the governments and real estate developers, as the estates developed by them are highly unaffordable to low income earners.

Okafor who said his firm has sites in Ibeju-Lekki and Agbowa, Lagos, explained that it was the desire to address the huge housing shortfall that made his company to embark upon the development of Palm Villa Concept which is basically affordable housing initiative.

Affordable housing “The company ’s initial focus was remodeling and renovation of run-down apartments into more liveable dwellings but the huge housing deficit in Nigeria has led to a shift in focus to

the development of housing estates to help bridge the housing gap and provide Nigerians with more liveable and affordable homes. We also realised that subscribers to housing projects across the country have often had their fingers burnt as a result of activities of fraudsters. But in our own case, we are assuring them that whatever we say, is the gospel truth because we have a reputation to protect and we believe in good name.

Our objective is to provide cutting-edge real estate solutions to the enormous market which has been yearning for high quality and affordable accommodation as well as other real estate investment products.

We hope to possess one of the largest land banks within any community we operate in and with time organically grow into one of the largest real estate companies in the country by land bank suitable for the development of real estate products tailored to the interests and lifestyles of our clients,” Okafor stated.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—29

Groups task CHOGM on new agenda on sustainable devt

By Jude Njoku

T

HE Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy, CASLE and the Commonwealth Association of Planners, CAP have called on the Commonwealth Heads of Government, CHOGM 2015 to take the world lead in implementing in partnership with civil society, the historic new Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in September, entitled, Transforming our World the 2030 Agenda for S u s t a i n a b l e Development.

Leaders of the two groups told the commonwealth leaders who rounded off their meeting in Malta last week, to urgently put in place implementation strategies to address the new sustainable development agenda.

The President of CASLE, Mr. Joseph Olusegun Ajanlekoko who disclosed this to Vanguard Homes & Property, explained that “the new agenda for

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode with the President of CASLE, Mr Segun Ajanlekoko at the just concluded CHOGM (Business Forum) in Malta s u s t a i n a b l e development and related SDGs provide Commonwealth leaders an unprecedented opportunity to shift the world unto a path of inclusive, sustainable and resilient development”.

“It is an agenda of action for people, the planet and prosperity -it recognises that eradicating poverty in

all its forms including extreme poverty is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for s u s t a i n a b l e development,”a statement signed by the Secretary of CAP, Clive Harridge and CASLE's Brian Waldy said.

The SDGs build on the M i l l e n n i u m Development Goals, MDGs which were

Mass housing: Lafarge commissions studio apartment •Flags off construction of 500-units in Abuja

By Kingsley Adegboye

L

AFARGE Africa P l c , manufacturers of Elephant Cement last week, commissioned a prototype Studio Apartment constructed within 12 days using its novel mass housing production technology said to be capable of delivering no fewer than 500 housing units in a year. The technology which is typically concrete-based, is said to be cheap and affordable.

Speaking on the new initiative at Lafarge’s Oregun office last week, Jumoke Adegunle, Head, Lafarge Affordable Housing & Buildings, said the company is promoting mass housing technology as a result of deficiency in housing provision in the country.

Pointing out that the mass housing technology is targeted at the low end income earners in Nigeria, Adegunle stated that the C M Y K

sandcrete used in the construction process of the technology is inbuilt.

According to her, all that is required is metal shutters which should be erected as reinforcement before the form wall that is made of concrete mix which is also another initiative of Lafarge to achieve its dream of affordable and mass housing in Nigeria.

Adegunle who disclosed that her company has commenced the construction of 500 housing units in Gwagwalada, Abuja under its mass housing scheme, said the Studio Apartment built on 25 square metres of land, comprises one bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, without a sitting for N1.5 million.

She explained that the cost of land is not inclusive of the cost of delivery of a housing unit. According to her, between N4 and N6 million, depending on the land terrain and infrastructure provided,

can purchase a threebedroom apartment of the mass housing type.

She disclosed that those who already have plots of land, can approach Lafarge for the technology which she described as very cheap and fast compared to c o n v e n t i o n a l construction method.

Corroborating Adegunle’s views, Mr. Tunde Isiolaotan, Chairman, Tye-Wall Contractors Ltd, handlers of the Studio Apartment, said: “Our system of construction suits the dream of Lafarge in providing affordable housing in Nigeria.

All the sandcrete are in built. All you need is diamond cutter or Aluminum shell before applying the sandcrete which makes the building bulletproof. The system is expensive, but when doing large numbers of houses together, it becomes very cheap and you get returns on your investment very fast.”

adopted in 2000. The new Agenda is peopleoriented, universal, transformative and integrated. It calls for actions by all countries for all people over the next 15 years. The Agenda recognises that ending poverty must go hand in hand with the plan that builds economic growth and addresses a range of social needs while

tackling climate change.

These are critical issues for all Commonwealth countries. The SDGs are part of an important shift in thinking about development -more ambitious but more realistic,” the groups declared.

Continuing, the leaders of the two professional groups tasked the Commonwealth Heads to “urgently prepare integrated strategies, policies and programmes, informed by long term strategic vision, participatory processes and local context, for the implementation of the SDGs. They should establish nationally specific and binding measures for monitoring the achievement of the SDGs and engage with local government and civil society in this process”.

They also charged the governments to undertake legislative and regulatory reform to build a solid framework to help deliver a sustainable urban future.

BAT ventures into real estate sector

By Franklin Alli BRITISH American Tobacco has expanded its investment in Nigeria into the real estate sector of the economy with the planned construction of a 13-storey office and residential facility at Olumegbon in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The company’s Facilities Manager, Graham Barr and Project Manager, Andrew Davies told Vanguard Homes & Property that BAT is not all about tobacco manufacturing. “We are investing in other sectors of the economy, putting our profits back into the economy because of our firm confidence in Nigeria,” they said.

“This investment shows our own hope and positive belief that Nigeriahaswhole lots more to offer regardless of what other multinationals might believe. We have been successful in this market and we know that we have positivepartnershipswiththe people of Nigeria,” they further explained.

30—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Hyundai launches Creta, new sub-compact SUV H

YUNDAI Motor Company has launched Creta, a new sub-compact SUV, into the Africa and Middle East market. This addition to the Korean leading auto manufacturer ’s car line-up marks the brand’s entry in this new fast-growing auto segment in this region.

Creta will appeal to buyers looking for an affordable SUV in a stylish, high quality package. The launch which took place in Mauritius was preceded by a test-drive by Journalists from Middle East and Africa.

The Creta combines a classy ‘Modern Premium’ interior and exterior with a robust body structure and impressive performance and handling. On the road this dynamic SUV makes a strong visual statement thanks to Hyundai Motor’s acclaimed ‘Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 Design philosophy’.

Jin Kim, Vice-President and Head of Operations for Hyundai Motor Company Africa and Middle East, said:

“This is a SUV that has been designed for a new generation of customers who are looking for vehicles which demonstrate forward thinking design and worldclass quality at an affordable price. The Creta is a true expression of the future of our brand and is perfectly equipped to perform strongly within the highly competitive subcompact SUV segment.”

At the front the Creta’s elegant and distinctive character is illustrated by the triple slat chrome front grille, smoothly creased hood, LED-integrated headlamps, stylish skid plate and dual tone front bumper.

Dynamic look The vehicle’s dynamic look is accentuated from the side by the rising beltline and sloping

roofline while split type tail lamps with chrome edges, a sporty bumper and a stylish shark fin antenna complete the modern look at the rear.

In line with Hyundai Motor Company’s Modern Premium brand direction, the interior of the Creta delivers class-leading levels of comfort and convenience. With plenty of space for five passengers, the use of high-grade materials is com-

plemented by best-in-class noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance thanks to the combination of enhanced sound absorption materials and advanced engineering design, all ensuring an exceptional travel experience. Affordable, yet impressively wellequipped, the Creta offers a number of advanced features more usually found on more expensive cars. Highlights

Thrill as Kia Rio bags Nigeria’s Car of the Year

R

EGARDED as the People’s Car, Kia Rio, one of the locally assembled cars by Kia Motors Nigeria has truly lived up to its name as it emerged winner of the Car of the Year (COTY) Award at the 2015 edition of the annual Nigerian Auto Journalists Award,(NAJA).

At the keenly contested award night held at the prestigious Eko HotelsandSuites,Lagos,whichwas attended by crème de la of the auto industryincludingtheDirectorGeneral, National Automotive Design andDevelopment,NADDC,Aminu Jalal,FederalRoadSafetyCommission, FRSC, Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi,representedbyNseobong Akpabio,assistantcorpmarshaland zonal commanding officer RS-2, made up of Lagos and Ogun States, Federal Roads Safety Commission, mong others, Kia Rio beat Peugeot 301, Nissan Almera and Toyota corolla to cart away with the coveted prize.

For the Car Company of the Year, Peugeot beat Ford and Nissan to emerge winner as Innoson VehiclesManufacturingwenthomewith the Indigenous Auto Assembler of the Year Award.

Other winners at the award night included Mercedes Benz S-class which bagged the Luxury Sedan of the Year Award, Briscoe won the Most Enterprising Auto DealerC M Y K

ship of the Year Award as Iron Products Industry(IPI) bagged the Auto Builder of the Year Award.

Others included; Auto Assembler of the Year, Stallion, Auto Workshop of the Year, Elizade Toyota, Luxury SUV of the Year, Range Rover, Pick Up of the Year, Toyota Hilux and Truck Brand of the Year, Mercedes Benz.

Also, Mitsubishi Canter emerged Light Truck of the Year, Independent Auto Workshop of the Year, Admiralty Motors, Auto Dealership of the Year, Globe and Sixt emerging as the Car Rental Company of the Year.

Automotive Journalists Speaking on the awards, Chairman, Nigeria Automotive Journalists Association , NAJA, Frank Kintum said in discharging one of its duties and responsibilities as watchdogs of the society, Automotive Journalists in Nigeria organised the annual NAJA in recognition of products and persons that have stood out during the course of the year.

Kintum noted that NAJA has undoubtedly become the hallmark of the auto industry having stood the test of time for over 15 years.

“In the automative/automobile sector, it is the responsibility of auto

include a smart key and push button start, a rear parking assist system and a rear view camera linked to the five-inch central display unit. A central cluster ionizer and mood bar is also available.

The Creta is driven by a choice of refined, powerful and efficient engines, available depending on market. The petrol option is a 123ps 1.6 MPI unit while diesel options include a 90ps U2 1.4 CRDi powerplant and 128ps 1.6 CRDi VGT offering. These are mated to 6speed manual or automatic transmissions depending on engine.

Creta occupants can rest assured that they are inside the safest car in the segment thanks to its unique, ‘Hive structure’ body shell which has been developed using advanced engineering techniques and which uses ultrahigh tensile steel for more body rigidity and structural strength.

The Creta can also be specified with ABS, ESP, VSM, and six airbags.

Journalists to watch closely what is drive for assessment by the Award happening in terms of launch of committee. new models, entry of new brands Speaking on behalf of the awaras they affected the industry.” He dees, the Managing Director, Toyremarked. ota Nigeria, Kunle Adeojo thanked However, speaking further, the the journalists for organising the NAJA chairman charged all stake- award. holders to always cooperate with While charging the award winNADDC in order to drive the Na- ners not to rest on their oars as they tional Automotive Industry should continue to provide good Development(NAIDP) as every and quality automobiles for stakeholder remains key in mak- Nigerians, Adeojo urged those ing the auto policy a success. who could not win any of the Giving more insight on the Car awards to work harder next year in Of The Year (COTY) Award, Mike order to be recognized Ochonma, vice president of NAJA, while speaking on behalf of Theodore Opara, chairman of NAJA Awards organisingcommittee stated before dealerships the final proper, dealerships of the Nissan Almera, Toyota Corolla, Kia Rio andPeugeot301 brands under the COTY cateAWARD: From left, Frank Kintum, Chairman, Guild of Motoring Corregory were ap- spondents; Jimoh Wale, Kia Marketing Manager; Sandeep Malhotra, CCO, Kia proached to Motors; Aminu Jalal, DG, National Automotive Design and Development and present their ve- Mr. Nseobong Akpabio, Assistant Corps Marshal, FRSC, at the presentation of hicles for test- Car of the Year award to Kia officials, in Lagos.

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—31

By Theodore Opara

Infinity Tyres unveils Xmas promo

I

N the spirit of the season, Nigeria’s leading tyre, battery and premium automobile accessories brand, Infinity Tyres Limited, is offering its customers a chance to experience their quality automobile products and win amazing gifts with the unveiling of the annual Infinity Value Drive Promo.

F

ORD Motors has fi nally launched the iconic Ford Mustang into the sub-Sahara Africa market with an official test drive by selected Motoring Journalists from across the region in Cape Town South Africa.

Arguably the most anticipated new model introduction in Ford Sub-Saharan Africa’s illustrious history, the launch of the legendary Ford Mustang has finally become a reality, to the delight of motoring enthusiasts across the region, including Nigeria, Ghana, Madagascar, Senegal and South Africa.

The Mustang is Ford’s most revered and recognisable nameplate, having become an automotive icon the moment it was launched in 1964, followed by more than 50 years of continuous production and over ninemillion cars sold to fans around the world.

The latest Mustang, unveiled on 17 April 2014 to mark its remarkable 50th anniversary, is avail-

Ford Mustang finally unveiled in sub-Sahara Africa able for sale in selected left-hand drive Sub-Saharan Africa markets following the commencement of production at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan.

Speaking at a dinner in Sand Bay Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa, the Managing Director Ford sub-Sahara, Jeff Nemeth said: “This is the car we’ve all been waiting for! The mighty Mustang is here.”

According to him, the new Mustang has been a global hit since it was launched internationally last year, and was the world’s best-selling sports car in the first half of 2015.

It is the world’s most-liked vehicle on Facebook (with more than eight million likes), and has made more than 9 000 appearances in television, music and video games. It has costarred in films with Hol-

lywood stars Will Smith, Nicholas Cage, Jason Statham, Tom Cruise, and perhaps most memorably Steve McQueen – in the cult 1960s movie Bullitt.

The Mustang is loaded with innovative technologies and delivers dazzling performance and style. It is available in a comprehensive line-up spanning 13 model derivatives, including the sleek and seductive Fastback, as well as the stunning Convertible and the race-inspired Shelby GT350.

In terms of powertrains, and depending on markets, buyers have the option of a 2.3 EcoBoost, 3.7 Ti-VCT V6**, 5.0 Ti-VCT V8 and the roaring 5.2-litre V8 with a flat-plane crank, as used in the exclusive Shelby GT350 Mustang.

There is a choice of either six-speed manual or

automatic transmissions, and the option of both Fastback and Convertible body styles to suit every taste.

Unmistakably Mustang The clean-sheet design of the Ford Mustang Fastback and Convertible evokes the essential character of the vehicle, retaining key design elements of the classic Mustangs recognisable to car fans across the world, including the long sculpted hood and short rear deck, with a contemporary execution.

Several key design features define the new Ford Mustang, including its low roof height and wide stance, the sleek profile enabled by the steeply sloped windshield and rear glass, the contemporary execution of the iconic car’s signature trapezoi-

dal grille and shark-bite front fascia, plus the famous three-dimensional tri-bar tail lamps.

