PDP senators walk out as Amaechi is confirmed

...towards a better life for the people

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VOL. 25: NO. 62616

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

My experience in conducting 2015 polls — Jega 8

Ooni-elect begins 21-day solitary confinement

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Five Customs chiefs quit

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PDP senators walk out as Amaechi is confirmed

By Henry Umoru and Joseph Erunke

•Senate dismisses report of Ethics & Privileges C'ttee •APC applauds Senate as PDP denounces confirmation A

BUJA — THE intrigues that shadowed the confirmation hearing of the 36 ministerial nominees reached an anti-climax yesterday when all but one senator in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP caucus walked out to protest the confirmation

Continues on Page 5

BVN DEADLINE: 26m bank accounts to be frozen

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Mr & Mrs

WALK-OUT—PDP Senators, led by Senate Minority Leader and ex-Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio (left), walking out of the Senate Chamber to register their opposition to confirmation of ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi as minister by the Senate, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

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N1.4trn penalty too heavy to bear — MTN 9

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POCKET CARTOON

OPENING: From left: Group Head, Commercial Banking, Heritage Bank Limited, Mrs. Rabi Momoh; Managing Director/CEO, BTVA Media Limited, Mr. Rotimi Pedro; Executive Director, Abuja & North Regions, Heritage Bank Limited, Mr. Niyi Adeseun and the bank’s Company Secretary, Mrs. Oluwatomi Ojo, at the official opening of BTVA Media Limited, a customer of the bank in Lagos, yesterday.

PDP senators walk out as Amaechi is confirmed Continues from Page 1 of former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, as minister.

In their absence, Amaechi was unanimously confirmed after the Senate had summarily dismissed the report of its Committee on Ethics and Privileges that had recommended that the nomination be put on hold.

Besides Amaechi, 17 other ministerial nominees were also confirmed by the Senate in a session that was dramatically sketched in partisan political hues.

Responding to the spirit of unanimity APC senators brought to bear in the confirmation of Amaechi, one of the drivers of the party ’s victorious presidential campaign, the APC, yesterday said it was indicative of the fact that all internal crises in the party were now in the past.

The Rivers State chapter of the party was equally effusive yesterday, saying it was a victory over the forces of darkness. While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for nominating Amaechi, the party urged Muslims in the state to use today for thanksgiving and Christians to use Sunday to thank God for the power to overcome the forces of darkness.

The signpost to the drama that unfolded was indicated by the caucuses before sitting, and the decision of the Senate to first screen and confirm the President’s nominees for chairman and commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Following that, the Senate retired into a closed-door session that lasted nearly two hours during which issues about the nominees were articulated. It was learned that the Senate President

IT'S UP TO YOU

BY AYO ADIO

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HERE is one timeless secret to success, it is simple- find your own path. It's up to you.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get —Michael Phelps

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OU will never know your limits until you push yourself beyond your current effort. It is easy to do just the same old same thing and get caught up in routine. A manager in an organization got passed on a promotion, he was really upset that a much younger colleague got the position instead of him.There is a reason for this, the manager had become complacent and not being ingenious and creative. He had spent two decade doing same thing.

Decide to do and accomplish more, believe in your ability to do more.

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HERE is no opportunity for a sale at the success store. Find it yourself.

had prevailed on the PDP caucus that he would allow them express themselves before a vote on Amaechi’s confirmation.

No consensus

However, indications that a consensus was not forthcoming were shown by the trenchant stance of the PDP senators and the APC senators once the vote on the confirmation of the ministerial nominees got underway.

Remarkably, Amaechi was listed last on the list of nominees to be confirmed, indicative of the fact that the Senate leadership had envisaged trouble.

While the preceding 17 senators were almost all confirmed without disapproval, when it got to Amaechi’s turn, Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio reminded the Senate of the earlier agreement that the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges would be considered prior to the consideration of Amaechi’s nomination.

Upon that, the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki signalled the chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Senator Samuel Anyanwu to present his report.

Senator Anyanwu in his report read the findings of the committee in which he noted among others that a petition was presented to the committee alongside the report and the White Paper on the report was endorsed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

In his findings, he said that Amaechi was represented by his counsel who submitted that the constitution of the panel by the Wike administration was the subject of a judicial process and thus, that Amaechi had decided not to appear in order not to pre-empt the ruling of the court.

In his conclusion, Anyanwu said the committee recommended that in line with the fact that the issues against Amaechi were still pending in court that the Senate should hold the nomination at bay.

The report of the Committee was signed by eight of the 11 members including three APC members, the Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Dino Melaye and Omotayo Alasoadura.

Others who signed were Senators Samuel Anyanwu, PDP; Omogunwa Yele, PDP, Ondo South; Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North; Jeremiah Useni, PDP, Plateau South; and Obinna Ogba, PDP Ebonyi Central.

Those who did not sign were Senators Binta Garba, APC, Adamawa; Muhammed Shitu, APC, and Olaka Nwogu, PDP, Rivers, who the nominee, Amaechi had told the Senate was his roommate in the university.

Brickbats over committee report

Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume responding to the submission moved to amend the report to the effect that the Senate should adopt the finding of the committee in 2 (b) (II) to wit: “Since the matter is already a subject of litigation in a competent court of law, and since the Senate could not work contrary to its own rules (Order 41(7), it is constrained in taking any further action.”

Ndume’s submission immediately put the PDP senators in disarray as their puzzled leaders looked at one another to the intent of the new submission.

Akpabio who ordinarily should second the motions brought forward by the Senate Leader, Ndume, drew back and after recovering himself, cited Order 43 of Senate Standing Rule, to the effect that the Senate had earlier resolved to first consider the report of its Ethics Committee before confirming the nominee.

Responding to Akpabio, Saraki said his point was noted following which he pointed to Senator Babajide Omoworare, APC, Osun East, who through a number of constitutional orders and standing orders of the Senate sought to dismiss the import of the report submitted by Senator Anyanwu.

He observed that the intent of the petition submitted against Amaechi barring those indicted by administrative panels of inquiry had been amended by the Constitution and was as such inconsequential to the confirmation hearing.

While Senator Joshua Lidani, Gombe State contended against his submission, Senator George Sekibo from Rivers State charged the Senate to side with the administration’s anticorruption stance by upholding the report of the committee on ethics.

PDP senators walk out

With the APC senators increasingly taking a position in favour of Amaechi, Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti), said the PDP senators were resigned to their fate that they could only have their say while the APC would have its way on the issue.

As she spoke, PDP senators as if on a prompting, began to signal to one another and led by Senator Akpabio they walked out of the Senate chambers.

The only PDP senator that was left behind was Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Following their exit, Senator Saraki raised the question as to whether the Senate should endorse the report of the Committee on Ethics and the Senate with unanimity rejected it.

Following that, Saraki threw the question on whether the Senate should endorse Amaechi as a minister and he was unanimously endorsed.

PDP senators denounce confirmation

Outside the chambers, Senator Akpabio led other PDP Senators to denounce the process that led to the confirmation.

“The reality is that once a case is before the law, anything about the case is dropped. The issue of taking further action should be stayed, but APC is not willing to abide by the law. We have no option than to stage a walk out. We have a responsibility to Nigerians not to partake in that kind of action. It was not normal for PDP Senators to walk out. This is the first time, and we feel strongly there was a breach of the Nigerian Constitution.”

The APC, however, welcomed the process.

Praising the sense of unity

among the APC senators, outgoing party spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said yesterday: “The cohesion and unity exhibited by the APC Senators on Thursday have shown that our legislators are ready to work with the executive and the party to ensure that the agenda of the party is implemented for the benefit of all Nigerians. We commend all our members and leaders in the Senate and indeed the leadership of the APC for this show of unity,” the party said.

Saying that the confirmation of Amaechi despite the walkout by the PDP caucus was reflective of democracy in action, the party said: “It is part of democracy that while the minority can have their say, the majority will have their way. Therefore, the decision of the PDP Senators to walk out is nothing but democracy in action,’’ the party said.

APC lauds Senate

Welcoming the confirmation of Amaechi yesterday, the spokesman of the APC in Rivers State, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze said: “The Eighth Senate has by this action proved that they are not only patriotic and nationalist but also that they cannot allow petty politics to becloud their sense of reasoning as they seek to accomplish the onerous task of building a virile, vibrant, united and strong Nigeria.”

Other nominees who were confirmed before Amaechi were Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Khadijah Abba Ibrahim, Heineken Lokpobiri , Cladius Omoleye Daramola, Baba Shehuri Mustapha, Ocholi E. James and Adewole Isaac Folorunso.

The rest are Honourable Bawa Bwari, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Zainab S. Ahmed, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Pastor Usani Usani Uguru, Mr. Okechukwu Enyinma Enelamah, Professor Anwukah Antho ny Gozie,

Mohammed Musa Bello, Adamu Adamu and Aisha Abubakar.

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Matron abducted in Ondo, as kidnappers demand N35m

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By Dayo Johnson

K U R E— U N K O W N gunmen have kidnapped a 53-year-old matron with Rubber Estate Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Eralkhuemen Unulkiere, at Araromi-Obu in Odigbo local government area of Ondo State, demanding a ransom of N35 million.

Eralkhuemen was said to have been ambushed along Alaye-Araromi road by five gunmen while on her way to church.

However, her abductors have demanded from the management of the company and her family a ransom of N35m.

Vanguard gathered that negotiation was still on between the abductors and the family of the victim.

Eralkuemen,according to sources in the company,is one of the old staff of the company The victim hails from Edo State and is the only matron in the company’s clinic.

Speaking on the ugly development, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Eric Hocepied, confirmed that the abductors had demanded N35 million.

Hocepied lamented that the increase in the cases of kidnap was becoming worrisome, adding that “anybody could be kidnapped in Nigeria today.”

He said efforts were on to secure her release According to him, the security in the company and around the workers have been beefed up to guard against future occurrence.

Vanguard gathered that the state police authorities have deployed detectives to comb the area and neighbouring councils.

Police spokesman, Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident, adding that some crack detectives had been deployed to Odigbo council area and beyond.

Joseph said detectives from the command were already on the trail of the kidnappers The Police spokesman assured that the victim would be rescued unhurt and would be handed over to her family.

Joseph who said the command would make the state too hot for kidnappers, advised them and their sponsors to relocate from the state.

I was kidnapped to join cult —Suspect As Police parade suspected cultists in Lagos

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By Ebere Aham

AGOS—A suspected member of Buccaneer Confraternity has revealed that his fellow cultists kidnapped him for purposes of initiating him into the cult group.

The suspect, 20-year-old Damilola Adeyemi, who was paraded at Lagos State police command, Ikeja alongside four others, said: “I was kidnapped and initiated by some of the members of Buccaneer cult group in 2011 in Lagos. ‘’They had been asking me ever since I gained admission to join them but I refused as I come from a Christian home and my mother is very prayerful. I was kidnapped at Ebute-Metta and taken for their initiation which looked like a normal night party. ‘’On that day, drinks were shared and I was told that as soon as I took the drink, I was initiated and part of them. I am done with my ND at Lagos State Polytechnic, Annex where I studied Business Administration. ‘’I work as an Office Assistant on Victoria Island. I was arrested very early in the morning when the police found Ibrahim’s locally made gun in my room after I denied him in their presence. We do not kill people. I am not proud of my actions. ‘’My advice to other people is that they should be far from things like this and report to the authorities when they are threatened to join any cult group.

I was not kidnapped for ransom or for killing.’’

Other suspects paraded alongside Damilola Adeyemi were Wasiu Olayola, Ibrahim Oyelakin and Abiola Alfred.

While parading the suspected cultists, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the cultists, who were arrested last Tuesday, were responsible for fuelling fights and having clashes with other cultists in the area.

Confession

25-year-old Wasiu Olayola recounted his exploits as a cultist: “I belong to Eiye confraternity while my colleagues belong to Buccaneer Confraternity. They are my friends as we all reside on the same street on the Lagos Island. ‘’Last Tuesday, at about 6 am, Ibrahim, who is my junior mate in the cult, called me on phone that he has a locally made gun

that he wants to sell. I reprimanded him and told him that he should not involve himself in such any more. ‘’He told me to come and meet him. On my way to meeting him, the police arrested me. I was arrested at exactly 6:30 am. I am already a graduate and I do not belong to a cult group anymore.

I used to be a cultist in Yabatech where I studied Marketing but I am not one of them again. I graduated in 2014. My mother is late and my father remarried before she even died.”

In his defence, another suspect, Ibrahim Oyelakin, said: “I was arrested because of gun issue. I gave Damilola a gun to keep for me. I was fighting someone. I

am a Buccaneer cultist. I am a cultist from Lagos State Polytechnic where I am in ND 2 studying Computer Science. My parents do not know that I am a cultist. I joined cult in 2012. When I was initiated, I just bought drinks for our Oga and others in school. We do not kill people in our cult. We just fight with someone or other cults. We defend our members when fight issues come up and it is a thing of pride to be a cultist as no one can intimidate you in school and even outside. I did not gain anything as a cultist. It is a bad thing. I wanted to leave before I was arrested. I now know that cultism isn’t good. I advise others still engaged in it to leave cultism.”

The suspected cultist.

Gunmen kill 36-year-old man in Rivers

By Davies Iheamnachor & Gift Nwankpa

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Z U O B A — GUNMEN suspected to be armed robbers, have killed a man of about 36 years at Ozuoba in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The gunmen, whose number and mission were not ascertained at the time of this report yesterday, killed the victim, Mr. Anthony Wede, simply called Atochi, in his compound at Ozuoba and carted away a 32inch television set.

Vanguard gathered that the gunmen came to the house, located around Sympathy mortuary, in Ozuoba, at about 12am, and got access into the house of Wede and his family through the window.

A source around the place revealed that the criminals used an iron cutter to destroy the window protector after they had already pulled off a net covering the window and had easy access into the apartment.

The source alleged that when

the gunmen entered the room their victim and other occupants of the house woke, adding that Wede tried to escape from his killers.

The source also alleged that the gunmen who he said were determined to take the life of Mr. Wede, followed him up and shot him as he was trying to jump a fence into another compound for safety.

Speaking to Vanguard, Mr. Chike Alekiri, the Community Development Committee, CDC, chairman of Ozuoba, narrated: “Around 12am I was called that Atochi was shot by armed robbers that came to his house and has been rushed to the hospital.

When we got there, the doctor confirmed to us that he had died.

“We reported the issue to Ozuoba Police Station and they have also come to the place to carry out assessment of what happened in Atochi’s house, and they are also conducting an investigation.

“The man in question is a very

simple and quiet man who does not involve in trouble. The act is a very painful one to the people of Ozuoba. We have not experienced anything of this kind in this community before. This particular one has left us in fear.”

At the moment, following the development, fear has gripped residence of the area, especially

around the neighbourhood of the slain man.

When reached on phone, at press time, the Assistant Police Public Relations Officers in Rivers State police command, ASP Grace Iringe-Koko, said she hadnotbeenbriefedontheissue,adding that the police would swing into full investigation of the matter.

....Kidnap businessman Vanguard that she had spoken at Ughelli to her husband at about 8:30pm

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By Brisibe Perez

GHELLI—A gang of unidentified gunmen on wednesday night abducted an Ughelli-based businessman while on his way home at the close of work.

The victim, identified as Adetona Olayimika, is father to a 5-month-old baby and a distributor to Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Limited, makers of Dettol soap and antiseptic products.

Confirming the abduction of her husband, wife of the victim told

who told her he was on his way home from the office located at 11 Adonovwe street, Ughelli.

She said: “I dozed off while waiting for his return only to wake up at about 12:30am noticing that he still hasn’t returned home.

“Immediately, I dialed his number but it was switched off.

At about 3:18am, I got a call from a man telling me that my husband is in their custody and that they would get back to me on their demands when their boss arrives.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—7

I sold my daughter because of poverty —20-year-old mother

By Emma Una

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ALABAR—MARIA Ekanem, a 20-year-old school drop out from Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, said yesterday in Calabar that poverty and lack of where to stay after she gave birth made her sell her two weeks old baby girl for N20,000.

Maria, who was arrested by the police along five other accomplices, said her boyfriend who got her pregnant, asked her to abort the baby but said a doctor helped her with free antenatal care and food until she gave birth.

This, she added, prompted her to agree to sell the baby when arrangements were made to sell.

Paraded along with Maria were a 55-year-old medical doctor, Okokon Offiong Okoho, the proprietor of Evangel Clinic,of 2, Atu Street; a 70-year-old matron of Sadatoe Maternity located at Umoh Street and a nurse at the maternity who allegedly made the plans to sell the girl to an Abujabased lady who is now on the run.

