AMAECHI: APC, PDP senators in showdown

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...towards a better life for the people

VOL. 25: NO. 62615

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Stanbic IBTC shareholders fault FRC •Stanbic IBTC should withdraw advertorial and apologise —FRC 16 & 21

Emir Sanusi strips Bayero's 8 & 47 son of Chiroma title

DOLPHIN IKOYI: One estate, two worlds 45

AMAECHI: APC, PDP senators in showdown •PDP vows to withdraw support for Saraki if Amaechi is confirmed •APC senators plan counter-action; last five ministerial nominees screened

•Never again'll politicians seek office for personal gains—Buhari 9

COLUMNISTS:

OONI OGUNWUSI'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY TO ILE IFE

Tony B-liar's hypocritical Iraq invasion apology

Kassim the oracle speaks •P.19 again

•P.19

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B U J A — SENATORS belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and their All Progressives Congress, APC, were, yesterday, preparing for a showdown over different positions on the confirmation of two of 16 remaining ministerial nominees.

Continues on Page 5

Mr & Mrs

•P.17

How not to manage a fall

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

OONI OF IFE—Ooni of Ife-elect, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi (right) greeting his subjects as he arrived in Ile ife, yesterday. Photo: Dare Fasube. See story and more pictures on Pages 11&14.

2—Vanguard, Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 3

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4—Vanguard, Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—5

POCKET CARTOON

SUMMIT—President Muhammadu Buhari (R), presenting a gift to Gen.Vijay Kumar Singh, during President Buhari’s meeting with Gen. Singh and some of his senior alumni, during the 3rd IndiaAfrica Forum Summit, in New Delhi, India, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

Amaechi: APC, PDP senators in showdown Continues from Page 1 It was, however, learnt that Senate President Bukola Saraki was determined to weigh in on behalf of the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi and the ministerial nominee from Cross River State, Usani Uguru. The duo had been caught up in a grudge war mounted by PDP senators.

Amaechi is being opposed by the PDP

Senate caucus for his role in the defeat of the former ruling party in the last round of elections. Uguru brought himself into the bad book of the PDP Senate caucus when, during his screening, he said "God forbid" to a question as to his membership of the PDP. Following the end of the screening of the nominees yesterday, the PDP Senate caucus held

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO AKE it a point of duty to make everyday better than yesterday, only failures reflect on the good old days.

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TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Winners never quit, and quitters never win!

— Ted Turner

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PROFOUND truth about life that spurs me on in challenging times is the saying that, “if you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you.” The main thing to do, in the words of William Clinton is to “never quit, never quit, never quit”. Be passionate about everything you choose to do, it will make a lot of positive difference in your life.

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

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IFE is too deep for words, so dont try to describe it.

a meeting where they reportedly took a position against the confirmation of Amaechi.

The senators were said to have resolved not to consider Amaechi’s nomination unless the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the petitions filed against the former Rivers State governor was brought forward for consideration first.

Last five nominees screened Five nominees were screened, yesterday, bringing to an end, the exercise that commenced about three weeks ago.

The five nominees screened were former Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University, Professor Anthony Anwuka (Imo); financial expert and medical doctor, Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia); newspaper columnist, Adamu Adamu (Bauchi); former Executive Secretary of National Hajj Commission, Mohammed Musa Bello (Adamawa), and Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto).

However, the confirmation exercise which was expected to commence immediately after, did not, as Senate President Saraki announced the

adjournment of the Senate to today.

PDP senators sulk, plan offensive PDP senators are also said to have been further miffed by the reverses suffered by the party in Rivers State in the last one week, including the cancellation of Governor Nyesom Wike's election and that of PDP state legislators, and Tuesday ’s Supreme Court’s rejection of Wike’s bid to void the sitting of the Governorship Election

Tribunals in Abuja.

Although they refused to address the media after their meeting which lasted for just thirty minutes, some members, who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said the meeting resolved that before the confirmation, the Samuel Anyanwu-led Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions’ report, must be considered.

One of the sources also said the PDP senators, in the meeting, resolved not to allow Pastor Usani Uguru to be confirmed today. He described Uguru as a light-hearted man who cannot be entrusted with any sensitive public office like the one he was nominated for. Also, at the meeting, the PDP senators, according to one of them, vowed to withdraw their support for the Senate President should he force Amaechi’s confirmation.

Vanguard gathered that another meeting of the PDP caucus would be held before the confirmation.

APC senators plan counter-action APC senators have equally scheduled a

caucus meeting this morning before commencement of plenary where they are also expecting to finetune their strategies to push through all the nominees.

The confirmation process is expected to hold today if enough APC senators are present in the chambers to outplay the PDP senators. In that event, the Senate would first go into a closed-door session during which senators would raise issues about the nominees. Following the closed-door session the senators would resort back to plenary where a voice vote would be taken on each of the nominees. The ruling of the Senate President would be final and can only be challenged when a senator calls for a division and it is at this point that PDP senators may challenge whatever decision Senator Saraki takes on Amaechi and Uguru.

Only one of the nominees screened yesterday, Aisha Abubakar, daughter of former super permanent secretary and minister, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji was waved through without a question. She was asked to take a bow and go upon submission

by Senator Abiodun Olujimi.

FG downgrades economic growth projections to 2.6%

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

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AGOS—THERE is indication that the Federal Government may have effected a massive cut in the 2015 economic growth rate projections amidst faltering economic performance indices.

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who gave this hint in the September 2015 Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, details released, yesterday, by the apex bank, said the growth rate measured by

Gross Domestic Products, GDP, is now 2.6 per cent, down from 5.5 per cent.

With this development the official growth rate has been pegged far lower than projections by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and other international and local financial institutions.

Following the faltering oil prices and other macroeconomic predicaments faced by the Nigerian economy since this year, IMF had downgraded the growth projections to 4.8 per cent, while African Development Bank,

AfDB, puts the growth mark at 5.0 per cent.

Similarly a multinational investment banking group with significant operations in Nigeria, Renaissance Capital, had downgraded Nigeria’s GDP growth rate twice this year first to 3.4 per cent and later to 2.8 per cent two months ago.

Nigerian financial institutions such as Afrinvest Group, FSDH Merchant Bank economic research among others have marked down the GDP projection to between 2.8 and 3.2 per cent.

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

I started robbing after I lost my job —Suspect

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By Ake Faith

AGOS—A 20-year-old robbery suspect, identified as Ekene Mbanefo, has confessed that he started robbing after he lost his job.

According to the police, Ekene is a member of a four-man gang robbing motorists along Mile 2Badagry expressway.

The suspect, who confessed to the crime was arrested last Friday, after he sustained gunshot injuries on his waist at Agric bus stop, during a foiled robbery operation.

He recounts exploits

his

"I started robbing when I lost my job as a sales attendant in a filling station in Festac. I was pushed into robbery because I lost my job. I was operating alone until I met my gang members at a party at Ajegunle. I was arrested last Friday, the same night I was arrested during a failed operation. I met them at a party at Ajegunle and we decided to work as a gang.

After the party, we decided to rob on our way back. Other members of the gang escaped but I could not as I was hit by a bullet while robbing at the bus stop.

"A policeman opened fire when he saw us robbing the motorist at Agric bus stop at Ojo, unknown to him that a bullet hit me on my waist. I crawled to a nearby building where I hid till the next morning, while the others escaped. In the morning, the pains from the gunshot injury became too much that I had to start calling for help.

Instead of helping me, the people who came when they heard my call for help, called the police who then arrested me.

"The names of my gang members are Efe, Diva and one other whose I can’t recall.

"I usually snatch mobile phones and bags from people or when they are making calls at the bus stop or inside a commercial vehicle. We sell the phones at Alaba International market Ojo, at a cheaper price after removing the memory and sim cards from the phones. We sell some of the expensive phones as cheap as N10,000 or less than that depending on the brand of the phone."

We use juju to rob traders in Lagos markets —Robbery suspects As Police recover N2 million and N300,000 worth of lace materials

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By Evelyn Usman & Ufuoma Tiveruahor

AGOS—IT was payback time for a two-man robbery gang which specialised in raiding markets in Lagos and dispossessing traders of their wares and cash, following its arrest by the Police in Lagos.

The suspects; Saidi Olalekan (32) and Joshua Akinsola (20), who claimed to be a Nigerien, were arrested at Oshodi market during a foiled attempt to rob a textile shop owner of some lace materials and cash worth N2.5 million Recovered from them were stolen lace materials worth N300,000 and cash of N2 million.

During an interview with Vanguard, the suspects revealed that information on their victims were usually given by their sales representatives. They also confessed that they use charms to hypnotise their victims, a means they said made their operation easy.

But nemesis caught up with them after one of their victims who apparently was not affected by the charms raised the alarm which led to the arrest of Akinsola, the supposed Nigerien.

32-year-old Olalekan, an indigene of Ogun state who recently completed a two-yearjail term, said: “We do not use any gun or dangerous weapon during operation. What we used was a charm called atare and ohun.

This charm was prepared by a herbalists in Apapa. That is what most 419 people use.

"Any time we were going for operation, we would put the charm in our mouth and another in the pocket. We would thereafter, enter any of the shops and order anyone there to bring the proceed for the day. We would also command them to bring as much yards of material they could lay their hands on. They will obey without complaining. Also, no customer will come to that shop as long as we remained there.

After the raid, we would quietly leave the shop. Our victims usually regain consciousness several hours later.

"At the end of each operation, we would take the stolen materials far away from where we stole them and sell them at give away prices. For instance, if we steal material from Idumota , we will take it to Agege or even Sango in Ogun state to sell and share whatever was realised equally."

My victim had a countercharm

On his part, his alleged partner in crime, Joshua Akinsola,

disclosed that they usually get information either from sales representatives of their victims, their managers or relatives.

Oshodi operation and counter-charm

On the Oshodi botched operation, he said his victim apparently had an antidote to charms that gave them away.

He said: “While Olalekan was in one of the shops, I was in another. He succeeded in carrying some wares and N2 million cash from his victim. But I realised that after making some incantations with the charms in my mouth and pocket, my victims did not succumb, and had I left the shop with some lace materials than they raised the alarm which

attracted other traders at Oshodi.

"Before I knew it, some policemen arrived the scene and whisked me away. I led them to my colleague where the stolen N2 million was recovered. I am from Niger Republic but I live at Ogolo, around Benin Republic."

The suspects according to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, will be charged to court soon.

The suspects, Saidi Olalekan, and Joshua Akinsola.

Cop arrested for killing tennis player L

By Esther Onyegbula

AGOS—LAGOS State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, has ordered the arrest of a policeman who allegedly shot and killed one of Nigeria’s celebrated tennis players, identified as Beauty McCleod.

According to sources, the policeman, attached to Moroko Police Station, has been arrested and detained on the orders of the commissioner.

The victim, Beauty Mc- Cleod, was said to have been shot by the policeman at a hotel, named Emperor ’s Place, during an altercation on Sunday. The tennis star was lodging at the hotel before her murder.

The incident occurred at a hotel located on Balarabe Musa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

An attendant working in the hotel said the policeman, who was attached to the hotel as one of the security guards, shot the tennis star after a brief argument.

One of the hotel attendants who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, revealed that the United Arab Emirates-based tennis star was lodging at the hotel with her daughter, Angel, but met her untimely death in the hands of the trigger- happy policeman when she challenged the cop for refusing her guest entry into the hotel premises.

The attendant said: “Beauty returned from Ghana on Sunday where she took her daughter to a

Late Beauty Mc- Cleod.

tennis academy. ‘’She invited one of her friends to pick her up for shopping at the hotel that same night but had reservations about the manner the police guard treated her guest.

“She apparently challenged the policeman when she went back to her room to pick her wallet and the policeman shot her on the leg. ‘’We really don’t know what transpired between the two of them, but we saw the policeman open fire on the woman.”

It was learned that the deceased was rejected at a nearby hospital where she was initially rushed to for treatment but lost too much blood and gave up the ghost a day after she was admitted at Saint Nicholas Hospital.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Joe Offor, said the killer policeman was attached to Mountain Troop Police, not Moroko Police Division.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—7

FUNAAB sets up c'ttee to probe death of student 4 arrested A

By Daud Olatunji

BEOKUTA—AUTHORITIES of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, have set up a committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of a 300-level student in the Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Production of the University, Miss Atere Maria.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, disclosed this yesterday in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Emi Alawode,

describing the death of the student as unfortunate and a great loss.

According to the vice chancellor, the management sympathises very deeply with family members and the entire university community.

The statement read: “Atere, a 22-year-old student was on a commercial motorcycle when she was knocked down by a car, along the Camp-Alabata Road, around the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, OORBDA, gate, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“When the sad incident occurred, some Good Samaritans brought two unidentified victims of the accident to a private clinic at Camp.

“Miss Atere was later discovered to be one of them. She was given first aid treatment before being referred to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abeokuta, for better medical attention due to the severity of the injuries sustained.

Unfortunately, she passed on.

“However, contrary to unfounded allegations of

negligence, made by some individuals against the University, Atere was never brought to the University Health Centre for treatment, hence, no doctor had the opportunity to quickly examine her and arrive at a decision on the most appropriate form of medical treatment. Nevertheless, the University ambulance was despatched to the private clinic at camp, when a request was made.”

Thedeathofthestudentsparkedangry protests from students of the university who accused the institution’s medical unit of negligence in the handling of her case.

Auto crash claims 7 in Anambra Baby cheats death, as witnesses blame robbers

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

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NITSHA—NO fewer than seven passengers aboard a Mitsubishi commuter bus were feared dead in the early hours of Tuesday, following a headon collision between the bus and a Mercedes Benz 911 lorry.

The incident which involved three vehicles, including the lorry, the bus and another, a car, occurred along Nkpor/ Obosi Road in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State at about 2 a.m.

It was gathered that the seven occupants of the bus lost their lives, except a baby.

The source stated that bus and the car were heading from Onitsha to Cross River State with full load of goods when the unfortunate incident occurred.

It was further gathered that the victims, having come down to Onitsha main market to purchase goods, were returning to Cross River State and along the line, discovered that armed robbers were allegedly operating in front of Electrical Market, and decided to pass through Obosi to Nkpor for their own safety.

Witnesses said as they were descending a hill leading to Nkpor, the bus had a head-on collision with the truck.

The bodies of the victims were deposited at a nearby hospital Mortuary at Obosi.

The Onitsha Unit

Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Anthony Metta, who spoke to newsmen on phone, said he

was on his way to Abuja and, as a result, had not yet heard of the accident.

for impersonating military personnel

By Evelyn Usman & Faith Ake

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AGOS—THE Police in Lagos have arrested four persons for masquerading as Military personnel at IdiAraba and Agege areas of the state. Among them was a private guard who went to secure the release of one of the impersonators at the police station.

Recovered from the suspects according to Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, were two pairs of Nigerian Army camouflage uniforms, one pair of Army green uniform, one Army camouflage T-shirt, one pair of boots, two Army belts and two jungle hats.

However, one of them, Simeone Anthony, told Vanguard that he was dismissed from the Force last year, after fleeing from terrorists on the battle field in Maiduguri.

Asked why he did not return the Army property to them, he said: “There was no way I could have returned it because I would be arrested and charged to court. What I did was against the rules of the Nigerian Army.

"I never used the uniform to carry out any criminal activity.

I only used it to evade paying fare whenever I boarded commercial buses.

"But on the day I was arrested, the uniform was inside my bag and I was on my way to Ikeja Cantonment.

I am not a criminal, I swear,” said the 39-year-old Anthony.

Love for Military Scene of the accident.

Lagos wades into I8-yearold gang rape case

By Monsur Olowoopejo

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DONATION: ACP, Administration, Lagos State Police Command, Mrs. Folashade Adam(sitting)undergoing blood pressure screening; Chairman, Marshal Security Company, Texas, USA, Prince Apaka Etim (left); Lagos State PPRO, Mr Joe Offor, and Principal Consultant, Marshal Security, Mr Ernest Etim, during the donation of a digital blood pressure machine and 2,500 copies of finger prints to the command , yesterday. Photo: Evelyn Usman.

AGOS—LAGOS State Government has waded into the case of an 18-year-old girl, (Blessing) that was allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint by six men in Shomolu area on October 10, 2015.

Vanguard gathered that the 17year-old was attacked and gangraped between 8 pm and 1 am; before she was released by the suspected cultists on Olaosebikan Street, Bajulaiye in the area.

Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, Mrs.

Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi in an interview with Vanguard, said that the government is wading into the case to ensure that the victim gets justice.

Her words: “The victim has been taken into protective custody. We believe that with this, she will be protected while the investigation is concluded.

“We know that the police have arrested one of the suspects. But on our own part, we will be embarking on investigation. That was why we have demanded that the case file be transferred to the State Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.”

On his part, 25-year-old Izu Nwane said his love for the military made him wear the uniform.

The Ebonyi born suspect said: “I love the Nigerian Army and have been longing to join. I bought their recruitment form and even wrote the exam at Ojo cantonment last month.

"I bought the uniform from a woman selling second hand clothes at the cantonment on October 7, 2015, but I never knew that I was buying trouble.

"Last week, a friend called me that hiscasewascomingupattheAgege Magistrate's Court. He asked me to comeandstandasawitnessforhim.

But I was not having money on me, so, I decided to wear the uniform in order to pave way in commercial buses. I pulled off the uniform on reaching the court premises and wore it after the court session, only to be arrested by some policemen.”

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

There 'll be no Coordinating Minister of Economy —OSINBAJO

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has said that there would be no designation as “Coordinating Minister of the Economy,” in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

It will be recalled that coordinating Minister of the economy was a practice introduced in the last administration by former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking when he received the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Jonathan Richardson, in his office yesterday, the Vice President submitted that the economy was under his care, saying that he would always keep the president abreast.

He said: “We are not going to have a system like where there was a coordinating minister.

No, there would not be anything like that.”

Buhari’s ministers're intellectuals —OYEGUN

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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BUJA—NATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, has said that the soon-to-be inaugurated ministers are men of integrity and intellect.

He said that with their performance at the ongoing Senate screening, he was convinced that they would meet the expectations of President Muhammadu Buhari who nominated them, the party and Nigerians.

Oyegun spoke at APC national Secretariat on Tuesday night when he received a delegation of University of Ibadan, UI, Alumni Association, led by its national President, Dr. Kemi Emina.

He, however, stated that the ministers have enormous task awaiting them as they would have to work to revive the economy.

Some of the ministerial nominees screened by the Senate yesterday: Professor Anwuka Anthony (above).

PHOTOS: Gbemiga Olamikan.

Mrs Aisha Abubakar.

Okechukwu Enelanmah.

Inter-agency rivalry hampering anti-Boko Haram war—KANO EMIR

By Kingsley Omonobi, Emmanuel Elebeke & Ndahi Marama

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ORMER Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor and Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, yesterday, faulted what he called unhealthy rivalry among security agencies in the country in their fight against insurgency, saying the trend, if not checked, could derail government determination to end Boko Haram activities in December.

Sanusi spoke on a day Nigerian troops raided several camps of the Boko Haram sect, rescuing 338 persons who were held captive by the terrorists and killing 34 of the insurgents, while declaring 100 of them wanted.

The Emir, who frowned at the inter-security agencies rivalry spoke at the second edition of Nigeria Security Exhibition and Conference held in Abuja, sponsored by the Nigerian Communications commission, NCC, and other agencies.

Sanusi, who was represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police (retd) and the District Head of Albasu Kingdom in Kano State, Mr. Bashiru Albashir, said that such trend was not the way to go in tackling terrorism of that nature.

Calls for cooperation

He called for cooperation among all the security forces, which he said must complement each other in exchange of intelligence and relevant information relating to security matters.

His words: “I spoke about cooperation among security agencies. Police is a physical security, while Civil Defense is also physical security known and seen by everybody.

“But the Department of State

Services, DSS, is undercover security.

“There must be opportunity for the two to complement each other. The DSS will get information and depending how relevant the information is, if it is not sent to Police, they should pass it to the army.

“This understanding and cooperation is what will move us forward, not competing among themselves and saying I am superior to you. That will not help us go anywhere.”

Suggest solutions to insecurity

He advised government to initiate purposeful programmes that will enable the country tackle corruption, poverty, injustice and ignorance, arguing that such steps would surely provide a lasting solution to the current insecurity in the country.

According to him, “terrorism did not start from the air; there are breeding grounds like ignorance, poverty, injustice and corruption. If government is fighting insurgency in the field, in Sambisa Forest and other places, it must also address these fueling agents at the background.

“There must be purposeful programme to tackle corruption, which the present government is doing. Unless we are able to do these, it will take us time to stamp out terrorism.

“The intelligence unit must cooperate with the police so that we can tackle terrorism.

What we need is prevention before striking and we cannot prevent the attacks without intelligence.”

338 Boko Haram captives

Meanwhile, in continuation of the battle to clear Boko Haram terrorists from the North-East by December, Nigerian troops, backed by Air

Force fighter aircraft, have successfully raided several camps belonging to the terrorists, rescuing 338 abductees, including men, women and children.

During the encounter leading to the rescue of the abductees, 34 terrorists were killed at the camps located at the fringes of Sambisa Forest.

Military authorities confirmed that among the 338 rescued persons held captive by the terrorists were eight males, 138 females and 192 children.

They have since been evacuated to Mubi for profiling as well as for medical administration.

Giving further details of the operation, the Army headquarters, in a statement

by Colonel Sani Usman, said: “Troops of 28 Task Force Brigade Nigerian Army deployed at Bitta and Pridang, carried out a successful raid on suspected Boko Haram terrorists camps at Bulajilin and Manawashe villages along Bita and Damboa road at the fringes of Sambisa forest on Tuesday.

“The troops were able to kill 30 Boko Haram terrorists.

The unit also rescued 338 persons that were held captive by the terrorists in the enclaves.

“The rescued persons which comprised male eight, female, 138 and children, 192, have since been evacuated to Mubi.

Recovered arms

“Troops also recovered arms and ammunition during the operation: They include one General Purpose Machine Gun and two Dane Guns, 150 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO), six boxes of 7.62mm (NATO) and three cutlasses.

“In a related development, troops, based on a tip-off,

ambushed and killed four suspected Boko Haram terrorists on a suicide bombing mission to Gubula, Madagali Local Government Area, Adamawa State.

“Apart from two AK-47 rifles recovered, the troops also recovered some Unexploded Ordinances, UXOs, mortar bombs and N153,385.

“It is worthy to note that the raid operation on the Boko Haram enclave coincided with the Chief of Army Staff’s operational visit to the Brigade Headquarters in Mubi.

“The successful clearance operations and ambushing of the terrorists has further degraded them and saved the lives of so many innocent victims of their suicide bombings.

“Having appealed and given the terrorists final warning, we would like to state that from now on troops within bounds of respect for human rights and rules of engagement, we shall continue to decisively deal with Boko Haram terrorists until they are defeated.

... as Army asks for information

“Therefore, we are appealing for continued vigilance, security consciousness and, above all, cooperation with the military and security agencies to enable us successfully defeat the terrorists.”

The Military has also declared 100 suspected Boko Haram sect members wanted for “arrests, prosecution and punishment,” and urged members of the general public to provide useful information to the military and other security agencies on suspects’ hideouts and residences in the North-East subregion of the country.

Information about the “wanted suspects,” according to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, could be given via 0818155888, 08160030300 and 07053333123.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 9

FG, states, LGs share N390bn

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

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BUJA—THE three tiers of government, yesterday, shared N389.936 billion as revenue that accrued to the Federation Account, as well as Value Added Tax, VAT, proceeds earned in the month of September.

The sharing of the revenue was the high point of the monthly Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting in Abuja, where the Federal Government expressed worries at the persistent dwindling revenue.

The gross revenue announced by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Anastasia DanielNwaobia, stood at N378.

395 billion.

However, net distributable fund came to N 368.925 from both the Federation Account and the VAT, after deducting the Costs of Collections, which were paid to the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, at seven percent and four percent, respectively.

The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, also received four percent as cost of collection.

An analysis of the revenue showed that the Federation Account yielded a net N314.792 billion, while the balance of N54.143 billion came from the VAT and exchange gain of N5. 211 billion.

The breakdown of the receipts indicated that the Federal Government took N159.464 billion; states got N103.835 billion, while the local governments received N78.131 billion.

The nine oil-producing states received an additional N 27.505 billion, representing 13 percent derivation.

The Permanent Secretary blamed the fall in oil revenue on crash in prices and lower outputs owing to shut downs and shut-ins for maintenance at different periods and terminals during the review period.

Mrs. Daniel-Nwaobia said: “If we say we are not worried then we are lying. But the situation is not peculiar to Nigeria.”

NNPC deploys 10m litres of fuel to Northern states

By Michael Eboh

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IGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, said it had deployed 306 truckloads of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as fuel, which is about 10 million litres of the product, to some northern states in the country.

The corporation, in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said the deployment was to quell the queues noticeable in some petrol stations in some

northern states, following rumours of an impending fuel scarcity.

NNPC stated that within the last 48 hours, petrol products trucked out to most major cities across the country, especially in the Northern part of the country, had been increased considerably to accommodate some noticeable shock in the system as a result of the growing panic demand for petroleum products in the affected cities.

It said: “We can confirm that an additional daily supply of 306 trucks of PMS, which is the equivalent of over 10

million litres of petrol, has been injected to provide extra daily supply to Kano, Minna, Suleja/Abuja, Gusau, Katsina and Kaduna.

“Similar steps have been taken to consolidate the prevailing stable fuel supply situation in the Gombe, Bauchi, Jos, Yola and Maiduguri axis.”

NNPC, however, advised members of the public to refrain from panic purchase of petroleum products, noting that there was enough products in store to satisfy demand.

BRIEFING: From left— DMD FBN Capital Ltd., Mr. Taiwo Okeowo; CEO, FBN Capital, Mr. Kayode Akinkigbe; CEO, FBN Holding Plc, Mallam Bello Maccido; and Ag MD, Kakawa Distount House, Mr. Gboyega Fatoki, at FBN Capital's annual investors' briefing in Lagos. PHOTO: Shola Oyelese.

Never again 'll politicians seek office for personal gains—BUHARI

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

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EW DELHI— P R E S I D E N T Muhammadu Buhari has said that his main target for fighting corruption was to stop corrupt individuals from seeking public offices for selfish gains.

This is even as he stated that his government would not relent in the current anticorruption war, but will continue for many years.

According to him, the prosecution of alleged criminals would serve as a deterrent to others, stating that he was committed to curbing corruption, plugging all loopholes in public sector accounting and deploying available resources for the good of all Nigerians.

The President spoke, yesterday, during a meeting with members of the Nigerian community in New Delhi, India, where he is attending the 3rd Summit of the India and African Nations.

President Buhari also prioritized the recovery of looted funds, saying he was conscious of the devastating consequences of illegal diversion of public resources meant for national development into private bank accounts.

He said: “The anti-corruption campaign will be on-going for many years. We are committed to the enthronement of good governance that plugs the loopholes in public sector accounting, and the use of scarce resources for public good.

“I am confident that our approach to fighting corruption through value re-orientation, improved internal processes and systems and the Rule of Law, as well as enhancing the capacity of the various anticorruption agencies and institutions, will prove more enduring in addressing this evil.

“In the meantime, we will continue to prosecute those who have been indicted for

corrupt practices and ensure that stolen funds are recovered, to serve as deterrence to others who nurse the ambition of seeking public office solely for illegal personal gain.”

The President also warned Indians against shipping fake and sub-standard foods and medicines to Nigeria, saying his government would not tolerate such act.

Reps investigate NCC, telecom operators over SIM cards

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

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BUJA—THE House of Representatives is set to probe Nigeria Communications Commission,NCC, and the nation’s telecommunications providers over noncompliance with the directive to deactivate unregistered Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, cards on their networks.

The House would also investigate allegation of allied abuses of good corporate governance by the service providers.

The House specifically resolved to investigate the NCC on the N6.1 billion appropriated for the SIM registration exercise by the National Assembly.

This development was sequel to a motion moved

by Oluwole Oke under matters of urgent national importance, entitled Motion for the investigation of the noncompliance of telecommunications companies with directives to deactivate unregistered Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, cards on their networks and allegation of allied abuses of good corporate government by telecommunication companies operating in Nigeria.

Oke expressed worry that NCC discovered in December 2014 that about 45 percent of registered SIM cards on the mobile network were invalid due to non-registration or improper registration.

CNN report: Nigerian airports up for probe

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

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BUJA—THE House of Representatives has mandated its committee on aviation to investigate the alleged embarrassing report

by CNN that rated three Nigeria airports as among the 10 worst airports in the world.

The House, in its resolution yesterday, during plenary, also directed the aviation committee to investigate how N400 billion appropriated for airport remodelling was spent and to report back within two weeks.

The resolution followed a motion entitled Urgent need to investigate the factors that lead to the damnable rating of our airports, sponsored by Garba Datti.

10—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Customs makes N221.9bn in 9 months

By Godwin Oritse

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ESPITE the recent strike called by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Apapa area, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has generated N221,929,294,437 between January and September.

The Customs Area Comptroller, Mr. Charles Edike, said this while responding to questions on the impact of the strike.

He said the command only experienced some delays in payments and was optimistic that due revenue will be collected as soon as work resumes fully.

The collected revenue, according to Edike, is 39.65 percent higher in attaining the annual target, compared to N216,337,949,557 collected within the same period in 2014.

Currently, the command had collected 91 percent of its targeted revenue for this year, achieved despite declining volume of imports, restrictions on foreign exchange, affecting over 40 items, and general economic uncertainty occasioned by the elections.

Lagos WBA gets new exco

M

R. Pius Enakerakpo has emerged the new President of Warri Boys Association, WBA, Lagos State chapter; it is a non-partisan, nonsectional and nonreligious social organisation.

The new executive committee members, who will run the association for 2015/2016 season include Mr. Gbemi Arueyingho, Vice President; Mr. Ovie Oghenekaro, Financial Secretary; Mr. Martins Nomuoja, Secretary; Mr. Frank Chibogu, Assistant Secretary; Mr. Tabuno Akpomuje, Welfare Officer; Mr. Patrick Okorosobo, PRO, and Mr. Francis Obilome, Sergeant-at-Arms.

They have been duly sworn in by Emmanuel Umoren, the association’s Legal Adviser.

Safety: Commission suspends work at Eko Energy Estate

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

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AGOS State Safety Commission has issued a Stop Work order on Eko Energy Estate, a client of Property Development Company, PRODECO, for failing to comply with the state’s safety laws.

Mr. Fouad Alade-Oki, Director General of the commission, who disclosed this yesterday, said the order was issued following a drama that ensued when officials of the commission got to the project site, located on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, but were denied access to the facility by officials of the company.

All efforts to get the management to see reasons why it should allow the commission carry out its lawful duties proved abortive.

Alade-Oki recalled that the company had earlier been served abatement notice for their inability to produce the safety plan for the project, which would have shown its risk and hazard assessment as well as fire and other safety

measures.

Furthermore, the commission noted that workers were working on site without adequate protective gears in addition to several cranes that

were on site without proper documentation.

Similarly, the commission also inspected the Eko Atlantic City project site, where it highlighted areas that needed to be upgraded and other measures needed to be taken in order to ensure

VISIT: Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Alake of Egbaland (right) and Otunba Rotimi Paseda during his visit to the monarch's Ake palace in Abeokuta, Ogun State. PHOTO: Wunmi Akinola.

Lagos AG, CJ, CP pledge cooperation

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

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AGOS State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, has pledged continuous cooperation and support of the executive for the judiciary to promote efficient and speedy administration of justice and the Rule of Law. Kazeem made the pledge when he led top management staff of his ministry on a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Funmilayo Atilade, yesterday.

He said the meeting was aimed at setting the tone for a cordial relationship between the judiciary and the executive arms of government, adding that the judiciary is an important arm of government and essential for the operation of the principle of Separation of Powers.

Responding, the Chief Judge said the judiciary was looking forward to a good working relationship with the state government.

She, however, listed some concerns limiting the arm of government to include the need for fiscal independence, effective transportation of accused persons to court, physical state of the courts with attention on rehabilitation and completion of some projects, appointment of

a more conducive and safe working environment.

At the end of Eko Atlantic’s inspection, the company was given the go ahead to submit its project plan so as to obtain the Safety Compliance Certificate, which every company is expected to have.

facility managers for courts, social workers for family courts and other issues relating to appointment of court administrator.

Similarly, the Attorney General met with the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, where he canvassed the need to embrace technology as well as foster cooperation in tackling

security challenges.

In response, the Commissioner of Police said that the Inspector General, Mr. Solomon Arase, had directed that

Accommodation crisis hits 67-yr-old unity college

By Amaka Abayomi

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HE management of the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos, has called on the Federal Government to come to its aid by making funds available to enable them construct hostel accommodation and classroom for its increasing student population.

Speaking on the challenges facing the 67-year-old college, the Principal, Rev. Chris Ugorji, said some classrooms had to be converted to hostels to accommodate some students, who could not afford to be coming from home.

He said: “FSTC, Yaba, is the biggest of all the 104 unity colleges and as such should be given its prime place by making sure that funds are readily available to tackle this hostel and classroom crisis we are battling with.

“Most of our students come from home and this affects their academics as they lose their belongings to touts or are usually stuck in traffic on their way to and from school.”

the police embrace new trends in an effort to enhance its operations.

He listed some of the areas of interest to include community policing, knowledge-based policing, criminal justice in training and electronic recording.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 , 2015—11

Ooni Ogunwusi in triumphal entry as installation rites begin I

By Leke Adeseri, South West Regional Editor & Gbenga Olarinoye

LE IFE—THE ancient city of Ile Ife stood still for several hours yesterday, as the Oonidesignate Prince Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi made a triumphal entry into the town for the first time after been named the 51st Ooni of Ife by the Osun State government.

His arrival in the town signified the commencement of his installation rites in Ilofi where he will spend the next 21 days.

Ife erupted in wild jubilations as Prince Ogunwusi, entered the town in a motorcade of about 100 vehicles and rode in Bugatti 2015 model car.

Commercial activities in the ancient town were also grounded as shops and commercial banks were closed to customers.

The new Ooni who was decked in white lace material with purple cap and beads, continuously acknowledged cheers from the excited crowd, who had trooped out as early as 7am to catch a glimpse of him.

The new Ooni, who was received at Ajebanbele, Ife toll gate of Ife/Ibadan expressway made it to the venue where ceremonial formal hand over by his family to the palace chiefs was performed at around 2:30 pm.

Accompanied by friends and relations

Accompanied by friends and close relations, sources said the monarch took off from Monatan in Ibadan house of an elder of Giesi Ruling House few minutes past 11am and started the journey to Ife. He was received at Asejire boundary of Osun and Oyo states by members of Giesi Ruling House and had another stop over at Sasa River where he performed the first traditional rite.

At Sasa River located at the border of Ife and Ibadan, Oba Ogunwusi, as part of rites before entering town, came out of his vehicle and trekked across the river.

Upon arriving at toll gate, Prince Ogunwusi, greeted his father, Pa Ropo Ogunwusi and was led by Prof. Adekanye Aderibigbe, to the high chiefs led

by Lowa Adimula, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, and had a brief discussion before proceeding to Obalufe of Iremo’s palace where he observed spiritual feet washing.

He later moved to his family compound in Agbedegbede area, where he was installed as Sooko of Giesi in fulfilment of Ife tradition.