Ford Mustang Convertible drivers will appreciate the standard multilayer insulated cloth top that gives the car an upscale appearance and a quiet cabin. The top has a sleek profile when folded for sun-soaked open-air motoring.

Large, clear instrumentation puts vehicle information right in front of the driver in the roomy cabin with an aviation-inspired cockpit, while ergonomic and tactile switches and knobs provide intuitive control. The vehicle’s width and sophisticated rear suspension contribute to impressive shoulder and hip room for passengers and a usefully shaped boot space that can accommodate two golf bags.

Stallion NMN receives Nissan's Global Merit Award

S

TALLION NMN, Nis san’s exclusive manufacturer and product distributor in Nigeria has received one of Nissan Motor Company’s highest honours – the Nissan Global National Sales Company Award which was presented to the company at a banquet in Lagos by representatives of the Japanese automaker.

The Nissan National Sales Company Global Award is in recognition of exceptional performance in sales and market share achievement. Stallion NMN has consistently grown Nissan market share year-on-year, culminating in a significant leap from 4% to 10% in the 2014 financial year.

In his address, Mike Whitfield, Managing Director and President, Nissan South Africa Region apC M Y K

price and dwindling economic trend.

He assured Nissan has strong desire to make a full and lasting contribution to rebuild the automotive industry in Nigeria, and play a significant role in the growth of the manufacturing sector.

Also adding that Africa

Mike Whitefield (l), Managing Director and President, Nissan South Africa presents a commemorative Nissan Global NSC certificate to Pavir Singh, Managing Director, Stallion NMN at a banquet in Lagos where the Nissan achievement award was presented to the company for outstanding performance in 2014 sales year

plauded Stallion NMN for consistently elevating Nissan market share in Nigeria.

He said: “We have worked side by side with the Stallion Group to achieve what is a very encouraging increase in our share of the

key Nigerian market… and we are delighted all results show Nissan is making progress.”

Whitfield described Nigeria as a key market for Nissan with ambitious potential for growth despite the current slump in global oil

has become an increasingly important market for all manufacturers, the Nissan President envisions demand could rise by 24% through 2016 supported by an expanding GDP and a versatile middle-class that is central to a growing economy and mature political system.

In a bid to consistently share this experience with its customers, the 13th edition of the Value drive promo commenced on 1st December and end on 31st December, 2015. Infinity Tyres Limited is the sole marketer of premium tyre brands Pirelli, Goodyear, Infinity, CEAT and battery brands Exide and Infinity in Nigeria.

Infinity Value Drive promo guarantees the customers, a chance to win various prizes instantly on purchase of infinity tyre or battery at any of the accredited Infinity tyres and Infinity Express outlets . Customers who makes purchases from these outlets get scratch cards, through which a prize will be revealed once card has been scratched.

Prizes include cash, tyre services like, Wheel balancing and wheel alignment. Other prizes include umbrellas, Tshirts, Face caps, Electric Car Jacks, Car Vacuum Cleaners and Radiator Coolants. All prizes are redeemable instantly at the point of purchase.

Point of purchase Meanwhile, the Management of Infinity Tyres, has commended the patronage of customers all over Nigeria, stressing that they are the reason why this promo has so far been successful and is today a tradition in the company.

In his remarks, Executive Director of Infinity Tyres, Rajesh Chawla expressed the excitement around the promo describing it as one platform through which the company shows appreciation to its loyal customers. “Management of Infinity Tyres is aware that many Nigerians travel during the festive season. Infinity Tyres wishes them a safe journey and also a very enjoyable festive season with lots of good wishes for 2016”.

Funmi Abiola, Marketing Manager, CFAO Motors receiving an award for Best Light Truck of the year by Mitsubishi Canter from Assistant Corps Marshal of FRSC, Nseobong Akpabio during the Nigerian Auto Journalists Award at Eko Hotel recently

32 —

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

CEASELESS RAIDS: PAGE 2

STRUGGLE FOR COMMUNITY THRONE: Robbers threaten 2 brothers fight messy C-River timber dealers in C-River PAGE 3

VOL. 1: No. 75

TUESD AY, DECEMBER 8, 20 15 TUESDA 201

IYM executives during press briefing

Kidnappers, robbers lay siege to 4 Rivers LGs •Kill Rumuokoro Police Station DPO, DCO •Butcher man; carry his corpse in wheelbarrow to family •Residents cry out, urge IGP, Gov Wike to rescue them

By Davies Iheamnachor

I

KWERRE—RESIDENTS of Aluu, Rumuji, Rumuokoro, Ozuoba, Agba-Ndele and other Ikwerre communities at Obio/ Akpor, Port Harcourt City, Ikwerre and Emohua Local Government Areas, Rivers State, have raised the alarm over the trouble-free manner kidnappers and armed bandits abduct, rob and kill citizens in the areas.

Penultimate Sunday, November 29, armed robbers laid in wait and murdered the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Rumuokoro Police Station in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, CSP Cliff Igwebe and his Divisional Crime Officer, DCO, for having the impudence to respond to a distress call from citizens.

Four other police officers in the DPO’s team landed in the hospital for wounds sustained during the surprise attack.

Six days before the DPO and DCO were shot dead, hoodlums C M Y K

on Monday, November 23 night, lured an Ibaa indigene, Mr. Azubuike Amadi, living at Omuokiri, Aluu community, Ikwerre local government area, out of his residence while he was about to take his dinner, killed him and conveyed his corpse to the house in a wheelbarrow.

Amadi’s hair-raising murder has heightened tension at Aluu community.

Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Muhammed, said: “CSP. Cliff Igwegbe made a supreme sacrifice. He put his dear life on the line so that others do not. He, along other officers responded to a distress call but were ambushed by the hoodlums.”

They slaughtered my husband– Bereaved wife

Mrs. Chinonye AzubuikeAmadi, the bereaved wife of Mr. Amadi, confirmed that the

heartless killers of her husband brought him in a pool of his own blood like a slaughtered animal.

On the identity of the killers, she said, “I do not know the people, my husband was at

Five days after the Rundele school incident, kidnappers took hostage a secondary school principal at Elele, residing in Ndele. On November 8, they seized a female principal and her two children from their home after giving them the beating of their life

Ndele axis of East-West Road

home, around 10.00 pm when somebody came and called him out, he told me to prepare food for him, that he is coming back to eat it, but he did not come back alive.”

Relatives buried the deceased, last Tuesday, at his hometown, Omkpoba, Ibaa clan in Emohua local government area.

Kidnap pastor at Rumuji

Two days after Amadi’s butchery, unidentified gunmen, November 21, abducted a clergyman, Pastor Peter, at Rumuji community, Emohua local government area at gunpoint. They accosted victim, who deals on phone accessories at about 8.00 pm whilst he was returning home after the day’s business.

Even after ascertaining that he is a pastor, his abductors demanded for N6 million to release him.

Invade Ozuoba, kill man

Same day bandits waylaid and killed the police officers; a separate gang invaded a home at Ozuoba community, Obio/ Akpor local government area

and assassinated Mr. Anthony Wede.

Assistant Police Public Relations Officers, Rivers State Police Command, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko, claimed ignorance of the incident when our reporter contacted her. She, however, said police would carry out investigation.

School still shut 2 months after kidnap of teachers

At press time, the Rundele High School, Agba-Ndele community, Emohua local government area, shut down two months ago after kidnappers abducted five teachers of the school, October 15, has not re-opened Five days after the Rundele school incident, kidnappers took hostage a secondary school principal at Elele, residing in Ndele.

On November 8, they seized a female principal and her two children from their home after giving them the beating of their life.

It took the payment of N200, 000 ransom before they released the two Under-14 children.

Continues on Page 7

2—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

CROSS-RIVER… THE PEOPLE’S PARADISE

CEASELESS RAIDS: Robbers threaten C-River timber dealers

*Traders appeal to Gov Ayade to construct perimeter fence, provide security

By Ike Uchechukwu

A

KIM QUA —HOODLUMS regularly break into the Akim Timber Market in the heart of Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, carting away their machines and timber worth millions of naira due to lack of border railing around the market and ridiculous security.

Incessant invasions on one of the oldest timber markets in the country, located at Akim Qua community in Calabar Municipality local government area, established in 1969, has led to dwindling fortunes on investments for the traders.

Speaking to Niger Delta Voice, President, Timber Dealers Association, Akim, Mr. Akparawa David Essien, said, “Our biggest challenge in this market is poor road network. In addition, we do not have a fence and criminals have carted away goods worth millions of naira. This has seriously affected my members.”

Gov Ayade visits market

He said: “The governor, Prof Ben Ayade, was here to see the situation we are passing through and it is really not palatable.

Because of the kind of materials we deal in, we run into loss whenever an incident happens here and at the same time, hoodlums still cart away our goods at night, we have security here but no perimeter fencing.”

Welfare chair of the association, Mr. Uwem Edimoh Obo, said: ”Most times, they come in and cart away some of our machines and you know these materials are very expensive. Apart from that, they also loot timber in large quantities running into millions of naira.”

“We appeal to His Excellency to help us so that we can nip this

THE TEAM Emma Amaize, Editor Jimitota Onoyume Samuel Oyadongha Simon Ebegbulem Gabriel Enogholase Festus Ahon Egufe Yafugborhi Emmanuel Una Akpokona Omafuaire Godwin Oghre Tom Moses Chioma Onuegbu Ike Uche Davies Iheamnachor Emem Idio Brisibe Perez Theresa Ugbobu Ochuko Akuopha Barnabas Uzosike Nath Onajoke Chijioke Nwankpa C M Y K

One of the bad ropads around the market. hydra headed problem in the bud,” Obo said.

Obo said the traders were lawabiding citizens, who paid their taxes as expected and urged government to speed up work on the internal road.

Clan head urges quick intervention

Clan Head (elect) of Akim Qua, HRH, Chief Basset Etteta –Ita told Niger Delta Voice, “This is my domain and I do not wait for government to do everything, sometimes, I sand fill some of the bad portions of the road leading to this market myself.”

“I learnt that the governor had visited the place but we want them to speed up action now that

the rainy season is over, my people in around this market are suffering, if it was raining, you cannot even come into this place freely,” he bemoaned.

He also called on the timber dealers to go the extra mile of ensuring that they put adequate security in place before the fencing.

His words:” Most of the people

that commit this crime are not from Akim ,but I want to urge the timber dealers to also make efforts to see that they contain any security challenge in this place to avoid going out of business because when you are robbed two or three times ,what else will be left in stock.”

907 A’Ibom Health Sch students use only 3 toilets

*Gov Emmanuel dazed, orders construction of more toilets, other facilities

By Chioma Onuegbu TINAN—GOVERNOR E Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State is alarmed that 907

students of the state’s School of Health Technology, Etinan Local Government Area, have not more than three toilets.

Commissioner for Health, Mr. Dominic Ukpong, who conveyed the governor ’s concern to students, last Friday, said the state government would start addressing challenges of main concern in the school soon, starting with the construction of new toilets, extension of classroom blocks and grading of dilapidated roads leading to the school.

Ukpong told them, “One thing that touched the governor most is that a school with 907 students has only three toilets, so very soon, we are building more toilets and also we will be able to extend the classroom blocks.”

AKWA IBOM… LAND OF PROMISE Niger Delta Voice, three months ago, reported the students’ protest over lack of infrastructure and increase in their school fees from N36, 000 and N46, 000 to N76, 300 and N81, 300 for indigenes and non-indigenes respectively.

Govt to pay fees for students

He also said, “Because of majority of the students, who are well behaved and those writing their final examinations, the governor has decided to pay fees on behalf of all the students for this academic year. In effect, from next academic year, you will begin to pay the new fees,” he asserted.

Ukpong, however, wondered why the students were agitating against the new fees regime, saying their counterparts across

the country, including Calabar, started paying new fees years ago.

He noted that unlike other institutions, the institution has not reviewed its fees since 2008 and appealed to the students to understand that the purpose of the fees’ increase, which is to enable the school management tackle some of the challenges facing the institution , such as organizing matriculation, constant power supply, among others.

His words: “You need to understand that it is from the fees you pay that some of the things you are seeking can be achieved.

I wonder why you do not want to pay the fees and have the facilities you need on ground. If you do not want to improve the school, you have not done well.”

Principal commends govt

Responding, the Principal of the School, Mrs. Eme Imerh,

commended the state government for the show of interest and concern over the plight, saying, “On behalf of the management, staff and students, I thank the state government for particularly coming to the rescue of this institution. In appreciation, the students will be of good behaviour”.

Mixed feelings

While majority of the students assured the commissioner that henceforth, they would be of good behaviour and appreciated government’s gestures, few others were not happy that government declined to reverse the increased school fees.

One of them, who refused to give his name, said, “In fact, this is not what I came here to hear.

They have said nothing because they did not reverse the school fees. That was the major thing we asked them to do, so I am not interested in whatever they are talking.”

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—3

CROSS-RIVER… THE PEOPLE’S PARADISE

STRUGGLE FOR COMMUNITY THRONE:

2 brothers fight messy in C-River *I’m the authentic village head- Chief Emmanuel Efa *I ‘m not an impostor- Chief Etim Efa

By Emma Una

I

DEBE IKOT ESU—CRISIS is brewing at Idebe Ikot Esu village, Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State, where two family members are fiercely laying claim to the community ’s throne.

When Niger Delta Voice visited the area, there was palpable tension in the farming community, located in the outskirts of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, as the two contenders have split the

community into two factions.

Emma Efa petitions Ayade

One of the claimants, Chief Emmanuel Anthony Bruno Efa, told our reporter that he is the “authentic” village head-elect before the sudden indication of interest in the position by his cousin, Chief Etim Edet Efa. He had already forwarded a petition to the governor of the state, Senator Ben Ayade, over what he termed “attempt to impersonate as acting village head of Ikot Esu Idebe by

Delta, FADE sign deal to green Asaba

Nobody except Chief Bruno has told me I am not from Idebe Isu and I have always been an Efa and on the strength of my paternity, I can be village head of my community

DELTA… FINGER OF GOD

duly selected by his people.”

This, they said, “will go a long way in bringing to bear, lasting peace in the community, as it is incumbent on the good people of Idebe Ikot Esu to guard jealously the sanctity of the sacred stool bequeathed to them by their forebears.”

Imoke govt granted me recognition –Chief Etim Efa,

Chief Bruno Efa Chief Etim Edet Efa.” In the petition, he insisted that the “the good people of Idebe Ikot Esu” and the Idebe clan council selected him to be the village head via a letter dated March 24, 2014.

According to him, the clan council in a letter dated August 3, 2015, forwarded his name to the Akpabuyo Traditional Rulers Council, chaired by HRM Etinyin Maurice Ekpenyong Nya, the paramount ruler of Akpabuyo Local Government Council.

Etim Efa came from nowhere From left, Commissioner Dan Okenyi, Chief Clement Ofuani, Chief Newton Jibunoh and others

A

SABA—DELTA State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Fight Against Desert Encroachment, FADE, a nongovernmental organization, founded by famous environment activist, Chief Newton Jibunoh, to jade the landscape of Asaba, the state capital.

The MoU signed on behalf of the state government by the director general of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, DSCTDA, Chief Clement Ofuani, is part of efforts to roll back climate change and protect the environment.