However, plans to sell the two weeks old girl was leaked to the police by a Senior Secondary Two girl of NYSC Demonstration Secondary School, Calabar ,

Maria Elemi, whose parents Maria was living with after she delivered the baby.

“When I came back from school on Monday, Maria told me she wanted to take the baby to the parents of the boy who impregnated her since she can no longer cope with taking care of the baby,” she said.

Maria said when they got to Fuller by Inyang Street in Calabar South, they met Mrs Elemi and her daughter in an SUV car, adding that Maria gave the girl to the matron who handed her over to the buyer.

She said: “The woman gave Maria N20,000 and asked her to pay the nurse at the Evangel Clinic and use the rest for herself.”

The girl said she became suspicious when the driver of the SUV told the woman with the baby that her husband said she should take her to the airport to catch a flight to Abuja .

“I started wondering why they should take the girl to the airport when the boyfriend to Maria and her parents live here in Calabar,” Maria stated.

Cross River Police Public Relations Officer, ASP John Eluu, who paraded Maria along with the doctor and Matron, said

when information got to the police at the Federal Housing Police Station, detectives swung into action and arrested the suspects.

Eluu said investigations were continuing to apprehend the buyer of the girl who is now on the run.

The suspect, Maria Ekanem.

Gunmen kidnap 100-year-old mother of Sylva's running mate in Bayelsa Y

By Samuel Oyadongha

ENAGOA—MOTHER of Elder Wilberforce Igiri, running mate to Chief Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State, has been kidnapped.

The victim, Madam Ebifegha Dikoro, aged 100, was reportedly seized at about 1 am yesteday at Forupa on the Atlantic fringe of Southern Ijaw local government area of the state and whisked away to an unknown destination.

The armed men were said to have stormed the home of the centenarian in three speed boats.

Though the spokesman of the State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, said the details of the incident were not available, the abduction of the centenarian yesterday sparked off claims and counter-claims between the campaign organizations of Chief Timipre Sylva and Governor Seriake Dickson.

While the Director of Publicity of the Sylva-Igiri campaign Organization, Chief Nathan Egba, blamed the abduction of the centenarian on the alleged violent campaign embarked upon by the PDP candidate, the PDP, through the Chairman of Bayelsa Media Team, Barrister Esueme DanKikile, said though the abduction of the centenarian was condemnable, the claims by the

APC were unfounded and baseless.

Chief Egba, Director of Publicity of the Sylva-Igiri campaign Organization, said: “We call on the PDP, particularly the governorship candidate, to lower the political temperature in

the state and lead by example as he seems to be preaching violence and insulting the APC leaders in all public events.

“The kidnap of the aged mother of the APC running mate is only the latest in a rash cases of kidnapping and sea piracy that

has apparently overwhelmed the security agencies in the State.

“Recall that last year, the uncle and guardian of our governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, also died in the hands of the kidnappers. Yet, Governor Dickson kept shouting about peace and security."

Court jails 3 fraudsters over N1m theft

By Bartholomew

L

Madukwe

AGOS—THREE internet fraudsters known as Yahoo Boys’, Ihechi Charles Okeke (alias Owolabi Sunday Sunny), Mayowa Afolabi Adigun and Etop Udeme Smith, have been jailed by an Ikeja High Court for stealing N1million from a First Bank Plc Account No. 2000521715 belonging to one Osunkoya Mary in Lagos.

Delivering her judgement, the trial judge, Justice Kudirat Jose, noted that the convicts had returned N1m to EFCC as restitution to the victim and ordered that the money be returned to her (Mary).

It would be recalled that the convicts had earlier pleaded not guilty to stealing and conspiracy charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. However, during trial, the trio entered plea bargain with the prosecution and the charge was amended to one count charge of stealing to which they pleaded guilty.

The prosecutor, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, informed the court that the offence was contrary to section 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

10 arrested as okada riders, Police clash in Lagos Policemen brutalise Vanguard's reporter

By Ebere Aham & Lucky Nwanekwu

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AGOS—TEN persons have been arrested in connection with the crisis that erupted Wednesday night between commercial motorcyclists and policemen in Ajao area of Lagos.

Unconfirmed report had it that two policemen were killed by rampaging hoodlums who hijacked the situation. But the Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, stated that the command did not lose any of its men.

A Police Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, stationed at Canoe bridge linking Ajao with Ejigbo was also allegedly burnt by the commercial motorcyclists, said to be protesting seizure of their bikes by officials of Lagos State Task Force.

Report had it that officials of the task force were out to enforce the restriction of commercial

motorcyclists, popularly known as okada, around the axis.

However, on reaching Ilamose Estate at Oke-Afa, some okada operators reportedly made access into Ajao Estate difficult.

In the process, the officials were said to have impounded some of the motorbikes.

However, some motorcyclists around Canoe who sighted them, concluded they were coming for them as well, an assumption that sparked off a violent protest yesterday.

When Vanguard arrived the scene, shattered windscreens littered everywhere, as well as charred remains of the police vehicle.

Some heady motorcyclists who resumed work yesterday morning, had their motorbikes seized by members of the task force. Some armed policemen and soldiers were sighted at the scene, while others were on

vehicular patrol.

An eye witness who simply gave his name as Jola, described Wednesday night’s incident as theatre of was war.

Chairman of tricycle operators in Ajao Estate, Mr Ambimbola, said: ‘’This is not the first time we are experiencing such an incident. Such has happened before.

"But yesterday’s incident was a very bad occurrence . We believe that these people (Fulani men) are struggling to feed themselves but this does not give them the audacity to fight with policemen or even burn their vehicle."

Police attack Vanguard’s reporter

Immediately after the interview, while one of Vanguard’s reporters, Lucky Nwanekwu, was taking shots of the scene, a policeman shoved him aside and battered him, asking why he was

taking shots of the scene. All entreaties on the policeman who claimed to be from Area ‘D‘ Mushin Command, failed as two of his colleagues joined in beating the reporter.

Thereafter, they seized his mobile phone and whisked him away in their van, to Mushin.

They attempted to throw him inside the cell, boasting that nobody could stop the move. It, however, took the intervention of a senior police officer who reprimanded them, for Nwanekwu who had blood shot eye and marks of violence on his chest and ribs, to be released.

At time of writing this report, he was being treated at Vanguard’s clinic.

However, an angry CP Owoseni, apologised on the excesses of his men , assuring that the command would look into the matter, with a view to finding out the circumstances that surrounded the attack on the reporter.

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

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APOLOGY

N our Blogosphere edition of Wednesday, October 28, we misquoted the highly respected former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili.

We sincerely apologize for the misrepresentation in the said page and will like to assure her that Vanguard will always hold her in high esteem and will never deliberately portray her in bad light.

The error is highly regretted.

—Editor

Greatness is about service —Ezekwesili

By Emmanuel Asuquo

F

ORMER Vice President of World Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has said that greatness was about selfless service and not necessarily about affluence and fat banks’ accounts.

He spoke while delivering a lecture on the theme Building Greatness at the 2nd Women in Business and Leadership summit, convened by GLEEHD Foundation in Lagos.

Dr. Ezekwesili argued that greatness is “the capacity to solve problems, staying true to one's purpose and values in readiness for service.”

The former Nigeria’s Minister of Education noted that greatness and selfishness were not incongruence just as portfolios and occupying of public offices were not indications of greatness either.

Mrs. Ezekwesili pointed out that many neglect and disdain knowledge just as they tend to mock people who have paid the price for knowledge and are at the top of their pursuits.

She warned that knowledge cannot be separated from the quest for greatness as mastery is attained through deep knowledge.

Dr. Ezekwesili charged the participants to embrace partnership as a model for building lasting and sustainable business ventures, just as she identified partnership, knowledge and finance as core resources for attaining greatness.

My experience in conducting 2015 polls—JEGA

By Soni Daniel

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OR the first time after conducting the 2015 elections adjudged to be one of the country’s best, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday, spoke about what the commission went through.

Jega, who is now teaching Political Science at Bayero University, Kano, spoke at the first University of Abuja Public Lecture Series with the theme Electoral Reforms in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects.

The former INEC boss said the commission had to contend with unnecessary challenges created by some desperate politicians, who wanted to win election at all cost.

According to Jega, many of the politicians, who he described as ‘militicians’ have a mindset of capturing power through any means, thereby trying to subvert the will of the people.

The former INEC boss said that the commission was able to thwart the antics of the desperate politicians by ensuring effective compliance with the laws and remaining transparent and non-partisan throughout the process.

Jega said: “From my experience, I quite often say that Nigeria has a special breed of politicians (Militicians). They generally tend to believe that political power through elections has to be ‘captured,’ and this has to be done by hook or by crook; and by any means necessary.

To them, winning election is, literally, a do-or-die affair.

Minefield

“INEC faced perhaps its greatest challenge in containing the predisposition and reckless mindset of Nigerian politicians. Any wonder then that our political arena increasingly resembled a bloody battlefield, with maiming, killing, burning, and unimaginable destruction of lives and property.

“Navigating the minefield of do-or-die politicians as an impartial electoral umpire required nerves of steel, and we had to quickly muster the requisite thick skin, as well as appropriate containment strategies.

“A series of badly conducted elections could create perpetual political instability and easily reverse the gains of democratization. If adequate care is not taken, badly conducted elections can totally undermine

democratization and replace it with authoritarian rule, of the civilian or military varieties.

Slams 2007 elections

“At best, they can install inept and corrupt leadership that can herald, if not institutionalize, bad governance. There are many illustrations or manifestations of this throughout Africa.

“But nowhere is this as amply illustrated as in the Nigerian case, especially between 1999 and 2007.

“The 2007 elections were manifestly the worst in Nigeria’s history, as declared by both domestic and international observers. The EU observer mission, for example, noted that the

elections fell ‘short of basic international standards,’ and were characterized by violence and crude use of money to buy votes.

“There was reckless mobilization of ethnoreligious cleavages and heightened use of money and thugs to influence results.

“The pre-electoral processes, such as party primaries, were conducted in grossly undemocratic fashion. In many cases, the results were said to have gone to the highest bidder.

“The winner of the presidential election, late President Umaru Yar’Adua, himself admitted on the day of his inauguration that there

were serious flaws in the election that brought him to power.

Lists challenges

“There are also other associated challenges. For example, meeting the production deadlines in the production of PVCs was seriously affected by power failures, which damaged equipment, which the vendor could not quickly replace.

“The use of the SCR was constrained by the fact that some polling units were located in areas where there was no Internet coverage.”

Jega lauded President Muhammadu Buhari over the choice of his successor, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, boasting that he would make Nigerian proud with his leadership at INEC.

INEC CHAIR-NOMINEE: From left— Presidential Liaison Officer on National Assembly, House, Kawu Ismaila; Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman-nominee, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and Presidential Liaison Officer on National Assembly, Senate, Senator Ita Enagi, shortly after his screening by the Senate, yesterday. PHOTO: Gbemiga Olamikan.

BVN Deadline: 26m bank accounts to be frozen

By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

B

ARELY 24 hours to the deadline for Bank Verification Number, BVN, less than half of the 52 million bank customers have been registered, a development that may have caused discomfort in the banking industry.

Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had said no extension would be made while nonregistered bank customers would be barred from accessing their money or any transaction in their account after tomorrow.

About 26 million bank customers would be affected by the shut-out.

An official of the apex bank

told Vanguard yesterday that the registration window would still be opened after tomorrow, but unregistered customers would not be allowed access to their accounts.

The official, who claimed that the exact figures of registered bank customers would not be ready until next week, however lamented that “less than half of total bank customers have been captured as at Monday this week.

“Field reports show that there has been increased surge in the number of registrations per day since last week, but it is clear that we may not exceed 50 percent by the deadline.”

Managing Director,

Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Jibril Aku, had said last month that bank customers who fail to meet the October 31 deadline to enroll on the BVN network will have their accounts frozen.

Aku, who spoke at the end of the 324th meeting of the bankers’ committee in Lagos, said there was no going back on the new deadline set by CBN for customers to obtain their BVN. He said: “There will be no extension of the October 31 deadline. All efforts have been made by the committee, CBN and Nigeria Interbank Settlement System for bank customers to obtain their BVN. “The customers, who fail to meet the deadline will not be able to operate their accounts until they comply.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—9

AFC completes 10 months restructuring exercise

A

FRICA Finance Corporation, AFC, has said it had completed the corporate restructuring exercise it embarked upon in January this year with the appointment of Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, as Executive Director, Financial Services.

In a statement, the Corporation said: “In January, 2015 AFC implemented a new organisational structure.

The purpose of this reorganisation was to increase the Corporation’s client responsiveness by creating sector clusters, that would each be responsible for delivering all of AFC’s products to clients within those sectors, simplifying the Corporation’s structure and increasing responsiveness.”

The statement further said: “In this role, Gupta will have responsibility for Treasury, Financial Advisory and the newly created Financial Institutions Division.

Mr. Gupta brings a wealth of experience to the Corporation.

MEETING: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (right) and Chief Executive Officer Jim Cowles (left), during Osinbajo's meeting with the Citigroup official at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

N1.4trn penalty too heavy to bear—MTN

By Emmanuel Elebeke

T

HREE days after Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC slammed a N1.4 trillion penalty on MTN Nigeria for failure to disconnect customers with unregistered SIM cards, Parent company MTN group has cried out that the fine was too extreme, even as it continues to engage the regulator on how to resolve the issue.

MTN Group noted with dismay that Nigerian Communications Commission refused to listen to its plea to reconsider its stand on the penalty slammed on its Nigerian arm last week.

According to a report, MTN Nigeria spokeswoman, Chineze Gbenga-Oluwatoye, had said in an e-mailed response, that “recommendations were put forward with respect to the noncommensurable nature of the fine but the Nigerian Communications Commission did not accept recommendations that the fine of 200,000 Naira ($1,005) per SIM was too heavy.” ‘‘MTN Nigeria contacted the regulator with concerns that a demand to disconnect SIM cards by a certain deadline would cause “severe disruption” for customers and recommended a staggered process to limit the possible impact,’’ said Oluwatoye.

As a result of the fine, MTN shares plummeted about 20 percent this week in Johannesburg. The biggest fourday drop since 2008, valuing the company at about 284 billion rand ($21 billion).

The phone operator had said on Monday that the Nigerian Communications Commission

is seeking the penalties because it missed a deadline to disconnect 5.1 million subscribers and is reviewing its management in the country.

Moody’s Investors Service had on Thursday lowered it’s rating for MTN to negative from stable following the fine.

“Key concerns raised to the NCC highlighted the difficulty of carefully reviewing the data on 18.6 million records within the one week deadline to ensure identification and disconnection of only affected subscribers,” Oluwatoye

added.

Meanwhile, Financial analysts have pointedly said that Nigeria government is at risk of scaring off investors it can’t afford to lose if the N1.4 trillion fine slammed on MTN holds through.

With an economy struggling to cope with sliding oil prices, the experts said currency restrictions and no finance minister, authorities are doing themselves no favors by penalizing one of their biggest foreign investors.

According to fund

managers including David McIlroy of Alquity Investment Management Limited, the fine equates to more than 20 percent of Johannesburg-based MTN’s market value.

“It’s the last thing Nigeria needs, given the economic and political struggles it’s contending with at the moment,” McIlroy, chief investment officer at Alquity, which oversees $100 million of frontier market stocks, including MTN shares, said by phone from London.

Dwindling revenue: CBN, fiscal authorities restrategise for economic stability

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

F

ACED with persistent fall in crude oil prices, Nigeria’s main foreign exchange earner, the Central Bank of Nigeria , CBN, and the fiscal authorities are now meeting to restrategise on how to stave the nation’s economy away from a looming recession.

The Governor of CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, told the gathering of AccountantsGeneral of the Federation, AGF, Alh. Ahmed Idris, top officials of his organization, those from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office, and tax authorities in Abuja, yesterday, that both monetary and fiscal authorities must restrategise and work in a coordinated manner to surmount the current

economic challenges facing the country.

The meeting was under the Fiscal Liquidity Assessment Committee, FLAC. His words, “The knock on effect of the recent global macroeconomic shores has accentuated the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen its economic fundamentals and attain self sufficiency so as to ensure macroeconomic stability.

“In particular, the fall in oil prices has negatively affected revenue projections and in the short term has amplified exchange rate pressures due to a tapering of export proceeds.

“I wish to draw our attention to the principal objective of macroeconomic policy which is to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the context of macro stability.