After his installation as Sooko, which was witnessed by the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Otunba Oyewole Fashawe among others,

O g u n w u s i proceeded to Igbo Oro where more traditional rites where performed.

He is expected to end the day at Ilofi to begin the rites that will last for 21 days before he will be installed with the Obadio, the leader of Isoro cult taking charge of his rites of installation.

Speaking to newsmen at the venue of Ooni’s installation as Sooko, Secretary to the Giesi ruling house, Adekunle A d e l o w o Ogunleye, noted that the reign of the new Ooni would bring about industrialisation and youth employment to the ancient city.

Regarding litigation in court, Ogunleye said warm reception given to the The new Ooni acknowledging cheers yesterday. monarch showed there was no more this will advance the course of the particularly gratifying.” agitation and that justice has common man and the TUC in a statement by its development of the country. been done.

President and Secretary The forum also urged the new General, Bobboi Bala Kaigama Commenting in similar vein, Head of Sookos of the Lafogido Ooni to emulate the works of his and Musa Lawal, respectively, Ruling House, Walomo Adeleke predecessor, the late Oba insisted that the role of Adewoyin disclosed that the court Okunade Sijuwade who passed traditional rulers in nationmatter was over since Prince away on July 28, in a London building could not be overOgunwusi had been Hospital. emphasised, stressing that the A statement signed by chairman Ooni of Ife throne was notable unanimously chosen.

He said: “We won’t go to court of NGF and Governor of Zamfara and highly revered as one that to stop the choice of Ooni. We State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar wielded much influence, and can only appeal to Osun Yari, described the late Sijuwade exuded much wisdom and government to look into the 1980 as a peaceful man and a bridge courage, all of which were Ife Chieftaincy declaration to builder who left an indelible mark fundamental attributes of avoid future litigation. After this in the sands of time. quality leadership.

Consequently, the NGF urged Ooni, its Lafogido’s turn.”

Meanwhile, Ife Development the incoming monarch to use his Ekiti House too Board, IDB, in a statement position to further solidify the role The Ekiti State House of signed by its president on behalf of the Yoruba people in ensuring Assembly has congratulated of members and entire indigenes peace and development in the the new Ooni of Ife, on his of the town, has congratulated country as he mounts the exalted selection to succeed the late the Ooni-designate, His Imperial throne.

Oba Okunade Sijuwade as 51st Yari charged the new Ooni to monarch of the ancient town.

Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi on his selection as the use his position to enhance the Speaker of the House, Hon. bond of unity that exists among Kola Oluwawole, in a statement new Ooni.

A statement jointly signed by the Yorubas and other traditional signed by his Special Assistant, the president and the executive rulers in the Western Region and Media, Stephen Gbadamosi, secretary of the board, Prof. Muib the country generally. noted that the ascension of He assured that the forum would Ogunwusi to his forefathers’ Opeloye, and Mr. Kola Adetunbi, respectively, also continue to tap from the wise throne was purely an act of felicitated with Giesi Ruling counsel and invaluable support of God. House, Ife kingmakers and the Ife kingdom in its pursuit to entire sons and daughters on the effect change and deliver true Brief Profile of Oonijoyous occasion and prayed that democracy dividends to the elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi God should grant the new people.

Forty-one years ago in the monarch Solomonic wisdom to ancient city of Ile-Ife, a prince His social conduct, career was born into the Giesi Ruling handle the task ahead. gratifying —TUC House, Ojaja Royal Compound Also, the Trade Union Congress of Agbedegbede in Ile-Ife. NGF calls for synergy with of Nigeria, TUC, has govt He was named Adeyeye Meanwhile, the Nigeria congratulated the new Ooni of Ife, Enitan.

Governors Forum, NGF, has saying; “We find the fact that he is Many years before the birth called for a strong synergy of relatively young age and has of the young prince, it was between governments and never been found wanting in his predicted that a child of traditional institutions, saying social conduct and career

prominence that would impact the lives of mankind would be born into the family at exactly 1pm.

Indeed, Adeyeye was born at exactly 1pm on a Thursday, October 17, 1974.

With the news of the arrival of a new born prince, he was specifically named Adeyeye by his grandfather, Pa. Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi Jnr. The name Adeyeye in English translates to ‘A Crown Befitting for a King.' Pa Ogunwusi on setting his eyes on the new born prince began to call him Adeyeye Ooni from that very day till he passed away.

The young prince’s late mother also named him Enitan which in English translates to ‘A child of great story.’

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is the 5th direct descendant of the Giesi Ruling Family (Ooni Ojaja Orarigba – Ayikiti ninu Aran) reigned from 1878-1880, he was the 44th Ooni of Ile-Ife to rule.

He begat Adegosan Adewole Ogunwusi, who was an extremely powerful prince in Ile-Ife and a war veteran that never lost any battle for Ile-Ife and the Yoruba race.

He begat Pa Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi (Jnr.), a very bold prince who took after his father.

He begat Prince John Oluropo Ogunwusi, a radio and television anchor and star presenter that spanned the entire mid-1980s to early 21st century in the SouthWestern part of Nigeria. He begat Prince Adeyeye Enitan.

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was quietly delivered into the humble family of Prince Ropo and late Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi (Ile Opa family compound, Ile-Ife).

Prince Adeyeye is best described as an astute entrepreneur driven by turning impossibilities to ‘possibilities’.

The young prince’s power of imagination has set him aside, hence, revolutionizing his approach to creativity and innovation.

He is a distinct achiever with the conscience of youthful excellence.

The ambitious young prince with exceptional business ideas delved into Engineering, Procurement and Construction, EPC, locally and abroad for over 12 years. He is also actively involvedinthedevelopmentofover2,500 housing units with various consortia of developers within the last 8 years.

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi led the Government delegation to Canada in 2002 that promoted strategic alliances through a partnership with the Ondo State Government on solid mineral (Bitumen, Dimension Stones, Granite, etc.) potentials of the state, which gave risetotheformationoftheA ‘ malgamated Mining and Exploration Company Limited’ – wholly owned by the Ondo State Government. In addition, he facilitatedthedevelopmentofSparkwest Steel Galvanizing Plant (the only steel galvanizing plant in Nigeria), National Iron Ore Mining Company Limited and Jakura Mines resuscitation projects, which has eventually become the major limestone feedstock to Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State, Nigeria.

12—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Delta political leaders hail Okowa’s victory at tribunal

By Ochuko Akuopha

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EPUTY Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Friday Osanebi, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor; a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, among others, have said that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s victory at the Election Petition Tribunal is a demonstration of the uprightness of the country’s judiciary.

According to Ogor, representing Isoko Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, the tribunal, despite the visible pressure and efforts of the losers, remained undaunted and demonstrated its unbiased disposition in the matter by considering its merits.

Congratulating Okowa on his victory at the tribunal, Ogor called on members of the PDP and the people of the state to remain steadfast, assuring them of better deal under the administration of Okowa which he said has come to stay On his part, Osanebi said: “I am not surprised by the outcome of the election petition at the tribunal because Governor Okowa has support from God and the people of Delta State.

This ruling has further deepened our democracy and proved that our judicial system

can be relied upon.”

He urged chieftains of All Progressives Congress, APC, and Labour Party, LP, in the state to team up with the governor in advancing the fortunes of the state.

Osanebi stressed that what should be paramount to all politicians in the state, irrespective of political party leaning, was how to deepen the institutions of democracy and making life more meaningful for the populace.

Similarly, Onuesoke said: “I

do not see any reason to celebrate because I knew ab initio that there was no case against Okowa. We do not have any other party in Delta State. Evidence abounds that Okowa won across the state unlike candidates of other parties who did not win their wards. Delta State is a hardcore PDP state. Even if all of Nigeria switches to APC, this is one state that will not switch.”

He appealed to both Chief Great Ogboru and Chief

O’tega Emerhor, to jettison the idea of appealing the tribunal judgment stressing that such effort is tantamount to distracting the governor from delivering the dividends of democracy as stipulated in his prosperity for all mantra.

In the same vein, Preye Ekpebide, chairman Ogboinama Political Forum, OPF, called on Ogboru and Emerhor to accept defeat as exemplified by Nigeria former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

VISIT: Rt. Rev Peter Imasuen, Chairman, Edo State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board (middle) presents the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) first position award won by Edo State to Governor Adams Oshiomhole. With them is Secretary of the Commission, Sir Patrick Ihayere (left), during a courtesy visit to the governor, yesterday.

Delta inaugurates c’ttee to review $250m leisure resorts

A

By Emma Amaize

SABA—DELTA State Government has inaugurated a seven-man committee to appraise the execution of the $250 million Delta Leisure Resorts, a tourism and leisure facility at Oleri, Udu Local Government Area of the state.

Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ernest Ogwezzy, dropped the hint while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council, SEC, meeting at Asaba, which was presided over by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro.

Commissioners for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, Transport, Mr. Vincent Uduaghan, and Job Creation Officer, Prof. Eric Eboh,were also part of the briefing.

Ogwezzy said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, frowned at the fact that the state government had completed its obligations in respect of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to develop the project, but the contractor was yet to execute commensurate work.

He reiterated the

governor’s commitment to the development of the tourism sector to a high revenue earner in the face of dwindling revenue from oil resources, disclosing that plans were also on to revive the ailing cultural heritage of the state through cultural week and other activities.

Also speaking, Mr Uduaghan, said the efforts of Governor Okowa at curbing the menace of trailers on the highways in the state had

started paying off with the impounding of illegally parked trailers.

On the widespread trend of removing plate numbers of vehicles parked wrongly in the state, especially, the state capital, Asaba, he said: “It is illegal to remove plate numbers of vehicles as a means of punishment. It is also a wrong way of revenue generation because the laws stipulate that only the state has the right over mechanical

objects and I can tell you that no state government official is removing plate numbers of vehicles.”

Similarly, Mrk Ukah, who spoke on the government’s Housing Estate at Ugbolu, Oshimili North Local Government Area, said it was important for civil servants to avail themselves of the opportunities to own houses at the housing estate noting that about 70 housing units were almost available for occupation.

Dickson announces automatic classification for Bayelsa monarchs responsibilities of the traditional

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA—BAYELSA State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has announced with executive fiat, the automatic classification of all paramount rulers in the state with monthly stipends to enable them administer their communities effectively.

Dickson, who made the announcement yesterday during an interactive meeting

with paramount rulers from all the communities in the state, explained that the gesture was borne out of his appreciation of the contributions royal fathers made towards the development of the state.

According to him, the state Ministry of Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs and other relevant government agencies would work out modalities for the monthly entitlements and

rulers, under the supervision of the deputy governor.

According to him, “On the issue of recognition, I want to let you know that this government appreciates all you have been doing to support us.

Actually, I was waiting to surprise you with the passage and signing of the Community Administration Bill into law, where most of the issues you have raised here are already provided for."

N-Delta youths urged to shun illegal oil refining, pipeline vandalism

By Funmi Olasupo

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B U J A — S TA K E HOLDERS in the oil and gas industry have advised youths in the Niger Delta to desist from illegal oil refining and pipeline vandalism, but engage in more productive activities including seed planting.

This was part of the suggestions to curb criminal activities by youths in Nigeria at a stakeholders’ forum organised by a NonGovernmental Organisation, NGO, Stakeholders Democracy Network, SDN, in Abuja.

Speaking, Director- General, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Peter Idabor, maintained that illegal oil refining in the country compounded existing environmental damage from pipelines.

Idabor noted that instead of engaging in such criminal activities, it was better for such youths to engage in planting of seeds that could promote our environment and boost the nation's economy.

EDO 2016: APC chieftain faults Ugbesia on ceding of governorship to Edo South

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN—AS the race for Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s successor heats up in Edo State ahead of the 2016 governorship election, a governorship aspirant of All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Kenneth Imasuagbon, has berated immediate past senator representing Edo Central senatorial district and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Senator Odion Ugbesia, over comments that Esan leaders have ceded the governorship to Edo South.

Ugbesia had during the inauguration of the new PDP secretariat in Benin City, claimed that Esan leaders had ceded the governorship to the Binis.

Reacting, Imasuagbon said: “There was no time or any meeting where Esan leaders met to cede governorship to Edo South. Ugbesia is on his own. People like Ugbesia who are saying this are enemies of Esan people because we never met to cede governorship outside this zone."

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—13

RIVERS: PDP seeks NJC, CJN’s intervention As APC accuses Wike of blackmailing judiciary

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri & Gbenga Oke

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BUJA—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has approached the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, praying him to intervene in what it described as “present and imminent miscarriage of justice” with regard to elections in Rivers State.

This came as Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, accused the state governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike and PDP of blackmailing the judiciary to get favourable judgement at the Appeal Court Similarly, the CJN warned politicians, especially heads of government, to refrain from disparaging the integrity and reputation of the Judiciary.

CTC

PDP, by a letter forwarded to the CJN through its lawyer, Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, alleged that it had been denied access to the Certified True Copy, CTC, of judgments of the National and State Election Petition tribunals that sat in Abuja and annulled the victory of some of its candidates in the state.

The letter dated October 28, 2015, was equally copied to the National Judicial Council, NJC. Specifically, PDP, sought the intervention of the CJN in respect of the CTC of the judgement in the case between Mr. Wali Belief Azeru vs. Michael Okechukwu Chinda and Dr. Otogwung Dressman vs. INEC and others.

The letter by PDP read: “While we appreciate the peculiar demand of time that may have necessitated such near crippling judicial adventure having to deliver a total of 12 judgments within a space of six hours in a day, it is, however, utterly worrisome that the judgments as pronounced in the open tribunal on the said October 26, 2015, in respect of the two reference petitions above merely pronounced on the award of reliefs without any allusion as to the requisite decision and judicial reasons thereof.

“While one may reasonably attribute the tribunal recourse to such brevity to the exigency of time, it however, falls grossly short of legal requirements mandating the court or tribunal to clearly state the legal principle and decision arrived therefrom upon which the judgment is based, just as it is applicable to the hierarchy of courts where such mode of judgment is countenanced by law, i.e, at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“Our worry over the above became more heightened when upon our written application to the tribunal for the CTC of the judgment or in the alternative, a CTC of the hand written judgment C M Y K

to be made available to us, to enable us decide on the required step as promptly as possible, in view of the limited time frame for any subsequent step to challenge the judgment, same was bluntly turned down by the registry of the tribunal as it questioned the visibility of acceding to the grant of the CTC of a document it has no access to even as it also equally raised the issue of directive to the tribunal in the open court that no such request could be acceded until three days after the judgement.”

APC berates PDP

But Rivers State chapter of APC berated the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike, for allegedly blackmailing the judiciary to get favourable judgment at the Appeal Court.

APC claimed that Wike’s decision to take on the judges was to soften and blackmail the eminent men and women of the bench to give him a favourable ruling against the judgment that nullified his election last Saturday.

The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Finebone, claimed the embattled governor had thrown all caution to the wind by taking on the likes of Justice Mohammed Ambrosa, through direct comments by his media aides and indirectly through faceless and dubious online publications.

The APC statement said: “The PDP, through one of the online publications called www.trentonline.com published a fake story titled, DSS Offered Bribe, Threatened Me, Then I Was Sacked From Rivers Tribunal – Justice Pindiga. This

fake news story was designed to give credence to the accusation by Wike when his spokesman, Opunabo InkoTariah, stated that the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal chaired by Justice Mohammed Ambrosa, had given the ruling he was asked to give.” The online medium also reported that Justice Pindiga said that the DSS threatened him leading to his sudden replacement as the Chairman of the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal by Justice Mohammed Ambrosa.

The APC notes with relief that Justice Muazu Pindiga has since denied making any such statement or granting any interviews whatsoever to anyone as published.

“Following the decision of the

Supreme Court in dismissing Wike's appeal on jurisdiction on Tuesday, Governor Wike has unleashed further virulent attacks on the eminent jurists of the apex court when he stated the following through his media adviser, Opunabo Inko-Tariah: “What is going on right now can best be described as judicial gang-up against Governor Wike, nay the people of Rivers State. It is an affront on democracy and a blight disregard for the will of the people in the April 11 general elections. The courts are setting pernicious precedents by hinging their verdicts on inane points.

Rivers people overwhelmingly gave their mandate to Governor Wike but a microscopic few want to wrest that mandate from him through

the back door."

APC is curious about the reasoning behind the fact that the judicial system Nyesom Wike is busy denigrating is the same system he hopes to approach for appeal. We doubt what other motive would be behind it other than the usual blackmail and armtwisting jungle tactic of the PDP band of betrayers and opportunists” Meanwhile, the CJN, through a statement by his media aide, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, stressed that the warning was against the backdrop of reactions to outcomes of some governorship, National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal matters in the country where some politically exposed persons, state governors and even lawyers to some litigants, averred that the verdicts were influenced by money and political pressure.

BRIEFING: From left: Mr. Michael Cole, Financial Secretary, Progressive Shareholders Association; Boniface Okezie, President; John Isesele, Vice President and Mekwunye Sunny, member of the association, at the press conference by the Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria to address the issues raised by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria on Stanbic IBTC, in Lagos.

FLOOD: Jonathan's home town, Otuoke, cut off

By Samuel Oyadongha

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ENAGOA—FLOOD has cut off the link road between Onuebum and Otuoke, home town of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The road which links Azikoro-Agbura-OnuebumOtuoke is the shortest route to Ogbia town for Bayelsans residing around the Ekeki surbub to Ovom, Yenagoa, the state capital.

Otuoke is host to the Federal University of Technology with a large student population and mixture of non-indigenes doing business in the fast growing community.

Only haulage trucks could pass through the submerged portion of the road due to the volume of water.

Motorists, especially commercial vehicles, plying the route through the Azikoro axis are now forced to go through the Elebele-Emeyal flank.

When Vanguard visited the area, yesterday, it noticed that several car owners made u turn on getting to the flooded portion of the road for fear of being swept off by the flood.

Also, restaurant operators and palm wine sellers along the route have been displaced by the surging

flood.

A driver who simply identified himself as Dadiowei told Vanguard that they had since abandoned the AzikoroAgbura-Onuebum-Otuoke route because of the deplorable state of the route and the velocity of the flood.

“It will be a suicide mission for a small vehicle

to go through the flood.

There are so many craters on the submerged road that could prove fatal for somebody not conversant with the road. I almost lost control of my car on Monday when I drove through the flooded portion,” he said.

14 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

New Ooni of Ife arrives Ile-Ife in grand style Prince Ropo Ogunwusi father of the king leading Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi Ooni of ife to their family house at More quarters in Ile ife.

People taking over every available space to catch a glimpse of the Ooni.

Some traditional Ife high Chiefs, at the Ife end of the Ibadan-Ife toll gate, waiting for the new monarch.

Students of tertiary institutions, others, excited about the royal father.

Nigerian Army captures Boko Haram camp

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Troops of 28 Task Force Brigade, Nigerian Army, storming storming a store.

Arms and ammunition seized from Boko Haram at Sambisa forest by troops of 28 Task Force Brigade, Nigerian Army

Captives of Boko Haram at Sambisa forest released by the troops.

....Displaying 'Wanted' list of Boko Haram terrorists.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—15

Boko Haram detainees removed from Ekwulobia prison •We’re happy —Ohanaeze •Azodo thanks FG, security operatives

By Vincent Ujumadu

A

WKA—THE people of Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State can now heave a sigh of relief following the removal of the 47 suspected members of Boko Haram brought into the medium security prison located in the town June this year.

Vanguard gathered authoritatively that they were removed on Tuesday night to an unknown destination amidst tight security.

A very reliable source confirmed that the detainees have left the state to the delight of the people residing near the Ekwulobia Prisons.

It could not be ascertained yesterday where they were taken but according to our source, ‘definitely they have been taken out of Anambra State.’

There were about 134 inmates at the Ekwulobia prison before the 47 Boko Haram prisoners were brought in the dead of the night of Sunday, June 28, 2015 amidst tight security.

It would be recalled that protests by traders in all the major towns in Anambra State trailed the presence of the Boko Haram suspects soon after they were brought into the state, although calm eventually returned.

A visit to Ekwulobia Prison yesterday showed that the heavy security that was mounted shortly after the suspects were brought to the town has relaxed, as the snipers that usually sat atop a structure at the prison were not seen on their duty post. The gate of the prison was also open, unlike what the situation had been for the past three months.

However, people living around the prison said they did not know that the Boko Haram prisoners had been removed from Ekwulobia, although they said they would be happy if it was true.

Reacting to the development, president of Ohaneze chairmen for the South East and South –South, Dr. Chris Eluemunor said the removal of the Boko Haram detainees from Ekwulobia Prison in Anambra State is a welcome development.

He told Vanguard last night: “We are happy to hear this. I thank

Governor Willie Obiano who insisted from the day they were brought that they must leave the state. I went to the governor and told him that I would allow him only one month to ensure that they leave the state, otherwise Ohaneze would do something the country would not like. Since this has been done, I sincerely thank the governor.”

In her reaction, the member

representing Aguata Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives Mrs. Eucharia Azodo in whose constituency the Ekwulobia Prison is located, commended the Federal Government for heeding to the cry of her constituents by eventually relocating the suspected Hoko Haram detainees.

Speaking with Vanguard in a

COMMISSIONING: From left, Mr. Yasuhiro Nakamura, General Manager, Aftermarket Group of Aisin Asia PTE Ltd; Mr. Aftab Hashim, Managing Director of Star Sewing Machines Ltd; Engr. Koki Segir, Director of Star Sewing Machines Ltd; Mr. Nse0bong Akpabio, Assistant Corps Marshal, Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone Rs2, FRSC Headquarters, Lagos State, commissioning the Auto Products; Mr. Abdel Hijleh, General Manager Sales & Marketing Aisin Asia PTE Ltd, Middle East, and Alhaji Auwalu Muktari, Group Executive Director, Marketing & Sales Royal Exchange Plc, during the Star Sewing Machines Ltd's launch of Auto Products, in Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe

Enugu NLC, TUC, back-track on showdown with govt

By Francis Igata

E

NUGU—THE Labour movement in Enugu State,yesterday,back-tracked in their statement where the workers had threatened a showdown with the government for purchasing Prado Jeeps for members of the State House of Assembly and some government officials.

Speaking at a press briefing, the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council, Mr. Chukwuma Igbokwe said the workers had been properly briefed on the true situation.

While commending Governor

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for having a listening ear, Igbokwe said the press briefing was an aftermath of a meeting between the governor and the labour leaders.

He said: “We met with his Excellency and he gave us the true situation, we reconciled issues; let me commend his mode of operation. Each time there are some issues, he will always clear the air.

“There is information that he gave out the jeeps. What we thought was that the vehicles were given out free, but now, we know the true situation. We are in a family. There are times we

RADIO BIAFRA: Group slams protesters in Enugu

By Francis Igata

E

NUGU—A pressure group in Enugu, known as,”Concerned Citizens of Enugu State,CCES,” has condemned the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra,IPOB,over the continued detention of their leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnadi Kanu, who was arrested at the Lagos Airport.

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telephone interview, Azodo who was the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, recalled how she moved a motion in July this year, calling for the removal of the detainees from her constituency in view of the fear it injected in the people.

She said: “I thank the federal government for heeding to the cry of my people. I thank all those in charge for having listening ears.

The group described the recent protest by the pro-Biafra group in Enugu as illegal, unacceptable, anti-democratic and an adventure that was capable of undermining the unity of the country and the existing peace and tranquility.

A statement by the group’s leader, Chief Jeremiah Udeh said: “We, the Concerned Citizens of Enugu State,CCES,

condemn in its entirety the unlawful approach of violent protests adopted by the so-called IPOB in promoting its course.

We do not and will not encourage any unlawful act that will be inimical to the peace and unity of the country and the tireless efforts of the present administration in Enugu State to advance development in the state.

have misconceptions, but the important thing is that at the end of the day, everybody is happy.”

Also speaking, the information commissioner in the State, Hon. Godwin Udeuhele said the vehicles were not free, but would be returned to the government at the end of their tenure.

“No vehicle was given out free of charge. It's pool vehicles and at the expiration of their tenure, those vehicles will become property of government.

“In the strength of that, you people, the media should always cross-check your facts before going to the press. If you had done that, this would not have happened.

"Labour is very friendly with government, we have held meetings and it's a friendly affair.”

In a comment, leader of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu said no lawmaker received free vehicle from government, stressing that the cars were dully allocated to them.

Polymer scientists in Owerri for the 2015 National Conference

By Chidi Nkwopara

O

W E R R I — POLYMER Scientists from across the country are now in Owerri, Imo State capital, for their 26th Annual Technical Conference and Annual General Meeting.

Addressing a press conference ahead of the event, the National President of Polymer Institute of Nigeria, PIN, Dr. Joseph E. Imanah, disclosed that the theme of this year’s conference is “Polymers: Man’s complement to nature”.

Answering a question, Dr. Imanah warned that “if government does not enforce the recycling of non-degradable materials littered all over the cities and villages, the nation may face serious environmental problems in future.”

Ikpeazu not Orji’s offshoot —PDP chieftain

By Tare Youdeowei

U

MUAHIA— F O R M E R assistant to Dr. Alex Ekwueme and Peoples Democratic Party chieftan, Mr. Ben Onyechere has said that the assertion by the opposition in Abia State that the incumbent governor of Abia as an offshoot of Orji’s administration is a familiar paranoia of an attention seeking palace jesters, who have continued to mislead their candidate with the singular aim of extortion.

According to him, the expression is a further demonstration that they lack the rudimentary knowledge of party administration, part of which is that the party is supreme to any individual interest, in addition to the fact that loyalty must be rewarded in considering candidacy.

He said: "It is the recognition of loyalty that is misconstrued. The decision to elect a true son of Ngwa was not made by the former governor alone and in towing that line, many variables were brought into play. "

16—Vanguard,THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Motorists want supply of petroleum products to Osisioma depot

By Eric Ugbor

A

B A — F O L L O W I N G the suspension of the three- day industrial action embarked upon by the Rivers State chapter of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Friday, motorists and commuters in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State have called on the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC)to ensure that products were supplied to the Aba depot immediately. NUPENG had embarked on industrial action last Tuesday to protest the sack of their colleagues working in one of the Port Harcourt based oil companies, but later called it off on Friday after they reportedly reached an understanding with the said establishment.

Ugwuanyi swears-in new acting President of Customary Court of Appeal

By Francis Igata

E

N U G U — GO V E R N O R Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, yesterday, swore-in a new acting president of the Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice George Nnamani, with a charge to him to apply dignity, integrity and total commitment to the job.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who spoke after the swearing-in ceremony at the Government House, Enugu, noted that the exercise was in accordance with the provisions of Section 281 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended.

He thanked the immediate past acting President of the Court, Justice Christopher Osita Onyia for his service and congratulated Justice Nnamani on his appointment as the acting President for three months with effect from the day of his swearing-in.

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Review salaries of President, govs downward by 50%, Okorocha tells RMFC

By Anozie Egole

I

MO STATE Governor, Rochas Okorocha has told the chairman and members of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission, RMFC to, as a matter of urgency, review

downward the salaries and allowances of the President, Governors, National Assembly members, and all other political office holders both elected and appointed, at least by 50 per cent to make the offices less attractive and check the excesses

that go with the fat payments for such offices.

Governor Okorocha spoke Wednesday when he hosted the chairman of RMFC Engr. Elias Mbam, and other members of the commission to a breakfast meeting at the Government

SIGNING: From left, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and the newly appointed Acting President of Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice George Nnamani, signing some documents, during his inauguration ceremony, at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday.

House, Owerri at the end of their annual retreat in the state, adding that with the downward review of salaries and allowances of political office holders, such positions or offices would become less attractive which would also reduce the tension that always goes with the contest or scramble for such offices.

He also explained that the drastic reduction of the takehome pay of political office holders would, to a large extent, reduce poverty among the populace and also reduce crimes that are mostly borne out of the envy occasioned by these bloated salaries and allowances of political office holders.

According to the governor, by making the salaries and allowances of political office holders less attractive, only those keen in rendering genuine service to the people would go for such public offices and no more those who are coming for the privileges or benefits of the offices.

Okorocha said: “when the salaries and allowances of public office holders whether elected or appointed are reviewed downward at least by 50 per cent or even more than that, it would make the offices less attractive and with that, only those who want these offices for service would go for them.”

Stanbic IBTC should withdraw advertorial, tender apology —FRC Restates regulatory decisions on directors

By Babajide Komolafe

T

HE FINANCIAL Reporting Council, yesterday, asked the management of Stanbic IBTC Holdings to withdraw the advertorial published in response to its regulatory decision on the accounts of the company for 2013 and 2014 financial years.

In a statement in response to the Stanbic IBTC advertorial, FRC stated that it stands by its decision to suspend the four present and past directors of Stanbic IBTC from vouching for any financial statement, and also the order to withdraw the financial statements for 2013 and 2014 years.

The Council stated, “The attention of the Financial Reporting Council, FRC, has been drawn to an advertorial,

by Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc (Stanbic IBTC), on page 2 of Businessday newspaper of Tuesday, October 27, 2015. The Council wishes to advise the management of Stanbic IBTC to withdraw the advertorial and immediately tender a written apology to the Council for the following reasons: “First, the FRC is not aware

of any court process served on the Council with regard to the Regulatory Decision issued on Stanbic IBTC on Monday, October 26, 2015. Second, while it is the duty of Stanbic IBTC to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the relevant provisions of International Financial Reporting Standards, IFRS, it is the duty of the FRC to monitor compliance with IFRS and also ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports and corporate disclosures, pursuant to the various laws and regulations currently in existence in Nigeria (see Sections 8 (i) (h), 28 (1) (a) and 11(d) of the FRC Act). The Council therefore stands by its Regulatory Decision as issued.

Decision and judgment “Third, while the FRC agrees that Stanbic IBTC can make business decision and judgment, we insist that such must be in compliance with all extant laws and regulations applicable in Nigeria and must be properly accounted for and disclosed in the financial statements of Stanbic IBTC. T "To make an application to National Office for Technology

Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP, on Sale, Purchase and Assignment agreement on Banking Application Software developed by Stanbic IBTC, Nigeria for ZAR 151,586,277 on 3 July, 2013after Standard Bank of South Africa Limited has been given the source and the code of the software on 6 July, 2012 (without NonDisclosure Agreement) and not accounting for it at all in its financial statements for relevant years is not acceptable.

“From a financial reporting perspective, Stanbic IBTC failed to disclose the Research and Development costs relating to the said Banking Application Software, the carrying amount of the intangible asset, the sales proceeds upon the eventual sale of the software and the profit or loss realised on the sale.

"We read a letter from NOTAP to Stanbic IBTC, at the meeting of 16 October 2015, in which NOTAP stated that if NOTAP does not issue a certificate of registration, an approval is invalid.

"It is not a case of “don’t remit” but a case of “don’t

accrue” which is a financial reporting issue.

Non-compliance “This is just one of the nocompliance (accounting and disclosure) issues in the Regulatory decision that Stanbic IBTC is to address in the restatement of its financial statements for years ended 31 December 2013 and 2014.

Accordingly, Stanbic IBTC is advised to obey the regulatory decision of the FRC and reverse the wrongly accrued amounts to retained earnings.

Finally, we like to restate here that the FRC registration of the named directors of Stanbic IBTC remains suspended.

“Accordingly, they are not allowed to vouch for the integrity of any financial statements issued in Nigeria.

Note that as FRC, we remain the conscience of regulatory assurance in Nigeria. We join all Nigerians to welcome investors (both foreign and local) to our country and will like everyone to know that as Nigerians, we ensure that what belongs to others, we will not take but, what belongs to Nigeria, we will never surrender.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29`— —17

E

ARLY this week, Tony BLiar, former British Prime Minister, finally said sorry for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Not only that though, he also agreed that the illegal invasion of Iraq “could be partly responsible for the rise of ISLAMIC STATE (one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in recent history)”.

I am quoting from the British newspaper, DAILY MAIL, which this week carried a very elaborate report on the tepid apology that Tony B-Liar offered for the crime that he joined George W. Bush to commit in defiance of international law.

For 12 years, Tony B-Liar arrogantly refused to apologise that Iraq neither had weapons of mass destruction nor were those weapons primed and ready to attack Britain. These were the false grounds upon which he played out his despicable role as a poodle of the American president, George W. Bush, to carry out an illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Tony B-Liar’s mea culpa came during an interview with the American anchor Fareed Zakaria, on CNN, broadcast early this week. Even the anchor used the opportunity to apologise for his own endorsement of the disgraceful invasion of Iraq, telling his viewers that he regrets his own initial support for the war.

Zakaria said he changed his mind after watching the postwar turmoil unfold as well as the emergence of the vicious and criminal terrorist group, Islamic State.

Major errors of judgment It is significant that Tony BLiar’s tepid apology was issued against the backdrop of the fact that Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry into the Iraq war was likely to soon issue a scathing criticism of his handling of the War. As DAILY MAIL argued: “His apology is bound to prompt claims that he is trying to head off the scathing criticism…

As a master of public relations and media manipulation, Blair may have calculated that since Chilcot is likely to accuse him of major errors of judgement, it is better for him to volunteer an apology now, rather than be forced to do so if, as seems certain Chilcot’s damning assessment gives him little choice.”

It seems clear that Tony B-Liar was making deliberate choices about even the location of his tepid apology. As the newspaper underlined: “The former Prime Minister ’s decision to make his apology in the US, as opposed to the UK, is also significant”. Tony B-Liar, who Nigerian politicians fawn on during regularly paid visits to Nigeria, cannot even freely walk on London streets as result of the Iraq invasion! He had arrogantly stuck to his position, as the invasion and occupation of Iraq led to some of the most horrendous crimes in contemporary human history.

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Tony B-liar's hypocritical Iraq invasion apology Addressing the British House of Commons in 2004, B-Liar stated thus: “I will not apologise for the conflict. I believe it was right”. In a 2007 TV interview he said: “I don’t think we should be apologising at all for what we are doing in Iraq.

We should be immensely proud. I can’t take responsibility for people sending car bombs into a market place”. In a 2010 memoir, he said of Iraq, that: “It was a headline question. It had to have a headline answer.

Answer ‘Yes’ and I knew the outcome: ‘Blair apologises for war’, ‘At last he says sorry’. I can’t say sorry in words. I can only hope to redeem something from the tragedy of death, in the actions of life, my life, that continues still’”.

For 12 years, this dangerous imperialist politician stuck to his incredibly inhumane position despite the evidence that all of humanity was presented with.

Iraqis went through killings and suffering at levels unparalleled in recent human history because of decisions taken in Washington by George W. Bush and the Neo-Cons and backed by their poodle in London, Tony B-Liar.

This week, he made a volteface. Asked if the decision to enter Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein had been a ‘mistake’, B-Liar replied: “…I apologise for the fact that the intelligence I received was wrong…the [chemical weapons] programme

Tony B-Liar’s tepid and hypocritical apology this week only scratches the surface; it does not go far enough; there must still be a full account for the criminal invasion of Iraq

in the form that we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought.

So I can apologise for that. I can also apologise, by the way, for some of the mistakes in planning and certainly our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you had removed the regime”. In issuing these apologies, there was no feeling whatsoever for the pains inflicted on millions of Iraqis and the destruction wrought on their society. It is important to remember that before the 2003 invasion, there was the decade-long sanctions regime which systematically degraded Iraqi life and turned one of the most developed countries in the Middle East into a desperately poor country, run by the vicious Saddam Hussein dictatorship. Saddam Hussein was a “Son of a Bitch”, but he was a Western-backed “Son of a Bitch”! While it lasted, the sanctions regime led to the death of over half a million Iraqi children, which the former American Foreign Secretary, Madeline Albright, in the typically immoral tradition of imperialist politicians, described as worthy of the sanctions regime!