It entails establishment of Green Parks, Tree Corridors and implementation of other climate restoration initiatives

by FADE. Speaking at the ceremony, Ofuani said the initiative would not only add to the aesthetics of the city, but also go a long way in creating the right environment for residents and C M Y K

Chief Ofuani and Chief Jibunoh signing Green agreement

visitors alike to live a healthier, more fulfilling and prosperous life.

“To drive initiative, the agency is entering into a partnership with FADE (Africa), a non-governmental organization accredited by the United Nations Chief Jibunoh planting a tree Environment Protection Agency UNEP, for its foremost indiscriminate waste disposal. leadership in advocacy and President and founder of implementation of FADE, Chief Jibunoh said his comprehensive restoration and organization would bring the climate change initiatives. rich experience it has gathered “The partnership will entail in the past five of protecting the identification and and conserving the establishment of Green Parks environment to bear in the task and Tree Corridors within the of greening the metropolis. territory,” Ofuani explained.

He said the program would He urged residents of Asaba start “ with tree planting, to join hands with the agency developing of a nursery of at in not only planting trees and least one million tree seedlings greening the city but also by and working with the agency actively cleaning up the to identify and develop green environment through better parks and tree corridors within waste management and avoid the capital territory.”

His words, “Chief Etim Edet Efa has surprisingly surfaced before the Akpabuyo Traditional Ruler’s Council and also laid claim to the village headship of Idebe Ikot Esu.” Chief Emmanuel noted further that the confusion created by Chief Etim Edet Efa compelled the paramount ruler of Akpabuyo to set up a committee to into the matter.

He said the committee found that Chief Etim Efa had “no significant thing or document to show his genealogical connection in Idebe Ikot Esu, apart from the fact that he went there and requested for a land to reside.”

Alleged fake letter of recognition

He said during the committee’s sitting, “Chief Etim Efa presented a purported letter of recognition as a village head of Idebe Ikot Esu with the following number, 00723 issued by the governor,” alleging that the letter of recognition was “obtained through fraud and misrepresentation.”

Consequently, his lawyers in a letter to the governor urged him to revoke the said letter to Chief Etim Edet Efa and “issue same to our client, who was

Speaking to Niger Delta Voice, Chief Etim Efa, said: “This land is a communal land and I have lived here since I was born and it was on the strength of that the former governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, granted me recognition as the village head.”

He said he resides in the village, adding that the claim

by Chief Emmanuel Bruno Efa that he was an impostor was begging the issue because he had been living with the Efa family since birth.

“Nobody except Chief Bruno has told me I am not from Idebe Isu and I have always been an Efa and on the strength of my paternity, I can be village head of my community,” he said.

I’m not an ex-convict

He said he is not an exconvict as some people claimed and if anyone has proof that he is, he should expose him.

There’re guidelines to appoint village head —Govt

Permanent Secretary, Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Ogbang Akwaji, told our reporter that he had not received any petition about Idebe Isu community village head squabble since his assumption of office.

‘The petition might still be with the governor but when it gets to my table, I shall address it appropriately but for now I have not seen anything from that community,” he said.

Akwaji said there are guidelines for the election of a village head, which the community has to follow, while government recognizes and gives staff of office.

He, however, added, “But if anyone is an ex-convict and it can be proven that he is, the government even if it has given staff of office can withdraw same. If the case is still in it court, we can go ahead and issue certificate of recognition until the matter is decided by the court.”

4 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

By Perez Brisibe

E

KU—TENSION is currently brewing between Eku community in Ethiope- East Local Government Area of Delta State and an oil company, PRESCO Plc, based in Edo State, over an alleged invasion of the community’s land at Overe-Eku, an Urhobo settlement carved into Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Edo State.

The land has been in dispute between Edo and Delta states at the National Boundary Commission with several petitions pending.

The latest crisis started when the company rumored to have acquired the land from some community leaders, deployed bulldozers to clear the area about three weeks ago with police officers providing security.

The company has bulldozed several farmlands, but thousands of youths from the community and women engaged in a daily protest to stop further activity on the land.

Covetous leaders

The protesters, who called on the Delta state government to intervene, carried placards with various inscriptions such as, “Stop destroying our crops,” “We did not sell our land,” and “Leave our land alone” sang solidarity songs as they marched round the community raining curses on community leaders, who might have sold the land to the company.

Their protests have forced the company officials to retreat. A source said that some greedy leaders of the community might have sold the land to Presco.

However, the eldest person in the community, Chief Uvo Eyimofe, said, “These people are intruders; we do not know them and they entered our land without our consent.”

He said the purported acquisition of their land was unwarranted and appealed to the state government to come to their rescue.

Some indigenes of the community, who took to the social media, accused a faction of the community’s leadership of being the brains behind the sale of the land to the company, stressing that some prominent members of the community benefited from the alleged business deal.

According to a youth of the community, Austine Aganbi, “We were in the community one day when we heard bulldozers clearing our farm land. When we accosted them, they said our community had been sold to them and we should evacuate our houses because the same fate that befell our farms would befall our houses.”

Police caution

Meanwhile, the police have waded into the matter with an appeal to both sides to maintain status quo until a clear agreement was reached by parties involved either by the

C M Y K

DELTA… FINGER OF GOD

Anxiety as Delta community, Edo firm fight over land *PRESCO deploys bulldozers, allegedly destroys farmlands *Women, youths storm site with placards; villagers point fingers at greedy elders *Police warn against looming crisis

Some buildings in the community

Traditional leaders of the community briefing newsmen on the activities of PRESCO on their community

Some elderly women of the community

Children

A pathway in the community recently graded by bulldozers allegedly belonging to PRESCO Plc

Protesters

Angry Overe-Eku indigenes pronouncement of the court or via a simple mutual agreement.

According to a police extract signed by the Divisional Police Officer, Eku Police Station, Efejedia Andrew, “The President General of Eku community, Chief Joseph Ukueku came to the station in company of one Mathew

Akpohirheri and Omonife Akeh from Overe-Eku with one Marcel Ugueze.

“The latter was apprehended while working on the land of the community for PRESCO Plc without due approval from the community,” he said.

Warning against an impending clash between

We were in the community one day when we heard bulldozers clearing our farm land. When we accosted them, they said our community had been sold to them and we should evacuate our houses because the same fate that befell our farms would befall our houses.”

PRESCO and the community, the police said: “From the reports gathered, it appears that PRESCO is either forcing itself on the community or someone else mortgaged the village to the company.”

PRESCO keeps mum

Public Relations Manager of Presco, Benin City, declined comments on how the company acquired the land. A staff of the company said to be the site engineer, Dr. Uche Uche, who came to Eku Police Station with two Hilux vans occupied by police officers, apparently to secure bail for his colleague in police custody at Eku Police Station and discuss other matters, also rebuffed questions from journalists.

He, however, welcomed moves by the police for a peaceful settlement of the matter.

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—5

RIVERS…

THE TREASURE BASE OF THE NA TION NATION

Excitement, as Ibaa communities conscript men into manhood

By Davies Iheamnachor

I

BAA—There was jubilation at Ibaa clan, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State penultimate Saturday, as Omkpoba, Omuobizu and Mgbere communities initiated 15 men into adulthood in line with the custom of the people of the area.

According to a community source, the initiation, which is called Ogba-uknu is reserved for men who are up to the age bracket of 53 and 57.

Uknu the most revered tradition, meaning entrance into manhood, was handed to the people by their ancestors.

To the people of Ibaa, when a man is not properly initiated into this institution, such a person cannot be described as a man and is not fit to verbalize where his kinsmen are discussing issues.

Fully grown males from the three communities were admitted into the prestigious manhood at the ceremony, which gives the participants the first opportunity in life to traditionally handle mkpara (walking stick) and wear traditional Donie (don attire).

Speaking to Niger Delta Voice, one of the participants Mr. Godson Ezekwu, said the traditional coronation was for the test of manhood.

“This is a tradition that every male in Ibaa cannot abstain from if truly you are a free born. Even if you are Christian you are supposed to participate in it because of its significance in the life of a man.” Ezekwu said.

Mr. Obinna Ebere one of the celebrants said: “I am very happy that I celebrated this culture with my mates in the community. What we celebrated is an old tradition handed over to us through our ancestors. This is the highest cultural event in the Ibaa clan.”

“This tradition has been in existence since time immemorial. This ceremony allows people who the society sees as been matured is been initiated or coroneted into manhood.”

“In the eyes of the Ibaa people I am now a fully C M Y K

One of the celebrants in the mood of celebration

The men taking a tour of the community

One of the participants being carried home after the coronation Mr. Ebere celebrating at home after the coronation fledged human being has passed through this particular ceremony.

“The implication now is that I am qualified to handle any position in the Ibaa community. Having passed through this ceremony I am suitable to be an Ohna, the highest traditional institution in the land. I can even be made a village chief now because I am now qualified.

“If you are a man in Ibaa community and you do not participate in this culture you will no longer be reorganized as a man.

Another of the celebrant Mr. Nduka Ihunwo-Obile popularly called Brutus discloses, “This is a celebration of life so I am happy to have been part of it. It celebrated ones in one’s life time.”

The implication now is that I am qualified to handle any position in the Ibaa community.

Having passed through this ceremony I am suitable to be an Ohna, the h i g h e s t traditional institution in the land. I can even be made a village chief now because I am now qualified

“This particular culture is only being celebrated by only male adults in the community who have attained a certain age circle.

“The age circle usually falls between 54 to about 57 years. So at this age bracket you are expected as male to be initiated into manhood to really show that you are a man.

Similarly, Chief Promise Ezekwu-Otuji said: “I am grateful to God because he is the only one that makes one to grow to the age of maturity. I am happy that I am among those that were today recognized as a man in my community.

“This initiation or coronation it targeted towards the restoring of peace in Ibaa community that is why we chose the name, Democracy for ourselves.

“Some people in the community were trying to snatch the headship of this traditional institution from the family that owns it but we were able to overcome that challenge that is why we are chanting, ‘Due Process’ when we call the name Democracy.

“It is one of the cultures we cannot defer because that is the only means that the community will know that we are matured.

“Christianity cannot change this particular celebration in Ibaa because it is a celebration of maturity rather what we are doing now is that we are modernizing the culture to allow Christians to take part in it. Even Jesus himself did not talk to the Jews until he attained the age of maturity.”

6—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Ndokwa youths disagree over plan to recall Osanebi *Clan/Community youth presidents, chairs reject agenda, blast self-styled leaders *Coalition of Ndokwa Youth Leaders pressing ahead with program - Agha *Osanebi laughs at suggestion for his recall and libelous allegations against Osanebi

K

WALE—YOUTHS of Ndokwa ethnic nationality in Delta State are at loggerheads over the plan by a group, Coalition of Ndokwa Youth Leaders, led by Mr. Alex Agha to recall the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Friday Osanebi over allegations of non performance and diversion of money.

The coalition alleged that the lawmaker had since 2011 been collecting security money of N20 million monthly totaling N1.4 billion, meant for Ndokwa youths from the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC without remitting to the youths.

In a statement made available to Niger Delta Voice, Mr. Michael Nwabueze, Press Secretary to Osanebi, said, “We watched with indignation and studied silence series of spurious

It is not true and not possible for Osanebi to have collected or be collecting N20 million to or any sum of money meant for youth security when there is a Ministry or Directorate (with Commissioner) charged with Y o u t h s Development in the state.

Counter-plot

However, clan/community youth presidents and chairmen from 36 clans in Ndokwa nation at a meeting, last Thursday, condemned the plan of the coalition to tarnish the image of Hon Osanebi.

They dissociated themselves from the “nefarious activities of the self-styled coalition of Ndokwa youths, which tended to create hostility and security alarm in Ndokwa nation.”

The youths in a motion moved

by Comrade Emma Obaah and seconded by Comrade Sam Olise, passed a vote of confidence in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Hon Osanebi for their interest in youth development, especially the empowerment of youths by the present administration through Operation Feed your Neighbor, OFN. They endorsed the new policy of disbursing dividends of democracy and in particular proceeds of OFN directly through clan presidents and community youth chairs. They also agreed to come under one umbrella and elect a single leadership from all youth groups in Ndokwa nation that will be formidable and truly representative of their goals and aspirations.

No going back

Agha, who said there was not going back in the move, pointed out that the coalition was the umbrella body of Ndokwa youths, adding that some persons want to mislead the youths from the issue at stake He said the issue was that some people had been collecting N20 million from DESOPADEC monthly from 2011 until date,

C M Y K

which amounted to N1.4 billion in the name of Ndokwa youths without any reference to the youths.

“The N20 million monthly from DESOPADEC is for the purpose of empowering youths of Ndokwa land as a way of ensuring peace and security in the oil-rich area,” he said.

Agha maintained that he confirmed from DESOPADEC that Ndokwa nation had been collecting its money monthly since 2011, but nobody informed the youths.

He said that he confronted a former Commissioner from Ndokwa nation over the matter, who confirmed that he and particular politician were sharing the money.

We’ll petition EFCC

“I have told him that he has to vomit what he has stolen because we are going to forward a petition to the EFCC regarding the fraud, “Agha told Niger Delta Voice.

His words: “The Itsekiri youth, the Ijaw youth, the Urhobo youth, Isoko youth collect their money from DESOPADEC monthly and recently, the Urhobo youths carried a protest to DESOPADEC and they resolved amicably on how to collect this money, but for that of Ndokwa,

we do not know.”

“Why is the case of N20 million for Ndokwa shrouded in mystery.

I collected no money—

Osanebi by Coalition of Ndokwa Youths, until one Alex Agha who claims to be the leader of the group addressed newsmen in Asaba on November 19, 2015.”

“It is not true and not possible for Osanebi to have collected or be collecting N20 million to or any sum of money meant for youth security when there is a Ministry or Directorate ( with Commissioner) charged with Youths Development in the state.

“All the money meant for youth security in the last administration was received and managed by the Directorate of Youth Development headed by Mr. Ebifa Ijomah, who was a commissioner in that ministry,” he said.

Dismisses recall plan

Osanebi, who laughed off the plan to recall him, said the reporter should ask Agha, who is spearheading the campaign if he has a voter’s card, which is a basic requirement for such a venture.

He said Agha was at a meeting, which he convened to unity the youth organizations in the state and wondered why he was playing double standard.

Osanebi said his crime was that he insisted that it would no longer be business as usual and that those who claim to be national youth leaders of Ndokwa should subject themselves to an electoral process and authorization of their community/clan youth leaders.

RE- I’m richer than my LG, don’t share allocation with chair — Hon. Friday Osanebi, Delta Deputy Speaker fires at critics

D

EPUTY Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Friday Osanebi, has explained that he never meant that he was richer than his local government area, as portrayed in our interview with him, published in the December 1, 2015 edition of Niger Delta Voice.

Speaking with the Editor, Niger Delta Voice, on phone, Osanebi said that he stated copiously in the interview that he was not hungry and therefore, had no reason to share monthly allocation with the chair of his council as alleged by critics.

We regret any inconvenience the report caused Hon Osanebi.

Editor.

Hon. Friday Osanebi...Empowerment Master

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—7

Kidnappers, robbers lay siege to 4 Rivers LGAs

RIVERS… TREASURE BASE OF THE NATION

Continued from Page 1

Market women robbed

Last week, robbers commandeered a vehicle conveying women to Elele/ Ahoada market and carted away their belongings.

