Oil price: Senators split over 2016 budget

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62671

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

PIPELINE ATTACKS: P-Harcourt, Kaduna refineries shut, FG loses N470m daily 8&9

Oil price: Senators split over 2016 budget

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

•It’s dead on arrival, not feasible – PDP senators •No, it'll stimulate economic growth – APC senators •Senators want oil price benchmark reduced, warn against excessive borrowing

Produce Dasuki in court Feb. 16, judge orders FG 43

NFF CRISIS: Pinnick, Giwa in show of shame See Back Page

COLUMNISTS: KAWU

B U J A — SENATORS were, yesterday, sharply divided along party lines on the feasibility of the 2016 Budget on many counts, especially the oil price benchmark of $38 per barrel as they began debate on the Appropriation Bill presented to them by President Muhammadu Buhari.

While senators elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives

Continues on Page 5

OLUBADAN:

Eulogies pour in for late monarch 11

Mr & Mrs POLIO ERADICATION—From left, President, Dangote Foundation, Mr Aliko Dangote; CoChair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates and President Muhammadu Buhari at the signing of Updated Abuja Commitments on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization. Both foundations will be signing a $100m partnership agreement towards ending undernutrition in Nigeria.

P.19

P.17

MODIBBO

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OCHEREOME

NNANNA

When will January 15, 1966 coup: Public tragedy, Nigeria be truly independent? private grief

LASSA FEVER: FG targets 10,000 health centres, sets up c'ttee 37

2 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—5

POCKET CARTOON

MEETING—From left: Oyo State Deputy Governor; Otunba Alake

Adeyemo; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun at the Odu'a Group owners states' governors meeting in Ibadan on Tuesday. PHOTO: Dare Fasube

Oil price: Senators split over 2016 budget Continues from Page 1 Congress, APC, hailed the proposal and said it could put the country on the path of socioeconomic recovery and growth, their Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, colleagues picked holes in the budget, describing it as far from the envisaged change mantra of the government.

Speaking at the plenar y, some APC senators argued that the budget was geared towards fighting corruption and diversification of the economy. But others, especially of the PDP described the budget as dead on arrival and should be returned to the

President for amendment as they called for a reduction of the budget by 30 per cent and a downward review of the oil benchmark.

Buhari’s proposal

President Buhari had on December 22, 2015 presented a total budget of N6.08 trillion for 2016 to a joint session of the National Assembly. He disclosed that 30 per cent of Nigeria’s annual budget will be committed to capital expenditure and moved Capital Expenditure from N557 billion in 2015 to N1.8 trillion in the 2016 budget. He added that having reviewed the trends in the global oil industry, the government decided to set a benchmark price of $38

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO You lose the opportunity to experience the true essence of someone when you judge them by their tribe or religion.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Creativity is not a talent or ability. It is the fruit of a person’s decision to matter —Eric Maisel

I

F you keep on doing the same things, then you will keep on receiving the same things.

Challenge yourself to experience new things or embark on new adventures and endeavors. Creativity is fueled by passion. Expand your interests by shifting your focus to include other interests that you may be passionate about. Focus on developing and honing new skills and talents.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE What the dog sees and barks, the sheep had seen long ago and kept mum.

per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016, with plans to focus on non-oil revenues by broadening the nation's tax base and improving the effectiveness of revenue collecting agencies.

In the budget, President Buhari, who projected a revenue target of N3.86 trillion for 2016, and recurrent expenditure of N2.43 trillion, said that the Federal Government also proposed to spend the sum of N1.66 trillion for foreign and domestic debt servicing while projecting to actualize the sum of N1.4 trillion as expected non-oil revenue. To fund the budget, government projected foreign and domestic borrowing of N900 billion and N986 billion respectively.

It’s a unique budget – Ndume

In his lead debate, Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume who noted that the bill has been divided into eight sections to help the lawmakers, said, the budget is unique and titled Budget of Change.”

He said the budget preparation was based on Zero Based Budgeting, ZBB system, which requires all expenses on projects and programmes to be fully justified by MDAs. He continued: “The Budget is aimed at promoting inclusive growth including the poor and the vulnerable, however, it would be challenged by the

decline in oil prices and slowdown in the global economy.

“The 2016 Budget is designed to ensure that the economy is revived; deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians and create a significant number of jobs. The budget seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; address immediate problem of youth unemployment and under employment, prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians; focus on broadening the tax base and improving the effectiveness of revenue collection, as well as ensuring macroeconomic stability and managing the oil price shocks. The 2016 Budget is aimed at diversifying the economy and moving away from dependence on oil."

Withdraw budget for amendment— Abaribe

In his contribution, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, faulted the 2016 budget proposal and described it as dead on arrival. He called on President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, withdraw it and go back to the drawing board, adding that predication of the budget on oil benchmark of $38 per barrel when oil prices had fallen below $30 per barrel makes the budget unrealistic.

His words: “Mr President, my colleagues, this budget is indeed unique, after the budget presentation, the Finance Minister has never come to explain the details of the budget as it is normally done. It is a budget of change, I agree, but it is a change in the wrong direction. I say it is a change in the wrong direction because it says that it is based on zero budgeting requiring all expenses to be fully justified."

Faulting the government for increasing spending by 30 per cent based on borrowing, he said a budget that increases spending up to 30 per cent based solely on borrowing cannot be justified. We know what is going on in the global economy. This budget is predicated on an oil benchmark of $38 per barrel and I can now say that with oil being $28 today, this budget is dead on arrival."

Corr uption has remained Nigeria’s problem —Lawan Ahmed Lawan, APC, Yobe North, however, took a swipe at the previous administration

for lack of funds because of alleged embezzlement and corruption.

According to him, "the problem was and has always been corruption.

For 16 years, Nigeria was subjected to impunity."

He added that this is the first time that a budget is not depending on oil and that it is an opportunity for the present administration to diversify the economy.

Senator Ahmed, who noted that not more than 40 per cent implementation was achieved in any budget in the last 16 years, said: “The proposal before us is the first budget where the executive has deemed it necessary to give ordinary Nigerians genuine hope. The budget deserves the support of everyone including my colleagues on the other side. When we were in the opposition, we supported the PDP, they should support us.”

Buhari should constitute a strong economic team – Aduda

Senator Philip Aduda, PDP, FCT, who described the N37 billion allocation for the Federal Capital Territory as unrealistic, however, called on President Buhari to as a matter of urgency, put in place a very strong economic team that will help move the country forward. Aduda warned the APC senators against accusing and blaming the PDP, noting that majority of the senators, including Senate President Bukola Saraki were all in the PDP.

We are now baking the cake, not sharing —Omoworare

Senator Babajide Omoworare, APC, Osun East, said for the first time, the nation’s budget was not concentrating on sharing the national cake, but on baking the cake. He described it as the most beautiful budget he had seen since he became a senator and stressed the need for the government to block all

leakages.

Some proposals not realizable – Ashafa

Senator Olugbenga Ashafa, APC, Lagos East, lamented that some beautiful proposals in the budget might not be realized unless a supplementary budget was brought by the President.

“Where is the money for recruiting and training 500,000 teachers going to come from? Is it going to come from states, which cannot pay salaries? It is also good that we are proposing to pay N5,000 to unemployed youths, how are we going to raise the funds?”

Ashafa wondered.

It is budget of fraud – Nwaoboshi

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North, described the budget as that of nothing but fraud. He observed that some pages of the budget were missing and accused President Buhari of injecting sectional interest above national interest.

Arguing that the contents were tilted in favour of the North, Nwaoboshi said that he has written an objection to its passage to the National Assembly, which he would send through the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

He particularly picked holes in the allocation of N35 billion for exploration of oil in the North as against the N20 billion and N40 billion for the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta D e v e l o p m e n t Commission, NDDC. Nwaoboshi said: “This budget is a fraud. It is a fraud because it is not predicated on the right oil price. The lead debate today by the leader of the Senate, wasn’t fair when he said that N500 million was made for intervention. I want to refer you to page 7 of the document which has to do with the estimate.

Continues on Page 42

6 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—7

Air conditioner fire razes Lagos building

By Elizabeth Uwandu

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AST Tuesday was a dark day for residents of 30, Adewale Street, Coker, as fire that started from an air conditioner burnt the one storey building to ashes. No property was recovered.

Mrs Cecilia Afolayan, the owner of the building, told Vanguard that the fire was due to the neglect of one of the tenants, identified as Chike, whose electronic appliances were on when he left for work.

The air conditioner in his apartment was said to have exploded as a result of electric power fluctuations.

She said Chike had since been on the run.

One of the victims of the fire could not control her emotions as she kept looking at the ruins of the building, where some scavengers were seen feasting on the burnt items.

2 docked over N350,000 loan fraud

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS—A 37-year-old woman, Ifeyinwa Okafor, and Elochukwu Fidelis, 35, were yesterday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos over alleged forgery.

The defendants are standing trial for a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and breach of peace preferred against them by the police.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Okete Ejime, told the court that the defendants and others, who are still at large, conspired to commit the alleged offences on December 9, 2015.

He said the incident took place at 11A Sapara Williams Close on Victoria Island at about 8:30am.

Ejime said the duo unlawfully forged a letter of appointment purported to have been issued to them by District Autos Ltd., which they knew was fake and presented same to Premira Credit Microfinance Bank Ltd. to fraudulently obtain a loan of N350,000.

The magistrate, Mrs. O. G. Oghre, granted them N100,000 bail each, with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the matter till February 24.

2 men in Police net over theft, sale of baby for N100,000

By Tom Moses

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YO—THE police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested two persons, Nkereuwem Matthew Ebong and Enobong Sunday Thomas, both of Edienne Ikot Ibio Imo village in Uyo Local Government Area, for allegedly stealing and selling a new born baby delivered by one Nseabasi Matthew Ebong, 22, for N100,000.

The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Murtala Mani, who paraded the suspects alongside other criminals at the state police command headquarters yesterday, also said police arrested one Mr. Ukana and Isaac Eddie Ndeesor, for kidnapping one Akara Mendie along Urua Akpan Udosen/Ikot Una Village Road in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

He said the suspects drove

their victim in a Toyota Camry car to a hideout in Ogoni and kept him until N200,000 ransom was paid.

The commissioner, who was represented by Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Delia Nwawe, said three armed robbery kingpins, who had been terrorising some communities in Uyo, the state capital, were also arrested.

He listed the robbery suspects to include Ubon Pius, 20; Isong

15-yr-old dies rescuing siblings from killer-truck

By Daud Olatunji

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BEOKUTA—TRAGEDY struck, Tuesday, in Ogun State as a truck belonging to a construction company in Abeokuta crushed four siblings, leaving one of them dead.

An eyewitness said Imisioluwa, aged 15, lost his life when he was trying to pull his younger ones away from the truck, but fell and was crushed.

The incident occurred on Oke-Ijeun Road in Abeokuta,

which was undergoing construction by the state government, ahead of the 40 years anniversary of the state.

The survivors, said to be in critical condition, are Ayomipo, Ayomide and Nifemi.

It was gathered that the siblings were on their way back from school around 4p.m. and were knocked down while attempting to cross the road. It was further gathered that the driver was drunk and drove against traffic.

Shortly after the accident, the truck, which was abandoned by the driver, was vandalized by a mob that attempted to set the truck ablaze but for the intervention of policemen.

State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite, who visited the scene went away with the father of the affected children.

The victims were rushed to the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta, while the deceased was taken to the morgue and later buried.

Killers of ex-FUTA VC sentenced to death

By Dayo Johnson

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KURE—AN Akure High Court, yesterday, sentenced two domestic staff of former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Professor Albert Ilemobade, to death by hanging.

The convicts, Daniel Itah Effiong and Bamitale Olayemi, were the security/gate man of the 79-year-old former Professor of Veterinary Medicine, and driver, respectively.

Delivering judgement, Justice Williams Olamide found them guilty of the three-count charge of conspiracy to murder, murder and robbery.

They were accused of strangulating the deceased to death in his residence at Ijapo Estate, Akure, Ondo State, on June 21, 2015, and stole his Toyota RAV 4, 2013 model and N7000.

The offence, according to the prosecutor, who is the State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs Adejoke Tuki, was contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code Cap.37 Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

Justice Olamide, in his judgement which lasted about two hours, held that the prosecution was able to

TO DIE: Daniel Itah Effiong and Bamitale Olayemi. establish and prove the case against the former domestic staff of the late professor beyond reasonable doubt and to the satisfaction of the court.

He declared: “The accused persons were callous, wicked and inconsiderate when they decided to sniff out life of an elderly person and their benefactor over his property.

Against this backdrop, the accused persons do not deserve the sympathy or mercy of this court.

“Law must take its cause and this will serve as a deterrent to others. The accused persons are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your souls.”

It will be recalled that the two

domestic staff, after they murdered their boss, dumped his corpse in a store/generator house before they fled.

Security operatives and family members of the late professor had thought he had been kidnapped until detectives in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, arrested the domestic staff while they were about to sell the stolen car for N400,000.

The dealer, who wanted to buy the car became suspicious because the market value was N5 million. He informed police and the suspects were arrested.

They led the detectives from Ogun State to the Ijapo residence of the late professor and showed them where they dumped his corpse.

Bassey Udo, 23; and Isaac Samuel Ukpe, 23.

Nwawe said: “Police is on the heels of every other criminal in Akwa Ibom State as our commissioner is insisting on zero tolerance to armed robbery operations and all other forms of criminality.”

Assorted arms, said to have been recovered from the suspected armed robbery and kidnapping suspects, were displayed by the police.

Alleged fake syrup producer remanded in prison

By Innocent Anaba

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Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has remanded an alleged fake codeine cough syrup producer, Mr. Kenneth Chiokwe, in prison custody following his arraignment

by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC. The suspect was arraigned before Justice Jude Kanyioh Dagat.

Prosecuting counsel, Umar Shamaki told the court that the accused imported the fake product and that the accused committed the offence at Church Street, Idumota, Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of the court.

Defence counsel, Chukwudi Nneke in his bail application, urged the court to admit the accused to bail because the offence was a bailable one.

The prosecution did not oppose to the bail application but prayed the court to impose stringent conditions.

Justice Dagat, in a short ruling, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties must be a relative of the accused and the second a landed property owner within the court's jurisdiction, with evidence of three years tax clearance.

The court ordered the remand of the accused until his bail conditions are perfected and adjourned to April 5 for trial.

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Fuel import: Foreign suppliers blacklist Nigeria Marketers require $1.29bn to offset debts NNPC promises to provide dollars to marketers Kaduna, PH refineries shutdown he disclosed that except for

By Clara Nwachukwu & Michael Eboh LAGOS — NIGERIA’S difficulty to import refined petroleum products, particularly, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, has worsened as foreign suppliers have blacklisted Nigeria from further business until such transactions are dollar cash backed.

The development is further compounded with the deferment of about 5.4 million litres PMS daily production, as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, announced the shut down of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. The announcement came four days after the plants were closed.

The NNPC, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the

shutdown of the refineries was as a result of crude oil supply challenges arising from the recent attacks on vital crude pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta.

Blacklisting of Nigerian importers Vanguard exclusively gathered that the blacklisting of Nigerian oil marketers by the foreign suppliers followed the challenges faced by marketers to access foreign exchange due to stringent rules by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on foreign exchange transactions.

Marketers disclosed that they owe their foreign suppliers in excess of $1.29 billion, even as the marketers were paid only N413 billion in December 2015 for oil subsidies.

According to one of the marketers, who spoke in confidence, “yes, government paid us subsidy, but there is no dollar to buy anywhere.

The Letters of Credit, LCs, that have matured since 2014 to 2015 are worth $1.29 billion. We are supposed to use the subsidy paid to us to buy the equivalent of what is due to our foreign suppliers, but the banks say there is no dollar.

“To show you how bad the situation is, one of us has outstanding matured LC of $75 million, but his banks are only able to provide $1.5 million last week. So how many weeks will it take the banks to offset the outstanding sum for him to be able to pay hiss foreign suppliers?

“Remember that what government paid to us was the Naira component of dollar transactions a n d government is still owes us the outstanding payments on the foreign exchange differentials.

This is because when we brought in the products, exchange rate was N165 to $1, but by the time we were paid, it had risen to N197 to $1.

“This is why the foreign suppliers h a v e blacklisted us until we are able to pay off our outstanding debts and back future transactions with dollar cash. Also, government did not pay within 45 days under the terms of o u r agreements, so they still owe us the interests on d e l a y e d payments.”

Consequently,

a few marketers, mostly the majors, who already have foreign affiliations, all other marketers have abandoned further importation of petrol until government finds a way around access to foreign exchange.

NNPC to provide dollars The source further disclosed that in one of the meetings with the Minister of State for Petroleum, the NNPC had promised to provide marketers who were licensed to import products in the first quarter, with dollars to pay for their products, as a way to ease the foreign exchange challenges.

He added that it is uncertain that the promise had been fulfilled, as no products had come in yet.

However, NNPC’s Alegbe, in a test message response denied any knowledge of such a promise to marketers, saying: “NNPC? Dollars?

I’m not aware NNPC made such a promise.”

He wondered if perhaps the marketer meant CBN or the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA.

PPPRA pricing template Despite assurances by the NNPC, scepticisms are high over the capacity of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, to meet about 80 per cent of Nigerians daily PMS consumption demand of 40 million.

This is because, according to the marketers, they will be running an average of N7/litre, if they imported products under the PPPRA current PMS pricing template of N86.50/Litre, another reason many of them have abandoned further imports.

Another marketer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “The PPPRA has adjusted the template and fixed ex-depot price at N77/litre, it has predetermined most of the expenses and other components that make up the price.

“When we circulated the new template to our members, we discovered that we will be losing an average of N7/litre if we imported PMS based on that template.

So, no marketer can import from a loss situation ab initio.

We have made our case known to government and we are waiting for them to respond.”

But none of the three PPPRA officials contacted picked their calls or responded to text messages.

Refineries shut down The NNPC, before the closure of the refineries, said in its statement that the Port Harcourt Refinery was recording a daily PMS yield of over 4.1 million litres, while Kaduna Refinery was posting a daily petrol production of about 1.3 million litres.

It explained that the plants were shut simultaneously on Sunday, after the BonnyOkrika crude supply line to the Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Escravos-Warri crude supply line to the Kaduna Refinery, suffered breaches.

The NNPC, however, noted that the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, WRPC, is still on stream and producing a little above 1.4 million litres of petrol per day.

It also assured of stability in the supply of petrol across the country, as it has put in place measures to ensure an unhindered supply of the product.

The NNPC said: “In response to the unexpected setback, we have activated comprehensive remedial measures to sustain the prevailing stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.”

Suspected militants had last week blew up a gas pipeline in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State conveying gas from Escravos– Warri-Lagos-Abuja, in what is believed to be a resumption of fresh hostilities in the Niger Delta region. The vandalized pipeline was believed to be the property of the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC. The following day, the bombings continued, as the militants allegedly blew up the Abiteye flow station and Sagara to Chevron pipelines.

This led the Federal Government to issue a directive to the military to fish out the perpetrators of the act.

Days later, Joint Task Force Commander of Operation Pulo Shield in the Niger Delta, Major General Alani Okunola, vowed that the perpetrators would be fished out.

According to him, the task force was closing in on those blowing up oil pipelines belonging to the Nigeria Gas Company, Chevron Nigeria Limited and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 9

Stock market rebounds, as investors gain N302bn

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VISIT: From left, Senior Economist, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr Moataz El-Said; Senior Economist, African Development Bank Group, Dr David Lumbila, and Acting Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, during the working visit of IMF officials to NEITI office in Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: NAN.

Pipeline attacks: FG losing N470m daily from gas disruptions Requires N120m to repair damaged lines

By Clara Nwachukwu

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AGOS — THE Federal Government has estimated that it is losing in excess of N470 million daily from the disruptions of gas supply arising from the blowing up of major oil and gas pipelines by militants in the Niger Delta last weekend.

Government also disclosed that it requires additional N120 million to effect repairs on the damaged lines, which is impacting negatively on facilities dependent on the lines for their operations.

Strangely, up until now, operators of the burst pipelines, including the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, have commented on the attack. This is even as security agencies intensify the search for culprits behind the act.

In a statement from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, yesterday, said the burst pipelines, particularly the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System, ELPS, “ will impact negatively on the Olorunsogo NIPP plant (capacity 600MW), and other power plants.”

Shut down of P-Harcourt, Kaduna refineries A similar statement from the NNPC revealed that the incidents have led to the shutdown of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, leading to a production loss of about 5.3 million litres of petrol from the refineries.

A breakdown of the losses as contained in the Power Ministry statement revealed as follows: Loss of 160 million C M Y K

metric standard cubic feet of gas per day, mmsfc/d x $2.50 per thousand scf = $400,000/ N78.80 million daily; Losses to power plants = $1,988,223/N391.68 million daily and estimated repairs = $609,137/N120 million.

The statement, which was signed by the spokesman to the minister, Mr. Hakeem Bello, also said: “The real sector of the economy has also been counting its losses as some cement companies around Olorunsogo, such as Ewekoro and Ibese, are also affected.”

Bello further noted that the latest incident occurred just as the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, along with allied agencies were making concerted efforts to improve gas supplies to power plants.

He added: “Such efforts led to previously offline plants like Ihovbor and Sapele coming back online and the subsequent output making up for the loss in power. The pipelines are being actively monitored for further attacks or other unforeseen impacts.

Incidences of vandalism “Available records show that six incidences of vandalism from December 2014 to February 2015, which affected the Trans Forcados Pipeline (at Oben, Sapele, Oredo) and Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (CNL) led to a loss of 1,100 MMScfd.”

Noting that a loss of 200 MMscd is the equivalent of 700 megawatts of power, he

argued that performance would have been better without the additional setback as the industry was generating about 4120Mwh/ h on average as at January 17, before the incident occurred.

Bello also recalled that during the monthly meeting of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, with stakeholders in the power sector, projections had been made on how to improve gas supply to the power plants up till the second quarter of the year.

Equally highlighted were some of the challenges related to security affecting the delivery of gas to the power sector, such as attacks on pipelines.

In this regard, he said: “NNPC is forming a committee comprising NNPC, Police, JTF (which includes Army, Air Foce and Navy), and also community vigilante groups, who have been tasked with the responsibility of securing these pipelines.”

NAIRA WATCH

Naira depreciates to N299/$

By Babajide Komolafe

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AGOS — THE Naira, yesterday, depreciated in the parallel market across the nation to an average of N299 per dollar.

Vanguard's survey of the parallel market exchange rate in major cities reveals that the Naira depreciated in Lagos by N2 to N297 per dollar from N295 on Monday.

In Abuja, the Naira depreciated by N3 to N298 per dollar from N295 on Monday, while in Kano, it depreciated by N5 to N300 per dollar from N295 on Monday.

BDC operators told Vanguard that the depreciation was driven by pessimism about the expected modalities for purchasing dollars from autonomous sources.

According to an Abuja-based BDC operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, “the appreciation between Friday and Tuesday was due to speculations that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would help BDCs source autonomous dollars from oil companies.

"But with the speculation not materialising, there is the belief that scarcity of dollars will intensify and the exchange rate will rise further.”

Meanwhile, the proposed meeting between the CBN and Executive Council of Association of Bureaux de Change Operators (ABCON) to discuss the modalities for BDCs to access dollars from autonomous sources, especially the oil firms is yet to hold at press time.

ABCON President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, confirmed to Vanguard that the council is still waiting to meet with the CBN Governor on the modalities.

By Nkiruka Nnorom

AGOS — THE Nigerian stock market, yesterday, rebounded as investors regained N302 billion from their investment, which had been on decline for the past 11 trading days, this year.

Positive trends were also recorded across the sectors, with all the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Indices inched up, except NSE Oil/ Gas Index, which went down by 0.2 per cent on the back of losses recorded on the shares of indigenous Nigerian upstream exploration and production company, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc. At the close of trading, yesterday, the market capitalisation, representing the total value of shares traded on the exchange, which had gone down by as much as N1.5 trillion since the commencement of trading activity on the exchange this year, bounced back significantly to close at N8.03 trillion from the previous close of N7.72 trillion, thus representing 3.9 per cent increase.

The All Share Index (ASI) rose by the same margin to close at 23,335.01 points from the opening figure of 22,456.32 basis points.

According to analysts, the gains recorded were driven by bargain hunting in large cap stocks — Guaranty Trust Bank (+10.18 per cent), Zenith International Bank Plc (+10.16 per cent) and Dangote Cement Plc (+4.36%).

According to analysts at United Capital Plc, the positive sentiment in the market was largely driven by attractive valuation from stocks that have fallen to rock bottom.

They said: “In our view, attractive valuations from well beaten stocks seem to have driven up the equity play by investors.

"Furthermore, the strength of gains seen suggests a possible reversal of the market pull back seen in recent times, at least in the near term.

“We deem it fit to also mention that value stocks are getting more attractive with prices at historically low levels. Hence, we continue to advise bargain hunting especially for the long term.”

10 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2016

Payment underway, Lakemfa assures ex-Niger Delta militants

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HE spokesperson to the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme Office for Niger Delta former militants, Mr Owei Lakemfa, has said that there was no need for anybody to protest over non-payment of stipends to the ex militants, as the payment was in progress.

Reacting to news of protest by ex-militants over non-payment of their stipends, Lakemfa said, “The point is that their money has been paid and they are still being paid. The payment venue is Command Children School, GRA Port Harcourt, Rivers State. There is no basis for anyone to protest provided they are genuine beneficiaries of the annual programme.

