We cant pay N18,000 minimum wage- GOVS

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62632

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Benin Republic invades 16 Nigerian villages, hoists flags Emir cries out See Pages 5&39

We can't pay N18,000 minimum wage —GOVS

•Labour rejects governors' stance •Threaten to shut down Nigeria, if...

•NLC leaders summon stakeholders' meeting today

By Victor AhiumaYoung & Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—THE 36 state governors have said that they can no longer pay the N18,000 minimum wage that was signed into law in March 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, owing to the

Continues on Page 5

KOGI POLLS: The contenders, influencers, issues 31-33 COLUMNIST: P.19

Owei

Lakemfa ROBBERY AND BOMB VICTIMS—A lady victim of the Agbara, Lagos banks' robbery, yesterday,(left) and Musa

Idris, victim of Wednesday's suicide bomb attack in Kano(right). Photos: Bartholomew Ndukwe and Abdulsalam Muhammad.

Soludo faults TSA; says Jonathan's govt bankrupted economy 8 SOUTH WEST VOICE

Police beef up security ahead of HID Awolowo's burial See inside C M Y K

Reps in rowdy session over supplementary budget 9

Checkpoint culture ‘Once flagged down or asked to pull over, the motorist is instantly made to feel like a law breaker or criminal even when no offence has been established against him or her.’ Reason? Find out in Vanguard’s Special Report on the Police coming your way Monday. Don't miss it!

We are not afraid

Mr & Mrs

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—5

POCKET CARTOON

PAN—From left: Managing Director, Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN)

Alhaji Ibrahim Boyi; Peugeot's Vice President, Middle-East & Africa, Philip Jean; President Muhammadu Buhari and Chairman, Board of Directors of PAN, the Yariman Zazzau, Alhaji Munir Ja’afaru; during the presentation of PAN products to the President at State House, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

We can't pay N18,000 minimum wage —GOVS Continues from Page 1 poor state of the economy.

Organised labour in its immediate reaction, however, kicked against the governors’ stance, saying workers are ready to shut down the country, if the governors push them into it.

Rising from a crucial meeting that ended in the early hours of yesterday, at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja under the umbrella of Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, the governors said that dwindling prices of oil had drastically affected their states’ income.

Specifically, they said that the burden of the wage was lighter when oil sold at $126 as against the current $41 per barrel.

They, therefore, sought audience with President Muhammadu Buhari on the economy, resolving that the only way out of the quagmire was to diversify the economy

towards agriculture and mining.

Reading the communique issued at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari hinted that the Forum also backed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over the N1.4 trillion sanction on MTN. According to him, the governors agreed that the fine must be paid in full.

He explained that they received briefing from the Acting Executive ViceChairman/Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Professor Umar Dambata who explained the matter to them.

He said: “We resolved that we must look at ways to enhance revenue generation and at the same time look at ways to cut our overhead costs, especially the political office holders’ salaries and other overhead expenses.

“The situation is no

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO

T

O succeed amidst today’s dynamism, you must find your uniqueness. What can you do so well that it seems almost impossible to replace you? It's up to you.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

M

ATERIAL things do not necessarily bring you happiness. This is challenging for some people to understand, especially those striving for tangible things as a source of fulfillment. The poem ‘Parenthesis in Eternity’ by Joe Smith gives a deeper and familiar understanding of this principle. “And then there are those in eternity who reach a certain stage in which they realize the futility of the constant striving for things that perish...things which after they are obtained, proves to be shadows."

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE You cannot run fast looking back.

longer the same when we were asked to pay N18,000 minimum wage, when oil price was $126 (per barrel) and we continued paying N18,000 minimum wage when the oil price is $41, while the source of government expenditure is from oil, and we have not seen prospects in the oil industry in the near future.

We can no longer pay — Govs

“We will diversify our economy in the area of agriculture and mining.

But at the same time, we should understand our situation where some of us (states) today are taking N100 million as monthly allocation and then have salaries of over N2 billion to pay.

“We, therefore, agreed here to take this suggestion to NEC in our meeting today (yesterday) so that we can find ways to tackle this problem.

“We are also looking at coming together to have discussions with Mr. President and his team, technocrats and experts in the economy to see how we can tackle this problem. We are working harder to deal with it.

“On the sanction by the NCC, MTN has accepted committing the offence and has apologised, and is appealing for leniency; we the governors forum decided to support the NCC to abide by the laws of the land and the laws of our land do not give leniency to deliberate offence to our nation.”

Labour vows to shut down Nigeria, if...

In their reaction, leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, warned that if the governors wanted workers to shut down the nation because

of the issue, workers would gladly do so, saying “the governors should not think that the Nigerian workers do not have the capacity to retrench them.”

Factional President of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, while insisting that Nigerian workers totally reject the governors’ position, warned that if the governors wanted organised labour to close down the country, labour was ready to do so. He confirmed that the NLC would be meeting today on the platform of the Central Working Committee, CWC, and the issue would feature prominently after which a statement would be released.

Wabba said: “We reject it totally.

Nigerian workers will never accept it. We all know that it is a reality that N18,000 can no longer take the workers home and cannot sustain any family.

Many countries are reviewing their minimum wage upwards to meet the current realities. In Nigeria, there is even greater need to increase the minimum wage because our currency had been devalued; inflation keeps rising among others.

"What is the relation of the Nigerian currency to the Dollar or what is the value of the N18,000 to the Dollar? We are going to reject the move with all our might. We are not the cause of the problem.

They should think out of the box to find solution to the problem. When there was excess crude money, the workers did not benefit and so, we cannot bear the brunt. If the governors want us to close down the country, we will do that.

"What about their outrageous salaries, bloated overhead cost, inflated contracts and others? NLC is meeting tomorrow (today) on the organ of the Central Working Committee, CWC. Obviously we cannot bear the brunt.

They governors should think of how to generate revenue instead of depending on oil money and allocation from Abuja.

“The governors should know that the N18,000 minimum wage was not just negotiated, it was a product of a tripartite process involving the governors, employers and organised labour. It passed through the National Assembly before former President Jonathan signed it into law. If any party wants to breach or renege on such agreement, they should be prepared for the consequences.

"We know there are challenges, but the governors should face reality. The problem is the cost of governance and too many frivolities. Today, with crazy bills from electricity providers, increase in fuel price, school fees, hospital bills,

and other utilities, N18,000 cannot take any worker to the bus stop. We want to know their salaries as approved by the Revenue and Fiscal M o b i l i s a t i o n Commission, that of their commissioners, advisers and others, their security votes and others.

It's an empty threat — Ajaero

Similarly, his counterpart, Mr. Joe Ajaero, dismissed the governors' resolution as an empty threat. He said most of them were ignorant of the process that brought about the N18,000 minimum wage, warning the governors not to start a battle they could not sustain because Nigerian workers had the capacity to retrench them.

According to him: "Well, because of the falling oil prices, sole administrators should be appointed in the 36 states and Abuja and the office of state governors should be abolished. The sole administrators should not have one single commissioner or adviser.

They should also not receive any salary or allowance because we are in a belt-tightening period for us to survive.

The governors should know that the process that brought about the N18,000 minimum wage was more democratic than the process that brought most of them to power.

They do not have the capacity to abolish the minimum wage. We are even planning to present a new proposal for upward review of the wage because, not only is it due for review, it is also no longer in tune with the socio-economic reality of the time.

"Do not forget that the minimum wage is an act that was passed into law by the National Assembly and signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March, 2011. The day the governors say they can no longer pay the N18,000 minimum wage, that is the day they should vacate office as governors. They should not make the mistake that workers have no capacity to retrench them from office."

On his part, SecretaryGeneral of the Trade

Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Mr. Musa Lawal, said labour would never accept that and it would be rejected and resisted with all powers available.

According to him, the governors cannot say they can no longer pay the minimum wage. "If they do, we are going to reject and resist it with whatever it takes. Though we will meet to react appropriately, but we are definitely not accepting it.

We are presenting a proposal for upward review of the wage because it is no longer meeting the realities on ground.”

Benin Rep invades 16 Nigerian villages, hoist flags

By Demola Akinyemi

N

EIGHBOURING Benin Republic has invaded 16 villages in Okuta, the border town in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, causing fear and tension in the affected communities.

In their determination to annex the Nigerian villages, Vanguard reliably gathered that authorities of Benin Republic had gone ahead to construct offices fot its gendarmerie (Police station) in the affected communities and also hoisted the country’s flag.

When Vanguard sought the reaction of the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, Mr Femi Adesina on the development, he directed us to the Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who in turn directed us to contact Kwara State Government or the State Police Command on the issue.

In his reaction, Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi said “the State Police Command has not been officially informed of the invasion by the Benin Republic. But now that we have been informed, the Command will act immediately and contact the nearest police station to the communities to get feedback. We will then decide what to do next”.  SEE MORE DETAILS ON PAGE 39.

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

Man jailed 15 years for raping 9-year-old girl D

By Tina Akannam

UTSE—A Jigawa State High Court has sentenced 25-year-old Sani Isa, alias Sani Dogo of Zarena village in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area, to 15 years imprisonment for rape.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Ubali Ahmad Taura

said the accused admitted committing the offence with a nine-year-old girl last year at Zarena village.

According to the judge, the offence is contrary to section 282 (1)of the penal code.

Justice Ubali-Taura said the five witnesses who testified in court confirmed that Sani

Dogo raped the under-aged girl and sentenced him in accordance with section 283 of the penal court.

However, one of the family members of the defiled girl who pleaded not to be mentioned, said he was happy with the outcome of the case.

He said if rapists were

convicted for their wicked acts, cases of rape of underaged girls would be reduced.

He called on parents of under-aged and teenage rape victims in the state to take their grievances to a court of law to seek for justice and reduce cases of rape in the state.

Police arrest robbery suspects, injure 4 alleged kidnappers in Abia U

By Anayo Okoli

MUAHIA—ABIA State police command said yesterday that its men from Umuobiakwa police station in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state have arrested two armed robbery suspects and wounded four suspected kidnappers in a gun battle at Uratta Primary School in Isiala Ngwa North council.

The wounded kidnap suspects, according to the State Police Public Relation Officer, Ezekiel Onyeke, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, are members of a gang of suspected kidnappers who planned and attempted to kidnap a produce merchant in the area.

The police scribe said the four suspects, who had perfected a plot to kidnap their victim, ran into the waiting arms of the policemen who monitored the situation, following a tip-off.

He said: “On sighting the police, the suspects opened fire on them and in the ensuing gun battle, four of the suspects were fatally wounded, while others escaped.

“Items recovered from them include a double barrel shot gun with one expended and one live cartridge in its chamber, one locally made pistol with one expended round of cartridge in the chamber, twenty expended (empty shell) automatic rifle ammunition, seven expended cartridges, an axe, charms and wallets.

“In one of the wallets found on them was an Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri identity card bearing the name of Chimezie Olileanya Hope of the Department of Education, Political Science and in another wallet was found INEC voters card bearing the name of Gabriel Nwakodo Chukwuem.”

He said the police were on the trail of the suspects and appealed to the public to provide information that could lead to their arrest.

Also, the police said they have arrested 21-year-old Wilson Ubazuruha and Okechukwu Kalu Okore, 20, said to be members of a threeman gang of armed robbers that robbed a poultry feed shop at Umukaya and shot a

woman on the chest.

The trio were said to have successfully robbed the shop owner after firing several gun shots and were on their way out when they ran into the waiting arms of the police.

The police said that a locally

made revolver pistol was recovered from the suspects.

According to him, the third member of the gang, identified as Star Boy, said to be the leader of the gang, escaped arrest.

FUEL SCARCITY: Women hawking petrol, as scarcity of the product bites harder in Benin City, Edo State. Photo: NAN.

4 in Police net over kidnap attempt in Ilorin

A

By Dayo Johnson

KURE—FOUR suspected kidnappers have been arrested by detectives in Ondo State Police Command for attempting to abduct a 26year-old man, Idris Sule, and demand for N10 million ramson.

The suspects, Dua Audu, Mohammed Seriki, Audu Metua and Adamu Ibrahim, were reportedly arrested in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Vanguard gathered that the suspects during a telephone

conversation with the victim, demanded for N10m to halt his abduction.

It was gathered that the suspects threatened to kidnap the victim if the money was not paid within a stipulated period.

Reports had it that the suspects must have been given the would-be victim's telephone number by one of his aides, with the hope of threatening him to cough out the money.

Contacted, the police image maker, Femi Joseph, said the

suspects were currently in police detention and would soon be arraigned in court.

According to him, the victim of the attempted abduction reported the telephone conversation which ensued between him and the suspects to the police.

He said the suspects were arrested through the telephone line they used to communicate and negotiate with the victim.

The police scribe assured that other fleeing suspects would soon be apprehended and charged to court.

Court remands man, 26, in prison for murder

By Dayo Johnson

A

KURE—A 26-yearold man, Francis Gabriel, has been ordered by an Akure Chief Magistrate’s Court to be remanded in prison custody for allegedly causing the death of 20year-old Henry Alison by hitting him with a pestle on the head.

The Presiding Magistrate,Mrs Olayinka Omole, said the accused should be remanded in Olokuta prisons custody, pending the receipt of legal advice from the State Director of Public Prosecution, DPP. Francis was brought to the court by men of the Nigerian Police Force on a one -count charge of murder.

Police Prosecutor Inspector Martin Olowofeso, said the accused person committed the offence at about 5:pm at Market road, Alade Idanre, in the Ondo State Magistrial District, on October 20,2015.

The offence according to him, is contrary to and punishable under section 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo state of Nigeria, 2006.

Inspector Olowofeso told the court that the accused person murdered Henry Alison by hitting him on the head with a mortal pestle.

The action of the accused person, according to him, resulted in the death of the deceased.

Inspector Olowofeso pleaded with the court for adjournment to enable him send the duplicate of the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

The prosecutor, therefore, prayed the court to remand the accused person in prison custody, pending the advice from the office of the DPP. In her ruling, the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs Olayinka Omole, ordered that the accused person be remanded in Olokuta Prison custody, pending the outcome of the advice.

Chief Magistrate Omole, thereafter, adjourned the case till December 12, this year .

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015 — 7

Ogun bank robbery: Mobile policeman shot dead •Pregnant woman, 11 others hit by stray bullets •It was like a theatre of war —Residents •As robbers attack bank customer in Lagos

By Evelyn Usman

L

AGOS — OVER 10 gunmen, yesterday, stormed some banks in Agbara area of Ogun State, killing a mobile policeman attached to one of the banks.

About 12 persons, including a pregnant woman, were reportedly hit by stray bullets from the rampaging robbers, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury in the ensuing stampede.

The gunmen, suspected to be militants, who attacked some banks in Festac area of Lagos last month, killing a mother of two and two other banks earlier at Ikorodu and Lekki areas of Lagos, were reportedly clad in military camouflage, with black bands tied around their heads.

They were said to have stormed Bank Road, where about nine banks are located, at about 8 am in two vehicles, a Toyota Sienna and Camry, announcing their presence with sporadic gunshots which sent residents and passersby scampering for safety.

They reportedly denoted a dynamite in front of one of the first generation banks as two policemen who attempted to repel the attack were shot.

While one of them, Corporal Kadiri, was said to have died on the spot, while doctors at an undisclosed hospital battled to save the life of the other cop who was shot in the right rib.

The operation

Eyewitnesses said four of the gunmen entered the first generation bank, collected the guns from the policemen that were shot and used the guns to shatter the Automated Teller Machines in the bank’s premises.

The eyewitnesses said the robbers proceeded into the banking hall where they ordered everyone to lie down and demanded for the bank’s manager with the vault’s key. It could not, however, be ascertained if they penetrated the vault.

It was learned that other members of the gang outside the bank positioned themselves strategically to ward off intruders, firing non-stop.

In the process, stray bullets reportedly hit passers-by, including an unidentified pregnant woman who was clad in black trousers and a multicoloured shirt.

It was like a theatre of war

An eyewitness who gave his name as Musibau Kazeem, recounted: “The whole place was like a theatre of war, they were over 15 in number. They came on

motorcycles and in two cars. They came with explosives, firing indiscriminately.

"I hid under a vehicle that parked during the shooting. Their mission was to enter all the banks but they only succeeded in entering one. Those who went inside came out with wads of Naira notes which they put inside one of their vehicles.

"One of them, suspected to be the leader, was masked.

Immediately he came out of the bank, he signalled his colleagues to leave the scene. By then, the Armoured Personnel Carrier stationed at Agbara was firing some shots. But they were not deterred by the presence of the APC as they fired sporadically at it, aiming at the tyres.

"Before leaving the scene, they blew up one of their operational vehicles. They used the fire from the vehicle as a shield to leave the place in their other car. We saw two of them carrying two of their colleagues who were shot inside the car as they were leaving.

"But we noticed that by then, the number of gunmen was limited.

They snatched a vehicle from a motorist who was taking his children to school at Ilase area of Agbara, in which they left the scene.

"But the ones I saw left the scene in the second vehicle which we heard was abandoned half way.

They went through the water heading towards Totowu, while those hit by stray bullets were rushed to a private hospital at Agbara by policemen."

Owner of the vehicle that was snatched (names withheld), who was still in shock, said: “I was taking my children to school when some guys stopped me at Ilase.

They pointed a gun at me and asked me to step out of my car. I had to obey them because they were with a gun. I thought they were soldiers. “

We've never seen a thing like this

Another eyewitness, who gave her name simply as Mama Chionye said nobody knew they were armed robbers.

She said: "When they were driving to the scene, we all concluded they were soldiers.

They drove recklessly and even hit a tricycle who was on the way.

On their way back from the scene, they stopped by Agbara market and started firing, causing traders to run in different directions.

"A woman was even among them. Four women were hit by stray bullets, we have never seen a thing like this.“

Agbara Estate residents react

Describing the robbery attack as an incident that took the entire residents unaware, residents of Agbara estate issued a statement yesterday, disclosing that the robbery was the first of its kind in the 37 years history of the estate.

The statement read: “At about 7am on November 19, 2015, there was an organised armed robbery on Agbara Estate, the first of its kind in the estate’s 37-year history.

The target of the attack was Zenith Bank on Bank Road, where the vault and various ATMs were looted. There are two fatalities reported (two police guards at the bank).

"Agbara Estate is carrying out an immediate review of its security operations and is collaborating with the local authorities and police force to prevent any such incident happening again on the Estate.”

No arrest made —Police

Spokesperson for Ogun State Police Command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that the robbers came in through Badagry-Ilasha road.

He said: “Their intention was to raid all the banks on that road. But we gave them a hot fight. They were only able to enter one of the banks. Only one policeman, who tried to repel them, was felled by the bullets.

“No arrest has been made for now but some of them escaped with bullet wounds. They launched an attack on our APC but we were able to force them to flee the scene. They used dynamite to blow up one of their operational vehicles before leaving the scene while we recovered the second one.

"We, hereby, appeal to members of the public, especially hospital staff and traditional healing homes, to avail us with information on patients with bullets wounds.

We are also assuring the people of Agbara in particular and

Ogun State in general that more policemen have been deployed to ensure their safety, particularly as we approach the Yuletide."

Robbers attack woman in Lagos

Meanwhile, a woman who had gone to one of the second generation banks in Festac Town, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos was, yesterday, attacked by gunmen who dispossessed her of the undisclosed amount withdrawn from the bank.

The gunmen, who apparently trailed her from the bank located on 23 Road, pointed a gun at her, threatening to shoot if she made any noise.

Unconfirmed report had it that a policeman who accosted the robbers was shot.

Contacted, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Joe Offor, said it was not a case of bank robbery as earlier claimed. He could, however, not give details but assured that the command was doing all within its powers to checkmate criminals in the state.

Police arrest mother, her 2 children, 308 other suspected criminals

L

Suspects account

By Esther Onyegbula, Faith Ake & Ufuoma Tiveruahor

AGOS—THE police in Lagos have arrested no fewer than 311 suspected criminals in different parts of the state.

The suspects include a mother and her two children alleged to be running a vicious robbery gang.

Parading 20 of the suspects at the command headquarters, Ikeja, yesterday, the state Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, said two of the suspected robbers were shot dead during exchange of gun fire with the Police.

Giving a breakdown of the haul, Owoseni said the arrests were made between November 12 and 18, 2015.

He also said 24 motorists were arrested at different locations for violating Lagos state traffic law, while 401 motorcycles were impounded.

He said in line with the ban on street hawking by the state government, the Police arrested 109 hawkers.

Owoseni said 178 suspects were arrested during raids on criminal hideouts, adding that on the whole, 311 were arrested.

Woman, 2 of her children

On the woman arrested with her children, CP Owoseni said the woman, Gladys Onunkwo, and her two undergraduate children were picked up, based on a tip off.

He said: ‘’The two brothers who were paraded alongside other suspects, were arrested for allegedly robbing with their Lexus vehicle on Victoria Island axis of Lagos on the pretext of offering ladies a free ride to their

The suspects destinations.

He said after moving to a certain place, they would rob them of their belongings, including phones, money and ATM cards, with pin numbers.

They later end up stopping by any ATM centre nearby where another member of the gang, still on the run, will effect withdrawals.

"In situations where their victims gave them a fake pin number, they will beat the victim up and even rape them as the case maybe. We were able to arrest the suspects after a victim who reported the matter to the police at Bar-Beach division gave detailed description of the suspects and their vehicle number plate. It was this that the police used in tracking the vehicle to Aguda in Surulere area of Lagos and found out that it belongs to their mother, Mrs Onukwo.’’

Giving account of their exploits, 23-year-old Chinedu Onunkwo, a 300level Engineering student of Northern American University, told Vanguard: “Our family is not a family of robbers. The car they are talking about is for our mother but we are not involved in the robbery. I think it was a set-up by those who do not like us.

Policemen came to our house at Aguda in Surulere, and asked about my elder brother, Ikenna. I told them he was not around.

"They asked if I can follow them to the station. I did and the policemen brought out some victims and asked them if I was the one and they said yes, that I was the person driving and my brother who they described as fair in complexion, tall, was behind the car.

"I don’t know anything about what they are talking about. Even the vehicle they are talking about, I don’t go out with it. Though the car is my mother’s car, my brother drives the vehicle."

In his defence, 28-year-old Ikenna Onunkwo Chris, a final year student of the same university, said he was arrested by the police along side his younger brother, Chinedu Onunkwo.

“We don’t operate. We are students of Northern American university. The victims said at first that it was my younger brother, Chinedu. Later, they said it was me. I don’t know anything concerning this," he stated.

8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

trade shock with micro imbalances, especially fiscal and current account deficits as well as supply side constraints and with the economy skidding to a halt with rising inflation and unemployment, the question is: how should relative prices or asset prices including exchange rate and interest rate adjust to reflect as well as shape whatever economic fundamentals?

External shocks don't kill economy

MEETING: From left, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State; Rivers State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule; Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, during the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Soludo faults TSA implementation, says Jonathan's govt bankrupted economy Adds current policy regime inconsistent with objectives of creating jobs

By Jonah Nwokpoku & Prince Okafor

L

AGOS — Former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Chukwuma Soludo has said that the former President Goodluck Jonathan had the worst economic management team in history because he left Nigeria with an unprecedented rate of debt accumulation.

While speaking at the third anniversary lecture of the RealNews magazine titled ‘Can a New Buharinomics Save Nigeria?’ Soludo said “First, I supported President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) over Jonathan not because I was convinced about the credibility of the APC manifesto (and I said so in my article in January this year) but for three reasons. I was convinced that the last economic team was bankrupting the economy and had no clue as to how to fix it,” he said.

“Second, PMB is the first president of Nigeria under a democracy to have seriously desired the job and struggled for it for over 12 years. To me therefore, he must have a few points to prove, and I was willing to bet on a man who purposefully wanted the job than otherwise.

“Third, I was convinced that it would be in the enlightened selfinterest of the APC, once in power, to do their utmost to keep power by delivering on the economy unlike the PDP which had taken power for granted. I am still confident that PMB can deliver change (although as I had indicated in my article in January, I didn’t believe that any of the two parties could deliver on their manifesto) but he and his team now need to run at the speed of a 1000 km per hour.

“We must support them to succeed by contributing when we can, and criticising when we must — tough love! I am enjoying my status as ‘an independent’ (I don’t

belong to APC or PDP) and I therefore have the liberty to say it as I see it from the balcony!

“As at 1999 when PDP came to power, Nigeria was largely a pariah state still lucky to have survived as one indivisible sovereign, especially in the context of the struggle by NADECO and restiveness in many parts of the country. On corruption, Transparency International scored it 1.6 out of 10 and ranked 98 out of 99 countries in 1999.”

He added that “After 16 years, several challenges remain and some have even worsened (especially insecurity). Although President Jonathan’s regime had the worst economic management relative to the resources at its disposal, it must be stressed that tremendous progress was made in the aggregate 16 years of PDP government.

He said: “For the better part of this year, the external shocks to the economy have been complicated or accentuated by a gamut of the 'tried and failed' command and control policy regime: de facto fixed exchange rate, largely fixed CBN monetary policy rate, crude capital controls, veiled form of import bans through a long list of ‘ineligible for foreign exchange’, de facto scrapping of domiciliary account established by law, etc.

Interest groups lobbying to make policy shift permanent

"At first, I thought this was the usual knee-jerk response of policymakers to a ‘sudden’ shock. We tried a milder variant of this for a few months during the 2008/2009 unexpected/ unprecedented global crisis (with global liquidity squeeze and massive capital flight) but even then, it was communicated as a ‘short-term crisis response’ and it was quickly dismantled.

We now know what works and what doesn’t, even at a time of crisis.

“As one reads the confusing statements from government in the media: ‘We won’t devalue’, ‘we won’t devalue for now’, and the emotional debate about ‘nationalism’ around issues of import ‘bans’ and capital controls, one wonders whether it is still a ‘short-term crisis response’ or a permanent shift back to the old policy regime of pre-1986.

"Even if the government initially intended it as a shortterm measure, interest groups have emerged and are lobbying to make the policy shift permanent. To add to the confusion, the policy is communicated as a 'directive' from PMB as widely publicised in the media.

“In the specific case of Nigeria currently buffeted by terms of

"External shocks do not kill an economy. How you respond will determine whether you worsen it or meliorate the terms of trade shocks. That is what we are facing, the classic one. And how you respond to terms of trade shocks depends on whether the shock is from the monetary, nominal shock or whether it is from the real side shocks.

"And I would say on this micro economic theory and evidence around the world are pretty much unambiguous.

That faced with terms of trade shocks, countries with flexible exchange rate regime adjust faster and adjust better with less negative impact on growth and employment than those with fixed exchange rate.

"This is global evidence, pretty much unambiguous for countries facing terms of trade shock, that countries that allow relative pricing including exchange rates to become the key adjusters when faced with terms of trade shock have always almost done better than those that resorted to exchange rate fixing and distorting controls.

“In theory, if you don’t allow prices to adjust, quantities will adjust and the quantities that will adjust are output and employment. That is the experience we have had in Nigeria over the years. And that is what is happening today. Output and employment are adjusting with vengeance.

Policy regime inconsistent with objectives of creating jobs

"My thesis is that from

Nigeria’s own evidence, that the current policy regime is inconsistent with the objectives of creating jobs, growing income and reducing poverty. Nigeria since 1973 can become a laboratory. Since 1973, we have become episodes of positive and negative price shocks.

"If you divide the episodes of positive oil price shocks, episodes of negative price shocks and also match them with responses of policy regimes, the evidence is that, in all cases, fixed exchange rates with controls, the economy has always done worse in that regime than in under flexible regime.

“From Nigeria’s evidence, current policy regime is inconsistent with objective of growth, job creation and poverty reduction. The current economic hardship is largely our choice and not just oil price shock: The current slump of the economy was predictable and largely avoidable. Just as it happened in 1981-85, the economy has been on a tailspin.

"There is now about four per cent growth shortfall relative to past trend, and this cannot be explained by fall in oil prices alone. For the first time since 1990s, per capita growth rate (on annualized basis) is now negative implying that poverty is also escalating; capital market has lost trillions, inflation and unemployment are on the rise.

"JP Morgan has delisted our local currency bonds and Barclays is threatening same, while the cost of borrowing for Nigeria rises. Foreign capital is on the run, while domestic savings is miniscule. It was ‘headline news’ when FG paid October salaries, while states are steeping in massive debt."

“Policy choices entail costs and benefits, but the preference of one to another should be based on the 'net positive effects', depending on the stated objectives. To sustain the current arbitrarily pegged exchange rate will require a steep rise in interest rate and squeezing of bank credit to the private sector.

"Alternatively, intensifying the ever opaque and distorting controls and ‘bans’ will also severely harm the private sector. I will be surprised if the productive sector is not already feeling the heat. The irony is that it is the small businesses (which have no voice or power) that are suffering the most. Many are simply being choked to death by the ‘controls’."

Bribery scandal: A-Court dismisses ex-Mint boss' application for bail

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA — The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, refused to grant bail to the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Security, Minting and Printing Company, NSMPC, Mr. Ehidiamhen Okoyomon.

In a ruling, the appellate court held that Okoyomon should remain in prison custody until the appeal he filed against his planned extradition to the United Kingdom is determined.

The ex-Mint boss, who has already spent six months at Kuje Prison in Abuja, approached the appellate court, begging it to consider his “deteriorating

health condition” and okay his release on bail.

He told the court that he has health challenge that would require serious medical attention, a service he said would be impossible for him to obtain from prison.

However, dismissing Okoyomon’s application as lacking in merit, the court held that there was no circumstantial reason for it to release him on bail.

Justice Mohammed Mustapha, who delivered the ruling, maintained that the issue of poor health canvassed by Okoyomon as the reason he reapplied for bail, was not sufficient enough.

The court held that it was the duty of the Nigerian Prisons Service to not only keep a

detainee, but to also cater for his medical attention as well as feeding.

He said: “Being sick is never an excuse for bail because the prison is not only to keep detainees, but to cater for their health, and every detainee must be treated whenever such detainee is sick.

“Let me say here that the court must not encourage prison to be derelict in its duties of providing medical care for inmates whenever the inmates are sick, except on special ground where medical facilities to treat a special ailment is not available.”

He, therefore, directed the former Mint boss to channel his medical needs to the Prison authorities, pending when his matter is decided.