Apprehension

Knights of St Mulumba during the 36th convention of the order in Port Harcourt

We’re not cultists — Catholic Knights

By Davies Iheamnachor

P

ORT HARCOURT—THE Supreme Council of Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria has said that the members are not cultists and would not hesitate to fire any member found to belong to a cult group.

The council stated his last Thursday in Port Harcourt while addressing reporters at the opening of its 36th Annual Convention of the council with the theme, “The Church in Nigerian and its role in Democracy Governance.”

Speaking, Supreme Knight, Bro. Anthony Onuh, expressed worries

over suspicions from the public that Knights were a group of cultists in the church.

His words: “The order will sack any of our member found to be member of any secret cult without hesitation as it is against our principles.”

“All members are given opportunity to advance him or herself spiritually with the spirit of God, so what is the need of belonging to a secret cult group.

“We will dismiss any of our member found wanting without minding his position.

We do not tolerate cultism,” he said.

Onuh asserted, “It is our responsibility to counteract the harm done by secret societies to the church and arrest the influx of enlightened Christian members to those harmful secret groups that totally oppose the catholic faith and morals.”

He added, “If we are trying to cleanse the body of Christ of all forms of cultism, how can we again be cultists? Somebody who is a cultist cannot chase a cultist out from church.”

Youths in the four local government areas, which make up Ikwerre nationality under the aegis of Ikwerre Youth Movement, IYM, are disturbed at the rate criminals were kidnapping and killing people.

The youths expressed worry over the way hoodlums robbed travelers along Alimini-Emohua axis of East West Road, lamenting that Ikwerre communities have become a criminal jungle.

Leader of the group, Mr. Azubuike Wanjokwu said it was painful that government has not taken any notable proactive measure to bring the rising cases of crime in the area under control even when the governor is an Ikwerre son.

Wanjokwu expressed fear that business activities in the area may ground if government failed to take urgent measures to address the matter.

Daily operation by robbers, kidnappers

“Under the current leadership in the state, we witness daily occurrence of armed robbery and

DESOPADEC begins rehabilitation of Sapele roads — Amitaye

Construction works at Ikoyo Shell drainage site in Sapele

E

FFURUN—THE Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, has commenced intervention work on three roads at Sapele, Sapele Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner representing Sapele, Okpe and Ethiope West constituency on the board of DESOPADEC, Hon. Jonathan Amitaye, who disclosed this at Effurun during the presentation of a brand new Kia Rio car, which he won in the national promotional raffle of Shoprite Campari Drink, said C M Y K

Installation of 300KVA transformer by Hon. Amitaye in Ikoyo Close, Sapele the commission would move to Ethiope-West and Okpe after Sapele.

He asserted, “The drainage from Shell Road to Ikoyo Avenue has commenced. After that, we move to the drainage in Akintola and Okpe from the Ajogodo end in Sapele as well.”

Amitaye disclosed that the commission’s focus was on infrastructural and human capital development, youths and training in the oilbearing communities.

He urged government at all levels to create enabling environment for investors to strive in the state, saying that DESOPADEC believes in human capital development and would train youths at its skills acquisition centres in Ughelli, Oghara.

The commissioner said the commission would put its farm at Ugborhen into proper use and place emphasis on the training of the girl child.

kidnapping, and we, the Ikwerre youths are not happy about that.”

“We have seen youths in the guise of political rally under the protection of dubious political characters assault the liberties of our brothers and sisters.

“We have witnessed an upsurge in kidnapping with concomitant elephant ransoms that leave victims in the smelly waters of penury without help,” he said.

He asserted, “After the meeting of the body, we have decided that IYM will continue to partner with the Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to expose persons who lend themselves to criminal activities no matter how highly placed.”

AIG solicits monarchs’ assistance

Meanwhile, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 6, Mr. Baba Bolanta, has solicited the assistance of traditional rulers in Rivers State in the fight against criminals in Rivers’ communities.

The AIG, who met with members of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, told reporters, “I am on a familiarization tour of the states and part of my schedule is to meet with important stakeholders in security sector and the traditional rulers.”

“The traditional institution is a very strong one and it is very important in this regard. They are like grassroots mobilizers and whatever they say at their level becomes a law in the community, so there is need for their support.

“What we are doing now is that we are partnering with the communities for crime control. We are bringing ourselves closer to the communities through the traditional rulers,” he said.

The traditional rulers assured that they would join forces with the police to tackle crimes and criminals in their areas.

Police raid criminals’ shrine

Hon. Jonathan Amitaye, Sapele, Okpe, Ethiope West DESOPADEC Commissioner, inspecting the construction of drainage in Ikoyo Shell Road, Sapele

Apparently reacting to the siege, the police recently in a two-hour operation raided a shrine in a thick forest between Ndele and Rumuekpe communities allegedly used by the kidnappers as a hideout in Emohua local government.

A senior police officer in the area disclosed that the team arrested a native doctor suspected to be making charms for the boys terrorizing the area. The police reportedly confiscated some charms found at the shrine.

8—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

AGENDA

DELTA PDP STAKEHOLDERS’ MEETING FALLOUT:

DESOPADEC officials didn’t mean to disrespect Okowa— Philip Gbasin, Executive Director, Projects *We inherited N10bn debt, why we refused to award new contracts is to priortise the needs of the communities, the governor had told us to adopt the bottom-up approach, go to the communities and hold town hall meetings with them. We have many projects proposed by contractors sitting down somewhere and saying these are what we want to do in the communities, but you to the communities, you discover that what they need is not what somebody has come to request from DESOPADEC.

By Emma Amaize

A

SABA—LAST Thursday at a stakeholders meeting of the People Democratic Party, PDP, in Asaba, the state capital, the governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, publicly lambasted top officials of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, for allegedly gallivanting while the conference was on.

Okowa, who took the stakeholders’ meeting as a very important session for every political office holder, particularly highly placed officials in the state, was surprised when he rose to speak, looked around and saw neither the DESOPADEC board chair, Mr. Godwin Ebosa nor the managing director, Chief William Makinde.

A source said, “The governor wanted to say certain things, which touches on DESOPADEC and he was not happy that the very senior officials were outside.”

The governor, obviously dissatisfied, described their absence as a high level of indiscipline and ordered a query.

Before Okowa concluded his speech, some persons had gone outside to alert Ebosa, Makinde and other DESOPADEC officials, who stepped out of the hall to hold a meeting not knowing that the governor would speak next.

This reporter, who was outside at the time saw Ebosa, Makinde and others brainstorming together before the governor’s outburst, which saw the whole hall shaking.

They quickly aborted their discussion and dashed in.

However, the big man had already made his pronouncement.

However, Executive Director, Projects, DESOPADEC, Mr. Philip Gbasin, who was in the hall when the governor was looking for his chair and managing director spoke to Niger Delta Voice on what happened, the refashioned DESOPADEC and how the commission intends to meet the expectations of oilbearing communities in the state.Excerpts: Deltans expect so much from DESOPADEC, how prepared is the commission to meet the expectations?

Of course, we are aware of the expectations of Deltans from DESOPADEC. To Deltans, DESOPADEC is like a second state government, we all know that the state government is the number one intervention agency; the real development agency of any state is the government.

Government has expertise in every aspect of development, economic, political, educational,

C M Y K

What really happened, the governor was furious, last week, with DESOPADEC management for gallivanting while a meeting was on in Asaba. He saw it as indiscipline on the part of management and directed that the absentee top officials be queried, where were you all?

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State health, youth and sports, every aspect of development and responsibility. DESOPADEC being a product of the state government for the purpose of intervention in the area of development has become a second state government.

It is not only the people that are expecting much from DESOPADEC, the government itself is expecting so much from DESOPDEC and other stakeholders, including the press.

How we plan to meet them is to manage the resources available giving priority to the needs of the people. I like to tell this story, in my former company, Chevron Nigeria Limited; we proposed some community development projects and the community in the Eastern part of Nigeria told us they needed a post office.

We were wondering what they needed a post office for in a rural area. We did not see the human or mail traffic that will attract a post office to the place. However, they insisted that they need a post office and it is either you do it or you do not do anything or you do not even operate. So somehow, we went ahead to execute the post office and we started to do investigation on why a post office and they said that a neighboring community that had people in government was able to bring a post office.

Now, they are oil producing community, they want to show them that they have oil, not people in government, so the post office

they want should be two times bigger than that of the neighboring community.

Therefore, we built a post office for them two times bigger than that of their neighboring community, until today, they never used that post office because it serves no purpose.

Therefore, we will manage the realistic expectations. Sometimes some of these expectations from us are not to meet the need of the community. Therefore, our resolve

We were wondering what they needed a post office for in a rural area. We did not see the human or mail traffic that will attract a post office to the place. However, they insisted that they need a post office and it is either you do it or you do not do anything or you do not even operate.

What happened was that while the governor was making his speech, few of us were actually in the hall, but some were holding a tête-à-tête outside the hall, okay, and that meeting had to do some expectations from the government, some reports we need to submit to government.

So, some were outside holding that meeting on how to meet that expectation. So as soon as the governor announced that he did not see DESOPADEC people, within five minutes, every other person came in, but unfortunately, their return was not announced as their absence was.

Probably, we would have gotten back to the announcer, so it was not a slight on the governor. I think that the one or two persons might have also informed the governor that the DESOPADEC board members were actually around because they entered even before he finished his speech.

What are the uncompleted projects that DESOPDEC inherited and plans by the commission to initiate new ones to meet the expectations of the people in the oil-bearing communities and state government in general?

The files we inherited is quite frightening in terms of how much we are still owing contractors, which is within the range of about N10 billion. One of the greatest challenges I found is that contractors will do a project, for one certificate, it will take up to three or four installments to pay because they are so many projects that have been awarded , but nobody was expecting the financial situation that we are now in Nigeria.

We are still a mono economy and 90 per cent dependent on oil as our revenue base and that

revenue base has dropped across the globe, Nigeria is not an exception. However, we already have commitments with these contractors and some have completed their projects, but the revenue drop has really affected paying them and so, it is one of our challenges, managing the payment of contractors.

For that reason, this year, 2015 for example, we are not awarding any new project and will not award any new project. So that we can clear the backlog of… this year alone may be enough to clear the debt, but at least, it will reduce the best profile standing against us from contractors. In the years to come, we also want to put that into consideration smaller size portfolio for new projects and pay attention to human capital development so that we do not sound like brick and mortar all through.

If we develop human capital around us, they in turn will become employers of labor, they will become entrepreneurs and begin to generate contract and in that way, we have a multiplier effect of our operations. That is for now our focus.

There is duplication of projects by government interventionist agencies, how does you commission intend to avoid this?

Part of what we want to do is that as we visit the communities, we will not only look at our own projects, we will look at for example what other agency has projects and probably take a census of what government is doing and then see how we can build synergy with other interventionist agencies.

We also plan to interact in budget planning so that if they are projects that we know that is already in NDDC project or another ministry, it will not be wise for us to put it in our budget.

We will also look at the possibility of collaborating in certain areas.

For instance, we could have regional projects, that is if it is going to serve maybe three to four communities within that region and we probably do not have enough money to do it, we can partner with other agency to execute it, they can do phase one, we do phase two.

These are ways we want to avoid duplicity of projects, we will ensure that we intensify our project monitoring activity so that we do not have the kind of problem we had in the past to ensure that we do not waste our money. Sometimes, you find that three health centres in one community and it is only one that they use.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—33

Delta to recover, re-allocate undeveloped lands D

By Festus Ahon

ELTA State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Chief Dan Okenyi, yesterday, said that the state government, in its determination to curb land speculation and profiteering, would recover and re-allocate all undeveloped plots of land in the Core Area of Asaba, the state capital, to deserving people.

Inaugurating a committee to identify undeveloped plots in Asaba, Okenyi said that owners of the undeveloped plots “May no longer have the intention of fulfilling their obligation of building on the plots. In effect, they have become land speculators, holding out for the highest bidder or just waiting for land to appreciate further.

“This situation is absolutely unacceptable. While these people are engaging in illegal land speculation, many other Deltans who are willing and capable of developing such plots are denied the opportunity.”

On submission of the committee’s report in a month’s time, Okenyi said government will withdraw the Certificates of Occupancy for such lands and re-allocate them to Deltans who are yet to benefit from previous allocations and are willing to promptly develop the lands.

He said that past

administrations in the state had allocated plots of land to individuals and corporate organisations with the expectation that they would promptly proceed to develop their plots and spur the development of Asaba.

According to him, “While many beneficiaries of the allocations have gone ahead to develop their property, a significant number of recipients have failed to fulfill their obligations.

“The Core Area of Asaba is now dotted with swathes of undeveloped plots. The plots have also become unsightly and negate government’s desire of making Asaba one of the fastest developing state capitals in the country. Some now pose security risk as they have become operational bases for criminals and other unscrupulous people.”

According to him, under the terms of the allocation of lands,

beneficiaries were expected to develop such plots within two years of taking possession.

“However, some of the plots have remained undeveloped for more than five years while some beneficiaries simply fenced their plots and wrongly assumed that they had secured them. I hereby warn all owners of undeveloped plots that building walls around such plots do not amount to development neither have they secured the plots.”

CALABAR MONORAIL: Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade and his deputy Prof. Ivara Esu, alighting from the newly installed Calabar monorail coach shortly after the contractor test-ran the facility in Calabar.

Warri Refinery's host communities threaten chaos over sack of back-up staff

By Egufe Yafugborhi

W

ARRI—THE mass sack of back-up staff at Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, has sparked off tension in some of the company’s host communities, as they have vowed to go to any length to reverse the development.

Mr Clement Erewa and others, who briefed newsmen in Warri over the matter, on behalf of the host communities comprising Ubeji, Ifie-Kporo, Aja-Etan and Ijala-Ikeren, all in Warri South Local Government Area, said: "WRPC breached an earlier agreement with us when it included almost all 200 of our indigenes among the backup staff recently relieved of their jobs.

“The company agreed not to touch our indigenes.

Information reaching us indicates that the order to layoff workers from our communities in WRPC was given by the Minister of State for Petroleum/Group Managing Director of NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu.

“This revelation has gone round the various communities causing tension among the people. Our patience has been C M Y K

overstretched and we are prepared to vehemently resist, by any means possible, this act of marginalization.”

The communities said their indigenes working with WRPC

have been working “under inhuman conditions” over the years, receiving meagre wages and delayed payment without concern to address the lingering request to convert them to

permanent staff in order to earn befitting pay.

There have been series of protests at the WRPC following recent disengagement of casual staff which include several host community indigenes.

Fulani herdsmen barred from Delta communities grievances.

By Ochuko Akuopha

O

LEH—WORRIED by their destructive tendencies across the state, some communities in Isoko North and Ndokwa East Local Government Areas, Delta State, have barred Fulani herdsmen from bringing their herds to graze in their domains.

The communities include Ashaka, Ushie and Igbuku in Ndokwa East and Ofagbe, Isoko North council.

They also resolved that Fulani herdsmen already living in their communities would be directed to withdraw their herds from their lands with immediate effect.

The resolution was sequel to last week’s Fulani herdsmen attack on Ofagbe community which left one Mr. Japheth Inibu dead and Mr. Thompson Ogege critically injured.