“Secondly, the payment of the stipend to the beneficiaries is going on simultaneously with a verification exercise. What is required of the beneficiaries is to come with identity cards for demobilisation or certificates given to them during orientation.

“It is not impossible that those protesting do not have a means of identification. Also, while a lot of people have been paid, some said they do not want to be paid in Port Harcourt.

They have demanded that the payment point be moved to Okrika, a demand that the amnesty office has rejected.

“Over the years, they have been paid through the banks. But the banks stopped since October, 2015 because they claim that some of the beneficiaries assault and intimidate some bank staff and destroy bank property. That was why the amnesty office decided to pay them directly at this current location.

“The payment is ongoing and anyone who has not been paid should go to Command Children School, GRA, Port Harcourt, get verified and be paid,” he added.

Name the 55 that stole N1.34trn, Fayose tells Lai Mohammed

By Dapo Akinrefon

G

OVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has challenged the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to make public names of the 15 former governors and 55 Nigerians that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013.

Fayose said, “The reality is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government has destroyed the economy within eight months in power and rather than look for solutions to the problems facing Nigeria, Lai Mohammed and his cohorts are branding bogus figures about stolen money just to cover up their lack of solution

to the country ’s economic problems.”

Recall that Lai Mohammed had disclosed that former governors, ministers, businessmen, public servants and bankers stole approximately N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013 in the country.

The governor, who also

BELL RINGING: From left: Deputy Managing Director of Skye Bank Plc, Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu; Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Mr. Waziri Jalo; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo; and the Executive Director, Information Technology and Service Delivery Channels, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs. Markie Idowu, at the bell ringing ceremony at the Nigeria Stock Exchange yesterday.

I’ve God’s mandate to unite Yoruba race — OONI

By Gbenga Olarinoye

I

LE-IFE—THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has said that to properly position Yoruba race for greatness, efforts must be geared towards uniting its people.

Receiving in his palace in Ile Ife yesterday the paramount ruler of Remo kingdom, Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo, who led royal fathers and eminent personalities including Chief Kessington Adebutu and Asiwaju of Remoland Chief S. Onafowokan, Oba Ogunwusi said he has God’s mandate to unite the race.

Oba Ogunwusi said that his efforts in uniting Yoruba nation are already yielding positive results, adding that Yoruba will develop if united.

The monarch said Yoruba people are the most favoured race on earth and urged other traditional rulers in Yoruba land to join and support the unity campaign, maintaining that the unity of Yoruba race was needed for peace and development of the race.

The traditional ruler, who noted that God loves Yoruba people said some Yoruba sons and daughters were yet to discover the beautiful values

and norms God endowed Yoruba people with.

He said: “I am so happy and pleased with this visit. God speaks with me everyday on this move to unite the Yoruba nations and I can say that God is leading me through this unity move.”

“I want other traditional rulers and leaders of Yoruba race to join this efforts and also mobilise other prominent Yoruba sons and daughters to join the move. Yoruba will develop if united and if Ife is peaceful, every Yoruba part of land will be peaceful.

“I have God’s mandate to work towards uniting Yoruba race and position it for better deal among ethnic groups in the country and with the disposition of the Akarigbo, my job is being made easy,” Oba Ogunwusi said.

The traditional ruler said there is no Yoruba land that does not receive “heavenly prayers daily because whenever Ooni is prayed for, every Yoruba person receives the prayer.

Stating that his work is being made easy with the peaceful disposition of Oba Sonariwo, the Ife monarch harped on the need to keep relationships to enhance rapid development of the society.

He said those in Ile Ife know the town belongs to the entire Yoruba race and will always welcome all other children of Oduduwa, assuring to continue to work towards promoting peaceful

coexistence of the race and the country at large.

In his remarks, Oba Sonariwo said Ooni is the father of all kings and pledged to work with Oba Ogunwusi in uniting the Yoruba race.

Oba Sonariwo congratulated Oba Ogunwusi over his coronation and prayed that his reign would be peaceful and marked with achievements.

Other monarchs that visited the Ooni are Oba Adeleke Idowu, Alaperu of Iperu, Oba Adewale Osinbero, Elepe of Epe, Oba Emilaoye Awobajo, Alara of IlaraRemo, Oba M. O. Shonuga, Olofin of Ilisan-remo, Oba Jolagbade Tijani and Alado of Ado, Oba Amusa Akinyemi.

described as disgraceful, bringing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh to court in handcuff, argued that “even the masterminds of Madala and Nyanya bomb blasts, Kabiru Sokoto and Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche were not handcuffed when they were arraigned in court.”

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was funny that close to one year after it won the presidential election, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government was still operating as if it was campaigning for votes.

The governor argued that “they are turning governance to Nollywood, such that when one movie is about to end, they release another one. As it appears that the $2.1 billion arms deal movie is getting to an end, Lai Mohammed introduced another movie titled; N1.34 trillion loot.

“Unfortunately for them this time around, Nigerians have become tired of watching the Federal Government movies, they now want reality.

Nigerians are now aware of the scam in the $2.1 billion arms deal movie, having seen that the amount those already charged to court were charged with is not more than N10 billion and $2.1 billion is over N600 billion.

“Therefore, Lai Mohammed must either tell Nigerians details of the 15 former governors and 55 people that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion, where the stolen money is kept and bring back the money or apologise to Nigerians for lying.”

While describing the persistent claim by the Federal Government that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) destroyed Nigeria for 16 years as hypocritical, Governor Fayose said Nigerians must begin to ask which party majority of those presently ruling the country under the APC government were between 1999 and 2014.

Grace & Glory Chapel holds Anniversary

T

HE first year anniversary celebration of Grace and Glory Chapel, Opebi, Lagos will hold on Sunday, January 24, 2016 by 10am.

According to a statement from the Senior Pastor, Pastor Mike Adebamowo, the theme of the anniversary is tagged “The king of glory.”

The guest minister is Bishop David Adeoye from Maryland, U.S.A. Other activities lined up for the date

include Counselling, Testimonies and Music from the Grace and Glory Royal Voices and other Gospel artistes.

The programme of the anniversary commenced yesterday, 20th January, 2016 with an open air crusade at the church permanent site, Opebi Link Road. It will be followed by a ministration by the Presbyter of the church, Apostle Bank Akinmola this evening at the church auditorium.

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 11

OLUBADAN: Eulogies pour in for late monarch •Family of contender jubilates, as another goes to court

By Gbenga Olarinoye, Ola Ajayi, Emman Ovuakporie, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Olasunkanmi Akoni

I

T was a mixture of joy and sadness in Ibadan, yesterday, as the ancient city came to terms with the death of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, who passed away Tuesday night.

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara; Governor Akinwumi Ambode and Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu described the death of the Ibadan monarch as a rude shock.

This came as more revelation about his death was disclosed.

How monarch died

It was learnt that the monarch died in his sleep.

While members of the family of the deceased traditional ruler and other sympathisers were mourning the loss of Oba Odulana, the family members and well-wishers of High Chief Saliu Adetunji, a likely successor were wining and dining at his Popo Yemoja residence.

When Vanguard visited Popo Yemoja, the environment was agog as youths were seen dancing and chanting that it is their turn to become the next Olubadan.

Some miscreants also capitalised on the joy that pervaded the atmosphere as they smoked Indian hemp unhindered.

87-yr-old Balogun, a likely successor

In line with tradition, the current Balogun of Ibadanland, Chief Saliu Adetunji, aged 87, is expected to ascend the throne.

At the Monatan residence of late Olubadan, sympathisers came in droves to pay their last respects to the dead king.

All the chiefs in Ibadanland were conspicuous as they gathered to discuss the demise of the monarch.

The chiefs present at the palace include Ashipa Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Eddy Oyewole; Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Lekan Balogun and Chief Lateef Oyelade, Aare Musulumi of Ibadan , Chief Adebayo Oyero, former President, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes; his successor, Chief Wale Akinwande and Sheikh Abdul-Ganiy Abubakry, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland.

Vanguard reliably gathered that unlike in the past when there was smooth transition, the Seriki Family was said to have been fighting frantically for the Olubadan stool claiming that it is their turn.

Ooni of Ife mourns

Describing the demise of the Olubadan, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi noted

IBADAN HIGH CHIEFS MOURN OLUBADAN: From left; Eldest son of the Late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Prince Femi Odulana, with High Chiefs of Ibadanland during their condolence visit to mourn the Late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade at his palace in Ibadan. Photo by Dare Fasube. that the late Olubadan left this world when the entire Yoruba race needed him the most, “especially now that the long over due unification of the Yoruba traditional rulers and the race in general is gradually gaining momentum.”

Ooni Ogunwusi, in a statement

by Moses Olafare, Director of Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, stated that “the departed Olubadan has indeed secured God’s heart while on earth for he lived substantial part of his life serving the good people of Ibadan, Yoruba land, Oodua race, Nigeria and humanity in general.”

“As a public servant, Ibadan traditional chief, Yoruba leader of thought and finally as the revered king of Ibadan which remains a pride of House of Oduduwa, Oba Odulana was exemplary and he distinctly raised the bar of good leadership among his subjects.”

His death, a loss to Ibadan — Dogara

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, expressed sadness over the passing on of the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1.

Dogara in a press statement signed by his special adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, in Abuja yesterday extended his condolences to the family of the late king, the people of Ibadan and Oyo State.

Olubadan, an accomplished Nigerian — Ambode

Also, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode described the late Olubadan as a well accomplished Nigerian, who cut his teeth in various positions of office he occupied during his hay days.

Ambode, in a condolence message through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, expressed his heartfelt commiserations to the people of Ibadan and Oyo State

Balogun of Ibadan, High Chief Saliu Adetunji.

Government over the death.

According to the governor, “Oba Odulana was an accomplished Nigerian in the true sense of the word.''

“On behalf of the good people of Lagos State, I wish to express our heartfelt condolence to the people of Oyo State, especially the people of Ibadan over the death of this highly respected monarch. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” the governor prayed.

Communication minister rues death

Also commiserating with family of the late monarch, the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu said though the monarch was ripe in age, his death was a bit shocking.

In a statement through his Special Assistant on Media, Victor Oluwadamilare, the Minister said the monarch ascended the throne on August 17, 2007 at the age of 93.

He described the late

monarch as an epitome of honesty, decency and a good symbol of Yoruba culture and tradition who lived an unblemished life.

UI VC mourns

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka said, “right from the beginning of the institution, he showed tremendous interest in the activities of the institution and will remain one of the towering figures in the history of the University of Ibadan”, the VC stated.

Seriki line faults choice of next Olubadan

Meanwhile, controversy seems to trail the choice of the next Olubadan as the leader of Seriki line, Chief Adebayo Oyediji, has accused the Olubadan-in Council of corruption and not adhering strictly to the rule of law.

While taking exception to

preparation to choose High Chief Soliu Adetunji as the new Olubadan, he argued that he should be installed.

Making reference to a motion filed on his behalf by his lawyer, A.G. Adeniran in an Oyo state High court, he alleged that the Olubadan -in-Council had since 1989 refused to obey a Supreme Court judgment which ordered that the Seriki line be admitted into the Olubadan line.

Alleging marginalisation of the Seriki Line since the death of Chief Adisa Meredith Akinloye who was also denied the opportunity, he wondered why the Olubadan in Council denied his line of becoming the third line in the chieftaincy of Olubadan according to the Supreme Court judgment.

Going down memory lane, Oyediji alluded to the genesis of the problem which he said dates back to 1959 Ekerin Balogun of Ibadan Chieftaincy Declaration which put Seriki under the Ekerin Balogun of Ibadan and stated that Seriki can only be promoted to Ekerin Balogun only if there are two simultaneous vacancies occuring in the Ashipa and Ekerin Balogun titles.

Based on the victory his line got, the then Olubadan of Ibadan Oba Oloyede Asanike and all the Chiefs prevailed on the Seriki chiefs not to insist on three lines for the Olubadan chieftaincy, but that rather chiefs in the Seriki line should cross to Ekerin Balogun and Ekerin Olubadan on the two lines whenever there is a vacancy in any of the two lines.

But now that High Chiefs, Omiyale and Omowale Kuye died on both sides of the Balogun and Otun Olubadan, he insisted that nothing should rob them of that opportunity again.

“When the agreement was reached, the late Odulana was the only senior ranking High Chief in the Olubadan line and we were in the same rank. If that agreement is followed, I am the next person to succeed him.

In a new motion marked I/421/ 07, he sought a declaration that “by the provision of the consent judgment delivered by the High Court in suit No. I/313/88, it is the turn of the claimants to produce the next Olubadan of Ibadan on both the Olubadan line and the Balogun line.”

He also prayed the court to “set aside the purported appointments made by the 1st defendant (Oba Odulana) to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles of Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, Otun Olubadan and Balogun Olubadan of Ibadan since the 21st of November, 2008 up till the last appointment he made on the 1st of January, 2016”.

Also that the court should “set aside the purported approval granted by the Governor of Oyo state on the 5th of January, 2016 or thereabout to the appointments made by the 1st defendant on the 1st of January, 2016 to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles.”

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Fear grips Gbaramatu residents over JTF's threat

By Emma Amaize, Egufe Yafugborhi, Akpokona Omafuaire & Brisibe Perez

W

ARRI—RESIDENTS of riverine communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri SouthWest Local Government Area, Delta State, are worried about the next move of the Joint Task Force, JTF, which had threatened community leaders to produce the ex-militants that bombed crude oil and gas pipelines in the state, last week.

The people are afraid that the military may invade their communities anytime and wreak havoc on innocent persons.

Meanwhile, leaders and stakeholders of Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms, have condemned the bombing of the pipelines in their area, saying that bombing of oil facilities was economically detrimental to the nation.

Secretary, Egbema-Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, Jude Ukori, at a meeting with community leaders and stakeholders of Gbaramatu and Egbema kingdoms, held in Effurun, said that the bombing of oil facilities would only add to the pains Nigerians are passing through as a result of the fall in oil price.

Ukori advised stakeholders to know that bombing of oil facilities will never bring anything good to the people of the area.

He said: “It is criminal to destroy Federal Government property for any reason. It is very annoying to hear of such act in our area."

Meanwhile, some of the riverside dwellers, who spoke with Vanguard on phone, yesterday, said that they do not know their fate yet, as the task force would seize any opportunity to raid them.

One of them, John Seigha, said, “I want to know what the

position is. Though many residents fled the communities, some of us are still hiding.

There is calm now, but we do not know what surprise the military will come up with. We need assurance that they will not invade our communities as they threatened.”

Chairman, Gbaramatu Political Forum, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, who condemned the recent pipelines bombing, said that the people

were disturbed by the statement credited to the military authorities that the task force would, henceforth, hold community leaders responsible for attacks on pipelines.

He said it was a clear witchhunt, adding, “Contractors, not community leaders, are those responsible for securing pipelines. It is wrong to hold community leaders responsible for what they know nothing about."

N

ATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday, pledged to ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants in the forthcoming governorship primaries in Edo

G

O V E R N O R A d a m s Oshiomhole of Edo State, yesterday, flayed the outrage over the handcuffing of Chief Olisah Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at his arraignment over allegations of wrongfully obtaining N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA. Speaking during a meeting with the new Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of

HE national body of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has signed a pact with Danium Energy to cater for the petroleum products need of people in the South-South, South-East and North-East regions through the Oron facility in Akwa Ibom State.

The business deal was signed by the President of IPMAN, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, his exco members, the Managing Director of Danium Energy, Kehinde Ogbor and the Chief Marketing Officer, Akshay Saxena at IPMAN headquarters in Abuja.

B SIGNING OF PACT: From left: IPMAN Security Adviser, Isa Gusau; Treasurer; Kehinde Ogbor; President, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo; IPMAN Secretary, Danladi Fasali; Chief Marketing Officer, Danium Energy, Àkshay Saxeena and another IPMAN Exco Member, Obang Chukwuma, during the signing of a pact at IPMAN headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

State, asking the aspirants to disregard fears of an anointed candidate.

Speaking during an interactive session with all the declared governorship aspirants, OdigieOyegun assured them that to ensure a level playing ground, the list of delegates to be used for the primaries would be the

Nothing wrong in handcuffing Metuh —Oshiomhole

By Emmanuel Aziken & Henry Umoru

T

My re-election was war, says Dickson

Edo APC primaries: Oyegun pledges level playing ground

By Emmanuel Aziken & Levinus Nwabughiogu

IPMAN signs pact with Danium Energy

Journalists, Edo State Council, Oshiomhole said there was nothing wrong in putting handcuffs on Metuh, while he called for the immediate prosecution of the erstwhile Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, over his alleged involvement in the receipt of money from the ONSA. His position on Metuh was in the face of criticisms by the PDP and the focus by the media on the issue. The PDP had in a statement by its National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, described the action as a calculated attempt to humiliate the leadership of the PDP.

one compiled during the interim leadership of the party by the interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande.

The meeting with the aspirants, Vanguard learned, was on the heels of complaints by some party members over the advantages allegedly being given to one of the aspirants by officials of the state administration. The aspirants were said to have cautioned the National Chairman that the emergence of an anointed candidate would backfire especially against the background of the determined

effort of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to win back the state.

Assuring the aspirants that all of them would be treated equally, Odigie-Oyegun said: “Once I open my mouth to support any candidate, it hampers my ability to be objective and fair in the process. The minute you ask a candidate to step down, the next question is what is in for that person?

“The APC has recorded credible primaries with examples being the presidential primaries and primaries in Kogi and Bayelsa states."

By Soni Daniel

AYELSA State governor, Chief Seriake Dickson, has described the justconcluded election in the state, which he won, as more of a war than an ordinary election.

The governor, who spoke to Vanguard in Abuja, described the election as the triumph of the people’s will against federal might, accusing his main rival, the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate of unleashing unnecessary war on Bayelsa State and its people, all in a bid to win the poll.

The governor boasted that he won the election based on the will of God and the active support of the people of the state, who have come to appreciate his sterling qualities as a dependable leader.

Dickson said that the results of the election had proved to doubting Thomases that Bayelsa State is a stronghold of the PDP.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—13

Amaechi urged to rescind decision on Maritime Varsity

By Emma Amaize, Egufe Yafugborhi & Perez Brisibe

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HE Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, has condemned the scrapping of the Nigerian Maritime University project in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, had said that the university which was said to have been proposed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, would be scrapped while all money spent on the project returned to the Federal Government Similarly, a leader at Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Council, Chief Michael Johnny, criticized the purported scrapping of the Maritime University in the riverside community.

Chief Johnny said: “I am urging the Minister of Transport to rescind his decision because it is not in the interest of Okerenkoko people of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State and even the entire Niger Delta region.”

Also, the Ama-Okosu of Ogbe Ijoh, Warri Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Couple Oromoni, Monbene II, National Coordinator of Host Communities Producing Oil and Gas, Prince Maikpobi Okareme, Ijaw leader, Chief Godspower Gbenekame, Okerenkoko leader, Chief Michael Johnny and others have asked the minister to rescind the decision.

HRM Oromoni said, “You (Amaechi) cannot scrap the university in Okerenkoko. Why is the government scrapping it?

There is no reason for it to scrap the school. Assuming President Muhammadu Buhari sets up a university in the North and his tenure elapsed, does that warrant scrapping the institution.

“Amaechi, who is saying no one will go there to school, is PortHarcourt safer than Delta State.

Port Harcourt is more porous security wise than Delta. Amaechi is trying to create more problems in this country. Are there no security problems in where the minister comes from? With all the security problems in Port Harcorut, has it stopped people from schooling there?

“We are not asking Amaechi to send his children to the university, there are parents, who are very much interested in sending their children there to school.

“Scrapping the school will not help the current under development of the Niger Delta region. The Maritime University at Okerenkoko is synonymous with peace and development of the region. Our children will go there to school. We say the region is not developed and someone brought school to develop the area, they

are saying it is scrapped, it is unacceptable to our people.”

Chief Gbenekame on his part, asked, “Are we Nigerians? The Ijaws of Niger Delta, the Ijaws of Gbaramatu, are we Nigerians? The Niger Delta people are they Nigerians? I am surprised. Unfortunately, the

minister that sold the idea is a Niger Deltan.”

National Coordinator of the Host Communities Producing Oil and Gas, Prince Okareme, in chat with Vanguard, urged Amaechi, to rescind the decision.

He said: “If the problem is the terrain as the minister claimed, then he can relocate it to another Ijaw area in Delta State or

preferably, the Delta School of Marine Technology, Bomadi should be taken over by the Federal Government.

“They say a man’s enemies are those from his own household.

It is very unfortunate that this decision is not just from the minister. It is a decision taken

by Federal Government. They should look at this decision and reverse it.”

VISIT: Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State (right), welcoming the General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, to Government House, Uyo during the latter's visit to the state.

Pipelines bombing: Itsekiri group absolves Tompolo

B

ENIN—A sociocultural organisation in the Niger Delta, Iwere Peace Movement, has said that the recent allegation by Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayiri Emami, that Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, masterminded the recent vandalization of oil pipelines in the creeks was capable of causing another crisis between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri.

In a statement by Mr Merie Oritsejolomi and Mr Johnbull Omadeli, the group absolved Ekpemupolo of complicity, describing the activities of Chief Emami and Chief Michale Jonhny on the issue as unfair “and capable of causing ethnic disharmony between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri.”

According to the statement, “We are aware that some miscreants in the Niger Delta, are the same people carrying out the vandalization of the pipelines because of their selfish interests in the recently awarded pipeline surveillance contract, the Escravos to Warri Crude Oil Pipeline, which has already been awarded to another company.

“We are aware of their protest because of the award of the surveillance contract to a company other than their own.

They vowed to cause trouble in the pipelines so that they will

discredit the company that has the contract. Fortunately for them, this incident coincided with the warrant of arrest on Tompolo by the court. They are

now pointing accusing fingers at Tompolo in order to cause more trouble for him because of the developmental projects he has attracted to Gbaramatu."

Emami alleges threat to life

A

N Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayiri Emami, yesterday, alleged threat to his life by some Ijaw persons for allegedly giving security agencies information on the recent bombing of crude oil and gas pipelines in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.

He said, “Many people have called me on phone querying why I should liaise with security agencies and join the Joint Task Force to Egwa II, where

suspected militants blew up one of the pipelines, last week.

“They are not just trying to bully me, they are threatening my family, but I want to say that I am not deterred by their threats because it is the duty of every law-abiding citizen to give useful information and render necessary assistance to security agencies to track down criminals, which is what I have done.

“I have reported the threat to the Brigade Commander, the Navy Commander and the Police Area Commander in Warri.”

Delta Internal Revenue Board honours Ochei

F

ORMER Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr Victor Ochei, has been honoured with an award of Outstanding and Consistent Compliance as an Individual Tax payer in the state by the Delta State Internal Revenue Board.

The award which was presented by the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, at the Delta Songhai, Amukpe,

Sapele, was part of a two-day stakeholders retreat organised by the Board aimed at improving the internally generated revenue base of the state.

Earlier, Governor Okowa enjoined Deltans to see tax payment as a necessary tool for enhancing the IGR profile of the state, which will impact on the social contract between the government and the governed.

Ogba Zoo seeks Edo govt's action against poachers

By Jimoh Babatunde

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HE management of Ogba Zoo and Nature Park, Benin, Edo State, has called on the state government to take urgent steps to stop land poachers from further decimating the natural heritage, which over the years had suffered series of damage to its fortunes.

In an open letter to Edo State governor titled Further Horrific Destruction of Ogba Zoo Infrastructure/Nature Park, the management reminded the governor of the recent decisions by the government to secure the Zoo but which had not been implemented.

Calling on the governor to immediately deploy state apparatus to restore order in respect of saving the priceless asset, the zoo's management called for the setting up of a panel of enquiry to unravel what it called a conspiracy to share the Zoo's land.

Andy Ehanire, Chief Executive of the zoo, in the letter, said that the land poachers deployed arson that destroyed over 70 percent of the zoo’s natural wildlife habitats, before the use of bulldozers, which have now turned the once forested land into a construction site for different private structures.

He said “The Zoo management is seriously baffled by the tendencies of the communities and some government officials, who don’t seem to understand the importance of the zoo."

14—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2016

FG resorts to Islamic Bond to fund budget

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

L

AGOS—AS the pressure on federal revenue mounts following steady decline in oil revenue, the Federal Government would be resorting to a Sukuk Bond for funding the widening budget deficit.

Sukuk is a financial certificate, similar to the traditional government bond, but complies with Sharia, Islamic religious law.

The Debt Management Office, DMO, and

Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, are collaborating in an effort to issue the Nigerian sovereign Islamic bonds this year.

Details of the expected revenue from the bond is not yet disclosed but officials said they expect significant bridging of the 2016 budget deficit which has exceeded the initial N2.2 trillion estimate.

According to DMO “issuing a sovereign Sukuk will attract significant amounts of affordable capital from the

Gulf countries and other established Islamic markets around the world into Nigeria.”

Third country to issue Sukuk in W-Africa Though Nigeria would be the third West African country to issue Sukuk after Senegal and Cote d' Voire, Osun State had rolled out USD62 million Sukuk in 2013.

Because the traditional bond comes with interest paying structure which is not permissible under the Islamic financial system, the

issuer of a Sukuk bond would sell the certificate to an investor group, who then rents it back to the issuer for a predetermined rental fee.

The issuer also makes a contractual promise to buy back the bonds at a future date at par value.

Islamic bonds are structured in such a way as to generate returns to investors without infringing Islamic law that prohibits interest.

Sukuk represents undivided shares in the ownership of tangible assets relating to particular projects

or special investment activity.

The Sukuk option in federal government finance will be coming in addition with other unconventional budget funding strategies of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s first budget.