Sanctions regime So when Fareed Zakaria asked Tony B-Liar whether the Iraq invasion was the ‘principal cause’ of the rise of ISIS, the liar answered thus: “I think there are elements of truth in that”. While Tony B-Liar in his CNN interview was “candidly” asking for forgiveness, according to DAILY MAIL newspaper, for not realising ‘what would happen once you removed the regime’, the same paper argued that his admission made “a mockery of the statement in the (Colin) Powell memo that Blair would ‘demonstrate [to Bush] that we have thought through ‘the day after ’- a reference to the consequences of invasion [of Iraq]”. And as the same newspaper reminded: “the bloody chaos in the region continues to this day” .

Illegal invasion of Iraq: All those who have followed my writings since 2002/3, in DAILY TRUST and subsequently on this page from 2011, would have noticed that I have been very scathing in my criticism of Tony B-Liar and the criminal, illegal invasion of Iraq.

Those who are not very aware might look at Iraq and assume that it is so far away and should not be our business. But in truth, the invasion and illegal occupation of Iraq is one of the most despicable imperialist crimes of the 21st Century.

The whole basis of the invasion was constructed upon a series of lies. Against the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush and the NeoConservatives issued a false narrative that somehow the criminal 9/11 attacks had something to do with Iraq.

Yet the majority of the attackers were from Saudi Arabia (one of America’s closest allies); these were Wahabist Salafists who had nothing in common with the Baathist dictatorship in Iraq.

Weapons of mass destruction A dictatorship that was incidentally assisted to seize power in Iraq by the West and was also assisted to launch an unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The second lie was that the same Iraq, defeated in the First Gulf War in 1990, and severely degraded as an aspirant power, possessed weapons of mass destruction. On the two counts, the aggressive imperialist invasion was a lie. But millions of Iraqis were killed, injured or displaced while the infrastructure of the country was bombed back into underdevelopment.

This was a follow up to the suffering visited upon the country during the UN sanctions that decimated thousands upon thousands of Iraqis, especially children. One of the crimes was directly related to the use of depleted uranium weapons and the appearance of deformed children, a phenomenon that they did not have in the country before the First Gulf War. Emotional attachment to Iraq: At a personal level, I have felt a tremendous emotional attachment to Iraq and its people for a host of reasons. I travelled extensively in Iraq on the eve of the Anglo-American invasion and illegal occupation of 2003. I visited such places as Baghdad, Samara, Babylon, Najaf, Karbala, amongst others.

Travelling in the country that is called the land of the two rivers [the Tigris and Euphrates], brought home to me, all that I

had been taught from childhood about the fact that it was the country at the dawn of human civilization; the country that gave the world writing and some of the earliest human attempts at mastering nature. It is a country of truly remarkable peoples. I saw the elements of civilization from Nineveh; Prophet Abraham; the Islamic period of the Abbasids and the remarkable culture of the times of the Caliph Haroun Rashid; visited the tombs of Caliph Ali (Prophet Muhammad’s cousin); the resting places of Imam Abu Hannifa and the Quadariyya leader AbdulQadirGailani and the prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein and great-grandson, at Adhamiya in Baghdad. And there was the great book selling and buying center of Baghdad as well as the remarkable culture dating back to pre-history, which were kept in Iraqi museums.

Imperialist arrogance Many of those museums were vandalised and robbed by the terribly uncultured AngloAmerican soldiers in the aftermath of the invasion. A lot was destroyed as a result of that illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. It was an expression of imperialist arrogance and impunity at its most naked nastiness telling all of us from the post-colonial countries, the fate that we face whenever the imperialists powers believe that we are not living our lives at levels that satisfy their strategic interests.

If anyone feels that Iraq was some kind of aberration, the fate of Libya only underlined the distance they can cover. And just like Iraq, Libya has been dismantled and for us in Nigeria, the dismantling of Libya has led to the proliferation of weapons that have been used in conflicts in Mali, Sudan, Central Africa, Niger and in Nigeria with the Boko Haram insurgency.

Iraq is not really as far away as we might think. In the long run, imperialist politicians like Tony B-Liar, must have their day in court for crimes against humanity. The same fate must also befall George W. Bush, and such leading Neo-Cons like Dick Cheney and the cowardly Donald Rumsfeld, who escaped an assassination attempt by the skin of his teeth in Iraq. That is my hope.

These individuals have been responsible for some of the greatest crimes against humanity at the beginning of the 21st Century. The chaos in Iraq today and the emergence of the terrorist ISIS organisation are directly connected to the illegal Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Tony B-Liar’s tepid and hypocritical apology this week only scratches the surface. It does not go far enough. There must still be a full account for the criminal invasion of Iraq by George W. Bush, Tony B-Liar and their neo conservative accomplices.

18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 IN what appears as a sharp departure from the common trend, a ministerial nominee, Mr Adebayo Shittu, while being screened at the Senate, took time to lecture Nigerians on the need to eschew mere religiosity and embrace Godly living. According to him, what most Nigerians practice is nothing but empty religion that does not reflect positively on their behaviours.

Shittu’s position is a pointer to the prevailing sheer pretence that passes as religious devotion among many Nigerians. Indeed it is quite ironic that while most Nigerians lay claim to being religiously committed and even make bold shows of defending their religious beliefs at every opportunity, this has never deterred them from exhibiting behaviours that infringe on the laws of the land.

This explains the baffling contradiction whereby, in spite of the steady increase in the number of churches and mosques in the country

An appeal to religious leaders and the overt display of religiosity as represented by the mammoth crowds of worshippers that attend religious programmes, the level of morality remains abysmally low. In the same vein, thousands of Nigerians embark on pilgrimages every year to designated Holy Lands in the Middle East and Europe without any indication that the attendant religious experiences enhance their moral consciousness.

An evidence of this can be seen in most elected and appointed public office holders who, in spite of their public shows of religiosity or frequent

defence of their religious beliefs, are never shy of dipping their hands in the public till. In fact, in Nigeria, treasury looting is the norm, with Christians, Muslims and adherents of other faiths equally culpable.

This situation continues to thrive because rather than preach against practices bordering on primitive accumulation of wealth and the rampant looting spree by public office holders, religious leaders often delight in celebrating their members who make huge donations without minding the sources of such donations. This encourages the

OPINION has also made it difficult for the citiReviewing our legislators 'Ayes' and 'Nays' tice zenry to assess their legislators in terms of

By Adewale Kupoluyi

A

few days ago, I was watching some legislative proceedings in one of the parliaments in the country when the speaker demanded the response of his colleagues to an important national discourse. In the usual conversation, the presiding officer had asked for either ayes or nays. After carefully listening to the responses given by the law makers, it was obvious that majority of them opted for nays but to my surprise, the speaker banged the gavel and declared that the ‘ayes have it’. I was shocked by the verdict!

In some nations of the world, including Nigeria, it is the usual tradition and practice for law makers to adopt voice vote of ayes (yes) and nays (noes) in taking decisions on important matters during parliamentary sessions. Section 56 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides that questions posed in the Senate or House of Representatives shall be determined by simple majority of the members present by voting. Similarly, in Rule 72 of the Senate (Upper Chamber) Standing Order, the National Assembly recognises three modes of voting, namely: voice votes, signing of register in a division and electronic device. The rule also applies to the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, which is the House of Representatives.

These modes of voting can further be subC M Y K

divided into two groups; the recorded votes and unrecorded votes. Voice votes fall into the unrecorded category, while division and electronic voting are classified as recorded votes. Rule 71(3)(4) specifically states that the President of the Senate or chairman of the legislative house, at the conclusion of the debate, will ensure that votes shall be taken by voice responses of ayes and nays while the result shall be declared by the presiding officer. Due to the observed discrepancies in the approach, there is the need for our parliament to discard the current arrangement and embrace the use of technology, move away from avoidable acrimony and be more accountable to the people.

Although few advanced democracies still rely on the voice vote mode, its disadvantages seem to outnumber the merits. The first demerit of voice vote option is the inability to record votes, thus preventing the electorate from knowing their representatives’ voting patterns and know whether it is in tandem with expectations. This prac-

There have been cases where clearly the ‘ayes have it’ but the presiding officer chose to do the opposite

performance. Secondly, it does not show sophistication and decorum. Many people are of the opinion that a more decent way of taking parliamentary decisions should be evolved. Thirdly, declaring voice vote’s result is usually unscientific, prone to manipulation and rather based on the opinion and discretion of the presiding officer and not on what really transpired, as I have earlier observed in this essay.

Just like in that scenario, there have been cases where clearly the ‘ayes have it’ but the presiding officer chose to do the opposite by declaring that the ‘nays have it’.

What is then democratic about this practice that we should still be using it? Should bills or motions affecting the general public be reduced and subjected to the whim and caprices of the presiding officer? Certainly, this type of voting pattern has the tendency to breed lawlessness and disorderliness. Most crises that had broken out in our legislative chambers have been found to be ignited by the outcome of the voice votes of members that are not in agreement with others causing open confrontation. It has been observed that voice vote has led to most violent confrontations and walk-outs in the annals of the National Assembly.

USAfricaonline in its report of May 18, 2010, indicated the effect of such controversial decision-making procedure while confirming the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s nomination of ex-Vice President

impression that the stealing of public funds can be expiated by giving out a portion of what is stolen as donation for religious causes.

Indeed, it is quite curious that most of those with cases to answer at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are notable members of different religious groups and denominations in the country. It is also curious that even in instances where some of these fellows have been indicted or convicted of financial and other related crimes, the leaders of their religious persuasions never openly condemn their nefarious actions.

We urge all religious leaders to reemphasise the principles of morality, holiness, love, good neighbourliness and self-sacrifice, which the founders of major religions exhibited while on earth. This would be a major compliment to the war on corruption and moral rebirth.

Namadi Sambo by the National Assembly. In the report, the Senate and the House of Representatives were said to have been enmeshed in controversy over the confirmation of Sambo, who was once the Kaduna State Governor. The voice vote, as a face-saving measure, was said to have been adopted to prevent scuttling the confirmation in view of some “contentious allegations” raised by those who objected to his candidature. While the Upper Chamber had a relatively non-rowdy session, the process was said to have even been raucous in the Lower Chamber because many members allegedly expressed more displeasure over the method by shouting against the nomination. Hence, the flaws inherent in the approach could be used contrary to democratic tenets.

On the other hand, adopting division as an alternative is commonly used when law makers have the cause to challenge the opinion of the presiding officer and when a particular legislator is unsatisfied with the rulings from the presiding officer, he/ she could claim a division. This process involves legislators voting ‘ayes’ and physically moving to one side of the chamber while the nays move to the other side. This could be said to be similar to the open ballot system of voting. Unfortunately, this approach has a major shortcoming of time wastage. One can guess the amount of time that would be wasted if a legislative house needs to vote on more than one bill a day.

•Kupoluyi wrote from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 29,, 2015— 19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

Kassim the oracle speaks again

P

ERHAPS, the reason why we are yet to defeat Boko Haram is that we, as a nation, have not approached the war on terror as a nation at war. When a nation goes to war, its leadership, through the president, mobilises the populace to come on board. Wars are not for soldiers alone to fight. In fact, without the people fully supporting the troops, a mighty army cannot defeat even a ragtag enemy.

Many reasons can be adduced for our chaotic approach to Boko Haram. The threat by some Northern leaders that if former President Goodluck Jonathan did not cede power to their region they would make the country ungovernable for him made many Nigerians to see the Boko Haram terror campaign as part of a Northern agenda to unseat Jonathan and grab power by force. This assumption has proved simplistic (even if tangentially true) because five months after the North was helped

by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to push out Jonathan and return to power, Boko Haram has killed more people through suicide bombings than at any other five-month stretch since they took up arms in 2012.

This, added to the hide-and-seek games the Northern leaders were playing (such as seeming to be protective of the terrorists and secretly applauding their “feats” when they hit churches and government institutions and even blaming the Jonathan Federal Government for “declaring war on the North”) heightened suspicions along Christian/Muslim, North/South lines.

Matters were further made worse by the many instances of open sabotage of the Army by Muslim soldiers who reportedly orchestrated conspiratorial desertions, defections or even handover of arms and ammunition to the terrorists. These emboldened them to occupy territories and plant their evil, dirty flags.

In the midst of these chaos, confusion, mistrust and fear, there was no easy way of telling the difference between the truth and lies. On February 17, 2014, Governor Kassim Shettima of Borno State, the eye of the Boko Haram storm, stormed Aso Villa to brief President Jonathan after the terrorists attacked a village called Izge and killed 106 people. When he came out of the meeting and was sur-

rounded by reporters, he was too emotionally drained to consider diplomatese.

“Honestly,” he said, “Boko Haram are better armed and motivated than our own troops. And, believe me, I am an eternal optimist as I have always said, but I am also a realist. Given the present state of affairs, it is absolutely impossible for us to defeat Boko Haram”.

Many of us, including this writer, were disappointed. I could not imagine how a group of untrained Islamic militants banking on the support of some underground financiers and gunrunners could be said to be “better equipped” than a Nigerian army that kept Nigeria one by force and established its dominance of the West African sub-region in the Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Darfur and Mali military campaigns.

Any attempt to start rebuilding before the conclusive conquest of Boko Haram will expose the people to danger again in their villages and render monies spent in rebuilding a waste

How not to manage a fall

T

HE view is popularly held that he who has never failed has never really succeeded because, properly used, that which people look upon as failure could provide a major springboard to bigger successes.

Again, failure is not really falling to the ground; it is remaining there when you fall and the greatest failure consists in deciding not to stand again.

In that moment of temporary fall, we must have the vision and flexibility to embrace change; to continuously adapt to changing situations; and to improve on our performance and our commitment to service.

When we fall, we should accept our fate, realising that history has no memory for the man who came second – not even the second man to climb the Kukuruku hill or the second man to walk on the moon. In essence, that man occupying the second position cannot be posturing as if he still occupies the first position. This is the essential difference between the government and the opposition.

In either case, good leadership puts the interests of society as a whole before those of any specific group.

At the inception of the current administration, President Muhammadu Buhari made no pretences over his avowed war against corruption and the need to pursue corrupt elements even into the deepest holes. Initially, he intended to make a clean start from the date of his inauguration; but a peep at the opening entries dictated otherwise. It became necessary for him to examine some aspects of the immediate past administration.

This did not go down well with the opposition who would rather have him go back to our return to democratic experiment in 1999. Clearly, this was an open invitation to the administration to spend its entire tenure probing the past, thus leaving it with no time to implement its own C M Y K

measures.

Understandably, the opposition elements have not been receptive to the idea of a probe in their acts of commission and omission, as symbolised by the barrage of attacks on the design. The recent outpourings of the PDP spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, give them away: Metuh has vehemently attacked Buhari’s anti-corruption war as draconian and selective. Hear him: “Only PDP exGovernors and Ministers have been picked up… No APC member, despite the public petitions of corruption and squandering of state funds, has been invited or questioned by the anti-graft agencies”.

Incidentally, Metuh is not speaking to the innocence or guilt of those accused.

Rather, he would want the application of federal or political party character on the fight against corruption – if you question one PDP, you must question one APC; and when you invite one Southerner, you must also invite one Northerner – unknown to him that while the Federal Character Principle is aimed at ensuring fair and equita-

The fight against corruption has no character; the anti-graft agencies have a duty to investigate petitions received by them, irrespective of the political party or geographical location of those involved

How could such a group be “motivated” knowing that there could only be one possible outcome of their quixotic bravura: annihilation.

Our experience has since shown us that the typical terrorist, as they say, sees the barrel of a gun pointed at him or the improvised explosive device strapped around his or her body as the free ticket to “paradise”. We later on started seeing what Shettima had been seeing: troops fleeing from the insurgents, troops refusing to fight, families of troops blocking the gates of barracks to prevent their breadwinners from being sent to fight Boko Haram, all due to poor equipment.

When the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, was retired in July 2015, he confessed to a shocked nation that his troops were poorly equipped to fight the insurgents. Shettima was right, after all! This was why our new President, Muhammadu Buhari, decided to recall soldiers dismissed by the Court Marshals that the same Badeh had authorised.

Now, with two months to the new deadline set by Buhari for the defeat of Boko Haram, another controversy has erupted between Governor Shettima and the military authorities. When a delegation of the Presidency led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr David Babachir Lawal, visited him in Maiduguri recently, Shettima gave an update of the situation. He said Boko Haram were still occupying two local governments – Abadam, Mobbar and part of Marte, adding that at a point, Boko Haram were controlling 20 out of 27 local government areas.

In a swift response, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Bu-

ratai, who is personally leading the troops in the final onslaught against the terrorists, hotly denied this, saying that the insurgents no longer occupy “an inch” of Nigerian soil.

This difference in opinions on the same subject by these two obviously well-meaning leaders is bound to sow the seeds of confusion. I want to believe Buratai because he is out there in the war front, not in Abuja.

However, he has to be upbeat for the morale of the troops and the nation at large. As a military commander, he is not expected to give any credit to the enemy. But I have chosen to believe Shettima because he has been frank with us before, and as Governor, he would not have the slightest reason to downplay the achievements of the military.

If anything, Kassim has been jumping, rather prematurely in my view, to start rebuilding schools and communities ravaged by Boko Haram. I say it is premature in that any attempt to start rebuilding before the conclusive conquest of Boko Haram will expose the people to danger again in their villages and render monies spent in rebuilding a waste. In his haste to start rebuilding, surely, Shettima should be the one telling us Boko Haram no longer holds any ground if that is so indeed.

Since the insurgents are still killing, destroying and infiltrating the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps with a view to staging suicide bombings, they must be seen as a wounded snake, not a dead one. Let us err on the side of caution and give the troops enough time to finish the good work.

Let’s make haste slowly.

ble distribution of positions and socio-economic amenities, the fight against corruption does not distinguish between thieves based on their places of origin.

If 20 corrupt elements are from the same household, the better as it makes the job of rounding them up easier for the anti-graft agencies.

Again, it is he who goes to the river that breaks the calabash. The law of averages would easily point to the fact that since PDP was in power for 192 months and APC has just completed the fourth month, for every 48 people questioned from the PDP stock, nobody should reasonably expect more than one from the APC side.

This is where the PDP hypothesis collapses. As things stand, the APC side is already over-subscribed because as difficult as it may be for the PDP to understand, Senator Bukola Saraki who has been shuttling between the Senate Chambers and the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, is an APC man.

The point being made here is that the fight against corruption has no character.

The anti-graft agencies have a duty to investigate petitions received by them, irrespective of the political party or geographical location of those involved.

Even more ludicrous is Metuh’s observation: “The APC former governors who have ongoing corruption cases in court are being rewarded with APC tickets…”. Why is Metuh turning his party’s strength to weakness? His motives could be clandestine, bordering on antiparty activities. Why else would he be offended that the APC is featuring “bad” candidates that could be easily defeated by the “bright” candidates of his party?

Or, could Metuh be playing smart? Coming from a tradition of money as panacea

for every problem, while Metuh’s party is featuring rich incumbent governors, he would rather have the APC feature neophytes. He may have been thrown off balance by the fact that the APC is featuring candidates that can match theirs, Naira for Naira.

The PDP stance is a classical case of how not to manage a fall. Good opposition is projected on constructive criticism, not on crying wolf. A well-meaning opposition should by now be thinking of where things went wrong and where to go from there.

History tells us that when the defunct Action Group and its leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, got entangled in a treasonable felony case, they did not stay in the market place, pleading witch-hunt.

Rather, they went for the best criminal lawyers in the world at the time and they got the best defence. By government estimation, nothing else could have stopped their elimination from mother earth!

Essentially, the 2019 race has begun. For those who want to avert a re-enactment of the 2015 scenario, this is the time. Last time, while you were haggling from court to court, x-raying your opponent’s primary school leaving certificate against your PhD, the man and his party were in the field campaigning for votes.

It is still more naïve to insinuate that defectors are driven solely by the need to avoid prosecution. Otherwise, what explanation would anyone have for some of the finest and most incorruptible members of the PDP who are jumping ship in droves?

It is time to sit back and plan properly.

After all, failing to plan is planning to fail.

20—Vanguard, Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

By Umar Yusuf, Yola

J

AMBUTU, a suburb of Yola, the Adamawa State capital, was scarcely ever in the news for good reason even before last Friday when a suicide bomber attacked worshippers at a Juma’at Mosque, killing no fewer than 54 persons.

The sleepy but fast growing ghetto with more than 400,000 inhabitants and which lies by the lake Gerio on the bank of the River Benue, has over the years acquired a notoriety of its own.

Indeed the criminality that thrives there pre-dated the advent of the Boko Haram in the North East of Nigeria.

It is known as the most popular hideout for armed robbers and other social miscreants in the ancient city of Yola. Hardened criminals, including drug barons and their associates, according to security report, operate mainly from Jambutu. At a point, the place was a no-goarea for security operatives.

To make matters worse, the popular Jambutu Motor Park, is located in the area. The Motor Park is notorious as a place where Indian hemp and other hard drugs are openly sold to willing buyers, with security agents preferring to look the other way.

Intending pilgrims It was due to the poor security record of the area that the Former Governor of Adamawa State, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako, decided to relocate the Muslims pilgrims transit camp from there.

Before the relocation, intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia were exposed to all sorts of anti-social behaviours while in the camp.

The camp hitherto was in the premises of the Environmental Sciences Department of the Adamawa State Polytechnic.

The suicide bomber struck: To forestall the empty camp from being taken over by miscreants, a Juma’at Mosque was built in the place. It was during the commissioning of the Mosque with eminent Muslim clerics and traditional rulers, headed by the District head of Jimeta, Dan Isa Adamawa, were in attendance that the suicide bomber struck.

The Friday Juma’at attack was the first of such heinous attack on Muslim worshippers in Yola though their Christian counterparts have recorded two or three invasions by gunmen since the Boko Haram insurgency began.

How attack was hatched and carried out As relatives continue to mourn their dead, more insights into how the attack was hatched and executed have continue to unfold. One source told Vanguard Metro, VM, that the C M Y K

JUMA’AT MOSQUE BOMB BLAST:

Day of horror for worshippers

•Jambutu Juma’at Mosque destroyed by blast two suspected suicide bombers carried out surveillance of the Mosque for hours before the Juma’at prayers.

Another report had it that the bomber initially attempted to enter the main prayer hall, even as prayer had commenced, but changed his mind and stayed outside. Moments later the explosives went off.

Buba Adamu, a staff of the Polytechnic, who survived the blast was full of thanks to Almighty God for saving his life.

Buba, who spoke from his sick bed at the Federal Medical

I attempted to stand up but fell down again; I started feeling pains in my legs; it was then I discovered my legs were not normal and I went into coma; it was only later I realised I was on a sick bed in this hospital

Centre, Yola stated that he still have some fragments of the bomb in his forehead. “The only thing I heard was a loud bang and I saw myself on the ground along with others. The next person to me in the row, who is my colleague, is still lying here in the emergency ward, hovering between life and death because of the severity of the injuries he sustained,” he said.

Another victim, Abubakar Umar, who had a broken leg told VM that following the blast he was contemplating escaping from the scene when he realised he had broken legs. “I attempted to stand up but fell down again; I started feeling pains in my legs. It was then I discovered my legs were not normal and I went into coma. It was only later I realised I was on a sick bed in this hospital,” he said.

Crowd attract by publicity An eyewitness, Mallam Bashir Mai Rauni, told VM that the massive publicity of the opening of the Juma’at Mosque in the radio, television and with public address system accounted for the large crowd that attended the event.

“Being a newly built Mosque to be commissioned as a Juma’at Mosque, people came from far and near to worship there. So as early as 12 noon worshippers had started trooping into the Mosque. And before it was time for prayers, the mosque was

filled to capacity, both inside and within its premises,” Bashir informed. He maintained that as it is the tradition with entering places of worship, especially Mosques, since the insurgency began, all worshippers entering the mosque were screened to detect possible intruders.

According to him, the suspected suicide bomber waited until the two Rakkat Prayers before he entered to mingle with the crowd.

Prayer session “After the Imam had began the recitation of the Holy Qur’an commencing the prayer session, a boy of about 12 to 13 years of age struggled to join other worshippers. Initially, he wanted to enter into a prayer hall but since prayers had commenced, he was left with no option than to join the congregation within the precinct of the Mosque. There and then, the explosives went off scattering human beings like pieces of wood,” Bashir narrated.

Stampede, shooting of protesting youths “The blast was accompanied by a serious stampede as people ran in different, looking for any possible escape route. But, despite the confusion and commotion, the Juma’at prayers went ahead before rescue oper-

ations commenced,” he added.

The eyewitness also informed that when the Military and other security agents arrived the scene of the blast they clashed with protesting miscreants and youths.

“Nobody knew what went wrong. But all of a sudden, miscreants and youths started throwing stones at the Military and other security agents drafted to the blast area. And within a twinkle of an eye, the soldiers started shooting, killing about three or four persons on the spot, while scores of others were injured in the ensuing melee,” Bashir recalled.

Late arrival of security agents Another eyewitness claimed that the youths and miscreants were protesting against the late arrival of the security agents to the scene of the blast.

This, the witness added, angered the people and they started hauling missiles, broken bottles stones, iron roads from the near mechanic workshop at any security agent within the area.

He maintained that the situation almost degenerated into a full blown confrontation as nearby shop owners hurriedly closed their business places as more re-enforcement of the security operatives were drafted to the scene before the situation was brought under control.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

— 21

Stanbic IBTC shareholders fault FRC •FRC lawyer quits •investigation continues

By Babajide Komolafe, Clara Nwachukwu & Nkiruka Nnorom

A

NEW twist emerged yesterday in the face-off between the Financial Reporting Council, FRC, and StanbicIBTC, as Vanguard exclusively gathered that the Council imposed a fine of N1billion on the bank without first convicting it for wrong doing.

Although the FRC did not mention this in its statement, a boardroom source at StanbicIBTC, in a text message to Vanguard said: “FRCN boss wrote StanbicIBTC asking us to pay N1 billion fine.” The source further noted: “The law makes it clear that fines can only be imposed after conviction,” and wondered “ whether he (FRC boss) read and understood his own law.”

Vanguard also learnt that the failure to follow due process in the StambicIBTC face-off forced FRC’s counsel to resign abruptly.

Meanwhile, shareholders of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc have condemned the recent pronouncement on the bank’s directors by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over alleged financial irregularities. They also called on the Federal Government to look into the activities of FRC in order to forestall further damage to the operation of companies operating in the country.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos, Mr. Boniface Okezie, president of the Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN) said shareholders were shocked by the actions of the FRC, noting that the council did not follow laid down procedures in approaching the matter.

He said that rather than using the mass media, the FRC should have instituted court action against Stanbic IBTC if it has any disagreement with the bank

118.65 $3,210.00

1.35 13.00

$14.62

CURRENCY BUYING DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL SDR KRONA

0.20

47.12

0.31

43.58

0.38

concerning its published accounts.

Stressing that the FRC should have applied caution in handling the matter, Okezie noted that the role of FRC is to help enhance the quality of reporting, adding “FRC is not the regulator of banks neither it is the regulator of the capital market.”

Okezie, however, expressed confidence on the leadership of the Board and management of Stanbic IBTC, saying “We have always commended the transparency and commitment by the board to conduct business only in line with world class corporate governance principles. It is on account of this that Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc is the only bank in Nigeria that has an AAA Fitch rating.” He added that shareholders are in support of the bid by the bank to expand its operation as this would guarantee optimal returns on investors’ investment.

Expressing disappointment at the manner in which FRC is executing what it believes to be its mandate, Okezie said the FRC should have recognised the implication of its reckless pronouncement in an unsophisticated capital market as it

could lead to panic among investors.

“Unfortunately, this recklessness has already made this happen as we have recorded losses in our share price over the last two days on account of the misguided actions of the FRC.”

Misguided actions He said: “We have been in shock since Monday, October 26, 2015 when Financial Reporting Council took to the media to make several questionable allegations against Stanbic IBTC. We are also aware that there is a procedure which FRC ought to follow if it disagrees with the published accounts of any corporate body.

“In fact, according to Regulation 27 of the Directorate of Inspection and Monitoring Guidelines, a reporting entity is at liberty to disagree with the views and opinions of FRC regarding its published accounts. The FRC will then institute legal action against that entity if there is a disagreement. This is the path the FRC ought to have taken as specified by the Directorate of Inspection and Monitoring

Guidelines Regulations of 2014.”

“We would have expected FRC to recognise that circumspection ought to be its guiding standard”. He added that He observed that FRC is currently ‘operating without the necessary oversight to moderate its excesses’, and called on President Buhari to urgently constitute a Board for the FRC. “Such a Board will exert control and limit the excesses of the council which is currently run as a one-man-show by its executive Secretary.”

Okezie also called on the president to deploy tested technocrats to head the Ministry of Trade and Investment, adding “this minister will also exert a controlling influence on the activities of the FRC and help to ensure that good intensions of government are not thwarted by the incompetence and lack of exposure of publicity-seeking and egocentric professionals.”

He, therefore, called on the bank’s shareholders to seek internal mechanisms of resolving any differences rather than resort to the use of manipulative regulators for the collective interest of their investment in the bank.

Africa Economic Conference to address poverty, inequality — AfDB

CENTRAL

195.97 300.5592 216.7036 199.0756 1.6279 0.3098 273.001 30.8377 52.2531 274.1228 29.0468

196.47 301.326 217.2565 199.5835 1.6321 0.3198 273.6976 30.9168 52.3864 274.8222 29.1209

196.97 302.0929 217.8094 200.0914 1. 6362 0.3298 274.3941 30.996 52.5197 275.5216 29.195

CBN Exchange Rate as at 28 /10 /15

C M Y K

MEETING - From left: Prof. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, (Director/Fellow, SCGN), Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, (Executive Director) NSE, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, CON,OFR(President, SCGN), Mr. Edward Okolo (Director, SEC-Representing the DG, SEC), Mr. Tijjani Borodo, ( Director/Fellow, SCGN) & Mr. Tunji Oyebanji (Director, SCGN) at the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria’s executive Breakfast meeting on ‘Corporate Governance and the Nigerian Capital Market Development’ held in Lagos.

T

HE African Development Bank (AfDB) says the forthcoming Africa Economic Conference (AEC), to be hosted by the Democratic Republic of Congo in November, will address poverty and inequality. A statement on AfDB website yesterday in Lagos said the theme for the 2015 AEC is “Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda” The conference will hold from Nov. 2

to Nov. 4 in Kinshasa, DRC. Citing documents from the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 and Africa’s Common Position on Post 2015 Development Agenda, the statement envisioned an Africa developed by its citizens.

“The vision is for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena. Key

among Africa’s aspirations is to achieve prosperity that is based on inclusive growth, and development that is people-driven and that also unleashes the potential of women and youth,” it said.

While noting the timeliness of the conference, the statement said that the central aim of Agenda 2063 was to eradicate poverty in all its ramifications in one generation.

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

All business owners must become wise money managers to ensure that the cash keeps flowing and the bills get paid

,

,

Characteristics of successful entrepreneurs

R

EGARDLESS of your definition of success, there are a great number of common characteristics that are shared by successful business people. There are certain musts that have to be fully developed, implemented and managed for your business to succeed.

Do what you enjoy What you get out of your business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be the sum of what you put into your business.

If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, chances are you won’t succeed.

Take what you do seriously You cannot expect to be effective and successful in business unless you truly believe in your business

If you don't enjoy what you're doing, chances are you won't succeed

and in the goods and services that you sell.

Far too many business owners fail to take their own businesses seriously enough, getting easily sidetracked and not staying motivated and keeping their noses to the grindstone.

Plan everything Planning every aspect of your business is not only a must, but also builds habits that every business owner should develop, implement, and maintain.

The act of business planning is so important because it requires you to analyze each business situation, research and compile data, and make conclusions based mainly on the facts as revealed through the research.

Manage money wisely The lifeblood of any business enterprise is cash flow. You need it to buy inventory, pay for services, promote and market your business, repair and replace tools and equipment, and pay yourself so that you can continue to work.

Therefore, all business owners must become wise money managers to ensure that the cash keeps flowing and the bills get

paid.

Be customer focused Your business is all about your customers, or clients, period.

After all, your customers are the people that will ultimately decide if your business goes boom or bust. Everything you do in business must be customer focused. One of the biggest features and often the most significant competitive edge a small entrepreneur has over the larger competitors is that he can offer personalized attention.

Project a positive image: You have but a passing moment to make a positive and memorable impression on people with whom you intend to do business.

Business owners must go out of their way and make a conscious effort to always project the most professional business image possible.

A business must have a clearly defined unique selling proposition. This is nothing more than a fancy way of asking the vital question, “Why will people choose to do business with you or purchase your product or service instead of doing business with a competitor and buying his product or service?”

Competitive advantage In other words, what one aspect or combination of aspects is going to separate your business from your competition?

Will it be better service, a longer warranty, better selection, longer business hours, more flexible payment options, lowest price, personalized service, better customer service, better return and exchange policies or a combination of several of these?

Invest in yourself Top entrepreneurs buy and read business and marketing books, magazines, reports, journals, newsletters, websites and industry publications, knowing that these resources will improve their understanding of business and marketing functions and skills.

They join business associations and clubs, and they network with other skilled business people to learn their secrets of success and help define their own goals and objectives.

Top entrepreneurs attend business and marketing seminars, workshops and training courses, even if they have already mastered the subject matter of the event. They do this because they know that education is an ongoing process.

BUSINESS NAIRA EXCHANGE RATES (28/10/15) Currency DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

Buying(N) 195.97 299.5401 216.8604 199.1363 1.6278 0.3113 273.437 30.8134 52.2489 29.0649 274.0444

Central(N) 196.47 300.3044 217.4137 199.6443 1.6319 0.3213 274.1346 30.8925 52.3822 29.139 274.7436

Selling(N) 196.97 301.0686 217.967 200.1524 1.6361 0.3313 274.8323 30.9716 52.5155 29.2132 275.4428

Commod Light Crud

Natural G Sugar Coffee Cocoa

How to raise funds for business start ups

By Yinka Kolawole, with agency report

R

AISING money to start businesses has always been an issue with most start up entrepreneurs.

The importance of cash for funding a start up business cannot be over-emphasised, but ranked side by side with original ideas, focus, persistence, passion and vision, money ranks at the bottom.

You don’t need to start big.

Apart from the fact that raising funds may be a challenge, as a beginner, you are bound to make mistakes, and mistakes cost money. If you start big, you make expensive mistakes and may find it difficult to recover.

You can start from your living room, garage or boys quarters hence you don’t need a shop.

At the beginning, it is wiser not to hire anyone yet until you generate enough turnovers to support that overhead. Be a one man squad and learn as

you go along. As for equipment, you can improvise or rent. That way, you don’t need a heavy financial outlay to purchase equipment.

Savings: In raising money for a business start up, the best bet is personal savings. The best source of cash to start your business is your savings. You have to start saving towards your business, if you have not done so already. This involves cutting out the fat in your budget, taking off things you can do without for a season.