In a communique at a meeting with the Chairmen of Isoko North

and Ndokwa East councils, Mr. Emmanuel Egbabor and Mrs. Nkechi Chukura respectively, at Ashaka, the communities also cited the killing of one other person at Afor community in Ndokwa East as part of their

The communique warned that anyone found to be collecting money from the herdsmen with a view to allocating lands to them for grazing purposes would be arrested and made to face legal actions.

Delta youths vow to check crime in communities development of Ndokwa nation.

A

By Festus Ahon

SABA—YOUTHS drawn from the 36 clans in Ndokwa nation, Delta State, have vowed to protect and secure their various communities from all forms of criminality especially cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery, pipeline vandalization and illegal oil bunkering.

The youths, in a communique after a meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Friday Osanebi, also resolved to speak with one voice henceforth in the interest of the

The communique by 129 of the youths including community youth presidents and chairmen in the three Ndokwa local government areas, passed a vote of confidence on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Osanebi, promising to ensure that the area remained peaceful and accommodating host to multinational firms. They restated their resolve to protect government and oil companies installations including the Independent Power Plant, IPP at Okpai.

A-Ibom assures on completion of taxiway, MRO in 2016

By Chioma Onuegbu & Tom Moses

U

YO—AKWA Ibom State Government has assured that the state's Airport taxiway will be completed and commissioned in July 2016, following the extent of work achieved so far.

The state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, during inspection of ongoing work at the Ibom International Airport, expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work by the contractor handling the project.

Emmanuel, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Etido Inyang and his team, reiterated his determination to live up to his campaign promise to serve the people well and prayed for improved revenue to enable his government actualise its agenda for the state He said: “If you look at the extent of work done in less than five months, it shows sincerity of purpose and quality in service. This is close to being a miracle. This is how we want to tackle every project that we embark on; this is how we want to run throughout our tenure."

Delta to review EduMarshal programme

By Perez Brisibe

U

G H E L L I — D E LTA State Government is to review the state Educational Marshal programme, an agency created by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to curb the rising cases of primary and secondary pupils’ dropout in the state.

Staff of the agency in Ughelli, Eku, Sapele and other parts of the state had expressed fears that there were plans by the state government to scrap the programme amidst alleged backlog of six months’ salary owed them by the state government.

According to the staff, landlords have also started evicting them from their privately rented offices in Sapele, Eku, and other places, including the Warri Zonal office owing to the inability of the state government to renew their rents which had since expired.

A senior staff of EduMarshal, Eku office who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said: “Government has not paid us since June this year."

34 —

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 35

C M Y K

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

LECTURE: From left—Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; his Osun State counterpart, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; former Federal Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, SAN, and Oyo State Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Akin Oke, at the 7th Femi Okunnu annual lecture organised by the Law students of Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, Osun State.

CONFERENCE: From left—BIshop Mike Okonkwo, his wife, Bishop Peace Okonkwo and Dame Abimbola Fashola, during the TREM Kingdom Life World Conference in Lagos, Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

LECTURE: From left—Kemi Emina, National President, University of Ibadan Alumni Association, UIAA; Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, former Commissioner for Basic & Secondary School, Delta State; Head of Service, Delta State, Mr. Patrick Origho; Rev. Cannon Paul Ozako, retired Principal; Ven. Albert Nedozi, Isoko chapter chairman, UIAA and Major General Paul Omu (retd), during the second annual public lecture of UIAA, Isoko chapter at Oleh Campus, Delta State University.

SEND FORTH: Chief Eduwu Ekhator, the Obasogie of Benin Kingdom (right) and Mr. Louis Odion, during a cocktail hosted in honour of Mr. Louis Odion, FNGE, at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Benin City, following his voluntary resignation as the State Commissioner of Information and Orientation .

C M Y K

VISIT: From left—Otunba Nurudeen Ojora, Tutor-General, Permanent Secretary, District V, Mrs. Mary Iji, former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan, and Principal, Awori Ajeromi Senior Secondary School, Agboju, Mrs. Usena Akpaibio, during a visit by the old students of Awori Ajeromi Senior Secondary School, Agboju, Lagos led by the former deputy governor.

AWARD: From left—Prof. Olufemi Akinyanju (left) receives 2015 Merit Award from President General, GCUOBA Worldwide, Prof. Oritsegbemi Ola Omatete, during the 2015 annual luncheon party by Government College Ughelli Old Boys Association, Lagos branch. Photo: Diran Oshe.

INVESTITURE: From left—Lion Omoba Ademola Odubanjo, immediate past President, Lion Idowu Omolola Anobili, District Governor, District 404bi Nigeria, and Lion Segun Awosiyan, new President, during the fund raising luncheon of Eye Care Centre and investitute of Lion Awosiyan, as Isheri Platinum Lions Club President in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

From left: Mr. Jerry Obazele, Edo State Head of Service; Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu; Justice Peter Isibor, President, Customary Court of Appeal, and Gideon Obakhan, Education Commissioner at the event.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 , 2015—37

Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu's book presentation

When democracy becomes an embarrassment

L

IKE everything in life, democracy has its downside, good and cherished as it produces the process that plays the midwife to a government that represents the will of the electorate. I stress the notion of process, for we oftentimes dwell on the outcome (the President, Senator, member of the House of Representatives, Mayor, etc.), not paying adequate attention to the fact that what matters in “democracy” in these examples is actually the process that confers some legitimacy on them as symbols and occupants of power and authority.

As a process, democracy does not always yield desired or desirable results; it is just that the process of attaining such an undesirable outcome is fair and equitable.

To fully appreciate the logic of this emphasis on the process rather than the outcome, you need to turn to what is currently going on in the US, the country that prides itself as the bastion of democracy. More precisely, the issue is the on-going presidential primary election process of the Grand Old Party (GOP) as the Republican Party is more derisively known.

When the democratic process of choosing the party’s flag-bearer for the 2016 presidential election began early this year, all sorts of characters frog-jumped into the ring and presented themselves as the worthy candidates for the GOP. The list included politicians with credible credentials such as former governors Rick Perry (Texas), Jeb Bush (Florida) and incumbent governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker. It also had political neophytes such as Ben Carson and Donald Trump. The prevailing political wisdom about this list then was that much as it was overpopulated by a potpourri of credibility and incredibility, the process of democracy would ensure that at the end of the day, the clowns will be sieved away, leaving the stage to people in whom the party will have some confidence about their ability to face whosoever the Democratic candidate might be. Perhaps what the GOP hierarchy underplayed or ignored was the fact that the democratic ethos was not about who emerged victorious, but the process of victory.

Thus, to their consternation, and against all permutations, the “establishment” political stalwarts who were expected to ride out the rough storms of the process began to disappear into the twilight Left to zone. Today, the man who is at the forefront of the GOP candidates likely to be the GOP flag-bearer is officers, Donald Trump.

Trump A few months ago in must be this column, I wrote this about Trump: “If you have stopped ever had an obstinate fly at all invade your space and rest on an inconvenient costs part of your body where from the killing it might hurt you, then you have a picture process of what Trump is doing to C M Y K

the Republican Party. Fact is, Trump was supposed to be one of those people who blow hot in every presidential election cycle and quickly disappear into political obscurity. The problem is that he has refused to bow out of the stage. Indeed, current polls show him running second to Jeb Bush, the son and brother of two former U.S. presidents.”

If only I had a political crystal ball, I might have phrased things more authoritatively.

The problem for the GOP top officers now is not that Trump “has refused to bow out of the stage” as I had written;3 the trouble is that Trump has so coveted the stage for himself that he has apparently kicked everyone out of it. And, this has continued to make the GOP leaders quite edgy about the party’s chances of winning the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton, the possible candidate of the Democratic Party.

Here is last week’s CNN report about where Donald Trump currently stands in the race for the GOP nomination. “Donald Trump is once again alone at the top of the Republican field, according to the latest CNN/ORC Poll, with 36% of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents behind him, while his nearest competitor trails by 20 points.

Nearest competitor Three candidates cluster behind Trump in the mid-teens, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 16%, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 14% and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 12%. All other candidates have the support of less than 5% of GOP voters in the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for president.”

Among those classified by CNN as “all other candidates” is Jeb Bush, the man who was almost anointed by the GOP echelon as its preferred candidate at the onset of the race. What is indisputable is that when it comes to policy matters and the art of governance, Bush trumps Trump by an unbridgeable margin. Yet, with regard to the democratic process, Trump triumphs over Bush. And this is where the democratic process becomes an embarrassing quagmire. Left to the GOP officers, Trump must be stopped at all costs from the process. But, alas, they have no way to fulfill what their hearts desire. They are stuck with Trump like a person with a malignant disease he or she cannot wish away.

What the GOP top officers did not factor in their equation about Trump is the fact that the man is an astute manipulator of public opinion; the opinion of the largely ignorant and hysterical public that is at the base of the Republican Party’s supporters.

It is to this base that Trump unabashedly addresses all he has to say about being the best candidate for the party.

He cleverly preys on their fears and ignorance. Trump knows that people in this cadre are morbidly afraid of “strangers” among them and attributes all US deficiencies to “foreigners” so Trump readily tells them that he has a “policy” of deporting nearly 12 million “illegal” people in the United States, and they hail him.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Special Guest of Honour, being received by the Catholic Bishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan (left), followed by Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, on arrival for the public presentation of the book, 'From Opposition to Governing Party: Nigeria's APC Merger Story,' by Dr. Onu, at the Shehu Musa 'Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja, yesterday. Photos: Abayomi Adeshida

From left, former First Lady, Hajiya Maryam Abacha; wife of the author, Mrs. Ogbonnaya Onu; Author of the Book, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chairman of the Occasion, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; the SGF, Mr. Babachir David; wife of Nigeria's First President, Professor Uche Azikiwe; Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Mr. Silas Agara; former Senate President;, Senator Ken Nnamani, and former SGF, Alhaji Gidado Idris.

Former National Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Prince Tony Momoh (right) ,and other dignitaries.

From left, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Ike Nwachukwu; former First Lady, Hajiya Maryam Abacha, and the wife of the author, Mrs. Ogbonnaya Onu.

From left, the SGF, Mr. Babachir David; wife of First Executive President, Professor Uche Azikiwe; Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Mr. Silas Agara; former Senate President; Senator Ken Nnamani, and former SGF, Alhaji Gidado Idris.

38—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

other revenue sources to complement the federal allocation. The era of depending on a mono product economy is long over.

On the need for President Muhammadu Buhari and his team to hammer out serious economic interventions or measures to revive the economy I cannot agree with you any less on this matter. In fact, any casual observer of the Nigerian economic situation knows that things are not looking up. As some observers have out put it, the economic house is falling, if urgent steps are not taken we may be heading for trouble economically.

Put in a parable, we could situate the economic reality by seeing President Buhari as the manager of the economy as a distributor who has distributed goods to his customers, he came back to the market, all his customers closed the door, he didn’t see anybody to collect money from.

BIAFRA:

Why govt must avoid use of force — ORJI KALU

shouldn't expect •Says Nigeriansuhari miracles from B , lue of the Naira sector e AMID sliding va at aints by priv e mounting compl ttering state of th to players on the pears not to be well with economy, all apirs of Nigeria. But, it is the state of affa air, says former Abia not time to desp Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, as State Governor,ammadu Buhari is President Muh to rework the economy. making efforts with journalists in In an intervieweekend, on arrival from Lagos, at the wgdom, Kalu said Buhari the United Kin enough time to deliver should be given as he grapples with the on his promisesountinmg Nigeria’s multi burden of surm es. faceted challeng

Dilemma of the president

•Kalu: The United Nations charter gives them the right to ask for self-determination

By Kenneth Ehijiator

O

N the pro-Biafra Republic protests Those boys are right, they have a right to demonstrate, but not violent demonstration, not killing soldiers because if I am a Commander- in -Chief, and you kill one of my soldiers, I will kill everybody. You cannot kill soldiers. You cannot kill police.

You have a right to say no, we want our own Republic. The United Nations charter gives them the right to ask for selfdetermination. It is not a right to go and destroy people’s properties or to go and destroy Nigerian Armed Forces, whether it is Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy or Nigerian Police.

If I am president, I will set up either traditional rulers and some political leaders to go and ask the boys what they really want, what is really their problem, what can be done to stop them from asking for this? This was how Boko Haram started killing members of Catholic Church, and as a Catholic, I spoke vehemently against it. I told you airport correspondents that they will finish killing the Catholic and will go and start killing everybody and it happened.

When kidnapping started, then I was governor, they were kidnapping white people and I spoke out. I said when they finished kidnapping white people and there were no more

C M Y K

white man to kidnap, they would start kidnapping us and that is what is happening in the country today.

So, I will advise the Federal Government: This is a federation, you need to manage the federation. Some people must ask for self-determination. It is the management of the people that matters. President Buhari, as a matter of fact, should set out traditional rulers, set out people, set out security and intelligent agencies to intervene. They should be more intelligent than policemen or military people carrying guns. They should find a way and tell the boys that what they are doing is not the right thing to do. So, it is left for the

It is a wrong strategy hearing people saying that we will quench it by force. We cannot quench anything by force because it is their right to ask for selfdetermination

Federal Government. This is the right time to nip the agitation in the bud, but not by force. It is a wrong strategy hearing people saying that we will quench it by force. We cannot quench anything by force because it is their right to ask for selfdetermination.

But is it the right thing to do in a bigger country like ours? It is only a president that doesn’t know what he wants that will want a section of his country to go. I think negotiation is part of democracy.

I have seen your Enugu-Port Harcourt, Aba-Umahia express road that have not been built, I will build it in two years; I have seen your Awka-Onitsha express way that is not built, I will build it in two years; I have seen that your Umuahia-Ohafia to Aruchukuwu to Cross River express way is not built, I will do it. I have seen that your Arondizuogu-Okigwe express way is not done, I will do it.

I have seen that your Enugu to Makurdi express way is bad, people are dying there every day.

This was what I quarrelled with the government over it in 2001. I said our roads are bad. Federal roads are very bad and they are taking it for granted. Check what I have said 10 years ago, they are recurring today and the government is still playing with it, people are still doing politics with it.

What is your take on plans by some state governors to either sack workers on cut down on salaries of civil servants?

It is a truism that all is not well with the state of Nigeria’s financial economy. The current situation, if the truth must be told, is that we are in dire straits. This time calls for deep reflection and serious financial reengineering by managers of the public sector.

This requires creative, strategic and visionary leadership by leaders at all levels because the reality is that the the resources accruing from crude oil sales are dwindling by the day on account of falling oil prices in the international market.

Financial obligations Above all, leadership is about the ability to take the right decisions at the right time by putting the people first. State governors should cut down on frivolous expenses in order to meet their financial obligations especially workers’ salaries and payment to pensioners.

If it means converting a portion of the security vote to fix serious responsibilities, it is worth it.

This is because many state governors allegedly siphon the so -called security vote. We must learn to live within our means as a way to sustain a decent life.

Governors should leverage on

He called somebody and said break the door, any door he broke, nothing was seen so he went back to all the shops, there was nothing inside the shops, he didn’t see the goods he supplied them and he didn’t find any money that the shop owners were supposed to pay. That is the dilemma of the president, if I can say. He didn’t tell me but this is what I feel.