The ruling yesterday, made it the second time the court has turned down Okoyomon’s bail requests.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 9

Reps in rowdy session over supplementary budget PDP members query poor implementation of 2015 budget Supplementary appropriation passes second reading

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

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BUJA — PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s request for additional borrowing of N1.6 trillion to finance the 2015 budget, yesterday, led to a shouting war in the House of Representatives between members of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The shouting war was exacerbated by the President’s claim that an additional N465.6 billion was required to fund subsidy payments, an action that drew disdain from PDP members who said that the APC had before the election decried the payment of subsidies to oil marketers.

PDP members also raised concern that the funds being requested by the President had already been expended, saying the letter was essentially to cover the hole drilled by the President.

Leading the debate on the President’s request, House Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, had appealed to members to approve the President’s request irrespective of party lines to empower the government in the war against Boko Haram insurgency and to enable it settle petroleum marketers as the country was facing fuel scarcity that was biting hard on Nigerians.

His assertion was supported by among others, Mohammed Monguno, APC, Monguno/ Marte/Nganzai, Borno State; Zakari Mohammed, APC Baruten/Kaima, Kwara State and Mohammed Kazaure, APC Kazaure/Roni/Gwiwa/Yankashi, Jigawa State.

Kazuare had added that “we need the people to support anything President Buhari brings to the House.”

The Minority Leader, Rep Leo Ogor, was, however, unfazed as he pointed to a breach of parliamentary procedure in the President’s request, arguing that the government had already spent money on All Africa Games which had since been concluded before the request was sent to the parliament.

Besides, Ogor said he supported the money on security to fight the insurgency in the North but picked holes with the issue of subsidy, noting that the APC, as an opposition party, had kicked against subsidy claims which the party said then was a fraud, wondering at which point the party changed position.

He also queried why N413.3 billion should be paid as fuel

subsidy when the price of oil had fallen sharply as he then proposed that all relevant House committees rigorously interrogate the President’s request.

As he spoke, Gbajiabiamila raised a Point of Order to demand that Ogor withdraw his comment that the APC had in the past described fuel subsidy as a fraud.

Rowdy session

The demand turned the chamber into a rowdy stage upon the sharp division between the APC and the PDP members, forcing Speaker Yakubu Dogara to intervene to the fact that he was not aware of any official position of the APC kicking against fuel subsidy. The speaker added that President Buhari had recently said that he would not remove the subsidy.

But insisting on his position,

the Minority Leader said the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, remains the voice of the government of the day. This did not got down well with APC members who then shouted at him to sit down, an action that also spurred the PDP members to urge him on.

Speaker Dogara again intervened and compelled Ogor to take his seat.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, PDP, Isiukwuato/Umunneochi, Abia State, said the budget of 2015 had not been implemented up

to 30 per cent, saying: “If we pass this supplementary budget, are they (APC) going to implement it?

It is not about APC or PDP.” The Minority Whip, Yakubu Badeh, on his part said the House was in support of anything that would remove suffering on Nigerians and that the PDP was in support of the subsidy in as much as it would impact positively on the common man.

He also said that the House should monitor how the subsidy money was spent so that the people would have value for their money.

Upon the submissions, Dogara put the question as to whether the bill on the supplementary budget should be read the second time with a resounding yea from the majority of the members with no shouts to the contrary.

We’ll audit all pending high profile cases —AGF Vows to re-invigorate anti-corruption agencies

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA — THE Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, said yesterday that he has secured the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to thoroughly audit all pending high profile criminal cases.

The AGF, who made this disclosure while briefing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, said the audit would be aimed at uncovering reasons why past administrations failed to effectively prosecute corruption cases that were initiated against ‘some politically exposed persons’.

He said the President Buhariled government would not hesitate to re-open fresh investigation against anyone whose trial is found to have been compromised in any way.

“Similarly, those who compromised investigations of such cases will be duly prosecuted. Under this administration, there will be no respite for the corrupt,” the AGF stated.

Remarkably, almost 10 years after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, dragged some former governors to court over their alleged complicity in money laundering and wanton looting of public treasury, no meaningful headway has been made on most of the cases.

In fact, most of the corruption cases pending in court against the former governors are yet to even enter the hearing stage.

Mindful of this fact, the AGF, yesterday, vowed to reinvigorate all the anti-corruption agencies in the country, saying: “The battle against corruption is one which the administration of President Buhari has identified as crucial to the ultimate capacity

INAUGURATION: Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki (left) and Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, after the Senate President inaugurated the second batch of Senate Standing Committees, in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Senate President's Office. of the Nigerian state to rise to its full potentials.

“The linkage between corruption and underdevelopment has long been established and explains why Mr. President, in his inaugural address on May 29, 2015, identified corruption as the worst form of human rights violation as it denies the people the resources they need to develop and thrive.

“The Federal Ministry of Justice will, therefore, be positioned under my watch to play this role in a credible and committed manner.

“The task of re-invigorating the ministry and the other anticorruption agencies such as the EFCC, the ICPC and the Nigeria Police Force, is one to which I hereby pledge my personal commitment and

energy, in order to position them to fight it within the bounds of law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and in line with international best practices.

“Fighting corruption, of course, is not only a question of having laws and institutions in place, but also involves the need to deepen institutional credibility and individual integrity.

“The staff of the ministry and the other agencies, who will be involved in this fight, must therefore, realise that new and improved standards will be required of them and this government will not accept excuses for failure in the investigation and prosecution of cases.

“On its part, government will continue to improve the levels

of provisions of the resources and welfare requirements of the officers who will be involved in this campaign. We all must continue to be motivated by the fact that corruption is a monster which can consume us all if we do not collectively tackle it through individual efforts and collective approaches.

“The world over, it is believed that democracy thrives in an atmosphere of an independent judiciary, the protection of minority rights and an active legislative assembly that acts as an effective oversight over Executive action. As Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer, I am mindful of the responsibilities vested upon me under the constitution and therefore commit myself to building these Democratic institutions which are the pillars of our democracy."

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

FAAN rectifies power outage at MMIA

By Lawani Mikairu & Daniel Eteghe

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AGOS—THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, yesterday, said that it has rectified the power outage experienced late on Wednesday night at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.

Disclosing this to newsmen, General Manager, Corporate Affairs FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati said that the engineers of the agency swung into action to restore power to the airport.

Mr. Dati noted that preliminary investigation to ascertain what caused the outage revealed that it was caused by power surge from the power line supplying MMA and surrounding communities.

“After restoring power to the affected parts of the terminal, our engineers mobilized immediately to trace affected equipment and assess the levels of damage to them,” he said.

Deaconess Abigail Adeniyi for burial

Ambode, lawmakers task Fashola on Lagos devt

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Ebun Sessou

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AGOS—LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday described his predecessor and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, as a synergy between Lagos and Federal Government that will accelerate and actualize his administration’s plans for infrastructural development in the state.

Governor Ambode who said this while delivering a keynote address at the Lagos Business School Alumni Conference noted that the State is privileged to have Fashola in charge of key federal ministries at this critical moment in the history of the state.

“We are privileged to have my predecessor in office at the center in charge of Works, Power and Housing. This effectively means we have a synergy between Lagos and the Federal Government to accelerate and actualize our current plans for infrastructural development,” Governor Ambode said.

He added that though building infrastructure to improve the quality of life is a top priority in Lagos, traffic and security remain the two key priority focus areas that need urgent attention.

Speaking at another function, Governor Ambode said he has nothing else to give to humanity than uphold the tenets of good governance.

He said this while speaking as guest lecturer at the Annual Lecture and Award ceremony of The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association in Nigeria.

Meantime, some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday said that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN, had a lot of hard work to do.

The lawmakers who spoke in Lagos said that the former

governor of Lagos needed to work hard not to disappoint Nigerians and the President.

They expressed confidence in the ability of Fashola, but said that power remained the only problem impeding the development of the country.

Mr Oluyinka Ogundimu (APC- Agege II) said the minister needed to buckle up to address the problem of power which had defied all imaginable solutions.

Mr Abiodun Tobun (APC-Epe I) said that Fashola’s performance as governor of the state said a lot about him as an achiever and actualiser.

Tobun urged the minister not to disappoint the trust reposed on him to transform the power sector and put in place infrastructure.

Also, Mr Setonji David (APCBadagry II) said the minister was given serious areas where Nigerians are expecting change.

“Power, Works and Housing are very crucial to the happiness of Nigerians who voted for change,” he said.

LECTURE/AWARDS: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left); Group Vice President, Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce (right); Founder/CEO, Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi (2nd left), and Dr. Raymond Ihuoma, during the 2015 Humbert H. Humphrey annual lecture and awards luncheon, at the Metropolitan Club, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday.

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Virgin Atlantic Airways Nigerian staff protest alleged bias by mgt

Late Deaconess Adeniyi

AGOS—NIGERIAN cabin crew members of the Virgin Atlantic Airways have called on the Federal Government to come to their aid over alleged racial bias and planned sack by the foreign airline.

The cabin crew members through their lawyer, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, SAN, wrote a letter protesting the planned termination of their job by the end of this month.

In the said protest letter dated November 17, 2015 and addressed to the Chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited, Sir Richard Branson, Fagbohungbe said that the circumstances surrounding the intended sacking of all the Nigerian members of the Virgin Atlantic cabin crew violated the provisions of the International Labour Conference Convention 158 and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said that the intention of the airline to disengage the 21 Nigerians based on research that it no longer needs cultural expertise on the Lagos route, is a spurious and untenable excuse.

HE FINAL burial ceremony for Deaconess Abigail Adeniyi who died on October 10, 2015, has been announced.

According to the programme, a Christian wake will hold today for Adeniyi who was 68 years old, at Gospel Apostolic Church, 4, Ashimiu Asiwaju Street, Pipeline Bus stop, Orilowo Ejigbo, Lagos at 5pm.

The burial service is slated for Ejigbo Primary School field tomorrow at 11.00am, while internment will be at her residence, 22, Jubril Fasanya Road,EbenezerBusstop,Orilowo Ejigbo Lagos. Entertainment of guests follows immediately at Ejigbo Primary School field.

Sheissurvivedbychildrenand grandchildren.

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By Onozure Dania

Fagbohungbe further stated that the airline was being unfair to Nigeria as a country by planning to lay off its Nigerian employees despite the fact that the LagosLondon route remains one of, it’s most viable and profitable route of the airline.

He also stated that it was particularly disdainful that the planned sacking of the Nigerians was not in tandem with any reasonable severance package or options like the airline would normally do where citizens of other nations were involved.

According to him, Virgin Atlantic had earlier shut down its call centre in Nigeria and moved it to South Africa thereby

compounding the unemployment rate in Nigeria while creating additional jobs for South Africa, despite the profit being made from Nigeria.

He also recalled that the relocation of the call centre had imposed additional costs on Nigerians whose calls for inquiries were now routed to South Africa.

Reacting to the protest of the Nigerian Virgin Atlantic Airways Cabin Crew members over the alleged planned sack the’ Sales Agent in Nigeria, Chief John Adebanjo, dismissed insinuations that the airline was planning to pull out of the country due to harsh

operating environment.

He said: ‘’We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagosbased cabin crew, the primary purpose of our locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise and customer feedback. This is no longer a requirement on the Lagos route. ‘’The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward. This announcement has no impact on our flying programme and we plan to continue flights between Lagos and London."

Lagos warns residents against violating development for urban planning law with the state laws.” sustainability.’

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

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AGOS—WORRIED by the spate of collapsed buildings in two months, Lagos State Government yesterday warned residents over erecting building against 2010 Urban and Regional planning law, saying “the government has concluded plans to ensure that buildings conform

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Abiola Anifowoshe and General Manager of Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPA, Mr. Toyin Abdul handed out the warning at a stakeholder summit in Ojo Local Government, themed ‘Keying into benefits of city

They said that the number of buildings erected daily is not commensurate with number of structures that seek approval.

Abdul lamented that many erect buildings against the seeking development plans, noting “the slums in the state at present were as a result of negligence of the past and this must stop in the state.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—11

Ekiti tipper, quarry operators protest Fayose’s tax policy As EKSG seals off banks, telecoms offices over tax default

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

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DO—THE Union of Tipper and Quarry Employers of Nigeria, Ekiti State chapter, yesterday embarked on an indefinite strike over the imposition of N1,000 tax per trip and a fine of N50,000 on any defaulter by the state government.

The tipper owners described the tax as unacceptable and the fine as outrageous.

The members of the union, after a meeting on the development yesterday, staged a peaceful protest at their secretariat to denounce what they called the harsh tax policies of Governor Fayose’s administration which they said would kill their business.

They claimed that Fayose came into office through their votes and his government should not make life difficult for the people.

The government, through a letter dated November 12, 2015 and marked EK/MRDA/11/78 and signed by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Mr. Michael Ayodele, communicated its desire to impose the haulage tax of N1,000 per trip.

The measure took effect from November 16. Any defaulter will have his vehicle impounded by a task force, to be released on the payment of a fine of N50,000.

State chairman of the union, Chief James Mokoa, said he had no option than to tell his members to withdraw their services because they can’t afford the N50,000 fine.

Meantime, Ekiti State Government has sealed off some commercial banks and mobile telecommunication outlets in the state for nonpayment of business premises tax to the coffers of the state

government.

The Unity Bank branch along Adebayo Road and UBA along Secretariat Road, as well as the Etisalat, Airtel and Glo Corporate offices in the state, were all sealed off during the exercise.

The state Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives, Michael Ayodele, who led officials of the ministry to seal off the

affected business premises, said the state government took the action following repeated warnings to the organizations to fulfil their financial obligations to the state.

He wondered why corporate organizations which have been making a lot of money in the state find it difficult to fulfil their civic duties to the state.

PUBLIC SERVICE DAY: From left; Registrar, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr. (Mrs) Modupe Ajayi; Ondo State Head of Service, Toyin Akinkuotu; Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State and Former Chairman, Governing Council, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo and Chief of Staff, Dr Kola Ademujimi, during the 2015 Public Service Day Celebration and Award for Exemplary Performance, in Akure, yesterday.

Shooting of citizens: IG reads riot act to policemen

By Daud Olatunji

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B E O K U TA — T H E Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, yesterday, warned officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to desist from the habit of shooting civilians or risk being jailed within 48 hours of the commissioning of the offence.

Arase spoke at Eleweran headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command in Abeokuta.

According to him, it will become an offence for SPY officials recruited by banks as part of their security teams to wear police uniforms, ordering that such men should be arrested and detained.

He, however, appealed to the rank and file of the force to show civility in their operation by obeying constituted authorities.

He decried a situation where policemen harass civilians with sticks and whips saying that such acts can only portray the force in bad light.

The police boss, however, commended officers and men of the command and gave immediate promotion to the next rank to eight sentry guards who performed the guard of honour for him just as he awarded personal

scholarships to eight pupils of the command’s primary school who entertained him.

He enjoined the leadership of the command to promote good relationship with their host communities saying that policing now is more of information and intelligence gathering.

He warned his men not to dabble into commercial and civil

matters.

Arase also warned policemen against detaining of suspects more than the time allowed by law saying police authorities have paid money running into millions of naira in damages that arose from illegal detention.

He, however, singled out dangerous crimes like murder and armed robbery that can warrant longer detention of

suspects because they will involve courts to process.

The police chief also enjoined his men to improve their image saying wearing of slippers for instance does not portray the force in good light.

Earlier, the state commissioner of police Abdulmajid Ali, listed the challenges facing the command to include poor infrastructure and the need for additional divisions.

Osun unveils Wole Soyinka High School, Monday

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—OSUN State Government will on Monday, November 23, 2015, unveil the newly completed High School in Ejigbo, Ejigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The new school, named after Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, is a magnificent three-in-one school, which has the capacity for 3,000 pupils.

The Monday commissioning of the school, marks the first of such high school facilities in the state having commissioned schools in the other lower categories of the mega-schools being built by the Rauf Aregbesola administration.

The government had earlier commissioned the Salvation Government Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo,

Baptist Elementary Government School, Ilare, Ile-Ife as well as the Ansar-rul-Deen Government Elementary School, Isale Osun, Osogbo. Already, more than 50 schools in the elementary and middle school classification have been completed and put to use across the state.

A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the unveiling of the new school is in furtherance of the determined implementation of the report of the 2011 education summit organised by the state government which identified the multiform problems and rots standing in the way of functional education in Nigeria.

Amosun calls for resuscitation of reading culture

By Prisca Sam Duru

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OVERNOR Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, yesterday, emphasised the importance of reading culture, saying it is very critical.

He said this at the opening of Ake Arts and Book Festival. In his address at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Amosun said literature is the soul of life which provokes diverse ideas noting that the culture of reading is very critical as "you can’t give what you have."

Director of Book Buzz and organisers of Ake Arts and Books Festival, Lola Shoneyin, in her welcome address, said over the past three years the character of the festival remains the same. She thanked partners of the festival for the past three years.

The European Union, EU, Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Michel Arrion, in his address, said: "You don’t invest in water, health and education if you don’t understand the culture of the people you want to give water to."

Director of Marine Platforms, Baji Nyam, at the opening of the festival, unveiled the contribution of Marine Plartform to the development of literature in Northern Nigeria, distributing books to many Boko Haram affected areas.

12 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—13

Tributes, prayers herald final funeral rites for late Olu of Warri

By Egufe Yafugborhi

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ARRI—IT was a day of tributes, yesterday, for the late Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, as his final funeral rites which will begin today, were heralded with a commendation service at the Olu Palace (Aghofen), Warri, Delta State.

Following a session of hymns rendition and bible readings, former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in his capacity as Patron General, Bible Society of Nigeria, BSN, opened the tributes, noting that the humility and selflessness of the exited 19th Olu of Warri during his life on earth.

Represented by the Secretary General of BSN, Richard Ajiboye, Gowon noted: “When the Itsekiri Bible was printed in 2005, he (Atuwatse II) donated sacrificially to support the project. He was the highest donor.

“The late Olu was a thoroughbred Christian monarch who used his reign to serve God with humility and inspired peace and harmonious relationship among his subjects and neighbours. His actions and character brought development to his people and respect to the over 500 years old throne.”

The BSN in honour of the late monarch, shared 400 copies of the bible on the occasion, revealing that the Olu was on the verge of committing more resources for the printing of more copies of the Itsekiri Bible when he passed on.

Harping on the humility of the departed Olu, former General Overseer, Four Square Gosdpel Church, Rev Wilson Badejo, in a sermon on “What is death?” said the Olu having lived beyond the biblical three scores and ten, did so with a fulfilled soul.

He said: “Our royal father is right now in a place of grandeur.

He is a baptized, sanctified, tongue speaking, spirit filled, born again son of God and a king on earth. While still living among us, the Olu would enter into the sanctuary and remove his crown, telling you there is a king who is the King of kings, mightier and greater in all dimensions and should take His glory.”

In a tribute presented by Prince Yemi Emiko on behalf of the late monarch’s siblings, the royal family said: “Given the sweep of his life, the scope of his accomplishments, the adoration he earned, it is tempting to imagine that Atuwatse would be detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men.

“I recall how few years into his reign, we used to gather in his garden at Atuwatse Close to relive our growing up years in C M Y K

the palace. He taught some of us how to swim in the Okere Creek. He taught us how to catch fish in those happy moments you wish never come to an end. Instructively, those moments provided him platform to share his dream for his kingdom, even his miscalculations along with his victories.”

For Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria, after closing a session of prayers by the clergy present for the

Itsekiri Kingdom and Nigeria at large, he simply, in an ode to the late Olu, said, “Good night, we will see you in the morning.”

Today, all roads lead to OdeItsekiri, the ancestral home of the Itsekiri, also known as Big Warri, as the final funeral rites begin with dignitaries expected from the Presidency to state governors, traditional authorities, captain of industries and the diplomatic corps.

Chief Yaya Pessu, Chairman,

Traditional Council in the kingdom who earlier announced the funeral date said, “The funeral rites for the late Olu will last 14 days from November 20.

“And by December 12, the coronation ceremony for his successor will begin with a regatta at the Warri Club jetty before the coronation rites at Ode-Itsekiri. We are expecting dignitaries from far and near and we enjoin all to cooperate with us through these moments.”

COMMENDATION SERVICE: From left: Pastor Daniel Awowho, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, Pastor Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor and Pastor David Okoturo, during the commendation service for the late Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, at the Olu Palace, Warri, yesterday.

Eastern Naval Command arrests 1,500 illegal ships in 10 months

By Emma Una

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A L A B A R — BETWEEN the months of January and October 2015, the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy apprehended no fewer than 1,500 ships, barges and boats carrying out illegal activities within its maritime domain.

Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir, the Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Eastern Naval Command, told Vanguard while conducting Exercise Mamaki at the high sea that some of the vessels arrested during the period had been destroyed while some were handed over to the Nigerian Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Calabar for prosecution He said that arrested along with the ships and barges were about 2,000 men, who have also been handed over to the police and warned that any one with criminal intentions should steer clear Nigeria’s territorial waters as the Navy has beefed up its operations to stem the tide of illegal oil bunkering and sea piracy.

Rivers Assembly confirms granting approval to Wike for N10bn loan

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT— RIVERS State House of Assembly has confirmed allegation by the All Progressives Congress, APC, that it gave approval to the state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to secure a fresh loan of N10 billion.

Leader of the House, Mr. Martin Amewhule, made the confirmation, yesterday, at a media interaction in his office, saying that the House sat in line with Order 5 Rule 1 and Order 37 of the House.

He, however, denied claims by the APC that it sat in the early hours of Tuesday to grant the approval, adding that the approval was given on November 12.

He said: “The government of Chief Wike had approached the Assembly to give approval to the state government to borrow and I want to say that the Rivers State House of Assembly followed due process and in

tandem with the law and our Rules to approve such loans for the government.

“We have made approvals for the Rivers State Government to borrow, the latest approval is N10 billion.

But, let me quickly say this, even if we put together the funds approved by the Assembly for the government, it is a paltry sum compared

to what the Edo State Government just borrowed and which was approved by the Federal Government, as well as what the Lagos State Government borrowed and what other states are borrowing.”

It will be recalled that the APC blew the issue open in its statement, alleging that the governor got the House

to secretly approve the loan of N10 billion at 6a.m., on Wednesday, adding that all parties were told to keep the issue away from the public.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a statement by the media aide to the state chairman, denied the allegation, saying that there was no such move to secure fresh loan.

You’re treading on boundaries of contempt, ex-NBA chief warns lawyers from using such base and scur-

F

ORMER President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, has warned lawyers and practitioners in the media who have been commenting on the Supreme Court's granting of stay of proceedings in the case against Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, using “uncouth language”, to beware of being held contemptuous of the highest court in the country.

Daudu, in a statement

yesterday, expressed surprise that some lawyers were quoted in newspaper reports as describing the decision of the Supreme Court as “illegal”, a position, he said, was almost sacrilegious to take in the nation’s justice system.

He said: “That is most unfortunate as decency and elementary regard for the finality of the decisions of the Supreme Court should restrain every citizen of this country, particularly a legal practitioner,

rilous language against the highest court of the land.

“It is a known legal axiom that a decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria cannot be illegal in any form or manner as it is binding on all persons and authorities in this country. If a person is aggrieved by the decision of the court, the only approach is to wait for an opportunity to arise and such a person can ask the Court to overrule itself or depart its earlier decision.”

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

COMMENDATION SERVICE FOR LATE OLU OF WARRI PHOTOS: AKPOKONA OMAFUIRE

From right: Rev. Mosignor Joachim Aghware, representing Bishop of Warri Diocese, Bishop Okeoghene Afareha, Rev. Fr. Ofuya Daniel of St. Michael’s Catholic From left: Pastor Daniel Awowho, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, Pastor Ayo Church, DSC, Rev. (Dr.) Grace Ekperigin of Church of God Mission, Benin-City Oritsejafor and Pastor David Okoturo. and Apostle J.A Okoro, representing the Bishop of Hiltop Assembly, Bishop Tseye Okotie at the commendation service for the Late Warri monarch, HRM. Ogiame Atuwatse II.

Hon. J.F.K. Omatsone, former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly (left) and Hon.( Mrs.) Olivia Agbajoh.

Mr. &Mrs. Abi Ete Ayida.

Members of Ogono-Jesus entertaining guests on the occasion.

SERVICE OF SONGS AND CHRISTIAN WAKE KEEP FOR LATE CHIEF TORCH TAIRE IN LAGOS PHOTO: BUNMI AZEEZ

From left: Mr. Jolomi Taire, son of the Deceased, Deaconess Adefemi Taire, OFR, wife, His Highness, Ephraim Faloughi and Mr. Tajin Olusegun Taire, son, during the Service of Songs and Christian wake keep for late Chief Torch Oritseweyinmi Taire, at Yaba Baptist Church, Yaba, Lagos, yesterday.

From left: Alhaji Musliu Smith, former IGP, Mr. Oladele Oshodi, Rev. Julius Akindele and Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, fomer Head of Service, Lagos State.

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Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd) and his wife.

From left: Pastor (Mrs) Anthonia Adeyemo, Mrs. Mopelola Ayanfaki and Dame Abimbola Fashola at the event.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—15

Face-off: How Obiano mismanaged my N75bn savings —Obi •Show evidence you left N75bn – APGA

By Enyim Enyim & Anozie Egole

F

ORMER GOVERNOR of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has reacted to Governor Willie Obiano’s recent allegation that the N75 billion savings handed over to him (Obiano) by Obi, in March 2014, were far less than the actual figure, accusing the current governor of distortion of facts and gross financial mismanagement.

At a recent press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Obiano had dismissed Obi’s claims as “half-truths” pointing out that the former governor left the state with a heavy debt overhang of N106.2 billion when his tenure expired on March 17,

2014.Obiano had wondered how Obi could have given Ndi Anambra a rosy picture of the assets he left behind without showing them the liabilities he incurred.

The governor, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solomon Osita Chukwulobelu, held that out of the N185.1bn, the Obi administration could only pay the sum of N78.9bn when it handed over power in March last year, bringing the total liabilities to N106.2bn.

But Obi, who opened up yesterday, in a statement made available to the press by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, decried how Obiano squandered the hard earned savings in foreign currency which would have gone a long way in sustaining the development of

the State.The statement entitled, 'We Need a Public Debate on the N75 billion Peter Obi Left,' provided details and listed the areas the money was frittered away to include N5 billion approved by the present administration for the celebration of the first 100 days in office, the N1 billion monthly security vote, hundreds of billions spent for 2014 Christmas decoration and buying of horses and the N40 million to mount the gates at the Government’s Lodge.

Others include N35 million spent to mount the gate at the Government’s House, change of roof at the Government House which gulped N700 million, change of all the tiles in the Government House to pale granite at N150 million, procurement of dining table at N25 million, seats at N50 million, gold bed from the United States at N30 mil- lion and another gold bed for the governor’s wife at N25 million.

Giving a further breakdown on how Obiano successfully depleted the N75 billion savings within a short period of time, Obienyem said N40 million was spent on imported kitchen cabinet

from the United States, N150 million for musical sets for Aguleri, acquisition and relocation of all lands around the governor ’s compound at Aguleri, as well as the increase in Commissioners and Special Advisers pay to over N400,000 monthly as against N190,000 Obi’s administration paid.

Other areas the savings was mismanaged include the increase in salary of Senior Special Assistants from N160,000 to N300,000.

According to the former governor, Obiano had also used more vehicles in less than two years than what his predecessor used in eight years, with the present Secretary to the State Government (SSG) using three Prado SUVs and two Toyota Hilux cars; the Chief of Staff ,two Prado SUVs and two Toyota Hilux cars and the Principal Secretary using two Prado SUVs and one pickup car.

While saying that there is nothing wrong in government borrowing money to meet its genuine

demands, Obienyem dismissed the claim that the Obi administration left debts on contracts executed.

His words: “They said that Obi left N106.2 billion (wrong figure) over hangon contractual debts alone. I challenge them to publish the schedule of the debts and the companies being owed.

“As at the time Obi left office, he paid for all the certificates generated on contracts awarded.

Certificates are generated on the basis of work completed. Are they saying Obi ought to pay for contracts yet to be done?

The same man saying this awarded 35 fresh roads within his first year in office at the total cost of over N81 billion out of which he has paid N10 billion.

“On the other hand, Obi awarded roads totalling N93 billion in his last year in office and paid a total of over N51 billion on those roads before leaving office.

Most of those roads were

Continues on Page 44

16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Thanksgiving service to mark Alake of Egbaland's 10th coronation anniversary

From right, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,Chief Ernest Shonekan, Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, his Olori; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his wife, Biola; Mrs. Funsho Amosun, and Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, after the special thanksgiving service to mark the 10th coronation anniversary of Alake of Egbaland, at St. Peters Church, Ake Abeokuta, yesterday. Photo: Wunmi Akinola

Oba Dapo Tejuoso (left), and Oba Adedotun Gbadebo with his Olori.

From left, Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo, Akarigbo of Remo Land; Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, Olu of Ilaro, paramount ruler of Yewa land; Oba Olufemi, Olubara of Ibara; Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Osile Oke Ona Egba, Olori & Oba Adetodun Gbadebo.

Cross section of the Oba's children.

From left, Chief Segun Osunkeye, Chief Bazuaye H. O., and Chief Benjamin Iredia, representing Oba of Benin.

Princess Adebisi Edionseri, and Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo, Akarigbo of Remo land.

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Oba Adedotun Gbadebo (middle) with his Olori (left), and Asiwaju Tinubu.

Otunba Subomi Balogun & his Olori.

From left, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi, and Chief Yinka Kufile

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 17

•Babatunde Fashola

•Kemi Adeosun

•Rotimi Amaechi

Ministers — Readers responses L

AST week, I praised Mr President for appointing Rotimi Amaechi and Babatunde Fashola to his Cabinet but told you that several concerned citizens had contacted me to express the view that Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Buhari’s new Minister of Finance, is not experienced enough to hold such a sensitive and senior portfolio.

I told you that having watched Adeosun’s Senate Screening last month, I shared the above viewpoint and I said that while I wish Adeoshun success and hope she proves me wrong, a) I feel that she is nowhere near as distinguished as her World Bank-trained predecessor, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala, and b) she does not strike me as someone who possesses the gravitas to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her accomplished counterparts in Britain and the United States…or with Christine

Lagarde, the formidable French CEO of the International Monetary Fund.