Reduction of eating out Depending on your lifestyle, it may mean reducing eating out, cutting your spending on clothes such as Aso Ebi, reducing your phone and cable TV bills etc. If you can save 10 percent of your gross income, you have an equivalent of one month salary in 10 months. If you save 20 percent, you have one month’s salary saved in five months and so on.

Turning trash to cash Another way of raising money for a business start up is by disposing of stuff you own that you no longer need which others are ready to pay for. It could be items you bought but never opened, or old equipment you no longer use.

Since we are so adept at turning cash to trash, for once, we can reverse the process by turning thrash to cash and making good use of what you have. Most of us have so much cash trapped in our homes in unused appliances, adult toys, electronics, computers, jewelry etc.

Some have unused boys quarters that can be rented out etc. Release the cash and put it to work in your business. Also, money could be raised to finance business start ups by drawing down from your assets by selling some of your stocks and bonds to raise the required cash.

Borrow from self Another way to raise cash is to borrow from yourself. One

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 23

,

& YOU

dity de

Gas

Change ($) +1.39

% Change +3.22

2.06

-0.03

-1.39

14.67

+0.25

+1.73

119.15

+1.85

+1.58

3,212.00

+15.00

+0.47

way is to borrow from your investment linked life insurance policy. The amount you can draw down depends on the total premium paid so far. The percentage you can draw down varies with insurance companies. Also you can borrow from your retirement account, if your policy allows such. If you have a personal retirement account, you can easily draw down from this, making sure you pay back as soon as possible. Borrowing from your retirement account is however not a good idea, if you are close to retirement. One disadvantage of borrowing from yourself is that the commitment to repay may be low as the tendency is to look at it as free money.

Family and Friends Another common way of raising money to start your business is from friends and family. A lot of people rush to this option without considering all options in raising the money by looking inwards, including borrowing from themselves.

It is much easier under normal circumstances to borrow from family than friends etc.

Money and friendship does not mix well. Money can tear apart the best of friendship if not well handled.

A better option is to form a mini cooperative society (Esusu) between friends, pool funds together and take agreed turns to draw down from the

The best source of cash to start your business is your savings

,

Expecting results versus Inspecting results

COMMODITIES (28/10/15) Last 44.59

The era of waiting until an assignments, tasks or projects are finished until we get feedback is gradually fading away

common pool at zero interest.

This is a tried and tested system when friends with integrity commit to the process (and not take the money and walk). Also along this line are employee cooperative societies that give soft loans to members (way below bank rates).

Loan from lending institutions Going to a lending institution to raise a loan to start your business is not the best option, but in some instances, it may be your only option especially if you need to grow. There are many options under this scenario, for example venture capitalist, private investors, banks etc.

Venture capitalists also known as angel investors go for high risk investments – companies with a great future in its formative stage, e.g. the people that funded Google, facebook etc in their formative stages.

Formative stages They take a big risk by investing in your business. In return for their money, they take a stake in your business, and sometimes demand a role in the day to day running of the company to safeguard their investment. They have a say in key decisions, and often steer you in the direction of going public and getting listed in the stock exchange so as to take profits.

More often than not, since they have the money while you have the sweat, you often find yourself negotiating from a position of weakness, and may end up becoming an employee of your benefactors.

Most entrepreneurs are wary of angel investors, and try to go it alone until they are strong enough to negotiate from a position of strength. As an entrepreneur, you want to be in charge as much as possible, welcoming investors without losing control.

“Every line is the perfect length if you don’t measure it”...Marty Rubin

D

URING one of the partners meetings in San Diego, with our late founder of Haines Centre for Strategic Management Steve Haines, he said something that resonated with me, and helped me understand the need not just to measure what people are doing but to also monitor them.

He said, “People don’t do what you expect but what you inspect”.

This quote eventually became a reminder and my deep foundation in driving results. In addition, I suddenly realised that business failures and poor performances could be minimised should managers and leaders begin to inspect their desired results from their subordinates from time to time.

Interestingly, few years ago, a manager might not see the need to inspect his or her trusted subordinate, believing that he or she will naturally deliver results. In this case, the manager expects results (and is often times disappointed). One might say, but it can still happen in today’s world.

Shareholder's expectations True, it may be possible, but the rates of changes from the outside world and even shareholder’s expectations have made us to have a rethink. Now, no organisation can afford not to inspect and monitor what people are doing. The era of waiting until an assignment, task or project are finished until we get feedback is gradually fading away. We need to constantly ask “what is going on?”

Asking does not mean you don’t trust the ability of your colleague doing the assignment, it simply means you don’t want to leave anything to chance. It also means that you want to see results delivered instead of reasons or excuses for failures.

Every organisation should have a way of measuring their

BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE

Every organisation should have a way of measuring their performances at intervals performances at intervals. Not at the end of the journey- but in between the journeys.

Sometimes organisations are too patient (even if you are, your shareholders are not).

They wait until the end of the journey before measuring their progress. If we don’t want to end up somewhere we didn’t plan on, we must reevaluate how we measure our progress during the journey.

My message is, start to measure your goals on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis towards your overall destination.

Measure what’s important, not what’s easy.

We typically measure factors that show we are making progress towards our destination. Sometimes leaders measure the easy things, like financial information, without considering the other areas that need to be monitored during the journey.

There’s nothing wrong with evaluating financial information; it is important to the journey. But it shouldn’t be the only thing we measure.

You will need to determine what areas make sense to measure your journey’s success. I also understand that sometimes it is tempting and probably makes more sense to

measure only the financials – but that should not be the case.

What to Measure?

Consider these areas for possible measurement: Customer information; Employee satisfaction; Supplier/partner feedback; Operational excellence; Financial success; Applied innovation.

Choose measurement areas such as these, not just one area, to give you a good balanced, overall picture of your success.

Any organisation that measures these areas all together will not achieve anything less of success – and this is guaranteed. Importantly, you must measure your progress on a specific , ongoing timetable. It is the difference between staying on the road and making changes only after you’ve driven into someone’s wheat field and crashed the car.

In our various organisations, measuring regularly will show: How you know you’re being successful - are we moving towards our destination? How we know we are in trouble are we on the road or on the shoulder? What corrective actions to take if we are in trouble - what adjustments do we make in our steering and speed to reach our destination?

Final notes: Asking your subordinates a simple question like, is everything okay, can open up a line of communication that will eventually impact positively on performance.

Often times, we might be disappointed when we sit down and expect results to come just because we surround ourselves with trusted or competent people.

One of the best ways to avoid disappointments (with your expected results) is to constantly inspect what your people are doing, that way you are always in the picture – knowing what is working and what is not. So, don’t just expect results to come rather inspect the results you want to attract.

For your views or perspectives Email: uju@hainescentre.com Mobile: 09091142093 C M Y K

24 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

NIBSS won’t give control of BVN data to NIMC---SHONOBI •Unveils portals for verification of BVN Stories by Babajide Komolafe IGERIA Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said it will not handover the control of Biometric Verification Number (BVN) data to the Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Meanwhile the company has unveiled two portals for verification of Biometric Verification Number (BVN), ahead of the directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which makes BVN submission criteria for foreign exchange transactions from November .

Addressing a press conference in Lagos, Managing Director/Chief Executive, NIBSS, Mr. Ade Shonubi, said, while the company will share relevant BVN data with NIMC, to facilitate issuance of the National Identity Number (NIN), it would however not handover the control of BVN data on the company.

He stated, “We are sharing that with them, we are not handing over

N

to them. We would give them a copy of the data that they need but we will not give them our database. What we give them will allow them to expand their own enrollment to Nigerians because what we give them will be sufficient for them to issue a NIN.” “This means once you have a bank account, you will automatically have a NIN. So you don’t need to go to them (NIMC) to get a NIN but you will need to get to them for the card because they still need to take your current picture and a few other things to put on the card. But we will be able to issue a NIN to everybody who has a bank account because of the integration.”

Speaking on the portals for created for verification of BVN, Shonubi said, “We have developed these portals to provide the means for verification of BVN for foreign exchange transactions as directed by the CBN. The platforms however can be used by any organisation or individual to

verify BVN submitted to them”. “In doing so, we have tried to keep it simple for anyone to use,” he added.

Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last week, directed that the BVN will become mandatory for all foreign exchange transactions from November 1st, 2015. The apex bank also mandated bureaux de change and other foreign exchange dealers to verify from NIBSS BVN submitted for foreign exchange transactions.

Oluseyi Adenmosun, the BVN Project Coordinator said this had informed the option of the USSD, a much easier platform to use. He explained that the BDC operators or anybody can dial the short code *565*1# on their phones from any part of the world for the validation.

The USSD code when dialed will prop up a message asking for the BVN and the date of birth of the BVN holder to confirm the genuineness of the BVN. The BDC operators also have the option of using the NIBSS website portal for the validation. The service costs N20 per enquiry.

Union Bank unveils new brand identity

By Jonah Nwokpoku

U

NION Bank of Nigeria Plc has unveiled a new brand identity to reflect its new strategy of improved financial services to meet modern day banking needs.

The new brand consisted of a massive replica of Union Bank’s white stallion in a more energetic and aggressive form and a fresher and more vibrant blue in the new logo. A new brand slogan of ‘building simpler, smarter bank’ has also been introduced into the new identity to replace the old ‘big, strong and reliable’ slogan.

Speaking at an event for the unveiling of the new identity in Lagos, the Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, Mr Emeka Emuwa, said: “We believe that critical milestones we have achieved in the past three years have laid a solid foundation for us as a bank. The launch of this refreshed identity signals a new phase in Union Bank’s transformation as we set our sights on attracting a new base of customers while remaining focused on providing simple and smart banking solutions to all our customers.”

He added that “Union Bank has been a trusted name for Nigerians for nearly a century and we will continue to leverage our heritage as we embrace a rapidly changing world.”

Also speaking at the event, Chairman of Union Bank, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said: “I am very proud of the strides the bank has made during my time as Chairman and I commend the Board, Management and Staff on their hard work over the years and I am sure the Bank will continue to succeed as it embarks on a new phase with a refreshed brand identity.”

On her part, Head, Corporate Affairs and Communications, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem said: “Union Bank is one of the longest standing financial institutions in Nigeria and our new identity pays homage to our past and carries with it our proposition for the future. In developing the new identity, remaining true to our brand proposition of simplicity was foremost in our minds.”

FCMB rewards winners in ‘Millionaire Promo Season 2’ CONFERENCE - From left: Deputy Managing Director, FBN Capital Limited, Mr. Taiwo Okeowo; Managing Director, FBN Capital Limited, Mr. Kayode Akinkugbe; Group Chief Executive Officer, FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Bello Maccido; and Ag Managing Director, Kakawa Discount House Limited, Mr. Gboyega Fatoki, at FBNQuest Investor Conference on Tuesday.

Rancard unveils Rendezvous social recommendation engine R ANCARD Solutions Limited has launched Rendezvous Social Recommendation Engine, designed to connect buyers and sellers via multiple channels.

Speaking at the launching ceremony in Lagos, Mr. Kofi Dadzie, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Rancard, said that Rendezvous was developed to address the gap between firms and potential customers. “Firms weren’t to connect with relevant mobile audience, while mobile users complain of not getting relevant adverts. Rendezvous will ensure that mobile audience receive adverts based on their interest and on recommendation of their friends, while it will help firms target audience with interest related to their products”. “Mobile ad intrusion is an issue as a result of lack of deep knowledge about what is relevant to the consumers,

leading to inability to personalise adverts. One of the values that Rendezvous brings is knowledge of the consumer, their social connections and relationships, as well as associated interests and preferences, thereby bringing relevance to the ads being delivered on behalf of brands and eliminating spam.”

He disclosed that an essential feature of the Rendezvous is the Campaign Manager, designed to address the major barriers for businesses looking to acquire customers online. “Recent trends indicate that a significant number of users are gaining access to online channels through their mobile devices which are increasingly data-enabled. This means that businesses need to allocate more of their advertising budget to online channels.

The challenge for brands has been

how to effectively allocate their budget to reach their users where they can be found online. Feedback from our agency partners has led us to invest heavily in Campaign Manager which hides the complexity of multi-channel online advertising and provides granular reporting and analytics to enable brands get the best yields from their spending”, he explained.

On his part, Mr. Ehizogie Binitie, Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer and Director, Rancard, explained that Rendezvous leverages on the trust factor to enhance e-commerce. “One of the challenges with commerce platforms are just before you buy, you are not sure whether what you are about to buy is what you’ll actually get. You may see something nice in picture and you are not sure how good it will be when the item is delivered.

F

IRST City Monument Bank has rewarded winners that emerged in the first set of draws in the ‘’FCMB Millionaire Promo Season 2” which took place across the country.

While 3 customers of the bank were rewarded with the sum of N1million each at the regional draws held in Abuja, Ogun and Abia states, a total of 640 others smiled home with LED televisions, generating sets, decoders, tablets, smart phones and other consolation prizes at the zonal draws held in different parts of the country. The exercise was conducted through electronic selection of qualified customers.

At the Lagos/South-West Regional draw which took place in Abeokuta, Ogun states, Mr. Thompson Nkumaliyi emerged winner of N1million, while at the Abuja/North Regional draw held in Abuja, Mr. Mohammed was rewarded with the same amount, just as Sandra Seipulou won N1 million at the South-East/ South-South Regional draw that took place in Umuahia. Speaking on the promo, the Senior Vice President/Divisional Head of Retail of FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu, said that the Millionaire Season 2 Promo, ‘’is aimed at further connecting and rewarding our customers for their loyalty and patronage. It also follows the request of our esteemed customers and our desire to ensure that more of them (both existing and potential) benefit from this exciting reward scheme which has turned dreams to reality”.

He added that, ‘’as an inclusive lender focused on delivering valued-added products and quality service that translates to exceptional customer experience, the promo is to equally empower our account holders to fulfil their aspirations.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY,

A Chinese pupil in the learning process using mother tongue

PRIMARY, SECONDARY EDUCATION:

The case for instruction in mother tongue IN recent years, the percentage of candidates who pass the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has been hovering between 20.73 per cent and 31.28 per cent.

Many reasons have been adduced to explain this trend. One is that students no longer study due to so many distractions, especially from the social media. Interestingly, some people feel that the major issue is lack of comprehension of the medium of instruction which is the English language. There is no gainsaying the fact that if the medium of instruction is not well understood, there is no way a student will comprehend the subjects well enough to pass exams.

This group believes that if children are taught in their mother tongue at the early stages, they will understand the subjects better and subsequently do well in exams. Perhaps, in recognition of the crucial role of language in education, the Nigerian National Policy on Education stipulated that “Government will see to it that the medium of instruction in primary school is initially the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community and at a later stage, English.” In this report, Vanguard Learning presents the opinions and possible solutions to the national embarrassment proffered by stakeholders Excerpts:

I

By Ebele Orakpo

N 2010, only 24.94% of candidates who sat for the

Don seeks better teaching methods in tertiary institutions PG. 27 C M Y K

exam obtained credits in English Language, Math and at least three other subjects.

2011 - 29.17%; 2012 - 31.28%; 2013 -29.17% and in the 2013 Nov/Dec edition - 40.46% passed. In 2014, only 31.28% passed.

Eclipse of the mother tongue: In an earlier interview with Karon Harden, American University of Nigeria’s Academic Liaison for Community Engagement and Service Learning, she had said that from a linguistic point of view, and from the experiences garnered while tutoring primary

school children in Yola in the Students Empowered through Language, Literacy and Arithmetic, (STELLAR) program, “if you first learn to read in a language that you understand, then it will strengthen your English literacy later. Reading is the foundation for all the other learning so if they cannot read, it is going to affect their science and other subjects so we are trying to reinforce their basic reading skills.

“Over 95 per cent of our kids do not speak English at home and they never hear English outside the school so they don’t have the comprehension.

National consciousness They can decode a word, you can make them repeat it for you but they don’t comprehend.”

In a paper entitled Language, Education and National Consciousness, presented by Professor Sola Oke at the Iju Forum in July 2012, the Professor of Modern Languages said: “The explanations usually advanced for this poor performance include inadequate mastery of English and Math. Much as this is valid, poor and bad performance by learners who use a foreign official language in a multilingual situation could very well be partly

a result of language inadequacies arising from total or near total marginalisation of their mother tongues.

"A Yoruba child who has been socialised primarily in the Yoruba community, is certainly more likely to make faster and more significant progress in formal education if he or she does not have to 'purge himself of the mother tongue' in order to facilitate the learning of English, the official language.”

Mother tongue is it: Angelina Kioko, a professor of English and Linguistics at United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya argues that “a crucial learning aim in the early years of education is the development of basic literacy skills: reading, writing and arithmetic.

Essentially, the skills of reading and writing come down to the ability to associate the sounds of a language with the letters or symbols used in the written form. These skills build on the foundational and interactional skills of speaking and listening. When learners speak or understand the language used to instruct them, they develop reading and writing skills faster and in a more meaningful way.”

Optimal language According to UNESCO, “a child’s first language is the optimal language for literacy and learning throughout primary school. In spite of growing evidence and parent demand, many educational systems around the world insist on exclusive use of one or sometimes several privileged languages.

This means excluding other languages and with them, the children who speak them.”

Global Partnership for Education in its reviews noted that that “children whose primary language is not the language of instruction in school are more likely to drop out of school or fail in early grades.”

Could this be the reason why Nigeria has one of the highest number of out-of-school children?

In Nigeria, the use of local

If children are taught in their mother tongue at the early stages, they will understand the subjects better and subsequently do well in exams

OCTOBER 29, 2015

— 25

languages is banned in most schools.

Solutions: Professor Pita Ejiofor, former Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University argues that children should be taught in the language they understand best. “The de-facto mother tongue of our children is English language so my attitude is that you teach children in a language where their vocabulary is highest.

For many Ndi Igbo in the cities, that vocabulary is English. Just imagine teaching an Igbo child based in Lagos in Igbo language, he will not understand. So the best is to teach them in a language they understand most. A typical Hausa child knows Hausa more than any other language; a typical Yoruba child knows Yoruba more than any other language but unfortunately, for a typical Igbo child based in Lagos or Abuja, the language he understands most is English.

There is no magic about mother tongue; it is only another word for a language which a child understands most.”

For Mr. Rajesh Mehta, CEO of Lagos-based The Bazzar Farms and Stores Ltd, “it is not necessary to teach the entire syllabus in the mother tongue but everybody must learn their mother tongue, otherwise, overtime, the language will disappear and we may not even know our roots.

Everyone has to speak his mother tongue whether he likes it or not so let it be one compulsory subject. A Chinese president will never speak English, he speaks Mandarin; a Japanese prime minister only speaks Japanese. In Germany, they speak German while in France, they speak French.

Forgetting his culture It is only those people colonised by the British that always want to speak English and this has obviously affected us. Our children do not know our language; they have forgotten our culture so it has affected us to a large extent. If you forget your language, you forget your culture.”

Citing the India example, Mehta who is from Mumbai said: “In India, we have one national language, Hindi, which is compulsory. A student can then choose French or Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world. So in what we call English Medium Schools, everything is taught in English but Hindi is compulsory for everybody and the child can choose any other language of choice as third

Continues on page 26

26—Vanguard, THURSDAY,

OCTOBER 29, 2015

Physics award and lessons from Albert Einstein on reform

By Tunji Olaopa

AWARDS: From left: Mr Tunji Idowu, Manager, Chevron Social Performance and Planning, Mrs Clementina Aroubi, Steve Freeman, Director, Gas, Chevron, Mrs Margaret Neff, Hon. Obafela Bankole and Master Ukaegbu Christopher, winner, senior category, NNPC/Chevron, National Art Competition for Nigerian Secondary Schools,during unveiling of its winners at Muson Centre, Lagos.

The case for instruction in mother tongue Continues from page 25 language.”

On whether children understand better in their local language, Mehta answered in the affirmative, noting, however, that it is up to parents to teach them.

“A child grows with a language of his own. If you are born into an Igbo family, you definitely have to learn Igbo because everyone speaks the language at home but when the parents themselves do not speak the language, that is where the problem starts because once you go to school, you are going to learn English whether you like it or not but the mother tongue which you are going to start learning from year one, starts from when you start talking.”

In his contribution, Mr. Amed Demirhan, General Manager/ Director at Barzani National Memorial, Kurdistan, Iraq, said that in Kurdistan, Kurdish is mostly used in primary and secondary schools especiallly in teaching social sciences while sciences are taught in English.

Also Arabic is used. English is mostly used in the universities.

The Ife example Citing the Ife example in which the Faculty of Education of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) performed an experiment in the 70s called Six-Year Primary Project (SYPP), Oke noted that Yoruba was used as medium of instruction while English was taught by specially trained teachers. “In some parallel schools, however, the medium of instruction was English in the last three years while Yoruba was used as medium of instruction only in the first three years. At the end of the six-year period, the pupils who were taught in Yoruba performed better than their counterparts who were taught in Yoruba in the first three years and in English in the last three years, in practically all subjects including English.

“The adoption of the SYPP approach in formal education for the whole of Nigeria would mean that all the major and main C M Y K

Nigerian indigenous languages could be used in line with the Yoruba example especially because of the spectacular success that the experiment achieved. (Bamgbose, 1992) The Adamawa/AUN case Dr. Margee Ensign, president of AUN said the computer students of AUN wrote apps for teaching Hausa and Fulfulde “because people want to learn in their mother tongues.”

Coordinator of AUN’s STELLAR program, Dr. Grace Malgwi, indicated that the reason STELLAR is successful is because the tutors who are AUN students teach using a bilingual language (English/Hausa).

And over 1,400 child beneficiaries in the primary schools have improved in their basic reading and numeracy skills.

Result from the program shows that during early learning, children in rural areas learn faster in their local language.

“The goal of STELLAR is to strengthen the basic academic skills of primary school students in Adamawa State so that they continue successfully in school and reap the full benefits of education.

Based on a study, in October 2013, STELLAR administered an Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) to 180 Primary 2 and 3 pupils in two schools in Yola as the baseline assessment for its fall semester tutoring program. The results showed very low levels of reading proficiency, with Primary 2 pupils reading on average only

Children whose primary language is not the language of instruction in school are more likely to drop out of school or fail in early grades

0.38 words per minute (wpm) and Primary 3 pupils only 6.10 wpm (compared to 51 and 71 wpm, respectively, for gradelevel equivalent in the US).

The low achievement rates come as no surprise to those who recognise the critical role of language in education.

Although English is the ‘official’ language in Nigeria, and the most common medium for reading and writing, it is only spoken by 20% of the population.

Of the 208 primary school pupils interviewed in the STELLAR tutoring program in 2012, only 4% reportedly speak English at home. The most common home languages were Hausa (44%) and Fulfulde (27%); the remaining 25% spoke one of 15 other languages.

Malgwi noted that the STELLAR program is an afterschool program that fortifies the foundation of a child’s education in the primary school.

Education for All (EfA) Education for All can only be possible if children are taught in their mother tongue. According to Global Partnership for Education, “some educators argue that only those countries where the student’s first language is the language of instruction are likely to achieve the goals of EfA. Research also suggests that engaging marginalised children in school through mother-tongue-based, multilingual education is a successful model.”

There is need to get the foundation right because if the foundation is not right, the entire structure will collapse.

Institutional education researchers in Nigeria, therefore, need to explore measures and best solutions to fortify the early learning years of the Nigerian child using their mother tongue.

Angelina Kioko concluded that, “the use of learners’ home language in the classroom promotes a smooth transition between home and school. It means learners get more involved in the learning process and speeds up the development of basic literacy skills.

ON Tuesday 6th of October, the Nigerian Institute of Physics (NIP) conferred on me its coveted Award of Excellence during the NIP 38th Annual Conference held at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye. In my acceptance speech, I had occasion to reflect on one of my heroes, the renowned Nobel Laureate and mathematical physicist, Albert Einstein and his influence on my intellectual development.

Permit me therefore to share with you how Physics and the ideas by great Physicists have influenced my personal experiences and helped shape the person that I am today. A reflection on how my intellectual development was shaped by lessons from the great genius mathematical physicist, Albert Einstein.

Being nominated for an award of this kind is a most pleasant surprise to me as it should be to many who are familiar with my disciplinary orientation as a public intellectual.

Just like the ancients wondered whether Saul who later became king in the era of Prophet Samuel in the Bible was also a prophet, some would rightly wonder, what has Tunji Olaopa got to do with physics? I suspect that most people in the NIP must also have wondered too.

I would never have imagined that such an illustrious gathering of theoretical beings like those who populate the Nigerian Institute of Physics would ever have the time in the world to notice mere mortals like me who are involved in the drudgery of making the wheel of the Nigerian state run. But it seems as if I had been dragged by the force of an electronic/digital policy compulsion into the hallowed company of those who have the likes of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein as forebear and the current Lucacian Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking, as contemporaries.

It was the very thought of Stephen Hawking that set me thinking when I received the notification for this award. I have received several awards, most of

Can a reformer credibly receive an honour when the business of reform never finishes?

which have some kind of connections with what I am and what I do as a civil servant, a public administration scholar and a reformer.

In some published articles— collected in my forthcoming book, Civil Service and the Imperative of Nation Building— I raised the question of what it means to honour a reformer, and how those honours factor into what reform itself means. In other words, I asked whether rewards and honours and awards ever capture the essence of the reform business. Can a reformer credibly receive an honour when the business of reform never finishes?

However, this award affects me differently, and definitely not as a reformer. It reaches farther back into the very constitution of who I am as a person, and my evolution as an intellectual.

Fortunately for me, it was my father who set me on a path of no return into the complex and exciting world of ideas. I said ‘fortunately’ because that course of my life was not what was intended by my parents. Later events in my life, after the seed of intellectual awareness had been planted, revealed that my parents only desired a son who will make a good life decision for himself.

Reading of Plato's Republic When I decided, after reading Plato’s Republic, that I wanted to become a philosopher, my parents could not see a viable job prospect attached to that “foolish” desire. Yet, he had no idea that what led to that not-so-foolish decision was his own doing.

I remember that my first introduction to the word ‘genius’ was when my father used it to characterize Prof. Ojetunji Aboyade. So, hearing that he was a genius naturally sent me scrambling for the dictionary.

As an example of a genius, the dictionary cited Albert Einstein.

And from then on, Einstein became my titular model of the best anyone can ever be in life, and the best I want to be. The name of Einstein and everything I finally read about him became the instigator for the unfolding of my personal temperament as a borderline introvert given mainly to nurturing the inner self.

It was in the course of such nurturing that I got introduced to Soyinka, Achebe, Bertrand Russell, Lobsang Rampa, Mandela, Dag Hammarskjöld, Albert Schweitzer, Karl Popper, Gandhi, and many others. I had met Plato earlier and I had no doubt then and now, that I want to be at the forefront of generating ideas that could be revolutionary enough to transform nations.

And I should not forget to say that I read Stephen Hawking too.

A Brief History of Time, for Continues on Page 28

Vanguard, THURSDAY,

OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 27

Plateau State varsity’s governing council inaugurated

By Chiebuka Enwerem

I

EXHIBITION: From Left; Team leader, Olukoya Olusanya; Material Engineer, Mohammed Adelakun; Body sculpture, Opetunde Oluwaseyi; Mechanical Research, Ademola Adekunle; Design and Analysis, Maduka Smart; Admin services, Peace Omoruyi; Public Relations, Ebenezer Christopher, students of University of Lagos, Faculty of Engineering and members of Project Dove Initiative at the luncheon and exhibition of Project Dove Initiative's electric car tagged DOVE P1, at Julius Berger Hall, UNILAG.

Local, international excursions, part of learning— Expert

By Tare Youdeowei ICE President, Lencol HR & Educational Consultants, Mrs Sharon Webley has disclosed that local and international excursions are integral part of a child’s total education. Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, Webley said:"Excursions to schools abroad strengthen teaching and expose pupils to the skills and opportunities necessary to compete with international academic standards."

She explained that thus far, Nigerian students who were opportune to have participated in the Lencol HR & Educational Consultants excursions had since broadened their horizons in knowledge.

V

Writing workshops According to her, “these excursions have been giving Nigerian students the opportunity to be part of international writing workshops, international university tours, student leadership trainings, international camping events, sports, academic camps and many more, which deliver a lifetime of global awareness and international exposure.

During this excursion, the Senior Secondary students will tour the campuses of several universities and have an opportunity to meet with admissions staff and college students. Students will hear skills development lectures and visit several tourist attractions.

"The Junior Secondary School students will visit their peers at several US schools. They will interact both socially and academically and often athletically. Students opting for C M Y K

this excursion will also have an opportunity to tour US universities in order to start developing a plan for their university studies. “Senior Secondary students excursions are focused on leadership and university or college preparation while the Junior Secondary students excursions are focused

on increasing global awareness.

The exposure that the excursions provide gives pupils a competitive edge towards university admission and a keen self confidence, which results from the newly acquired knowledge that they have the skills necessary to compete with any student in the world.’’

Cowbellpedia quiz contest excites students

By Dayo Adesulu T was excitement galore at the Just Media Studio in Ogba area of Lagos during the recording of one of the episodes of the maiden edition of the Cowbellpedia Mathematics Quiz Competition as some students were emotionally overwhelmed to the extent that they freely shed tears of joy.

Winners in the junior and senior secondary school categories of the TV quiz competition are to be unveiled on Monday, November 2, 2015.

Speaking at the semi-finals of the competition, some of the students applauded Promasidor Nigeria Limited for the concerted efforts at encouraging students to take more interest in mathematics which they all agreed is a foundation subject for all sciences Out of the 34,000 students that participated in the competition, only 12 have made it to the finals.

There are six finalists in the junior secondary school category and six finalists in the senior secondary school category.

Those who qualified in the junior category are: Abdulmueez Yusuf (Nigerian Turkish International College, Abuja); Munachi Ernest-Eze (Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja); Ajoke

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Taiwo (Scholars Universal Secondary School, Ota); Olabisi Bello (Dansol High School, Acme Crescent); Ayomide Fadipe (Loyola Jesuit College); and Evans Owamoyo (Greater Tomorrow International College, Arigidi).

Similarly, Joshua Mukot (Emilis Academy, Calabar); Inibehe Otoho (Topfaith International Secondary School, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State); Titilayo Adewale-Fasoro (Hallmark Secondary School, Itanla, Ondo State); Mariam Sanni (Ota Total Academy, Ota); Ayomide Kamaldeen (Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja); and Ayodeji Akinkuowo (Adeyemi Demonstration Secondary School, Ondo) made it to the final stage in the senior category.

Speaking on his impression, one ofthefinalists,MunachiErnest-Eze, a13-yearoldstudentofLoyolaJesuit College, Abuja commended Promasidor Nigeria Ltd for sponsoringthecompetitionthrough one of its brands - Cowbell.

Whilealsostatingthathehasbeen good in mathematics, he acknowledged that the Cowbellpedia competition has enhanced his interest in the subject. He also commended the Mathematics teachers of the different participating schools for

N line with the understanding reached during a recent advisory visit to the Executive Secretary and Management of the National Universities Commission, the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong inaugurated, on 3rd September, 2015, a new Governing Council for the Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, under the Chairmanship of Professor Attahiru M. Jega, OFR. In his welcome remarks, Governor Lalong said that the inauguration of the Governing Council was significant because it highlighted his Government’s resolve to use education as a potent tool for the emancipation of the citizenry. He recalled that in his campaign promises and subsequent inauguration address, he had declared that the PLASU had no business with the toddler state of existence that it

had found itself, especially on account of the incessant interference in the administration of the University, the result of which was its inability to enjoy any growth beyond its take off, or get accreditation for its programmes or even graduate students, ten years after its establishment.

Governor Lalong noted, with regret, that the institution, which started very well with the active support of the Executive Secretary of NUC in 2005, had seen only one, out of four ViceChancellors, complete his tenure. This was in spite of the recommendations and the interventions of high-powered Committees of the NUC, led by Professor Chiedu Mafiana and Emeritus Professor Peter Adeniyi, respectively.

The Governor renewed the determination of the Plateau State Government to reposition the University and guarantee academic freedom, through the provision of adequate finance.

Don seeks better teaching methods in tertiary institutions

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

A LECTURER with the University of Jos, Prof.

Bonaventure Haruna has called for improved method of teaching in tertiary institutions in the country which would ensure better ways of interaction between students and lecturers.

Prof. Haruna who is the Head of the Political Science Department, University of Jos also noted that the “chalk and talk” method used in teaching post graduate programmes in Nigerian universities are limiting hence the need for the improved method., Speaking yesterday in Jos at a review workshop tagged, “Using Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods for Graduate programmes” with emphasis on the Masters programme in Research and Public Policy, (MRPP),,

* he added that the new method has become imperative because the era where the teacher thinks that he knows it all had gone., His words, “In the curriculum development process, we have spent a long time on discussing teaching methods that go significantly beyond the standard “chalk and talk” style lectures. In this regard, the MRPP wants to set itself apart from existing programs because of a commitment to drawing upon the last 20 years of research focused on the science of teaching and learning.

“Just as we want government officials to draw upon research-based knowledge in their decisionmaking, so do we want to draw upon research-based knowledge in how we form and deliver courses.

Physics lecturer gets commendation

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R. Gboyega Adebayo, Acting Head, Department of Physics, College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has been commended for instituting two endowment funds through the award of annual prizes to excellent students in the areas of Solid State Physics and Condensed Matter Physics.

A renowned Professor of Solid Physics, Erio Tosatti, lauded Dr. Adebayo’s initiative, saying he had encouraged and supported education and the scientific upbringing of young people upon which high academic standards for the future would be built.

Professor Tosatti lauded Dr. Adebayo, while dedicating the Professor Abdus Salam First

Endowment and Prize for Physics, added that “ we, scientists are first of all men and women. Our community only flourishes, besides scientific work on discoveries and contacts, proportionally to the amount of human love and respect, we put in the relationships among ourselves, independent of borders and limits.

The work which I, and indeed most of us at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and in the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Italy, carry out every day, is really person-to-person work as much as it is scientific”.

He, also, admonished Dr. Adebayo to keep the flag flying and continue to be a shining example to others.

28—Vanguard, THURSDAY,

OCTOBER 29, 2015

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Switching to public power, turning off generator now easier

By Ebele Orakpo

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ECHNOLOGY, defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, no doubt, seeks to make life easier for man. In Nigeria where for decades, the electric power generator has become part of our national life as almost every household generates its own power using the generator, the stress of going to turn off the generator when the public power supply is restored was not fun to so many people. To reduce this stress, Mr. Olawuyi Akinlolu Emmanuel, the MD/CEO of A’Óne & Co Electrical Works with offices in Abuja and Akure, Ondo State, came up with a solution. In this chat with Vanguard Learning, the Electrical Electronics technician talks about his innovation, the Automatic Change over device. Excerpts: Background “I studied at Don Bosco Technical Institute Akure and finished in 2009. I went on to The Polytechnic Owo where I graduated with Ordinary

National Diploma (OND) in Electrical Electronics. After my industrial training, I sat down to think of the next step to take using the knowledge I had acquired from the technical school and the polytechnic. I came up with this device, Automatic change-over device,”said Emmanuel.

The device “Before now, most people used the manual change-over from generator to the public power supply but I thought there must be a better way. I felt that instead of going outside or downstairs to change over manually, we can have a device that will do it automatically and even turn off your power generator once the

When the relay senses that there is light, it automatically trips off the generator and light comes on

Automatice change-over device. Right is Mr. Akinlolu Olawuyi Emmanuel, the innovator public power supply is restored. So, what this device does is to change from generator to public power supply and turn off the generator automatically when power is restored.”

