Crisis, as Dogara ushers in 96 House c'ttees

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62624

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

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Crisis, as Dogara ushers in 96 House c'ttees •Gbajabiamila, loyalists shun ceremony •I'll remove any committee head, if...—Dogara •Saraki assures on unity of 8th Assembly

By Emman Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA — THE 96 new standing committees of the House

of Representatives were yesterday inaugurated at a session boycotted by the House leader, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Reflective of the continuing schism in the House, Gbajabiamila’s loyalists turned up at the national headquarters of the All Progressives

Continues on Page 5

Dasuki drags FG to court, says his life is in danger 9 WOMEN PROTEST, AMBODE 'ARRESTS'—Left: Some women of Idi Ayunre community in Ibadan, march half

nude in solidarity protest with the workers of Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), calling for removal of the institute's Director, yesterday. Right: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left), 'arrests' a commercial bus driver who drove against traffic on Ejigbo Road, during his inspection of the ongoing construction of the road, on Sunday. Photos: Dare

EFCC Chairman, Lamorde proceeds on terminal leave

East-West Road turns to river See Inside C M Y K

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FEMI ARIBISALA Laughing at APC's Father Christmas

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YINKA ODUMAKIN

Ken Saro-Wiwa wins!

COLUMNISTS:

NIGER DELTA VOICE

11

I'm nobody's stooge, says Yakubu, new INEC Chairman 8

Mr & Mrs

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—3

C M Y K

4—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—5

POCKET CARTOON

DOCKED — Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, over alleged money laundering and false assets declaration in Abuja, yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.See story on page 12

Crisis, as Dogara ushers in 96 House committees addressed other Continues from Page 1 criticisms arising from the increase in the Congress, APC where number of the they accused Speaker committees. Present at Yakubu Dogara of the joint inauguration mortgaging the interest of the committees were of the party to the Senate President, Peoples Democratic Bukola Saraki, former Party, PDP and of being principal and presiding in cahoots with the officers, Head of opposition party to Service, Service Chiefs, derail the change Civil Society mantra that brought the Organisations as well APC to power. as traditional rulers.

They fumed that Saraki, in a goodwill besides splitting the message at the leadership of the ceremony affirmed that committees with the the National Assembly opposition PDP, Dogara would not allow itself to allowed opposition be a platform for the House members to take promotion of interests control of sensitive against the common House committees. good.

Loyalists of the Dogara who vowed speaker rebuffed the that any underclaim yesterday as they performing committee gave note of their official would be readiness to dismiss the removed said the joint insinuations today. inauguration of the 96 Speaker Dogara who committees was to side-stepped the enable them hit the rebellion from the House ground running. He also leader at the dismissed insinuations inauguration ceremony, that some committees n e v e r t h e l e s s termed 'juicy' were of

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO HE most significant step in the journey to success is the first step, be bold to take it and never stop moving. It’s up to you.

T

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Someone will always be prettier. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be younger.

But they’ll never be you — Take Heart Quotes

N

O matter what you do, you can pretty much always find someone else in the world that has more than you or better than you at something.

Yes, you may feel good for a while when you get a nicer car than your neighbour. But a week or two later, you’ll see someone from the next block with an even finer car. Instead of comparing yourself to other people, create the habit of comparing yourself to you. See how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what progress you have made.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

W

HEN an old market woman falls, we can count the items in her basket.

more material benefit.

He said: “The decision to formally inaugurate all the Committees at once is borne out of the need for them to hit the ground running. It is also informed by the need to save cost and reduce legislative time that may be spent in inaugurating each C o m m i t t e e independently.

“Some commentators have decried the large number of Committees as being unwieldy and non cost effective. This criticism, though apparently well intentioned, misses the point.

“Experience gained from the operation of committees since 1999, shows that some committees’ functions and mandates are very wide indeed and cannot be effectively supervised and oversighted by a single committee.

“For instance, the House split the Committee on Education into two, namely: Basic Education and Services and Tertiary Education and Services.”

He said that the old Committee on Education had a mandate to oversight the budget and policy issues of 104 unity schools, 22 federal colleges of education, 36 federal universities and 24 federal polytechnics.

Stressing that the committee also had 25 other government agencies and all aspects of education in Nigeria, he further explained, “There is no way a single committee can adequately oversight all these agencies with House members also attending to other issues in plenary sessions, like law-making and other

representational responsibilities.”

He said the Standing Orders of the House enjoined Special and Standing Committees, to create Sub–Committees as may be required and to appoint SubCommittee Chairmen, in consultation with the Speaker.

He said this had led to friction between chairmen of substantive committees and chairmen of subcommittees and that in order to avoid gridlock, even though the committees were still expected to have subcommittees, effort had been made to create substantive committees where necessary in order to devote more attention to issues of priority to the House.

“Undoubtedly, the legislature remains the only institution with a p p r o p r i a t e constitutional and statutory powers to check the executive branch and ensure that it discharges its mandate to the full benefit of all Nigerians.

“It is important to note that the Change promised Nigerians can only endure and outlive any government that introduced it only when it is anchored on legislation and not mere policy. Policy can easily be changed by an incoming government.

“Change itself must be regulated, so that our people would not face the dangers of unregulated change.

That is why the legislative institution is central to the future we seek as a people.

“It is necessary to point out that the splitting of committees has not resulted in increased cost of running the House. The committee clerks and other staff of the committees are sourced from the existing pool of staff that are paid salaries and allowances already by the National Assembly.

“The committee members are already paid salaries also by the National Assembly. No person gets an increased remuneration by virtue of appointment as a committee member or chairman.The National Assembly budget has not been increased as a result.

“The situation in the Legislature is slightly different from the situation in the executive branch where creating a new agency or ministry may lead to increased costs of running the offices.”

On the issue of juicy and non-juicy committees, Speaker

Dogara said: “Let me use this opportunity to restate that there is nothing like juicy committee or non-juicy committees. I personally do not understand what is meant by that. If it means opportunity to contribute, we can assure you that every member of a committees would enjoy ample and equal opportunity.

“Every committee of the House is very important and is designed to handle specific functions for the House and on behalf of the Nigerian people who elected us.”

Inauguration unique, says Saraki

In his goodwill message, Senator Saraki said the inauguration was unique as it signposts the readiness and commitment of the National Assembly comprising the House and the Senate to innovative lawmaking.

He said, “It will be recalled that for the first time in the history of the National Assembly the two chambers of the House and the Senate separately forged and adopted legislative agenda to guide its activities in order to give the 8th National Assembly ambition, direction and a national goal towards socioeconomic and political reforms.

“To all Nigerians I say this, as your representatives, we owe you not only our hardwork, but our judgment.

This National Assembly will not be a parliament of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests we maintain as agents and advocates against one another in perpetual conflict.

“Rather, the 8th National Assembly will remain a united, deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole nation, not local prejudices or

affiliations but working for the public good with collective purpose.”

While Rep. Austine C h u k w u k e r e representing Ideato Federal Constituency commended the Speaker for carrying everybody along irrespective of tribe or political affiliation, the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Jonathan Gaza could not provide explanations for the absence of the Majority Leader, especially as he was scheduled on the order paper.

Gaza while reacting to questions on why Gbajabiamila was not present at the inauguration, said, “I do not know why he was absent, but I believe it was for a good cause.”

He described as unfortunate, reports that some aggrieved members boycotted the inauguration, stating that Nigeria should be bigger than any individual.

He said: “Time has been wasted on several things...when you walk into that chamber, it’s not about parties anymore.

We swore allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to our respective parties; it is therefore about the progress of Nigeria. The wheel of governance is spinning and Nigeria would begin its upward move.”

In a lecture at the inauguration, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche declared that standing committees of the National Assembly enhance the efficiency and performance of the legislature in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.

Speaking on the theme: “The role of committees in a presidential system of government,” he said globally, parliaments were relying more on committees to discharge their functions and to operate more efficiently.

6—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

DIVORCE ‘He said he had a degree in Mass Comm’

By Onozure Dania

L

AGOS—THE presiding President of a Lagos Customary Court sitting at Agboyi/Ketu, Mr. O. T. Williams, yesterday advised women to always do proper investigation before going into marriage.

He said this while dissolving the marriage of a 38-year-old business woman, Nnenna Nwokonko, which she contracted with her estranged husband, Kelechi Nwokonko, over deceit.

The petitioner had, on October 28, asked the court to dissolve her six-year-old marriage over alleged threat to life and assault, adding that the relationship was also built on deceit.

She said: “He lied to me that he is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos and that he is financially buoyant, only for me to discover that he is just a school certificate holder without any genuine means of income.”

Nnenna presented as evidence text and WhatsApp messages the respondent, Mr. Nwokonko, allegedly sent her.

One of them read: “I will destroy you with my mouth.

I have seen a man coming out of your house; I have declared war on you and your family. If I see you on the streets, I will disgrace you. I am prepared for war, shameless dog.”

The respondent did not deny the allegations of deceit or assault, but told the court that he was not interested in divorcing his wife.

“After consultation with my family and pastors on the implications of divorce and the effect it will have on our child, I no longer want to divorce my wife,” he said.

When the court asked Nnenna if she was willing to consider the respondent’s plea, she said no.

The President then dissolved the marriage, saying that there was obviously no more love and that threat to life had been proven without reasonable doubt.

The court, however, told the respondent to appeal within 30 days if he was not happy with the decision.

ACCIDENT: An accident scene on Independent Avenue, Central Business District, Abuja, yesterday.

NAN PHOTO.

PROTEST: Joint Action Force, JAF, protest alleged insensitive governance in Benin, Edo State. PHOTO: Barbanas Uzosike.

Land grabbers on rampage in Lagos, kill one Two arrested, suspected assailant on the run

By Evelyn Usman

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AGOS—LAND grabbers, popularly known as OmoOnile, went on rampage at Aimasiko Street, Ekoro Road in Abule Egba area of Lagos, in a bid to forcefully collect an unspecified amount for a property sold in the area, leaving a 30-year-old-man dead.

The street urchins, numbering over 10, stormed the street at about 10a.m., Sunday, to demand a share of payment from the sale of a property. But report said the agent had left before their arrival.

Irked by the agent’s action, which they described as intentional, the hoodlums, most of who were said to be members of different confraternities, vented their anger on anyone in sight.

They reportedly used dangerous objects such as broken bottles and knives, in the process of which Samuel, who was reportedly on his way to his workshop, was stabbed.

Shop owners left their wares

at the mercy of the rampaging thugs. The shops were still under lock yesterday, as the owners were reportedly warned not to open by members of a local vigilante group.

Eyewitness account

An eyewitness, who simply gave his name as Olatana Sarah, said: “Samuel was an easy-going person. Two of the omo-Onile pushed him for daring to come near them. They said he was interfering.

“Before he could regain his balance, one of them stabbed him in the neck and waist.

While they were at it, a Pastor around the area appealed to them to leave the man alone but they poured mud water on him.

“His pregnant wife and threeyear-old baby were informed shortly after the incident occurred. Had help come early, perhaps he might have survived it.

He was later rushed to the hospital after his assailants

Robbers attack church, hospital in Anambra; abduct 16-yr-old girl

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—SIX armed robbers, Sunday night, raided the Holy Trinity Anglican Church and St. Anthony ’s Hospital and Maternity at Amanuke, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State and rounded up their activities in the area

with the abduction of a 16-yearold girl.

An eyewitness said they shot sporadically to scare away people, as they entered St. Anthony ’s Hospital and Maternity, where they made away with a generating set, mobile telephones, hospital equipment and unspecified amount of money.

Day-old baby abandoned in church premises

By Esther Onyegbula

R

ESIDENTS of Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos, woke up on Sunday morning to the cry of an abandoned dayold baby, abandoned beside Apostolic Church, around Water Bus Stop.

An eyewitness, Ibukun Olatomi, said: “On Sunday morning, we found a healthy baby wrapped in a white shawl.

“The baby’s medication was also kept beside her. It was one of the residents in the area that initially raised alarm after she discovered the baby.

“A lot of people gathered to take a glance at the little baby.

Later, the baby was taken to Gowon Estate Police Station.”

left, where doctors said he died as a result of much loss of blood.”

Police sources at Oke-Odo Division, where the case was reported, told Vanguard that two persons had been arrested in connection with the killing.

But the man that allegedly stabbed the deceased was said to be on the run.

Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joe Offor, said he had no details of the incident.

Confirming the report, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, said members of the Apostolic Church gave the baby first aid

treatment in their church clinic before the baby was transferred to Alakara Julienne Centre, where police have adequate facilities to take care of the baby.

They also manhandled the nurses, patients and the watchman on duty.

Similarly at the Anglican Church, the robbers stole items worth thousands of naira and commanded the resident priest, Rev. Canon Nehemiah Ugoagu, to pray for their safe operation in the town.

They later went into the town and raided many shops and other private homes.

At the home of a 70-year-old peasant farmer, Ms Faith Ilomuanya, the hoodlums abducted 16-year-old girl, who was staying with her, apparently because they could not find any money on her.

At press time, the woman was still in shock and unable to recount her experience.

The whereabouts of the victim was still unknown.

However, Rev. Ugoagu, who narrated his experience, said that after raiding the church, the robbers broke into his house and threatened to shoot him if he raised alarm.

He said: “They took my two phones, my wife’s jewellery and other things and then commanded me, at gunpoint, to pray for them so that they would have a smooth operation.”

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—7

Ughelli journalist, pregnant wife battered over land dispute report

By Perez Brisibe

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GHELLI—AN Ughellibased journalist, Mr. Kingsley Okoro, yesterday, recounted how he and his eight-months pregnant wife were beaten to a pulp by an assailant, identified as Mr. Freeborn Aruoture, while carrying out his legitimate duties as a press man.

Recounting how the incident

I didn't know he was a journalist—ACCUSED occurred, Mr. Okoro, a correspondent with Urhobo Times newspaper, explained how he was invited by a lady, identified as Mrs Evelyn Okonedo, to report a land tussle between her and the assailant.

He said: “I brought out my camera and was taking some pictures when the assailant, in

company of his wife, sister and thugs attacked my wife and I and destroyed my camera.

“My wife is still in hospital, in a critical condition, while we await result of a scan on her as prescribed by the medical report to know the condition of the baby.”

When Vanguard contacted

Mr. Aruoture, he denied attacking the journalist.

According to him, “the journalist was not assaulted as is being portrayed, although I never knew he was a journalist.

“I have since apologized to him; attempts are on to settle the matter amicably,” Mr. Aruoture added.

OIL SPILLAGE IN DELTA: Oil spill in Okpai- Oluchi OdigweUmunkwo community of Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Pirates invade Afikpo; policeman killed, patrol vehicle burnt Afikpo banks safe from attack—POLICE

By Peter Okutu

A

BAKALIKI—ONE person was killed, weekend, while property worth hundreds of thousands of Naira were destroyed by pirates, who invaded Afikpo, Ebonyi State.

Consequently, the state Commissioner of Police, Peace Abdallah, led a combined team of Army and Police to Afikpo for an on-the-spot assessment of the area and reinforcement of policemen.

The pirates, who came into the community through Ndibe beach, were said to have killed a Police Inspector (names withheld), abducted two persons, destroyed motorcycles and other properties before they were reportedly over-powered by the police.

A statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Okafor George, said the pirates, armed with machine guns mounted on their flying boats, blew up one police patrol vehicle with dynamite and burnt down some temporary structures and about 10 motorcycles.

It said that all banks within the Afikpo area remained fully secured and were not under any form of attack as being speculated.

Police’s assurance

The command said: “On

November 6, at about 8:45a.m., the efforts of some hoodlums suspected to be pirates, who arrived to actualize their dream of attacking Afikpo Metro, was repelled by Ebonyi State Police Command.

“In the ensuing melee, an Inspector of Police was shot and killed by the hoodlums before escaping through the same waterway in their speedboat.

“All the banks within the Afikpo area remain fully secured and were not under any form of attack as being speculated.”

It would be recalled that the incident, which claimed the life of the Police Officer paralyzed commercial activities as roads and streets in the area were deserted.

It was the second of its kind in the area in the last four

years.

An eyewitness, Mr. Nnanna Kelechi, explained that the bandits came into the town with flying boats, adding that they were armed with machine guns and other high calibre weapons.

He added that their operations became fruitless as they were met with stiff resistance by the police, which launched a counter-attack.

‘I haven't heard from my husband since he got a job in Owerri 10 years ago’

By Bartholomew Madukwe

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AGOS—A 39-year-old woman, Bose Ayinde, has asked an Igando Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her 18-year-old marriage with her husband, Nureni, accusing him of abandoning her and children for 10 years, after getting a job in Owerri.

Bose told the court that all efforts to reach her husband proved abortive and that she had been the one paying the house rent and children school fees since his disappearance.

The petitioner said since her husband stopped communicating with her 10 years ago, he neither called to ask for the children’s well-being nor visited.

She said: “My husband abandoned me and the children after he got a job in Owerri 12 years ago. He stopped calling me 10 years ago. All efforts to reach him proved abortive.

Testifying before the court's President, Mr. Adegboyega Omilola, Bose accused her husband, who was not in court, of lack of care.

She added that whenever she goes to husband’s parents in Abeokuta, Ogun State, for assistance, they would tell her to “wait your husband will soon come.”

Coffin maker dumps 14-yr-old son in well for casting evil spell on business

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

A

BA—A middle-aged man, identified as Papa Ogada, has dumped his 14-year-old son in a well, accusing him of being behind his inability to make progress in life.

Vanguard gathered that Ogada, a coffin maker, who hails from Oberete village in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, had been complaining that his son was a wizard, who had caused him serial misfortunes since reuniting with him, after leaving his mother ’s place.

A source said: “The truth is that the man has been separated from the boy ’s

mother. Since the boy came back from his mother’s place where he lived, the man has been accusing him of being a wizard.

“He once told us that he had consulted many spiritualists, who told him that his son is a wizard and is behind the problems he has had in his business.

“We are not surprised that he went this far.”

It was learned that Ogada contacted one of his friends, who helped him tie up the boy with his school uniform, books and other property and drove off at about 9p.m. to neighbouring Abiaka village, where they dumped him in an

abandoned well.

Rescue

According to a resident of Abiaka village, who was part of rescue efforts, “some of us had already retired for the day when we started hearing shouts and cries coming from the location of the abandoned well, but we thought people were fighting.

“As the shouts increased, we summoned courage and got to the area and discovered that it was coming from the abandoned well. We got a rope and bucket, threw them inside and the boy managed to cling to and was pulled out.

“He was already weak with

injuries. We thanked God the well had been out of use; he might not have survived.”

At press time, the boy was said to be receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital, while his father ’s whereabouts is unknown.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, DSP Ezekiel Onyeke, said the incident was not reported to the Police.

Onyeka said: “I have contacted the DPOs of Eastern Ngwa and Ohuru Isimiri Divisions covering the Obingwa area; they said they are not aware of the incident.

May be, it happened and was not reported.”

8—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the new INEC chief, Yakubu assured the president that they would discharge their duties without fear of favour, saying: “We pledge our commitment to discharge our responsibility without fear or favour”, he said.

The inauguration attracted the presence of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachair Lawal amongst others.

I’m nobody’s stooge, says new INEC boss

SWEARING IN: President Muhammadu Buhari (4th right); Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (5th right) Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki (3rd left) and Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (2nd left) with the newly sworn in Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman and National Commissioners at the State House, in Abuja, yesterday.

Electoral offenders must be punished —Buhari Swears in new INEC officers, charges them to conduct credible polls social responsibility to protect Pledges non-interference in INEC affairs the democratic rights of all.”

“I am of the view that it is I’m nobody’s stooge, says new INEC boss totally unacceptable to hide under the cover of the Pledges commitment to Electoral Act technicality of law to deny

By Levinus Nwabughiogu & Omeiza Ajayi

A

BUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, called for punitive measures against perpetrators of electoral malpractices, saying it was not enough to cancel polls and order fresh ones.

He also called for the overhauling of the justice administrative system, stressing that unless electoral offenders were sanctioned, the system would not be made right.

Buhari made the call while inaugurating the new helmsmen of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Meanwhile, the new INEC chairman, Professor Mammud Yakubu, has said that he was not a stooge to anybody even as he pledged his commitment to the Electoral Act. The new INEC officials included Professor Mammud Yakubu (Chairman), National Commissioners: Mrs. Amina Zakari, Mr. Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, Prof. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-Simbine, Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo.

According to President Buhari, “another area of concern is the justice administration of the electoral tribunals. It is long overdue that our justice system addresses these shortcomings. It is not just enough for an election to be

cancelled and a new one ordered.

“It would be much better if all whose actions or inactions led to the cancellation of such election to be investigated and if culpable prosecuted whether they are individuals as candidates or party agents, institutions such as political party, electoral body, or public officers as electoral staff or security agents.

“Similarly, perpetrators of electoral violence and thuggery should not be spared. Unless our system stops covering up all forms of electoral malpractices we can hardly get it right. No system endures with impunity.”

APC govt stands for change President Buhari also stated that the government of All Progressives Congress, APC stood for change and would not interfere in affairs of the INEC as an independent organization.

He said: “The APC government has promised Nigerians change. In electioneering this change should be all embracing. It starts from change of attitudes, change of work ethics, change in attitude to corruption and corrupt practices, change of party political conduct-right from primaries to the emergence of candidates and finally the conduct of elections.

“In the conduct of elections

we promised to respect the independence of our electoral body, INEC. We promised noninterference in its activities and above all we promised to encourage them to conduct transparently free and fair elections. I hereby pledge to keep that promise.

“Gentlemen, I hereby acknowledge and pledge to respect the independence of the commission, and this government will not interfere with its operations.”

On State Electoral Commissions Speaking further on the sanctity of the electoral system, the President also harped on the need to make state electoral commissions across the federation more responsible to conducting free, fair and credible polls.

“Needless to add that the APC is not limited to the control of Federal Government alone.

There are many states that are APC-controlled; I expect them to do no less in the way they handle their various States’ Electoral Commissions. All of us, and this includes other political parties have a responsibility to safe-guard the sanctity of democratic values; and the foundation of such values are free association, transparent electoral process and free and fair elections.

“I am aware of the Federal Government’s constitutional constraints in its engagement with the states' electoral bodies.

But the government has a

the citizens’ rights.

Accordingly, the Federal Government is considering a different strategy of engagement with state governments on how to make state electoral commissions much freer than many are today.

“In almost all the states, the party of the sitting government wins all the council elections – while there is nothing wrong with that if it is the true wish of the people – but majority of Nigerians more often than not think it is not, hence have little respect for the outcome of our council elections. This is responsible for questioning the integrity of such election winners throughout their tenure.”

Charges them on credible polls President Buhari also left a stern warning to the new INEC appointees, urging them to resist external influences that would hamper the conduct of credible elections for Nigerians.

“For your part, you should not allow yourselves to be unduly influenced or subject yourself to the control of outside forces. You must respect the law and we will hold you bound by the oath which you have just taken.

The nation has reposed a lot of trust and confidence in you. You cannot afford to fail,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking yesterday after a brief handingover at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, Prof. Yakubu promised to be guided by the spirit and letters of the Electoral Act, vowing not to kowtow to undue pressure from any quarter. He also pledged to immediately adjust to the working conditions of the electoral body in order to deliver on his mandate.

Yakubu said there was no time for laxity, expressing the resolve of his team to swing into action and deliver credible governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

Stating that he would be fearless in arriving at critical electoral decisions, Yakubu said his job is well-cut out for him as the constitution is very clear on his powers and limitations.

He said, “I am not sure that it is really difficult, simply because the constitution is very clear. The roles and responsibilities of INEC are very clearly spelt out and the provisions of the electoral act are also very clear.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that in whatever we do, we are guided by the letter and spirit of the constitution. And these we are going to do with courage.

“Whatever we need to do, we will ensure that this is done courageously and according to the law.”

Promising to build on the legacies of his predecessor, Yakubu also promised to be just to all manner of people, saying: “We will be courageous in what we do, and we will be courageous and just to all that we are supposed to serve.

“We have come a long way. We have hard commendations both locally and internationally, in the conduct of the 2015 general elections.

“As I said at the Senate screening, our responsibility as a new commission is actually to consolidate and add value.

“Nations don’t make progress by always starting afresh; nations make progress because there is a building block on which we now build more.”

Yakubu who also received the 2015 general elections report, promised to study it with a view to executing most of its recommendations.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 9

N1.04trn NCC fine: MTN Group CEO, Dabengwa, resigns

By Prince Osuagwu & Emeka Aginam

L

AGOS — THE recent N1.04 trillion fine imposed on MTN Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, may have claimed one person in the company as the President and Chief Executive Officer, MTN Group, Sifiso Dabengwa, resigned from his position, yesterday.

Dabengwa cited development in Nigeria as part of the reasons he was leaving, claiming that his resignation would be for the interest and growth of the company.

Meanwhile, the company has immediately appointed the non Executive Chairman of the company, Mr Phuthuma Nhleko as Executive Chairman in a temporary capacity.

Nhleko, would act as Executive Chairman for a maximum period of six months within which the company would appoint a successor for Dabengwa.

Part of Dabengwa’s resignation letter read: “Due to the most unfortunate prevailing circumstances occurring at MTN Nigeria, I, in the interest of the company and its shareholders, have tendered my resignation with immediate effect.”

Nhleko, however, is no stranger to the MTN business, having served as non-executive director and chairman of MTN from July 2001 until June 2002 and thereafter as an executive director, Group president and CEO until March 2011. He has subsequently chaired the group in a nonexecutive capacity for the past two and a half years (since May 29, 2013).

He said: “I will assume responsibility as Executive Chairman for the next six months as I proactively deal with the Nigerian regulator and will continue to work with them in addressing the issues around unregistered subscribers as a matter of urgency.

“Together with the MTN Board, my second priority will be to find an appropriate Chief Executive Officer to take MTN forward. I will then revert to my Non-executive Chairman role,” Nhleko said.

Meanwhile, the company also said Mr. Alan van Biljon would continue to serve as the Lead Independent Director on the MTN board of directors (MTN Board), while Nhleko takes over executive responsibility.

However, the group promised its stakeholders that it will continue to inform them of any material engagements with the Nigerian authorities via the Stock Exchange News Service of the JSE Limited.

It also advised its shareholders to continue to exercise caution when dealing in the company’s

securities until a further announcement is made.

The Nigerian telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, penultimate week, slammed MTN Nigeria with N1.04 trillion fine for failing to

disconnect subscribers with unregistered and incomplete subscriber identification modules (SIM) cards within the stipulated time.

Since then, the company has been negotiating with the commission to see how the fine could be reduced.

The latest in the negotiations

was a letter the company sent to the NCC admitting guilt and appealing for leniency.

However, sources at the commission told Vanguard that the powers to reduce the fine or grant leniency in the whole matter were entirely in the hands of the Federal Government.

Dasuki drags FG to court, says his life is in danger Seeks enforcement of his fundamental rights

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BUJA —Former National Security Adviser, NSA, under President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), yesterday, dragged the Federal Government before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, insisting that his life is in danger.

Dasuki, who approached the court through his legal team led

by Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, said he has been kept under house arrest by armed operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, since November 3.

He lamented that the DSS operatives laid siege to his house and prevented him from travelling abroad for medical treatment despite a subsisting court order that permitted him to go and take care of his budding cancer and return to the country within three weeks to continue his trial.

Dasuki, in a fundamental right enforcement application he filed against the Federal Government, yesterday, pleaded the high court to uphold his rights to dignity and security of life.

He further prayed the court to issue a mandatory order compelling the Federal

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

A

HERO OF DEMOCRACY: Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan (middle), arrived the United States, yesterday, where he is being hosted as hero of democracy in Africa by the Presidential Prescint in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is flanked at breakfast by officials of the Presidential Prescint.

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

Commonwealth appoints Jonathan mediator in Tanzanian election stalemate

Government and its agents, especially the operatives of the DSS, to vacate his house located at 13, John Kadija Street, Asokoro with immediate effect.

His application was predicated on sections 36(5) 37 and 41 of the 1999 constitution, as amended, as well as on sections 1(1) and (2) and 266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

The former NSA equally sought an order of the court extending the leave that was initially granted to him by Justice Ademola Adeniyi on November 3.

Justice Adeniyi had in his ruling, okayed Dasuki for three weeks medical leave abroad owing to his “deteriorating health condition”.

Meantime, decrying that security operatives refused him from enforcing the order of Justice Adeniyi, Dasuki, yesterday, urged the court to stop the siege to his house and order the Federal Government to allow him to seek proper medical attention abroad as he was earlier permitted to do by the court.

His application was premised on five grounds, among which included the fact that the action of the DSS runs contrary to a

valid order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

Besides, he is praying the court for permission to keep a re-rescheduled appointment with his physician abroad, by extending the earlier leave that was granted to him on November 3.

In a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion, Dasuki, told the court that following the order of November 3 permitting him to go abroad for medical attention, he immediately purchased his travel ticket.

He said that he had already obtained his boarding pass to accomplish the trip.

He averred that shortly after, the operatives of the DSS, acting on behalf of the federal government stormed and barricaded his house at Asokoro “in brazen defiance of the court order and prevented him from traveling out”.

Dasuki asserted that the siege on his house ought to be immediately removed, saying as a result of the aggression of the federal government, “my life has been under constant threat”.

Meantime, no date has been fixed for hearing of Dasuki’s fundamental right application.

BUJA — THE Commonwealth of Nations has appointed Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as a Special Representative to peacefully resolve the political stalemate in the semiindependent island of Zanzibar, Tanzania.

He had earlier led the Commonwealth Observer Group, COG, to monitor last month’s Tanzania general elections.

The former president’s new appointment was conveyed to him last week in a letter by the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Mr Kamalesh Sharma.

After the October 25 general elections which produced John Magufuli as the new President of Tanzania, the Jonathan-led COG and other international observers had endorsed the polling processes as credible.

However, tension rose on the island of Zanzibar following the nullification of the presidential election results by the local electoral body over claims of irregularities.

International observers have continued to dispute this decision on the grounds that both the voting and counting processes were held in an atmosphere of peace.

One of the parties, Civic United Front, CUF, had declared itself winner even before the Tanzanian national electoral body could collate and announce results of the polls.

Mr. Sharma in the letter said: “As you are aware, the Zanzibar electoral situation remains unsolved, although recent reports indicating willingness by the main political parties to engage in talking is encouraging.

"In view of the Commonwealth’s historical role as the moral generator of the Muafaka Accords, it is important that we remain engaged to continue to encourage all concerned to resolve the situation in a peaceful and sustainable manner.

“I am, therefore, delighted and honoured that you have kindly agreed to be my Special Representative over the coming weeks, in order to remain in contact with key political leaders and to encourage them towards an expeditious resolution of the impasse. I am certain that your personal close interest can play a crucial role in building the necessary political bridges.”

10—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

FG charges firm, MD for $712,000 fraud

I’ll soon become traffic offenders’ enemy —New LASTMA boss Warns friends, relations not to call him for waiver

By Innocent Anaba

L

AGOS— The Federal Government has charged Biowish Africa Limited and its Managing Director, Mr. Jim DanielsNnah, before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on a three-count charge of fraud, conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence.

The accused persons, who according to the charge sheet, are at large, were said to have in 2012 obtained $362,000 from Alsa Logistics Limited, in Lagos, under false pretence, with a promise to supply Biowish products to the company which later turned out to be false.

According to the charge, the accused persons were said to have also defrauded Environ-Aids Technologies Limited the sum of $350,000.

The offences are said to be contrary to section 8 (a) of the Advanced Free Fraud and Other Related Offences Act of 2006 and Section 1(1) (a), (3) of the Advanced Free Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

The case followed a petition

by Environ Aid Technologies and Enercon to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police (Special Fraud Unit) on October 11 and December 29, 2013 respectively, stating that Daniels-Nnah had allegedly fraudulently obtained $350,000 from the company under the guise of supplying the respondents various chemicals for environmental remediation from Biowish Inc in the United States of America (USA).

By Ebun Sessou

L

AGOS — NEW Chairman/ CEO of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Mr. Christian Olakpe, has declared that he will

soon become the enemy of traffic offenders in Lagos with the way the parastatal will be working henceforth.

Olakpe, who had been invited to the House to x-ray the constant traffic gridlock in the state, told the lawmakers,

INAUGURATION: From left, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State; Chancellor, Washington University, USA, Dr. Mark S. Wrighton,and President, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, USA, Dr. Benjamin Akande during Akande’s inauguration as the 21st President of the college at Fulton, Missouri, USA.

SYNAGOGUE: Lagos to prosecute engineers as court dismisses suits

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS — JUSTICE Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, dismissed the fundamental human rights enforcement suits filed by the engineers who constructed the collapsed sixstorey building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, in Ikotun area of Lagos.

The collapse of the building, which occurred on September

12, 2014, led to the death of 116 persons.

The engineers— Mr. Oladele Ogundeji and Mr. Akinbela Fatiregun— filed two separate suits before Justice Buba, seeking an order restraining the police from inviting, arresting or prosecuting them over the victims’ death.

The Lagos State Government, thereafter, set up a Coroner's Inquest to unravel what went wrong, and via a verdict delivered on August 7, 2015 by

Court strikes out suit seeking to prosecute Goddie Ibru

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS — A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, struck out a suit by a non-governmental organisation, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, seeking an order of mandamus to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to begin the prosecution of Mr. Goddie Ibru, the elder brother to the late Publisher of The Guardian newspaper, Alex Ibru.

Trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, dismissed the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.

The group in the suit, had prayed the court for an order of

yesterday, that he would reinvigorate LASTMA in three months.

The retired AIG stated that he was not new to Lagos as he said that he was born there, adding that there would be no waivers in the enforcement of

mandamus directing the EFCC to furnish it with the investigation report on the allegations of impersonation, fraud, obtaining money by false pretence and stealing, it raised against Mr. Ibru and one Sunday Akinsanya(both Directors of IHL Services Ltd).

The group which is also seeking the prosecution of the duo by the anti-graft agency, had argued that despite its request for the prosecution of Ibru and Mr. Sunday Akinsanya after the conclusion of the investigations by the EFCC, nothing has been done.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, yesterday, the NGO and

the EFCC were not represented by any counsel.

Meanwhile, the matter took another twist as another group known as the ‘Incorporated Trustees of Civil Society Network Against Corruption,’ were in the court with an application seeking to be joined as a co-defendant in the matter.

The group in the suit, had contended that it came to court to protect its corporate name from unauthorized use and impersonation.

It stated that the ‘Civil Society Network Against Corruption’ does not have its consent and authority to institute the action in the first place.

Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, the coroner indicted the engineers and recommended them for investigation and prosecution for criminal negligence.

Justice Buba, in his ruling on the defendants’ preliminary objection, yesterday, held that the engineers “had not made out a case of infringement on their fundamental rights even on the merit of the application,” and dismissed their applications.

The judge, who noted that the Coroner's Law was an enactment of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which is constitutionally empowered to make laws in the state, said “the Federal High Court could not dabble into the affairs of the state and start dishing out injunctive orders.”

On the prayer by the engineers asking for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Lagos State Attorney General or any officer under his authority from initiating or commencing criminal proceedings against them based on the verdict of the Coroner, Justice Buba held that such request cannot be granted in the circumstance of the case under review.

traffic laws in the state under his leadership.

He said further that there would be strict compliance with the traffic laws in the state, adding that he has even warned his friends and relatives not to call him over any erring motorist, while promising to deal with deviant LASTMA officials.

He said: “I am an advocate of reward for good work and punishment for evil work. I can dismiss any officer on the spot and we are going to revive LASTMA within a short period of time. We will give the authority the impetus it needs.