A number of Vanguard readers wrote to say or imply that they thought I’d been unfair to Adeosun. In the interests of journalistic balance, here are some of the emails and text messages that pro-Adeosun Vanguard readers sent me: From: Caleb Ogbonna <khalebpowers@yahoo.com> I have been an avid reader of your weekly column for quite a while now and I must confess that you write with a perfect understanding of contemporary issues.

My only frown was at your description of Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the Honourable Minister for Finance as an unfamiliar neophyte in the financial terrain and your strong emphasis on international recognition.

May I oppose your bias and

On a lighter note A 22-Year-Old University of Port Harcourt computer sciences graduate, Pamela Leesin Peter-Vigboro, recently won the 2015 Miss Nigeria beauty pageant contest.

Even though Pamela comes from my village (Bodo City in Ogoniland), she represented Cross River State instead of her own state, Rivers. And it is good that Nigeria has progressed to the point where an individual doesn’t necessarily have to have ancestral links to a location to represent that location in a competition.

Location in a competition Pamela was not the only Miss Nigeria contestant who didn’t represent her home state. Jigawa State, for example, was represented by a non-Jigawan called Kehinde Itunu. And the curse of tribalism will surely wane if this trend continues.

But while part of me heartily applauds C M Y

humbly say that it is not the years of experience and international acclaim that qualifies one for such tough job, rather it is the grasp of peculiar challenges and cultural/socio-economic maladies that arise from the ‘Nigerian economic model’ that places one in a vantage position to solve problems.

International theories Nigerian economic woes do not need those excellent in international theories and models but people with a touch of local intuition and relevant intelligence.

I am only an undergraduate student and I hold your opinions in high esteem, so I am reluctant to question your basis for drawing certain conclusions. But my own take is that we should give people

this advancement of the nation-building ONE NIGERIA dream, I cannot help feeling rather miffed that it is Cross River rather than Rivers that is enjoying the kudos associated with pretty Pamela’s win!

Having said all this, I don’t even know why I am grumbling about Cross River getting the credit for Pamela’s victory because I don’t even approve of beauty contests!

Girls parading up and down catwalks in skimpy swimsuits - while their bodies are being scrutinized by judges who are mostly male and mostly old enough to be their fathers - is not my idea of how 21st century women should conduct themselves.

If I had a pulchritudinous daughter, I would beg her not to enter sexist contests that promote vanity and the idea that women are mere decorative objects to be lusted after; and I’d advise her to allow her beauty to be celebrated informally and urge her to concentrate on developing her intellectual and social skills.

•Pamela

who are familiar with the Nigerian terrain and our economic dynamics a chance to flex their cerebral muscles.

From 08035827823 Temi Kingsway Eyoyibo I am happy that Rotimi Amaechi now controls our transportation sector. The Northerners saw in him what some of us in the South-South refused to see because of wickedness.

Babatunde Fashola is also very capable. As for the beautiful young woman, Kemi Adeosun, let’s give her all the encouragement we can give her.

08068232727 Yinka Ogunjobi Dear Madam Donu, I agree with your assessments of Amaechi and Fashola but disagree on Adeosun…Why not wait and see how she will perform when she has settled down? Rome was not built in a day.

08034513498 Olorogun (Alhaji) Adams Braimoh Why are you doubting Kemi Adeosun’s abilities? Do other ministers possess any better skills and knowledge? Please let us give her a chance to serve Nigeria. Stop running down your fellow woman. Time will tell whether she will prove you wrong with an excellent performance.

08056126016 Prince Churchhill Owamiyemi Kogbara, you are dead wrong about Kemi Adeosun. What you wrote about her is misleading and in bad faith. Your European mentality made you compare her with British, French and American finance ministers. You even compared her unfavourably with arrogant Okonjo-Iweala who abused governors and spoke carelessly to senators. I am not Yoruba. I am an Itsekiri from Warri and I do not know Adeosun from Adam. But for now I see her and Fashola as the best ministers.

What more can I say?!...Except that I don’t see why I should suppress any reservations I may have about a particular public official simply because she happens to be a fellow woman, but I am glad for Adeosun’s sake that she enjoys considerable support from certain quarters…and will continue to keep my fingers crossed that she justifies Mr President’s faith in her and does well for Nigeria.

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 OR 0811 675 9752 (texts only).

PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 RECENTLY, the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed Nigeria from the list of polioendemic countries. It was a major milestone in the drive to eradicate polio after a year of not recording a single case of polio in any part of the country.

Previously, Nigeria had never completely interrupted transmission of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV). As of July 2012, the nation accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide, but surprised the world through this landmark achievement.

Rapid progress against the crippling disease came largely as a result of the dedication of countless health workers and strong government commitment to reach every child with the polio vaccine.

Back in 1988, polio was widespread around the world,

Nigeria’s polio eradication drive paralysing more than 1,000 children every day. Today, it has been reduced by more than 99 percent. The fact that Nigeria has now gone almost 500 days without any new case of polio is cheering news. By exiting the list of polio-endemic nations, Nigeria has brought the world one major step closer to achieving the global goal of polio eradication.

Eradicating polio would be one of the greatest achievements in human history which would have a positive impact on global health for generations to come.

With Nigeria’s new status as a polio-free country, efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by the Federal Government, World Health Organisation (WHO) Rotary International, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) must be stepped up even more.

It is essential to appreciate that the global fight to end polio – a disease which just under 30 years ago, paralyzed 350,000 children around the world annually

–is in reality, a journey, not a destination.

Even in celebration, the momentum must be kept up. For Nigeria to be certified polio-free, no new cases must be detected over the next two years. To achieve this most important feat, decisive and deliberate measures must be taken.

Strengthened vaccination campaigns, especially in hardto-reach and insecure areas, coupled with improved routine immunization backed by disease surveillance, must remain mandatory components of the agenda.the anti-polio campaign must continue.

Our defeat of Ebola, eradication of guinea worm and near extermination of polio are concrete proofs that there is no challenge we cannot defeat with teamwork.

OPINION Tribute

to

Chijioke

By Sam Ekpe

T

HE Nigerian Civil War of 1967 – 1970 affected our education negatively by drawing us back for the three years the war lasted. He was in class 5 and I was in class 4 in the famous Methodist College Uzuakoli when the war broke out in 1967. In 1970, a good number of us returned to the school to finish our secondary education. Those of us in class 4 were promoted to class 5 to take the WASC exam in 1970.

The WAEC exam in 1970 was cancelled (the notorious expo 1970) and we repeated the exam in 1971. It was in 1971 that I became close to him – a fair complexioned young man with a lot of brain and beauty.

He had no difficulty passing his West African School Certificate exam with Grade 1 and passing the very competitive entrance exam to the University of Nigeria Medical School.

It was in our lower Sixth Form that we caused a stir in the school. it was a tradition for the school Management to appoint ‘Old boys’ i.e. those who passed through the school from classes 1 to 5 school prefects, along with a few new students who had come from other schools for their Higher School Certificate (HSC) Education. When the names of prefects for the 1971 /1972 session were announced, Chijioke Nwosu, my humble self and one or two other old boys were conspicuously missing from the list. This revisionist attitude and departure from the norm caused a lot of disaffection among the students as it appeared that the Uzuakoli discipline and moral rectitude which we had

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Nwosu

imbibed in the school for five years was being disregarded in favour of relatively new HSC Students whom Uzuakoli had not passed through. The students carried placards and school activities were disrupted for some days. Some of us who were seen as ring leaders of the students' demonstration were sent on suspension for some months. In the end, reason prevailed, we were recalled and appointed prefects. But during the impasse Chijioke Nwosu passed the examination to the UNN Medical School. This was a great relief and source of joy to us and he mocked the school management saying that their disregard for him by not appointing him prefect was a blessing in disguise as he had moved on to ‘better life’. We recalled this episode with relish whenever we met or discussed our days in Methodist College Uzuakoli.

Dr. Chijioke Nwosu was born on September 27th, 1947, as the fourth out of the 10 children of the Methodist Family of Pa Elder Matthew Madukwe Nwosu and Ma Elder (Mrs) Nwano Nwosu, of Amaedukwu Nkpa, Okpuhu Nkpa Autonomous Community, in Bende L.G.A Abia State. He was born in Ndoro Ikwuano L.G.A. while the father was a Head Master of the then prominent Methodist School, Ndoro, Oboro. He had his Elementary School education at Okpuhu Nkpa Central School, Lohum Central School,

He gave free Medical Care to many patients that could not afford to pay their Hospital bills

Ozuitem Central School and Uzuakoli Practicing School respectively. While in Uzuakoli Practicing School, he passed the entrance examination into the famous Methodist College Uzuakoli in 1963. While in Secondary School, he was very popular and sociable. He was a good athlete and also won the All Round Medal (VICTOR LUDORUM) in 1971. He also participated actively in Church Activities.

He obtained the degree of M.B.B.CH and became a Medical Doctor in 1978. Between 1978 and 1979, did House Job in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. His National Youth Service was with Nigerian Air Force, Port Harcourt between 1979 and 1980.

In 1984, he established a 25 bed Hospital, UDO POLY CLINICS at No. 9 and 10 Chief Ejims Street Rumuobiakani, Obio, Port Harcourt, where he practiced Medicine as the Medical Director until his demise.

Dr. Chijioke Nwosu was born, baptized and grew up as a Methodist, hence his very deep involvement in the affairs of Methodist Church of Nigeria during his lifetime. He contributed immensely within Abia State in Community Rural Development in the areas of Electricity, Water, Road Network and Public Health which earned him awards, honours and Chieftaincy titles.

In 1995, he contributed handsomely during Wesley Methodist Church No. 1 Harbour Road, Port Harcourt Church Building Extension Project for which his name was clearly written on the Honours list. He was a strong member of the Men’s Fellowship, assisting in funding various Church activities especially new Church sites, Baby Wesley Church extensions and donated funds for

Evangelism. From 2002 to 2004, he singlehandedly started and completed the construction of the Church Tower at his home church, Wesley Methodist Church, Okpuhu Nkpa.

In 1996, he was honored by Uzuakoli Methodist College Old Boys Association (UMCOBA), Rivers State Branch, which conferred on him the prestigious title of NNAGU II, THE MAYOR OF UMCOBA and in 1998 was conferred with the Distinguished Old Boy Award (DOB) by the National Body of the Old Boys Association.

He received Chieftaincy title of UGWUMBA 1 of OBORO Community where he was born during the father’s sojourn in Ndoro, Oboro in 2000 as Headmaster and in 2002 he was conferred with the title of ONWA NETIRI OHA 1 OF AMAEGBUATO NKPA. In 2003 he was conferred with the title of CHINYERE UGO 1 OF AMIYI OBILOHA. He was also invested with the TRUE FAITHFUL OF GOD (TFG) by Rt Bishop Br. C.N. Ede, then Bishop of Uzuakoli Diocese in the same year.

On April 3,2005 during the “Recognition of Service and Award of Merit” by the Methodist Church he was conferred with OFFICEROFTHEORDEROFJOHNWESLEY (OJW), by his Eminence Sunday Mbang, CON, Prelate Emeritus of Methodist Church of Nigeria. In his bid to alleviate the sufferings of the less privileged he gave free Medical Care to many patients that could not afford to pay their Hospital bills. He is survived by his wife, Mrs Stella U. Chijioke Nwosu and four children;, a son – in-law, two grandchildren and host of other relations. *Mr. Mantu, a civil rights activist, wrote from Kaduna, Kaduna State.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015— —19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

We are not afraid T

HE world is at war. One without boundaries. With the terrorist taking centre stage, the universe is on the edge. The sane shake their heads while the unbalanced, tweet triumphant messages claiming authorship of additional innocent lives they have taken at random. The earth is the theatre of enlightenment with a stage of darkness. While knowledge, innovation and technology illuminate the earth; the terrorists strive to knock off the lights. But having lost three hundred and ninety six innocent souls to three attacks within two weeks to terrorism, the last thing we need, is a divided world against terrorists.

These string of tragedies began on Saturday October 31, when the Russian Metrojet Flight 7K9268 flying from the Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm El-Sheikh with 224 souls including seventeen children, was bombed out of the sky in the Sinai Peninsula.

Then on Thursday November 12, a terrorist in the busy Burj al-Barajneh area of Beirut blew himself up. As people tried to recover from this, Adel Tormons who had witnessed the explosion saw another man making suspicious moves, so he forced

himself on the suspect, and his bomb went off. The courage of Tormons had saved lives as the suspect might have mingled with the gathering crowd before setting off his explosives. A total of 43 people were killed and over 200 injured. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility.

The next day, at least seven ISIS terrorists attacked the civil populace in Paris, sending 129 to early graves and leaving 349 injured. People were killed performing ordinary functions like having a bite at a café or at a football match. Perhaps, the most horrifying for me was the massacre at the Bataclan Theatre where 89 persons were killed. It reminded me of the October 23, 2002 Dubrovka Theatre, Moscow attack by Chechen terrorists during which 850 people were taken hostage with 130 of them being killed.

Perhaps the fact that the Paris attacks took place in Europe, the universal out pour of anger and solidarity messages virtually drowned news of the earlier terrorist attacks in Lebanon.

World leaders and the dominant Western media including Facebook which produced (French national) tricolor profile picture filter to users, forgot or

ignored the carnage in Beirut carried out by the same group.

But in reality, it is Lebanon, which has given shelter to over one million Syrian refugees, that is on the frontline in the war against terror. The impression must not be given that lives in one part of the world, are more valuable than lives in another part. All lives matter.

The war against terror is universal, and we need a united humanity to take on the terrorists wherever they are and whenever they show their faces including in Nigeria where terrorists this Tuesday, murdered 31 persons in the Yola area.

Pope Francis argues that the Paris attacks are the beginnings of the Third World War. This may well be so, but the new war would not be a conventional one where armies are pitched against themselves, fighting to take and

In the war against terror, it makes common sense for humanity to unite; for the West and America to end its war in Syria, Turkey stop attacks against Kurds and for Israel to allow its Palestinian neigbours, their independent homeland

My Investigation Police officer and I

By Clement Udegbe

P

OLICE investigation action starts with either a petition or a complaint by an aggrieved person or by an agency over a misdemeanor or some criminal conduct to a superior police officer ranging from the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to any of his numerous offices. The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, is the closest Senior officer to the people at the Local Government Area or wherever, and depending on the type of station, some DPOs have well over 100 police officers under their control and command.

Good DPOs maintain a good balance with the traditional rulers, and local politics of their area to preempt and control crime, and enforce the law. They are the law as the case may be. Thus, the bad image of the Police in Nigeria, stems from who the DPO is, his understanding of the import of his office, and the role of the police in maintaining a safe and peaceful society.

A good DPO often is a good listener, takes his decisions, and moves on without beating about the bush, and allowing himself to be manipulated by the rich and powerful.

On the same token, a bad DPO is selfopinionated, shouts at every one, tries to apply the law wrongly to suit his whims and caprices. He can turn a case against the complainant and charge him to court with anything just to punish him for not compromising. To him, it does not matter whether the charge is subsequently struck off or not, his interest is to subject the victim to Nigeria’s difficult legal system, where he could end up in prison custody if his bail is not well handled in C M Y K

court. Something needs to be done about DPOs who upturn cases against complainants and charge frivolous cases to court, because they contribute to creating the fear in most citizens for police stations causing citizens to keep certain crimes such as domestic violence, rape, battery, etc. from being reported.

The DPO is very important in the police chain of command, and care should be taken to select who to make a DPO, in order to improve on the image of the police in society.

DPOs report to Area Commanders, who report to the Commissioner of Police, CP, in the state, who in turn reports to Assistant Inspector General, AIG, who controls and commands a few states in the Zone. There are other Police formations commanded by CPs, to address specialised cases, such the Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos etc.

Once a case is established, it is assigned to a police investigation officer, IPO, who will handle the case file and report to his

Our IPOs should be placed ahead of these developments through training and exposure, to minimize the sufferings and humiliation of victims of bank account related internet frauds

hold territories.

In the war against terror, it makes common sense for humanity to unite; for the West and America to end its war in Syria, Turkey stop attacks against Kurds and for Israel to allow its Palestinian neigbours, their independent homeland. This war is not one between Muslims and Christians, Jews and Buddhists. It is not a clash of civilisations or culture. It is one between criminals who want to reshape the world in their own image, and the rest of humanity. This is why, in understanding the anger of France and its President, Francois Hollande who has promised a “ruthless’ and ‘pitiless’ response, it is necessary to caution that France’s response should be based on verifiable facts, clear objectives and an eye on possible repercussions. This is necessary so that we don’t go from a bad, to a worse situation.

After the 9/11 attacks, the United States (US) promised a similar ruthlessness in its response. However, like a provoked but blind hulk, it turned to the wrong direction crashing into anti-terrorist Iraq, knocking down its state structures and infrastructure. So rather than taking out the terrorist network which planned 9/11, it took out the Iraqi state, leaving its broken shell with separatist Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish governments who are unable to govern, and producing ISIS which took swathes of land for a terrorist caliphate.

Then like a drunken giant, it staggered into Afghanistan uprooting the government and turning the country into a failed state. So while Americans can feel justified for the bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its rendition programme which saw it kidnap people around the

superiors, and what becomes of that case depends majorly on who the IPO is, his knowledge, biases and idiosyncrasies. Most DPOs use Sergeants as IPOs, they lead other lower ranks in their team, and they are the link between the senior and junior officers and can make and unmake. They are so useful, yet mostly untrained, raw, and lack knowledge in the application of law and enforcement. The training of this cadre of officers have become so crucial at this stage of our democratic experience in policing, and with the social pulls in our nation. Most sergeants are not computer literate, cannot understand and handle most mobile phone applications, some even regard such knowledge as risky which disposes persons to criminal conduct!

One cannot really blame them, when some of our law makers are so unfamiliar with the internet, that they would need special training for Facebook applications.

One wonders what they do with the I pads they carry about.

However, the IGP must pay special attention to the education and training of these junior officers. Nigeria rushed into internet banking without providing adequate infrastructure and training to back up management and monitoring of systems to dictate crimes associated with the internet even before they are consummated.

The Current control of forex transactions by the CBN poses different kinds of challenges for IPOs. For example, when a person is carrying more than five ATM cards, and average IPO treats him with suspicion, irrespective of where he may be domiciled. Internet banking allows diaspora account holders who carry ATM cards. The new CBN restriction which reduced the amount a person can with draw from his account through the ATM from $500 to just $300

world and dump them without trial in detention centres, they achieved little else. If anything, they lost more people, are in a quagmire in those countries, and have made the world generally more insecure.

Terror is employment of violence to attain political objectives. At its heart is the creation of fear. Hollande at the United Nations on Tuesday, vowed that the attacks will not change French life. That the French tradition and culture, its cosmopolitan outlook and welcoming attitude to all humanity will continue. That is the spirit. We must not panic.

People must not stop going to restaurants or the stadium.

Matches should not be cancelled like Brussels calling off the Belgium – Spain match. On the other hand, the decision to go on with the France – Britain match, strengthens the resolve against terror.

Military spending need not increase to the detriment of social spending, like British Prime Minister, David Cameroon rushing to increase his country’s military budget by $3 billion.

Perhaps, the worst indication of fear after the Paris attacks was that by 27 American governors who announced that they will not take in any of the 10,000 Syrian refugees America had promised to bring in next year. Such panicky positions do not only play into the hands of the terrorists, but also fuel the anti-immigration campaigns especially in America. We must not be afraid in the war against terrorists, but we must struggle for a humane, just world built on the French Revolution motto of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

per day, means that a trader overseas will have to wait for 10 days to be able to pull out $5000 to pay for his goods. What they do to beat this, is to apply and get many ATM cards, to be able to meet their requirements as quickly as possible. Some of them carry up to ten ATM cards around, and when they run into an IPO for any reasons, they become suspects of Card fraud from the onset. The average Nigerian business man, suffers to make his money, and suffers to use it; he queues to deposit his money, cannot withdraw or deposit more than $300 per day, and any arrangement he makes to overcome these challenges lands him as a suspect before an IPO. Our CBN should consider the comfort of the majority of the common man in their efforts to churn out policies to police fraud in our finance system.

Our banking systems are increasingly becoming exposed to the devils called hackers, and when an account holder becomes a victim of such an incidence, it is only necessary that care be taken to get to the root of the matter, with the constitutional doctrine of presumed innocence until proven otherwise applied in such cases. IPOs do not understand this.

The victim is a crook as far as they are concerned, so the victim is detained, humiliated, for an action that is completely alien to him. Our IPOs should be placed ahead of these developments through training and exposure, to minimize the sufferings and humiliation of victims of bank account related internet frauds.

The IPO is so important in achieving good investigation results, and should be so accommodated in training and human resource development programmes of the Police.

*Mr Udegbe, a lawyer, wrote from Lagos.

20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

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Tax now main contributor to federal revenue — FOWLER Customs Service, NCS. For instance, in July FIRS contributed N338.503 billion to FAAC, while NNPC contributed N77.398 billion, DPR N49.958 billion and NCS N45.941 billion. The respective contributions to FAAC were in August, FIRS - N278.362 billion, NNPC - N76.178 billion, DPR - N39.968 billion and, NCS - N48.197 billion; and in September, FIRS – N235.500 billion, NNPC – N73.262 billion, DPR – N38.708 billion and, NCS – N42.365 billion. For October, FIRS and NCS contributed N292.753 billion and N52.249 billion, respectively. NNPC and DPR figures for October were not available. This shows that out of the total contributions of the four agencies into the federation account, for July, August and September, FIRS alone contributed 66.14 percent, 62.88 percent and 60.41 percent, respectively.

By Yinka Kolawole

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AX revenue has now become the major contributor to the federation account, due in part to the continuous decline in oil revenue for the country.

Acting Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, disclosed this in Lagos, yesterday, at a Tax Breakfast Meeting organised by KPMG. He said the continuous decline in contribution of oil revenue to FAAC now makes it more imperative to focus on non-oil tax revenue and finally move away from dependence on oil.

Fowler noted that statistics show that tax collection has been shoring up revenue collection and that the gap in collection from oil and non-oil taxes has been closed in the last few years. “The current revenue challenges facing the federation due to the significant drop in oil prices have once again brought into focus the role of FIRS in generating revenue from taxes for the federation.

Data from the last three months show that tax revenue is now the major contributor to the federation account,” he stated.

Specifically, the FIRS boss noted that since July, tax contribution to the federation account has been far more than the combined revenues from NNPC, DPR and the Nigerian

Moral suasion

Fowler said the new FIRS approach is to treat taxpayers as clients, with FIRS in the role of a service provider. “FIRS is conscious of its obligations to taxpayers and taxpayers are expected to reciprocate these efforts by voluntarily complying

MEETING: From left, Victor Onyenkpa, Partner and Head, TRIPS division; Nike James, Partner, TRIPS division, both of KPMG Nigeria; Babatunde Fowler, Acting Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Jane McCormick, Partner /Head of Tax, KPMG, UK and KPMG Nigeria, during a tax breakfast meeting organised by KPMG in Lagos. Photo: AKEEM SALAU. with their obligations without being prompted. There must a be a conscious realization by taxpayers and consultants that taxation is both a moral and legal obligation. At the moment, focus is on moral persuasion for taxpayers to voluntarily comply. Where this approach does not produce expected results, we will move to legal enforcement.

“The effect of the fall in crude prices has reflected in revenue accruable to the Government and projections do not indicate that there will be an upward change in the near future.

Increased focus is on FIRS to close the revenue gap by

$3,376.00

$14.63

44.00

2.55 47.00

0.16

-0.14

40.17

-0.58

CURRENCY BUYINGCENTRAL CENTRALSELLING SELLING CURRENCY BUYING DOLLAR

195.97 POUNDS 298.0704 EURO 209.002 FRANC 193.1119 YEN 1.5883 CFA 0.2996 WAUA 269.3905 RENMINBI 30.6846 RIYAL 52.2545 SDR 270.0467 KRONA 28.0089

196.47 298.8309 209.5353 193.6047 1.5924 0.3096 270.0779 30.7634 52.3878 270.7357 28.0804

196.97 299.5914 210.085 194.0974 1.5964 0.3196 270.7652 30.8421 52.5211 271.4247 28.1518

CBN Exchange Rate as at 19/11 /15

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“Voluntary compliance is the best approach for achieving operational efficiency and effectively managing taxpayers and our efforts are aimed at creating a system which ensures that cost of noncompliance is higher than that of voluntary compliance.

“We will therefore continue to collaborate and engage with stakeholders so that our message of voluntary compliance as the first line approach for managing taxpayers is understood and internalised by tax consultants, taxpayers and other stakeholders,” he stated.

Tiger Brands writes off N24bn loss in Dangote Flour

By Favour Nnabugwu

115.30

improved collection from taxes.

This is a challenge, but also an opportunity to put in place structures that can sustainably diversify the revenue base of government away from oil and towards taxation.

“Tax collection depends heavily on economic activities and income therefrom. It is therefore important for government at all tiers to grow their respective economies, boost GDP and widen the tax base.

“On its part, FIRS will continue to engage taxpayers and adopt creative strategies to ensure 100 per cent voluntary compliance.

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HREE years after South Africa’s Tiger Brands bought 65 percent equity stake in Dangote Flour Mills (DFM), the company said in a statement, yesterday, that it has written off its loss in DFM valued at N24 billion ($120million), and rescinded its decision on sub-Saharan Africa expansion strategy.

Outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Peter Matlare said Tiger Brands has not made a profit from DFM. “We spent a bucket load of cash learning those lessons and shareholders are clearly upset.

“We have to revise what the strategy should look like and that’s work that is underway right now.” Matlare said, “Tiger Brands has written-off R1.7 billion ($120 million) from DFM”, adding to the two impairments last year totaling R954 million, as the business struggled with tough competition and a weakening Naira currency.

In a bid to turn DFM round over the last three years, Tiger Brands mothballed some

of its mills and introduced new, higher margin products. But those efforts were dealt a blow late last year when the Naira was devalued, resulting in higher input costs and as Africa’s biggest economy struggled with lower oil prices. Tiger Brands also wrote down R250 million from its investment in Nigeria’s Deli Foods, in which it holds 49 per cent stake, citing a weaker currency and

Tiger Brands has written-off R1.7 billion ($120 million) from DFM

slowing demand.

Tiger Brands, which named chief operating officer Noel Doyle as temporary CEO from next year, reported a surprise two percent fall in full-year profit due to the write-off.

Tiger Brands had earlier this week, said it would no longer provide funding to DFM as part of wider review of its investment in the company, a move that could test DFM’s survival.

Shares in DFM slumped 4.85 percent to 1.96 naira, giving a market value of $50.5 million, or nearly a third of its $141 million net debt. Tiger, South Africa’s biggest consumer foods maker has not made a profit from Nigeria’s Dangote Flour Mills (DFM) after paying almost $200 million for a 65 per cent stake in Nigeria’s pasta and flour maker in 2012.

Dangote Industries, owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, holds a 10 percent equity stake in the company. Dangote and three other directors resigned on Monday.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—22

PRESENTATION: From left, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo (left) presenting the Ten Year Capital Market Master Plan to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, when Gwarzo visited him in Aso Villa.

NSE targets increased retail investors’ participation with new mobile app Stories by Nkiruka Nnorom

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) bid to increase retail investors’ participation to about 25 million has received a boost with the

introduction of a mobile App NSE Trade Smart.

The NSE Trade Smart is a mobile application specially designed for easy and accessible transaction on the equities market. It is a secure trading

platform that allows investors to execute various trading activities on their own without either visiting the floors of the Exchange or seeking the service of a broker.

Only about five million Nigerians, representing 2.9 per

cent of the total populace, according to available statistics, participate actively in the capital market.

Speaking at the media launch, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, Mr. Ade Bajomo, said the introduction of the mobile App became necessary following the need to make transactions in the market more affordable to both the existing and potential investors.

He added that the Exchange embarked on the e-trading activities with its target being retail investors, hoping to increase to 25 million.

“With the smartphone app, investors can enjoy real-time mobile trading services such as the current value of trade, unit of share, volume of transaction, gainers among others that give you more information on a particular portfolio,” Bajomo said.

He explained that with the Trade Smart, investors can carry on transactions without having to visit the trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The Managing Director, GTI Securities Limited, Mr. Amos Aledare, who also confirmed efficiency of the platform while citing GTI, for instance noted that the platform has enhanced the firm’s activities since it was launched.

In the same vein, the Managing Director, Investment One Stockbroking International Limited, Mr. Oluwole Awe, responding to the operation of the product testified that the product was not elitist. He, however, said that to operate the technology, the investor should be at least, fairly educated.

Stanbic IBTC signs first international syndicated loan market transaction

S

tanbic IBTC Bank Limited said it has secured its debut syndicated term loan facility. The one-year transaction that was led

by MashreqBank psc as Coordinating Bank and sole Bookrunner, was oversubscribed.

Stanbic IBTC closed the syndication within six weeks of launch at a competitive pricing threshold given the prevailing market conditions.

The 8-bank syndicate comprised of long-standing relationship banks of Standard Bank Group, Stanbic IBTC Holdings’ parent company, that included MashreqBank psc, the Commercial Bank (Q.S.C.) and ING Bank N.V. as Mandated Lead Arrangers & Bookrunners, while Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait K.S.C.P., Al Khaliji France S.A., Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Filiale Luxemburg, Doha Bank Q.S.C. and SBM Bank (Mauritius) Limited participated in the Facility as Mandated Lead Arrangers. MashreqBank psc is also acting as the Facility Agent for the transaction.

In a statement, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Yinka Sanni, stated that “Stanbic IBTC Bank is delighted with the reception of the syndicate banks to its debut deal.

We appreciate the confidence that the syndicate has in Stanbic IBTC, as it reinforces our market C M Y K

leadership position in corporate and transactional banking and our commitment to supporting Nigeria’s economic growth.

It will also help to boost our operations in Nigeria in line with our business objective of organically growing our footprint in the retail banking space. The deal is yet another successful transaction this year where Standard Bank’s partner banks have again endorsed their trust and confidence in the Standard Bank Group”.