Unconventional funding strategies

Other unconventional funding strategies include plans to raise N350 billion from recoveries of stolen funds in the on-going anti-graft war.

The 2016 budget financing plan, according to a finance ministry source, envisages significant revenue from blocking leakages expected to yield over N1.0 trillion during the 2016 fiscal year.

The breakdown of the revenue side of the budget shows several unconventional sources of funding for the budget.

Key among them includes a revenue optimising measure expected to be complemented by initiatives meant to reduce wastage of public funds such as the recently established Efficiency Unit meant to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

Waste reduction initiatives

Other waste reduction initiatives include engagement of costing experts to scrutinize the 2016 budget proposals with a view to further improving efficiency.

Also, government intends to extend the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, to all MDAs in order to maintain a lean payroll.

With a projected revenue of N3.86 trillion in the face of dwindling crude oil receipts, government estimates that oil revenues contribute N820 billion of the total revenue; non-oil revenues, comprising Company Income Tax, CIT, Value Added Tax, VAT, Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies, are expected to contribute N1.45 trillion; while independent revenues are expected to contribute N1.51 trillion through the enforcement of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and public expenditure reforms in all MDAs.

Independente revenues

In addition, the government intends to significantly improve the collection and remittance of independent revenues from government agencies with the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account, TSA. A finance ministry source who said that the budget breakdown would answer all the posers raised by critics of the budget, explained that the delay in putting the budget together as well as the errors recently corrected were as a result of the difficultiesinbalancingNigerian’s expectations with realities on ground.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—15

Biafra: Kanu pleads not guilty to felony charge ...remanded in prison custody •As Police arraign 10 protesters in Rivers

By Jimitota Onoyume, Ikechukwu Nnochiri & Davies Iheamnachor

T

HE FEDERAL G o v e r n m e n t , yesterday, docked the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on a six-count criminal charge bordering on treasonable felony.

This came just as the Rivers State Police Command arraigned ten pro-Biafra protesters in Port-Harcourt.

Kanu was arraigned alongside two other pro-Biafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

The trio took turns and pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was signed by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri.

In the charge, the Federal Government alleged that the accused persons committed treasonable felony by spearheading an illegal agitation for the seccession of 'Biafra Republic' from Nigeria, an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

FG alleged that the three accused persons were the ones managing the affairs of the IPOB, which it described as 'an unlawful society.'

To remain in custody Meantime, shortly after the accused persons pleaded innocence to the charge, yesterday, the DPP, who is personally prosecuting the case for the government, applied for them to remain in custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, pending the determination of the case against them.

Diri insisted that it would be more convenient for the prosecution to produce the accused persons to court from the DSS detention facility for trial than from Kuje prison.

Citing security reasons, Diri, contended that anything could happen on the way while bringing the accused person to court from the prison. "'The DSS had never failed to produce the defendants in court, but we have had instances where accused persons in prison were not brought to court for trial owing to logistic problems. "'The nature of the offence and the response of friends, relatives and sympathisers of the defendants that we have seen, particularly when the case was before the Magistrate's Court, is what has prompted this application.

"I have no personal interest against the accused persons. I am

only doing my job as the prosecutor and the DPP of the federation," Diri added.

A better option

However, his application was vehemently opposed by counsel to the defendants, Chief Chuks Muoma, SAN, who told the court that his clients would rather prefer to be remanded in prison custody.

Muoma argued that the prison was the most appropriate place to remand an accused person that had entered plea before a court of competent jurisdiction. '''No amount of convenience can over-ride the law. The prosecution has not disputed the fact that we don't have access to our clients.

They have not also disputed the fact that our clients do not have access to phone calls. Two court orders in respect of this matter have been disobeyed by the DSS, so what is the guarantee that it will obey whatever order this court will make? " Muoma queried.

Besides, he accused the DPP of giving evidence from the bar by insinuating that the DSS detention facility is more secure than Kuje prison.

After listening to both parties, trial Justice James Tsoho, overruled the DPP and remanded the defendants in Kuje prison. '''I have given due consideration to arguments by the two counsels.

It is my respectful view that after arraignment, the appropriate and constitutional pace for remand of an accused person is the prison except when there is an extraordinary reason. ''It is my view that the complainant have all it takes to provide logistic and security requirements not withstanding the distance between the prison and the court. ''Therefore, application for remand of the defendants in DSS custody is refused. Accordingly, the defendants are hereby remanded in Kuje prison pending trial,'' Justice Tsoho held.

Meantime, the court has adjourned till next Monday to entertain arguments from both parties on whether or not the accused persons should be released on bail pending hearing and determination of the charge against him.

The charges One of the charges against the accused persons read: “That you, Nnamdi Kanu and other unknown persons, now at large, at London, United Kingdom, between 2014 and September, 2015, with intention to levy war against Nigeria in order to force the President to change his measures of being the President of the Federation, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation as defined in Section 3 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) by doing an act to wit: Broadcast on Radio Biafra your preparations for the states in the

Igbo agitators for the state of Biafra South- East geo-political zone, South-South geo-political zone, the Igala Community of Kogi State and the Idoma/Igede Community of Benue State to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and form themselves into a Republic of Biafra, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41(C) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

It will be recalled that Kanu had on December 23, 2015, declined to enter his plea to the charge which was then before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the high court.

It will also be recalled that Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the same high court had on December 17, ordered the 'unconditional' release of the IPOB leader, Kanu, from the custody of the DSS. Kanu, who is also the Director of Radio Biafra and Television, was on October 1, arrested in Lagos by security operatives, shortly after he arrived Nigeria from his base in the United Kingdom.

He was subsequently arraigned before a Chief Magistrate's Court in Abuja over allegation that he engaged in criminal conspiracy, managed and belonged to an unlawful society.

Kanu, on October 19, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was eventually granted bail to the tune of N2million.

However, the accused person alleged that the Nigerian government refused to release him from detention despite the fact that he met the bail conditions.

The Magistrate Court subsequently struck out the charge, even as it discharged the accused person.

In the bench ruling, Kanu was docked before trial Justice J.T. Tsoho alongside two other proBiafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

Justice Tsoho, in a bench ruling, ordered that they should be remanded in prison custody.

When the matter was called up, yesterday, Kanu, sought the permission of the trial judge to address the court.

Speaking from the dock, Kanu who was flanked by the other two accused persons, gave reasons why he would not subject himself to trial before Justice Mohammed.

The IPOB leader said he had no confidence that the court would grant him fair trial, saying he would rather remain in detention than to be subjected to the rigours of trial that would eventually amount to nothing.

Kanu insisted that the Department of State Services, DSS, had since his travail commenced, shown that it had a knack for disrespecting valid court orders.

He said: 'Based on information available to me, I am convinced that I will not receive fair trial before this court. '"There has been several rulings delivered by competent courts of jurisdiction which the Department of State Services, DSS, never respected''.

At that juncture, the DPP, Diri, who is personally prosecuting the matter for the government, interjected, saying it was premature for the 1st accused person, Kanu, to start raising such issues.

The DPP, contended that section ?396(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, provided that the court must firstly enter the plea of an accused person before entertaining any preliminary objection against the substantive charge.

“My lord, under section 396(2) of the ACJA, an objection to trial may be raised by the defendant only after plea is taken, but not before.

“In this case, the defendant has decided to put the cart before the horse by raising objection to his trial before the charge is read to

him and his plea taken.

“I urge your lordship to overrule the objection of the 1st defendant and order that the charge be read to the three accused persons for the purpose of taking their plea, the DPP submitted.”

Responding, Kanu's lead counsel, Mr. Egechukwu Obetta, urged the court to ignore the DPP and accede to the request of his client.

Ruling on the issue, yesterday, Justice Mohammed, disqualified himself from handling the matter, saying he will remit the case-file back to the Chief Judge of the High Court for re-assignment to another Judge.

The Judge said: 'I am of the view that the 1st defendant has the inalienable right to object to being tried by this particular court.

Rivers State arraignment Meantime,Rivers State Police command yesterday arraigned 10 pro Biafra protesters arrested this week in the state at Magistrate court 7 and 14.

They were arraigned on two count charge of criminal conspiracy and treasonable felony.

Hearing on the cases were adjourned to 21 and 28 January while the suspects were remanded in prison custody.

Those arraigned are " Onu Ifeanyi ‘M’, Prinace Onwazor ‘M’, Princewill Anyanywu ‘M’, Sunday Egbim ‘M’.

Uzoma Onyegbu ‘M’, Chigozie Moses ‘M’, Chukwudi Enyidau ‘M’, Anthony Ochuel ‘M’ Enam David Okon ‘M’ and Friday Nwahiri ‘M’. " The state Police Public Relations officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad said they were arrested while on their way to embark on pro Biafra protest from the neigboiring state.

He warned that the command will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt peace in the state.

16—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

INEC moves to deploy more technology for future polls •Seeks to modify election guidelines

By Omeiza Ajayi

A

BUJA—Eighty-two of the state and federal level contests conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the 2015 general election have been quashed by the courts, the commission has disclosed.

INEC chairman, Prof.

Mahood Yakubu disclosed this at an interactive meeting with registered political parties where it was also agreed to adjust election guidelines to allow simultaneous accreditation and voting during future elections.

The parties during a closed door session with the INEC chairman also empowered INEC to go the full hog in the use of electronic voting.

Yakubu said: “You would recall that I promised to

share our preliminary findings about innovations that we have introduced. I will show you some of the technology that we have deployed and how they have revolutionised our electoral process.

“You have been to the field, you have deployed your agents, you mobilised voters. What are the issues arising from new technology introduced and the way forward. And how can we improve on these technology,”? he queried.

Yakubu recalled that the 2015 INEC general election guidelines, provided that accreditation should end at 1p.m., eligible voters were required to wait around the vicinity for 30 minutes before the commencement of voting.

However, he said INEC in concert with all the political parties that

participated in the recent Bayelsa governorship election had to modify the guideline with regard to the exercise in Southern Ijaw.

He said: “With the agreement of all political parties we had simultaneous accreditation and voting in Bayelsa, specifically at Southern Ijaw Local Government by modifying our guidelines.

But what we did was after our consultation with all the political parties.

“The commission had maintained this tradition, whatever we do consult with critical stakeholders which includes political parties.

“Southern Ijaw may be a small part of this country for us to have an assessment of whether we should extend it or we should just leave it as such by merely responding to exigency as the need arises.

Ugwuanyi honoured in Ireland for outstanding leadership •Appeals to Nigerians In Diaspora, others to invest in Enugu

G

OVERNOR IFEANYI Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has been honoured in Dublin, Ireland, for his outstanding leadership both as governor of the state in the past months and his role as chairman of Nigeria’s House of Representatives committee on Marine Transport for eight years.

The governor garnered an international leadership award along with other awardees, including a female Irish professor and women rights activist, Fionnuala Waldron, former Charge d’Affaires of Nigerian Embassy in Ireland and a former Nigerian ambassador, Benedict Onochie Amobi, among others, at the event put together by Metro Eireann, Ireland’s first multi-cultural newspaper.

The event, which held, weekend, at Radison Blu Hotel in the capital city, came two days after scores of investors gathered at Dublin City’s Westin Hotels to brainstorm in a mini investment summit which offered the Enugu State delegation to Ireland the opportunity to lay bay the vast investment opportunities that abound in the coal city state of Nigeria.

The investment summit also organized

by Metro Eireann, which is run by Metro Publishing Consultancy Limited, the primary source of news and information on Ireland’s growing immigrant and ethnic communities and run by a Nigerian, Chinedu Onyejelem, opened up a lot of vistas for the Enugu delegation to enter into concrete and temporary agreements on mutual cooperation in the areas of agriculture, education and commerce and industry.

During the awards night, Governor Ugwuanyi, who featured in the internal category, told the elite gathering made of diplomats and serving and former Irish

government officials as well as members of the Nigerian community in the European country, that his 11-man delegation was in that foreign country, specifically on investment drive in view of the scary situation in the global oil market, which is currently making Nigeria’s economy become on edge.

He told the gathering, which was also addressed by a former Irish minister of Trade and Development, Mr. Joe Castelo, that he was dedicating the awards to the good people of Enugu State back home, whom he described as the true heroes of democracy in view of their support and decision to join his administration in a current stoic philosophy of belt-tightening to shore of the economy of the state.

Nigerian Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires in Ireland, Mr. Olusola Iginla attended both the investment summit for Enugu and the awards night, and on both occasions commended the exemplary drive of the Enugu governor during the three-day working visit.

He said it was the needed disposition for all political office-holders in Nigeria in view of the current economic gridlock staring the nation in the face.

Chairman of the state Economic Advisory Committee, Prof. Monsgr. Obiora Ike, who was also on the delegation, read the citation of the governor at the awards event, and told the gathering that the coal city state was lucky to have Governor Ugwuanyi at the helm of affairs at this critical period and declared that with his wealth of experience as a parliamentarian for 12 straight years and a visible combination of clusters of virtues of good leadership and disarming humility, there was no doubt that the people of the state are in for good governance.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016— —17

F

IFTY years ago, last week, Nigeria harvested the tragedy of its first military coup. That coup remains one of the most controversial events of our history, and one that has continued to fundamentally define the contours of our country’s history.

The killing of leading politicians as well as top military officers, from the North and West, almost to the total exclusion of the Eastern region of Nigeria, opened a Pandora’s box of controversies that we are still nursing in Nigeria’s effort at building nationhood and requisite institutions.

For me personally, the killing of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Northern Nigerian Premier, was the earliest initiation into the intrigues of national politics, in as confusing a manner as it possibly could have been, for a growing child.

I recall very clearly to this day, that those tragic events took place during Ramadan, as well as the shock in our homestead in Ilorin, when news broke of the Sardauna’s murder. It was the end of innocence; and the news was met with an outpouring of emotions as well as talk that our shield had been broken forever, with his death.

Tragic outcomes It was going to be a different Nigeria into the future; and it turned out to be! A succession of tragic outcomes cascaded upon our country in the aftermath of the events of January 15th, 1966, it was almost a miracle that our dear country survived.

Survived it did, but only after it had lost about two million people in a civil war that climaxed the tragedy which January 15th had so shockingly initiated.

One of more understated narratives of the war, is the casualty figure on what was “our” side of the hostilities; it was almost as if the silence about those deaths, was part of the finale which proclaimed “No Victor, No Vanquished”, in order to assist a fast heal and reintegration of all sides into the post-war canvass of hope that was being painted for a new Nigeria.

Events as public tragedy: The events of January 15th, 1966, played out as public tragedy in our country. They exposed the tenuous nature of our early endeavours of building a postcolonial entity, with all its sharply defined and emergent contradictions.

The narrative of valour became central to the public appreciation of the supreme sacrifices made by the political leaders and also of the gallant military officers, who frankly had no business to have been so cruelly murdered!

What the country appreciated was the gallant sacrifices made by those officers and in a case, even of the spouse of the officer.

But the public space can be dangerously deceptive, C M Y K

January 15, 1966 coup: Public tragedy, private grief because it can so often mask or hide the personal content of tragedy.

These officers were afterall, husbands and fathers as well as sons and members of their nuclear and extended families.

Long after the public space has moved on to newer calls for national sacrifice, the private grief of members of the families of the deceased remains central to their existence: wives who have become widowed; children growing up without fathers and communities that have lost children in whom hopes had been invested.

This private grief is often unrecognised and the families learn the stoicism that alone, helps them to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, even when the void of death becomes for them, a chasm that can never be filled in their continuing existence. In almost all cases, even those that survive these heroes become forgotten, as the years roll by.

It was therefore remarkable that fifty years after January 15th, 1966, representatives of these families were afforded the public space by the media, to come to terms with the public tragedy of losing their parents and the half a century long grief they had nursed in their private spaces.

Last Sunday, PUNCH newspaper carried a moving interview with Mrs. Kaneng Daze, first daughter of Lt. Col. Yakubu Pam, Nigeria’s first artillery officer, who was killed on that tragic day in 1966.Kenang was eight years

Nigeria still has a long way to go in the manner that it treats its heroes; but no country can earn enduring sense of sacrifice from its citizens when basic decencies are not accorded those who made the supreme sacrifices for the nation

old when her father was killed but she had a vivid recollection of that night and the effect that it eventually had on the life of her family.

She recalled the strength of character that their mother, the late and most beloved, Mrs. Pam, would eventually deploy to keep the family together and to bring up the children, providing guidance till she died: “The words he left behind- ‘look after the children’were what she held on to in her life and right up to the end.

She never remarried and because of that instruction he gave her, she took care of us and her life revolved around us”.

But if the mother gave her all to keep faith with the husband, there were deeper issues that made the tragedy of death such a deeply felt pain, that fifty years could not have erased.

Tragedy of death Kaneng asked: “Is there any fairness in this world?” And why won’t she ask? “We’ve never known where our father was buried till this day. We don’t know where he lies. Even my mum did not know until she died.

That is one question we all carried in our minds-all the six children”. It sounds incredible, but it is true and the weight of that on the minds of those remarkable children can only be imagined.

Emotional appeal: So fifty years down the line, Kaneng, on her siblings’ behalf, made a very emotional appeal to the Army authorities: “We plead (with the Army) to tell us where our father was buried.

That is the only way they can put to rest the pains that we all carried to this day…All we knew was that they were exhumed from where they were hastily buried and the corpse taken to Yaba Military Hospital.

The post-mortem result we had showed that his body was actually recovered….The report showed that he was shot repeatedly in the chest and jaws. That is all we knew. Up till now, we do not know where he was buried”.

This dignified demand came against the backdrop of related events from that coup: “If the civilians could be given proper burial, why not these officers?

Even Nzeogwu…was re-buried with full military honours.

We don’t know why Gen. Ironsi did not deem it fit to accord his officers the respect and dignity they deserved. We are using this opportunity to say that we should be shown where our father was buried and he should be re-buried with full military honours as Nigeria’s first artillery officer and the adjutant general of the Nigerian Army. He did not plan the coup; he was a victim of the coup and so should be properly honoured…”

I read Kaneng’s very emotional interview suppressing a tear and at the same time admiring the dignity of the lady and her family, just as much as I was moved by the interview that was done with Brigadier Ademulegun’s son.

Nigeria still has a long way to go in the manner that it treats its heroes; but no country can earn enduring sense of sacrifice from its citizens when basic decencies are not accorded those who made the supreme sacrifices for the nation.

In the public tragedy of the killings of January 15th, 1966, the enduring private grief of the families of the dead has come to underline the gratitude which we all owe those families that were left to their own devices for half a century.

This is very much a moment of restitution that should be woven to the fabric of change that we have been promised in the new political order in our country. May Allah rest the souls of those heroes of the tragedy of January 15th, 1966; and may He continue to comfort their families. Amin.

oman at Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue: W Woman the PPMC

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S I drove into the NNPC petrol station on Aminu Kano Crescent in Wuse II, Abuja last night, to purchase petrol, and it was done, with so much ease, I recall that there was still problem with getting petrol in Ilorin.

I spent the weekend there and know the lingering problem with petrol supply in many parts of the country. Of course, we need regular supply of petrol to power so much of our modern life and the irony of Nigerian existence, is that we are Africa’s largest oil producing country that depends on very expensive imported petroleum products.

The NNPC subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC)is saddled with ensuring that we get petrol and in August 2015, a new MD was appointed to head PPMC.

Major recognition She is Mrs. Esther NnamdiOgbue, a lawyer, who had occupied many important positions within the NNPC, including her position as General Manager, Board Matters and Management Committee Department (BMMC) in the Corporate Secretariat and Legal Division (CSLD) of the NNPC, where she organised Board/Board Committee meetings amongst others.

Her appointment as the MD of PPMC is a major recognition of the work that she has done within the NNPC as well as the experience that she has acquired over the years. And one of the approaches being used to improve the supply of petroleum products in the

country now, is the tracking of trucks to be able to know exactly where they are and to ensure that products are supplied on schedule.

Esther Nnmamdi-Ogbue has her work cut out into the next couple of years, when it is expected that the various reforms being carried out in the NNPC and its subsidiaries, including the PPMC, would have been put in place.

Nigerians expect that the supply of petroleum products will become a very efficient process that will help us to eliminate the mann hours often lost and the anarchy usually associated with the regular sessions of products shortages around Nigeria.

The fact that Esther NnamdiOgbue was named the new MD of PPMC, shows the level of trust the leaders of the Nigerian petroleum industry have in her ability to push through the modernisation of the PPMC. It is not going to be easy, given the entrenched interests that profit massively from the chaos of the past couple of years in the system and the levels of harm that they have inflicted upon the economic wellbeing of Nigeria. As I drove out of the NNPC station last night, with full tank, my mind went to Mrs. Nnmadi-Ogbue and the responsibility she now carries as the Managing Director of the PPMC. Things are getting better; they can be much better still and that is the task that Esther NnamdiOgbue has set for herself atop the pile at the PPMC. We will continue to track her progress because her appointment is testament to women’s advancement in our corporate system. I wish her well into the future.

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 Nigeria must watch the new frontier of conflict which is developing between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran with keen interest and grave concern. These influential and powerful Muslim countries in the perennially conflict-riddled Middle East took their simmering animosities to active mode when Saudi Arabia executed radical Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday, 2nd January 2016.

Iran, which had warned of “grave consequences” ahead of the executions, apparently made good its threat by condoning the burning of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran by angry protesters, as the law enforcement agents did little to stop them. An angry Saudi government immediately severed diplomatic ties with Iran. Several Sunni-majority countries in the region also followed suit, and the ageold cold war that had existed between the

Keeping an eye on the Saudi/Iran row Sunnis and Shiites in the Muslim world was re-ignited across the globe.

Saudi Arabia and Iran had been engaged in a number of proxy wars even before the executions. For instance, Iran had been actively supporting the Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria, the Houthi Shiite rebels in Yemen as well as a number of radical Islamist groups all over the Middle East.

Conversely, the Saudis have openly demonstrated their commitment to the downfall of Assad, whose family belongs to the Shiite tradition, as part of their overall strategic efforts to curb the growth

of Iranian influence in the Middle East and the Islamic world in general.

Nigeria has every reason to be wary of these developments because back here, the influence of these Islamic giants cannot be ignored. The historic animosity between the Shiites and the Sunnis, especially in Northern Nigeria, blew into the open recently when the Nigerian Army embarked on a scorched-earth devastation of the Shiites in Zaria led by Sheikh Yacoub El Zakzaky, whose members had blocked a federal highway and refused all entreaties to give way to the Army Chief, Lt General Tukur

Buratai’s convoy.

The sacking of the Shiite commune and arrest of the leader, El Zakzaky, prompted a stern warning from Iran. With the Sunnis and Shiites in Nigeria already at daggersdrawn over this unfortunate incident, the fear is that a major spark in the belligerent postures between Iran and Saudi Arabia could easily reverberate here in Nigeria, with unpleasant consequences to our peaceful coexistence.

The Federal Government must, therefore, handle fallout of the Army-Shiite clash with maturity. They must avoid alienating any group and thus predisposing them to be used as tools in the hands of foreign instigators.

The peace and stability of Nigeria is more important than the secta-rian pursuits of foreign powers, and Nigerians must remain mindful of this at all times.

OPINION Our rights, Oshiomhole’s choice

By John Mayaki

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LEVEN months from now, the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will come to an end. By that time, a new helmsman will be in-charge of Edo State.

The question is, will the person be competent enough to build on the solid foundation already laid by the Comrade Governor? This explains why a lot of gubernatorial aspirants want to contest under the All Progressives Congress (APC), apparently to benefit from the goodwill of the Comrade Governor.

However, many of the aspirants and their supporters want the Comrade Governor to stay away from the choice of who succeeds him hence the wild rumour that the Governor Oshiomhole has already anointed a particular governorship aspirant.

Recall that some party members were already threatening that any attempt by the Governor to impose any candidate on the party would be resisted at all costs.

The Governor, while addressing APC party stalwarts in Benin City on Thursday, January 14, made it very clear that there was no anointed candidate. He explained that all aspirants will go through the party primary as contained by the party's constitution.

The declaration has finally put to rest, the rumours and insinuations from some quarters. I salute the Comrade Governor for

the courage and bold step taken to calm the already charged political atmosphere in Edo state. All the aspirants can now go about their political activities without the fear that their effort would end up in futility.

However, the question that borders sane minds and true democrats are: does being a governor remove one’s constitutional rights to support any political aspirants? In this particular case, does being a governor stop the Comrade Governor from exercising his right as a citizen of Edo to vote for a particular aspirant of his choice?

Who is in a better position than the Comrade Governor to know who has the capacity and capability to lead Edo state to the next level? Should the Comrade Governor not have a say on who succeeds him? Should he be indifferent to the character of his successor? By the way, why are people running to APC to contest and benefit from the governor’s legacy but insist that he should be neutral?

We do belief that the state cannot afford to go back to the era of underdevelopment; the momentum must continue and be improved upon

One is amazed that those who are beating the drum of war also have their prepare aspirants they are supporting but at the same time do not want the governor to exercise his right. What an irony?

Most of these political gladiators are not motivated by the survival and orderly development of Edo state but by greed and self-aggrandizement.

The time has come and now is the time for people to think beyond pecuniary interest and put the interest of Edo state first on choosing who takes over from the Comrade Governor come November 12.

Yours truly is of the firm belief that the right successor would only be a person who shares the same vision of commitment and selfless service to the people like the Comrade Governor. The question would be; how do you identify such a person in the present circumstances, when most of the political elite are self-cent’red and selfish? This is where the wisdom of the Comrade Governor becomes very imperative; hence the need for him to play a major role in the identification crusade.