Capacity “The device comes in different capacities — over 100 amps, 100 amps, and some below 100 amps capacity. The 100 amps device can conveniently be used in a twobedroom flat with air conditioners. In industries, higher capacities are needed.

There is also the 80 amps capacity automatic change-over for homes.”

Physics award and lessons from Albert Einstein on reform Continues from Page 26 example, stands as a classic example of how a complex idea can actually become a simple beauty in the hand of someone acquainted with the idea. It was such intellectual companions that made it possible for me, even as a young ‘Grammar school’ boy to stand distinct amidst my friends. All my upkeep was always going into savings that would be spent on gathering many more books that kept me awake late into the night. Don Marquis, the US writer, once noted that an idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe in it.

Well, I agree but then the life of the mind is not a decision a person makes; it is already made on There are three significant lessons Einstein taught me. The first is the potent content and consequences of ideas. It took me a long while before it dawned on me that ideas aren’t just the simple and harmless products of a fertile mind. Ideas are dangerous! Ordinarily, the most famous scientific notations in the world—Einstein’s E=mc2— would be a mere combination of mathematical symbols. Yet, the world became aware of its terrible force when the atomic bomb pummeled Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a bid to end a war that was fought with the products of the human mind.

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The second lesson I learnt from Einstein is surprisingly religious.

It is surprising because Einstein is taken to have dangled between atheism and agnosticism. Yet, he was noted to have made the famous statement: ‘God does not play dice with the universe.’ His notion of God is a reference to a mathematically coherent being who formulated the laws of nature with simplicity, elegance and beauty.

Thus, these mathematically beautiful physical laws, according to Einstein, suggest that such a God could afford to play dice; the creation of the universe was not an act of random probability.

Random probability Where Einstein saw a deus absconditus, a creator who abandoned its mathematically functioning universe, I see the hand of Providence at work in the same beautiful universe. For Alfred de Vigny, the French, ‘The true God, the mighty God, is the God of ideas.’

The creation of the universe was the effect of the conglomeration of so many ideas issuing from the eternal mind of God. I did not arrive at the idea of reform by chance. I was led, kicking and screaming to it. By temperament, I am an introspective, even

philosophical, person. I am basically concerned and I dare say, compelled, by the architecture and force of ideas. I had assumed very early in life that the university was the best place for me to mature and achieve my fulfillment.

I love some measure of comfort and the material convenience of life that creates the ambience for learning, financial independence that confers the confidence to take up public service offers on one’s own terms, but I love ideas the more.

These ideas, as Robert Pirsig argues, are patterns of value that superimpose themselves on the society. Thus, in spite of my love for the academia, Providence led me to the civil service and its matrix of dysfunction.

Here, I confront Einstein’s third lesson: ideas are equally reformatory. Despite the close affinity between the E=mc2, Einstein was rabidly pacifist. For him, we need peace and not war; nuclear fission and fusion can power the society rather than destroying it.

The Nigerian civil service forced on me the urgency of converting my thoughts into reforming dynamics that expand possibilities. And this has defined my labour for the past twenty five years. I am definitely not a genius, like Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking.

Durability Said Emmanuel: “The changeover device is durable. There are imported change-over devices but they do not last. This locally made device is durable. I have made it for so many people and one of them who was using an imported one told me it lasted for only six months but the locally made ones last very long.”

How it works “If we want to install this automatic change-over device in a home, we remove the manual change-over and connect all the wires connected to the manual change-over to the terminal

connector of the automatic change-over device. Then there will be a wire from the device down to the generator so when there is light, the automatic change-over device senses it with the help of a relay inside and when the relay senses that there is light, it will automatically trip off the generator and light comes on. There is no going to change over manually or to turn off the generator,” he said.

Components “We have the leaves, contactors, transformers, indicator light, push buttons and wires all purchased from the local market.”

Augustine varsity to meet educational needs of Nigerians — Archbishop

By Amaka Abayomi

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HE Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Reverend Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, has said the newly established Cathol i c C h u r c h - o w n e d u n i v e r s i t y, Au g u s t i n e University, will contribute immensely to meeting the needs of personal, social and economic development of Nigerians and the nation at large.

Speaking to journalists during a tour of facilities at the university, Archbishop Martins said the university will epitomise the noble tradition of Catholic higher education in seeking to achieve intellectual, cultural, moral and spiritual excellence.

He said: “these would be achieved through the pursuit of a broad spectrum of academic disciplines as we seek to produce scholars who are imbued with the love of universal truth towards the service of God and humanity.

“Au g u s t i n e U n i v e r s i t y provides facilities for training, learning and

research that would promote the advancement of knowledge and its practical application to social, political, cultural, economic, scientific and technological problems.”

The university would be developed in three phases, with the first phase costing N7bn while phases two and three will gulp N9bn.

Adequate concentration Built on 150 hectares of land in the quiet Ilara community of Epe Town, Augustine University will accommodate 500 students who would all reside on the campus so as to ensure adequate concentration with minimal outside interference.

It also boasts of first class teaching and learning methods with multi-media facilities and internet access to aid research and learning. The university has nine departments and would run 13 programmes.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 —29 Edited by Adeleke Adeseri 08054682557 (SMS only)

The Ile-Ife and Yoruba of my dream, by Ooni-elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi (2) This is the concluding part of the piece by the Ooni-elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi. In the first instalment which was published yesterday, Ogunwusi indicated intention to set up a foundation that will support post war effects and the rebuilding of war-torn Ife and Modakeke, and assured that there shall never be war again

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HIS area needs to be prop erly addressed to ensure our youths are well engaged in various professional and vocational pursuits. Today, and to the glory of God, I have been energized to rehabilitate and take off the streets several thousands of youths by providing them with gainful employment. Furthermore, we shall set up a foundation that will support post war effects and the rebuilding of war torn Ife and Modakeke.

Thereafter there shall never be war again. I stand firmly for peace and unity between Ife and Modakeke and I guarantee that this peace and unity will transcend into economic and social benefits for everyone.

Similarly, we shall use this stool to unify the entire Yoruba race; there shall be no division, no supremacy or animosity amongst us, we are all from the one and the same source-God Almighty.

Coming to the throne is a clarion call to heed my selfless desire to serve the people of IleIfe, the Yoruba race and all of humanity. We will use the stool to provide a lot of opportunities to invest in the youths through mentor-ship and empowerment programmes that will further take thousands off the streets on a gradual basis.

Ooni elect, Adeyeye Ogunwusi

tire economy of Ile-Ife with a positive impact on the entire Yoruba race and our nation as a whole. ‘House Of Oduduwa Resources Limited’ will be tasked with rebuilding Ife into the ‘New Ife city’, NIC. However, this is a herculean task which can only be achieved with the support of all wellmeaning technocrats, sons and daughters of Ile-Ife in Nigeria and in the Diaspora and all lovers of Ife. My fervent desire is to grow ‘House Of Oduduwa Mentorship Resources Limited’ into one of programme the biggest corporations out of Youths all over the country Africa, likewise uniting all lovwill be eligible for the mentor- ers of Ife with the people of Ife. ship programme and Ife will be Earlier this year, I acquainted the pilot model. We will use the the youths of Ile-Ife of my plans stool to transpose Ile-Ife into the to replicate the truly Nigerian twenty-first century and with project, Inagbe Grand Resorts the use and influence of social Lagos, Nigeria (almost hunmedia we are ‘set’ for his transformation. Sons and daughters of Ife and Ife enthusiasts around the world will have an input in the building of the New Ife City, ‘NIC’ through constructive feedback. ‘Socially’, we are ‘set’ to revive and promote Ile-Ife as a tourist destination.

‘Economically’ we are ‘set’ to increase our industrial footprints to give Ife the much desired facelift and ‘Traditionally’ we are ‘set’ to redefine the kingship system by blending modernity into our cultural values and practices and our tradition of thousands of years will stand.

The time has come Plans are well under-way to revitalize Ife in the areas of sports, for us to embrace our mining, agriculture, real estate, true heritage as the tourism and rapid industrialization. To achieve this transforma- progeny of Oduduwa tion, a brand new platform and the task of modnamed ‘House Of Oduduwa ernizing Ile-Ife is Resources Limited’ has been established to stimulate the en- yours and mine

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dred percent of raw materials used are locally sourced) in IleIfe. Inagbe Grand Resorts is the first of its kind and will soon be the most sought after resort destination in all of West Africa.

I have developed an incredible master plan for the proposed ‘Ife Grand Resorts’ which will be an off shoot of ‘Inagbe Grand Resorts Lagos’. The ‘Ife Grand Resort’ project and the ‘NIC’ initiative was conceived to attract young men and women, businesses, corporate organization, investors, holiday makers, lovers of Ife and Ife in Diaspora to a comfortable ambience to stay when they are away from home. This will continually put Ile-Ife, the cradle of black civilization on the map likewise showcasing many artefacts about the Yoruba race, hence creating a steady influx of people into Ile-Ife. The time has come for us to embrace our true heritage as the progeny of Oduduwa and the task of modernizing Ile-Ife is yours and mine. I am highly honoured to have been chosen to fill the stool that great men once occupied; history and I will forever remember this day.

I use this opportunity to pay tribute to Oba Adesoji Aderemi and Oba Okunade Sijuwade; these monarchs were colossus that redefined the monarchy with touch of diligence, elegance and gravitas that traversed so many cultural boundaries. They were great fathers to me and I will forever miss and honour them.

I am not coming to the throne to pass judgment on those that have maliciously wronged me.

But then, I should think that a bid to be enthroned as the fore-

most Oba in Yoruba race should be healthy and ordained of God. There is also the Ifa divination that also synthesizes the process, just in case human beings are partial. Rather, some people resorted to dangerous attacks, wicked lies, malicious insinuations and vigorous campaign of calumny. Why would I fail to forgive them when all came to nought and the good people and governments of Ife and State of Osun saw through these unfair games and chose me as the prestigious Ooni of Ife. Therefore, I am coming to set a good example and show the

world that I am truly called by God to lead Ile-Ife into a state of tranquillity, conscientiousness and prosperity. It is my fervent prayer that the Lord will continue to guide us all and bestow us with great wisdom to carry out our incumbent tasks.

I use this opportunity to call on all the sons of Ile-Ife that were alongside me in the race for the stool to heed to my call and let’s work harmoniously to align our goals for the sake of posterity and Ile-Ife. Together we shall not lose sight of the values and tradition that have made us the greatest nation of black people on earth.

I come before you all today as a man pledging his unwavering commitment to his Kingdom and his people that I cannot do this alone; without you all there is no me “I will serve you all with everything I have”. Long live Ile-Ife; long live the Yoruba race, long live the House of Oduduwa, and God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

30—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—35

Fighting corruption subject to consultational limitations (2) This is the second part of the piece. In the first edition which was published yesterday, Prof. Nwabueze argued that the President as chief executive of the federal government, cannot lawfully arrogate to himself the checking or oversight function simply because the constituttional agencies entrusted with the function do not do thekir work the way they are supposed to function. maintenance of the federal

By Ben Nwabueze system of government in a NDERLYING the territorially large and culturally definition above is the diverse community is far more principle of the autonomy of each fundamental and overriding than tier of government. Autonomy the maintenance of the plenitude refers to three things, viz a viz • of the Federation’s or the States’ autonomy (i.e. independence power over any one particular from control or direction) in the matter. On the principle of choice of rulers and in the mutual non-interference, see my exercise of power over matters Federalism in Nigeria, Sweet & within the exclusive competence Maxwell 1983, reprinted in 2003, pages 3 – 17. of the Federation or State; Happily, these principles are • Absence of power in the Federation or States to confer firmly rooted in a long line of powers (including functions) or decisions of the courts, too many impose duties on the to be all noted here. functionaries of the other unless such is authorised by the Decisions constitution; and • non- of the courts interference in the management of each other’s affairs, which But there is one such decision requires that, whilst keeping so directly in point here, which within the limits of its powers, the must be mentioned and exercise of power over matters expatiated upon, namely within the competence of the Attorney-General of Abia State & Federation or the States should Ors v. Attorney-General of the Federation (2006). The case concerned the constitutional validity of the Monitoring of Revenue Allocation to Local Governments Act 2005 originated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and enacted into law by the National Assembly.

PR OF UEZE PROF OF.. BEN NW A B BUEZE •The president has no power or responsibility not in its practical effect, impede, under our federal system to frustrate, stultify or otherwise watch over or oversee the state unduly interfere with the other’s and local governments to ensure management of its affairs or its that they do not commit meaningful functioning as a corruption. government, e.g. the Back to the Monitoring of management of its finances, the Revenue Allocation to Local appointment and control of its Governments Act 2005. The Act staff, the award of contracts for enjoins “each State of the the provision of services and other Federation (to) establish a body projects, the exercise of other to be known as the State Joint essential governmental Local Government Account functions, like that of law-making, Allocation Committee” (section the execution of laws so made, 1). The membership of the and the adjudication of disputes Committee, as provided by the - the principle of mutual nonAct itself, includes (a) the interference, as it is called.

Commissioner or any other Of the two pillars of federalism officer charged with – the ultra vires doctrine (i.e. responsibility for local keeping within the limits of government in the State powers) and the principle of (Chairman); (b) a Commissioner mutual non-interference – the of Revenue Mobilization, latter is definitely the more Allocation and Fiscal fundamental, since it is the basis, Commission; (c) all Chairmen of the foundation, of every federal local government councils in the system, truly so-called, without state; (d) the State Accountantwhich a federal system cannot General; (e) a representative of survive. The preservation and

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Map of Nigeria

the Accountant-General of the Federation; and (f) a representative of the State Revenue Board (section 1(2)).

The functions of the Committee are (i) to ensure prompt payment into the State Joint Local Government Account of allocations made to the local government councils in the State from the Federation Account by the State Government, and that the funds so paid are distributed to the said councils in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and any law made in that behalf by the State House of Assembly; (ii) to monitor the payment and distribution so as to ascertain the actual amount paid to each local government council (section 2). Monthly returns must be rendered by the Committee to the Federation Account Allocation Committee which shall scrutinize them and in turn render quarterly returns through the Accountant-General of the Federation to each House of the National Assembly (section 3) while the Auditor-General of the Federation shall at the end of each financial year report to each House of the National Assembly, “stating how the monies allocated to each State for the benefit of the local government councils within the state… were spent.” (section 9).

The Act makes it a criminal offence for any organ, authority or official of a State, however

The president has no power or responsibility under our federal system to watch over or oversee the state and local governments to ensure that they do not commit corruption

President Buhari described or constituted, to alter, deduct or re-allocate funds standing to the credit of the State Joint Local Government Account” (section 7(1) (emphasis supplied), and prescribes as punishment therefor, “a fine twice the amount altered, deducted or re-allocated illegally, or imprisonment for a term of five years, or both such fine and imprisonment (section 7(3)). And where there is default in allocation or distribution to any local government council, the amount involved in such default “shall be a first charge on the State’s next allocation from the Federation Account and shall be credited to the affected local government” (section 7(2)).

The provisions of the Act set out above (i.e. sections 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9) were challenged in the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court by three State Governments, Abia, Delta and Lagos, on the ground that they are inconsistent with the Constitution and therefore null and void: Att-Gen of Abia State & Ors v. Att-Gen of the Federation & Ors SC 99/2005 – the three suits were consolidated into one.

Owner and paymaster The view underlying the provisions of the Act is that the money in the Federation Account belongs alone to the Federal Government which, as owner and paymaster, has the power and duty to ensure its proper utilization and management by the recipients of its largesse, i.e. the State and Local Governments.

Such is certainly not the case.

The Federation Account is a common pool of revenue belonging to all the governments alike, and sharing of it amongst the joint owners is assigned to the Federal Government by the Constitution for reasons of expediency. The Constitution of a federal state cannot reasonably be supposed to have contemplated that, in the discharge of that role, the Federal Government should prescribe terms or conditions so utterly at variance or subversive of the very notion of federalism as a system of government.

Gratifyingly, the Supreme Court, by a majority of five to two, declared unconstitutional, null and void the provisions of the Act

that purport to invest the Federal Government with supervisory role over the use, management and disbursement of money in the State Joint Local Government Act, i.e. sections 2, 3, 7 and 9 of the Act. Justice Niki Tobi, delivering the judgment of the Court, said that these provisions of the Act “are clearly against the federal arrangement in the Constitution”, and that “it has traits of unitarism”; further, that “the word ‘monitoring’ used in the Act “conveys some element of policing the State Governments.” “The word,” he maintains, “means to watch, to check. In terms of showing strength of the Federal Government, it is a very arrogant word that spells some doom in a federal structure”: at pages 29 – 30. (emphasis supplied) The learned justice of the Supreme Court further affirms that the provision of the Act that makes two federal officers members of a state government committee “is antithesis to federalism and to our federal arrangement” (at page 35), and that the words “monitor” and “distribution” in section 2(b) of the Act “offend the federal arrangement in the Constitution and the federal principle” (at page 37).

Federal principle Section 1 of the Act is declared null and void on the additional ground that it duplicates section 162(6) of the Constitution that enjoins “each State…..[to] maintain a special account to be called ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State”.

The Supreme Court also held that allocation of money from the Account direct to local government councils without channeling it through the State Governments, which will then divide and pay it over to their local government councils, is unconstitutional, null and void, op.cit at pages 27 and 35.

Accordingly, the provision of section 7(2) of the Monitoring Act which, it may be recalled, makes any amount by which a State Government is in default in its payments to any of its local government councils a first charge on the State Government’s next allocation from the Federation Account, which is then to be paid direct to the local government council concerned. Certainly, the payment in this case is not one by the State Government to the local government council, as provided by the Constitution.

To be continued

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—31

•Some internally displaced people

Do internally displaced people have rights under the law?

By Charles Adeogun-Phillips

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CCORDING to annual figures from the United Nations in 2014, there were almost 60 million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) around the globe right now. That is about one in every 122 people worldwide. This is roughly the equivalent of the entire population of Italy.

The number of refugees and IDPs last exceeded 50 million during World War. However, the figure was astonishing at that time given that the global population was significantly smaller then.

The ever-increasing number of refugees and IDPs pose enormous challenges to the international community and has even proved capable of sparking tensions in areas and regions that were previously untroubled.

Simple requirements as to food, shelter, medical care and hygiene, through sheer quantitative needs, create huge logistical problems for the host government and

communities in terms of procurement, adequate and equal distribution. It is against this backdrop that this presentation seeks to analyze the legal protection available to displaced persons and refugees with respect to their fundamental human rights and recommend some viable options for a responsive and responsible government.

Responsible government The United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement persons IDPs as persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.

Causes of Internal

CCT, Federal High Court status under 1999 Constitution Pg 33 C M Y K

Displacement: The causes of displacement in Africa and other parts of the world ranges from natural disasters, lack of development, armed conflict or situations of violence, poverty, the effects of climate change, scarcity of resources, political instability, and weak governance and justice systems. Of these instances, it is clear from the records that armed conflicts account for the root cause of the highest number of displaced persons.

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (GPID)

On this note, the principles articulate the right not to be arbitrarily displaced and specify minimum guarantees to be observed when displacements are unavoidable

The Guiding Principles on internally displaced persons developed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (,Guiding Principles’j ‘) are the first international standards specifically tailored to the needs of IDPs. The Guiding Principles are consistent with international human rights law and international humanitarian law and to a large extent thus codify and make explicit guarantees protecting internally displaced persons that are inherent in these bodies of law.

The Guiding principles provides as follows: Principle 3(1) provides that national authorities have the primary duty and responsibility to provide protection and assistance to IDPs within their jurisdiction. This principle further stipulates that IDPs are entitled to enjoy full of rights and freedoms like other persons in the country and shall not be discriminated against because of their displacement.

Principle 4(2) acknowledges that certain groups of IDPs especially unaccompanied minors, expectant mothers, mothers with young children, female heads of household, persons with disabilities and elderly persons - may require

specific attention and goes further to address the issue of protection from displacement. On this note, the principles articulate the right not to be arbitrarily displaced and specify minimum guarantees to be observed when displacements are unavoidable.

The Guiding Principles also identifies the full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all persons, including IDPs, should enjoy.

Degrading treatment These include the rights stated in Principle 11(2) (a) - Namely the right to be protected against acts of violence, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as well as the right to be protected against the use of anti-personnel landmines provided in Principle 10(2) (e).

Principle 22(d) specifically identifies the right of IDPs to vote and to participate in governmental and public affairs, whether or not they are living in camps.

Principle 18 relates to the right to an adequate standard of living, including ensuring safe access to essential food, potable water, basic shelter and housing as well as appropriate clothing and essential medical services and sanitation. The third section also states in (Principle 19(3) that special attention should be given to the prevention of contagious and infectious diseases, including HIV, among IDPs. The fourth section deals with the issue of humanitarian assistance and specifies that Continues on page 32

32—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Do internally displaced peoples have rights under the law?

Continues from page 31 when governmental authorities are unable or unwilling to provide assistance to the displaced, international organizations have the right to offer their services, and that consent for them to do so shall not be arbitrarily withheld.

The final section of the Guiding Principles emphasizes the importance of providing IDPs with long-term options, namely voluntary return in safety and dignity or resettlement in another part of the country. It also emphasizes the importance of ensuring durable solutions, including the need to provide IDPs with reintegration assistance, whether they return or resettle, and to ensure they have equal access to public services.

In addition, this section explains the duty of national authorities to assist IDPs recover the property and possessions they lost upon displacement or, when this is not possible, to assist them in obtaining compensation or another form of just reparation.

The Guiding Principles pay special attention to the protection, assistance and reintegration needs of women and children.

Assistance and reintegration These two groups typically comprise the overwhelming majority of displaced populations.

They are currently estimated as comprising 70-80% of the IDP population worldwide.”

The Guiding Principles call for the participation of women in the planning and of relief supplies.

They require special attention to be paid to the health needs of women, including access to female health care providers and services, and special efforts be made to ensure the full and equal participation of women and girls in educational programmes.

They also prohibit sexual violence, stress the need for family reunification, and highlight the right of women to equal access to personal identity and other documentation and to have such documentation issued in their own names.

Principle 23 recognizes the right to education and states that

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

C M Y K

•Some internally displaced people special efforts must be made to ensure that women and girls enjoy equal and full participation in educational programs. In relation to children, Principle 13 (2) adds that under no circumstances are children to be recruited or to be required or permitted to take part in hostilities. Importantly, the Guiding Principles are being used at the national level in countries affected by internal displacement. Particularly noteworthy is the development of national laws and policies based on the Principles.

Responsibility of Government on Internal Displacement The task of addressing the problem of internal displacement is primarily the responsibility of national governments. A framework has been developed by the Brookings Institution University of Bern project on Internal Displacement.

Internal displacement This framework sets out the benchmarks for an effective national response and identifies twelve key steps for national authorities to take in responding to internal displacement.

These steps are: Prevention: Governments have a responsibility to try to prevent conditions on their territory that might compel populations to flee as well as raising National Awareness for the Problem. The governments have to create awareness through public pronouncements about the problems to build national consensus and promote solidarity with the displaced.

Data Collection: Government must endeavour to keep accurate data of the numbers, locations and conditions of IDPs in order

to design effective policies and programs. Data should be disaggregated by age, gender, and other key indicators so that the specific needs of particular groups are taken into account.

Training: Training programs for government officials, including camp administrators, military and police, in the Guiding Principles on Internal displacement is essential for ensuring that they are aware of the rights and needs of the displaced and their own official duties to protect and assist them.

A National Legal Framework: States have been encouraged by United Nations resolutions to develop laws to uphold the rights of IDPs, taking into account the Guiding Principles. A growing number of governments around the world have been adopting new laws or revising existing legislation.

A National Policy or Plan of Action: A national policy can complement national legislation.

The roles of national and local institutions in responding to internal displacement should be clearly stated. Such national policy should extend to all relevant branches of government-

States have been encouraged by United Nations resolutions to develop laws to uphold the rights of IDPs, taking into account the Guiding Principles

national,local, military and police - and also to non-state actors who also must be held accountable.

National Institution Focal Point: This could be by assigning responsibility for internal displacement to governmental agency or establishing an interdepartmental task force or committee.

National Human Rights Institutions: These institutions are to work with governments to adopt and implement policies and laws that respect the rights of IDPs and also investigate reports of violations of their rights in a given country.

Violation of their rights Participation of IDPs in Decision Making: Engaging displaced persons in consultations and building upon their skills is something often overlooked but critical to an effective response. The participation of women can reduce their vulnerability to sexual extortion and violence.

Supporting Durable Solutions: Governments must ensure that IDPs return voluntarily, in safety and dignity, to their places of habitual residence or, if they choose, to resettle in another part of the country. The government is to assist IDPs to recover property and possessions or obtain compensation or reparation.

Allocation of Adequate Resources: A responsible government must devote to the extent they can, resources to address situations of internal displacement.

Cooperation with International and Regional Organizations: A responsible and responsive government should invite or accept

international assistance, especially when the government in question does not have adequate resources to tackle the challenge of displacement.

Conclusion Internal displacement is undisputedly a serious challenge in the Africa generally and the ECOWAS subregion particularly. Some significant displacement crises have controlled by the ending of hostilities while many of the IDPs are still unable to return to their original place of residence and remain in unsafe conditions while new situations of internal displacement continues to occurs.

A responsible and responsive government will have a lot to do to protect the IDPs, assistance needs and to find durable solutions to their plight and to prevent further displacement from taking place. Responsible national governments are to first and foremost, avoid situations that will lead to displacement.

They are to provide adequate security for civilians resident in violence-prone communities during any crises and conflicts particularly for those civilians who are not engaged in the violence.

Moreover, ones there are displaced persons, responsible national governments must ensure Governments are to also seek the collaboration of the international community and other non state actors to help them address the challenge of resettling and providing for displaced person.

Based on the complexity of the challenge posed by the crises of internal displacement, working in partnership with regional and international bodies is essential to ensure effective responses.

•Adeogun-Philips is managing partner of Charles Anthony lawyers in Lagos

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—33

a list of superior court of record in Nigeria to reach this erroneous conclusion. When the whole provisions in Section 6 of the Constitution are read together, as they should be read in consonance with the liberal rule of interpreting the provisions of the Constitution, in order to avoid “stultifying narrowness”, this view will become evident.

CCT, Federal High Court status under 1999 Constitution The first part of this piece was published on October 15, 2015

By Jiti Ogunye

F

ROM the above provi sions of the 5th Schedule, it is luminously clear that the CCT is a sui generis Court or Tribunal. It is a special court of its own kind.

The Chairman and members of the CCT are appointed by the President, based on the recommendation of the NJC. If they are not judicial officers that can rank with judicial officers presiding over a court of first instance ( Federal High Court or State High Court), why will they be recommended by the NJC for appointment.

Does the NJC recommend magistrates for appointments? And on qualification for appointment, the members of the CCT must be serving judges or qualified as lawyers to be serving judges of the High Court. Whereas under Section 292 of the Constitution the CJN and other heads of courts in Nigeria may be

removed on ground of misconduct, et cetera by the President or Governor supported by a 2/3 majority address of the Senate, acting alone or a house of assembly, as the case may be, the judges of the CCT can only be removed from office by a 2/3 majority resolution of the two Houses ( Chambers) of the National Assembly.

Court of appeal: And

Does the NJC recommend magistrates for appointments?

And on qualification for appointment, the members of the CCT must be serving judges or qualified as lawyers to be serving judges of the High Court

Stultifying narrowness

•Ogunye appeals from its decision lies with the Court of Appeal, like is the case with a high court.

The CCT is a “superiour court of record” or “ a superi-

or tribunal of record”. Section 6(5)(j) of the 1999 Constitution says so. Those who argue to the contrary relies on Section 6(5)(a-i ), which provides

Section 6 ( 1,2,3,5) of the 1999 Constitution, provides that: “(1) The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation. (2) The judicial powers of a State shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State. (3) The courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record.

Ownership dispute; Advert practitioner wants former partner arrested

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

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LAGOS based advert practitioner, Mr. Louis Okere has prayed a federal high court sitting in Lagos to compel the appearance of a former commissioner of information in Imo State, Theodore Ekechi for allegedly disobeying the court order directing him to appear.

Okere had sued Ekechi before Justice Rita OfiliAjumogobia over his alleged refusal to abide with the terms of settlement they both reached in a consent judgment in 2009 to resolved the ownership dispute over a company, Marketing and Media Limited, in which they were both shareholders.

In the terms of settlement, the asset of the company, including money were shared between Okere and Ekechi in the ratio of 60 percent and 40 percent, which was also endorsed by the court as its judgment.

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When the matter came up before the court, Ekechi through his counsel, Ola Oshikoya said that he has already filed an application seeking the stay of further proceedings in the suit pending the hearing and determination of an appeal he instituted to challenge the summons issued against him.

Challenging the summons Specifically, the court ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff 60 percent of the sum of N202,846,420.89 being the total worth or value of the receivables due to the company and another N35 million in three instalments.

In an affidavit in support of his suit, Okere however claimed that even though the defendant has earned enough money since after the judgement was entered to liquidate the judgement-debt, he has allegedly refused to fully comply with the

judgement.

He also alleged that rather than the combined total judgement sum of N156,707,852.53 only N54,554,194.55 was paid leaving the sum of N102,153,657.98 still outstanding.

The plaintiffs further submitted that the judgmentdebtor has no regard for the court and they have no intention of obeying the order unless compelled by the court.

After listening to him, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia issued a judgement Summons asking Ekechi to appear before her to be examined on oath on why he had refused to comply with the consent judgement.

However, when the case resumed for hearing the judgment-debtor failed to appear in court, a development that made Okere to asked the court to order his arrest. But Ekechi through his counsel, Ola Oshikoya reaffirmed that the

defendant has filed an application seeking stay further proceedings in the suit pending the hearing and determination of an appeal he instituted to challenge the summons.

According to him, since a valid appeal has been filed before the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, the proceedings before the lower court will render his appeal nugatory. Further hearing has been adjourned till December 9.

Late Justice Leigh-Balogun first memorial lecture holds today

By Ebere Aham

G

OVERNOR of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, former Supreme Court Justice, George Adesola Oguntade, former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and current NBA President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN) are

among guests expected to grace the First Late Hon. Justice Afolabi Leigh-Balogun, Memorial Lecture today, at the Banquet Hall, Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Justice Balogun (OFR)was a member of the 1979 Constitution Drafting Committe (CDC) and a judge of the Lagos High Court.

According to the Chairman,

Memorial Lecture Organizing Committee, Mr. Yemi Peters, the title of the lecture is; “Law As An Instrument of Social Change”.

While Governor Ambode is the Special Guest of Honour, Justice Oguntade is expected to be the event’s chairman and the Keynote Speaker is Chief Olanipekun. NBA Prsident Alegeh will give the closing remarks.

34—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

2015: KOGI DECIDES Stories By Kingsley Fanwo

T

HE people of Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State have been asked to remain resolute in their support for the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in the forthcoming Governorship election.

Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, gave the charge at a campaign rally in Okpo, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Monday.

The governor described another term for him as a vote to move the State forward, urging the people of the area to come out in their numbers to vote the PDP come November 21.

Capt Wada described his administration as one with a human face having great respect and regard for the people of Olamaboro Local Government Area. He assured that

I have shown you govt with human face —Wada another term for him would consolidate in the provision of infrastructure which the area, he noted, has benefitted from.

Wada assured that the welfare of the

•Wada

people of the area would top the priority of his administration in the next term and called for their votes to enable the PDP win the forthcoming election.

Echocho storms Dekina for Audu F

ORMER PDP governorship aspirant and now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi State, Alh. Isah Jibrin Echocho has stormed Dekina to rally support for the governorship candidate of his new party, Prince Abubakar Audu.

Remarkably, the PDP governorship candidate and incumbent governor, Capt Idris Wada hails from Dekina Local Government Area. Addressing party loyalists in Dekina over the weekend, Echocho said he decided to join APC out of love for Kogi in order to move the state forward and thus called on the people to move out en masse to support Audu.

In his words: “We are at a point where change has become a necessity. I left the PDP because the party has been devalued by the abysmal performance of the present government. It is unthinkable for me to love PDP more than my dear state.

Infrastructure development “Even the present government knows they have failed the Kogi people.

Infrastructural development is zero and workers’ welfare has been relegated to the background. As a state, we cannot continue to serve a god that has failed to liberate us from underdevelopment. I am convinced that Prince Abubakar Audu is better equipped and better qualified to move the state forward.

“The PDP is already jittery that they can no more win with their style. We are prepared to liberate the state from the jaws of underdevelopment which PDP represents.” .....Echocho has lost the plot-PDP Image Maker Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP and the Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the PDP Governorship Campaigns, Prince Bode Ogunmola has

described Echocho as a man “drenched in the failures of the past”, urging the people of Kogi State to stand by a “humble and credible governor”. According to Prince Ogunmola, the people of Kogi State now see Echocho as someone who will do anything to become the governor of the state despite being rejected on two occasions by his own party members.

“We are not bothered about the fact that Echocho has chosen to support his in-law, Prince Abubakar Audu. We are also not concerned about whatever pact exists between the duo. But what we know is that the people of this state will not bring back any Pharaoh that reigned over the state and elevated kleptomania to a new ring. “Our candidate, Capt. Idris Wada is humble, transparent and committed to the Kogi Transformation Agenda. His visionary contribution to the development of the state is evident to people who are not suffering from political myopia.

“On 21 November, PDP will celebrate its fifth victory over Prince Abubakar Audu by

the grace of God and the people of Kogi who remain appreciative of the contributions of the governor. Even the efforts of the enemies of Kogi workers who are scheming to block the release of bailout fund for salaries will soon realise that the power of the people is mightier than any force”.

Ogunmola reiterated the determination of the PDP to ensure a peaceful and credible poll next month.

APC, PDP members join PPA

L

OKOJA — N0 fewer than 4,800 members from the two major political parties in the State, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi Central Senatorial District yesterday defected to the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA. 2,900 defected from the All Progressives Congress

...as Oworoland gives Wada a rousing welcome

T

HOUSANDS of supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, took Oworo by storm as they defied the hot weather, Tuesday, to give a rousing welcome and support to Capt. Idris Wada. A carnival-like scene was enacted as the party’s gubernatorial campaign train hit Oworo, one of the major strongholds of the PDP. The venue of the rally, Oworo Unity Square witnessed an unprecedented crowd of party faithful from all walks of life. Members of the party across Lokoja Local Government and political office holders, among others stormed the venue of the rally.

Party supporters in Oworo land came

“The forthcoming governorship election”, Wada explained, “is defining for the state”, calling on the people to remain focused, not to look back, but to ensure that the party wins overwhelmingly to secure the future of women and youths of the area.

He promised, that if re-elected, he would connect Imane, Ogugu and Okpo to the national grid. According to him, the Ibana-Imane and Ogugu road will also receive the attention of his government. Motorized boreholes, Wada promised, will also be provided for every community in the area.

The governor later paid a visit to the Ochogwu of Ogugu, HRH Michael Salifu.

in their thousands displaying posters and banners of Capt. Wada amidst jubilation while they vowed to deliver all votes to the governor. Some waved their posters shouting ‘Gara Wada, Four plus four - Eight’. In his speech, the governor promised the people of the area of his administration’s commitment to providing adequate infrastructure to Oworo land.