Chiradeep Deb, Managing

Director/Head, Corporate Finance at Mashreq, said: “It’s been a privilege to lead book run and coordinate the maiden syndicated loan transaction for Stanbic IBTC. To have a fully subscribed deal in such challenging market conditions, against the backdrop of the fall in prices of commodities, is a testament to Stanbic IBTC’s financial strength and Standard Bank Group’s (SBG) strong relationship with its banking partners across the region.

Mashreq values its long-standing association with SBG and it is a

pleasure to feature in multiple financings for the Group’s subsidiaries in Africa.”

Dr Rassem Zok, CEO, Standard Bank of South Africa, MENA, stated that “This transaction has a special significance for us being the debut deal of Stanbic IBTC. We are delighted with the response received on this facility for our Nigerian subsidiary. This is yet another successful transaction this year where our partner banks have again endorsed their trust and confidence in the Standard Bank Group”

FMDQ becomes ASEA member

F

MDQ OTC Securities Exchange has announced its admission as a 'full member' Exchange of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA).

The status, according to the Exchange in a statement, was ratified at the association's Annual General Meeting (AGM) which opened the ASEA conference on November 15, 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A Full Member status entitles FMDQ to vote during the association's AGM, fully participate in ASEA events, be featured in publications, as well as accord it the privilege to nominate a representative for election to the ASEA Executive Committee.

According to Ms. Kaodi Ugoji, Head, Strategy & Corporate Communications Group at FMDQ, "this admission is a positive step towards making the markets globally competitive and provides, among others, a platform for unlocking the potentials in the Nigerian capital markets through mutual networking and communication with various member exchanges in Africa.

"Membership of the ASEA is an important reference for many international investors and the status reflects FMDQ's commitment to implementing the highest standards in line with international best practices".

She added that the inclusion is in line with FMDQ's mission of empowering the financial market to be innovative and credible in support of the Nigerian economy, and in support of its agenda for the transformation of the market with a view to upgrading it to international standards, The ASEA works with its member exchanges to enhance their global visibility and competitiveness, with a view to attracting capital inflows to the African capital markets, providing an authoritative information portal and aggregated statistics on African markets and Exchanges respectively, boosting market development and capacity building among member exchanges and initiating strategic alliances on behalf of its member exchanges.

Cadbury reiterates commitment to developmental initiatives

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ADBURY Nigeria Plc has reiterated its commitment towards the development of Lagos State through its various developmental initiatives.

The company revealed this during a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, by its leadership team led by Managing Director Cadbury West Africa, Mr Roy Naaman.

Speaking during the visit, Managing Director, Cadbury West Africa, Mr Roy Naaman,

affirmed that Cadbury has enjoyed cordial relationship with the government and people of Lagos State over the years and expressed gratitude for the warm reception accorded the company in the state.

He said: “On our part, we shall remain a responsible corporate citizen of the state and continue to partner with the government through employment generation, participation in various developmental initiatives, contribution to the state treasury

in different forms and stimulation of socio-economic activities in the state.”

In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, opined that Cadbury ’s newly commissioned factory is good news for the state’s economy and a boost to its efforts of bringing investments to the state.

“As a state, we have a duty to support Cadbury not just because you employ our citizens and the social responsibility activities you

undertake, but to ensure we keep enjoying the quality and consistency your brands bring to our community.”

Speaking on the visit, Head, Corporate & Government Affairs, Cadbury Nigeria, Mr. Bala Yesufu, noted that the courtesy visit was not only to express appreciation to his Excellency for unveiling Cadbury state-of-the-art factory recently, but was also necessitated by the need to continually build, strengthen, nurture and sustain relationship with government at all levels.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 23

Agriculture stakeholders call for co-ordinated seed programme

By Jimoh Babatunde

W

ITH the flag off of the 2015/ 2016 dry season rice and wheat farming in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state during the week, President Muhammadu Buhari has kicked start the administration’s program of diversifying the economy through agriculture.

President Buhari re-iterated at the event that the importance of agriculture to the economy cannot be over emphasised as economic diversification is the only way to prosperity “so go back to land and develop agriculture because the era of depending on oil is over “ He added that produce such as groundnuts, palm oil, cotton and rubber plantation used to be the mainstay of the economy. “During this period, the economy was built on agricultural activities and our gross domestic product grew steadily.”

Since his election in May, the President has not hidden his desire to return the country to the path of glory through agriculture.

“Agriculture must cease from being treated as development programme; Agriculture must be treated as business, “he said.

To show how serious the government is, a farmer in the person of Chief Audu Ogbeh was appointed as Agriculture minister.

The present agriculture minister right from his screening at the National Assembly told the world that Nigeria has one of the worst seeds to plant in comparison to others countries in the continent.

As a farmer, he knows what he is saying as Nigerian farmers like other African farmers have crop productivity below the global standard because they do not have access to improved adaptable seed varieties.

Audu Ogbeh added a new dimension to his claims in Birnin Kebbi when he said under the past administration that despite the good intentions of the immediate past agriculture minister, Akinwumi Adesina, that corruption was still prevalent in the sector under him.

“People supplied sharp sands as fertiliser while fake seedlings were sold to farmers. There were companies with no traceable address,” he alleged.

As a result of these sharp practices, Ogbe said many struggling farmers lost money.

“There will be no room for quacks any more. Under this administration, that will never happen again. No room for quacks any more.

With the continued comments of Audu Ogbe on fake and poor seedlings in the country, many stakeholders are calling on the government to pay attention to the fundamentals in the sector, one of which is access to quality seeds for farmers as seed is one of the least expensive but most important factors influencing yields.

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) noted that most of the available commercial seed varieties in the continent were developed and released more than 30 years ago, and they are now susceptible to

MEETING: From left, Board Chairman Adventist Development and Relief Agency,

ADRA, Nigeria, Prof Oyeleke Owolabi; Business Director ADRA Denmark, Mr Erick Buch; Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Ekiti State, Mr. Peter Odebunmi and Country Director ADRA Nigeria Mr. Fred Omosebi at the ADRA Business Launch in grower Scheme and Stakeholders meeting, in Lagos.

several emerging challenges not limited to climate change.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) also said that in many developing countries, farmers do not get benefit from the advantages of using quality seed due to a combination of factors, including inefficient seed production, distribution and quality assurance systems, as well as the lack of good seed policies and other regulatory instruments.

Before now, Nigeria had issue with inefficient seed production, but the last administration under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan did a lot to boost the number of seed companies from eleven to 134 making Nigerian farmers to have access to high quality seed from 4,252Metric tons in 2011 to over 149,484metric tonnes in the first quarter of this year.

The Managing Director of Maslaha seed , Ibrahim Abdullahi said the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the Jonathan government facilitated the growth of seed system in Nigeria. “The seed system before now was very problematic in the sense that the kind of synergy and linkage we now enjoy with the agro dealers and the farmers was not there.”

Quality assurance

Since his election in May, the President has not hidden his desire to return the country to the path of glory through agriculture One area that stakeholders want the government to pay attention to is that of quality assurance as many seed that are not regulated still find their ways into the hands of local farmers. This they say is because the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has not done well in the area of regulations.

A farmer, Olarewaju Semiu , asked what is the seed policy of Nigeria like? He said as a farmer, he has not been able to lay his hand on the country’s seed policy.

Semiu noted that in the Zambia that the country’s Seed Control and

Certification Institute (SCCI) is responsible for the certification process of the seeds.

He added that their mandate is to make sure the farmers who are the end users of seeds end up with the highest quality seeds.

“ZAMBIA is among best seed producers in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region and satisfies both local and export markets, Zambia currently produced about 80, 000 metric tons of certified and quality seeds of maize and other small crops annually for exports.”

Olarewaju noted that the Zambian seed industry has developed because they have in place a seed policy and legislation governing certification, variety and export and variety protection, “why can’t Nigeria come up with its seed policy.”

He is of the opinion that Nigeria should look at what the FAO has done to address the identified constraints in seed issues as FAO works within a range of areas aiming at enhancing seeds in developing countries and encouraging linkages between breeding and seed systems.

Producing quality seeds means quality yields For Ifeanyi James, farmers’ access to quality seed and training

We need technology to grow agric— Gov Badaru

BY Aliyu Dangida

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HE Governor of Jigawa State, Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, said his trip to China has opened his eyes and that of his team to the need to enhance agricultural competitiveness through the use of technology.

Speaking on his arrival from the Asia country, Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, said the trip afforded his team the opportunity of identifying cost effective and modern technology for agricultural value chain development.

While re-iterating what he said during his inaugural speech that supporting agriculture and its value chain will be one of the cardinal points of his government, Jigawa state

Governor said “We visited China because it has the largest investors in the world, we used the opportunity during the visit to see if we can have some to adopt in our state”.

The Chinese investors, according to Governor Badaru, are committed to purchasing 5,000 metric tons of Jigawa sesame seeds this harvesting season which will lead to the establishment of Sesame cleaning plant around Maigatari area in the nearest future.

He added that the investors have also indicated interest in establishing 5,000 hectares of rice estate and 5,000 hectares of tomatoes production estate, just as they have also promised to look into the possibility of establishing a juice factory by using the abundant mango trees in the state.

will improve farmers’ yields as farmers traditionally depend on seed certified by government authorities – seed that they know has been inspected by independent evaluators to deliver the best possible harvest for that variety of grain.

“However, in Nigeria, the seed fields that smallholders depend on are rarely certified. Governments simply do not have the capacity to inspect the enormous number of small fields that are growing seeds in the country.”

He noted that at the National Seed Retreat organized by the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC ), December last year, that it was observed that there is dearth of breeders, Seed Technologists in the National Agricultural Research and National Seed Systems.

Other observations made at the retreat which Ifeanyi will want the present government to look into are the quality issues on the various classes of seed being produced and marketed in the seed industry; inadequate funding in the seed sub sector in respect of training, research and development and seed development.

He added that the non observance of the harmonized ECOWAS Seed Rules for cross border trade due to certification procedures amongst the ECOWAS states is another issue just as the inadequate seed agrodealer network for distribution/marketing of seeds by seed companies.

While noting that there is low uptake of new released varieties due to limited awareness, he said the action of the former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Arc. Sonny Echono, in taking the campaign of good seeds to farmers in Abuja recently was commendable.

Mr Sonny Echono said during the seed demonstration that the public and private sectors are being assisted to ensure that improved seeds are made available to farming communities to increase agricultural production in the country.

Ifeanyi James added that the update of the national data base on Community Based Seed Production (CBSP) activities nationwide will also help in creating awareness on community seed production.

He further explained that the programme was designed to create market opportunities in the rural communities for seed companies that are engaged in certified seed production and marketing, adding that the CBSP has been used by various development partners/projects in making available improved seed to farmers in their project areas.

Creating seed-growers’ cooperatives Ifeanyi advised that the first step should be how to bring farmers together into seed-growers’ cooperatives and associations.

“Having associations not only make it more efficient to provide training, it gives growers a united voice to address governments’ seed authorities and request support.”

While noting that quality seeds use doubles yields, he advises the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) to work with relevant international agencies to improve seed quality by providing expertise and quality control, and supplying basic seed for smallholder seed enterprises.

24â&#x20AC;&#x201D;VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

How Nigerian artistes failed to fly at AFRIMA 2015

By Ayo Onikoyi, Entertainment Editor

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HE long awaited All Africa Music Awards,AFRIMA, has come and gone. The chips went down at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island on Sunday, with high hopes on Nigeria artistes to repeat the feat they achieved at the maiden edition of the award in 2014, where they carted home 12 of the 23 continental awards. But that was not to be this year.

If not for the standard they set last year some would have still argued it was a respectable outing for them, with 8 awards in their kitty.

Praiz won the Best African Artiste (RnB & soul); Darey got Best African Artiste (Inspirational); Flavour

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snapped up Best African Artiste (African Electro); Revelation of the Year went to Adekunle Gold; Most Promising African Artiste to Kiss Daniel; Best African Artiste in Jazz to Kunle while Olamide and Yemi Alade won the Best West African Artiste, male and female categories respectively.

However, when it comes to the big ones like the Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Group in Africa they were completely out of the picture.

And these four categories were all won by them last year.

Davido who clinched all 4 big ones was completely missing in action. He won The Best African Hip Hop, Song of the Year; Artiste of the Year, and Best Male Artiste in West

Africa. Shakiti Bobo crooner, Olamide came home with the coveted Album of the Year

When it comes to the big ones like the Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Group in Africa they were completely out of the picture. And these four categories were all won by them last year

award while the sensational twins, P-Square got the Best African Group award.

The only person that featured on the winners list is Olamide and what he got was Best Male Artiste in West Africa which was won by Davido in2014.

Nigeria has nominations in all the 24 categories applicable to the country except in the categories: Best African Hip Hop, Best African Rock and Best African Traditional Music.

It means the country is open to collect 21 awards, where in most cases they dominated the Nominees list. Of all the 174 nominations in which the country is eligible, it had 63 nominations. But all the country could mustered is 8 awards, meaning they lost in 13 categories.

Interestingly, Nigerian

artistes had bigger presence in most of the big continental awards. For Album of the Year award for an instance, there were 9 nominees and Nigerians account for 5. Yemi Alade, Psquare, Bez Idakula, Wizkid and Flavour were all nominated but it was Charlotte Dipanda, from Cameroon, that carried the day. She is one of two Cameroonians nominated in this category. Ghana and Sudan got one nomination a piece. Last year it was won by Olamide.

The current Artiste of the Year is Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz, who beat 5 Nigerian artistes, namely, Wizkid, Davido, Flavour, Olamide and Yemi Alade. Again, this is a tough one for Nigeria to lose Continues on page 29

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—25

How Nigerian artistes failed to fly at AFRIMA 2015 Continues from page 28 because out of the 10 nominees Nigerians make up 50% of them. Tanzania had two, Ghana one, Cameroon one and Uganda one. Davido won the award last year

Anyone would have sworn the Song of the Year is Nigeria’s to lose; there have been just too many of them.

At least the nominees list showed that was a must but the reverse was the case.

Wizkid, Davido, Psquare and Yemi Alade made the list of 10

When Remy Martin unveiled DJ Jimmy Jatt, Falz, Noble as brand influencers

By Benjamin Njoku

I

was a remarkable evening of clinking of glasses and entertainment last weekend as Rémy Martin Cognac officially unveiled three Nigerian celebrities, including DJ Jimy Jatt, the multi-talented Folarin “Falz” Falana, popularly known as Falz, the Bahdguy, serial entrepreneur, Noble Igwe and American actor, Jeremy Renner as the company’s new Slash Generation Brand Influencers.

By this recognition, the celebrities will be the driving forces behind Rémy Martin’s latest One Life/Live Them campaign which encourages consumers to explore and celebrate all their talents.

Unveiling the celebrities during a dinner session in Lagos, CEO of the company, Mr Eric Vallet said , they were chosen based on their individual talents, strengths and the positive impacts they have made on the society.

According to Mr Vallet, as two-time Academy Award nominee, Jeremy Renner has over two million followers on the social media platform, including being acclaimed for his ability to embody T

characters of broad depth and appeal, from Sgt. James in Kathryn Bigelow’s awardwinning Hurt Locker to a thief in Ben Affleck’s The Town, a mayor in American Hustle…” Rising through the ranks to become an accomplished entrepreneur with stakes in media, public relations, courier and other interests, Mr Vallet said, Noble also has made a name for himself as an excellent Marketing Executive and a very resourceful PR Consultant. “ We describe him as a classic Rémy Martin man; one who never backs down in the pursuit of selfactualization.”

On the company ’s new campaign, Mr. Vallet said, their strategy is to focus on generating value which is about delivering a great product at the right price.Speaking further, he said, the campaign is expected to run for more than ten years.

Appreciating the gesture, legendary DJ Jimmy Jatt said, “ It is a great feeling to be recognized as one of the brand influencers of the company,” he said.

nominees in this category. But it was Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz that got away with the 23.9 carat gold plaque.

Davido also won the award last year.

Anyway, it was as if many of them read the handwriting on the wall because they failed to

turn up for the award. The conspicuous absentees that did not win awards were Wande Coal, Nneka, Timaya, Patoranking, Davido, Wizkid, P-Square, Seyi Shay, among others. Though Flavour and Yemi Alade won awards, they were also absent.

*Bola Ahmed Tinubu receiving his award at the event.

Here is the list of 2015 winners: ARTIST OF THE YEAR Diamond Platnumz SONG OF THE YEAR Diamond Platnumz – “Nasema Nawe”, featuring Khadijo Kopa ALBUM OF THE YEAR Charlotte Dipanda – “Elle n’a pas vu” BEST ARTIS IN AFRICA (RnB & Soul) Praiz Adejo – Nigeria BEST AFRICAN REGGAE, RAGGA & DANCEHALL Stonebwoy – Ghana BEST MALE ARTIST: INSPIRATIONAL CATEGORY Darey – Nigeria BEST FEMALE ARTIST: INSPIRATIONAL CATEGORY Betty Akna- Equatorial Guinea VIDEO OF THE YEAR Wiyaala – Ghana BEST ARTIST IN AFRICAN POP Vanessa Mdee – Tanzania BEST ARTIST IN AFRICAN HIP HOP Casper Nyovest – South Africa BEST ARTIS IN AFRICAN ELECTRO Flavour – Nigeria PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Sauti Sol and Cedric Kadenyi – Kenya SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR IN AFRICA Joseph Chameleone – Uganda REVELATION OF THE YEAR IN AFRICA

Adekunle Gold – Nigeria MOST PROMISING ARTIST IN AFRICA Kiss Daniel – Nigeria BEST ARTIST IN AFRICAN CONTEMPORARY Charlotte Dipanda BEST ARTIST IN AFRICAN JAZZ Kunle Ayo – Nigeria BEST MALE ARTIST IN WESTERN AFRICA Olamide – Nigeria BEST FEMALE ARTIST IN WESTERN AFRICA Yemi Alade – Nigeria BEST ARTIST IN AFRICAN ROCK M’vula – Kenya BEST AFRICAN GROUP Sauti Sol- Kenya BEST AFRICAN COLLABORATION AKA(South Africa) and Burna Boy(Nigeria) BEST FEMALE ARTIST IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Busiswa Ngoku- South Africa BEST MALE ARTIST IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Casper Nyovest- South Africa BEST FEMALE ARTIST IN NORTHERN AFRICA Manal- Morocco BEST MALE ARTIST IN NORTHERN AFRICA Ahmed Soultan- Morocco BEST FEMALE ARTIST IN EASTERN AFRICA Tsedenia Gebremarkos- Ethiopia BEST MALE ARTIST IN EASTERN AFRICA Diamond Platnumz- Tanzania

•DJ Jimmy, Noble Igwe, Eric Vallet (CEO Remy Martin) and Falz C M Y K

26 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

By Prince Osuagwu

C

all it the mobile music train and you would have summed up the whole essence of Globacom's recent music concert tagged Glo Slide N bounce.

One, it takes mobile phone users, particularly those on Glo network to gain entrance to the concert.

Two, the music train moves around the length and breadth of the country to fish out young talents and also to entertain, give more value to mobile subscribers whose average revenue spending keep the network in business.

The beauty of the concert which has continued to distinguish the indigenous network operator as torch bearers in the discovery of local talents, is that every town the concert train berths many young talents begin their journey to stardom. So many Nigerian music talents, dancers and other acts build their careers climbing same stage with already established ones and thereafter, the stage keeps getting up rather than down for them.

So when the city of Egbeda in Alimosho area of Lagos metropolis hosted the music train, last week, the residents confessed to additional value to their investment on their mobile lines, when two music acts, Afro hip hop king, Flavour

Glo Slide 'N'Bounce concert Technology

meets

A

as

Flavour, Supa Rhymez take the stage

.Rhymez on stage

and his upcoming rendition of his hit single, One Parole got the crowd off their seats and it was standing ovation for the 18 year old kid all through to the end of his performance.. Both the compere and the Disc Jokey publicly confirmed that the kid was good and

definitely has a space in the trail blazing music industry.

Thereafter, top acts like Ego Reekado Banks and Di'Ja lit up the atmosphere the more with their popular numbers.

However, the climax of the night was when poular act, Flavour mounted the

It’s you, but in 3D

By Nkiruka Nnorom FRICA’S first 3 dimension scanning and printing services founded by Nigerian serial entrepreneur, Israel Ovirih, has added a new dimension to selfies in Nigeria, by launching the first of its kind 3D scanning and printing service - 3D makerywhich the company describes as “the ultimate selfie technology in Nigeria and Africa.”

It could be you, your spouse, child, or petanything and anyone can be scanned inside the Shapify booth to preserve the most memorable moments with the ultimate selfie. The introduction of this service marks the first in Africa and one of the numerous few that are available globally.

3D Makery offers wider

entertainment

range of 3D printing services, its first viable minimum product - the 3D selfies or shapies Speaking at the 3-day unveiling event in Lagos, 3D Makery Nigeria Chairman/ Founder, Israel Ovirih, explained that the one of a kind disruptive technology will outshine every other technology, availing youths employment through self dependence in Nigeria.

According to him, “3D technology is opening up a whole new world of possibilities and the reward of 3D printing

So, rather than a half c o c k e d snapshot, you can have a 3D printed sculpture

technology is that the scan can be used to produce a full colour figurine known as a ‘Shapie.’ So, rather than a half cocked snapshot, you can have a 3D printed sculpture to either keep as your own or give as a gift”.

“The so-called “shapies” use 3D printing technology and designed to bring joy and happiness each time a person gazes upon the “Mini-Me”.

“We are thrilled to bring this advanced 3D tools and knowledgeable support team to help grow Nigeria’s technology business.

We have had success and satisfaction with this technology and, upon experiencing the technology ourselves, knew it would be a benefit for Nigerians. We are confident customers will embrace this technology.

stage. The fans who had eernestly waited for his arrival began to wave their Glo phones, which was their ticket, on the air.

The Afro hip hop crooner, electrified the show, that one of the participants who spoke to Vanguard, admitted that

" I just bought my Glo line few months back but I wish I had done that years before. This is wonderful" Slide & Bounce concert held in 11 locations across the country: Ikeja, Ikorodu, Egbeda, Surulere and Victoria Island in Lagos; Ibadan; Port Harcourt; Abeokuta; Ijebu Ode; Benin and Abuja.

Globacom said the show was packaged for the delight of Glo’s teeming subscribers in all the selected locations and adjoining cities and towns in order to give them the best entertainment experience they can imagine .

Subscribers who attended the show in any of the listed locations were those who used up to N2,000 and above within one month and sent “YES” and their preferred event location to a short code.

Glo ambassadors including Mama G, Funke Akindele, Odunlade Adekola, Mr. Ibu, Chiwetalu Agu and screen diva, Ini Edo were all in attendance at different locations.

At the earlier part of the show in other locations top acts like D’banj, Wande Coal, Korede Bello, MI, Burna Boy, Di’Ja and Bez. Edem and Kakee from Ghana and Sessime from Benin Republic have performed.

Popular disc jockeys, DJ Xgee, DJ Neptune, DJ Tops and DJ Jimmy Jatt, have also been in the juke box, like Neptune was at Egbeda while the trio of Gbenga Adeyinka, Okey Bakassi and Jimmie De Hype anchored the Ibadan show particularly.

How I sold over 500 items on OLX—Oriowo Doing business online is

By Laju Iren not without its challenges, nline is the profit margin considerably,” one of which is the issue O convenient way to he added. Oriowo said the of security, but Oriowo do business. platform also gave him the believes the company is Many people will testify of the capacity of online ads to provide access to customers at a cheaper quicker, rate. One of such is Mr. Femi Oriowo, a business developer and an avid OLX user who says he has not only sold over 500 items on the platform but also secured his current job through OLX. “I heard about OLX on the radio in late 2013,” Oriowo told Glamtech, “I have been using the platform since then. It has been such a wonderful experience; I have been able to sell over 500 items including phones and electronics on the platform.”

The catch for him is the speed at which he gets things sold on the platform.

“The fact that there are no middle men involved allows me to increase my

right networking opportunities to move his career forward. His words: “Earlier this year, I met someone who bought a laptop from me, we later became friends and now I am the Business Developer Manager in his company, the opportunities with OLX are endless.”

With the high unemployment rate amongst Nigerian youths, Oriowo believes that young people can comfortably earn a decent side-income by selling on OLX starting with little capital. He said: “It’s a good way to start-up the ladder to being selfemployed and self-reliant.

OLX gives you the exposure you need to get your goods sold, provides excellent user support and what’s more, it’s free. You also get to develop and hone your entrepreneurial skills.”

doing its best to ensure that transactions on its platform are becoming more and more secure. “OLX, like every other online marketplace has had its share of invasion from unscrupulous elements called scammers; but with the safety measures recently being implemented, scamming on OLX is sure to become a thing of the past,” he concluded.

.Oriowo

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 27

C M Y K

28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 29

C M Y K

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

C M Y K

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—31

2015: KOGI DECIDES

KOGI: The , s r e d n e t n o c influencers, issues THE hype and vibrations over the first governorship election to be conducted since the advent of a new administration will reach a crescendo tomorrow when voters in Kogi State go to the polls to choose a governor.

The campaigns by the major political parties practically reached every village and town in Kogi as the state’s major political gladiators swamped the nooks and crannies of the state, styled as the Confluence State.

By Kingsley Fanwo

T

HE Gladiators Though there are over 20contenders on paper, political pundits have narrowed the contest down to four major contestants. Baring any last minute miracle, it is expected that one of the four candidates would emerge as governor of the state come November 21.

Idris Ichala Wada The incumbent governor of Kogi State has strongly jumped to the fore as bookmakers, favourite to clinch a second term in office. His supporters see him as a humble leader, who is brilliant, meticulous, shrewd and a great team player.

Agricultural and tourism sectors He has been able to attract a number of investments into the agricultural and tourism sectors of the economy, as well as follow his transformation blueprint in repositioning the state.

Idris Wada has left a big mark in the area of youth empowerment through the YAD4KOGI initiative, a situation which has given him a solid support base among the youths across the state. His landmark achievements include the construction of the magnificent Kogi House in Abuja, the reconstruction of Kogi Hotels, Lokoja, establishment of Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba and the C M Y K

ongoing world-class Diagnostic Centre at Lokoja.

Wada, a trained pilot found himself in politics as a result of what he called, “his passion for service”.

Abubakar Audu The Ogbonicha Prince is referred to as Gaba Idu by his fanatical followers. He is reputed to be the most experienced of all the contenders, having contested every governorship election in the state since 1992.

Prince Audu has followers across the state, a situation orchestrated by his status as a two-time governor of the state.

Audu is reputed to have put in place a number of infrastructures during his time as governor. Some of his landmark achievements include the Kogi State University, Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Kogi State Library and many housing estates. He has however lost four consecutive governorship contests in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2011.

Audu first governed the state on the platform of the then National Republican Convention between 1992 and 1993 and then between 1999 and 2003.

Emmanuel Enesi Ozigi Not much was heard of Ozigi as a politician before the current jostling for the governorship of the state. He had been known more before now as an adroit businessman.

Ozigi is flying the ticket of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA and he has from no where practically put the party

Bunu, Ijumu, Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West.

Kogi Local Government Area Until recent events, analysts had given the Local Government Area to the APC, going by the voting trend of March 2015.

However, the recent stoning of Audu at Kotonkarfe has reversed the political fortunes of the party. Kotonkarfe is the largest community in the Local Government Area.

The hostility against Audu is not unconnected with rumour of rifts between Audu and the Ohimege of Kotonkarfe. One of Audu’s strongest supporters, Hon. Saliu Akawu Saliu , contested the Ohimege’s stool with the incumbent.

Traditional upheavals

as a top contender in the election.

The multimillionaire property czar has won many followers to his brand and is easily reckoned as the third force in the battle.

Philip Salawu Philip Omeiza Salawu is one of the most competent hands among the major contenders. The highly successful accountant has made his mark in the profession as a Fellow of the Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria as well as in the hospitality field.

Salawu was former Deputy Governor to Alhaji Ibrahim Idris for eight years.

Sources say he had a frosty relationship with his boss towards the end of their tenure.

Despite his position as Deputy Governor then, he wielded too little influence in the corridors of power. He has however emerged as one of the out-box contenders in the race.

How they stand in the Senatorial Districts The election is going to be a pull of the Wada/Audu dichotomy. It is expected to be a battle of wits between the two frontline politicians.

Kogi West Kogi West is made up of seven Local councils which includes; Lokoja, Kabba/

Baring any last minute miracle, it is expected that one of the four candidates would emerge as governor of the state come November 21

There is a general belief that the closeness of SAS to Audu may cause some traditional upheavals as residents are nursing the feeling that SAS is still eyeing the Ohimege stool.

Kupa/Eggon will go for PDP As it stands, the PDP may record an unexpected victory in the Local Government if drastic moves are not made to reassure the traditional ruler of Koto of his safety if Audu wins.

Alhaji Musa Ahmadu, former SSG to Kogi State Government is the man to watch in Kogi Local Government Area. He is one of the PDP leaders in Kogi West.

Lokoja Local Government Area Lokoja Local Government Area is politically a no-man’s-land. The structure on ground shows the Local Government may be split 50-50 between the PDP and the APC. Senator Tunde Ogbeha, the DG of the PDP Campaign Organization is the strongman of Lokoja Local Government Area.

Kabba/Bunu LGA Since 1999, the PDP has never lost Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.

Kabba currently boasts of two elected officials who are both PDP. PDP is tipped to win Kabba Township.

However, mainland Bunu such as Iluke, Olle, Illah may be clinched by the APC. PDP is expected to win Kabba/Bunu by a slim margin. The men who will make things happen here are Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf of the House of Reps, Dr. Stephen Olorunfemi, Hon. Yomi Kolawole, House Majority Leader, Pastor Femi Obalemo and Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan on the part of PDP. On the APC team are the popular Engr.

Olusola George Olumoroti and the recently defected Hon. Duro Meseko.

Ijumu LGA Ijumu Local Government Area is the home of the APC governorship running mate, Hon. James Faleke. He hails from Ekinrin Adde. This may swing the Local Government towards an APC victory.