The reason for this suggestion is not farfetched; the Comrade Governor, for over seven years now has worked closely with all the political gladiators and should be in a better position to know who among them is development-driven; he should know those who are self-seeking; he should know those who are loyal but have no capacity to deliver services. He should know those who sleep in EXCO meetings when important state matters are being discussed; he should know those who can separate politics from performance.

Flowing from the above, the governor should not shy away from having serious input as to who succeeds him come November. The interest and continuing development of Edo state is far above personal consideration; he has demonstrated uncommon courage over the years. He is a leader who sees beyond now and who is committed to leaving behind a lasting legacy. He should resist every temptation to be an on-looker in selecting who succeeds him in office.

We do belief that the state cannot afford to go back to the era of underdevelopment; the momentum must continue and be improved upon. The only way this can happen is to have a man who is selfless, genuinely interested in passionately driving development of Edo state. He also must of necessity, key into the agenda of the governor.

Oshiomhole, for the past seven years, set a standard and whoever is coming after him, cannot afford to go below. We are calling on all well-meaning people of the State to put sentiment and politics aside and think about the future of our State. We must join hands together to pick a successor that would not only build on the successes of the governor, but take the state to the next level.

Oshiomhole has shown that only the best is good enough for Edo state; this must be the plank upon which a successor must be chosen. The governor is better placed than any other to be in the forefront of those who should have the final say as to the credibility, competence and capacity of the man to take over from him come 2016.

•Mr. Mayaki, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Benin city, Edo State.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 –19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

When will Nigeria be truly independent?

L

ET me wish you all a belated Happy New Year 2016. I have been on an abridged vacation and had the torment of watching so many things happen in our country and beyond without saying a word.

Usually, for me, the January ambience is an opportunity to reflect on how things went wrong in Nigeria. It was in January (16th, 1966) that darkness fell upon Nigeria because a group of idealistic but politically naïve junior officers in the Nigerian Army, decided to save Nigeria from a crop of corrupt, sectional political warlords who had inherited power from the colonialists and turned Nigeria into a colony of their own section of the country. They miscarried their mission and the freshlyindependent nation was plunged into a civil war.

It was also on January 15th, 1970 that the attempt by the Eastern Region to form an independent republic called Biafra ended in surrender to the Federal Military Government. On Monday, I will present my January reflects for this year in an article to be entitled: A Basket Full of Crabs. In today’s write-up, I am wondering when

Nigeria will truly be independent.

Who will complete the assignment of freeing Nigeria from the apronstring of the White Man, the Purple Man and the Yellow Man? Look at yourself. Look around where you are right now. How many items made in Nigeria can you spot? Can you spot two out of ten? Nigeria has been celebrating her independence for 55 years, yet you cannot spot more than two Made-in-Nigeria objects out of ten around you. Some independence!

How can a country claim to be truly independent when political leaders, political officer holders and public sector workers and officials, due mainly to corruption and lack of patriotism, are unwilling to protect Nigerian businesses and manufacturers against the predatory antics of their foreign competitors here in Nigeria? Hardly does a week pass without one complaint or the other in the media about the travails of Nigerian companies and workforce at the hands of foreign interests. These complaints mostly fall on deaf ears, and even when it seems something is being done, it usually fizzles out somewhere along line. In the process, so many

indigenous businesses have collapsed and thousands of workers thrown out of jobs, thus increasing the social burdens bedeviling the system.

For instance, around August last year, it was ARCO, an indigenous oil servicing company crying its eyes out about how Agip, the Italian oil giant, was strenuously trying to push it out of a maintenance contract despite existing laws and policies that support the preference of qualified indigenous companies for such jobs. Till today, the case is still hanging, to the detriment of the Nigerian firm.

Just last week, there was this campaign in the media by a group of indigenous airline operators with the slogan: “Save the Naira, Fly Nigeria, Create Jobs”. When I saw this headline, I was very sad.

Is this not what the Federal

These anomalies must end now. We have no choice. With end of free oil bonanza, we must look inward, fight corruption, empower our local private sector and thus reduce poverty and unemployment.

Indeed, we must save the Naira, buy Nigeria and create jobs! That is the way to true independence

Government media organs, such as the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) should be drumming into our ears to complement a government push to return full control of the aviation sector to indigenous hands? One would have thought that with economy diversification and creation of jobs being a prime item in the President Muhammadu Buhari regime’s three-point agenda, the Federal Government would be leading the effort while we all key in.

The barefaced exploitation of Nigerians by the foreign airlines is not a new story. Way back in 2012, there was this public outcry about how the British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VA) charged outrageous, discriminatory fees on the Lagos-London route ($10,816) and Abuja-London ($10,144) while its Accra-London route (same distance as the LagosLondon) went for $4,798 for the first class return tickets. The Senate President then, David Mark, set up the Senator Hope Uzodinma Committee to probe the discriminatory charges. Nothing came of it.

Today, the local airline operators are still complaining that Nigerian passengers pay 76 per cent more in the premium class of European carriers on the West African route. For instance, these foreign carriers charge about N1.4 million on the Lagos-London route but for the Accra-London route which approximately the same distance they collect N774,000.

Even at that, the European airlines are threatening to severely cut back on their flights to Nigeria due to their $470 million trapped in Nigerian banks as a result of the Federal Government’s tough

Unknown looters: Why returned loot is dangerous

By Godwin Etakibuebu

O

RDINARILY, the news that some people who looted our commonwealth dry, in previous dispensations [we were not told from which administration to which, knowing fully that President Buhari has audaciously vowed to recover all stolen funds, including those perpetuated by his past colleagues, like the Halliburton saga] are returning what they looted should be good news. It is however more of bad news than good for most Nigerians. We, the people of this great country and all our well-wishers all over the world, are more interested in knowing the looters, how much each of them looted and how much of the looted fund is returned or being returned; under this Buharinomics plea bargain.

Anything short of this remains an affront and destructive confrontation on common sense, moral, integrity and justice, which can only take us to the end-tunnel of perfidy. We had passed through this route too many times to allow it happening again, except if all of us belong to one global”generation of fools”, which we are not by the grace of our Almighty Creator. This stand of the Nigerian People is formed by past bitter experiences, some of which need mentioning here but permit me to start with the fable of the Tortoise and the sick Lion, which l heard from my father some 60 years ago as the story vividly captures the subject under discussion.

It was about the announcement that the lion; being the king of the jungle, was sick and it became mandatory for all animals to pay goodwill visit, wishing the king well, within a stipulated time. The tortoise obeyed the instructive announcement to visit the sick king in its den, which was one big cave but, C M Y K

being a very wise animal, did so in group of other animals on a particular day. As the animals grouped at the entrance of the cave for the visit, the tortoise made an observation, which alerted it of an imminent danger and immediately stepped aside from continuing the journey. When questioned of its strange behaviour by other animals, hear what the wise Tortoise told his colleagues.

“The footprints of earlier callers l am looking at are all inward-bound, I cannot see any out-ward bound footprint, as such wisdom tells me not to go there because if l do, l might not return”. Tortoise thus escaped death by interpreting what he saw with wisdom.

When the First Republic was wiped out of existence by the military, there were probes to wealth and ownership of properties of some of those “bloody civilians” pushed aside. Loots in properties were confiscated.

Ditto when the Military “purged” itself by over-throwing General Yakubu Gowon, there were probes set up to look at the lifestyle of those shoved aside. Guilty verdicts were returned and properties were confiscated also. Most of those confiscated

We have seen enough of this abracadabra of looters looting recovered loots, only for the same looters to emerge as tomorrow looters, or political leaders

properties were later released back to their owners, either through the front or back doors – they were returned one way or the other, and these are inclusive of Cinema Houses plus other luxurious things of life.

Again, when Olusegun Obasanjo came to transit us from Military to Democracy in1999, looters of previous governments [or is it only Sanni Abacha’s? huh, so na only Abacha waka come?] were identified. The truth is that we are never short of pathological and dedicated looters in Nigeria. What remains to be looted maybe, is the geographical landscape called Nigeria and with time, given recent revelation unlimited looting skills, that itself shall come to pass. Highly placed officials of the Nigerian State were sent out to bring the loots back home. That was after securing consent of various governments around the world to release what the looters kept in their countries. Towards the end of that first round of recovery’s pursuit, even while the most feared and ruthless Baba Obasanjo was in charge, most of the “recovered” loots never made it back to Nigeria.

We were told factually that an incumbent “patriotic” National Security Adviser - NSA [the jinx about the office of the NSA as regards looting matters has been with us for long] opened an account somewhere in Paris, France, in his personal name and lodged the much that was recovered [awaiting the balance being pursued probably] into that account. By that “prudent” action, the NSA earned interest of that capital; huge money in foreign currency, to himself while the real owner of the money lodged; the Nigerian people, was left poorer. Worse still is the fact that we were never told when the recovered money was returned, how much was it and to what use it was put to, for the benefit of the Nigerian people -we shall never know anything about

new regulation on forex transfers.

According to the indigenous operators: “if ALL the Nigerian carriers had only ten per cent of the $470 million they are trying to ship off, the money will go into the improvement of airline services here in Nigeria and will help put more Nigerians to work”.

Apart from the highly exploitative and discriminatory charges the European airlines have almost zero tolerance to accommodation of Nigerian workforce: they are the last to be hired and the first to be fired. Last year, Virgin Atlantic sacked all 20 Nigerian workers in their employ.

Once again, the federal lawmakers promised to wade into the issue when the aviation workers unions threatened strike, but again, nothing has come of it!

Meanwhile, the much-criticised local operators that flying into major European countries have over 5,000 Nigerians in the Labour force.

The questions that beg for an answer are: why is the Federal Government refusing to come out forcefully to support our indigenous operators given the huge advantages inherent in doing so? Why are top government officials refusing to claim Nigeria’s entitlements in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), which the foreign airlines are enjoying without reciprocating to their Nigerian counterparts in their countries? The answer is not farfetched: corruption.

These anomalies must end now.

We have no choice. With end of free oil bonanza, we must look inward, fight corruption, empower our local private sector and thus reduce poverty and unemployment. Indeed, we must save the Naira, buy Nigeria and create jobs! That is the way to true independence.

that voyage forever because other looters looted the loots.

Before coming to the present, we should not forget in hurry when President Obasanjo and his Minister of Finance, Ngozi OkonjiIweala, negotiated Nigeria out of the debtor’s Club – Paris and London. We paid all our negotiated foreign debts and while we were about to sing hallelujah, for being free at last, the news filtered in that we paid a whopping sum of US$100 million dollars to some people, identified as BROKERS by Okonji-Iweala. Obasanjo who employed Okonji-Iweala and gave her the go-ahead order for the negotiation, washed his hands off the US$100 million “loot” quickly, saying “Ngozi did not tell me anything about it”. So, we are not new to this looting and relooting drama.

Then the on-going revelations of a type of looting that could destroy economies of larger countries and we are only lucky to have details of this because Goodluck Jonathan is pushed out of power and his place has been taken over by “some superior clever rats”.

Mr President, we the people of Nigeria [and majority of us, including those underaged voters from the North, voted you into office] hereby resolved and say emphatically that there must be total disclosure of names, identity of all the looters as well as whatever amount of money or properties recovered from any of them and the balance left with them.We have seen enough of this abracadabra of looters looting recovered loots, only for the same looters to emerge as tomorrow looters, or political leaders.

This resolution is binding on you; Mr President, because what is looted is not your property but the common wealth of Nigerians.We demand for total disclose of this particular voyage ipso facto.

*Mr. Etakibuebu, a veteran investigate journalist, wrote fromLagos.

20 — Vanguard, THURS DAY THURSDAY DAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Tension in Lagos market as traders protest invasion by NURTW •Traders seek Ambode’s intervention •Doctors battle to save lives of injured

By Faith Ake

T

HE peace and tranquility that pervade the popular Ile-Epo Market in Abule OkeOdo area of Lagos State was truncated on January 7, 2016 when some persons suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW invaded the market with guns, cutlasses and broken bottles.

The touts who shot sporadically allegedly injured several traders traders and their customers. Vanguard Metro, VM leant that the traders and their customers scampered in different directions for safety as the stern -looking invaders allegedly made straight for some members of the Ile-Epo Central Market Union, inflicting bodily injuries on them with their weapons.

Angered by this development, the traders recently stormed the office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to seek his immediate intervention to avert the looming disaster in the once peaceful market.

The genesis of the fracas could be traced to 2011 when a move was made by the union to create a motor park in the market in order to generate revenue from truck drivers conveying commodities to the market. The move was vehemently resisted by the central leadership of the market comprising chairmen from Igbo and Hausa traders as well the Iya loja and Baba Oloja from the Yoruba community.

VM learnt that leaders of the market reported the case to the Police which compelled some members of the union suspected to be fueling the matter to sign an undertaking.

The undertaking was however breached two days after when the touts invaded the market.

Among those who sustained

injuries were Makinde Adesina 29 and Tanimona Dele 38 who lungs were pierced through with machetes. Also injured is one Ganiyu who reportedly had his knee perforated by bullets and was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH where he would undergo surgery to extract the pellets.

Protests The traders who came in their numbers to the Alausa office of the Governor, cut across sex and ages. Carrying placards some of which read : ‘‘Enough is enough for NURTW in Agbado-Oke-Odo market,’ ‘No more intimidation in Agbado-Oke-Odo mareket,’ ‘Our dear Governor Ambode, save Oke-Odo traders from Engineer Famuyiwa and ‘Our lives are in danger in OkeOdo market,’ the traders alleged that their present plight was instigated by some officials of the Agbado OkeOdo Local Council Development Area. They

If the government and lovers of peace in Lagos State do not call some officials of Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area and their rampaging thugs of NURTW to order, there would be crisis

•Protesting traders at the Governor’s office. further alleged that the motor park touts were on the pay roll of the said official.

Led by Mr. Livinus Njoku who chairs one of the unions, the protesters called on Governor Ambode to call officials of the local government as well as the NURTW members to order before the situation gets out of control.

“These touts have continued to threaten us. Last Thursday, they almost killed three persons. Several traders sustained injuries while three of us are still in the hospital receiving treatment as a result of the fire they opened on defenseless traders. We are therefore appealing to you sir, to wade into the matter and save our lives,” they pleaded.

“A senior official of the Council is responsible for the crisis. We have always wanted him to deal with us as market officials but he wanted NURTW to control the market. Inside the market, there is no motor park, so why should they leave the road and enter the market.

We had an agreement to be remitting N100,000 every month. But in the month of November 2015, the same Local Council sent people to come and disrupt the agreement we had by printing and collecting tolls themselves.

They blackmailed us by alleging that we were collecting money from innocent people but not allowing them to operate and collect their own money. They used money to harass, arrest and send us

•Dele, one of those injured during the attack. to court. It was while we were arrested that the NURTW launched the attack on traders,” they further alleged.

Also recounting their ordeal another trader, Modupe Akani, stated , “ Touts in the market led by the Executive Secretary of Agbado OkeOdo is causing problems to us. They impose high taxes on us as tickets. For instance, we pay N500 and above daily to them, depending on what you are selling. The government should please come to our aid”.

The traders warned that if nothing was done to stem the crisis, “a massive calamity never witnessed in the history of markets in Lagos State might befall Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA soon”.

“If the government and lovers of peace in Lagos State

do not call some officials of Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area and their rampaging thugs of NURTW to order, there would be crisis”, they said warned.

After submitting their letter at the Governor ’s Office, the protesters proceeded to the State House of Assembly where the Deputy Speaker , Hon. Wasiu Eshilokun advised them to seek the way of peace as an alternative in resolving the matter.

He assured that the House would continue to ensure that lives and properties in the market were protected through peaceful process.

Efforts by VM to get the reaction of the Chairman NURTW, Lagos State, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede failed as his phone rang without response.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 21

Oil prices hit fresh 12-year low, trade below $28 per barrel O

IL futures traded below $28 a barrel yesterday, dragged down by a fresh slide in the global financial markets and continued concerns about the glut of crude. Fears about an economic slowdown in China, the world’s second biggest economy, have rattled financial markets at the start of the year and added to the bearish sentiment on the oil market.

“Bearish fundamentals have clearly been weighing on oil prices this year, but financial selling on macro concerns has also played a major role,” Citi said in a report.

of world’s crude, may falter as the country shifts to a less energy-intensive economic model. On Tuesday, the Chinese authorities announced the country’s gross domestic product rose 6.9% in 2015, its slowest pace in 25 years. The bear market in stocks has finally arrived, says Michael Sincere.

On the supply front, there are few signs that the global glut

of crude, which has battered prices since 2014, will abate soon.

The International Energy Agency, a top energy monitor, said on Tuesday that “unless something changes, the oil market could drown in oversupply.”

The IEA projects that oil markets will still have a surplus of 1.5 million barrels a day in

the first half of 2016.

The lifting of international sanctions on Iran could add 300,000 barrels a day of crude by the end of the first quarter, reducing the effect of the 600,000-barrel-a-day reduction expected from producers outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the IEA said.

A further reason for the

sharper selloff in oil on Wednesday was the expiration of the February WTI contract, with most traders already having closed their positions and started to trade on the March contract, said Daniel Ang, a Phillip Futures energy analyst. The March contract was down 2.7 percent at $28.76 a barrel.

Nymex reformulated gasoline blendstock for February RBG6, -1.27% —the benchmark gasoline contract—fell 0.7 percent to $1.0187 a gallon.

February heating oil futures HOG6, -4.29% lost 2.6 percent to 88.49 cents a gallon.

Oil price forecasts The bank cut its oil price forecasts on the back of concerns about the Chinese economy and sees both benchmarks averaging $34 a barrel this quarter and $31 in the next.

Brent crude for March delivery, the global oil benchmark, was down 73 cents, or 2.5 per cent, to $28.03 a barrel on London’s ICE Futures exchange, after trading as low as $27.70.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March West Texas Intermediate futures dropped 81 cents, or 2.7 per cent, to $28.76 a barrel. The nearby February WTI contract fell 83 cents, or 2.9 per cent, to $27.63 a barrel. Oil investors fear that demand in China, which consumes around 12 per cent

BOND: From left, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, Non-Executive Director, Transcorp Hotel Plc; Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Hotel Plc; Mr. Emmanuel Nnorom, Non-Executive Director, Transcorp Hotel Plc and Mr. Peter Elumelu, Non-Executive Director, Transcorp Hotel Plc at the listing of Transcorp Hotels Plc N10 billion (Series 1) bond at the stock exchange.

Skye Bank to raise fresh capital in 2016 first quarter

By Peter Egwuatu

S

KYE Bank Plc has concluded plans to raise fresh capital during the first quarter of 2016 to beef up its capital base and improve its working $112.55 -3.10 capital.

The bank will this $2,818.00 year shift its busi116.00 ness focus to retail and commercial $14.33 -0.42 banking as it enters a new growth $29.86 -0.90 phase after the acquisition and seam$27.38 -1. 08 less integration of the erstwhile MainCURRENCY BUYING SELLING street Bank Limited.

US DOLLAR 196 196.5 197 277.4772 278. 1851 278. 8929 POUNDS The Group Man213.8752 214.4208 214.9664 EURO aging Director/ 195. 4722 195. 9709 196. 4695 FRANC Chief Executive Of1.6817 1.6861 1.6903 YEN ficer of the Bank, 0.3056 0.3156 0.3256 CFA 269.9362 270.6248 271. 3134 WAUA Mr. Timothy 29.7809 29. 8573 29.9338 RENMINBI Oguntayo, dis52. 2597 52.393 52.5263 RIYAL closed this yes28.6495 28.7226 28.7957 KRONA tetrday at an inter270. 97 271.6613 272.3525 SDR active session with CBN Exchange rate as at 20/01/2016 top stockbrokers in Lagos.

C M Y K

Oguntayo said the bank had entered into discussions with some of its key shareholders and strategic potential investors for fresh capital injection, expressing optimism that the

Retail banking as the bank’s new business focus would be pursued in 2016 for more traction

exercise would be completed during the first quarter.

Explaining further, the Skye Bank boss said its capital adequacy ratio of 15.87 per cent for the bank, out of which 12.4 per cent is covered by common equity, was already in compliance with Basel 11 provisions.

In addition, Oguntayo said retail banking as the bank’s new business focus would be pursued in 2016 for more traction. In particular, he said the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) would be strengthened.

Achieving growth To actualize the lofty objectives of the bank, the CEO informed that the financial institution has set for itself in the medium to long term, strategies to achieve growth for the good of shareholders and other stakeholders.

Reeling out strides recorded by the Bank in 2015, the Skye Bank boss said the board of the

bank appointed four new executive directors to the board; has concluded the design of a three-year strategic plan from 2016-2018; achieved certification by the British Standard Institution on IT Service management as well as business continuity and IT management for the integrity of its operations.

He said the bank had commenced structured capacity building programmes for the SME segment, working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on the business model and risk management framework and product innovation for its retail business.

Other measures taken to strengthen the retail banking business of the bank, according to him include retooling the locations acquired from the legacy Mainstreet Bank for the mobilization of cheap low cost funds, enhancement of the electronic channels to support the branch network and intensification of acquisition of customers across the retail segment.

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Don’t be concerned if your topic is highly specialized-even those they are in demand.

,

Businesses that can earn you extra income W

hether you’re starting a business on the side while still employed elsewhere, a student or homemaker looking for extra income, or unemployed and trying to figure out what to do, there are plenty of opportunities for you to start up a side business inexpensively. It’s unlikely any of these will make you a living in the first few months, but they all have the potential to grow into full-time businesses.

,

BUSINESS

There may come a time in your business ownership lifetime where you are asked to consider partnering with someone. On the surface it may look like a nice way to increase the size of your customer base, or it may look like a quick fix to save your failing business, or it just may look like a smart way to stay stable and in business longer. But it’s very important to truly analyze your situation and the partnering option.

In my opinion, you need to ask yourself the following five questions to really give it a good analysis.

Questions to ask yourself before partnering

D

O I have enough work to make it viable?

First off, is it worthwhile? If I only

have enough work right now to keep myself mostly busy, then will I benefit from partnering? That question can only be answered by looking at your partnering options and seeing what they bring to the table in terms of skills and current customer base. It may not be easily determinable, but by taking your time to assess the situation and your potential partner, you should be able to come to a reasonable

solution. And for me, the final answer when there is any doubt is ‘no.’

Will partnering add exponential benefits?

If partnering doesn’t add exponentially to the revenue base, then there’s really no benefit. If 1+1 doesn’t equal any more than 2 by partnering, then why bother?

Webpreneur It’s what everyone who’s ever surfed the Web dreams of-just stick a web site up there and watch the cash roll in! Well, that just doesn’t happen overnight, but the fact of the matter is it’s really not very hard to do.

Professional Organizer People these days are simply overwhelmed by their “stuff ”. While there is an evergrowing trend of people wanting to simplify their lives, most of us haven’t done it yet. It’s not that people really have no clue how to get organized, it just keeps moving to the bottom of the stack, both figuratively and literally.

Avon Independent Sales Representative Cosmetics are a virtually recession-proof business, because it’s an inexpensive way for people to feel good about themselves. Avon is the largest consumer direct sales company in the world, with annual sales of nearly $6 billion. In business for well over 100 years, they have both a highly reputable product line and one of the few highly reputable multilevel marketing structures (in fact, they invented it). They also offer fashion and wellness products in addition to their beauty products. And while they bill themselves as “The Company for Women”, a fairly substantial number of men have actually been very successful as Avon reps.

Desktop Publishing It’s amazing how many people have a computer and still don’t know how to make a decent flyer! If you’ve got a good design sense, are extremely familiar with your word processor, and already have a laser or highquality inkjet printer, you can get into desktop publishing. Create a really greatlooking portfolio for yourself and go door-todoor.

Tutoring With the growing dissatisfaction with our education system and the huge growth in homeschooling, there’s an unprecedented need for tutors these days for kids of all ageseven adults! If you’ve got a topic you can tutor in, contact the local schools, particularly private ones, and local home school groups, and offer your services. Don’t be concerned if your topic is highly specialized-even those are in demand.

Secretarial Service -Typing / Transcription / Proofreading Many small businesses and individuals have a need for these services, but not enough need to hire a temp through an agency.

Assuming you’ve got a computer, a printer, and e-mail (and the necessary skills), you’re all set. Be prepared to charge by the job, not by the hour.

CONFERENCE: From left, Ifeoma Okoye, Public Affairs Manager, Lagos and West, Nigerian Bottling

Company (NBC) Limited; Pastor Funke Felix-Adejumo, Snr. Pastor, Agape Christian Ministries; Mrs Abimbola Fashola, former First Lady of Lagos State; and Akomen Omijeh, Corporate Communications Manager, NBC Limited during the Women on the Winning Edge Conference, in Lagos.

Words you should never say to your boss CUT these five words and phrases from your workplace vocabulary and you’ll be on the right path to making a better impression with your boss “I can’t” F you had parents or mentors in your life that encouraged you along the way, they probably tried to help you take “I can’t” out of your vocabulary early in life.

The phrase has detrimental effects in your own life, but take on new consequences when you use the phrase at work. There’s a reason that “can-do” attitudes are looked upon favorably.

Using the word “can’t” shows your lack of confidence and an unwillingness to take chances, Taylor said, neither of which will earn you any points with your boss. In a LinkedIn post where bosses tell of the worst things they’ve had employees tell them, “I can’t” makes the list. “I don’t want to hear excuses ever! We focus on hiring can-do, positive, creative employees with passion, drive and determination,” said Kuba Jewgieniew, founder and CEO of Realty ONE Group.

The word is especially detrimental if it takes

I

the form of “I can’t work with this person.” Author Bernard Marr reminds us that interpersonal problems aren’t your boss’ issue. “You can ask your boss to help mediate a tough situation, but you don’t want to make it sound like an ultimatum,” Marr writes.