I feel strongly that it will take the president the next two to three years to sort out this problem. Nigerians are always in a hurry and I am surprised.

Change don’t come easy. What the president is doing is what he is supposed to do.

How do you think the president is feeling in this dismal scenario you have painted?

The president should be having hypertension now but I am sure he is confused himself because the goods he supplied are still there even if he does not have his money.

You know I am not a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, so, I don’t speak for them.

What I speak is the truth and people should not be expecting President Buhari to do miracles.

I am not a member of his party but he is a very close friend of mine and you should not be expecting President Buhari to do miracles. I don’t expect him to do miracle, there is no miracle in this business, he has to take his time.

The situation is made worse because oil prices have gone down and everybody is looking if there will be any slight change in the third quarter of 2016.

Nigerians just elected their president for change and they want to see the change immediately.

It is not possible, the president

Continues on page 39

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—39

By Bashir Adefaka

N

OW that President Buhari has constituted his cabinet, what is your impression about his administration?

Any government stands the chance of delivering on its mandate because the essence of contesting for political power is to deliver. The normal expectation is that any government that the people repose confidence in should be able to perform.

So, within that limit, 100 percent of people, after the last elections, expect governments at all levels to perform. Whether they perform is another thing.

People voted for the APC because of Buhari. So, the expectation is more on Buhari than on the APC. We are expecting that Buhari should be able to perform. Like I said before now, nobody would wish for a better set of ministers though there are few of them that could be exempted. They will prove us wrong or right at the appropriate time. There are people that we don’t need to panic about.

There are those, despite the fact that the President said he was for everybody and for nobody, who still managed to squeeze their surrogates into that system.

Whether they will have their way or not is a matter of time.

Do you foresee Buhari having problems with his ministers?

We pray it doesn’t happen. Our expectation from Buhari is for him to succeed but he must be on guard.

Expectations from Buhari I have no doubt that the intention of Buhari is altruistic.

The programme of APC is also in order. What we are now talking about is implementation.

On how Buhari can perform It will be a Herculean task for Mr. President. He will need to work with people. Yes, he has assembled decent people, some with question marks. I pray he will be courageous enough, in the next couple of months if he has not already identified them, to identify those with question marks. He should identify them and replace them. We will be happy to have a government that can be compared with others in other countries.

What do you have to say about the choice of Finance Minister, who hails from your state?

She was the immediate past Commissioner for Finance in Ogun State. Show me your friends, I will tell you who you are. She may be different but I don’t know.

She may be okay but if somebody is working for a pathological liar, who will make submission full of sound and fury signifying nothing, presiding over an administration that is getting all priorities wrong with dilapidated infrastructure C M Y K

Buhari needs to sack some ministers in six months — SEN KAKAH

a Kakah, former SENATOR Gbeng Ogun State, in this of deputy governor at if the th ns ar w w intervie President administration of ri must succeed, the ha Bu u Muhammad ng consider droppi president should the next six months. in some ministers other issues. on e ok sp so al He

•Kakah: I have no doubt that the intention of Buhari is altruistic everywhere, economic opportunities begging for attention right from farming to industry, it becomes difficult to be optimistic about that person.

Ogun State is to Lagos what New Jersey of the United States of America is to New York. But go to Agbara, go to Igbesa with a lot of industries, the roads are terribly bad. Some industries are closing down because of the bad roads. Go to Olokola, it is the same story. Dangote was frustrated and had to move to Lagos.

Okitipupa Oil Mill and Okomu Oil Mill were established by Papa Obafemi Awolowo at the same time with Apoje Oil Mill and Lomero; they are now moribund.

For four years, nothing was done.

Okitipupa Oil Mill is quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange at about N19 per share while Okomu Oil Mill is quoted at over N13 per share. The turnover of Okomu Oil Mill is in the region

People voted for the APC because of Buhari. So, the expectation is more on Buhari than on the APC, we are expecting that Buhari should be able to perform

of N 12. 5 billion and the profit margin is encouraging. It is more than 25 percent.

There is hardly any industry that can boast of such. How come we have Apoje, we have Lomero, we even have rubber estate and nothing is being done?

Money is being wasted on building bridges. The rural areas are totally neglected, agriculture is totally neglected. If that is the person nominating someone for a sensitive position like the office of the Minister of Finance, Buhari needs to look at his back and see whether the decision he has taken is right or wrong.

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, had

while reacting to the distribution of portfolios, faulted the allocation of three ministries to Fashola. What is your view on that?

Babatope is my highly respected Egbon (elder). I am not responding to him but the issue at stake is that, if you are at the helm of affairs and you want a job done knowing that you cannot do the entire job at the same time, you have to work with some people.

You just have to give a job that is expected to be well done to a hardworking person. When you give such job to a hardworking person, he will know how to get

the job done. In the social parlance we often say that job expands within the available time.

So, Fashola is capable of doing it, he has started doing it and he is going to achieve the set goals.

You can as well say that Buhari himself should not be holding the post of President and the same time the post of Petroleum Minister. All these people you are talking about including Fashola and Rotimi Amaechi, are answerable to Buhari. That means Buhari is holding all the portfolios.

On merging of ministries If it is still possible for Buhari to merge ministries and bring it from 24 to 16 for the purpose of efficiency and conservation of funds, that will be fine. Will anybody say that spending 70 percent of our budget on recurrent expenditure ideal?

And if it is not ideal, then what is the hue and cry for? Let’s assume that the three ministries are still there and not merged, put together, the three ministries are not up to what he (Fashola) was presiding over in Lagos.

Look at Ministry of Interior, I am sure the Police Affairs Ministry is now interior. Are you saying that merging them together under the Ministry of Interior is not normal?

If people want to criticise, they should examine their brains first before they talk. As far as Buhari is concerned, he has done well.

I have said it that there are still some big elephants in his administration that should be replaced in the next six months.

Does your opinion justify the argument of the PDP that the appointments are uninspiring?

The appointments don’t need to even be inspiring to anybody at all. Mr. President knows what he wants.

What did the PDP people do while they were in office? My own fear is that Buhari should and must not go the Jonathan way.

Why govt must avoid use of force — KALU Continues on page 38 has to take his time, he has to take account of what he has seen and what he has not seen. From what I am hearing, they have not even started to ask questions about where our money has gone to. So many people said that many officials still need to answer some questions. My reading is that President Buhari as our leader is very unlucky, he came into the saddle of leadership for a change during a very difficult time.

What is your take on efforts by the Buhari administration to recover looted funds by the past regime through the anti corruption measures already in place?

I think President Buhari is on track in his efforts to recover looted funds by the past administration. The anticorruption measure is not a

drawback as some critics may want to see it. Given the malfeasance that took place in the last regime, the president is handling the situation very well.

It is not a drawback at all. Buhari should know who he should call because there was massive looting, I am sure most people didn’t want to listen to some people like us, who were shouting about what happened in the last administration.

We said that there was corruption and the corruption that we saw in the last administration was very high. I told airport correspondents in one of my interview sessions when I landed at the Lagos Airport that there was corruption in the last regime.

Though, I am a friend of the former president but I speak the truth, I told you people that I came from Emirates, Dubai and

I have never seen the kind of corruption I was seeing then in Nigeria; people were carrying the dollar by hand. Journalists confronted me that why couldn’t I advise the former president and I remember telling them that beyond friendship the country comes first. And you people asked me, ‘are you not a friend of Jonathan? I said, ‘yes, I am his friend and so what? Our country comes first .’

So, I am still standing here. If Buhari does a bad thing tomorrow, I will caution him. I have written letters to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, I have written to Jonathan although the one of Jonathan is not in the public and I wrote letters to Yar 'Adua when he was president so I am sure Nigerians should be patient with President Buhari.

40 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

, s e i r t s u d n i w Ne shopping malls choking Lekki r help •Residents cry fo

•One of the Shopping malls in Lekki

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

T

HE construction of the Lekki-Epe expressway thirty-two years ago by former governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, with the aim of opening the vast area of unhabited land to development has yielded result. But new challenges have emerged with no solution in sight.

Before then, Maroko, a community on the edge of Lagos Island was regarded as a slum. The state of the community forced the former military governor of the state, Col. Raji Rasaki to demolish the community in 1990 to open the door for development in the axis.

Even communities like Bogije, Awoyaya, Lakowe, Akodo, Orimedu and others located after Maroko had no road. These communities had fewer houses and they were only accessed by sea. The residents often board boat from Ebutte-Ero, Marina to link these communities.

After the demolition and the completion of the Lekki-Epe Expressroad, development started moving towards this axis of the state; houses begun to spring up, increasing the population.

Years later, the axis which was un-accessible through land became the toast of everyone. Today, it is the seat

•Another Shopping malls in Lekki

of luxury government and privately owned estates.

Privately owned estates Some of the estates include the Lekki peninsula Scheme I and II. Also, high-rise structures that could only be found on Broad Street but scanty are today the cynosure of every eye, dotting the landscape in this axis.

As the population increases, more companies especially shopping malls started springing up. Some of the shopping malls include Centro lekki Mall, Shoppes Mall, Palms Shopping centre,

Park N Shop Shopping Centre, Royal mart, and others.

Reacting to the development, the government said the development in the axis has made the corridor became the fastest growing real estate development (16.8% p.a.) corridor in West Africa. For instance a plot at Poroku Layout which in 2011 sold for N7m and is now close to N30m (329% increase).”

The influx of residential estates and offices has changed the story of this axis of the state. It has attracted movements of people and goods such that the gridlock in this axis often force

The influx of residential estates and offices has changed the story of this axis of the state. It has attracted movements of people and goods such that the gridlock in this axis often force commuters to spend more productive hours on the road than expected

commuters to spend more productive hours on the road than expected.

And it became obvious that the four-lane carriage road could no longer support the continuing growing needs of the communities. Worried by the traffic, the state government in 2008, embarked on the expansion of the Lekki-Epe expressway to address the gridlock. The expansion was to be designed, built, financed, operated, maintained and transfered to the State Government after 30 years.

It was faced with several challenges such as the devaluation of the Naira, the mounting costs associated with construction delays resulting from encumbrances and community issues, and most especially, an inability to generate adequate cash-flow for operations and meet its debt service obligations; forcing the government to buy-back the project.

Even with the percentage done on the project, it has failed to address the congestion in the corridor.

Residents of communities after Ajah working in Victoria Island, Lagos Mainland or Lagos Island who must resume work by 8 am could only achieve that by leaving their home by 5 am. Also returning home is often hectic.

Continues on page 41

VI

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 41

New industries, shopping malls choking Lekki

Continues from page 40

Important projects A resident argued that they could imagine what the situation would be when the several land mark developments that are earmarked for the axis take off.

One of the important projects is the Lekki Free Zone, the Lagos Free Trade Zone. The zone will be accompanied by the proposed Lekki Epe International Airport, Lekki Hydrocarbon Park, the $20billion Dangote Refinery & Petrochemical Plant and Lekki Deep Sea Port amongst others, all of which are significant catalysts for economic development.

“The Lekki Free Zone alone is forecast to create over 15,000 direct jobs and has already attracted over USD$1 Billion in offshore investment commitments. In addition, there has been a phenomenal increase in property values on the corridor.

Property values Also, additional shopping malls are concluding plans to commence operation within this axis. Among them are Peninsula Mall, Circle Mall and others.

Piqued by the effect of additional Malls on the traffic in the corridor, residents have continued to either kick

against it or set conditions that must be met before the owners commence operation.

They lamented that the influx of industries with no expansion of the infrastructure has made living in the corridor a nightmare.

One of the communities that have set conditions for new companies were the 1.5 million residents of the 10 estates located within Jakande Roundabout, Lekki.

They lamented that driving within the corridor is tortuous, especially when navigating through the popular Ajah roundabout.

Motorists at this junction are often forced to crawl around these areas due to the high-influx of vehicles coupled with the activities of commercial bus drivers, who often park their vehicles on the road while waiting for passengers to board or alight.

These estates include -Femi Okunnu Phases 1 to 4, Victory Park, Friends’ Colony, Milverton, Egerton , Cardogan, Pinnock Arcadia Groove and Northern Foreshore , all with one access road.

The residents have warned RMB West Port, owners of Circle Mall, must provide them alternative routes before it opened its mall on eight days before now, December 17, 2015.

Though, it was learned that construction work was on going at the Mall to ensure that business activities commence there before the end of the year.

The residents argued that

each of the 10 Estates has within it over 150 residential buildings and the addition of the Mall would further escalate the gridlock often experienced in that axis.

They argued that the management of the outfit should have consulted widely before citing the mall around Jakande Roundabout, Lekki, saying “We often experience traffic at that roundabout.

Why would they choose this

point to compound the gridlock?”

The residents stated that the addition of the mall would attract more human and vehicular traffic to the area which was already congested.

Mr. John Thomas, a resident of Femi Okunnu Estate near the Jakande Roundabout, said that there were more than 10 Estates in the area with each estate having not less than 150 buildings.

Filling stations

We are appealing to the state government to compel the management to halt the official opening of the mall until all our demands are met

His words “The only access road to all these estates is Hon. Yaya Dosunmu Way and more than 400, 000 cars ply the road on daily basis.”

Thomas lamented that two filling stations located on both sides of the link- road to the expressway always cause gridlock whenever there was fuel scarcity.

Another resident, Mr. Idowu Johnson who resides at Friends’ Colony, said the main entrance and exit to the mall serves as the same one that leads to their estate.

According to him, “We are all aware that wherever the mall had been located, they used to attract many customers and this had always resulted in congestion.

"We are not against their operation because we will also patronize them, but they should also understand our plights and come up with alternative routes so that we will not suffer.

"This is the only route for the no-fewer-than 1.5 million

residents and we are all mobile, how do you think their operation will not affect our daily routine?

"We are appealing to the government and the management of the mall to look for alternative routes so as to ease traffic for residents of the area and intending customers,’’ he added.

Also, Mrs. Modupola Ajagbe, a resident of Egerton Estate, said that when the residents’ association heard that the mall would be built there, they wrote to its management, but there was no response from it.

Reply from state government Ajagbe said that the association had to write the state government on the issue, but we received the reply from state government after the construction of the mall had started.

She said “Officials from the Ministries of Transport, and Physical Planning and Urban Development held a meeting with the stakeholders in the estate and representatives of the mall to resolve the matter.

“Another meeting will hold on Dec.8; but our concern is that if the mall opens for operations as scheduled on Dec.17, the mall’s management may not meet our condition.

“We are appealing to the state government to compel the management to halt the official opening of the mall until all our demands are met,” she added.

42—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 , 2015

Jonathan was inexperienced —IBB

F

ORMER military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has disagreed with critics of former President Goodluck Jonathan who described him as incompetent saying Jonathan was rather “inexperienced” rather than “incompetent.”

General Babangida who spoke with The Interview magazine in the December 2015 edition which is currently on sale argued that Jonathan who lost his re-election bid in March “is a very pleasant person” and that he believed the former president meant well for the country.

Asked about the perception that Jonathan is a good person but was “incompetent”, Babangida replied: “If you use inexperience, I will buy that.”