“Once you are dismissed, your name would be published and gazetted. There would be reduction in the ranks of offending officers. I will warn my men seriously and I will visit the Provost Marshall of the Nigerian Army for his support and any military man that beats a LASTMA official would be dealt with.

“I have friends in the Nigerian Army and the Police as a former police spokesman. We also plan to go to Ajah to do a participatory observation of what is going on there,” The LASTMA boss, however, appealed to the state government to provide designated bus stops and vowed that any motorist who drives against the traffic (one way) or on BRT dedicated lane would have his or her vehicle impounded and the owner would have to pay a fine .

Olakpe then appealed to the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, and other lawmakers in the state not to call him to help any erring motorist.

“I will work until we get a new improved LASTMA. Our men would be visible and accessible.

Whoever goes against the law would be pursued with power bike

by LASTMA officials. There would be mobile courts. I am still fit and strong to receive phone calls any time of the day.

“On enforcement, we will touch many places and we want the local government chairmen in the state to help us do some roads in their areas. We also want the Speaker of the House to help us increase our funding so that we can give raincoats, rain-boots and torchlights to our men,” he said.

Also speaking, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Bashiru Ibraimo said they were in the assembly to show their support for the Lagos State Government on the need to have a new LASTMA. He also promised that it would no longer be business as usual with transportation in the state, and that anyone who flouts the traffic law would have his or herself to blame.

In his reaction, Speaker Obasa said the state has the capacity to ensure free flow of traffic and that Olakpe should ensure that he achieved his plans as promised within three months. “

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—11

Iwo stands still for new Oluwo

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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S O G B O — T H E ancient city of Iwo in Osun State stood still, yesterday, when the Oluwo-elect, Prince Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, entered the town for the installation process.

Major streets in the city, witnessed heavy traffic as the convoy of the Oluwo-elect snaked through Ibadan end of the town, Ori-eru, Odo-ori, Ileomosan and Ojaba axis of the city where people lined up the streets to welcome the new monarch.

The installation ceremony followed the approval of the appointment of the new monarch by Osun State Government after the completion of due process by the king makers.

The Oluwo clutched his fists from the open roof of a Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle, SUV, to acknowledge cheers from people, after about three hours drive to get to the palace, where was turbanned by the League of Imam and Alfas led

by Sheik Imran Adio.

The turbanning was followed by the symbolic traditional decoration of the monarch with Akoko leaf by the Oosa of Iwo Kingdom, Chief Bello Orobimpe.

Traditional gunshots rented the air, heralding the reign of the new Oluwo of Iwo, thus signalling the completion of the first phase of the monarch's traditional rights.

After the turbanning, the Oluwo was led by traditionalists and chiefs to the Ile Onto to continue further installation rights before the crowning of Prince Abdul-rasheed Adewale Akanbi.

It's historical—SSG Speaking after the installation, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, said the day was a historical one.

He held that the recent happening in Iwo was another indication of the commitment of Aregbesola's administration to one of his six-point integral

plans of promotion of communal peace and progress.

Adeoti said: “I salute the courage and understanding of all. This day is historic in the sense that Iwo, about three years ago, was without a king, but we are happy that this day a new king has come.

“We need the cooperation of all and sundry. I call on everybody to join hands with the new monarch in the task

to build the town. Iwo cannot afford to stand still; we must strive to develop our land as we enter a new era.

“I call on the people of Iwo, especially youths, to rally round the new monarch and the state government for the development of Iwoland, the state and the country at large.”

Roll call

Dignitaries at the ceremo-

ny included Asiwaju of Iwoland and former Commissioner for Justice, Gbadegesin Adedeji; former Commissioner for Agriculture, old Oyo State, Alhaji Bola Asafa; octogenarian and Ekerin Oluwo, Otunba Ganiyu Aremu; former Special Adviser to Governor Aregbesola on Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, among many others.

OLUWO : Newly-installed Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, acknowledging cheers from the people of Iwo during his turbaning/installation at Oluwo palace, Iwo, Osun State, yesterday.

Lamorde proceeds on terminal leave

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HAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday, proceeded on a pre-retirement leave. President Muhammadu Buhari has, therefore, appointed Mr, Ibrahim Magu as the Acting Chairman of the Commission.

A statement by Mr. Femi Adesina, President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said Magu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, was to take over from Ibrahim Lamorde, who was proceeding on terminal leave ahead of the end of his tenure in February 2016.

Lamorde who is a commissioner of police, will, however, return to the police force after

his terminal leave.

Magu, the Acting Chairman served as head of the EFCC’s Economic Governance Unit, EGU, during the tenure of Nuhu Ribadu as Chairman.

Magu was arrested on August 4, 2008 following allegations that police discovered EFCC files and a computer containing classified documents at his Abuja residence.

During his time at EFCC, he led investigations into the affairs of officials, including former Delta Governor, James Ibori, and current Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

Magu is a recipient of USG and London Metropolitan Police institute training.

He reportedly worked with Ribadu to jail his brother-inlaw and former Bank of the North chief, Shettima Bulama.

Bulama was later pardoned by former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

He is a member of the investigative committee convened by National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces since 2007.

Community leaders join CRIN protest

I

BADAN—THE persistent industrial crisis rocking Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN, in Ibadan, Oyo State, worsened yesterday as some community leaders and hundreds of workers of the institute stormed the ever busy

Ibadan-Ijebu Ode Road.

The protesters, including women, who were halfnaked, chanted antimanagement slogans, armed with placards bearing their grievance against the management.

FG to raise import duties on used vehicles

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—FEDERAL Government is presently considering the option of raising tariffs on imported used cars to enable Nigerians afford new vehicles.

This is just as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo urged the National Automotive Design and Development Council to make out a comprehensive vehicle credit purchase scheme.

The directive came against the backdrop of the council’s plan to develop the automotive industry by reintroducing vehicle assembly operations, under the National Automotive Industry Development Plan, NAIDP. Speaking in Abuja during a briefing by the council, Osinanjo said: “The Council Bill is taking time, but it should be made to work for those who cannot afford new vehicles.”

The Vice President, however, who shared concern about the strategy for raising funds and pressure which the importation of used vehicles exert on the foreign exchange, expressed concern about the effect the high import duties may have on Nigerians who cannot afford new cars and on transportation in general.

Also expressing concern about the spate of smuggling of used vehicles which had impacted negatively on the economy, he also urged the Council to work with other agencies such as the Nigeria Customs as well as a soft-ware that can check the menace.

He told the Council to put up a strong case for the credit purchase policy.

12 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Alleged N70m bribe: I'm ready for trial, Orubebe tells FG

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA—THE Federal Government, yesterday, arraigned former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe , before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja.

Orubebe pleaded not guilty to the four-count criminal charge preferred against him by the government.

Meanwhile, shortly after he took his plea, Orubebe, through his lawyer, Mr. Larry Selekeowei, SAN, told the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal that he was ready for trial, even as he dared the government to go ahead and open its case against him.

At that point, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Musa Usman, told the tribunal that his witnesses were not available.

He urged the tribunal to adjourn the matter for two weeks to enable him to assemble them.

His application infuriated Orubebe’s lawyer, who insisted that the charge was only aimed at tarnishing the hard earned reputation of his client.

Accusing the Federal Government of not being serious with the case, Orubebe’s lawyer said: “My lords, we are really surprised that they are not ready to proceed today (yesterday) despite all the noise they have

made inr the past 10 days.

“On our part, we are ready for this trial. Though we cannot force them to open their case, but looking at the rules of this tribunal, Rule 5(1) is a part they can fulfil today (yesterday). It clearly mandates them to disclose the evidence they have against the accused person.

“They can at least clear that part before we get to the issue of whether they have witnesses or not. If the witnesses are not

here, he should state the evidence. This kind of case should not be for mere jamboree.”

Relying on the provision of section 164 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, Orubebe, through his lawyer, maintained that he was ready for his prosecution.

Cutting his submission short, Justice Danladi asked, “Counsel are you giving us the citation of the accused person?”

Selekeowei answered in the

negative, saying “My Lords, I am only praying that my client should be granted bail on self recognition.”

He was, meanwhile allowed to go home, as the tribunal chairman noted that there was no reason to deny the former minister bail.

Before adjourning the matter till November 26 for definite hearing, Justice Danladi, slammed the Federal Government for not producing any of its witnesses before the tribunal, yesterday.

SWEARING-IN: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel administering oath of office on the new Head of Civil Service of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Ekereobong Michael Akpan, at the Exco Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Uyo.

Court declares EDSMA operations on Federal highways illegal

By Gabriel Enogholase

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ENIN—AN Edo State High Court sitting in Benin has held that the Edo State Traffic Management Authority, EDSMA, has no right to carry out control and management of traffic on federal highways in the state, saying that it was the exclusive reserve of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Police.

The court held that all designated federal highways must be devoid of the operations of EDSMA as its 2010 law cannot supersede the constitution of Nigeria.

The position of the court is sequel to the suit brought against EDSMA by a Benin based legal practitioner, Mr. Kingsley Obamaogie, alleging that agents/ servants of the 1st defendant jumped into his car at traffic hold up on Sapele Road, Benin accusing him of violating traffic instructions.

Also joined in the suit as defendants were the state Attorney General and the Commissioner for Transport.

The trial judge, Justice E. Ikponmwen, also held that chapter F.13, Federal High Way Act, 1971 Section (1) provides that

“subject to the provisions of this Act all Federal Highways shall on the commencement of this Act, be under the management, direction and control of the Minister charged with the responsibility for roads” while

“Item 63 of part 1 of the Second schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended, placed the issue of traffic on federal trunk roads in the Exclusive list.”

The court said that with the provisions of the Federal

Highways Act and the constitutional provisions, it was clear that the control of traffic on Sapele Road, Benin City which was admitted by the defendants to be a Federal Highway cannot be within the purview of EDSMA Law 2010.

Oil communities urged to protect DESOPADEC projects

By Ochuko Akuopha

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L E H — T H E commissioer representing Ndokwa ethnic nationality on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPODEC, Mr. Fidelis Oputa, has charged oil bearing communities in the state to

guard against vandalization of projects executed by the commission in their domains.

Speaking at Kwale, headquarters of Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State, shortly after a thanksgiving ceremony on his appointment to DESOPADEC’s board, Oputa said the commission was committed to its

pursuit of people-oriented projects.

Reiterating the determination of DESOPADEC to key into the SMART agenda of the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, which he said hinged on prosperity for all Deltans, he assured that the communities would get their fair share of projects from the commission.

Delta students back from skills acquisition training abroad

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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O fewer than 130 youths from the 25 local government areas of Delta State sponsored by the state government for skills acquisition training in specialized areas in Barbedos, Trinidad and Tobago, yesterday, arrived

the country via the Enugu International Airport.

Speaking after his arrival at the airport, the state Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr. Jude Sinebe, who thanked God for the successful completion of the training programme, commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for ensuring that the

programme, which was initiated by his predecessor, was successfully completed.

Sinebe said that the youths who were in high spirit were trained in drilling, welding and fabrication, tourism and event management, among others in 11 months, adding that a good number of them have good business plans.

A-Ibom dismisses CIAPS report Rates governor high

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KWA Ibom State Government has dismissed as false and misleading, the performance rating of Governor Udom Emmanuel by a reportedly Lagos- based group, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies, CIAPS, which rated him among the lowly performed governors in October 2015.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said the purported comparative analysis of governors’ performance in Nigeria, as reported in some newspapers and published online, was a spurious fabrication that insults the sensibilities of Akwa Ibom people, who are witnesses and beneficiaries of the good governance brought to bear by Governor Emmanuel.

According to the Commissioner, Governor Emmanuel is perhaps “the best performing governor in his set” and evidences abound to prove this, contrary to the fabrication by CIAPS, noting that as reported, CIAPS simply targeted Peoples Democratic party, PDP, governors.

Ex-militants urge Manager to tackle power challenges in N-Delta

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UNDREDS of exmilitants across the Niger Delta, have charged the Senate Committee Chairman on Power, Senator James Manager, to address the near absence of power in the creek communities of the regoin.

The ex-militants, led by Mr Preye Ekpebide, Delta chairman Phase Three Amnesty Programme, who addressed newsmen in Bomadi, Delta State, while felicitating with Manager on his appointment as the Chairman Senate committee on Power, expressed joy that the lawmaker would perform well in his new assignment.

He tasked the lawmaker to use his office to attract more federal presence, especially power, to the inhabitants of the creeks of the region.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—13

DINNER From left: Engr. Gbesimi Akperi; Chief Adolo Okotie-Eboh, Chief Yahya Pessu (Ojomo of Warri); Tsola Aragho and Chief Clement Akpeto Maleghemi, during a dinner by the Warri Traditional Council held at Chinavilie Chinese Restaurant, in Lagos.

From left: Oti Reece Edukugho; Alero Ogbemi Barlow; Mrs. Patricia Arawore and Rita Begho, at the event. Photos: Shola Oyelese.

Panic in Bayelsa over multiple oil spills

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

since July , 2015 till now, Agip has not paid the surveillance contractors, especially those from Ayamabele and Kalaba, though those of Akumoni are saying they are suffering the same fate.

“Those who caused the spills last time have gone back for a second attack on the pipeline because nothing

ENAGOA—FEAR has gripped indigenes of Kalaba/Ayamabele and Akumoni communities of Okordia clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State following reported multiple oil spillage from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company.

According to the natives, the spills occurred between November 2 and 3, 2015 from 12 ruptured points on the pipeline.

The cause of the spills could not be immediately

By Kingsley confirmed but a third Omonobi party interference might not be ruled out B U JA — B A R E LY following alleged non24 hours after the payment for clean-up arrest of Chindo Bello, jobs by Agip. one of the 100 Boko The breached points Haram terrorists were said to be declared wanted by the discharging crude oil military authorities, at into the communities the Abuja Airport, destroying flora and another kingpin on the fauna. list, Ishaku Wardifen, a A community source Cameroonian, has been told Vanguard that the arrested in Adamawa development had State. heightened fear of Confirming the arrest possible outbreak of in a statement, acting spill-related inferno.

Director, Army Public The oil spill, according Relations, Colonel Sani to the locals, is Usman, said: “As all spreading fast within the hands are on deck to swampy environment finally defeat Boko aided by the current Haram terrorists in our flood. country, today A community source, (yesterday) in the who confirmed the spills morning, another wanted said: “We have a lot of suspected Boko Haram challenges from Agip. terrorist, Ishaku We have attempted to Wardifen, was nabbed by address many of them vigilant troops of 23 with no positive results Brigade Special yet.”

Battalion at a check The source complained point in Maiha, that since July this year Adamawa State. when some surveillance “Preliminary contractors carried out a interrogation revealed clean-up job in impacted that the suspected areas, Agip, after terrorist is a clamping, had not Cameroonian citizen. deemed it necessary to “Visual matching with pay them. photographs on the He said: “Now, one poster of the 100 Boko area of concern is that,

happened when they carried out the first one in July.

“This time around, from the information our workers brought from the field, the saboteurs have damaged about 12 points on this line again, more than the first attack, all because nothing happened to them when they attacked months ago.

“It is on this premise that

Another wanted Boko Haram suspect nabbed

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Haram terrorists wanted list released by the Nigerian Army last month, shows that he clearly resembles the suspect on serial number 22 on the list. The suspect has been handed over to military intelligence for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“Nigerian Army would like to once more call on all citizens and all wellmeaning residents of our country to continue to be more vigilant and security conscious to enable us rid the country of the menace of terrorism and insurgency."

It will be recalled that on Sunday, security agencies arrested one of the suspects, Chindo Bello, when he boarded an Aero Contractor ’s flight to Lagos as he was intercepted by security operatives and handed over to the Directorate of Military Intelligence in Abuja.

“We would like to thank those eagle eyed and patriotic security agents and good citizens for the tip-off that led to the arrest of the suspect” a statement by Army Headquarters said.

we (surveillance contractors) felt that unless we take certain steps, things will get worse and Agip won’t be happy with us. But, we have informed Agip about the latest development.”

Another pipeline surveillance contractor said the gun-wielding youths were still laying ambush for any ‘intruder.’

Efforts to get the reaction of the state Commissioner for Environment, Inuiro Wills, proved abortive as calls placed to his mobile phone could not connect.

Reacting to the development, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth said, it was instructive to caution community youths against attacking oil facilities to avoid self-inflicted injuries.

14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

MIss Nigeria beauty pageant holds in Lagos

From left, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Mr. Innocent Oparadike, Chief Segun Osoba, Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro, Amb. Dele Cole, and Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, during the pageant, Sunday. Photos: Oscar Ochiogu

Pamela Peter-Vigboro, Miss Nigeria 2015 with the out-going Miss Nigeria, Ezinne Akudo, and the judges.

Pamela Peter-Vigboro, being crowned by the out-going Miss Nigeria, Ezinne Akudo.

Pamela Peter-Vigboro, Miss Nigeria 2015 with the runners-up.

Feyi Smith buries mother, Princess Margaret Smith, at Owo, Ondo

From right, Nihinlolamiwa Sanusi, Feyisitan Smith, Oluseyi Smith, and grand-daughter, Oluwatosin Sadiq children of the deceased - during the funeral of their mother, Princess Margaret Smith, at Owo, Ondo State.

Some of the female relatives in Aso-Ebi C M Y K

Fromleft,NewspapersProprietorsAssociationofNigeria,NPAN,President/Publisher ofThisDayNewspapers,Mr.NdukaObaigbena;Mr.FeyiSmith,ExecutiveSecretary of NPAN/son of the deceased, and wife, Mrs. Smith.

Mr.GbengaAdefaye,GM/Editor-in-ChiefofVanguard (left), Mr. Ademola Osinubi, Managing Director of Punch andMr..NdukaObaigbena.

Newspapers (left), and Mr. Smith

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—15

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C M Y K

16 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Abuja DISCO to pay N18m fine over electrocution of 8-yr-old girl

By Chris Ochayi

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BUJA— THE Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, has been fined N18 million over the electrocution of an eightyear-old girl, Faith Yakubu, at Anguwan Dodo, Gwagwalada, FCT, which is within the company’s distribution franchise.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, in a resolution, upheld recommendations of its Panel Report of Accident Investigation which found the distribution company liable of negligence.

According to a resolution of the Commission on the accident, “AEDC shall pay N18, 000, 000 as compensation to the family of Faith Yakubu and communicate same to the commission accordingly.

AEDC should ensure that the surviving four monthold child undergoes medical check up in a recognised hospital and evidence presented to the Commission for further directives.”

The electricity distribution company was directed to carry out regular safety enlightenment campaign in accordance with the Nigeria Electricity Safety Manual and Nigeria Electricity Safety Code.

AEDC was also told to ensure that its marketing units were provided with competent technical staff with the sole responsibility of carrying out the function of connection and disconnection of customers when all conditions for disconnections, in line with NERC’s regulations, had been met. The accident occurred when a staff of AEDC disconnected the wire feeding the Yakubus’ residence over allegation of accumulated bills and left the wire lying on the ground, even as he failed to disconnect supply from the transformer.

The deceased, in her innocence, was running an errand with the surviving four month old baby boy strapped to her back when she grabbed the wire in an attempt to cross over and got electrocuted. The baby on her back survived the accident.

S-East govs to meet over pro-Biafra agitations

By Chidi Nkwopara, Peter Okutu, Francis Igata, Godwin Oghre & Ugochukwu Alaribe

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WERRI—IMO State Governor and Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum, Chief Rochas Okorocha, is currently arranging a crucial meeting with other governors in the South-East, over the growing agitation by protagonists of Biafra.

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, shut down markets in Aba, Abia State, in continuation of its threeday one million protest march calling for the release of their detained leader and Director, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Similarly, Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, said it had mobilized over 2,000-members for a peaceful protest in Ebonyi State.

Governor Okorocha in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said the leadership of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, and other stakeholders in the geo-political zone, were also being invited to talk and agree on how to check the activities of pro-Biafra groups in the area.

“The meeting is expected to take place this weekend in Owerri, the Imo State capital. Already the Governor has begun to make all the necessary contacts to ensure that all those expected to be at the meeting, would be in attendance”, Onwuemeodo said.

It will be recalled that Okorocha had earlier, while taking exception to the pro-Biafra violent protests in some of the South-East states and few other neighbouring states, disassociated the governors and leaders in the South-East states from the MASSOB protest, describing the whole exercise as “embarrassing, disturbing, counter-productive and to a large extent, distracting”.

According to Governor Okorocha, the pro-Biafra protests could not be in the interest of the south-east people but were only sending wrong signals to the rest of Nigerians.

“It has become increasingly necessary for the governors in the zone, Ohaneze leaders and other stakeholders in the area to meet, to call a spade, a spade”, Okorocha said.

The Governor also said that “at the end of the Owerri meeting, the governors and other leaders will take a common position and will also invite the leaders of the pro-Biafra groups for a meeting, to let them know the socio-economic and political implications of their activities, including their demand for sovereignty in a united Nigeria”.

Chief Okorocha insisted that the governors and leaders in the zone could no longer sit and watch the whole situation degenerate, even as he also noted that the Igbos as a people cannot afford to have its own kind of Boko Haram.

EXPO: National Coordinator, Nigeria Agribusiness Group, NABG, Emanuel Ijewere; Head, Agriculture Finance, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Jerry Gushop, and Managing Director, Huios Global Alliance Limited, Seyi Ifelaja, at the 2015 AgrikExpo, in Lagos, weekend.

He wondered why the proBiafra apologists kept quiet all these years only to resume their protests and activities this time and few months after the new administration in the country came on board.

ever busy Azikiwe/ Asa road junction causing a heavy gridlock as they marched through Faulks to the Ariaria International Market where they had Saturday warned traders not to open for business yesterday.

ther divide the nation and betray efforts at national reconciliation and development. This he said must not be allowed.

Markets shut in Abia as over 30,000 sympathisers protest In Aba, Abia State, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, shut down markets in continuation of its threeday protest march, calling for the release of their detained leader and Director, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The protesters in several groups, with each numbering no fewer than 5,000, marched through Azikiwe, Cemetery, Asa, Faulks, Aba-Owerri and Osisioma Ngwa from where they forcefully closed all the markets in the city.

According to them, the one million protest march was an attempt by the group to draw the attention of the international community to alleged injustice being visited on their leader who had been detained for over two weeks now.

According to them, they chose not to be violent because the “price has already been paid by our forefathers and the price we are going to pay for the sake of Biafra is exactly what our director (Kanu) is paying for at the moment.”

However, security agents including soldiers and policemen were on hand, to ensure that hoodlums did not hijack the protest to loot property. Vanguard observed that as early as 8am, some of the protesters had marched around the popular Azikiwe road and warned shop owners to lock up or face the wrath of the group, while another group visited the Ekeoha Shopping Centre to ensure that the order was not flouted.

Shop owners who had already opened for business were seen hurriedly closing their shops. The two groups later converged at the

MASSOB mobilizes 2,000 for Ebonyi protest

Biafra —APC Meantime, All Progressives Congress, APC, South-East geopolitical zone, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to quickly fix the decayed infrastructures plaguing the region as a panacea to arresting the growing agitation for the Sovereign State of Biafra.

APC, however, lauded Mrs. Aisha Buhari for flagging-off her free medical pet project - Health Screening Initiative in Enugu State. A statement by the party's spokesperson in the South-East, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said “the decayed and collapsed federal roads in the South-East, the 2nd Niger Bridge, Enugu coal and other neglected federal projects in the region as well as the revamping of physical infrastructure will no doubt motivate Ndigbo to join President Buhari in constructing a progressive Nigeria, and dissuade and douse the pro-Biafra agitators.

“Asiha Buhari’s choice of Enugu State to flag-off her pet free medical project,in no uncertain terms demonstrates her pan-Nigerian outlook, political sagacity and uncommon patriotism. It gives a sense of belonging and similar concrete moves will help to convince ethnic merchants and engender hope on the Nigeria project."

Shop owners who had already opened for business were seen hurriedly closing their shops. The two groups later converged at the ever busy Azikiwe/ Asa road junction causing a heavy gridlock as they marched through Faulks to the Ariaria International Market where they had Saturday warned traders not to open for business yesterday.

In Ebonyi, MASSOB, yesterday, said it had mobilized no fewer than 2000 members for a peaceful protest in the state.

In a statement, the factional leader of the group, Uchenna Madu, said in Abakaliki that the body was protesting indiscriminate arrests and detention of its members by the federal government.

“We are unstoppable in this nationwide protest. No amount of intimidation, harassment, arrest and detention will prevent us from showing our grievances over the action of the Federal Government and the police. They have been arresting us and we want to let them know that there is limit we can endure all their actions. We have been very peaceful but the federal government and security agents are pushing us to the wall”, he said.exercise to checkmate influx of hoodlums, arms and ammunition into the state.

James Ibori disowns Biafra In Sapele, Delta State, former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, has dissociated himself from the movement agitating for the creation of Biafra republic, saying Nigeria remains indestructible.

In a statement by his media aide, Mr Eluemunor, Chief Ibori denied any affiliation or association with the protesters and warned against the use of his pictures during protests.

He also stated that the peace that the country enjoyed for 45 years after the civil war should not be broken by residues being dug up by some people to fur-

Revamping S/East infrastructure will douse agitation for

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 17

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ASTOR Tunde Bakare is a friend of the Buhari administration; an unusual role for a man who normally thrives as an opponent of governments.

Apologetically comparing the Buhari government to that of Goodluck Jonathan, Bakare says the Buhari government is not “clueless” but “helpless.” That is a pity because a government in need of help but helpless cannot be expected to be of much help to needy Nigerians.

You immediately know something has gone terribly wrong when friends of the government who were loud in proclaiming Buhari’s messianic role during the election campaign, start apologising for him barely six months into his tenure. During the election, APC did not ask Nigerians to replace an allegedly clueless PDP government with a helpless APC government. On the contrary, General Buhari derided the Jonathan administration for needing the help of Nigeria’s neighbours in order to fight the scourge of Boko Haram.

However, the first thing the president did on assuming office was to make official trips to Chad and Niger, seeking the help of our neighbours to fight the same Boko Haram. Then he went to Washington, seeking the help of his new Western friends. In short, immediately he assumed office, President Buhari’s government became “helpless”; in the words of his ardent supporter Tunde Bakare.

Father Christmas On the campaign stumps, Buhari promised to help the needy once in office. One of those promises entailed giving Father Christmas handouts of N5,000 a month to 25 million unemployed youths.

This promise of help was made without recourse to arithmetic.

It was a promise that would surely bankrupt an economy already reeling under the burden of the petroleum subsidy.

Nevertheless expediency recommended it to the APC. The 2015 federal budget is N4.4 trillion. At a cost of N1.5 trillion per annum, APC’s Father Christmas handouts for the poor would gulp a whole one-third of that annual budget. It would treble what Lagos State, the richest state in the federation, spends on everything annually.

Even more ridiculous is the fact that APC’s Father Christmas promise was made in the middle of a looming recession when the price of oil, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, had tumbled from a height of $150 a barrel to barely $50.

Nevertheless, APC dazzled the electorate with this promise and, in combination with others like it, it achieved its purpose.

Nigerians bought the lie and APC triumphed at the polls. But once in office, the government that promised the needy it would be their help became helpless, in the words of Tunde Bakare; the president’s vice-presidential running-mate in 2011. Six C M Y K

with sharp decline in oil prices from an average of $105 between 2011 and 2014, to $45 in 2015; foreign reserves at 10-year low of $29.595 billion; oil production has declined to 2.05 million barrels per day; and power supply down to less than 3,000MW. ” Where then does the government expect to get the extra trillions of naira it is now proposing to include in the 2016 budget?

Laughing at APC’s Father Christmas months down the road after its election into office, no unemployed Nigerian has received one kobo from the government, how much more N5,000 six times over.

Shaming the APC APC’s Father Christmas turned out, like all Father Christmases, to be a cruel hoax.

It also became clear that the helpless APC government needed help in fulfilling its promises. That needed help came from a most unlikely and unexpected source: it came from the PDP. PDP senators decided to help the APC fulfil its promise by shaming it. Borrowing from the APC platform, they put forward a motion requiring the government to provide N5,000 monthly to 25 million of the unemployed.

Surely, this motion would pass by acclamation, seeing that the opposition was, in effect, providing unexpected backing for one of the cardinal aspects of the APC’s highfalutin election promises.

However, in the comedy of errors that has become the signature of this APC government, APC senators promptly voted en masse to block their own programme. In short, the PDP successfully turned the APC into a national laughingstock. The laughter of derision rang right around the federation. It showed Nigerians yet again that they were fooled into electing a government that is not only helpless, but that cannot even be helped.

Insult to intelligence: But the matter did not end there. In embarrassment, the APC returned to its campaign mode

When is the APC going to learn to stop embarrassing itself like this? When will Lai Mohammed learn to stop taking Nigerians for fools?

of insulting the intelligence of Nigerians. The loquacious Lai Mohammed was trotted out yet again to rationalise to Nigerians the wisdom of the APC in voting against its own programme in the Senate.

Rather than covering the face of the APC in embarrassing silence, Mohammed compounded matters by declaring the government’s determination to devote N1.4 trillion to the fictitious Father Christmas handouts in the 2016 budget.

Hear him: “The Buhari administration is poised to lift millions of Nigerians out of extreme poverty by providing social protection and safety-nets.

The non-implementation of the payment policy so far is due to the fact that it was not included in the 2015 budget. The Muhammadu Buhari administration has been busy putting in place measures that will make it possible to start the implementation of this project.

Such measures include the introduction of the Treasury Single Account, TSA. We are happy to inform Nigerians that as at the end of September 2015, over N1.4 trillion which hitherto was lying unproductive in various commercial banks has been recovered.”

When is the APC going to learn to stop embarrassing itself like this?

When will Lai Mohammed learn to stop taking Nigerians for fools?

APC cul-de-sac: In the first place, the TSA was not introduced by the Buhari administration.

It was introduced by Goodluck Jonathan. As at January this year, over 400 MDAs had already complied with the Jonathan administration’s directive on the implementation of the TSA. Surely, APC knows the difference between introducing something on its own initiative and continuing something introduced by the PDP. In the second place, a government that spent the last six months saying it met no money in the treasury now claims it has found N1.4 trillion somewhere. This money was actually not lost. Therefore, it cannot be said to have now been recovered. The money was just moved from private banks to the CBN. The monies now designated to the TSA cannot be used to play Father Christmas. They are monies already budgeted to government agencies. These monies are already denominated

for projects. They can still be spent by their depositors between now and the next budget.

Therefore, they are not strictlyspeaking available for conversion into government handouts. In any case, if TSA deposits are used to finance Father Christmas in 2016, what will be used to finance it in 2017?

Indeed, Lai Mohammed has put the government in another cul-de-sac. He says needy Nigerians have not seen the government’s Father Christmas because Christmas was not included in the 2015 budget. In which case, Christmas will finally arrive in 2016, when the APC will have the opportunity to include it in the budget.

This means if Christmas is again delayed in 2016, the APC will have to bury its head again in shame. However, if having boxed itself into a corner, the APC decides to save face by unveiling Father Christmas in 2016, Nigeria can be expected to become practically bankrupt before the end of the year.

Voodoo economics The truth of the matter is that a country where states have to be bailed out of failure to pay workers’ salaries for several months can ill-afford to play Father Christmas. APC is simply a victim of voodoo economics.

On coming to power, Vicepresident Osinbajo said Nigeria was owing $60 billion; a “humungous” figure he arrived at for the purpose of giving a bad name to the previous government by converting the country ’s local debts into dollars. In actual fact, Nigeria’s dollar debts were shy of $10 billion. The rest of our debt portfolio is denominated in naira. However, in just six months, the Buhari administration has added over $2 billion to Nigeria’s debt profile.

The level of borrowing currently being entertained by the APC is ridiculous. At the presidential retreat organised by the Office of the SGF for ministersdesignate, the same Osinbajo revealed that while the 2015 budget was N4.4 trillion, the proposed 2016 budget would be pegged at nearly double that amount; between 7 and 8 trillion naira. This increase is to take place in spite of Nigeria’s financial crunch.

Hear him: “In May 2015, Nigeria experienced its worst economic decline in decades

Borrowing galore There is only one major source: the government is going to go a-borrowing on a large and unprecedented scale. In short, the same government that sought to make public relations capital out of the Jonathan administration’s debt profile is now getting ready to exceed the Jonathan administration in borrowing and drown us in debt.

Osinbajo told his audience of ministers-designate that the government intends to peg capital expenditure in 2016 at N2 trillion. Compare that outlay to Lai Mohammed insistence that the government has warehoused N1.4 trillion in the TSA as Father Christmas handouts to unemployed youths in the same 2016 budget.

In short, the budget for Father Christmas will rival that of capital expenditure in 2016. Little wonder then that APC senators blocked the PDP motion inviting Father Christmas to Nigeria in 2015. Is confusion not another word for the APC mantra of change?

Laughing-stock: The highfalutin promises of the APC in the heady days of the presidential election campaign will continue to haunt the Buhari administration, making it a perpetual laughing-stock. In February 2015, at a meeting with the organised private sector in Lagos, presidential candidate Buhari said: “If elected, we will complete the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Ilorin. We will concentrate on the roads and highways that link up Nigerian states.

Road construction alone will unlock a value chain of opportunities in the building industry for construction companies, builders, engineers, architects, quarry operators, cement and iron-rod production and supply.

“The successful opening up of Nigeria by the construction of new roads and highways will revive road transportation, truck manufacture, tyre manufacture, engine oil, brake-pad productions on one hand. It will also create a demand for jobs for mechanics, drivers and those engaged in transport support business. We expect a revival of all the inter-state economies that used to thrive across Nigeria, providing support to travelers by way of canteens, restaurants, farm produce, etc.”

However, since President Buhari came to office in May 2015, work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, begun under the Jonathan administration, has stopped.

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 HOUSING is a basic necessity of man.

Indeed, all over the world, progressive and people-oriented governments make housing a major consideration of their development policies as its adequate provision makes a beneficial impact on the well-being of the people.

Considering the importance globally attached to housing provision, it is unfortunate that Nigeria’s housing profile since independence leaves much to be desired. Successive governments over the years have failed woefully to attend to this basic need of the citizenry in spite of several promises made during political campaigns and speeches by government officials.

The unfortunate consequence of this is that a significant proportion of the Nigerian population is currently either not housed or is living in accommodation that is far from decent or habitable.

Currently, Nigeria’s housing is put at 17 million units, which translates to about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated

Overcoming Our Housing Deficit 170 million people. Yet it has been repeatedly argued by those in the position to know that government will continue to flounder in its quest to tackle the multi-faceted problems crippling the nation’s economy until it squarely addresses the prevailing housing challenges. A former President of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Bode Adediji, is of the conviction that government’s neglect of the housing, property and production sectors is responsible for our inability to revamp the ailing economy after many years of trying.

Against this backdrop, we feel strongly that the President Muhammadu Buhariled Federal Government should revisit the issue of housing and effectively address its challenges. This, it can begin by accelerating the process of land reforms.

A major impediment to the construction of houses in Nigeria is the high cost of land. In fact, it is estimated that Nigeria requires 17 million plots of land to meet its 17 million housing units need. To make this estimated land available for housing development, government

should make haste in ensuring that the Land Use Act on which the reforms are based is amended to remove every form of impediment.

There is also a need to make funding more accessible to qualified individuals through a sustainable mortgage system.

Government, in partnership with professional private developers, should embark on mass housing programmes and plug in citizens to pay over a period and become homeowners.

The current grinding efforts of people embarking on building their own houses saps the middle and lowers classes of savings and generally predisposes people to corruption.