Ijumu may however not be a walkover for the APC with the weight of political juggernauts such as Prince Sola Akanmode, Hon. Abiodun Ojo and Gen. David Jemibewon (rtd), all of the PDP. Senator Dino Melaye is also expected to put his weight behind his party, APC. Mopamuro LGA Mopamuro is the home of the Deputy Governor, Arc. Abayomi Awoniyi. The home factor may work heavily in favour of the PDP here. With the likes of Chief Ola

Continues on page 32

32—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

KOGI: The contenders, influencers, issues 2015: KOGI DECIDES

•Wada

•Audu

Kogi East Kogi East boasts of nine Local Government Areas. They are Omala, Ibaji, Idah, Olamaboro, Ankpa, Ofu, Igalamela/Odolu, Dekina and Bassa.

With the two glitterati coming from Kogi East, the district is expected to be the battle ground. Both Wada and Audu are immensely popular in the East.

The influence of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and Dr. Ahmadu Ali is expected to deliver both Omala and Idah respectively. Audu is expected to record a landslide in his Ofu home. He is also expected to clinch Olamaboro and divide Ankpa 50-50. The Ibaji people see Wada as a hero for developing the agricultural potential of the area.

He is expected to win Ibaji.

Bassa Local Government, the only non-Igala Local government area will be divided by the two parties. Friday Sanni Makama remains the undisputed game changer in Igalamela/Odolu. He is solidly behind the governor.

Interestingly, the home front of the governor, Dekina, is not guaranteed for him. The defection of Isah Jibrin Echocho and some other leaders in the Local Government Area has changed the political permutations of Dekina politics. Pundits are giving a 55 percent cushion to PDP in Kogi East while the APC is tipped to capture 45 percent of the votes.

Issues That May Shape the Poll The Personalities of the Contenders While Wada has been hailed as a humble and listening leader, Audu has been credited for his infrastructural revolution while in power. However, opponents of the former governor do not rate him as far as humility is concerned.

Local Government Staff and Teachers’ Salaries The inability of Local Government Areas to pay their staff members have been blamed on the State Government.

Similar problem is been encountered by primary school teachers in the state. Though the government has been striving to ensure the backlogs are cleared through the yet to be released bailout funds, not a few voters are expected to vote against the PDP based on the salary issue.

The Gender Card •Salawu

•Ozigi

Continues from page 31 Akande, Barrister Sola Ojo, Hon. Eric Fiki, Hon. Folusho Daniel, Hon. Dayo Akande, Hon. Folorunsho Daniyan and Engr Perry Awe pulling the strings for PDP, it is not unlikely the party carries the day. On the other hand, APC also parades heavyweights such as Chief Clarence Olafemi, Hon. Abayomi Obaro and Mr. Henry Abimbola.

PDP is favoured to clinch Mopamuro.

Yagba East LGA The Jide Omokore factor is still a big one in Yagba East. But with the experience and sagacity of the likes of Hon. Salaudeen Ganiyu, the die may be cast for a titanic battle in Yagba East. PDP stalwarts like Hon. Henry Ojuola, Hon. Kayode Obaro, Hon. Hasan Salawu and Hon. Tolorunjuwon Faniyi will be contending with the likes of APC’s Mr. Toyin Akanle, Engr. Kayode Odeyemi and a host of others. With the Yagba Agenda, PDP has an upper hand. But either of the two parties stands a chance of winning Yagba East.

Yagba West Yagba West is firmly under the control of Hon. Sunday Karimi, a member of the House of Representatives. He is a PDP leader. His political mettle will be confronted with the political chemistry between his Egbe people and Prince Abubakar Audu.

The direction of Hon. Samuel Aro, another hugely popular leader in the Local Government may decide where the pendulum swings. PDP has a slim edge here.

Kogi Central Kogi Central is made up of five Local Government Areas of Okene, Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta and Ogori/Magongo.

Okene is the most populated LGA in the district. Both the PDP and APC are equally matched in the area.

However, the bitterness which trailed the APC C M Y K

governorship primaries, lost by the darling of Ebira politics, Alh. Yahaya Bello, may lead to protest vote against the APC. Audu has also been criticized for relocating the Specialist Hospital at Obangede to his hometown of Ogbonicha.

Despite APC’s showings in the last elections in the Central, analysts are of the opinion that the district is poised to produce the votes that will end the hopes of APC. Many APC leaders in the area are not committed to the APC project. It is also expected that the politics of clans in Ebiraland may spring some votes towards PPA and Labour Party. The two parties are fielding Ebira candidates. PDP is expected to win in Okene, Okehi, Adavi and Ogori while APC is tipped to win Ajaokuta.

Alh. Yahaya Karaku, Lt. Gen. Saliu Ibrahim (rtd) and Patrick Adaba are leading the PDP onslaught while Hon. Bello Abdullahi and Hon. Ahmed are matching PDP in the Central.

While Wada has been hailed as a humble and listening leader, Audu has been credited for his infrastructural revolution while in power

Kogi women are said to be more disposed to Wada, who is reckoned to enjoy a stable marriage. The governor is also hailed for giving women a number of high profile appointments. Though Prince Abubakar Audu ensured a woman rose to become the Secretary to the State Government under his administration.

Good Governance and Transparency While Wada may be accused of not constructing many gigantic projects, Prince Audu did. Wada ensured peace and security in the state and made more efforts at bridging the ethnic gulfs in the state.

Prince Audu’s candidacy has been flayed by critics as being an ethnic chauvinist and also on account of his ongoing trial for corruption during his term as governor between 1999 and 2003.

The Running Mate Issue Wada stuck to his running mate, Arc. Abayomi Awoniyi.

Awoniyi is from a family of bureaucratic excellence. He learnt the dots of politics from his late father, Chief Sunday Bolorunduro Awoniyi. On the other hand, Hon. Abiodun Faleke is a veteran of the game, having been Chairman of the cosmopolitan Ikeja Local Government Area for two terms.

He is also representing Ikeja 2 Federal Constituency for the second consecutive term.

The choice of Faleke created bad blood among the APC leaders. It is believed in some quarters that a prominent Southwest leader of the APC brought Faleke in order to be able to tame Sen. Dino Melaye for his “rebellion” in the Senate Presidency saga.

Also, failure of APC to pick a running mate from Yagba has also been condemned by Yagba political leaders. Both the Senator and governorship running mate are from Ijumu Local Government Area.

Whatever happens as 1,397,786 voters decide the next governor on November 21, Kogites expect their next governor to address the pressing issues of infrastructure, empowerment and ethnic bridging. November 21 is a date with the destiny of the confluence state.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—33

BAYELSA DECIDES The entire ward waited till about 8pm when we got there. We commissioned their pavilion, a road that we did, they also have the schools and investments that are there. All we are doing is to consolidate so that by God’s grace those boarding schools will start by January and I cannot wait to see these children that I saw in all the communities wearing smart clean uniforms provided by the Restoration Government, with books supplied. Our children are bright and because of the investments we have in education they can compete with their mates elsewhere.

That is why I am not surprised that our educational rating has gone up from 28 in the national chart to fourth in WAEC results. If we achieved this within this short period then imagine what will happen when I consolidate with all these twenty five constituency schools coming on stream?

Sylva said pensioners have not been paid. I am the one who said that our allocation is unfortunately low, even offices do not have allocation, I am sorry that is the situation but I gave my word and true to type we have started paying.

When he was here he was not paying them for years, I have the records, he was owing over 6 billion naira in gratuities. Someone who could not manage N15-16 billion, can he manage N4.2 b that we are receiving now? Out of which we are still paying his debt.

The bond he took runs till 2017.

Some Bayelsans have short memory about Sylva — DICKSON

Ministerial position

•Dickson

HAVING concluded the first leg of his community to community meet the people campaign tour, a first by any sitting governor in the history of the state in which he was accorded a warm reception by the community folks who trooped out in their thousands, Gov Seriake Dickson fielded questions from the media on the forthcoming governorship election and reeled out his achievements, which according to him, are verifiable and would speak loud for him come December 5.

Excerpts:

By Samuel Oyadongha

W

HAT informed your decision to embark on a community -tocommunity campaign? Are you satisfied with what you have seen on ground?

Part of what I am doing and have been doing is to quietly in my own way change the way politics is played in this state.

The level of maturity and tolerance I have brought to bear on the politics is such that you see the opposition campaigning against me as vigorously as I am also campaigning.

That is happening for the first time.

When the APC’s Chief Timipre Sylva was governor, you saw what he did.

When he was here as governor, anybody who wanted to campaign against him will be attacked. One of his supporters, Chief Rufus Abadi, knows what happened to him in his house at Otuan. But some of our people have short memories. I want to challenge my opponent Sylva to do same and sleep in the communities as I am doing, instead of bragging about federal force.

No one knows him at the federal level other than he was used to unseat his brother. Let him go to our communities and relate with them freely as I am doing.

I sat in a dining hall built by my government in Ukubie one of the investments we have made in all the communities. We are not where we want to be yet but we have made a difference and they appreciate the roads and they are all waiting to receive me. The last community on my way was Ayama and all Tarakiri communities.

Tarakiri communities They were very receptive such that for three days they did not go to the forest or farm, they waited for me for two to three days, to encourage me. I cannot thank them enough.

It is my prayer that after the election I will go back on this community tour because it has also opened my eyes more which is the central purpose of this Government: to see the people’s

material conditions and how much I have tried to solve all their problems and to see what remains to be done.

These gentlemen called APC are trying to take our state nowhere. Despite the old names, their communities do not appreciate them, they have no support.

I have done what no government has done before, spent two nights in Southern Ijaw, one night in Korokorosei, which is my Speaker’s community.

From the ministerial position they gave you can see how they rate Bayelsa. From a state that lost the Presidency, where our only permanent secretary has been removed, only God knows what happens next. Our highest customs officers retired. They say we got minister of State for Agriculture I say no it is assistant minister, in effect it is minister without portfolio.

The truth is that Bayelsans must wake up, the elites must learn to put the people’s collective interest ahead of their own selfish interest.

Timipre Slyva went about promising people governorship and he became the governorship candidate, he also promised everybody the position of deputy governor and he failed them.

Someone who could not manage N15-16 billion, can he manage N4.2billion that we are receiving now, out of which we are still paying his debt?The bond he took runs till 2017

Peace accord signed with the other parties?

I signed because that was the right thing to do. My campaign is about peace, development and prosperity. You hear me ask people to accord Sylva the respect that is due him. I am not a man of violence unlike those who are merchants of violence and cultism.

I believe that a political leader and anyone aspiring to lead people must show example and our society can only develop when you have peace. We have been able to achieve so much because of the prevailing peace and we want it to get better.

That is why our PDP campaign is not about promises of what we will do.

C M Y K

34—Vanguard, FRIDAY ,

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Ikpeazu’s giant strides in Abia Dear sir

T

HE massive road construction work going on in Abia State, is a testimony to the Governors promise of total Rehabilitation of the state on assumption of office.

The Governor had promised to provide jobs for the unemployed graduates and all other youth idling away in the state.

It is said that an idle mind is the Devll’s workshop. For some years now, the

Buhari’s action inadequate Dear sir

T

HE Nation newspaper reported yesterday (16th November, 2015) that President Mohammadu Buhari had warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian police to “ensure free, fair and credible governorship elections” in Bayelsa and Kogi States come December 2015.

This warning was in response to the “mischievous” interpretation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of a meeting earlier between the President and the INEC concerning the elections. That meeting was “well-intended”: “to warn ... the INEC and the police to do prepare and give the nation a credible election...”.

Mr. President’s reason was that “he suffered election manipulations in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and would not like to have any Nigerian to go through that again” As the President of Nigeria, no one would read unnecessary meanings into this well intended fatherly concern. But in politics, 1+1 may not be equal to 2; so, the PDP feels it is not 2 but another number.

Therefore the PDP, according to The Nation issued a grave statement through its publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh to the effect that the President wants to use the INEC and police to win the elections for the All Progressives Congress, APC, the President’s party. PDP, according to the report, “cautioned” Mr. President. This, to me, made the matter a very serious one indeed, for a political party to caution Mr. President even on a matter PDP have not proved to be 100% sure, that the meeting in question was to win the elections using the INEC and police and by any other means possible.

Again, in politics like football, nearly anything is possible.

For me, Mr. President’s response to PDP’s unsubstantiated, heavy and indicting accusation was inadequate.

President Buhari needs a neutral platform to explain to Nigerians that he does intended or asked the INEC and police to rig the elections as alleged by the PDP and the PDP needs an opportunity to prove to Nigerians that it is sure and have evidences that Mr. President actually instructed the INEC and police to rig the elections by all means. The court will thereafter pass its judgment and Nigerians will be better informed.

Politicians must learn to deal and relate with truths and not rumours and hearsays.

Nigeria cannot continue to anchor her politics on rumours and all sorts of assumptions.

Okachikwu Dibia, Abuja.

crime rate in the state has become so alarming such that some have taken to kidnapping, robbery and other social vices that now plague the entire state.

Against this backdrop, the Governor on assumption of office on 29th May, 2015 quickly initiated a number of projects ranging from Rehabilitation.of roads, Electricity supply, Health care and Youth empowerment programmes to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

Presently, massive road rehabilitation is on going in Aba and other areas within the state. Even the perennial heavy rainfall which had made the people’s economic life miserable could not prevent the work going on.

Notably among these road works are the Ukaegbu and Umuola roads which link Obikabia junction along new Umuahia road on one side and also to Ehere Opopo junction along IkotEkpene Road all in Aba. There is road construction work going on at Ehere by same Ikot-Ekpene road.

Massive road construction work is also on going at Ariaria market end by Umuole and Udeagbala road in Osisioma area.

In Ohafia and Umuahia, rehabilitation of roads are going on. Last month, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was at Ibeme in Obingwa Local Council to commission an electrification project.

The community ‘had been in total darkness for so long without any help from past administration.

He opened a free health care centre at Itungwa also in Obinqwa Locai Government Area of the State. So within a 100 days in cffice, the Governor had done a lot to restore the confidence of the people in the PDP led administration in the state.’

Chijioke Akwarandu, Obingnoa LGA, Abia State.

Still on ministerial appointment Dear sir

A

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PARTICULAR sore point of Buhari’s ministerial appointment, is his appointment of someone who was a minister thirty-three years ago (1982)!

In 1982, blackberry and apple were nothing but fruits. But by 2015, ‘blackberry’ and‘apple’ have assumed new meanings.

They have metamorphosed into foremost ICT brands known the world over such that if you ask a twelve-year old child what blackberry is, the most likely answer he or she will give is that it’s a phone. This analogy goes to show there is a world apart between 1982 and 2015!

Why such a person should be in Buhari’s cabinet must be of grave concern to the young generation of Nigerians .

It is indeed curious that while thirty something year olds are appointed ministers in other climes, in today’s Nigeria, someone who was a minister the same number of years ago is preferred.

Yet, at every opportunity, young Nigerians are told they are the leaders of tomorrow.

How can they lead when the same people are recycled? How will the opportunity come when the old brigade refuse to go?

Lucky Ofodu, Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—31

Nigerian parents want miracles when it comes to children living with autism — Dotun Akande, Winner, Vlisco 2015 Award DOTUN Akande has dedicated her life to helping children living with autism overcome the disability. Years back, she was distraught when her son was diagnosed with autism. With patience, therapy and the right knowledge, her son overcame it. This birthed the Patrick Speech and Languages Centre for individuals living with autism and advocates for early intervention. The amazon who recently clinched the Vlisco 2015 Women’s Month Award and also doubles as a Vlisco ambassador, reveals in this interview why she started the centre, autism awareness in Nigeria and more.

By Kehinde Ajose

W

HAT led to the creation of The Patrick’s Speech and Languages Centre?

It began with my story, the story of my son. Over the years, it has outgrown my son and involved other stories and other families. Many children have passed through us; many families have been at the centre.

We have been able to help some of these children to go into mainstream school. We are still struggling with helping some of them and we have not been able to support some of them. Like you know, Nigerians parents want miracles when it comes to children living with autism.

But with these children, it takes time.

There is absolutely nothing you can do with these children if you don’t give them time. For those that have given us their children and their time, the result has been fantastic.

Fantastic result When it comes to these children, there is nothing you can do without being patient and without loving them exceptionally.

How supportive has Vlisco been?

Vlisco has been quite helpful with our programmes .Every time we invite them for an event, they support us.

You recently clinched the award for Vlisco 2015 Women’s Month. How did that happen?

I was nominated with three other women doing great job as well. They put it out to the public and they announced the winner .We won by the grace of God. I cannot say I won; it is the work that I do that made me win.

Did you expect to win?

I expected to win. How can you be in a competition and

not expect to win? I was looking forward to winning and I was even telling them that “I pray that people think we are worthy”. Autism is a worthy cause to be associated with and we thank God, we won.

How have you learnt patience from having to raise your son to starting the centre?

I have learnt patience. I would say growing up, I wasn’t a patient person. I wanted everything done very fast and very quickly. Funnily enough, when the situation of my son arose, I wanted to see it to a logical conclusion. I was quite patient with therapy, but I wasn’t patient with my son.

I still wanted everything done fast .I kept him on his toes at every point in time, treated him like he was like any other child. I was also patient with the people working with him. I knew that it was important for us to work as a team. That is exactly what happened. The entire therapists that started with my son, finished with my son.

There was never a change.

Do you think autism awareness in Nigeria is good enough?

The awareness is growing, but I can’t say whether it’s good enough. I don’t think so.

I don’t think it is adequate .We put out a video online recently and we found some people asking: “Is it true that this people exist in Nigeria?”

I was shocked .Because over the years, we have done a series of videos on autism awareness and that particular video was our fourth .So I thought that a lot of people would still have known. I found out that there is still a lot to be done. Many more centers have opened up.

Many more people know what autism is. Many more people are getting better diagnosis compared to the time we started the centre .It’s

a welcome development and we are proud that we started that trend. Patrick Speech and Languages Centre is the first centre specifically for individuals with autism in Nigeria.

What is the difference between children who are living with Down syndrome and children living with autism?

When one sees a person living with autism, the individual doesn’t have a physical symptom. There is no physical sign. The only way you would know is that the child isn’t talking and the behavior is queer.

Chromosonal disorder It’s not the same like other children. The child sometimes wants to be isolated from others; he doesn’t want to associate with others.

For children living with Down syndrome, it’s a chromosomal disorder. It has facial features. The children have drowned faces .The children that are living with Down syndrome are very warm. They always want to hug you most of the time.

When I saw that my son was developing and overcoming some of the symptoms of autism, I just knew that there were others out there

*Dotun Akande Some of them can be withdrawn but most of them are very warm. You can see it in their physical features.

They also sometimes share similarities in the sense that children with Down syndrome do not have speech development .Their speech are delayed. Sometimes they have challenges with things they do with their hands .Most of them don’t grow tall.

What drives you?

When I saw that my son was developing and overcoming some of the symptoms of autism, I just knew that there were others out there that needed that help. When we started and saw the number of people that were coming in for enquiries, we were alarmed. We started out by writing about autism in City

People. We were writing every week.

Were you still in the banking industry?

No, I had left. I had left the banking industry even before the thought of starting the Patrick’s Speech and Language Centre. I left the banking industry because I had time related issues.

What are the things you do to boost their self esteem?

For example, we started a work programmes with one of our adults at the centre.

Immediately we started the work programme, he was laid back at first, but when we attached some form of responsibility to it, he came to us saying he wanted an I.D card because he is now a member of staff. His demeanor and his outlook towards life changed.

32—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

With COWLSO, women can make a difference —Bolanle Ambode THE Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials COWLSO, recently had its 15th National Conference at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island where issues affecting the general well being of women were highlighted. The occasion featured royal fathers, notable speakers from all walks of life like the governor of Kebbi State Alhaji Atiku Bagudu and the host governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode amongst others.

The three day programme was the first outing of the wife of Lagos State governor Mrs. Bolanle Ambode as the Chairperson of the forum. In this interview, Mrs. Ambode shared her experiences about the programme and her vision for COWLSO, excerpts.

By Bose Adelaja

W

HAT is COWLSO? COWLSO means Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials, one of the biggest and the most important women’s programme in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole. It provides a platform for women from all spheres of life, to contribute positively to families, communities and the nation at large.

We are not implying that our activities totally exclude men, we only make bold to say, that ours is a large assembly of women with focus on the improvement of society.

Leading one of the biggest women forums in the country is not a joke, how do you cope?

I am delighted to assume the position of the Chairperson of a body which has impacted positively on the lives of many

women. The success did not come overnight but as a result of the labour, courage and perseverance of my predecessors who have done great job to champion the cause. Their admirable performance over the years, coupled with hard work and dedication, has proved that they have all it takes to handle any project, whatever the size.

Permit me to say they have demonstrated the ability to lead the way and motivate others through team building, which has resulted in our success story and brought us to this glorious destination.

What can you say about the just concluded 15th annual national conference?

The three day event was a forum to deliver my first address as the Chairperson. The annual gathering is an event that women in the state and beyond look up to, to interact, ventilate

Miss Kanekalon pageant holds amidst fanfare

By Juliet Ebirim

K

ANEKA Corporation of Japan, makers of the renowned hair fiber, Kanekalon recently launched the much awaited opening of Miss Kanekalon, a platform to appreciate true African beauty.

The theme of the pageant was “Bringing out the natural beauty and elegance of African women” and auditions were held in Port Harcourt and Lagos. Twenty finalists were selected to compete in the finals which took place th on 14 November 2015 in Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to the organisers of the pageant, the event was an opportunity for Nigerian women to re-evaluate and appreciate their beauty. “This pageant is all about showcasing the natural beauty and elegance of African women. Kanekalon offers stylish and high quality products that meet the demands of today’s woman, complimenting each woman’s beauty, allowing her to feel great, not just in her appearance, but also in what comes from within; confidence in whom she is; and as a result giving her courage to open doors to new opportunities.”

The grand finale was fun and exciting, as there were fantastic performances and wonderful gifts to take home.

There was also an exclusive hair show of brand-new weave-on styles and lots more.

•Bolanle Ambode ideas, and decide on new areas of partnership, with the state government, for infrastructural development and renewal. The theme of the conference was ‘’Relevance in Economic Turbulence’’ which attracted Nigerian women from all socialeconomic strata to deliberate on how to remain relevant in the prevailing economic turbulence in our country.

What kind of impact did the programme have on the women?

Across the nation, citizens are drawing attention to the hard economic realities but the conference has offered new insights and solutions, which is important to establishing and maintaining a good quality of life.

Also, it was able to address the empowerment of women through skills acquisition and training for us as managers, how to deploy available title resources to significantly impact our families and society and provide enriching experience for all participants.

Our expectation was that at the end of the conference, all women should be sufficiently enlightened, and honestly assess themselves to identify areas they need to work on, to

ensure a happy and joyful tomorrow.

Apart from this, successful female entrepreneurs should mentor and train upcoming ones which could be either group or individual based. Likewise, the government or our policymakers and financial institutions should establish and make the available ones more robust, supportive enabling environment for women entrepreneurs to access financial services.

Also, women should be resilient. They should be ready to break all barriers, face

Women should be resilient.

They should be ready to break all barriers, face challenges and endure

challenges and endure for a while. They should never give up on a failed first, second or third attempt.

How do you think these can be realized?

The first thing is that the government should encourage the establishment of more women agencies, individual or collective which leads to a better institution and policy choices while women should cultivate the art of saving in formal institutions and invest in bonds to help the country’s development needs. In doing so, they are contributing to the financial resiliency at the national level.

You earlier said that attention has been drawn to the hard economic realities in the country, how can women overcome this?

In order to be relevant in this socio-economic turbulence, women must be mindful of their health, eat right, exercise and try to combat stress by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Apart from this, they should take personal responsibility for and cultivate the habit of saving for retirement from the minute they start earning money and be ethical in their behavior because doing otherwise ultimately leads to social and economic loss.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015—37

Delta Scholarship Board tasks higher institutions on verification of beneficiaries

By Festus Ahon

A AWARD: From left: Justice Z. A. Bulkachuwa; Justice Umaru Eri; Justice Mahmud Mohammed, CJN; Justice I. T. Mohammad; Justice Emmanuel Ayoola; Justice M. A. Ope-Agbe, and Justice T. A. Oyeyipo, during the conferment of NJI fellowship on eminent jurists at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, yesterday.

A-Ibom contractors give ExxonMobil 21 days ultimatum

By Chioma Onuegbu

U

YO—CONTRACTORS from Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of Core Community Contractors Initiative, have given Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, a 21-day ultimatum to implement the Local Content Law 2010.

The executives of the contractors, led by the Chairman, Chief Friday Ebong, who paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno, HRM Effiong Archianga, yesterday, lamented that Mobil Producing and other contracting firms have

neglected the core community contractors over the years in the award of contracts, adding that if nothing was done on the expiration of the period, they would stage mass protests that would shut the company ’s operations.

He said that only menial jobs were given to them while major contracts were given on weaver to other contractors despite the fact that they have competent and qualified hands among them.

Ebong said it had come to their notice that Mobil had already implemented the Local Content Law of the Federation in some

places like Bonny, Lagos and Warri.

He said, “We have presented a comprehensive list of all contractors from Akwa Ibom State registered with Mobil, for easy identification and award of certain contracts stipulated by the Nigerian Local Contents Law of 2010.

“The company is not ready to patronize local contractors despite the fact that we have enough qualified and competent contractors to handle all sort of contracts. Core community contractors have employed peaceful approach with Mobil to

make them see reason why they should also be awarded major contracts.

“We have exhausted all avenues of peaceful negotiations with Mobil and they seem only to recognize violent communities.

“We are peace loving people but if by the end of November 2015 Mobil does not implement the Local Content Law, we will be left with no option but carry out a sympathy protest that will shut its operations in state.”

In his response, the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno, Achianga who was represented by his coordinator Chief Ita Ndem, called on the contractors to exercise patience.

Oshiomhole-Igbinedion face-off: Group vows to make Edo ungovernable

By Gabriel Enogholase

B

ENIN—PROTESTS have continued to trail the face-off between Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, as a group, under the aegis of Concerned Binis, has threatened to make the state ungovernable if the governor did not desist from insulting prominent Bini citizens.

Spokesman for the group, Mr. Chris Agbonwanegbe, a former Commissioner in Chief Lucky Igbinedion's administration, in a statement in Benin, yesterday, also berated the governor for his alleged penchant for insulting elders, especially those of Bini stock.

The group recalled that in the last two outings of the governor, he took time to insult the Bini Chief and his son, a former governor of the state and demanded to know what the Igbinedions did to warrant the unprovoked attacks.

He said: “People of Chief Igbinedion's status in other states are celebrated and honoured,” adding that the Igbinedions did nothing wrong in assisting the governor to get to power.

The group also noted that the so called land for which

Oshiomhole was crucifying the Igbinedions was actually given to the elder Igbinedion which was reserved for him by Col. John Innieger of blessed memory.

They wanted to know if the

same Lucky Igbinedion that was being abused did not give Oshiomhole land at the Anglican Girls Grammer School, AGGS, premises, just as they asked the governor to tell Edo people if he

has not given a parcel of land bigger than what he was accusing Igbinedions of to Alhaji Aliko Dangote for which Dangote has done nothing to develop.

Bayelsa poll : Group drums up support for Dickson

By Jimitota Onoyume

P

ORT HARCOURT— AHEAD of the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State, voters have been urged to re-elect Governor Seriake Dickson to sustain his achievement so far.

Bayelsians for Socio- Economic Consolidation, BSEC, said the governor had tackled most of the problems inherited from the failures of the past government

led by Chief Timipre Sylva.

President of the group, Mr Joseph Ogbe, who spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, said Governor Dickson had improved on the security situation in Bayelsa State, adding that the governor had also built the state to a tourism hub.

He said: “It is interesting to note that Dickson, whom some did not give any chance to reclaim Bayelsa, has succeeded in correcting past errors. Under his

watch, democratic governance has become effective, institutions have become more stable, security is being entrenched and above all, he has upheld his election promises.

“The Dickson administration has built a tourism architecture that is now turning Bayelsa into a major tourism hub. It has become the destination of choice for the hosting of major entertainment events.”

Miyebi lauds Okowa over peace c'ttee

F

ORMER chairmanship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, Alawei Balakumo Miyebi, has commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his deputy, Kingsley Otuaro, for inaugurating a committee to resolve the dispute in Warri North.

Miyebi, in a statement, yesterday in Koko, Warri North

council, commended the effort of the governor and his deputy for the constitution of a committee to resolve the lingering dispute in the council, adding that it shows Deltans would enjoy his prosperity agenda.

According to Miyebi, “This act shows that the people of the state will soon see the new face of Delta.

“The Egbema people and I will join hands with the committee to

resolve all issues brought to it for the development of Ijaws and Itsekiris of Warri North council.

“I know the committee will restore permanent peace to Warri North council. I also send my greetings to all members of the committee especially the Itsekiri leaders, for their painstaking effort, wisdom and sincerity in resolving the crises.”

SABA—EXECUTIVE Secretary of Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board, Mr Elijah Ologe, has called on authorities of higher institutions of learning in the country to cooperate with the board in the ongoing verification exercise to ascertain genuine students of the state's origin.

Ologe, in a statement, said that the board was out to stamp out fraud by removing all ghost names.

He commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for the prompt release of funds for the payment of the outstanding 2013/2014 bursary.

Noting that the release of the funds was a display of the state government’s commitment to the well being of its citizens, he told students of the state to always support Governor Okowa in his effort to develop all parts of the state.

Speaking further, Ologe urged students who were yet to get payment in the ongoing exercise to be patient, adding that they would soon get paid.

Madam Duku dies at 61

M

RS Eunice Ogheneochuko Duku (Nee Iteh), of Erutase Quarters, Edjekota-Ogor, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, aged 61, is dead.

According to the burial arrangement by the family, lying-in-state takes place in her country home, Erutase Quarters, Edjekota-Ogor, tomorrow, while funeral church service holds at Pipe Line, Edjekota-Ogor, with interment following immediately.

Late Mrs. Eunice Duku

38 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Vanguard,FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015—39

Nigeria Pension Consumers hold symposium

FG confirms N100bn debt on aviation projects

T

By Favour Nnabugwu

A

BUJA — FORMER Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Aviation sector, Hajiya Binta Bello, has confirmed that the Federal Government owed N100 billion debts on projects in the aviation industry.

Speaking during her handover notes in Abuja, Bello, who is now at Ministry of Women Affairs, affirmed that she was not able to offset up to N1 billion of the debts in her six months stay in the sector.

