....AS FUEL SCARCITY BITES HARDER: FG begs CBN to make forex available to marketers

...towards a better life for the people

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

**

VOL. 25: NO. 62803

N150

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

N2bn bail: Badeh feeds self in prison, yet to meet conditions 8

RE-RUN ELECTIONS:

IGP deploys 6, 000 policemen, AIG, 3CPs, to Rivers 12 ....AS FUEL SCARCITY BITES HARDER:

FG begs CBN to make forex available to marketers •Blackout persists with generation at 3,099MW

By Clara Nwachukwu, Sebastine Obasi & Ediri Ejoh

L

AGOS—DESPITE promises to end the lingering fuel scarcity, particularly Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also called petrol, and with increased product loading activities, Nigerians still queue for long hours to get the scarce commodity.

This is even as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Continues on Page 5

Felix Ibru: His was life of great achievements

— BUHARI 40

Mr & Mrs

COLUMNISTS:

VISIT—Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli and National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during Olu of Warri's courtesy visit to Tinubu at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday.

C M Y K

P.37

OWEI LAKEMFA

When Zuma came visiting

P.38

P.32

HENRY BOYO

OCHEREOME

NNANNA

Buhari, keep $20bn idle deposits: Burden Nigeria off or opportunity?

ISMAT!

CEO visionary:

Amir Ben Yahmed Founder, AFRICA CEO Forum

•P.39

Rep raises alarm over obsolete speed limiters 44

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016—5

POCKET CARTOON

From left: Managing Director/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Peter Ndegwa; British High Commissioner, Mr. Paul Arkwright and Director, Corporate Relations, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Sesan Sobowale, during an advocacy visit by the Team Guinness at the British High Commission in Abuja.

FG begs CBN to make forex available to marketers Continues from Page 1 Ibe Kachikwu, said he was engaging the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on the possibility of making foreign exchange, FOREX, available to oil marketers to enable them continue importation of petrol.

About 300 truckloads of PMS is being distributed to the Lagos area alone daily, while Abuja gets

up to 260 truckloads, with a view to easing the scarcity without success.

Those who cannot afford the long wait simply get reprieve from the black market at very high cost. It sells at about N200/litre in the black market.

Similarly, just as power generation rose appreciably since the last lows to 3,098.8 m e g a w a t t s , M W,

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO

L

EADERSHIP isn’t always about intellectual sophistication, it is often times about compassion, showing that you feel what they feel.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

As we express our gratitude, we must remember that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them —John F Kennedy

G

RATEFUL people have a higher sense of selfworth. I think that’s because when you’re grateful, you have the sense that someone else is looking out for you. Once you start to recognize the contributions that other people have made to your life, once you realize that other people have seen the value in you, you can transform the way you see yourself. Just because gratitude is good doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Practicing gratitude can be at odds with some deeply ingrained psychological tendencies but if we focus on gratitude, we’ll attract our heart desires.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

W

HEN a traditional gong sounds louder than usual, they remind it of the tree from which it was carved

yesterday, there was no commensurate increase in electricity supply to homes and businesses, with many parts of the country still wallowing in darkness and generating their own power at almost triple the amount, in view of the current shortages.

Fuel scarcity Most filling stations remained closed, yesterday, while the few that had the scarce commodity were besieged by a deluge of motorists queuing to get the products.

The Director, Commercials, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Mr. Justin Ezeala, in a telephone chat with Vanguard, decried the incidence of hoarding in most parts of the country, which he said was exacerbating the crisis.

Ezeala said: “The major problem is hoarding of products. We have increased the truckloads to Lagos to about 300 trucks daily, up from 200, and Abuja to 268 daily, from 180 trucks and yet people cannot get the product.”

In addition, he disclosed that there were a number of cargoes laden with petrol waiting to berth at the

jetties and depots, adding that PPMC was still on with its one cargo per day programme, aimed at ending the shortages.

He, however, noted that there was not much the government or NNPC/ PPMC could do if some unscrupulous marketers continued to sabotage their efforts by hoarding the products, and urged he regulatory agencies to quickly apprehend and sanction such culprits.

He said efforts were concentrated mainly in the Lagos and Abuja areas because of their strategic importance to the nation.

“Once these two cities have been taken care of, we will proceed to contain the shortages in other areas of the country.”

However, Kachikwu, said the collaboration between CBN and NNPC would ease the burden on the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which is currently the sole importer of petrol.

The minister said this was because other marketers were said to have stopped importation of the product, citing difficulty in accessing FOREX. According to Kachikwu, the ongoing talks with the CBN will help ease marketers’ access to FOREX and consequently improve fuel supply situation in the country.

This, he noted, was already beginning to weigh in on the capacity of the NNPC to satisfy the country’s 40 million litres’ per day consumption.

“While majors are really not bringing in products, we are working on long term solutions so they can begin to go back to importation lanes and be able to service their own outlets rather than us servicing them and servicing everybody because it is a lot of wear and tear on our capability status,” he said.

Kachikwu, however, expressed hope that the two-week scarcity would ease off within two days, following NNPC’s massive increase of petrol truck-out to depots and filling stations in the country.

He also said the NNPC was flooding Abuja with over 300 trucks, adding that he was hopeful that the queues would clear off in

about two days.

While hinting that he would initiate a long term solution to curb the resurgence of fuel scarcity in the country, Kachikwu said: “We are obviously not getting it as well as we should.

Again, I apologise to Nigerians for all the pains, nobody wants to see people spend up to two hours on fuel queues."

Commenting on the issue, former Managing Director, NNPC, Chambers Oyibo, said the move was in the right direction.

He said: “If we are importing most of our fuel, importation means expenditure on foreign exchange.

Special arrangement should therefore be made for marketers who are supposed to supply fuel to Nigerians.

“Nigerians need fuel.

Nigerians need energy to power their businesses. FOREX needs to be available to marketers.”

However, the Chief Financial Officer, CFO, Eroton Exploration and Production Company Limited, Frank Ihekwoaba, said the move was another way of introducing subsidy.

He said: “For the FG to intervene on supporting the marketers to raise FOREX for importation of Petrol is to create a new subsidy regime while preserving the old.

“It is like telling a new lie to cover up old lies.

FG does best in creating transparent and coherent guidelines that forces can follow.”

Electricity blackout Meanwhile, increase in power generation has not brought any succour to Nigerians, as those who cannot fuel their generating sets remain in darkness.

Data from the Nigerian

Systems Operations Department of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, website,www.nsong.org, indicated that power generation peaked at 3,098.80MW as at 01:27:00 yesterday, which was almost double the capacity as at Wednesday, when it was 1,580.6MW. Many of the consumers spoken to wondered where the power was going to because according to them, “nothing has changed.”

Specifically, residents in Ikeja, which has the highest allocation because of its size, are the worst hit, as very few areas under the distribution zone had experienced any form of power supply in the last two weeks.

At the weekend, the Federal Government had blamed the endemic power failure on vandalism and sabotage, with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, apologising to Nigerians for the poor power situation witnessed over the past few weeks.

However, the minister ’s claim that generation had risen to about 4,000MW was at variance with the data from the Nigerian Systems Operator, NSO, which revealed a much lower figure.

The NSO data revealed that the 3,098.80MW generated, yesterday, were distributed to the 11 electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, as follows: •Ikeja - 464.82MW •Abuja - 356.36MW •Eko - 340.87MW •Benin - 278.89MW •Enugu - 278.89MW • Ibadan - 402.84MW •Jos - 170.43MW •Kano - 247.90MW •Kaduna - 247.90MW • P-Harcourt - 201.42MW •Yola - 108.46MW

6 — Vanguard, MONDAY MARCH 14 , 2015

AVIATION: ICAO safety oversight audit begins today

SUMMIT: Former president Olusegun Obasanjo (right) receiving 'The Experience', a photo documentary book on Babcock University (BU) from the President/Vice Chancellor, BU, Prof Ademola Steven Tayo, at the 2016 national s u m m i t / 4 t h international colloquium by the Centre for Human Security, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library to commemorate Obasanjo's 79th birthday, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

By Lawani Mikairu & Daniel Eteghe

L

AGOS—THE International Civil Aviation Organisation , ICAO, is to begin Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, USOAP, of Nigeria aviation sector today following the arrival of a four-man team from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, to Nigeria.

Disclosing this development to newsmen, General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye said the auditors will examine Legislation (LEG), Organisation (ORG), Accident and Incident Investigation (AIG), Air Navigational Services (ANS) and Aerodrome and Ground Aids (AGA).

He pointed out that the auditors would be working with their Nigerian counterparts and would visit the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA’s, regional office(s) and all the relevant service providers in the aviation industry.

Adurogboye said; “The team will work in separate groups based on specific assignments. At the conclusion of the Audit, there will be a closing meeting where the draft audit result will be presented. ''The Audit will end on the 25th of March, 2016.”

Recently, the officials of the America Transportation Security Administration, TSA, concluded its Security Assessment of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport ,MMIA, Lagos and expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standard and Recommended Practices in the airport.

This is just as the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma, an engineer, confirmed that the Authority is set for the forthcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation ,ICAO, Certification Audit.

C M Y K

Nobody left under collapsed Lekki building's rubble — LASEMA

By Bose Adelaja

L

AGOS—SIX days after 34 people were confirmed dead and 13 others rescued after a fivestorey building under construction collapsed at Lekki, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA, has reacted to insinuations that some victims were still trapped under the rubble after the rescue operation was concluded.

LASEMA General Manager Mr. Michael Akindele said the

Agency in company of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and representatives of the Nigeria Police Force have on Wednesday 9th of March 2016 declared the operation completed at about 7.20 pm after a thorough search by all the emergency responders that no victim was trapped under the rubble.

This followed the alarm by one Ezekiel Musa, a security personnel in charge of the site, who said at least 12 victims were

still trapped underneath the rubble dead or alive.

The LASEMA boss said when the possibility was raised, the emergency response team of the agency visited the site yesterday, at about 9.30 am to establish the fact that the operation has ended with nobody still trapped under the rubble.

He said the place has been sealed by the state government, while the only security man on the site, identified as Isaac Atete, denied giving such report.

MILE 12 MAYHEM: Hausa traders flood Ogun cattle market Sokefun also assured them that the government is concerned

By Daud Olatunji

A

BEOKUTA—SCORES of traders from the Mile12 Market, Ketu, Lagos have stormed the Kara Cattle Market at Isheri in Ogun State following the continued closure of Mile 12 market after the bloody clash between Hausa and Yoruba traders.

Confirming the influx of the traders from Mile 12, Lagos to Kara cattle market in Ogun State, the state commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun said the government would not send them away rather would accommodate them.

Sokefun, who visited the affected Kara Market said the government has perfected plans to relocate the Kara Cattle Market at Isheri to Ogere area of the state.

The commissioner said the plan to relocate the market was due to the rampant accidents caused by the trucks parked around the market and in order to move the traders from the city to commodity environment.

The commissioner, however, advised the new traders to maintain peace and obey the rules and regulation of the state for their own benefit.

the government was not sending them away, promising that the government will provide a better market for them at Ogere.

“The state government is aware that traders from Ketu market have decided to relocate here, we welcome them. The government is very compassionate and we are not sending them away but, we will relocate them to Ogere because

about the security of the people.

“We will also move the cattle market to the new market in order to reduce the rate of accidents caused by the trucks parked around the market,” she said.

However, the Seriki of the Kara cattle market, in Isheri, Ogun State, Chief Muritala Babalola solicited for the support of the government to clear the bush of the new market at Ogere.

AGRO EXPORT: Minister orders involvement of Quarantine Service

By Godfrey Bivbere

L

AGOS—FOLLOWING the return of five containers of beans exported to the Republic of Ireland, Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has ordered the involvement of the Nigerian Quarantine Service, NQS, in all examination of agro products for export to prevent further national embarrassment.

The Minister gave this directive when he visited the Lagos Port to inspect five exported containers returned from Republic of Ireland. As a result, the minister has asked the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to ensure that the NQS was involved in the inspection of any agro product for export or import into the country.

The European Union last year banned importation of Nigeria beans into any EU country because they were unfit for consumption.

Lokpobiri attributed the return of the five containers of beans to the same reason.

According to him, “It is very important that before any product leaves this country, there is need for proper quarantine certification so that we won’t have the type of embarrassment we are having now.

“Going forward, for any agroproducts to leave this country either beans or apple, it must be certified by quarantine service, that is the global practice anywhere in the world.

“If you go to America, you can’t import anything without it being certified by their quarantine services. It is more important to get our acts right now because there is no more petro-dollars and we need agro-dollars.”

He stated that no other government agency has the right to certify agro-product for import or export but the NQS.

Ikeja DISCO queries workers for participation in strike

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

L

AGOS—FEW days after the suspension of industrial action against Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja DISCO, the management of the company has queried some staff for their participation in the labour action.

Workers said to have been queried for alleged participation in the three-day picketing and the siege on Ikeja DISCO were those from Oregun undertaking.

One of such queries read: “I visited your location today (March 7) and I was told you left your duty post unmanned

and went about union activities.

You did not inform anyone, whether your line manager or myself, about this. I called you severally as customers were waiting to be attended to, yet you did not pick the call. You have 24 hours to explain the rationale behind your action.”

Piqued by this development, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, weekend gave the management 48 hours to withdraw the queries or face fresh industrial action.

In a petition to the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Ikeja DISCO, General Secretary of NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero, decried the alleged moves

by the management to victimize members of the union for allegedly participating in the picketing action.

According to Ajaero: “It therefore casts doubts on the credibility and integrity of your management’s commitment to peace and harmonious working relationship with critical stakeholders in the sector as promised in the office of the Director of State Service, DSS. ''The union wants to equally state that we have on good authority that management has the compilation of reports against other functionaries of the union with a view to punishing them for participating in the said action.''

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 7

234 matriculate at Nigeria’s first medical varsity in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson & Dotun Ibiwoye

A

KURE—GOVERNOR Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has said that the establishment of the University of Medical Sciences, UNIMED, Ondo was the state’s strategic

Kudos, knocks for renaming of Osun tertiary schools

response to reverse the brain drain in Nigeria’s medical industry.

He added that the institution would also create an institutional base for the production of proficient health care manpower to service the nation.

Mimiko said this weekend at the inauguration and first matriculation of the institution in Ondo.

The university is the first specialized medical university in Nigeria and the second in Africa.

Mimiko said dearth of welltrained professionals in the

medical industry has been the bane of qualitative, efficient and sustainable health care delivery systems in Africa.

According to Mimiko, the scenario was more compounded by the exodus of many competent doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other professionals, who in search of better training and working conditions, have moved overseas, thereby making the WHO Health Care Professional-Patient ratio unachievable.

Dr Mimiko said it is estimated that about 30,000 Nigerians spend over N250 billion on medical tourism annually.

He said with the establishment of the university, the state had

been able to allay the concerns of all our key local and international partners about the sustainability of Abiye Safe Motherhood programme and other gamechanging initiatives.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Friday Okunofua, a Professor of Gynaecology and former Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Benin, disclosed that 234 students were matriculated into the five courses accredited by the Nigerian University Commission, NUC. He therefore assured of his commitment to achieving the best international benchmarks for the university.

By Gbenga Olarinoye

O

SOGBO—MIXED reactions have continued to greet last week renaming of Osun State government-owned university, UNIOSUN after late former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. The state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola had during UNIOSUN 4th and 5th combined convocation announced the renaming of the university as Bola Ige University, Osogbo while he also named the six campuses of the university after some prominent individuals in the state.

The first civilian governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke expressed his appreciation to the governor for naming the Ejigbo Campus of Bola Ige University after him.

Senator Adeleke in a statement by his media aide, Mr Olumide Lawal in Osogbo said, the gesture was a great honour that he will cherish for the rest of his life.

But the Alumni of the University of Osun State, UNIOSUN, Osogbo rejected the recent renaming of the university after late Ige, saying the gesture was immaterial at this point in time, urging Governor Aregbesola to reverse the action.

They equally considered the option of approaching the Court of Competent Jurisdiction in the land to seek redress on the subject matter if Governor Aregbesola refused to reverse the action to status quo.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Mr. Oluwatosin Abikanlu and Mr. Otunde Adebowale, the President and Secretary-General of the Alumni respectively, yesterday.

The association maintained that they rejected the renaming after late Ige because Chief Bola Ige had nothing to do with the establishment of the University aside being a political leader in the state before he died in December 2001, noting that the acronym of the UNIOSUN with the renaming of Bola Ige University (BIU) had also clashed with Benson Idahosa University (BIU).

C M Y K

THANKSGIVING SERVICE: From left; Osun State Deputy Governor Chief Titi LaoyeTomori; Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Olori Wuraola Otiti Zynab Ogunwusi, during the thanksgiving service for the traditional union between the Ooni and Olori Wuraola at the Royal Court of Ife, Aafin Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife yesterday. Photo by Dare Fasube.

Ekiti suspends 16 teachers for using students as labourers probe of activities of teachers in A member of the National Youth

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

A

D O - E K I T I — WORRIED by the report that teachers use their students as child labourers in their private farms during school hours, Ekiti state government has ordered a full scale investigation into the situation.

No fewer than 16 of such teachers at Elo High School, Ayetoro-Ekiti have been suspended pending the outcome of investigation of the matter.

The State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, gave the directives in Ado-Ekiti while receiving the report of a team led by the Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo Olusola, that went to the school for a preliminary investigation of the incident.

In a statement yesterday by the governor ’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the action of the governor followed persistent complaints by concerned parents that their wards were being used as child labourers in private farms during school hours.

Governor Fayose added that the

the school be extended to 2012.

Some of the affected students, who were brought to the Government House, Ado-Ekiti, said under the guise of doing practical agriculture, their teachers do take them to their private farms at least twice a week during official hours to work for at least 30 minutes.

One of them, Oluyeye Femi, a JSS 111 student, said though the school has a farm where students are expected to work once a week, some teachers capitalise on that to take them to their private farms to weed and make heaps.

Service Corps posted to the school, Miss Giredana Enogha, said when she got to the school last June, the situation was like a farm settlement.

She added that students were not encouraged to do any other thing than to go to farm all day.

A visibly angry Governor Fayose ordered that at least 80 percent of the teachers be transferred from that school.

The governor wondered why some people would want government’s investment in the education sector to go in vain by sabotaging it overtly or covertly.

Dignitaries throng Ife for Ooni’s wedding thanksgiving

By Gbenga Olarinoye

O

SOGBO—THE ancient city of Ile-Ife yesterday witnessed an influx of dignitaries who came for the thanksgiving ceremony of the traditional wedding of Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Olori Wuraola.

It was a gathering of who is who at the royal court, IleOdua palace, where family, friends and well wishers were present to add glitz and glamour to the traditional and social events.

The union between Ooni Ogunwusi and Olori Wuraola, which took place in Benin City on Saturday was described as a consolidation of the age-long connection between the Yorubas and the people of Benin of Edo State.

Some dignitaries, who spoke at the event advised the couple to put God first and employ communication to help foster a happy home, which according to them would be reflected through the realisation of the monarch’s vision of promoting peace and unity among all.

The Ooni, while appreciating God for a new beginning, reiterated his commitment to the unity and progress of Yoruba nation.

Some of the notable Nigerians at the event include; Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, deputy governor of Osun State, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, traditional rulers from across the Southwest states and the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli.

Other dignitaries also present at the ceremony were the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Muhammed Salidunturu, a governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Senator Ajayi Borofice, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Adepele Ojo among others.

Navy releases rescued ship, crew members to owner

By Evelyn Usman

L

AGOS—THE Nigerian Navy at the weekend, handed over MT MAXIMUS, the Saudi-Arabian ship that was rescued from fleeing pirates off the Sao Tome coast after a 48-hour chase, to its owners.

But the fate of two crew members; An Indian and a Pakistani who were abducted by the armed pirates was still

unknown, as the abductors were yet to contact the ship owners three weeks after the incident.

The ship which was chartered by a South Korean company, was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Ivory Coast on February 20, with its18 crew members.

During the rescue operation by the NN, one of the pirates was killed while six others, who claimed to be Nigerians, were arrested.

The rescue foiled attempts by the pirates to siphon 4,700 metric tonnes of AGO in the ship.

Handing over the oil vessel to the owners at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship NNS Beecroft , Commodore Abraham Adaji, informed that the release of the ship did not signify the end of the prosecution of the suspects.

8—Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

N2bn bail: Badeh rejects prison's food, yet to meet bail conditions It’s his right to eat or reject our food—Prisons official

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

laundering.

However, a lawyer to the former CDS, Mr. Samuel

Zibiri (SAN), told a national newspaper that Badeh had secured the two sureties

the court mandated him to produce, raising hope he could be released early this week.

A

BUJA— IMMEDIATE past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, spent his first weekend with inmates of the Kuje Prisons because of his inability to fulfill the bail conditions slammed on him by a Federal High Court.

The ex-CDS, who was granted bail by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja last Thursday, following arraignment for alleged money laundering, could not immediately meet the bail conditions in order to leave the prison.

Among other conditions, he was to produce two sureties who could pay the sum of N1 billion each, have landed properties in the FCT and provide evidence of three years tax payment.

Badeh was also to deposit his traveling documents with the Registrar of the court, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission prosecuting him, is to ascertain full compliance with the stipulated conditions before the former air force chief could be allowed to go home, pending the commencement of full trial.

Prisons sources confirmed to Vanguard last night that the former CDS was still with them, having been unable to perfect the bail conditions outlined by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

A senior prisons official confirmed also that Badeh had also refused to eat the food given to other inmates, preferring food from home.

The official said that the Nigerian Prisons Service allowed Badeh to eat the food brought by his close family members since it was optional to eat the prisons meal.

“It is the right of every prison inmate to decide whether to bring in their food or eat what is provided by the NPS. In this case, Badeh opted to eat his own food and we have no objection to that. ‘’The only condition is that the person who brings the food for him, must first taste it before giving to him,” the official explained.

Badeh was remanded in prison custody on March 7 but admitted to bail on March 10

by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, following his arraignment along with a company, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on 10 counts of money

MTN N50bn fine: Senate accuses Malami of having ulterior motive

By Joseph Erunke

A

AWARD: From left; Alhaji Abdul Dantata, Executive Director, National Salt Company of Nigeria, NASCON; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, NASCON; overall winner of 2015 NASCON award, Alhaji Sani Adamu, Chief Executive Officer, Sani Adamu Trade, and Mrs Yemisi Ayeni, new chairperson, NASCON, during the 2015 NASCON Distributor Award Nite, in Lagos, weekend. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

Accretion to external reserves stabilizes forex outlook resultant stability in the foreign CBN slowed, that it (CBN) was

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

L

AGOS — With approximately $100 million accretion to foreign reserves in the past three weeks, the nation’s currency, naira, appears to be on stable part, though not reversing its huge losses since this year.

Ahead of its worst crash to an all time low of N400/$ in the second week of February, the reserves had been on steady decline to a low of $27.112 billion but as at last weekend the reserves had gone up to $27.212 billion.

Consequently, the naira had firmed up, closing at average of N317/$ in the parallel market segment last weekend with a three-week average rate of N321/$ as against N350/$ in the first three weeks of February.

In the official window controlled by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the rate has remained stable for several months, now at about N199.1/$ interbank rate.