“To achieve this, monetary

and fiscal policies need to assiduously play their respective roles while collaborating to ensure that public expectations are harmoniously and effectively anchored.’’

Mr. Emefiele who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Monetary Policy, Dr, Sarah Alade, observed that two the parties (monetary and fiscal authorities) must work together to come up with policies that would strengthen the economy’s fundamentals.

He added, “Policy coordination must entail commitments towards achieving the overall objectives of the nation’s macro-economic goals”, adding, “This event is to reflect on the recent outcomes and challenges facing the Nigerian economy. We will also use the opportunity to

come out with ideas on how to restructure, rearrange and reinvent in order to diversify our economy and shift the Nigerian economy from the bases of strenuous factors’”, he said He noted that the fall in price of oil and other commodities was not only diminishing the nation’s economic stability but also had the propensity to impair Nigeria’s progress in the short, medium and long term horizons.

According to Mr. Emwefiele, the principal objective of macroeconomic policy remained to achieve a sustainable and inclusive economic growth in an environment of macro-economic stability and that the role of fiscal policy and monetary policy formulation is very important in order to achieve a sustainable macro-economic stability.

Earlier, the Director, Monetary Policy Department of the CBN, Mr Moses Tule, described the Fiscal Liquidity Assessment

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Lagos CJ re-affirms commitment to justice

By Abdul Abdulwahab, Bartholomew Madukwe & Jane Echewodo

L

AGOS—CHIEF Judge of Lagos State, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, yesterday, reaffirmed her commitment in advancing the course of justice and effective dispensation of same.

“Our various reforms and innovative programmes are geared towards advancing the course of justice and to ensure quick and effective dispensation of justice,” she said.

The CJ, who was represented by Deputy Chief Registrar, DCR Legal, Mrs A. O. Okunnuga, at this year’s National Association of J u d i c i a r y Correspondents, NAJUC lecture in Lagos, said journalism had over the years made impact on sustainable growth and human development in the society.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Babatunde Fashanu, on his part, said effective justice delivery cannot be the only way the Nigerian problems could be solved.

His words: “It is very important that we get our justice system right.

There are very courageous judges, especially in the Lagos State judiciary. Judges must be well paid for them to work well.”

Another SAN, Sylva Ogwemoh, argued that it takes a lazy judge to condone a lazy lawyer.

Esan journalists hold summit

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SAN Journalists Forum, EJF, will hold a two-day summit on The Future of Esan Nation on November 6 and 7 at Okaiijesan Hall, Irrua, Edo State.

Alhaji Isiwele Musa, President of Road Transport Workers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, will Chair the event; with Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, Mr. Peter Isele, among others, as key speakers.

NB/FRSC CAMPAIGN: From left— Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability Manager, NB Plc, Mrs Emete Tonukari; Assistant Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio; Corporate Media\Brand PR Manager, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Edem Vindah, and Deputy Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Ahmed Hassan, during the flag off of the eight edition of Don't Drink & Drive campaign oganized by NB in Lagos. PHOTO: Diran Oshe.

Lagos exco, perm secs parley over state’s challenges L

AGOS State government, yesterday, organized an inaugural retreat for commissioners, special advisers and body of permanent secretaries in the state, where Governor Akinwunmi Ambode expressed concern over the persistent traffic gridlock in the metropolis, and the increase in spate of robberies.

He also released what could serve as the policy direction of his administration for the next three and half years, just as he appealed for the support and cooperation of all residents in moving the state forward.

He said in the interim, he had directed the fixing of all potholes to ease vehicular movement, just as security agencies had been mandated to enforce the ban on commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called Okada riders, on highways, noting that aside the risks of accidents, such can also be a security threat to the people.

Governor Ambode, who said he was also working hard to restrict street hawking, urged the people to stop patronizing them, so as to discourage street traders from the highways.

He said: “We have already hit the ground running. I am deeply concerned about the issues that Lagosians are sending back to me and the issues range from security, traffic gridlock to the environment itself.

“But again, just as we are looking at the immediate solutions to them, there are medium term solutions that

Lagosians will see in the next few weeks that we will roll out.

“We have declared zero tolerance on potholes and we are deploying more men to ensure free flow of traffic. As we are now in the Ember months, I just want to appeal to Lagosians to be more vigilant, and cooperate with us

in all the measures we will be carrying out.”

Highlighting key components of the Lagos Development Plan, Governor Ambode said the first pillar of the plan hinges on economic development, and that it would fundamentally be about

wealth creation through employment.

He also stated that the second pillar of the plan harps on infrastructure development, explaining that government would make money available for long term investment in transportation, power, housing and water.

PWC predicts used cars' extinction in 2044

By Naomi Uzor

P

RICE Waterhouse Coopers, PWC, yesterday, projected that imported used vehicles, popularly called Tokunbo cars, would become extinct as a direct result of local production by 2044.

Speaking at the 2015 symposium/luncheon of the Automobile and Allied Products group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, with the theme Viability and Growth in the Auto Industry, Partner, PWC, Mr. Andrew Nevin, said the company projects that with continued government support, the Nigeria auto industry will begin actual manufacturing with components sourced from within, potentially generating over six million new cars locally by 2050 and that imported used vehicles will become non-existent as a direct result of local production by 2044.

He said: “This projected growth requires sustained and effective investment in the auto industry made only possible by the government implementing political, economic and legal

policies that create a suitable environment for such investment.“ Chairman, Elizade Motors, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, said

Nigeria was a potential hub for automobile, but the necessary potentials for an industry that can employ millions needs to be planned.

Lagos sets up task force against hawking, others

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

L

AGOS State government, yesterday, inaugurated a task force to arrest street traders, hawkers and pedestrians crossing major highways.

The task force comprises officials of the Ministry of the Environment, Enforcement and Advocacy, Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, officials, Lagos State Task Force on Environment and Special Offences and officials of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS. Inaugurating the task force in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Babatunde Adejare, said that these efforts were part of the governor’s strategy to ensure

free flow of traffic, noting that free flow of traffic will improve the state’s economy.

The commissioner noted that anyone caught trading or hawking on the roads including setbacks, median and walk-way, will face the full wrath of the law.

He added that traders and buyers are liable for persecution under the Lagos State Environmental Laws.

He lamented that street traders often litter the roads with refuse, thereby causing avoidable traffic in the state.

Adejare maintained that it was forbidden for anyone to cross the highways, warning that anyone caught crossing the highway will be apprehended and prosecuted accordingly.

The commissioner stated that the task force had “been fully mobilized to ensure strict compliance with these directives.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2015—11

Ooni-elect begins 21-day solitary confinement •May be installed November 19

By Gbenga Olarinoye

O

SOGBO—OONIdesignate, Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, yesterday, commenced the 21-day solitary confinement in Ilofi, the place where a would-be Ooni is 'baked' for the task.

Ilofi, located in Iremo Quarters of Ile Ife, is a place where Oonielect will be for 21 days, and members of Isoro Cult, to which he belongs, will perform installation rites.

Earlier yesterday, Oonidesignate, received visitors in his residence and later held a close door meeting with some palace chiefs.

Although the meeting with the chiefs was held behind closed doors, but an aide to the Ooni designate, who preferred anonymity, in a telephone chat, told Vanguard: “It was likely Ooni-elect asked the chiefs about what awaits him in Ilofi.

“He was in high spirits and exchanged pleasantries with people. He did not panic or wear any look that suggested he was displeased. He remains very

calm and expectant.”

According to sources, Oonielect was led to Ilofi in a convoy of few cars at exactly 4:40pm by Obadio, the head of all deities in Ile Ife and other members of Isoro cult.

According to reliable sources;

the moment the rites begin in Ilofi, Ooni-elect, will no longer receive visitors or see any body, other than members of Isoro cult.

Meantime, pre-installation rites for the Ooni-elect had earlier taken place at the palace of Obadio of Ife, Oba Olajide Ifaloba.

But speaking to newsmen on phone on Thursday, the leader of Isoro Cult, Ifaloba, said members of the cult are forging ahead with some installation rites that do not require the presence of an Ooni.

See more in the insert

AWARD: From left: Dr. Stefan Oschman, Deputy CEO, Merck; Dr. Rebecca Chukwuanukwu, award winner, and Prof. George Godia, Ambassador/Permanent delegate of Kenya to UNESCO, during the presentation of UNESCO award to the UNIZIK lecturer, yesterday.

Amosun swears in new commssioners, SAs, others •Warns against profligacy

By Daud Olatunji

A

BEOKUTA—OGUN State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday, swore-in 18 commissioners and 18 special advisers as well as 19 permanent secretaries urging them to shun financial profligacy.

Amosun who spoke shortly after the new commissioners and special advisers took oath of offices, secrecy and allegiance disclosed that the Ministry of Rural Development has been reserved for his

deputy, Yetunde Onanuga.

Those new commissioners who were inaugurated include; Chief Jide Ojuko (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), Muyiwa Oladipo (Culture and Tourism), Bimbo Ashiru (Commerce and Industries), Ronke Sokefun (Agriculture), Modupe Mujota (Education, Science and Technology), Adenrele Adesina (Budget and Economic Planning),

Adedayo Adeneye (Information and Strategy).

Others are Adeleke Adewolu (Special Duties and Inter-Government Affairs), Babatunde Ipaye (Health), Kolawole Lawal (Forestry), Bolaji Oyeleye (Environment), Adebola Adeife (Physical Planning and Urban Development), Gbenga Adenmosun (Community Development and Cooperatives), and Afolabi Afuwape (Youth and Sports).

Also on the list of commissioners are Olumide Ayeni (Justice and Attorney General), Segun Abiodun (Housing), Olamilekan Adegbite (Works and Infrastructure), Adewale Oshinowo (Finance).

The Special Advisers include; Rotimi Durojaiye

(Media ), Sunday Segun Bamiwola (Women Affairs and Social Development), Adenike Osoba (Culture), Bayo Adeyemi (Housing), Muse Lamidi (Political Affairs), Funmi Ajayi (Commerce), Jumoke Akinwunmi (Housing Corporation), Jide Odusolu (OPIC) and Lanre Edun (Education, Science and Technology).

Also appointed as special advisers are Barr. Olayinka Odufuwa (Agriculture), Busola Ogunyemi (Community Development and Cooperatives), Wale Ogunyomade (Rural Development), Tunde Sodade (Public Private Partnership), Babi Subair (Governor’s Office) and Steven Adewolu (Physical Planning).

Others are; Babalola Lawson (Environment) Omolayo Olorunwo (General Duties) , Dr Babafemi Adenuga (Health), Jide Odubanjo (Economic Adviser) and Gbenga Adeyi (Deputy Chief of Staff).

In his speech, Amosun charged the new Commissioners and Special Advisers to regard their appointments as entirely a call to service.

Fayose slams lecturers over rot in education sector

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

A

DO-EKITI— GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State yesterday accused lecturers in some higher institutions of engaging in sexual harassment and cultism in their schools.

Fayose, who expressed concern over the perceived moral decadence in the country ’s higher institutions, said some lecturers who should be engaged in character moulding are guilty of sexual harassment and victimisation of the male students.

According to him, lecturers also engage in Indian hemp smoking and sponsorship of cultism, describing these vices as dangerous to the development of education in Nigeria.

The Governor said this during the 22nd convocation ceremony of the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, where over 2,000 graduates were churned out.

The College through its Provost,ProfFranciscaAladejana also conferred the Fellowship of the College on the Senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district, Mrs Biodun Olujimi and the Chairman, CapitolOil,MrIfeanyiUbahwith a view of what she termed their immense contributions to the growth of education.

13 cultists remanded for murder, dumping of corpses in river

L

AGOS—THIRTEEN suspected cultists, who allegedly murdered two men before dumping their bodies in a river, were yesterday in Lagos remanded in Ikoyi Prisons.

An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court which rejected their plea, said they should be kept behind bars pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP. The accused are: Ismail Bello, 26; Shola Jaiyeola, 28; Kabiru Wahab, 23; Akeem Adeyemo, 36; Monsuru Ojopagogon, 29; David Lasisi, 35 and Bayo Bakare, 30.

Others are Daniel

Yosue, 30; Ademola Ayelabowo, 27; Joshua Udoh, 20; Daniel Adeyemi, 28; Saheed Mohammed, 25; and Wasiu Aborisade, 40.

The 13 accused are facing a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, membership of unlawful society, breach of peace and causing grievous harm.

According to the prosecutor, Cpl.IyobosaOnaiwu,theoffences were committed on Sept. 27 at about 9.00 p.m. at Maidan Junction, Mile 12, Lagos.

"Two of the accused – Mohammed and Adeyemi allegedly killed one Tunde and Okesola Yusuf before dumping their bodies in the Maidan River in Mile 12," he said.

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Delta Election Petition Tribunal judgment vindicates us —INEC A

By Festus Ahon

SABA—THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said the judgment of the Delta State Election Petition Tribunal, upholding the elections of all those elected into the state House of Assembly, National Assembly as well as the governorship election, has vindicated the commission in the conduct of the 2015 elections in the state.

This came as reactions continued to trail the tribunal judgment which upheld the election of the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, with prominent Deltans describing the verdict as a reflection of the will of the people.

INEC, speaking through its acting National Chairman, Hajiya Amina Zakari, during the commissioning of a multi-purpose conference hall at the Delta State INEC office headquarters in Asaba, constructed by the commission in the state under the leadership of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Elder Abasi Aniedi Ikoiwak, insisted that the commission did its best in conducting the 2015 general elections in line with international best practices.

Commending the peaceful and successful conduct of the general elections in Delta State and other states of the country, she said the new leadership of INEC would not leave any stone unturned to rid the commission of any form of malpractice and election irregularity in the conduct of

elections.

Represented by one of the National Commissioners, Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku, Zakari congratulated the REC for the conference hall and the presentation of awards to his staff for improved productivity in the commission.

According to her, the headquarters of the commission would address the challenges facing the Delta State headquarters of the commission,

adding that the commission, during Professor Attahiru Jega's tenure, constantly promoted staff and enhanced their welfare.

Earlier, the REC, Elder Abasi Ikoiwak, pledged to sustain and add value to the feat the commission had recorded in its resolve to entrench democracy in the country.

Meanwhile, more reactions have continued to trail the tribunal judgment which upheld the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, some

prominent Deltans, describing the court verdict as a reflection of the will of the people of the State.

Those who spoke included Mr. Henry Baro, Mr Steve Ovedje and Mr Osimo Bayagbon.

The trio who are chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, in their separate interviews, congratulated Governor Okowa, insisting that the will of the people was incontestable.

LAUNCHING: From left: Razvan Mihai, Research and Education, ForexRally Nigeria; Artem Trofymenko, CEO and Fisayo Siyanbola, General Manager, during a press conference by ForexRally to officially launch its operations in Lagos, Nigeria.

Edo plans teacher posting reforms to stop cheats

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OVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said the state would reform the recruitment, deployment, promotion and posting of teachers in the state to ensure fairness aimed at optimum performance.

Oshiomhole spoke during a meeting with the chairman and members of the state Post Primary Education Board in his office.

He said: “The key issue in appointment is competence, and in recruiting these numbers, we would start from the top and from those who score the highest mark.

The idea here is to give priority to the employment of the best in our schools. Our teachers must be the best. In those days, when you were very brilliant, you got into academics. Just that things have changed now, the brilliant ones go into banking, oil industry, they want to go to customs, immigration and so on. But we need the best brains to impart knowledge and that is why we are ready to pay special incentives to those who are involved in science subjects. But to do that, I must be convinced that these people

would make a difference in terms of the quality of knowledge they impart and we can measure it through performance of our kids in various examinations and periodically, we have other ways to do assessments.

“We can even work out bonuses for schools that have done well, for pupils that have done well, because, like they

say, if the child has not learned, it might well be because the teacher has not taught. One is a consequence of the other and I need us to tie rewards to efforts, because if we can do so and people see that effort pays, I think they will be greatly motivated. I am sure that our children in both primary, junior secondary schools and senior

secondary schools will do well.

So, we have to carry out fundamental reforms in the way we recruit, deploy, promote and transfer teachers and there must be an order, there must be fairness and there must be balance. No favour, no lobbying, no political consideration.”

Youths storm BEDC Ughelli of fice protesting power outage

By Perez Brisibe

U

G H E L L I — AGGRIEVED youths from Isoko North and Isoko South Local Government Areas, of Delta State, yesterday stormed the Ughelli office of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, to protest prolonged power outage in both council areas.

The youths, on the platform of Isoko Progressive Youth

Centrer, IYPC, displayed various placards with inscriptions such as; “No to vandalism”, “We need light” and “Isoko says enough is enough.”