She said: “There is no ministry, former or new, that has no challenges and the challenges of the aviation sector are as usual as you know.

"Funding remains the main issue of the sector. I know when I took over, l met a debt of over N100 billion and l was not able to pay back even N1 billion, so it’s a huge challenge.

On the second runway at Abuja airport, she said: “We have, at the moment, an issue which has turned to be a national issue and everybody is looking forward to it.

“There is also the need for construction of the second runway in Abuja. You are also aware that the existing runway at Abuja is over 30 years old, it has given way and there is need to construct a new one and l would want to mention here that no contract on the second runway has been awarded.”

While welcoming the Minister of State for Aviation, the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr Sabiu Zakari, pledged the support and loyalty of staff to the minister, while admonishing the staff to support the minister in his duty to achieve Buhari’s administration focus of change mantra.

On his priority as the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said the reconstruction of a second runway of Abuja International Airport was a disaster in waiting if not fixed as soon as possible.

Sirika said government could not afford to delay the reconstruction of Abuja runway any further because of the enormous danger involved.

“I am very young in the industry but where l trained, we have eight runways and a single runway is just an invitation for disaster and that is why we have to do it, it is a must, it must be done,” he said.

C M Y K

BRIEFING: From left, Brand Manager, Pepsodent, Unilever Nigeria, George Umoh; President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Bode Ijarogbe; Category Manager Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba; Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii and Director, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, Prof Karniyus Gamaniel at a press briefing to flag off 2015 National Oral Health Week organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with Pepsodent, in Abuja.

Benin Republic invades 16 Nigerian villages, hoists flag

By Demola Akinyemi

I

LORIN—NEIGHBOURING Benin Republic has invaded 16 villages in Okuta, the border town in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, causing fear and tension in the affected communities.

In their determination to annex the Nigerian villages, Vanguard reliably gathered that authorities of Benin Republic had gone ahead to construct offices fot its gendarmerie (Police station) in the affected communities and also hoisted the country’s flag.

Vanguard checks revealed that the development negated the boundary delimitation of 1914 between Britain and France which the two countries had respected.

The affected villages include Ogomne, Bwin, Gandasunon, Kpuru and Woru Wuren Kparu.

Others are Ajuba1, Ajuba 2, Saka Yeruman Kparu, Monta, Dotin Kparu, Halidun Kparu, Yakubun Kparu, Sonsi, Gunosani, Alhaji Kparu, Yodo Mankparu and Simen Kparu.

The Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Idris Serio Abubakar, who confirmed the development in an interview with journalists, said the development also led the Okuta Emirate Council to order the people of Yakparu axis to dismantle the Beninoise flag hoisted in the villages, adding that the flag was currently in the custody of the emirate council in the town.

The monarch appealed to Kwara and Federal Governments to come to the aid of the people of Okuta villages as residents now lived in fear of possible attack.

He said Nigerian teachers, dispensary workers and Immigration officials in Ogomue had been sent packing from the Nigerian villages

by Benin Republic officials.

He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise to the situation before the Benin Republic authorities invade all Nigerian communities in Baruten Local Government Council of the state.

The emir recalled that during the government of President Ibrahim

Babangida, the gendarmes attempted their encroachment move, claimed ownership of Ogomue, a village under Boriya of Okuta district in Baruten local government council of the state.

He noted that the move led the then military governor of Kwara State, Lt. Col. Ahmed Abdullahi, and the then Commander of 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, Col. Ojokojo, to visit the area.

He also said a visit during the period under review

prompted the hoisting of Nigerian flag at Ogomue, with the subsequent construction of a primary school, a dispensary and Immigration post by the Nigerian authorities to give the villagers a sense of belonging.

He noted that since then, the Gerdarmes had fled the area until recently when they sent Nigerian government workers in the area parking before establishing their presence through the illegal removal of the Nigerian flag and hoisting of Benin flag there as well as as construction of Gerdarmes office.

HE Nigerian Pension Consumers will hold their symposium on January 27, 2016 at Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Project Director, Abidemi Adesanya, the symposium will provide a meeting point for workers in the contributory pension scheme, PFAs, PFCs, CPFAs and the regulatory agency to share the thoughts and minds of an average Nigerian worker. It will also provide a forum for cross fertilization of ideas among all stakeholders in the industry.

Keynote speaker at the event is Mr. Longe Eguarekhide, Managing Director, AIICO Pension Managers. Other speakers include Babatunde Salawu, Head of Human Resources at Skye Bank Resources, among other leading pension and human resources personalities.

The theme of the programme is: “The future of Nigeria Pension Industry: An overview of the present and likely future development in the pension industry.”

Remo Sec Sch old students meet

T Yola, Kano blasts: Senseless, wicked —Dogara

By Wole Mosadomi, Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA — SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the bomb attacks in Yola, Adamawa, and Kano states.

This came as Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State also condemned the blasts, describing the two incidents as unfortunate and acts of cowardice.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, Dogara described the attacks as babaric, senseless and wicked.

The speaker, who mourned victims of the bomb blast, also prayed for quick recovery for the scores of people injured.

He urged Nigerians to be security conscious and be vigilant to help security agencies with vital information about activities of terrorists and other criminal elements in their surroundings.

The speaker also charged the

security agencies to intensify efforts in intelligence gathering and sharing as the surest way of pre-empting such deadly and wicked attacks.

HE meeting of All Class Sets of Remo Secondary School, Sagamu, Ogun State will hold at the school premises on Saturday by 11:30am to discuss preparations toward the 70th anniversary of the school, which will take place in February 2016. According to the National Secretary, each set is to send two representatives to the meeting.

LAMATA to construct barriers to tackle traffic gridlock

L

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

AGOS— The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, has concluded plans to erect a one-kilometre long concrete fence with iron see-through grating between the service lane and main carriageway from Mile 12 towards Ketu as part of traffic control measures along Ikorodu Road.

This came barely a week after the launch of Mile 12-Ikorodu Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, classic operations with 434 buses ready for operation.

The plan, according to the World Bank assisted-agency, will also include the construction of median jersey barrier and multiple lay-by for

commercial buses and other uses.

Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Communication and Communities, disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting with executives of Mile 12 Market, the Local Council Development Area, Community Development Association and LAMATA. According to him, the measures are aimed at finding a lasting solution to the incessant traffic gridlock at Mile 12 and ensure free flow of traffic through the area.

He said government was more than committed to tackling the current traffic challenges being experienced in the state to create an enabling environment for everyone to thrive.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

TRADE FAIR: From left—Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, representing the governor, Vice President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Chief Nike Akande; President, Alhaji Remi Bello, and Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, during the Lagos Special Day and closing ceremony of the Lagos International Trade Fair, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

WALK FOR LIFE: From left—President, Institute of Directors, Mr. Yemi Akeju; Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; Chief Opral Benson, and Dr. Fred Odutola, during the IoD walk for life in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau.

SPECIAL DINNER: From left (standing)—Mr. Victor Odozi, former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria; Professor Apata, a renowned Professor of Dentistry; Prof. Gabriel Osuide, former Director General, NAFDAC; Alhaji Zak Mohammadu, formerly of Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, and AVM Joel Ehigie (retd), with their wives seated at the Special Dinner by Edo College Old Boys Association (Ancients) in Lagos.

FESTIVAL: From left—Head Minister, Worship Festival, Cletus Akhimian, Convener, Hannah Oyebanjo; Pastor Ayo Oyebanjo and Chuks Aforonwa, all members of the worship team at a briefing to announce the 2015 Worship Festival scheduled for Sunday 29, November, 2015 in Lagos.

C M Y K

From left: Delta State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, representing Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello, and Delta State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Mary Iyasere, during the Delta State Special Day at the just concluded 2015 Lagos International Trade Fair, Lagos.

TOUR: FOC, Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Adejimi Osinowo, inspecting the guard of honour on arrival at the Nigeria Naval Engineering College, Ogorode-Sapele, for his biannual tour of the college in Delta State.

PRESENTATION: From left—Medical Officer, Health, Akerele Medical Centre, Surulere, Dr. Shosanya Abidemi, Hon. Desmond Elliot, Public Relation & Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc., Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, and Chief Nursing Officer, Matron Boika Queen, during the presentation of medical equipment to the medical centre in Lagos, yesterday.

PROGRAMME: From Left—Programmes Director, Beat 99.9FM, Mr Olisa Adibua, Programme Chair, CORA, Mr Jahman Anikulapo, Chief Operation Officer, ID Africa, Mr Femi Falodun, Creative Director, Wazobia FM, Mr Steve ‘Yaw’ Onu, Programmes Director, City 105.1 FM, Mr Gbemileke Oyinsan, General Manager, Five Star Music Group, Mr Soso Soberekon, during the Neclive Series Programme in Lagos.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015—41

Religious intolerance: Lagos clamps-down on hate preachers •To hold NIREC quarterly infer-face conferences Safar 8, 1437 A.H.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Paris attack: God loves not aggressors L

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN

M

USLIMS all over the world stand in solidarity with Paris and the people of France. It was extremely another wicked act from the blood thirsty terrorists. It is becoming clearer to the world that terrorists worldover are not Muslims, in fact we wonder if they are even humans.

Those carrying out heinous crimes in the name of Islam do not have the support of millions of Muslims all over the world.

If a Muslim is a person who makes a commitment to live in peace through servitude to Allah, therefore the actions of a few fanatical individuals who accidentally happen to have Muslim names or ascribe themselves to the Muslim faith should not be a yardstick by which Islam is judged.

In Nigeria here, we have been having our share of the terror attacks. Many of these attacks claimed the lives of thousands of Muslims. In one of the attacks, recently, the vampires stormed a village in the North East, in the wee hours, called out a early morning prayer and genuine Muslims came out to observe their prayers only to be slaughtered by these vampires called Boko Harram.

Prominent muslims How can they be Muslims?

There were several other Mosques attacks during Jumat prayers, there were several targets on other prominent Muslims who openly condemned their activities. But we know God the Creator of every being is watching and will serve His judgment on all those who cause mischief on earth and caused pains to others. They will definitely be punished by Allah as though they have killed the whole of humanity.

Like every other concerned individual, we mourn the horrific killings of 129 people in the last Friday attack. May Almighty Allah be pleased with their souls and give their families the strength to bear the loss.

To understand Islam’s stance on terrorism, one must refer to its original sources, the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, (s.a.w)which are explicit in their prohibition of any form of injustice including that of terrorism which seeks to instill fear, injury or death to civilians.

The Quran turns our attention to the high value of human life, whether it is Muslim or nonMuslim and makes it absolutely C M Y K

forbidden to take an innocent life unjustly. The gravity of such a crime is equated, in the Quran, with the killing of all humanity.

“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.” ( 5:32 ) Not only is human life sacred in Islam but the property, wealth, family and dignity of all individuals in society are to be respected and protected.

Sanctity of human life Those who transgress these rights and sow fasad (corruption) as the Quran describes it, incur the wrath of Allah.

The message of the Quran is clear as we have seen, that the sanctity of any human life is to be respected and any violation in that regard is paramount to the worst crime.

Mercy is at the heart of the Islamic call, “We sent thee (O Muhammad) not save as a mercy for the peoples” (21:107); a totally different message to what the terrorists are sadly imparting to humanity.

Concept of Jihad Jihad is usually associated with Islam and Muslims, but in fact, the concept of Jihad is found in all religions,political and economic ideologies, and of course all other life endeavours. Islam defines Jihad as striving and struggling for improvement as well as fighting back to defend one’s self, honor, assets and homeland. Also, Jihad is interpreted as the struggle against evil, internal or external of a person or a society. Jihad, in

The concept of suicide and killing others to get “70 virgins” in Paradise, is quite silly

Islam, means learn, teach, and practice Islam in all aspects of one’s life at all times to reach the highest and best education in order to benefit oneself, family and society.

It means to be a messenger of Islam everywhere, in every behavior and action. Reject evil, wrongdoing, and injustice and not by coercing people to accept Islam.

Again, in Islam, there is no such thing as holy war. This terminology was generated in Europe during the crusades and their war against Muslims. Islam recognizes Jews and Christians because they all follow Prophet Ibrahim, believing in Moses and Jesus. For many centuries even in the days of Prophet Muhammad, (s.a.w), Muslims have peacefully coexisted with Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths, maintaining social, business, political and economic treaties.

Islam respects all humans and faiths as long as there is no religious oppression, forbidding Muslims from serving Allah, preventing others from learning about Islam, and not respecting treaties.

About 70 virgins The concept of suicide and killing others to get “70 virgins” in Paradise, is quite silly.

The fact of the matter is, the “companions of Paradise” are mentioned as being pure and so much above anything we might imagine on earth, so as to indicate to us they are new, pure (virgin) and are not touched by men or devils, a reward for discarding worldly life and materialism for better things in Paradise.

AGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has issued warning to hate preachers (mischief makers) among religion institutionstodesistforthwithfromthe act as it would not tolerate religious intolerance in the state.

Ambode gave the during a special meetingwithmembersoftheNigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), at the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

The governor also disclosed that from next year, the state government will begin inter-face religious conferenceswhereallreligiousbodies in the state, irrespective of their denominations will participate and would be coordinated by NIREC. Ambode, represented by the State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. AbdulhakeemAbdullateef,explained that the government would stop any religion leader who preaches hate messages that is capable of endangering people’s freedom.

Freedom of religion According to him, “Henceforth, we’ll start to monitor mosques and churches and ensure that clerics do not engage in hate preaching.

“Our constitution in Nigeria has recognisedthefreedomandrightsof every citizen to express himself or herself in a way he or she believes.

The right to freedom of religion, conscience and the right to express it publicly,individuallyorincommunity with others, to express to observe, to practice and propagate it.

“Section42oftheconstitutiongoes further to say nobody on account of expressing himself should be subjected to any form of discrimination. So, if we are talking about peace, peaceful co-existence, then tolerance is key to all of us.

“Let it be known to residents that

henceforth, Lagos government in collaboration with Nigeria InterReligiousCouncil(NIREC),willnot toleratehatepreachers.Thesearethe people who do not preach their religion but continue to spread mischief about people of other religions.Wewillnottoleratereligious intolerance.

“This is the time for advocacy, let everybody realize that you have the right and freedom to practice your religionbutyouwillbestoppedfrom practicing that religion if it creates mischief. And under Section 45 of the Nigeria Constitution, the government is empowered to put a stop to your freedom when it endangersotherpeople’sfreedom,” he said. The government, while supporting Mosques in the call for prayerstotheirfaithful,urgedclergies toimmediatelydeactivatetheexternal loud speaker after the call had been made in-order not to constitute nuisancetothecommunity.

“We are going to ensure that this advocacyistakentothegrassrootsto let people know that we are not stoppingpeoplefrompracticingtheir religion but the rights of others must be taken into consideration. In recognitionoftolerance,Ambodehas directed that in collaboration with NIREC, from next year there would be quarterly inter-face conference where all religious bodies will meet to discuss way forward and further strengthen existing cordial relationship between the two religions. Itmustnotbeafirebrigade approach that is only when there is crisiswemeet.” Abdulakeemadded thatthestategovernmenthadearlier met with Christian and Muslim leaders where it was agreed to start enumeration, data gathering of members in the state “and we can not do this without the collaboration of NIREC. We are enforcing our law inamannerthatitrestoresthedignity of the people.

From left: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs Grace Oladimeji; former deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Latefat Okunu; Hon. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdul Hakeem Abdul Lateef and Co-Chairman, NIREC, Dr. Saheed Timehin during NIREC's visit to the Commissioner

42 — Vanguard,FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

L-r: Etisalat Customer, Raphael Osamon, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Francesco Angelone, Etisalat Customer, Chizoba Okpala-Atsu and Director, Customers Care, Etisalat Nigeria, Plato Syrimis at the Etisalat Customer Forum held in Lagos

From Left: Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria; Ivie Okujaye; Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria; Chioma Afe, Marketing Manager, DStv and Okechukwu OC Ukeje during the media launch of the DStv Upgrade Season Offer held at Westown Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.

Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

Reps probe AMCON over alleged sale of tank farms

By Emman Ovuakporie and Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—THE House of Representatives has moved to probe the Assets Management Company of Nigeria ,AMCON, over alleged under-valuation of some tank farms that it put up for sale on behalf of clients.

This development was sequel to a motion promoted by Rep Danburam Abubakar Nuhu. The House directed its committees on banking and currency as well as finance to investigate the matter and report back within one month, and urged AMCON to suspend further transaction on the sale of the assets pending the outcome of the investigation.

The House in plenary resolved that AMCON had invited interested members of the public to submit bids for the purchase of 32 petroleum products storage tanks located in Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos State as a result of the failure of some oil companies to up their debts four years after the corporation took over their non-performing loans from commercial banks.

But the lawmakers said the processes leading to the proposed sale of the 32 tank farms worth several billions of Naira by AMCON has been alleged to be in contravention of Section 28 of the corporation’s Act of 2010. Citing the relevant Section, the lawmaker said “the valuation of, and purchase price of eligible bank assets shall be determined in accordance with guidelines issued from time-to-time by the Central Bank of Nigeria,” but that the provision was kept aside.

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015—43

The Supreme Court and the mob hysteria

By Prince Ajibola Oluyede

A

CLEARLY orchestrated tirade against the Supreme Court of Nigeria in respect of its acceptance of an undertaking by the counsel to the Respondent in the Saraki Appeal has come to my attention following two days of consistent bashing of the Court for daring to do the unthinkable by scuttling the politically motivated stampede to remove Bukola Saraki from his position as Senate President through a wholly unconstitutional trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Concerning my submission that the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s trial of Bukola Saraki is unconstitutional, I will address that in another forum.

For now I wish to respond to the clearly misconceived notion that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act can be used to oust the power of the courts to grant stay of proceedings in criminal trials.

The issue as formulated by the leader of the charge goes as follows: “It is unfathomable that the Supreme Court decided to return the country to the status quo ante in a rather brazen and bizzare manner. Given the ouster clause contained in section 306 of the AJCS(sic), the Code of Conduct Tribunal ought not to have delivered its ruling in respect of the preliminary objections filed by Dr. Saraki” – Femi Falana (SAN).

Grant of stay of actions Highly respected Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) was also quoted by the media as having said that “The new Administration of Criminal Justice Act has completely eliminated any application or grant of stay of actions or proceedings in criminal trials; it prohibits it. So, what the Supreme Court has done is illegal and it is shocking that the Supreme Court would indulge in illegalities”.

Both eminent lawyers are intolerably wrong and thus give the impression that their per incuriam opinions could only have been motivated by prejudice and not by their well known life long struggle for the public good. Indeed the manner in which their respected opinions have rabble-roused a surge of public opinion against the apex court in respect of an issue which is still sub-judice smacks, in my humble opinion, of criminal contempt..

It is in this context that I join issues with them on the matter as follows: •Section 306 of the ACJA is unconstitutional, null and void in so far as it seeks to limit the exercise of judicial powers vested in the courts by section 6 of the Constitution of C M Y K

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

Map of Nigeria

the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

•Ayoola JCA (as he then was) in NNPC V Fawehinmi [1998] 7NWLR (PART 559) 598 at 612E-H echoed an age old principle of separation of powers when he said “Other than in consonance with the constitution itself, legislative provisions which preclude the judiciary from exercising judicial powers violate the separation of powers principle enshrined in section 6 of the Constitution” •Relying on the above dictum Omoleye JCA in Njikoye V MTN [2008] 9 NWLR (part 1092) 339 at 369 F-H also stated that “..the courts would disregard any statute that seeks to regulate and obliterate their judicial powers conferred on them by the express provisions of the Constitution, the supreme and grund norm of Nigeria. ….. An enactment will therefore be considered opposed to the

I congratulate the Supreme Court for braving the mob hysteria which appears to be the hallmark of this new fight against corruption to do the right thing

constitutional provisions vesting judicial powers in a court if: it … purported to remove judicial powers vested in the court or redefine it in a way as to whittle it or limit the extent of the power vested or conferred on the court by the Constitution.”

•What this means is that no legislature in Nigeria has the power to enact legislation that limits the exercise of judicial power or (as Falana states in his submission) constitute an “ouster clause”. •With regard to ouster clauses (although I do not agree that section 306 is one) Section 4(8) of the Constitution expressly forbids it and disempowers the legislature from making any such law. •To do so the legislature would have to amend the Constitution and that procedure is not the same as the mere passing of a bill into law as was done with the ACJA.

Strange and bizarre •It is, therefore, more strange and bizarre that any lawyer would castigate the apex court or any court for that matter for ignoring the so called “ouster clause” constituted by Section 306 of the ACJA especially as it expressly conflicts with the powers donated to the judiciary by the constitution, part of which is the power to order stay of any proceedings.

•In this regard the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 expressly provide in Order 4 Rule 4(iv) that the Civil Rights Court may “Grant injunction restraining the Respondent from taking further steps in connection with the matter or maintaining status quo or staying all actions pending the determination of [a Fundamental Rights] Application” •In Order XI of the same rules it is provided that the Civil Rights Court may “At the

hearing of any [fundamental rights] application, under these rules, …. Make such orders, issue such writs and give such directions as it may consider just or appropriate for the purpose of enforcing or securing the enforcement of any of the Fundamental Rights provided for in the Constitution or African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act to which the applicant may be entitled”

Criminal proceedings •Katsina Alu JCA (as he then was) in the case of Abia State University V Anyaibe [1996] 3 NWLR (PART 439) 646 at 661 E-F said of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules as follows: “Since the Rules have the force of law as the Constitution itself, it overrides the provisions of any other enactment which seeks to provide ‘an alternative’” •Therefore, in my humble submission it is erroneous for anyone to state that it is illegal to grant a stay of proceedings in criminal proceedings. •The criminal court may ignore the provisions of section 306 in so far as it limits its ability to do justice in any worthy case and certainly an appellate court that perceives that something is wrong with any criminal proceedings may order its stay not withstanding the provisions of section 306 of the ACJA and if it becomes an issue may infact set aside the section as invalid null and void.

•Furthermore a Civil Rights court before whom a complaint is made that a criminal proceedings infringes on any of the fundamental right in chapter iv of the Constitution certainly has the power donated expressly by the constitution to intervene and the provisions of section 306 of the ACJA would not be of any moment in that circumstance given the superiority of the Constitution to the ACJA. •Care must be taken by the Buhari Government and its advisers not to end up reducing the judiciary to irrelevance under the cover of this “war against corruption”.

•Whereas everyone agrees that it is necessary to root out the plague of corruption from this country the method by which that is to be done must not be at the expense of the

integrity of the institutions of democracy. The idea to limit the power of the courts to grant stay of proceedings in criminal trials is apparently rooted in the perception that judges cannot be trusted to do the right thing in Nigeria because of corruption, this cannot be the appropriate way to root out the corruption in the judiciary. It is equivalent to enacting a law forbidding the President from approving expenditure because we believe that politicians are corrupt. That would only bring governance to a halt. The hue and cry about the efficacy of section 306 today is because those who favour it are not themselves judges. If they were, they probably would frown on a law that already labels them as incompetent to rightly exercise discretion or corrupt before they had a chance to show their mettle.

•It must be borne in mind that the fight against corruption is a worldwide fight as evidenced by the United Nations Convention against Corruption 2003 and the ECOWAS protocol on the fight against corruption 1993 both of which Nigeria is signatory to.

Illegal instigation The methods are stated in those conventions and they include a strengthening of the institutions of democracy and not the whittling down of their efficacy, authority or powers. I wonder why Nigeria’s case is always negatively different.

•Furthermore abuse of office and the illegal instigation of criminal processes are required

by Articles 17 and 25 of the UN Convention to be criminalized by signatories as corrupt practices. If the Supreme Court perceives that the criminal proceedings against Senator Saraki might have been improperly instigated for any reason it is obliged to join in the fight against corruption by stopping it completely and to this end may properly stay proceedings until it is satisfied that its perception is wrong.

I congratulate the Supreme Court for braving the mob hysteria which appears to be the hallmark of this new fight against corruption to do the right thing.

•Prince Oluyede is of TRLPLAW

44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

CBN grants Wema Bank licence to operate as national bank

By Babajide Komolafe

T

HE CENTRAL Bank of Nigeria has granted Wema Bank PLC the licence to operate as a national bank. This follows the apex bank’s final approval to Wema Bank to convert from a Regional Bank to a National Bank.

In 2010, Wema Bank downscaled to operate only within its core areas of business – South-South, South-West and FCT Abuja.

Now, the Bank with a capital base of N43.8 billion has met the regulatory requirements for the National Banking license as stipulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. This historic event has made Wema Bank the first bank to be granted a National Banking Licence having previously operated with a Regional License.

According to Segun Oloketuyi, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, - Wema Bank Plc, - “This Approval represents a milestone for the Bank in the delivery of its Project LEAP commitments. Six years ago, we took a decision to refocus the Bank’s operations on its areas of strength and build a sustainable institution.

"We took advantage of the new licensing regime and applied for a Regional authorization with a pledge to expand in the near future, once the turnaround project was completed. The Bank’s transformation was implemented in three phases; first to stabilize the Bank, second to prepare the building blocks for growth and third to go for growth. We are now within the third phase of the transformation project.”

The CEO stated that the new license has created opportunities to scale up growth, and added that the Bank will continue to strategically select its business locations across the country with focus on areas where return on investment will be maximized, and shareholder value enhanced over the medium to long term.

“To ensure that this approval is leveraged appropriately, we are already in the process of raising $100 million in Tier 2 capital and would commence a Tier 1 capital raise in Q1 2016."

Anambra police command parades 48 suspected cultists, 2 native doctors • as Abia police arrest robbery suspects, wound 4 suspected kidnappers

By Anayo Okoli & Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—THE Anambra State police command yesterday paraded 48 suspected cultists who allegedly belong to the notorious Vikings Confraternity. Also paraded were

two native doctors said to be allegedly preparing charms for armed robbers and kidnappers.

This came as the Abia State police Command said its men from Umuobiakwa police station in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State arrested two

armed robbery suspects even as four suspected kidnappers were seriously wounded in a gun battle with its men at Uratta Primary School in Isiala Ngwa North council.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in Anambra, Mr.

From left: Mr. Yinka Adu, General Manager, Marketing, Elizade Nigeria Ltd; Mr. Lyrida Lu - Reginal Manager, South-Central Africa Light Commercial Division, JAC Motors International; Mr. Demola Ade- Ojo, Managing Director, Elizade Nigeria Ltd, and Mr. Obagbuwa Oloyede,Head, Operations, Elizade Auto Land, Elizade Nigeria Ltd, during the media briefing on JAC brand of vehicles and facility by Elizade Nigeria Ltd, in Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe

FACE-OFF: How Obiano mismanaged my N75bn

savings —Obi

•Show evidence you left N75bn – APGA

Continued from Page 15 Most of those roads were used to campaign for him during electioneering on the premise of continuity,” the statement said.

On the claim by the present administration that it met only N9 billion cash in the treasury Obienyem said: “ It is shocking to note that the Anambra State government said they only met 9 billion cash in the treasury. The point is that Obi left 37 Billion Naira in the treasury. We have the statements of accounts from the banks as at March 17th, 2014.

Let me illustrate using a few examples. Fidelity Bank and the money in the account as at 17th March, 2017: account Name: Ministry of Works, No: 5030005514, N2,403,862,359.89; account Name: Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, No: 5030025545, N2,029,706,380.45; account Name: Local Govt Community Development, account No: 5030042391, N1,734,069,061.09; account Name: Government Account, 5030047097, N3,048,355,196.

Diamond Bank: Account Name: Anambra State Subsidy Account, account No: 0026290200, amount N5,126,258,908.72; account name: UBE Matching Grant Account, No: 0031151473, amount N2,101,864,766.68; account name: Anambra State Joint Local Govt, No: 0022404540;

amount N3,276,354,490.46.

First Bank: Name of Account: EF/IGR Consolidated Account, no is 2018779464, amount is N2,139,951,400.00.

Enterprise Bank, account name is Govt House, Awka, Account no is 1400036138 and Amount is 1,928,596,191.25.

The total is N23,789,018,751 (Twenty-Three Billion, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Seven Million, eighteen hundred, Seven hundred and fifty One kobo.”

“It is pertinent to note that two years have gone and Anambra State government is still debating what was left or not, even when other governors that inherited huge debts, unpaid salaries and repayable loans and bonds have all taken off.

“In Obi’s first six months in office, he had already saved enormous money for the state before he was illegally impeached” he added.

According to Obienyem: “During his inauguration, Gov. Obiano listed many projects he would undertake, some of which are building an airport, building three power stations, among others.

“He started three fly-overs at the initial cost of N5 billion that was later varied to N15 billion. They diverted the money meant for the road, from Amansea to Amawbia round- about to three flyovers.

The contractor doing those flyovers is owed over N7 billion.

“He also started the construction of three roads to the airport

simultaneously. Are these not enough reasons to convince Anambra people on the need to borrow rather than bring Mr. Peter Obi into it?”

Show evidence you left N75bn APGA But the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has dared the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, to produce evidence that he handed over N75 billion to his successor, Dr. Willie Obiano as he claimed in his hand-over note 18 months ago.

Speaking to reporters in Awka, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Ifeatu Obiokoye, said the party and Governor Obiano decided to keep mute for such a long time because they wanted peace to reign, more so when Obi was still a member of APGA family.

He said there was no doubt abinitio that both the uninformed and informed minds knew that the controversial N75bn was not existing any where.

“I believe Governor Willie Obiano was being cautious by coming up with the truth now which, if he had done before now, would have embarrassed his predecessor. ‘’What is clear is that even in the handover note the liabilities were not clearly spelt out.

“The other aspect was other monies that was not in liquid cash but in liabilities. What do we now do with the truth as revealed by Governor Obiano.

Ali Okechukwu said the suspected cultists were arrested in various parts of the state as they were carrying out initiation of new members.

Among items recovered from them were guns, cartridges, machetes, large quantities of Indian hemp and other dangerous weapons.

Places where they were picked up, he said, include Nnewi, Ogidi, Awka, Awkuzu, Ihiala, among others.

According to Okechukwu, most of the suspects were students in various tertiary institutions, adding that all of them would soon appear in court since investigations into their cases have been concluded.

He said that the arrest of the suspects followed a tip-off by members of the public and urged the people of Anambra State to continue to support the police in its efforts to rid the state of crime.