Analysts and foreign exchange dealers in banks have attributed the stability in the parallel market to positive developments in the foreign reserves which was in turn due to similar developments in the international oil market, resulting in some increases in the foreign exchange inflow.

However, a few dealers were still skeptical about the seeming growth in reserves and the

exchange market as they suspected it is contrived by the apex bank’s demand management and under-supply of the market.

Also, parallel market dealers said there had been significant drop in the volume of patronage they receive probably because of harsh economic situation.

According to analysts at FBN Merchant Bank, an arm of FirstBank of Nigeria Plc, the slower rate of reserves depletion could mean any or combination of these three occurrences: “that foreign exchange sales by the

able to plug some leakages or that it saw a modest increase in its receipts/inflows.

“We cannot be sure of the first explanation since the CBN stopped publishing data for successful bids in 2012, we hope that the second was relevant and we are confident of the third now that oil prices have recovered from their recent low.”

Reserves at end-February provided 6.2 months’ cover for annual merchandise imports and 4.4 months when services are added.

BUJA—THE Senate has accused the Minister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Abubakar Malami,of having ulterior motive in the payment of N50 billion by MTN, as part of fine imposed on it by the Federal Government for failure to deactivate 5.2 million unregistered subscribers on its network.

The red chamber queried the intentions of the Attorney-General in unilaterally opening a special new account with a name that had no correlations with the issue at hand and then ordering MTN to credit same, despite the existence of Treasury Single Account, TSA. To this end, the Senate, through its Committee on Communications, has vowed to launch immediate probe into the matter, with a view to unraveling all those behind the act and their intentions.

Speaking,yesterday, in Abuja, the committee’s chairman, Senator Gilbert Nnaji,said the red chamber had resolved to unmask those behind the payment of N50 billion by the Mobile Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n Network,MTN. Nnaji said the Senate was interested in knowing why MTN was directed to pay the money into a recovery account instead of routing it through the regulatory agency, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.

Alleged N10bn fraud: We didn’t divert NBC money—Emeka Mba, Udotai, others

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

A

BUJA— THE immediate past Director-General of National Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Emeka Mba; Managing Director, Technology Advisor, Mr. Basil Udotai, and four companies allegedly accused of diverting money meant for digital television broadcasting, have denied the allegations levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. It will be recalled that the former DG, Emeka Mba; Basil Udotai, and his company, Technology Advisor LLP, were accused along with others by the EFCC of having a hand in the diversion of N10 billion from the N34 billion paid by MTN to the

NBC by transferring same to a bank in breach of the federal government’s Treasury Single Account directive.

The EFCC said that it had since recovered the diverted N10 billion from those who took it.

But Mba and Udotai have denied ever taking part in the diversion of the said amount, insisting that no such amount was ever taken by them or those who participated in the digital switch process.

The denials were contained in two separate letters written by their lawyer, Chief Ogwu Onoja (SAN), and made available to Vanguard last night.

Mba made it clear that the entire transaction was transparent and carried out in accordance with the approval granted the NBC by former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Federal Executive Council.

Mba maintained that no money was missing throughout his tenure as the DG of the NBC and that he was proud of his post as an outstanding public servant with over 25 years of experience in the communications and entertainment industry.

The lawyer said: “The truth is that during the tenure of our client as the DG of the NBC, no money was missing, lost or stolen by anyone at the NBC. The NBC in all its transactions followed the due processes and acquired appropriate approvals from its board of directors, the then Minister of Information, former Minister of Communications Technology and President Goodluck Jonathan.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —9

C M Y K

10 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

OLU OF WARRI'S VISIT TO ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU AT HIS LAGOS RESIDENCE YESTERDAY.

Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli (4th right); National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (5th right); President, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick (3rd left), and others, during the Olu of Warri's courtesy visit to Tinubu at his Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, Lagos residence, yesterday.

Senator Ganiyu Solomon (right) and other guests.

A cross-section of visiting Warri Chiefs

Asiwaju Tinubu (2nd right) and some Warri Chiefs

Construction works stall nationwide as workers down tools

By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Oboh Agbonkhese & Omeiza Ajayi

A

LL construction works in the country have been stalled following indefinite strike by workers in the sector, on the platform National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction Furniture and Wood Workers, NUCECFWW. The workers are protesting alleged refusal of employers’ body on the aegis of Federation of Construction Industry, FOCI, to abide by the rules of engagement as contained in National Joint Industrial Council, NJIC. Vanguard gathered that at the expiration of the 2013 agreement where the employers conceded a 39 percent salary increment across board to workers, FOCI had in a letter dated September 1, 2015, asked the union to submit proposal for negotiation based on NIJC. It was learned that the workers in November 2015 demanded for a 100 percent increase in salaries.

After several negotiations, both parties could not agree and there was total breakdown in February, forcing the union to issued a 10-day ultimatum to FOCI to accept and implement the new demand.

FOCI was later accused of reneging and unwilling to improve the welfare of workers despite present economic realities.

After the expiration of the ultimatum without alleged positive response from FOCI, the union directed the workers to down tools and began an indefinite strike last week.

Speaking on the ongoing strike, PresidentGeneral of NUCECFWW, Mr. Amechi

Asugwuni, said: “They reduced the work force. Now a few do the work of many, yet the employers have refused to review salaries. However, they have expatriates, each earning the salary of 10 Nigerians.

Since they have refused to come to the negotiation table, we have gone on strike. 350 branches nationwide, representing 99 percent, have complied.”

The strike has already paralysed construction works across the country worsening the deplorable road networks.

In Lagos, a labour contractor to one of the major construction companies, told Vanguard on condition of anonymity yesterday that the strike was biting very hard as few workers who had been doing skeletal service when the strike started on Tuesday, had since Friday, joined others in the full blown action.

According to her: “Since Friday, nothing has been happening as the workers have stayed away from work and so, all activities have been stalled. I hope the matter is quickly resolved for us to meet our contract terms.”

But, a manager in one of the companies who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard in Abuja, that the Federal Government and other tiers of government were responsible for the near collapse of the industry.

According to him, “the inability of construction industries to meet up with its contractual obligations to workers is due to the inability of the government to clear the over N600 billion owe construction companies.''

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016—11

Pupils fall out of school bus in Lagos

By Esther Onyegbula

T

WO pupils of New Vine International School, Mushin, Lagos, were flung out of a moving bus driven by the Proprietor, Mr. Ekezie Augustine, at Costain Roundabout, on their way from the National Theatre, Iganmu.

Mr. Ekezie was promptly handed over to the Divisional Traffic Office, Iponri, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Police Command, for prosecution.

According to school’s Principal, the affected pupils, Seunfunmi Oseni, 4, and Amira Otegbola, 6, were among the 20 that embarked on the journey.

The children, who were rushed to Brickfield Medical Centre, at Ademuyiwa Road, Ebute Metta, were referred to Foremost Radiology, Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, for brain scan before further treatment.

According to an official of Brickfield, “the boy, Seunfunmi, sustained a lot of bruises on his head and leg.

He has not walked since he was brought here. We feared he has injured his legs too. He is always folding it and he preferred to be carried.”

Further investigations revealed that the school was not registered with the authorities in Lagos and it had just relocated to its new address in Mushin.

However, the Principal said certification of the school was being processed. He added that “the children were overexcited and uncontrollable before the incident happened.”

About three teachers were reportedly with the children in the bus on the said day.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Esther Onyegbula

L

SCHOOL DRIVER: The driver/proprietor (left) and the two pupils.

Drugs peddlers invade Borno IDPs camps

N

IGERIA Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Borno Command, has arrested two men for allegedly peddling cocaine in the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs’ camp in Dikwa.

Commander of the Borno Command, Mr. Ona Ogilegwu, who disclosed this in Maiduguri yesterday, said one of the suspects, a 48-year-old man, was arrested on February 27 in the camp.

He said that other illicit substances, including cannabis sativa, rophenol and diazepam, were found on the drug peddler.

He said: “The criminal disguised as an officer of NDLEA in the camp to sell the illicit drugs. After surveillance

by men of the command, we decided to buy the hard drugs from him to confirm that he was selling the drugs and then apprehended him.”

Ogilegwu said that the command also arrested a 32year-old man, who was similarly in possession of other hard drugs in the same camp.

A

BUJA—TROOPS of Operation Sharan Daji engaged in anti-cattle rustling, armed banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in various states of the NorthWest, weekend, recorded major successes against rustlers, killing 12 of them, destroying their camps and recovered many livestock, arms and ammunition.

A statement from Army headquarters said: “In Zamfara State, troops killed four rustlers, wounded 16, arrested three and destroyed seven camps.

“The troops also recovered 486 livestock, two machetes, three AK-47 rifles and four AK-

47 rifle magazines from the criminals.

“In Katsina State, troops killed five rustlers, arrested two of them and destroyed five camps.

They also recovered an AK-47 rifle, four locally-manufactured guns and 12 machetes. The troops also recovered 116 livestock from the rustlers.

“One of the soldiers was injured and is receiving treatment.

“In Kaduna State, the troops also recovered 305 livestock, two locally-made pistols, three bows and arrows and four machetes. The troops killed two armed rustlers, arrested seven and destroyed six camps belonging to the criminals.

“In Kano State’s Doguwa Forest, one rustler was killed

He said: “I do not know what is wrong with these people, but I will tell you that the level of drug intake among men and women in IDPs camps is beyond imagination.

“We have received several reports and have sent our men to the 28 camps in the state to mop up all nefarious activities.”

3 cultists arrested with arms in Ogun

By Daud Olatunji

A

BEOKUTA—OGUN State Police Command has arrested three suspected cultists believed to be terrorising OkeOko and Igborufu communities in Ogijo in Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.

Troops kill 12 rustlers, recover 1,033 cattle, arms, others

By Kingsley Omonobi

3 robbers meet Waterloo over fufu

and their camp destroyed. The troops also recovered 126 cattle, 331 sheep, 10 donkeys and three camels from the rustlers.

“Deep operations by troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, in conjunction with other security agencies deployed in the various states are ongoing to flush out kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other armed criminals.”

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said the three suspected cultists were arrested on Saturday, around 5p.m. by operatives attached to Ogijo Division of the command during initiation of new members.

Adejobi said though some of them fled when police stormed the area, the suspects were later arrested following a tip-off.

He said: “With a good follow up of useful information given to the police, the suspects, Lekan Babatunde, Segun Owodunni and Musa Ibrahim, who escaped from the den were picked up by the police one after the other at different locations within the axis, with weapons.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Abdulmajid Ali, appreciates individuals that assisted with useful intelligence on the suspects.”

A G O S — OPERATIVES of Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Police Command have arrested three teenagers over robbery, after they snatched a bag containing two wraps of fufu and stew from a lady.

Members of the gang, identified as Daniel Dali, 19; Emmanuel Ashaolu, 17, and Ikenna Bright, 17, were arrested on Friday in Ajegunle by a surveillance team that was on routine patrol of the area.

It was learned that Dali, a commercial motorcyclist from Cotonu, and Ashaolu reportedly snatched the bag from a lady, who raised alarm.

The operatives pursued the suspects, who were on Okada, and arrested Ashaolu. Later, they mobilised and combed the area at night, leading to the arrest of Dali, the Okada rider and Bright.

However, on interrogation, it turned out that they were part of a robbery syndicate. Dali confessed that he rides the Okada for the gang and that he started stealing in April 2015 after the death of his mother.

Another suspect, Bright, said he had only operated seven times.

He said: “During fuel crisis, we syphon fuel from vehicles parked on the streets, so we move around for our operations.

Several boys do this business in Ajegunle.

“I know of a team that lives in different hotels, sleep in the day time and operate at night. This is the only job they do to survive.”

According to Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmus, the suspects are giving useful information that would lead to the arrest of other members of the gangs.

Measles, whooping cough kill 6 in Jigawa

N

O fewer than six children, under the ages of five, died in an outbreak of measles and whopping cough in SuleTankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Malam Mohammed

Maisamari, Head of Department for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, confirmed the outbreak in SuleTankarkar, yesterday.

He said Maizare community was worse hit and that the

deaths were recorded in the community.

He said that the report of the outbreak was received by the council on March 1, adding that health officials were making efforts to curtail the spread.

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Re-run elections: IG deploys AIG, three CPs to Rivers •3 senatorial, 11 House of Reps and 16 House of assembly seats to be contested •As Police arrest man over Buguma killing

By Kingsley Omonobi & Jimitota Onoyume

A

BUJA—IN a bid to ensure free and fair re-run elections in Rivers State and checkmate allegations of planned electoral violence, InspectorGeneral of Police, Solomon Arase, has directed the Assistant Inspector-General in charge Zone 6, Baba Bolanta, to relocate from Calabar, Cross River State, to Port Harcourt.

He has also redeployed three Commissioners of Police to Rivers State to further boost security of lives and property and ensure hitch-free elections.

Three senatorial, 11 House of Representatives and 16 House of Assembly seats will be contested.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has arrested one Luke Okumebi in connection with the killing, last week, of a youth, Godstime Ifuroiyala, in Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area of the state, by suspected cultists.

The deceased, who was killed in a reprisal attack by alleged loyalists of late Ofinjite Amachree, who was killed in the community on Tuesday, was allegedly set ablaze and his corpse dumped in the river.

Community sources said that after killing the late Ifuroiyala, his assailants burnt his remains the same way killers of late Amachree,

a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the area was burnt on Tuesday.

“It was hit and run attack so there was nothing the Police could have done. They just got hold of their target, finished him and disappeared with the corpse before the police came,” the sources said.

Similarly, a statement by Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, in Abuja, on the deployment of some officers for the re-run poll, said: “In furtherance of strategies designed to prevent electoral violence and thus ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the Rivers State re-run elections slated for March 19, 2016, the IG, Mr Arase, has directed the AIG in charge of Zone 6 Calabar, AIG Bolanta, to relocate to Port Harcourt on March 14, 2016 for pre-elections preparations with a view to ensuring conducive environment for free, fair and credible election.

“The IG, while disclosing that three Commissioners of Police have been deployed to supervise security arrangements in the three senatorial districts, Rivers East, Rivers West and Rivers South-East, stated that 6,000 conventional policemen and 14 Units of Police Mobile Force personnel (MOPOL), would be deployed to complement the

personnel of Rivers State Command during the election.

“In addition, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Department of Operations, DIG Sontoye Wakama, has also been directed to proceed to Rivers State

T

HE race for political supremacy in Rivers State enters its final stretch this week as the two major political parties, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, get set for this weekend’s elections for 36 National Assembly and state constituencies.

All three Senate seats, 11 of the 12 federal constituencies and 22 of the 32 state constituencies are up for grabs at the re-run elections ordered by the Court of Appeal following petitions against the earlier declarations by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the 2015 general elections.

The PDP, had won all National Assembly, state constituencies, and the governorship polls in the 2015 general election in March and April 2015.

The elections were, however, generally faulted by the APC. The APC had, ahead of the last general election, alleged highhandedness on the part of security C M Y K

agencies and collaboration between the election regulators, INEC, security agencies and the PDP, which at that time controlled the Federal Government.

At that time, the APC, through Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, was in control of the state government.

The 2015 campaigns and elections were, however, marked with violence leading to as many as 94 deaths as confirmed by an inquiry established by the former administration.

Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, chairman of the

details to desist from accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.

“He emphasizes that only security personnel specially assigned for election duties must be seen within and around the election designated places.”

AWARD: From left: Lady Deborah Jibowu, an awardee; ZONTAN Prof. Oyin Olurin; Chairman, Mrs Lola Oredugba, representing her 96 years old mother, Mrs Comfort Oredugba, an awardee and Chief Folake Solanke, during an award ceremony to mark the United Nations International Women's Day, for using their position to empower women through service and advocacy. Photo: Dare Fasube.

Amaechi, Wike: Reversal of roles in Rivers

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

immediately to hold meetings with stakeholders and police officers in the state command on the need for peaceful conduct before, during and after the elections.

“The IG, while assuring lawabiding electorate of a secure and enabling environment to exercise their franchise, warns all security

commission, said the confirmed deaths between November 2014 and May 2015 were out of 275 violations of property and lives reported to the commission.

With the office of governor resolved in favour of the PDP by the Supreme Court decision of last February, this weekend’s legislative contests may have opened a reversal of offices in the principal protagonists in the 2015 elections , former Governor Amaechi and his successor, Governor Nyesom Wike.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016—13

Rivers re-run poll: Amaechi, Wike exchange verbal fireworks

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— MINISTER of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, weekend, traded words, accusing each other of corruption and mismanaging the resources of the state.

Amaechi accused his successor, Wike, of allegedly squandering about N50 billion since he assumed office on May 29, while on his part, Governor Wike alleged that the Minister of Transport frittered away about N3 trillion as governor of the state, stressing that Amaechi's administration had the highest record of abandoned projects in the history of governance in the state since its creation in 1967.

Amaechi, who spoke on a radio programme in Port Harcourt, said that the state will be flooded with security men on March 19, the day of the re-run election to guard against rigging.

He challenged Governor Wike to show Rivers people what he had done with money borrowed and federal allocation that had accrued to the state since he came on board.

The former governor recalled several projects he executed in the state.

Governor Wike, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Austin Tam-George, after the radio programme, cited the abandoned monorail project started by the former governor, adding that Amaechi allegedly awarded several contracts running into billions of naira to cronies without following due process.

The commissioner, who briefed newsmen in his office in Port Harcourt, also spoke on some of

the successes so far recorded by Governor Wike since he assumed office, adding that they included rehabilitation of over 100 kilometres of roads.

His words: “Mr Amaechi should have used the opportunity of the live interviews to give account of his disastrous and visionless administration.

Despite receiving over N3 trillion in revenue in eight years, Amaechi left the most abandoned projects in the history of Rivers State, since 1967.

“Amaechi awarded school contracts worth billions of naira to his cronies without following due process. Today, the abandoned monorail project for which Amaechi spent N60 billion

stands out in its mammoth ugliness on Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt. It is a headstone to the corruption and waste that characterized his era.

“But since he assumed office eight months ago, Governor Wike has de-politicised development and reconstructed roads and other projects abandoned by Amaechi. Over 100 kilometres of roads across the state, including roads in Borikiri and Origwe, where Amaechi once lived, had been revamped.

“What were the state of the roads in Diobu and Okaki in Borikiri during Amaechi’s tenure? Today, those roads have been totally reconstructed by the Wike government. The school

contracts and other projects with doubtful legality and value are being comprehensively reviewed by the Wike administration.

“Under Wike, 40,000 small and medium scale entrepreneurs are set to benefit from a N2 billoin Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, loan guaranteed by the Rivers State Government. Under the Amaechi administration, there is no record of how N4 billion agricultural loan granted by the CBN was used. No farmer benefited from a loan taken in their name.”

Meantime, Mr Amaechi said he had relocated to the state to mobilize members of his All Progressives Congress, APC for the rerun elections.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: Acting MD/CEO Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari (left) and Prof Gabriel Okara, after a stage play titled: "Little Drops" in commemoration of the 2016 International Women's Day, at the Hotel Presidential Port Harcourt, sponsored by NDDC. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

Edo PDP congress: Party chieftain challenges Orbih’s eligibility to run as Chair

By Simon Ebegbulem

B

ENIN—AHEAD of today’s congress of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, a member of the party in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, Mr Ehi Osula, has challenged the eligibility of the immediate past chairman of the party in the state, Chief Dan Orbih, to run for the position of chairman having allegedly spent two terms.

In the suit before Edo State High Court sitting in Benin, the petitioner is arguing that Chief Orbih had served the maximum tenure of eight years as allowed by the constitution of the PDP. He, therefore, wants the court to declare Orbih ineligible to run for the position again.

Osula, through his counsel, Matthew Edaghese, is arguing that Chief Orbih was inaugurated twice as chairman of the party after congresses were held, adding therefore, that he spent four years each which, according him, made him ineligible to contest for a third term.

Meanwhile, the national leadership of the party has attributed the alleged failure by the leaders of the party in the state to hand over the party to Edo electorate as one of the problems militating against the progress of the party in the state.

The party, therefore, urged its leaders in the state to think of the interest of the party first before their personal interests so as to

stand a chance in winning the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

This was the resolution reached after several meetings between leaders

of the party in the state and the national leadership led by the South South Vice Chairman of the party, Mr Cairo Ojougboh, ahead of today’s state congress of the party.

Edo youths hold solidarity rally over proposed Dangote Cement Plant

By Jimoh Babatunde

O

KPELLA youths, weekend, staged a solidarity march at the palace of the Okuophellagbe of Okpella Kingdom, Edo State, Dr. Yesufu Dirisu, over the proposed Dangote Cement Plant in the village.

Speaking during the solidarity rally when some officials of Dangote Group visited the village, the Youth President, Christopher Kadiri, said they were at the palace to find out when the proposed cement plant announced by Dangote Group will come on stream.

Kadiri said: “History has been made today, particularly on the side of the youths, because there were uncertainties about Dangote investing in our community, but today, the youths are simply saying that we are 100 percent behind Dangote.

“We are not a cursed people, we want development in our community. I am telling you today that the whole of Okpella, both old and young, are in full support of Dangote's investment.”

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

We'll send EFCC after Yuguda, if... —Gov Abubakar

By Omeiza Ajayi

A

BUJA—GOVERNOR Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State, has threatened to hand over his predecessor, Isa Yuguda to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, if indicted at the end of the ongoing probe of his eight-year tenure.

Abubakar spoke with journalists in Abuja after he visited some members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He said although his administration was not an investigative outfit, the report of ongoing investigation of the last administration in the state would be forwarded to the EFCC for necessary action.

According to him: “We are probing the last

administration and some revelations have so far been made. But what I want you to understand is that we are not an investigative outfit. We have not been elected to investigate. Right now, I have a high powered committee that is investigating all contracts from 2007 to 2015. This is after I have set up a public property recovery committee headed by a retired Air Commodore of that had succeeded in recovering a lot of property that were carted away earlier on.

“So, we are investigating, but our attitude towards investigation is that any revelation we discovered, we will now take it to the investigative authority, that is the EFCC for it to carry on and do a thorough

investigation. It is EFCC that will move against the suspects with a view to retrieving the ill-gotten wealth. So, this is what we are doing in Bauchi State. I assured you that every culprit that is found to have a hand in the sponsorship of ghost workers in the payroll of Bauchi State would face the wrath of the law, this one is a promise.”

On insinuation that his convoy was pelted along Gombe road, the governor said nowhere in Nigeria had his convoy been attacked.

“There are some people who have not accepted the will of God, people who contested election with me who are sponsoring some of these publications. I am a Muslim, I am fasting, Walahi Talahi, nobody pelted me with anything on my way back from Gombe. It is a blatant lie,” he explained.

CONSTITION REVIEW: NASS'll send

amended versions to Buhari in different bills —Deputy Speaker

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—THE House of Representatives has adopted a new method to send the amended versions of the 1999 Constitution in different related bills to President Muhammadu Buhari, for assent.

The new method, according to the House, is to avoid the mistakes by the 7th Assembly where, after concluding the constitution amendment, a single bill was sent to the then President Goodluck Jonathan who incidentally withheld his assent based on the alleged error on a particular section, thus thwarting the efforts and resources expended on the exercise.

The present method, which was the suggestion of Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution and Deputy Speaker of the House, Yusuf Lasun, has received acceptance and commendations of members.