The entire housing approach in Nigeria has to change in tandem with best practices from around the world, whereby citizens can have easy access to housing and pay over time, irrespective of their economic stations.

OPINION Birth of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal(2) Continued from yesterday pg. 18

By Eric Teniola

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N both Tanzania and Zambia the Code applies only to leaders, defined so as to cover wide categories of persons: ministers, M.Ps, all party officials, senior officials of organisation affiliated to the party and of parastatals bodies and the Universities, councilors and civil servants in high and middle cadres.

The purpose of the Code is that a leader should not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his responsibility as leader, or which enables him to exploit others. With certain exceptions, the Code therefore forbids a leader or his spouse to draw more than one salary, to employ workers in connection with any trade, business, profession or vocation, including the running of a hotel, boarding House or like establishment for gain or profit; to own a house let out on rent to others; to be shareholders or director in a privately-owned enterprise.”

These were the prayers of the Sub-

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Committee on National Objectives and Public Accountability under Professor Ben Nwabueze in 1975. The committee also made provision for the Ombudsman. General Olusegun Obasanjo implanted the code of Conduct bureau and the Code of Conduct tribunal into the 1979 constitution but jettisoned the creation of Ombudsman.

If you look at the fifth schedule of the 1979 constitution from section 1 to section 21, they contain the recommendations of Professor Nwabueze. In 1980, President Shehu Shagari appointed Alhaji Isa Keita (1912-1994), the Waziri of Katsina as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau but Alhaji Shagari did not appoint the members of the Code of

The tribunal was designed to function hence it was implanted in the constitution. It was not setup as a joke

Conduct tribunal, hence the nonfunctioning of the bureau.

In 1988, General Ibrahim Babangida appointed a ten-man code of conduct bureau with Reverend Cannon Mohammed as its chairman and Dr. Rex Akpofure as its Secretary. In 1998, a Constitutional panel review under Justice Niki Tobi was appointed

by General Abdusalam Abubakar.

Justice Niki Tobi panel lifted word for word, line by line the contents of the 1979 constitution on the code of conduct bureau and code of conduct tribunal to be part of 1999 constitution and they are contained in the fifth schedule of the Constitution from section 1- section 19. The present members of the Code of conduct bureau are Mr. Sam Shaba as chairman. The tenure of the board of Mr. Sam Shaba has expired since April this year. President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to reconstitute new members of the code. Other members are Dr. Christy Ekoja, Dr. Ademola Adebo, Alhaji Disha Muhammed, Alhaji Ibrahim Mazo, Mr. Okechukwu Nwadinobi, Chief Stephen Bekefala while Mr. Choo Tony Salle Kyanni is the Secretary.

The question now is, are the punishment contained in the code of conduct too wide or too narrow?

Should public servants of the middle and lower cadres be included? Is the restriction on the individual freedom of enterprise and of acquisition too severe? What is to be the reasonable balance between the need for individual initiative and the prevention of exploitation? Is the loss to the nation resulting from the exclusion of “leaders” from entrepreneurial initiative a reasonable price to pay for the prevention of exploitation?

In 2003, the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the Independent Electoral Commission were put under the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in other to guarantee their independence. The tribunal was designed to function hence it was implanted in the constitution. It was not setup as a joke. The tribunal is not under the Supreme Court. It is totally independent. It can bark and bite. The earlier the tribunal makes a scapegoat, the more will it be taken seriously.

Concluded *Mr. Teniola, a former director at the presidency, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015— —19

What's happening to the Centre of Excellence?

By Sunny Ikhioya

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S I was rounding up this piece I came across a news headline from The Nation of November 2, 2015 titled; “Gridlock, insecurity ‘ll soon be over -Commissioner”. The comment was attributed to Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, Lagos state Commissioner for Home Affairs and I began to wonder; why do we always allow things to get out of control before taking action. Now we begin the process all over again, chasing Okada riders, chasing robbers and kidnappers and lawless drivers after five wasted months.

The task force on environmental sanitation has now woken up, so is KAI (Kick Against Indiscipline) and all other enforcement agents. All of these could have been avoided. What happened to Lagos?

Lagos is a city like no other; unique in its vibrancy, mix, drive and rush. Yes, the rush.

You feel it as soon as you enter the environmental space of Lagos, no matter the direction you are coming in from, it hits you. Lagos is God’s own city, it is no man’s land – forget the claims and counter claims from different interest groups. It started as a trading post that

attracted people from far and near, an agglomeration of cultures from far and near like Brazil, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Benin – Edo, the Yorubas who are closest neighbours and other Nigerians who migrated here because of its commercial interests and as federal capital city. Today’s Lagos is home to every ethnic group, even if it is not de-jure so, it is so by fact.

This is why Lagos state is arguably, the most difficult state to govern. It is the jugular of the nation. If Lagos shuts down for a day, the whole country is affected. That is why you cannot govern Lagos and take things for granted. It is the home of the Nigerian press and if you are not in the good books of the Press, you might as well kiss your political ambitions goodbye. Lagos is the place for leaders to seize the opportunity of their position to rise or fall. General Buba Marwa achieved success by concentrating on security, transport –Keke marwa and environmental sanitation while, General Olagunsoye Oyinlola failed for his inability to fix Lagos roads. That is Lagos, every little thing is amplified, issues other state leaders ignore become matters for roundtable

discussions and intolerable with the Lagos press, civil rights activists – who reside here are always on the alert.

You imagine the situation, daily, hundreds of thousands of people troop into the city, people of all shades, each with peculiar challenges that threaten the infrastructures of security, housing, traffic, etc. To contain all of these require real discipline and focused leadership.

Fortunately, the last governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, took the bull by the horn and displayed extra-ordinary courage in the discharge of his responsibilities. Lagos became the safest state to do business as crime rate dropped drastically.

There was order in the traffic on our roads as the no nonsense LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority)

The situation as it is presently is very bad and Governor Ambode must rise to the occasion before darkness falls on our Lagos

Conservation and sustainability of Nigerian museums

By Imuetinyan Olaitan

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HE existence of the museum depends greatly on its collections which are of inestimable value. The museum has several purposes and functions of which the crucial one is conservation. The major purpose of conservation is to ensure that the collections of the museum are preserved and made available for future generation. Edet (1990:90) defines conservation as a “means by which cultural property are protected from decay and damage. In her own view, Kerri (1994:12) sees conservation as the technical and scientific activities for the treatment and continuous care of objects as... well as monuments.

On the other hand, a museum, defined

by ICOM, 2002, as a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purpose of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment.

Types of Conservation Basically, there are two types of conservation; 1.Preventive conservation 2.Curative conservation Preventive Conservation In recent times, the emphasis is on preventive conservation because it attempts to prevent decay/damage from occurring. Preventive conservation is a process that seeks to nip in the bud or mitigate the effect of all the factors that, everyday, threaten an object’s continued survival. It requires a holistic attitude which includes a constant evaluation of how objects are stored, treated, handled, displayed and maintained. Preventive conservation is to keep objects/collections or monuments safe from harm or maintain them etc. so as to prevent their destruction (Okpoko, 2006). Preventive C M Y K

conservation is a strategic enterprise driven by a museum’s primary purpose that cannot be introduced without planning. This type of conservation includes integrated pest and climatic control around the objects, storage facilities and buildings. It also includes regular museum maintenance and identification of the agents of deterioration. It is also described as being the application of common sense measures.

Curative Conservation This type of conservation has varieties of names. It is also known as remedial, active and intervention conservation.

Here, the damage of object has already occurred, before conservation work is introduced. That is why it is also regarded as intervention conservation. Curative conservation is expensive to carry out. It is only used when the existence of the collection or object is threatened by damage or total lost.

Responsibility of a conservator: The activity/responsibility of a conservator consist of-Technical examination, Preservation and Conservation/ Restoration of cultural property Conservation Management: This refers to the art or skill employed to achieve expected results and meet required objectives through the efforts of the conservator. It is the duty of the conservators responsible for the

In recent times, the emphasis is on preventive conservation because it attempts to prevent decay/ damage from occurring

wardens dealt decisively with erring drivers and the bugs of Okada riders were kept at bay.

In Fashola’s Lagos, there was law and order. Imagine Oshodi; who would have believed that Oshodi and Mushin would be cleared of gridlock, criminals and filth, same for other parts of the state.

It was a modern day miracle.

That is why, despite all the ill feelings of some residents about Fashola, his performance in Lagos still gave him a pass mark.

Five months after his exit, the state is now in reverse gear. It is like all the structures that were put in place by Fashola are being steadily dismantled. Danfocommercial buses now run on the BRT lanes unchallenged, Okadas are back on the roads, even on highways/expressways and as usual, driving against traffic.

Everywhere you go to, there is traffic jam making the business environment very cumbersome. A regular radio listener to the early morning traffic reports or those who have access to the Gidi-traffic on the twitter handle, would be overwhelmed by the series of robberies that take place on our highways- Mile 2, Oworonshoki, Ikorodu road, and many more – the criminals are back. Let's, not even mention kidnapping. What is happening to our Lagos, the Centre of Excellence? What is Governor Akinwunmi Ambode doing? Is this not supposed to be a government of continuity? Why is he trying so hard to erase all Fashola’s legacy?

management of the collections to be aware that maintenance of information is very essential for understanding and use of the collections. An established procedure for regular assessment of the conditions of the collections and their maintenance must be put in place. Good storage space and well equipped laboratory to prevent damages should also be provided. The collections should be accessible and the physical care must be of professional standards.

Every treatment is an intervention.

Minimal treatment is preferred; this leaves an object closer to its original appearance, presents a lesser risk and affords the opportunity to await a better treatment technology. The purposes for treatment of objects are to stabilise for storage; to clean for exhibition; to repair after infestation; and to reverse previous treatment. Before, during and after treatment, detailed description of the condition of the object is recorded using the condition and treatment report format, documentation of the treatment of object is also recorded.

Understanding Museum Environment: A museum conservator should have an understanding of the museum environment in which the objects are housed. The museum environment centres on the buildings, (internal and external) the collections in storage and galleries. Environmental factors like temperature, relative humidity; light; pest infestation; natural and handling affects the collections. It is the responsibility of the conservator to preserve collections in storage for now and future use. Museum collections are preserved in storage not only to protect them from theft, but also to protect them from adverse atmospheric conditions. The idea in handling is to convey the object’s essence and its physical integrity.

Unnecessary and inappropriate handling leads to breakage, abrasion and damaged.

Awareness of proper handling, storage and display methods will result in better care and preservation of the collection.

CONSERVATION PRACTICE:-A good conservation practice involves planning strategies that will enhance and promote the practice to become more efficient.

It is a real pity as it will take great efforts and huge resources to fix the damages already done these past five months, resources that would have gone into other pressing projects, what a waste.

A Lagos resident would remember how long and difficult it took Fashola's government to get Okadas out of the Lagos highways. Now we begin all over, again. The various general hospitals were relieved of the huge flow of Okada accident victims, the police recorded reduced crime rates and the orderly flow of traffic was enjoyed by all law abiding citizens. We thought Lagos state has gone past these levels, now we are back to square one. Vital resources will now be channeled to these avoidable projects and in the process, enrich a few criminal elements. What a shame!

What LASTMA needed was fresh orientation and redirection in the light of new challenges, not public humiliation that they have been forced to go through. The police cannot cope with the Lagos traffic situation alone. They do not have the numbers.

The situation as it is presently is very bad and Governor Ambode must rise to the occasion before darkness falls on our Lagos. *Mr. Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

Fundamentally, all heritage preservation including that relating to museum collections, depends on two stages of decision-making. a)Selection: Within the resources available to the museum, what can and should be preserved? b)Evaluating and managing outcomes using human and other resources to reduce future damage.

Some of the suggested strategies would include: •Produce a preventive conservation strategy policy plan.

•Ensure the training of conservation personnel with practical skills and abilities for work in conservation practice.

•Ensuring a good conservation practice of recording the inventory, documentation and condition reports of objects before, during and after treatment.

•Develop a conservation policy for environmental regulation through : i The introduction of pest management and control programme ii Emergency preparedness.

The recommended issues stated above cannot be implemented without some challenges.

One conspicuous challenge in conservation practice is finance i.e. lack of funds to execute programme for conservators. The inability of conservators to make proper choice, select priorities, use initiative and improvisation in their performance to get best results in a particular situation. The worth of teamwork with other museum professions is immeasurable, because better and more efficient results are obtained, therefore this should be encouraged. Good environmental management and sustainable development are necessary for a sustaianable museum growth.

Due to growing demand for professionalism by conservators, periodic training of conservation personnel should be carried out. Alongside, lack of an equipped and functional conservation laboratory should be re-considered. *Mrs.Olaitan is the Principal Conservator, National Museum , Benin, Edo State.

20—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 the heart of a giant spoke his last words and his body went limp.

“Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues,” were the activist’s final words before he died ,blindfolded and dangling from a rope.

The hangmen made four attempts before finally killing SaroWiwa on the fifth one. At one point Saro- Wiwa asked: “Why are you people treating me like this?

Which type of country is this?”

That was quintessential Ken, a man I first came across through his literary works and activities as National President of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA. I was so thrilled by one of his TV drama series, Bassey and Company running on Nigerian Television Authority to the point I never missed any episode.

Ken Saro-Wiwa wins!

My lord, We all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginalisation and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. Neither imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.

I repeat that we all stand before history. I and my colleagues are not the only ones on trial.

Shell is here on trial and it is as well that it is represented by counsel said to be holding a watching brief. The Company has, indeed, ducked this particular trial, but its day will surely come and the lessons learnt here may prove useful to it for there is no doubt in my mind that the ecological war that the Company has waged in the Delta will be called to question sooner than later and the crimes of that war be duly punished. The crime of the Company’s dirty wars against the Ogoni people will also be punished.

On trial also is the Nigerian nation, its present rulers and those who assist them. Any nation which can do to the weak and disadvantaged what the Nigerian nation has done to the Ogoni, loses a claim to independence and to freedom from outside influence. I am not one of those who shy away from protesting injustice and oppression, arguing that they are expected in a military regime. The military do not act alone. They are supported by a gaggle of politicians, lawyers, judges, academics and businessmen, all of them hiding under the claim that they are only doing their duty, men and women too afraid to wash their pants of urine.

We all stand on trial: We all stand on trial, my lord, for by our actions we have denigrated our Country and jeopardC M Y K

Interview with Saro-Wiwa

The late Ken Saro-Wiwa ised the future of our children. As we subscribe to the sub-normal and accept double standards, as we lie and cheat openly, as we protect injustice and oppression, we empty our classrooms, denigrate our hospitals, fill our stomachs with hunger and elect to make ourselves the slaves of those who ascribe to higher standards, pursue the truth, and honour justice, freedom, and hard work. I predict that the scene here will be played and replayed by generations yet unborn. Some have already cast themselves in the role of villains, some are tragic victims, some still have a chance to redeem themselves. The choice is for each individual.

I predict that the denoument of the riddle of the Niger Delta will

Events all around us daily show that Nigeria will not experience peace until Ken’s soul is appeased by attending to those issues he raised which the country continues to run away from

soon come. The agenda is being set at this trial. Whether the peaceful ways I have favoured will prevail depends on what the oppressor decides, what signals it sends out to the waiting public.

In my innocence of the false charges I face here, in my utter conviction, I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger Delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights. History is on their side. God is on their side. For the Holy Quran says in Sura 42, verse 41: ‘All those that fight when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor.’ Come the day.”

-—Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa

T

HE above were the last statements of Ken SaroWiwa which Abacha special tribunal headed by Justice Ibrahim Auta refused to listen to before it handed death sentence to the renowned environmental campaigner,prolific author and successful businessman who stridently brought the cause of the oppressed Ogoni people to global focus. Ken and his eight colleagues were handed death sentences on October 31, 1995 amid global outrage.

By November 10, a month after Ken turned 54; hangmen were brought to Port Harcourt from Sokoto to carry out the executions.

They were the first condemned men to be executed in the oil-rich city since independence in 1960.It was reported that it took five attempts to hang Ken Saro-Wiwa before the diminutive writer with

My personal contact with Ken, however, did not come until sometime in 1990 when my editor at the Features Department of The Punch,Mr Bola Bolawole, assigned me to interview him.

Bolawole and Ken just had some exchanges over the Ogoni issue whose quest for self-determination the environmental campaigner was bringing on the front burner then. I was to go and prod him to understand what he was up to.

I arrived his office at Tejuosho area of Yaba late evening and met him discussing with some European visitors .He came out to see me briefly with his trademark pipe tucked in the left ridge of his mouth.He was dressed in a purple Kampala shirt atop a black trouser and a leather sandal to match.He pleaded for a few minutes to get done with his meeting .

Fifteen minutes after he was done and he ushered me into his office which was a forest of books.I didn’t waste time before I fired the first question to him:Why would a man like him who should be looking for solutions to the problems of 150 million people be agitating for only 500,000 people? He smiled first before he said the first word and his mien transfigured. By the time he spent about 20 minutes elucidating on the nationality question and the plight of minorities in Nigeria he suggested we should go into his car to continue the conversation.We spent the next one hour in his Peugeot 505 car from Yaba to Ogba in Lagos talking about the plight of the Ogoni people. After the theoretical class,he promised to take me to Ogoniland for a practical class.

A few months after I was in Ogoniland as Ken’s guest on an unguided tour and I saw firsthand man’s inhumanity to man unedited.Ogoni people were in abject poverty and in excruciating pains on account of their degraded environment despite being the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. I contrasted the horrible scenes I saw with the first world environment in Shell Camp in Port Harcourt where I spent two nights a few months earlier on the train of Christy Essien -Igbokwe who was there

on performance and concluded that if I were in Ken’s shoes I would not lead a people carrying leaves but arms against a state that could be that wicked.

His death: I wept profusely from the evil court in Port Harcourt the day the death sentence was pronounced on Ken as I accompanied his wife Hauwa to his home to give a message to Pa Beeson Wiwa(his father) from the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

For rousing Ogoni people to reject these conditions peacefully, the irrational Nigerian state under the murderous Abacha killed Saro-Wiwa and poured acid on his bones thinking it could kill an idea whose time had come.

No way! As we mark 20 years of the state murder of Ken,his ideas still haunt a criminal state as the Nigerian Customs impounded Ken’s memorabilia. ”The bus calls attention to the environmental degradation and economic deprivation, in which the Ogoni people live, despite being naturally blessed with enormous deposits of crude oil,” MOSOP said in its statement.

“After being on display at various places in the United Kingdom for nine years, at the request of Nigerian partners, the bus was shipped from London to Nigeria via Lagos Port.”

According to MOSOP, all efforts made by the Ogoni people to have the bus released have been futile and there have been no explanations on the seizure of the memorabilia.

MOSOP added that a different box containing flyers and reports to mark the 20th anniversary of Mr. Saro-Wiwa’s death, also sent by the platform through DHL, was likewise seized “for no justifiable reason” by the State Security Services.

Suppression of the memorial “We are concerned about this hostile attitude of the Nigerian government towards the Ogoni people and the suppression of the memorial to Ken Saro-Wiwa. We are concerned that 20 years after the killing of Ogoni leaders and the widespread attacks, which killed thousands of other Ogonis and sent many into exile, the Nigerian government seems to be maintaining this attitude of belligerence towards the genuine activities of the Ogoni people.

“We are concerned that after killing Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni eight, and dumping their bodies in an unmarked grave, the Nigerian government is bent on erasing every memory of SaroWiwa and his struggles for justice, including making sure that a “Living Memorial” – the Bus made in his memory and in solidarity with his people – is never delivered to them.”

Take heart Ogonis,the seizure is a victory for Ken and the struggle he lived and died for. Events all around us daily show that Nigeria will not experience peace until Ken’s soul is appeased by attending to those issues he raised which the country continues to run away from in a bid to sustain the “command and control” centre which enslaves the constituent units.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

— 21

T

HE Standard Bank Group has expressed its readiness for a fair resolution of the tussle between its Nigerian subsidiary, Stanbic IBTC and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN).

In a statement issued yesterday, the Group reiterated that it fully complied with appropriate Nigerian laws and regulations, and with international financial reporting standards applicable in the country The Central Bank of Nigeria last week said after examining past financial statements it did not find any case of ‘material misrepresentation’ by Stanbic IBTC and saw no need to ask it to restate them. The affirmation by the apex bank came after the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) faulted the bank’s audited accounts for 2013 and 2014 and ordered a restatement of the accounts. FRC failed to follow due process, CBN said.

Speaking during a meeting with a delegation of the NigeriaSouth Africa Chamber of Commerce in Johannesburg,Sim Tshabalala, CEO, Standard Bank Group, tracked the genesis of the controversy to the franchise arrangement between Stanbic IBTC and Standard Bank. He said the Standard Bank Group’s operating model, which covers a wide range of services, including IT, are provided by the Standard Bank Group to all its franchises in Africa. In the case of Stanbic IBTC, the charges for these services amount to approximately five percent of the total cost base of Stanbic IBTC.

Inter-company balance Over the past few years, the Nigerian National Office for Technology Acquisition and Procurement (NOTAP) has objected to the payment of the fees, which resulted in the accumulation of an outstanding inter-company balance between Stanbic IBTC and Standard Bank South Africa as these charges cannot be remitted without NOTAP’s regulatory approval, Tshabalala explained.

FRCN’s assertion that the absence of approval for the franchise fee and recent IT license fees from NOTAP invalidates the accruals raised for such intra-group items, and that the reflection of these accruals as liabilities on the financial statements as a misstatement, is incorrect, Tshabalala said.

“Essentially, in our view, the regulator has sought to reject the validity of an established contractual arrangement between Standard Bank SA and Stanbic IBTC. We argue that the regulator is not in a position to make this call, and we are not alone in this opinion.

To quote KPMG, ‘We wish to state categorically that KPMG does not agree with the decision taken by C M Y K

SEMINAR: From left, Ms Priscilla Owosekun, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mrs Lynsey Elston, V4 Adivisor; Dr. Jan Christoph Skeckel, Working Group, Climate and Devt, Berlin; Ms. Baerbel Freyer, Head of Energy and Environment; Dr Charles Dakoua Diarra, Head of Energy Efficiency Unit of the German Int’l Corporation (GIZ) and Teslim Giwa, HOD of Architecture, University of Ilorin at a seminar on energy efficiency.

Standard Bank seeks fair resolution of Stabic IBTC, FRC tussle the FRC as it does not reflect the true position in this matter. The decision of the FRC is erroneous on its merits and the process that led to it is significantly flawed and not in compliance with the requirement of the FRC Act,” Tshabalala further stated.

The Standard Bank chief said the charges for services and IT licenses have been correctly reflected as liabilities under International Financial Reporting Standards, despite the fact that foreign currency payments due to the Group cannot be remitted in

the absence of NOTAP’s approval. “More fundamentally, we believe that these are not matters

These are not matters of financial reporting at all but matters under the commercial dicretions of Stanbic IBTC’s board

of financial reporting at all but matters under the commercial discretion of Stanbic IBTC’s board of directors.”

While acknowledging that disagreements are inevitable in partnerships, Tshabalala said Nigeria and South Africa, as the continent’s foremost economies, have to complement each other to drive overall growth on the continent.

He expressed the Standard Bank Group’s strategy in eight words: ‘Africa is our home, we drive her growth.’ In other words, we’re firmly committed to doing

all we can to support and promote inclusive economic growth in Africa. We believe that the long-term profitability and sustainability of our business is inextricably linked to the development, stability and prosperity of the African continent.”

In resolving the current dispute, Tshabalala said Standard Bank Group remains committed to doing business in Nigeria, and to building constructive relationships with the Nigerian authorities based on clear communication and transparency.

BoI’s facility boosts local cables production by 30,000 tonnes

By Franklin Alli

T

HE Bank of Industry’s s intervention in the nation’s real sector, especially in the cables and wires industry, has increased local production of electric cables by 28,000 metric tonnes following the expansion of Coleman Wires and Cables factory from 2000 metric tonnes to 30,000 metric tonnes. “Speaking during the official commissioning of Coleman Wires and Cables factory, Arepo 2, in Ogun State, Managing Director, BoI, Rasheed Olaoluwa, said “ BoI is very pleased to have been instrumental to making this factory a reality. As a lender, you are happy, when you give out a loan and the loan has been well utilised for the purpose of which it was taken.

We are“very happy to see that the facility we have disbursed to this company has turned into a reality.” “?He added that the support of BoI to the company is consistent with the Development Finance Institution’s mission ?to transform the nation’s industrial sector, adding that the company has been able to shoot up its production

capacity from 2000 metric tonnes“to 30,000 metric tonnes.“?In his words: “We are very proud of the achievement of the company.

From inception, the company started roughly with about 2000 metric tonnes of wires and cables and today I am very proud to announce that this company has grown from 2000 tonnes to over 30,000 tonnes of cable. ?”“ According to him, the cable company was able to achieve this feat by maintaining and producing ?high quality standards of cable acceptable in any part of the world. ““It is no accident that the company has become the largest producer of cables and wires not only in Nigeria but the entire West African region. This company is a very innovative one achieving great strides in their business operations over the years and has also improved on“their activities and has also gained efficiency over the years,” he“said.

The Managing Director, Coleman Wires and Cable, George Onafowokan, stated “Our viewpoint is to satisfy local demand by also removing the import element.

Arepo 2 is a continuous process of our innovation and commitment to the Nigerian market. With this expansion, we

are telling the world that is possible for Nigerian companies to succeed in“engineering business and we are not stopping here,” he said.

118.50

0.75

$3,214. 00

-23.00

$14.28

-0.18

47.84

0.42

44.54

0.25

CURRENCY

BUYING

DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL 52.5291 SDR 273.3178

196 296.4892 213.2284 196.7674 1.6075 0.306 271. 7465 30.8492 52.2625

CENTRAL 196.5 297.2456 213.7724 197.2694 1.6116 0.316 272. 4398 30. 9284 52.3958

271.9304

197 298.0019 214.3163 197.7713 1. 6157 0.326 273.133 31.0075

272.6241

KRONA 28.5793 CBN Exchange Rate as at 9/11 /15

28.

22 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Over the last two decades, the demand for and interest in nonfinancial reporting by investors, civil society and other stakeholders have been on the rise

INVESTOR'S ,

,

TOP 10 PERFORMING STOCKS

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

O

ANDO Plc led on the top performers last week with 28.45 per cent or N1.71 appreciation, closing at N7.72 from N6.01. Guinness Nigeria plc trailed behind with 14.59 per cent or N18.24 increase, closing at N143.24 from N125.00 per share.

This was followed by Stanbic IBTC Holdings plc, which rose by 10.36 per cent or N1.96 to close at N20.87 from N18.91. National Aviation handling Company (NAHCo) closed as the fourth most active stock, rising by 8.71 per cent or N0.36 to close at N4.37 from N4.02

per share. Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) added 7.18 per cent or N0.13 to its share price to close at n1.94 from N1.81 per share; Aiico insurance was the next with 5.88 per cent or N0.05 increase to close at N0.90 from N0.85.

Others include Airline Services and Logistics, which advanced by 5.52 per cent or N0.10 to close at N1.91 from N1.81; Continental Reinsurance went up by five per cent or N0.05 to close at N1.05 from N1.00 per share; Beta Glass Company (Nig.) Plc appreciated by five per cent or N2.31 to close at N48.51 from N46.20, while Portland Paints and Products Plc advanced by 4.75 per cent or N0.16 to close at N3.53 from N3.37 per share.

Oando, which led the pack, is presently facing a stormy time for violating the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s post-listing rules requirement with regards to timely release of 2014 full year financial reports and first three quarters interim financial reports for 2015.

Though, the company has finally made the reports public, it didn’t come without prodding by the Exchange. According to the Exchange, which has launched investigation into the said accounts, the release of the results followed several engagements both before and after the due dates for the filings. The NSE seems to be suspecting foul play and has indicated readiness to sanction the company in event of any infraction.

This is in addition to sanctions already placed for violation of its post-listing rules. The result in question came with staggering

losses and has resulted in denial of dividend to shareholders for the previous year. Review of the results showed a loss after tax of N183.9 billion compared to a profit after tax of N1.396 billion in 2013. The half-year unaudited results for 2015, was also weak, as it reported loss after tax of N35.12 billion from

a profit after tax of N8.980 billion in the corresponding period in 2014.

For the full year 2014, Oando also recorded a decline in revenue from N449.8 billion to N424.67 billion while the company managed to increase revenue marginally from N55.67 billion in June 2014 to N60.32 billion in June 2015.

Guinness Nigeria Plc, which closed as the second most active stock in the week has been struggling with weak financials. The revenue for the nine month period grew by three per cent year-on-year. Mr. Peter Ndegwa, the Managing Director/ CEO, said: “In the period under review, sales continued to grow despite a challenging trading environment, being 3% ahead of the same quarter last year. Despite sales growth, gross profit declined by 12 per cent when comared to the same period of last year due to the impact of exchange rate devaluation, inflation and increased share of value brands. Marketing, distribution, administrative and other expenses at N8 billion were two per cent ahead of the previous year. Reported operating profit at N1.4 billion is 50 per cent below the previous year but is significantly impacted by the high costs which is expected to reverse during the rest of the year.”

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc is

locked in a legal battle with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over recent pronouncement on Stanbic IBTC directors with regards to its 2013, 2014 full year financials, which FRC claimed contained material misrepresentations. Following the allegation, FRC had suspended the FRC numbers of Stanbic chairman, Mr. Atedo Peterside, its CEO, Sola David-Borha and two directors and barred them from vouching for any financial statement in the country.

Though the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cleared Stanbic IBTC from all allegations raised against it by FRC and hence, refused to either sanction or force Stanbic to obey any order by FRC, the Council is seeking to quash a restraining order by a Lagos High Court to stop interfering in the bank’s operations. Meanwhile, the bank’s Q3 financial result for September, 2015 showed a announced 10 per cent growth in gross earnings to N104.4 billion from N94.6 billion for the its nine month period ended September 30, 2014. However, the bank’s profit before tax declined to N15.3 billion from N30.0 billion, representing 49 per cent decrease, while profit after tax went down by 46 per cent from N25.2 billion in 2014 to N13.5 billion. Net interest income of N32.9 billion, declined five percent compared to N34.7 billion posted a year earlier.

SEC, investors and the e-dividend mandate portal

By Babajide Komolafe

“

INVESTORS should be educated to complete separate forms for each shareholder account number, as upload of e-Dividend Mandate Forms shall be on the basis of individual shareholder number and company of investment

indicated by the investor on the physical e-Dividend Mandate Form.”

The above was contained in a circular issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to all registrars on the Electronic Dividend Mandate Management System (eDMMS) portal.

The portal was the product of collaboration between SEC and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address the persistent rise in unclaimed dividend in the country. Though SEC had introduced electronic dividend some years ago to address this problem, the trend had remained the same, as only few

BREAKFAST: From left, Augustine Nkwume, Partner, Audit Leader, Deloitte Nigeria; Junaid Akram, Technical Director & Consulting Actuary, TAF Consulting Group; Opara Nicholas, Director Supervision, NAICOM; Debo Ajayi, Chairman, TAF Consulting Group, and Oduware Uwadiae, Partner, Accounting & Business Process Solution, Deloitte Nigeria, at the Deloitte breakfast session actuarial service offering in Lagos. PHOTO BY AKEEM SALAU

MARKET NEWS SEC urges compliance to Corporate Governance Code

By Nkiruka Nnorom

T

HE Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mounir Gwarzo, has called for a strict compliance with Corporate Governance codes by companies operating in the country.

This is even as the Commission has expressed its readiness to collaborate with relevant bodies to ensure good corporate governance in the nation’s capital market.

Gwarzo stated this when the executives of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) visited him in Abuja Gwarzo said that as an institute that is vital in the promotion of corporate governance in Nigeria, ICSAN has a major role to play in safeguarding the rights of shareholders.

He said, “We have very onerous responsibilities to enforce corporate governance and in doing this, collaboration is very important. When you look at the market, our scope is wide, apart from the quoted companies; you

are also looking at about 800 or 1000 operators. When we finish with the quoted companies, we also want to extend the code and the compliance to all registered operators.

“What we started some few years ago was to say that any operator that is to be registered in the market must have a compliance officer. However excellent the sponsored individual has done, once your compliance officer has not met our minimum requirement, that fund will not be registered and the compliance

We have very onerous responsibilities to enforce corporate governance and in doing this, collaboration is very important

officer has a lot of responsibilities.

Apart from the normal requirements in terms of returns to other regulatory institutions, it is also to ensure that the right Corporate Governance practice is being implemented.”

He said a new corporate governance code for the capital market would soon be launched by the commission.

“We don’t want to launch this code and there would be difficulties and so we need to put deliverables in place. One of the things that we have done is training and so far, over 70 per cent of quoted companies have attended that training.”

The DG disclosed that the Commission will embark on enlightenment campaign to ensure the issue of good corporate governance is taken to the next level.

“We are very keen and committed in ensuring Corporate Governance. All over the world, people believe that what is key now for any company to survive and to grow is when it has a very robust Corporate Governance

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 23

,

S FORUM investors embraced e-dividend.

E-dividend was good, but the process was discouraging to investors. A critical aspect of the e-dividend mandate procedure was the verification of investors signature and account details.

To do this, the investors have to obtain a banker’s confirmation of signature letter to the registrar. The main challenge was that, an investor with shares in different companies, with different registrars, would need separate Bankers Confirmation letter addressed to each registrar. This definitely is tedious and time consuming. To compound this, the banks charge about N1000 for each of such letter. Thus investors, especially those with small shareholdings, were discouraged from enrolling for the edividend.

Thus the e-DMMS portal was introduced to address these challenges.

But as it is, the objective of this laudable initiative may not be achieved. The most imminent threat to the e-DMMS is lack of education and awareness. As indicated above, SEC indicated the need for investors

The main challenge was that, an investor with shares in different companies, with different registrars, would need separate Bankers Confirmation letter addressed to each registrar framework. Thinking is moving beyond having an excellent financial, it is actually on the governance. Scholars believe that once you have excellent governance and you have done it in such a way that you have complied with all the relevant requirements in terms of election of board members and things are done appropriately, there is no reason that institution will not grow to a high level” he added The ICSAN President, Mr Nat Ofo, while speaking at the meeting expressed the

to be educated, but it was silent about who should or who would educate them.

Is it the registrars or the banks, or even SEC itself? Nobody knows.

Given that the e-DMMS is primarily a capital market issue, and a solution to an industry problem, SEC or the Capital Market Committee, led by SEC should be responsible for the education of investors. Experience has shown that without regulatory leadership, capital market operators especially registrars are usually not committed to industry-wide initiatives like the e-DMMS. They may agree with the regulator, but when they consider the cost of promoting such initiative as we as the infrastructure they have to set up to implement it, they would foot drag about educating investors.

Implementing the e-DMMs as mandated by SEC and CBN implies registrars and banks, incurring significant expenses to equip their branches to access and operate the portal. Thus they cannot be trusted to promote or educate investors.

Secondly, the circular issued by SEC on September 22nd on the e-DMMS

by Sec is technical for the average retail investor, with gaps and issues that require clarifications that can only be adequately provided by the regulators.

In addition to this are certain aspects of the process which were covered by the circular.

Thus, if the SEC is really committed to the success of e-DMMS and really want see a massive adoption by investors, it would have to do more than the issuing circulars to registrars over the initiative.

(For comments, questions and enquiries pls write to vanguardinvestorsforum@gmail.com) readiness of the institute to partner with SEC in entrenching good corporate governance.

He said, “The essence of this visit is to smoothen the relationship between SEC and ICSAN “We felt that it is better to have this discussion and review the things that we can do together. This will enable us draw out the areas we can work together particularly in the area of corporate governance.