Though the Ughelli BEDC manager, Mr. Pius Ajeh, was not on ground to address the protesters, a staff of the company who addressed the youths, promised to deliver their message to the management of the company.

The youths, accused the

company of allegedly cutting them off from the national grid since October 21 over some irregularities with their bill payment.

The protest letter by the youths was signed by the president and secretary of the group, Anthony Ogbalor and Clifford Ojah, respectively.

Attempts to speak with the Ughelli BEDC manager were unsuccessful as he was said to be unavoidably absent.

Delta Accord Party candidate laments inability to proceed with petition

By Amarachi Chukwudi

A

CCORD Party candidate for Ika Federal Constituency of the National Assembly in the 2015 elections, Doris Uboh, has lamented her inability to continue the petition against the declaration of Victor Nwokolo, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as winner of the election, despite securing judgement from the the Court of Appeal, Benin Judicial Division.

She blamed her inability to continue with the case to the expiration of the 180 days constitutional provision for election petitions to be disposed of.

Uboh had secured legal victory in the Court of Appeal, Benin Judicial Division where she challenged the judgment of the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal delivered in favour of Nwokolo.

In the appeal No. CA/B/ EPT/270 2015, the appellate court had set aside the decision of the tribunal and ordered that the case be remitted to be tried on merit should the appellant be still within time.

Delta directs students to register with NIMC for bursary

By Festus Ahon

A

SABA—DELTA State Bursary and Scholarship Board has directed students of the state's origin in tertiary institutions to register with the Nigeria Identity Management Commission, NIMC, to enable them access the 2014/ 2015 bursary.

Executive Secretary of Board, Elijah Ologe, who gave the directive while addressing some students who paid him unscheduled visit in his office in Asaba, also told them to ensure they got their Bank Verification Number, BVN. Insisting that the NIMC and BVN were major criteria for them to benefit from the 2014/ 2015 bursary and subsequent ones, he said the board was out to stamp out every form of fraud that had bedevilled it.

He disclosed that the board's website would soon be opened for qualified students of the state origin to register for the bursary scheme.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 —13

C M Y K

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 —15

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16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

IMO GOV POLL: S-Court upholds Okorocha’s

election



By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—THE Supreme Court, yesterday, affirmed Governor Rochas Okorocha as the winner of the April 11 governorship election in Imo State.

The apex court, in a unanimous judgment by a seven-man panel of Justices, dismissed the appeal that was lodged before it by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha.

The Supreme Court declined to set-aside two concurrent verdicts of the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal which earlier declared Okorocha as winner of the gubernatorial poll.

Ihedioha had in a petition he filed before the tribunal on May 19, sought the nullification of Okorocha’s election.

He had among other things, alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities, insisting that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, rigged the poll in favour of the All

Reps to Intervene in deportation of 29, 000 Nigerians

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—THE House of Representatives yesterday mandated its committee on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to wade into the case of 29, 000 Nigerians scheduled for deportation from the United Kingdom (UK).

The resolution of the House followed a motion on matters of urgent public importance entitled “need to address the issues and challenges surrounding 29, 000 Nigerians tagged for deportation from the UK” sponsored by Rep Rita Orji.

Rep Orji had in the motion noted that the deportation faced by these Nigerians was a result of a migration crisis created by troubled regions of the globe adding that most of them have spent a minimum of 30 years and have lost touch with the country.

Dismisses appeal by Ihedioha, PDP starts from when the pre-hearing notice payment was made and not when it was applied, this in turn means the petitioner paid out of time but applied within time”.

Meantime, dissatisfied with the decision of the tribunal, Ihedioha took the matter before the Owerri Division of the Court of Appeal.

In a judgment it delivered on September 3, the appellate court panel led by Justice Jimmy Bada affirmed the decision of the tribunal, adding that Ihedioha’s notice of appeal was fundamentally defective.

Not happy with the verdict, Ihedioha filed appeal before the Supreme Court wherein he sought for an order setting aside the concurrent decisions of the two lower courts.

In the lead judgment that was read yesterday by Justice John Inyang Okoro, the apex court, said the lone issue to be determined in the matter was “Whether there was service on the 2nd-36threspondents; if not, what is the effect”.

The apex court relied on Section 318 of the Constitution which deals on “Interpretation, Citation and Commencement” of hearing, to discountenance the appellant’s argument that the registrar of the tribunal had announced to parties ANNIVERSARY: Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, and his wife, Chief that notices of appeal had been Ebelechukwu Obiano, during the 27th anniversary of their marriage , yesterday, duly served on the respondents.

According to Justice Okoro, the word “decision” under Section 318 of the CFRN “means, in relation to a court, any determination of and from whom I got the signed result sheet duly that court and includes judgement

By Emeka Mamah entered their full names, signatures and PDP decree, order, conviction, membership card numbers for easy identification. sentence or recommendation”.

MEMBER of the House of Representatives, “In view of the foregoing, I do I am, thus, being accused of a document that I did Dr Patrick Asadu, has accused the Enugu not think the registrar’s statement not produce, author or sign while those who State police command of allegedly working in gave any credence to service of procured, signed them and gave them to me were concert with his opponent to try him on trumped never asked about whether they procured the notice of appeal. It is trite that up charges of forging a result sheet in an election document, from me and whether they signed and notice of appeal is a condition matter before the Supreme Court. precedent, and there is nothing gave them to me.

Asadu said that his opponent in the case, Engr.

“Neither the electoral officer nor the returning on record to show that the Newton Ikechukwu Ugwuegede reportedly officer was invited or questioned about the forged appellant duly effected service on abandoned an appeal he filed at the apex court document they signed and gave to me. Yet, the the respondents. This issue does and approached an Enugu Magistrate for the same investigation had indicted me for accepting the result not avail the appellant and I matter which he said, he had won at both the High resolve it against the appellant.” sheet!

Court and the Court of Appeal, adding that the “smear campaign and mind games,” was to “deceive the unsuspecting public and play mind games with the respected justices of the Supreme Court who are presently reviewing the matter.”

Asadu spoke at a news conference in Enugu:“My crime was just my contesting with and defeating Engr. Ugwuegede in the December 6, 2014 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Assembly primaries held in Nsukka, the Headquarters of Nsukka/ Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency of Enugu State by the PDP National Assembly Electoral Panel and refusing to have my mandate stolen by Ugwuegede, his sponsors and their cohorts.

“It has, however, become necessary for me to state the facts to, at least, expose the fallacies and mischief behind their sterile plots to tarnish my hard-earned reputation, deceive the public and play mind games with the respected justices of the Supreme Court who are presently reviewing the matter.

“The result sheet in question was only handed over to me by the returning officer at the primaries after the results were entered into it and both the electoral officer and the returning officer who brought the document from the PDP State office

Progressives Congress, APC. In the petition marked EPT/IM/ GOV/3/2015, which had Okorocha, APC and 36 others as respondents, Ihedioha, told the tribunal that the election was marred by violence, harassment and intimidation of voters.

Besides, it was his contention that the election was conducted in substantial non-compliance to the provision of the Electoral Act. He maintained that the election was in violation of Paragraph 28 of INEC’s guidelines for the 2015

election.

However, the tribunal, in a judgment it delivered on July 22, dismissed the petition at the preliminary stage.

The tribunal led by Justice David Wyom held that the petition was incompetent and lacked merit.

The panel upheld argument by Okorocha’s lawyer, Mr. Niyi Akintola, SAN, that the petition should be deemed as abandoned considering that Ihedioha, failed to within seven days, pay

mandatory N100 required to kickstart pre-hearing session on his petition as stipulated in Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act, as amended.

The tribunal noted that the petitioner applied on June 23, but failed to pay for the pre-hearing notice until June 3, despite the fact that his application was within time.

According to the tribunal, “Based on the strength of the Supreme Court authority on this issue, the validity of the process

Rep accuses police of conniving with his opponent

A

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 —17

quote a few excerpts from a press release that was issued earlier on this week by Sola David-Borha and Chidi Okezie, the Company Secretary of Stanbic IBTC. I am deliberately excluding complex details that might not be understood by Vanguard readers who are not financial sector experts: “… Stanbic IBTC does not agree that its accounts are defective or require rectification. Moreover, Regulation 27 makes clear that where a reporting entity does not accept

S

TANBIC IBTC Holdings came under attack this week from the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRCN, which has made several inaccurate and unfair allegations against a respected organisation that was founded by Mr Atedo Peterside, a corporate titan and Nigerian of note who has earned an unimpeachable reputation.

The FRCN has suspended Mr Peterside (the Chairman), its Managing Director, Sola David-Borha, and others…because of “accounting irregularities and improper disclosures in the bank’s 2013 and 2014 financial statements.”

The matter is in court at the moment, but Stanbic IBTC regards it as necessary to respond to certain aspects of the

*Mr. Atedo Peterside

A nefarious calumny!

FRCN’s damning report for the benefit of its stakeholders and the general public.

I, meanwhile, am outraged

by FRCN’s attempts to sully the good name of Mr Peterside. I have known him for many years and am defending free of charge and

will not seek or accept any financial reward for doing so…because I see no reason why an organisation that he and his trusted lieutenants have painstakingly established over a period of several years should be dragged into the gutter.

With this in mind, let me

I am outraged by FRC’s attempts to sully the good name of Mr Peterside; I see no reason why an organisation that he and his trusted lieutenants have painstakingly established over a period of several years should be dragged into the gutter

Another stain on Nigeria’s image

L

AST week, I told you that CNN, the American TV station, had done a passenger perceptions survey and concluded that Port Harcourt International Airport is the worst airport in the entire world.

Now, this week, more bad news: The World Bank has just ranked Nigeria 169 out of 189 countries in its latest report on the ease of doing business globally.

According to the World Bank’s Head of Communications in Nigeria, Mr. Obadiah Tohomdet, the report takes into consideration the ease of obtaining construction permits, getting electricity, enforcing contracts, registering property and trading across borders, among other parameters.

Tohomdet went on to say that “Mauritius ranks best in the sub-Saharan Africa region, with a global ranking of 32, performing particularly well in the areas of paying taxes and enforcing contracts…In Mauritius, it takes only 152 hours for entrepreneurs to pay taxes, compared to 261 hours globally.”

The report gave Rwanda the next best ranking in the region, with a global ranking of 62. Ten years ago, an entrepreneur in Rwanda took 370 days to transfer property.

Now, it takes 32 days which is less than in Germany.

Meanwhile, Botswana was ranked 72th, South Africa 73rd, the Seychelles 95th, Kenya 108th and Uganda 122nd.

Bottom segment Considering that we are supposed to be The Giant Of Africa – and that we have more human and natural resources than the above nations, it is highly embarrassing that we are pathetically languishing in the bottom segment of the World Bank list.

Bluntly put, it is laziness, corruption and incompetence that put us in this lowly position and we have no business being less business-friendly than countries that have fewer advantages!

Clearly, there is plenty of room for improvement. And I

pray that when President Buhari’s ministerial and parastatal teams are in place, they will regard it as a crucial duty and matter of national pride to drastically improve our ranking.

Civil servants, judges, regulatory bodies, legislators, local government officials, Governors and their Commissioners also have key roles to play

within this context.

There is no point constantly harping on about the need for more foreign investment if you are not ready to roll up your sleeves and do everything in your power to attract serious foreigners who can help us beef up our ailing economy.

FRCN’s position, FRCN ‘shall institute a legal action against the entity.’ FRCN has ignored this laid down process in preference for selfhelp and media publicity.

“The matters that FRCN alleges to be wrong are not wrong in any material respect and many are in any event not matters of financial reporting at all, but matters of business decision and judgment for Stanbic IBTC and its board of directors…. “…Stanbic IBTC is a very responsible organisation and fully complies with all extant laws and regulations in Nigeria and international best practices applicable to the conduct of its business. It is the only Nigerian bank that is AAA rated by Fitch. It has met the disclosure requirements of Nigerian law and international financial reporting standards applicable in Nigeria.

Financial reporting standards Contrary to the media reports, the books of Stanbic IBTC have been fully disclosed and provide a true and fair view of its assets and liabilities, profits and losses, and its overall financial position.

“Contrary to the media reports, the Directors of Stanbic IBTC have NOT been ousted.

The directors, who are from Nigeria and elsewhere, are reputable individuals who uphold the best corporate governance practices and whose credibility, integrity and proven track record are impeccable.

“Stanbic IBTC would like to reiterate that it will continue to conduct its business in compliance with extant Nigerian law and international best practices.”

Interestingly, the law firm of Kenna & Associates, which is headed by Managing Partner, Fabian Ajogwu SAN, has quit representing the FRC on the Stanbic IBTC case, as a matter of principle, due to concerns about FRC’s position.

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

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

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 FOR a decade and a half, since 2000, Nigeria’s response towards the attainment of the eight international goals and 21 individual targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been the focal point of social and developmental agenda at local, state, and national levels.

The primary aim of the MDGs is to encourage overall human development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries on a set 15-year timeline. An enthusiastic signatory to the MDG’s, Nigeria pursued the targets vigorously with emphasis on improving the social and economic conditions of the poorest Nigerians.

By utilising the principle of the right of every individual to dignity, freedom, equality, a basic standard of living that includes freedom from hunger and violence, Nigeria, like many of the other 188 signatory countries, produced moderate results.

From MDGs to SDGs: meeting the new target Nigeria’s achievement of the MDG targets is a mixed bag: while progress has been above average in some areas, it is less satisfactory in others.

Nigeria utilised the MDG framework to improve its relatively poor health indices such as reduction of maternal and child mortality, eradicating polio, reducing the spread of malaria and HIV/ AIDS, among others.

We are faced with the challenge of tackling a new development framework: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were set at this year’s UN General Assembly to mobilise the world towards confronting the many

problems facing the people. These new 17 goals for sustainable development are to be met by the year 2030.

The MDG’s were meant to start a universal partnership towards tackling developmental challenges in the world’s least developed countries to achieve a global baseline by 2015. The SDGs are meant to finish the work in 2030 by widening the scope of work needed to be done to promote conditions for sustainable human development such as peace building and overall improvement of the environment.

As Nigeria transits from the MDGs to the SDGs, government should provide political support and policy guidance. We must pay quality attention to measures that will promote peace and stability, bearing in mind that countries that are embroiled in conflicts always lag behind in sustainable development.

We must work harder to improve our education and health sectors. We are still far from attaining the MDG’s in these areas, with many of our wellto-do countrymen and women still streaming abroad for quality education and challenging healthcare issues.

It is also crucial that we pay more attention to issues of environmental protection because of issues of flooding, coastal erosion, desertification, gully erosion and massive deforestation, which threaten present and future of our country.

Meeting the targets of the MDGs and SDGs Agenda is panacea towards securing a better future for posterity.

OPINION Improvement in power sector: Kudos to Obasanjo

By Desmond Orjiakor

E

VERY well-informed Nigerian living in the country since the second coming of the military in December 1983 knows that very little investment was made in the power sector until the Olusegun Obasanjo administration came on board on May 29, 1999. For many, this is a misconception.

Another misconception was the one peddled by the late political orator and former Minister of Power, and later Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, that the sector could be fixed within six months.

Those two misconceptions drove the thinking in the power sector. There were also very fundamental structural problems. Public utilities were run as a monopoly. Not just a monopoly, but also very top heavy and centralised in its administration, in the case of the power sector. And so, there were a number of things that had to be done. There were the reforms, for instance, the 2005 Act, which provides for the unbundling of the utility into different entities which happened during the Obasanjo administration when Senator Liyel Imoke was minister. I think, Imoke worked closely with the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, to make sure that the law was passed. In fact, the Power Reform Act was one of the most difficult laws to be passed in the National Assembly for obvious reasons. But it was passed, and that was the beginning of the reforms in earnest. With the passage of the law, Nigerians started seeing

the unbundling of the utilities into smaller entities and this, in turn, saw them independently managed and being run more like business entities. This, of course, was a step in the right direction heading towards ultimately what we now see as the privatisation of these utilities.

All the structural amendments that needed to happen started during the Obasanjo administration. There was an attempt to rebundle the utilities during the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration. This delayed for over two years the reforms and progress that had been made. Yet, the fact that the Goodluck Jonathan administration came back to that same blueprint of the Obasanjo era has led to some of the improvements we see in the sector today. We now see that the Federal Government budget for the power sector was very huge. Now, with the private sector buying in and taking some ownership through the privatisation process, we are now seeing the Federal Government spending less and the private sector taking more responsibilities for investment in power supply.