The committee, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, Wole Oladimeji, had concluded plans to carry out the alteration piece meal instead of codifying it in a single bill which would be easy to trash, if there was one or two errors.

According to the statement, with the new system to be embarked upon before the end of the 8th assembly, all the sections of the constitution that needed to be amended would have been concluded and assented to by the President.

This development, according to the statement, would produce about four or more bills to be presented to the President for assent.

The deputy speaker explained that the reason to have up to four bills was

to correct what the committee had suffered in the past, when the exercise was concluded but could not be assented to by the President due to one reason or the other.

He said: “The resources and efforts were committed to the review of the constitution, members of the committee and all the professionals hired to assist travelled round the country to collate views of Nigerians and at the end of the day, the report of the exercise was thrown out and ended in the dust bin, this is not good for the nation.”

Why I floated Future Assured—Aisha Buhari

A

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

BUJA—WIFE of the president, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, weekend explained that what informed the setting up of her pet project, “Future Assure,” was to advocate improved health and promotion of health status of the vulnerable and marginalized section of the Nigerian population.

Mrs. Buhari gave the insight at a cocktail party she hosted for the wives of the Heads of Foreign Missions in Nigeria on Saturday at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Remarking that “one of the biggest challenges facing women and children in Nigeria is access to health care services “, the president’s wife also noted that her office would welcome initiatives, foreign or locals that would promote easy access to Medicare for children and women.

Mrs. Buhari who thanked the women for gracing the event, noted that the roles of the wives of Heads of Mission were very special in every sense with high expectations of promoting social and cultural image of their respective countries, stressing that she held that in high esteem.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —15

C M Y K

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 Penultimate weekend, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, announced that Nigeria would increase crude oil production to meet local demand but not for the international market.

Kachikwu explained that the oil output would remain unchanged from the January level of 2.2 million barrels a day, but exports would be reduced to focus on local refining and supply of petroleum products to the Nigerian market, which requires at least 500,000 barrels a day.

The statement was not unrelated to Nigeria’s support of the efforts of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC to optimise oil prices by employing ‘production freeze’ tactics to combat the oil glut.

We commend the Minister for displaying leadership by taking a clear stance at a time when the na-

Moving our oil industry forward tion is in dire need of economic direction. We also commend his patriotism and his innovative ideas for our oil industry.

Beyond fixing the global glut, however, there is an urgent need to proffer original, home-grown policies as well as ensuring that existing ones are strictly adhered to. An urgent case in point is the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development law (NOGICD), more popularly known as Nigerian Local Content Law. The Nigerian local content Law is one of the significant efforts in localising the management and control of the oil and gas industry

and was widely celebrated at inception. The Law, which received presidential assent on the 2nd of April 2010 and created a framework towards indigenous content also established the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board which is charged with the responsibility to coordinate, monitor and implement the local content Law. The local content Law specifies that Nigerian independent operators should be accorded “first consideration” in the award of Oil and Gas-related contracts and that Nigerian service companies should also be given “exclusive consideration” for contracts and services.

Industry watchers believe that an ideal and welcome scenario will be where Nigerian companies are allowed to participate along side international Oil Majors.

The local content Act, however, seems to have made very little impact. There is very limited local participation in this vibrant sector that has the potential to improve the standard of living and provide gainful employment for Nigerians.

This is unacceptable, particularly as Nigerians now have the skills needed to perform efficiently in the sector.

The situation contrasts with what obtains in other oil-producing countries. The implementation of the local content Law in Nigeria has been hindered by artificial barriers, chief of which is endemic corruption and poor regulation.

Sanitisation of the Nigerian oil industry should constitute the foundation upon which the lofty development aims of the present administration are anchored.

OPINION Naira: A common sense approach

By Bowo Olateru-Olagbegi

R

ECENTLY, President Buhari opined in far away Nairobi, Kenya that Nigeria will not devalue the Naira.

No doubt, the president is well intentioned and means well. It is in the “interest” of the masses who have been battered by the prevailing economic circumstance.

However, artificially keeping the naira “strong” in the midst of limited foreign currency reserve puts paid to this good intention. Unknown to the president, the power not to devalue the Naira no longer exists and does not lie with him. As at the time the president made the pronouncement, the Naira had been devalued already. It is like a judge attempting to adjudicate a case when events have overtaken it.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has artificially pegged the exchange rate at N197-N197 to the US dollar. We don’t know how they arrived at this rate. What we know is that very few can get the dollar to buy at this rate. So who is fooling who. The greater majority therefore have to go and source at alternative markets and at whatever rate. This exerts more pressure on the Naira. Less than 10% of the demand is met by this CBN induced rate.(I don’t have exact figures/statistics). So the remaining 80% or 90% as the case may be are met at the alternative market rate. This alternative rate then is the determinant of market

prices, since it is where the bulk of demand is met. So it is safe to assume that the common man (the president is trying to protect) buys at this rate.

The first unintended consequence of this approach to shoring up the naira is corruption and manipulation. It does not take rocket science to know this. Any form of rationing is a breeding ground for corruption, even when you have strong institutions and the cost of getting caught is high. In Nigeria, this is not the case. The institutions are weak and the cost of getting caught is very low.

Will those lucky to get the CBN rate price their goods at the CBN rate? I doubt.

They will more likely price at the open market rate and make huge profits. To get this huge profit, they are willing to grease a few palms. Only the rich and well connected will get this rate. So the rich get richer. The CBN recently gave a guaranty to some people (names withheld) to supply all their dollar requirements at this induced and highly subsidised rate. If these guys are smart , which they are , they will turn round to sell at market rate not ,CBN rate.

So what is the common sense approach?

First is to allow the market determine the rate. Hitherto, Nigeria through the CBN was subsiding manufacturers in China, USA , UK and wherever we imported goods from. We were providing employments in all those places and killing our own manufacturers and creating local unemployment.

We were making their goods more affordable and cheaper than the locally produced ones. This is why we had low capacity utilisation and high unemployment. Will this not lead to huge inflation? No. It will actually lead to a reduction in inflation.

This is because the now market determined Exchange rate at which everybody buys will come down.

By eliminating duality of rates where some buy at N199 and some at N300,everybody will most likely now buy at about N250 (N300+N199)/2.

Since the market pricing was at N300,the new market pricing will now be at N250 for everybody. Competition to sell will begin to exert downward pressure and the rates will begin to come down. We have seen this in the Telecommunications market.

Secondly, because the exchange rate is high, imported goods become prohibitive, forcing a previously import oriented economy to begin to look inwards. (The reason we love imported goods was partly because they were cheaper due to the subsidy provided by the CBN ). As more people patronise locally produced goods, they are able to expand and employ more people. They get better and are able to invest in better machinery, training and enjoy economies of scale, translating into better quality and lower pricing.

Imagine this scenario: Ten men each have N100. A man wanted to exchange $1000. So they each can exchange $100 for their N100. Case closed.

However, this man with the $1000 (Mr. CBN) now decided to exchange $300 for

N50 instead of the N100 for a cousin of his named Cousin B. We are now left with $700 for the remaining 9 people who have their N900 naira.N900 /$700 will now give approximately N128 instead of the N100.

By artificially selling $300 to cousin B at N50,the dollar is now priced at N128 instead of N100. The artificially induced rate of N199 for a few privileged people has driven up the cost for the remaining nine people (the majority). Eliminating duality of rates will reduce corruption, make the market more efficient, lead to competition and innovation. These will ultimately lead to lower costs and the common man will be the main beneficiary. Allowing a market determined rate is more beneficial to the economy in more ways than one.

Take Rice for example. We probably spend $1billion importing rice (Hypothetical figure).As stated above it was cheaper to import compared to locally produced rice. At N250 naira to the dollar, imported rice has become more expensive. So the local rice farmer who is able to produce at N200 will be patronised. He gradually increases acreage, employ more hands, embrace mechanisation and produces more efficiently. Ultimately the N200 naira rice become N150. The $1billion that was being used to import rice is now part of our reserve. So the naira become stronger. So the president’s dream of a low exchange is achievable after all.

•Mr. Olateru-Olagbegi, a pblic policy anlayst, wrote from Lagos.

MARCH 14, 2016

Furore over extension of port concession period

BY GODWIN ORITSE

T

HE extension of the concession granted to six port terminal operators is presently generating controversy among stakeholders in the maritime industry, with many alleging that the extension did not follow due process.

Confirming the extension, General Manager in charge of Public Affairs department of the Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA), Captain Ihenacho Ebubeogu, said that ENL Tin-Can

Island Container Port, (TICT), Josephdam, Port and Cargo, African Maritime Services, Port Terminal Operators Limited, (PTOL) and Ecomarine Marine in Calabar in Cross River State have been granted extension of their concession for another five years each.

The concession extension was given ahead of the expiration of the present concession agreement. Most of the concessionaires had the concession extended by five years each.

Reason given for the extension ranges from the fact that some

encumbered areas were noticed in some terminals just as wrong surveys was also done in some of these terminals. Other reasons are computation of throughput on export laden and empty containers and relocation of a terminal.

The NPA, it is being argued, has reneged on the terms of agreement it entered into with the concessionaires. In the agreement, NPA was supposed to provide power, security, water and other sundry services but as at the time of filing this report, virtually all the

LECTURE: From left, Chairperson, WIMBIZ (Women in Business) Executive Council, Aishah Ahmad, ; Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Corporate Communications Manager, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Ayodele Alabi; Human Resources Manager, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Benedicta Oyiana and Corporate Affairs, Unilever Nigeria, Oluseyi Olawoyin, at the 2016 WIMBIZ Annual Lecture held last Thursday in Lagos.

C M Y K

terminal operators provide these services for themselves.

Commenting on the development, the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, (ICRC), Mallam Aminu Diko said that the Commission was aware of the fact that extension were granted to some terminal operators. Diko also said that the Commission was not part of the extension process adding that the regulatory commission was studying the situation and appropriate action will be taken when due.

According to Diko, there are processes for extension of concession period as well for new concession. “We were not part of any extension of concession period for some terminals because we were not aware of it” he added.

“If NPA does not bring it to our notice, we will not know about it except we stumble on the information like in the case of the one in question. We are aware that five concessions were extended by the National Council for Privatisation and as you know, the NCP is being headed by the office of the Vice President. What we intend to do is to ask for all the document relating to the extension and see what was done.”

He disclosed that the concessions were extended by the National Council for Privatisation, (NCP) and that the Council is domiciled in the office of the Vice President.

The extension, Vanguard gathered was granted the terminal operators at the tail end of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Diko also told Vanguard that the ICRC has called for the document relating to the extension. Asked what the Commission will do if the extension was found to have been done in an haphazard manner, Diko said: “We will cross the bridge when we get there.”

Commenting on the development, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, maritime industry analyst said that the NCP does not have the legal powers to grant such extension adding that the extension must be reversed.

Amiwero explained that at the end of the concession, the government was meant to carry out an assessment exercise Continues on page 18

18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Cover

Why people fail in their businesses

S

RECEPTION - From left: MD/CEO Transcorp Hotels Plc, Valentine Ozigbo; PR & Marketing Manager, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Shola Adeyemo; PR Executive, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Ijeoma Osuji; Director of Business Development, Trancsorp Hilton Abuja, Ahmed AbdelGhaffar; and General Manager, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Etienne Gailliez at a reception hosted to celebrate the awards in Abuja.

Furore over extension of port concession period Continued from page 17 of the affected terminals so as to see if they met with the conditions of the concession agreement.

According to Amiwero, a Committee was supposed to be set up to carry out this assessment before granting extension and re-concession of the terminal. He explained that the law setting up the NPA does not allow the authority to give such long leases adding that these leases according to the law must not exceed five years. He said: “A Committee must be set up to carry out the assessment to look at the performance indicators, plants acquisition, their ship berthing and cargo clearance procedures.”

Speaking in similar vein, former Senior Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Leke Oyewole said that how or when the concessions were extended should not be a problem.

Oyewole also said that what the government should do is to look at the terminals and see if they have added value to the nation’s port system based on performance. He explained that Nigeria is a fertile ground for shipping business adding that the country cannot wait for anybody to take it back.

Oyewole said: “How or when the concession was extended is not much of a problem, it is left for the current government to access their performance over the years that they have been running each of these terminals and find out if they have added value in the port system or not.

“If anyone has underperformed, the government may decide to look for a better hand to run the terminal but for those that

have lived up to the agreement, it is only fair to renew their concession period.

For those that have fallen short of the agreement, the government should look at them because the country cannot wait for anybody’s time to improve our country, we need to look for better hands to take over those terminals.

“Nigeria is a very fertile ground for shipping business; I do not see why any of them should not have proved itself over the years."

Terminals which concession will expire this month of March 2016 include ENL, LCDNL, Josephdam and Port and Cargo Handling Company.

Section 25 sub-section (1) of the Act 38 of 1999 setting up the Nigerian Ports Authority states that Authority shall not without the approval in writing of the Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, alienate, mortgage, charge, or lease any immovable property which

Nigeria is a very fertile ground for shipping business; I do not see why any of them should not have proved itself over the years

has been vested in the Authority or in respect of which a right of occupancy has been to the Authority.

While some terminals will have their concession period expire this month, others still have as far as 2031 as their date of expiration. For Shoreline Logistics Nigeria Limited, Ecomarine Terminal and Intels in Calabar have 2032, 2037 and 2031 as their date of expiration respectively.

For Port and Terminal Operators Limited, (PTOL) in Port Harcourt, 2026 was given as its date of expiration while that of BUA’s operations in Lagos will expire in the same year.

While 2031 was recorded against Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, A. P. Moller Greenview Development Nigeria Limited African Maritime Services, (AMS) as the date of expiration, Port and Terminal Multi-purpose Services Limited has 2030 as its own date of expiration.

The terminals that were granted extension recently originally had 2016 as their expiration but the extension has pushed the expiration date to 2026.

Upon concession, the Nigerian seaports were delineated into 26 terminals and concessioned to 20 terminal operators.

Effort to reach the spokesman for the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, (STOAN), Mr. Bolaji Akinola was futile as his phone number was not going through.

Also, efforts to reach Princess Vicky Hastrup, owners of ENLone of the terminals that got concession extension was futile as several calls made to her phone were not answered.

tarting your own business can yield amazing rewards but at the same time it’s a pretty big risk. One of the biggest reasons why people fail is they enter into a business that doesn’t have profitable market. They may like what they are doing but they are not making money. It is one of the keys to do something you are passionate about, but if you can’t monetize it, then it is not something you may want to go into business with. It is necessary to carry out thorough research before you build up a business to find if there is a demand for your products.

At one time to another, we have all fantasized about creating our own business and being a successful entrepreneur. It is exciting to consider the possibilities but then the fears creep in. We have all heard stories about people who started their own business full of hope and faith, only to unwind shortly thereafter and fail miserably while losing some good hard earned cash in the meantime.

Let us take a look at some of the underlying causes that are not always discussed. You might be surprised to hear that the lack of money is not the main reason for failure; there are several reasons why people fail in business: —THE “COPY CAT” FACTOR - Many people go into business or make a business choice because they also think they can be successful in it. Many people fail because of this reason. You have to put into consideration that what works for “MR. A” may not be applicable to “MR. B” and it is better to go along with your own idea and instinct instead of trying to be like someone else. This is wrong.

—LACK OF DISCIPLINE AND CONSISTENCY - Most people get the idea that they can make millions by simply starting their own business. Developing the discipline and consistency necessary to be successful in any endeavour is part of what makes success so sweet. There are not many accidental success stories. It takes tremendous discipline to be successful in anything including a business. It is like getting in shape or going to college. You will not make it through the college if you only study one day in each semester. Once you know what is required daily, learn to discipline yourself and be consistent. Amazingly, consistency and discipline not only elevate you to higher levels of success, they also make your work so much easier!

—LACK OF PERSONAL GROWTH - Most people have it backwards. They think that one becomes a millionaire and then starts thinking like one. But it is the other way round.

Before you can be successful, you have to think like a successful person. Your thoughts, words, and your imagination will affect whether you succeed or fail. Personal developments of your attitude and communication skills are a must. It is hard work and it takes discipline. You will have a hard time succeeding without protecting and working on your attitude. This is especially true after some failures. This is a learned skill. It is also applicable in business.

—Lacks of direction/plan - Most people that start a business have a little or no idea how to succeed. Therefore, it is extremely important to find a consultant who has the time and experience to guide you through the maze, step by step. Be sure this person will actually have (or make) the time for you. Sit down with him and create a plan of attack, set realistic goals and then learn everything you can to help you succeed in your business choice.

—WRONG EXPECTATIONS - People are being sold the idea that all you need to do is get into business and the money starts rolling in without doing anything. Sometimes it is the person’s fault because they only hear what they want to hear or they think they know better. Bottom Line, Building a successful business is not a 60 yard dash but marathon.

—QUITTING TOO SOON - This is probably the biggest reason. People “try” to work the business for a few weeks or even months and then quit and they are on to their next failure. First, you cannot try any business and succeed. Have you ever done anything in life half way and succeeded? With that attitude, you have failed before you even started. You have to have the attitude of “I will do whatever it takes to succeed” (not illegal). It is a mindset.

—Many people make the fatal mistake of commencing on business with inadequate operating funds.

For more on this, buy Success In Your Business by Peter Osalor, volume four.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 19

I

n this column in August last year, I had cause to ask how far President Buhari can go in managing a tough economy. There has been growing concerns about this government's handling of the economy. At the moment, there seems to be no clear cut economic blueprint for which government policies are framed. It appears to me that every minister is working by intuition without any economic guiding principle.

The President is yet to appoint his Chief Economic adviser, have an economic management team or a think tank that meets regularly to discuss what is on ground, what measures needed to be put in place to address them quickly. It is like the focus is all about looking for thieves, catching them, and recovering what they have stolen. This is good and fair enough. After the President has finished the recovery of the looted funds, what next and how will the looted funds be channeled into the economy to benefit the ordinary Nigerian? was putting the nation came up with 7-Point Agenda What the ordinary Nigerian through. and Jonathan the is interested in is food on his President Babagida before Transformation Agenda. They table, good school for his coming up with SAP had a were mere slogans without children, good medical care retinue of very bright minds as content or direction. and shelter and security of life his advisers. Babagida had a President Umaru Yar ’Adua and property. team then that was called the followed with the appointment In any economy, the goal of Presidential Economic of Tanimu as his Economic macro economic policy is to Advisory Council. This body Adviser. He again had his achieve full employment of was busy preparing documents economic team. All his resources, balance growth, and seeking informed opinion appointees followed the seven stable prices of goods and from operators in the private point agenda. services; and a stable sector. He went to the point of The immediate past currency through a healthy instituting what was then President had his team and balance of payment. known as Corporate Nigeria — As it is today, all four macro a yearly gathering of captains economic indices are pointing of industry to tap their south. This government knowledge of the economy The challenge seems not to understand or before any policy initiative. know what to do to address When President Olusegun is to craft a the situation. The government Obasanjo became the does not need to go too far to President, the economy was development know what to do. Nigeria has near its knees. He realised that several development research he could not manage the agenda to documents that speak of ways economy all by himself. He deliver to better manage the appointed Professor economy. But the problem has Chukwuma Soludo as his Chief dividends of always been that leaders are Economic Adviser and set up democracy often not focused enough to an economic management implement them faithfully. team. The team went to work within the In most countries today, the and prepared a document economics of the middle class called the NEEDS. It was the context of has taken the center stage. second of its kind to SAP. The broken public This is because if the middle document was the basis on class is doing well, the which the nation was able to finance, and an purchasing power in the hand secure a debt relief from the economy in of this class will make the Paris and London clubs of economy to grow. When in creditors. In fact it became the which painful 1986, General Babangida Policy Support Instrument for introduced the famous which the International structural Structural Adjustment Monetary Fund IMF, based its adjustments will Programme (SAP), it was with monitoring and evaluation of good intention. But half way the economy on. be inevitable if down the line of Nigerians' expectation was implementation, the that the next government after current trends programme was derailed by Obasanjo would take the in oil prices Nigerians who kept crying of economy to the next level. the hardship the programme President Umaru Yar ‘Adua continue

Buhari, a President without economic think tank his economic slogan was Transformation.

Buhari and his team must realise that they do not yet have a coherent, credible agenda that is consistent with the fundamentals of the economy as it stands today.

What the government has been saying contains some good principles and wish-lists, but as a blue print for Nigeria’s security and prosperity, it is largely ineffective. The President should for the sake of Nigerians who voted him to power present a credible development agenda to Nigerians.

What the President must know is that the fundamental challenge of his government on the economy is how to set economic objective of creating ten to twelve million jobs over the next four years to have a dent on the ever growing unemployment and poverty in the country. The real challenge is to craft a development agenda to deliver dividends of democracy within the context of broken public finance, and an economy in which painful structural adjustments will be inevitable if current trends in oil prices continue. Mr. President must come to terms with the fact that programmes such as war on corruption, security, power, infrastructure, etc, are instruments to achieving the macro economic objective of full employment.

As it appears, this government seems to be disoriented and unorganised

Business & Economy KADCCIMA calls for mining development

BY NAOMI UZOR he Kaduna Chamber of bank, utilisation of 3% revenue T Commerce Industry, the judicious Mines and Agriculture ensure exchange.

(KADCCIMA), has called on the Federal Government to establish a Mining Development Bank that will provide the required support to nurture and grow the mining industry in all its ramifications.

The President of KADCCIMA, Dr. Abdul-Alimi Bello, made this call during the closing ceremony of the 37 th Kaduna International Trade Fair, adding that, the federal government should C M Y K

utilisation of 3 per cent of its revenue to fund the mining sector of the economy.

“Mining activities take place in the rural areas in the main.

As well, the FGN should develop and put in place appropriate security network to guaranty the security of lives and property where mining activities take place.

Appropriate measures should be developed to structure the value chain in the mining sector so as to vigorously

encourage value addition of minerals in the country. Banks in Nigeria are encouraged to establish a dedicated desk for support of the mining sector manned by experienced officers who understand the dynamics of the industry” he stated.

He noted that a good number of chemicals and minerals currently being imported into the country can actually be sourced locally if value addition is encouraged, thus saving scarce foreign

“One way to achieve this objective is to consider a ban on importation of such items.

The federal government should ensure strict compliance with principles of transparency and good governance in matters of extractive industries and further strengthen NEITI with a view to achieving zero tolerance for opaque transaction in the mining sector “The Raw Materials

in the economic front. What is the economic slogan of this administration? What is the economic direction of government ministries, departments and agencies? All we hear is war against corruption, I will not devalue the naira, we will invest in agriculture, and we will invest in solid minerals.

So far there is no policy direction toward these sectors.

This government campaigned on the basis of stimulating the economy. Buhari’s stimulus strategy as of now is not focusing on cherry-picking projects that can create jobs almost instantaneously, as well as on programs that can deliver immediate returns to Nigerians.

It is now all out war on corruption. The projects and programs this administration should get into include infrastructure, education, health, and energy. It is a shame that nine months into the life of this administration, these sectors are yet to feel the presence of this administration. The budget is riddled with confusion and yet to be passed. Almost one year is gone with little to show for it on the economy.

The President has already reneged on his unemployment benefits he promised during his campaign to pay N5, 000 unemployment benefits to Nigerians and other social welfare provisions. The informal sector in Nigeria is very vibrant, with millions of underemployed youths. This ought to be one sector this government of change should concentrate on to unleash its potential on the economy. This sector ultimately will generate employment opportunities.