EY, NSE partner on climate change, sustainability

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RNST & Young (EY) Nigeria has concluded plans with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), with support from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), to bring together leading industry practitioners to beam searchlight on issues around global trends and initiative on climate change.

The move is coming ahead of the climate change conference in Paris where a universal agreement on climate change is expected to be reached.

The conference themed ‘Business Transformation through Transparency’ is slated for November 13, at the Eko Hotels and Suites and targeted at company’s CEOs, chief sustainability officers and directors, directors of head of relevant units such as health, security, safety and

environment, risk, community relations and corporate social responsibility, among others.

Speaking on the rationale behind the conference, EY said the need for transparency in corporate reporting cannot be over-emphasized, noting that over the last two decades, the demand for and interest in non-financial reporting by investors, civil society and other stakeholders have been on the rise.

The firm further stated that the past decade has seen a steady increase in voluntary and mandatory sustainability reporting requirement, adding that various studies have pointed to the fact that, sustainability is not just a concern for major multinational corporations but for all organizations.

All these irregular ideas are not moving the market forward, so they need to put this kind of idea on hold

,

INVESTORS SPEAK

Demutualisation: NSE should seek ways of deepening market

•Oderinde

•Anono

By Providence Obuh

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emutualisation is transforming a stock exchange from being a selfregulatory organisation, with no shareholders, to a public company that is share ownerbased and profit-seeking. It allows the shares of an exchange to be quoted on its floor.

Shareholders who spoke with Investor’s Forum said that the NSE should be more focused seeking ways of deepening the market.

Mr. Taiwo Oderinde – National Coordinator at Proactive Shareholders Association of Nigeria: Really I don’t know the problem the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, has this days, they have so many things doing at the same time. If you look at the total capitalisation of our market, is not going up is depreciating virtually everyday from about 12 trillion to about 9 and 10 trillion, So I believe there is a need for our regulators to check themselves, there are lots of things they are doing that are not helping the market, instead of them to deepen the market, they are coming with one thing today and another tomorrow, we are seeing the NSE as if they are confused. Not only the NSE but look at the Financial Reporting Council, FRC, these are people who just come to the market for selfish purpose making money at the expense of the government, they leave what they ought to do with the intention of coming to the market to make money, without any impact or giving value to investors. I believe that as a nation, it is a time and season of change for us, there are lots of things we need to change. The idea of demutualising should be put on hold, our capital market is about fifty years old, there are some capital markets in other countries that are over 100 years and they are still viable and active and I always think that the issue of population that we go about talking is not, is about educating the people, there are countries who are not as populous as us and their market are doing

very fine and if there is a need for stake holders to come in is good so that we can seat down and discuss all these things. All these irregular ideas are not moving the market forward, so they need to put this kind of idea on hold and let us identify the common problem because of the way our regulators are going. One thing I have observed is that SEC is just drawing back, they have not really come up with a position as the apex regulator. Look at the case of IBTC, if not for CBN that came out and said that it is the FRC that made the wrong decision and SEC is not doing anything as the regular but FRC is just coming as if they are the apex regulator. Some people who need to be regulated are now claiming to be apex regulator. They are just killing our market everyday, some foreign investors have been asking what is FRC. Mr. Godwin Anono, President, Professional Shareholders Association of Nigeria: It is a very good market, but mind you when you go to the market and you are gaining from the front and loosing from the back, it is very dicey, but the way I see the NSE being quoted at the floor is that it is going to be gaining both from behind and from the front, it is a very good bargain. They should be quoted so that the retail investors like us can come and buy their shares. They should come to the floor and see the price they are placing and also see the fundamentals they are using to place themselves on the floor of the stock exchange and that is how they will know that this and that is exactly what they want. It is now left to the retail investors to ensure they get what they want from where they invest and at the end they would definitely have a bonus and a dividend and with these they would be able to entice the Nigerian investors. The issue of one investor hijacking the whole shares would not be proper so we want to see a situation where 70 to 80 percent would belong to the retail investors, to avoid the majority investor from dominating the market and the true and final position of the NSE would come out so that investors would know that they are fully operating on a clean plate.

There are lots of things they are doing that are not helping the market

24—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

CBN concerned about rising non-performing loans ď ŹUrges greater contingency plans, stress tests Stories by Michael Eboh

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has warned of a grave financial crisis in the Nigerian banking sector in the remaining part of 2015, while it also raised an alarm of a likely increase in Non-Performing Loans, NPL, in the financial sector due to the exposure of banks to the oil and gas sector.

The Bank also expressed concern over the decline in the quality of bank assets in the period under review, as NPLs increased by approximately 70 per cent to N628.54 billion at endJune 2015, from N363.31 billion at end-December 2014.

"At 4.65 per cent from 2.88 per cent, the NPL ratio remained within the prudential limit of 5.0 per cent though trended closer to the regulatory threshold, reflecting greater levels of stress in the banking industry," the CBN maintained.

The CBN, in its recently released, Financial Stability Report for June 2015, further said the decline in crude oil revenue and dwindling demand for Nigeria's crude will pose significant challenges to the country, especially in the areas of infrastructure financing and job creation.

The apex bank noted that the falling oil prices have impacted negatively on the balance sheets of many banks, revenue drive of oil and gas companies and their ability to meet their financial obligations to banks and their financiers among others.

The CBN said: "Falling crude oil prices impacted adversely on government revenues and overall fiscal operations. The development resulted in dwindling revenue to state governments and oil and gas operators.

"In view of the significant exposure of banks to these sectors, NPLs are likely to increase, leading to higher credit risk.

"Further dimensions of credit risk that may arise in the second half of 2015 include NPLs resulting from foreign currency exposures; thus, straining banks' capacity to meet their foreign currency obligations."

Contingency planning and stress tests The CBN, however, said it

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BRIEFING: Chief Finance Officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Aigbe Olotu; Board Chairman, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Kola Adesin; and Head, Technical, Ikeja Electric, Mr.Min Jae Park, during an interactive session with the media on the post privatisation progress made at Egbin, the nation’s largest generation company recently. will continue to monitor the developments while requiring banks to strengthen their contingency plans and to conduct regular stress tests to mitigate the impact of the crash in oil prices on their balance sheets.

The CBN further said that output growth in the second half of 2015 is expected to be subdued owing to a

In view of the significant exposure of banks to these sectors, NPLs are likely to increase, leading to higher credit risk

combination of factors, including dwindling oil revenue inflow and security challenges.

It said: "Also, inflationary pressures is projected to raise headline inflation in the second half of the year to 9.3, 9.3, 9.8, 10.0 and 10.0 per cent in July, August, September, October and November 2015,

respectively.

"The persistent dwindling oil receipts and falling demand for Nigerian crude will pose significant challenges to the country in various areas, particularly the financing of the desired infrastructural development programmes and job creation.

Gas flaring: FG fines oil firms N1.5bn in 6 months O

il and gas companies operating in Nigeria paid about N1.46 billion into the coffers of the Federal Government as penalty for gas flaring between January and June 2015, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has said.

The CBN, in its Statistical Bulletin for the Second Quarter, Q2, 2015, also revealed that the Federal Government received about N14.67 billion from pipeline fees and other miscellaneous items in the period under review Specifically, the CBN, said oil firms paid N670 million as fines for gas flaring in Q1 2015 and N790 million in Q2.

In the area of pipeline and miscellaneous fees, the country earned N4.57 billion and N10.10 billion in Q1 and Q2 respectively.

In addition, Nigeria earned N629.66 billion from the Petroleum Profit Tax and gas

tax in the period under review.

In particular, it received N214.49 billion from this item in Q2 2015, dropping sharply by 48.34 per cent or N200.68 billion in comparison with the 2014 figure of N415.17 billion.

In general, the CBN put total gross federally-collected revenue at N1.307 trillion in Q2 2015, compared with to N1.695 trillion collected in Q1 and N2.523 trillion in Q2 2014.

According to the CBN, this represented decreases of N388.45 billion or 22.91 per cent and N1.215 trillion or 48.18 per cent, below the preceding quarter's level and corresponding quarter of 2014, respectively, while the country's revenue collections met 58.06 per cent budget performance.

Continuing, the CBN said: "Analysis of gross receipts revealed that, at N819.50 billion, oil revenue accounted for 62.70 per cent of total

gross federally-collected revenue, while the balance of N487.61 billion or 37.30 per cent was collected from nonoil revenue sources.

"Gross oil revenue for the period under review reflected decreases of N372.28 billion or 31.24 per cent from N1.192 in first quarter 2015, and N968.42 billion or 54.16 per cent, below the level in the second quarter of 2014. Gross oil revenue met 60.35 per cent of its budget target of N1.358 trillion.

"After deductions of first line charges, net oil revenue stood at N626.84 billion, indicating decline of N344.91 billion or 35.49 per cent and N643.95 billion or 50.67 per cent, below its levels in first quarter 2015 and second quarter 2014, respectively."

The CBN further said: "At N702.10 billion, gross tax revenue dropped by N216.86 billion or 23.60 per cent, relative to its level in the

preceding quarter; and also by N604.20 billion or 46.25 per cent, when compared with the level in the corresponding quarter of 2014.

"Further analysis showed that PPT and Gas Tax, made the highest contribution of N214.49 billion or 30.55 per cent of total tax revenue. Total tax collection met 54.48 per cent of its budgetary estimate during the review quarter.

"Gross non-tax revenue stood at N605.00 billion, representing decreases of N171.60 billion or 22.10 per cent and N611.24 or 50.26 per cent, below the levels recorded in the last quarter and the corresponding quarter of 2014, respectively. Of the total non-tax revenue, crude oil sales contributed 76.01 per cent or N459.89 billion. Non-tax revenue collection reflected a 62.85 per cent budgetary performance."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—25

SNEPCo promotes methanol clean cookstoves S

hell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo, has signed an agreement with Project Gaia Prospects Limited, PGPL, for the conduct of a pilot study on the use of Ethanol clean cookstoves, a cleaner and safer way of cooking.

Under the terms, SNEPCo will provide 2,500 clean cookstoves and 15,000 canisters for distribution to households in Lagos, while PGPL will ensure the supply of Ethanol fuel blended with methanol, tagged, M)Ethanol, during the one-year study.

The (M)Ethanol clean cookstoves project is aimed at reducing mortality associated with indoor air pollution by providing cleaner and healthier cooking alternative to kerosene, firewood and charcoal.

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, GACC, estimates that household air pollution contributes to 70,000 premature deaths every year and affects 127 million people in Nigeria.

"We're pleased to promote a safer cooking system in Nigeria as part of efforts to encourage access to a better source of energy," said SNEPCo Managing Director, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, at the signing ceremony last week. "There is a compelling case for action on a better and leaner cooking

method. I'll be taking a personal interest to ensure the agreement we've just signed delivers on all promises and opens the door to safer cooking in Nigerian households."

The Director of Project Gaia International, Mr. Harry Stokes, also said: "We started this journey with Shell International in 2001, and executed the first project three years later in Brazil and Haiti with support from Shell Foundation. We then went to

Ethiopia where the government has supported the use of Ethanol clean cookstoves in all refugee camps because of the inherent health benefits. We're happy that the project is now in Nigeria with the active support of SNEPCo." He said Project Gaia plans the fabrication and assembly of the (M)Ethanol clean cookstoves in Nigeria to ensure their availability and promote local content development in

the country.

Also speaking, Shell's General Manager, Production, Mr. David Martin, who serves on the board of the GACC, said: "We eagerly look forward to the completion of the pilot study in Lagos so the benefits can quickly spread to other parts of Nigeria. This is about saving lives, stopping deforestation, and creating employment through the production of the clean fuels incountry and the planned local

assembling of (M)Ethanol clean cooktsoves by Project Gaia."

SNEPCo had earlier supported a pre-pilot health study in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital under the supervision of Prof. Christopher Olopade, a specialist in pulmonary medicine at the School of Medicine of the University of Chicago in the United States.

The 150 households covered in that study said they found the Ethanol clean cookstoves better PARTNERSHIP: From left: Director, Project Gaia International, USA, Mr. Harry Stokes; Managing Director, Project Gaia Prospects Limited, Mr. Joe Obueh; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Bayo Ojulari; General Manager, External Relations, Shell, Mr. Igo Weli; and the General Manager, Production, Shell Nigeria, Mr. David Martin, at the signing of a partnership agreement for a pilot study on the use of (M)Ethanol clean cookstoves, at the SNEPCo office, Lagos.

Confusion over NERC’s stand on electricity tariff

By Sebastine Obasi

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o be or not be? That is the question or the state of confusion facing Nigerians as regards electricity tariff. The confusion is aggravated by the recent declaration of the

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC that it is not going to increase electricity tariff by 40 percent.

The Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the Commission will instead apply the principles of

prudence and affordability in the current upward review of electricity tariffs in the country.

The review process of new electricity tariff is still ongoing and as such there is no way of knowing now what the

percentage increase will be until the process is completed. This is why Amadi averred that “It is all speculative; we will not know until the end of the review. We said that in the tariff proposals from the DISCOs, some have

75% Nigerians lack access to regular power

By Sebastine Obasi

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espite the huge investments made in the energy sector since the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, about 75 percent of the Nigerian population still live without access to regular electricity supply. According to The Nigerian Association of Energy Economists, NAEE, despite statistics indicating that 45 percent of the country's population is currently connected to the national grid, regular supply is still restricted to just about 25 percent of the population.

This is coming as the International Finance Corporation, IFC, said that constant regular power supply will ensure overall prosperity and

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development for Nigeria.

Most of the people with access to electricity are found within the urban areas of the country, thus leaving citizens in the rural areas with less access to electricity supply. NAEE therefore raised concern on economic redundancy in these parts of the country, adding that despite the importance of energy to economic development, large proportions of Nigerians still lack access to electricity.

The National President, NAEE, Mr. Wumi Iledare, who stated this at the 2015 World Energy Day, said energy contributed greatly to the transformation of the world and provided comfort to the human race. He, however, noted that the association was concerned that majority of Nigerians do not have access to energy, stressing that for those

with some form of access, availability and quality still remain major issues to contend with.

"Nigeria has vast and varied energy resources, both renewable and non-renewable resources. The nation is also the largest economy in Africa with a GDP (gross domestic product) of about $531.8 billion, according to the World Bank, yet the nation still faces serious energy poverty issues, with energy supply falling short of energy demand.

"It is estimated that the nation has as much as 90 percent deficiency in electricity supply while in off-grid areas where some 50 percent of Nigerians live, access to electricity is practically zero. Even in on-grid areas, power outages are still a recurrent theme and this has continued to pose serious

constraints to economic development.

"There is obvious inequity in energy access based on levels of income, and location. Access is nearly 100 percent in developed countries, compared to 60 percent in the developing countries. In 2011 alone, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that about 68 percent of the people in subSaharan Africa were without access to modern energy and 52 percent of Nigeria's population falls into that category," he said.

According to the NAEE President, some of the factors for this pitiable state of access to energy are endemic corruption, poor assets maintenance, inadequate gas supply to thermal generation plants, transmission infrastructure, and inconsistent government policies.

40 percent; some 60 percent; some five percent and so on for different customer classes.

At the end of the day, the final tariff that will be approved will be such that does not give the distribution company what it does not deserve and that commits the DISCO to quality service delivery.”

Amadi’s comments came not quite long after he had said that NERC was set to increase the tariff. According to him, the new electricity tariff proposed by the distribution companies, DISCOs, for approval by the regulatory agency would be ready for implementation by the end of October.

The NERC had at its recent public consultation where the proposed new retail electricity rates were jointly reviewed by stakeholders, explained that it would first review the figures presented by the DISCOs, with consideration to the diverse views of consumer groups, who were at the consultation before approving any rates.

The NECR Chairman at the public consultation said the new rates would be out and subsequently practical in the sector by the end of October.

26—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Experts canvass more initiatives on renewable energy

By Funmi Olasupo

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he need to impact on the lives of thousands of people that are not connected to the national grid in remote villages across the country gave birth to the partnership for power generation through its Solar Energy to improve their living standard.

In this regard, the Bank of Industry, BoI, and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, are providing a long-term financing for the installation of off-grid solar home systems in six communities in a pilot phase.

The decision of BoI to fund renewable energy project, environment experts said, is in line with the policy direction of the present administration.

To this end, experts in the energy sector have called for the replication of such project across the country.

Recently, President Mohammadu Buhari, had during the just concluded Nigeria Alternative Power Expo, NAPE, called on investors in the power sector to shift emphasis towards environmentally friendly alternative sources of power generation in order to protect the ecosystem.

Apart from the already commissioned 24KW micro-grid solar electrification each in Bisanti, a remote village in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, and in Ife-North LGA in Osun State, the project is to be replicated in four other communities. They include Ogbekpen, Ikpoba in Okha LGA, Edo State; Kolwa Kaltunga LGA, in Gombe State; Onono, Anambra West LGA, in Anambra State; and Carwa/Cakum, Markarfi LGA, in Kano State.

The over 200 rural dwellers in each of the communities that were captured in the project are expected to have sufficient solar electricity to power three LED light bulbs, one electric fan, one radio/TV set and Mobil phone charging. Unlike in the grid system in which electricity bill is by fiat, the solar power system will be anchored on 'Pay-as-YouGo prepaid technology.

Speaking during the commissioning, the BoI Managing Director, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, noted that the need to impact on the lives of thousands of people that are not connected to the national grid in remote villages in the country was the driving force behind the project.

According to him, the rural electrification solution would not only help in reducing ruralurban migration, it would also help preserve the lives of the people as well as the ecosystem.

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He said: "Those that are worse hit by the current electricity situation in the country are the rural communities, especially the off-grid areas which have always been without electricity and have resigned their fate to the use of kerosene lanterns, oil lamps and other types of dangerous and unhealthy sources of light to be able to live their daily lives.

"Firstly, the installation of offgrid solar home systems in the two communities will help developing the communities.

Secondly, we can begin to see a slowdown in rural urban migration, and possibly a reversal. It is a model we are deploying in six communities across the six geopolitical zones.

"Solar is a green energy that relies on energy from the sun.

The solar panel stores energy and the one that is not used during the day is stored in a battery. It is a self-sustaining

model, environmentally friendly and we are proud to be supportive of the process."

Olaoluwa said the bank's medium term vision is to install solar systems through the combination of micro-grid and

The rural electrification solution would not only help in reducing ruralurban migration, it would also help preserve the lives of the people as well as the ecosystem

stand-alone solar systems in 100,000 homes in the next five years. He also expressed his readiness to partner with state governments and private investors with a view to replicating the project in other communities across the country.

While urging the nation to tap into the abundance renewable energy sources in Nigeria, he emphasized that "Renewable energy such as hydro, wind and solar are growing in relevance and commercial adoption on a global scale. The critical role of renewable energy was reemphasized at the G7 Summit which held in June2015, where the leading industrial nations agreed to decarbonise the global economy by phasing out the use of fossil fuels by the end of this century."

HAND OVER: Ministerial appointee, Zainab Ahmed, handing over to Orji Ogbonna, Acting NEITI Executive Secretary.

40% capacity can meet local lube consumption

By Sebastine Obasi

S

takeholders in the oil industry said that the total installed capacity of the lube plants in Nigeria currently operating at about 40 percent can meet the local consumption, with the potential to export and earn foreign exchange for the country.

They also urged motorists to shun sub-standard lubricants, to ensure longer life span for their vehicles.

Speaking at the preconference event to herald the second Nigeria Lubricant Summit, the Principal Partner, Lubeservices Associates, Mr. Kayode Sote, said: "It is imperative for Nigerians to be aware of the quality of Lubricants that are used in

their cars and machinery".

Sote, who is the technical consultant to the Summit, stressed the need to draw attention to the nation's lubricant quality and the challenges facing the industry. According to him, a large number of Nigerians usually use improper roadside lubricants that do not go through testing, which sometimes affect their equipment or vehicles.

"The imperatives of the technical and commercial challenges of the Nigerian lubricants market informed the need to organize this year's Conference and Exhibition on lubricants' quality, their sustainability, compliance and enforcement in line with the research and development in base oils,

additive technology and techno economic dynamics of engine designs in general," he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Lubcon Limited, Mr Taiye Williams, reiterated the need to sanitise the Nigerian lubricant subsector for growth in the oil and gas industry. "For us at Lubcon, we have invested a lot on testing lubricants in laboratories to ensure that the quality we are preaching is what Nigerians get," he said.

The 2nd Nigerian Lubricants Summit is scheduled to hold from November 24 to November 26, 2015 in Lagos.

Mining engineers task FG on minerals devt

By Gabriel Ewepu

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HE Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers, NSME, has called on the Federal Government to muster the political will to develop the solid minerals sector, its President, Mr Benjamin Onwude, urged at the NSME Conference held in Jos, Plateau State, recently.

According to Onwude the government must ensure that the solid minerals that abound across the states is harnessed with all sense of commitment as it did with the oil and gas sector if it is committed to drastically reducing unemployment and creating wealth in the country.

He said: "There should be no doubt that the mining industry has the potential to become once again the principal engine of economic growth of our country. The development of solid minerals requires a strong political will and patriotism to succeed.

"Nigeria has put in place a new mining code and economic policy aimed at repositioning itself as a country with mining opportunities in order to attract foreign investment to minerals sector and improve its hard currency earnings."

He however noted that for the government to really develop the mining sector as expected by stakeholders the necessary infrastructure are to be put in place.

"For government to achieve its laudable dreams, it had to tackle the various challenges bordering on lack of appropriate data on minerals, inadequate mining related infrastructure, lack of indigenous technology and equipment, high cost of electricity as well as low domestic market for solid minerals.

"Also, the government needs to tackle the issues of security, artisanal mining, shortage of experienced and skilled workforce, lack of research and development, demand for sustainable environmental practice as well as inadequate funding of mining institutions," he said.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Umar Baba Farouk, who was represented by Director of Mines Inspectorate Department, Mr. Dauda Awojobi, expressed optimism that the sector can be reinvented and repositioned for greater productivity.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—27

Perched in a relatively quiet Northeast flank of the country, Taraba State has in the last four years earned a disproportionate slice of political intrigues since the air crash that incapacitated its immediate past governor, Danbaba Suntai.

The tribunal judgment sacking his successor, Darius Ishaku brings a different dimension to the intrigues.

A vehicle damaged during the violence that erupted between supporters of the PDP and APC

By John Mkom, Jalingo

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OUR persons emerged as the main aspirants for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ahead of the 2015 governorship contest.

The quartet included the then acting governor of the state Alhaji Garba Umar popularly known as UTC, former Nigerian ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Amb. Musa John, a younger brother to the not too recently deceased top police officer, DIG Haruna John.

The others were David Sabo Kente, former director of finance at the National Assembly and a serving minister at that time, Arch Darius Dickson Ishaku.

Umar had become acting governor just two weeks after he became deputy governor following the air crash in October 2012, that turned Governor Danbaba Suntai into a physical wreck.

His emergence as acting governor was viciously opposed by some power mongers in the state and he was also in a no love lost relationship with a number of officials loyal to Suntai who saw him as an intruder.

Power circle Though he was able to woo several persons, he, however, failed in wooing the chairman of the state chapter of the party, Victor Bala Kona.

Bala Kona opposed Umar till he was removed in office by Supreme Court in late 2014.

Umar, however, reached beyond Kona to get support from the national headquarters among whom were the then national chairman, Adamu Mu‘azu who was said to be solidly behind his aspiration to become governor.

The power circle around Suntai, however, fell in behind Ishaku and they were said to have also won the support of President Goodluck Jonathan. Among the powerful individuals backing Ishaku was also the state’s most influential personality, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.

Danjuma and Ishaku are from Jukun tribe in Takum Local Gov-

Taraba's ticking troubles ernment . Kente, the former director of finance at the National Assembly also enjoyed the blessing of the elders in the state particularly in the southern senatorial zone where Ishaku also comes from.

At a point the southern Taraba elders endorsed Kente, an arrangement that earned the former director high popularity amongst the four contestants in PDP. John, who is from the Northern senatorial district, meanwhile positioned himself to potentially benefit from the disagreement between the southern gladiators whose zone was the focus of

The religious factor is an issue with some major political players who have now lined up with Ishaku, a Christian in the battle of intrigues

many for power shift. That was against the background that the two preceding substantive governors, Rev. Joylly Nyame and Suntai were respectively from the North and Central senatorial districts.

Smooth succession However, the path to a smooth succession was marred by allegations of substitution of delegates that emerged from the ward congresses that was to precede the state PDP congress.

Umar was the object of many accusations and that led to a long standoff. Indeed, a former chief whip of the House of Representatives, Ishaka Bawa was allegedly molested at the Taraba Motel Annex, in Jalingo, venue for the collation of the names of the delegates. He was supposedly harassed by agents of Umar who took control of the venue.

The present speaker Taraba State House of Assembly, Peter Abel Diah was also manhandled on the same day by the same youths. The two officials were the first to leak out the information that officials sent by the Mu‘azu led National Working Committee were in cahoots with some other undisclosed personalities in the state in the substitution of delegates.

Diah was himself pointed in accusing Umar of substituting the delegates.

In the midst of the tension, the national secretariat fixed a date for the governorship primaries, but on the said date, the officials sent from Abuja refused to show up at the venue.

And that began the long wait as delegates were camped for days in several hotels waiting for the governorship primaries.

While all other states produced their candidates, the situation remained vague in Taraba. In the midst of the intrigues, Umar himself lost his place of influence when on November 21, 2014, the Supreme Court sacked him as acting governor on the claim that Abubakar Danladi who was impeached two weeks before Suntai’s air crash was wrongly removed from office.

Eventually the list of delegates supposedly submitted by officials despatched from Mu‘azu was cancelled and the national stakeholders settled for a fresh exercise to hold in Abuja.

Whatever it was, Ishaku emerged on December 11, a few hours to the deadline for the submission of the official candidates of the parties to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. INEC, according to court documents, claims that it was not privy to the arrangement that led to the emergence of the PDP candidate in Abuja.

Umar was reportedly freely offered the Taraba North Senate ticket as compensation after Ishaku’s emergence as

governorship candidate.

However, Danladi who at that time had become the new acting governor was said to have muscled his way in to grab the ticket from Umar.

Religious factor Meanwhile, Senator Aisha Alhassan who had become a darling to many especially in Taraba North had emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC following her defection from the PDP. She had fallen out with Suntai before the air crash and had won admiration following her triumph in 2010 over the former governor, Nyame in the race to win the PDP Taraba North Senate ticket for the 2011 elections.

Alhassan is a Muslim in the Christian dominated state, a fact that did not suppress her popularity. However, few deny the fact that the religious factor is an issue with some major political players who have now lined up with Ishaku, a Christian in the battle of intrigues.

Among the big wigs in the state that have lined up behind the embattled governor are Senators Dahiru Bako and Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, former Governor Nyame and some former senators including Saleh Danboyi, Anthony Manzo, Danlami Ikenya, and Hon. Ishaka Bawa.

28—VANGUARD, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

APC BoT Member from Bayelsa State, Mr. Peres Peretu, leading the grassroots mobilisation of supporters of Sylva/Igiri ticket in

Toru-Orua, country home of Governor Seriake Dickson.

Dickson, Sylva to sign peace accord today

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

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OVERNORSHIP candidates of the twenty political parties vying for Creek Haven, the Bayelsa Government House in the December 5 guber election will today (Tuesday) meet in Yenagoa to sign a peace accord ahead of the poll.

Vanguard gathered that the peace meeting, convened at the instance of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is to extract the commitment of the parties and their candidates to a peaceful poll devoid of rancour and bloodletting.

The candidates of the twenty political parties jostling for the plum office, it was learnt, have signified their intention to attend the meeting because of the importance attached to it.The essence of the programme is for the twenty political parties and the candidates contesting the December 5 governorship

election in the state to publicly affirm their commitment to a non violent and peaceful election.

Head of Department, Voter Education/Publicity, Mr.

Timidi Wariowei, in an interview in Yenagoa told Vanguard that the commission had already notified all the political parties to come along with their governorship

candidates to sign the peace deal.

According to him, majority of the the parties have indicated willingness to be part of the historic event.

His words, “Due to the importance the commission attaches to a peaceful election, the acting chairman of the commission, Mrs. Amina Zakari will personally come to Bayelsa State to witness the peace deal.

“Also expected at the event are the state commissioner of police, Director SSS, head of other security agencies, traditional/religious ruler, leading civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders.”

He enjoined all the political parties and their governorship candidates to attend the programme and sign the peace deal, which according to him, will help guarantee a peaceful, free, fair and credible election in the state.

Youths in Southern Ijaw defect from APC

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

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BOUT 1000 youth members of the APC in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, weekend, defected to the PDP. They were received into the party by Governor Dickson at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Yenagoa.

Dickson told the youths that the future of the state and the Ijaw nation lies with them and challenged them to come out en masse to vote and stand firm to defend their votes. He said anyone who loved the Ijaw nation would not have anything to do with the APC and congratulated them for dumping it for the PDP. The governor, who was elated by the decision of the youths led by Okilo Matthew described them as true patriotics and called them Patriotic Bayelsa Youth Forum and urged them to get ready for the task ahead. He promised to encourage them to enable them increase their membership and become relevant in the scheme of things. Dickson assured the youths that, there would be adequate security during the election, as he enjoined them not to be intimidated by any threats from the APC.

“This election is about Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC). Sensitize your members, friends and colleagues about the adequate security measures at all the polling units before, during and after elections. The era of ballot stuffing and snatching is a thing of the past. Don’t be intimidated by the APC threats,” he said.

He also told the youths that his administration is poised to continue making a difference in the lives of the people, who are ready to work for a better Bayelsa State.

His words: “The era of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop is gone for good. That is why we will be meeting with you after our victory to say a proper thank you.”

He later offered direct appointment to two of the group leaders, Okilo Matthew and Momotimi Macaulay and financial support to two young ladies in the group, Carloine Samson and Queen Soromo who are into bead making and salon services respectively.

Earlier, Matthew, who doubles as the Chairman of the Community Development Committee in the area, said their decision to ditch Timipre Sylva and the APC for Governor Dickson was informed by so many factors.

BAYELSA DECIDES

Sylva storms Dkicson’s hometown with message of change

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HE beauty of democracy came into play weekend in Bayelsa State when the APC candidate, Timipire Sylva stormed Toru-Orua community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, home town of Governor Seriake Dickson to canvass for votes.

While the people of the community treated the Sylva-Igiri campaign train to a colourful reception to show their hospitality, same treatment was accorded the Restoration Campaign Organisation of the PDP led by Governor Seriake Dickson, which stormed Okpoama, home town of the APC candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva to also canvass the support of the people.

The people of Toru-Orua reenacted the scenario that played out itself at Okpoama as they came out to welcome the APC campaign train.

A member of the Board of Trustees of the APC and former chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, solicited the support of the people of the community come December 5 promising that an APC administration would wipe away their tears.

On his part, Architect Miebi Bribena the Sagbama Local Government Coordinator of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign slammed the the PDP government for betraying the trust of those that worked for its success that during the 2012 governorship poll.

Bribena reminded the people of Toru-Orua that though Governor Dickson may be their brother but that former Governor Sylva is their friend , insisting that a good friend is better than a bad brother.

He commended the people of Toru-Orua for the warm reception given to the APC and Sylva/Igiri campaign train.

Arc. Bribena said the much awaited change will be showcased in Bayelsa come Dec. 5 and that the people should vote the APC and Sylva/Igiri at the upcoming election for more development opportunities in the community.

Dickson in Sylva’s hometown, says he has no problem with Sylva

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

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OVERNOR Dickson weekend stormed Okpoama, home town of former Governor Timipre Sylva and candidate of the APC in continuation of his campaign saying he has no personal problem with their son.

Dickson stated this when he led the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Restoration Campaign Organisation to the coastal community on the Atlantic fringe of Brass local government area of the state.

The governor while addressing the traditional rulers and people of Okpoama kingdom during his community based

campaign tour assured Sylva’s kinsmen of his administration’s resolve to award the multi billion naira Nembe/Brass Road during the first quarter of 2016, if re-elected for a second term in office.

According to him, the award of the road contract is in addition to the on-going Ogbia/ Nembe Road project and other developmental projects sited in the area.

Dickson, who was received by the Okpoama Council of Chiefs, commended the people of the area for their support and the large turnout, adding that it was a testimony to the fact that the people of Brass local government area are in support of the PDP

led administration.

On the project, Dickson said that it would be given due attention as it would enable the administration achieve its policy of linking up the state to the Atlantic Ocean to enhance socio-economic development.

According to him, clearing and sand filling would be done in earnest as soon as the project is awarded to a competent contractor.

Commenting on the State Maritime Academy sited in Okpoma by the present administration, Dickson expressed concern that the institution had yet to function as expected due to financial constraints.

He explained that his administration went into partnership with the Polish government, noting that the application for the project was not successful.

Dickson visited Odioma, Ewoama and Twon Brass and lauded the people for the warm reception accorded his campaign team and their sense of maturity as well as enlightenment on political issues.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—29

2015: KOGI DECIDES

By Kingsley Fanwo

Kogi: The politics of power rotation

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INCE the creation of Kogi State in 1991 by the Ibrahim Babangida military administration, the struggle for relevance has been a major characteristic of the politics of the state.

The marriage of inconvenience between the major ethnic groups that formed the state such as the Igala, Ebira, Okun, Bassa and Nupe has been the political stamp on the confluence state.

While the Igalas in the present day Kogi East came from the old Benue State, the Ebira and Okun formed the bureaucratic locomotive of the old Kwara State.

The Power Perspectives: Unlike the Ebira and the Okun, who were relevant in the politics and bureaucracy of their former state, the Igala were crammed in between the battles of supremacy that featured between the Tiv and the Idoma of the old Benue State.

Thus, the Igala came into Kogi fully armed with the knowledge of the practical meaning of marginalization.

Practical meaning A juxtaposition of this position, along with the comfort enjoyed by the Okun and Ebira in the old Kwara, will reveal why the duo were ill-prepared for the battle of wits which soon set in among the three major ethnic groups in the state.

The Igala ensured they took advantage of the early delineation to claim more Local Government Areas than either of the two other major ethnic groups. While Kogi East, which is predominantly Igala has nine Local Government Areas, the Okun-dominated Kogi West has seven Local Government Areas while Ebira-dominated Kogi Central has five Local Government Areas.

The Igala struck hard from the beginning to break the gourd

2019, there is doubt on the possibility of the APC achieving power rotation.

•Audu

•Wada

containing the political future and fortune of the state History of Power Rotation In 1999, Prince Audu was reelected into office on the platform of the erstwhile All Peoples Party, APP. His ambition to secure reelection in 2003 hit the rocks as Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, the furniture merchant from Abejukolo emerged as governor and went ahead to rule till 2012 . He handed over to Capt. Idris Wada.

So, every elected governor that has ruled the state since inception

Never in the political history of Kogi has the issue of power rotation been so topical in a governorship campaign than now

has always been an Igalaman.

In 2003, a few elements from the Central and West began the agitation for power rotation. It became clear that the East had an agenda to retain the governorship of the state.

Leaders such as Prince Olusola Akanmode and the late Sen. A.T. Ahmed started what they called the Power Shift Agenda. All their attempts were frustrated at the primary election level, with the structural superiority of Kogi East.

It became clear that the political parties were helpless as far as power rotation was concerned.

The only time PDP lost the governorship of the state was the time the party gave its ticket to a non-Igala, late Arc. Stephen Olorunfemi who was the party's candidate in the 1999 contest.