One of the crucial things that you will observe

What the Obasanjo administration started is the same blueprint which is being implemented and is yielding tremendous results

is that even the National Integrated Power Projects, NIPPs and the investments that were made there from the sale of utilities, the Federal Government has been able to recover a substantial portion of those investments. When those investments are paid for by their new owners, the Federal Government will also recover from the power plants and the distribution network. The only place that the Federal Government may not recover from is the transmission networks because those ones were not privatised, the managements were outsourced. This means that with that outsourcing arrangement, the assets still belong to the Federal and state governments.

Another thing that was also very critical with the reform in the power sector by the Obasanjo administration was that, beyond the passage of the bill and its implementation, Nigerians saw that the greatest challenge of power which some people have continuously failed to appreciate is the availability of gas. Most Nigerians fail to appreciate that gas, which belongs to another ministry, is a completely separate investment being made by another entity. Even efforts were made right from the Obasanjo administration to make sure that everybody worked together to ensure the availability of gas for the new power plants. Ultimately, there was a disconnect. The power plants were often ready with the MDAs responsible for gas not being able to deliver gas to the power plants.

The price of gas was also a big issue. Indeed, the pricing of gas is so low that the oil ma-

jors have refused to drill and supply gas to the power companies. Many also do not know that what we have now with the reform in the sector is new gas pricing which is inevitable. With the new gas pricing, maybe more people will invest in gas and we can now have enough gas to run the power plants.

What this means is that there is a lot of factors that need to be addressed for you to have power.

Which is why it is extremely hazardous when over the years, you find in the reform programmes , the power probe which went on, people began to bandy imaginary figures- $16b, $10b, and so forth, without any evidence of any records that such amount was spent in actual figures. The NIPP had about two point something billion dollars allocated to it at the time. Up until today, nobody has been able to establish where the sixteen billion and ten billion being dropped here and there came about. But the truth is that what the Obasanjo administration started in terms of reform, which was interrupted at a point, is the same blueprint which is being implemented and is yielding tremendous results. It all started with a technical committee under the Obasanjo administration before NIPP. That technical committee was responsible for delivering the first ever 4,000 megawatts. At the time the technical committee resumed, power generation was down to 1,600 Megawatts, and that technical committee had about twenty months to deliver the 4,000 Megawatts.

•Mr Orjiakor, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Abuja.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015— —19 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com

Blair should sing from jail I

RAQ, an ancient civilization and Biblically, the homestead of Abraham before he was called to leave his father ’s house, is an ancient civilization bombed into ruins. The supposedly civilized invaders from God’s Own Country (the United States) and Europe were not only disinterested in Iraqi lives, but also failed to protect historical sites like the famous museum built in Abraham’s claimed homestead.

But the casualties were actually the Iraqi children and youths, men and women, babies and the elderly. Over 1,033,000 Iraqis were killed within six years by the invaders who along with the mercenaries they employ, are not interested in body count if the victims are not their own troops. Over five million, or 50 percent of Iraqi children were made orphans.

Three years into the 2003 invasion, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, reported that 1.8 million Iraqis had fled into exile mainly in Jordan and Syria and that an average 100,000 were fleeing monthly. By that 2006, the UNHCR said 1.6 million additional Iraqis

were internally displaced.

Journalists killed in combat by 2009 were 136 while 51 media support staff had also been killed.

The US which led the invasion has suffered over 4,491 deaths and 32,000 injured. The British servicemen killed are 179 with 3,500 injured. While the violence has continued, it is the civilians that have been most affected, especially the minorities. In one bomb explosion alone, on August 14, 2007, 796 Yazidis were killed.

The Iraqi invasion has also given birth to more wars, including the on-going ones waged by the Islamic State, ISIS. With Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein hanged by the conquerors who also massacred his children and grandchildren, that once viable and prosperous country has not only become a killing field, but also a failed state. It is not certain how many governments rule today in that chaotic country, but they cannot be less than four. The Shiite-controlled government in Baghdad is backed by the invaders; the break-away Kurdish Republic is tolerated; the Sunnis have their own structures; while the ISIS

controls large parts of the country which it has declared a Caliphate. The Iraqi invasion has also led to an unsafe world with terror spreading, life becoming very cheap, families separated, perhaps forever, and refugees in their millions on the move to various parts of the world, including Europe.

These crimes against humanity were initiated and executed by two main personalities: George Walker Bush, who was American President, and his side kick, Tony Blair who was British Prime Minister. The two-some who have remained gleeful about their crimes have not, and may never be brought to justice.

This week, Blair appeared on CNN to insult once again, the collective intelligence of humanity. While claiming to apologise for his infamous role in Iraq, he was actually indulging

If in Britain, people can seek to make a citizen arrest of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe just because he does not agree with their homosexual culture, then there should be a rush to apprehend Blair for horrific war crimes

The temptations of Biafra

By Clement Udegbe O not be deceived, every Igbo man is D a Biafran, irrespective of where he was born and grew up on this earth, whether he

fought and witnessed the Nigerian civil war or not. He may not even know what Biafra is all about, and may not believe in the concept or idea of Biafra, but God knows why he was created an Igbo man. Although as an individual, he may know his purpose, vision and mission on earth, he would be incomplete until he discovers his role as an Igbo man. A man who does not know his identity irrespective of his status in society needs help, and many Igbos need help in this regard.

I was in Biafra as a 12-year-old during the civil war, and saw war fronts, the refugee camps, feeding, research and production centers, etc. I saw deaths, hunger, kwashiorkor, oppression by the soldiers on both sides of the war; intrigues: Biafrans killing Biafrans. But I found myself weeping uncontrollably the day it was announced that we lost the war because no one likes defeat, not even a child. Biafra was defeated in January 1970; so when you mention it now, some are tempted to avoid it, postpone the topic, kill it, suppress it, while others want to speak and stand by it.

Failure, they say, is an orphan, and the attitude of people when it seems that they have failed determines how far they will go. But did Biafra and Ndigbo fail ?

While some in Nigeria feel that Biafra and Ndigbo failed, many have realised from events in Nigeria 45 years after that war, that Biafra was an idea whose time was yet to come, and we are extremely proud and thankful to God for the positive attitude of Ndigbo to matters in Nigeria,

C M Y K

in spite of all. Ndigbo have overcome and survived that war by excelling in spite of its effects. They are scattered all over Nigeria, thus becoming the single ethnic group found in all geopolitical zones of this country, peacefully making contributions, building their host societies and their economies, in spite of the hatred, disdain and aggravations from such host communities.

Only last week, the respected Deji of Akure, for example, found it comfortable to insult the sensibilities of Ndigbo by reducing the personality of Eze-Ndigbo in Ondo State, yet no Igbo king will dictate how an Oba should carry on with his affairs as a king in Igbo land.

Some of these Obas have become so confused about One Nigeria that rather

When the time for Biafra comes, Igbo youths will sit down, think deeply and plan well concerning the development of Igbo land, making support for the best interests of Ndigbo the basis for everything

in self-justification.

On September 24, 2002 the Blair government released a document on Iraq called the "September Dossier" in which it claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, WMD, including chemical and biological weapons. Blair in his foreword to the Report claimed that: “The document discloses that his (then Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein’s) military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them”.

The British Parliament was summoned to discuss the socalled Report that same day.

Based on these claims, US and Britain led their allies to invade Iraq. But when the invaders could not produce any shred of evidence of the so-called WMD, the world realised that the whole story had been cooked up as an excuse to invade and destroy Iraq.

This week, Blair rather than accept responsibility and confess his crimes, attempted to blame British Intelligence for what he, Bush and former American Vice President, Dick Cheney had cooked up. Even at that, he refused to acknowledge the outright falsehood; rather he rambled that “the programme in the form that we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought. So I can apologise for that” .

The shifty Blair added: ”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 removed the regime.” Is it really possible that the so called Coalition of the Willing which invaded Iraq, did not think of a country after removing Saddam? That they did not think about the destruction

than foster unity between Igbos and Yorubas, to take advantage of the huge and awesome opportunities God has given to them in the South of Nigeria, they devote so much time and energy creating divisions between the two ethnic groups, playing and falling into the hands and agenda of others in this geographical expression called Nigeria.

There is no record so far of any Eze of Igbo land disparaging any Oba, but that is what Igbos suffer very often. The experience of Igbos and the distinguished Oba of Lagos during the 2015 elections is still fresh in our minds. It is a form of brewing xenophobia against Igbos in Nigeria, and if Nigeria will not deal with it, Ndigbo will with time find ways round the whole gamut of insults. The key offense of Ndigbo is their competiveness and open attitude to life wherever they find themselves. They believe truly in one Nigeria and live it, allowing their money, as small as it may be, to work for them where ever they live in Nigeria; but others pay lip service to One Nigeria, always on daggers-drawn when things do not suit them.Last month, apparently overwhelmed by Buhari’s victory at the 2015 polls, a prominent Northern elite, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, taunted Ndigbo to secede if they could, and face the wrath of the North. Nothing happened to him, no Northern elder said a word, not even a rebuke from our President, lending credence to the belief in many quarters that Buhari does not care about Ndigbo.

It is xenophobia against Ndigbo, but Ndigbo will not reject themselves if Nigeria under whichever President rejects them.

As long as this earth revolves on its axis, time will continue to change, and any idea whose time has come cannot be stopped.

Wise people therefore flow with ideas whose time has come. But has the time for the true Biafra come ? I am tempted to say NO, because first, Igbos themselves are

and the aftermath of the invasion? This is another cheap lie by the originator of Blairism, a political philosophy of mass deception.

Saddam had been a very good boy of the West. He had been used to invade Iran shortly after the Islamic revolution in that country. In that September 1980 – August 1988 war, about 300,000 Iranians were killed as well as over 200,000 Iraqis. But Saddam and his Western bosses fell out and they saw the need to cut him to seize. There was also the Iraqi oil, and the desire of the leading invaders to lay their hands on it. Oil was also behind the subsequent invasion of Libya and its transformation into another failed state. In any case, Blair never told the British people or the world that the invasion’s objective was the removal Saddam While there is an umbilical cord linking the 2003 Iraqi invasion and the establishment and rise of ISIS, the doublespeak Blair merely says: “I think there are elements of truth in that.”

So what crimes did the Iraqi leadership, including Saddam and his sons commit for which the allies and their cohorts in Iraq had them executed? It is okay for Blair to make a hypocritical apology and dodge back into the comfort of his home to lunch with his family and drink with friends. The same things he has denied millions of people in Iraq.

If in Britain, people can seek to make a citizen's arrest of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe just because he does not agree with their homosexual culture, then there should be a rush to apprehend Blair for horrific war crimes. His apology song should be from prison.

not ready spiritually, mentally and physically. Pointer: Their current five Governors became either confused or deliberately mischievous against this common cause of Ndigbo. If the time for Biafra was here, they would be made to regret their recent utterances for life.

Second, Igbos are well scattered all over Nigeria, and whenever there is a little discomfort, they start running home, and have done this since 1966. But after almost 50 years Igbos ought to have developed a system of exercising control and influence in their home communities without having to be treated like castrated lambs all the time. When the time for Biafra arrives, Igbos will begin to effectively use their positions within their host communities, without having to fire a gunshot in Nigeria or within Igbo land.

Third, when the time for Biafra comes, Igbo youths will sit down, think deeply, and plan well concerning the development of Igbo land, making support for the best interests of Ndigbo the basis for everything. They will begin to hold their leaders accountable and demand more than the current practice where their senators and NASS representatives only organise football matches during festive periods as their community projects.

Ostentatious, greedy and deceptive governors will be resisted and rejected across Igbo land.

Finally, Igbo youths should avoid being part of the killing of the economy of the South East Zone. They disrupted trade and commerce during the Ekulobia Prisons nonsense by this government, and now it is about Nnamdi Kanu. They need to understand that this Buhari government of APC does not care about Ndigbo and so should strategise to develop Igbo land first.

*Mr Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.

20—Vanguard, Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Festac fire: Homeless residents count losses •As member LSHA reaches out to victims

By Esther Onyegbula

F

ESTIVAL Town popularly called Festac has been in the news lately, albeit for negative reasons. These unpleasant news stories range from high profile armed robbery and kidnapping to oil bunkering. The latest unpalatable news coming from the middle-income neighbourhood is Tuesday evening’s fire incident that razed four flats located on 401 Road.

Although no life was lost, occupants of the affected apartments were rendered homeless while property and valuable documents worth millions of Naira were destroyed in the strange fire outbreak whose cause is yet to be ascertained.

Vanguard Metro, VM, learnt that the inferno which began from Flat 14, spread to three other flats(13, 15 and 16) in Block 2, D Close, 401Road.

Actual cause of the inferno Although the actual cause of the inferno has not been ascertained, speculations are rife that the incident may have been caused by power surge.

A resident who simply identified himself as Kalu informed VM thus: “The fire began at about 4pm, after Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKO DISCO, restored power supply. We noticed thick smoke coming from one of the flats and before anything could be done, four flats were already in flames”.

VM saw staff of the Fire Services trying to put off the inferno which had spread to the other apartments in the building. One of the victims of the disaster is an APC stalwart in the area, Mr. Seun Okuwobi. He narrated his ordeal to VM. “I occupy Flat 15, which is one of the buildings gutted by fire. I went to work when the fire started.

C M Y K

“I work with the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation in Ejigbo. I was still at my place of work in Ejigbo around 4pm when I received a call from my sister informing me of fire outbreak in the Block housing my flat. I immediately boarded a vehicle to the house. I was still on my way back when I received another call that the inferno had spread to flats 15, 16 and 13. I can’t really say the actual cause of the fire because I was not there. But when I came back, the neigbourhood had already been taken over by onlookers.

Some people said the fire was caused by a surge in power,” he said.

Continuing, Okuwobi lamented: “By the time I got home, it was already late. All my belongings had been consumed by the inferno. Not even a pin was recovered from any of the four flats affected.

These clothes I am putting on are all that I have left”.

He appealed to government and good spirited Nigerians to come to their aid. “We need

*Scene of the fire with charred debris from the affected flats

*Seun Okuwobi...a victim •Another view of the fire-scarred block of flats (inset) Kayode ...another victim

All my belongings were consumed by the inferno; not even a pin was recovered from any of the four flats affected; these clothes I am putting on are all that I have left

assistance from the government,” the victim who said he is an orphan, pleaded.

Another victim, Mr. Kayode Olusesi, an applicant, said he was not around when the inferno started. “I got a call from a good Samaritan informing me that fire had gutted my apartment. I was at the Lagos State University, LASU, to sort out issues concerning my transcript when the disaster occurred.

By the time I came back, those who were in the house, informed me that the fire started from my apartment (Flat 14) as soon as Eko Electricity Distribution Company restored power. I am not in a position to know if the fire was as a result of power surge because I was not in the house,” he said.

An obviously devastated Kayode who said he lost all his documents and other household property to the mysterious fire, appealed to the Lagos State government to come to the aid of the victims of the incident.

Negative occurrences President of Festac Town Residents Association, 401 Road chapter, Mr Leo Njoku regretted that Festac is fast becoming popular for crime and other negative occurrences”. “I have lived here for a long while. I was a young bachelor when I got this apartment. These occurrences started with the high rate of corruption and crime . Lately Festac has be-

come a haven for criminals.

This goes to show that the bad boys are here and may be responsible for the various negative things that have happened in the community,” he said.

Apart from armed robbery and kidnapping, VM gathered that oil bunkering is thriving on 7th Avenue.

Meanwhile, the member representing the area in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Dipo Olorunrinu has reached out to the victims.

Dipo who represents AmuwoOdofin Constituency 1, gave occupants of the affected flats N200, 000 to get temporary shelter. He promised to present their case to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

— 21

TSA: FBN Holdings announces settlement of N1.88bn fines

By Nkiruka Nnorom

F

BN Holdings Plc yesterday said that its subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has settled the N1.88 billion fines imposed on the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria for defaulting on the apex bank’s directive on Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Confirming the settlement of fines in a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), FBN Holdings said that its management is still engaging the apex bank in conversation over the decision.

FBN Holdings also assured the public that First Bank of Nigeria Limited and the entire FBN Group are responsible corporate citizens and remain committed to values epitomized by strict compliance to the highest standards of ethics and corporate governance.

In a related development, United Bank for Africa (UBA) yesterday also confirmed that it had received a letter from the CBN notifying it of penalty to the tune of N2.9 billion.

According to the bank, the fine amounts to five percent of FGN MDAs’ late remittance of N58.8 billion balance as at October 15, 2015 in respect of the TSA scheme.