This government should wake up and face the task of reconstructing the Nigerian economy; period.

Research and Development Council is encouraged to redouble its efforts in the dissemination of information on mining through all media and in the major Nigerian languages. Concerted efforts should be made by the Federal Government and other stakeholders to encourage greater participation and involvement of women in the development of mining sector in Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the mining sector should be reorganised with the involvement of all stakeholders and with strict enforcement of Mining Act 2007.

20 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Business & Economy

Nigeria GDP grew by 2.11% in Q4 2015

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

T

he Nigerian economy advanced in the fourth quarter of 2015 by 2.11 per cent.

A quarterly release from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Thursday, showed that in the fourth quarter of 2015, the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.11 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms.

According to NBS, the figure is lower by 0.73 per cent points from growth recorded in the preceding quarter and also lower by 3.83 per cent points from growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2014. Quarter on quarter, real GDP increased by 3.10 per cent during the quarter, while aggregate GDP stood at N25,930,469.41 million (in nominal terms) at basic prices. When compared to the fourth quarter 2014 value of N24,205,863.34 million, nominal GDP was 7.12 per cent higher.

Nominal GDP growth was also higher relative to growth recorded in Q3 of 2015 by 1.11 per cent points.

Oil Sector During the period under review, Oil production stood at 2.16million barrels per day (mbpd) 0.3 per cent lower from production in Q3 of 2015.

Oil production was also lower relative to the corresponding quarter in 2014 by 1.0 per cent when output was recorded at 2.19mbpd.

The Non-Oil NBS said growth in the Non-oil sector was largely driven by the activities of Trade, Crop Production, and Information and Communication, Other Services and Real Estate.

The non-oil sector grew by 3.14 per cent in real terms in Q4 of 2015. This was 0.08 per cent points higher from Q3 of 2015, yet 3.30 per cent points lower from the corresponding quarter in 2014. In real terms, the Non-Oil sector contributed 91.94 per cent to the nation’s GDP, higher from shares recorded in Q3 of 2015 (89.73%) and Q4 of 2014 (91.03%).

C M Y K

‘Excessive bureaucracy hampers trade facilitation in Africa’

BY GODWIN ORITSE

C

HIEF Executive Officer of West Blue Consulting, Ms Valetina Mintah has said that excessive bureaucracy has been identified as the most severe constraints to trade processing in Africa.

Speaking at the recently concluded Ghana National Single Window Media Trade facilitation workshop in Akossombo, Ghana, Mintah said importers and exporters remain uncompetitive in the global business arena, a development that could be attributed to the number of days it takes to complete import and export processing and their attendant costs.

She noted that a collaboration between sister countries like Nigeria and Ghana could go a long way in increasing the gains of intra-African trade with a view to realizing efficient processes and smooth movement of goods. “No matter how much is done as individual institutions and countries in addressing these bottlenecks, it cannot be compared with the positive and timely impact that can be achieved with joint efforts of all stakeholders.

“When we join forces and pursue the goals of the National Single Window concepts, it would be relatively easy to create a solid foundation which will enable us achieve the 50 percent Better Easier and cheaper trade across borders

ROUNDTABLE - From left: Head of Programme Management, Ogor Chukudebelu, Managing Director, Michiel Buitelaar, Chief Marketing Officer, Alero Ladipo and Chief Corporate Services Officer, Tobe Okigbo, all of Smile Communications Nigeria Limited at a Media Roundtable in Lagos to announce the introduction of two 4G LTE innovations; Smile Voice and Smile Unlimited, held at Smile Communications head office, Victoria Island last Tuesday in Lagos. indicators and beyond,” she added. She explained that the optimum goal of the Single Window Concept is to create an integrated workplace of data and business processes

When we join forces and pursue the goals of the National Single Window concepts, it would be relatively easy to create a solid foundation

for all trade related activities and stakeholders with trade at the core.

She said “The integration and optimization of the processes, documents and the data elements across the international trade supply chain provides an efficient and effective environment for the trader.” Mintah also noted that to achieve the aim of the Single Window environment.

A robust, integrated, holistic multi-phased approach is essential to realizing the shared values of all stakeholders, focusing on the people, processes, platform and policy.

She opined that some of the expected benefits of the concepts includes institution and Nation building,

improved and effective collection of government revenue and simpler, faster processes for clearance and release of goods. Other benefits are reduced cost of compliance, reduced corruption, improved trader compliance, effective information management system and better risk management techniques for control and enforcement.

According to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD reports noted that each international trade transaction requires an average of 40 documents of 200 data elements, with 15 percent repeated at least 30 times and 60-70 percent repeated more than once.

SENN moves to empower 100,000 Nigerians annually PROVIDENCE OBUH

A

group of entrepreneurs, Social Enterprise Network Nigeria (SENN) has announced plans to empower about 100,000 Nigerians annually via sustainable social initiative.

The network which is a combination of young individuals who are using their skills, resources and network to creatively provide solutions to society's most pressing needs, was birthed in Lagos in February 2015 after La Roche Leadership

and Education Foundation, identified and rewarded their hard work.

Also, members of the network develop and implement sustainable strategies to tackle key issues including: promoting and improving a reading culture among the populace; reducing environmental degradation; equipping unemployed youths with work place skills and experience; eradicating illiteracy and promoting adult education; ending rape and securing justice for its victims; facilitating mentoring for children from disadvantaged background; promoting the education of the girl child and equipping them with ICT skills;

and others.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Coordinator, SEEN, Mr. Famakinwa Oluwadamilola, said that the awardees were encouraged by the present Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, (that was before he became governor) to form a network and develop framework that will make it easier for government to partner with them in order to achieve mutually beneficial goals According to Oluwadamilola,”with a vision to directly impact 100,000 people in various Nigerian states every year by providing an enabling environment for social enterprises in Lagos and a

mission to impacting lives through sustainable social initiative, the benefit of social enterprises are increased when they are adequately supported by public policies and funding.”

Dignitaries at the occasion includes: CEO, Stand to end Rape, Ms. Oluwaseun Osowobi,CEO, Fair Life Africa Foundation, Mrs. Ufuoma Emerhor, CEO, Slum to School, Mr. Otto Orondaan, CEO, West Africa Vocational Educational, Noella Morshi, Pyramid Educational Advancement Foundation, Mr. Adedapo Conde, CEO, WECYCLERS, Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, CEO, Easyshop, Mrs. Saudat Salami, among others.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 21

Banking & Finance

CBN to sell N1trn treasury bills in Q-2 2016 Interbank liquidity down by 50% STROIES BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said it will sell treasury bills of N1.73 trillion in the second quarter of the year.

The apex bank stated this in its Nigeria Treasury Bills Issue programme released on Thursday.

Treasury bills (TBs) are short term (less than one year) debt instruments used by the CBN to borrow from the public on behalf of the federal government. The CBN also uses TBs to control money supply in the economy.

The TB issue programme commences on March 17, and ends on June 2nd 2016.

During the period, the apex bank will issue N303.78 billion worth of 91 days TBs, N169.99 billion worth of 182 days TBs, and N599.63 billion worth of 364 days TBs. These however represent the amount of TBs that would mature for payment during the period.

A breakdown of the programme revealed that in March, the apex bank plans to sell N261.62 billion worth of TBs, comprising N68.12 billion worth of 91 days bills, N37.23 billion worth of 182 days bills and N156.27 billion worth of 364 bills.

In April, the apex bank plans to sell N386.41 billion worth of TBs, comprising N92.19 billion worth of 91 days bills, N68.49 billion worth of 182 days bills, and N225.73 billion worth of 364 days bills.

From May 5 to June 2nd, the CBN plans to sell 405.4 billion worth of TBs comprising N123.47 billion worth of 91 days bills, N64.25 billion worth of 182 bills and N217.68 billion worth of 384 days bills.

Meanwhile the amount of idle cash (excess liquidity) in the interbank money market, where bank lend money to each other, fell by 50 percent to N222.46 billion on Friday from N448.47 billion at the beginning of the week.

This prompted cost of funds to rise with interest rate on short term lending (Overnight and Secured) rising to 5.0 percent from 3.0 percent in the previous week. Commenting on this development, Cowry Asset Management Plc stated in its weekly financial market review and outlook, “In the just concluded week, C M Y K

Nigerian Offered Interbank Rates increased for all tenor buckets amid strain in financial system liquidity.

Central Bank of Nigeria sold N160.66 billion in 213day treasury bills via Open Market Operations (OMO).

“Also, standing deposit facility (SDF) rates decreased week-on-week (wo-w) by 47.90 percent to

N325.67 billion while a standing lending facility (SLF) of N3.76 billion suggested that banks resorted to the lender of last resort in the review week as against zero SLF booked in the preceding week.

“The overnight funds rate, NIBOR for 1 month, 3 months and 6 months increased to 5.31 percent (from 3.29 31

percent), 7.7831 percent from 7.41 31 percent), 9.0831 percent (from 8.93 31 percent) and 10.97 31 percent (from 10.57 31 percent) respectively. This week we expect increase in interbank lending rates on anticipated financial system outflows via investment in FGN local currency bonds.”

CONFERENCE: From left, Development Director, Clarion Events, Russell Hughes; Executive Director, Finance and Strategy, Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman and Director, Corporate Affairs, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Oluwasegun Osidipe, during the press conference to kick off the Nigeria Manufacturing Expo scheduled to hold from Mar 15th 17th in Lagos.

NeFF moves against ransomeware, seek prosecution of e-payment fraudsters

BY BABAJIDE KOMOLAFE

T

he Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) has commenced moves to protect the economy from the ransomeware attack. The Forum also said it will expedite collaboration with the securities and law enforcement agencies to secure prosecution of electronic fraudsters.

Chairman of NeFF and Director, Banking and Payment System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Dipo Fatokun, disclosed this while listing the agenda of the forum for 2016 at the meeting of the forum in Lagos.

Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to an infected computer system in some way, and demands that the user pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction.

According to Fatokun , “Ransomware is not a threat in Nigeria for now, but it is just by our border post. It is something that has been reported in Ghana and if it has been reported in Ghana, it means it can happen here.

“We don’t want it to happen here and that is why we are organising this forum.

Ransomware is nothing but holding the computer system of an organisation to ransom, kidnapping it so to say electronically and demanding that ransom be paid before the system can be released for use. If this happens to any bank in Nigeria, you know the effect it will have on the customers and even the

financial system.

“Because we don’t want it to happen, we are meeting to put in preventive measures that will ensure we do not experience that in the Nigerian banking space.”

On the prosecution of epayment fraudsters, Fatokun said, “Top on the list of NeFF agenda in 2016, is the setting up of a dedicated e-Payment and Card Crime Unit in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

This followed a request made by the Forum when it visited the Inspector General of Police last year.

“We requested that the police force, in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, should set up a dedicated unit for epayment and card crime. Why did we make this request? It was noticed that one of the things that has not been done too well is the apprehension and prosecution of fraudsters. So, we believe that with this unit running in the NPF, the level of prosecution will increase and of course, this would serve as a deterrent to fraudsters.

“We also have other things that we intend to do, such as our collaboration with the EFCC on the use of Nigerian cards abroad and we also intend to collaborate with the FBI in the United States on combating electronic fraud. So, these will help us in reducing further, the spate of electronic fraud in Nigeria,” he explained.

Sterling Bank advocates support for manufacturing sector

S

terling Bank has advocated support for the manufacturing sector in order to enhance the contributions of the sector to the nation’s economy and export earnings.

Executive Director, Finance and Strategy, Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman made this call while speaking at a press conference on the bank’s support for the forthcoming Nigeria Manufacturing Expo organised by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

Abubakar stated that Sterling Bank decided to support the expo because it was in line with other things the bank was doing to support people who produce locally.

He said, “The reason why we are supporting the expo is because it is in line with other things we are trying to support people who produce locally.

“We need to rebuild the local capacity of manufacturing sector This won’t happen because a bank comes around to throw money at the sector. The worst thing to do to the sector is to throw money at the sector without other things being done. The outcome of that is that people will come back and tell you that you left the manufacturing sector to fail, because it was destined to fail.

“You need to go back and ask what are the critical things for them to succeed and how can we help them to solve these problems We see as an institution, by working with the people in the sector we would identify the things that are most critical, the fundamental things for this sector to succeed.

“So when we say we want to partner, we are not saying give us your business or came and bank with us, that will happen naturally, we going there to see how can we support you, so that you can become more successful. What we believe is that it the person that assists you to succeed is where you will bank. We are looking at how to walk with manufacturers we are looking to put our own money into this So the expo is not a one off event to showcase our services, we are saying we are opening our door up to MAN to go beyond the standard of what we have done before.

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Corporate Finance

Poverty alleviation: FCMB empowers communities

T

he social intervention training programme recently organised by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) for the people of Bayeku community in Ikorodu, Lagos state has begun to yield positive results. The project which trained beneficiaries was geared towards the conversion of water hyacinths to make handicrafts and it is in partnership with MitiMeth.

From our inquiries, participants have commenced the production of key-rings and other accessories for commercial purposes.

The training which took place between October and December last year at the community, was initiated and sponsored by the Bank as part of its environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation effort to curb the menace of water hyacinths (that is, weeds that infest waterways that disrupt water transportation and fishing, while promoting general increase in several diseases).

Infestation by water hyacinth is usually heavy on the waters surrounding Bayeku community at various times of the year, negatively impacting livelihoods – transportation, fishing and health – in the area.

During the training, which was co-ordinated by MitiMeth, a capacity building enterprise that specializes in making handicrafts from invasive aquatic materials, members of the community were trained on how to convert the hyacinth in making handicrafts such as baskets, lamps, vases, etc, for commercial purposes while at the same time preserving the environment. Upon successful completion of the workshop, cooperatives focused on converting the hyacinth to handicrafts such as baskets, lamps, vases, etc were established in the affected communities. With the new skills learnt, women and youths of Bayeku community have been empowered to turn a disadvantage into a source of income.

Commenting on the strides recorded as a result of the initiative, the Team Lead, CSR and Sustainability of FCMB, Mrs. Temitayo Ade-Peters, expressed excitement about the development. According to her the Bank’s intervention was borne out of its CSR mantra of, ‘’Teach a man to fish”. She added that, ‘With this capacity building and empowerment programme, we have been able to preserve the environment and empower people in the community to create additional sources of income thereby reducing poverty”.

C M Y K

VISIT - From left, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mounir Gwarzo and Publisher, Daily Times Nigeria, Mr. Fidelis Anosike when members of the Daily Times management visited the SEC in Abuja.

Stock market: NSE index up by 0.6 %

BY PETER EGWUATU

T

he Nigerian equities market was broadly bullish last week as the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE ASI rose 0.6% to close at 25,988.40 points on Friday, while Year to Date, YTD loss moderated to 9.3%.

However, the market declined by 0.5% on Tuesday, driven by profit taking in

Dangote Cement Plc (-2.4%).

The positive market trend recorded last week was bolstered by rallies in Flour milling counters TIGERBRANDS (+59.3%), HONYFLOUR (+25.0%) and FLOURMILL (+18.0%) - and OANDO (+53.3%), Similarly, market capitalization improved by N57.9billion during the week under review to close at

N8.9trillion. Nevertheless, activity level waned as average volume and value traded depreciated 24.7% and 6.9% to 222.2million units and N1.5billion respectively.

Performance across sectors was broadly positive ExIndustrial Goods index which eased 0.1% amid loss in Dangote Cement (-2.4%). The Oil & Gas index advanced the most, up 4.4% , consequent on

further price rally in OANDO (+53.3%) and MOBIL (+6.9%). Likewise, the Banking index improved 2.3% due to gains in FCMB (+15.5%), UBA (+10.6%) and ACCESS (+5.2%). Price appreciation in MANSARD (+7.8%) drove the Insurance index 1.8% higher. The Consumer Goods index rose 1.0% on the back of rally in TIGERBRAND (+59.3%), HONYFLOUR (+25.0%) and FLOURMILL (+18.0%).

Market sentiment improved this week as market breadth - measured by advancers/ decliners ratio – improved to1.9x (from 1.4x) as 39 stocks gained while 21 stocks lost.

The best performing stocks for the week are TIGERBRANDS (+59.3%), OANDO (+53.3%) and HONYFLOUR (+25.0%) while BETAGLASS (-9.0%), AGLEVENT (-5.0%) and CAVERTON (-5.0%) declined the most. In the week ahead, we expect performance to maintain recent momentum as investors bet on dividend announcements by key players, particularly within the Banking and Consumer Goods spaces ahead of earnings releases. However, we do not rule out occasional profit taking swings given the poor outlook on the broader economy.

Africa Prudential proposes 43 Kobo final dividend

BY PROVIDENCE OBUH

A

frica Prudential Registrars Plc has proposed a final dividend of forty-three (43) Kobo per share to the delight of its shareholders. This final dividend rounds up to sixty (60) Kobo total dividend for 2015 financial year, having paid an interim dividend of seventeen (17) Kobo on August 31, 2015 after releasing its half year financial results.

The company ’s audited results for 2015 which was released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last week shows a total of N1.2 billion will be paid to ordinary shareholders of the company if the proposed final dividend of 43 Kobo per share is ratified at the coming Annual General Meeting of shareholders.

If ratified by shareholders at the AGM, payment of the dividend will be made on April 13, 2016 to all shareholders on the register of members of the company as at the qualifying date of March 22, 2016. The Register of Members and Transfer Books of the Company would be closed from Wednesday, March 23 to Tuesday March

29, 2016 (both dates inclusive) for the purpose of updating Register of Members eligible for the dividend payment.

In the results released for the period ended December 31, 2015, the company recorded

N2.54 billion gross earnings, representing a 15% growth from N2.20 billion in 2014.

Likewise, the Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the period grew by 25% from N1.3 billion in 2014 to N1.6 billion in 2015. By the

performance, expense only grew by a marginal 1% from N904 million to N913 million.

In a similar trend, basic earnings per share grew by 18% — from 61 Kobo to 72 Kobo.

MasterCard to empower start-ups from Africa, Middle East

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

M

asterCard will in this year’s Start Path Global 2016 programme engage best startups from Africa and Middle East.

The Start Path programme has been designed to provide startups with the right corporate-startup partnership to give startups an accelerated path to scale innovative solutions.

In a statement, MasterCard said: “Technology and data are transforming the way consumers and businesses interact with each other, driving a need to bring new ideas to market with greater speed. The MasterCard Start Path Global 2016 program has been designed with that objective and has launched a call for applications across the globe. Since 2014, Start Path has provided more than 60 startups a variety of operational support, mentorship,

and investment to develop the next generation of commerce solutions.

It added: “Start Path has seen success in the MEA region and is intensifying its search as a continuing reminder of the innovation potential of local startups. In MEA, the program is currently working closely with startups including Saida, a startup that has developed an app that uses the data on the customers’ smartphones to underwrite loans to them in minutes. The app has just launched in Kenya and has been instrumental in providing over 16,000 loans.”

It said that the program is currently accepting applications for its next class and that the application window to join the next class is open until Monday, March 21, 2016. To apply, the startups who must not be based in the US should visit: www.startpath.com to apply.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 23

24 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Homes & Housing Finance

How to access loans under NHF scheme How mortgage settlements help US homeowners

B

illions of dollars from bank settlements are going to homeowners– but the path to get it into their hands can be complicated.

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup and Bank of America are still distributing aid to borrowers, neighbourhoods and other entities affected by the housing crisis, as part of the three banks’ biggest settlements with the Justice Department over mortgage securities.

The $13 billion J.P. Morgan settlement in 2013, which directed $4 billion to consumer relief, gives the bank credit for cutting interest rates or forgiving mortgage payments for borrowers. But the Citigroup and Bank of America settlements the following year gave the banks moredetailed instructions. For example, the $7 billion Citigroup settlement, which directed $2.5 billion to consumers, specified that mortgage-forgiveness should be applied to loans where the homeowner has missed multiple payments, or has a high interest rate, or owes as much as or more than the house is worth. And while the J.P. Morgan settlement gave the bank credit for simply demolishing “dilapidated properties,” the Citigroup and Bank of America settlements specified that the properties had to be “abandoned and uninhabitable,” and knocked down only as “part of a comprehensive local strategy” to rehabilitate a neighbourhood.

The Citigroup and Bank of America settlements also give the banks credit for donating to housing counselling agencies, which can help struggling borrowers figure put plans to avoid foreclosure. And the $16.65 billion Bank of America settlement, which devoted $7 billion to consumers, addressed another potential hang-up for borrowers: There, negotiators wanted to make sure that borrowers who got mortgage relief wouldn’t get big tax bills because of it.

C M Y K

By YINKA KOLAWOLE

T

he National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme was established by Act 3 of 1992 to enable Nigerians in all sectors of the economy, particularly those within the low and medium income levels who cannot afford commercial housing loans to own houses. But what are the criteria needed and the procedures required in order to be able to secure loans under the scheme?

Eligibility To be eligible for the NHF loan, a contributor must be above 21 years old, and must have contributed to the Fund for a period of not less than six months. He/she must apply through a registered and duly accredited mortgage loan originator, e.g. a Primary Mortgage Bank (PMB), who packages and forwards the application to FMBN. For individual borrowers there must be satisfactory evidence of regular flow of income to guarantee loan repayment.

Except for institutional borrowers who can apply for the loan directly from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), individuals can only apply through a duly licensed and accredited Primary Mortgage Bank (PMB) of their choice and not directly to the FMBN. Loan applications are also to be obtained from the same PMB. Formal sector For those in the formal sector of the economy, they start by opening a savings account with a registered PMB, with at least six months consecutive contributions prior to application. Have satisfactory evidence of regular flow of income to guarantee the loan. Other requirements to process NHF loan include: Completed prescribed mortgage loan application form; Photocopies of title documents; Current valuation report on the proposed house to buy or bills of quantities (BoQ) for the house to build and; Three years tax clearance certificate. Others are: Evidence of NHF participation; Copy of pay slips for the previous three months and; Equity contribution or personal stake of 30 percent, 20 percent or 10 percent depending on the loan amount applied for loans of 15 million, N10 million and N5 million, respectively. Also required are: Letter of consent to mortgage to chosen PMB; Offer Letter/Acceptance and

Development of modern housing estate Allocation letter (in case of government projects). In case of registered self employed applicant, a copy of Articles and Memorandum of Association and a copy of Certificate of Incorporation as evidence of employment status must be submitted.

Informal sector Workers in the informal sector can also benefit from the NHF scheme via the informal sector cooperative housing loan scheme (Coop Loan Scheme). The Coop Loan Scheme was designed to

Individuals contributors can only apply through a duly licensed and accredited PMB of their choice and not directly to the FMBN

accommodate non-salaried informal sector Nigerians to join the NHF scheme through co-operative societies and avail themselves the opportunity to own houses.

The loan facility under the scheme could be accessed in one of two ways, namely: Cooperative Housing Development Loan (CHDL) or Co-operative National Housing Fund Loan (CNL).

The CHDL enables a cooperative society that has acquired a plot of land to develop houses for allocation to its members. The parcel of land will have title in the name of the society which will act as the facilitator on behalf of its members in the loan transaction and which would facilitate construction of the housing unit. Document required for CHDL include: Certificate registration of the Co-operative society; Bye laws of the cooperative society; Detailed Profile of the Cooperative Society and;

Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Society signed by the chairman and the Secretary, authorising it to borrow.