The governor described another term for him as a vote to move the state forward, urging the people of the area not to go back to what he described as the days of slavery and undignified molestation suffered by the people in the state between 1999 – 2003.

while 1900 defected from the ruling PDP. Receiving the defectors in Lokoja during a rally of party, the PPA state chairman, Mr. Simeon Ojonuba promised them the party would fully deliver its agenda if successful in the election.

Ojonuba also acknowledged the pains of the people occasioned by sectional interests and bad governance, assuring that Kogi would be great again under the PPA administration led by its governorship candidate, Mr. Enesi Ozigi.

Meanwhile, the candidate who took the party ’s campaign train to his hometown/ward with most of the decampees supporters promised to give the state a facelift if elected governor.

While meeting with prominent leaders in his, Ozuja Abuga ward, Ozigi expressed his gratitude and assured them of his loyalty, statesmanship and total commitment to the quest for change.

Ozigi gave assurance that the time for real transformation was now, appealing to all for their total support to make the mandate a reality.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 35

BAYELSA DECIDES

APC up to mischief--Dickson T

•Dickson

•Sylva

APC campaign organisation raises alarm over loan bid

By Samuel Oyadongha

T

HE Sylva-Igiri Governorship campaign organisation in Bayelsa state has raised the alarm over plot by the PDP led administration of Governor Seriake Dickson to throw the state into more debt by sourcing for an unwarranted loan.

But the state government dismissed the purported claim of fresh loan as untrue describing as a clear mischief on the part of the opposition party in the state.

A statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Gubernatorial campaign, Chief Nathan Egba, said the party had uncovered the plan to use the State House of Assembly to secure about twelve billion naira loan to prosecute the election by the PDP.

honour such a bogus transaction especially as the request has not been presented to the House.

The statement read in part “Members will also be informed that the second loan of ten billion naira will be used to fund constituency projects, whereas in truth, this money is expected to be used for the campaigns and election expenses.”

It added, “The APC in Bayelsa has been aware for

A whopping N300 billion agric loan from the World Bank had no tangible effect in the state

indebted states in Nigeria, but now reversed under the Dickson administration, which had since serviced the debt to a manageable level of N90 billion naira and thereby making the state now one of the least indebted states in the country.

“Under Sylva, there was routine diversion of funds meant for payment of civil servants’ salaries and benefits.

A whopping N300 billion agric loan from the World Bank had no tangible effect in the state.

Where were the projects established or farms set up or the fisheries development as proposed under the loan?

“What happened to the N3 billion MDG funds made available to Sylva? It is unfortunate that Sylva left a legacy of a crippling debt profile in Bayelsa State as governor. As a matter of fact, the bond obligation of the state totaled N125 billion under his watch,” he said.

Sylva confesses difficulties in choosing running mate

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

Outstanding allowances The statement indicates that the plot is to use the leadership of the House to cajole the lawmakers that bulk of the money would be used to clear their outstanding allowances and purchase of new cars.

The values of the two loans are N2.5 billion and N10 billion naira.

It advised banks and financial institutions in the country not to grant the loan request as the incoming APC administration would not

some time now that Governor Dickson, realizing that he will lose the forthcoming elections, has refused to release funds already in his possession for the elections. Instead, he has been shopping around for funds from individuals and organisations, most of whom have turned him down, resulting in his bid to use the State House of Assembly to raise funds”.

The statement said the APC had called on the EFCC, the Department of State Services and other security agencies to help the people of Bayelsa track the secret transaction in order to stop PDP from obtaining the fraudulent loan.

HE Bayelsa State Government has denied claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it was planning to raise fresh loan, which it said was meant to prosecute the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Daniel IworisoMarkson, said the purported claim of a fresh loan was misplaced and a clear mischief on the part of the opposition party in the state.

According to him, rather than looking for a new loan, the Bayelsa State Government was only drawing from an existing loan facility that had since been approved for the airport project it said was at 60 per cent level of completion.

He said it was unfortunate that the Sylva campaign was raising the issue of loan, saying the APC candidate and his campaign officials should be ashamed of their past in this regard.

While praising Governor Dickson over prudent management of resources, which it said had made it possible for the State to witness the huge infrastructure and other development projects in the last three and half years, the statement slammed Sylva for plunging the state into huge debts running into N432 billion, under his watch as governor.

The statement said Sylva’s profligacy as governor ranked Bayelsa State as one of the most

The APC had called on the EFCC, the Department of State Services and other security agencies to help the people of Bayelsa track the secret transaction in order to stop PDP from obtaining the fraudulent loan

A

BUJA — Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva has said that the delay in choosing his running mate ruffled feathers within the party.

According to him it was a sensitive issue for him choosing between the two major tendencies in the state. Though he did not disclose it, it was learnt that Sylva was caught between lobbyists who wanted a youth and an elderly person as his choice for running mate. The main contenders were Elder Wilberforce Igiri a retired school principal who was the choice of the elders and the youthful state party chairman, Tiwe Orunimighe who was the choice of the youths. Eventually, the elders prevailed as

Igiri was chosen.

He however said that the matter had been resolved and members back together to work for the victory of the party in the election.

Sylva who spoke to journalists at the APC national Secretariat in Abuja also explained the delay in the take off of his campaigns, saying that process of inaugurating his campaign council was ongoing.

“On the issue of my running mate, that has been resolved you know such issue will always come up because there is no way you make a major decision like that in politics and somebody will not be offended, but that is a family issue and we have resolved it. Every well meaning APC aspirant and members are working with me. He however hinted that his party was considering next week Monday for the inauguration.

36—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 , 2015—37

Senate queries approval of N63.5bn for Abuja Airport's 2nd runway contract

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA—THE Senate, yesterday, queried the N63.5 billion approved for the construction of the second Runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, saying it was an attempt to ‘steal and rape’ Nigerians of the country’s common patrimony.

It, however, called on the government to urgently construct a second runway at the airport and urged it to ensure that due process and diligence was followed in the award of contracts for the construction.

These resolutions were sequel to a motion by Senator Dino Melaye, All Progressives Congress, APC, Kogi West, titled, The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Second Runway Contract.

The Senate, while calling on the federal government to drastically reduce what it termed the unrealistic cost, said the government must monitor the contract award process.

Presenting the motion, Senator Melaye noted that the contract for the construction of the runway was cancelled by the last administration after allegation of over inflation of contracts was established.

Melaye, who noted that the contract was awarded by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, at N64 billion after ratification by the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, contended that there was also the need

for the construction of a second runway since, according to him, “the existing one is not only bad but inadequate."

According to him, the entire Gombe Airport, with 3.6km runaway cost N8.2 billion; Jigawa Airport cost a total of N11 billion, Bauchi, N12 billion; Enugu Airport, reconstructed and expanded at N13 billion and Akwa Ibom Airport was constructed at N18.05 billion.

He expressed worry that the proposed cost of constructing just

a runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, was astronomical, insisting that the amount was four times the cost of constructing a brand new runway in the country.

Melaye argued that the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, with four lanes of 4km runway cost less than N22 billion, saying constructing a 3. 8km one-line runway for N63.5 billion would be a waste of fund considering Nigeria’s present economic situation.

He said: “The publication that the

contract is already undergoing review and to be awarded at N63.5 billion as published by newspapers is another attempt to steal and rape Nigerians of our common patrimony. Further convinced by the fact that the entire Gombe Airport with 36km runway cost of N8.2 billion; Jigawa Airport cost N12 billion, Enugu Airport was constructed and expanded at 13 billion naira and Akwa Ibom Airport at N18.05 billion .

BRIEFING: From left: Sales Director, Africa and Europe, Kaon Media South Korea Limited, Mr. Young Kang; President/CEO, Media Concepts International Limited, MC, Mr. Babatope Agbeyo and Director General, National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba, during a world media briefing and signing of MOU agreement between MCI and chosen OEM Partner, with National Broadcasting Commission, in Lago. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

ARCO VS AGIP: Counsel urges court to enter judgment in favour of claimant

By Clara Nwachukwu & Abdulwahab Abdulah

C

HIEF Wole Olanipekun, SAN, leading three other senior advocates in a case instituted by an indigenous oil servicing firm, Arco Group Plc, has said a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt cannot hear argument canvassed by Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, through his lawyer, Chief Thompson Okpoko, SAN, unless it formally files its memorandum of appearance.

Olanipekun requested that the court, presided over by Justice Lambo Akanbi, enter judgement in the claimant’s favour in the absence of the memorandum of appearance.

Arco has maintained that Agip is not appearing formally before the court, having not filed its memorandum of appearance, hence it (Agip) cannot raise the issue of jurisdiction being canvassed.

Apart from NAOC, other defendants in the suit are Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Conoco

C M Y K

Phillips Petroleum Nig. Ltd, and National Petroleum Investment Management Services.

The issue of awarding of contracts in the turbine at first defendant’s OB/OB, Ebocha and Kwale gas plants, forms the subject matter of the suit.

At the resumed hearing of the matter, lead counsel to the claimant informed the court that in the absence of any memorandum of appearance till date, the court should proceed to grant leave to him to move his motion dated June 22, 2015, praying that judgement be entered in claimant’s favour, insisting that the motion was overdue for hearing.

Okpoko, however, objected to Olanipekun’s prayers, arguing that they had filed a motion for leave for extension of time within which to file and serve its memorandum of appearance dated June 30, 2015, which he claimed was served on the claimants’ counsel in the open court.

He argued that the second prayer in the motion was for an

order deeming the memorandum of conditional appearance as duly filed and served on the claimant.

He urged the court to discountenance the motion for judgement.

In his response, Olanipekun submitted: “My learned friend has misconstrued order 26, rule 5. Let us compare it with order 29, rule 2, which used the word ‘must’ and not ‘may’. Your lordship has no jurisdiction to grant this application. It is incompetent. The application was brought under order 56, rule 1. That deals with miscellaneous provisions. He cannot hide under it to file out of time.

“It is order 48, rule 4 that is the application. Your lordship cannot even grant the application because there is no evidence of payment.

We want to say that there is nothing like inherent jurisdiction in the absence of jurisdiction.”

Citing the Supreme Court decision in Inakoju v. Adeleke & others (2007), where the court held that it could not grant audience to a party that has not filed memorandum of appearance, Olanipekun said the natural thing

to do in such circumstance would have been to give judgement in favour of his client.

Not comfortable with Olanipekun’s argument, Okpoko insisted that no other application could be statutorily heard until their motion seeking for extension of time was dispensed off.

Okpoko argued that Justice Akanbi could not accede to Olanipekun’s argument since by the rule of the court, any party who intended to “oppose a motion ought to file a written address or a counter-affidavit which must be served on the defence.”

Quoting order 26, rule 5 of the court rule, the defence counsel said the claimant could not be heard in opposition to his motion.

He submitted that the court should rule in the favour of his client, NAOC. After much argument, Justice Akanbi adjourned ruling till December 3 on whether the application for extension of time was properly filed or not.

NYSC reassures on corps members' welfare

By Caleb Ayansina

A

B U J A — T H E National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has reiterated its commitment towards improving the welfare of corps members, regretting some corps members' inability to get their monthly allowance in September.

The NYSC, in a statement by its Director of Press and Public Relation, Mrs Abosede Aderibigbe, said it was very sensitive to the plight of the affected corps members, pleading with them to remain calm as the matter had been addressed.

She said: “The management of the NYSC has noted the slight delay in the receipt of the September 2015 allowance by some 2015 Batch ‘A’ corps members and the September and October 2015 as well as transport allowance by some of the recently discharged 2014 Batch ‘C’ corps members.

We wish to inform the affected corps members that the scheme forwarded the payment schedule at the right time but the delay in crediting the accounts of those affected was a challenge arising from failed transaction and the inability of the settlement centre to immediately reprocess for payment."

Firm unveils plans for affordable homes

A

real estate company, S u j i m o t o Construction, has unveiled plans for increased diversification and affordability of luxury homes.

The firm said in a statement by its Chief Executive Officer, Sujibomi Ogundele, titled, If you can dream it, we can build it, that without compromising standards in the high end residential luxury market which they are known for, they were designing luxury homes for both corporate organisations and individuals yearning for affordable homes.

The statement said the programme will include design and build, renovation, interior design and decoration, facility management and procurement.

38—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 , 2015

Angry petitioner accuses tribunal justices of bribery

DPP, LP lose petitions against Ughelli North lawmaker

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By Anayo Okoli

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MUAHIA—THE National/State Assemblies Election Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, Monday, upheld the election of the Majority Leader of the State

By Elizabeth Uwandu

HE STATE and National Assemblies Election Tribunal sitting in Asaba, Delta State has dismissed in two separate rulings the petitions filed against the victory of Hon. Eric Oharisi of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the April 11 House of Assembly election for Ughelli North constituency II. The petitions, which were filed by the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Jenkins Gwede and the Labour Party candidate, Abel lzomare Oharume, were dismissed in its entirety for lack of merit.

While dismissing the petitions in separate judgments, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove issues of irregularities and noncompliance with the electoral act beyond reasonable doubt and therefore had no reason to institute the petitions.

Reacting to the tribunal rulings on his case, Hon. Eric Oharisi, described his victory as victory for the people of Ughelli North Constituency II which he represents at the Delta State House of Assembly.

The lawmaker, who spoke to newsmen through his political aide, Hon. Jim Omokoro, assured the people of the constituency that Oharisi would ever remain focused in the discharge of his duty to better his people's lives.

House of Assembly, Mr. Chinedum Orji even as the petitioner openly accused the justices of taking bribe to decide the case .

The tribunal struck out the petition filed by Sydney Onyemere, an Umuahia based

lawyer, who ran on the platform of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, on the ground that he did not know the name of the state constituency he contested election to represent.

The tribunal said that the petitioner had come to the tribunal

No CONJUSS, no work, Anambra Judiciary workers insist

By Vincent Ujumadu

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WKA—JUDICIARY workers in Anambra State insisted, yesterday, that they would not return to work until the state government implements the Consolidated Judiciary Staff Salary Structure, CONJUSS. The workers have been on strike for the past two months, a development that had crippled activities in the judiciary.

At a well attended rally at the judiciary headquarters in Awka, the judiciary workers, who came from all the 21 local government areas of the state, said the

condition given by the state government that it would implement the new salary structure when its Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, improved, was unacceptable to them.

Anambra State chairman of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, Mr. Mark Ifezue described as unfortunate, a situation whereby the state government attached the implementation of the salary structure to improvement of IGR, arguing that the state IGR had more than doubled in the last one year.

Ifezue said that rather than keeping the workers in suspense, government should make it clear what it wants to pay, recalling that the state government promised earlier that it would review their salary once the IGR improved.

According to him, IGR had improved and government was still tying the welfare of the workers to further improvement.

Some of the workers, who spoke at the meeting, said: “We are demanding our right and we are not concerned about IGR and its improvement. Anybody linking the implementation of CONJUSS with IGR, is insulting us."

to seek redress for a non-existing constituency, which he referred to as Umuahia Urban State Constituency, whereas the respondent, Orji was returned for Umuahia Central state constituency.

Delivering judgment in the petition, the Tribunal chairman, Adeniyi Onigbanjo, said that Onyemere did not only fail to prove the allegation of substantial non-compliance, but also could not correctly identify the constituency he wanted to represent.

The petitioner, however, openly accused the panel members of having been compromised. He accused the panel members of adjourning for ten minutes to get the alert of the said financial inducement before giving judgment in his matter.

After the judgment, as the other layers were expressing their acceptance of the judgment in the legal tradition, Onyemere, a lawyer by training, burst out in emotional tirade against the panel and accused them of being compromised.

WORKERS TO BUHARI: Stop BPE from liquidating assets of defunct PHCN

By Victor AhiumaYoung

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ORKER IN the nation’s Power Sector, have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to stop the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, and others from liquidating the remaining assets of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, without addressing pending labour issues.

In a petition detailing happenings in the sector from 2011 till date, the workers

warned of unprecedented industrial unrest in the power sector should the president fail to intervene and address workers’ concerns.

The petition by the General Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, claimed that over 50,000 former employees of defunct PHCN were still being owed, while over 5,000 employees of PHCN had not received any entitlement at all, lamenting that labour’s agreement with Federal Government that PHCN should not be liquidated until all labour issues were concluded, was being flagrantly violated.

The petition contended that

contrary to claims, over 20 cases were pending, including Suit No. NICN/AK/44/2015: between Ilesanmmi Moses & three others (suing for themselves and on behalf of the disengaged staff of PHCN in BEDC) and PHCN and three others filed at National Industrial Court, Akure Judicial Division on October 7, 2015.

The petition read in part: “BPE has refused to release needed fund to the Implementation Committee headed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Ighali, for conclusion of verifications and payment of staff entitlements, but allegedly paid another government agency, the

Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, N500 million as consultancy fee for the same purpose. While PHCN workers are suffering, two years after they were disengaged, BPE should tell Nigerians where they have allegedly fixed the over N50 billion meant for the payment of entitlements of ex-PHCN employees.

"BPE should tell Nigerians where the documents of PHCN property in the United Kingdom are kept.

“The hurry to liquidate is to frustrate the power sector probe instituted by the Senate, and close shop before the appointment of a substantive Minister."

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

On the new Ooni of Ife

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hank God they have decided to pick a young vibrant man not men in their 60's or 70's.

I guess Nigeria is moving forward with our youth, congrats to the Yoruba race. -Mr. Emeka Ezera Odum, Self Employed

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his is a call to service and I hope the new Ooni won’t disappoint. I pray this new one will surpass the achievement of the late Ooni. The position of Ooni is so lofty that the occupier of the stool must be above board. God will help you, Kabiyesi. -Miss Chinasa Ukogu, Musician

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t age 27 in 2002, he led the government delegation team to Canada strategic alliances and partnership with Ondo State government on solid mineral potential of the state. I love his age and what he has achieved. -Miss Amamchinefe Okoji, Student

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his is a modern traditional ruler, educated, business-minded, forward thinking and traditionally accustomed. This is the type of young people we need in modern Nigerian politics. May God give him the wisdom to lead his people. -Miss Afor Bukola, Student

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hat I can say about the new Ooni of Ife, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, is: May God grant him more wisdom to lead his people to greatness and contribute his quota in building this country. -Mr. Ajiboye Sunday, Music Instructor

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o why can’t we have such a young amiable man as Nigerian President?

Why recycling? I have always known that the Nigerian youths will always make good leaders, so let us see how well the Yoruba race will go with him. Miss Jennifer Ukachukwu, Worker

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 , 2015—39

Zamfara govt reads riot act to contractors •Warns against poor execution of jobs G

By Salisu Maradun

USAU—ZAMFARA State government has warned contractors handling projects across the state to ensure speedy delivery of qualitative jobs.

The government also warned that it would not accept any job below specifications, which also failed to meet the terms of contract.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Muttaka Rini, gave the warning after he inspected ongoing projects in some local government areas.

He said the state government, in conjunction with all the 14 local governments, jointly awarded a contract of N8.5 billion for the electrification of about 78 towns and villages in the state.

Rini disclosed that the state government would contribute 50 per cent of the amount, while the remaining 50 per cent would be provided by the local government councils.

According to him, over 40 per cent of the total amount has been disbursed to the contractor to encourage him to concentrate on the job effectively.

Muttaka also revealed that the

state government, having committed itself to the projects, assured the people of the state of its readiness, zeal and determination towards ensuring that the desired goals were achieved.

The commissioner further explained that the present administration of Yari Abubakar

would not take it lightly with anyone found wanting in the discharge of his or her civic responsibility.

He warned that those whose mission was to sabotage the efforts of the government in its quest to give the state the development it deserved should think twice. ‘’This government is fully

committed to the total transformation of the state. What we need now is full support and cooperation from the entire people of our state so that together we will collectively move it forward. ‘’We also want the governed to appreciate the fact that the government is serious about their full welfare,’’ Rini added.

DRAWS: From left: His Royal Majesty, Eze Phillip Ajomiwe; one of the winners of the First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Millionaire Promo Season 2, Chinyere Alinta; representative of the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Hon. Ikechukwu Nwabeke; Regional Director, South East/South South of the Bank, Mr. Okey Ezeala and Hon. P. C Onyegbu, during the draws of the promo in Umuahia.

Labour threatens Benue govt over unpaid salaries BAILOUT FUND:

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By Peter Duru

AKURDI—IRKED by the delay in the payment of backlog of salaries, organized labour in Benue State has given state government 72 hours within which to pay the arrears from the recently accessed N28billion bailout fund or face an industrial action.

In a statement jointly issued yesterday by Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress,TUC, and the Joint Public Service Negotiation Council, JPSNC, Labour also urged workers to shun the ongoing biometrics screening of workers in the state.

The statement read: “Organized Labour (NLC, TUC & JPSNC) has critically examined the ongoing biometric screening of workers and resolved that the on-going screening be stopped forthwith.

“The screening should not be a prerequisite for payment of salary arrears owed workers.

Benue workers should not be subjected to the untold hardships they are currently experiencing, especially that it could lead to loss of lives as a result of mass movement of workers.

“Organized Labour is not against any biometric screening initiated by government, however, we question the competence of the contractor handling the exercise, having

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handled a similar exercise during the past administration in the state without any tangible result.

“Moreover the said bailout fund was assessed based on the payment vouchers of the months in arrears; therefore, the fund is the representation of the financial

implication of salary arrears owed Benue workers.

“Labour has resolved, therefore, that government should unconditionally pay workers their salary arrears on or before Friday October 30, 2015, failure of which Labour will not guarantee any

industrial harmony and tranquility.”

Vanguard learned that the meeting scheduled between labour leaders and the state government over the matter failed to hold as labour was not prepared to shift ground.

Ethiopia to under study Nigeria's food, drug said Ethiopia had been regulatory system following recent developments

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By Chioma Obinna

AGOS—A team of pharmaceutical experts from Ethiopia yesterday arrived the country to understudy Nigeria’s Food and Drug Regulatory System, with a view to replicating same in their country.

The team, led by Ethiopia’s Deputy Director, Ethiopian Food Medicines and Healthcare and Control Authority, EFMHACA, Mr. Dawit Dikasso Dilbeto, has

begun a working tour of NAFDAC facilities nationwide.

Addressing journalists shortly after the tour of NAFDAC facilities in Lagos, Dilbeto explained that the aim of their visit was solely to understudy NAFDAC’s activities in terms of inspection, monitoring, capacity building and experience sharing, among others.

Dilbeto, who testified that he was impressed with the development in NAFDAC regulatory system,

in Nigeria’s food and medicine regulatory system in the last two years.

He said: “In the last two years, we have found that Nigeria is the best place to share experience. Ethiopia is now expanding in population and we need to expand our operations as regards regulatory processes in terms of food and medicines in order to protect our population."

Former gov aspirant urges Dekina people to vote for Audu

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By Kingsley Fanwo

EKINA—FORMER governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and now a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi State, Alhaji Isah Echocho, has stormed Dekina to rally support for the governorship candidate of his

party, Prince Abubakar Audu.

PDP governorship candidate and incumbent governor, Capt Idris Wada, hails from Dekina Local Government Area.

Addressing a handful of party loyalists in Dekina, Echocho said he decided to join APC out of love for Kogi in order to move the state forward and called on the people

to move out enmasse to support Prince Abubakar Audu.

He said: “We are at a point where change has become a necessity. I left the PDP because the party has been devalued by the abysmal performance of the present government. It is unthinkable for me to love PDP more than my dear state."

Faleke decries infrastructure decay in Kogi

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By Abdulwahab Abdulah

OKOJA—THE deputy governorship candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC, in Kogi State in November 21, 2015, election, James Faleke, has decried the level of infrastructure decay in the state, promising an improvement if his party was voted into power.

Speaking at Olle Bunu during a visit to the palace of the Olubunu of Bunu, HRH Oba J.A Ikusemoro, at Olle Bunu, Faleke described as shameful and unacceptable the level of decay and underdevelopment in the state, wondering what successive PDP governments had done with the resources accruing to the state in the last 13 years.

He said: “For the past 13 years the PDP held sway in Kogi, the state has not recorded any worthwhile development, rather it has been moving in the reverse direction,thusbringingsufferings and hardship to our people in spite of the huge resources at its disposal."

....As 4,800 APC, PDP members defect to PPA

By Kingsley Fanwo

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OKOJA—AHEAD of Kogi State governorship election slated for November 21, no fewer than 4,800 members from the two major political parties in the State, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi Central senatorial district yesterday defected to Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA. 2,900 of the defectors are from the All Progressives Congress, while 1900 are from the ruling PDP. Receiving the defectors in Lokoja during a rally of the party,thePPAstatechairman,Mr. SimeonOjonuba,promisedthem total delivery of all provisions on the party manifesto should the party win the governorship election.

Ojonuba also acknowledged the pains of the people occasioned by sectional interest and bad governance.

40—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

GLO SLIDE 'N BOUNCE: From left—Glo subscribers, Yemisi Atandare; Mrs Olusola Apampa; Glo Brand Ambassadors, MI Mbaga; Odunlade Adekola; subscribers, Yetunde Fadare and Barakat Oladeji, at the Slide and Bounce concert in Abeokuta.

CELEBRATOIN: From left— Emeritus Bishop of Ekiti Catholic Diocese 3, Right Reverend Dr. Michael Fagun; Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Right Reverend Dr. Peter Odetoyinbo; celebrator, Very Reverend Father Anthony Fadairo; his mother, Mrs. Cecilia Bolanle Fadairo; Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos Catholic Archdiocese, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, and Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Right Reverend Dr. Jude Arogundade, at the 25th priestly ordination anniversary celebration of Father Fadairo held at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

AWARD: From left— Consultant to African Representative/World Governing Board member, IPU, Dr. Chidi Onuoha; compere, Mr. Sam Adegbe, and Marketing Manager, Wandel International (Nigeria) Limited, Mr. Rajneesh Gupta, receiving the Green Economy Award (Commercial Category) at the Nigeria Green Award in Abuja.

LOTTO PROMO: From left— Baba Ijebu beneficiary, Mr. Chukwu Victor; Chairman, Premier Lotto, Baba-Ijebu, Chief Adebutu Keshinton; Mr. Tony Igbinoba and Mr. Michael Bamishaye, all winners, at the presentation of Hyundai Cerato car to the winners of Baba Ijebu Give-Back promo to mark the 80th Birthday of Chief Keshinton in Lagos. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

VISIT: From left— Founder/CEO, Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice, Surulere, Mrs. Theresa Adedoyin; EVP, ISC Global, Mondelez International, Mr. Daniel Myers; Managing Director, Mr. Roy Naaman, and Head, Corporate & Government Affairs, Bala Yesufu, both of Cadbury, during a visit to Heart of Gold to mark the 2015 Global Volunteering Month.

SHINE ALL LAUNCH: From left— Modern Trade Manager, Mr. Henry Mong; Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Vijay Nair; Regional Sales Manager, Mr. Felix Ajanaku; and Head, Consumer Sales, Mr. Satej Samb, all of Cormart Nigeria Ltd., during re-launch of Shine All dish wash in Lagos.

FOMWAN: From left (front row)— Mrs Safiat Adeaga, Mrs Khairat Ajao,

Alhaja Rahamatalai Kamorudeen, past Amirah, Surelere, Alhaja Rashidat Oyesoro, Alhaja Tawakalita Adamson, Ass Dawah officer, Mrs Rashidat Oladele and others, during Federation of Muslim Womem Associations in Nigeria, FOMWAN, Lagos State chapter's Hijrah 1437 walk. PHOTO: Shola Oyelese.

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KSM FUNFAIR: Grand Knight, KSM, Lekki Sub-Council, Jonny Ngonadi (holding the Overall Best Sub-Council trophy), flanked to the right by past Metro Grand Knight, Sir. Patrick Ikemefuna and Dr. Charles Mbelede, Metro Grand Knight, Lagos Metropolitan Council, at the recently-held Lagos Metropolitan Council KSM/LSM Funfair 2015 at the Catholic Church of Ascension, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Lagos.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 —41

Gov Ajimobi's supporters jubilate over election petition tribunal victory

Supporters of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, jubilating after the Oyo State Election Petition Tribunal upheld the election of the governor, in Ibadan. Photos: Dare Fasube

Irate youths barricade Enugu-Benue expressway, burn Police vans

By Francis Igata

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NUGU—ANGRY youths stormed Umabor Police Station in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State,Tuesday night, destroying property.

This is also as they blocked the EnuguMakurdi Expressway, yesterday, crippling vehicular movement.

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The situation was causing serious tension among the residents, who told journalists that they kept vigil throughout the night.

It was, however, gathered that though no life was lost in the sporadic shootings which lasted for several hours. Police vehicles were touched.

A source told our correspondent that trouble started when a team of

policemen stormed a viewing centre and arrested some residents, a development that angered the youths.

Meanwhile, according to a community source, “ what happened yesterday was accumulation of anger.

The police have been in the habit of making indiscriminate arrest in the Eha community."

42—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

FG adopts policies to boost informal sector—Illoh

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EDERAL Government has adopted policies aimed at enhancing the informal economy .

Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, the government said also it is determined to transform the labour sector through professional service delivery of the highest quality and to promote standards that will meet international obligations.

Dr. Illoh, who spoke in Abuja at the 3rd Registrar of Trade Unions’ Annual Workshop on “Current Challenges and Prospects of Trade Union Administration in Nigeria”, noted that available statistics indicated that the informal economy contributed about 60 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP. According to a statement by Prince Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director (Press), the Permanent Secretary explained that the workshop was aimed at creating awareness and sensitizing trade unions on the concepts and challenges of the informal economy.

He emphasised that the theme of this year’s workshop: “Combating the Challenges of Extending Labour Protection Services to the Informal Economy: The Role of Trade Unions” was apt, stressing that the informal economy had become the focus of increasing attention in economic discussions on economic development of nations, particularly that of developing countries.

According to Dr.Illoh like many other developing countries, the informal sector was considered crucial to job creation as it accounted for about 90 per cent of jobs in the country.

The Permanent Secretary decried that the sector was often not recognized and protected under existing legal and regulatory framework of government and were therefore characterized by a high degree of vulnerability and poverty, lamenting that the workers in the informal economy operated under unprotected conditions of employment and frequently under precarious conditions with serious implications on the country’s labour relations practices.

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Employment crisis: ITF pushes for national skills policy

Director General/Chief Executive, Industrial Training Fund, ITF, Dr. Juliet Onaeko (2nd left) and former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Kola Jamodu (2nd right), during an event in Lagos.

Stories by Victor Ahiuma-Young

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HE employment crisis in the country is being compounded by a growing frustration on the part of employers that the army of jobless graduates and other job seekers in the country are unemployable.

A federal agency, the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, seems to have taken up the challenge of bridging the skills gap to match the job needs of employers.

As a part of its drive, the fund intends to hold a National Skills Summit, NSS, later in the month to help drive forward the facilitation and scaling up of job creation through the training and reskilling of Nigerians aimed at helping to match skills development with market/industry needs In a keynote address, Director General/Chief Executive, ITF, Dr Juliet Chukkas Onaeko, at the Capacity Building Programme for Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, in Abeokuta, noted that skills acquisition formed the core of national development as seen from the experience and examples of highly developed countries like China, Brazil, Canada, Germany and Singapore.

She contended that there was no doubt that Nigeria urgently needed a national skills policy, NSP, lamenting human capital and manpower development experts within and outside the country had identified loss of millions of Nigerian jobs to so called expatriates, dwindling government revenue and anti-social vices were linked to the inability of a national skills policy that will effectively grapple with these challenges.

ITF partners UNIDO: According to her, ITF had partnered with

the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, to undertake a skill gaps survey/study, saying “ITF has gone to great lengths to identify the urgent need for a national skills policy, and conceptualized and initiated plans for a National Skills Summit that will, for the first time in the history of the country, identify and discuss key issues and challenges that are inhibiting skills and manpower development in the country. The urgency of this initiative is premised on the reality that the summit will for once articulate and agree on specific action plans for the sustainable development of skills, manpower, economic rejuvenation and industrialization in Nigeria, and will forever banish unemployment, poverty and insecurity from the country.

“Our country has no reason not to create and export jobs like other developed nations that are earning revenues from skills export.

As a nation, Nigeria is blessed with over 170 million people. This is a figure that is considered as the 7th largest population in the world, and by far the largest on the African continent. Nigeria also has a workforce of over 69 mil-

As part of the strategic focus, the ITF is repositioning skills and manpower development as an enabler for industrialization and economic diversification

lion people, and possesses an age bracket of 18 years in meridian.

This is a reality that is the youngest globally by more than 20 percent.

Furthermore, there are more than three million Diaspora importable skills; an investor friendly labour laws that is considered excellent by global investment bodies and the International Labour Organization, ILO, and a globally competitive average wage that is also viewed as excellent by all continental and global agencies, including UNIDO.”

National skills summit Insisting that with one of the best condition in the world for a high quality workforce that is capable of placing Nigeria in the comity of highly industrialized and economically successful nations, ITF, believed that it was time to turn the quantity advantages into productive advantages, particularly when the commitment and focused policy direction of the Federal Government were brought into consideration.

Onaeko contended that “as an agency of the Federal Government that has been mandated to champion the course of skill development in Nigeria, the ITF, it should be noted is always in realization of the endless potential for economic growth that Nigeria has. While it is understandable that these identified economic and industrial potential of Nigeria has yet to fully and consistently trickle down onto the mass population of the country – a situation that is directly traceable to the unavailability of skills that can adequately access existing opportunities – the National Skills Summit will as part of the immediate

and long term goal, fashion out a Skills Policy for the country.

“This summit will pave the way not only for the retention of existing jobs for millions of the nation’s employment hopefuls, but will also challenge the lopsidedness in skills application by indigenous and multinational organization in the country. Before now, the prevailing situation whereby the country operated without a functional and wholistic National Skills Policy has maintained a retrogressive and lamentable situation where hundreds of thousands of jobs went the ways of non-Nigeria workers, at the expense of young and ready Nigerians. The National Skill Summit will fashion out a way to reverse these trends, while at the same time set Nigeria on the road for economic and industrial growth.”

Training, re-skilling youths She explained that “ITF under the current leadership is also undergoing positive and very far reaching reforms of charting a new strategic direction for the Fund. Some of these reforms and initiatives part of which is the NSS will help drive forward the facilitation and scaling up of job creation through the training and reskilling of more than 5 million youths annually. The Summit will help the agency and the government to match skills development with market/industry needs.

As part of the strategic focus, the ITF is repositioning skills and manpower development as an enabler for industrialization and economic diversification in Nigeria, while improving the nation’s industrial and economic competitiveness within continental and global space through skills development.

Vanguard,THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—43

Don’t invest pension funds in unproductive ventures, Oshiomhole warns

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

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NCREASINGLY, there has been clamour that the N5 trillion pension fund generated through the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, be made available to investors to expand their businesses.

But one of the brains behind the CPS, and former President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, has warned against investing the pension fund in unproductive or wasteful ventures.

Comrade Oshiomhole, insisted that first and foremost, the fund is meant for workers who are contributing the fund for use after retirement, recalling that at the formulation of CPS, “the selling point of the Contributory Pension Scheme, was that pension funds should be source of cheap and longterm funds that would be used to support programmes and investments that will enhance workers welfare such as workers’ housing and the creation of a robust mortgage system.”