Never in the political history of

Audu: The change Kogi needs — Salaudeen

By Kingsley Fanwo

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former member of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Mr. Ganiyu Salaudeen has hailed Prince Abubakar Audu as the expected change agent who will bring back the to the path of growth and development.

The ex-council boss made the declaration in an exclusive chat with Vanguard , saying the long wait for change in the Confluence State is over with the emergence of the Ogonicha prince. Salaudeen said: “For many years, our state has continued to suffer underdevelopment which has held us down. No good roads, no good hospitals and above all, those who labour are paid a fraction of their wages.

“The people have seen the light. Audu is the man who will restore the confidence of

Kogi people in democratic governance.

When he was governor, he proved his capacity for radical development through the various projects hr executed. The people of Kogi are already familiar with Audu’s style of leadership which is about development, growth and empowerment.

“It will also be better for the people of Kogi State to align with the change revolution which is currently fixing the centre. We have confidence in Prince Audu to also fix our dear state and take us back to the era when government was seen to be affecting the lives of the citizenry positively”.

Salaudeen said since government has shown it is incapable of paying workers’ salaries, it is high time they left the stage for fresh ideas that will move the state forward.

Kogi has the issue of power rotation been so topical in a governorship campaign than now. The two major political parties have been made to give commitments on power rotation in 2019. While the PDP has set up machinery for the actualization of power shift to either Kogi West or Central in

Intra-Ethnic arrangment Beyond the agitation for rotation among the senatorial zones, pundits say the Igalas are already rotating the governorship among its triangular zones of Ankpa, Idah and Dekina. While Audu, who had been sworn-in as governor twice hails from Ogonicha in Ankpa Zone, Idris, from Abejukolo in Idah Zone also governed the state for two terms.

The incumbent is from Odu in Dekina. Kogi East, analysts reckon, has been able to devise a means of retaining power, the potent of which is divide and rule.

Political historians are of the opinion that the Okun Yoruba people have continued to be undone by the Nupe war strategy which shattered the Okun hegemony.

The thinking in Igalaland is that the Dekina Zone should be allowed to complete its two terms before power will return to the Ankpa Zone. But Audu wouldn’t take any of that.

Kogi Since 1992 1992 to 1993 Prince Audu 1999 to 2003 Prince Audu 2003 to 2012 Alhaji Ibrahim Idris 2007 to date Capt. Idris Wada 2016 to ?????????????????

Igala Igala Igala Igala

••APC group disowns Audu

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EANWHILE, a youth group within the All Progressives Congress, Kogi Youths for Probity, KYB, has dissociated itself from the candidate of the party, calling the candidature of Prince Audu “an aberration of the ideals of a progressive party”.

Speaking to a select group of journalists in Lokoja, yesterday, the Director of Public Communications of the group, Mr. Tony Shaibu said the group has resolved not to be part of the Audu project due to the unresolved alleged acts of corruption around him.

“We want the world to know that we remain members of the All Progressives Congress. We came together to campaign for the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari because of his stance on corruption.

Buhari remains an incorruptible leader respected by all.

“There is no doubt in the fact that Idris Wada has failed the people of Kogi State. But the decision of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress to ignore several intelligence reports by fielding Audu will spell doom for the party.

“As men of integrity, we found it difficult to back someone who has allegations of corruption woven around his neck.

Though Prince Abubakar Audu has not been convicted, he hasn’t been cleared either.

“Our idea of a governor of Kogi State is someone who is credible, incorruptible and democratic. Audu, by our own perception, lacks these qualities. However, we remain solidly behind the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his fight against corruption”.

30—VANGUARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Admiralty Motors spoils customers with Xmas bonanza •It’s our contribution to safety on road — Maryann

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DMIRALTY Motors Limited, a one-stop 3S automobile facility in Lekki, Lagos, has kicked off a Christmas bonanza for its customers aimed at keeping their cars in good condition during this festive period.

The Managing Director of Admiralty Motors, Maryann Chukwueke told the press that this had become necessary because the Christmas season is a period when most families travel together to their country homes to see their beloved ones which has made it necessary for them to put their cars in good condition for such trips.

To this end, he said, Admiralty

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yundai Motor has announced an all-new global luxury brand – Genesis – that will deliver ‘humancentered’ luxury through a range of new models that feature the highest standards of performance, design and innovation.

Created for a new generation of discerning consumers, Genesis will be a stand-alone brand that operates alongside the company ’s popular Hyundai marque. Capitalizing on its success in the fastgrowing global car market, Hyundai Motor will launch six new Genesis models by 2020 and will compete with the world’s most renowned luxury car brands.

The Genesis brand seeks to create a new definition of luxury, one that will provide a new platform for future mobility centered on people. By anticipating human needs at every touch point, Genesis models will embody four key aspects: human-focused innovation, refined and balanced performance, athletic elegance in design and hassle-free customer experience.

“We have created this new Genesis brand with a complete focus on our customers who want smart ownership experiences that save time and effort, with practical innovations that enhance satisfaction. The Genesis brand will fulfill these expectations, becoming a market leader through our human-centered brand strategy,” said Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman.

Genesis models will boast outstanding driving dynamics and design, with innovations tailored to closely-meet the needs of customers. The new model line-up will distance itself from the traditional technological overload of brand-focused competitors,

Hyundai targets Mercedes, BMW customers with new Genesis concentrating instead on a personalized, hassle-free customer experience.

Continuing the customeroriented approach that flows through every Genesis model, sales and service staff will provide rapid and attentive service to customer’s requests.

To elevate and differentiate the Genesis brand from Hyundai, a distinct design identity, emblem, naming structure and customer service offering is being established.

Genesis models will be badged with a new wing-type emblem, redesigned from the version used on the current model to create an even more luxurious look. This emblem firmly cements the Genesis models as a collective family of luxury models under the Genesis nameplate.

The Genesis brand will also adopt a new alphanumeric naming structure. Future models will be named by combining the letter ‘G’ for

Genesis with a number, 90, 80 or 70 etc., representing the segment.

Woong Chul Yang, Head of Hyundai Motor R&D Center and Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motors said: “The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind, so the resulting car will perfectly meet their needs without any unnecessary burden or excess.”

Fitted with the latest proactive safety technologies, intuitive convenience features and IT connectivity, Genesis models are engineered to provide excellent ride comfort while retaining confident sportiness.

To develop a distinctive and differentiated design for the new Genesis brand vehicles, Hyundai Motor has created a Prestige Design Division. From mid-2016 Luc Donckerwolke,

who was previously responsible for the design of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, SEAT and Skoda models at the Volkswagen Group, will lead this new division alongside his role as Head of the Hyundai Motor Design Center. The work of the new Prestige Design Division will be overseen by Peter Schreyer, as part of his group-wide design responsibilities as President and Chief Design Officer (CDO) of Hyundai Motor Group.

Peter Schreyer commented, “In creating the design signature of Genesis brand we set out to display confidence and originality, creating highly desirable products that present new charm through innovative styling and proportions.”

The name ‘Genesis’, which also means new beginnings, hints at the new values and standards that the brand will bring to the global luxury car market.

Motors decided to put up a package that will be pocket friendly for their existing and prospective customers to enable them service and maintain their cars in preparedness for the long trips during the period.

The two months bonanza, which the company tagged Chrismas Super Savings for car owners runs from the beginning of November till the end of December, 2015.

The campaign according to her will include diagnosis, engine oil change, oil, fuel and air filter change, electronic wheel balancing and alignment, electronic injector nozzle flush and calibration.

In addition to these, customers will enjoy check, clean and brake adjustment, shocks, stabilizer linkages, exhaust pipes among others for a price as low as N39,000.

The Managing Director noted that they decided to make their pricing very competitive because of the state of the economy and to discourage their customers from trying to risk the lives of their families and their cherished cars because of fund.

She said: “At Admiralty, our services are offered at lowest cost in our state-of-the-art workshop when compared to workshops in the same class with us,”.

“We have the right manpower and equipment to tackle every customer's car problems, no matter how difficult, as we are well equipped to handle all Japanese, European and American brands.''

Admiralty Motors is a one stop auto centre comprising sales, service and spares. It boasts the most modern equipment for tyre services, a 30-bay workshop with air conditioning recycling machines, fuel injector cleaner, oil extractor, among others.

Another important equipment in Admiralty Motors workshop is the Celette bench which stretches accidented car chassis to its original shape, while the air conditioning recycling machine detects every problem in the car air conditioning system within minutes and gives accurate solutions to the problems.

The fuel injector cleaner produced by Launch, a United Kingdom based company caliberate the nozzle, thereby making the job very easy for the technicians.

“With oil extractor, oil change is made very easy and helps keep the workshop clean”, says the Admiralty Motors boss.

Admiralty Motors, apart from sales of Toyota and other brands, has four teams that handle,

Continues on Page 31

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—31

By Theodore Opara

Fortuner: Athletic, smart Toyota SUV A

good Sport Utility Vehicle should have attributes like high ground clearance, off-road capability, smart design, high level comfort and safety features.

Oftentime most makers of Sports Utility Vehicles do not think that fuel efficiency should be one of the attributes. But this is where Toyota models standout. They give you sport utility vehicle features and at the same time, do not compromise on fuel efficiency.

This is where a car like the Toyota Fortuner has made its mark. Smart looking with unparalleled fuel efficiency. At a time like this when efficiency and economy play good role in peoples decision in changing or acquiring new cars, the Toyota exploit in designing strong, rugged cars with fuel economy is always on the front burner.

The Toyota Fortuner might cost you a little more to acquire when compared to its competitors in its segment, but the running cost make it far cheaper to keep.

Powered by a 2.7-litre petrol engine, featuring electronic fuel injection, the Toyota Fortuner is simply a fortune to own in terms of maintenance cost.

A genuine four wheel drive sport utility vehicle, designed and built to deliver excellent driving performance both on road and off-road, the Fortuner gives peace of mind at little or no cost.

Its robust capabilities are based on a refined chassis frame, fulltime 4WD system, and good road clearance to tackle rough terrain.

A Torsen LSD on the centre differential gear varies the torque distribution automatically and instantly in response to driving conditions, contributing to excellent vehicle stability.

Also, the double wishbone front suspension and four-link rear suspension, both with coil springs, contribute to the excellent stability control and ride comfort.

Fortuner’s high-rigidity frame structure provide strong platform for its rugged performance and also helps to reduce noise and vibration from the engine and

road coming into the cabin.

As a car that provides fresh leadership in the SUV world, the Toyota Fortuner is available in manual or automatic transmission as well as leather or upholstery seats, thereby providing customers wider choice to settle for.

Fortuner offers you smarter way to optimize use of space. The roomy cabin is a multi-function-

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er on the sport-style driver’s seat enable the driver to tailor a position of comfortable control.

Thoughtful touches heighten your comfort and pleasure in the Fortuner. Numerous storage spaces, large pockets with bottle holders on the doors, DC-12 volt power outlets, among others make life inside the Fortuner more interesting.

Safetywise, the Fortuner is a

Who wears 2015 Car of the Year crown in Nigeria?

•Rio, Almera, Corolla, 301 make final list

•KIA Rio RRANGEMENTS have reached advanced stage for the 2015 ‘Nigeria Car- Of-The-Year ’ (COTY) Award at the forthcoming Nigeria Auto Journalists Award (NAJA) dinner. As a build-up to this year’s award, Toyota Corolla, Kia Rio, Peugeot 301 and Nissan Almera have been selected to compete for the coveted prize.

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Two millionth Defender ready for auction AND Rover’s milestone vehicle the ‘Defender 2,000,000’ has landed in Dubai for an exclusive preview ahead of its special auction at Bonhams on December 16th, when car collectors from across the globe are expected to gather in London to bid for the unique car.

The two millionth Series Land Rover and Defender built in Solihull, UK, was displayed in

al space that can be quickly rearranged to accommodate changing combinations of people and gear.

For instance, the three row of seats accommodate up to seven adults comfortably. The second and third row seats can be quickly folded and stored away to create a large luggage space with room for big or long loads. Slide and reclined adjustments, and a lift-

typical Toyota SUV. It is built to the highest safety quality to prevent accidents as well as protecting occupants in case of an accident.

Anti-lock brake system, (ABS), SRS airbags, crash safety body comprising of high integrity cabin with front and rear crumple zones, energy – absorbing materials in the pillar and roofside rails that create a head impact protection structure . make the Fortuner one of the safest in its class.

the Al Fahidi district of the city, the historical heart of Dubai. To reflect Land Rover’s rich history and evolution through the decades, the vehicle was presented alongside a Series I Land Rover.

The Defender pedal car concept, a hand-built tribute to Defender’s legacy which could be a popular collector’s piece and children’s toy in the region, completed the trio.

•Nissan Almera

•Toyota Corolla

Winner of the Car-Of-The-Year will be announced on Thursday night, November 26, 2015 inside the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Nigeria Car of the Year competition has been around over the years and the strictest criteria apply to the finalists.

To appraise and select the winner, each of the listed cars will thoroughly be put through its paces on the road by the motoring journalists. To emerge tops, the car that will win the shield will have to tick all the boxes in terms of value for money, safety, innovation, technology and dynamics.

During the test drive, a number of factors will be used as parameters to select the car that would be eventual winner as “Car- Of-The-Year ” in Nigeria. These factors include, but not limited to each car’s value proposition in terms of road handling, stability, functionality, comfort, safety features, overall design, availability and

accessibility of spare parts and product affordability.

The NAJA Award which is the most respected automotive award in Nigeria held annually attracts a lot of excitement and suspense among stakeholders within and outside the industry. It is coming at a time when the Nigerian government’s automotive policy is gaining traction. Other categories of

•Peugeot 301 awards are to be announced same day. Nigerian Car of the Year Awards is regarded as the most prestigious auto award in Nigeria as leading global auto makers compete in different categories including Sedan, SUV, Pick Up, Trucks and buses. The winners were determined by a panel of judges comprising prominent automotive journalists in Nigeria.

Admiralty Motors spoils customers with Xmas bonanza Continues from page 30 European, Japanese, American and Korean brands, and everything is automated with precision.

For Chukwueke, the workshop boasts the most qualified technicians and engineers in the industry. “The minimum experience here is five years and most of them have worked in leading workshops in the country”, she said. Continuing, she said, we

have graduate in automobile and mechanical engineering many of them have craft qualifications but, most importantly, our charges are very affordable compared to our competitors, yet non can march our services.

She however noted that they took the pains to equip the workshop to world class standard because they realized that without major tools, one cannot do a good job on today’s automobiles.

32—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Contractors’ woes escalate as industry loses more jobs

By Jude Njoku

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HESE are definitely not the best of times for construction companies operating in Nigeria. The contractors who are bogged down by huge debts owed them by the three tiers of government, have begun to close down construction sites while maintaining skeletal services on others. The closure has culminated in staff retrenchment.

Vanguard Homes & Property gathered that the Federal Ministry of Works alone is owing contractors over N500 billion for projects already executed and delivered.

The President of the Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, the umbrella body for about 125 major construction companies operating in Nigeria, Mr Solomon Ogunbusola told Vanguard Homes & Property, weekend, that instead of an improvement, things have gone from bad to worse for his members.

Ogunbusola who had earlier in the year, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the construction industry, explained that more companies have started downsizing their workforce because they no longer have the financial stamina to pay the workers.

“Some of them say they have no money to finance their projects because they have not been paid for works already done,”he said.

Construction sector The FOCI boss was quick to exonerate the current Federal Government from blame.

Although the debts owed contractors are increasing on daily basis, Ogunbusola said the previous administrations should be held responsible for the trauma the industry is passing through.

Asked to give an assessment of the construction sector since May 29, when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, the FOCI boss rhetorted, “No! No!. Please don’t drag me into politics because I am not a politician. President Buhari has nothing to do with this at-all. He is still studying the situation to know how to fix things. Our appeal to him is to please look into our direction and any money that comes, please try and settle some of the debts.”

His views about the worsening state of the industry were

An abandoned project corroborated by key stakeholders in the sector.

Four months ago, construction giants, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, through its Financial Director, Mr Wolfgang Kollermann, said the company is being owed over N90 billion for jobs already completed Kollermann who fielded questions from newsmen at the company’s 45th annual general meeting, AGM, in Abuja said the Federal Government alone is owing the company N67.5 billion representing about three quarters of the debts owed the company. The remaining one quarter (N22.5billion), he said, is being owed by private companies.

Bogged down by this huge debt, the company last week

Some of them say they have no money to finance their projects because they have not been paid for works already done

mulled the idea of down-sizing its workforce Its Managing Director, Mr. Detlev Lubasch, an engineer, explained that going by the present economic realities in the country and the huge indebtedness construction companies were facing, such companies are no longer able to

meet up with their financial obligations.

The Julius Berger boss who spoke through a staff of the Human Resources unit, Mr Moses Anietie declared: “Our industry is in dire straits, occasioned by non-payment for ongoing and already completed jobs”.

“As you all know, the construction industry is majorly engaged by the governments: federal, state and local, with little patronage from corporate entities and private individuals. In view of this, any distortion in the income equilibrium of our major clients will definitely affect the income and cash flow of the construction companies. As a consequence of this, construction companies are unable to sustain the existing structures in terms of meeting its obligations to staff and subcontractors. It therefore, became imminent that there must be staff reduction as well as other cost saving measures,”he said.

Vanguard Homes & Property recalls that Ogunbusola had at a pre- FOCI AGM event in Lagos, disclosed that construction companies in Nigeria are working below 30 percent of their capacity due to the inability of clients to pay for works already completed. “ The construction companies in Nigeria are working below 30 percent, not because we are interested in doing this, but we have been handicapped due to lack of payment by our clients and the major client we have today is the government (Federal, State and the local governments). Our members are indebted to the banks. I can say authoritatively that the banks are writing and threatening some of our members.

Quantity surveyors set to inaugurate first female president

By Jude Njoku HE Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS will next week, rewrite its history books. The construction cost experts will on Saturday, November 21, inaugurate an Abuja-based quantity surveyor, Mrs Mercy Iyorter as the first female president of the 46-year old Institute.

Her investiture as the new NIQS president, will be the highpoint of the 26th biennial conference of the construction cost experts to be hosted by the Lagos chapter of the Institute.

Until her election as Deputy President two years ago, the highest position held by a woman in the Institute was National Vice President occupied by Mrs Ibiyinka Conde in the 1990’s.

Specifically, this year ’s biennial conference which will hold at the Lagos Oriental Hotel in the Lekki Peninsula between 17-21 November, will brainstorm

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Mrs Iyorter on the theme, Politics, Policies and National Development The Role of Professionals.

NIQS Marketing and Corporate Affairs Secretary, Mr Olujide Oke described the biennial conference as “the most important event in the programme of the NIQS and provides the forum for the largest gathering of quantity surveyors in Nigeria where policy issues and strategies which shape the direction of

the profession in particular and the construction industry in general, are brought forth for discussion and decision.”

“This year ’s international event which will attract resource persons and participants from outside the country and member nations of the African Association of Quantity Surveyors, AAQS, shall also be graced by top government officials drawn from the Presidency, Federal and State Governments, political parties as well as professionals from the construction /real estate, banking, insurance, captains of industry both within and without the profession, “ Mr. Oke said.

Apart from the baton exchange between the outgoing president, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu and Mrs Iyoter, the election of principal officers of the Institute will also be the cynosure of all eyes at the biennial confab.

POLLUTED CHICKEN, FISHES:

ASABA: State capital devoid of befitting PAGE 5 amenities

How greedy Rivers residents defied Police, Customs tear gas PAGE 2

VOL. 1: No. 72

TUESD AY, NOVEMBER 110, 0, 20 15 TUESDA 201

that there has been a business boom since October compared to eight months ago, because of the traffic jam.

He asserted: “Before, I been dey sell like 4,500, or 5,000, but since when road block, I dey sell up to N8, 000, sometimes, it is only water, mineral no dey inside oo.

“Well, I really pray make the thing no end because na Christmas we dey enter so.

Whether u be big man or poor man,u no go fly na, u must buy something from us, at least dey must buy water.”

Niger Delta Voice reporter, who set out on a 45-minute journey to a community in the state, was for six hours stranded at Okurikang Junction. He spent another four hours to get to Calabar.

Mourners also trapped

Crossing East-West Road with canoe

Calabar-Itu Highway

East-West Road turns to river *Bridge submerged, road cut-off *Travellers use canoe *Villagers engage in quick business, pray for more occurrences

By Ike Uchechukwu

E

K E N K P O N — COMMUTERS voyaged with canoes on the East-West Road, a neglected federal highway, in Niger – Delta, weekend, as raging flood waters submerged a bridge and a segment of the public road at Ekenkpon community in Cross River State.

The latest incident is coming three years after an analogous natural disaster in which flood swamped a different section of the East-West road, 2012, in Delta state.

Niger Delta Voice saw trapped commuters desperate to continue their trips C M Y K

boarding canoes to cross the submerged portion at CalabarItu segment of the highway, the line between Cross River and Akwa Ibom State.

Swift business

The disorderly situation at the flooded portion, however, opened a hurried business opportunity for locals, who saw the disaster and attendant gridlock as God-ordained. It is a lucrative deal for canoe owners and motorcyclists.

The canoes ferry travelers from the point where vehicles could not proceed further and the motor cyclists take them to another point where vehicles on the opposite section of the cut-off road were waiting.

One of the locals, Effiom Bassey, told Niger Delta Voice that he makes about N12, 000 daily because of the traffic congestion, heavy down pour and flood that have submerged the road, making driving difficult.

According to him, some small vehicles like cars cannot pass through the place. The passengers have no choice but to alight from and take canoe across, pending when the cars could make it through to the other side or they take motorcycle.

He said: “It actually got worse in the last week of October, whenever the bridge is submerged like this, we know that the raining season

is coming to an end, but this year’s own is quite unusual.”

“The reason being that the water has been very heavy, as you can see the bridge has been covered ,also it is an old bridge with old design we pray it does not collapse ,we just pray it does not collapse any time soon,” he lamented.

Strange prayers

Besides motor cyclists and river transporters, hawkers of food items, especially cold drinks, water, sausage roll, meat pie, bread, banana, groundnut and biscuit were also smiling.

Ekpeyong Monday, who spoke in Pidgin English, corroborated Bassey’s claim

Some of the travelers, who were conveying corpses of their loved ones to their homelands had a rough time on road because they could neither go forward nor backward. Some of them had to pay commercial motor cyclists as high as N5, 000 to take them out of the troubled spot to Itu, where they made fresh arrangements.

One of them, Chief Imoh Akan Idoreyen, said he had informed his relatives in the village to prepare for the worst because the entourage would not get to Etim Ekpo as scheduled.

He asserted: “I have called my brothers because my mother came to Calabar for treatment. Unfortunately, she died here (Calabar); they have been waiting since 11a.m. because she will be buried tomorrow (Saturday), but as you can see, the ambulance cannot move faster than this.

“We have been on this road since 10.00 am, this is almost 3.00 pm, yet there is no headway, I am just confused,” he bemoaned.

Another bereaved commuter, Mr. Ekere Williams, who said he was heading to Etinan with his wife’s corpse for interment, disclosed that the programme has changed because of the gridlock.

“I have already called a local mortician to be on standby because with what I am witnessing here, it will take another three hours before we get to our destination. I have been on this road since 7: 30 am, we lost a tire earlier which we had to fix just before the power plant, but on getting to the power plant, I was shocked at the holdup here.”

“I had no choice but to call

Continued on Page 7

2—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

CROSS-RIVER… THE PEOPLE’S PARADISE

By Emmanuel Una

Powerful persons made criminals invade my palace—C-River monarch

U

FUT—THE Munene of Ufut in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Muri Effiong Mbukpa, has alleged that some influential persons incited criminals to march into his palace and attack him.

He also said that the influential persons, who were working against his getting staff of office from the state government, meddled with court proceedings when he took the hoodlums to court.

Mbukpa, who lamented the high rate of criminal activities in the area now, said he fought criminals and drastically reduced crime in his domain, but lately, the hoodlums took advantage of the absence of a recognized traditional ruler, occasioned by the protracted tussle over the kingship position of Efuts, to perpetuate crime.

His words: “When the judge was about to rule on the case, a nolle pronoqui was entered, asking the judge not to rule.

“Even at that, I have won five court cases, including the one at the Court of Appeal, which ruled that the people duly chose me. I have done all the traditional rites as required by the custom of Efut, yet some people in the previous government did not want to see me recognized as King of my people for reasons best known to them,” he said.

He commended the governor, Professor Ben Ayade, for creating a security outfit, Operation Skolomo, to join forces with other security outfits in the state capital to combat crimes, adding, “Why all these things are happening in my area that they have looked left and right and seen that Efiong Mbukpa is not

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

Effiong Mbukpa effectively in control.

“They know that I am a nononsense person, but they take liberty because I am not there in quote. Otherwise, it takes me no time to root them out, whether they are resident in this domain or operate from outside.”

Fruitless police strategy

He said the police collaborated with him to strategize on how to fight crime in the area, but of recent, that was no longer the case, as they (police) prefer to go it alone, which was not yielding

much result.

“In the past when a Police Commissioner or Assistant Inspector General of Police resumes in the state, he come comes here and I tell them measures to take to be efficient in fighting crime, but that is no longer the case and that is because someone is beating the drum for them to dance,” he said.

Muri Mbukpa said traditional rulers were closest to the people, knew who the criminals are and their hideouts, adding in partnership with security agencies and backing of government, criminal activities could easily be routed out in any domain.

“Where can they hide without us seeing them or even if they come from outside to operate, we can rout them, but for now, we have limited authority since government is yet to give me the staff of office as the man chosen by the people,” he

asserted.

I leave my fate with God The royal father, who commended Professor Ayade for the bold steps he has taken so far towards developing the state, said, “ I see him as somebody who has come to correct the mistakes of the past.

“Of course, every parent would want his son to do better, so I know the former governor, Senator Liyel Imoke would want Ayade’s administration to be better than his own and correct the mistakes he might have made and from what I am seeing, he is someone, who critically looks at issues before taking decision.”

He said he has left his fate in the hands of God, who is God of Justice and at the appropriate time, he would use someone, who is fair in his decisions to look into his case and grant him recognition, no matter the pressure that some groups of people may bring upon him.

POLLUTED CHICKEN, FISHES:

How greedy Rivers residents defied Police, Customs tear gas *Apprehension as unhygienic frozen food reportedly goes on sale RIVERS…

THE TREASURE BASE OF THE NA TION NATION

By Davies Iheamnachor

E

LEME—HOW covetous residents of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, were able to overpower officials of the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Customs, who teargassed them to exhume polluted frozen chicken and fishes buried at a dump-site at Onne Junction, Eleme, on the East-West road, penultimate Friday, by the Custom officials remains a puzzle.

Customs Area Controller, Abdulahi Babani, who supervised the burial of the confiscated frozen food at the dump site, suspected that uninformed persons might invade the dump ground, and ordered his men to keep vigil until the items decompose to scare them away, yet the people overwhelmed them.

Ordinarily, protesters in Nigeria, even the most resilient of them— Nigerian students— flee at the blast of tear gas by security agents because of its

Off-loading into the pit apparent threat to their lives.

However, despite the obvious danger to their existence, greedy residents disregarded

the combined efforts of officials of the two security agencies, who tear-gassed them to unearth the polluted frozen

items.

Niger

Delta

Continued on Page 3

Voice

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—3

DELTA...

FINGER OF GOD

How greedy Rivers residents defied Police, Customs tear gas Continued from Page 2 investigation showed that even though some of the residents heard that the items were injurious to health, hunger and poverty made them to care less.

Some persons actually used to prepare meals at home daring the consequences, while others chose to sell them.

At last, some people threw away their own when they found that people were not willing to buy, having heard that contaminated chicken and fish were exhumed somewhere at Eleme.

The Nigeria Customs seized and destroyed six containers of imported frozen food, chicken and fish, following the discovery that the chemical used to preserve them was hazardous to health.

Officials of Customs uncovered the consignment containing the frozen chicken and fish, October 29, on their arrival at the Nigerian Seaport Authority, Onne, Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers state.

Custom Area Controller, Abdulahi Babani, who spoke at the Custom’s dumpsite in Onne before the eradication, confirmed the contamination of the items. He said the conclusion came after a proper examination by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, discovered that the products were poisonous.

The frozen foods being buried

Mrs Happiness Batubo in Afikpo market communities around came and dug up the dumpsite and started carrying the fishes and chicken to their houses.

“The police came to stop them from carrying the contaminated items, but the people did not follow the instruction of the security personnel.

“The Police and the Custom personnel were shooting tear gas but the people were still going to dig out the buried frozen food.

“People have parked all the fishes and chicken buried there. Some of them are selling it at cheap price, while others are taking it to their houses,” he added.

What happened?

He vowed that his team would ensure that they guard the contaminated frozen food until they decompose to scare people from exhuming and releasing the products to the market. However, the presence of his men and police officers did not scare the invaders.

However, reverse was the case as residents of the area trooped out in their numbers, penultimate week, Friday, to disinter the already buried chicken and fishes.

Before dawn, penultimate Friday, crowd of residents fully equipped with shovels and big bags had already taken over the dumpsite and packed the products to their fill.

Customs, police officers overwhelmed

This development was almost beyond the control of the Custom officers, who immediately ordered a reenforcement from its sister agency, the Police.

The police in their effort to reduce the influx of people to the dumpsite shot tear gas, but they still made their way even C M Y K

Apprehension in markets

Residents digging up frozen chicken in the unsettling atmosphere.

Empty dumpsite

When Niger Delta Voice visited the dumpsite, last Monday, the dumpsite was essentially empty, but a mechanic working in the area said some cartons of chicken were still there.

He said the dumpsite was up to 50 feet deep and the people could go to that level, so they took the ones that were up.

A resident, Mr. Ezekiel Bulus, said, “After the Custom and

police buried the contaminated chicken, some people from the

Meanwhile, the development has triggered fear in Rivers State following the disclosure that the contaminated fishes and chicken have already flooded some markets in the state. Marketers of frozen foods in the state were facing ‘bad market’.

A woman, who trades on frozen foods in Mile 1 Market, Happiness Batubo,

complained, “The situation has started affecting us in the market, but we that are selling in Mile One Market do not buy from Onne area. Since last week, the turn up has reduced seriously.

“The issue of contaminated chicken ends there in Eleme, I buy my own direct from my supplier here. However, the problem now is that Nigerians generalize issues. We over stress whatever news we hear.

“Every Nigerian wants to protect himself. One of my customers came this morning asking me the question about the contaminated chicken.

“This my meat is not from that Eleme side, so people should not be afraid of buying frozen food from this area because we did not get our product from a contaminated source.”

“We heard that that particular chicken is broiler while what we have here are old layers. I call on the people of the state to have faith. If we begin to think of how all the imported ones are prepared, we will not eat chicken again. Our people should just have faith that nothing will happen to them.”

Rivers NSCDC destroys illegal oil market, arrests 9

By Davies Iheamnachor & Gift Nwankpa

P

ORT HARCOURT—THE Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Rivers State Command, has destroyed an illegal market at New Town, Eleme Local

Government Area of the state, where oil thieves sell petroleum products refined at the creeks and products from Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, vandalized pipelines.

Over 30 operatives of the command, led by the

commandant, Mrs. Helen Amachree, stormed the market and arrested nine suspects.

She said: “We are here to destroy an illegal market dealing on illegal petroleum products. We discovered the market through intelligence report.”

4 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

AKWA IBOM… LAND OF PROMISE

GULLY EROSION: A’Ibom community cries out *9 persons killed, thousands rendered homeless, many houses destroyed

Erosion

By Tom Moses

I

KPA TOWN—FOR the umpteenth time, the people of Ikpa community, Esit Eket Local Government Area, AkwaIbom State, have expressed worry over the state government’s seeming lack of concern about the devastating gully erosion that had claimed nine lives, rendered thousands of villagers homeless and destroyed several houses.

They said two school children lost their lives to erosion, two weeks ago, while seven died earlier in the year when the rain started.

Investigation showed that people, mostly children lost their lives in the community, especially after the heavy rains, as surging floods, which had submerged the only link road, swept them into the hidden gully. Sometimes, the children unknowingly slip into the ravine.

Before work was abandoned

Urgent request

One of the residents, Mr. Enobong Bassey, who lost his house to the flood, urged Governor Udom Emmanuel to come to the aid of the people by mobilizing the contractor, Messers O. J. Asubop and Company Limited to complete the work abandoned midway due to lack of mobilization by the government.

Niger Delta Voice learned the community has sent two SOSs to Governor Emmanuel over the erosion. The one dated November 5 was entitled, “2nd SOS from the Adeng Gully Erosion Menace in Ikpa Town Ward-4 Urban, Esit Eket Local Government Area.”

The villagers said: “Your Excellency, we were exceedingly glad when you detailed your Commissioner for Environment to inspect the gully erosion site to ascertain things for himself, but since that inspection in July 2015, we have not heard from the government again. The delay

Investigation showed that people, mostly children lost their lives in the community, especially after the heavy rains, as rushing flood, which had submerged the only link road, swept them into the hidden gully

C M Y K

by government to swing into action in this regard, has subjected the people of Ikpa Town Ward-4 to serious psychological trauma and untold threat of being completely eroded from the surface of the earth.”

Fresh death

“Recently, the monster struck again and killed two of our children, who were returning from school, thereby raising the number of deaths so far recorded to nine. Property worth billions of naira were destroyed and hundreds of people rendered homeless, as could be confirmed by the member representing Esit Eket State Constituency in the House

of Assembly, Hon. Usoro Akpan Uso, who visited the scene,” they said.

They continued, “Your Excellency, with profound respect and humility, we tender our passionate prayers again for your earliest consideration and necessary action that the Adeng gully erosion contract which was abandoned due to financial constraints be revisited soon to forestall more untimely deaths of our people, destruction of lives and rendering our people homeless.”

Why work slowed down

The letter, signed by the chair, Ikpa Village Council, Elder Etim Eno and others, expressed

the people’s appreciation that government had awarded the contract to Messrs Asubop, except that the good work done was stagnated because of lack of mobilization fee.

“We, therefore, request that the company being a competent indigenous contracting firm with quality equipment and trusted civil and technical staff, be mobilized to complete the good work it started so as to enable the community to monitor the job and for ease of movement of equipment to site”, the community further appealed.

The contractor, Engineer O. J. Asubop, escaped death by the whiskers, about three months ago, when the youths of the community attacked him and destroyed his house on the allegation that he abandoned the contract to tackle the gully erosion, which destroyed people’s houses and consumed seven lives.

Commissioner assures on Gov Emmanuel

Asubop could not reached for comments as at the time of filing this report, but Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Iniobong Essien, who spoke with the NDV sympathized with the people of Ikpa town on the calamity.

He said Governor Udom Emmanuel was aware of their plight and would address the situation once the rains were over.

Buhari group commences anticorruption crusade in A’Ibom

By Chioma Onuegbu

U

YO—THE Buhari/ Osibanjo Supporters Club, BOSC, in Akwa Ibom State, has deployed its members to rural communities in the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom state to educate the people and solicit their support for the anticorruption agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

President of BOSC, Mr. David Benjamin, who disclosed this to Niger Delta Voice, said that state officers of the club were inaugurated penultimate Friday at the grassroots campaign flag-off in Uyo local government to fast

track the sensitization initiative.

He said, “The problem of corruption in Nigeria is such that it affects everybody in the society. During the immediate past administration, the entire system collapsed economically, socially, and politically as a result of deepseated corruption and indiscipline. We must make sure that we do not experience that type of leadership anymore; we must not condone corruption.”