On the other hand, the CNL window offers an individual co-operative member mortgage loan to buy a housing unit developed through the Cooperative Housing Development Loan or to renovate an existing one.

Documents required to be submitted by a cooperative society, on behalf of its cooperators (under CNL) are: Evidence of membership of Co-operative society; Evidence of NHF registration and up-to-date NHF contribution. Others are: Completed CNL application form; Two passport photographs; Prove of ownership of the object land / property; A guarantee from the cooperative society to which he/she belongs and; Certificate of registration of the Co-operative society.

Kwara flags off 1,000-unit housing estate K

wara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has flagged off the construction of 1,000 housing units in order to provide affordable and quality housing to meet the shelter need of the populace.

Speaking after laying the foundation, Ahmed explained that efforts to meet the housing need of the people have not yielded fruitful result. He stressed that Nigeria’s housing deficit was about 17 million units with Kwara State having at least a deficit 500,000 housing units.

The governor said that the state is experiencing a high

population growth due to influx of people and businesses, stressing the need to provide affordable and quality housing.

The State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Muideen Alalade, described the scheme as a practical demonstration of the government’s readiness to meet the aspirations of the people. He expressed the willingness of the state government to partner with the Federal government on its housing scheme across the country, especially in the three senatorial districts in the state.

The housing estate, which would comprise 82 units of two bedroom and 418 units of three bedroom apartments in the first phase, is expected to be completed in 10 months.

The housing scheme for which 700 hectares of land at Budo Osho area of Ilorin South Local Government Area of the state has been earmarked, is also billed to serve as a model in terms of quality of construction, infrastructural facilities and affordability. Out of this, only 50 hectares would house the proposed Maigida Estate which is expected to be completed in 10 months.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 25

C M Y K

26 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Insurance

Lekki building collapse: Insurance would have reduced burden on victims' dependants – NIA

By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

T

he Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said that the heavy financial burden placed on dependants of the building collapse in Lekki would have been mitigated if the contractors had done the needful by insuring the building.

In a statement signed by the Director General of NIA, Mr. Sunday Thomas, the Association said that all over the world, insurance is risk mitigating mechanisms designed to bring succour to those who suffer lose of their relations and/or property.

Thomas said, “As a nation, we should learn to place premium on human lives by doing the needful. This is where the insurance companies can be called to action.

“Insurance Act 2003 in its Section 64(1) states that No person shall cause to be constructed any building of more than two floors without

insuring with a registered insurer his liability in respect of construction risks caused by his negligence or the negligence of his servants, agents or consultants which may result in bodily injury or loss of life to or damage to property of any workman on the site or of any member of

the Public.

“All the stakeholders in the construction industry should take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the extant laws to stop the needless loss of lives and property and the resultant problems for the families. This is not the time for the blame

game but indeed a time for sober reflection and a call to action. Those who are vested with the power to enforce the laws of the land owe it a duty to ensure that laws are obeyed. What is more? The Lagos State government had domesticated the law on Insurance of Buildings under

MEETING - From left: Mr. Simon Armstrong, Senior Industrial Skills Development Adviser of UNIDO; CEO of National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Dr Olatunde Aworanti and Prof. Olumide Ayodele, UNIDO’s project coordinator at a stakeholders meeting on the establishment of Sector Skills Councils in Nigeria, organised by UNIDO/ITF in Abuja.

construction. What remains is for the law enforcement agents to enforce the law. The nation cannot afford to waste its citizens and its assets given the robust insurance arrangement opportunities provided by the insurance Act 2003. Enough of this waste!

Take Insurance to cover your risks and be assured of better tomorrow in case the unexpected happens,” Thomas stated.

The NIA however said that it commiserates with the families of those who lost their lives in the collapse fivestorey building in Lekki.

Recall that as at Thursday, March 10, 2015, about 34 people were reported to have died in the collapsed Lekki five-storey building including artesans, labourers, hawkers, women and children while the number of those injured is yet to be made public.

The NIA also notes with regret the loss of lives and valuable property as a result of building collapse in different parts of the country.

“We are mindful of the heavy burden the death of bread winners have placed on their families and we pray God to grant the children and other dependants of victims of the disaster the fortitude to bear the loss,” Thomas stated.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 27 “Alas, my lord, there’s many a sycophant And flatterer that fill your courts with cant And give more pleasure with their zeal forsooth Than he who speaks in soberness and truth.”

Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400.(VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS.

W

hen late Harold Wilson, the late British Labor Party Prime Minister pronounced in the 1970s that “A week in politics is a long time” (VBQ p 271) he left politicians in the modern age a time metric to determine the tide of events as they affect their popularity with the electorate. As you are reading this article, President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, on whose platform he rode to power, would have consumed nine months, or 18.75 per cent, of the time given them by Nigerians to bring about the changes they shouted from the roof tops and everywhere during the elections. If according to Wilson’s arithmetic, a week is a long time, then Buhari and the APC have spent the equivalent of political eternity in office. That is startling enough.

What should be shocking to Nigerians is the fact they are just now getting ready to sit at another talkfest to discuss the economy. This is simply scandalous for reasons too numerous to discuss in one article. But a few will demonstrate the anguish any economist – irrespective of whether conservative, liberal or socialist — must feel when confronted with the stark naked fact that Nigerians had elected a government and political party which had no economic programme for governance while campaigning for office and which compounded that colossal error by not hastily assembling an Economic Management Team, EMT, the week after former President

ECONOMIC CONFERENCE: An afterthought too late to rescue budget 2016 (1) Jonathan conceded. But, the most inexplicable was the fact that in the five months Buhari took to select a mere fifty-odd assistants and Ministers, it never occurred to anybody in Aso Rock that one of the cardinal functions of a President and government, if not the most important, is to manage the economy. That, invariably, means selecting those people who would be his advisers and who would develop the Economic Blue Print for economic policies.

Here we are, with close to 20 per cent of the first term gone and we are being told they are just about to sit down to discuss the “way forward” – at a time when we should be undertaking the first review of the plans and policies which they have been implementing since June 1, 2015.

Whoever says “history does not repeat itself ” has never heard of a country called Nigeria – where the sordid history of failures recurs almost with every change of government. When Professor Wole Soyinka, not an economist, was reported to have canvassed for an economic summit, and the government latched on to it to organize one, the first thing that should have occurred to anyone familiar with our record for economic summits is to ask the question, “Another one?”

“A pessimist is a former

optimist who finally got all the facts.” Dele Sobowale, 1991.

(VBQ p 186). It is quite possible that those calling for the economic summit, now about to get underway, and Professor Soyinka, don’t have a deep knowledge of the history of economic summits in Nigeria – otherwise they would not have set great store on it. On this one, blessed are they that expect nothing – for they shall never be disappointed. Below is a brief history – just from 1992.

In 1992, when military President Babangida, appointed Chief Ernest Shonekan, GCFR, as the Head of Government, the first thing, the old technocrat did was to organize the First Economic Summit and to create the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG – which still functions today. NESG had not only held annual economic summits, except for two or three years since then, they have contributed several cabinet members to various

governments.

Buhari’s administration is actually one of the few that had been (un)fortunate to have one of their members on board. If ever there was a group that specialized in organizing annual gabfests, ending in communiqués that are widely praised by government and totally ignored, it is the NESG. Like most intellectual masochists, it was my sad lot to attend the first two on behalf of the Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM. Five more followed, representing VANGUARD, until it dawned on some of those in attendance that, apart from being a “billionaires’ forum”, it was a bloody waste of time.

For almost seven years, nothing new was added to the basic outlines of the first communiqué. And, for almost seven years none of the recommendations of the NESG was implemented.

Incidentally, the one that caught the fancy of a

What should be shocking to Nigerians is the fact they are just now getting ready to sit at another talkfest to discuss the economy. This is simply scandalous for reasons too numerous to discuss in one article

government – Abacha’s government – was the most useless. It was the VISION 2020 idea which was introduced to Nigeria by a guest lecturer from Malaysia, who was in charge of Malaysia’s VISION 2020 programme. The fellow left a lasting impression because he was the contributor of the words, “It does not matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches rats.” (VBQ p 26). The man made clear that VISION 2020 was not possible in a society where square pegs end up in round holes and where corruption is institutionalized as in Nigeria.

Yet, the first government to pretend to adopt the idea was the most corrupt up to that time – Abacha’s regime. Abacha not only grabbed it with both hands, he reduced the number of years which a more advanced Malaysia had allotted to itself to achieve the feat by launching VISION 2010. There is a lesson for Buhari in this story – before he falls into the trap of the praise-singers — his “assistants, Ministers and advisers”.

Abacha assembled the cream de la cream of Nigeria’s thinkers for the fraud and coaxed Chief Shonekan to head the project.

To be continued…

Micro Finance ICAN demands easy access to loans for has helped in training some members doing small biz of the bank's staff. ..as district society calls for support Stories by Providence Obuh

T

he Institute of C h a r t e r e d Accountants of Nigeria ICAN, has demanded for easy access to loan for members who are into small business.

President of ICAN, Otunba Femi Deru, made the demand when a team of the Lagos and District Society, led by the Chairman, Mr. Ohioma Joshua, paid a courtesy visit to First Bank Nigeria Plc and Niger Insurance Plc’s Head Office in Lagos.

Deru urged the bank to support the Institute's entrepreneurship initiative stating, “I want to encourage the bank to continue to sponsor our members both in training and other activities such as conferences.

“We want to encourage the bank to support the Institute's C M Y K

entrepreneurship initiative by creating a special platform for members to get loan easily for small business, accountancy is the voice of business, not only the voice, the act of business, not only the act is the performance of business, business cannot exist without accountants.

“There is no business that accountants cannot do and the pillar of my presidency this year is to encourage entrepreneurship, there is no business that accountants cannot be involved, so we should not be afraid to take on the entrepreneurship initiative,” he said.

In his remark, Group Executive, Commercial Banking Group, First Bank, Mr. Popoola Oyefeso, said that the bank pays a lot of premium on training coupled with its training facility which

He said, “Every year the bank sponsors many accountants to attend the annual conference and the bank will continue to do that even in the years to come. As a bank, we sponsor and support SMEs and we spend a lot of money and energy in building capacity within that sphere of the life of the Nigerian economy.”

Oyefeso assured the ICAN

President that the bank is willing to collaborate with the institute to assist and support accountants who are going into entrepreneurial endeavour. This will be in the interest of all the Nigeria economy. Also, Joshua added, “First Bank has one of the largest concentration of chartered accountants in the country in terms of corporate input. That is what has sustained First Bank in terms of corporate governance, we have a large number of chartered accountants and is

reflecting in the entire organisation.”

However, Managing Director, Niger Insurance, Mr. Kolapo Adedeji, advised the Institute to continue to support the government with reasonable advise due to the challenges in the country.

He pointed out that business environment is not conducive, stating, “We consume what we don’t produce in large quantity, therefore we must adjust if we must achieve the change we all voted for.”

Cummins to deliver improved service with new sales office

C

ummins West Africa, provider of power generation systems, is set to deliver improved service and thereby facilitate better customer engagement with the opening of a new sales office showcasing power generation products, filtration and after sales service.

In a statement, Director Cummins West Africa, Mr. Kwame Gyan-Tawiah, said that the opening of the showroom will help aid delivery of the different power solution products offered by Cummins and provide the necessary support before and after delivery of products Gyan-Tawiah said, “This new showroom is the

fifth in Nigeria and second in Lagos.

However there are numerous dealers and shop-fronts that distribute Cummins products across the country. Cummins as a customer centric brand is experimenting with different marketing approaches for different consumer segments and this showroom gives us the opportunity to reach many of these marketing demographics as the busy location means better visibility and ease of access to existing and prospective customers.

28 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Focusing on the big picture

BY NONSO OBIKILI

T

his is the last in a sixpart series that hopes to steer the current exchange rate debate away from uninformed analysis to one focused on facts, taken from economic theory, history, and evidence from Nigeria and other countries that have undergone periods of currency crisis. It is our hope that Mr. President will read these pieces and reconsider his stance on the Naira and the broader question of economic growth.

As we have read from the articles in this series, the naira problem is not one that is unique or new to Nigeria.

The question then, is how we respond to what increasingly looks like a long term collapse of the price of crude oil.

Although there will be arguments made in favour of maintaining the currency peg, the reality is the costs far outweigh the benefits. The administratively fixed peg only postpones the inevitable future adjustment; a future adjustment with future pains that increase with every day the official exchange rate distances itself from reality.

“A fixed exchange rate looks stable but it hides accumulated problems.”

This reality about exchange rates is the reason why many countries around the world have moved to more flexible exchange rate regimes. In the 1970s about 70% of countries pegged their currencies to some other currency, usually the US dollar. By the late 1990s only 29% did so. The lesson in most countries is always the same: fixing currencies has very few benefits but lots of real costs, especially during periods of economic shocks.

It’s All About Productivity The reason why most countries have moved to more flexible regimes is because the costs of fixing currencies is usually borne not only by the governments but by businesses, especially with regards to their productivity.

And productivity is what the economy is really all about.

Can our farmers move from producing 6 tons of yams per hectare to producing 15 tons per hectare? Can our financial sector expand their services to the poor in Nigeria and to customers in more countries? Can our oil industry move from refining less than 10% of domestic demand to exporting excess refined fuels? Can our C M Y K

manufacturing move from producing low value products like toothpicks, to high value products like cell phones?

These are the real challenges that we face. A devaluation, or the lack of it does little to tackle these challenges. However, a failure to devalue means the government spending its time, and a large part of its

economy back on track is crucial for its ability to implement election promises.

The government plans to raise taxes to record levels from VAT, CIT, and customs duties but that will be more difficult if the economy continues to stagnate.

The government plans to fund its deficit by raising money from the domestic

This reality about exchange rates is the reason why many countries around the world have moved to more flexible exchange rate regimes resources, pursuing a fixed naira goal that has no real impact on the real productivity of its people. A policy that will probably see the economy continue to stagnate.

The Foundations For Failed Election Promises Importantly for the government, getting the

market but that will also be difficult, and cost a lot more, if bond buyers have no confidence in the economy.

The same applies to the government’s plans to sell eurobonds or borrow from other international sources.

Success will depend on the confidence that international investors have in the

economy.

Even the fight against Boko Haram, to some extent, rests on the ability of the economy to absorb the millions of youths who would need sources of livelihood.

Making the right choices Mr. President repeatedly said during the campaign trail that he was a reformed democrat and was convinced by the collapse of the old Soviet Union. Perhaps then it is time for the President to abandon the same failed policies that to a large extent were responsible for the Soviet collapse. Although different factors played their roles, one of the key causes was economic stagnation.

Economic stagnation that was to a large extent driven by state-led price fixing of everything from exchange rates to fuel to sugar to bread.

Here in Nigeria we see similar echoes of state led collapse in certain sectors of the economy.

The government controlled and fixed prices for refined fuels and slowly but surely the downstream section of the oil industry has collapsed. The government controlled and fixed prices for electricity and the power sector, at least until recently, continued its slide into oblivion. The naira is the

next on the chopping block and the attempts to fix the price of the naira via administrative measures will slowly but surely lead to the continued stagnation of the Nigerian economy. We know because we have been here before ironically partly under the same president.

Unfortunately with a fouryear electoral cycle, there is no time to be lost by waiting to see what happens.

Economic stagnation would have serious consequences for everything the APC administration plans to achieve during its four-year mandate. It would be a shame if the Buhari regime fails over a policy choice that really should not even be debated.

Mr. President, “A wise man doesn’t just know what he knows, he knows what he doesn’t know”. Please be the wise man.

Note : Nonso Obikili holds a PhD in economics and works as a researcher and consultant. He has published peer-reviewed articles in various international academic journals and blogs frequently on Nigerian economic issues. Follow him on twitter: @nonso2

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 29

C M Y K

30 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Economy Stories By EMEKA ANAETO, Economy Editor

W

ith more than two weeks to the end of the first quarter, Q1, 2016, economy analysts are indicating that growth rate would dip further, barely one week after the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, had reeled out last quarter indicator showing gross domestic products, GDP, at 17-year low.

Last week NBS reported that real GDP growth slumped to a fresh trough of 2.11 per cent year-on-year, YoY, in Q4 2015, 73 basis points and 383 basis points below the

Economy: Growth rate in Q-1 2016 points further down corresponding readings in Q3 2015 and Q4 2014 respectively.

The dip over Q4, 2015 brings average output growth in 2015 to a post-rebasing low of 2.89 per cent YoY. Extending comparisons to pre-rebasing era, the 2015 reading implies the Nigerian economy expanded at its slowest pace since 1999.

This report was coming at the backdrop of Central Bank

of Nigeria, CBN, Purchasing Managers’ Index, PMI, for February showing both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing PMIs dropping sharply to 45.5 (previously 47.2) and 44.3 (previously 46.9) respectively for the second consecutive month.

In its analysis of the developments economists at Cordros Capital Limited, a Lagos based investment

TLIG launches wealth creation through entrepreneurship

T

he Land is Green Foundation, TLIG, a Lagos based Nongovernmental Organisation, NGO, has rolled out plans to raise 50,000 entrepreneurs in various lines of business including information technology, agriculture, manufacturing, fashion and beauty industry.

The project flag-off is slated for March 26, 2016 at an event in Lagos which will also feature knowledge sharing by industry leaders in the various lines of business.

One of the organizers, Mr. Kehinde Olagbenjo, said admission to the event is free as it only creates opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to access various business support facilities and information, and help build the economy.

According to him the economic success of nations worldwide is the result of encouraging and rewarding the entrepreneurial instinct, adding that a society is prosperous only to the degree to which it rewards and encourages entrepreneurial activity because it is the entrepreneurs and their activities that are the critical determinant of the level of success, prosperity,

C M Y K

growth and opportunity in any economy. ‘’The most dynamic societies in the world are the ones that have the most entrepreneurs,

plus the economic and legal structure to encourage and motivate entrepreneurs to greater heights”.

house, stated “it is worthy of note that the below 50 PMI results recorded year-to-date suggest that economic activities have generally slowed down since December 2015 (where 51.2 and 53.4 manufacturing and nonmanufacturing PMIs were recorded). This in our view is a pointer to a slower GDP growth in the first quarter of this year”.

Economists at FBN Merchant Bank, noted in their FBNQuest Research that while first quarter of the year is generally the weakest for growth, a particular problem is added to 2016 because of delays in approving the budget and therefore in releasing funds for capital investment.

“Household spending also dips after the holiday season and 2016 is unlikely to prove an exception”, they stated.

Also CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, the highest monetary policy authority in the country, in a report released last week indicated the economy is expected to continue on slowdown growth path in the first quarter 2016, albeit less robust than in the corresponding period of 2015.

The report stated, “this expectation is predicated on the current low global oil price trend which is projected to hold low over the mediumto long term, and with attendant implications for government revenue and foreign exchange earnings.

“Other downside risks to growth in 2016 include: capital flow reversal, high lending rates, sluggish credit to private sector and bearish trends in the equities market”, CBN concluded.

Why GDP nosedived in Q-4 2015, by analysts F

ollowing the dip in gross domestic products, GDP, for fourth quarter Q4, 2015 reported last week by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, analysts have delved into how and why the economy got to the declining year end.

In its analysis last week, researchers at ARM Investments noted that in contrast to Q3 2015, when onstreaming fields helped swing production to 2.17 million barrel per day, mbpd, NBS reports that oil production declined to 2.16mbpd in Q4 2015 which, relative to 2.19mbpd in the corresponding period in 2014, largely accounts for the contraction recorded in the sector.

It stated “we link the negative growth to impact of several disruptions along the Trans Niger, Nembe Creek and Forcados pipelines in Q4 2015.

“Furthermore, we note that sustained decline in crude oil prices which has induced industry-wide cutbacks on oil

exploratory activity continued to weigh on domestic production”.

“Continued moderation in construction activity, as the impact of dwindling oil prices curtailed the ability of the federal government and state governments to embark on capital projects, was evident in further compression in Building and Construction sector which officially entered into recession since Q3 2015 at -0.11 per cent YoY, and Q4 2015 at -0.4 per cent YoY. “In a similar vein, Services GDP maintained the downward trajectory over 2015 (Q1: 7.3 per cent YoY, Q2: 4.5 per cent YoY, Q3: 3.8 per cent YoY, Q4: 3.2 per cent YoY) as slowdown heightened across its two key segments, namely, Telecommunications and Real Estate.

“Deceleration in the former (telecommunications) is in line with our views about impact of recent regulatory activism on MTN, which resulted in the disconnection of 5.1 million lines, impacting subscriber growth.

“On the latter (real estate), weakness reflects continued restraint on demand for luxury real estate following the anti-corruption thrust of the Buhari government and bulging oversupply in the office space which pressured rental yields in 2015.

“The foregoing speaks to continued struggles for the oil sector over 2016.

On balance of all the factors considered, delayed progress on fiscal plans to stem the slide in GDP growth and fresh headwinds to oil production results in a downward revision to our 2016 mean growth forecasts.

“Incorporating the aforementioned points into our forecasts and adjusting for the loss of one quarter of the planned increase in fiscal spending, with delayed budget passage, leads to a 60 basis points moderation in our 2016 growth estimate to 2.9 per cent YoY”.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 31

Advertising & Media

Adopt policy marketing as route to success — NIPR tells govt STORIES BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

T

he three tiers of g o v e r n m e n t have been advised to adopt policy marketing as route to engendering its achievements in the heart of the populace.

National President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, gave this advice while addressing newsmen on diverse issues at a breakfast meeting in Lagos.

He said: “Even before government should make policies at all they should have injected those policies through public opinion polls, through the media, create a debate, throw it onto the table of public discourse.”

According to him, “policy marketing is the only way out for government to engender its achievement in the heart of the populace, because it is going to be the decision of the people, not the decision of government so that nobody will blame the government.”

Drawing allusion from Britain, he stated, look at

OPENING - From left, Mr. David Nathan, Chief Butcher, Mrs. Bukola Mato, Managing Director, Nic’s Butchery and a guest, Mrs.Toyin Momoh at the opening of Nic’s Butchery, the online fresh meat store, in Gbagada. what is going on Britain, the government is contemplating opting out of the European

Union, EU. What the government has done is to subject the matter to the

school of public opinion.

“Every newspaper, television and radio are doing the same, sampling people’s opinion, they are waiting, collating information and responses, at the end of the day they will take decision.”

In Nigeria you can see a Local chairman or a Governor candidate contesting electoral position, promising the electorate hospital, when the people needs pipe borne water.

“I remember a governor that built boreholes in all the local government of the state and the people told him they don’t need it. We are okay with the stream we are drinking.

Fanta launches new communication campaign

F

anta, from the stable of Coca cola Nigeria Limited, CCNL has taken its communication campaign a notch higher with the launch of a new “Play It Better” campaign.

The new campaign which kicked off in February, is scheduled to run for an 11month period on multiple media platforms - television,

radio, out of home, digital and print.

The campaign will feature different television ads, cinema materials, out-ofhome executions and radio ads rendered in the five major Nigerian languages – English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Pidgin.

Beyond traditional media, the Fanta brand will also connect with

consumers nationwide through its digital and social media platforms and experiential sampling activations.