The governor who spoke while dismissing media reports that tended to credit him with accusing the National Pension Commission, PenCom, of diverting pension funds through the immediate past federal administration, argued that he was fully aware that there was no way PenCom could divert funds since the commission had nothing to do with pension fund directly.

Funding of consumption While clarifying his earlier position on how pension fund was diverted, Comrade Oshiomhole explained that he was only talking about how pension funds operators invested hard-earned workers’ money in Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, Bonds and Treasury Bills, which in turn was grossly mismanaged through funding consumption.

In a statement he personally signed, the former NLC president said: “ recently, a section of news media attributed comments to me regarding the way and manner in which pension funds to the tune of N3.5 trillion were drawn down to support recurrent expenditure and not infrastructure development.

In the said reports, the impression created was that I had accused the PenCom of colluding with the Federal C M Y K

•Governor Adams Oshiomhole: Ministry of Finance to divert the said amount. Considering the manner in which this serious economic issue that borders on the future of the Nigerian economy and the welfare of the Nigerian workers who make contributions to the pension funds, is being misrepresented, and trivialized in the media, I wish to make some clarifications and set the record straight.

“As someone involved from the outset in the crafting of the PenCom Act, I am very much aware that under the law, PenCom is a regulator of the financial institutions and operators that deal directly with the management of the pension funds and pension assets, namely: the Pension Funds Administrators, PFAs, and the Pension Funds Custodians, PFCs. I could not have said therefore that PenCom diverted pension money because it has nothing to do directly with pension money in the first place.

Indeed, I recall that when the pension reforms, which led to the creation of PenCom were being formulated, the selling point of the Contributory Pension Scheme, was that pension funds should be source of cheap and long-term funds that would be used to support programmes and investments that will enhance workers welfare such as workers’ housing and the creation of a robust mortgage system.

•Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, DG, PenCom

PFAs major subscribers to FGN bond, treasury bills

According to him, “However, what turned out in the management and operations of the pension funds were completely different ball game.

It is open knowledge that the PFAs are among the major subscribers of Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, Bonds and Treasury Bills, which

It is open knowledge that the PFAs are among the major subscribers of Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, Bonds and Treasury Bills, which are instruments of FGN’s domestic borrowing, issued periodically by the Debt Management Office, DMO, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN

are instruments of FGN’s domestic borrowing, issued periodically by the Debt Management Office, DMO, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, respectively, on behalf of the Federal Government. FGN Bonds as debt securities are generally considered safest relative to other debt instruments in the capital market because they are governed by the “faith and credit” principle; offer attractive rates and guaranteed returns, at least in theory.

“It is, therefore, not a new revelation that total subscriptions of pension funds to the FGN Bonds are in excess of N3.5 trillion or about 70% of the total funds (estimated at N5.1 trillion) so far accrued under the contributory pension scheme.

It is also not a secret that in the last five years under the previous administration, the Federal Government had engaged in monthly bond issuances as a means of raising finance to fund recurrent expenditure and service domestic debts, rather than finance capital projects, which was the main purpose of bond issuance if domestic borrowing was to be a productive and beneficial activity to the national economy.

These are facts that could easily be verified from the PFAs and PFCs; DMO, Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as CBN, if journalists and the media they represented have

gone the extra mile to find out.

“The issue clearly was not about PENCOM diverting pension funds.

It was about how pension funds operators invested hardearned workers’ money in FGN Bonds and Treasury Bills, which in turn was grossly mismanaged through funding consumption (recurrent expenditure, payment of salaries for federal employees, financing budget deficits and domestic debt servicing) rather than concrete investment in critical infrastructure, housing, etc. Pensions as workers savings, rather than being invested in capital projects with multiplier effects on jobs and incomes, are being invested in bonds which go into funding wasteful recurrent spending.

Spending borrowed money on unproductive ventures typically generates inflationary pressures that lead to devaluation of the currency and purchasing power of workers.

The net effect is that by the time these savings are required to pay pensioners in the future their real value would have been eroded quite significantly.

As we have seen even in advanced economies, such kind of mismanagement of pension funds had easily sparked economic crisis that undermined the welfare of workers and retirees.

Investment in infrastructure “I have followed the recent World Pensions Summit organized by PENCOM and all through experts and analysts kept emphasizing that pension funds should be invested in infrastructure like roads, power and other productive ventures to develop the national economy. The point here is that pension funds should not be invested in instruments that mobilize funds only for unproductive and wasteful ventures.

“It is in the public domain that federal budgets in the last four years have devoted as much as 85% of the budgetary outlay to recurrent expenditures including salaries. The National Assembly on whose onus rests the approval of the budget has been lamenting year-in-yearout, this clearly bad economics, a situation in which only a paltry 15% of the budgetary outlay was devoted to capital projects and investment in the last five years.

Federal legislators have also openly complained about the fact that even the 15% capital expenditure is hardly executed fully, implying that the amount devoted to recurrent expenditure will be even much higher than the 85% reported officially.

44 —

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Igwe Achebe revives Onitsha art life with Oreze 111

By Japhet Alakam

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AST year, when he was installed as the patron of LIMCAF, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha promised to ressurect the art life of the people of Onitsha and that promise was fulfilled recently when the commercial city entertained art lovers with an episodic exhibition tagged Oreze 3.

To most Nigerians, Onitsha, the business capital of Anambra State is noted for its commerce, as the city is bustling at all times with people engaged in one type of transaction or the other. But recently, the ctizens of the city took some days off from their busy schedule to felicitate with the art/culture loving monarch, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Agbogodi , the Obi of Onitsha who celebrated the 15th Ofala festival.

The Ofala festival is one of the special events which attracts tourists from far and wide, but this year’s edition was unique in the sense that it featured the unveiling of sculptures of past Obis and an exhibition of works by selected artist from all over the world.

The exhibition, which was mainly sponsored by Globacom, among other supporters, attracted leading art collectors and patrons who share in the dream of the art loving monarch who is bent on transforming Onitsha into a centre of art and culture.

Centre of art and culture It was curated by Onitsha born painter, George Edozie and declared open on the 6th October by Prof. Ola Olodi of University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Despite the commercial activities that dominate the city, Onitsha is not new to arts, as it is the home town of Nigeria’s foremost artist famed for painting the portrait of Queen Elizabeth of England, the late Prof Ben Enwonwu, but recent developments point to the fact that the city is loosing that position. It was this state of affairs that made Igwe Achebe swear to bring back art life to the city, hence the Oreze exhibition. The exhibition which is in its third edition featured over 150 artists from many parts of the world.

The event which was two fold started with the unveiling of 20 sculptures of all the Obis that have ruled Onitsha by Igwe Alfred Achebe amidst cheers from the audience. The sculpC M Y K

tures which were skillfully done were donated by Onwa and Dinyelugo, Doris Okey Akpoms Omozele, from Dallas, Texas, USA. The second leg was the exhibition which featured paintings, sculptures and ceramics.

The exhibitors were the Onitsha Agbo artists that included George Edozie, Afam Okwudili, George Nwadiogbu, Ato Arinze, Achike Anayo, Chinwe Uwatse, Frank Anammah and Onyeoma Mbanefo. Other guest artists were Abiodun Olaku, Alex Nwokolo, Gbenga Offo, Duke Asidere, Agorsor Kofi, Fidelis Odogwu, Gerald Chukwuma, Rafael LopezRamas from Cuba, Midahven Yves and Dominique Zinkpe.

It was a beautiful sight as the curator took Igwe Achebe , Mr

Akisu, who represented Nigeria Gallery of Art DG, and others round the works displayed at the hall.

One of the features of the group exhibition is its diversity • L-R, The Curator, George Edozie takes Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, The Obi of and richness as Onitsha (R) round the works it featured young painters and sculptors, only from Nigeria but also from Globacom Limited, with HRM who exhibited alongside those West African countries such as Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe of seasoned hands in the crea- Ghana and Benin Republic. as host. About 150 Artists from tive business, in order to expose The exhibition offered viewers all over the world showed their them to a more discerning au- a wide range of high flying Ni- works. They include those from dience for the exposition of their gerian contemporary artists countries like Germany, Belcollections. who are sought after by many gium, UK, France,Ghana, Another attribute is that a collectors.

Benin Republic, Togo and the growing number of non NigeAccording to the curator, US. And in the next edition, it rian artists participated, includ- George Edozie, “this is the will feature about 40% artists ing several first time entrants third edition of Oreze , that has from foreign nations especially from Cuba. been curated by George those from Europe, US.” Again, the 17 artists were not Edozie and sponsored by

Interdisciplinary approach to reclaiming Africa's discourse

By Prisca Sam-Duru HE major reason for initiating the Lagosphoto festival in the first place was to end the stereotypes of Africa by ensuring her people control their own narratives. Since October 2010 when the festival kickedoff, the coordinator of the project, African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) has lived up to its objectives through corresponding themes during each edition.

Prior to the grand opening for the 6th 2015 edition of the photo festival, AAF supported by the Ford Foundation, held an Artist Talk with Ike Ude, a contemporary artist based in the US. Themed “Performative Essence of Fashion & the Fashioned-Self” the artist lecture also featuring cinematographer Kunle Afolayan and Creative Director, Make Oh, Maki Osakwe, held at Ford Foundation, Ikoyi, Lagos at the weekend.

The very interactive talk event had Ike Ude, a Nigerian-American photographer, performance artist, author, publisher, and style icon, sharing a whole lot of his experience while building a brand that stands out. Best known for his conceptual photographic portraits that explore issues of representation and sexual, gender, cultural, and stylistic identity, the creative artist discussed how the markers of fashion comprising both signifier and signified, denote the core essence of cultural identity and remain the most symbolic visible

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index of culture.

With his ongoing series of photographic self-portraits, Sartorial Anarchy in which he is dressed in varied costumes across geography and time, the work of Nigerian-born Ike Ude explores a world of dualities: photographer/ performance artist, artist/spectator, African/post nationalist, etc.

As a New York based artist, conversant with the world of fashion and celebrity, Udé gives conceptual aspects of performance and representation a new vitality, melding his own theatrical selves and multiple personae with his art.

The eccentric artist while showing his listeners the slides of his collections, explained that the Sartorial Anarchy project was conceived in 2003 while he began executing in 2009. “It’s a very strange marriage of words as sartorial refers to elegance, eloquence while anarchy implies disorder, out of control. I delved into the work to explore and articulate roles that fashion and aesthetics play on issue of identity across geography.” With a mini museum in his home where

Ude disclosed that he was moved by poor/wrong image that does not represent Africa properly

• Ike Ude standing in between two of his photographic self portraits he stock piles items and clothings and accessories, Ude disclosed that he was moved by poor/ wrong image that does not represent Africa properly.

On how we may design Africa through Africa designs he said, “Nigerians are very stylish people... What you wear, the way, when and how you wear it is important. So beyond brand names, it is good to dress appropriately because fashion defines an individual’s identity.”

Nigeria’s Cinematographer, Kunle Afolayan said aside ensuring originality in his films, he tries as much as possible to make films that cover the entire Nigeria regardless of language, adding that “Not until Figurine, a lot of people never thought that Nigerian movies could do well in the cinemas. I wanted to get things right that is why I am consistent in spite of piracy."

According to him, “October 1st is a solid representation of who we are and it portrays Africans properly. As a director, once I

have a script, I have a clear idea of what a character should wear but then, I bring in a costume expert to ensure everything is in order. In the case of October 1st, I had to research what Nigerians wore in the 60s which is the reason the movie won for best costumes at the AMVCA 2015.”

He noted lack of funds, capacity building and poor distribution networks as challenges to the growth of the film industry. “Collaboration is all we need to make the world know who we truly are,” he intoned.

Creative Director Make Oh, Maki Osakwe decried the level of mediocrity being celebrated in some quarters in the Nigerian fashion industry. Her statement raised arguments among designers in the house, but they soon learned that mediocrity in the area of creativity, design and production truly exists because rather than come up with novel ideas, most designers concentrate on pleasing celebrities than the entire population.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—45

DOLPHIN IKOYI:

One estate, two worlds •Where luxury and squalor meet

By Jude Njoku

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OR many Lagos residents, the name Dolphin Estate Ikoyi rings a bell as one of the abodes for the affluent in Nigeria’s “Centre of Excellence”.

But for those who have visited the estate, the picture is that of two different worlds – luxury and squalor.

Dolphin Estate was developed

by Messrs HFP Engineering Nigeria Limited in the early 1990’s for the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, LSDPC. To make way for the construction of the estate, the dilapidated Jakande Housing Estate at Ijeh was demolished because it constituted an eyesore and degraded the neighbourhood. LSDPC first built two and three-bedroom flats in eight blocks of pre-fabricated high-rise buildings to accommodate those who were displaced by the demolition.

Dolphin Phase I which was targeted at the upper medium income class consists of 646 duplexes of four bedrooms, each with an area of 150m². The total built up area in this phase is 102,068m².

First phase of the scheme After successfully completing the first phase of the scheme in 1991, HFP was awarded the construction of Phase II of the estate. This phase included 236 four bedroom duplexes, 440 three bedroom flats and 136 flats of two bedrooms each. The project was completed in 1997.

In both phases of the Dolphin development, H.F.P. was responsible for the entire infrastructure: sand filling, power, water supply, sewage systems, roads, pavements, fences, drainage and street illumination.

Infrastructure decay Unlike the low-rise section of Dolphin Estate where you have the duplexes, infrastructures in

the high-rise section of the estate where you have the flats are in decrepit conditions. The drainage channels are blocked while the paved roads have packed up, thereby giving room for the estate to be flooded at the slightest drop of rain water. The spiral staircases leading into the block of flats have also become dilapidated.

Vanguard learnt that most residents who parted with huge sums of money to buy properties in the estate, now see it as a wrong investment.

Reason?

The barracks-like prefabricated high-rise buildings apart from becoming a ghetto of sorts, have been turned into hideouts for criminals and other societal miscreants.

Put succinctly, the estate is poorly managed and maintained.

Angered by this ugly scenario, the Dolphin Residents Association in 2013, sent a save Dolphin estates in Ikoyi our soul (S.O.S.) appeal to the Lagos State has a police station, security is Government to intervene and still a grave source of concern to assist in restoring the lost glory many residents of the estate. of what ordinarily should be Recall that it was at Dolphin classified as a highbrow estate in Estate that a PDP stalwart, Mr. view of its location. Ikoyi which Funsho Williams was murdered is regarded as the haven for the on July 27, 2006. Vanguard upper income class, should have learnt that security in the estate no place for the down-trodden has been highly compromised as who are just managing to eke out a result of the exit gate from Obalande through Abacha Estate a living. and Ijeh Police Barracks. The Security concerns Although the highbrow section shopping complex built by HFP of Dolphin Estate is gated and in the estate is believed to be

attracting all manner of persons into the estate. Vanguard recalls that residents waged a spirited battle against the construction of the mall because it was built upon an open space meant for a playground.

Dolphin still attractive Despite its perceived shortcomings, Dolphin Estate still commands high rental value.

Immediate past Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate

Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV, Pastor Stephen Jagun who described Dolphin as a buffer between Ikoyi and the mainland, explained that property values in the estate are still on the very high side. According to him, those who cannot afford to live in Ikoyi because of the high cost, end up looking for accommodation in Dolphin. A duplex he said, goes for an annual rent of between N2.5- 3 million in Dolphin Estate.

46—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Tuberculosis, HIV are world's top killers —WHO As Nigeria, 4 others account for more than half of the cases

By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

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NEW report by the World Health Organisation, WHO, yesterday ranked Tuberculosis, TB, alongside Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, as the leading killer diseases worldwide, even as it disclosed that TB killed no fewer than 1.5 million people in 2014.

Also, the report disclosed that more than half of the world’s TB cases (54 percent) occurred in Nigeria, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

In its Global Tuberculosis Report 2015, released yesterday in Washington, the global body also lamented increase in incidences of the disease, adding that about 9.6 million new cases were recorded.

Reacting to the report, the WHO’s Director-General, Margaret Chan, however said the fight against tuberculosis is paying off, with this year’s death rate nearly half of what it was in 1990.

“Nevertheless, 1.5 million people died from TB in 2014.

Most of these deaths could have been prevented,” she said.

Chan explained that with TB killing in 2014, 890,000 men, 480,000 women and 140,000 children, the disease now ranks alongside HIV as a leading killer worldwide.

Of the 1.5 million people killed by TB in 2014, the report also revealed that 400,000 were HIV-positive. HIV’s total death toll in 2014 was estimated at 1.2 million, which included the 400,000 TB deaths among HIV-positive people, the report noted.

Chan said this year’s report described higher global totals for new TB cases (9.6. million) than in previous years.

However, these figures reflect increased and improved national data and indepth studies rather than any increase in the spread of the disease.

The report further noted that more than half of the world’s TB cases (54 percent) occurred in Nigeria, China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Among the new cases, an estimated 3.3 percent have multidrug-resistant TB (MDRTB), a level that has remained unchanged in recent years.

The report noted that to reduce TB’s overall burden, detection and treatment gaps need to be closed, funding shortfalls filled and new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines developed, according

to the report.

“Most of the improvement has come since 2000, the year the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established. In all, effective diagnosis and treatment saved 43 million lives between 2000 and 2015, according to the report, the 20th in a series of annual evaluations produced by WHO. She said: “The report shows that TB control has had a tremendous impact in terms of lives saved and patients cured. These advances are heartening, but if the world

is to end this epidemic, it needs to scale up services and, critically, invest in research.”

Those advances include the achievement of the MDG that called for halting and reversing TB incidence by 2015. The goal was reached globally and in 16 of the 22 high-burden countries that collectively account for 80 percent of cases.

The report further noted that Worldwide, TB incidence has fallen 1.5 per year since 2000, for a total reduction of 18 percent.

Also reacting to the report,

Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme, Dr Mario Raviglione said: “Despite the gains, the progress made against TB is far from sufficient. We are still facing a burden of 4,400 people dying every day, which is unacceptable in an era when you can diagnose and cure nearly every person with TB.” The report further called for action to close diagnostic and treatment gaps, fill funding shortfalls, and develop new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.

VISIT: From left: Chief Executive Officer, Natcom Development and Investment Limited (NTEL), Mr Kamar Abass and General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintainance and Regulatory Agency LASIMRA, Mr Babajide Odekunle, during a courtesy visit by the former to the Agency in Agidingbi, Ikeja, Tuesday.

Akinyemi seeks two-party system for Nigeria F

ORMER External Affairs Minister, Prof.

Bolaji Akinyemi, yesterday, called for a two-party system as a way of redressing recurring ethnicity problems in thecountry’s politics.

According to him, a twoparty system will make all the ethnic nationalities to come together and remove tensions that arise from tribal politics exacerbated by parties with ethnic or regional colouration.

Akinyemi spoke in Lagos while delivering the 2015 Aelex Legal Practioners and Arbitrators Annual Lecture, with the theme: African countries: Politics, democracy and ethnicity.

“I believe that a two-party system, whether imposed by the Constitution or evolving naturally, is the best antidote to the invidiousness of ethnic politics,” he said, noting that Nigeria is gradually evolving

into a two-party state, with positive results.

According to him, the All Progressives Congress, APC, which used to be seen as a “a Yoruba party”, has now been accepted as a national party having produced a president from the North. “By evolution, we have ended up with a twoparty system,” he said. He suggested that it should become law since smaller parties with ethnic colouration still exist.

To him, addressing the challenges of ethnicism will be a work in progress because “it has been really difficult to gauge the level of attachment of people to ethnic politics as it appears that the political elite regard it as the equivalent of a water tap to be turned on and off to satisfy the whims and caprices of the political elite.”

Also, former Foreign Affairs

Minister, Senator Ike Nwachukwu, who chaired the event, shared the view that ethnicism is a problem in Africa and must be tackled because it is at the heart of the problems African countries face and is the bane of democracy.

He said the problem is the cause of the Rwandan genocide and is the reason for the sit-tight syndrome of some African leaders.

“Our continent is awash with conflicts. Africa ought to have grown beyond the resentment of one another.

Unfortunately, this has not happened,” he said.

For Nigeria to begin the march to end ethnicism, Nwachukwu urged President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the outcome of the 2014 National Conference, which he said went a long way to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s recurring socioethnic an structural problems.

Over 40m accounts enrolled to BVN —CBN

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By Babajide Komolafe

ENTRAL Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said that over 40 million accounts have been enrolled to the Biometric Verification Number (BVN).

The CBN stated this in a statement urging bank customers to link their BVN to all their bank accounts. It stated, “The Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, introduced the Bank Verification Number (BVN) on February 14, 2014. This initiative of the Bankers’ Committee is aimed at ensuring unique identity for all bank customers and other users of financial services in the country by the use of the customers’ biometrics as means of identification.

“At the expiration of the initial estimated 18 months after the launch, a good number of bank customers were reluctant and never took the exercise seriously, which led to commotion and stampede in banking halls across the country towards the end of the dateline of June 30, 2015. This confusion necessitated the call for the extension of the registration dateline by four months to October 31, 2015.

“The question now is whether bank customers took advantage of the extension.

The banks after the initial hullabaloo provided more facilities to enhance seamless enrolment. As a result, current statistics from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) show that 20,833,635 bank customers have enrolled as at October 25, 2015.

“Given the tradition of multiple accounts holding by an average Nigerian, which could be conservatively estimated at about 2 or 3 per account holder, therefore, it could be safely assumed that over 40 million accounts might have been enrolled to BVN. While it can be said that some substantial efforts have been made in terms of enrollment and successes recorded, what is left therefore, is for the remaining account holders to get their accounts linked to BVN. “Furthermore, Nigerian banks’ customers in the diaspora have taken advantage of more facilities provided for enrollment in more locations abroad. The updated information on the locations for the enrolment of Nigeria banks’ customers in the diaspora can be accessed through the link below: http:// www.nibss-plc.com.ng/bvn/ enrollment_centers.html"

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—47

Plateau generates N4.4bn revenue

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

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OS—PLATEAU State government has generated N4.4 billion as revenue from January to September, adding that it was exploring new avenues to improve on its internally-generated revenue, IGR. Acting Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Dashe Arlat, who disclosed this in Jos, explained that the service generated N3.24 billion, while the remaining N1.18 billion came from the Ministries, Agencies and Departments, MDAs. He attributed the low income accruable to the state to the global economic recession.

He said: “It is an indication for us in the service to wake up to the challenge to take more drastic steps towards overcoming our challenges for better results.

“In spite of the challenges, we organized a joint state revenue committee meeting last week to meet with other stakeholders to chart a way forward.”

Island Club inaugurates Diplomatic Corner

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HE Island Club, Lagos, will today, its 72nd Founder ’s Day anniversary, inaugurate Diplomatic Corner, a platform for social interaction and networking, by its President, Mr. Oladipo Opeseyi.

A statement by Ambassador Olusegun Akinsanya, Chairman, Diplomatic SubCommittee, said the corner was in recognition of the importance of the diplomatic community in Nigeria.

It said regular activities would be organized exclusively for diplomats, to show case and promote the country’s rich culture.

Highlights of the event, which will have dignitaries from the diplomatic community in attendance, are the conferment of honorary membership and presentation of plaques.

Emir of Kano strips Bayero’s son of Chiroma title over ‘insurbodination’

By Abdulsalam Muhammad

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ANO—EMIR of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has stripped his predecessor ’s eldest son, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero of his Chiroman title for insubordination.

The Chiroma Kano, eldest son of late Alhaji Ado Bayero, lost to Sanusi on June 8, 2014 in a bitter succession dispute.

In a two-page letter by the Senior Councillor and Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, the Chiroman Kano was accused of insubordination.

The announcement by Galadiman Kano revealed that the deposed prince had been replaced by his younger brother, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, who until lately was Turakin Kano.

Galadiman Kano, in the letter, said: “It is mandatory on members of the Emirate council to declare their support to the new emir as soon as the new emir emerges.

“The Chiroma Kano, who by virtue of his position in the emirate, was the District Head of Gwalchmai, failed to toe tradition.

“The untoward action of the dethroned Chiroma totally

contravenes established rules of Kano’s rich history and compromised the teachings of Islam.

“The provisions of the Sharia law and custom compel every member of the Kano emirate council to be loyal to the new king with the demise of the incumbent.

God, in His infinite wisdom, gives power to whosoever He wishes and takes it away from anyone He so wishes.”

He said since the new Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, was installed over a year ago, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero had failed to pay him homage.

WORKSHOP: From left— Vice Chairman, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Jibril Aku; Country Manager, International Finance Corporation, Nigeria, Mrs Eme Essien Lore; Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Zakawanu Garuba, and Bola Onadele, at the FMDQ Nigeria Debt Capital Market, DCM, workshop on The Nigeria Debt Capital Market: Towards a Brighter Future in Lagos.

PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

We’ll reclaim our mandate from Jang— Lalong

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

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OS—GOVERNOR Simon Lalong of Plateau State has urged his predecessor, Senator Jonah Jang, Plateau North in the Senate, not to be too comfortable as a senator, saying All Progressives Congress, APC, would not relent until it reclaimed the seat at the Appeal Court.

The governor, who addressed his supporters yesterday at the Government House in celebration of his victory at the governorship tribunal on Monday, vowed that he would not relent until the party recovered the stolen mandate from the former governor.

He argued that the Northern senatorial seat was not won by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, whose candidate, Jonah Jang, currently occupy the seat, saying he would continue to pray to ensure that the APC candidate, Eunice Sambo, reclaimed the seat.

Lalong, who was in company of Speaker of the State Assembly, Mr. Peter Azi, state

APC Chairman, Latep Dabang, among other dignitaries, also told the crowd of supporters that his victory at the election tribunal was the declaration of God, stating that God would not disappoint the people of Plateau State.

He thanked the people for their support and urged them to follow peace, calling on those on “warpath” to bury their differences, join hands and work with him for the good of the state and its citizens.

PDP drags Niger govt to court over council polls

By Wole Mosadomi

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INNA—PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, has dragged Niger State government to court over the shift in conduct of local council polls.

Government had earlier fixed November 7 for the election, but State Independent Electoral Commission, NSIEC, Tuesday, shifted the date for the polls to January 16, 2016, attributing the change to the inability of the state government to release funds for the prosecution of the election and the use of card readers as exhibits at the various tribunals sitting in the state.

The plaintiff is praying the court to determine if by virtue of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, local government in the state could be administered by any system of government other than democraticallyelected local government councils.

The suit, filed in a Minna High Court on Tuesday, also wanted the court to determine that the provisions of Sections 90 and 92 of Niger State Local Government Law 2001, as amended, were not in conflict and inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

PDP also joined the Attorney General of Niger State, NSIEC and Niger State House of Assembly in the suit.

Logistics firm in jitters over importers' boycott

By Ifeyinwa Obi

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HE management of Integrated Logistics Limited, INTELS, is currently worried by the massive boycott of its facilities by Nigerian importers and their agents.

The port concessionaire, who provides logistics supports for oil and gas-related cargo at Onne, Warri and Calabar ports, has lately been hit by mass exodus of its customers, who are protesting what they called “extortions, high charges, arrogance and wilful disregard for Federal Government policy on dollarization.”

Importers and their agents had alleged high charges at Intels facilities, saying they charge 300 times more than

other terminals.

However, the pronouncement of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, gave the spark to the smouldering anger and resentment of importers and their agents against the service providers.

A few weeks to his exit, Jonathan declared that all oil and gas-related cargo be handled at oil and gas designated terminals, which are incidentally the haven of Intels in Onne, Warri and Calabar ports.

However, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, National President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, had threatened that his members will oppose the directive by boycotting the

facilities of the concessionaires.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Intels, Dr Jonas Bankole, said several millions of dollars had been lost in recent weeks, following the impunity with which some terminal operators engaged in “inappropriate discharge of cargoes.”

Mr. John Ikezugo, a legal practitioner, at the behest of the beleaguered logistics providers, had also claimed that the diversion of Nigerian-bound vessels, carrying oil and gas, to other countries or designated port terminals for discharge, was illegal and an economic sabotage.

However, the protesting importers have vowed to stick to their guns and call the bluff of the service provider.

48 —Vanguard, Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015—49

Arise Women empower Lagos residents on healthy living

By Chioma Obinna

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ESIDENTS of Victoria Island Extension in Lagos and environs were agog recently when women from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, trooped out to create awareness on the health benefits of exercise through their annual walk tagged: "Walk for life" The women, under the auspices of Arise Women led by its Convener, Mrs Siju Iluyomade walked the various streets spreading the message on the need for Nigerians, particularly the women to imbibe culture of regular exercise to wade off ill health.

The walk was part of activities to herald the annual Women's Conference with the theme: "The Set Time" on 31st October 2015.

Iluyomade said the walk was targeted to promote the culture of exercise among the women and to enable them take responsibility of their own life.

"Exercise is important to existence of man, even the Bible has enjoined man to prosper in health even as our soul continues to prosper. "Today, we are walking for life and that we are healthy, we are also walking to encourage women to know that it is an integral part of their lives. We are also walking to create awareness

Foundation sets agenda for grief trauma counselling

By Etop Ekanem

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WALK: From left: (4TH) Pastor Siju Iluyomade, Convener, Arise Women with other members during Arise Walk for Life to announce the 7th Annual Arise Women's conference coming up this Saturday 31st October, 2015 in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. that Arise mobile clinic is on the move and still going places and it is for every woman."

She dismissed the notion that walking was for the poor while discouraging Nigerians from living a sedentary life style.

"Exercise helps your mental alertness. You need to be mobile, you need to continue to get off your seat and move. Walking is synonymous with poverty in Nigeria but that is wrong because

studies have shown that those who walk around live healthier and much longer.

She encouraged Nigerian women to learn to walk around their homes, house and offices and to climb the stairs rather than use the elevator. The organisation plans to establish a Specialist Medical Women's Village that would address various illnesses that affect women as well as provide counsellors and

psychologists. During the conference, Arise is bringing to the front burner , need for policies that can ensure women are integral part of the society. There will be free medical talks, medical screening and free dialysis treatment among others.

Among special guests expected include, wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osibanjo, and wives of the Lagos and Kwara State Governors.

ITH increasing terror attacks in parts of the country, Aart of Life Foundation has set agenda to aid grief and trauma counselling in the country.

Speaking at a symposium in Abuja, the Chairman of the Foundation, Mrs Taiwo Taiwo, said the initiative, first of its kind in Nigeria, has championed grief and trauma counselling and support since inception 13 years ago. Taiwo said increasing terror attacks had resulted to heavy mortality, morbidity and increase in number of Internally Displaced Persons, hence, the need for a counselling intervention.

“It has become imperative that we create a rallying point for all stakeholders and set an agenda for rapid and effective interventions for grieving and traumatised victims and their families and to celebrate and share our experiences in our work.

In his paper, titled, “Developing a Framework for Disaster Management in Africa-the Nairobi Experience and the Nigeria Challenge”, Dr. David Musyimi Ndetei stressed the importance of functional framework for a comprehensive support for people in grief and trauma.

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By your sixth month, you would have gained your maximum length – Uche My name is Usman and I am in my late forties. I have weak erection and premature ejaculation. I don’t need medicine that I will take before sex. I need medicine that will cure me for good – Usman Usman the only scenario where you can get the kind of treatment you are looking for is in a situation where an illness, surgery or substance is the cause of your weak erection. For instance diabetes affects one’s erection because the medicine taken for diabetes weakens the erection. Now to cure this erection weakness in this situation requires that one first cures the diabetes.

Unfortunately, diabetes has no cure. So that’s the problem.

Here is something else you need to know. Men are at the peak of their sexual powers between the ages of 19 and 23. After that, a man’s sexual capability begins a slow and steady decline over the years. Once that is the case with you, there is no cure for that just like there is no cure for aging. So supplements are all there is and they are like vitamins. They can help you perform well while

you are taking them but they cannot cure you permanently because they cannot reverse aging. So now that you understand it, I suggest you get the help you need. It doesn’t have to be a daily medication if you don’t like taking drugs daily. You can always go for the stronger supplements that you can take once or twice a week like Power Zen or Boss Rhino and any of these will also help you with your premature ejaculation and overall performance – Uche No matter the foreplay, my girl’s vagina only gets a little wet. And if I try to enter, it will not open. Because it is as if the vagina is sealed and she is not a virgin. Please what drug can expand it? Solomon Solomon your girlfriend does not need vaginal expansion. From everything you have described, it seems her hymen is still in place. The hymen is a thin mucous membrane that partially covers the vaginal opening when a woman is still a virgin. Sometimes the hymen is broken on the first sexual attempt and at other times, it takes several sexual sessions to completely push it open. In any case all you need at the moment is a lubricant and a gentle approach to love making. That is all. Use a lubricant as directed and before you know it, you will be able to have intercourse without problems – Uche I just want to thank you for your advice and everything you do. You helped me a great deal when you recommended Stay Hard Delay Cream for my premature ejaculation. Now I am able to last well – Chinedu Thanks for the Volume Pills. Two weeks into taking it and my semen in thicker and plenty - Frank And that is it for today. Adults in need of these treatments/ novelties can call 08171912551, 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help or visit www.zeevirtualmedia.comZee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com-Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media

50—Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Finland contending with challenges of ageing population —Jousilahti Dr. Pekka Jousilahti is a research professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland. In this interview, he speaks on the health and wellbeing exhibition billed for Lagos on November 3 and other issues. Excerpts:

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HAT will be your main message at the Health and Wellbeing event of Finland on November 3, in Lagos where you will make a presentation?

Prevention of noncommunicable diseases is essential for health and wellbeing, and it can be done through lifestyle changes. For successful lifestyle changes, creation of health promoting environment is needed through inter-sectoral collaboration.

What specific steps and policy did your government take to make Finland become “one of the healthiest, wealthiest, and most prosperous countries in the world”?

National health programems include reduction of smoking, and the target is that Finland would be a smoke-free country by 2040. Obesity and diabetes epidemics needs to tackled through improvement of diet and increase of physical activity.

Social equality in health needs to be strengthened. Reduction of alcohol related problems is also an important issue.

How is health care organized in Finland – for instance what is the role of the government and health care insurance?

Most of the health care is provided by the public sector and financed through taxation.

Health care financing The system is complemented by private sector and private insurance.

How important is diet in ensuring health and wellbeing?

How about other lifestyle habits? How do you promote healthy eating and other habits in Finland?

Diet and healthy lifestyles (non-smoking, physical activity, no or modest alcohol consumption) are critical for health and wellbeing. Healthy eating and other healthy lifestyles cannot be promoted through individual health education only, but making the environment healthy.

Multisectoral action is needed and is even more important than individual health education.

Cardiovascular problems are becoming a major cause of death in Nigeria. What do you think is the main reason for this?

Dr. Pekka Jousilahti Change and “westernization” of lifestyles, ie. smoking, unhealthy diet (salt, saturated fat, too much calories), physical inactivity, alcohol to mention some.

Many people in Nigeria live under poverty line and in poor hygiene conditions. Does this have relevance to heart disease, diabetes or cancer, for instance? How could health and wellbeing be achieved for populations of limited resources?

This is a complicated issue.

However, in a low income context, prevention of NCDs is even more important. Treatment of NCDs is very expensive. The society and government have a big responsibility to protect poorer populations. NCD epidemics often start among

Diet and healthy lifestyles (nonsmoking, physical activity, no or modest alcohol consumption) are critical for health and wellbeing

higher social classes in a country but then soon also become prevalent among the poor.

What is the relation between stress and non-communicable diseases? How can busy executives or others reduce stress?