The retired general spoke on a wide range of issues, including the botched coup of 1990 and how his late wife, Maryam, woke him up in the middle of the night to alert him about the movement of troops at Dodan Barracks, which was the seat of power then. He denied that his life was saved by Sani Abacha, who was then the chief of army staff, and also denied reports that he hid in a bunker while the coup plotters were looking for him. “They obviously didn’t have a lot of experience,” Babangida recalled. “It was during the fasting period.

We were still in Dodan Barracks then. My wife got up from sleep and said she had noticed very unusual movement of troops from one end to the other. So she woke me up and said I should look through the window. ''I found troops moving from one end to the other.

The next thing I heard was shooting going on. We tried to put a small party together. It was about 1.30am. Then the guards, the bodyguards said let’s check out of this place. I was a bit stubborn. I told them I was not leaving. It didn’t occur to me that we had a bunker at Dodan Barracks. We had, but it didn’t occur to me to use it.

And so, they came. I said the only thing I would concede to, I would evacuate my family. My wife had her last born, who was just a few months old, with her. So they evacuated them to a safe house.

It was the house of one of the officers working with me. “

New Yoruba nation coming soon, says Ooni •Adds: I'm in competition with no one

By Leke Adeseri, Regional Editor, South-West, Gbenga Olarinoye and Dapo Akinrefon

I

LE-IFE — NEWLY-crowned Ooni of Ife Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has promised that a new Yoruba nation where youth empowerment is the focus will emerge during his tenure. Ogunwusi’s coronation is coming five months after the demise of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who passed on at 85. The new Ooni is the 51st Ooni to ascend the throne, and his coronation came exactly 35 years and one day after the immediate-past Ooni, Oba Sijuade was presented the staff of office.

Remarkably, the ancient city of Ile Ife stood still yesterday, as he was presented with the staff of office and instrument of appointment. Roads leading to the palace was on lock down by security operatives, leaving a red carpet path for the monarch and invited dignitaries.

Guests and invitees from all walks of life thronged the palace to catch a glimpse of the coronation ceremony of the Ooni of Ife. In fact, it took the intervention of security presence of the Army, Police, Civil Defence and other paramilitary organizations to control the crowd at the venue.

The ceremony, held at Afewonro Park, Enuwa, had in attendance dignitaries. It was full of glamour as groups attired in colourful dresses adorned the perimeters of the venue. Traditional rulers from different climes, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar II, and Olu of Warri were not left out as drums and trumpets announced their arrival.

Large turnout Strangely, due to the large turn out, many guests remained standing due to the unavailability of seats. Asides this, prayers were offered in Christian, Muslim and Ifa traditional religions ways to ensure equality of religions at the event. Co-chairman of the National Traditional Council, His Eminence, Saad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, noted that the coming of Oba Ogunwusi to the throne was timely, saying the demand for recognition by youth should not be taken lightly.

The Sultan said all traditional rulers in the country would give the Ooni the needed support to lead the change to get the youth positively engaged being one of them.

Be virtuous, Osinbajo tasks Ooni: In his goodwill message, Vice President Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the event, said the throne of Ooni, being a deep and revered institution among the Yoruba people carries the respon-

L-r: Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, presenting staff of office to new Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi at the official coronation of the Ooni, yesterday. Photo: Shola Oyelese

sibility of the race.

He, however, urged the Ooni of Ife to be virtuous and ensure his ascension is not just to make wealth and pleasure.

The Vice President said the land of Ife was blessed with the choice of a young and virtuous son of Ife. Osinbajo said “As we celebrate with pomp today (yesterday), we are reminded of the great responsibility that is thrusted on you as the representative of the virtuous.”

While urging the newlycrowned monarch to take the responsibility of leading the people on the path of virtue very seriously, the VP prayed that God would give him (monarch) the wisdom and courage to lead the people.

Aregbesola tasks Ooni on nation building: On his part, the Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the throne of Ooni comes will lots of privileges, calling on the monarch to handle the responsibilities attached to the throne with fear of God and large heartedness.

He urged him to draw on the wisdom of the people by listening to them and advised him

against pursuing naked personal interest at the expense of the larger interests of his subjects.

According to the governor, the Ooni must mobilize his subjects to support government in its bid to implement its programmes by enlightening them on the need to pay taxes. “New Ooni must work towards fostering unity among his subjects across, not a unity that will be achieved through coercion. Your attitude will be the cardinal determinant of your success. Try to carry along all in decision making,” Aregbesola said.

I’m for youth empowerment — Ooni Ogunwusi In his speech, Oba Ogunwusi, promised to build a new Yoruba nation where all traditional rulers will unite and promote unity among the ethnic group.

Speaking shortly after receiving his staff of office, the Ooni dedicated his staff to Nigerian youth and promised to liaise with people in leadership positions to fashion out ways that the teeming youthful population can be engaged.

The monarch stated that shortly after he was named Ooni-elect, he immediately commenced interfacing with monarchs across the country, declaring that during his reign, there won’t be competition, stressing the need for a more united Yoruba nation.

“Shortly after I was named Ooni-elect, I sprang into action.

I called my friend, Oba Saheed Elegushi, I spoke to the Sultan of Sokoto. I also called Kabiyesi, the Alaafin. I spoke to the Awujale and the Alake. I am prepared for the throne and this is not accidental.

“I am close to many monarchs and uniting them should not be a problem. It will be easy. No competition with anyone. And I want to announce to the entire world that a new Yoruba nation is coming,” the monarch said.

On his programme for the youth, Ooni Ogunwusi said he had experimented with a model for youth empowerment in the last three weeks, with the employment of about 3,000 youths, which has in return reduced crime rate in the town.

Akinwumi Ambode—Lagos State governor Rauf Aregbesola—-Osun State governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun— Ogun State RCCG General Overseer— Pastor Enoch Adeboye represented by his special assistants, Pastors Ilori and Akindele Prince Adetokunbo Sijuade APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Chief Bisi Akande—Former interim National Chairman of the APC Speaker,Ogun State House of Assembly led other members.

Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Karounwi 11,Osile Of Oke-Ona (Egba).

Spiritual leader of One man love family—SAT GURUMARAJ Arch Bishop of Ibadan Diocese- Israel Akinfenwa Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye- Tomori Former governors Chief Alao Akala (Oyo) Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) Engr. Segun Oni (Ekiti) Senator Jide Omoworare Sen. Daisy Danjuma Gen. Alani Akirinade Otunba Gani Adams—National Coordinator, OPC Members of Osun and Lagos States House of Assembly

ROLL CALL Professor Yemi Osinbajo— Vice President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo— Former President President of Liberian Senate,Inspector General of Police represented by IGP Kalafita Adeyemi Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar II Olu of Warri Obong of Calabar Dein of Agbor Obi of Ozon kingdom Aragbiji of Iragbiji Areago of Ogbomoso Olu of Imasai Yewa land, Ogun State Ogunsua of Modakeke— Oba Francis Adedoyin Senator Abiola Ajimobi—Oyo State governor

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015—43

the patient, thinking you are treating that patient, but bacteria will continue to grow and at the same time the patient continues to go down. Then you start wondering what is going on.

History of drug production

Counterfiet drugs on sale

Fake drugs: Still a hard nut to crack

By Gabriel Olawale

T

HE untimely death of Aishat Lawal, an only child, lingers in the hearts of her parents.

The preventable ailment that sent her to an early grave remains a misery as long as they exist.

Aishat, 'little genius' as she was fondly called had no inkling she would not live to celebrate her 18th birthday.

An asthmatic, Aishat's parents ensured she always had an inhaler within reach but one day, during the Jumat prayer, she went into a bout of coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

As the crises worsened, she quickly reached for the newly bought inhaler in her pocket, pressed it severally, but it was ineffective and there was no improvement whatsoever.

Counterfeit and fake drugs By the time Aishat was rushed to the hospital, she had given up the ghost. Findings later revealed that the inhaler in question was fake, countless of such cases have occurred nationwide over the years.

The continued menace of counterfeit and fake drugs in Nigeria has remained a tough nut to crack even in the face of sustained efforts by numerous regulatory agencies led by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC. As an important cause of unnecessary mortality and morbidity, the loss of public confidence in medicines and health structures is a big worry to health care providers and the nation as a whole.

Investigations by Good Health Weekly show that there may actually be more counterfeit and fake drugs in circulation than

genuine drugs currently. The reason for this is not far-fetched.

The prevalence of counterfeit and fake drugs in the country is largely seen by a wide section of the populace as an outcome of ineffective policies,weak control systems and poor enforcement of existing laws to combat the menace.

Among other factors contributing to the menace include, quackery, high cost of genuine drugs, ignorance, corruption, illegal drug importation, chaotic drug distribution network, etc.

Fake and counterfeit drugs contributed significantly to our failure to attain the Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6 which geared toward reduction in infant mortality, improved maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Experts say only a multi-disciplinary and cross-functional approach can address the complex nature of the nation's drug problem.

Lamenting the development, President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr. KayodeObembe, said fake drugs are a disservice to the medical profession. He said on several occasions patient that should respond to treatment within 24 hours may take three or four days to respond,and if complications or death occur, the doctor is held responsible.

"On many occasions we send some of these drugs to the laboratory for confirmation of genuineness and in several instances the result shows the drugs are fake. Some importers go abroad to the manufacturers of some of these drugs and tell them to lower the quantity of the active ingredients, so you can see that if you are to treat a patient and the dose should be 50 mg and you are giving 10 mg, the patient will not respond to treatment. The importer of the drug has made gain while patient is in pain."Obembe said fake drugs have become

rampant because it is like a gold mine.

"You see people in the market packaging drugs in capsules, they put chalk instead of antibiotic and you would give this to

Nigeria sources 25 percent of drug needs locally and relies on imported drugs to meet up

In his on view, immediate past President,Pharmaceutical Society Of Nigeria, PSN, OlumideAkintayo recalled that about 30 years ago, the country had capacity to produce all the liquid dosage form for the entire West African region through two major manufacturers in Ikeja and Agbara, in Lagos and Ogun States respectively.

Presently, Nigeria sources 25 percent of drug needs locally and relies on imported drugs to meet up. The major source of these drugs is India and China.

"For instance, every manufacturer has to generate electricity and water these are things that generally increase cost of production and we all know that competitiveness is the watch word but it is sad to note that we cannot compete in global arena. "Our local manufacturers struggle to maintain one shift instead of three. We are not maximizing our capacity, there is a lot of wastage and government has to step in."

Akintayo however expressed concern over lack of political will to fight counterfeit drugs in the country.

The Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, PCN, Elijah Mohammed said the council is challenged by the situation. "Be-

fore now we have many court cases across the country. This group of people who are not trained to render service but venture into it with aim of make money have gone to various courts to seek injunction that we should not regulate them. What that implies is that they can do anything they like. If you go to Kaduna market you see capsule put in nylon.

"In most cases when they obtained this injunction, the police will withdraw their men from us.

At times we go back to court to really look at that court injunction and when it was vacated, they reapply.

The Director of Pharmacovigilance, NAFDAC, Mr. Ibrahim Ali posited that drug counterfeiting is global phenomenon and that the high incidence in Nigeria could be attributed to large population and disease burden. "With the introduction of mobile authentication service by NAFDAC, you can easily detect counterfeit drugs through scan, text message among others. We used these methods to monitor the quality of drugs between 2010 and 2013 and discovered the level of counterfeiting is about 6.4%.

Why people are saying there are upsurge is that prior to this time we did not have formal system of reporting. From our survey we see a drastic reduction in the incident of counterfeit in Nigeria, but in as much as we are getting report, people that have not evaluated that report and find out the percentage and compared it to what happen before we think that the incident is going up."

HIV treatment: Forum on HIV/AIDS demands free treatments ...seeks implementation of anti-stigma law

By Chioma Obinna

A

coalition of Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS in Lagos has sent a Save Our Soul message to the three tiers of government demanding immediate withdrawal of all forms of fees for HIV treatment in the country.

The group under the auspices of Lagos Network Forum on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is urging government to take ownership in funding HIV prevention and treatment programmes in the country.

At a press conference in Lagos to mark World AIDS Day 2015, they also pointed out that for Nigeria to achieve the 90-90-90 targets by 2030, it must continue with free treatment.

Spokesperson of the group, that comprises the Association of Women living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, ASWHAN, Association Orphans and Vulnerable Children, AOVN, Civil Society Organisations On

HIV/AIDS, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NEPWHAN, Population and Development and TB Network, Mrs. Victoria Mba called for immediate implementation of the anti-stigma law/bill at all levels.

Mba who is the Coordinator, ASWHAN, said as part of efforts to promote awareness on stigma reduction, private organisations should include people living with HIV as brand ambassadors.

“We must press forward, jointly to prevent new infection, protect people living with the virus and prevent AIDS related deaths within the country. We are certain that with a robust commitment and leadership, we will ensure that next year’s prevention, treatment care and support programmes are supported by the Federal, State and local governments as well as the private sector.”

Corroborating her views, Coordinator, Positive Life Organisation of Nigeria, Mrs. Mabel Nwachukwu advocated the need to increase awareness

on HIV/AIDS. To get to zero level, she said a lot people with HIV have stopped coming due to lack of money to pay for the services and these services were free before. “If we in the urban areas are facing challenges you can imagine what people in the rural areas are facing.”

The State Coordinator, Civil Society Organisation for HIV/ AIDS Nigeria, Adeyemi Adebayo said funding challenge is worsening the woes of those under treatment, even as stigma and discrimination is the greatest challenge.

“The greatest challenge now is stigma and discrimination. If these are out of the way, people can live adequately and sustain themselves. The problem with discrimination is that if you are ill with malaria or any other illness, people care for you and support you, but in the case of HIV, once they hear you have HIV, if you present with any other illness people will still run from you.”

44—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Nigerian medical experts worry over Google promotes fitness, healthy eating with Apps diabetes

By Chioma Obinna

W

who lamented the financial burden of diabetes, said an insulin vial cost N3, 500.00 to around N77, 500.00 depending on the type. "If somebody has to take these drugs for the rest of his or her life, you can imagine what the family will be facing. The patient will have to fall out of the hospital; complications will start gradually, affecting the brain, the eyes, heart, kidneys and libido. "So many homes today suffer unnecessarily because the men are unable to fulfil their conjugal responsibility to their wives as a result of low libido. Often, the wives will accuse their husbands of infidelity."

Sijuade disclosed that the Club had mediated in about five of such marital cases.

She appealed to the local government boss to provide the club with a piece of land for the construction of a gym.

F

ITNESS means different things to different people. While to some it is about losing weight, experts say fitness goes beyond weight loss but having energy to do what an individual actually wants to do without losing breath.

In recognition of this fact as well as the need to awaken the consciousness of Nigerians to the importance of technology as part of everyday life, a session tagged "Get Fit with Google" held last week to demonstrate how mobile devices can be incorporated in fitness regimens to improve the efficacy of workout sessions.

Noting that the programme was essentially about helping to drive consciousness on how to eat right and stay fit, Communications and Public Relation Manager, West Africa at Google, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade said Google introduced

ORRIED about the growing incidence of diabetes among Nigerians, experts have called for total subsidy of diabetes drugs with a view to ensuring patient compliance and adherence. The experts also called for policies that would help stem the rising cases of diabetes in the country.