Speaking at the media launch in Lagos, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Patricia Jemibewon, said, “The key attributes of the Fanta brand are Play, Fun and Excitement.

#TechPlus: Organisers unveil 2016 plan

R

iding on the success of its maiden edition, Connect Marketing Services has unveiled plans for the 2016 edition of Nigeria’s biggest tech event – TechPlus.

According to the organisers, the 2016 Techplus event is st rd billed to hold from 21 to 23 Julyat in Lagos, Nigeria. The theme for this year is ‘A Connected World’.

In its second year, Techplus is a gathering of everything technology, providing a robust tripartite tech experience through its conference, exhibition and gaming structures whilst serving as a platform for knowledge sharing, networking and marketplace for consumers and businesses.

Convening over 6,000 techy and non-techy participants with 30 other speakers and panelists at its 2015 edition, Techplus has positioned itself as the premier and most authoritative tech gathering in Nigeria.

The maiden edition of the event also saw the display of hi-tech innovations and gaming solutions, recording over 1,096 gamers.

e-Commerce

Online hospitality: Scramble for market share intensifies …As SlimTrader unveils MoBiashara for Hotels STORIES BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

A

frica’s turn-key ec o m m e r c e solution provider, SlimTrader.com has introduced a comprehensive innovative technological solution that will enable hotels stay ahead of the pack, as online travel agencies scramble for increased share of the Nigeria hospitality market.

Known as MoBiashara for Hotels, the new feature allows hotels to link their hotel computers to POS terminals, such that hotel room payments are immediately reflected in the hotel’s computer and online records.

How it works When hotels which are subscribed to SlimTrader ’s MoBiashara for Hotels, MFH solution generate reservations on their hotel PCs, the transaction is sent to the hotel's POS terminals for the customer to effect payment. Once this is done, the records are automatically reconciled, thereby enabling hotels to manage their inventory more efficiently.

Reservations can be made in both local and international currencies; and then paid for with local or international cards.

The system also allows for payment flexibility, accepting cash and payment via other platforms.

Over the past few weeks, several players in the Nigerian hospitality sector have introduced several solutions targeted at hotel managers, like Jovago’s Extranet and Hotel Africa’s HotelOga. But Mobiashara for hotel is one solution that has attracted the most attention from industry analysts and experts alike. One of such experts is Bruce Prins, Founder of Amplitude Solutions and renowned Hospitality Operations and Training Consultant who described MFH as a powerful tool that will redefine online travels and hotel management in the African region.

Inventory management and reconciliation He said: “SlimTrader has managed to develop a hotel inventory management and reconciliation platform called

MoBiashara for Hotels (MFH) that provides important benefits to hotel owners or managers, from larger hotels to the very small bed and breakfast establishments, in and around Nigeria.”

According to him, “besides the fact that MFH is there to assist a hotel in getting more guests and it serves in a similar capacity to marketing platforms - with visibility to hotels through either a customized website for each hotel or through Online Travel Agents (OTAs) or advertising on various social media platforms the platform also provides hotels with a Property Management System, PMS for managing their room inventory and offers payment reconciliation ease with the integrated Personal Computer – Point of Sale (PCPOS) feature. All these come from the premise that every hotel wants to have some sort of control system in place, which uses technology but does not require an IT qualification to manage it.”

Partnership with OTAs To expand this visibility further, SlimTrader through its MoBiasharaforHotels Platform

has partnered with leading local and international Online Travel Agencies, OTAs such as TripAdvisor and Hotelnownow.com, MFH. This allows potential guests to locate a Nigerian hotel based on a location and or rate specification from virtually any country in the world. It then allows such a potential guest to book and pay online or when they arrive at that Nigerian hotel. SlimTrader goes further by empowering the hotel

to use MFH as its Property Management System, PMS. This basically means that the hotel automatically accepts online bookings made through OTAs and its own website - if it has rooms available, and at the same time allows the hotel's staff to make bookings directly on MFH. These bookings may be those made at the hotel either via the hotel’s phone number, email address or by guests that walk-in.

In this way the hotels do not need to record bookings made on their websites or those made on other third party websites and then manually enter it in a book or on their own in-house PMS.

INSPECTION - From left: Chief Technical Officer, Spectranet, Arun Panda; General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) Babajide Odekunle; Executive Director, Spectranet Chief Ezekiel Fatoye, during the inspection of Spectranet facility for GPR recently.

32 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

(0805 220 1997)

$20bn idle deposits: Burden or opportunity?

A

s I’m talking to you, $20bn is in various domiciliary accounts of individuals. Naira is our currency, why are they keeping the foreign currency? From my experience in international finance, I have never seen a country where its nationals speculate on its currency”.

The preceeding is an excerpt from the presentation of Dr. Joseph Nnana, CBN Deputy Governor (Financial Systems Surveillance) at a recent meeting with the Joint Appropriation Committee of the National Assembly.

According to Nnana, the huge idle dollar deposits in domiciliary accounts is allegedly “part of the reason why the naira has continued to slide against the dollar ”. Nevertheless, Nnana warned that the CBN will not just “ sit down and watch the consistent fall of the Naira”; consequently, he assured the committee that CBN “will embark on aggressive liquidity mop up to make the Naira stronger’’.

Incidentally, CBN’s instrument of choice for defending the Naira may seem ‘strangely’ consistent with the ceaseless advocacy for several years in this column minimise liquidity. Perhaps CBN’s belated indication of the congruency of the separately prescribed solutions will dispel any misgiving about the true objective of this column.

The question then, becomes why it took CBN, until reserves dwindled to compel this clearly common sense approach to Naira exchange rate management. Still, it is better late than never; the reality nonetheless, is that aggressive liquidity mop, will inevitably also increase CBN’s indebtedness, as hundreds of billions Naira perceived to be in excess supply will be kept sterile, in order to create an appropriate enabling environment, with characteristic features of low inflation and interest rates that would successfully promote economic growth.

Furthermore, in addition to the unusually high cost of funds borrowed, the CBN’s defense of the Naira, in this fashion, will invariably also crowd out the real sector from access to the cheaper funds, which the economy urgently requires to create jobs. Evidently, the liquidity mop up projected back in Nov 2015 to soak up about N1.5Tn excess Naira supply between January-March

2016, is sadly, already failing to yield the desired positive results, as inflation and cost of funds are still inappropriately oppressive, while the Naira exchange rate remains under seige; ironically, however, despite this economic faux pas, Commercial banks will make more easy money from CBN’s renewed vigor to ‘aggressively’ defend Naira!!

Indeed, Nnana’s palpable frustration may wrongly suggest that the persistent challenge of surplus Naira supply is instigated extraneously by some untamable alien powers. The reality, however, is that CBN, actually has sole responsibility for creating and managing money supply as near as possible to an optimal equilibrium that would induce inflation and interest rate levels, that can successfully drive inclusive growth. Unfortunately, the consistent failure of CBN’s usual liquidity mop ups of Naira supply, continues to challenge consumer demand and restrain investment, with the attendant loss of potential job

Advisedly, the deposits should still remain as balances in personal domiciliary accounts with respective banks, but CBN must become formal custodian of the dollars, just as it is with Naira, so as, to minimise the risk of financial recklessness and also avoid the likely possibility of default, by commercial banks operating without regulatory oversight

opportunities, while also creating impediment to successful economic diversification.

Curiously, the recent revelation of $20bn idle deposits in domiciliary accounts, may, sadly suggest that the odious culture of warehousing and sterilising trillions of Naira as idle deposits in CBN vaults and records, despite the prevailing acute shortage of investible funds, may have sadly manifested in the private sector, with billions of idle non interest yielding dollar deposits, which are not also applied to any socially productive purpose; sadly despite these idle Naira and Dollar deposits, both government and private businesses, still inexplicably decry the non availability of reasonably priced funds to sustain inclusive growth.

It is certainly perplexing that we should presently be considering cap-inhand external borrowing of $4.5bn to fund the 2016 budget, when in reality, our Money Deposit Banks can easily, strategically roundtrip the idle domiciliary funds as foreign investment to reap bountiful profits from the high yield in the business of lending to government. Furthermore, the existence of idle funds is actuallyanathema to the culture and success of banking practice.

Predictably, all depositors are never likely to descend on banks in one day to empty their accounts, unless there are signs of imminent distress in the sector.

Thus, with the traditional predatory instinct of Nigerian banks, it is also unlikely that our undisputably ‘smart’, financial engineers would have ignored the bountiful opportunity to surreptitiously trade with their idle dollars deposits with absolutely no oversight control whatsoever from CBN. Ironically, however, the Nation’s Banker may ultimately, be required to unfortunately bailout these same banks and restore international credibility to the sector, whenever banks recklessly mismanage funds or financially over reach themselves. Thus, in the light of the above distressful possibility, it would be inappropriate for CBN to stand by idly until ‘Alarm blow’ in banks before reacting to quench the fire by once again drawing down our precious national resources.

Consequently, it is imperative that

CBN should formally recognise the obvious danger of leaving $20bn as idle deposits in commercial banks without regulatory oversight; the apex bank must therefore quickly seize the opportunity to galvanise this latent wealth towards successfully improving the economy. Advisedly, the deposits should still remain as balances in personal domiciliary accounts with respective banks, but CBN must become formal custodian of the dollars, just as it is with Naira, so as, to minimise the risk of financial recklessness and also avoid the likely possibility of default, by commercial banks operating without regulatory oversight.

Furthermore, in the same manner that CBN stipulates appropriate cash reserve ratios to influence the amount of Naira liquidity available for lending, similarly, the CBN could also formally adopt a conservative cash reserve ratio of about 50% to reduce the attendant risk and empower commercial banks to put the idle deposits positively to work in the economy with supportive rates of interest below 7%. Indeed, with such arrangement, and a monetary policy rate of say 2%, the owners of domiciliary accounts may also earn between 2-3% on their savings rather than the Zero returns they currently endure annually.

Nevertheless, every holder of a domiciliary account should be allowed free access to their dollar deposits, in the same manner that owners of Naira deposits currently operate their accounts. However, forex denominated loans must be dedicated to critical industrial subsectors that can drive multifaceted opportunities in manufacturing, agriculture and commerce; furthermore, the deposits may also be applied to providing, critical, visible, life changing infrastructural projects which have expansive positive social impact.

Indeed, such government loans are considered to be relatively risk free, because our National assets serve as guarantee. Thus, the erstwhile idle burdensome dollar deposits, will probably be safer in CBN’s custody than to remain as unco-ordinated balances without appropriate regulatory oversight in Commercial banks.

Save the Naira, Save Nigerians!

Business & Economy Infrastructure critical to economic growth — UDOMA

By EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

M

inister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, says that infrastructure remains a critical element in the growth of any economy. The minister said this lastw eek during his meeting with a delegation of the management of The Infrastructure Bank (TIB), led by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, in Abuja. The minister said the decision by the present administration to allocate more resources for infrastructure in the 2016 budget is reasonable, since the infrastructure is the C M Y K

bedrock upon whih the economy can grow and also create an enabling environment for private sector to grow.

“Infrastructure is very necessary to grow the economy of a nation. There is need to fix infrastructure in order to create an environment for private sector to grow,” he added.

He explained further that more than 60% of the investment needed for the infrastructure development in the country is to be realized from the private sector, adding that government will prepare projects that are bankable so that the private sector can invest in them.

Accordingly, the minister

reiterated the desire of the Federal Government to build a stronger relationship with The Infrastructure Bank and create an environment for the private sector to thrive by intensifying its collaboration with the bank, pointing out that the collaboration with TIB was very important with government’s effort at diversifying the nation’s economy from crude oil.

Udoma also said that there is need to put Nigeria back to work which can only be achieved by increasing production in Agriculture and encouraging Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Omoh Gabriel Babajide Komolafe Clara Nwachukwu Peter Egwuatu Yinka Kolawole Favour Nnabugwu Godwin Oritse Godfrey Bivbere Michael Eboh Franklin Alli Ifeyinwa Obi Rosemary Onuoha Nkiruka Nnorom CONTRIBUTORS Princewill Ekwujuru Jonah Nwokpoku Naomi Uzor Providence Obuh LAYOUT

-

Group Business Editor Deputy Business Editor Energy Editor Asst. Business Editor Snr Bus. Correspondent Insurance Correspondent Maritime Correspondent Maritime Correspondent Energy Reporter Industry/Agric. Reporter Maritime Reporter Insurance Reporter Capital Market Reporter

-

Media/Marketing E-Commerce Industry Micro Finance Graphics Department

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —33

C M Y K

34 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —35

C M Y K

36 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016—37 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

When Zuma came visiting

J

ACOB Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of South Africa came visiting Nigeria last week, bearing messages of hope and African renaissance. The Zuma story is one that teaches Nigeria how to handle its citizens and the fact that human beings if given the opportunity, can excel. Zuma was five when his father died, and his poor mother, a domestic worker found it difficult to feed him. He did not go to school, and by fifteen was working; he was essentially a herd boy in the mountains of Nkandla, South Africa where he looked after the cattle and livestock of families in the area.

Zuma, perhaps to kill boredom in the bush, learnt how to read and write Zulu. He joined the anti-Apartheid struggle in 1959, was arrested and sent to Robben Island for ten years where he met the South African greats like Nelson Mandela. The African National Congress (ANC) in planning for a future South Africa, encouraged people like Zuma to learn how to read and write in prison. When he went into exile after his release, the ANC, in planning for a future South Africa, sent Zuma and several other cadres for studies.

Zuma, the herd boy with no Western education, was so

schooled and exposed that he became the ANC Chief of Intelligence, and after Apartheid, the country’s Vice President, and from May 6, 2009, its president. The Zulu boy became proficient in Swahili and Xhosa, as well as in English, French, Portuguese and Russian.

The Zuma story teaches Nigerians that the herd boy we see roaming our villages and towns, the farm boy trying to eke a living or the street child, does not need to be sentenced to a life of misery, poverty or illiteracy more so in an increasingly globalised world.

Of course the charismatic Zuma who publicly, sings and dances, is not my role model of an African leader. His freewheeling with women which has seen him marry six times, having twenty children, facing a false rape case, and his misuse of public funds to upgrade his private house tend to overshadow his patriotism, brilliance, strong Pan Africanism and sense of social justice.

South Africa and Nigeria are two power houses in Africa and the normal sibling rivalry, is not far from the surface. But the issue of insurgency in Nigeria and South Africa’s role has been

a major issue which not surprisingly, cast a long shadow on the visit. In 2014, Nigeria was under the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency and it urgently needed arms to check the terrorists who were laying towns and cities waste and carrying out horrendous massacres.

The Americans had decided to place an arms embargo on the country, and had got its allies to refuse selling arms to Nigeria.

Attempts to get arms from independent sources were also being frustrated with countries like Saudi Arabia denying the use of its airspace to aircraft carrying arms to the Nigerian government. In desperation, Nigeria turned to private arms suppliers in South Africa, but the authorities of that country in

As a Nigerian, I was humbled that South Africa could proudly announce that its companies in Nigeria had increased from four in 1999 to 120 by 2016 while Nigeria could not tell a similar story; Nigeria’s investment in South Africa appears to be primarily churches

The future of PDP in Delta state

B

By Paul Odili

Y 2019 PDP would have governed Delta state for 20 unbroken years!

This is a long time in power by a political party. Delta state is not the only state in this category. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa state, Ebonyi, and Cross River states have this special record. By this token Delta state PDP with its long rule furnished all the governors, majority of the legislators, both federal and state and it has controlled majority of the local government councils.

The first governor who led the PDP to power in 1999, Chief James Ibori has remained both the political and spiritual leader of the ruling party, despite leaving office in 2007, his many travails including being incarcerated notwithstanding. For a party that has retained power this long, there must be a reason it has remained this entrenched.

It might be because, the Delta state PDP has offered wonderful stewardship to the people of the state that Deltans see no need to change the party and frequently rewards the PDP with loyalty. It can also mean that the PDP has mastered the act of political maneuver so successfully that the people are unmindful of what the PDP does.

Or it can be that PDP projects an image of strength and cohesion that those who wished to end its seeming stranglehold in the politics of Delta state have not been able to do so successfully over time. The way it is, one factor alone cannot explain it all. It is a bit of one factor combining with one other factor making it possible for the party to survive in power this long despite the many challenges it faced, many of which are self-inflicted.

In appraising Delta PDP, one thing stands C M Y K

out: the ruling party understands the core essence of politics—capturing and retaining power. The leaders of the party know that the only game in town is the act of holding onto power. They know that without power, you are not in the game. They know that politics in Nigeria is a zero-sum game. Those who have it, have it. Those who don’t have it don’t have it. It is as simple as that. You either have it or you don’t. In Delta PDP having and retaining power has become a habit, an act form with many of its ugliness, yet neutral observers might say Delta PDP’s turbulent history and performance should not have allowed it to remain in power for this long.

Going back in time, there are those who argue that by 2003 there were real threats to PDP retaining power. There were strong discontentment within the party and popular support for the PDP was fading. Its record as a governing party in office was mixed. Although Governor Ibori was reelected, even he was said to be dissatisfied with the situation of things.

PDP it appears was becoming a victim of its size and its political success.

What was the problem? There were foundational issues that were never entirely resolved. Then some top chieftains of the PDP were not good ambassadors of the party. And then there was the question of accountability.

Flushed with power, many top chieftains

Delta PDP mirrored what was happening in Abuja under President Obasanjo

September 2014, seized the cash for the purchase at the airport in Johannesburg. A second attempt to transfer funds to the suppliers through the banks was also frustrated as the money was also seized. The Nigerian Presidency appealed directly to Zuma for help, but his office said the South African Presidency does not interfere in matters handled by the country’s institutions.

So until today, the Nigerian funds remain seized in South Africa.

Then came the issue of the overbearing South African communications company, MTN which blatantly refused to disconnect 1.5 million unregistered lines.

The company was fined N1.04 Trillion, but the Nigerian Presidency intervened and the fine was reduced to N780 Billion.

However, the ungrateful MTN, behaving like a spoilt brat, refused to pay the reduced fine.

Rather, it took Nigeria to court.

While the South African Presidency had refused to intervene in the seized arms fund, the Nigerian Presidency had shown good faith by intervening in the MTN case, and it had been repaid with disdain.

During his visit on Tuesday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told Zuma “The concern of the Federal Government was basically on the security and not the fine imposed on MTN… Boko Haram has killed over 10,000 Nigerians since 2009 and the use of unregistered SIM cards aided them.“ The Nigerian Presidency still says it is willing to assist MTN on the issue while Zuma promises to return the seized Nigerian money.

There are of course other South African companies in Nigeria like the DSTV which disobeys court

lived the good life, were ostentatious and flaunted their wealth before the people, in a manner that completely misrepresented to Deltans what PDP truly is. These high flying PDP chieftains as new arriviste encouraged their followers to behave alike, and this has since become the norm in the politics of Delta state. Big, exotic cars, big houses, loudness, big titles, sheer opulence amidst general poverty. Again, sadly, this is a characteristic of Nigeria political elite and not a PDP behaviour alone, it must be noted.

However, Delta PDP can choose to have different and better values.

Typically these kinds of politics encourages ruthless grab for power, imposition of personal will against dueprocess, manipulation of rules, status seeking, vaulting ambition etc—all destructive behaviour that gives politics a bad name. Unfortunately, there was never any serious effort to reverse or contain this. Consequently, Delta PDP became a party that alienated its base and a party that did not sometimes meet the expectations of the people. As a matter of fact what is being said now of Delta PDP applies to PDP national.

Delta PDP was frequently riven by crisis of confidence. Those who benefitted from the existing order and those who wanted to overthrow the existing order. With such political infightings, there were chieftains with the guile and stamina to fight their way through, there were other chieftains who in frustration left and joined the opposition parties and there were those without the energy for open confrontation, who rather kept to themselves, bided their time and at opportune moment sabotaged the party.

It was a jungle.

The ‘jungle war’ in the PDP gave the impression that the party spent more time fighting with each other than governing the state. It bears repeating that the confusion, lack of discipline and disorder

orders and treats Nigerian consumers with disdain, and Shoprite which has a history of disobeying Nigerian labour and financial laws.

As a Nigerian, I was humbled that South Africa could proudly announce that its companies in Nigeria had increased from four in 1999 to 120 by 2016 while Nigeria could not tell a similar story; Nigeria’s investment in South Africa appears to be primarily churches.

Zuma announced that visa acquisition by Nigerians will be made easier. That is not my primary concern, what is primary is the safety of Nigerians who have on a number of occasions, along with other Africans, been victims of bloody AFROPHOBIC attacks. Zuma had responded to the issue saying all Africans are brothers. But his assurances were not firm. No compensation is known to have been paid and there is no certainty, there will be no further attacks.

Zuma acknowledged the role of Nigeria in the anti-Apartheid struggle and made quite progressive remarks on the need to advance continental integration and diversify our economies as a solution to mass unemployment.

South Africa has energy problems, so I don’t know how much stock we can put on Zuma’s offer to help. Also, in the face of the rebel Seleka advance in the Central Africa Republic on March 23, 2013, South African forces on the ground virtually collapsed, so I am not sure how much we can rely on that country’s military offer to help conquer Boko Haram.

Beyond the visit, the hope is that unlike in the past, Understanding and agreements reached, will be implemented.

was symptomatic of the political trend in the country at this time. Delta PDP mirrored what was happening in Abuja under President Obasanjo. So in a sense party building was a difficult undertaking when you had a president who personalised and promoted autocracy over due-process and party discipline. In many ways the seeds of what eventually removed PDP as Nigeria’s ruling party in 2015 was sown during Obasanjo’s years.

After overcoming the 2003 election it was said that Governor Ibori was determined to correct the mistakes of the first term and to restore the party to the people. On reflection, it is clear he did not quite succeed. Being a party in power perhaps papered over the cracks and disenchantment, but the real test was the party primaries that produced Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, former commissioner and secretary to the state government and cousin to Governor Ibori.

There is no doubt the eventual emergence of Dr. Uduaghan—despite his constitutional right, experience and qualifications to seek office—polarised the party for years to come. Although Dr. Uduaghan’s candidacy played a part in PDP crisis, there were other interconnected plots that made it a car accident waiting to happen. Remember, this was Obasanjo’s PDP, intrigues, infighting, sabotage was rife. Governor Ibori had long fallen out of favour with Obasanjo who decided to contrive a crisis in Delta PDP as a way to marginalise Ibori in the party.

The contrived crisis had two elements to it. Ensure Governor Ibori loses political relevance and secondly that Governor Ibori is in no position to have a say in who his successor would be. continues tomorow on pg 18

*Mr. Odili, is a chieftain of the PDP in Delta State.

38 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

T

HE announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria will join ISMAT, a Saudi-led military coalition of Sunni Muslim countries fighting rival Muslim factions in the Middle East is capable of destabilising Nigeria and unsettling its already seriously challenged unity in diversity. It is not only against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but more than that, it is liable to reduce Northern Nigeria and the nation a whole to a theatre of Muslim proxy wars as we see in Yemen, Syria, Libya and other countries.

Many of us had warned, during the campaigns, that electing Buhari would put Nigeria in danger of its neutrality to issues of religion being undermined, given his avowal to carry the torch of Sharia to all corners of Nigeria. Although he has often said that no one can Islamise Nigeria, his intention to drag the nation into the 34member ISMAT is, more than any other thing, an assumption that Nigeria is already a Muslim country, which it is not.