The wounded four kidnap suspects in Abia, according to the State Police Public Relation Officer, Ezekiel Onyeke, a Deputy Superintendent of Police were members of a gang of suspected kidnappers who planned and attempted to kidnap a produce merchant in the area.

According to him, the four suspects who had perfected plot to kidnap their victim ran into the waiting hands of the police men who were monitoring the situation following a tip-off.

Otti appeals against tribunal judgment

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA—ABIA State governorship candidate on the ticket of APGA in the April general elections, Dr. Alex Otti, has filed a notice of appeal against the judgment of the election tribunal which dismissed the petition he filed against the election of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

According to Otti’s counsel, Mr. Oracle Nwala, his client took the decision to appeal the judgment after consulting with leaders of the party as well as major stakeholders and a crosssection of the people of the state ‘’who voted massively for him during the election.”

Nwala expressed the hope that the Court of Appeal would grant Otti’s prayer to be declared the winner of the election with the preponderance evidence he put forward, especially on the cancellation of the election results in three local government areas of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 45

Bayelsa poll: APGA candidate withdraws from race, rallies support for Sylva

By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

Y

ENAGOA—THE governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr Christopher Enai, has withdrawn from the December 5, governorship poll in Bayelsa State and declared his support for Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Enai is a former chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area and member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He later defected to the APC to vie for the party's governorship ticket which was won by Sylva, a development that forced him to pitch tent with APGA where he picked the party's ticket as candidate for the forthcoming poll.

Enai, whose name is on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC's list as APGA governorship candidate, however, caused a stir when he made a surprised appearance at the formal flag- off of the APC candidate's campaign in Sagbama Local Government Area to support Sylva's governorship ambition.

Enai, who spoke at Ekeremor during the APC rally, said his

decision to withdraw from the governorship race as candidate of APGA and join the APC was to support the “change revolution” to bring about the desired change in the state for the betterment of the people.

“My withdrawal is not that I am leaving APGA entirely. I want a situation where we can achieve a new Bayelsa and I

believe that APC can do it. My supporting APC is not that I do not have followers while in APGA but my reason is that I want to support my brother, Sylva, because, this is the time to face reality in Bayelsa politics.

“I must say that I am in love with APC, so, I am using this opportunity to call on our people to vote for the real

change and for good governance. Of course, I am not the only candidate leaving his party. I know them all but I am not in the right position to be mentioning them for publication. Right now, out of 20 political parties in the race, about nine have stepped down. This is democracy and you have the right to join any party,” he said.

WARD CAMPAIGN: From left: Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah; Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and National Vice Chairman of PDP, Akiuwa Anioma, at the PDP governorship Ward campaign, at Imiringi Ward 8, in Bayelsa.

Decline in govt expenditure depressed economic growth—NBS Report

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

C

URRENT data from the Na tional Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has indicated that a significant decline in government expenditure in the second quarter (Q2) 2015 accounted for the poor performance of the economy this year even as total expenditure on Gross Domestic Product, GDP, during the period showed a 2.3 per cent increase in real terms.

During the period under review GDP growth rate was 2.57 per cent, a significant decline from 3.38 per cent recorded in first quarter, Q1, 2015. Though the third quarter GDP inched up to 2.84 per cent all the three quarters this year so far were significantly lower than 2014 and also lower than what federal government projected in 2015 budget.

GDP can be derived as the value of all goods and services available for final uses and export. The expenditure approach measures the final uses of or expenditure on the produced output as the sum of final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (investment activities carried out in the economy), and exports less imports.

In its GDP Expenditure Report

released yesterday NBS said general government final expenditure decreased year-onyear by 11.81 percent. In real terms this decrease was more pronounced with general government final expenditure go-

ing down by 14.83 percent relative to Q2 2014, and by 10.75 percent relative to its level in the previous quarter (Q1, 2015).

In nominal terms, government final consumption expenditure, GFCE, stood at N1.354 trillion in

Q2 2015, down by 11.81percent from N1.535 trillion in the corresponding period of 2014. This meant that the share of GDP accounted for by GFCE fell from 6.99 percent to 5.87percent, the lowest share since 2010.

N8 trillion lost to Illegal Mining every 2years, Senate

By Henry Umoru/ Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA–WORRIED by the fall in prices of crude oil and the urgent need to diversify the economy, the Senate yesterday raised alarm that Nigeria was losing a total of N8 trillion every two years following the activities of illegal miners. The Senate which expressed concern over the activities of illegal miners of the nation’s solid minerals, however mandated its Standing Committee on Solid Minerals with Senator Joshua Dariye as Chairman to investigate the “mindless and unlawful plundering of Nigeria’s solid minerals.”

The Senate also urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, SolomonAraseandotherlawenforcement agencies to wake up to their responsibilities of stopping illegal mining in Nigeria as well as arrest them. It further urged the federal, stateand localgovernmentstotake

concrete steps towards ending illegal mining in Nigeria. These resolutions were sequel to a motion by Senator Duro Faseyi, PDP, Ekiti North and titled, “Illegal Mining of the Nation’s Solid Minerals.” In his debate, Senator Faseyi noted that the unlawful plundering of the

nation’s solid minerals by state and foreign miners was further confirmed by the former permanent secretary of the ministry of Mines and Steel Development during his briefing of President MuhammaduBuharionthestate of the ministry.

EFCC grills Perm Sec over missing N.5 billion Sure-P cash

By Soni Daniel

A

BUJA—Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday quizzed the immediate past Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Nkechi Ejele, over her role in the disappearance of N500 million Sure-P cash meant for the ministry.

The woman, who was sacked

by President Muhammadu Buhari last week, was summoned by the EFCC to answer ques-

tions on how the huge sum of money earmarked by the government for the ministry disappeared under her watch.

According to a competent source in the commission, Mrs. Ejele, arrived the headquarters of the anti-graft agency around 10 am yesterday and was grilled for several hours.

The former permanent secretary was expected to be admitted to administrative bail pending when she would be formally charged for the alleged offence.

Kano blast victim recounts ordeal

By Abdulsalam Muhammad

T

WENTY-year old Musa Idris, a victim of last Wednesday bomb blast in Kano yesterday recounted his ordeal in the blast. Musa was lying critically injured at Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Nassarawa, Kano with his right leg wrapped in plaster of Paris (POP) arising from the injury he sustained from Wednesday blast at Kano GSM market. The 20 years old Economic students of Kano polytechnic could not hold back tears as he asked in rhetoric whether he would ever walk with his legs again.

Recounting his ordeal, Idris Musa, who hailed from Okene, Kogi Central said “my father handed over one thousand naira to me last Sunday to repair my phone which of course I gave to my friend and class Rep who is a specialist in phone repairs. As at Monday, my friend who appeared hooked to academic challenges could not repair the phone, and this brought about suspicion from my dad who suspected I was up to a game as he issued an ultimatum to either produce the phone by Wednesday or returns his money. On the faithful day I left the school to the GSM market with my friend to collect the phone and as we took two steps into the market, we heard a deafeaning sound that sent us sprawling on the ground” “I tried to escape from the scene but my legs failed me and remained on the ground helplessly before a good samaritan came to my aid. Collaborating his son’s tragic experience, Malam Musa told Vanguard ‘I took full responsibility for his travails’.

Full Gospel Businessmen Conference starts today

V

ICE-President Yemi Osin bajo will today in Lagos, address this year’s Annual Conference of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International Nigeria, FGBMFI-NG at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu,with the theme: “The Revolution”.

According to the Vice-President of FGBMFI-NG, Tokunbo Obayan, at a briefing ahead of the conference: “The keynote address will be delivered

by Professor Osinbajo, while Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, would be the special guest of honour.”

Other speakers are Ifeanyi Odedo, Professor Pat Utomi, Mr. Abiodun Fijabi, Fela Durotoye, and Ngozi Ekeoma.

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

Vanguard CLASSIFIED ONIGBANJO—I, formerly known and addressed as Onigbanjo Aminat Ajibike, now wish to be known and addressed as Adejoye Aminat Ajibike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IKECHUKWU—I, formerly known and addressed as I z u c h u k w u Ikechukwu Ezike, now wish to be known and addressed as Izuchukwu Victor Ezike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ILIEMENAM—I, formerly known and addressed as Nonso Emmanuel Iliemenam, now wish to be known and addressed as Nonso Emmanuel Francis. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ELEGHARA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinwe Christiana Eleghara, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omogor Christiana Chinwe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AMUZAT—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Isilamiya Abiodun Amuzat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Raji Abiodun Isilamiyat. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IDOWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Idowu Alice Bolanle, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebiwa Alice Bolanle. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANIMASHAUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Animashaun Adetutu Alimo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olasinbo Adetutu Serah. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank and general public please take note.

Confirmation of name I hereby state that Adigbonu Austine Anthonia Obianuju is the same person as Austine Anthonia Uju. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that I Umeayichie Chimezie Christian, am the same person as Umeh Chimezie. All former documents remain valid. Diamond Bank Plc, FCMB Plc and general public please take note.

IBIKUNLE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oluwadamilola Rebecca Ibikunle, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oluwadamilola Rebecca Adejumobi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ALADESIUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Abimbola Aladesiun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esther Abimbola Awoleye. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGUNSAN—I, formerly known and addressed as Ogunsan Morenikeji Aduke, now wish to be known and addressed as Aina Morenikeji Aduke.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGBINEWEKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Igbineweka Blessing Ese, now wish to be known and addressed as Chigbufue Blessing Ese. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

GIBSON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Grace Carilla Gibson, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Grace Carilla Aroyewun. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

OZIEGBE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oziegbe Paulina Isioma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ugbebor Paulina Isioma Chibuzor Anthony. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name OMAKA—This is to confirm that Omaka Paulina and Omaka Pauline Joe Favour is the same and one person. All former documents remain valid. Banks and General Public Please take note.

PETER—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Favour Ihuoma Peter, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ihuoma Ogbonna Okey. All former documents remain valid. NPF and general public, please take note.

NNAOSE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnaose Augustina Nwakaego, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Dibia Augustina Nwakaego. All former documents remain valid. Avis Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Personel Management, (CIPM); UNILAG, Lagos and general public, please take note.

Confirmation of name I Ifeoma C. Okoye hereby state that am the same person as Chijioke Ifeoma Angel, now wish to be known and addressed as Chijioke Ifeoma Angel.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

SUNDAY—I, formerly known and addressed as Sunday Olanrewaju Paul, now wish to be known and addressed as Shobitan Olanrewaju Paul. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that Joy James, Effiong Joy is one and the same person as Effiong Joy James. All former documents remain valid. FCMB Plc, Ecobank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc and general public please take note.

EBI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chineye Lucia Ebi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Chineye Godwin Amogu. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

U KO N WA N N E — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Ukonwanne Mercy Amarachi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Anyakorah Mercy Amarachi. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

ADEOGUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeogun Afolake Latifat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Raji Afolake Latifat.

All former documents remain valid.

General public, please take note.

NWANKWO —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Uzoamaka Nwankwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Blessing Uzoamaka Augusta Enechukwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name I hereby state that in some of my documents my name was written as Eze Emeka, and in others as Ezekwere Emeka Ugochukwu. I an the same person bearing all the names. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

AKPATA—I, formerly known and addressed as Akpata Obiageli Clara, now wish to be known and addressed as Ekwunife Obiageli Clara. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that Usouwah Doris Eberechi is one and the same person as Vincent Doris Eberechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Usouwah Doris Eberechi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

YAHAYA —I, formerly known and adressed as Mohammed Yahaya Tairu, now wishes to be known and addressed as Momoh Mohammed Tairu. All former documents remain valid. My bankers and general public take note.

ADEYEMO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeyemo Kafayat Adebimpe, wishes to be known and addressed as Mrs Gbesan Kafayat Adebimpe. All former documents remain valid. Lagos State Government and general public take note.

ONYEKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onyeke Martha Chinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogoh Martha Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. National Youth Service Corps and general public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that the name Lewis Ofunne, refers to one and the same person as Lawrence Okafor, but now wish to be known and addressed as Lewis Ofunne. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that the name Winner JoeChristopher, refers to one and the same person as Christopher Winner. But now wish to be known and addressed as JoeChristopher Winner Obinna. All former documents remain valid.

Access Bank, GTbank, Diamond Bank and general public please take note.

OBIEFULE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obiefule Ruth Chidinma, now wish tone known and addressed as Mrs. Itiveh Ejiro Ruth Chidinma. All former documents remain valid. Any authority it concern and general public please take note.

Confirmation of Name These namesTamaraukeKemebimor G.B., Headman Tamarauke-Kemebimor Brawaide Brass belong to same person but now wish to be known and addressed as Headman Tamarauke-Kemebimor Brawaide Brass. All former documents remain valid.

Any authority it may concern and general public to take note.

Confirmation of Name These names Frank Oyere and Ebiama Ebimobore belong to the same person but now wish to be known and addressed as Ebiama Ebimobore.

All former documents remain valid. UBA, any authority and general public to take note.

OKPARA—I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs Okpara Roseline, now wish tone known and addressed as Otobolo Roseline. All former docents remain valid, any authority it may concern and general public to please take note.

UMOLO—I, formerly known an addressed as Miss Siomeba Pennington Umolo, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs. Siomeba Pennington Owho. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

JIBUIKE—I, formerly known an addressed as Miss Adaku Mercy Jibuike, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs. Adaku Mercy Madubuko. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

JACK—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jack Eyema Mfon, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Joy Eyema Okwudiri. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWEKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nweke Nwamaka Nelly, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. O n y e k a o k w u Nwamaka Nelly. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UMUKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as Umukoro Kemi Aduke, now wish to be known and addressed as Kemi Awoyemi Aduke. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015—47

Vanguard CLASSIFIED ACHIME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Achime Amaka Nnennaya, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onyia Amaka Nnennaya. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

ADENIRAN—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bolanle Adeniran, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adedeji Bolanle Latifah. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

OBIAMAKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Chukwuka Okeke Obiamaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Chukwuma Okeke Miford. All former documents remain valid. Ministry of Education, Guaranty Trust Bank and general public please take note.

Confirmation of name I, Abubakar Usman wrongly spelt Bukar Usman instead of Abubakar Usman, now wish to be known and addressed as Abubakar Usman. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ABDULLAHI—I, formerly known as Abdullahi Ismaila, now wish to be known and addressed as Ismaila Lawal. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Addition of name ARO—I, formerly known as Ene Aro Ndubuisi Vincent, now wish to be known and addressed as Ene Ndubuisi Vincent. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name I, Eburuo Chimezie, Eburue Chimezie is the same person as Eburue Brendan Chimezie. All former documents remain valid. National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), First Bank Plc and general public please take note.

Confirmation of name Olaboye Akeem and Anthony Okpanachi belong to same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Olaboye Anthony Okpanachi Akeem. All former documents remain valid. Union Bank, any authority concerned and general public please take note.

A J A L O B I — I , formerly known and addressed as Ajalobi Gladys Chika Onyemaechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Obi Gladys Chika Onyemaechi.

All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name I, Doris E. Yugbuwre do hereby confirm that the names Doris E. Yugbovwre and Divine Doris E. Yugbovwre refer to one and the same me. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Otibhor Okoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esther Ebikiaye Otibhor. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

BELLO—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Tajudeen Bello Akinwande, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Tajudeen Akanbi Akinwande. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

THOMPSON—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Thompson Mosunmola Elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Elizabeth Mosunmola Ajayi. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

ONYEMAMUO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ijeoma Claire Onyemamuo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obefe Ijeoma Claire.

All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

O K PA N A C H I — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Agatha Ladi Okpanachi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Agatha Ladi Opaluwa.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AJAGBE —I, formerly known and addressed as Ms Adeboyin Elizabeth Ajagbe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeboyin Elizabeth Adeeko. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGWE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Chinecherem Igwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esther Chinecherem Edoloro. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OODO—I, formerly known and addressed as Gabriel Akoh Oodo, now wish to be known and addressed as Gabriel Akoh James. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EMMANUEL—I, formerly known and addressed as Emmanuel S. Ibegbulam, now wish to be known and addressed as Sunday I b e g b u l a m Chukwuemeka. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name I, Okoh Ekawu Paul is the same person as Okoh Innocent Paul, now wish to be known and addressed as Okoh Innocent Paul. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

E Z E N WA K A — I , formerly known and addressed as Franka Ezenwaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Franka Akabu-Ogu. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

E Z E N WA K A — I , formerly known and addressed as Ezekiel Ezenwaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Ezekiel Akabu-Ogu. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

ALUKPE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Alukpe Kehinde Joseph, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aliu Kehinde Dorcas.

All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

VICTOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Victor Etim, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Victor Bassey Etim Ukorebi. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Confirmation of name

public please take note.

EKOROH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Nnenna Ekoroh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Blessing Nnenna Julius. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

NNEBEDUM—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ifeoma Eucharia Nnebedum, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ifeoma Eucharia Udeaja. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

OGINNI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oginni Oluwafunmilayo Catherine, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. A l a b i Oluwafunmilayo Catherine. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

K A R E E M — I , formerly known and addressed as Kareem Sekinat Omowunmi Titilope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Taiwo Sekinat Omowunmi Titilope.

All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

OLAWEPO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olawepo Esther Tobi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Suarau Esther Tobi. All former documents remain valid.

University of Lagos, Nigeria Youths Service Corps (NYSC) and general public, please take note.

ONWUZULIKE —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onwuzulike Ifeoma Stella, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwosu Ifeoma Stella. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

KAMOLI—I, formerly known and addressed as Taiwo Kamoli Jimoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Jimoh Taiwo. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, Ecobank Plc and general public, please take note.

M B A O M A — I , formerly known and addressed as Mbaoma A n t h o n i a Chinaemerem, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eze Anthonia Chinaemerem. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

OLUBOLA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olubola Abiodun Oluwagbemisola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Salako Olubola Abiodun Oluwagbemisola. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

YISAU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Yisau Adefunmilayo Mutiat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. A l a r a p e Adefunmilayo Mutiat. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

O S A K W E — I , formerly known as Miss Margaret Ifeyinwa Osakwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Margaret Ifeyinwa Porbeni. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKAFOR—I, formerly known as Miss Okafor Roseline Ngozi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ibeh Roseline Ngozi.

All former documents remain valid. Oji River L.G. ENS LGSC and general public please take note.

ABUBAKAR—I, formerly known as Shehu Usman Abubakar, now wish to be known and addressed as Shehu Usman Hamisu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AYEGBA—I, formerly known as Miss Ayegba Judith Amina, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oke Judith Amina Ayegba. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OBI—I, formerly known as Obinede Geraldine Obi, now wish to be known and addressed as Obinede Geraldine Oby. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKORO—I, formerly known as Miss Chioma Nora Regina Okoro, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chioma Nora Regina Moses. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UNAICHI—I, formerly known as Miss Unaichi Nkiruka Favour, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwoke Nkiruka Favour. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I,

Ncharam

Christopher and Nchra Christopher is one and the same person. All former

documents

remain valid. General

48—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

Vanguard CLASSIFIED TAIRU—I, formerly

SALAMI—I, formerly

known as Muhammed

known as Miss Taibat

Tairu, now wish to be

Salami, now wish to be

known and addressed

known and addressed

as Yahuza Muhammed

as Mrs. Taibat Ajoke

Tairu.

MESHACH—I, formerly known as Mr. Meshach Enuagune Ono Emeni, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Mishael Enuagune Ono Emeni. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IHEJIRIKA—I, formerly known as Miss Nneka Kate Ihejirika, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nneka Kate Ejemezu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

O T U N L A — I , formerly known as Mrs. Josephine Adedayo Otunla, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Josephine Adedayo Erinle. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OGHOTUOMA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Evelyn Enemute Oghotuoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Evelyn Enemute Akhadehbusi Oharedia. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

All

former

Amzat. All former

documents

remain

documents remain

valid. General public

valid. General public

please take note.

please take note.

SALAKO—I, formerly known as Salako Modupe Omowunmi, now wish to be known and addressed as Oderinde Modupe Omowunmi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ADEMISOLA—I, formerly known as Ademisola Zainab Alaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Ademisola Zainab Alaka Ikenchuku. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name

public please take note.

N N E O M A — I , formerly known as Miss Nneoma Chukwuemeka Iroha, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Alili Nnena Emeka.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

note.

ODEWUNMI—I, formerly known as Odewunmi Matthew Gbenga, now wish to be known and addressed as Olarenwaju Matthew Gbenga. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IKEMDA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Philomena Enaruke Ikemda, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Philomena Enaruke Musah. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANENE—I, formerly known and addressed as Azuka Anene Nwachukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Azuka D a v i d s o n Nwachukwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

JAMABO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jamabo Seleipri Bennis, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Bennis-Amerika Seleipri. All former documents remain valid. Delta State University and general public please take note.

BIALIKI—I, formerly known and addressed as Ediri Godwin Bialiki, now wish to be known and addressed as Ediri Godwin Egbine. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EFEKOROTU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Efekorotu Enakpoyeri Rita, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okperiruisi Rita Enakpoyeri. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

S Y L VA N U S — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Sylvanus Faithful, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akpoilih Faithful. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

JIBUIKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adaku Mercy Jibuike, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adaku Mercy Madubuko. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHUKWUJEKWE—I, formerly known and addressed as Angela Abara Chukwujekwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Angela Elechi Abara Ogbonna. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to confirm that the names David Bruno Agbro and Edirin Bruno Agbro refer to me, but henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Edirin Bruno Agbro. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHUKWU —I, formerly known and addressed as Francis Chukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Francis Chukwumba.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name

note.

GOLLEY—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Matina Enor Golley, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Matina Enor Golley Ewhujovwho. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKAFOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okafor Chinelo Emmanuela and Linus Chinelo Emmanuela, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebireri Chinelo Emmanuela.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MENE—I, formerly known and addressed as Mene Rapheal, now wish to be known and addressed as Mene Rapheal Solomon. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

KANU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnenna Margaret Kanu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nnenna Margaret Onyebuchi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okoh Ifeoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajamikoko Ifeoma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGBINOBARO —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Lydia Uyi Igbinobaro, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Lydia Odoruyi Ogwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

TEBU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Tebu Ovuakporaye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ovuakporaye Chris Aigbekaen. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name The names Okiki Kalawei, Okiki Wowei Kalawei, Kalawei Wowel and Okiki Wowei Ozuofaye Kalawei are mine, henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Okiki Wowei Ozuofaye Kalawei. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name My name appear as Bankole Mariam Aderayo on my BVN Database with Diamond Bank, and for personal reasons I wish to be known and addressed as Olayinka Mariam Aderayo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MENE—I, formerly known and addressed as Raphael Mene, now wish to be known and addressed as Ogboduwa Raphael Mene. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EBEGBULEM—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ann Chizoba Ebegbulem, now want to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ann Chizoba Akujuobi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IGHOVOJAH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oghenemine Uhwe Ighovojah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eliora Oghenemine Arubayi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

INYANG—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss.Inyang Florence Obiajulu, now wish to be known Mrs. Adewole Florence Obiajulu. All former documents remain valid.

General please public take note.

Confirmation of name This is to certify that Omaghomi Christiana and Ighorodje Christiana is the same and one person but now wish to be known and addressed as Omaghomi Christiana.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to certify that O g h e n e d a f e Wi l f r e d Newton and Dafe Newton Magege is the same and one person but now wish to be known and addressed as Dafe Wilfred Newton Magege.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to certify that Ezeudeka Martin Ugochukwu, Ezeudeka Martin Ugochukwu Augustine, Ezeudeka Ugochukwu Augustine refers to one and the same person, that I now wish to be known and addresses as Ezeudeka Martin Ugochukwu. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

UDE—I, formally known and addressed as Ude Augustine Chima, Now Wish To Be Known And Addressed As Udeogu Augustine Chima. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

N WA N K W O — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwankwo Rachael Chinyere, now want to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chukwuemeka Rachael Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Medial Centre Umuahia, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and general public please take note.

ISHAKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ishaka Vivian Nneka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojukwu Vivian Nneka. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name I, Onwumechuruba Hyacinth Chidi is the same person as Ubah Hyacinth Chidi. All former

documents

remain valid. General

I,

Okafor

Bolum

Moses is the same person as Okafor Bolum Dennis. All former documents remain valid. General public please take

I,

Mrs.

Vivien

Osolonye Ugonabor, am the same person as Mrs. Vivien O. Chris.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015—49

Vanguard CLASSIFIED SULEYOL—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Priscilla Suleyol Ayag, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Priscilla Suleyol Asema. All former documents remain valid. Gwer East L.G.A and general public please take note.

ERDOO—I, formerly known and addressed as Tyokura Erdoo Evelyn, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs. Aondona Erdoo Evelyn Iyorhen Ortese. All former documents remain valid. Benue State University Teaching Hospital and the general public please take note.

OBOBA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oboba Eloho Loveth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ossai Eloho Loveth.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OBIOKPO—I, formerly known and addressed as Obiokpo Endurance, now wish to be known and addressed as Obiokpo Success. All former documents remain valid.Sectraco Nigeria Limited and General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is to certify that Ofulue Joseph Osita and Iwebenua Joseph Osita is the same and one person but now wish to be known and addressed as Iwebenua Joseph Osita. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ENEKWEIZU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Enekweizu Ndidi Maryann, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Madu Ndidi Maryann. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

LAFUA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Patience Eguvabore Lafua, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Patience Eguvabore.

Imuero All former documents remain valid. Delta State Government and general public please take note.

IKUKAIWE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ikukaiwe Cynthia Ogochukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uzoka Cynthia Ogochukwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKEKE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okeke Linda Nkechinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mbah Linda Nkechinyere. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ONYEGBUNWA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mercy Onyegbunwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mercy Atoi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EJIOFOR—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ejiofor Stella Amaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obieje Stella Amaka.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

N N A N N A — I , formerly known and addressed as Nnanna Patrick, now wish to be known and addressed as Patrick Abraham.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I B R A H I M — I , formerly known and addressed as Ibrahim Ahmed Dembo, now wish to be known and addressed as Dembo Bakari Ibrahim. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UWAGBOE—I, formerly known and addressed as Esther Uwagboe, now wish to be known and addressed as Adesuwa Esther Oghenekevwe Monday-Uwagboe.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

IKWUEME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss I k w u e m e Kosisochukwu Uchenna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Anyaegbunam Kosisochukwu Uchenna. All former documemnts remain valid. The authorities to whom it may concern and the general public to please take note.

OGBOTITI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Faith Pere-Ere Ogbotiti, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Faith Pere-Ere Lawrence. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

DISEYE —I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Gbefa Diseye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Diseye Gbefa Egberipou. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ALLAH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Allah Mary Ebikedoubo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Allah Okpomu Mary Ebikedoubo.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OYINKEPREYE—I, formerly known and addressed as Oyenke Oyinkepreye, now wish to be known and addressed as Oyenke Oghenewoke.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ABOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Aboh Oghenetega, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oguara Inara Oghenetega.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

K U N O U N — I , formerly known and addressed as Tombara Gbolegha Kunoun, now wish to be known and addressed as Tombara India. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

SPIFF—I, formerly

please take note.

OSAIGBOKAN—I, formerly known and addressed as Abusomwan Precious Osaigbokan, now wish to be known and addressed as Abusomwan Peace Osaigbokan.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

A M A G B E — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Alatarighabofa Ikio Amagbe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Alatarighabofa Ikio Yousuo. All former documents remain valid. Brass Local Government Council and general public please take note.

S Y LV E S T E R — I , formerly known and addressed as Sylvester Lawrence, now wish to be known and addressed as Sylvester Omavuaye Lawrence.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

BILA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bila Niekenimi Nathaniel Agako, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Wariebiowei Tarilayefa Niekenimi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

WALTER—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Iboh Walter, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Iboh Stephen Peregha. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of names I, Ekiseehehh Benedict Tuborkeyi do hereby confirm that the names Ekiseehehh Tuborkeyi B. ,Ekiseehehh B. Tuborkeyi, Ekiseehehh Benedict Tuboukeyi and Ekiseehehh Benedict Tubor refers to one and same me. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

Confirmation of names I, Mensah Israel Oweipadei do hereby confirm that the names Mensah Isreal Koffi and Israel Oweipadei Mensah refer to one and same me.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of names I, Matthew Enetimi Faith do hereby confirm that the names Matthew Enetimi and Matthew Enetimi refer to one and same me.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of names I, Prince Abel Perekeme do hereby confirm that the name Prince Abel refer to one and same me. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

E Z E N WA K A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Chika Lilan Ezenwaka, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chika Lilan Arua. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Correction of names I, Andrew Evelyn do hereby state that my name was wrongly written as Dawa Evelyn instead of Andrew Evelyn. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Correction of names I, Amgbari British Woyindeinyefa do hereby state that my name was wrongly written as Amgbali British Woyindeinyefa instead of Amgbari B r i t i s h Woyindeinyefa. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NDUKAIRE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ndukaire Onyinyechi Comfort, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Spiff Onyinyechi Comfort. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of names I, Onah Samuel Beimopre do hereby confirm that the names Samuel Beimopre Onah and Onah Samuel refer to one and same me. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OMORINKOBA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Omorinkoba Bosede Victoria, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okunsola Bosede Victoria. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWIKUE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Patience Bariadoora Nwikue, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Patience Bariadoora Coxson. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UNACHUKWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chikaodili Iyowike Unachukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chikaodili Iyowike Victor Chibuike Nwebo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

N WA G B A R A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwagbara Ngozi Obed Chibuike, now wish to be known and addressed as Dr. Mrs. Ogu Ngozi Obed Chibuike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWUBA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwuba Maryrose Ebere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ezedike Maryrose Ebere. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ATEIEKIOMIE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Eden Rose Ateiekiomie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Rose A. Paul Opunyiade Nkpornwi.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

known and addressed as Spino Spiff, now wish to be known and addressed as Inemi Spiff.