He added, “President Muhammadu Buhari and Osibanjo cannot achieve the anti-corruption agenda without addressing the issue from the grassroots. That is

why the main objective of forming BOSC is to reach out to all the nooks and crannies of our communities to educate the people, see that they are sensitized on the effect of corruption and why they should have a change of attitude towards corrupt practices.”

His words: “And the fight against corruption is not just about government officials, it affects everybody in the society, so we are saying that parents must check how their children make their money.

Youths must learn to shun and resist desperate politicians who lure them with money to become their political thugs and assassins.”

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—5

ASABA: State capital devoid of befitting amenities *Life and agonies of residents *Govt officials, accomplices hijacked our land — Chief Achuzia, Ikemba of Asaba

Asaba International Airport in the various establishments,” he lamented.

By Emma Amaize

A

SABA—THE thought of many outside Asaba, the capital of Delta State, is that like Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, the resources of the oil-rich state have been used to massively transform the Delta North (Anioma) town and the residents are living in opulence, but the reverse is the case when Niger Delta Voice went round the town, last week.

First, it is unambiguous traversing Nnebisi Road, the major route that runs through the town that Asaba is a glorified state capital. If the skyscrapers and well-paved roads marveled the boys from the creeks of Delta when they visited Abuja some years ago, the appalling internal roads and traffic snarl at Asaba would certainly turn their stomachs.

They shared our land among themselves

A man who knows, the

Asaba flyover.

C M Y K

Chief Joe Achuzia.

Ikemba of Asaba and ex-Biafra leader, Chief Joseph Achuzia, told Niger Delta Voice: “They say that all that glitter is not gold, Asaba is in that state, it is a glittering environment but with no substance.

“Why I said this is that a city or community is made of

Asagba of Asaba. people, our ancestors built it as a place, a habitat to accommodate the Asaba children.

We made arrangement of how to absorb newcomers to our community, which in other part of the world is called reservation.

“We know what our

Clement Ofuani. population growth should be.

But a situation where from the first day Asaba was made a state capital, the government instead of taking virgin territories to develop, requested for our homes and we gave them freely to carry out government activities; the next thing they did while living among us (they did not move out) was to take away from us the reservations we have in anticipation of population growth and share it among their henchmen.

“After that, they moved into our farmlands and extensions, thereby almost like what Nigeria did to the defunct Biafra, locked us into the small community. And because the areas they took were not used for what it was meant for, the influx is now destabilizing the community, there is no home inside Asaba that is a home anymore because you have to make room for those who work

Refugees Chief Achuzia said: “The result is that only that we are disenfranchised, we are destabilized and we are made to become refugees in our homeland, so there is no benefit to Asaba being a state capital. That is why I say that all that glitter is not gold.”

Reminded that there is a flyover, airport and state-of-theart buildings in Asaba, he said: “I own an airline, Memphis Air, my headquarters is at Owerri because every airline must have a base, I know what an airport and an airfield looks like, Asaba has not gotten an airport yet.

“Moreover, if a proper international airport is to be built, it will consume the whole of Asaba, so putting up that thing and calling it an international airport is like telling us to move from where we are living because the airport will finally consume it.”

“We do not want the airport there; we have a lot of land around where the airport should be built. So you cannot tell me that that is a benefit.”

Excruciating traffic congestion

There is no bypass at Asaba on the Benin-Asaba expressway and so, the congestion, which is every now and again, on the federal road spills into the town, compounding the already existing traffic holdup.

This has been the experience

Continued on Page 7

6—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

PODIUM…

BEDC issues bills to dead persons, moribund firms—Delta Monarch *It’s a lie—Engr Okwara Okey, Business Manager *Sapele, Mosogar residents protest Hrm, Samson Omene, Udurie 1, Ovie Of Mosogar

By Godwin Oghre

M

OSOGAR—THE traditional ruler of Mosogar Kingdom, Ethiope West Local Government Area, Delta State, HRM Samson Omene, Odurie I, has accused the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, of imposing bogus bills bearing the names and addresses of deceased persons and nonexistent companies on the people.

The kingdom, which has been in a blackout in the past nine months, is at loggerheads with BEDC over N33milion bill slammed on the residents and dubious collection of money by officials of the company.

Residents at Sapele and environs in Sapele local government area also blame the company for not only giving them scandalous bills, but also not bothering to repair the meters when faulty.

Inhabitants claim that many of the houses billed were demolished over 20 years ago during the dualization of the East-West Road, which cuts across the kingdom, while the companies had ceased to exist for decades.

However, BEDC Business Manager in the area, Engr.

Okwara Okey, debunked the claim, saying, “That cannot be correct as the bills are compiled electronically based on the reading from meters, which are logged in the systems programmed to give accurate account of units of power consumed. Our electronic system is perfect and cannot make mistake.”

SOS

HRM Omene, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice, maintained, “BEDC has raised a false bill of over N33 million for my people who never owed. They called it ‘estimated bill.’ Part of it originated from several homes demolished 20 years ago during the dualization of the East-West Road that cuts across my kingdom. Some of the bills belonged to companies and organizations that have ceased to exist for decades, while some of the bills belonged to dead people.

He said the kingdom recently sent an SOS to the Federal Ministry of Power over its predicament to salvage the people from the nine-month blackout C M Y K

is expected that the address should not have a building on it. So how can someone enforce such a bill on another house with a different identity and address? People should be realistic and fair to themselves,” he contended.

Residents protesting. fraudulent BEDC officials plunged the community.

The monarch asserted, “They even refused us to repair their transformer in our area. We planned a threeprong method to solve the power collapse in my kingdom, but BEDC is scuttling all. I think what they are doing is fraudulent. Their officials are also going about collecting monies which they are not remitting to the authority.”

According to the royal father, the blackout has caused unprecedented economic hardship, leading to increase in crime rate in the area. He pointed out, “Criminals are on the prowl, we live in fear and now experiencing very dangerous night life.”

He pleaded with the power company to restore electricity to his kingdom before it degenerates to a jungle of criminals.

Protesters storm BEDC, Sapele LG offices

Meanwhile, placardcarrying residents of Sapele, particularly those at Ajogodo extension axis, numbering over 2000, last Wednesday, embarked on a peaceful protest over the nine-month blackout in many parts of the ancient timber city.

They besieged the office of the chair of the local government, Barr. Ejaife Odebala, but he was

unavailable when they visited.

Some of their placards bore the inscriptions: “We want the chairman to rescue us from this light problem,” “We need light,” “We are tired of darkness” and “Our businesses have collapsed due to absence of light.”

Secretary to the Local Government, Mr. Perkins Umukoro, met the protesters led by Mr. Okotie Alexender, Helen Olojo and Godwin Obah. He later took them to BEDC office, Sapele, at AT&P quarters, where they informed the business manager of the economic hardship they were encountering following permanent blackout in their area for over nine months, accusing Engr Okey of giving constant power to only the vice chair of the council, Mr. Sunny Ajemere. We were unable to contact Mr Ajemere for comment at press time.

We don’t give fake bills – Engr Okey

In response to several allegations by power consumers across the two local governments, against the business manager, Engr.

Okey said, “We have told the people to pay up their bills.

They have to pay as we simultaneously give them light, but they are not paying.

We are running at a loss and we cannot continue like that.

They have to pay before they can expect quality electricity service delivery from us.”

On the issue of BEDC staff collecting money from residents but not remitting it to the company, he asked, “Why should someone give money to anybody who comes to him under the pretext of being our staff?

“The people they alleged are extorting money from them in the guise of being our staff are actually not our staff.

Please report them to the police for prosecution. When you get your light bills, go straight to the bank and pay and paste your receipts by your meter so that when the genuine BEDC staff comes to your house, they can see it and your light will not be cut,” he advised.

Speaking on the accusation of fake bills, Engr. Okey said, “That cannot be correct as the bills are compiled electronically based on the reading from meters which are logged in the systems which is programmed to give accurate account of units of power consumed. Our electronic system is perfect and cannot make mistake.”

On bills in the names of dead people and moribund companies, he asserted, “If you get a bill and it is not in your name, you are free to write to us, protesting it and we will ensure we do not temper with your light so long as yourself do not owe.

“By the way, a bill of a demolished home will carry the identity and address of the demolished home and it

Customers should fix their meters—Head of Marketing Head of Marketing, BEDC, Sapele, Sapele, Sapele local government area, Isaac Tom, said maintenance of the meters was the responsibility of electricity consumers, not the company.

He said: “We know the meters are ours, but if they become faulty or they go bad, it is the responsibility of the consumers to repair them.

They have to maintain them; we will not do the maintenance of meters for consumers. They must do that along with payments of their bills as at when due.

“They should be using our digital meters, which they also maintain, because the analogue meters they are using are bad and over bill consumers.”

Officials swindle customers—Omolubi

A former Commissioner in the state and Itsekiri youth leader, Comrade Newuwumi Omolubi, disagreed with him, saying BEDC officials were deceitful.

Omolubi pointed fingers at the company’s officials for constantly disconnecting electricity supply to his house and collecting sundry reconnection and other miscellaneous fees from him.

Showing the last receipt of payment of his bill dated October 2, he said that over five BEDC officials stormed his Yoruba Road, Sapele, house occupied by his mother recently to cut electricity.

He noted: “But I pay all my bills promptly as at when due.

It is my mother that lives here and BEDC officials have always cut electricity supply.

“Whenever they cut it, they must scoop money from me, yet they would not connect it for weeks, within which my aged mother will be in darkness, as if I am not taking care of her.

“Their officials, in most cases, go round to collect money from people in the name of estimated bills.”

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—7 out by the military, in less than two years, also added nothing consequential.

ASABA: State capital devoid of befitting amenities

Street in Asaba

Houses in Asaba

Continued from Page 5 of this reporter in the past three weeks.

The only part of the state capital that appears to be free of the congestion is the Government House area, initially a virgin land that Asaba people reserved for future expansion, but even at that, going towards the Okpanam axis has become another nightmare because of the deplorable road.

Exorbitant house rent

Mrs. Joan Ogbewe, a civil servant, however, said, “One of our biggest problems here is house to rent; there is no accommodation here in Asaba.

The few available ones are costly, it is beyond the ordinary worker, so many of us went to nearby Ibusa, Okwe, Ogwashi-Uku and Ugbolu communities to rent houses and that is where we come to work from.”

She said: “A three-bedroom apartment cost between N300,000 and N450,000 per annum, depending on the standard; two bedroom flat for N250,000 to N350,000 also depending on the finishing; in some places, two rooms flat is between N180,000 and N250,000; and a bed sitter is between N120,000 and N150,000 determined by the finishing. This is too exorbitant for workers.”

Curiously, besides the customary homes built by Asaba indigenes, most of the houses on rent in Asaba today are owned by non-indigenes, who saw the business prospect early enough, and acquired land to build houses.

An indigene, Emma Ogbogu, said, “Government and outsiders have taken over Asaba land, Asaba people do not have land, it is a problem to us now, they have appropriated our land and turned our youths to land speculators. This is not good for us.”

No pipe-borne water Besides, our findings showed that pipe-borne water provided by government in the past has become a mirage in Asaba. More than 90 per cent of the people depend on borehole water and those, who could afford it, whether purified or otherwise, rip off the underprivileged.

John Iyamu told Niger Delta C M Y K

Nnebisi Road Voice, “Are you going to go to the River Niger to fetch water, so you have no option than to go to the people that have borehole to buy water and they make money from us.”

Expensive foodstuff Mrs. Ogbewe also complained of the high cost of foodstuff at the OgbeOgonogo market, the major market in Asaba. She said, “The markets are not enough and all what they sell in Asaba are bought by the traders from farmers from other communities and so things are sold very high.”

Generally, Asaba is a town with no industry. There used to Asaba Textile Mill, but is now moribund. The only industry where people can work is government and government cannot provide job for the swarming unemployed. The thriving businesses in Asaba revolve around buying and selling and traders from the Southeastern part of the country are in-charge.

Hard to find healthcare The thinking that healthcare will be at the doorstep of the people is also mislaid, as the state hospital is located at Okwe, a nearby community that is easier for people from Onitsha and across the Niger to access than residents of Asaba, who find it difficult to patronize the health facility.

A resident said that the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, which took over the location of the former Central

Hospital, Asaba, is overstretched, as many flock there because of the easily reached site. The road to the School of Midwifery, Asaba, he added, was dilapidated.

What Ochulor, Ibru did The military regime of Air Commodore Luke Ochulor, the first military administrator of the state, which came on board after former President Ibrahim Babaginda created the state in 1991 and made Asaba the state capital did not have time to recreate Asaba. The succeeding regime of Olorogun Ibru, thrown

Abdulkadir Shehu to Walter Feghabor interregnum The subsequent military administrators after the late General Sani Abacha torpedoed the democratic government set up by Ibrahim Babaginda in November 1993, from Abdulkadir Shehu to Bassey Asuquo, Ibrahim Kefas, David Dungs and Walter Feghabor, who handed over to Chief James Ibori in 1999 obviously did not take development of Asaba as a priority.

Ibori, aka Odidigbogbo did his best to develop Asaba because he laid the first real foundation. However, had he put half the efforts he put in transforming Oghara, his country home to the state capital, the story would have been different.

His successor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan started with the construction of Asaba International Airport, which Achuzia waved aside, renovated roads, remodeled schools, including the famous Saint Patrick’s College, Asaba, and capped it all with a flyover.

Okowa’s ACDA The incumbent governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, is five months and some days in office. He is just beginning, but he seemed to share the opinion that Asaba is not yet developed as a state capital and one of the first things he did on assumption of office is to set up an Asaba Capital Territory Development Agency, ACTDA. He appointed a former governorship aspirant, Chief Clement Ofuani as director general of the agency. ACTDA is to fast track the development of Asaba in line with other state capitals.

In the meantime, people are yet to feel the impact of the agency, but informed source said it was undertaking some environmental work in the capital city currently.

Don gives Okowa 30-day notice to appoint provost

W

ARRI—A chief lecturer at the Department of Political Science, College of Education, Warri, Delta State, Mr. Odhe Umuakpero, has given the state Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, a 30day notice to appoint a substantive provost of the college and inaugurate a governing council or face legal action.

Umuakpero, in a letter by his solicitor, Benefit Orugbo Esq., addressed to the Commissioner, Ministry of Higher Education, Asaba, said the present acting Provost of the College of Education, Warri, Dr. Sele Sylvester Ebisine, has overstayed his three-month term and functioning in the capacity for six years running.

“The acting provost of the college has been running the College of Education, Warri from 2009 till date without a governing council, and obviously, without a substantive provost against the clear directives of NCCE-National Commission for Colleges of Education, National University Commission and NBPMNational Board Polytechnics and Monotechnics, which stipulated a five- year single tenure,” he said.

He stated that the five-year tenure was not renewable for the office of a provost of a College of Education and/or vice chancellor of a University, adding the directive/policy of NUC, NCCE and NBPM had been implemented in Delta State by many higher institutions, except College of Education, Warri.

According to him, “The failure of government to appoint a substantive provost and its failure to constitute a governing council for the College of Education, Warri from 2009 till date has created serious cases of threat to the lives of chief lecturers of the college.”

FLOOD: East-West Road turns to river Continued from Page 1 my people at home, it is really pathetic,” he added.

Mr. Princewill Onoriode , who was also transporting his mother’s corpse to Ughelli in Delta state, said the road was a living hell fire, adding that if he had another alternative, he would have asked the ambulance to use it because he projected that he would be at Ughelli at least by 5.00 pm.

“I am perplexed and deeply disturbed because of my mother ’s corpse, she is a Catholic, the funeral and every other arrangement had been made and we left Calabar very early to be able to meet up, yet we have been held here for hours.

Appeal to FG

“I do not really know where to start from because I cannot

think straight anymore because of this, the Federal government really needs to do something about this road,” he said.

He voiced, “We know that Buhari was in Cross River state recently for the groundbreaking of 270kilometer road, but this road really needs attention. I even learned that some people have been here since yesterday (Thursday), it is not fair, is south –South not part of Nigeria, we still live like people in the medieval.

This is unfair; something must be done immediately to alleviate the suffering of the masses plying this route after all we all voted for change.”

We’re on ground—FRSC When Niger Delta Voice contacted the Head of

Operations (Cars), Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in the state, Kabir Nadabor, he said the traffic jam was because of natural disaster, which no man has control over.

Nadabor, who spoke with Niger Delta Voice on telephone, stated that they have informed the governor, State Emergency Management Agency and Ministry of Works and they were trying to ensure that people do not take laws into their hands.

He said, “As you saw, we have been on ground to make sure we ease the pain of the people, we and other law enforcement agencies are here to control the situation because the cause is natural, but we will ensure that the situation is brought under absolute control.”

8—Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

AGENDA

5-MONTH MIRACLE IN DELTA:

Okowa gives kiss of life to dilapidated institutions —Charles Aniagwu, CPS

By Emma Amaize

A

SABA—CHIEF Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said his boss, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has been working quietly since he assumed office, five months ago, and had transformed many ramshackle institutions without making noise about them.

Aniagwu, who tried to deconstruct Okowa’s style of governance, which has so far confounded critics, said those who want him to throw money to them would wait for a longer time because “the man is not a Father Christmas.”

Surprise stopovers

He said, “Almost every week, Okowa is in touch with the grassroots, he visits people, if certain things are happening in the community; he is there, irrespective of the class of that person, once he has the time.

He meets you and discusses matters affecting development of your area and state.”

“The same also goes for inspection of projects; he goes round unannounced, the governor does not just give a contract and allows you to run as if you are on your own. He visits to ensure that you are not only working, but also working according to specification and giving value to the Delta people, who own the money,” he said.

New lease of life

According to him, “In just four and half months (read five months), if you go to the Technical College at Ofagbe in the Delta South senatorial district of the state, it is wearing an entirely new look, very practical, it is something you can see, something you can touch. Leave Ofagbe and proceed to Sapele, that is Delta Central senatorial district, the Technical school there is wearing a completely new look.”

“If you leave Sapele and you are coming to Agbor in the North senatorial district, which shows you the triangle in the state, it is also adorning a novel look. If you leave there and you proceed to Abavo, you will see that the General Hospital, Abavo, also in the North senatorial district is also spotting novel appearance, same thing with Patani C M Y K

Governor Okowa General Hospital, Patani in the southern flank.

“Let me make it clear, we did not lay the foundation stone for these projects I am mentioning to you, so we are not claiming to do what we did not do, but in terms of giving life to them, there were more or less moribund. Like the technical schools, there were more or less no longer in existence, you go there, you see bushes and you ask the individuals in the schools, they tell you no equipment to learn,” he asserted.

His words, “However, today, the principals come to the office not to look at trees, but they come beholding that many students will soon start to come because they now have schools that look like a mini-university.”

New look Kefas road

Aniagwu added, “If you also travel to Oleh in the South senatorial district, there is a street called Kefas road, it is about 2.1 km, it has changed and government has constructed it with proper drainage on both sides of the road. If you also go to Delta State University, Oleh campus, where you have the Engineering and Law departments, so many things have changed there. We have not finished constructing it, we did not lay the foundation but we are increasing the speed of construction on these projects.”

People’s gov

He asserted, “If you go to Sapele Market, we did not lay the foundation, but what have we done, we have been able to fast track the process of bringing that market to fruition.

When you go there, you will see the level of work done in the last few months. Even when he went for inspection at Sapele, the people poured praises on the governor, I am not talking about crowd paid to come and line up on the road.”

“Every where Okowa goes, you see people coming out to welcome him as if we were still doing campaign because they have come to appreciate the fact that somebody is giving value for the money that hitherto they do not know how it goes.

On track to provide 6,000 jobs

“On employment, you have heard about the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme, STEP, and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Programme, YAGEP, Not long ago, the state government did assist the fish farmers in Camp 74 because of the flood that ravaged their fish farms. Over 230 farmers got N150, 000 each to assist them and empowerment of the people under the SMART agenda of the government is going on.

“Now the promise is to create 6,000 new jobs every six months and as part of the creation of these jobs, we had

1,345 at the inauguration stage, young Deltans enrolled in this programme at Songhai farm in Amukpe. Since then, different groups and batches have also gone back; the programme involved so many areas, welding, tailoring and all that. The good thing about it is that you not only learn the skill, government provides starter packs for you to begin to fend for yourselves but be an employer of labour,” he excitedly said.

‘CPS, what do you mean’

Commenting on reports that Commissioners being hamstrung in the present regime, he said, “I do not know what you mean by being hamstrung, but it is just like asking somebody to defend what he needs money for. It is not a question of saying that you have N300 million for capital projects, then you begin to do Christmas with it, the money is your ministry’s budget, yes, but when you want to spend it, you should come and justify what the money is for.

“Even in my office, if I need money to do A, B and C, beyond just making the request, just that I do not have the files here, I would have shown you the governor ’s minute, where he asked: ‘CPS, what do you mean.’

“The reason why he is asking you is not that he does not want you to have the money, but for you to defend that you indeed require the money because he also monitors your progress,” he said.

Begins work 8.00 am, retires 12.00 am According to him, “He is not a governor, who will just give directive and then go and sleep. As we speak if you come here sometimes 12.00 am, you will see Okowa in the office.

He comes to the office as early as 8.00 am; he is in the chapel where we pray for 30 minutes to ask God to give us direction.

From 8.30 am when we leave the chapel, the man goes straight to his office; he will be in office until about 5.00 pm when he will ask for food.”

“He is not a governor, who is not in charge because if you

say he is a chief executive, he should be able to know what is happening in Ministry A, B and C. As I am talking to you, if you meet Okowa, just like if you also meet the Commissioner in the Ministry of Health, he will not tell you wait, let me ask the Commissioner for Health, he knows what is happening and will tell you. He is not a governor that will sit down and does not know what is happening in his government.

“If you meet him tomorrow and ask him what happened yesterday about this YAGEP programme, he will tell you what happened and because the commissioners know that he is a man, who is always very thorough, they themselves have started to benefit from it, it is already becoming infectious, everybody writing memo to him knows that,” he asserted.

He underlines wrong grammar

Aniagwu said, “He will read every line, you will see him putting red biro, even if it is one kind of grammatical error, he will circle it for you. No matter the volume of memo you write, the man reads from beginning to the end to know whether you have been able to justify the funds that you have put in the bottom of your letter. In a nutshell, no commissioner, no director general, no aide is being arm twisted, what Okowa is saying is let us be prudent to justify the spending of the money that belongs to Deltans.”

Okowa not Father Christmas

Aniagwu stated, “ So, if anybody is crying that the man is not a Father Christmas, well, they would have to cry more for God to give them more tears to shed because Okowa is not going to throw money on the streets and at the end of the day, some big men will take what belong to the poor.

“The target and focus of this administration is prosperity for all Deltans, which means even if you are in the creeks, you deserve as much as the big man that is in the city.”

Every where Okowa goes, you see people coming out to welcome him as if we were still campaigning because they have come to appreciate the fact that somebody is giving value for the money that hitherto they do not know how it goes

VANGUARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—33

Green buildings, urbanization top agenda of Africities Johannesburg summit

By Jude Njoku & Ikenna Asomba

A

CCELERATING the pace of urbanisation and migration and the disproportionate level of poverty and under development in Africa will top the agenda of the United Cities of Local Governments of Africa, UCLGA, summit slated to hold between November 29 and December 3, 2015 at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The summit will also explore issues relating to public transportation, urban agriculture, informal trading, neighbourhood development, green buildings, parks and open spaces, and public safety in urban settings.

Green building, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, US EPA is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s lifecycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.

Recently, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change came up with a report which revealed that green buildings could be a key means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the report,

IFMA award

I

MMEDIATE past chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV as well as a past President of the International Facilities Management Association, IFMA, (Nigeria chapter), Pastor Stephen Jagun recently won the "2015 IFMA International's Distinguished Member of the Year Award."

Pastor Jagun(Right) receiving the award in the United States of America from the President of IFMA International, Mr Tony Keane.

Heritage Place, touted as Nigeria’s first green building.

green buildings could play an essential role in any efforts to reduce the impact of anthropogenic global warming, particularly given projected gains in the emission levels of the international construction sector.

The construction sector which is a key contributor to global warming is expected to undergo a doubling of energy consumption and related emissions by midcentury across the globe, if it proceeds along its current path.

The Johannesburg summit tagged Africities 2015, according to the Secretary General, UCLGA, JeanPierre Elong-Mbassi, would be attended by the representative head of local

The summit will also explore issues relating to public transportation, urban agriculture, informal trading, neighbourhood development, green buildings, parks and open spaces, and public safety in urban settings

governments across the continent and will be used to push for the principles of Pan-Africanism as well as to promote unity, solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among African people and

African States.

Elong-Mbass told newsmen that the Africities Summit which is now in its 7th edition, will create a platform for tackling issues affecting urban“and

economic development across the continent with a sharp focus on“collaborative partnerships, best practices, innovative and strategic thinking and solutions to the challenges of development and urbanisation.

He said: “With a vision of building the unity of Africa and promoting “its development through the grassroots, the UCLG A’s dedication“throughout its history has been driven by its commitment to the empowerment of local people in local communities and their“participation in the development of Africa and its governance.

We have been campaigning for the decentralisation of power, referred to as, ‘the second liberation of the continent,’ as well as advocacy for citizenship through participation and collaboration, best practice and transparency in local government. “The summit is held every three years. This year, more than 5,000 participants are expected from across Africa and the globe, and over 25 open sessions for stakeholders ranging from the World Bank on one side, to slum dwellers on the other.

The theme of this year's summit is "Shaping the Future of Africa with the People: Africa's Local Government Contribution to the Africa 2063 Vision."

UK building industry facing severe shortages —RICS survey

T

HE UK’s construction industry is facing its greatest skills crisis since 1998, with bricklayers and quantity surveyors in shortest supply, a new survey by the the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, has revealed.

These highest skills shortage on record are set to limit sector growth potential but despite this a sharp growth in construction is reported across UK, according to the report.

Over half of respondents, 53 percent, reported difficulty sourcing labour, with 71 percent saying they had particular difficulty sourcing bricklayers and 64 percent highlighting a shortage of quantity surveyors.

During the same period in 2011, just one percent of respondents were struggling to find bricklayers and only 15 percent noted a shortage of quantity surveyors.

In addition to labour supply, 69 percent of firms said that financial constraints, such as access to credit, were among the biggest constraints to growth, while 60 percent said that regulatory and planning issues were potent constraints.

However, despite these challenges, the survey shows

significant areas of growth, with the number of new construction projects increasing, particularly in private housing and commercial sectors.

While official figures, which are often subject to revision, highlighted a slight contraction in output over the three months to August, a substantial proportion of respondents in the RICS survey reported an increase in their workloads, a net balance +39 percent, with 29 percent of firms saying that they were operating at full capacity.

Non housing segments The private housing and commercial sectors continue to lead the growth in workloads with net balances of 47 percent and 46 percent respectively reporting an increase. However, momentum was least firm in the public sector with net balances of 12 percent and 21 percent reporting growth in workloads in the housing and non-housing segments respectively.

Meanwhile, in the infrastructure sector, growth accelerated somewhat with a balance of 34 percent seeing

workloads rise, up from 25 percent in the previous quarter.

‘While it’s exciting to see that the UK is experiencing growth across the construction sectors, future growth will only be sustainable if the growing skills crisis is addressed. The availability of both blue collar and white collar construction workers is reaching crisis point,’ said Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist.

‘We haven’t witnessed a labour shortage of its kind in nearly 20 years. Without the relevant skills, we will not be able to grow many of the Government’s priority construction sectors such as infrastructure,’ he pointed out.

‘Currently, while we know that there is a serious shortage of skills, we don’t yet know why we have seen such a dramatic drop in the labour market over the past five years. Part of the problem is the legacy of the collapse in the sector following the onset of the Global Financial Crisis,’ he explained.

‘Many professionals and other skilled workers chose to leave the industry and quite simply have not returned or been replaced. A real focus on attracting more young people into the industry is critical alongside an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities,’ he added.

34—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Montreal Protocol: Parties devise ways to protect climate ahead Paris COP21 A

S the world counts down to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of this month, the 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer have agreed on a “Dubai Pathway” for controlling climate-change-inducing hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs. The parties agreed to work together, within the Montreal Protocol, towards an HFC amendment in 2016 by first resolving challenges and generating solutions in the contact group on the feasibility and ways of managing HFCs at Montreal Protocol meetings.

This outcome was agreed after extensive negotiations during the 27th meeting of the parties (MOP27) to the Protocol, hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai from 1 to 5 November.

The parties recognised the progress made at MOP27 on discussing the challenges on feasibility and ways of managing HFCs, on issues related to flexibility of implementation, second and third stage conversions, guidance to the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, enabling activities for capacity building, and the need for an exemption for high ambient temperature countries.

High ambient temperature Further progress still needs to be made with respect to other challenges. The parties will continue their deliberations in 2016 with a series of OpenEnded Working Group meetings and others, including an extraordinary Meeting of the Parties.

United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director, Achim Steiner,said, “Hydrofluorocarbons may not cause direct ozone damage, like the chlorofluorocarbons they replace, but many of them contribute to greenhouse emissions.

In fact some estimates put their global warming impact at up to 10,000 times that of carbon dioxide. If we don’t get this genie back into the bottle quickly then, by 2050, we could be looking at as big a problem as the one we have just solved.”

Growing HFC emissions, climate benefits of phase-down: HFCs are chemicals used in air conditioning, refrigeration, foams and aerosols as replacements for many ozone-depleting substances that are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol.

HFC emissions are growing rapidly, at a rate of about 7 per

together to strengthen the Montreal Protocol and support climate efforts for the benefit of humanity.

Extraordinary return on investment: The Montreal Protocol had delivered an extraordinary return on investment, with an investment of $3.5 billion expected to result in global health benefits estimated at US$1.8 trillion and avoided damages to agriculture, fisheries, and materials worth US$460 billion by the middle of the century.

Montreal protocol

Equal rights? House littered with generators that pollute the environment

cent annually. If the current mix of HFCs is unchanged, increasing demand could result in HFC emissions of up to 8.8 gigatonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2050.

This could jeopardize the substantial climate benefits achieved through the Montreal Protocol, which has averted greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

HFC phase-down would provide a sizable benefit for the climate. It would avoid the equivalent of 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and more

The Montreal Protocol had delivered an extraordinary return on investment, with an investment of $3.5 billion expected to result in global health benefits estimated at $1.8 trillion

than 0.5°C of warming by 2050, according to a report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It would also bring significant energy efficiency benefits that past phase-outs have always catalyzed when a refrigerant was changed.

Opening the high-level segment of MOP27 on 4 November, United Arab Emirates Minister of Environment and Water, Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, stated that a delay in reaching an agreement on the management of HFCs would limit international efforts in reducing the effects of climate change.

He urged the parties to join

MOP27 included a discussion on how the institutions and the mechanisms of the Montreal Protocol could assist parties in managing HFCs by the following panellists: Bin Fahad, Steiner, Gina McCarthy, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, United States of America; Mr. Xavier Sticker, Ambassador for the Environment, Foreign Affairs Department, France; Mr. Greg Hunt, Minister for the Environment, Australia; Mr. Abdullahi Majeed, State Minister, Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Maldives; and Mr. Manoj Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India.

The roundtable discussion was moderated by Fernando Lugris, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Uruguay.

LASEPA partners companies to control industrial pollution

By Tare Youdeowei

N

O fewer than 345 industries in Lagos State have joined the fight against environmental pollution. The companies, 207 manufacturing and 138 facilities have begun to enhance their production facilities to mitigate environmental degradation in the state.

These facts were disclosed by the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Mr. Adebola Shabi, an engineer, at the 2015 Society for Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation Fellows Conferment and International Conference .

Shabi who was conferred with the Fellowship of the Society described LASEPA as the police of the environment. “We have

been managing the pollution load of the state in the last five years. Compared to today, the level of pollution has drastically reduced. I will prove it to you.

When you talk of air pollution, over 207 manufacturing industries in Lagos have changed from diesel to gas engine generators because with gas it is cheaper, cleaner and healthier. As for facilities, 138 in this state have put in place Effluent Treatment Plant, ETP. In the past, they were discharging waste water from their facilities into the environment which affects the ecosystem. We have been able to mitigate that with the ETP,” he explained.

Continuing, he said, “The agency is currently on the issue of noise pollution. In the last three to four months we have been shutting down club houses and religious houses due to noise pollution. We have seen

compliance due to that. Also on the issue of spent oil, when generators and cars are serviced, the spent oil should not be dropped on the ground

The agency is currently on the issue of noise pollution, in the last three to four months we have been shutting down club houses and religious houses due to noise pollution

or poured into the gutter because it would end up affecting the water and life forms under the ground.

Instead, they should be containerised and the agency will pick it up to be recycled.

We are bringing in a lot of investors into this state to come into recycling so that the waste generated will be equitably managed”.

The LASEPA boss who spoke on Waste is wealth, regretted that “it is only in this country that all our waste gets to the dump site. In developed countries, virtually 90 percent of their waste is recycled to generate wealth. Fortunately, we in Nigeria are getting to that. Most of our waste would be recycled to create employment for youths and generate more wealth for the government.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—35

C M Y K

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

I can fix Kogi better than all — Audu

By Boluwaji Obahopo

L

OKOJA — The flagbearer of All Progressives Congress, APC, for the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, has said he knows how to fix the problems of the state better than any other candidate in the poll.

Audu, who stated this at at Okpo in Olamaboro Local Government Area of the state during his campaign rally to the area, weekend, said the time had come for people of the state to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

He said: “There is nothing stopping people of the state from enjoying the full dividend of democracy, but with the present crop of leadership on the stage, it may turn out to be a wishful thinking.”

He implored the people of the area to keep a date with him on November 21 by voting APC to power for dividends of democracy to be distributed evenly among the various segments of the state.

Audu said: “You should not entertain fear any longer. My blueprint that will turn things around in the state is ready and waiting to be implemented to transform the state once I’m voted into power

Ambode, Utomi for Lagos 2015 Press Week lecture, award

L

AGOS — GOVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and Prof. Pat Utomi are expected at the annual 2014 Press Week/ Awards Night, slated for this week.

The award is organised by Lagos State Governor’s Office Correspondents, LAGOCO, an offshoot of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ. Announcing the commencement of the press week programme, Sunday, at Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, LAGOCO Chairman, Mr. Joshua Bassey, said the week commenced yesterday with a walk against sexual abuse and domestic violence.

He said the association would tomorrow present items to one of the orphanages in Lagos.

Bassey said the lecture and award ceremony, which is the grand finale, was slated for Friday, November 13, 2015, at Combo Hall, LTV Complex , Lateef Jakande Road , Agidingbi, Ikeja at 3 pm.

Court okays probe of Suswam’s administration

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI—BENUE State High Court presided over by Justice Adam Onum has dismissed an exparte motion filed by former governor Gabriel Suswam, challenging the probe of his eight year rule by Governor Samuel Ortom's administration.

Suswam had dragged the administration to court on the grounds that the two commissions of inquiry constituted by the administration were intended to witch hunt him

and key players of his administration.

He contended further that the panels lacked judicial and constitutional powers to investigate and adjudicate on the issues submitted to it for inquiry.

The former governor also urged the court to restrain the administration from instituting further inquiry into his eightyear rule in the state.

Vanguard recalls that the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Iorhemen Hwande, had on October 12, 2015, ordered a stay

of proceedings on the commissions, pending a ruling on the motion.

In his ruling yesterday, Justice Adam Onum vacated the stay order on the probe panels and ordered that they resume sitting with immediate effect.

Justice Onum held further that the commissions were properly constituted and also upheld their inherent powers to issue letters of summon on individuals. He, however, agreed with the applicant that the commissions lacked the powers to issue a bench warrant on an invitee.