“Hope” It’s good to have an optimistic attitude and look forward to successes in the future. But while hope might spring eternal in your personal goals, you don’t want to use the word with your boss.

In his post on LinkedIn, Le Nigen uses the example of saying something like “I hope we get the contract signed by tomorrow.” When you use terminology like this, he argues, it “shows basically that your level of confidence about the signature of this new contract relies more on divine intervention than careful planning and clear understanding of timelines.”

If you’re sure the contract is going to get signed, say so and explain why

— you just wrapped up a call with the signee, you got confirmation from their lawyers, etc. If you’re not sure, talk about the steps taken so far and what the plan is to complete the contract.

“No.” There are arguments for saying “no” to your boss — some people contend there are times when you have to put your foot down. But even that advice avoids using the word “no” outright.

It’s not the same as refusing a request from your co workers, but is just as tricky.

“Unless it’s illegal or unethical, I cannot think of a single situation where it’s a good idea to say no to your boss,” Steve Tobak, author and managing partner at Invisor Consulting, wrote in a post for Entrepreneur. “You can ask questions, push back, or negotiate, but don’t say no unless you’ve got a great resume and don’t need the job.”

If you do need to refuse a request from your boss, it’s necessary to have a well-founded explanation. Explain your current workload or ask them to

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 23

,

It is not enough to have a vision.

We need to have processes and structures in place that will help us achieve the vision

& YOU You could get that yourself by just adding more customers (understanding of course that that isn’t always easy…it takes time and more effort). But to really benefit from partnering, you need someone who complements your current business offering and brings in new customers that want multiple services that this new partnership can offer. Otherwise, it’s probably just not worth it.

Will my interests be served?

Right now, you’re not partnering so you need to look after your own interests. You are the business.

Will partnering serve your best interests? Will your business benefit from it as well as your potential new partner? If the answer you come up with is either ‘maybe’, ‘I don’t know’, or ‘no’, then there’s no way you should be partnering with anyone, at least not at this time. You can re-assess it at a later date.

Could I lose customers through the relationship?

Is it possible you could lose

If you’re not desperate, don’t make the move. If you are, then make sure you weigh carefully the options of partnering, changing directions, or closing up shop altogether

customers through the partnership?

Meaning, could you end up driving some away with your slight change or major change in direction? I’ve seen it happen…the business isn’t quite the same and dedicated customers leave. Or worse, the partnership falls apart and customers leave with the new partner. Ouch.

This goes back to making sure that your best interests are served. Stay focused on being selfish. That’s critical during this assessment.

Am I opening up my business to new risks?

Finally, what about the risk factor?

Any partnership will add some risk, but does this one option seem to be adding more risk than you are comfortable with? Is the potential partner adding a risk element that wasn’t there before just in the services that he is offering? Again, think about what is best for you and your business. You have to be selfish before making a final decision. If you’re not desperate, don’t make the move. If you are, then make sure you weigh carefully the options of partnering, changing directions, or closing up shop altogether.

Sometimes shutting down is safer or a better option than inviting in a new partner.

Summary The bottom line is – do what you are comfortable with. If a partnering option at this stage takes you too far out of your comfort zone then it may not be the right time. I’m not saying don’t ever partner. But I am saying that you must be sure before entering into this kind of legal business relationship because it can wreck your business if you don’t handle it properly or you do it for the wrong reasons or without enough forethought.

Source: Yahoo Business

help you prioritize what’s on your plate, but don’t expect them to be accommodating if you answer bluntly with the negative. There are other ways to handle it, and you’ll avoid uncomfortable apologies later.

company, and come up with a strategy to combat that in the future. Having a game plan for the next time and finding ways to improve will show you’re committed to finding solutions, even if it’s an unpleasant conversation.

“Lost” Losing is never a positive thing for a business. If you’re in sales, reporting a lost client or business deal is an especially tough thing to discuss with your superiors.

Instead of using the word “lost,” quickly analyze why the deal didn’t go through so you can report what you’ve learned, not just the fact that it happened, Le Nigen writes.

“If you have to announce a lost customer or prospect, make sure you provide a solid root cause analysis and provide a recommendation to deal with those causes . It’s ok to lose sometimes, but it is not acceptable not to learn from it,” he said.

Instead of saying you’re not sure what happened or that it came out of nowhere, Le Nigen suggests getting feedback from the customer about why they didn’t choose your

“That’s not my job” Obviously this is a phrase and not just one word, but it’s one of the most detrimental things you can say to your boss. “…If your boss asks you to do something, it’s part of your job. Unless it’s something that you actually do not know how to do, it’s better to just suck it up and do it,” Marr wrote in his LinkedIn post.

In addition, using that phrase implies you don’t care about your boss or the company’s success as a whole if you’re not willing to pick up an odd job now and then.

“Regardless of how inconvenient or inappropriate a request may be, it is likely important to the other person or they would not have asked. No matter what type of company you work for, using that terminology likely means you’re not invested.

Source: Yahoo Business.

,

Whose role is it to run your organisation's vision?

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”…Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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T is a big risk when the leaders are the only people that understand the vision of an organisation. There is yet a bigger risk when they chose to run with the vision alone.

Developing the vision is the first step; the second and most important step is running with the vision. Two pertinent questions to ask are: who owns the vision of an organisation, and who runs with the vision?

The CEO (with the board or senior management) is expected to develop the vision of any organisation. The vision helps them to know where they are going to, and what their end state results will look like. That does not mean that the CEO or senior management owns the vision.

As soon as any vision is being developed, it ceases to be the CEO’s “property”.

Everyone in the organisation now owns the vision.

Core strategies

BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE When this happens, the people involve might not work with their minds and hearts the way they ought to.

Points to ponder: For a CEO to achieve the organisation’s vision, everyone in the organisation must begin to see the “big picture”. Mildly speaking, some employees do not know what their vision statement is. They also do not know what their core values are, so what guides them and what have they been doing?

Leaders and Managers must avoid “DAD” syndrome when running the affairs of the entire organisation.(“DAD” stands for:

Running with the vision is akin to implementing core strategies that will help organisations achieve their end state. The CEO’s job is not to implement the core strategies, his primary roles are planning and change.

Employees implement the change, in order words they Leaders are run with the vision.

Deciding – Announcing I am disturbed. Why is it to lead and – Defending). that in most organisations, navigate only the senior management But rather must enforce sees the organisational “big change in a “Parallel Involvement Procpicture”? These people way that will ess”- where the views of constitute about 20-30 employees are valued. Bepercent in population. What yield ing a leader does not conhappens to the other 70 sustainable fer us the right to use veto percent who are middle powers on subordinates. results officers? These groups of Remember people support people in one way or the what they help create. other are expected to run with the vision. Can you see why I am Final Note: disturbed? Why is it easier for senior It is not enough to have a vision. management to see the big picture? The We need to have processes and answer is because they have been taken structures in place that will help us to a “helicopter ride” and from 5000 feet achieve the vision. Remember above the ground level they were able to structures influences behavior. The see the big picture. roles of leaders are to lead and The CEO must ensure that everyone in navigate change in a way that will the organisation sees and knows where yield sustainable results. the organisation is going to – this is a These results are achieved critical task. collectively. Senior management and Whenever I am teaching Strategic the collective workforce should not Thinking to organisations, I always focus on their personal goals but include a slide titled “Danger”. Why rather on the goals of the danger? Yes, there is a big danger when organisation. It is much easier to the CEO or Senior Management thinks achieve one’s personal goal(s) after that his/her idea is best and only idea. helping the organisation’ achieve its Nobody has the monopoly of best ideas. goal first.

When the ideas of some group of people Call or email us for your views or (younger officers) are disregarded and perspectives. slighted, it negates the true fact that Email: uju@hainescentre.com “people support what they help create”.

Mobile: 09091142093

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24 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 – 25

26—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

By Dr Gani Enahoro

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EYOND this hype and fears, there are fundamental issues and several questions that need to be addressed going forward, if we must conquer the scourge of Lassa fever, and by extension other viral haemorrhagic fevers.

There must be a change in the past

LASSA FEVER: Before the dust settles strategies employed by the health authorities, that has failed to stop the recurrence of this deadly zoonotic viral haemorrhagic fever, tapping from the experience of Ebola that we have just recovered from, and which seems to be our lot in West Africa and the successful experience in taming the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza popularly called Bird Flu. Lassa Fever has been with us since 1969 and is still regrettably being talked about with more frenzy today with a case fatality rate almost thrice the 15% that WHO considers a very bad situation. The reason could be that old and current strategies deployed have been the same and ineffective.

Out of the box As a nation, we must come out of the box and design a new and sincere approach to dealing with a disease that is quite endemic in our region, rather than continue with the fire brigade methods of raising alarm, daily blowby-blow ministerial updates of deaths on television, setting up one-sided committee, begging for international donations and building professional silos around the outbreaks, as if an island exist around diseases.

At best, what those steps have given us was to unfairly concentrate every effort in post infection management of patients and contact tracing of those

The animal-human interface that makes elimination of rats and rodents critical in the case of Lassa fever has been completely ignored or played down

who related with infected people, rather than a holistic multi-disciplinary approach that is more efficient, prudent and sustainable, when all hands are on the deck.

Animal to human The animal-human interface that makes elimination of rats and rodents critical in the case of Lassa fever has been completely ignored or played down, when the committees are formed and when funds are deployed.

No expert in that area of competence has ever been found worthy of membership of Lassa Fever Committees, even when an unwieldy number of 26-man omnibus committee of solely medical doctors was formed in 2012.

The failure of such one-sided panel beating of a very deadly situation is now steering us in the face today with the current recurrence. It sounds more logical that we should worry as much, if not more about the source of the disease and how to control it alongside the care for those already infected, in the hope that we could nip in the bud, exposing more people that could have been infected in future.

This is the missing link, which could be traced to pecuniary benefits that may surround the funds that would be provided, under emergency, to deal with the disease.

For every student of public health, the first lesson is that no dividing lines exist between human and animal medicine, because more than sixty-five percent of infectious diseases in man are traceable to their animal origins.

It then means that collaboration between these two specialties must be promoted at all opportunities for the overall interest of the general public.

I must appreciate that just the one time this collaboration was tasked, Nigeria got better for it, and that was during the two major outbreaks of Bird Flu in 2006-2008 and recently last year, the vestiges of which we are still dealing with today.

To be concluded.

Dr. Gani Enahoro is Vice President, African Veterinary Association.

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You are not alone in this. 33 percent of women from ages 18 to 59 all experience a lack of sexual desire. So

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Aphrodisiacs can also help especially if the problem is hormonal. A supplement like the G Female Oral Tablet can help make you desire intercourse again. So the solutions vary depending on the cause – Uche I have had a satisfying sex life using your products especially performance enhancers like Rhino 7 and Libigrow. My only worry is that I wouldn’t be able to perform without them. It will be helpful to know of other ways one can be great in bed naturally – Uzo Uzo it all depends on the nature of your sexual challenges. If you had good erections before using a performance enhancer, you should still be able to perform without it. But of course the level of performance will not compare to what you get using enhancers. Oral performance enhancers are the most immediate and powerful way to improve a person’s sexual abilities. Of course there are people who teach certain exercise methods and the use of meditation but to be honest, it is not the same thing. You can train your body to last longer without ejaculating prematurely but that takes years to achieve and only works for just a few people. But when you use a delay ointment for instance, one can solve his premature ejaculation problem within minutes and the success rate is high. So there is no comparison. The benefits of enhancers is huge – Uche That is all for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can now call us now on 08171912551, 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help or visit www.zeevirtualmedia.com to place their orders. Zee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com- Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—27

2015: A year of disappointment for workers

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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HE out gone year, 2015, was a year Nigerian workers and, indeed, labour movement will not forget in a hurry. It was a year the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, that prides itself as the largest umbrella body of workers in Africa, assaulted the principles of trade unionism, dishonoured and disrespected the spirit of its founding fathers.

It was a year, comradeship was thrown to the dustbin and “lzwelethu, il Africans” (Swahili for ‘who owns the land, we Africans own the land’), became “Izwelethu, il my pocket” (who owns the land, it belongs to my pocket) by labour leaders to the detriment of workers.

It was a year workers expected improved welfare, but ended up without salaries.

NLC bungled election Like every year, 2015 came with a lot of expectations for workers especially being an election year for NLC and Nigeria, as a country. For NLC, the masses were expectedly very hopeful of better days ahead judging from the fact that the outgoing leadership was everything but effective, resourceful and successful in meeting their socio-economic and political expectations.

Ahead of the 11th Delegates Conference of Congress, the first bad omen was the alleged betrayal of private sector unions by the public sector unions after it was purportedly agreed that the public sector would not present a candidate for the presidency.

While that fire raged, insinuations emerged of plots to re-open nomination and clear candidates disqualified for one reason or the other by the credentials committee as against the constitution of NLC. The insinuation became so thick that Comrade Issa Aremu, who by virtue of the candidates cleared and published by the committee as required, was a Deputy President-elect, on January 18, 2015, issued a press release warning of the dangers in altering the credentials committee’s report or reopening closed nomination to accommodate disqualified candidates.

He warned: “Any attempt to reopen the list of nomination will be unprecedented in the history of NLC’s Delegates Conferences and is deemed illegal, unconstitutional and certainly unacceptable.

“It is like saying INEC should reopen nomination process after buffeting us with the menu of presidential candidates cleared and setting the nation ablaze.”

He said Article 29 (2) and (3) of the NLC Constitution was very clear on the conditions that could warrant reopening of the list of contestants duly cleared by the Credentials Committee namely.

Article 29 (2): “Should a nominee die before the election, his/her nominator/affiliated union shall reserve the right to re-nominate, regardless of anything in the article and Standing Orders.”

Article 29 (3): “Should an affiliated union withdraws its nominees before the election and leave insufficient candidates to fill the existing number of seats or additional seats created, fresh nominations shall be accepted regardless of anything in this Article and the Standing Order.”

He urged the NLC to obey its own rules, saying “NLC’s voice demanding for free and fair election in Nigeria cannot be respected if it does not obey its own rules. He that seeks equity must do equity and must come with clean hands.”

True to the insinuations, the report of the credentials committee was not only altered, but closed nomination was reopened and hitherto disqualified candidates were cleared throwing the conference into turmoil.

Disruption, rescheduling of election: Meanwhile, ethnic colouration was introduced into the planned election as allegation of disenfranchising delegates from a section of the country in favour of delegates from the other section of the country became an issue by the supporters of the two candidates to the Congress’ Presidency; Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero.

Some aggrieved members of

... workers had looked forward to a new national minimum wage because the current N18,000, ought to have expired after five years by virtue of the agreement that brought it into being

Comrade Joe Ajaero

Comrade Ayuba Wabba. the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, from Rivers State, dragged Comrade Wabba to the National Industrial Court, NIC, challenging his eligibility to contest the election, claiming by virtue of the union’s constitution, his tenure as President of MHWUN, on which platform he was seeking to be elected NLC President, ought to have ended since 2013. (The case is still ongoing at NIC till date).

The consequences of the reopening of nomination and clearance of the hitherto disqualified candidates on February 10, 2015, manifested during voting where it was discovered that there were multiple ballot papers bearing some candidates’ names while some ballot papers bearing the names of some other candidates had no serial numbers.

Printer’s errors or deliberate design Whether due to printer’s errors or by deliberate design, this discovery compounded an already charged environment which culminated in the disruption of voting and eventual suspension of the process.

After the intervention by NLC veterans led by pioneer president, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, the election was rescheduled for March 12, 2015.

When Thursday March 12, came, accreditation of delegates and voting went well without qualms. But the sorting and counting of votes were not to be.

They were suspended several times for one reason or the others.

Before the sorting and counting of votes for the Presidential election were completed, allegations of manipulations of the process by individuals that were not members of electoral committee, but participated in the process, in alliance with some members of the committee to favour a candidate, were raised. One of the two presidential candidates, Comrade Ajaero and his supporters threat-

ened not to accept the result of the election, claiming the entire process was skewed toward achieving a predetermined outcome. But early on Saturday, in the election that commenced Thursday, Wabba was declared the new NLC President of NLC. Ajaero and his supporters, including the President of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, who both contested for the deputy presidents of Congress, rejected the results of the election.

NLC splits into factions At a briefing later in that day, Ajaero and other Labour leaders in the group declared that they were conducting a parallel delegates conference in Lagos and that 23 affiliates of Congress, had thrown their weight behind the planned parallel conference.

True to their threat, on March 19, 2015, the aggrieved unions held a parallel conference in Lagos and elected their officials with Ajaero emerging parallel president of NLC. Since then, Congress has not remained the same. Though the veterans, led by Sunmonu and Oshiomhole, had on August 19, set up a seven-man reconciliatory committee headed by Sunmonu, with three members from both factions including the factional leaders; Wabba and Ajaero, the crisis has remained unresolved. Despite the initial enthusiasm, and meetings in Abuja, Lagos and Benin, reconciliation appears to be motion without movement.

Unpaid salaries, minimum wage: Another memorial of 2015 was the unpaid salaries of workers by both the federal and state governments. At the beginning of the year, workers had looked forward for a new national minimum wage because the current N18,000, ought to have expired after five years by virtue of the

agreement that brought it into being.

Recall that it was signed into law in March 2011, by then President Goodluck Jonathan, after both houses of the National Assembly had passed it into following a protracted tripartite negotiation involving representatives of federal and state governments, employers’ body (represented by Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, ) and Organised Labour.

However, workers were confronted with unpaid salaries by federal and state governments.

The situation was so bad that some states were owing workers salaries and allowances of almost a year. There were reports that states were broke having allegedly spent their resources on the general election and frivolities.

To save the situation, the new government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, in July, approved financial intervention or bailout for the states to enable them meet their obligations to their workers and pensioners.

Despite the bailout, some states are still owing workers till date.

As the issue of unpaid salaries was raging, state governors on the platform of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, headed by Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, after a meeting on November 19, said they were no longer going to pay the N18,000 minimum wage, citing the poor state of the economy.

Though Governor Oshiomhole and about two other governors had since dissociated themselves from the NGF’s stance, the controversy is still on despite threat of fire and brimstone by organised labour.

Two minsters for Labour: The Ministry of Labour and Productivity was also renamed Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Clement Illoh, was retained by President Buhari, who later appointed two ministers to the ministry: Dr. Chris Ngige and James Ocholli (SAN), Minister of State, the first time the ministry is having two ministers.

28—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Judiciary should ensure court orders are obeyed —Lawyers

By Dayo Benson, Abdulwahab Abdulah & Bartholomew Madukwe JUDGES should be fearless in their application of the law —Sylva Ogwemoh SAN

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LOOK forward to a vibrant and fearless judiciary in 2016. The Courts should be ready and willing to perform their constitutional role of adjudication in disputes between individuals, governments and corporate entities.

They have always carried out the duty of adjudication to the admiration of so many of us lawyers and we look forward to the courts continuing in the performance of this constitutional function without fear or favor.

Judges should generally be fearless in their application of the law to the facts presented.

The law is the law and ought to be applied as it is no matter the caliber, character and standing of the disputants. It is only when the law is applied as it is that society runs smoothly and social, economic and political developments are guaranteed.

Judges should ensure that cases of high profile defendants are determined — Chief Morah Ekwunoh Though not speaking with the precise clairvoyance of Nostradamus who clearly saw tomorrow, I see 2016 as a signpost of daunting challenges for the judiciary, which it is highly hoped will pass through the crucible of annihilation, in view of the judiciary ’s expected vibrancy in confronting them.

These challenges, I posit, will largely spring from the imperative of keeping the stream of justice pure, clean and ever-flowing, by fairly holding the scale of criminal justice in the ensuing battles between a government, led by a new sheriff in town, genuinely determined to quickly exterminate corruption in all its

Businessmen institute libel suit against lawyers, Newspapers Pg 30

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Supreme Court of Nigeria

AS President Muhammadu Buhari, who during the All Nigeria Judges Conference last year indirectly indicted the nation’s judiciary when he expressed his worry over the slow performance of courts, leading to long delays in trials and stallments; lawyers spoke with Vanguard Law & Human Rights on their expectations from judges saying that the judiciary should ensure that court orders are obeyed. Excerpts: facets. On the one hand; cases of high profile defendants should equally be determined conversely to ensure that their arraignments and prosecutions be done and determined in strict tandem with corresponding respect for court judgments, orders and rulings, as well as their inalienable rights to principally fairhearing, personal liberty and presumption of innocence, among others, in line with the principles of constitutional law, democracy and rules of natural justice.

Already, we have seen recent disobedience by the government of valid subsisting court orders for release of some of these high profile defendants, who had fully met their bail conditions as imposed by the courts. Coupled with President

Appeal Court judgment on Abia can’t be faulted — Lawyers Pg 30

Buhari’s more recent stirring of the hornets’ nest, by publicly owning up to and justifying the obvious extra-judicial and con-

Cases of high profile defendants should equally be determined conversely to ensure that their arraignments and prosecutions be done and determined in strict tandem with corresponding respect for court judgments, orders and rulings

temptuous detentions, judges in 2016 should combine to highlight the more daunting nature of the aforesaid challenges for the judiciary, in terms of ensuring that its judgments, orders and rulings are obeyed and not stifled by any of the contending parties, including the government.

In these unfortunate cases of disobedience of court orders referenced herein, I further posit that all the swarmings and venomous stingings of the hornets, as represented by strident condemnations from the human rights community, as expectedly flowing from the said government’s disobedience and the pitch and substance of the President’s speech in support thereof, can be fully blamed on the person and office of our learned silk and colleague, Mallam Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, whose actions or inactions as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, led directly or vicariously to the sad disobedience and presidential faux pas. This must not be allowed to continue, either in intensity or scope, as such will, certainly belittle us in the eyes of the outside world.

With expectations in the above critical area met by the judiciary, as highly hoped, in consideration of its positioned vibrancy, other expectations

therefrom include, inter alia, urgent substitution of snail-speed justice administration with its fast-track counterpart; provision of effective bulwark against corruption, whether from outside, or within, the justice sector; fight for its complete financial autonomy, particularly in relation to its right and access to constitutionally allocated revenue votes, which rights and access judgment of the Federal High Court has given impetus to and revisitation of criteria for appointment of judges, with a view to placing merit over and above other primordial considerations.

Judges should live above board —Jiti Ogunye The Judiciary has constitutional cum political obligations to fulfil this year.

First, the judiciary has to rap up the election tools, especially at the Supreme Court. Our expectation is that the elecfor disobedience of court orders.

Never again should we have a judiciary that would pretend to be deaf and blind to the statement and attitude of President Buhari who said Kanu, the self determination rights Activist could run away if released as the courts have ordered.

There is an urgent need to let

Continues on page 29

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—29

Judiciary should ensure court orders are obeyed —Lawyers Continues from page 28 petitions pending before the courts are resolved early as possible in line with the constitution and the rule of law.

We expect the court to especially deal with those grey areas bordering on card readers, which need final clarifications by the apex court.

Secondly, which I may called political cases involving the Politically Exposed Persons, known as PEP. In the past, the judiciary has always found in delaying adjudication of this category of criminal defendants.

However, with the advent of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the judiciary has fresh legal ground for it to expedite the trial of this category of people. We expect the judiciary to enforce and implement the Act to the letter, especially on the day to day trial of criminal cases.

Even, if the day to day adjournment is not, procedurally speaking, visible, it is expected that the court will not be given long adjournment as it is applicable before.

The supervising institutions must also ensure that Judges live above board, especially when they are now being called upon to try corruption cases, they should not be also corrupt.

Judiciary should fight against corruption — Femi Aborisade As far as the Nigerian judiciary in 2016 is concerned, I look forward to the following: In the area of philosophical guiding principle, I look forward to a judiciary that is passionately (as against to emotionally) committed to substantial justice as opposed to doing technical justice; a Judiciary that is uncompromisingly committed to defending the fundamental rights contained in chapter four of the Constitution as well as the socioeconomic rights guaranteed in chapter two of the same Constitution.

The constitutionally guaranteed rights should be seen in their universality, interconnectivity and inseparability such that the denial of one set of rights is perceived as the denial of the other set of rights. The courts should stubbornly protect those constitutionally guaranteed rights. But past experiences have tended to show that very little regard is given to constitutionally guaranteed rights, particularly the socioeconomic rights, by some segment of the Judiciary.

What should be adequately under-

EDITORIAL TEAM Innocent Anaba ( Head) Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri Dayo Benson (Supervising Editor) 08056180119 dayobenson@yahoo.com

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the bidding of the politically powerful forces. I look forward to a judiciary that would rise up to resist the avalanche of denigrating attacks on the autonomy and freedom of the judiciary from the executive.

I look forward to seeing a judiciary populated by people who are primarily motivated with doing justice, not people who are compelled to go to the bench by begging the political class because of failed private business and/ or failed private legal practice in the context of harsh macroeconomic environment. In the area of speedy dispensation of justice, I look forward to a judiciary that would remove time wasting activities and processes based on a system of self-criticism and experience-based solutions from stakeholders. I look forward to a judiciary that would not sacrifice justice and rights of persons for the share goal of speedy dispensation of justice. In the area of human values to be promoted, I look forward to a judiciary that is poised to fight against corruption.

Justice Mahmud Mohammed, CJN. stood is that the phenomena of Boko Haram, divisions and tensions along ethnic, geographic and religious lines, unprecedented insecurity, armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, etc. are all products or gains of criminal neglect and abuse of socioeconomic rights of ordinary people by the executive and lack of judicial protection by the courts when they have the rare opportunity to pronounce on them.