The bank also stated that it is ‘engaging the CBN’ over the development, while assuring that the bank as a responsible corporate citizen “continues to ensure strict adherence to all regulatory stipulations and would at all times do its utmost to meet the expectations Meanwhile, the bank’s shares fell by 3.9 per cent to settle at N5.10, its lowest since April following the imposition of the fines.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had given September 15 deadline for all Ministries,

119.40

0.30

$3,219.00

0.00

$14.58

46.10 DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL SDR KRONA

BUYING

-0.07

0.16

CENTRAL

195.97 196.47 299.5401 300.3044 216.8604 217.4137 199.1363 199.6443 1.6278 1.6319 0.3113 0.3213 273.437 274.1346 30.8134 30.9825 52.2489 52.3822 274.0444 274.7436 29.0649 29.139

196.97 301.0686 217.967 200.1524 1. 6361 0.3313 274.8323 30.9716 52.5155 275.4428 29.2132

CBN Exchange Rate as at 29 /10 /15

C M Y K

Departments and Agencies of government to move their funds for state-owned bodies to the Treasury Single Account at the central bank in a move designed to clamp down on corruption and financial waste in the public sector.

Following reports of noncomplaince, the apex had fined First Bank the sum of N1.88 billion for failing to transfer deposits of state companies to the CBN. First Bank had concealed N37.55 billion belonging to the Nigerian

National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) instead of remitting it to the TSA as directed.

The penalty imposed on the bank was the equivalent of five per cent of the funds it failed to remit, while the bank’s account was debited for the unremitted amounts and the penalties.

At the last Bankers’ Committee held in Lagos early this month, the central bank officials had impressed on the banks the need to comply with the directive, saying that it had it on good

authority that some banks were colluding with some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to conceal their funds.

In response, the bank chief executives said that they had a directive from the AccountantGeneral of the Federation to a Director in the CBN exempting some MDAs from transferring their funds to the TSA. According to reports, a week after the meeting, CBN discovered that some banks had still not complied and proceeded to call all tier 1 banks.

‘E-commerce in Nigeria attracts over N39bn in FDI’

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48.98

CURRENCY

WORKSHOP: From left: Jibril Aku, vice chairman, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange;Mrs Eme Essien Lore, country manager, International Finance Corporation, Nigeria; Zakawanu Garuba, executive commissioner, corporate services, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Bola Onadele.Koko, at the FMDQ Nigeria Debt Capital Market (DCM) workshop with the theme: “The Nigeria Debt Capital Market-Towards a Brighter Future,” in Lagos. Photo : Akeem Salau.

By Jonah Nwokpoku

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HIEF Executive Officer, Troyka Group, Biodun Shobanjo has said that electronic commerce has attracted Foreign Direct Investment, FDI worth over $200 million, about N39 billion for Nigeria (over the past three years).

He stated this while delivering a keynote address at a summit organised

by Nigeria’s online marketplace, Konga.com for sellers on its marketplace platform.

He said with internet penetration driving the sector and growth exceeding 25 per cent annually, the sector has remained one of the key drivers of the Nigerian economy.

Shobanjo who compared ecommerce

to the African village centre typical of African culture noted that “Konga has become this commercial centre where sellers and buyers come to interact.”

He added that Konga has become that village market where there is equal access with all the features of a typical village market where the loudest voice wins and there are multiple options for buyers.”

In an address, Konga’s Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Sim Shagaya said the summit created an opportunity for Konga’s valued sellers, upcoming young entrepreneurs as well as small and medium enterprises to learn from experts about the dynamic operations of e-commerce, develop sustainable strategies to advance their businesses and learn about essential business services.

He said: “At Nigeria’s staggering growth rate, the UN projects that Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world by 2050. Today, over 80 million Nigerians have access to the internet; mobile phone penetration is even higher at estimated 88 million. It is clearly imperative that businesses begin to position themselves to benefit from these trends.

“E-commerce is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic business sectors in the world today. The situation in Africa is quite unique; the need to create, build from the scratch and adapt is ubiquitous. At Konga, we quickly realised the opportunity to partner with our valued sellers and pool our individual strengths to succeed despite the various impediments in building vibrant small and medium businesses.”

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Bond issuance: SEC urged to streamline issuing process, cost Stories by Nkiruka Nnorom

S

TAKEHOLDERS in the nation’s capital market have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to streamline the issuing process for intending bond issuers in order to allow more issuers access the debt capital market.

They also called on the Commission to review transaction cost down.

According to them, corporate organisations use debt issues to leverage their balance sheet if there is availability of reasonable servicing cost.

Speaking as one of the panellists at the FMDQ debt capital market workshop, with the theme, “The Nigerian Debt Capital Markets – Towards a Brighter Future”, Mr. Victor Ogiemwonyi, President, Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), said there is need to also address the current interest rate regime to inject the needed vibrancy in the bond market.

He, however, argued that addressing the problem of interest rate would be difficult with the present practice of fixing foreign exchange rate as practised by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He explained that allowing foreign exchange to adjust itself would result in a stable interest rate regime over time.

He said, “In order to be able to get the debt capital market to really take its place, the major issue to address is interest rate.

But here is the problem; the foreign exchange rate has a bearing. Without adjusting the foreign exchange rate or allowing it to adjust itself, it will be too difficult for us to do anything with interest rate. If you allow foreign exchange rate to find its bearing, sooner or later, our interest rate will adjust itself.”

“We cannot continue to deceive ourselves, we are supposed to be the 26th largest economy in the world; we cannot be having different rates for the naira. We are so good at defending the naira in the last 10 years. We

spend hundred billion of dollars defending the naira, but we still have exchange rate of N200 to a dollar. So, we need to address that,” he added.

On timing for bond issuance, he said: “We cannot have an environment where if you are issuing a bond it lasts forever. In Europe and America, usually, the time to do this is six to eight weeks on the average. Our issuing processing should be shortened in such a way that we can do it quickly.”

In its response, Mr. Abbas Abdulkadir, Deputy Director, Securities Offering, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), assured that the Commission is working in conjunction with other stakeholders to ensure that cost of transaction is brought down not just in the fixed income market, but across the entire capital market.

On the issuing process, Abdulkadir said that SEC reviews applications brought before it ‘in its entirety’ to ensure that errors and all gray areas are eliminated.

From left: Winner of the Visa-Total win free fuel Campaign, Mr. Idowu Lawrence; Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Manager, Total Nig. Plc, Mr. Mabuyaku Albert; Country Director, Visa West Africa, Mr. Ade Ashaye and Network Development Manager, Total Nig. Plc, Mr. Maxence Bourgoing; during the presentation of gift to the winner at the ongoing Visa-Total partnership on win free fuel campaign in Lagos.

CSCS commits to total dematerialization of share certificates

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HE Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc has reiterated its commitment towards full dematerialization of share certificates in the Nigerian Capital Market. This was made known at a stakeholder’s meeting held in Lagos recently where the issue of shares migration was discussed.

Earlier, the Managing Director of CSCS Plc, Mr. Kyari Bukar stressed the need for investors to embrace the exercise, saying that full dematerialization of share certificates has come to stay while emphasizing that it will promote transparency in the market, enhance investors’ confidence and C M Y K

further internationalize the capital market.

The system of issuing share certificates had posed a myriad of problems such as delay in issuance and dispatch of certificates, delay in verification of share certificates, loss, theft and forgeries of share certificates respectively.

With a view to addressing these problems, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had issued a directive that all share certificates should be fully dematerialized in line with its vision to rid the market of certificate losses and associated challenges.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Joe Mekiliuwa, General Manager,

Operations at CSCS Plc said that full dematerialization will ensure total elimination of physical share certificates or documents of title which represent ownership of securities and convert these share certificates into electronic book entries. According to Mekiliuwa, “at full dematerialization of shares of a company, all existing share certificates hitherto not dematerialized are electronically lodged into CSCS under the umbrella of the relevant registrars in the account of the investors, thereby maintaining the electronic copy in CSCS for control purposes”.

Stanbic IBTC announces 10% growth in Q3 revenue

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TANBIC IBTC Holdings Plc has announced 10 per cent growth in gross earnings to N104.4 billion from N94.6 billion for the nine month period ended September 30, 2015.

Highlights of the bank’s unaudited financial statement filed at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed that its total assets was up six per cent to N1,000.8 trillion as against N944.5 billion recorded as at December 2014. Gross loans & advances to customers went up marginally by one per cent to N418.3 billion compared to N413.4 billion posted in December 2014.

Customer deposits witnessed two per cent increase, rising to N503.6 billion from N494.9 billion in December 2014.

However, the bank’s profit before tax declined to N15.3 billion from N30.0 billion, representing 49 per cent decrease, while profit after tax went down by 46 per cent from N25.2 billion in 2014 to N13.5 billion. Net interest income of N32.9 billion, declined five per cent compared to N34.7 billion posted a year earlier.

Also, non-interest revenue of N41.3 billion, declined two per cent from N42.0 billion recorded a year earlier, while total operating income of N74.3 billion, was down three per cent from N76.7 billion in 2014.

Further breakdown showed that the group maintained adequate capital to support its business in the nine months and are well above the regulatory requirement.

The group’s total capital adequacy ratio closed the period at 20.6 per cent (Bank 15.7%), while the tier 1 capital adequacy ratio stood at 17.2 per cent (Bank 12.1%). These ratios are well above the 10 per cent minimum statutory requirement.

The group’s liquidity ratio stood at 51.2 per cent, while the bank’s liquidity ratio was at 48.5 per cent at the end of nine months in 2015. This ratio is significantly higher than the 30 per cent regulatory minimum.

Commenting, Sola David-Borha, CEO Stanbic IBTC Holdings, said: “Our business continues to thrive in the third quarter of 2015 despite the stiff and challenging operating environment. Our performance reflects steady growth in our balance sheet position, improved revenue from fees and commission and continued drive on cost containment measures.

“Operating income declined by three per cent while cost growth remained below inflation rate. Loans and advances to customers grew marginally by one per cent due to economic conditions and our focused approach to maintain a good quality loan book.”

FBN Holdings unveils FBNQuest F

BN Holdings Plc has unveiled a new brand identity for its merchant banking and asset management group, FBNQuest, in line with its commitment to improve service delivery to clients. The bank also announced its readiness to commence merchant banking services on November 2.

FBNQuest includes FBN Merchant Bank Limited, FBN Capital Limited, FBN Securities Limited, FBN Capital Asset Management Limited, FBN Trustees Limited, FBN Funds Limited and FBN Capital Partners Limited as they will now operate under one brand identity.

The new brand identity, according to the bank, does not alter the existing ownership and governance structures of all the companies within the group.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the change, Kayode Akinkugbe, MD/CEO, FBN Capital said the unification of all the subsidiaries under one single identity would enable the bank offer broad range of services in a simplified way to its clients.

“As we prepare to commence Merchant Banking services on the 2nd of November 2015, this evolution to one brand is important for the alignment of our business and brand strategy. The unification of all these subsidiaries under a single identity, FBNQuest, allows us to offer our broad range of services to our clients in a simplified way. It also conveys a more unified company ethos and vision that seeks to create value-driven connections with clients and build lasting relationships.”

“We aim to be the leading Merchant Bank and Asset Manager in Africa, a trusted and inspirational partner, with deep local roots and global insights. This client-centric approach allows us to provide services more efficiently and effectively,” he added Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, FBN Capital Limited, added: “With the acquisition of Kakawa Discount House by FBN Holdings, and the CBN’s approval of the associated Merchant Banking Licence, we believed it was important to consolidate the various brands in our investment banking and asset management group under one cohesive identity.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015—23

BRIEFS

LADOL wins 5 awards

Global W est’s training vvessel essel causes stir in West’s L maritime industr industryy STORIES BY GODWIN ORITSE

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ONTROVERSY is at the moment brewing over the use of the Royal Norwegian military vessel bought by Global West Specialist Vessel Limited to train Nigerian cadets presently undergoing seafaring training abroad.

Global West Specialist vessel Limited is purportedly owned by Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo .

The vessel, a 135 bunk military war ship with two cinema halls, two lecture halls, two hospitals and two mess rooms, was decommissioned before it was handed over to Global West.

Vanguardlearnt some powerful Nigerians have ganged up against the use of the vessel for the training of cadets.

It was also gathered tha the same group of people are also making moves to to get the NIMASA’s management to start a re-bid for the supply of another training vessel.

It was gathered that the purchase of the vessel was a decision reached by both the managements of the Global West and the Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency, (NIMASA) when it was discovered that the purchasing a vessel by the agency was prohibitively expensive.

The agency, Vanguard learnt decided to invite companies to bid for the supply of training a vessel for the cadets to enable them have the mandatory sea time training.

It was at this point that Global West decided to go for a training vessel and ended up buying the decommissioned Norwegian war ship.

The vessel, according to Vanguard investigation, was arrested by the Nigerian Navy as soon as she arrived the shores of Nigeria.

The Navy, it was gathered, had to detain the vessel following Tompolo’s antecedents.

All effort by Global West to retrieve the vessel from the Nigerian Navy proved abortive.

The management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Vanguard further gathered has re-ordered for a supply of another training vessel. Although, Vanguard could not confirm this development, but the Acting Director General of the agency, Haruna Baba Jauro told Vanguard that he has heard about the vessel.

He said “I do not know much about the vessel but I have heard about it because I heard people

talking about it, I have not seen it, so there is very little I can say about it.”

Haruna Baba Jauro denied NIMASA’s order for the supply of another training vessel.

“I am not aware of that” he said The spokesman of Chief Ekpemupolo, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo told Vanguard that he was not aware of the existence of the vessel saying that “there is nothing like that.”

A source at the agency told Vanguard that the sea time aspect of the National Seafarers Development Programme initiated by NIMASA is very critical to the training of the cadets.

The source also said that the said vessel could have been the best training ship for the cadets as she is very robust and in excellent condition , built to a very high standard and can be

VISIT : Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff, presenting a plaque to Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro, Acting Director-General, NIMASA, when the NIMASA boss visited the Naval Head Quarters in Abuja, recently.

Nigeria not delisted from transit cargo list —Bello

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ONTRARY to media report, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has said that there was never a time Nigeria was delisted from the list of transit cargo nations.

Executive Secretary of the Council, Mr. Hassan Bello disclosed this when he visited the Corporate Headquarters of Vanguard Newspapers adding that landlocked countries only stopped transiting their cargoes through Nigerian ports.

He said nobody can delist Nigeria from the list of transit cargo nations adding that it was the importers that decided to go to other countries because they got more efficient services.

Bello also said that the Nigeria through the Council has concluded plans to re-direct transit cargo trade back to Nigeria.

He reiterated the fact that Nigeria still remains the nearest to most of the landlocked countries,

Nobody can delist Nigeria from the list of transit cargo nation

patronizing Nigerian ports will add value to their businesses.

According to Bello the issuance of transit permit was another factor that worked against the issue of transit cargo in Nigeria as it was only issued in Abuja.

Now, the issuance of transit permit has been decentralized as it can now be issued in Lagos and other Customs Commands and formation.

The Council boss dis-

closed that any moment from now economic operators from Niger will start bringing their transit goods through Nigerian ports.

He explained that the uncoordinated manner through which goods are cleared was the reason most importers from landlocked countries had to look elsewhere for efficiency.

He further disclosed that the Council has taken advantage of the efficiency brought into the Nigerian port system by concession-

aires.

Bello said that the Council had also taken some stakeholders to Niger to meet with the maritime stakeholders of that country with a view to seeing how both countries can work together for a mutually benefitting economic relationship.

He said “Already, Nigeriens have signified interest in transiting their cargoes through Nigerian ports, Chad and other landlocked countries are also thinking of towing the same line.”

Bra wal, NP A in cour Braw NPA courtt o ovver Kirikiri terminal concession

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ONTRARY to media reports, the management of Aero- maritime has said that its subsidiary, Brawal shipping is in court with Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) over moves to concession the Kiri Kiri lighter terminal.

Recall that the media reported that Brawal and not Chief Victor Odili is in court with NPA. In a statement signed by Mr. Omotayo Adetona Company Secretary to Brawal shipping said the owner of the shipping firm Chief Victor Odili is not a party to the suit which is before a Federal High court.

Adetona explained that Brawal shipping has been lessees to the NPA for about forty years in respect of certain portions of the terminal situate and known as Kirikiri Lighter Terminal

1 and 2.

He said that the claim has nothing to do with rental disagreement but with the proposed concessioning of the port facilities by the government through the NPA. He further explained that by virtue of being a lessee of the NPA for almost forty years, the company has the right of first refusal in the comcessioning of the facilities.