INAUGURATION: Chairman, Enugu Sports Club (ESC), Mr. Obum Arum (left) and

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State during the inauguration of 2015-2016 executive committee of the club, in Enugu.

KOGI GOV RACE: APC, PPA, DPC, others woo women, sign gender pact

By Josephine Agbonkhese

L

OKOJA — THE flag-bearer of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi State governorship election scheduled for November 21, Prince Abubakar Audu, and his running mate, Mr. James Faleke, have signed a social contract with women in the state, vowing to ensure their growth and development, if elected.

Audu signed the 12-point gender pact at the first-ever Kogi Gender Dialogue organized by Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre, WARDC, and other civil society organizations, with support from the United Nations Development Programme Democratic Governance for Development Project, yesterday, in Lokoja.

At the ceremony, Audu said: “During my previous tenures, I appointed the first female

Secretary to the State Government, SSG, in the state and also had women in other key positions. I will do more for women.

“Your objectives are related to our programmes. I, therefore, endorse the gender pact as a true social contract between me and women in the state.”

Meanwhile, candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, incumbent Governor Idris Wada, promised to sign the pact at a later date before the election.

According to the Convener of the National Gender Dialogue, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the essence of the gender dialogue was to ensure enhanced accountability in governance by promoting issue-based campaign that would support gender equality, pro-poor and accountable governance, social justice and development in the Nigerian political landscape.

The dialogue has held successfully since 2007 in Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Lagos

(in collaboration with Vanguard newspapers), among other states.

The 12-point gender pact covers primary health care, education, economic and poverty alleviation, decisionmaking, vulnerable groups, environment, agriculture, road network, water supply, child abuse, violence against women and security.

Other contestants in the race, after signing the pact, swore to aggressively ensure better representation and living conditions for women and youths in the state as entailed in the pact.

They include Mr. Emmanuel Ozigi, flag-bearer for Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA; Mr. Ezekiel Philips Koleola of the Democratic Peoples Congress, DPC; and Democratic Peoples Party candidate, DPP’s Abubakar Ibrahim, who promised a 45 percent representation for women in his cabinet.

Biometric scheme: Some Jigawa workers may retire from service

BY Aliyu Dangida

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UTSE— Thousands of Jigawa State workers may tender their retirement letters before time, following the proposed biometric plan to be introduced in the civil service by the state government.

It was gathered that there were series of mixed reactions by some civil servants in Jigawa State on the proposed biometric scheme announced by Governor Muhammad Abubakar, last week aimed at checkmating late coming and absenteeism.

A visit to state secretariat

by Vanguard indicated that workers described the proposed scheme as capable of militating against workers productivity.

One of the aggrieved workers who craved anonymity, said it was unfortunate for a new government to introduce such a scheme, instead of enhancing the welfare of workers and focus on the maintenance of existing structures put in place by the previous administration.

His words: “The introduction of biometric scheme will not only prostrate workers in the state, but will equally leave us with no option than to retire before our due period to avoid being unnecessarily sacked without collecting our benefits.”

In a swift reaction, the new Head of Service, Muhammad InuwaTahir, stated that the biometric scheme was introduced in good faith to deal with incessant absenteeism and late coming among workers in the state.

He explained that it was high time civil servants in the state’s employ and those in the private sector to have the fear God, saying whoever collected and spent money he did not work for would account for it in the hereafter.

Tahir enjoined civil servants in the state to report to their various places of work on time and close on time to avoid falling victim of government’s directive.

He said the decision was meant to reform the civil service and guide workers to the right paths.

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Commercial bus drivers in Rivers protest alleged killing of colleague by soldier

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT— COMMERCIAL activities were paralysed yesterday in Port Harcourt, as commercial bus drivers took to the streets protesting Sunday's killing of their colleague by a yet-to-be identified soldier at Rumuokoro roadabout over alleged traffic offence.

The protest left several motorists and commuters stranded at various bus stops especially in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas.

It will be recalled that the bus driver was reportedly shot dead by a soldier because he allegedly drove against the traffic which triggered a spontaneous protest by drivers Sunday evening, The aggrieved drivers yesterday resumed their protest and crippled economic activities in the state capital especially on Ikwerre Road.

Commercial bus drivers withdrew their busses from several routes in Port Harcourt and ObioAkpor local government area in solidarity with the protesters.

Commuters heading to

work were stranded and forced to trek long distance.

Anti-riot policemen were deployed to Government House, on Azikiwe Road apparently to ensure the protesters did not extend their march to the area.

Some of the protesters told Vanguard that commercial bus operators had become targets of trigger happy security operatives on the roads.

They recalled that barely three months ago a trigger happy policeman shot dead a bus

driver around Whimpy junction, a distance of about seven minutes drive to the scene of Sunday’s killing.

At press time the army authority in Port Harcourt had not issued any statement on the incident.

ORUBEBE AT CCT: Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe (right), and his lead counsel, Seleke Owei Larry, SAN, after Orubebe's appearance before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false assets declaration, in Abuja on Monday.

Bayelsa APC, PDP bicker over defacing of flag bearers' campaign bill boards, posters

By Emem Idio

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ENAGOA—THE two leading political parties in Bayelsa State, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, traded words over claims of demolition and defacing of campaign bill boards and posters of their flag bearers.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Restoration Campaign Organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, at a rally organised by the nonindigene groups in the state in support of the PDP flag bearer, Governor Seriake Dickson, accused the APC of “destroying bill boards and posters belonging to the PDP.” Obuebite also accused the APC of sending threatening text messages to Bayelsans with the aim of intimidating the electorate ahead of the December 5 poll.

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But in a swift reaction, the Director of Media and Publicity of Sylva /Igiri Campaign Organisation, Nathan Egba, told Vanguard that the PDP was crying wolf where there was none, insisting that it was the PDP that had adopted violence as its main campaign weapon.

Egba accused the PDP of continuously molesting and

harassing APC members across the state.

He said: “The PDP is crying wolf where there is none, for the simple reason that members have adopted violence as their main campaign weapon instead of issues. It is the PDP that has continuously molested harassed and intimidated our members across the state. Don’t

forget they destroyed our tipper trucks and injured some of our members on the day we carried out the sanitation exercise. After that, they burnt canopies and chairs belonging to our members, stabbed our members and injured some in front of the Bayelsa Volunteers Office at Okaka area of Yenagoa.”

Pamela Peter–Vigboro Leesi emerges Miss Nigeria 2015

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EAUTIFUL 22-year-old Computer Science graduate, Miss Pamela PeterVigboro Leesi, emerged winner of the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant held November 8, at the Grand Ballroom, Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Pamela, who represented Cross River State, emerged the winner after a tie for the first position with Kehinde Itunu Adeyemi, who represented

Jigawa State. The tie necessitated a fresh round of questions for the two contestants by the judges. At the end, Pamela won the crown with seven votes, defeating Itunu, who emerged the first runner-up with six votes.

Asiana Mary, who represented Oyo State, emerged the second runner-up.

Pamela was crowned by the out-going queen, Miss Ezinne Akudo. The new beauty queen

went home with N5 million, a brand new SUV, 6 months skill acquisition programme in any institution of her choice, a year serviced apartment and an all expense paid trip.

The judges of the night included Audu Maikori, Helen Prest Ajayi, Ruth Osime, Jumoke Adenowo, Lanre Da Silva, Mai Atafo, Isoken Ogiemwoniyi, and Chima Ude.

Ogboru, Emerhor urged to allow Okowa do his work

By Festus Ahon

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SABA—ASSOCIATION of Registered Political Parties in Delta State, has urged the governorship candidates of Labour Party, LP and All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Great Ogboru and Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor respectively, in the April 11 2015 election to allow the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to concentrate on his work rather than distracting him with further litigation Chairman of the association, Mr Moses Abeh, who spoke with Vanguard, advised the duo to accept the verdict of the tribunal in good faith in the interest of all Deltans.

He told Chief Ogboru and Olorogun Emerhor to join hands with Okowa in his resolve to develop all parts of the state.

Igbinedion makes case for preservation of Benin culture

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HE Esama of Benin Kingdom and honourary Romania ambassador to Edo and Delta states, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, has called for the preservation of Benin culture against the continuous influence of western culture.

Igbinedion spoke while receiving members of IvbiEdo Global Network, IGN, otherwise known as OseghivbiEdo at his residence in Benin City.

Igbinedion also used the occasion to advise Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State to purge himself of what he described as partial and sectional enforcement of the Land Use Charge.

The Esama berated the governor on the Land Use Charge policy, claiming it was targeted at witch hunting certain personalities and a ploy to exploit individuals from a particular part of the state.

“This is not politics. Are there no G.R.As in other parts of the state? Why has he narrowed down the enforcement on certain personalities and from a particular senatorial district,” he said.

38—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

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Death among us

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AST Thursday was a day most of us wished was not a day. By “us” I mean the community of people of African origin in the small university town of Carbondale, Illinois. That Thursday was when we had memorial a service to bid farewell to a young and budding scholar, Fiyinfoluwa Onarinde, a Nigerian who was just in the first three months of his doctor of philosophy education in the department of English Language, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

This is how the campus newspaper, the Daily Egyptian (November 5) reported his death: “Onarinde was found dead in his apartment…..according to police. The cause of death is uncertain, but foul play is not suspected, police said.” A young poet, Fiyinfoluwa had a bachelor’s degree in English (Osun State university) and a master’s in communication (University of Ado Ekiti). He was only 31 years old. It wasn’t as though we were strangers to death. But there is something immensely sorrowful about the death of a young person, so full of life and vision for the future. When that person is an African student so far away from parents, siblings

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and loved ones, the sorrow is magnified; worse still when the departed is a compatriot.

Some of us who attended Fiyinfoluwa’s memorial service never met him. He must have been busy settling down on campus before death came knocking. The few of us who knew him, from his course mates to professors (Caucasian or Black alike) provided moving testimonials about his diligence, intelligence, calm demeanour, versatility in knowledge outside his discipline, being deeply religious, friendship, and pride in his Nigerian and Yoruba origin. Yet, death was unimpressed by those sterling qualities; that was how our human minds processed the encomiums about this young man.

Another lingering thought was that in the past five years or so, we have lost a number of African Ph.D students. Two doctoral students (a Kenyan and a Nigerian) had also died in such mysterious circumstance of being found dead in their apartments. Another student from Ghana was terminally ill but managed to set foot in Accra before his death less than twentyfour hours later. And yet, another one from

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—43 Senegal also died after a prolonged battle The fact of life is that such deaths will with cancer, but just when signs of recovery not cease despite the pain in our hearts. were all over the place.

But, they remind us, especially those of us So startling were these deaths that at who have accomplished their education, Fiyinfoluwa’s memorial service one of the about the challenges of graduate (and presiding pastors, originally from undergraduate) education far away from Zimbabwe, took some time to say a special home and in a culture that constantly prayer for God’s protection for Africans in reminds you of the differences between it this university town. But it wasn’t that death and where you had lived before migrating has a special appetite for African students. abroad.

No. Students from the US and other places It is tough business being a graduate have also died in the same period. I guess student, especially if it is your first time in the reason for the special prayer must be America. You have to adjust to a distinctly because it is a different story when death new system of education; to the tyranny of hits home. being lonely in a crowd; to the suddenness For me, death also hit home years ago, of being cut off from all uncles, aunties, long before I arrived in America, when I parents, siblings and those childhood learnt that my bosom friend and colleague friends you constantly interacted with back at Vanguard newspaper, Ely Obasi, had home; to the somewhat “dehumanizing” died. He too was a student in the US. And, realization that you have no one with like Fiyinfoluwa, he had died in the whom you could communicate in your loneliness of his native language, unless you were lucky; apartment, his to the mountain of academic work that remains only to be never diminishes; to the high and found a few days complicated cost of living that challenges later.

Another your concept of America before arriving incident in 2007 was on her shores; to the humbling nature of the death of a friend life in America where you must perform from Kenya. As a those chores you had hired hands to do result of the unique for you back home; to the fact that your circumstance of his new normal is that you may have to do wife and three young what you used to consider as menial jobs kids (the oldest was unfit for your status and accomplishments It is tough back home; and, above all, to the often seven years), I had the unpleasant but business intimidating reality that you are truly alone must-do job among in your struggle because this is a society people in our little being a where the sense of individualism continues community in graduate to impact human relationships. It usually Columbia, Missouri, takes a few months for all these to sink in to accompany his student, and you begin to make the necessary body all the way for especially if adjustments in the new culture. the funeral in his But, the African community is quite it is your village, a few supportive in and outside the classroom, kilometers outside first time in especially to people who arrive and actively capital city, Nairobi. America seek out their compatriots and African brothers and sisters.

44—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

TOUR: From left— Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 12 Police Headquarters, Tunde Ogunsakin; Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba El-Kanemi, and Borno State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Opadokun, during Ogunsakin's familiarization tour in Maiduguri, Borno State.

GENDER DIALOGUE: From left— President, International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Falilat Musa; Convener, National Gender Dialogue, and Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi; Kogi State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Prince Audu Abubakar, displaying the gender pact signed at the Dialogue; his running mate, Hon. James Faleke, and Ene Ede, at the event organized by WARDC with support from UNDP/GDP, in Lokoja, Kogi State, Monday.

WORKSHOP ON WATER HYACINTH: From left— Headmaster, LG Primary School, Bayeku-Ikorodu, Mr. M. R. Oluwasomi; General Secretary, Bayeku Community, Alhaji Hakeem Sanni; Baale of the community, Chief Saheed Ajibode, and the Lead, CSR and Sustainability of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Mrs. Temitayo Ade-Peters, during the FCMBsponsored workshop on Transforming Water Hyacinth to Profitable Handicrafts in partnership with MitiMeth, in Ikorodu, Lagos.

VISIT: From left— Daughter of late Mrs. Hannah Awolowo, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, and another daughter, Mrs. Omotola Oyediran, during Ogunsanya's condolence visit to Ikenne, Remo, Ogun State.

KNIGHT'S FUNFAIR: From left— Immediate past Deputy Metro Grand Knight, Egbert Imomoh; Deputy Metro Grand Knight, William Adebisi; Officiating Priest, Rev. Fr. Paul Anyansi; Metropolitan Grand Knight, Charles Mbelede, and Metro Chancellor, James Famure, at the maiden edition of the Funfair of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, KSM, Lagos Metropolitan Council at the Church of Ascension, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

PRESENTATION: From left— A guest, Mrs Oyinkan BadejoOkunsanya; member, Cross River State House of Assembly, Akom Okora; General Manager, Business Development, MTN, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi; Associate Director and author of Made in Heaven, Nkiruka Moghalu-Oguadinma, and MD/CEO, Mr. Tunji Olugbodi, both of Verdant Zeal, at the book's presentation in Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

L-r: Dr Tayo Abiara, Team Lead, Clinical Services, The Bridge Clinic; Mrs Ifeoma Emekwue, Brand Ambassador of the Association for the Prevention of Infertility and Promotion of Reproductive Health and Rights (ASPIRE); and Dr Dayo Omogbehin, Commercial Director, The Bridge Clinic at the relaunch of group in Lagos

SPECIAL OLYMPICS: From left— Board member, John Momoh; Chairman, Victor Osibodu; board member, Udeme Ufot, all of Special Olympics Nigeria; and Manager, Media & Communication, ExxonMobil, Oge Udeagha, at the 2015 Special Olympics Nigeria annual patrons' cocktail in Lagos.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—45

46—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Oil crash puts $150 bn investments at risk – NNPC

By Sebastine Obasi

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HE Group Managing Director, GMD, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu yesterday said that the fall in oil prices has put about $150 billion upstream investments at risk.

The GMD, who was represented by the Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the NNPC, Mr. Dafe Sejebor, said this at the pre-conference workshop of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, NAPE, held in Lagos.

“Indeed, it is estimated that $50 oil price placed $150billion of upstream investments at risk. Companies are exposed to these dynamics and the resulting changes in oil prices to different degrees.

“If the cost per unit barrel exceeds the price of oil, it will simply be left in the ground.

“By optimising our financial position, reshaping our portfolios, renegotiating costs – both capital expenditure and operating expenditure, limiting costs, reducing risks, reengineering business models and addressing fiscal terms, companies can weather a lower-price environment and position themselves for even greater success when prices rebound,” he said.

According to him, the persistent drop in the prices of crude oil in the international market is aggravating the level of uncertainties in the industry and the economy at large.

The GMD also said that as oil prices continue to tumble, oil companies are going to great lengths to cut their overhead spending, and, “we in Nigeria must also adjust to reflect current market realities.”

The oil price collapse, he noted, had given rise to a high level of uncertainty, which is being reflected in the companies’ balance sheet.

Kachikwu further argued that after years of relative price stability, investor confidence in the oil and gas sector had plummeted, of which for the moment, there is little reason for confidence to return.

He said: “It is worth mentioning to say that many oil projects today are of such scale and global scope that their cancellation affects the economies not only of the producing countries, but also those of many others that provide the goods, services, and expertise necessary to deliver those projects.”

5-man c’ttee of generals to probe role of Army in Ekiti, Osun, Rivers, A-Ibom elections

By Luka Binniyat/Faith Bature

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ADUNA – The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Gen. Tukur Buratai, has constituted a five-man board of generals to investigate alleged partisanship of members of the Nigeria Army during the 2015 general election.

General Officer Commanding, GOC, 1 Division of the Nigeria Army, Maj. Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, said he was made the Chairman of the board by Gen Buratai.

Other members of the board are Brig. Gen. Sunday Araoye, Brig.

Gen. Emmanuel Kabuk, Brig. Gen. Baba Ibrahim and Col. Danladi Salihu who will serve as its secretary.

Addressing newsmen in Kaduna, yesterday, Gen Oyebade said: “There are allegations made by the general public on the gubernatorial elections conducted in some states such as Ekiti, Osun, Rivers and Akwa Ibom among others.

“These allegations are weighty and Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Buratai is determined to get to the root of the matter. The COAS insists on maintaining a professionally responsive Nigerian Army determined on discharging its constitutional roles, and as such instituted this Board of Inquiry.

“The panel is to investigate these allegations and recommend appropriate measures to prevent a re-occurrence in the future. The military as a noble profession must remain apolitical in our democratic dispensation.

“Politics, we strongly believe should be left entirely to politicians.

The role of the military must strictly be in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

“I must hasten to add, however, that despite these worrisome allegations, the military has to a large extent performed creditably as the foremost guardian of the nation’s democracy.”

“All petitions/memorandum are to be forwarded not later than Fri 20 Nov 2015. The panel shall commence its sitting from 9am – 5pm daily except Sundays starting from today Monday 9, 2015,”

INDUCTION: President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, Otunba Femi Deru; Best Qualifying Candidate for the Diet, Cynthia Ijilana, receiving her prize from Past President of ICAN, Princess Agnes Adeniran, during ICAN's 56th induction ceremony of new members.

Show love, concern for fellow Nigerians, Ekwueme urges prominent politicians

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

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NEWI—FORMER Vice President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, yesterday, at Ekwulobia, the Headquarters of Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra state, called on wealthy Nigerians and prominent politicians in the country to show love and concern to fellow Nigerians.

The former Vice President spoke yesterday when the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Aguata Branch of which he is a member, hosted and felicitated with him as part of activities marking his 83rd birthday, at the Bar centre located at the LGA headquarters.

The NBA Aguata Branch in

an address to Chief Ekwueme, presented by its Chairman, Mr. Sabastine Anyia, described him as "a nation builder, and a mighty man of valour. We are not unaware that he had his ups and down as a child when growing up. As a politician, he was confronted with deceit, lies, fake and difficult people with horrible characters, but he kept his cool.

“Chief Ekwueme set out each day believing in his dreams. He knew without doubt that he was created by God Almighty for amazing things. He never prayed for easy life and always prayed to be a strong man. He is a shining example to this generation. To him, real integrity is doing the right thing and knowing that nobody is going to know whether you did it or not.

Tribunal Ruling: Gov Ikpeazu needs support, not distractions —Abia Youths

By Ikenna Asomba

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OLLOWING HIS victory at the Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia youths in Lagos, yesterday, urged all Abia indigenes, to support Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to move the state forward.

The youths under the aegis of Umuahia Youths Development Association, UYDA, celebrated Ikpeazu’s victory in Lagos, even as they threw their weight behind his administration in solidarity.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, President, UYDA, Mr. Obinna Ehumadu, revealed that since

the tribunal delivered its judgement by upholding the governor’s victory, there had been peace in Abia state, noting that what Governor Ikpeazu needed at this point were not distractions of any form, but maximum support from all Abia indigenes to move the state forward.

Ehumadu said: “As youths, we believe that the government is for the youths. Giving Governor Ikpeazu our support will enable his government to grow. That is why we have decided to celebrate his victory at the tribunal.”

Ehumadu, who led the youths

to the Abia State Liaison Office, Victoria Island, in celebration of Ikpeazu’s victory, however, urged him to create avenues for Abia youths to be employed.

“Governor Ikpeazu should open industries and facilities to create jobs. The youths are looking up to the government.

Also, we urge the governor to make the state comfortable for investors to invest in the state, to create more jobs for the youths. He should also focus on the development of the state’s educational system,” added the youth leader."

“He is a perfect gentleman and words of mouth are inadequate to address him. He is the ideal democrat, the quintessential statesman, the man of letters, Ide Aguata (the pride of Aguata), the pride of Aguata bar, great lover of education and founder of institutions. He is man of uncommon wisdom, integrity, probity and candour, founder of G34, founding father of Peoples Democratic Party and above all, unparalleled believer of the project called Nigeria.”

In his speech, the NBA National Executive Council representative for Aguata branch of NBA, Aniazoka M.C. Uzoka, said “Chief Dr Ekwueme is one of the most spotless politicians we have in Nigeria, who have been found very clean by the tribunal set up to prosecute him.

“His humility is second to none, his sense of responsibility and commitment to what the bar stands for is unparalleled. We appreciate him as a father and a role model,” he said.

He called on the "Federal Government to take more interest in what happens in Chief Ekwueme’s house, by tackling the menacing erosion that is threatening to carry his family house in Oko. The house is our former Vice President's and deserves immediate attention.

Otherwise, one day, we will find him inside erosion."

In his remark the, Public Relations Officer of the bar, Chief Livinus Nwokike, described Chief Ekwueme as exemplary and unprecedented Nigerian leader worth emulating by future leaders.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—47

CLINIC: Cross section of pregnant women in Ibeshe community. Inset are pictures of Ibeshe PHC and water-logged road leading to the dock (Ijegun-Egba Jetty).

Many woes of pregnant women in Ibeshe community of Lagos State •As TBAs overrule doctors

By Chioma Obinna

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OVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State must hear this! There is only one Primary Health Centre, PHC, in Ibeshe Ward in Oriade Local Council Development Area, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, serving nine densely populated settlements in the state.

Residents of the communities of Ibeshe, Ibeshe-Beach, Ibasa, Imore, Ilashe, Okun -Ilashe, Igbo-osun, Igbo-Eseyere and Okun-Ilashe and other riverine communities within that axis are wishing that the Governor would pay them a visit.

Such visit would be a revelation as it would not only enable the Governor to experience, first hand, the socioeconomic challenges faced by thousands of residents of the communities, but bring to the fore, the unpalatable state of healthcare delivery around that axis.

A visit would be the only way that the Governor, and the state government, would appreciate the hazards of the lack of social amenities including basic healthcare as a result of absence of a befitting primary health care centre.

The Healthcare Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, an Agency of Lagos State Ministry of Health, says there are 26 registered General Hospitals, 256 Public

Healthcare Centres, 2,886 private hospitals/clinics/laboratories/ ophthalmic/dental/diagnostic centres and an estimated 160 trado-medical centres in the state.

Yet, the solitary PHC located in Ibese, an island community, is the nearest upon entry into Oriade LCDA, with one basic access road that leads to the dock (Ijegun-Egba Jetty) from where one must board a boat The access road is marred by deep gorges and flood caused by fluctuating water levels. The state of the road makes the trip to the dock slow, long and tedious. At the dock, the commuter must wait (including pregnant women) for the boat to fill up, this could take hours.

that ordinarily should take a few minutes, dragged on for almost an hour because of the poor state of the road.

The bad road, in a way explains why pregnant women in the community patronise TBAs. At the jetty, the journey continued in a small boat of about eight passengers. It had just rained and the waters were not friendly. The boat experience was more terrifying than the road trip. Turbulence was so high one could not imagine how a pregnant woman in labour would be expected to cope under such a traumatic journey, in order to access health

Water-logged road The Governor would be interested to learn that the rough terrain and lack of access roads force the people to shun the centre, and rather, depend on traditional healers. Worst hit are the pregnant women who have no option than to patronise Traditional Birth Attendants, TBAs. He would be interested to know that for seven years, there has not been government presence in the entire community and that the trip to the PHC is far from smooth sailing.

Navigating through the murky, water-logged access road in a motorised tricycle was a challenge on its own. The journey

I usually have two weeks labour when I am pregnant with a male child, to avoid complication I would rather allow my father deliver me of the baby

care.

Arrival at the PHC elicited no excitement. On the contrary, it was depressing. A first time visitor to the PHC would easily decipher that all is not well. The unhinged, rusty gate and compound overgrown by weeds came as a shock.

The edifice, a dilapidated structure, bereft of the trimmings expected of a modern health facility, is largely underutilised and underserved. It has not had electricity supply for the past seven years and the only available power generator packed up long ago.

The centre is faced with chronic shortage of medical personnel, drugs, water supply and other necessary amenities. The only source of water is an old well in the compound with rather murky water, as the borehole is broken.

All the 10-beds were empty and except for a few pregnant women at the antenatal clinic, it was deserted. Presently, there is no doctor, just one nurse, a ward aide and a gardener.

Pregnant women experiences Community members say these challenges forced them to abandon the facility. The records unit showed that in one month, just two deliveries are taken out of an average of 10 pregnant women who attend antenatal clinic there.

Omolara Assan, who is eight months pregnant, considers put-

ting to bed at the centre a risk because there is no doctor. "This pregnancy is far gone, but I have not seen a doctor only a nurse.

Sometimes they invite us to collect drugs, we will come, wait and at the end of the day we go back home with nothing. I will rather visit the TBAs than the centre. I have three children."

As a result of the peculiarity of the Centre, whenever there are complications or difficult cases, TBAs are invited to assist.

Seven months pregnant Fatimoh Tawak is comfortable with the idea of having TBAs in the hospital. Fatimoh who is pregnant for the fifth time points out that her father who is a TBA, delivers her children and she believes it is safer for her.

"I usually have two weeks labour when I am pregnant with a male child, so to avoid complication I would rather allow my father deliver me of the baby."

Confirming that women in the communities have abandoned the facility, Fawusat Ali, also seven months pregnant said they prefer to patronise TBAs because they cannot afford to pay the N1,000 transport fare from places like Imore or Ibasha to the centre where there is no doctor.

"This is my third pregnancy. I have been delivering with TBAs. This is the first time I am coming for antenatal here. There is no doctor, no electricity, so they have to use torchlight. They have a generator but we were told it got damaged. We come on Mondays. On Wednesday some nurses come from town to immunise the children."

Appeal to government Fawusat, while calling on the Lagos State Government to build more Primary Health Centres in the area, she recalled a pregnant woman that almost bled to death after delivering her baby.

She said the community heads had to arrange a boat to take the woman to Oriade PHC. The women are mandated to buy all the items required for their delivery and they are charged N5, 000.

Chairman, Ibeshe Ward Health Committee, Sharafa Amodu, blamed the low patronage on the long distance to access the centre. "This is the only PHC serving Ibeshe ward. Here there are no drugs. In the last seven years, the community has been without electricity. The power supply was only restored two days ago and developed fault almost immediately. These challenges have continued to force our women to continue to patronise TBAs. "This type of hospital is inadequate for our people and that is why you don't see many pregnant women here. It is too far for

Continues on page 48

48—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Oshibogun seeks mandatory health insurance for every Nigerian

By Chioma Obinna

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ORMER Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun, has called for mandatory health insurance scheme for all Nigerians that would help balance payment for personal health services.

Making the call in his book titled: "My Life, My Medicine: A Chief Medical Director's Story", Osibogun said personal health issues can be financed through a mix of mechanisms including out of pocket payment and some level of government subsidy as an investment into economic productivity and growth as well as social cohesion and solidarity.

Osibogun who is also a Consultant Public Health Physician and Epidemiologist in his 295-page autobiography disagreed with the belief that there are communities that are too poor to pay premium for health insurance but pointed out that some communities have failed to recognise and meaningfully use their God given assets.

Procurement of health goods "If Israel could grow food on desert land, what excuse do we have to be hungry when we have plenty of Arable land? Why should there be so much unemployment when there is a lot of work to be done? Millions of houses are yet to be built, roads to be constructed, children to be taught and yet we talk about unemployment. I think our economists and politicians have to be sent back to school!"

He pointed out that government at all levels must

BOOK PRESENTATION: From left: Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Peter Okebukola, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Former Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun, his wife, Beatrice, Vice Chancellor University of Lagos ,Prof Rahamon Bello, and Commissioner for Health, Lagos State Dr. Jide Idris at the public presentation of a book "My life, My Medicine: A Chief Medical Director's Story" written by Prof. Osibogun recently in Lagos. take full responsibilities for the procurement of certain health goods and services that are in the public interest.

Health issues, problems and diseases that if left to individual prevarication, can escalate into community problems of unmanageable size are best financed from the common purse.

The erstwhile LUTH Chief Medical Director stressed that there is need for government to urgently attend to the question of defining a sustainable financing mechanism that incorporate not just the government the communities, families and individuals.

Health insurance scheme is a model that can guarantee access to citizens and protect them against catastrophic expenditure for health. Once the funds are pooled then it will guarantee payment of services rendered and

will help us improve on the quality of service for Nigerians.

Continuing, he said the book was written to serve as a resource material for managers in the health sector and students of health management who intend to learn from the experience of others.

"There is no need to reinvent the wheel where there are already documented methods, strategies and systems that work or where pitfalls have been identified, others can avoid them," he noted.

Recounting some of his milestones as CMD of LUTH, he said under his administration, the hospital started renal transplantation, open heart surgery, laparoscopic surgery and endoscopic surgery which were reasons why most Nigerians travel abroad for.

He said by providing these services in Nigeria they have

contributed their quota to ensuring that Nigerians can get those services in-country as well as saved the country a lot of foreign exchange.

The Book Reviewer, Dr. Fassy Adetokunboh Yusuf described it as a well 'baked cake' for society consumption. For him, it is a story of an intelligent, calm, focused, dynamic and highly exposed Nigerian who has distinguished himself wherever he has found himself.

According to Yusuf, the author has distinguished himself in all ramifications. He however recommended the autobiography as a veritable material for leaders of organisations especially those in the medical profession/health care delivery, and others in pursuit of scholarship and those willing to know the politics and dynamics of organisations.

Woes of pregnant women in Ibeshe Continues from page 47 them. Out of 50 women who get pregnant, less than 25 give birth here." To reach these communities with health services, Amodu explained that the committee in collaboration with the PHC and some NGOs, organise medical outreaches particularly in those far distance riverine areas like Ibasha and Imore.

He further called on the State government to urgently come to their aid by procuring boats and equipping the centre with drugs and increasing number of medical personnel.

"A boat without engine costs N300, 000, an engine of 60 horsepower is N400, 000. To get a complete boat you need a total of N700, 000 and we cannot afford it. We will appreciate it if we can get one to be on standby to convey emergency cases."

He said they are compelled to invite the traditional people to come and play their role because government had encouraged such association.

In a chat, the Founder, Festus Fajemilola Foundation, Mr. Afolabi Fajemiloa, who has been working in the community for two years, decried the travails of the people. "That is why they prefer to go to TBAs. There was time we had a community scorecard and discovered many people patronise TBAs and don't see the need to go to government hospitals.

Elizabeth, Sowho, LADSCOP, said in places like Ibasa, where you will spend 45 minutes on the water before you get there, deliveries are taken by the pregnant women husbands. "Government should give the people adequate roads. The former chairman agreed to give them a road but today he has gone and the road is still not finished."

NAFDAC on rescue mission of Nigeria's food export

By Sola Ogundipe

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OLLOWING the restriction by the European Union, EU, on export of Nigeria`s valueadded agricultural food products, the National Agency for Food and drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, is set to acquire and deploy 100 mobile motorized laboratories to remote farm centres and produce markets in the 36 states of the Federation, including the FCT, Abuja.

Disclosing this development to Vanguard, the Director (Special Duties), NAFDAC, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, said as Nigeria`s leading Quality Control Authority, NAFDAC had risen to the challenge by deploying cuttingedge technology as part of the Federal government`s rescue package.

Jimoh, who noted that the Agency's Director General, Dr.

Paul Orhii is spearheading the government intervention through acquisition of 100 mobile motorized laboratories, said the one-stop multi-purpose mobile laboratories are to be deployed to all the 36 states of the Federation and FCT Abuja with consideration for states with high volume of agricultural activities.

He said the mobile laboratory testing will also encompass intensive training of farmers and produce marketers on food storage, packaging and other quality control issues.

"Apart from tackling headlong the problem of food contaminants, analysis of medicines and packaged water will also be undertaken by the mobile labs which Chinese state Food and Drug Authority have already deployed to revolutionize its control and regulation of food and pharmaceutical products.

"The proposed on the spot quality assessment and monitoring of value chain agricultural exports will boost quality of food consumed in Nigeria and also save us from the embarrassment of a permanent ban on our non-oil exports by the EU next year. It would be recalled that in June this year, the EU placed a ban for one calendar

Nigerian food export to the EU suffered more than 50 rejections as a result of pesticide contaminant

year, on export of food products such as beans, sesame and melon seeds, dried fish, meat, pea nuts, palm oil, etc., while cocoa, cashew nuts amongst others were rejected in Japan and the US on grounds of poor quality.

Describing the suspension order as a threat to concerted efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to restore the lost glory of agriculture as the mainstay of the economy, Jimoh noted that NAFDAC`s record showed that in the last two years, Nigerian food export to the EU suffered more than 50 rejections as a result of pesticide contaminant even as the nation loses over US$4 billion annually from rejections of nonoil exports at international markets.

Jimoh said NAFDAC has cause to be perturbed by scary and mind boggling statistical data revealing

Nigeria as net importer of Food products where the nation even has comparative advantage.

"In 2012, Nigeria imported rice valued at N356 billion, N271 billion worth of sugar and spent N50 billion importing frozen fish when the country had capacity of producing and exporting N200 billion worth of frozen fish. Nigeria spends a whopping N11.7 billion annually to import 65,809 tonnes of Tomatoes and N168 Billion worth of fruits while Nigeria naturally should be one of the largest producers of citrus.

"This despicable and deplorable trend is what President Buhari has decided to reverse in order to restore production and export of value added agricultural products to its pristine position as number one foreign exchange earner to the nation before the discovery of oil in 1956.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015—49

Lateefat seeks N0.9m to walk again Stories by Gabriel Olawale

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ATEEFAT Bashiru, a petty trader has been bedridden for several months as a result of a road accident in which she suffered severe limb fracture.

It all began when she boarded a commercial bus on January 18, 2014, but got involved in the road mishap. Lucky to escape with her life, she has however, been unable to walk due to the injury she sustained.

Presently, Lateefat who hails from Ogun state and is the breadwinner for her family, requires corrective surgery but is unable to raise the required N904, 780 for the surgery. She has cried out to kind-hearted Nigerians for assistance.

In a narration, she recalled: “I was conscious when the accident happened.

I was on my way to Sango in Ogun State to visit my mother but the accident occurred around Iyana Ipaja.