In the area of courage, I look forward to a judiciary that would dispense Justice without fear or favour, irrespective of the socioeconomic status of the litigants, the lowly and the powerful, the rich or the poor, government or individual.

It is critically important that the Judiciary should restore the confidence of the ordinary people in the impartiality of the courts.

The Judiciary should have the courage, not only to frown at disobedience of court orders but to punish government officials, regardless of their positions in government, for disobedience of court orders.

Never again should we have a judiciary that would pretend to be deaf and blind to the statement and attitude of President Buhari who said Kanu, the self determination rights Activist could run away if released as the courts have ordered.

There is an urgent need to let the masses of Nigeria know that the Ni-

gerian courts are courts of justice and that they are not courts that carry out the whims and caprices of the economically wealthy and/or the politically powerful individuals and groups. Never again should we have a situation where a judge who was appointed chairman of an election petition Tribunal would be removed with ignominy on the ground of not agreeing to do

Never again should we have a judiciary that would pretend to be deaf and blind to the statement and attitude of President Buhari who said Kanu, the self determination rights activist could run away if released as the courts have ordered

Stakeholders in administration of justice should be up and doing —Qudus Mumuney 2015 saw the inauguration of a new administration whose mantra is change. From all indications, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to set Nigeria on the path to greatness.

My expectation of 2016 for the judiciary is to see a sector where all the stakeholders in the administration of justice are up and doing. Lawyers and judges should ensure that they work cooperatively for the ultimate restoration of the judiciary as the last hope of everyone.

The unthinkable corruption and outrageous indiscipline that had bedevilled the judiciary should be tackled head on by the leadership of both the bar and the bench.

I expect that there would be numerous economic opportunities in 2016.

Lawyers who are competent in commercial transactions, corporate practice and negotiation should also position themselves strategically to provide the needed advise/support to local and international emerging business concerns in Nigeria. We should not witness a 2016 where business enterprises would import legal advise for doing business in Nigeria.

30—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Businessmen institute libel suit against lawyer, newspaper

By Bartholomew Madukwe

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WO businessmen, Ola Ros iji and Anil Ahluwalia have instituted a N520 million libel suit against a Lagosbased lawyer and principal partner of Okunowo & Co, Chris Okunowo and a national newspaper.

In a suit number LD/ADR/ 276/2015, filed before a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, the claimants are demanding damages in the sum of N500 million and N20 million as legal fees for libelous publications against them.

The claimants, who described themselves as businessmen of international repute, are also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, servants or privies from further publishing, or causing to be published the said libel, defa-

matory or injurious publications.

In a statement of claim deposed by the claimants, they alleged they were defamed by a publication entitled: “$8.8 million Fraud: Lawyer Faults Briton’s Extradition Plan,” published on page 12 of June 2, 2015 edition of the newspaper, written by a reporter who is also joined in the suit.

They alleged that in a bid to exert undue pressure, intimidate, undermine and forestall them from taking steps to recover the money which they claimed were unlawfully obtained by one British citizen, Okunowo contracted the said newspaper to publish the statements to create false impression to the public that they (the claimants) are opportunistic and devious persons who engaged in several illegal schemes and

are employing oppressive actions against Khilnani.

Also they claimed that the contents of the publication as alleged were sponsored by the lawyer which were completely

In a statement of claim deposed by the Claimants, they alleged they were defamed by a publication titled: $8.8million Fraud: Lawyer Faults Briton’s Extradition Plan

malicious, extremely offensive and calculated to disparage their image, integrity and business.

The businessmen story was that sometime in 2007, they promoted and formed Green Fuels Limited (GFL) as a joint venture between them (Rosiji, Ahluwalia), Comcraft Group and a Briton and former Director of GFL. GFL was formed to engage in the business of supplying compressed natural gas to industries in areas where piped natural gas is not available.

On 9th October 2007 GFL was incorporated with an authorised share capital of N10, 000,000.00 dividend into N10 million ordinary shares of N1 each. The Claimants were the initial subscribers of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of GFL and they both equally held 1,250,000 units of shares. They were also members of the Board of Directors.

However the Briton ran the day to day affairs of GFL. He [the british citizen] also had interests in several companies within and outside Nigeria including Industrial Energy (African) Limited (hereafter IEAL; formerly known as (Green Fuels Holding), Gentec Energy Plc and CNG Technologies (CNGT). The companies were major business partners to GFL and supplied machineries valued at over USD$ 14,202,780.00 over the course of four years.

On 20th January 2010, the Board took a decision and increased GFL’s share capital to 150 million ordinary shares. The now increased shares were reallotted with 75% shares given to IEAL (one of the Briton’s companies) and 35,000,000 shares allotted to another. This meant that the latter was to hold 36,250,000 shares (inclusive of his initial 1,250,000 already held upon incorporation).

Appeal Court judgment on Abia can’t be faulted — Lawyers

By Innocent Anaba

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ENIOR lawyers have ` praised the courage of the Justices of the Court of Appeal on the judgment delivered on December 31, last year, which declared the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate, Dr Alex Otti as winner of the Abia State governorship election.

The court, presided over by Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, nullified the declaration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as winner of the election. Also on the panel were Justice Chinwe Iyizoba, Justice Samuel Oseji, Justice Tijani Abubakar and Justice Jamilu Tukur.

Otti and APGA were the appellants, while Ikpeazu, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were the respondents. The Court of Appeal declared Otti as winner of the gubernatorial election and supplementary poll held on April 11 and 25, 2015.

The appellate court nullified the declaration of Ikpeazu as winner of the election and held that Otti scored the majority of lawful and valid votes cast and satisfied the constitutional requirements of one quarter of votes in at least twothirds of the 17 local government areas.

Several senior lawyers including former Abia State Attorney-General, Chief Awa Kalu (SAN), agreed with the decision, adding that that the justices cannot be faulted. The lawyers praised the courage of the appellate court which looked at the substantive evidence and merit of the case beyond the reasoning of the election petition tribunal.

Kalu said: I have read the judgC M Y K

ment of the Court of Appeal in Abia State election dispute. I totally agree with the reasoning and conclusions of the Justices. I align myself with the decision.

Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, said it is uncharitable for anyone to criticise the appellate court justices.

Testimonies and processes Fagbohungbe said: The panel has taken a position, and the Supreme Court should be allowed to decide. It can agree with the appeal tribunal, so how will the critics feel if the Supreme Court says the appeal tribunal was correct?

The justices read all the exhibits and all the testimonies and processes, and in their wisdom, they felt this (Otti’s declaration as winner) is how it should go. So, it is uncharitable for anyone to criticise such a judgment. They should wait for the Supreme Court, which is the final court to take a position.

What if the Supreme Court says the appeal tribunal is right? So it will be uncharitable to the justices of the Court of Appeal to be criticised at this stage. Also, you cannot be playing to the gallery at this level and undermine what the Supreme Court will say.

Also, a former Ikeja Branch chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Onyekachi Ubani, faulted those making unfounded allegations against the justices, saying it was wrong to attack their integrity without proof. saying It is wrong to make an allegation that one has no proof of, such as that they have taken bribes or they are corrupt just because the judgment does

Dr. Alex Otti not favour you.

A Lagos lawyer and activist, Toluwani Adebiyi, said an appellate court judgment was less likely to be overturned by the Supreme Court.

He said: “What I know that Court of Appeal judgments are more reliable. You can have more

The panel has taken a position, and the Supreme Court should be allowed to decide. It can agree with the appeal tribunal, so how will the critics feel if the Supreme Court says the appeal tribunal was correct?

confidence in a Court of Appeal decision that a lower court decision. This is in the sense that Court of Appeal decisions are not just by one person, but in the case of Abia State, but a panel of five justices.

“When you look at the ruling of individual judges, you may see some inconsistencies, but Court of Appeal justices are more experienced. A lower court judge can easily be bribed, but it’s not always easy to compromise all justices on a panel. So, their judgment is more reliable.

“The Court of Appeal Justices also feel more sense of responsibility, that is why the higher you go, the more likely you will get justice. I am 100 per cent sure that those Court of Appeal justices cannot decide something that cannot hold water. It’s not possible.”

Justice Omoleye in the lead judgment added: “It is hereby ordered that the Certificate of Return already issued to the first respondent, Ikpeazu, by the third respondent (INEC) is set aside.”

It was the appellant’s contention that Section 140 (3) of 2010 Electoral Act states that if a tribunal or court determines that a candidate who was returned as elected was not validly elected on the ground that he did not score the majority of valid votes cast, the tribunal shall declare as elected the candidate who scored the highest number of valid votes and who satisfied constitutional requirement.

To be declared the governor, a candidate must satisfy two conditions, namely: the constitutional requirement of spread in two/third of the Local Government Areas, and the highest number of lawful votes, which refers to those cast in

accordance with the Electoral Act. Otti and APGA’s prayer was that the votes recorded for Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa councils were characterised by malpractices, and were therefore, invalid and should be cancelled.

The appellate court agreed with the submission, contrary to the tribunal’s position that there was a rerun in those areas and that Otti and APGA participated.

On whether Otti’s reliefs were grantable, the appellate court said it found it quite perplexing that the tribunal, instead of reading and considering carefully the pleadings and evidence adduced in Otti’s petition and determining all the issues raised, seemed more concerned with getting rid of as many of the reliefs as possible by striking them out for one “unacceptable” reason or the other.

Plausible and definite reasons “All the reasons given are untenable and at the end of the day amount to depriving the appellants of fair hearing guaranteed under the Constitution.

These generalisations that the claims of the appellants/petitioners were not grantable without giving plausible and definite reasons are unacceptable in law. The view of the tribunal that the claims of the appellants were not grantable is clearly misconceived in law and facts,” Justice Omoleye held.

On the issue of over-voting, the appellants had complained that the tribunal wrongly concluded that there was proper accreditation of votes and that there were other modes of accreditation recognised by INEC.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—31

2015: How culture producers and promoters made the difference

By Japhet Alakam & Prisca Sam Duru

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N spite of the 2015 general elections that affected most of the activities of several sectors in the country, the Art and Culture sector globally regarded as the flagship for both economic and social development of any society experienced huge success. Even with the scrapping of the Art , Culture and Tourism Ministry by the present administration, arts and culture producers and promoters, saw to it that the sector went on with its activities and in return recorded tremendous success. This was because, the sector despite its contributions to the nation’s GDP has never been a good bride of the government.

In the year under review, a whole lot of activities took place in the art industry which are indications of the huge progress recorded.

In the visual art circuit, one of the vibrant areas of art, Nigerians demonstrated their creative ingenuity through a series of exhibitions as many galleries opened their space for both the upcoming and established artists.

Among the exhibitions were the ones held at Alexis gallery, Lagos, Omenka gallery, National museum, Terra Kulture, Temple Muse, and many others.

Unique solo exhibition But the most outstanding exhibition of the year, which can be regarded as the mother of all shows was the unique solo exhibition organised by Arthouse Space for one of Africa’s living modernist masters, Prof Yusuf Grillo titled Igi Araba. Held at the Kia Showroom, Adeola Odeku street, Victoria Island, Lagos, it featured body of works that make his legendary night blue strokes glow with some of the never-before-seen paintings.

The opening which was like a carnival was graced by prominent Nigerians, captains of industry, diplomats, expatriates, art collectors, promoters and lovers especially the members of the Zaria rebels, was declared open by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Ranti Adebule who represented Governor Ambode of Lagos State.

Another major exhibition of the year was Shifting The Paradigm, a historic exhibition by Nigerian contemporary artists, George Edozie which took place at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) North Miami, Florida.

It was the first time that an African had a full museum show at Art Basel.

Apart from exhibitions, other art

events that shaped the year include the 8th National Art Competition, organised by African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) and sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc, with the theme “Future Histories.” It was won by Sabastine Ugwuoke and he went home with the sum of N2 million.

Another area was with stage performances, where the practitioners once more demonstrated that stage performances were still very relevant in Nigeria in spite of the wide appeal of home videos. Leading the stage in that direction was the National Troupe of Nigeria, which under its new Artistic Director, Akin Adejuwon took the troupe to performances in many cities in Nigeria and outside. Others include, Kakadu the musical, Avalanche:The Kings Of Dance, Hear Word by Ifeoma Fafunwa and Dis Fix, a dance event that brought together both disabled and able bodied was held by the British

The most outstanding exhibition of the year, which can be regarded as the mother of all shows was the unique solo exhibition organised

by Arthouse Space for one of Africa’s living modernist masters, Prof Yusuf Grillo titled Igi Araba

•Flight, one of the works by Yusuf Grillo Council in Lagos.

In the literary angle, despite the poor economy, Nigerians still showed their love for book as many events took place in the book industry. One of the events was handing over by Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital of the UNESCO World Book Capital to South Korea in April as the next host.

The Nigerian International book fair, which brings together all the stakeholders in the book industry was held at its usual venue, University of Lagos. The annual Author's Forum, that celebrates the book and authors, celebrated Chukwuemek Ike's 50 years of writing.

Another shocker for the year was the announcement of no winner for 2015 Nigeria Prize for Literature. As was the case in 2004 and 2009 when no winner emerged for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, in prose and poetry

respectively, so it was year, when sponsors of the Prize; Nigeria LNG, declared no winner for the year’s competition.

Also, Nigerians experienced book presentations like never before, as many new books hit the book stands during the year.

Some of the new titles that made it in 2015 included; Voices from Within: Essays on Nigerian Journalism in honour of Mr Sam Amuka at 80.

Edited by Lanre Idowu, the presentation which took place at NIIA, Victoria Island drew the who is who in society; others include, ‘Principles & Practice of Commercial Arbitration’ by an expert in Maritime and Admiralty Law, international trade, oil and gas, commercial law and arbitration, Professor Joseph McCarthy Mbadugha.

Elnathan John’s novel, “Baron of Broad Street” which chroni-

cles the polarized worlds of Lagos impoverished and affluent, co-habiting, yet a world apart. ‘New Dawn of Change: If I Were Buhari’ was launched at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

Also, “STELLA – Her Journey and Legacy” (Biography Book on Late Chief Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, written by AntoinetteRita) was presented in Abeokuta, Ogun State during the 10th year Memorial Service held in her honour. June 12 Election: Campaign for Democracy and the Implosion of the Nigerian Left written by Onyeisi, “This House is not for Sale” by E.C Osondu, “For Sam, A collection of Contemporary Thoughts”, a book written by Jimi Disu and dedicated to Vanguard Publisher, Mr. Sam Amuka, Chux Onyenyonwu's epic book, The Sixth Fingers, Titus Okereke’s Our Father’s Land, including reminiscences on the Nigerian Civil War, Raji Fashola’s Great leap and two others and many more.

As it was in the literary scene, so it with festivals as many arts and books festivals spiced up events in the industry. The annual international arts festival of photography in Nigeria, LagosPhoto festival, in its sixth edition, held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Other events were, the 3rd edition of the Ake Arts and Book festival ,The 2015 iRep Film Festival, during which about 50 films were screened, at the Freedom Park, Lagos. The 2015 Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Festival, The 17th Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF and many more.

Release Jelili Atiku now or ... SNA demands

By Japhet Alakam FTER few days, when youths stormed the Ejigbo Police Division to protest against alleged illegal arrest and detention of one of Africa’s most consistent performance artists, Jelili Atiku, who was arrested after he had a programme in the area on Thursday. The umbrella body covering all practising artists in Nigeria, Society of Nigerian Artist, SNA also yesterday staged a protest against what they called the continued incarceration of Jelili Atiku, who has been incarcerated at the Kirikiri Maximun prison.

During the protest which led by the National president of

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SNA, Oliver Enwonwu, at National Theatre complex, the artists marched around the culture complex with a banner bearing, “Nigerian Artist say YES to Freedom of Expression.

Nigerian artists condemn the incarceration of Jelili Atiku.

Addressing the press, the body demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of the performance artist. Saying, that art is an expression of emotion and can be personal or public.

According to them, Atiku is a multi-media visual and performance artist who won the 2015 Prince Claus Laureate and so is supposed to be celebrated and not to be incarcerated.

Atiku, a visual and perform-

ance artist, was arrested on Sunday allegedly on the ‘orders of a certain traditional ruler in the area who was said to be displeased with Atiku’s performance in ‘his domain last Thursday.

The traditional ruler was said to be miffed that Atiku’s display around the theme of • A performance by Jelili Atiku ‘domestic terrorism' was staged without his permission. He has since been to let the public know that charged to court by the police. street performance does not Speaking during the protest, constitute public disturbance.

Mr Tola Wewe, one time CulWhat is happening is because ture and Tourism commissioner people are ignorant of the role in Ondo State said, “we need of an artist".

32 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—33

Oshiomhole blames PDP for tension in N-Delta

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN—GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has regretted that the current tension in the Niger Delta was created by the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led administration through the empowerment of people he described as “wrong guys who showed capacity for violence.”

He urged the new Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru and the Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Prof. Claudius Daramola to reform the ministry, saying, “You have a huge challenge due to the disastrous performance of your predecessors under the last PDP government which made more noise about the Niger Delta than work.

“They empowered the wrong people because they showed capacity for violence and then ignored the real people who were peaceful, who just wanted development. Therefore, you have a huge task to bring development and carry out massive reforms for our people and you need to re-enlighten our people to recognise that the long term challenge of bringing prosperity to our people will not necessarily continue to be driven by intervention agencies, it has to do with creating jobs and making the region peaceful.”

Oshiomhole spoke when the new leadership of the Niger Delta Ministry, led by the minister, Pastor Uguru, paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Benin City.

Uguru, who spoke earlier, said: “We are in the state to assess the progress in the Niger Delta states. It is our position that we should not begin projects in the state without the knowledge,

commitment and collaboration of the home government because this will help us in future planning to agree even before we propose any project.

“We want to channel our resources in a way that will be best utilized so as to avoid wastage. We are also going to take priorities very seriously, we will put resources where they will be optimally utilized.”

Oshiomhole further admonished the ministry to pay serious attention to the issue of environmental degradation. “I am very worried about the damage to the environment caused by major oil companies that are allowed to flare their gas even in the 21st century. The technologies are there. It is possible to convert the gas we are wasting away to resources for our country,” he said.

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YO—THE peace meeting convened by Akwa Ibom State Government to resolve the longstanding feud between Ikot-Akpan Udo, IkotAbasi and Amazaba communities in Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has ended in a deadlock.

The meeting which was presided over by the deputy governor, Moses Ekpo, at Government House, Uyo, ended in deadlock as the main issues which led to the feud in 2008 between the two neighbours were allegedly ignored by the government.

In the renewed hostilities, it was gathered that although no life was lost, property estimated at billions of naira was destroyed.

Addressing the delegations from the two villages made up of traditional rulers and opinion leaders, yesterday, the deputy governor expressed disappointment with the people over the recurring disputes and directed them to go back and resolve their differences themselves.

He warned that failure to

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HE Ijaw Youth Council's Nation Employment and Human Capacity and Development Committee and some Niger Delta ex-agitators, have condemned the bombing of major oil and gas pipeline installations in Warri SouthWest Local Government Area of Delta State.

In a statement by Fred Afoegba, the group blamed multinational and oil servicing companies for not employing the ex-agitators, who have undergone training by the Federal Government through the amnesty programme.

He said: “We appeal to the Federal Government to exercise caution in order not to miss the mark because Niger Delta is a volatile area.

While we condemn the recent bomb blasts, we also appeal to the Federal Government to allow the sleeping dog lie in order to avoid an up rising.”

Delta Assembly swears in two new members

By Festu Ahon VISIT: Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State (right) and Air Vice Marshall SS Adamu, representing the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Sadique Abubakar, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Benin City.

Ikot-Akpan Udo, Amazaba communal crisis: Peace meeting deadlocked

By Tom Moses

IYC condemns bombing of pipelines

resolve the crisis within the shortest possible time, would cause the state government to confiscate the disputed land.

Ekpo reiterated the determination of the state government to develop every

community in the state, but said that the good intention would be defeated if communities in the state could not live together in peace “The PDP government under the leadership of

Governor Udom Emmanuel certainly has a plan to develop every part of the state within the available resources but this cannot be realized in a situation of rancour and disagreements,” the deputy governor said.

Gov Emmanuel decries frequent road mishaps in Akwa Ibom

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KWA Ibom State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has expressed displeasure at the frequent loss of lives due to the recklessness exhibited by commercial vehicle drivers and other road users on the highways in the state.

The governor, in Uyo, when he encountered a victim of motor accident on Uyo-Nung Udoe Expressway while on official engagement, halted his convoy and directed his medical team to attend to the accident victim.

He condemned the spate of hit and run accidents by motorists who have perpetually endangered lives that could have been saved if they had exercised caution or stopped to assist

victims to nearby health facilities for prompt medical attention.

The governor ordered the evacuation of the corpse to the mortuary after the medical team had certified

the accident victim dead and called on the Ambulance Services of the Ministry of Transport to be on the watch for accidents on the highways.

He urged them to extend their services to major roads within the state.

Delta LG boss decries effects of economic downturn on grassroots

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OKO—CHAIRMAN of Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Franas Eyituoyor, has expressed concern that people at the grassroots were not enjoying the dividends of democracy due to the harsh economic realities in the country.

He expressed unhappiness that the council has not been able to carry out

infrastructural development and other social services in the council due to the drastic cut in monthly federal allocation to the council.

He said: "Things are so bad that to pay salaries of council staff is becoming difficult."

He appealed to the people for understanding in view of the prevailing circumstance, just as he enjoined them to pray for God’s intervention.

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SABA—DELTA State House of Assembly, has sworn in two new members, following their victory at the Court of Appeal which sat in Benin City, Edo State.

They are Omawumi Udoh, representing Warri South I and Emeka Nwaobi, Aniocha North, who were administered the relevant oaths as required by the constitution by the Speaker of the House, Mr Monday Igbuya at its resumed plenary.

Godwin Abigor and Osi Okocha were sworn in upon the inauguration of the Sixth Assembly to represent Warri South I and Aniocha North respectively but were sacked last December by Court of Appeal, following the petition brought before it challenging their elections.

The House at the plenary also screened and confirmed four nominees for appointment as Chairman and members of board of the Delta Broadcasting Service, DBS, Warri. They include Mrs Felicia Ajagu, Chairman while Mr Ebielum Madumezie, Chief J. Scott and Mr Foreman Idogho as members.

Also screened and confirmed were the seven nominees for appointments as Chairman and members of Delta State Rural Development Agency.

Mr Solomon Areyinka is the Chairman, and Mr Larry Efekodha, Chief Patrick Idama, Prince Odu Bardi, Mrs Georgina Evah, Mr Igbedi Macpherson and Chief Victor Okumagba, members.

34—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Anambra Central Re-run: Fresh primary illegal —Annie Okonkwo

NIPOST intercepted N83.2bn goods in 2015 —PMG

By Clifford Ndujihe

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By Emmanuel Elebeke

NE OF those laying claim to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket in the forthcoming Anambra Central senatorial re-run polls, Senator Annie Okonkwo, has advised political parties planning fresh primaries to nominate candidates for the exercise to have re-think because it is illegal.

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BUJA—THE Acting Post Master General of the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, Mr. Enoch Ogun said NIPOST intercepted more than 500 items worth over N83.2 billion in 2015.

The PMG made the revelation, Monday, in his 2016 Pan African Post Day celebration message in Abuja.

Ogun said the POST would focus on improving quality of services this years, with 90 per cent of its 2016 budget already dedicated for the improvement of all aspects of its services and operations.

He said that his administration would give priority attention to improving NIPOST IT infrastructure to enable the organization drive the digital and financial inclusion projects.

He also said that effort would be made to increase NIPOST fleet through the procurement of vehicles and motorcycles within the limit of available resources.

In a statement, the senator said if parties go ahead to conduct fresh primaries in elections where the court ordered re-run, they would be infringing on the electoral laws because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s time for substitution of candidates expired last year.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, held a primary to nominate its candidate following the decision of Senator Chris

Ngige to withdraw from the race on account of his ministerial appointment.

The PDP is also planning to hold a primary to nominate its candidate. The seat became vacant following Appeal Court’s nullification of Senator Uche Ekwunife’s election, saying she was not validly nominated by the PDP. Okonkwo, who belongs to the Oguebego faction of the PDP in

Sacked workers: Labour briefs Imo police boss

By Chidi Nkwopara

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WERRI—IRKED by what they called “executive arrogance and complete disrespect of agreements,” the leadership of the organized labour in Imo State, has moved the plight of its members to the State Police Command.

Briefing the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr. Austine Chilakpu, expressed dissatisfaction and shock at the way Governor Rochas Okorocha brazenly announced the summary disengagement of all workers in 19 parastatals, agencies and departments.

“Labour had tried to come up

with ways of avoiding the retrenchment of Imo workers. It is pertinent to also tell you that during our recent meeting the governor and the national leadership of labour in Owerri, he also assured us that no worker would be sacked.

"It is therefore, shocking that this promise lasted for only two days

and he reneged,” Chilakpu told the CP. While assuring the Imo police boss that labour would resist the temptation of doing anything that would scuttle the peace of the state, the NLC Chairman, however, expressed shock that the state government never kept its side of all the agreements.

Abia gov: Why NJC must wade in —Abia govt

By Dapo Akinrefon

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HE ABIA State Government has called on the National Judicial Council, NJC, to ensure that over 300,000 voters in the state were not denied their fundamental right of deciding the governor of the state.

It also expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would upturn

the verdict of the Appeal Court and rule in favour of the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The state government reiterated that it would be an act of injustice to disenfranchise about 300,000 registered voters in the three local government areas of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North where the Court of Appeal election panel

Leave Tompolo alone, group tells Buhari

By Tare Youdeowei

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BADAN—THE Trenchard Tank, a grouping of intellectuals in Ibadan, has thrown its weight behind former Niger Delta militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo, while calling on the President Buhari-led administration to “soft-pedal on

its grievances against Tompolo.”

Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Ibadan, the group through its spokesman, Damilola Alade, claimed that “ what the present All Progressive Congress, APC, administration is doing amounts to taking us back to the dark and lawless era of 1983-84 when the rule of law, decency, decorum and civilized practices were

Anambra, said: “It would amount to an illegality to allow PDP and APC to field fresh candidates for the re-run election in the Anambra Central senatorial district. The court did not ask political parties to conduct fresh primaries. The court only ordered the INEC to conduct a re-run within 90 days.”

He continued: “Ngige, who is the only person that can contest the re-run in APC was quoted to have said that he would not participate in the election. If APC or any other political party goes ahead to field a new candidate and wins the re-run, it would cause another legal battle because those who will emerge, will not be products of a valid primary.’’

Consequently, he said the right thing for parties to do ‘’is to allow those who participated in the primary to take part in the re-run.

So, if Ngige is no longer interested in the re-run, APC won’t be able to participate.”

thrown over-board in a clueless and condemnable exercise in populism which almost destroyed our nation.

“The present administration must be reminded that it is a beneficiary of the democracy that others fought for and that it is in no way entitled to destroy it with a Stone Age ethos of disregard for the rule of law, making one man a demigod,” the group said.

Asserting that “our nation is currently facing an economic threat of existential proportions,” the group claimed that “the only crime Tompolo has committed is to remain noble and steadfast by standing by the icon and father of genuine democracy in Nigeria, President Jonathan, against those who sought to use him as a willing tool in rigging the elections in Bayelsa."

had voided the results.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ikpeazu, Mr. Godwin Adindu, argued that the Court of Appeal panel’s judgment was “replete with fundamental flaws that never before existed in Nigeria.”

In its judgment of December 31, 2015, the Appeal Court panel had cancelled the entire results of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North councils which had over 300,000 registered voters, out of which 228,932 had collected permanent voter's cards.

Having cancelled the results of the three council areas, the fivemember Court of Appeal panel ruled that Mr. Alex Otti, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, won with 164,444 valid votes as against 114,444 valid votes for Ikpeazu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

On missing 2016 Budget

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t is like a movie. In Part 1, the Budget 2016 was withdrawn two weeks after presentation to National Assembly and the Presidency denied it. Part 2: the Budget 2016 is missing and the Presidency again denied involvement. -Mr. Adasi Abbey, Administrator

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his does not speak well for the image of Nigeria. How on earth will alterations be made on a budget proposal that has already been laid before legislators?

-Mr. Abodunrin Abimbola, Entrepreneur

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hat a funny country.

First, it was that the budget was missing, but now it’s another talk. They should, please, let this government take care of things for us in this country. Nigerians are sick and tired of such antics. It will not work. -Miss Onyi Lucy, Self Employed

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he news of the missing budget from the National Assembly is an attempt to tarnish the image of the Presidency, at the time when the change government is ready to impact programmes that would better the life of every common citizens. -Mr. Emma Alex, Worker

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here is no document called budget missing.

It is just one of deceptions of the All Progressives Congress, APC, government; you will recall the rumoured withdrawal of the documents for the corrections of some anomalies. Mr. Etebele Julius, CAD Specialist

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urely such a document would be in the computer used in typing it. So if one sheet is missing, they should ask to replace it, simple. Why bring issues when clearly there is none. -Miss Victoria Kelvin, Student

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 35

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36—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

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KWARA/ROTARY PROJECT: From left— Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State; a child, beneficiary of Cleft, Lip and Palate Surgeries Project and the mother; and President, Rotary Club of Ilorin GRA, Rotarian Theophilus Bamigboye, during the project's flag off at General Hospital, Ilorin.

The project is sponsored by the state government and Rotary International.

FUTA'S 74TH INAUGURAL: From left— Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun; Professor Leo Agbetoye; Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, and immediate past President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engineer Ademola Olorunfemi, shortly after Agbetoye delivered FUTA’s 74th inaugural lecture entitled Mechanized Agriculture: A Route to Enhanced Food Security.

TRANSCORP BOND: From left— Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni; Managing Director/CEO, Transcorp Hotels, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, and Managing Director/CEO, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange Plc, Mr. Bola Koko, at the listing of N10.0 billion Transcorp bond on FMDQ OTC Securities in Lagos. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

CISCO SEMINAR: From left— Data Security Solutions Manager, Resourcery, Adewale Oniyide; IT Security Cordinator, Nigeria Breweries, Franklin Onuorah, and Marketing Manager, Cisco West Africa, Morenike Alder, at the Resourcery/Cisco New Trends, New Threat seminar held in Lagos.

RUNWAY SAFETY: From left— Representative of Airport Council International, Douw Smuts; IATA representative, Seda Protus; ICAO representative, Albert Taylor; NCAA Director of Operations, Captain Abdulahi Sidi; NAMA MD, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam; IATA representative, Adefunke Adeyemi, and FAAN Director of Operations, Captain Henry Omeagwu, during the opening of Runway Safety Workshop in Lagos.

TRUSTFUND @ 10: From left— Dr. Musa Mohammed; NECA DG, Mr. Olusegu Oshinowo, and MD, Trustfund Pensions Plc, Mrs. Helen DaSouza, at the symposium to mark the 10th anniversary of Trustfund in Abuja.

NTEL VISITS: From left— Director, External Affairs, Osondu Nwokoro; CEO, Kamar Abass, both of Ntel; President, Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engineer Lanre Ajayi; 2nd Vice President, ATCON, Engineer Anthony Nwosu, and National Secretary, ATCON, David Roberts, when the ATCON team paid a courtesy visit to Ntel in Lagos.

NDOKWA VANGUARD: From left— Mr. C. O. Okwelum; Precious Enebuse; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Fidelis Onyema; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Delta State University, Professor Austin Anigala, and Chief Elvis Kaine, during the 10th anniversary lecture of Ndokwa Vanguard in Utagba Ogbe, Delta State.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016—37

LASSA FEVER: FG targets 10,000 health centres, sets up c'ttee

By Sola Ogundipe & Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—MINISTER of Health, Professor Isaac Adeboye, yesterday, gave an assurance that Lassa Fever would be completely eradicated in the country this year.

The minister, who spoke to journalists after participating at the signing of updated Abuja commitment on polio eradication at the Presidential Villa, said the Federal Government had concluded arrangement to set up 10,000 primary health care centres across the 109 senatorial

districts in the country to tackle the disease.

According to him, the first 5,000 centres would be established this year, starting with Fika community in Borno State, where the disease was first discovered.

He said: “We inaugurated a Lassa Fever eradication committee chaired by one of the foremost virologists in this country and we are committed to signing Lassa Fever's obituary this year.

“What we want to do is put across some innovative funding mechanisms, ability

to manage and put to use 10,000 primary health care centres across the country over the next two years.”

Meanwhile, government has inaugurated a Multi-sectoral Committee on Lassa Fever Eradication.

President of the Nigeria Academy of Science, Professor Oyewale Tomori, is Chairman of the 19-man committee, while the Director of the National Centre for Diseases Control, NCDC, Professor Abdusalami Nasis is the Secretary.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja during the Emergency National Council of Health on the Lassa Fever Outbreak, Minister of Health,

Professor Isaac Adewole, also announced the designation of six additional diagnostic centres for Lassa Fever, bringing the centres to 12.

The first six centres are University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State; Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State; University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State; Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, and NCDC laboratory in the FCT. The additional six are to be situated in the highlyinfected states of Bauchi, Niger, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa and Ondo.

What genuine representation means — OSANEBI

T

HE Deputy Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Friday Osanebi, has said genuine representation means the transformation of the people, adding that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa should be commended for his commitment to the transformation of Ndokwaland.

He spoke during a tour of projects he attracted to Ndokwa East Local Government Area, Monday. Among them were blocks of six classrooms each across schools in the council, with toilet and other installations in each class.

He said: “We may give scholarships and pay bursaries, but when the learning environment is not conducive, students might still perform poorly, despite investments in human capital development.”

Some of the project sites visited include Umuobi Primary School, Ossisa; Iselegu Primary School, Iselegu and Ibrede Primary School, Ibrede.

Delta community alleges cover-up in kidnap saga

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HE people of Ughevwughe community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, Federal and Delta State governments to ensure that those behind the recent kidnap saga in the community were brought to book.

Members of the community, who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity over the kidnap of one Mr. Matthew Agatefe, said the victim was rescued from the family house of a prominent person at Ughevwughe by a combined team of police from the ‘A’ Division, OtuJeremi and Ughelli Vigilante team, and not dropped off at Otowhe Road as reported.

They said the reported death of one of the suspects in the custody of security men was meant to thwart police investigation into the matter, saying such impunity must not be allowed to stand.

38 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2016

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 —39

From left: President Emeritus, Queen's School Ede/ Ibadan Old Girls Association, Dr. Bisi Egejuru; President of the association, Mrs. Bose Ogunsanwo; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Nike Akande; Vice President of the association, Mrs. Nike Adesanya; and Treasurer, Mrs. Theodore Lander, during a business visit by the association to the LCCI President, who is an alumnus of the institution, in Lagos.

Students in digital age: Distinguishing exam from SMS

By Amaka Abayomi, Tare Youdeowei & Elizabeth Uwandu

BT WT 140 XRS HW CN I SAY AL I WNT 2 SAY?

I

F you can read this, it simply means you belong to the Generation Y who are SMS and social media compliant.

Social media and text messaging are perhaps two of the things that people do most daily.

In public vehicles, restaurants, or even just in the streets, you will find most people are on social media sites or text messaging with their phones. These days, most youngsters are almost inseparable from their mobile phones, not because they are constantly talking, but because they are connecting with their friends through text messaging.

Although mobile phones are banned in most secondary schools, but text messaging and social media language have crept into academic discuss and writing.

The 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum introduced by The Nigerian Education Research and Development Council, NERDC, placed emphasis on value re-orientation, poverty eradication and employment generation capabilities in learners. In these reform C M Y K

initiatives, science, technology, mathematics, and vocational education and training are specifically designed to provide the contents, learning experiences and skills for the socio-economic transformation of the Nigerian nation.

However, the tool to achieve these utopian goals, one of which is writing, falls short of the expectation, as most students cannot write legibly nor express themselves in simple correct grammar because of mixing social media language with proper English grammar.

Vanguard Learning sought to know how social media usage has affected writing abilities; its import on communication and expression and measures to improve the writing abilities of students.

Speaking on social media use and its effect on the students’ ability to write proper and correct English grammar, an English Language teacher with Penny

longer exists as youths text a lot.

For instance instead of writing the word ‘the’ students write ‘d’, ‘your’ becomes ‘ur’, while ‘you are welcome is 'URW’. These abbreviations make students miss-spell words and they lack the zeal to write because when you give them essays to write, they finds it difficult.

“But ask the students to text and they will gladly stay on it for hours because a lot of things like wrong spellings and poor grammar, are allowed. The most These painful part of it is that it is becoming fashionable and even abbreviations the good students tend to copy make students this attitude so as to ‘socially miss-spell words belong’.”

Continuing, Nwanne added; “ and they lack the Social media distracts students zeal to write from their studies and it is addictive. It has become part their because when you lives that if want to punish a child, give them essays to take away the phone and that child will feel more punished write, they finds it than when you deprive him of difficult food or basic needs.”

Agreeing is the Principal, T o n i a FG to give priority ETL backs Buhari’s International to infrastructure war against School, Mr. Frances Alayo, devt in tertiary corruption in who said though tertiary institutions social media has institutions—Page 26 —Page 27 its positive use, the negative International College, Mrs. Chinweuba Nwanne, said “When I was a teenager, relationships between boys and girls involve letter writing. When a boy writes a girl, she checks his handwriting and grammar, thus, both served as monitor to check their writing and grammar.

“Today, that conscious effort no

effect on students would be immense if not checked.

His words: “Chief of the problems social media causes are the introduction of laziness on the part of students and the increase in poor writing ability, as evidence with the use of abbreviation and repetition.”

Abbreviation and repetition Pointing out that social media language has done more harm than good in the writing abilities of students, a Masters degree student of English Language at the Lagos State University, Miss Esther Chioma, said “the use of social media, amidst it’s many blessings, has caused great deterioration to people’s writing abilities as most people don’t know how to make or write good sentences, they tend to prefer the shorter, elliptic, and sometimes incomprehensible version. In a nutshell, I don’t think the use of phones should be encouraged in secondary schools.”

For Clementina Nzeako, an Economist based in Kano; “The use of phone by students has brought about the issue of phone addiction. Students now spend gargantuan portion of their time on their phones. Because of the psychological effect it has on students; which has to do with making it difficult for them to have profitable intellectual discussions in real life, and inability to make real non-virtual friends, students now stand the risk of losing their already Continues on page 40

40 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

copying my notes because we submit our notes for grading and my teacher will automatically give me zero if we write short form.”

Way forward: Text message or chartroom slang affects students’ academic performance either positively or negatively.

Positively because some use it for important academic message or family members or friends both at school and at home for information especially when they are out of credit and cannot make voice calls. Negative when they become addicted to SMS,

BRIEFING: From left, Head, Finance, Executive Trainers Limited, Mr. Gbanga Falana,

Chairman, ETL, Dr Ayodele Ogunsan; Managing Director, Mrs Ajoke Ogunsan; General Manager, Mr Aina Kehinde and Head, Int’l Relations, Mr Folorunsho Ogunsan, during a press conference on higher education, in Lagos.

Students in digital age: Distinguishing exam from SMS Continues from page 39

dormant writing skills.”

Students speak: A 200 level student of Chemical Engineering at the University of Benin, Sylvester Nwokolo, said “I wouldn’t lie to you, the thing is affecting me. Normally I facebook, tweet, chat on Whatsapp and ping in short forms like ‘LWKMD’ – Laugh wan kill me die, also, since we don’t submit our notes like we did in secondary school, I use short forms when taking down

notes in class.

“There was this particular exam that I wrote in short form because I was running out of time and the course lecturer specifically came to class after exam and said that those of us that used short forms have lost 15 marks. I nearly fainted. He went on to say that we being in science is not an excuse to not know proper English grammar; that if you are a first class graduate and you speak poorly people will think you bought your certificate.”

For Rebecca Obika, an SS3 student in one of the private schools in Port Harcourt, chatting in long hand is boring. She said “I have a smart phone because my parents always like to reach me. Teachers say it’s not allowed but I have to have my phone that I use it for assignments too. If I chat in normal long form, my friends will say I am boring. In fact, instead of laughing normally, we just say ‘LOL’ amongst ourselves. It’s the in thing and we have to keep with the trend. “there was a time I accidentally used the short form in an exams but I don’t think the teachers minded so much. At best they will remove two marks. Is the important thing not to understand what they are teaching? Does it matter how I type it?”

To a f e e k Tajudeen, SS2 student of F e d e r a l Government College, Lagos, said “I use my elder brother ’s phone to chat with my f r i e n d s because I do not have a personal phone. I know that chatting with those abbreviations will affect me but I use them so that the text message will not exceed one page. I am u s u a l l y conscious not to use it in

IM, BBM and so on when they use text slangs to the point of writing such slangs in their continuous assessment and examinations.

It is most astonishing to note that even though the students are aware of the dangers associated with the use of SMS slangs, especially during examinations, they still cannot stop it because they uncautiously use it.

However, the use of SMS slangs can be overcome if only its users can adopt the use of only simple and correct English when doing so.

PermSec chides FSTC PTA over protest

By Amaka Abayomi

F

OLLOWING the recent protest by some parents of students of the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, against the levies charged by the school’s Parents Teachers Association, PTA, for ongoing hostel project and laundry, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folashade Esan, has charged parents to drop their overbearing attitude and help move the school forward.

Speaking at the commissioning a block of classrooms at the school, the Permanent Secretary, who said PTAs are supposed to partner with government to improve learning outcomes, frowned at people who fail to follow laid down procedures to get issues resolved.

Acknowledging the roles of PTAs in improving the conditions of schools, Esan said “one of the reasons I am here is because of the reported protest in the dailies. In as much as PTAs complement government’s efforts at making the schools conducive

for teaching and learning, they have to drop their overbearing attitude because the schools still belong to government.

“We frown at parents calling the press without informing the Principal, Rev. Chris Ugorji because there are laid down procedures in resolving grievances, and it is sad that parents who are supposed to be role model to these children fail to follow the right steps at getting issues resolved.”

Esan commended the Principal for his efforts at improving on the school with internally generated funds, and charged schools to be innovative in generating funds as the dwindling resources has limited government’s ability to do everything. Pointing out that the school will ensure that directives of the Ministry are carried out, the Principal listed some of the challenges facing the school to include inadequate classroom and hostel acco-mmodation, regularisation of part time teachers, staff accommodation, inadequate students dining hall and power supply.

ETL backs Buhari’s war against corruption in tertiary institutions

By Dayo Adesulu

C

HAIRMAN, Executive Trainers Limited, Dr Ayo Ogunsan, has thrown his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s war on corruption in tertiary institutions, stating that it is the right step in the right direction.

Ogunsan who is responsible in the past seven year for the training of Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, Provosts, Rectors and other top executives in Nigerian tertiary institutions, disclosed that whatever area the government needs his support to sanitised the system will be rendered.

The higher education expert who admitted that there is a lot of corruption in the system, noted that it is high time the Federal Government got rid of embezzlement, intimidation of female students, cultism, settlement of lecturers to get good grades during examinations.

He said: “To curb corruption in tertiary institutions, the heads of

institutions of higher learning must be strong to do that. If the leaders shift ground on integrity, the institution will fall.”

According to him, one of the strategy put in place to assist the Federal Government is to develop a regionalized enriching programme and training for higher education executives.

“Our programme on corruption will be regionalised. We will link the industry with the institution and provoke industries to invest in higher institution,” he said.

Ogunsan who vowed not to stop the training of these executives in tertiary institutions, noted that ETL will only stop to exist as trainer the very day Nigerian higher education is at per with ivy universities globally.

Speaking at a press conference i n Lagos, he said: “In 2016, the ETL has drawn a curriculum for the training of top executives in tertiary institutions that will revolutionize all aspects of needs in Nigerian higher education.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 41

16 orphans get educational grant

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INTERHOUSE SPORTS: Winners, Rhrinoceros, Dragon and Stallion Houses at the 22nd annual interhouse sports competition of the 34-year-old Command Day Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos.

FG to give priority to infrastructure devt in tertiary institutions

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

F

EDERAL tertiary institutions will henceforth be given priority in terms of infrastructural and staff development in tandem with President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to reposition the education sector for better productivity.

The Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, disclosed this in Pankshin, Plateau State, during the 25th–33rd convocation ceremony of Federal College of Education (FCE), Pankshin, where about 8,000 students were issued with different certificates obtained from the institution.

The Minister, represented by the Executive Secretary, NCCE, Prof Monday Joshua, noted that the education sector needed to key into the various “change initiatives” of the government to make the nation stronger than it was before.

Teachers’ training His words “Evidence shows that the strongest among the education system in the world are those that train and recruit the best teachers. I urge our teachers’ training institutions to explore and expand the educational offerings that will cater for the allround formation of their trainees.

“The change agenda of this administration will be highly successful if the teachers we produce, especially for the primary and junior secondary levels are excellent ones.”

Also speaking, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, represented by his Deputy, Sonni Tyoden, appealed to the federal government to upgrade the College to a University of Education as the facilities and manpower are available for such.

In his welcome addressed, the Provost of the College, Prof.

David Wonang, commended the federal government for using its

agency, TETFund, to stimulate infrastructural development in the College.

He disclosed that the college, which began in 1974 with just 100 students now, has a population

of 14,000 students with seven Schools and six Directorates and awarding degree certificates alongside the National Certificate of Education, NCE.

AAUA VC pledges globally competitive Agric Faculty

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HE Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, has vowed to give the varsity’s newlyestablished Faculty of Agriculture the deserved attention to make its students globally competitive.

Professor Ajibefun gave this assurance while turning the sod of the Faculty of Agriculture’s Pen House.

The Vice Chancellor said, “This event is very symbolic and significant to the University. Since petroleum is no longer fetching sufficient money for the country, it behoves on us as a varsity to source alternative means of generating finances, one of which is agriculture.

"We are going to give the best attention to the Faculty of Agriculture to make our students globally competitive.”

Ajibefun added that the varsity has put plans in place

to build a Faculty of Agriculture Complex and that work will begin on the site in within the next three months.

He said, “We are going to start the Building of Faculty of Agriculture Complex very soon. I have visited the site and I can assure you that work will begin on the site within the next three months.

"Although finance is a serious challenge, we are going to source for money to fund the project. The Faculty of Agriculture is the baby of this varsity and we are going to nurture it to greatness.”

The VC, who expressed confidence in the capability of the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Emmanuel Gbadamosi, and members of the Faculty to build a world-class Faculty of Agriculture, thanked the Dean and members of staff of the Faculty for putting in the best efforts towards building the Faculty.

By Tare Youdeowei

NNER Wheel Nigeria, District 911 has given 16 orphans monetary support to continue their education, as well as gifts and food items to over 80 widows to support their homes.

This was done at the Inner Wheel Vocational Centre, District 911, Amuwo Odofin, in a bid to alleviate the suffering of the people and celebrate the 49th anniversary of Inner Wheel Nigeria.

The day which marks a new year for the club and the 92nd anniversary of International Inner Wheel, also featured presentation of baby care items to the first baby born on January 10 at Amuwo Odofin Primary Health Care Centre to Mr. Kenneth and Mrs. Rachael Okoro.

Speaking on the method of celebrating the new year Chairman District 911, Mrs. Olayinka Ayanwale, said “This annual celebration can be marked according to the desire of the district chairman, and this year we decided to put smiles on the faces of widows and the less privileged.

"District 911 covers Lagos and Ogun states. Six of the orphans, in addition to what we are giving them, have an annual grant of 1,000 Euros from Gisela Fund, Germany.

"We were also in Abeokuta where 38 widows were reached.

NOC, Greensprings renew ties on Olympic value

By Dayo Adesulu

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OR another four years, the ties between the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and Greensprings School will continue following the successful signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the Olympic Value Education in Nigeria.

In a letter signed by the NOC Secretary General, Tunde Popoola, and addressed to the Director of Greensprings School, the renewal of the MoU became

Early child education pivotal to nation’s devt

By Elizabeth Uwandu

T

HE Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development, has called on the education community to invest in early child education as it is a cornerstone to national development.

The group made this known in a report titled 'The Importance of Early

Childhood Development to Education', that investment in young children must be a cornerstone of government's policies, development cooperation, global frameworks and responsible business practices.

In addition, the Group said current and future global developmental goals, including education goals, will only be met with

Today we have 50 widows.

Primary school pupils were also given gifts in the spirit of the season.”

Queen Solomon, who expressed gratitude on behalf of the orphans, enthused; “We are immensely grateful for the love you have shown us for the past 10 years. We thank you and pray your children will never be orphans."

One of the benefiting widows , Alhaja Adebambo Abolanle, expressed her feelings thus; “God bless them in Allah’s name. I feel really good. I can see fish, tomatoes, pepper, rice, beans, semovita, clothes and other things. At least as a widow with four children it would feed us."

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Yemi Orubo, said “Inner Wheel women have given to us, it is not easy to give and they have given out of the goodness of their heart.

God will empower them more to keep doing this."

Expressing delight at the opportunity to serve, Chairman planning committee, Mrs. Ronke Solomon, poured her heart out thus; “I thank God for the success of everything today.

I really thank God for the Inner Wheel baby which the chairman named Margaret Oluwayemisi Olayinka. To the beneficiaries; it is never too late to pick up yourself from your slumber, from how low you feel you have fallen. Wake up, think and do something, no matter how little."

increased attention to and investment in the overall development of young children (0-8 years).

They also advocated on the importance of parental guidance and the role the environment plays in a child’s education, saying ”the caregivers responsible for them, and the context in which families are living in are inextricably linked to sustainable development.”

necessary following the giant strides made by the school in the course of the programme.

“Our relationship is an unending marriage as Greensprings is a unique school with excellence, your involvement and contributions have exceeded our imagination and we are very proud and honoured to associate with your school.

"The renewal will now enable Greensprings to be the flagbearer for NOC and International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Nigeria on Olympic Value Education programme till 2019.”

With the new MoU, the NOC scribe believes more grounds would be won by Greensprings in terms of propagating the Olympic Value among its students.

Meanwhile, President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba and the chairman of the technical committee of AFN, Yusuf Alli are hoping to support Greenspirngs as they are expected to visit the school to assess the athletics facilities through the school initiative as well as discuss the possibility of Greensprings having a tartan track through the AFN school initiative.

42 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Oil price: Senators split over 2016 budget Continues from Page 5 First, in that document, so many portions are missing. Look at it, you cannot find 191,195,197,198, 200 and 2001 in this budget and it’s suspect. What do they want that they tactically avoided to fill into these sections?

"If you look at the budget of NDDC, this National Assembly made a law and in the law, the funding of NDDC is well spelt out on how NDDC will be funded. It said 70 per cent of its revenue and what we have here in this budget is N41 billion. What is the monthly revenue as provided for in the NDDC Act and then you calculate what you are going to give to the states, the nine states that make up the oil producing areas. It is not a question that you sit down in your office, sit down in your house and you appropriate N40 billion. This is the law made by this House, a law made by the National Assembly must be obeyed. And we are the people who made this law, we must make sure that we protect the law that we make in this chamber."‘

Reduce the budget by 30% – Ekweremadu

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, called for a reduction of the budget by 30 per cent. He also called for equitable distribution of resources and projects across the country, just as he urged the government to reduce the cost of governance and concentrate on existing projects.