All

former

documents remain valid. General public

50—Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 , 2015

Vanguard CLASSIFIED ODIKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Odika Ngozi Blessing, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akomolafe Ngozi Blessing. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

TOLUWALOJU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Toluwaloju Josephine Taiwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omiye Josephine Taiwo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWA B U I S I — I , formerly known and addressed as Mrs Nneka Scholastica Nwabuisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nneka Livinus. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AKPOBOME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Florence Akpobome, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Florence James. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHIEKEZI—I, formerly known and addressed as Lilian Ugochi Chiekezi, now wish to be known and addressed as Lilian Ugochi Igwe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MUOGHALU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinwe Muoghalu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chinwe Igbodokwu.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OPEYEMI—I, formerly known and addressed as Shakirullah Abubakar Opeyemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Shakirullah AbdulQadir Aremu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note

Clarification of name I wish to clarify that both Ododeh Roland, Ododeh Roland .M. and Michael Roland is same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as Ododeh Roland. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKIRIE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwakaego Okirie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwakaego Esther Ezendo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EYOROROKUMOH— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Bessie Robert Eyororokumoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Bessie Akeme Gita.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MUNIR—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Halima Munir, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Halima Hussaini Adamu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ABIA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Afiong Edet Abia, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Afiong Abia Okponung. All former documents remain valid. Local Education Authority/Abuja Area Council (LEA/ AMAC), U.B.A, Aso Savings & Loans and general public please take note.

MAISAINI—I, formerly known and addressed as Maisaini Sardauna Monde Rayson Godwin, now wish to be known and addressed as Maisaini Sardauna Godwin. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name This is certify that the names Omeje Sunday Vitus and Omeje Vitus refer to one and the same person as Omeje Sunday Vitus. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ORABA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oraba C y n t h i a Somtochukwu Ezinwanne, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okoh Cynthia Somtochukwu Ezinwanne. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EKPETIPU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Rachael Dirizide Ekpetipu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Rachael Ogoba. All former documents remain valid. Eco Bank plc and general public should please take note.

ENDURANCE—I, formerly known and addressed as Oritsheminone Endurance, Perseverance George Onuoha Goodness, now wish to be known and addressed as Oritsheminone Goodness. All former documents remain valid.

UBA PLC, Diamond Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc and general public should please take note.

UMUKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UMUKORO ELO ROSEMARY, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ushurhe Elozino. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NZEKWUE—I, formerly known and addressed as Elizabeth Ufuoma Nzekwue, now wish to be known and addressed as Elizabeth Ufuoma Igugu. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AKPOBARO—I, formerly known and addressed as Akpobaro Franklin, now wish to be known and addressed as George F r a n k l i n Owhoekewho. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ORU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Afoke Oru, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ogaga Afoke. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AUTHENTICATION OF NAME: That my true and correct names are Emmanuel Robert Olomu, some of my documents carries Emmanuel Robert Olomu and Erowo Robert Olomu. That both names mentioned above are one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as Emmanuel Robert Olomu.

All former documents remain valid. Eco Bank and general public should please take note.

KAIKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Marvellous Ogheneyatiaye Kaika, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs M a r v e l l o u s Ogheneyatiaye Eruotteh. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

PEREMOBERE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Macaulay Helen Peremobere Dupe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Erhurun Helen Dupe.

All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OVWEGHRERHOHWO— I, formerly known and addressed as Ovweghrerhohwo Stanley, now wish to be known and addressed as Aduviekeya Adjarho Stanley. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MAFURU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mafuru Queen, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akpotor Queen Jesha. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

U M E K W E — I , formerly known and addressed as Umekwe Kelvin Chibueze, now wish to be known and addressed as Onwumalu Kevin Chibueze. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

FOR ENQUIRIES, CALL ADVERT HOTLINE: 01-4544821, OR 08028289689, 08033163424.

YOU CAN BOOK YOUR ADVERT AT: TRINITY MALL, 79/81 OBAFEMI AWOLOWO WAY, IKEJA. CALL: 08028289689, 08035449960, MURPHÝ'S PLAZA, 27, SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND. CALL: 08038092373, 08033163424

We have no reason to buy weapons outside Nigeria — Onu

By Emmanuel Elebeke

B

ARELY one week after their formal inauguration, the new Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has espoused his vision for the country, saying that Nigeria has no reason to buy weapons from other nations.

The Minister who spoke during his inaugural meeting with the directors and heads of the ministry in Abuja, said Science and Technology Ministry is at the centre of three major promises of security; job creation and fight against corruption, which were made by the new APC administration.

He assured of his resolve to explore the nations’ potentials in science and technology in tackling the issue of insecurity across the country.

“When we needed weapons to fight insurgents in the North East, it was difficult, even with our own money. Why do we need to go outside to buy weapons? When we have able men and materials that can manufacture most of the military equipment that we need. India was buying weapons before but is now in a position to produce what they need. The defence industry we have in Kaduna was established at the same time with that of Brazil, but today theirs can manufacture aircraft, ships, tanks but ours will take a very long time unless we act very urgently.

“Our ministry is very strategic as far as securing the nation is concerned. In the area of growing our economy, for too long, we have been a consuming nation; we import most of our needs. We export wood but we import tooth pick, we export crude oil and import petroleum products, we export cocoa but import chocolate, this can be very disturbing.

The missing link is that the key we need to open the door for prosperity is missing, despite having all it takes to be a great nation."

In terms of economy, reducing poverty, creating jobs, ‘the Minister maintained that science and technology are vital in actualizing the objectives of the government and promised to leverage on the available opportunities to achieve the objectives.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 51

Mastermind in Paris attacks killed T HE suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was among those killed in a French police raid on Wednesday, prosecutors say.

They confirmed Abaaoud had died when anti-terror police stormed a flat in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis.

His body was found riddled with bullets and shrapnel in the apartment.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he had received intelligence that Abaaoud passed through Greece on his return from Syria.

It is unclear whether he had concealed himself among thousands of migrants arriving in Greece before heading for other EU nations.

Confirming the Islamic State (IS) militant left for Syria last year, Mr Cazeneuve said no EU states had signalled his return.

The minister also implicated Abaaoud in four out of six attacks foiled in France since this spring.

The Belgian national, 28, was identified from his fingerprints.

Suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud Friday’s gun and suicide bomb attacks in the French capital left 129 people dead and hundreds injured.

Eight people were arrested and at least two killed in the raid on the property in Saint Denis.

Heavily armed police stormed the building after a tip-off that Abaaoud was

YRIA’S President Bashar al-Assad has said a political process to end the country’s bloody civil war cannot begin while

US House to vote on Iraqi, Syrian refugees entry •Balkans to reduce intake of migrants

R

EPUBLICANS in the US House of Representatives are preparing to vote on legislation that would place new restrictions on the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the US. Democrats say that the bill constitutes grandstanding, while Republicans say the public is demanding greater protection from terrorism.

President Barack Obama has said he will veto the legislation.

The bill follows the attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead. Seven of the perpetrators died in the attacks, and one of them is thought to have been a

Syrian who entered Europe via Greece with migrants.

The bill would require the head of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence to sign off on each refugee as being “not a threat to the security of the United States,” following an FBI background check.

The bill reportedly does not contain provisions that would screen refugees based on religion - a contrast to proposals offered by presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, who have said that preference should be given to Christians.

it is occupied by “terrorists”.

Mr Assad told Italian state television that the timetable for elections “starts after starting to defeat terrorism”.

It is unclear whether he was referring only to Islamic State (IS) militants or also to Western-backed rebels.

Last week, 19 countries including Mr Assad’s allies - set a deadline of January 1, for the start of peace talks.

They signed a UN statement that calls for a ceasefire to be agreed by 14 May 2016 and for free elections to be held a year later.

Neither the Syrian government nor opposition were invited to take part in the event in Vienna so that the countries could present a unified message.In an interview with Rai TV broadcast on Wednesday night, the Syrian president stressed that no deadline for the start of a political transition could be set while parts of the country were not controlled by his government.

Indian Muslims protest against deadly ISIS attacks voice against the act,” have to fight against this

A

prominent Muslim group in India organised protests across the country against recent deadly attacks in France, Lebanon, and Turkey by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

“Islam doesn’t permit killing of innocents. Since most of the killings are being done in the name of Islam and jihad, that’s why it is our religious duty to raise our

Maulana Mahmood Madani, chief of JamiatUlama-i-Hind, told Al Jazeera. Thousands of Muslims across dozens of cities came out on the streets on Wednesday chanting slogans and raising banners against ISIL and its affiliated groups, Madani said.

“It’s a conspiracy to bring a bad name to the Quran, Islam, and the Prophet. We

K

ENYAN police have been deployed to ease a traffic jam reportedly stretching for 50km (30 miles) on the highway between Mombasa and Nairobi.

The road is crucial for East Africa’s economy as it links the port of Mombasa to landlocked countries, such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.

The worst-affected area is around Taru, about 80km

from Mombasa.

Correspondents say the jam has been caused by repairs to the road following heavy rains.

Traffic jams are common in Kenya and are often caused by its badly maintained road network but this is said to be the worst for several years.

More than 1,500 trucks have been stuck, Willingtone Kiberenge, acting chief executive of the Kenya

Transporters Associ-ation, told Reuters news agency.

Some motorists have been stuck in the countryside, miles from the nearest shop, since the jam began on Tuesday evening.

“I have not eaten since yesterday morning, not showered and not even changed clothes,” Nathaniel Chweya, a lorry driver taking 10 cars to the Ugandan capital of Kampala sai.

in Paris.

Investigators are still looking for another suspect, Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to have travelled to Belgium after the attacks on Friday night.

The identification of Abaaoud raises serious questions for security services.

SYRIA: Assad rejects transition time table

S

Kenyans stuck in 50km traffic jam on Nairobi-Mombasa road

conspiracy. It’s a jihad for us.

Those [ISIL] who are doing this are really Allah’s rebels,” the Jamiat leader said.

The activists held placards with messages reading “ISIS is a threat to humanity,” and “Stop ISIS everywhere.”

“We have received huge support. Almost all Muslim organisations have joined us from across India,” said Madani.

•A traffic jam reportedly stretching for 50km (30 miles) on the highway between Mombasa and Nairobi.

World’s second-largest diamond found in Botswana carats, the largest for more “I am truly at a loss for

T

HE world’s secondlargest gem quality diamond has been discovered in Botswana, the Lucara Diamond firm says.

The 1,111-carat stone was recovered from its Karowe mine, about 500km (300 miles) north of the capital, Gaborone.

It is the biggest diamond to be discovered in Botswana and the largest find in more than a century.

The 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond was found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of which are in the British Crown Jewels.

“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000

than a century... cannot be overstated,” William Lamb, the CEO of Lucara Diamond, a Canadian diamond producer, said in a statement.

Lucara says two other “exceptional” white diamonds - an 813-carat stone and a 374-carat stone - were also found at the Karowe mine.

Libyan held over 1984 UK police shooting

A

Libyan man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder PC Yvonne Fletcher three decades ago.

PC Fletcher, 25, died after being shot while policing a

CLIMATE CHANGE: Earth nearing danger zone

L

ESS than two weeks before a crucial global climate summit in Paris kicks off, NOAA, NASA and other global temperature monitors released data showing that the planet is halfway to two degrees of warming, the much publicized limit of “controllable” climate change.

Global data from NOAA released Thursday shows that the average temperature across the entire planet for the month of October was a record shattering 0.98 degrees Celsius (1.76 degrees

words. This has been an amazing week for Lucara with the recovery of the second largest and also the sixth largest gem quality diamonds ever mined,” Mr Lamb said.

Botswana is the world’s largest producer of diamonds and the trade has transformed it into a middle-income nation.

Fahrenheit) warmer than average for the month of October — making it the highest average temperature reached compared to normal in Earth’s historical record.

The NOAA data is backed up by similar data sets maintained by NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency, which also ranked October as the hottest month on record compared to average. All of this virtually guarantees that 2015 will rank as the warmest year overall, breaking the record that was set just last year.

demonstration outside the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984. Scotland Yard described the arrest of the man, in his 50s, as a “significant develo-pment”.

He was detained on Thursday morning in southeast England and is now in custody. Heisalsosuspected of money laundering offences.

TwootherLibyannationals - a woman in her 40s and a man in his 30s - were also arrested on Thursday on suspicion of money laundering. Scotland Yard said the other two suspects, arrested at separate addresses in London and south-east England, are in police custody and that searches are under way across the country.

In a statement, PC Fletcher’s family said her father had recently died, with his “one regret in life” being that he had “never witnessed any justice” over the shooting.

52 — Vanguard, FRI DAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

ARIES; Both yourself and other important personalities to you are beginning to see things from same point of view making it easy for you to eliminate unnecessary rift.

TAURUS; Venus moves into a positive angle to your Star and encourages peaceful settlement. Exhibition of maturity on your part will favour you better.

GEMINI; Gradually you are dropping aggressive approach you have adopted in the last few days to the betterment of your cause. Remain practical till after 10.15pm.

CANCER. Other people will continue to have their says and if you try to indoctrinate them tensed atmosphere will be aggravated. Be patient.

LEO; Entrance of romantic Venus into a positive angle will enhance your prospects. Both financial and love related success are possible.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

Y

ES, what is your ambition in life? You must have something that motivates you.It is not a crime to be ambitious.How can it be a crime

No future ambition? — 2 because you chose t o succeed?Ambition on its own is not a crime.

What is a crime is I N O R D I N AT E

TERROR MUDA

ambition.Inordinate means excessive.

Every reasonable person believes too much of anything is bad.It is not just bad, it is

in “Never say goodbye”

dangerous.Ambition is no exception.

Have your own ambition.However, ensure that your ambition is realistic and realizable.Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

VIRGO; This is not the right time to rely on promises made by others. Continue to take matters-of-the-heart seriously. Reason with your reliable associates.

LIBRA; Better than yesterday; however that is not to say you should throw caution to the wind.

Improvement on your love life indicated. Try to comport yourself.

SCORPIO ;After the am period you will become more aggressive. However your best way to success is to seek and reason with opinion of your spouse and/or important partners.

SAGITTARIUS; After a few days of fun you may need to settle down to serious business. Those of you working till very late evening will need to be more careful till after 10.15pm. Reason with your tried and trusted old hands(friends).

CAPRICORN; Venus moves into positive angle and boost your sparkling personality to the betterment of your cause. Could be a nice day for the-young-atheart.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic’

By Andy Akman

AQUARIUS; It is important you don’t allow your mind to wander unnecessarily so that minor but costly mistakes would be averted. Avoid late evening confusion.

PISCES; Recent tension generated by controversy over money will start to ease off. Be more vigilant if you are working late in the evening. Yet you will need to watch what you do within your base till after 10.15pm tonight.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

Good future for me?

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Joshua, I want to know about my future, especially what I should expect from my love life both in the immediate and far future. However that is not to say I am not interested in good financial standing.

Francis, Abuja.

Dear Francis, Although there will be a particular time you will need to be more careful so that you will not gamble with love as predicted under your love life.

Major challenges for you here is inability to hold on to your gains (profits) partially by the contact made between your natal Saturn and Venus and some other times by your love of LUXORY (easy life).

Although the Saturn influence can be mitigated, the love of luxury comes from your Taurus – Stallion which must not be totally discouraged but should not be allowed to go beyond your control. Yes envy and jealousy can creep in as indicated by the oppositions between your natal Venus/Saturn in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio, but that is not enough excuse for either failure or manipulation of occult powers against you. Whatever anybody says and/or does GREAT FINANCIAL SUCCESS is your portion.

The most influential planet during your birth hour is Venus-the planet of MONEY and LOVE. You are the romantic type whose magnetic personality and open handedness are sources of big trap to his members of opposite sex. As handsome as you are you truly crave stability in your love life, /home and the happiness you desired will be yours. You will need to watch carefully around and during your 44th year on earth as you may be tempted to gamble with matters-of-the-heart.

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 53

C M Y K

54— Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Mikel is important to Eagles — Oliseh C

OACH, Sunday Oliseh has moved to quell speculations that Sunshine Stars star, Paul Onobi is heir apparent to Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi. Mikel was surprisingly dropped from the Nigeria side that beat Swaziland 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt but Oliseh says Onobi did not take the place of the Chelsea superstar.

He added that “nobody has a fixed spot in this team” as he continues his rebuilding process with the three-time African champions.

“What I feel about Onobi is that he’s a home star.

“I said it from the onset that I don’t care if you play at home or abroad.

“If you are good enough and you can adapt to the tactics that we play, we will do it.

“I am glad that the whole world has witnessed a vindication of that policy that I will always adhere to.

“He’s solid. He’s strong on the man (tackle). He’s solid. He’s clairvoyant and one thing I like about him is that he’s very hungry.

“And that’s what we

T

•GRITTY . . .Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi vies with Tony Tsabedze of Swaziland in the first leg meet in Swaziland need now. “However, I must use this medium to state that Onobi did not play at the expense of (Mikel).

ANIEL Sturridge is preparing for a return to action after declaring himself “fit and ready” for a Liverpool comeback. The forward has missed his team’s past seven matches after suffering a knee injury, but returned to full training on Tuesday.

Manager Jurgen Klopp is unlikelytobringtheEngland international into his starting

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petitive matches is near perfect as he is yet to lose a single game since taking over from Stephen Keshi in July.

•Cristiano Ronaldo is known to be frustrated

by Benitez’s defensive tactics - and he’s not shy of showing it

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HINGS are not what they used to be at Real Madrid. Arrigo Sacchi once asked Florentino Perez what the team would look like if the

line-up at the first chance against Manchester City on Saturday but Sturridge is optimisticaboutleadingtheLiverpoolattack.

“I’m fit and ready to go and it’s going to be a great time for me,” Sturridge said.

“It’s been great under the newmanager.I’vebeenback training for the past couple of daysandIwastrainingwhen he first arrived.

Westerhof Continues from BP was proud of his team, and Westerhof took exception to the idea, saying it was nothing to celebrate.

“Congratulations, you beat Swaziland 2-0 in the return leg match of the preliminary round of the qualifiers,” Westerhof said.

“But does that really call for celebration? Yes, there are no minnows in football but who are Swaziland to hold the Super Eagles to a goalless draw?

“The Super Eagles

“Nobody has a fixed spot in this team,” he said.

“Oliseh’s record as Nigeria coach in com-

HE French national anthem will be played ahead of kick-off at Premier League stadiums this weekend as a tribute to victims of the Paris terror attacks.

There will also be a minute’s silence around the grounds and players will wear black armbands.

Clubs will follow guidance from anti-terrorism security agencies – the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office – to ensure this weekend’s action is played under the safest conditions.

A full security briefing was given to every club by Premier League officials providing details of the current threat alert. The police are in the process of reviewing their security operations and will have extra presence at the matches. Fans can expect extra, more thorough searches at stadium gates and have been advised to arrive earlier than usual to allow time to enter the stadium ahead of the match. Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore said: ‘The clubs have been fully briefed in context of the current guidance from national security services and are liaising with their local police forces to ensure the appropriate security and safety measures are in place for their matches and stadiums.’

The 56-year-old also confirmed via a statement on the Premier League website that players will stand in the centre circle facing the main stand of each ground after the coin toss while the choral version of the French national anthem is played.

El Clasico defeat ‘ll lead to goodbye for Benitez at Real Madrid

Sturridge: I am fit, ready

D

French national anthem to be played in Premier League grounds

won 2-0 in Nigeria but is it not a game the Super Eagles should be winning 6-0, 7-0 under normal circumstances?

What type of football do they play in Swaziland?

“Swaziland is not the first match Super Eagles have played under Oliseh. There has not been any difference between their first game under him and the game with Swaziland.

“I’m sorry, with Oliseh, the Super Eagles may not go to the World Cup in Russia,” Westerhof declared.

president picked the XI and he scrawled a 4-4-2 down on a piece of paper with Zinedine Zidane at centre back – it was the only way to fit all the attacking players in.

Jose Mourinho brought a large dose of defensive pragmatism when he arrived in 2010 and Rafa Benitez now gets away with all but admitting that in the recent Madrid derby Real looked to defend their 1-0 lead in the second half only to concede and draw the game. In the old Real Madrid team – the one with Zidane in its midfield - the phrase ‘defend a lead’ was never heard.

As Benitez prepares for his first Clasico on Saturday, the pressure is on him not just to beat Barcelona but to turn on the style. There are claims that Cristiano Ronaldo has told the president the team will never win while he’s in charge, while television footage shows Ronaldo complaining to Sergio Ramos that the team played ‘too deep’ against Sevilla in their last match, a 3-1 defeat.

All the time Zidane waits in the wings ready for his chance should it come along.

‘He’s taking his time and he is not going to be rushed by anyone,’ Emmanuel

Lagos SWAN congratulates Nneka Ikem-Anibeze

T

•Ronaldo

•Benitez

Petit said of his old World Cup-winning team-mate recently.

Zidane has never been in the kind of rush Pep Guardiola was at Barcelona to become a first-team coach. But he did admit in the summer that if the club had called him to take charge this season he would have been ready.

This week in an interview in Bild, Zidane speaks of Toni Kroos being the final piece in Real Madrid’s jigsaw. That is not the way Benitez sees it and he is even contemplating leaving the cultured German midfielder out of Saturday’s staring line-up to make room for the defensive muscle of Casemiro. He probably won’t do it but the fact that it is an option speaks volumes.

Therein lies the difference between the two men’s philosophies and it will not be long before the fans are calling for some French flair if Benitez begins to lose ground on the only enemy that really matters to Madrid.

Zidane has not been pulling up any trees in the B-team, Castilla, but that has no bearing on whether he can do the first-team job.

Blending together his own mix of some of the best players in the world is a very different job from trying to get the best out of some talented teenagers in Spain’s third tier. Zidane did Benitez no favours by also saying in that Bild interview that he hasn’t seen a bad Bayern Munich game since Pep Guardiola took over.

HE Sports Writers Asso ciation of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos State chapter, has congratulated Mrs. NnekaIkem-Anibezeonher appointment as Special Adviser on Media to the Honourable Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalong.

In a statement signed by the Secretary, Emma Njoku, Chairman of the association, Fred Edoreh, hailed the new Sports Minister for choosing Nneka, who he described as very suitable for the position considering her wealth of experience as a journalist with a passionate bias for sports.

“On behalf of the executives and entire members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Lagos chapter,Iheartilycongratulateour dear Nneka Ikem-Anibeze on her appointment as Special Adviser on Media to the Honourable Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalong,” Edoreh began in the statement.

“Thisisthefirsttimeawoman would be appointed as Special Adviser to a Sports Minister, and it is an indicationthatthenewSportsMinister, true to his name, Solomon, is, indeed, a wise man,” the statement added.

“Having risen to the enviable position of an Assistant Director, Sports with Radio Nigeria, I have no doubt that Nneka’s wealth of experience, both as a sports journalist and as manager of human resources.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 — 55

Federation Cup: Akwa United get ‘executive order’

A

KWA United football club have been given an executive order by the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom, to do everything possible, to bring the Trophy home, when they face Lobi Stars on Sunday in the Final of the event at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

The Governor did not mince words, as he expressly ordered the players of the club to go to Lagos and beat Lobi

•Gov Udom

Stars in the finals of the 2015 tournament, when he hosted the players to a breakfast meeting on Wednesday at the Government house, Uyo. “I am coming for the game against Lobi Stars in Lagos. I want you to go and bring back the trophy. The state is waiting patiently for the trophy, Udom said.

“I know you have a good team that can make all of us in Akwa Ibom smile.

This is the first time, a club from the state will qualify for the final of the Federation Cup and I want you to make it count this time” Meanwhile, Lobi United Captain, Terna Ikpeen has assured that the team will beat Akwa Ibom team when they clash on Sunday.

Ikpeen insists that they have a better team and will emerge Champions of the competition this year.

Lobi ‘ll pip Akwa Utd — Arinze

L

OBI Stars forward Collins Obioma Arinze said Sunday ’s Federation Cup final against Akwa United will be a tough call, but he and teammates are determined to make Benue fans smile.

“We are here for one reason and that’s to lift the Federation Cup trophy. We won it in 2003 but lost it to Heartland in 2012 but this year’s’ final will favor us,” Arinze said.

Thrilling... Super Eagles attacker Moses Simon outwits Mkheweli Sanele of Swaziland during the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier match between Swaziland and Nigeria. Nigeria is on to the next round.

FIFA 2018 WC: No player is guaranteed a shirt, says Oliseh S

UPER Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh said that no player in his team is guaranteed a place as Nigeria continue in their quest to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Oliseh, was speaking

Kidnappers contact Prof.

Anugwueje’s family

By Ben Efe

H

OPE that kidnapped Athletics Federation of Nigeria medical director, Professor Ken Anugwueje will be released emerged yesterday, as the felons

made contact with his family members.

Anugwueje, an often easy going man was taken by the kidnappers on Wednesday, as he made for the airport in company of his official driver, who was

Let Me Go... Prof Anugwueje in Kidnappers’ den.

killed by the gunmen.

Athletics Federation of Nigeria president Solomon Ogba confirmed yesterday that the kidnappers have made contact and have demand for a N20m ransom, before the Professor of sports science could be released.

“I was with him till about 1.00pm Tuesday afternoon beforeIleftforWarri.Wewere makingarrangementsforour camping in Port Harcourt.

“This is shocking and we can only keep our fingers cross as we wait for his release, “ Ogba said.

Anugwueje, is the University of Port Harcourt director of sports. He is also in charge of the IAAF sanctioned High Performance Centre, where Nigerian athletes and others from the West African region can obtain high standard training.

Nigerian athletes are expected to camp there in PortHarcourtinpreparations for the 2016 African Championships and Olympics Games in Rio Brazil.

against the backdrop of heart warming performance put up by Sunshine Stars’ Paul Onobi in place of John Obi Mikel in their second leg tie of the qualifiers against Swaziland on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.

“What I feel about Onobi is that he’s a home star.

“I said it from the onset

that I don’t care of you play at home or abroad.

“If you are good enough and you can adapt to the tactics that we play, we will do it.

“I am glad that the whole world has witnessed a vindication of that policy that I will always adhere to.

“He’s solid. He’s strong on the man

(tackle). He’s solid. He’s clairvoyant and one thing I like about him is that he’s very hungry.

“And that’s what we need now.

“However, I must use this medium to state that Onobi did not play at the expense of (Mikel).

“Nobody has a fixed spot in this team,” he said.

Dikko happy with homebased Eagles

L

•Paul Onobi.., Rising star

EAGUE Management Company Limited (LMC) chairman, Shehu Dikko said it was a delightful experience to see five Nigeria Professional Football League players make contribution to the Super Eagles win over Swaziland in last

Awoniyi, Success lead foreign pros for Rio Olympics qualifiers IGERIA have N named Germanybased striker Taiwo Awoniyi

and Isaac Success from La Liga side Granada in a final squad for the 2015 African U23NationsCupinSenegal, which will serve as qualifiers for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Awoniyi is one of several foreign-based professionals picked for the tournament, whichkicksoffonNovember 28 in Dakar.

The 18-year-old striker is on loan to FSV Frankfurt in

the German second division from EPL club Liverpool.

The other overseas-based strikers are Isaac Success of La Liga side Granada and Junior Ajayi, who has been flying high at new Tunisian side CS Sfaxien.

Nigeria begin their campaign on November 29 against Mali in Mbour.

Egypt and Algeria are the other teams in their first round group.The top three teams in this tournament will qualify automatically for next year’s Olympics in Rio.

Tuesday ’s World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt.

They include Austin Obaroakpo, Chima Akas, Ezekiel Bassey and Paul Onobi who ensured that John Mikel Obi was not missed in the match.

“Delighted to see five @LMCNPFL players made the squad for the crucial Super Eagles World Cup qualifier against Swaziland and the four that played did very well,” Dikko said on social media.

“This clearly shows we are making progress both at the LMCNPFL and Super Eagles and soon we will have a team of our dreams.”

Swazi coach Harris Bulunga confirmed that the inclusion of the homebased players complicated their match plans for the Super Eagles. There were no home-based players in the first leg decided in Lobamba.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

El Clasico defeat ‘ll lead to Benitez sack Details inside

Westerhof blasts Oliseh

•Ronaldo

•Suarez

•Neymar

•Bale

•Says he cant take Nigeria to World Cup

F

•Oliseh

ORMER Nigeria head coach Clemens Westerhof isn’t convinced Sunday Oliseh is the right man to lead the national team to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.

Westerhof, who won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations title with the Super Eagles in Tunisia, launched an extraordinary tirade against Oliseh after they beat Swaziland 2-0 on Friday.

Following the victory, Oliseh told the press he Continues on Page 54

•Westerhof

Tomorrow’s EPL matches Watford Chelsea Everton Newcastle Southamptom Swansea West Brom Man City

v v v v v v v v

Man Utd Norwich Aston Villa Leicester Stoke Bournemouth Arsenal Liverpool

1:45pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 6:30pm

French national anthem to be played in Premier League grounds — Pg.54

Mikel is important to Eagles — Oliseh Pg.54 QUICK CROSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

FRI DAY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

ACROSS 4 Devil (5) 7 Hymn-book (6) 9 Seed-case (3) 10 Free (3) 12 Darkness (5) 13 Dross (4) 15 Lament (5) 17 Rest (6) 19 Employed (4) 20 View (5) 22 Faucet (3) 24 Deceived (7) 27 Through (3) 28 Shabby (5) 31 Region (4) 33 Diminished (6) 35 Biscuit (5) 37 Tug (4) 38 Fragment (5) 39 Immerse (3) 41 Clef (3) 42 Erase (6) 43 Stuck (5)

DOWN 1 Essay (6) 2 Tainted (6) 3 Conflict (3) 4 Ballad (4) 5 Farewell (5) 6 Attained (8) 8 Swimming-pool (4) 11 Agitated (9) 14 Repair (4) 16 Peruse (4) 18 Glance (4) 21 Ecclesiastical (8) 23 Plague (4) 25 Petal (4) 26 Intense (4) 29 Elicited (6) 30 Shouted (6) 32 Watchful (5) 34 Parched (4) 36 Imitated (4) 40 Enclosure (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Dial 4, New 6, Soar 9, Orb 10, Converse 11, Neon 14, Eat 16, Acute 19, Uplift 21, Tonic 23, Remained 24, Terce 27, Tip 31, Case 33, Initiate 34, Lea 35, Star 36, Ash 37, Copy.

DOWN: 2, Iron 3, Live 4, Narrator 5, Whet 6, Sonic 7, Ore 8, About 12, Duvet 13, Clear 14, Eft 15, Tenet 17, Using 18, Exude 20, Diminish 22, Cap 25, Exalt 26, Clear 28, Diva 29, Disc 30, Step 32, Sea.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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