I was rushed to a nearby hospital and later transferred to Aisha Hospital from where I was referred to National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, for x-ray.

I was told I had to undergo surgery to walk again.

“When I made enquiry about the cost, I was told to return, but my next appointment fell within the health workers’ strike. When the pain was much, I visited some other places but the situation remains the same. After the strike, I went back to Igbobi, where I was given a bill of N904,780 for the surgery.” A document signed by Dr. Taiwo Aofolajuwonlo revealed that Lateefat will require signature hip prosthesis, surgical pack, anaesthesia, physiotheraphy, drugs among others.

Appealing for support, Lateefat said

Don’t limit hand washing to children — BAKARE

Mrs. Lateefat Bashiru on her sick bed. she had sold all her tools. “People of Nigeria should help me, I want to walk again and continue with my business. I was a fashion designer before the incident.”

If you are motivated to assist, kindly send your donation to GT Bank, Lateefat Bashiru, 0140674241 or contact 08025224425.

Rainbow offers free diabetes screening

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S part of its activities to mark diabetes day and create more awareness on diabetes mellitus, Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre is offering free diabetes screening to the general public throughout the month of November.

A statement by Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, the hospital’s Medical Director said the hospital is offering the free screening in view of recent statistics by the International Diabetes Federation, IDF, showing that 1 in every 2 people having diabetes do not

know they have the condition. “This is why we have decided to provide the opportunity for every Nigerian to come forward for the free screening to help reduce unnecessary death from diabetes, in the country,” the statement further said.

The statement also announced that the hospital will, on November 14, the World Diabetes Day, hold a free diabetes boot camp, focusing on foot care and nutrition in diabetes, at Peninsula Hotel Lekki Epe Express Way between 10am and 12noon.

HE founder of Ebola Alert and Head of Delivery, HEIT Solutions, Dr. Kolawole Bakare, has urged relevant stakeholders in the country not to restrict their hygiene campaign to children, as the adult population can also benefit.

Speaking during the flag-off of a project tagged; “Handwashing Market Place” organised in partnership with Lagos State Ministry of Health, Bakare said connecting Nigerian marketplaces to proper handwashing will help in hubs for disease control.

He explained that the typical adult will spend at least eight hours at work every day especially in congested cities like Lagos and spend another two hours on average commuting to work and back.

“During those hours, their hands play key roles in their daily routines, with activities that require contacting people, surfaces and other objects that may harbor infectious germs. These same hands will be used to eat and to express affection for loved ones when they return home.”

“Having understood the implication, HEIT Solution is urging organisations to voluntarily subscribe and commit to become a Hand Washing Marketplace, through free online registration on www.hwmp.org. He noted that each registered organisation will be required to express commitment to HWMP guidelines.

“The guidelines are in the form of a checklist to strengthen organisational hand washing support system for staff and/or members. This strengthening entails setup of simple governance frameworks and installation of basic information, communication and education kits on hand washing.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

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50 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

•Protesters at Alade market

ALADE MARKET RE-DEVELOPMENT:

Controversy trails 30-year-old market’s N6.9bn upgrade

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

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HERE is acrimony between traders of Alade market and Ikeja Local Government over the redevelopment of 30-year-old market in Ikeja into a mall to suit the Megacity status of the state.

The redevelopment which is expected to cost N6.9 billion has been crippled for five years due to the face-off between the current occupants, the traders, who have kicked against the mode of redevelopment and the Ikeja Local Government that is hell-bent on embarking on the redevelopment.

Since Aug. 12, 2010, when the concession was signed between the Ikeja Local Government and the developer under a Build, Operate and Transfer, BOT, arrangement to redevelop the market; the traders and the government have been at each others throat.

The face-off became obvious in May this year after the government asked the traders to relocate to the new site constructed by the developer, few meters away from the old market;

pending the completion of the redevelopment. But this caused the wrath of the traders who described the new site as inhabitable.

And since then, the traders have continued to express their displeasure weekly at the manner they have been asked to leave the market where they claimed they had beng trading for over 30 years.

Annual rental fees While still negotiating, the council sent a notice titled: “Final Notice of Relocation and Payment of N150,000 Relocation fees” with reference No. IKJ.GEN. 1213. Vol. 12/129; signed by the Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government.

The letter reads in part: “Further to the series of meetings on your relocation to the new site under construction, I have been directed to inform you that the Local Government has approved the sum of N150,000 as the relocation and annual rental fee per shop/ allottee payable to the

Ikeja Local Government ACCESS Bank PLC Account: 0016300967 with effect from Tuesday 19th -Monday June 1st, 2015.”

Realizing the intention of the council, the traders on May 21st, 2015 stormed the office of the former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola to express their grievances over the redevelopment. But, Fashola was on ground to receive them.

At the office of the governor, the traders due to their number, paralysed activities, lamenting that the planned demolition of the over 30-year-old market would displace 1,000 traders who depend on it for survival.

The protesters who defied the scorching sun were on the fateful day armed with placards with different inscriptions which read: “No to demolition of Alade market; We are the original owners of the shop; Fashola please save us from demolition of Alade Market; don’t displace us and Enough of demolition of market in Lagos and others.

The protesters accused the Iyaloja of the market, Mrs.

Elizabeth Adenuga of conniving with officials of the council led

by Mr. Wole Ogunlolu, for the planned demolition without carrying them along, saying; “We got wind of the planned demolition on May 18th, 2015 through a letter from the council demanding each trader to pay N150, 000 as relocation fee.”

President of the Concerned Traders, Mrs Sulola OdunsiDania, said that the council

President of the Concerned Traders, Mrs Sulola OdunsiDania, said that the council initially made the move to displace them and demolish the market in 2003 but the state government denied any knowledge of the planned demolition

authority initially made the move to displace them and demolish the market in 2003 but the state government denied any knowledge of the planned demolition.

Her words; “We told them that they can’t dislodge the 1,000 traders. The new shops cannot accommodate the 1,000 traders?

What will be the fate of others?

The place is not even environmentally friendly. It is right inside the canal.’’

Another trader, Mrs. Foluke Kupoluyi, lamented; “It is not habitable, it is a slum. The shops there are not even up to 1,000.

There is no access road. It is not going to be okay for all of us; it is not manageable, it will not go round, there is no provision for security and it is even flooded”

Provision for security Few days later, the former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs, Mr. Ademorin Kuye said; “An alternative place has been provided by the government for the traders. But we all need to understand that the issues in the market are not just something that can be resolved just like that.

“There must be proper understanding between the government and the traders. And there must be human phase in governance. We have asked the developer and called the Executive Secretary of the council involved to convey a stakeholders meeting with the traders to make them understand that ultimately when this place is developed, they will have the first take on it,” he added.

Continues on page 51

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 51

•Alade market in Ikeja, Lagos

Controversy trails 30-year-old Alade market’s N6.9bn upgrade Continues from page 50 Worried by the continued delay, the concessionaire, Messer Masters Reality International Concepts Ltd on Sunday, August 2, 2015 stormed the market to commence work.

But the traders prevented the concessionaire from commencing the redevelopment work at the market, citing non-provision of an alternative for their action.

Consequently, the concessionaire forcibly deployed its men and shut the market, taking possession, to begin the redevelopment in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2010.

Action of the concessionaires The action of the concessionaire led to a mild drama at the entrance of the market, after the traders claimed that the concessionaire had planned to set the market ablaze.

The face-off at the entrance which lasted for hours was resolved through the intervention of the Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government, Adekunle Dailey-Adeokun, which led to the re-opening of the market and a 16-man committee was set up to fashion out the relocation of the traders to a new market, built for them beside the main market.

Adeokun, who spoke on behalf of the state government and the council which approved the upgrade of the market, said the redevelopment of the market into a mega mall was not negotiable, adding that the traders had to make way for the contractor to move to site.

He said most of the traders kicking against the project were

not the original shop owners and that the contractor had invested money on the project since the MoU was signed five years ago.

Adeokun explained that since the money must be paid back, the project must be completed on time.

Explaining the reason for his action, the Chief Executive Officer of Masters Reality International Concepts Ltd, Mr. Lai Omotola, said the company came to take possession of the property in a bid to commence its redevelopment. He explained that since the traders had been unwilling to leave the market for redevelopment, the action of the company became inevitable.

“On Aug. 12, 2010, we signed a concession with the Ikeja Local Government under a BOT arrangement to redevelop Alade Market into a mega mall, to meet the standard of a mega city.

“For the past five years, we have been meeting with the marketers to move them to another place we have built for them and they have refused to move, saying they were not okay with the alternative provided,” he said.

that the exchange rate had skyrocketed to N195 to the dollar.

He said the declining value of the Naira was a serious concern to him, saying the development posed a threat to the accelerated delivery of the project.

“All attempts for the market people to be reasonable with us proved abortive and it has come to a stage where our nobility is turning into stupidity.

“We came on ground today to work and the Executive Secretary called us to step down and go into a round table.

“At the meeting with the council, attended by the parties involved, it was agreed that a committee be set up with five people each from the council, the traders and the contractor.

“The concern of the developer is that the marketers must sign an agreement that once the things needed are in place, they will move to the place built for them, which already has 194 shops.

“We are frustrated and tired. We

Company’s cash flow According to him, with the recent plan by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to publish the names of debtors in the nation, there is need to move to the site to start the project.

He explained that the company’s cash-flow had been affected as the lender banks were becoming impatient to get their money back.

Mr. Omotola said a foreign cash-inflow of $50 million was obtained in 2013 with the exchange rate then pegged at N175 to a dollar, but lamented

For the past five years, we have been meeting with the traders to move them to another place and they have refused to move, saying they were not okay with the alternative

need the help of government to accelerate this project because as time goes on, we are paying big interest. This project is about N6.9 billion. The place we are relocating them to is part of the investment we have made,” he said.

Omotola added that if all things went on as planned, the developer would complete the project between 18 and 24 months, adding that the company had the plan to build another 130 shops aside the 194 already built, to move the traders to pave way for the project.

Traders drag council to court Worried by the continued action of the government and the concessionaire to relocate them, the traders have dragged the Government and the concessionaire to the Ikeja High Court, for what they described as illegal demolition of the over 30-year-old Alade Market.

Halting the planned redevelopment The case is scheduled for hearing on November 17th, 2015 before Justice Nwaka. The traders are praying the court to halt the planned redevelopment.

Litigation won’t stop N6.9bn Project-Council Barely a week before hearing, Ikeja Local Government said the pending lawsuit before a Lagos High Court would not stop the redevelopment of Alade Market into a mega shopping mall valued at a minimum of N6.9 billion.

The council’s Executive Secretary, Hon. Adekunle Dailey-Adeokun who gave the update at a session with journalists in Ikeja added that it had briefed the state governor,

Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and the State House of Assembly about the project, saying both advised that all interests were p r o p e r l y accommodated.

D a i l e y Adeokun noted that there was no going back on the relocation of traders from the market.

Asked about the pending lawsuit filed by some concerned traders in the market, the executive secretary explained that the suit “is still at the pre-hearing stage. I hope by the time we sit down, we would understand ourselves better and settle out of court because we belong to the same family.

“What is important is that we are bound to disagree and agree later. One interesting thing is that of the 300 lock-up shops, over 180 of them have responded by paying the mandatory N150, 000.

So, majority are on our side. We have the majority on our side.

But the minority must also have their say,” he added.

Relocation of the traders He acknowledged that the trio of the local council, traders and the concessionaire, Masters Reality International Concepts Ltd had set up a 16-man committee, which he said, was charged with the responsibility of working out relocation of the traders to the newly constructed alternative market.

He said: “When we set up a 16man committee, we agreed that after everything must have been completed, the committee will sit down to determine a date for the relocation. Definitely, it cannot happen in 2015 again. It will be early 2016. We have decided to allow the traders do their Christmas sales there.

“All parties have agreed to carry one another along. We will not do anything regarding the relocation of the market until early 2016. Already, the committee recommended that we should continue to provide all the essential facilities at the alternative market. We are working towards this recommendation.”

Adeokun thus urged the traders to come together and help redevelop the market, noting that the local government planned “to make Alade Market a leading market in Ikeja and Lagos as a whole. All of us must join hands irrespective of our differences to resolve matters amicably once and for all.”

52 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Obama, Netanyahu seek to Uproar in S/Africa over plans to buy mend fences in White new presidential jet House talks S I

SRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict as he met U.S. President Barack Obama in a bid to mend ties strained by acrimony

over Iran and Middle East diplomacy.

Meeting Obama for the first time since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, Netanyahu said he backed a vision of “two states for two peoples” but maintained that Palestinians in turn must

MYANMAR: Opposition confident of victory in historic election •As US urges military to respect outcome

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YA N M A R ’ S opposition National League for Democracy says it is confident of victory in the first openly contested national election in 25 years.

An NLD spokesman said it expected to win about 70% of seats. Party leader Aung San Suu Kyi said: “I think you all have the idea of the results.”

Official results have been released for just 28 seats, with 25 won by the NLD. The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been in power since 2011.

The NLD says it has won 44 out of Yangon’s 45 seats in the lower house, and 70% of seats nationally, but this has not been confirmed.

The party also said it had swept the board in Bago Region and Mon State.

More than 6,000 candidates from more than 90 parties were vying for 498 seats in both houses of parliament.

NLD spokesman Win Htein said it had “accumulated proof that there are some deeds by the authorities which are against the election regulations”.

recognize Israel as a Jewish state, a condition they have rejected.

Netanyahu’s White House visit was clouded by an ongoing wave of Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks that have Israelis on edge at a time when Obama has concluded that a peace deal is beyond reach during the final 14 months of his presidency.

Obama condemned the latest wave of Palestinian violence and backed Israel’s right to defend itself but said he wanted to hear Netanyahu’s ideas for lowering tensions. The two also discussed negotiations on a new beefed-up U.S. military aid package for Israel, Washington’s chief Middle East ally.

N e t a n y a h u ’ s recommitment to the twostate solution, the bedrock of U.S. diplomacy on the conflict for decades, could satisfy the Obama administration’s desire that he clarify his position after he appeared to backtrack on his pledge during a hard-fought reelection campaign earlier this year.

OUTH Africa’s opposition has demanded that the government scrap plans to buy a new jet for President Jacob Zuma that could cost 4bn rand ($280m; £185m).

The defence department has advertised for a plane with a bedroom suite and a conference room.

The presidency has responded, asking the department to brief the public “as much as possible” on the purchase.

Secretary for defence Sam Gulube told City Press that they don’t know how much the plane would cost.

But the advert for

•President Zuma disembarking from an aircraft suppliers specifies they president’s current plane.

The department of are looking for a plane with a range of 13,800km defence says the jet (8,600 miles), meaning it would replace the current can fly to Moscow or New plane, Ikwazi, which has York without landing to been grounded a number of times due to refuel.

The tender notice also mechanical problems.

But opposition parties says the plane should have 30 passenger seats - are pushing for a cheaper, double the number of the less luxurious option.

PLANE CRASH: Egypt launches inquiry into bomb claims

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gypt has launched its own inquiry into whether a bomb may have been placed on the Russian airliner that crashed in Sinai, killing all 224 people on board.

A senior Egyptian official - who asked not to be named - told the BBC that every lead was now being followed up.

However, Egypt stresses that the official investigation into the crash of the Airbus 321 is not yet finished.

Some Western experts have suggested militants in the Sinai peninsula could have bombed the plane on 31 October.

Sinai Province, a group

affiliated to Islamic State has repeatedly claimed it brought down Metrojet Flight 9268, flying from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to the Russian city of St Petersburg.

The UK halted flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh last Wednesday, citing intelligence concerns.

•••Military holding journalist in undisclosed location

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AWYERSfor a leading Egyptianinvestigative journalist and human rights advocate say the military is holding him in an undisclosed location while he faces charges of spreading “false news.”

Adel Ramadan, one of the

lawyers, said military prosecutors would not tell him the whereabouts of Hossam Bahgat, who was detained Sunday after he went to an intelligence building in Cairo where he was summoned.

Ramadan said prosecutors

asked Bahgat in detail about anarticlehewrotelastmonth, which described the August 2015 conviction of a group of military officers on charges of conspiring with the banned Muslim Brotherhood to plot a coup against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

West Africa conference focuses on threat posed by jihadists

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•Ms Suu Kyi addressed a crowd at NLD’s headquarters in Yangon on Monday

Riot at Australian detention camp after migrant’s death

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NMATES have lit fires at Australia’s Christmas Island detention centre in a “major disturbance”, government officials said.

The unrest was sparked by the death of a detainee who had escaped the camp.

The situation was “tense” for a while, the department said, but was now calm.

Negotiations were continuing with those detainees protesting to resolve the situation “peacefully and as soon as possible”, the

department said in a statement.

The perimeter remains secure and patrols are continuing, it said.

Christmas Island is a remote outpost located 2,650km (1,650 miles) north-west of Perth and 380km south of Java in Indonesia.

SLAMIC extremists are expanding their reach in West Africa, using porous borders and exploiting political chaos to further their attacks, security experts said Monday at the opening of a regional conference on the jihadist threat.

Some 800 security officials and analysts from across the region are taking part in the two-day conference to develop strategies for a coordinated response to the attacks that have mounted this year far beyond Boko Haram’s base in northeastern Nigeria.

“It’s a threat that has no borders,” said Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, a special envoy for the African Union who spoke Monday. “We must coordinate our

actions.”

As the conference took place, a female teenage suicide bomber in a town along the CameroonianNigerian border targeted a mosque during afternoon prayers. At least four people were killed and dozens were wounded in Fotokol, according to regional Gov. Midjiyawa Bakari.

It also comes after Senegalese authorities announced Saturday that several imams have been arrested and accused of supporting Boko Haram.

While the extremist group has been attacking neighboring countries the recently announced arrests are the first suggesting a Boko Haram threat in Senegal, a mostly

moderate Muslim nation.

Boko Haram’s six-yearold uprising has left an estimated 20,000 people dead, according to Amnesty International.

This year militants from the group have stepped up their attack across the Lake Chad region where the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon meet.

“The porous borders between our countries are an advantage for our enemy,” Nigerian Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno said.

Over the weekend, two girls wearing suicide vests detonated their explosives in Chad in a community along Lake Chad killing several people, according to national television.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 53

Pinnick: Buhari deserves place in Guinness Book of Records

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) is worthy of a bold mention in the Guinness Book of Records, according to NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

Pinnick spoke in

Santiago on Monday morning as he boarded a flight to Buenos Aires on the way back home from a success story at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.

“Yes, it is a success story

Osimhen, Nwakali Continues from BP to Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, Emmanuel Amuneke following a record fifth title for Nigeria at the global cadet championship at Chile 2015.

Two goals by Victor Osimhen and Funsho Bamgboye saw Nigeria to glory yet again at the Estadio Sausalito Stadium in Vina del Mar on Sunday, in front of over 21,000 spectators including the NFF President Amaju Pinnick; NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme and; a pocket of Nigerian fans led by officials from Nigeria’s Embassy in Argentina who came all the way from Buenos Aires.

Osimhen’s goal broke the existing FIFA U-17 World Cup scoring record of nine goals – just three days after he equalled the nine-goal record in a single tournament previously jointly held by

Frenchman Florent Sinama Pongolle and Ivorian Souleymane Coulibaly, who were top scorers at the global cadet championship at Trinidad & Tobago 2001 and Mexico 2011 respectively.

Speaking after laying his hands on the Golden Boot of Chile 2015, Osimhen thanked coach Emmanuel Amuneke for being a father figure to the players, even as he dedicated his award to his sister who gave birth to a baby girl on Friday.

“I want to thank coach Amuneke again for what he has impacted in us and I’m also grateful to my teammates who helped me to break the record,” said the teenager who was also voted as the second best player of the tournament behind Nwakali. “The Golden Boot is also dedicated to my sister who just had a baby girl.”

Nwakali, who was rewarded with the adidas Golden Ball and the Second-

World Champions

Continues from BP the cadet tournament, this must certainly feel like a special moment as their unprecedented triumph in Chile, which culminated in the 2-0 defeat of Mali in the final at Vina Del Mar, has undoubtedly turned them into the beautiful bride as they make the majestic return to Abuja.

Not given much chance to succeed in Chile, especially after losing 2-1 to Croatia in the final group A match, the Eaglets, defied all odds standing in their path to record their fifth title triumph, creating daylight between themselves and their closest rivals in terms of trophy haul, Brazil, who have bagged the title thrice.

And after enduring all the rigours and hassles in Chile, it is time to head home and while C M Y K

what awaits the world champions in Abuja is left to be imagined but according to the Nigeria Football Federation, the victorious Eaglets will return home aboard an Emirates Airline flight..

The coach Emmanuel Amuneke-led side, who have continued to court endless praises from Nigerians, flew out of Santiago yesterday to Buenos Aires, from where they will connect a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

They will spend tonight in Dubai, before embarking on the triumphant journey to Abuja tomorrow, where an elaborate red carpet will be laid by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), who see this achievement as a watershed in the history of Nigerian football.

as you just mentioned, but it would not have ended that way without the great support that the Nigeria Football Federation continues to receive from the President Muhammadu Buhari –led Federal Government.

“In fact, the Nigeria Football Federation is dedicating this triumph to President Buhari. He is a man of history. He was there when the first set won the trophy in 1985 as military Head of State; now he is here as civilian President when the Class of 2015 emerged victorious.

Seriously speaking, I don’t think there is any Head of State or Government in the entire universe who has this honour, and for this, our PMB deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records.”

Pinnick, whose one –year administration can now point to successes at the African Women Championship (Namibia 2014), African Youth

Championship (Senegal 2015) and now the Eaglets’ triumph (aside qualifications for several major tournaments), insisted on Monday that the masterstroke for the Eaglets’ confident and determined approach was President Buhari’s call to the team a day earlier.

“We appreciate the President for sparing time out of his very tight schedule to talk to each and every player and official. That was a massive motivation. At the end of the conversation, the players told me they would go all out and give whatever it would take to win, having been inspired by the country’s leader.

“Football is a potent and huge tool for national unity and the focus of the present NFF administration is to build a sustainable football culture for our country.

Triumphs are good, but we must not overlook the sustainable culture.”

Real Sociedad boot out Moyes

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AVID Moyes has been sacked as manager of Real Sociedad, the club have announced.

Moyes, who took over the club almost exactly a year ago - seven months after his dismissal by Manchester United - won just two of his 11 La Liga games in charge this season and the team are 16th in the division.

He won 12 games out of 38 altogether and his side beat Barcelona in January, but ultimately finished 12th last season.

In a statement Sociedad said: “[We] have decided to terminate the contract of first team coach David Moyes. His assistant Billy McKinlay has also left the club.

Eaglets have done us proud — NOC

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HE Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has congratulated the Golden Eaglets for winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile yesterday.

In a message signed by its President, Habu Gumel, the NOC said the Eaglets have made Nigerians proud after beating Mali 2-0 in the final to win an unprecedented and historic fifth title at the cadet stage.

Gumel said “the Golden Eaglets, with this historic victory in Chile, have made Nigerians proud and reinvigorated hope of a brighter and better future for our youths. We join Nigerians to celebrate this triumph and hope that this victory will boost our sports development”.

The Executive Committee member of the International Olympic Federation also urged the Nigeria Football Federation to monitor the progress of the players, who he hailed as exceptionally talented and disciplined.

•Oboabona

2018 W/C qualifier:

Oboabona: Swaziland deserves respect

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HEAD of their crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Swaziland, Nigeria defender Godfrey Oboabona says they will not undermine Isihlangu Somnikati.

The Super Eagles are set to face Harries Bulunga’s side this coming Friday for their first leg as they target to reach Russia in 2018.

According to the Swazi Observer, the Rizespor centre back in Turkey admits that the Southern African country is not a big footballing nation, but they deserve respect.

“Swaziland are not a big footballing nation, but that does not mean we don’t have to respect them,” said

NNPC Junior Tennis: Toyin Asogba wins first Junior title

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IFTEEN year-old Toyin Asogba from Lagos won her first junior title at the NNPC Junior Tennis championship which ended in Kaduna Sunday by beating Omolayo Bamidele from Ekiti 9-4 in the Girls 16 final.

Amosun’s wife hails Eaglets

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IFE of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun has congratulated the Golden Eaglets for winning the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the record fifth-time.

Mrs. Amosun, who was visibly happy and excited

over the Eaglets’ victory, said: “Today, Nigeria celebrates as she emerges winner of the U-17 World Cup in Chile. As we celebrate, let us all remember to continue nurturing and investing in our youths, the future generation.”

Oboabona.

“They will be looking to beat us and make a name for themselves and that is the reason we must approach the game with caution.

“We can’t afford to miss out on the World Cup after our failure to qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations.”

The report further revealed that Sunday Oliseh and his team are expected to touch down in Swaziland on Thursday before the match.

Kick off for the match is 19:00 at Somhlolo Stadium with the return leg set for Tuesday, 17 November in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

“Let’s assist them to explore the full potential of their capabilities, as is with the case of Akpan Udoh previously a member of Mrs Amosun’s UPLIFT football team that was sponsored to Italy for a football training camp in 2013,” she said.

Asogba who has been a consistent semifinalist from the 14s took full advantage of the absence of bereaved Angel Mcleod and Marylove Edwards, who is sympathising with her rival, to make hay.

“I am very happy to win and lift a trophy for the first time. I hope this victory will give me the confidence to try to beat those ahead of me in the next tournament.”

Asogba, who also won the most outstanding player of the tournament, said.

In the Boys 16, homeboy Chris Itodo got his revenge against namesake Chris Bulus from Lagos.

54 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

CELEBRATION...Eaglets celebrate with the FIFA U-17 trophy

TUSSLE...Boubacar Traore (R) of Mali vies with Lukman Zakari of Nigeria

STRIKERS... Victor Osimhen (l) and Kelechi Nwakali show off their silverwares

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke celebrates with his players after the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 final match against Mali.

UP NIGERIA...John Lazarus celebrates after the Eaglets won the trophy.

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The Trophy

VICTORY DANCE... Funsho Bamgboye No.7 celebrate with his team mates

SUPORTERS...Fans of Nigeria cheer prior to the final

Osimhen controls the ball

FLOORED . . . Malian goalkeeper, Samuel Diarra sits dejected on the turf after being beaten by Eaglets.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015 — 55

Osimhen, Nigeria win big

Nwakali:

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ith an outstanding team packed with talented players, Nigeria successfully defended their crown at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015. Furthermore, the West Africans took centre stage when it came to the individual honours too.

To play in a final and win the trophy is amazing

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here was a touching moment after the FIFA U-17 World Cup final as the winning captain Kelechi Nwakali left the pitch. A screaming fan caught the eye of the Nigeria skipper from the stands directly next to the tunnel.

Looking up to the youngster, the No10, fresh from claiming the adidas Golden Ball as the most outstanding player at Chile 2015 as well as lifting the trophy itself, waved. It was clear there was one thing the young Chilean wanted.

Without hesitation Nwakali rolled the armband down his arm and threw it towards the fan. It was caught by another supporter and passed to him. The scream of delight from the youngster put a huge grin on all those who witnessed the act of kindness.

It was a small episode on a heady night for the humble captain, and displayed a softer side to the character of the ASJ Academy midfielder who had otherwise been a brutal enforcer and instigator of attacks throughout the tournament. He shone so brightly with his performances, as well as his three goals and three assists that he ended up with the award for best player of the tournament.“I thank God for the opportunity to win this award,” Nwakali said exclusively to FIFA.com after the

final. “It means so much.”The midfielder was quick to place the effort of his team-mates at the forefront of the conversation, making sure to praise their hard work and diligence throughout their time in Chile.

“Right from the game against the USA, when we arrived in Chile, our aim was to defend the trophy,” Nwakali said. “We believed the only way we could do this was hard work. We approached each game with hard work and seriousness.

Any team that came to Chile worked for it.”

That ethos saw Nigeria motor to the final, topping their group and flying past Australia and Brazil in the Round of 16 and quarter-final respectively before a titanic clash against Mexico.

“They are a strong side,” Nwakali said of El Tri. “We believed that when it came to U-17 level, they have been there and done it already. Even though we came from behind, we knew we had to work hard, that is our philosophy.”

Those continuing references to diligence and industry were selected carefully by Nwakali, aware as the mouthpiece of the team that he needed to set an example. Leading by example

Top scorer Victor Osimhen and captain Kelechi Nwakali both made their mark on the competition, and after winning the adidas Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, the latter followed in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos, who are now key members of the senior sides with their respective national teams. Osimhen set a new U-17 World Cup goalscoring record, while Mali’s Samuel Diarra and Ecuador’s example of Fair Play were also recognised in the honour’s list established and overseen by FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG). adidas Golden Ball: Kelechi Nwakali (Nigeria)

•Nwakali

on the pitch in that rematch of the 2013 U-17 World Cup finale with a stunning goal from a free-kick, he helped set up an all-African final, for only the second time in the tournament’s history.

That armband was tight on Nwakali’s arm as he led his side out in Vina Del Mar. “Playing in the final is the dream of every young player,” the beaming No10 said. “To play in a World Cup final and win the trophy is amazing. Not just winning it, but defending it.”

Every young player certainly does dream of reaching a global final, and lifting the trophy as captain. Somewhere in Vina Del Mar, a young boy is probably still clutching that sacred piece of yellow piece of cloth tossed to him by a World Cup-winning captain, and dreaming of emulating Nwakali one day.

Enyimba: We’re now overnight celebrities — Eye League record

•Amanfor

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nyimba striker, Chimezie Amanfor has said his side have set a new landmark 70-point target for the ongoing league season.

Enyimba will confront Sunshine Stars on match day 38 clash at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

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“Our target prior to the clash against Warri Wolves was to hit the 70 points mark as well as claim our seventh Nigerian title.

“However, the goalless draw was enough to hand us the league title with a match to spare but one point short of the mark. “We understand that nobody has won the league title on 70 points so we want to set a new record in that aspect when we confront Sunshine Stars in the last day match in Lagos.

“Ordinarily, the match would have been jamborees of a sort for us but with the new target we are going to Lagos to fight for the

whole three points at stake or worst case scenario pick a point which will secure 70 points.

“After the barren draw against Warri Wolves on Sunday celebration has been endless in and around the city of Aba. “We have become celebrity overnight as everybody stops on the road or street to greet and hail us so we are enamoured to go for the last onslaught which is the 70-point mark,” said the former Akwa United marksman.

The captain of the Golden Eaglets was included in Nigeria’s provisional squad ahead of the 2013 edition, but was not named in the final party that went on to win the title. Here, however, the playmaker was the first to lift the trophy aloft. Coach Emmanuel Amuneke right-hand man out on the pitch, he shouldered responsibility and kept a cool head in difficult moments. He scored three goals, including two penalties, and provided a further three assists, a haul that was also brought him the adidas Bronze Boot. adidas Silver Ball: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) Even before the tournament kicked off in Chile Osimhen was touted as a favourite to win the adidas Golden Ball, having scored 39 goals in 71 outings for his country at that point, and finished as top scorer at the U-17 African Championship in March. The striker, who names Côte d’Ivoire forward Didier Drogba as his role model, more than lived up to expectations in Chile after finding the net in all seven games at the competition. Osimhen put his side 1-0 up on four occasions and his effort in the final - his tenth goal overall - set a new tournament record, beating the previous best-mark set by Côte d’Ivoire’s Souleymane Coulibaly in 2011 and France’s Florent Sinama Pongolle in 2001. Osimhen duly finished as top scorer in South America, and would doubtless not begrudge his team captain, of all players, pipping him to what would have been a second golden award. adidas Bronze Ball: Aly Malle (Mali) Alongside Boubacar Traore, Sekou Koita and Sidiki Maiga, Malle formed part of an impressive attacking lineup that put opponents under pressure right from the off.

Operating as a nominal striker, the No9 often dropped deep to pick up the ball and brought his team-mates into the game on countless occasions. adidas Golden Boot: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/10 goals, 2 assists) adidas Bronze Boot: Kelechi Nwakali (Nigeria/3 goals, 3 assists)

•Osimhen

adidas Golden Glove: Samuel Diarra (Mali) For the fourth time in tournament history, the best goalkeeper of the finals was presented with an award.

Following Benjamin Siegrist (Switzerland, 2009), Jonathan Cubero (Uruguay, 2011) and Dele Alampasu (Nigeria, 2013), this time the winner was Samuel Diarra, who reached the final with African champions Mali and routinely frustrated opposition strikers with some spectacular saves. The custodian dazzled in South America with his incredible reflexes and command of his penalty area, while he conceded fewer goals than any other goalkeeper at these finals, letting in just four in seven games.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Nigeria clears Awards Adidas Golden Ball

Nwakali passes on armband — Page 55

Kelechi Nwakali Nigeria Victor Osimhen Nigeria Ally Malle Mali

Adidas Golden Boot

World champions, Eaglets storm Abuja

Victor Osimhen Nigeria Johannes Eggestein Germany Kelechi Nwakali Nigeria

Adidas Golden Glove Samuel DIARRA Mali

Fair Play Award Ecuador

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

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HEY went, saw and conquered all their foes at the World Cup in Chile and now they are set for a triumphant return home after rewriting the history books at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which ended in the wee hours of yesterday at Vina Del Mar. For the Golden Eaglets, five-time champions of Continues on Page 53

Pinnick: Buhari deserves place in Guinness Book of Records

Osimhen, Nwakali hail Amuneke

PROUDLY NIGERIAN — Hotshot Victor Osimhen (r) and Captain Kelechi Nwakali kiss their awards moment after beating Mali to retain the World Cup

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IFA U-17 World Cup record breaker, Victor Osimhen as well as Captain Kelechi Nwakali, have both paid special tribute Continues on Page 53

Awards Final Tournament Standings •Amuneke

•NIGERIA Winner •MALI Runners-Up •Third BELGIUM •Fourth MEXICO

MY BELOVED SONS — President Muhammdu Buhari (m) with Director-General of NSC, Alhaji Hassan Yakmut and NFF President, Pinnick Amaju before the All Africa Games in Congo.

QUICK CROSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

FRI DAY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Bucket (4) 4 Enquire (3) 6 Too (4) 9 Pinch (3) 10 Scornful (8) 11 Equipment (4) 14 Fighting (3) 16 Command (5) 19 Aardvark (8) 21 Postpone (5) 23 Cheated (8) 24 Dissuade (5) 27 Wand (3) 31 Divide (4) 33 Attendance (8) 34 Owing (3) 35 Ale (4) 36 Parched (3) 37 Discourteous (4)

DOWN 2 Declare (4) 3 Placed (4) 4 Flustered (8) 5 Retain (4) 6 Wrath (5) 7 Untruth (3) 8 Flood (5) 12 Swift (5) 13 Fat (5)14 Lump (3) 15 Allude (5) 17 Dig (5) 18 Prompt (5) 20 Recuperation (8) 22 Colour (3) 25 Elude (5) 26 Go in (5) 28 Rushed (4) 29 Tolerate (4) 30 Tart (4) 32 Regret (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROS: 1, Appeal 5, Secure 8, Register 9, Onus 10, Asp 12, Ledge 15, Set 17, Awe 18, Rip 19, Lag 20, Villa 21, Eke 22, Ape 23, Sin 24, Win 26, Rhyme 29, Tit 33, Mean 34, Initiate 35, Client 36, Endure.

DOWN: 2, Press 3, Edit 4, Lithe 5, Spring 6, Clot 7, Route 10, Allow 11, Pagan 12, Lever 13, Delay 14, Erase 15, Spent 16, Treat 25, Ideal 27, Hoist 28, Maize 30, Inter 31, Once 32, Kind.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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