Ekweremadu said: “I am not an economist but I know that if my income is N100,000 and suddenly I start earning N30,000 and I tell my children that we will now be spending N120,000, they will start wondering where I will get the money.

The problem we have is that over the years, we have seen prosperity and we have adjusted to it and now we are seeing a downward trend in our revenue, we don’t seem to be addressing this issue.

“We have always increased the budget of this country from between 10 and 20 per cent. I just want to appeal that for the first time, we should be able to reduce that budget by

the same 20 to 30 per cent. That is in order for us to be realistic, otherwise it will not be implementable.

“I am aware that during the great recession in America, they had to inflate the economy by doing more projects. We are in recession whether we like it or not. They did not go to borrow money, people had to make sacrifices; so I appeal that instead of financing the deficit through borrowing and mortgaging the future, we need to look inwards and raise the money. I believe that as we look at the spending side, we have to look at the revenue side. We have not been creative enough to raise money to run this country.

“We need to begin to reduce the cost of running government, so that we can be able to afford the government which we deserve. I also believe that looking at the budget, we need to concentrate more on ongoing projects rather than starting new projects."

Borrowing to finance budget, dangerous – Adokwe

Senator Suleiman Adokwe PDP, Nasarawa South, warned against borrowing to service the budget, saying that it would portend danger to the country and the economy.

He said: “Industrialists prefer tax holidays so that they can use the profit to employ more, while welfarists believe that if you tax more, you will pay more people and more people will go to work.

And more production will be achieved. But we are not doing any of these two, we are simply going to borrow and give more. If you just borrow to provide welfare, it does not provide economic growth in any way; people will just eat and go to sleep. But if you are borrowing to invest in productive resources that will generate more income, then you know that you are borrowing for a good purpose. This matter of borrowing to fund the budget must be looked at very critically, otherwise we will be digging more into economic problems than we bargained for."

Oil price benchmark must be reduced – Enoh

Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Enoh, PDP, Cross River Central, called on the Senate to ensure a downward review of price of oil benchmark. He also stressed the need for the exchange rate to be looked into. “Now going into the real statistics, this budget is based on assumptions. And there are a few assumptions that we must look at. For the first time in about 17 years, the National Assembly may now have to take a decision about the downward review of the oil price benchmark.

I’m not too sure when this budget is going to be passed but I think we need to be careful and look at what the market price of oil is going to be at the time that this budget is going to be passed."

The Presidency should review the budget proposals – Barau

Senator Jibrin Barau, APC-Kano North, called for amendment of the budget proposal either by the presidency or the National Assembly to meet the economic realities of the time, saying that the reality on ground is that the $38 oil benchmark proposed in the budget proposal was unrealistic in view of the fact that it had dropped to as low as $ 28 per barrel and might plunge further.

There should be faithful implementation – Adeola Senator Solomon Adeola, APC, Lagos West, however, called for j u d i c i o u s implementation of the 2016 budget, just as he hailed the Federal Government for presenting a budget that breaks away from the past and addressed issues of development in view of the dire economic straits that Nigeria found itself with dwindling oil prices and fall in the value of the Naira.

Senator Adeola noted that in previous years under former administrations, the benchmark of crude oil at $120 per barrel usually got us a budget which size was less than N5 trillion but with the low bench mark of $38 per barrel under an APC-led government, the budget is over N6 trillion. He said that the indications are that the budget is not to be majorly funded from crude oil sales but from other sources.

No records on unemployed youths —Minister

N5,000 STIPEND:

A

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

BUJA—THE Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. James Ocholi, yesterday, said Nigeria lacks comprehensive data of employed and unemployed youths.

The minister spoke against the backdrop of the campaign promise of All Progressives Congress, APC, to pay N5,000 stipend to indigent Nigerian youth.

Ocholi spoke who had a chat with journalists at the National secretariat of APC in Abuja on Wednesday revealed the plans of the Federal Government to also provide jobs for unemployed graduates.

He however stated that the ministry has engaged experts who are currently working on the statistics of the unemployed.

“Before we got to where we are, there was no data anywhere. There is no data of the unemployed.

In fact there is no data of the employed. It is a bad situation.”

“As I talk with you, there are experts working on the software on the various things which we have discussed with them on how to capture the details of the unemployed and the employed. And for those who are employed, there are many who are in wrong places; there are many who are in jobs and they are not enjoying the job and who want to have a job better than what they are doing.

“There is a firm that we have sourced for, working with the National Directorate of Employment, NDE right now. NDE has done a

pilot scheme in Bwari and they have an office in Lobito crescent right now working in preparatory for a mega scale on job proffer.

“What it takes to get that data ready is part of our work. Our work does not begin when the data comes out because the data itself does not employ people.”

On what the ministry is doing on the skill acquisition centres, he said, “So we have decided to identify how many skill acquisition centres we have in this nation, then we know the capacities of each one.

"There are several of them, more than 76 of them but we have also discovered that Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has a lot of skill centres in the Niger Delta region which were built by the Ministry but they do not have capable hands with resources, with skills to be able to train.

UK envoy on repatriation of stolen funds

By Abdulsalam Muhammad

K

ANO—THE British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Awkright has pledged the readiness of his home government to repatriate stolen funds stashed in British banks to Nigeria.

Briefing newsmen in Kano, yesterday, the envoy said: "What is of utmost concern to British government is how the repatriated funds will be utilized,’ adding that ‘it is the hope of British government that the funds will be used in the execution of development projects."

The envoy disclosed that British government is mulling the idea of hosting an international summit on corruption to which president Buhari will be invited, as he added that the summit is poised to deliberate on the disturbing spate of corruption in the corridor of power.

The High Commissioner noted that for corruption to be rooted out in Nigeria, there was a compelling need for institutional change in all spheres of human endeavour, as he further expressed optimism that with President Muhammadu Buhari in the saddle of power, Nigeria is on the right track.

Mr. Paul Awkright said: “Britain is committed to

helping Nigeria increase its security, stability and prosperity.”

“We would continue to provide capacity building, technical and investigative support to Nigeria to tackle corruption.”

He said: “We are working with President Buhari to ensure the success of the fight against corruption and British will continue to support the administration to ensure free corrupt society in Nigeria.”

Baze varsity spends N10bn on research, devt

By Laide Akinboade

A

BUJA—REALISING the importance of research to nation’s development, Baze University yesterday revealed it is budgeting N10 billion for research and development in the university.

Pro-Chancellor of the university, Senator Dattti Baba-Ahmed, stated this while speaking with newsmen after the institution’s board meeting, in Abuja.

He said research and development are integral part to the life of any university development.

According to him,”In the next two to four years, I can estimate the budget we are spending on research to be between N8 to N10 billion.

“Now, you can expect to see research in law, in computing, etc and in the

next two years, you can expect to see research in environmental sciences, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, and those other programmes like microbiology, biochemistry and others that fall under those faculties.”

Senator Baba-Ahmed said a system has been put in place whereby academic staff can take a semester off after some period of teaching to conduct researches.

He said the institution is motivating its academic staff in the field of research.

“Don’t forget that we have to progress according to the approvals of our regulators.

We have approvals for licenses and last year, we got approval for our engineering. So from our academic staff, we are expecting a lot of researches,” he said.

43—Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

FG suspends NITDA DG over illegal employments

Nat'l interest, Rule of Law guide our work —EFCC Chairman

By Prince Osuagwu

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

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HE Minister of Communications and Technology, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, yesterday suspended the DirectorGeneral of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Mr. Peter jack, over allegations of illegal employments and procurements carried out in direct contraventions of laid down rules and procedure unknown to civil service administration in Nigeria.

In his stead, the minister appointed Director of Corporate Strategy and Research in the agency, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, in acting capacity.

Shittu, through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, said the suspension became imperative on the strength of deluge of petitions regarding several alleged wrong doings in NITDA and subsequent preliminary findings of an Investigative Committee set up by the Ministry.

According to Oluwadamilare, “Some of the infractions identified by the investigative committee made up of three senior ministry officials include unauthorised and illegal recruitment of additional staff totalling 245 within a spate of seven months.”

Tecno begins street light CSR project today

By Prince Osuagwu

L

EADING mobile m a n u f a c t u r e r, TECNO Mobile, would today flag off its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, initiative targeted at providing solar-powered street lights across the country.

The initiative, which the company said began in November 2015 after it received approval from Lagos State government, will commence with lighting up the Ikeja Computer Village today.

T ONDO AMBASSADORS: Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State (right), decorating King Sunny Ade as one of the state's ambassadors during the unveiling of Ondo State Cultural Ambassadors in Akure.

Produce Dasuki in court Feb 16, judge orders FG

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—JUSTICE Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, ordered the Federal Government to produce the erstwhile National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), before him on February 16.

Justice Adeniyi made the order after he was notified that the ex-NSA, whose trial was originally scheduled to commence yesterday, was not brought to court by the prosecution.

Dasuki is facing a five-count criminal charge before the court.

The charge pending against him before the court borders on money laundering and his alleged illegal possession of firearms.

Specifically, government alleged that Dasuki was on July 17, 2015, at his house situated at 13, John Khadiya Street, Asokoro, Abuja, found to be in possession of various range of firearms without requisite license, an offence punishable under Section 27 (1)(a) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN, 2004.

He was further accused of retaining $40,000, N5 million and another $20,000 in the same house and same date, contrary to Section 15 (2)(d) of Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

Besides, government alleged that the embattled former NSA had on July 16, 2015, at his residence at Sultan Abubakar Road and Sabon Birni Road, Sokoto State, retained another $150,000 and N37.6 million being part of proceedings of

unlawful act, contrary to Section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering Act, 2011.

The former NSA had since pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, even as the court fixed yesterday to begin full-blown hearing on the matter.

He’s missing—COUNSEL

When the matter was calledup for trial, Dasuki’s lawyer, Mr. J. B. Daudu (SAN), told the court that his client was, about six weeks ago, abducted by security agents to an unknown destination.

Daudu alleged that his client had since then been kept incommunicado, adding that effort by his family members and lawyers to have access to him were scuttled by the Federal Government.

More so, Daudu, who stressed that his client was duly admitted to bail by three different courts where he was arraigned, wondered why the government was bent on retaining him in custody without preferring any charge against him.

Consequently, he prayed Justice Adeniyi to compel the Federal Government and its agents to respect all the subsisting court orders that sanctioned the release of his client on bail pending hearing and determination of all the charges against him.

Meantime, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Dikpo Okpeseyi (SAN), yesterday, failed to give any reason why the former NSA was not brought to court.

Rather, he applied and withdrew an earlier application government filed, wherein it asked Justice Adeniyi to revoke the bail he granted to Dasuki on November 3, 2015.

Dissatisfied that the absence

of Dasuki in court yesterday was not anchored on any cogent reason, Justice Adeniyi ordered the he must be produced before any further step could be taken on the matter.

The judge maintained that it is mandatory for a defendant in a criminal matter to be physically present in court at every stage of the prosecution.

He said that only the court has the power to excuse an accused person from being physically present in the course of a trial.

HE Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said yesterday, that the ongoing anti-corruption war being waged by the commission would always be guided by strict adherence to the Rule of Law and national interest.

Magu, who spoke in Abuja, said EFCC, under his leadership, would abide by court orders in the discharge of its duties.

The commission had in recent times been criticised for not releasing the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), after being granted bail by a FCT High Court.

Magu dismissed such fears, assuring that EFCC had no intention to disobey any court order.

He said that there was no reason for the commission to embark on any act of impunity since it was also an agency regulated by law in the discharge of its operations.

Nigeria woos investors at WEF

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

M

ONETARY and fiscal policy executives from emerging markets in Africa are engaged in frantic efforts to market their economies at the ongoing World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, following the crash of commodities in the international markets, which has rendered their economies unattractive to investors.

Nigeria’s team, led by Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, would be making presentations at various meetings, while hosting some special meetings.

Chief Executive Officer of The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar

Onyema, will also be speaking today in session entitled Regions in Transformation: Sub-Saharan Africa, where global investor groups would be discussing shifts and uncertainties shaping the businesses and markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

With the fears of tighter U.S. credit and a rising U.S. dollar coming alongside a slowdown of China’s economy and an implosion of the related commodity ‘supercycle’, analysts say there was need for African business and economic leaders to explore ways to respond to these macro-economic issues.

Other are Justin Lin, Professor, Peking University; Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, among others.

OUR ERROR

Why UPU lifted sanctions against Amori, Igbuya, Ibori — Ofotokun THE photograph used with the interview granted by Chief Gabriel Ofotokun, President of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, was that of Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and not that of Chief Igbuya. We regret the error. —Editor

44 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

CHAN: Oliseh calls for patience

2016 CHAN on GOtv

IGERIAN head coach Sunday Oliseh has asked Nigerians to be patient and not take it for granted that the team are now clear favouites to win the title at the on-going 2016 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN).

The Super Eagles opened the tournament with a convincing 4-1 demolition of Niger in a Group C match played at the Nyamirambo Stadium on Monday in Kigali, Rwanda.

Oliseh, a former Super Eagles defender explained that the notion of Nigerians thinking they should be winning titles all the time must stop. “My team is a very young team and we want to take every game as it come. If God grants us this trophy then we shall be grateful,” added Oliseh.

He said unfortunately Nigerians always want to win everything and this is a wrong mentality because that does not happen in football that you win all the time.

“I can’t start talking about the title after just game one. I don’t want to be obsessed with this notion that because we are Nigeria we should win everything. Other teams did not come to be fans,” he added.

Speaking about the next group game against

OTv, a pay TV service provider has announced that football fans across the country can watch the ongoing 2016 CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) live on GOtv between 16 January and 7 February. This was contained in a release by the operator made available to newsmen in Lagos yesterday.

It said that the tournament, now in its fourth year, is showing live on

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Tunisia on Friday, Oliseh said he does not know who will make the first 11 because it all depends on several things at play. Tunisia who won the trophy in 2011 when it was held in Sudan drew with Guinea 2-2 in the first match.

Nigeria have been the highest scoring team after all games have played their first games.

The Democratic Republic of Congo are the second highest scoring team after their 3-0 victory over Ethiopia in a Group B tie.

*Oliseh

Australian Open: Serena, Federer storm into 3rd round S ERENA Williams has had so much success for such a long time that even in a second-round match she can set a record at the season’s first Grand Slam event.

The six-time and defending champion beat No. 90-ranked Hsieh Suwei 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday at Rod Laver Arena, an all-time record 79th main draw match at theAustralian Open.

She closed with an ace, her seventh, finishing in precisely an hour.

“It all started here — this is where I played my first Grand Slam right on this court and I’m still

going, it’s such an honor,” said Williams, who has a 70-9 win-loss record at Melbourne Park since her debut in 1998. “I love it every time I come here.”

She hit 26 winners, including one around the post that she thought may have been a first for her, at age 34. Williams’ next opponent will be 18year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina, who beat Croatia’s Ana Konjuh 64, 6-3, and she faces a potential quarterfinal match against 2015 finalist Maria Sharapova, who reached the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aliaksandra

Sasnovich. No. 13 Vinci beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 63 to advance in the opposite quarter of the same half of the draw.

Roger Federer extended his streak by reaching the third round for the 17th straight Australian Open, and registered his 299th match win at a major. Federer, playing his 65th consecutive major, advanced 63, 7-5, 6-1 over Alexandr Dolgopolov. He lost in the third round in his first two trips to Melbourne Park in 2000 and ’01 and again last year — in between he won the title four times and lost one final during a run of reaching the semifinals or better in 11 straight years.

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Tunisia coach Continues from Back first match of the day.

The North Africans started their campaign at the African Nations Championship with a 22 draw against Guinea while the Eagles demolished Niger 4-1.

Missaoui said though the Carthage Eagles have huge respect for Sunday Oliseh’ men they won’t allow themselves to be intimidated.

“We cannot be afraid of Nigeria. If we are afraid of them, there is no need to play the game,” Missaoui told reporters in Kigali. They played well against Niger, but we too have a good team.

“It is going to be an interesting game. We respect Nigeria, we have a team that can beat them.

“They will come up against Tunisia and not Niger.”

Peace meeting Continues from B/P

same office almost engaged each other in fisticuffs.

Pinnick and his greatest challenger, Giwa were locked in a battle for the soul of the NFF after the election in Warri, Delta State on September 30, 2014 which produced the present board. The Confederation of African Football and FIFA have both recognised the Amaju Pinnick-led board. Giwa lost his case both in Fifa and the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS. And this was after he had withdrawn his case from a Jos court when Fifa moved to ban Nigeria.

For more than one year peace reigned in Nigerian football and the meeting the minister called was generally condemned by football stakeholders who said the action was tantaAUSSIE OPEN: Serena Williams serves during against Hsieh Su-Wei at the mount to waking up a 2016 Australian Open yesterday. Serena won 6-1, 6-2 Photo: AFP.

dead horse which could trigger off another bad blood.

Giwa was laying claim to the NFF top seat, saying he was duly elected after the August 26, 2014 controversial election in Abuja in which delegates massively boycotted.

Dalung, a known friend of Giwa back home from Plateau State who just assumed office late last year seemingly reopened the case and initiated an unnecessary peace move that turned out an anti-climax. between the two warring factions. During the meeting, tempers rose, resulting in altercations from both men who called each other unprintable names.

But for the intervention of Dalung who sat in between the two angry men, the situation would have resulted in the two men using their fists as they wanted.

However, after the fracas which lasted for

SuperSport 9 (SS9), Channel 35 and SuperSport Select 1 (SSS1), Channel 30 on both the GOtv Plus and GOtv Value bouquets respectively.

A total of 16 teams including Rwanda, Angola, Morocco, Ethiopia, DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Gabon, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mali, Niger and Guinea will duel to be crowned CHAN Champions.

Nigeria began their campaign with a 4-1 defeat of Niger Republic at the Stade du Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday.

The Super Eagles will play Tunisia in their second game of the tournament on Friday, January 22nd.

Wolfsburg Continues from B/P “The Wolfsburg deal for Osimhen is around 3.5 million Euros,” disclosed a top source who is involved in the transfer. “It will be a four and a half year deal.”

Last month, Osimhen and his representatives visited the German club and a verbal agreement was reached.

They are due to return to Germany soon to sign the dotted lines. Belgian club Anderlecht are the only other club who are known to have tabled an offer for the highly-rated young striker.

about five minutes, the meeting continued. After long hours of deliberation, the meeting was deadlocked. The Minister told reporters that the meeting will reconvene next week Wednesday.

He asked both parties to maintain the peace and that he will try to resolve the problem in the interest of football and the country.

According to him, the meeting has given him the opportunity to hear from both parties.

On what FIFA would do if the crisis persists, Dalung said he knows that the world body rules over the game adding that they will also be interested to see that the right thing was done.

“I have the will power and the political power to resolve the issue and I am optimistic that this issue will be resolved.

We have decided to hear from them because this is a democracy, if we were in a military dictatorship I may have just decreed and asked one party to step down.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 45

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46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

Chelsea join race for Ighalo T

HE national women’s U-17 team, the Flamengoes will tomorrow square up against their Namibia counterparts in the second leg qualifier for the FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup, with the Baby Gladiators seeking for miracle.

The Namibians suffered a 4-0 defeat during the first leg in Abuja and the match at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek is seen as walk in the park for the Nigerian girls.

However, according to Namibia captain, Sharon Pieters, their aim is to overturn the deficit to advance to the final round

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HELSEA have joined in the race to land in-form Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo.

Arsenal are also considering a bid for the player. Though his club, Watford have repeatedly stated that the Super Eagles star is not for sale in the January transfer window but a departure from Vicarage Road at the end of this season remains a possibility. Reports in London claimed that Chelsea are ready to battle it out with fellow Londoners for the signature of Ighalo.

Atletico Madrid and AS Roma are also in the hunt for the player who has 13 goals to his name in the topflight in the 2015-16 season.

Meanwhile Ighalo thinks there isn’t any pressure on Watford as Leicester City’s fairy tale run means the Hornets have gone largely unnoticed this season.

Leicester currently occupy second place in the Premier League, with neutral observers increas-ingly talking about them mounting a serious title

FIFA U-17 WC: Namibians pray for miracle win over Flamengoes of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers.

“Only a miracle can help us to qualify. Nigeria have are a great group of talented players and we need to approach the game with a mindset of trying to do our best.

Playing teams like Nigeria can motivate you and we are motivated to disappoint them,” added the central defender.

Rasheedat Ajibade, who

scored two of the four goals in the first leg, said: “We are confident that we will progress into the last round of the qualifiers.

Though, we will not under-rate the Baby Gladiators.

“Our Coaches have been telling us to forget the result of the first leg and play the second leg match as if we lost the first leg.

Our spirit is high and we will do the country proud.”

NOGIG 2016: We’ll retain our title—NNPC coach Odion Ighalo battles for the ball with Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Watford at Stamford Bridge. challenge. Ighalo thinks the attention centred on Claudio Ranieri’s men has been beneficial for Watford, who are 12th in the table.

“It is good for us when people start talking about Leicester,” he said, according to Fifa.com.

“We have been working hard but people have not been noticing us. I have been scoring goals, and [strike partner] Troy Deeney has also been doing very well, but we have been playing under less pressure.”

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HE battle for honours in the football event of the 2016 Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games is on and head coach of the NNPC football team, Frank Onyiriuka has predicted a successful title defense for his team.

Onyiriuka expressed optimism after the “Oil Boys” drilled PTI 2-O and Local Content FC in

matches decided Monday and Wednesday at the legacy pitch of the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos.

Moments after goals from Abdulahi Aliyu and Captain Charles Uyi guaranteed the 2-O win over PTI, Onyiriuka was emphatic that they would reenact the 2014 success.

NNPC won the football gold 2 years ago, and the tactician said the team had

not only been retained but was now more potent and deadly for this year ’s campaign.

“I can say I have hundred percent of the squad that won us the title after a 2-0 victory over Chevron in the 2014 final.

There is a fresh determination among the players to grab the gold medal again,” declared the coach.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 — 47

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016

CHAN: We’re not Niger – Tunisia coach

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UNISIA coach, Hatem Missaoui, has said that his side are not scared of coming up against Nigeria in tomor-

row’s Group C fixture.

The two teams will clash at the Kigali Regional Stadium in the Continues on Page 44

Pinnick, Giwa in show of shame .Meeting deadlocked .To reconvene next week .Minister architect of the fracas

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

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*SHAME! The warring parties, Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick in fisticuffs.

Wolves edge Akwa United in Super 4 opener

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ARRI Wolves beat Akwa United 1-0 in the first round of this year ’s Nigeria Professional Football League Super Four in Kaduna on Wednesday.

A Kelvin Itoya goal in

the 44th minute sealed the win for Warri Wolves.

On the commencement of the second half, Akwa United did everything possible to get something out of the game, but Warri Wolves held

firm to secure the win.

Warri Wolves will face Nassarawa United in their next game which comes up Friday.

Akwa United will slug it out with Enyimba.

Aussie Open: Serena, Federer advance — Pg.44

HE meeting called yesterday by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Barr. Solomon Dalung had all the trappings of reopening the already settled leadership crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It took a dangerous turn when the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa who is laying claim to the Continues on Page 44

Hatem

Wolfsburg table 3.5m Euros for Osimhen

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ERMAN Bundes liga club Wolfsburg have tabled a four and a half year deal worth about 3.5 million Euros for Victor Osimhen, it can be exclusively revealed.

Osimhen, 17, was top scorer at last year’s FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile and the Wolfsburg deal is expected to kick in when he turns 18 in December.

Continues on Page 44

CHAN Results Rwanda Morocco

2 0

Gabon Cote d’ Ivoire

1 1

Today’s Matches RD Congo Cameroon

vs vs

Angola Ethiopia

2pm 5pm

QUICK CR OSS WORD CROSS OSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

YESTERDAY'S ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Shut (5) 5 Talented (6) 8 Enlist (5) 10 Show (6) 11 Parched (4) 14 Character (6) 15 Peaceful (7) 18 Vitality (3) 19 Vehicle (3) 21 Adroit (4) 23 Spree (5) 24 Needy (4) 27 Tease (3) 29 Favourite (3) 31 Baby-clothes (7) 32 Trader (6) 34 Thoroughfare (4) 35 Escaped (6) 38 Tree (5) 39 Guard (6) 40 God (5)

DOWN 2 Meadow (3) 3 Seek (6) 4 Finish (3) 5 Family (4) 6 Left (6) 7 Reiterate (6) 9 Regain (7) 12 Knock (3) 13 Cheat (4) 16 Singer (4) 17 Marine (5) 20 Denied (7) 22 Even (4) 24 Cushioned (6) 25 Gemstone (4) 26 Tell (6) 28 Obtain (6) 30 Number (3) 33 Peruse (4) 36 Guided (3) 37 Newt (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Ledger 5, Melt 8, Eased 9, Arc 10. Turn 11, Aged 12, Atone 13, Horrid 16, Lees 18, Emit 20, Ate 22, Set 23, Rip 24, Tier 25, Clip 28, Cuttle 30, Magic 32, Heat 33, Bask 34, Kin 35, Sited 36, Disc 37, Stance.

DOWN: 1, Loathe 2, Decorate 3, Entail 4, Fantastic 5, Member 6, Edge 7, Tidy 8, Era 14, Described 15, Sip 17, Eel 19, Mistaken 20, Aim 21, Erratic 26, Packet 27, Seance 29, Shed 30, Mass 31, Mass 31, Cad.

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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