The first sign that Buhari would drag Nigeria into the petty but dangerous quarrels among factions of the Muslim faith showed in December 2015 when the Nigerian Army responded to a roadblock mounted by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (the Shiites) by killing hundreds of its members, flattening its enclave in Zaria and taking away its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky without putting him on trial for any offence till date. In spite of the outrage this provoked from amazed Nigerians and the human rights community, the Federal Government has been cool and unbothered by this crackdown, which elicited a call from Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani to President Buhari to register the concern of his country.

The Army said it had to act the way it did to avoid a situation whereby the Zakzaky group would constitute itself into another insurgent group like Boko Haram. This explanation probably helped in keeping many Nigerians quiet, but the warning from Shiite Iran betrayed the sectarian dimensions of the scorched earth killing of an ant with a sledgehammer. The plain truth is that majority of Nigerian Muslims (including Buhari) belong to the Sunni sect and do not see eye to eye with the Shiites.

The danger of what happened was that Iran probably saw the action of the Nigerian Army which obviously had the backing of the President as official persecution of members of their sect.

Shortly after this bloody incident, President Buhari started his many forays of official visits to the Arab world, ostensibly

Buhari, keep Nigeria off ISMAT! to rally their support to salvage the sagging prices of crude oil in the international rd market. On February 23 2016, Buhari had initially and wisely shown his reluctance in directly involving Nigeria in the coalition of Muslim countries fighting Islamic terrorism with this statement: “even if we are not part of it we support you”. But surprisingly, he made an about-face after meeting with Saudi King, Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz. He now was quoted as saying: “We are part of it because we have got terrorists in Nigeria that everybody knows which claims they are Islamic” (referring to Boko Haram). He then added that those (like us) who oppose his intention to send our troops to join ISMAT are “religious bigots” and challenged us to go and fight Boko Haram.

Buhari is making it seem like joining ISMAT to fight Islamic terrorists is just like Nigeria joining ECOMOG or any other

The National Assembly must step in and stop Buhari before he lands us in something people never bargained for when they voted for him. Let us control his eagerness to make Nigeria a Saudi satellite state

military alliance to confront a collective threat. This is a very myopic and dangerous assumption.

In the first place, Nigeria is not qualified for ISMAT membership. There is no data to prove that Muslims are the majority in Nigeria. Even if they are (which I seriously doubt) it does not automatically make Nigeria a “Muslim” country. Senegal, with over 90 per cent of their population being Muslims does not classify itself as a Muslim country. All member-states of ISMAT are Muslim countries. Secondly, they are of the Sunni tradition. So, it is like forcing Nigeria to take sides in a conflict between Catholics and Protestants (such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) against the UK when the former was still involved in its insurgency to force Britain to grant independence to Northern Ireland).

When it comes to quarrels between foreign powers, Nigeria has a subsisting policy of non-alignment. Nigeria only joins peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations and its regional subsets such as the African Union and ECOWAS. Nigeria never joins or openly sides with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) or their rivals, the Warsaw Pact. In fact, Nigeria’s neutrality and independence was forcefully asserted by the students’ uprising against the AngloNigerian Defence Pact barely two months after independence in 1960. I wonder what the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs exists for if not to advise adventurous presidents like Buhari to stay away from committing the country the way he wants to.

Nigeria is not a Muslim country. The constitution makes it clear that Nigeria does not have any state religion. Regrettably, successive Muslim presidents find it difficult to respect this constitutional principle. Apart from General Ibrahim Babangida sneaking Nigeria into the Organisation of Islamic

Conference (OIC) and Buhari taking us to ISMAT, you see things like the Islamic figurines in our national currency called ajami in Arabic. You also see the motto of the Nigerian Army written in Arabic and translated to our common lingua franca, the English language as “Victory Comes From God”. Reverend Father Matthew Hassan Kukah in one of his books disclosed that our presidential villa (Aso Rock Villa) built by General Babangida, is a Muslim architecture – in a country that constitutionally does not have state religion!

Are these taunts obviously meant to provoke the non-Muslim Nigerians or challenge them to do their worst? Yet, Buhari will come out and proclaim: “no one can Islamise Nigeria”.

Beyond the constitutional issue, the danger of Buhari dragging us into ISMAT is that if care is not taken, Northern Nigeria will soon become a theatre of proxy wars between Shiite sects sponsored by Iran and their Sunni counterparts financed by Saudi Arabia and backed by Buhari’s Presidency.

If we allow Buhari to send a contingent of our troops to help the Saudis to fight their Iran-sponsored enemies in the Middle East, nothing stops Iran from financing and arming Muslim groups to destabilise Nigeria. Already, we do not know who is sponsoring these so-called “Fulani herdsmen” who have been waging wars against communities in the North Central and Southern parts of Nigeria without Buhari saying a word, let alone taking decisive steps to eliminate these people and protect our citizens as he swore an oath to do.

Unfortunately, Nigerian students, who rallied nationwide and successfully stopped Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa from signing the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact with Britain seem to have lost their consciousness, if not their conscience. The National Assembly must step in and stop Buhari before he lands us in something people never bargained for when they voted for him. Let us control his eagerness to make Nigeria a Saudi satellite state, or the Islamic kingdom’s area of military influence, with its attendant consequences for the survival of Nigeria as a single entity.

Take this from me: if Buhari ignores our rejection of his move to take Nigeria into ISMAT, we will have more Islamic terror groups operating in pockets of enclaves all over the North as soon as Boko Haram dies down. By then, Buhari might even no longer be in Aso Rock to face the consequences of his unilateral action.

Buhari MUST be stopped from taking Nigeria to ISMAT!

OPINION Edo guber: Choice before his people

E

By Godfrey Osadolor

MERGING projections point to the fact that the purveyors of the desperate craze to lure the people of Edo State into the vortex of neo-colonial subservience and allegiance to an Aliko Dangote who, through the sitting Governor of the state is bent on foisting a surrogate on Edo State. The strident campaign to impose a Godwin Obaseki in a last ditch effort to make Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole the de facto leader of Edo State post-November 12, 2016, has, palpably, met a brickwall as the governor’s foot soldiers are finding it difficult and intractable to sell an Obaseki candidacy and possible electoral triumph across the 192 wards, 18 local government areas and three senatorial districts of the state. The people are aware that the Oshiomhole people are embarking on voyages of misinformation to whitewash their “anointed” aspirant.

With less than 10 months to the exit of Comrade Oshiomhole as governor of Edo State, a Season of Silence pervades the 18 local government areas of the state, save for occasional political engagements by some parties and their aspirants who are jostling for who will succeed him. A stealthy climate of underground politicking envelopes the political class which, normally, is expected to set the tempo on high key, has operated in related obscurity and selfimposed dumbness. For example, the gladiators in the APC have been given to making guarded and “self-censored” comments that will not make them run foul of the governor’s purported ban on pre-primary hustling in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State. Many of the aspirants who had hurriedly set up campaign offices in the state capital, Benin City and other relevant places, were reportedly “advised” to dismantle such structures and fall C M Y K

in line within the Code of Silence and sedentary political engagement or attract strict and serious sanctions from the party.

The question that pops up in the guided politics of Edo APC is: What is the choice before the people of Edo State considering the motley crowd of aspirant struggling to succeed Oshiomhole on November 12, 2016? Those who are conversant with the mechanisms of Nigerian politics will agree with me that some of the seekers of the prime position of governor are either sponsored by individuals or groups with ethnic, sectional, religious, commercial, spiritual or other interests in the jostling for the coveted diadem or are going into the race partially blind folded by the out-going administration’s seeming giant strides in the human capital and infrastructure development sub-sectors.

The two political divides seem to be pursuing the same agenda of delaying the commencement of full-blown campaigns that will herald the actual selection or election processes of the parties governorship primaries.

In the race for the governorship, Engineer Chris Osa Ogiemwonyi, a former Group Executive Director, NNPC and former Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Works; Professor Oserheimen Osunbor; Dr. Pius Odudu; Barrister Kenneth Imansuagbon and Mr. Godwin Obaseki are believed to be the aspirants that may fly the APC’s ensign considering the factors on the ground. One of the Governor’s premier choice for the position, Barrister Osarodion Ogie, who is the current Commissioner for Works fell out of reckoning as he (the Governor) felt that Ogie may not fit into his idea of a successor who will protect his rear post-November 12, 2016.

Insiders are of the view that the Governor’s previous calculations that the Bini Royal Palace will support Ogie, in spite of himself, had been overtaken by some irreversible

occurrences that may not favour a pro-Oshiomhole governorship in November 2016.

Rather than back his known governorship lackey, the governor has partially unveiled his preferred choice who, for all intents and purposes, exhibits a gaping historical wound on his best foot that may prove tragic for the party, if he is allowed to run and fail.

The contention in Edo South Senatorial District is that Godwin Obaseki, who has the governor's support at the prompting of the Kano State-born mega-businessman, Aliko Dangote, is weighted down by a widely-known negative historical antecedent that is bound to be the albatross and counting factor in his quest to fly the APC ensign or winning the coveted governorship election this year. Most party members also believe that if the Dangote/Oshiomhole/ Obaseki governorship deal jells, Obaseki, as the governor of Edo State, will pander to the selfish whims and caprices of a power-less Oshiomhole and concurrently whet the colonialist appetite of a Dangote, who is gradually extending his business empire into the political realm, using Edo State as a veritable guinea pig.

Many rate Dr. Pius Odubu as a lone ranger whomthe Governor cannot touch with a kilometre-long pole when it comes to who will pick the governorship mantle of the APC and win the actual election. For him, the issue of Odubu, a Bini does not count because he does not fit into his (Oshiomhole’s) specifications of malleable person. In fact Oshiomhole envisions Odubu as a political recidivist who will not be amenable to his manipulation or direction as governor post-November 2016. If any aspirant needs consideration for the position of Governor of Edo State postNovember 12, 2016, Engineer Chris Osa Ogiemwonyi’s abiding characteristics come into positive play on the side of all Edo people.

Dr. Osadolor, a political analyst, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —39

CEO visionary A

S leaders from the business world gear up for the AFRICA CEO FORUM slated for 21-22 March 2016, Amir Ben Yahmed; founder of Africa’s most recognized annual business and economic meeting, is worried about Africa’s future.

His major concerns include the fall of commodities prices and slump of foreign direct investments. And these issues, he expects, will hog the limelight of the high-level meeting in the wake of the continent’s uncertain environment: “Africa is currently facing conflicting trends. Multinationals are disappointed at an African middle class not yet fully delivering on its potential”.

Yahmed explains. On the other side of his worries are promising trends. Like the fact that Africa has witnessed continued growth for the past 15 years with the emergence of a strong private sector or the phenomenon of repatriates coming back from the western world loaded with skills, money and ambitions.

Uncertain environment Yahmed notes: “Africa is now officially on the growth agenda of almost all multinationals. It’s hard to say which of these trends will offset the others, but one thing is sure Africa’s near future is very uncertain”.

“And as a company what should you do in such an uncertain environment? Play it safe or play it bold? We argue for the latest. The 2016 ACF will strive to answer these questions and provide CEOs with the tools to navigate through uncertain times”.

As one of the most important dates in business calendar, the AFRICA CEO FORUM attracts over 500 CEOs and more than 800 influential top government officials, business leaders and experts from both Africa and around the world.

The meeting enables

Amir Ben Yahmed Founder, AFRICA CEO FORUM participants, such as bankers, investors, financial market specialists, heads of global institutions as well as other international figures, to meet face-to-face in a friendly atmosphere where they can exchange views and ideas designed to benefit Africa’s economic future.

AFRICA CEO FORUM, a Groupe Jeune Afrique event made its debut in 2012 in Geneva, and has since become a major business convergence earning reputation as “the foremost international meeting for African CEOs, bankers and investors”.

The Abidjan-based African Development Bank and Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss economic promotions company has partnered the event since inception. Previous editions of forum were held in Geneva, Switzerland.

In bringing home the event, the organizers chose Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital. “It was our objective from the very beginning to create the best event dedicated to African private sector”, Yahmed says of the forum. “ We observed through our publications, especially Jeune Afrique’s TOP 500 African companies ranking, the extent to which African CEOs from different countries were not connected and didn’t know each other.

They needed a place to gather and network. A place to exchange best-practices and to learn from each other. A place where African CEOs would promote economic integration and intra-regional investments all together. There was also a need for dialogue between public and private decision makers.

No such platform existed before. Because we were

BIO BRIEFS Amir Ben Yahmed: Birth place and Date: Paris, France in 1971 Education: INSEESC PARIS Career: Gruntal and Co. (1993) Jeune Afrique (1995) Africa CEO Forum 2012.

C M Y K

responding to those growing needs in Africa’s business spheres, the success was immediate.

And we are just getting started; we are growing and improving year after year ”.

With more than 1300 companies represented since the first edition, The AFRICA CEO FORUM has now established itself as the unparalleled international event dedicated to promoting African private sector. As such, the event brings together an increasing number of top African and international CEOs and investors.

Yahmed attributes the result of the forum’s growth and success to statistics of the 2015 edition: 821 participants (incl.

500 CEOs) attended. 63 countries were represented, including 43 African countries.

The event comprised 50 sponsors and partners,

•Amir Ben Yahmed

18 panels and more than 100 l a n g u a g e w e e k l y n e w s top-level speakers (including magazine co-founded by his famous American economist father Bechir Ben Yahmed and Jeremy Rifkin). 13 Ministers of a group of Tunisian like-minds Economy, Finance or Industry in 1960. Thereafter, Yahmed from all over Africa also took took the position of Group part in the event. Just as Amir Development Director, Ben Yahmed is basking in the initiating business oriented success achieved, he is quick publications such as Jeune to point out some of the issues Afrique’s business section, and and challenges faced in two special annuals Top 500 organizing the forum.

African Companies and Top These he says include: 200 African Banks. In 2007, “Bringing together Yahmed was made ViceAnglophone, Francophone and President, Group Jeune Portuguese speaking African Afrique where his remit was to propel the top CEOs, as we company ’s 3have done so p r o n g e d far, is a real tour development de force. The policy on challenge is to Internationalization, find a way to Diversification address their a n d challenges and Digitization. strategic Taking a much priorities in bolder step in innovative and 2012, Amir Ben new ways every Y a h m e d year. But that’s convened the also the main AFRICA CEO Key Performance AFRICA CEO F O R U M , Index for the where he FORUM is a place forum which pushed African makes it where CEOs can CEOs to be successful: We accountable to engage with new aim to bring a l l CEOs from concepts and ideas stakeholders. neighbouring that will help them Since the countries launch of the together that develop their forum, top were not businesses. government connected in the officials, past, even corporate though they have a lot in executives and top economists common. This allows them to have converged to help explore new synergies which expand the forum for African might not have been possible CEOs: “The resounding and before”. Amir Ben Yahmed is unanimous positive feedback a French media aristocrat. from CEOs and the media has Upon graduation from Institut been tremendous because we Des Hautes Etudes introduced something Econimiques EtC ommerciales different.

(INSEEC) Paris, in 1993 he joined the New York based Business investment banking and networking brokerage firm Gruntal& Co before heading back to Something that they couldn’t get involved in family find at other forums, either media business because they were too sector (Groupe Jeune specific or too focused on the Afrique, publishers public sector. of The Africa Report Based on the success of the and a few other first forum, our participants influential have requested unanimously publications). In that the discussions initiated in 1995, he was this pan-African setting - which made Executive is particularly conducive to Publisher of business networking - be Paris based continued every year. This is Jeune Afrique, highlighted by the fact that 82% the French of our 2015 participants stated that they plan to attend the 2016 event. Now that the forum has gained so much success, countries are competing to host future editions.

Since the start of the AFRICA CEO FORUM, Yahmed has been ableto attract high-level personalities aligned with its vision and programme. In spite of the measurable success achieved he notes that there hasn’t been much attendee from Nigeria: “It is certain that our doors are open to Nigerian CEOs, as long as they wish to attend the AFRICA CEO FORUM to share their experience and take part in developing Africa’s private sector.”

40—Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

By Emmanuel Aziken, Festus Ahon, Henry Umoru, Emman Ovuakporie, Perez Brisibe & Joseph Erunke

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has joined other Nigerians to mourn Senator Felix Ibru, the first governor of Delta State, who died weekend.

In a condolence message on behalf of the Federal Government, Buhari extended his condolences to the Ibru family and Urhobo nation.

A statement in Abuja, yesterday, by Mr. Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said the President also condoled with the people of Delta State and Chief Ibru’s friends and associates.

He urged all, who mourn Chief Ibru, to take “solace in the awareness of his fulfilled life of great accomplishments.”

The statement said Buhari joined them in mourning Ibru, who made remarkable contributions to the progress and development of Nigeria during his long career as an architect, businessman, politician, community leader and philanthropist.

Ibori, Saraki

Chief James Ibori, former governor of Delta State, described the death of Olorogun Ibru as a great loss to the Urhobo nation, Delta State, Nigeria and the world at large.

In a statement by Tony Eluemunor, his Media Assistant, Ibori said Ibru was one of the few polyvalent achievers the world has ever seen.

He said Ibru stood out as an architect, educationist, businessman, politician, a Senator, Governor and President of Urhobo Progress Union, UPU. Also, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, expressed sadness over Olorogun Ibru’s death.

Saraki, in a statement, by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, described Ibru’s death as painful and a great loss to the people of Delta State, Niger Delta region, the political class and the entire nation.

Others, who mourned him at the weekend were Senator James Manager, who served in the Ibru cabinet between 1992 and 1993; serving and former legislators from the state; Leo Ogor, the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, among others.

Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Mr. Ovuozorie Macaulay, Olorogun Taleb Tebite, Chief Fred Majemite, Chief Denis Omovie, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, Solomon Edoja, Mr. Sunny Onuesoke, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Mr. Steve Ovedje also paid tribute to the late Ibru.

Senator Manager said: “I was his boy and Commissioner for Social Development, Youth Sports and Culture. He was a

FELIX IBRU: His was a life of great accomplishments—BUHARI As Ibori, Saraki, Omo-Agege, Ogboru, Edoja others pay tribute

We called him talk na do—Senator Manager

Son of late Olorogun Felix Ibru, Dr. Paul Ibru (left) and Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Lagos West, Rt. Rev. James Odedeji, during the cleric's condolence visit, yesterday. great statesman, effective administrator; a man who brought a lot of dignity to governance.

“We used to call him talk na do. Whatever he said he would want to do. Delta under him would have gone far ahead of other states but for the coup of November 17, 1993. He is a man that we will greatly miss.”

Owhefere, Awhinawhi

Majority Leader of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Tim Owhefere, described the former governor as a “front line politician, who nurtured the modern day Delta State into what it is today as our first governor.”

Solomon Awhinawhi, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, who described late Ibru as a father, said: “He was always there for me and he would always call me Ikurusu, which was my late father’s name.

“He even volunteered to write his own tribute when he heard of my mother’s death because he was very close to my family, particularly my dad.

But see what the cold hands of death have done to our first governor, who had played a vital role in my entire life.”

Ogor said: “We have lost a man of truth and a political gladiator. He was a bold man, filled with an uncommon courage not easily found in this clime. Deltans have lost a man of action laced with bravery.”

Member of the House Representatives, representing Warri federal constituency, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, described the late Ibru as a man with a stable political character, saying “the former governor was a consistent politician, who stuck to only one political

party at a every given time throughout his political career.”

A rear breed —Urhobo Social Club

Foremost Urhobo sociocultural group, Urhobo Social Club, Lagos, was among the early callers at the AgbarahOtor, Delta State, hometown of the Ibrus, to commiserate with them.

The delegation included the Club President, Chief Simeon Ohwofa; First Vice President, Chief Chris Umukoro; Second Vice President, Prince Austine Enajemo-Isire; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief Johnson Barovbe, and Chairman, Think Thank Group, Chief Samson Okuesa.

It said: “Olorogun Ibru is a rare breed. He is in every way an enigma. His life and person is difficult to describe in one breath. As a career architect, his designs and structures are landmarks and monuments.

“As a businessman, he was a high-ranking member of the Ibru organisation. As a politician, he was reliable, notable, recognisable and respected. In his personal capacity, Olorogun Ibru was a good man.”

In his message, by Efe Duku, his senior legislative aide, Chief Great Ogboru said the late Ibru left worthy imprints in peoples’ hearts and history in private life, business and public service.

Senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said: “His exit is a major loss to Nigeria as a whole. He was a great leader. As a civilian governor, he constructed the foundations of a democratic Delta State.

“As a distinguished senator, he was a bridge builder and

From left—Dele Adetiba, Dr. Ibru and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi. quintessential advocate for good governance. He excelled in every public office. He was a major architect of the Ibru business empire that lifted our people from poverty.”

Aguariavwodo, Tebite, Omovie

Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Senator Aguariavwodo said: “He has been a governor, a Senator, President General of UPU, and a business mogul. He was like a father to me; my political mentor. He indeed served his people very well.”

Former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Macaulay, said: “Olorogun Ibru was a father figure to many; a broad-hearted man.

He laid the foundation and did the architectural work for the take off of the state.”

Olorogun Tebite said: “Felix Ibru is our political father, a man we respect in the politics of Delta and Urhobo. He died at the time we needed him most, but who are we to challenge God? He is the maker of all things.”

Chief Majemite said: “Olorogun Ibru was a great leader, quintessential statesman and an illustrious son of the Urhobo. Despite his towering status, he still came down to serve his people as UPU President-General.

“I recall him saying ‘I have always stood by my people, eager to always serve them, even though there were times I have reservation on how I was not treated fairly’.

“It is on record that he had more bills to his credit than any other living or dead Urhobo Senator, and even had an award to that effect.”

Olorogun Omovie said: “He served the Urhobo nation, Delta and Nigeria with all sense of responsibility. As first Governor of Delta, he laid the foundation for the development of the state.”

Chief Oborevwori said: “His death shook the state like dynamite thrown into the river,” lamenting that “the death of Olorogun Ibru has created a big vacuum in the politics of Delta State.”

Onuesoke, Emerhor

Mr. Sunny Onuesoke, who is a maternal cousin of the Ibrus, said: “He was a great man. His death is a big loss to the Urhobo nation and Delta State. He will be missed greatly by all of us in politics.”

Mr. Steve Ovedje, who also spoke to Vanguard, said the late Olorogun Ibru was a political pathfinder: “an architect of Delta politics.”

Describing his death as a great loss to Urhobo, former member representing Ethiope East constituency in the National Assembly, Chief Edoja, said: “He is a scion of the Ibru family, who sacrificed everything to ensure the creation of Delta State.

“Ibru laid the foundation for the little development recorded in the state and we shall miss his enduring legacy of tolerance and the message of the Big Heart of Love among Deltans, which is the epithet for Delta State.”

For Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, Ibru was a perfect gentleman, who never soiled his fingers with public funds during his stewardship as first executive governor of Delta State.