At a forum by the Diabetes Support Group, Ajeromi Health Centre recently in Lagos, they said government needed to partner with other stakeholders involved in diabetes reduction campaign to procure drugs and other medical aids at reduced cost, and to check the influx of foods and drinks that predispose people to diabetes.

The Medical Director, Ajeromi General Hospital, Dr. Adekunle Dauda, who lamented the proliferation of unregulated foods and drinks in the market, called on regulatory agencies to take more stringent measures against unhealthy foods and drinks, as a way of helping to check diabetes.

On his part, the Deputy Medical Director, Ajeromi General Hospital, Dr. Olufemi Orebanjo, hinted that diabetes is not contagious and does not kill easily once detected early and properly managed. "There is need for patients to visit the doctor regularly and comply strictly to advice and prescriptions."

He advised against stress, but encouraged enough sleep and eating the right food such as vegetables, fruits and fibre. "If you have been taking too much pounded yam previously, you must stop it. If you're the type that takes too much alcohol, now, you must stop taking too much alcohol. And if you smoke, now, you must stop."

The Coordinator, Diabetes Club of FITNESS: Inset: Country Manager, Google Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan and participants Ajeromi, Princess Oluyinka Sijuade, at Get ‘Fit with Google’ event last week in Lagos.

fitness apps to help people stay fit through their android phones.

"The mobile phones, we carry about today can help people stay fit. The two apps demonstrated are Tabata and Fit App, which work with an accelerometer on Android smart watches to measure distance walked, calories burned, heart rate, etc during workouts. It also backs up activity for a longer period.

Further, Kola-Ogunlade reviewed that Google search trends which indicate that globally, online searches for health/ fitness /gyms peak around December/ January, showed that in Nigeria, they follow a quarterly pattern, with Nigerians searching for gyms more than health, wellness or fitness.

"Google fit event in Nigeria is aimed at helping people to be more conscious about how their mobile technology, mobile phones and Google keep them in touch with their fitness resolutions for the year.

"It is December, people are making resolutions to be fit and from what we are seeing from Google trends, these resolutions relating fitness is usually high but by February everything will go down.

Google play store has millions of apps that just focused on fitness.

"When people work-out, they burn fats, their system will be fit to fight infections and when you are healthy you feel happier.

But remember fitness is not a onetime thing. It is a lifestyle and about staying healthy, he added.

Analytical Lead at Google, Mr. Abdulsalam Abdullateef demonstrated how a variety of Android apps and Android wearable devices can be utilized during exercise or just to make daily activities much easier, for instance, checking the weather news, asking for directions, surfing the internet, taking dictation.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

H

ELLO everybody and welcome to the month of December. It has become a tradition for us to introduce new adult novelties around this time to wrap up the year and we have lots of new things.

For men, performance is everything. No man anywhere wants to have intercourse for just two minutes and nobody wants to lose their erections either or wait for three hours before they can get a second erection. That is why today we are introducing Libimax Plus, a super supplement that solves all the key male sexual problems at once. Just like how the cellular phone has evolved to become a camera, a computer and a phone all in one, Libimax Plus stops premature ejaculation, gives and maintains firm erections, enlarges the penis and helps men with multiple rounds and quick erection recovery between sessions. With Libimax Plus, you no longer have to buy three or four different items to get these same results.

One pill does it all. So remember the name Libimax Plus.

If there is anything that women desire most during intercourse, it is an orgasm. Unfortunately, only a few women get to have it. This is not fair. Every wonderful experience in life has a happy ending and not all women get their happy ending during sex. That is why today we are introducing our largest collection of Ovo vibrators yet. The Ovo brand of adult toys is of very high quality and is made by a German designer whose design philosophy is futuristic, minimalist and effective. Ovo sex toys look like objects that women will be using two hundred years from now. Ladies often worry about their sex toys being discovered by curious children or nosy house maids. The good thing about Ovo vibrators is that they don’t look anything like a penis at all. They look so ultra-modern that when you first come across them, you won’t even know what they are. New in this collection are the Ovo k5 Silicone Rabbit – Pink & White, Ovo F11Waterproof Vibrator and the Ovo F10 Silicone Vibrator. The Ovo F10 is available in two colour

combinations. There is the Ovo F10 White and Metalic Violet option and the Ovo F10 Black & Chrome option.

Really, I have never seen anything like these before and I have seen a lot of adult toys.

Last for today are two adult feature films that couples can enjoy on a lazy weekend when you are bored and up to no good. They are Teacher’s Pet and Almost Perfect.

Next week, we will discuss more new products. Let us now answer a few questions from our readers.

I am 55 years old. I am not able to go beyond first round with my wife and I can hardly maintain hard erections. My wife too has lost interest in sex. Please we require your professional help – Oseni Dear Oseni, there are many things that can cause erectile dysfunction and one of the most common causes is aging. At 55, you are at that age where it is normal for a man to begin to lose his sexual powers gradually, but there is help. A good erection enhancer will make your erections hard again, make you last longer before ejaculation and help you have several rounds of intercourse as you wish. For this I recommend Libimax Plus. You don’t need to take it every day. One capsule of it will work for you for days. For your wife, I recommend Total Diva enhancer. Her own problem can also be due to aging or other factors such as menopause, hormonal imbalance or sheer disappointment with your inability to perform. Whatever the case may be, Total Diva will restore her sexual desire and interest. Get her a Vibrator too. It always helps – Uche I have been using Prosolution now for about two months and from my measurements; my penis has grown one inch longer. Thanks for making me believe - Oscar You are welcome. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can call 08171912551, 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help or visit www.zeevirtualmedia.comZee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com-Uche Edochie,

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

— 45

46—Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015 — 47

Siasia knows how to beat Senegal — JP

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

A

HEAD of the semi final of the ongoing African Youth Championship between Nigeria and host nation, Senegal tomorrow, former Assistant Director (Technical) of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, James Peters says Coach Samson Siasia should know how to beat the host country to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Three teams from the African championship will qualify automatically for the Olympics while the fourth team will go for a play-off with another country from the Oceania.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Vanguard yesterday in Abuja, Peters said the fact that Nigeria will be confronting the host nation does not mean that they can’t overcome them because there is no rule that says that a host nation must win.

“I am not afraid of the host nation because I have the conviction that Coach Siasia knows what to do to get the desired result. Being a

host team does not guarantee success, we all know what happened to Brazil when they hosted the last World

Cup. And talking about tactics, let me say that it is not what we should discuss on the pages of newspapers, I have

Siasia’s phone number.

So any suggestion is better given to him directly.”

T

HE scramble is on for international ranking points at the Governor’s Cup Futures 1, with home-boy, Sylvester Emmanuel making waves after sensationally upsetting American Anderson Reed in straight sets win, 7-6, 6-3 to move into the second round.

It was supposed to be a routine match for the American but playing against an inspired Emmanuel, who got into the main draw on the wings of a wild card, Reed found a foe, to hard to crack in their first round match held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

The opening set was a close one as both players held serve right to the 13th game, which Emmanuel won on tie breaker.

In the second set,

W

•Sylvester Emmanuel hits a forehand

T

HE Edo State Football Association will host an awards ceremony on December 18 to celebrate and honour individuals who have contributed immensely to the development of the game in the state.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Senegal

C M Y K

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

Emmanuel took his game to a level, breaking Reed in the opening game and never looked back till he wrapped up match 6-3.

His victory seems shocking given that Nigerian players always like a pack of cards when facing foreigners from America and Europe.

Instructively, however, his victory does not does not come as a surprise to tennis faithful; who are privy to the reality that Emmanuel has in the last three months, been playing in Futures events in USA, Togo and Republic of Benin.

He has garnered the match experience needed to confront other players with similar exposure, a luxury that most Nigerian players do not have, accounting for their poor ranking and general poor play.

NCC excites players with placed Team Kalotari of Port Grand Slam Harcourt won N2 million,

Edo FA organises awards ceremony

Continues from BP a match in the tournament, but the Warri Wolves star player has assured that victory was achievable, when the two teams clash at the Leopold Senghor Stadium in Dakar tomorrow.

Nigeria finished behind Algeria in group B after winning one and drawing two games.

Etebo who scored two goals from the spot, in their 2-2 draw against Egypt said:”They are the host team and they will be tough but that doesn’t mean we cannot win.

“We want to win the game so we can qualify for the Olympic Games and we know it will be a good game but they also

Emmanuel shocks American Reed in Gov’s Cup

know Nigeria will be tough for them.”

A win will guarantee Nigeria a place in the Olympics. Otherwise their fate will be determined in the third place match and may stretch to the play-off, if they fail to win that match as well.

However, Senegal defender Adama Nbengue said yesterday that they too were working so hard to beat Nigeria to secure the Olympic ticket and also qualify for the final.

“The fans have been so brilliant as they have been all through. We need them to be behind us so as to win the tournament for them and the entire country.”

Oliseh

Continues from BP Kalu Orji, Austin Oboroakpo, Jamiu Alimi, Ifeanyi Mathew, Paul Onobi, Usman Mohammed, Bature Yaro, Ezekiel Bassey, Tunde Adeniji, Chisom Chikatara, Prince Aggrey, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Olufemi Thomas.

Invited players have been directed to report at the camp in Abuja on Monday, December 14.

Nigeria won bronze at the last African Nations Championship held in South Africa in early 2014. The fourth edition runs between 16th January and 7th February, 2016.

The full list: Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars), Olufemi Thomas (Enyimba), David Obiazor (Heartland), Okemute Odah (Warri Wolves) Defenders: Kalu Orji (Enugu Rangers), Austin Oboroakpo (Warri Wolves), Jamiu Alimi (3SC), Mathew Etim (Enugu Rangers), Stephen Eze (Sunshine Stars), Chima Akas (Sharks), Chris Madaki (Giwa FC) Midfielders: Ifeanyi Mathew (El-Kanemi Warriors), Paul Onobi (Sunshine Stars), Usman Mohammed (FC Taraba), Bature Yaro (Nasarawa United), Osas Okoro (Enugu Rangers), Bartholomew Ibenegbu (Warri Wolves), Julius Ubido (Heartland FC), Ibrahim Salawa Attah (3SC), Christian Madu (Enugu Rangers) Forwards: Ezekiel Bassey (Enyimba FC), Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves), Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars), Bright Onyedikachi (FC IfeanyiUbah), Chisom Chikatara (Abia Warriors), Prince Aggrey (Sunshine Stars)

INNERS of the annual Nigeria Communications Commission’s (NCC) Tennis League will soon get the opportunity to participate in the major grand slams, the organisers of the competition have promised.

The maiden edition of the NCC Tennis League ended on Saturday at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, with Team Tombim beating Team Civil Defence to get the N5 million star prize money.

Team Defence got the runner-up prize of N3 million, while the third

with Team Ogun from Abeokuta getting the N1 million meant for the fourth place.

The tennis league, which started in April with eight teams that played in two round robin groups in eight different cities, offered a total prize money of N11 million. But at the grand finale attended by eminent dignitaries, including the first vice president of Nigeria, Sir Alex Ekwueme and Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, the organisers announced plans to expand the scope of the competition to attract more clubs.

Algeria Continues from BP Da Gama’s side join hosts Senegal (who they lost to in the opening match of the tournament) in progressing from Group A. As for Algeria, they topped Group B thanks to a win over Mali, which was sandwiched by draws with North African rivals Egypt and the ‘Dream Team’ of Nigeria.

With the top three teams at the tournament qualifying for next year’s Games, a win in the semifinal will secure a berth at Rio de Janeiro. A loss will see the team battle for the final qualification

berth in the third-place playoff.

SA coach Da Gama feels his side is peaking at the right time: “But it has been a fantastic run so far and it is important that we get better and better as the competition progresses, and peak at the right time.

Hopefully we can get it right and win the next one.”

He added, “We have a slight advantage of at least one extra day of rest and that will certainly help us.

We played three matches in one week and the body is bound to take a beating, so the rest day is much welcome.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015

Oliseh picks Salami, 25 others for CHAN S UPER Eagles manager Sunday Oliseh has called Gbolahan Salami, Chima Akas and 24 others for the first phase of preparation ahead of next month’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.

The Super Eagles B

have already been drawn into Group C of the competition alongside Niger Republic, Tunisia and Guinea with matches to be played at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo in Kigali.

Also listed are regulars Continues on Page 47

•Oliseh

CAF U-23 AFCON:

Senegal must fall!

•Etebo predicts victory

A

S Nigeria prepare for their all important semi-final clash at the CAF U-23

African Cup of Nations, striker Oghenekaro Etebo has predicted that the Olympic Eagles

would beat Senegal and secure qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The hosts are yet to lose Continues on Page 47

Algeria, SA battle for Rio Berth

A

GRITTY••• Nigeria’s U-23 star, Ndifreke Effiong Udoh vies with an Algerian opponent during their CAF U-23 AFCON clash.

LGERIA and South Africa will battle for a place in the final of the 2015 CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations and qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games when they meet in the second semifinal at the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor in Dakar tomorrow.

South Africa booked their place in final four

Siasia knows how to beat Senegal — JP Pg.47

thanks to a 1-0 win over Tunisia last Friday. This result, added to a 3-2 victory against regional rivals Zambia, saw Owen Continues on Page 47

•Dagama

Today’s Champions League Fixtures PSG Real Madrid PSV Benfica Galatasary Man City Sevilla Wolfsburg

v v v v v v v v

Shaktar Malmo CSKA Moscow Atletico Madrid Astana B/ M’gladbach Juventus Man Utd

8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm 8:45pm

QUICK CR OSS WORD CROSS OSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

FRI D AY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

ACROSS 3 Confusion (5) 9 Deserved (6) 10 Naturist (6) 11 Cost (5) 12 Press (4) 15 Divide (4) 17 Retribution (7) 20 Shelter (3) 21 Soar (5) 23 Imitated (4) 25 Trial (4) 26 Inflexible (5) 28 Marry (3) 30 Performance (7) 33 Revise (4) 35 Rank (4) 36 Handle (5) 38 Cause (6) 39 Gift (6) 40 Fresher (5)

DOWN 1 Start (5) 2 Stableman (5) 3 Vitality (3) 4 Skilful (6) 5 Creep (4) 6 Hint (3) 7 Emulate (5) 8 Condition (5) 13 Eased (7) 14 Not ever (5) 16 Renovate (7) 18 Of sound (5) 19 Spout (3) 22 Respond (5) 24 Performed (3) 27 Give (6) 28 Tired (5) 29 Couch (5) 31 Sea-duck (5) 32 Veracity (5) 34 Sea-eagle (4) 36 Weight (3) 37 Sailor (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Recipe 5, Braced 9, Angle 10, Permit 11, Indoor 12, Leant 14, Step 17, Red 18, Mere 20, Eater 22, Bored 23, Taloned 24, Began 26, Tenet 29, Idol 30, Mob 32, Lure 33, Pilot 35, Lesson 36, Airbus 37, Learn 38, Tapped 39, Dearer.

DOWN: 1, Repose 2, Carpet 3, Pail 4, Enter 5, Blind 6, Rent 7, Cooker 8, Darted 13, Aerosol 15, Tamed 16, Petal 18, Model 19, Refer 21, Ran 22, Bet 24, Billet 25, Gossip 27, Number 28, Teaser 30, Mined 31, Board 33, Pole 34, Tine.

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.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

C M Y K