Part of the statement reads “Over the years there had existed mutually beneficial commercial relationship between NPA and our clients as our client never default in its obligation to NPA on rental payment.

“The NPA presents its invoice for each year as at when due and our client never queried any increase in the rent demanded as long as the increase is jus-

tifiable and in accordance with the open market rental value of the area occupied by our client.

“The claim before the Federal High court has to do with the proposed concession of the port facilities by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigeria Ports Authority which our clients are rightly entitled of the view that they are entitled to an option of right of first refusal having been using the facilities for about forty years and contributed immensely to development of the area known today as Kiri Kiri Lighter Terminal.

Vanguard gathered that the plan to concession the Kiri Kiri Lighter Terminal was proposed by the NPA over two years ago and struggle by some powerful Nigerians to have the terminal concessioned to them has slowed down the process.

AGOS Deep Off Logistics, base, the high value industrial village and Free Zone, built around a specialised port on an island at the point of entry into Lagos harbour, has been awarded Winner of the Sub-Saharan African regional free zones award and Winner of the Large Tenants award for Africa, in fDi magazine’s Global Free Zones of the Year 2015.

Ladol was also Highly Commended as African Free Zone of the year.

Winning the Large Tenants award, Ladol Free Zone was praised for increasing some 37.5% capacity between 2013 and 2014.

Due to the high specification infrastructure, round the clock operations and focus on delivering transparent reliable service to the Deep Offshore oil and gas market, LADOL has been able to halve the cost of logistics support

NIMASA’s spokesperson bags outstanding image maker award

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HE Head of Public R e l a t i o n s department of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Hajia Lami Tumaka has emerged the winner of the most outstanding maritime industry Image Maker in the 6th National Evergreen Maritime Merit Award.

Hajia Tumaka emerged winner through a rigorous process of survey carried out by a team of maritime journalists with over 10 maritime industry image makers in the contest.

Presenting the award at a colourful ceremony at the Mobil Pegasus Club in Apapa, the organizers of the Awards led by Mr. Tunde Ojodu noted that Hajia Tumaka was selected in recognition of her excellent relationship with the maritime media, industry stakeholders and members of the public.

According to him, this explains why the management of NIMASA called on her to once again reposition the image of the regulatory agency which was at an all time low before the removal of the former Director General in July this year.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Fighting corruption subject to constitutional limitations (3) Economy: Yari’s worries and Ugwuanyi’s belief in innovations, God’s miracle

By Ben Nwabueze

By Louis O. Amoke

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ECENTLY, it was reported in the media that the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, spoke with some journalists in Abuja and presented a gloomy picture of the nation’s economy.

The governor said “both the Federal and State Governments had been borrowing to pay salaries in the past two years”. This by implication makes it a difficult task for both tiers of governments to embark on capital projects.

His assertion was based on the negative impact of the current cash crunch in the nation due to drastic decline in the prices of crude oil in the international market.

Consequently, the Governors Forum Chairman insisted that diversification of the economy remains the only survival strategy for the country to overcome the current cash crunch. He regretted that the situation in states was more complex because “they lack the luxury of long-term borrowing like the Federal Government”.

Democratic experience From all indications, it is worrisome to note that the debacle nature of the current scenario in the life of the present democratic experience has put the nation in a state of economic quagmire that requires not only the application of the best economic practices based on logics and sound reasoning, but also the intervention of the Almighty God, whose miracle does the magic.

As it has been the popular view of the public, most especially stakeholders in the economy, Gov. Yari’s stance that “the only thing that can save us is to diversify the economy”, is no doubt a fact. But, it will not be out of place to pronounce that we still need prayers and faith in God for us to overcome the short and long-term negative effects of the present challenges.

This is in view of the fact that the process of diversification is not a day’s affair neither is it an exercise that will yield the needed result in a twinkle of an eye. It will require enough time to actualize. It will also require time and space for its natural cause to take place especially in the areas of agriculture and mining, which Gov. Yari identified.

Diversification will equally require the rigorous process of human engagements and the enthronement of our core

This is the third and concluding part of the piece. In the second edition which was published yesterday, Prof. Nwabueze argued that 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

Gov Ugwuanyi of Enugu values and norms that will guarantee its success.

The trepidation, therefore, is that the nation has to survive on temporal and innovative measures, while it glues itself to the intricacies and fertility of diversification; hence the need to apply wisdom, vision, innovation, strategy and place our faith in God becomes imperative. The questions now begging for answers are these: how prepared is the nation to drive the process of diversification? What do we have on ground to support the process in terms of facilities, peaceful atmosphere, security and core values that would promote fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability which are pivotal to the success of the proposed diversification? etc.

While I am of the view that diversification of the nation’s economy still remains the sinequa-non of our survival strategy, the truth is that as we look inwards to harness those potentials which we abandoned for free oil money, we still need to rely on God to succeed.

I wish, therefore, to urge Governor Yari of Zamfara State to be encouraged by the words of his Enugu counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who in his inaugural speech proclaimed that “since it is knowledge driven economies and not oil driven economies that rule the world, I believe that this is another great opportunity for Enugu State, and indeed Nigeria to look inwards and harness those potentials which free oil money has blinded us from exploiting. Importantly, I believe in the miracle of 5 loaves and 2 fish. I believe that

This milestone coupled with other remarkable achievements Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration had recorded is indeed an act of God

God will give us the wisdom and courage to successfully navigate through the current economic crunch”.

It is also amazing to note that Gov. Ugwuanyi in keeping faith with the above vision has in spite of the economic downturn initiated innovative and laudable people-oriented programmes and policies aimed at developing Enugu State. Apart from the aggressive maintenance of roads in Enugu metropolis to tackle the difficulties experienced by road users as a result of dangerous potholes which create chaotic gridlocks and increase the incidents of accidents on the roads, his administration, to the surprise of many, recently awarded contracts for the construction of eight roads across the state which were earlier advertised and bided for.

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HE fact that payment under the provision of section 7(2) is in consequence of a default in payment by the State Government does not make it any the less a breach of constitutional requirement.

Re-affirming autonomy as a cardinal principle of our federal system, the Supreme Court further held that the duty cast on a State Government by section 162 (6) to maintain a State Joint Local Government Account as well as the power to manage such Account which is implied by the duty is so cast on it as an autonomous tier of

Chaotic gridlocks The roads include: AbakpaNike Road and Nike Lake Road; Opi Nsukka dual carriage Road; Amankwo –AmekeAmah Brewery junction bypass road; 9th Mile by-pass road; Ohom-Orba junctionImilike Ani-Ezimo-AguImilike-Ogbodu Aba-Obollo Ettiti-Amalla-Obollo Afor (Udenu ring road); Enugu Road (Nsukka) JunctionUmuezebi; Post Office roundabout-Odenigbo roundabout-Ogurugu roadIkenga Hotels junction; and Obechara road junctionUmuakashi-Mechanic villageIkenga hotels junction.

This milestone coupled with other remarkable achievements Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration had recorded is indeed an act of God and the output of his deep sense of wisdom, administrative ingenuity and commitment to innovations, fiscal discipline, transparency and vision.

For me, I equally believe that with faith in God, hardwork, innovations, vision and commitment, as Gov. Ugwuanyi noted, Governor Yari’s worries for the nation will soon be over as there will surely be a way out. Otherwise, we may be heading for the worst economic disaster in the annals of our existence as a nation. As Gov. Ugwuanyi rightly advised, let’s apply vision and hardwork to turn the present economic challenges into huge blessings while trusting in God’s miracle for the prices of crude oil to rise in the international market for the nation to survive the shortterm effects of the present challenges.

•Amoke, writes from Enugu.

underlying the Constitution is that local government is an agency of the State Government, and derives its establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions from a law made by the State House of Assembly (section 7(1), save again as aforesaid.

The words structure and composition are underlined to emphasize that only a state law can establish a committee or other structures for a local government and prescribe their composition; the Federal Government cannot lawfully enjoin the State Government to do so, as the Monitoring Act purports to have done, despite the phrase “such terms…as may be prescribed by the National Assembly” in section 162(3), (4), (5) and (7) of the Constitution which should be read subject to the basic principle embodied in section 7(1).

Inaugural speech Map of Nigeria government free of control by the Federal Government in the exercise of the function. As was said by Uwais CJN in Attorney General of Lagos State v.

Attorney-General of the Federation (2003) 6 S.C (Pt 1) 1, “by the doctrine of federalism, which Nigeria has adopted, the autonomy of each Government, which presupposes its separate existence and its independence from the control of the other governments including the Federal Government, is essential to federal arrangement.”

Lastly, the Court affirmed that local government, being a matter of purely local concern, is a function within the exclusive jurisdiction of the State Governments; it is so by virtue of being a residual matter assigned, under the division of powers in section 4 of the Constitution, exclusively to the State Governments, save for certain aspects of it over which the Federal Government is given limited regulatory powers. The conception

The war against corruption should not, as happened in the past, be used again to camouflage or disguise the plan to foist a dictatorship on us

As was said by Ogundare JSC in Att-Gen of Abia State v.

Att-Gen of the Federation [2002] 6 NWLR (Pt. 763) 264 at page 422: “the Constitution intends that everything relating to Local Governments be in the province of the State Government rather than in that of the Government of the Federation……Other than these [exceptions]. I can find no provision in the Constitution empowering the National Assembly to make laws affecting local government.”

The President’s statement in his Inaugural Speech quoted above is particularly amazing because it appears that he made it without being aware of the decision and pronouncements of the Supreme Court in the Monitoring Act case or, maybe he just decided to disregard or not to be bound by them. But Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo could not have been unaware of the decision and pronouncements since he was the Attorney-General for Lagos State at the time and a party to the suit or, maybe he did not have access to the Speech in draft before it was delivered.

Final remarks: To sum up.

What we say is that the past should not be allowed to repeat itself again; in explicit words, the war against corruption should not, as happened in the past, be used again to camouflage or disguise the plan to foist a dictatorship on us. The story of that tragic experience of the past is told in my next write-up titled The tragedy of our lack of collective sense of history.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—25

Furore over over Furore committee committee chairmanships chairmanships

•Dogara: Speaker, House of Reps

By Emman Ovuakporie and Johnbosco Agbakwuru

D

OGARA did not favour PDP Rep. Aminu Sani Jaji, APC, Kaura-Namoda/Birnin-Magaji, Zamfara It is not that he is favouring PDP, but he is trying to favour his projects. As a politician, whosoever is behind you, at least you have to try and complement his efforts towards your project.

We were car ried along—Rep. Jarigbe A. Jarigbe, PDP, Ogoja/Yala, Cross River I have it on good authority that the leadership of the House met. That includes the ruling party and the opposition.

They took a consensus decision before the Speaker announced. I do not think that he took a unilateral decision. The Speaker was very fair. I know that federal character issue was considered. If there were procedural flaws, he would not have involved the leadership. There might be some opposing views because of personal interest.

I think that the leadership considered a few things, putting square pegs in square holes and putting round pegs in round holes.

You don’t expect that because of patronage, delivery which is what he sought for should be compromised.

You don’t compromise delivery at the C M Y K

THE distribution of committee positions has consistently proved the source of trouble in the National Assembly.

Shrewd presiding officers have in the past walked delicately in order not to provoke tension among members of the legislature.

The reason for caution is largely because juicy committee positions cannot go round all 360 members of the House.

The House leadership has over time increased the number of committee positions mainly for the purpose of satisfying as many as possible and reducing discontent.

When he announced the new committees penultimate Thursday, 48 chairmanships went to the All Progressives Congress, APC, 46 to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and one each to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Social Democratic Party, SDP. Some members of the House, mostly belonging to the APC were miffed that the opposition PDP got as many as 46 and were even further miffed by their claim that the juicy committees went to PDP members, and where not, to associates of the speaker belonging to the APC. Rep. Garba Mohammad Datti, APC, Sabon Gari, Kaduna rejected his appointment as chairman of the Committee on Solid Minerals upon his claim that he was not consulted before he was appointed. Members gave their own perspectives on the issue in separate interviews with Vanguard. end of it for considered patronage or primordial sentiments. There is no issue if you want to be as straight forward as Mr. President is in quote

It is not that he is favouring PDP, but he is trying to favour his projects

for you to start talking about juicy committees and non juicy committees.

And that is why I told you that the

The Speaker was very fair. I know that federal character issue was considered.

If there were procedural flaws, he would not have involved the leadership

President has an agenda but members of his party have a different agenda. I am not saying the President alone, the President and a few people have an agenda that is different from what the larger group wants and that is why you hear of juicy and non juicy committees.

Men can never be satisfied —Rep. Onyemaechi Mrakpor, PDP, Aniocha North/Aniocha South/Oshimili, Delta It is not the issue of Mr. Speaker hijacking or favouring anybody.

Committees are decisions of the leadership of the House not the decision of Mr. Speaker alone.

There is a pattern in the House, and the pattern is what Committees should

Continues on page 26

26—VANGUARD, FRIDAY,

OCTOBER 30, 2015

position. You also need that contribution to your area. There is a limit to what a governor can do within a state.

And that is why usually even at the state level there is concession, even the Deputy Governor is from Idoma, so we need to also look at that. We can also accuse them of oppressing the Igede and others because the Igede which is in the Idoma area have never emerged anything near the Senate level.

In view of the imbalance you’re talking of, do you look at the possibility of the President increasing the number of the ministerial slots to address the imbalance?

No I don’t believe that politics is all about compensation or federal character. Already our Constitution is rather ambiguous in the issue of Ministerial appointments.

We must reduce the number of ministers — Rep Gbilah Rep. Mark Gbilah, APC Gwer/ Gwer East federal constituency in the House of Representatives in this interview speaks on the crisis that engulfed the present House of Representatives and the contention for political offices in his native Benue State. Excerpts:

Constitutional amendments •Gbilah: I don’t believe that politics is all about compensation or federal character

By Peter Duru

T

HERE are fears that the last has not been heard of the crisis in the House of Representatives?

The agitation before the election of the other principal officers of the House was also amicably resolved. I just want to assure Nigerians that this House is united, it is not business as usual. We are not going to be a rubber stamp legislature. Even though we are the party in power, we believe in upholding the rule of law.

And where we believe that our party is erring we will insist on what is right. That is the only way we can help Mr. President and also help our party.

Are you satisfied with the calibre of men and women screened by the Senate to be ministers?

Before answering that question ,I want to comment on the contentions and misinterpretations of a lot of things by my brothers from the

other tribes in my state, because of the comments I made recently which I want to clarify.

I want to state on record that those who know me know that I’m the most detribalized person of all. Some of my best friends are Idoma from other tribes. Right now my best friend is not Tiv. So I’ll be the last person to canvass the suppression of the minority because in the nation as a whole, the Tiv people are in the minority, so I won’t be encouraging anything like that.

What I was trying to say, let me start from that premise, with regards to the compilation of the ministerial list is that there are certain things that we have to evolve into.And that particularly has to do with the governor of the state.

I’m one of those who had also canvassed that we give the other minorities opportunity to also participate. But in all of these, whether we like it or not, democracy is a game of participation and numbers and

The cost of the maintenance of the office of the minister.

It’s quite capital intensive to the nation. So I do not believe in the Minister of State arrangement, in fact the present 36 ministers is too much

there is a lot of compensation even in countries we are copying from.

Now, what I tried to mention which our leader in the party, Senator George Akume threw more light on in a TV programme, is the fact that the

substantive ministerial position in the last dispensation, for eight years domiciled in Idoma land, at that time majority of the support for the ruling party came from that zone, that’s the fact.

And at that time too, they had the Senate President. And because of the skewed nature of our government there is more power at the centre, so usually we need to have a federal presence so that you can also try to assist your own community.

That is the whole essence of the principle of federal character that is enshrined in our constitution. So if you want to uphold our constitution I felt that yes we know we have the Governor but will we continue to be denied that federal position that we also need to impact our people because we are the majority? These are the issues we can’t help at the moment.

Equity is not just about you having the governor, so you have to concede the other

That provision of the constitution says that we require one Minister from each state of the federation in an administration, but it did not say it should be all at one time in the administration. It could have staggered it.

Our lawyers should look at that and the House is ready to look at that constitutional amendment if it’s within the ambit of the law. Because we are all crying for the reduction of expenditure, we cannot start adding additional ministers we are totally against that. 36 is even too much actually.

Some keep complaining of the National Assembly but you never stop to look at the retinue of staff of the Minister.

The cost of the maintenance of the office of the minister. It’s quite capital intensive to the nation. So I do not believe in the Minister of State arrangement, in fact the present 36 ministers is too much. That constitutional provision needs to be looked into for possible amendment. For instance, I’m bringing a bill for the inclusion of Card Readers in our Electoral Act.