The relationship between stress and developing NCDs is quite weak. As said, lifestyles i.e. smoking, healthy diet, physical activity and reduction of alcohol consumption are much more important. Physical activity is also a good way to reduce stress.

What are the main challenges and achievements in Finland in promoting health and wellbeing?

Challenges include aging population, securing equality in health issues, and in general in the society, international commercial pressure and marketing of unhealthy products (tobacco, alcohol, salty and fatty foods, etc.). The main achievements in Finland have been: •maternal and child health care, maternal and child mortality in Finland is now one of the lowest in the world, •comprehensive and equal education system, •high immunization coverage since the 1950s •infectious disease control in 1940s and 1950s, •cardiovascular disease control through lifestyle changes since 1970s, one of the fastest reduction in CVD mortality in the world, •cancer screening and control, cervical cancer as an example, and •tobacco control, Finland was one of the first countries having a comprehensive tobacco control law in 1977.

UCH, USA varsities discover cure for sickle cell anaemia

By Ola Ajayi BADAN—OVER five million sickle cell patients in Nigeria and other African countries can now heave a sigh of relief as the University of Ibadan in partnership with the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA and University of Loyola, Chicago have discovered a permanent cure for the terminal disease.

The cure of the deadly disease, according to the Professor of Medicine, Victor Gordeuk, who is the Director, Sickle Cell Centre, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA and his colleagues, Prof. Damiano Rondelli, also from the same university and Prof. Bamidele Tayo, University of Loyola, Chicago this new treatment is done through bone marrow transplant and that it is less risky.

This was revealed yesterday at the University College Hospital, Ibadan after a threeday brainstorming session with other experts in the teaching hospital.

Unlike the other conventional method of stem cell transplant which exposes patients to radiation which could cause cancer, first blood and marrow stem cell transplant, BMT, is much more effective.

The experts who were flanked by the Chief Medical Director, UCH, Prof. Temitope Alonge, Dr. Titilola Akingbola, an haematologist and Dr. Foluke Fasola, said this stem cell transplant is a standard procedure for the treatment of many blood cancers in both adult and children.

He said: “With this chemotherapy-free transplant, we are curing adults with sickle cell disease, and we see that their quality of life improves fast within just one month of the

I

transplant.

“About 90 per cent of the approximately 450 patients who have received stem cell transplants for sickle cell disease have been children.

Chemotherapy has been considered too risky for adult patients, who are often more weakened than children by the disease.

“Adults with sickle cell disease can now be cured without chemotherapy — the main barrier that has stood in the way for them for so long.

Our data provide more support that this therapy is safe and effective and prevents patients from living shortened lives, condemned to pain and progressive complications.”

“In the new procedure, patients receive immunosuppressive drugs just before the transplant, along with a very low dose of total body irradiation, a treatment much less harsh and with fewer potentially serious side effects than chemotherapy.” “ Donor cells from a healthy and tissue-matched sibling are transfused into the patient.

Stem cells from the donor produce healthy new blood cells in the patient, eventually in sufficient quantity to eliminate symptoms. In many cases, sickle cells can no longer be detected. Patients must continue to take immunosuppressant drugs for at least a year.

TheCMD,Prof.Alongewhocalled for support from government, philanthropists, donour agencies and corporate bodies like banks and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for provision of equipment and completion of the sicklecellcentre,describedsicklecell as a disease of bone crisis which the patient suffers from head to toe.

MURDER: APC wants

commissioner, Fayose's aide Adedipe (aka Apase), Sola arrested Adenijo (aka Solar), Rotimi

By Rotimi Ojomoyela D O - E K I T I — FOLLOWING the confessional statement by the prosecution’s star witness, Gbolahan Okeowo, in the murder of drivers union leader in Ekiti State, Omolafe Aderiye, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has called for the arrest of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Ajayi Owoseni; and Governor Ayodele Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, over their alleged roles in the manipulation of investigation in the case.

The prosecution’s star witness, Gbolahan Okeowo, had on Monday in court recanted his earlier statement implicating APC members, including Adeniyi

A

Olanbiwonnu and Deji Adesokan aka Jaru, who is still on the wanted list of the police as suspects in the murder.

Okeowo had during the last hearing of the case listed the men as Aderiye’s murderers.

But on Monday, he recanted his earlier statement, saying he was not at peace with his conscience in the implication of innocent men facing death for the crime they knew nothing about.

In an affidavit in support of his claim, Okeowo said Owoseni and Olayinka allegedly tore his original statement and both men took him to Owoseni’s office where they wrote another statement with a list of those to be implicated.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 —51

Expelled gay priest decries treatment of homosexual Catholics

Rape, cannibalism in South Sudan, African Union says

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SENIOR Vatican priest, stripped of his post after admitting being in a gay relationship, has launched a scathing attack on the Roman Catholic Church.

In a letter to Pope Francis this month, Krzysztof Charamsa accused the Church of making the lives of millions of gay Catholics globally “a hell”.

He criticised what he called the Vatican’s hypocrisy in banning gay priests, even though he said the clergy was “full of homosexuals”.

Pope Francis has yet to respond.

Until October 3, Monsignor Charamsa held a senior post at the Vatican at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the department that upholds Roman Catholic doctrine.

The Vatican immediately stripped him of his post after he held a news conference in a restaurant in Rome to announce that he was both gay and in a relationship.

Roman Catholic priests are meant to be celibate.

At the time, the Holy See said the priest’s decision to

L-R: Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa ,who was stripped of his Vatican post after admitting being in a gay relationship, poses with his gay partner come out on the eve of the Vatican’s synod on the family had been “irresponsible, since it aims to subject the synod assembly to undue media pressure”.

The Polish priest has released to the BBC a copy

US to fight ISIS with special forces American ground troops to

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FTER years of pulling back from the Middle East, the Obama administration’s new plan to use elite

TB ‘joins HIV as most deadly infection’

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UBERCULOSIS now ranks alongside HIV as the world’s most deadly infectious diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Each accounted for between 1.1 million and 1.2 million deaths in 2014.

The WHO said the tuberculosis figures were unacceptable for a disease that could be cured.

Medecins Sans Frontieres said the statistics were “disheartening” and warned the world was “losing ground” on tackling resistant forms of TB. The WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2015

of the letter he sent to the Pope, written the same day as the announcement, in which he criticised the Church for “persecuting” and causing “immeasurable suffering” to homosexual Catholics and their families.

shows the huge strides that have been made in tackling TB, with the death rate being nearly halved since 1990.

And the number of infections has been falling by 1.5% a year since 2000.

Deaths from HIV/Aids have also been falling rapidly because of improved access to anti-retroviral drugs.

Dr Mario Raviglione, the WHO’s tuberculosis director, told the BBC News website: “Tuberculosis and HIV are now competing to be the number one cause of death from infectious disease in the world.

“Tuberculosis now ranks alongside HIV.”

combat ISIL is meeting with scepticism among analysts and US lawmakers.

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced on Tuesday the US may soon intensify air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Raqqa and Ramadi, and begin to use special forces on specific missions.

Separately, Secretary of State John Kerry informed US lawmakers behind closed doors in Washington on negotiations with Russia and Iran to begin on Thursday in Vienna.

Germany, France, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey will also participate.

Recent events have prodded President Barack Obama, nearing the last year of his presidency, to confront challenges in the Middle East with greater force.

Whether the new willingness by Obama to take on greater risk will be too little, too late, remains to be seen.

India to ban foreign surrogate services

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HE Indian government has said it plans to ban surrogate services for foreigners wanting babies in a move which will hit a thriving industry.

It says surrogacy would be available “only for Indian couples”.

India is called the “surrogacy hub” of the world, where infertile couples, including many from overseas, hire the wombs of local women to carry their embryos through to birth.

But there have been growing concerns over what is an unregulated business.

This had prompted a petition in the Supreme

Court, which last month ordered the government to spell out plans for regulating the industry.

“The government does not support commercial surrogacy and also the

scope of surrogacy is limited to Indian married infertile couples only and not to the foreigners,” the government said in an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

SYRIA: Iran to join peace parley in Vienna

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RANIAN Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will attend multilateral talks on finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria in Vienna this week, a government spokeswoman has said.

It will be the first time Iran - an ally of President Bashar

al-Assad - has attended such a summit with the US. Representatives of Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will also attend the talks.

Earlier, the US said an invitation had been extended to Iran - a move Syria’s Western-backed opposition questioned.

HE African Union (AU) has accused government and rebel forces in South Sudan of extreme violence since the conflict erupted at the end of 2013.

A commission of inquiry found evidence of killings, torture, mutilations and rape, mostly against civilians, as well as episodes of forced cannibalism.

However, it specified that genocide had not been committed during the conflict.

Tensions remain, with a peace deal agreed between the government and rebels in August repeatedly broken.

Tens of thousands of people have died and another two million people have been forced from their homes since the civil war began nearly two years ago.

In its report, the AU said the commission, formed last year under the chairmanship of Nigeria’s ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, had identified

perpetrators of violence from both sides.

It documented details of brutal killings, abductions of woman and sexual violence among other abuses, mostly committed against civilians who were not taking part in the fighting.

“The commission believes that war crimes were committed in Juba, Bor, Bentiu and Malakal,” the report said in reference to

the key conflict towns.

Some witnesses in the capital, Juba, told commission members that they had seen people forced to drink the blood and eat the flesh of people who had just been killed.

However, he said there was “inconclusive evidence” that his government was involved, and it was an allegation he “cannot accept”.

Re-elected Ivory Coast President, Allassane casting his vote during his country's presidential election.

Ouattara re-elected as Ivory Coast widely tipped to win, has president been credited with reviving

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LASSANE Ouattara has won a landslide victory in Ivory Coast’s presidential election, results showed Wednesday, in a vote seen as key to cementing the west African country’s bid to overcome a history of electoral violence.

The 73-year-old won a second five-year term outright by garnering almost 84 percent of ballots in the first round of polls Sunday, when more than half of voters turned out despite calls for a boycott by opposition candidates.

Ouattara, who had been

Tanzania: Election annulled in Zanzibar after fight

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LECTIONS in Zanzibar have been annulled for not being free and fair, the electoral chief on the Tanzanian archipelago has announced.

Rows between rival electoral commissioners had led to physical fights, Jecha Salum Jecha said.

The opposition says the vote on the islands was cancelled because it won.

The main challenger in the national presidential election, Edward Lowassa, said the problems in Zanzibar could be mirrored across the country.

Earlier, he called for the national electoral commission to stop releasing results, alleging the whole process nationwide had been marred by fraud.

The elections in Tanzania are the most competitive in the country’s history, with four opposition parties forming the Ukawa coalition to challenge the ruling CCM’s 54-year grip on power.

Previous elections have turned violent on semiautonomous Zanzibar, whose two main islands are Unguja, often referred to as Zanzibar, and Pemba.

Mr Lowassa urged his supporters to remain calm and not to engage in street protests.

the economy of the warscarred country, the world’s leading cocoa producer, but also accused of creeping authoritarianism.

His main challenger was ex-prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who won just 9.3 percent of ballots and ran on behalf of the Ivorian Popular Front — the party of former leader Laurent Gbagbo.

Ouattara unseated Gbagbo in 2010 but the then president refused to concede defeat, sparking a wave of violence which left around 3,000 people dead.

Gbagbo was eventually defeated by pro-Ouattara forces, backed by the UN and France, who dragged him from a bunker under the presidential residence where he had hidden for days.

RWANDA: MPs debate president’s third term

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WANDA’S lower house of parliament debated on Wednesday a constitutional change that would allow President Paul Kagame to run for a third term, a move opposed by the United States and other donors.

The amended constitution will still be a draft that faces a referendum, but is expected to pass.

Parliament met after a petition calling for the changes was signed by 3.7 million people who backed a president credited with

rebuilding Rwanda after the 1994 genocide.

Critics say the government stifles the media and opposition voices, a charge it denies.

A bid by the main but tiny opposition Democratic Green Party to block a constitutional was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The debate about term limits has flared in several countries in Africa. The United States, a major donor to Rwanda, has said it was concerned by moves to change the constitution.

52 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

LIBRA; This is not the right time to rely on promises made by others. Continue to take matters-of-the-heart seriously. Reason with your reliable associates.

SCORPIO; Tension within the domestic scene will start to ease off. Yet you will need to watch what you do within your base till after 10.15pm tonight.

SAGITTARIUS; Both yourself and other important personalities to you are beginning to see things from same point of view making it easy for you to eliminate unnecessary rift.

CAPRICORN; Venus moves into a positive angle to your Star and encourages peaceful settlement.

Exhibition of maturity on your part will favour you better.

AQUARIUS; Gradually you are dropping aggressive approach you have adopted in the last few days to the betterment of your cause. Remain practical till after 10.15pm

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

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IGHT from ages man has continued to look for ways of clothing his nakedness.

Nakedness does not just mean not wearing clothes alone. It includes covering our evil

God is watching deeds, wicked acts, ways and sins etc.

As it was in the days of the biblical Adam and Eve, so it is today. When we commit heinous crime, we

TERROR MUDA

run for cover under the stone, under the water and under the dark, hoping and praying that we will not be caught. We live a life. We forget that air bear

in “Scavenger Elite”

witness to our cruel act; the sun by our shadow takes our photograph, and our conscience convicts us daily.

Beware, God is watching. Your sins will find you out.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

PISCES; Better than yesterday; however that is not to say you should throw caution to the wind.

Improvement on your love life indicated. Try to comport yourself.

ARIES; After a few days of fun you may need to settle down to serious business. Those of you working till very late evening will need to be more careful till after 10.15pm. Reason with your tried and trusted old hands(friends) TAURUS; Venus moves into a positive angle and boost your sparkling personality to the betterment of your cause. Could be a nice day for the-young-atheart GEMINI; It is important you don’t allow your mind to wander unnecessarily so that minor but costly mistakes would be averted. Avoid late evening confusion.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in “HEY’

By Andy Akman

CANCER; Recent tension generated by controversy over money will start to ease off. Be more vigilant if you are working late in the evening.

LEO;. Other people will continue to have their says and if you try to indoctrinate them tensed atmosphere will be aggravated. Be patient VIRGO; Entrance of romantic Venus into your Star Sign will enhance your prospects. Both financial and love related success are possible.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

What’s my financial standing?

VIRGINIA

dadadekola@yahoo.com

Dear Joshua, I want to know about my future, especially what I should expect from my love life both in the immediate and far future. However that is not to say I am not interested in good financial standing.

Lucky, Jos. Dear Lucky, The challenge here is inability to hold on to your gains (profits) partially, by the contact made between your natal Saturn and Venus as stated under your career and some other times by your love of easy life. Although the Saturn influence can be mitigated as I said under your career, the love of luxury comes from your stallion Taurus which must not be totally discouraged but should not be allowed to go beyond your control.

Yes envy and jealousy can creep in as indicated by the oppositions between your natal Venus/Saturn in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio, but that is not enough excuse for either failure or manipulation of occult powers against you. Whatever anybody says and/or does GREAT FINANCIAL SUCCESS is your portion.

The most influential planet during your birth hour is Venus-the planet of MONEY and LOVE. You are the romantic type whose magnetic personality and open handedness are sources of big trap to his members of opposite sex. As handsome as you are you truly crave stability in your love life/home. The happiness you desired will be yours.

HOME & ABROAD

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 – 53

FIFA: 7 ready for election S

EVEN candidates will stand in Fifa’s presidential election on 26 February.

The candidates are: Prince Ali bin alHussein, Musa Bility, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Michel Platini, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim alKhalifa and Tokyo Sexwale.

Trinidadian exfootballer David Nakhid was not included on the list, despite saying he had submitted his candidacy.

The election is to find a successor to the suspended Sepp Blatter, who is under criminal investigation.

The Swiss 79-year-old announced he would be stepping down in June, with world football’s governing body at the centre of a corruption scandal.

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•Prince Hussein

•Sexwale

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•Neymar

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RESIDENT of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has refuted claims by former international, Chief Segun Odegbami that his failure to register for the forthcoming election for the FIFA presidency was due to sabotage from home.

Odegbami who, despite getting the endorsement of the NFF ahead of former Abia

highest paid player behind team-mate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said: “This is the season we will sort out a new deal with Neymar.

“But we will try not to talk about the negotiations and to work discreetly until we can announce it.”

SunSport revealed in the summer United had targeted Neymar and were even willing to stump up his £137million contract buy-out clause.

Siasia

Continues from BP phase of the Africa U23 Nations Cup in Senegal, which will serve as a qualifying tournament for next year’s Rio Olympics.

“Nigerians should know that we are not well prepared (for the championship) and I should not be held responsible for whatever happens,” said Siasia.

“We are orphans. We have not been paid our bonuses, while the Super Eagles were paid full bonuses even when they drew in Burkina Faso. We have been without allowances for the past nine months.

“How can you survive in this kind of situa-

•Salman

UUS Hiddink has refused to rule out the possibility of returning to Chelsea if Jose Mourinho leaves Stamford Bridge.

The Dutchman managed Chelsea on a temporary

•Infantino

Our role in Odegbami’s failed bid, by Pinnick

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

Neymar to earn £500,000 a week become the world’s thirdARCELONA are set to DOUBLE Neymar ’s wages to £500,000 a week and derail Manchester United’s hopes of signing him.

The Brazil striker will

Hiddink hints at interest in Chelsea

tion, where you have not been paid for three months, no car, no training kits – we have to wash to wear our kits.

It’s embarrassing.

“We can’t sit down quiet and die. I am tired of this place.

“The NFF keep saying they don’t have money.”

Besides the cash crunch affecting the team, Siasia repeated his complaint he has not had a full squad to train with because players have to always return to their league clubs for matches as the season hits the home stretch.

Four years ago, Nigeria failed in Morocco to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.

State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu on Tuesday claimed that the NFF did not give him all the support because their endorsement came late.

He also accused his rival, Orji Kalu as well as former executive member of FIFA, Dr. Amos Adamu of scuttling his journey to Zurich.

But addressing journalists after an emergency committee meeting late on Tuesday, Pinnick said the NFF after getting the final government endorsement of Odegbami last Thursday forwarded same to him because he was the person that substantially complied with the laid down requirements needed for anybody to be presented as a candidate for the election slated to take place in February, 2016.

“The federation met a couple of months ago and gave some conditions for anybody

wishing to contest to meet, including getting endorsement from local federation; proof of eligibility as specified by the FIFA Electoral Code; endorsement from government because it is the country that you want to represent and endorsement from CAF. Now between Orji Kalu and Odegbami, it was Odegbami that substantially complied with our demands. Only last Thursday we got the final endorsement from the government for Segun Odegbami and we forwarded same to him.

“As a federation ours was just to nominate, we thought that he had gotten the other endorsements and ours was to be the icing on the cake and at a point he said all he needed was our nomination and we thought he had other nominations because he is a very popular person not just in Africa but

Eagles Continues from BP their 2018 FIFA World Cup African Round 2 first leg tie.

The Swaziland Football Association has fixed the match to start at 7pm Swazi time (6pm Nigeria time) on Friday, November 13 at the 20,000 –capacity Somhlolo Stadium, which is an all –standing arena.

Sihlangu Semnikati (which means ‘King’s Shield’) famously defeated Guinea’s Syli Nationale 2-1 in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Casablanca last month, and then eliminated Djibouti 8-1 on aggregate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Africa Round One. Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has appointed Germain Koole of Benin Republic as referee for the big match, with his

compatriots Bienvenu Dina, Sena Ulrich Houedin and Gustave Eugene Tohouegnon as assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively.

Mohamed Bahou from Morocco will serve as the referee assessor with Joseph Nkole from Zambia to serve as match commissioner.

The Super Eagles, currently rated 52nd in the world, drew a bye in the Round One as the Sihlangu negotiated past Djibouti easily. The Sihlangu sit in 135th place in the FIFA ranking.

While Nigeria has won three African titles and played at five previous World Cup finals, Swaziland has never qualified for any continental event, talk less the FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles will resume camping for the match in Abuja on Monday, November 9.

beyond. I did my best as president of NFF. I was calling him every one hour, I don’t think we did badly as a federation.

“Ordinarily when you are going for a contest like this, there are 209 federations and you needed only five endorsements you should have gotten it.

“And talking about the so-called sabotage, I don’t want to delve into such a sensitive area, I don’t think it is true, nobody could have arm twisted me. To me it is unfortunate that we lost out but we should leave it like that, I will say we have learnt our lessons.”

Many analysts have expressed regrets that the former national team captain failed to fly the country ’s flag at the FIFA elections even after getting the endorsement of the NFF before the deadline last Monday.

basis in 2009, winning the FA Cup, and is currently without a job after resigning from the Holland job during their ill-fated bid to reach Euro 2016.

Mourinho is under increasing pressure following a poor start to the season that has seen five Premier League defeats and an early exit from the Capital One Cup. Another poor result in Saturday’s league match with Liverpool could see Mourinho’s second spell at the club come to an end, with Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti among the names in the frame to replace him.

And asked by Voetbal International whether he would be interested, Hiddink said: ‘Top class football is always attractive.

I’ve had some offers come my way recently, but there were no jobs I wanted to get in to right away.

‘We’ll see, we just have to wait now.’

Hiddink, 68, arrived at Stamford Bridge in February 2009 following the sacking of Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari. He stabilised the club, leading them to a third-place finish in the Premier League, the semifinals of the Champions League and the FA Cup final, where they beat Everton 2-1.

Mayweather parties with stacks of cash in Miami

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E is well and truly retired, or so he says, but talk of a rematch with Manny Pacquiao still won’t go away for Floyd Mayweather.

The undefeated fighter was partying in Miami at the King of Diamonds club, complete with his trademark stacks of cash, where a bottle of vodka can cost anything

•Mayweather

up to $600 (£392), as he continued to enjoy his freedom.

Earlier, he had also taken to Instagram to post a picture of himself and legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, w r i t i n g : ‘FloydMayweather and @sugarrayleonard ran into each other today #BoxingGreats #LivingLegends.’

54 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Lahm talks up champions´ hunger B

AYERN Munich captain Philipp Lahm says the Bundesliga champions’ hunger and desire is fuelling their dominant start to the season ahead of Friday’s trip to face Eintracht Frankfurt.

The sides meet at the Commerzbank Arena off the back of differing DFBPokal results - Pep Guardiola’s men knocking out defending champions Wolfsburg, while Frankfurt fell to third-tier Erzgebirge Aue. Bayern have won all 10 league matches this term and consolidated their usual position atop the table with a 4-0 victory over Cologne last time out.

Arjen Robben made a goalscoring return from injury in the victory at the Allianz Arena, with Mehdi Benatia able to

feature on Friday having been an unused substitute in the win over Wolfsburg following a hamstring problem.

Skipper Lahm paid tribute to Guardiola this week amid ongoing speculation surrounding his future and Bayern’s mentality.

“It’s not a secret the team works well with him and follows him.

Everything else [regarding his future] is not in our hands,” explained the former Germany international.

“Of course it’s not a normal thing to show a good performance everytime. This is impressive.

“Every Bundesliga match is a new challange, our opponents don’t make it easy for us. The nice thing is that we stay hungry.

CAPTAIN'S STUFF... Bayern Munich's Captain Philipp Lahm controls the ball.

Costa confident he’ ll be fit to face Liverpool

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IEGO Costa is confident he will be fit for Chelsea’s critical home game against Liverpool on Saturday despite damaging his ribs in midweek as the holders exited the Capital One Cup at Stoke.

The Spain forward was hurt in a clash with the hosts’ Charlie Adam and, having initially attempted to play on, waved to the bench to be replaced just after the half-hour mark.

Costa was immediately taken to a local hospital for

X-rays on his ribs, with the club conducting further precautionary scans at their Cobham training base.

He will need monitoring before the visit of Jürgen Klopp’s side for a game on Saturday lunchtime that could prove pivotal in

Wenger praises Championship level after Arsenal loss

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RSENE Wenger praised the increasing level of the Championship following Arsenal’s shock League

•Mancini

Mancini criticises Serie A referees

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NTER coach Roberto Mancini has criticised Serie A refereeing following Felipe Melo’s red card against Bologna.

Melo received two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes for challenges on Emanuele Giaccherini and Luca Rizzo respectively as Inter picked up a 1-0 away win over Bologna.

Mauro Icardi scored the only goal of the game on 67 minutes, with the win moving Inter to the C M Y K

top of the table.

Mancini blasted the decision to show Melo a second yellow, claiming the competition’s officials are giving out too many cards.

“I didn’t agree with Felipe Melo’s sending off, but you can hardly expect me to,” Mancini said. “The referees are dishing out too many cards. We can’t send off players for fouls like that otherwise the game will never improve.

“This is the third match

we’ve had to play a man light. We can’t go on like this – games should be played 11 v 11. The same thing happened at Palermo, where Murillo should never have been given a second yellow.”

Mancini himself was sent off for dissent in stoppage time but the 50year-old believes he did nothing wrong.

“As for my own sending off, you’ll have to ask the referee about that because I said nothing wrong at all.”

Cup exit to Sheffield Wednesday.

Goals to Ross Wallace, Lucas Joao and Sam Hutchinson saw secondtier outfit Wednesday upstage Arsenal 3-0 on Tuesday.

Wednesday, who were

•Wenger

relegated from the Premier League in 2000, are just ninth in the Championship after 10 rounds this season.

Wenger defended his squad selection but took nothing away from the quality of the Championship.

“Ideally I would have loved to have won tonight,” Wenger said. “I will not use that as an excuse but I’m sure as a squad now we can focus on other competitions.

“And I must say, like I said before the game, because of many foreign players playing in the Premier League you have more and more good players playing going down to the Championship and to play with young players against Championship players becomes difficult.

terms of José Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge.

There is optimism, however, that Costa has sustained only bruising to his side and should be fit to start. A fracture would have required immediate rest and ruled him out for up to a month.

Mourinho’s side languish 15th in the Premier League after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham, having lost half of their 10 games, with the need to instigate an immediate upturn clear.

Support remains within the hierarchy for a manager.

•Costa

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015 — 55

2015 Nigerian Sports Award: Nomination thrills Oguchi

Enyimba on course for 8th title E

NYIMBA are on track for a seventh Nigeria league championship after they pipped Kwara United 10 at home on Wednesday.

‘The People’s Elephant’ now have 65 points from 35 matches, while closest rivals Warri Wolves, who are on 59 points, play on Thursday after they requested their game at Lobi Stars be shifted following a pay strike by their players.

Emiko Bake passes on

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RONTLINE Sports Journalist and Administrator, Emiko Bake, has passed on after a brief illness. Bake died late Tuesday after battling with a health condition for three weeks.

His first son, Emiko Bake Jnr, said his dad lived a fulfilled life and was ready to carry on but God knows best. Before his death, ‘Grandmaster’ as he was fondly called was the Chief Sub-Editor of SportsDay Newspapers and National Weekender. He was aged 65.

Giwa FC upstaged closest rivals Wikki Tourists with a late winner by Amos Gyang when it had looked like both teams would split the points at 2-2.

Skipper Chinedu Udoji netted his fourth goal of the season in the 22nd minute, when he headed home a corner by Ezekiel Bassey, to ensure full marks for Enyimba at home against struggling Kwara United, who sank deeper in the drop zone.

Nzube Anaezemba’s free kick was stopped by Kazeem Yekeen as early as the fifth minute, before the impressive Bassey failed to hit target from the edge of the box after he beat his marker in the 15th minute.

Andrew Abalogu then missed a sitter for Enyimba in the 41st minute when he was one-on-one with the Kwara United goalkeeper.

Ezekiel Bassey hit the woodwork from 25 yards just two minutes into the second half and in the 68th minute, Kazeem Yekeen denied Kingsley Sokari. Three minutes to end the game, Sokari failed to score from six yards after he rounded up Yekeen.

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TABLE TOPPERS... Enyinmba International of Aba players on top of their game

Bussdor re-appoints Kalu F Late Emiko Bake

OR his inspirational leadership and immensecontributionstothe development of Bussdor Football Club over the years , the management of the Port Harcourt based team has reappointedformerAbiaState

governor and Africa Pillar of Sports Dr Orji Uzor Kalu as the club’s deputy chairman.

In a statement signed by the president and proprietor of Bussdor, Oscar Igbokwe dated October 27, the management said the board,

NTF laments Mcleod’s killing •Calls for prosecution of killer cop

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HE Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) has expressed shock following the killing of Beauty Mcleod, a Nigerian tennis player on Monday.

The 36-year-old, who

Late Beauty Mcleod C M Y K

alongside her daughter Angel, 14, moved to Nigeria from their base in Dubai last year, died of gunshot injuries she sustained from a triggerhappy mobile policeman in a Victoria Island, Lagos hotel on Tuesday during an altercation. It calls for the prosecution of the killer cop.

Beauty’s demise is the latest in the series of deaths recorded in Nigerian tennis in recent months following the demise of another player, Glady’s O’Mailey, who gave up the ghost after child birth while Cosmos Ntemuse, a referee also died recently.

“This is a very dark period for Nigerian tennis because Beauty is one

player that has been helping in the development of Nigerian tennis through the support she has been giving to her daughter, Angel, who is one of our brightest junior tennis players. We are deeply shocked by her death” NTF boss Sani Ndanusa said.

“Beauty has been a clear example of NTF’s crusade of parents’ support for their kid(s) in tennis; something that has helped the top stars of tennis globally. She takes responsibilities for the career of her daughter following her to tournaments within and outside Nigeria which has really helped her to become one of the most promising junior players in Africa.

after it’s meeting on October 21 decided to reappoint the business mogul for another tenure. He was first appointed onMarch14,2013.

“We are pleased to inform you that the board of Bussdor United FC after her board meeting on October 21 deemed it fit to reappoint you as the Deputy Chairman of the club.

“This reappointment was necessitated by your sterling leadership qualities demonstrated over the past two years that you were appointed as the Deputy Chairman of the club.

•Orji Kalu

AVING been nominated in two categories of this year’s prestigious Nigerian Sports Award, 2015 Afrobasket Most Valuable Player (MVP), Chamberlain Oguchi believes his consideration for the award has indeed humbled him.

Oguchi, who plies his trade with Anwil BasketballClub in the Tauron Basketball League of Poland, said his nomination showed that Nigerians really appreciate D’Tiger’s efforts to bring honours to Nigeria at the 2015 Afrobasket Championship.

“I am honoured and humbled to be nominated for Ball Sportsman of the Year and Sportsman of the Year. It would mean the world to win these awards.

I want to thank the Nigerian publics for recognizing me, and I hope to wear these awards proudly in representation of the 170 million plus Nigerian inhabitants as well as Nigerians across the world,” he said.

He also lauded the organizers of the Nigerian Sports Award for the initiative to recognize and reward athletes that have done Nigeria proud across the globe.

Oguchi and 2014 ITTF Star Player, Aruna Quadri are both nominated for the Ball Sports Award and the Sportsman of the Year award while Oguchi will also be competing against his teammate, Olumide Oyedeji in the Ball Sports category alongside Quadri.

The Coach of the National Men’s Basketball team, William Voight will be competing with Are Feyisetan, Nigerian Powerlifting Coach and the Women Cycling Coach, Bashir Mohammed for the Coach of the Year category.

Blatter attacks ‘envious, jealous’ Platini

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EPP Blatter has launched a remarkable attack on the “envy and jealousy ” ofMichel Platini – blaming what he called an organised conspiracy of the Uefa president, the European Union and the media for bringing him down.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Russian news agency Tass, Blatter spoke in detail about the £1.3m contract at the

centre of Fifa’s decision to suspend him and Platini, and set out his position on the turmoil at Fifa – suggesting he is the victim of an artificial crisis which has “nothing to do with criminal activity”.

Among the issues raised

by Blatter in the interview: • An unsubstantiated claim that there was a prevote agreement in place that Russia would host the 2018 World Cup and the USA would host the 2022

tournament – which was undone when Platini pressed for Qatar following a meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy and the crown prince of Qatar.

• An insistence that Russia will not be stripped of the 2018 World Cup, whatever the investigations into the validity of the bidding process turn up. Blatter said the tournament was now “anchored” and could not be withdrawn.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

FIFA: 7 ready for election Neymar to earn £500k a week

Hiddink hints at interest in Chelsea

Mayweather parties with stacks of cash

TOP 10 WEEKLY WAGES 1 Lionel Messi £565,000; 2 Cristiano Ronaldo £550,000; 3 Neymar £500,000*; 4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic £350,000; 5 James Rodriguez £300,000, 6 Wayne Rooney £300,000; 7 Gareth Bale £280,000; 8 Luis Suarez £250,000, 9 Radamel Falcao £250,000, 10 Yaya Toure £230,000, 11 Sergio Aguero £230,000. (*currently £250,000)

Our role in Odegbami’s failed bid, by Pinnick

Siasia: Don’t blame me if I fail

•Pinnick

C

Details inside Resutls Akwa 2 Sunshine Stars Bayelsa 1 Abia Warriors Dolphins 2 El Kanemi Enyimba 1 Kwara I/Ubah 1 Heartland Pillars 2 Enugu Sharks 2 Shooting

Pictured, clockwise left to right: Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Tokyo Sexwale, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, Gianni Infantino, Michel Platini, Musa Bility & Jerome Champagne

1 0 0 0 0 1 1

•Siasia

OACH Samson Siasia has said he should not be held responsible should Nigeria fail to qualify for the Rio Olympics next month because his team have been treated like “orphans”.

Nigeria are drawn against Egypt, Algeria and Mali in the group Continues on Page 53

Eagles to confront Swaziland Nov 13 T HE Super Eagles of Nigeria and Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland will clash under floodlights at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba, in Continues on Page 53

•Oliseh

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S PUZZLE

YESTERDAY'S ANSWERS

ACROSS 4 Wander (5) 7 Summary (6) 9 Dog (3) 10 Enthusiastic (3) 12 Rustic (5) 13 Frozen (4) 15 Readjusted (5) 17 Oppose (6) 19 Respect (4) 20 Salute (5) 22 Sailor (3) 24 Wished (7) 27 Tankard (3) 28 Wear (5) 31 Cease (4) 33 Tarnished (6) 35 Angry (5) 37 Broad (4) 38 Delete (5) 39 Spike (3) 41 Brown (3) 42 Shy (6) 43 Viper (5)

DOWN 1 Season (6) 2 Drastic (6) 3 Vigour (3) 4 Certain (4) 5 Veracity (5) 6 Aroused (8) 8 Robe (4) 11 Penniless (9) 14 Act (4) 16 Asterisk (4) 18 Pace (4) 21 Renovated (8) 23 Stagger (4) 25 Drink (4) 26 Sketched (4) 29 Loathsome (6) 30 Team (6) 32 Ski-slope (5) 34 Precede (4) 36 Back (4) 40 Material (3)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Stem 4, Dim 6, Gasp 9, Lit 10, Reversed 11, Amen 14, Par 16, Seamy 19, Released 21, Liver 23, Defiance 24, Start 27, Lip 31, Find 33, Imitated 34, Tee 35, Seer 36, Lie 37, Tent.

DOWN: 2, Teem 3, Meet 4, Diseased 5, Made 6, Glade 7, Aim 8, Steam 12, Cross 13, Liama 14, Pal 15, Revel 17, Ahmed 18, Yoked 20, Definite 22, Rip 25, Trite 26, Rider 28, Pil 29, Part 30, Seen 32, Nee.

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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