Emerhor, who spoke through his Director of Media and Political Communication, Dr. Fred Oghenesivbe, in a statement, said: “Ibru governed the state in a responsible manner and exhibited uncommon leadership qualities during his tenure.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016—41

Vanguard CLASSIFIED O PAY E M I — I , formerly known and addressed as Opayemi Jimoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Adebayo Jimoh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

F U N M I L AY O — I , formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Kabiru Funmilayo Idiat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kabiru Idiat Tunrayo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OLOFINBIYI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Victoria Modupe Olofinbiyi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Victoria Modupe Ogunruku. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UGIOMOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Eniyeoghena Beatrice Ugiomoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eniyeoghena Beatrice Ikponmwosa.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EZEANA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Anthonia Ezeana, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Anthonia Ojieze. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public please take note.

ISIOMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Isioma Adimogor, now wish to be known and addressed as M a r t h a l o i s I f e c h u k w u d e Adimogor. All former documents remain valid.

Financial institutions and general public please take note.

ODEKPINOKO—I, formerly known and addressed as Odekpinoko Patience, now wish to be known and addressed as Ohirhian Patience. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name This is to confirm that Onoberevune Evuarere Ordia and Ordia Raphael Evuarherhe is one and the same person.

All documents bearing both names remain valid, the general public should please take note.

INEMOTIMI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Inemotimi Tabai, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Inemotimi Henry Whyte. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

GBOLAHAN—I, formerly known and addressed as Babatunde Sodiq Gbolahan, now wish to be known and addressed as Babtunde Sodiq Olakunle. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AROMIRE—I, formerly known and addressed as Abiola Tawakalitu Aromire, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Abiola Tawakalitu Olowu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

K W O K W O — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Kwokwo Deinkumo Ebikibina, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Otung Deinkumo Ebikibina. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name I Oforbuike Elispat do hereby confirm that the name Abraham Elispat refers to one and same me. I, now wish to be known and addressed as Oforbuike Elispat. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name I, Eselekumor Iteimor Maxwell hereby confirm that the name Iteimor Eselekumor Agbunase Maxwell as it appears on some of my documents refers to one and same me. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGBON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Diemiruaye Christabel Ogbon, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Diemiruaye Christabel Kagho. All former documents remain valid. Delsu and general public please take note.

OJIKO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojiko Helen, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Helen Doutimiye Ibemesim. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EDWARD—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Inomor Ojo Edward, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Inomor Johnson Idjerewho. All former documents remain valid. Union Bank Nigeria Plc, Sapele and general public please take note.

IROAJA—I, formerly known and addressed as Princess Nene Joe Iroaja, now wish to be known and addressed as Princess Nene Mark Joe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IROAJA—I, formerly

please take note.

Confirmation of Name I, hereby confirm that the name Vivian Oluremi Otitoju Adedoyin as it appears in my BVN and Vivian Oluremi Otitoju refer to one and same me.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ARIMIE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Atubolo Arimie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Atubolo Elayelagha. All former documents remain valid. Ecobank and general public please take note.

OKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okoro Chidinma Karen, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Johnson Okoronkwo Chidinma Karen. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name This is to confirm that the names Otonnah Exodus Joshua and Echem Joshua Exodus refer to one and the same person. All former documents remain valid, FCMB (Bank) and general public please take note.

DUYILE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Duyile F o l a s a d e Oluwayemisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeniji-Duyile F o l a s a d e Oluwayemisi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGWEONU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Igweonu Nneka Linda, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okonkwo Nneka Linda. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ERHIAGBOJE—I, formerly known and addressed as Erhiagboje Wisdom Evuarherhe, now wish to be known and addressed as Imuerure Wisdom Evuarherhe.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UDOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Udor Emmanuel, now wish to be known and addressed as Udochi Emmanuel. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGBUEBUNU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogbuebunu Celestina Oyinye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Celestina Oyinye Daniel Ileta. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UVWO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Uvwo Ese Maureen, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onaefe Ese Merry.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

USMAN—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Johnson Eleojo Usman, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Johnson Eleojo Odaudu. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank Plc and general public please take note.

KINGSLEY—I, formerly known and addressed as Iwueze Kingsley, now wish to be known and addressed as Iwueze Christian. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

SHOWUNMI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Modupe Oyegbemi Showunmi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Modupe Oyegbemi. All former documents remain valid. ICAN and general public please take note.

KEVWE—I, formerly known and addressed as Advance Kevwe, now wish to be known and addressed as A d v a n c e Oghenekevwe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OHALETE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ohalete Kelechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eleanya Kelechi Obi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MUSA—I, formerly known and addressed as Musa Baraka Omowunmi, now wish to be known and addressed as Raimi Baraka Abike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

known and addressed as Joe Mark Iroaja, now wish to be known and addressed as Joe Mark Joe. All former documents remain valid. General public

China wants more of Nigeria’s oil

C

HINA has said it would need more crude oil exports from Nigeria, in spite of the recent changes in prices.

Zao LingXiang, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

The total amount of export to China was only about one million barrels in 2015, which was just 1.3 per cent of Nigerian annual oil export.

“In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter whether Iran comes back or not; Chinese companies want to import more crude oil from Nigeria,” he said.

He said current trade volume between both countries stood at $14.94 billion in 2014, making Nigeria third largest trade partner of China in Africa.

The economic counsellor added that Nigeria’s trade figure was 8.3 per cent of China’s total trade volume with Africa and 42 per cent of the total trade volume between China and Africa.

He said that China also sought to explore other areas of cooperation with Nigeria which he noted would be of benefit to both parties.

“China is the largest developing country in the world and Nigeria is the largest developing country in Africa and both countries have complementary advantages in natural and human resources, funds and markets.

“Right now, the Nigerian government is trying to diversify its economy which is fully in line with the 10 ChinaAfrica cooperation plans announced at the summit on China-Africa trade in Johannesburg in 2015.

“There are great potential for cooperation between China and Nigeria in the fields of industrialisation, a g r i c u l t u r a l modernisation, infrastructure construction, financial services, trade and investment facilitation, among others.”

42 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 — 43

44—Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

ANAMBRA CENTRAL RE-RUN: You can't contest, Umeh tells Obi

A

By Vincent Ujumadu

WKA—THE candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra Central senatorial re-run election, Chief Victor Umeh, has threatened to use legal means to stop former governor Peter Obi of the state from participating in the rerun.

The rerun, which ought to have taken place on March 5, 2016, was postponed indefinitely by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, following a court order obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to include it in the re-run.

Since then, some interest groups, including former governors in the Senate, have allegedly been mounting pressure on Obi to join the race and there were indications that the former governor might have succumbed to the pressures.

INEC had earlier barred the PDP from participating in the election as it stated that the December7, 2015 Court of Appeal judgment that nullified the March28, 2015 election of the PDP’s candidate, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife also stopped the party.

Addressing reporters at the Tansian University, Umunya, Anambra State, weekend, where he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree in

Political Science, Umeh described the decision of the former governor to join the race as an illegality, arguing that the Supreme Court had in a plethora of cases said a fresh election resulting from an annulled election was a re-run and only those who contested the annulled election would be qualified to participate in the rerun.

The former National Chairman of APGA described the Federal High Court’s

judgment that ordered INEC to include PDP in the rerun as one ambush that would crash, insisting that the High Court had no powers under any law to delve into an area the Supreme Court had sufficiently covered the ground.

Umeh said: “ I didn’t come into politics to make money. I am into politics to sanitize the system.

"Obi and his group will not contest this election. We won’t allow this perfidy of theirs. I have been in court all through my

political career and I will continue to do that, especially in this rerun.

“Obi’s campaign posters that are all over the place for this rerun are efforts in futility. He won’t contest this election. Anambra is not the only place a re-run has been ordered by a court. So, all these things are illegality and cannot stand.”

However, a former commissioner during the Peter Obi administration, Chief JoeMartins Uzodike, a lawyer, claimed what the Court of Appeal ordered was a fresh election.

VISIT: Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (middle), Most Rev. Ikechi Nwosu, Archbishop of Aba Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop of Umuahia, Anglicabn Communion (3rd left), Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu, Imo State Deputy Governor (3rd right) and members of the governing board of Trinity Theological College, Umuahia, during a visit to the Governor in Umuahia.

Rep raises alarm over plot to introduce speed limiters with obsolete technology

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—A member of House of Representatives, Philip Shaibu, weekend, raised alarm over alleged plan by the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, in collaboration with a top federal government official to introduce obsolete speed limiters on vehicles, saying it was another way of exploiting Nigerians.

Shaibu, who was a one time national president of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, alleged that the technology the FRSC had concluded plans to introduce failed in Kenya six months after it was installed and that there

was a conspiracy between the FRSC management, a highly placed government official and the manufacturers of the failed technology to dump it in Nigeria just to enrich some individuals.

Recall that the House had on February 25, 2016, in a unanimous resolution, rejected the proposed Electronic Controlled Modules, ECM, by the FRSC, to reduce speed limit on the roads, saying the technology proposed by the commission was outdated.

The House, presided over by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, requested the FRSC to adopt and apply the Spider technology that conformed with existing global best practices as against

the introduction of the outdated speed limiter technology.

It also summoned the management of the FRSC, to appear before it and explain the reason for the choice of a technology allegedly said to be outdated and which had not worked in the African countries it was introduced.

But it was gathered that despite the resolution, the commission had allegedly concluded plans to bring the ‘obsolete’ technology in total disobedience of the House resolution.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Shaibu, who represents Etsako Federal Constituency of Edo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC,

said if the FRSC and the collaborator in government succeeded in bringing the technology, it would at the end discredit the government.

He said the excuse that the introduction of obsolete technology would reduce accidents on the road was just a ploy for those behind it to whip up sentiments in a bid to enrich some people.

Besides, the lawmaker said introducing speed limiter on the national roads was a good idea but shouldn’t be at the expense of the poor, adding that such technologies in developed countries were installed on highways and patrol vehicles and not private vehicles.

Ugwuanyi partners German ITS on technology transfer

E

By Francis Igata

NUGU—GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State through the governing council of the college has entered a partnership that will see the German International Training and Support, ITS, develop technological and vocational syllabus for the Enugu State College of Education Technical, ESCET, in a bid to shore-up the technological base of the

institution to produce teachers of sound technological disposition.

According to Ugwuanyi, his administration will stop at nothing to ensure that teachers who transfer technological and vocational knowledge to students from primary to tertiary levels of education have access to 21st century learning and teaching aids to promote self reliance among the products of the institutions in the state.

While welcoming the delegation from German ITS at the college, the governor, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Uchenna Eze, explained that government was bent on producing the necessary manpower to enhance economic activities through robust technical education.

“Once ESCET produces teachers that are technically competent,our wards starting from primary to tertiary level of

education will be at a vantage position to learn from the repository of their teachers. Theoretical knowledge transfer in a Technical College as this cannot work.

"So, we have to put in place the practical plank that will impact the hand-ons experience in our teachers for onwards transfer to students at all level. That is why we are moving to ensure that all primary and secondaryschoolsinthe472communities have farms," the commissioner said.

Ebonyi earmarks N250m to fight Lasa fever

A

By Emeka Mamah

BAKALIKI—EBONYI State Government has earmarked over N250 million to fight Lassa fever epidemic in the state.

Last week, Governor David Umahi declared a state of emergency in the health sector following the increasing cases of Lassa fever in the state.

However, inspecting the level of work done on the Lassa fever virology centre under construction by his administration at the Federal Medical Centre in Abakaliki, weekend, Umahi said equipment for the centre had already been acquired.

According to him, the approval of money by the state Executive Council, EXCO, would ensure that the centre was up and running within the three weeks given to the committee in charge of the project.

The governor noted that the council also approved four ambulances and four dialysis machines to be stationed in designated hospitals in the three senatorial zones of the state and at the teaching hospital.

14 civilians, 2 soldiers killed in Ivory Coast resort attack * AQIM responsibility

F

claims

OURTEEN civilians and two soldiers were killed on Sunday when gunmen attacked the Ivory Coast resort town of Grand-Bassam, President Alassane Ouattara has said.

“Six attackers came onto the beach in Bassam this afternoon.

We have 14 civilians and two special forces soldiers who were unfortunately killed,” Ouattara said during a visit to the site. The six attackers were also killed, he said.

Al-qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack against the resort of Grand Bassam, East of Abidjan, which left 16 people dead on Sunday, according to SITE, a US organisation that monitors Islamist websites.

According to SITE, AQIM praised its “three heroes” who carried out the attack and promised more details later.

The attack, the first of its kind in Ivory Coast, reminiscent of another at an hotel in Sousse, Tunisia that killed 38 on June 26.

The assailants, heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at patrons of The Southern Star, a large hotel popular at this time of year, according to a witness.

Being an historic city and former Ivorian capital along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, Grand-Bassam houses several hotels frequented by expatriates.

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016 — 45

Dalung to attend Oliseh’s Committee hearing N IT has been confirmed that Youth and Sports minister, Bar rister

Mohammed emerges as Archery President as Ibeh wins PRO

M

EMBER of Nigeria House Project for RIO 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games Committee, Mohammed Baba Abdullahi has emerged as the president of the Nigeria Archery Sports Federation. He defeated Boladale Orodele of the Nigeria University Games Association 13-11 in the second round of voting at the keenly contested election held at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, National Stadium, Surulere Lagos. Both candidates polled 12 votes each out of the total 24 votes during the first round of the election.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Paralympic Committee, Patrick Ibeh was elected as the PRO. He defeated Oluwatoyin Ibitoye of the channels Television 14-7.

Solomon Dalung will be present when the country’s former coach Sunday Oliseh appears before the House of Representatives sports committee in Abuja on Thursday.

Oliseh is expected to give his own version to why he suddenly quit his post with just a month to crucial AFCON qualifiers against Egypt.

“The sports minister has insisted he be part of the committee’s hearing and so he will be in attendance on Thursday,” a sports ministry official informed.

The sports minister ordered Oliseh not to be sacked when Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick presented a recommendation of the technical committee that the coach be fired.

The NFF have maintained this briefing is a major distraction as the Super Eagles are preparing for must-win AFCON qualifiers against Egypt.

P F L : MFM back on top

M

SMILES . . . . Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (C ), NFF President, Pinnick Amaju ( R ) and Hon. Desmond Elliot (Left) yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the final of the Gbajabiamila/Elliot football tournament.

Osimhen wants to beat Brazil Y OUNGSTER Victor Osimhen has said he hopes to beat Brazil Olympic team in a friendly later this month.

Osimhen was part of the Nigeria U17 team who defeated their Brazilian counterparts at an

Le Guen, Westerhof join race to coach Eagles Continued from B/P

Nigerian football to the pinnacle of world soccer.

The five coaches whose applications are with NFF secretariat include Paul Le Guen, former coach of Olympique Lyonnaise who led the French club to three consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He has also managed State Rennaise, Paris Saint-Germain, Glasgow Rangers and the Cameroun national team, Indomitable Lions.

His last role was as manager of the Oman national football team, from which he was relieved in November 2015.

Mark Wotte, a Dutch, who was once the first Performance Director of the Scottish Football Association is also interested in the Eagles job. Wotte had stints with the Royal Dutch Football Association, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Ismaily of Egypt and Al Ahli of Qatar among others.

Familiar names like Clemens Westerhof and Jo Bonfrere, all Dutch, are equally interested in coming back to Nigeria to tinker the Super Eagles where they had successful runs.

Westerhof qualified

Nigeria for her first World Cup in the USA in 1994 as well as winning the African Cup of Nations same year. Bonfrere who succeeded him was Westerhof’s assistant who also led Nigeria to her first Olympic Gold medal at the Atlanta ’96 Olympics. Claude Le who has managed five different African national teams since first taking charge of Cameroon in 1985 is also interested in coaching the Eagles. He has coached at eight Cups of Nations and has reached the quarterfinals on seven occasions, winning the trophy once.

Very informed sources said that the coaches have submitted their CV’s to the NFF. Contacted yesterday, NFF President Melvin Amaju Pinnick said that a couple of coaches have shown interest in coaching the Eagles but insisted that they were only interested in the forthcoming African Cup of Nations qualifier between the Eagles and Pharaohs of Egypt on March 25. ‘’The only important thing to us now is the Nigeria versus Egypt match in Kaduna and the reverse to be played four days after in Alexandria,

Egypt. We don’t want distractions as all our attention is focused on the match and qualifying Nigeria for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon’’, Pinnick said yesterday.

Ighalo Continued from B/P

England forward, Odion Ighalo was a handful when Arsenal hosted the Hornets in an FA Cup tie at the Emirates yesterday.

Ighalo ended a monthlong goals drought in style as he struck to propel Watford to a firstever Wembley FA Cup semi-final at the expense of cup holders Arsenal.

However, coach Samson Siasia and Nigerian fans will be hoping Ighalo is not seriously injured ahead of crucial AFCON qualifiers against Egypt as he was forced to limp out of the game before the end. The injury was not ascertained but it was enough to give Nigerian coach Samson Siasia jitters as he hopes to build his attack around the Watford striker as Nigeria hosts Egypt on March 25 for the African Cup of Nations qualifer.

invitational tournament in South Korea before they again stopped them at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.

He said he now wishes to beat the Samba Stars in front of the fans on March 24.

FIFA U17 World Cup highest goal scorer ever, Victor Osimhen, has arrived

the camp of the U23 national team, the Dream Team VI, ahead of the friendly against Brazil later this month.

The ganging striker who arrived the Star View Palace Hotel camp of the Dream Team at about 1pm on Sunday was received by interim coach Fatai Amoo.

PSG Continued from B/P

Ligue 1 title in stunning style with an 9-0 thrashing of sorry 10-man Troyes.

The current champions wasted no time in stamping their authority on the game and raced into a three-goal lead inside 20 minutes.

Edinson Cavani was first to net with little over 10 minutes played after the Uruguayan intercepted a shocking back pass before slotting beyond Matthieu Dreyer at the second attempt.

Javier Pastore was next to get in on the act, dribbling his way through a half-hearted Troyes defence, before Adrien Rabiot added PSG’s third, prodding home after Cavani saw his initial effort well-saved by Dreyer.

The interval did little to stem Laurent Blanc’s team’s flow and, in a matter of seconds, Ibrahimovic grabbed a customary goal with a neat finish from the edge of the area following some good link-up play with Cavani.

And the big Sweden

international had not finished there as he secured a first league hat-trick this season with less than an hour played.

Firstly PSG’s top scorer latched on to Angel Di Maria’s pass before powering a well-taken first-time effort beyond Dreyer.

Then his successful afternoon was wrapped up after 55 minutes with an equally-confident finish from Layvin Kurzawa’s cut-back.

The hosts’ afternoon continued to go from bad to worse as Mathieu Saunier put through his own net to make it 7-0 before Lossemy Karaboue was given his marching orders for hauling down Cavani inside the area.

The Uruguay international saw his spot-kick saved but bundled home the rebound to make it 8-0 to the visitors.

And there was still time for Ibrahimovic to add his fourth of the game, finishing with his left foot from inside the area to claim his 101st league goal for the newlycrowned champions.

FM have reclaimed top spot in the Nigeria league after they won 31 against El Kanemi and closest rivals Enugu Rangers and Kano Pillars could only manage draws on their travels.

MFM now have 13 points, while Rangers, who were forced to a 2-2 draw by hosts Abia Warriors, and Pillars, who also drew 2-2 at Lobi Stars, are on 11 points each.

Julius Emiloju and Emmanuel Onuwa made sure debutants MFM secured maximum three points after Japhet Daniel scored a consolation goal for El Kanemi Warriors.

MFM were dominant in the game and deserved the victory.

Rangers Bobby Clement broke the deadlock at Abia Warriors in the 22nd minute.

Michael Ulocha equalised for the hosts in the 39th minute from the penalty spot after Effiong Ndifreke was fouled inside the box.

Rangers lead was then restored by Chisom Egbuchulam, who powered home a free kick to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Wydad Casablancabound Chisom Chikatara drew level for the hosts in the 65th minute.

CAF Cups Continued from B/P

a 1-0 win over Club Sportif Constantinois of Algeria at the National Stadium, Abuja. Philip Azango scored as a goalmouth scramble occurred following a corner kick with only five minutes left on the clock.

However, Nigeria’s second representatives in the Champions League, Warri Wolves lost 0-1 at the Warri City Stadium to visiting El Merreikh of Sudan. The Sudanese scored in the 18th minute and Wolves could not find a way bck into the game.

Former Nigeria U-17 and U-20 safe hands, Paul Danjuma saved a point blank header after 10 minutes and the visitors, who finished a man less after Toufik Guerabis was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 55th minute, were denied by the woodwork five minutes before the interval.

46 — Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14 , 2016 —47

C M Y K

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2016

Ighalo propels Watford to beat Arsenal •Keeps Siasia guessing over injury

T

RUE to Arsene Wenger’s pre-match prediction, Super Eagles and Watford of Continues on Page 45

Le Guen, Westerhof join race to coach Eagles

By Tony Ubani

A

•Westerhof

•Le Roy

•Paul

Results Abia Warriors Giwa Ifeanyi Ubah Lobi MFM FC Tornadoes

2 1 4 2 3 3

Enugu Rangers Sunshine Ikorodu Utd Kano Pillars El Kanemi Rivers Utd

2 0 1 2 1 2

EPL Aston Villa

0

Tottenham

2

FA Cup Arsenal Man Utd

1 1

Watford West Ham

2 1

T the last count, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has received about five applications from notable coaches who are still intensifying efforts to coach the senior national team of Nigeria, the Super Eagles.

Since Sunday Oliseh resigned his appointment, coaches have inundated the NFF with applications with some promising to take Continues on Page 45

WINNER: Ighalo (l) jubilate after scoring against Arsenal yesterday.

PSG clinch French title with 9-0 win Z L A T A N Ibrahimovic scored four goals as Paris St Germain wrapped up their fourth successive Continues on Page 45

CAF Cups: Enyimba, Nasarawa win, Wolves lose N

IGERIAN champions Enyimba spanked Vital ‘O of Burundi 5-1 in a CAF Champions League second round, first leg match at the Adokiye Amiesieamaka Stadium

in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

The big win assures that the return leg in Bujumbura between both teams next weekend would be an easier session for the People’s Elephant,

who led 3-0 at half –time in Garden City.

Nigeria’s only remaining side in the CAF Confederation Cup, Nasarawa United battled hard but could only earn Continues on Page 45

•Ibrahimovic

QUICK CROSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

FRI DAY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

Across 5 Black-market ticket seller (4) 6 Stage of an insect’s growth (4) 8 First temporary mouth-filler in young mammals (4,5) 9 Diluted acetic acid used as a condiment (7) 13 Impression of a shoe (9) 15 Wickedness (4) 16 Slip out of control (4) Down 1 Remnant of a tree (5) 2 Haul, tug (4) 3 Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights (6) 4 Tracks, pavements (5) 7 Undertake (7) 10 Why (6) 11 Later than (5) 12 Pore over books (5) 14 Annoys (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS Across: 1, Part 4, Hop 6, Pick 8, Former 9, Insane 10, Old 12, Began 14, Below 15, Nudge 18, Scribe 20, Leader 24, Naked 26, Regal 28, Loved 30, Wed 32, Statue 33, Astute 34, Trod 35, Tap 36, Dune.

Down: 2, Arose 3, Timpani 4, Hero 5, Paid 6, Paste 7, Console 11, Log 12, Bus 13, Nub 16, Den 17, Elk 19, Creator 21, Eel 22, Adopted 23, Rod 25, Axe 27, Acted 29, Eaten 30, Went 31, Damp.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 014544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

C M Y K