Furore over committee chairmanships Continues from page 25 should discuss with my state caucus. But what is due to my zone was given to my zone, the South-South and what is due to my state, Delta, my state got.

So, it should be why am I not getting a particular thing from my state caucus not directly from Mr. Speaker? More also we shouldn’t forget that as human beings, we are never satisfied, even with God, we blame God why am I not tall?

C M Y K

Why am I short? Why am I not rich? It is very natural at any point when you have to share whatever you think you have among people there is always misgiving.

Committee headship The APC has bigger chunk of the Committee headship, they have 48. But when Mr. Speaker was campaigning, he did tell us that he would be fair to all,

come to which state. Take for instance, the Diaspora, the Diaspora was retained by Lagos in the 7th Assembly, Niger Delta Committee by Delta State, so many of the Committees remained in the States and if the Committees are with the states it doesn’t matter now whether it is PDP or APC. Again I think that if we have issues, issues should be with your state caucus, if I am not happy about something I

whether PDP or APC that he was going to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives and I think he has kept his promises.

Due Process was followed Rep. Onyenwife Gabriel, APGA, Ayamelum/Oyi, Anambra As far as I am concerned, when you have powers vested on you and you exercise that, there is no problem. By the standing orders of the House,

there is a selection committee.

It has the power to select who they deem fit, following the principles of the federal character. It is the discretion of the Speaker, in consultation with the leadership of the House.

Has he consulted the leadership of the House? Yes, he has done that already. Out of the Speaker’s magnanimity, he expanded the committees up to 97. At

Continues on page 27

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—27

BY GBENGA OKE

H

E is a man who has fought several battles, internal and external.

Externally, he was in the forefront of the war for resource control and internally, he has been in the forefront in the campaign against what he and his associates call the reign of impunity.

He has yet to come to do the victory lap in the latter battle given continuing developments in his native Akwa Ibom State.

However, last Tuesday, Obong Victor Attah, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State bade bye-bye to partisan politics announcing himself as a statesman.

Attah who addressed a press conference in Datty Hotel, Uyo, addressed himself to several issues ranging from the recent judgment of the Election Petition Tribunal, his continued membership of the PDP and what he termed as a wake-up call on Akwa-Ibomites.

Quitting Partisan Politics Attah who was cheered all through the press conference by his supporters maintained that he is not crossing over to the All Progressives Congress, (APC) but rather leading a group of people against impunity in the state.

"In responding to whether I am still in PDP, I will refer to an interview given by Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP which was reported on page 40 of Vanguard of September 19, 2015. When the interviewer asked Metuh why the Ekweremadu reconciliation committee did not contact me

Attah:Beginning of a new life •Ex-Governor Victor Attah, former Akwa-Ibom deputy Governor, Nsima Ekere and former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Akwa-Ibom state, Chief Edet Mkpubre when they visited the state, he retorted with the question "Is Obong Attah still in PDP?" To which the interviewer replied yes. But Mr Metuh insisted that "you cannot be a member of the party when you make utterances for PDP to fail".

Attah went further, "I have made several utterances and I stand by all of them including those ones for which I was accused of anti party activities.

I believe the tragedy for the PDP is to blame its failure on such utterances rather than its perilous refusal to heed the

warnings they conveyed".

"Who does not know that you only conduct election to fill a vacancy. But the PDP would start by announcing that there is no vacancy, then it would offer automatic tickets to a set of people. When pressure mounts, it would switch the same automatic tickets to another set of people. What manner of democracy is that?

Yet the name of the party remains People's Democratic Party. Let nobody take this to mean that if I don’t want to remain in the PDP and

Furore over committee chairmanships Continues from page 27 the commencement of the Eight National Assembly, we had a legislative agenda which was adopted by everybody. We agreed that the issue of federal character will be considered and that the committees will be shared among political parties.

We all cannot be chairmen of committees. We should not bother on who and who should head committees.

It was fairly done Rep. Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, APC, Mayo Belwa/ G a n y e / J a d a / To u n g o , Adamawa I have read the papers. It is not true that the Speaker has handed over the committees to the opposition. In sharing these committees, due process was followed. We ensured that every member of

the House got two grade A committees. Whether you are chairman or deputy, you are still relevant.

We did this to ensure that the leadership of the House runs an all inclusive administration. The issue of federal character was considered.

Federal character This idea that certain people were not carried along is not true. Everything was done with the spirit of fairness.

Why I turned down committee chairman — Rep. Garba Mohammad Datti, APC, Sabon Gari, Kaduna Turned down Committee Chairmanship (Solid Minerals and Deputy Minority Whip, 7th assembly)

I feel as a former principal officer I should have been consulted before my name was announced. I just heard of it on the floor. And I have my own principles. I have decided on my own to withdraw as the chairman of that committee.

I should have been consulted. If the president wants to appoint his ministers, I think before the announcement he has to consult them.

I don’t have any qualms with the leadership as presently constituted, because the election was democratically done here. The election was done. I am not against anybody but I am against the decision of coming to announce my name without consulting me. That was my reason.

therefore jump to the opposite conclusion that I am going over to the APC or any other party for that matter.

I have become an elderstatesman and I want to continue to serve this country in very eminent positions without carrying any party card. So I can formally state that I have quit partisan politics to play the role of an elder statesman and continue to serve this country with love, strength and faith with integrity to the best of my ability.

A wake-up call on AkwaIbomites Attah minced no words when he said the state had been under an imperial majesty in the last 8 years.

"In the last eight years, Akwa

I have become an elders-statesman and I want to continue to serve this country in very eminent positions without carrying any party card

Ibom people seem to have developed the pathetic mindset that they are under the rule of an imperial majesty through whose Machiavellian machinations only a new governor can be produced. So some from morbid fear surrendered while some through suffocating impoverishment acquiesced.

Sadly there were also those who felt that their own agenda and ambitions could only be attained through this evil means, so they actively collaborated".

On the Tribunal judgement Speaking on the judgement delivered by the tribunal cancelling elections in 18 local governments in the state, Attah said the tribunal has given a new chance for the state to begin again.

"The tribunal has given us a new chance, a golden chance for moral transformation and spiritual rebirth. So Akwa Ibom edemme (wake up), dakkada (stand up) and vow that never again must we tolerate such evil in our land. Indeed the time has come that "we must create ourselves anew". If we should fail to make the best use of this chance, we will have only ourselves to blame".

He went further, "They had boasted that what money could not do, more money to the tribunal would do. But today to their consternation, the tribunal in the hands of righteous judges has pronounced differently,” he said.

C M Y K

28— VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

ANTI-GRAFT WAR:

PDP on the same page with APC — Rep Oghene Hon. Oghene Egoh, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in this interview, speaks on the expectations of his constituents and burning national issues.

By Simon Adewale

H

IS take on President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war I am pleased with the President for fighting corruption because corruption has done a lot of damage to Nigeria. I must say that both the PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC are on the same page when it comes to the issue of corruption. If corruption is not removed from politics it would be difficult for the country to progress.

It is difficult to say yes or no as to whether the president is fighting corruption well. But in order for it to have credibility he needs to fight corruption across the board. It should not be limited to PDP or APC members only; neither should it be limited to politicians. The universities are there, Customs, NPA, the banks and the private sector. The government should look into everywhere to fight corruption.

Senate President Bukola Saraki is currently having issues at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false assets declaration. How do you see the matter?

On the issue of the President of the Senate, I want to say that we in the National Assembly support the fight against corruption. If as a result of tackling corruption the Senate President is invited, I am not against it.

Result of tackling corruption However, the take of some members is that if the offence occurred in 2003 and they waited for about nine years after he had contested several elections, he contested for governor, he contested for Senate and now he is the President of the Senate, it is felt that it could have been better to wait until after his tenure to try him for such offence. Trying him now is very distracting.

The National Assembly is another vital arm of the government, as important as the Executive and Judiciary arms of the government are we think that the law which gives immunity to the heads of these institutions like the President and the Governor from being tried while in office C M Y K

I must say that both the PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC are on the same page when it comes to the issue of corruption

should be extended to the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, the Deputy Speaker and the Chief Justice of Nigeria so that lawmaking is not hamstrung.

On what his constituents should expect from him in the next four years In the next four years, the constituency should expect more of the same things I am doing now. As a lawmaker. I cannot award contracts because I am not in the executive arm of government. But I can use my influence just as I have done. I

•Oghene have got three transformers for the riverine areas of my constituency – two transformers in Ibasa and one in Igbologun.

We are handling problems involving some communities. I have moved a motion calling on the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Government to pay attention to Satellite and Festac towns that have been neglected for about 40 years. There is infrastructural

decay. Sewage systems and drainages are blocked.

There are no new roads. I have called the attention of the country to it and I am happy that the 360 members of the House of Representatives all voted for me to say that when the minister is appointed he should pay special attention to Satellite and Festac Towns which are Federal Constituencies. We are also approaching FEMA on old Ojo

road that have been abandoned by the state and the local government. That road is cut into two at Mazamaza area. A contractor of FEMA was awarded the contract to put the road in order but he has abandoned it.

The road is so impassable. I have moved a major motion on the National Stadium to be restored to its former glory.

I live in Lagos State. Lagos is our own and anything that affects it affects us all. I am not happy that the National Stadium in Surulere, which used to be the best in Africa is abandoned whereas the ones in other areas are good and new ones are being built. These are things I have done and will continue to do.

On the ministerial nominees I am comfortable with it.

Incidentally the House of Representatives does not screen ministers. Whatever decisions the President and the Senate arrived at is welcome to me. However, the current list looks too ordinary.

After waiting for over four months, one would have expected fresher faces as ministerial nominees, people who have not been involved in government and more women.

Instead,what we are seeing are older people, some of who have been accused of corruption, those whose party members are writing petition against. A man who was screened for ministerial appointment some 35 years ago is brought back again to be minister, people who have passed their prime.

This prompt one to ask why the long wait? Since the President is talking about change, he would have brought change by bringing in new people, younger people to complement his experience in order to ensure success.

Dickson tasks security agencies on peaceful polls

By Samuel Oyadongha

A

S activities for the December 5 governorship polls in Bayelsa State gather momentum, Governor Seriake Dickson has urged security agencies to intensify efforts at keeping the state safe before, during and after the election.

Receiving the new Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Apoehi Suleiman, in Yenagoa, Dickson restated his administration’s commitment to partnering with the Navy to effectively police the waterways in the state.

He expressed concern over the resurgence of kidnapping in the state, stressing that government’s efforts to secure the Bayelsa environment for business and other social activities would yield little result, if the Command fails in

BAYELSA DECIDES

•Dickson its mandate.

While congratulating the new Flag Officer on his posting, the governor commended officers and men of the Command for their dedication to duty, which he noted, has resulted in an increase in crude oil production in the state.

He also used the opportunity to laud the immediate past Flag Officer Commanding the Central Naval Command for the leadership he provided as well as working tirelessly with other security agencies to keep the state safe and urged the new FOC to do same.

The governor also assured the Federal Government that his administration would spare no effort in its partnership with security agencies to sustain the war against oil theft and piracy as well as protecting the state from being used as a launching pad for insurgency.

His words: “We expect no less •Audu from you. And at a time that our

state is gearing up for general election, we are counting so much on the Navy and other related services to ensure that violence along the waterways does not discredit or mar the poll.

“Bayelsa cannot be safe until the Navy plays its own role because of our maritime nature.

The security of even the upland areas depends so much on the security of the creeks and waterways. And those are areas of your expertise and responsibilities that come with your office and that of your officers and men.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 29

Dare Melody refutes report on adultery •Says I ‘ll never sacrifice my paradise for five minutes enjoyment

G

By Bose Adelaja

ospel singer, Dare Odunuga popularly called Dare Melody who was reportedly accused of seeing a Lagos-based society woman has denied the allegation.

A soft-sell magazine published in Yoruba recently alleged that the gospel singer was engaged in adultery with a Lagos-based society woman. The publication went ahead to say that the woman in question donated a Hummer Jeep to Melody’s band.

But reacting to the report, weeks after it made headlines, the gospel singer said, it was the handiwork of his enemies who were sponsoring such a report.

According to him,”Every sincere gospel artiste relies on God and his fans. I will never sacrifice my paradise for a five minutes enjoyment outside my marriage.”

The gospel singer said, it’s his desire to follow the path of his mentors by delivering uncompromising messages through my songs. “My mentors Daddy Adeboye, Daddy Ayewa, Daddy Kalejaye, Pastor Matthew Asimolowo among others have never been caught in such act. I will never betray my oath before my creator,’’ He urged journalists to verify their facts before going to the press, declaring that “I seize this medium to say that I am happily married and my wife knows 90 per cent of my clients.’’

Chiwetel Ejiofor high moments in pictures Miss Olokun reveals secret of her victory!

By Iyabo Aina

N

ineteen year- old Onayemi Ol- amide Mojisola who was recently crowned “Miss Olokun”has revealed the secret behind her victory.

Onayemi beat fourteen contestants to win the beauty contest, which held last Sunday, at R &A Hotel, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

In a chat with WG, the beauty queen said her formidable dance steps gave her an edge over other contestants.

According to her, ‘My formidable dance steps gave

me an edge. I noticed that doing the same thing in the same way repeatedly is wrong. So, I made sure I added creativity to my movements.”

In his remark, the promoter of Olokun Festival foundation, Otunba Gani Adams said the Miss Olokun Beauty Pageant is primarily to inculcate high morals in girls and to celebrate the virtues of vivacious women, adding that the pageant provides a platform for contestants to showcase inborn talents like intelligence, adaptation to cultural n o r m s , s p e e c h s k i l l s , comportment a n d cultivation of personal esteem.

Onayemi

C M Y K

B

ritish-Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor can now add CBE to his list of accolades after he was honoured on Tuesday, by the

British Royal family with the title of the Order of the British Empire, OBE, back in 2008.

The “12 Years A Slave” actor was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire,CBE, by the Duke of Cambridge during an official ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday morning.

The 38-year-old star was overcome with emotion as he spoke to Prince William in front of the large crowd assembled, beaming with pride as he was recognised for his contribution to drama. Born by London-based Nigerian parents (and whose younger sister, Zain Asher, is a CNN financial reporter), Ejiofor is one of the country’s gifts to the outside world.

He started his career by joining the National Youth Theatre and training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, which helped him land his first major role in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad. Since then, Chiwetel has not looked back in quest to rule the screen across the world.

30— Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Femi Jacobs turns nightfall Taxi Driver

By Juliet Ebirim

A

LL is now set for the premiere of the movie, Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo).

The movie is a hilarious comedy drama about working in Lagos at night, as a taxi driver.

Adigun played by AMVCA winner, Femi Jacobs, is a 31year old naive village mechanic coming to Lagos for the first time. His decision comes following the sudden death of his father, a man he never truly knew… yet a man very popular in his village as the iconic Lagos taxi driver, Akanmu.

However, Adigun’s journey to Lagos is on the invitation of Taiwo, his father’s fellow taxi driver played by popular yor uba actor, Odunlade Adekola… but Taiwo is dangerous and as shady as Lagos at night..

Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo) tells the story of how Adigun copes with the multitude of odd characters he comes

*Femi Jacob across, from Delia the prostitute, to Kakanfo the unseen vigilante, the notorious assassins ‘three wise men’, to the Godfather,

Baba Mistura and many more interesting characters that ply their trade in Lagos at night.

Femi, who played the lead role said, he had to spend

time with an acquaintance who was a taxi driver in order to be able to interprete the role properly. “I had to go to the former place I live and I met a former neighbour who’s a taxi driver. For weeks, we were hanging out together and I learnt a lot about being a taxi driver in Lagos. It cost me time and money, but at the end of the day it helped me to properly interprete the character ”.

The movie director, Daniel Emeke Oriahi said he wanted to do a movie that Lagosians can relate with. “I just wanted to do a movie that Lagosians can connect with that isn’t an EnglishSpeaking movie. I realised that people in the west connect more with indigenous movies. I want people to see Lagos with a stranger ’s eye and know some of the things that happen at night in a comic and entertaining way.”

Glo Laffta Fest turns Egbeda into theatre of laughter

Tiwa Savage goes to spa with new baby!

By Anozie Egole

*Cast of I am Jazz

Why we yanked off ‘I am Jazz’ – Multichoice ultiChoice Nigeria has explained why it decided to M yank off the airing of “I am Jazz”, a mini-series about a transgender child which was scheduled to show on TLC,

G

lo subscribers were treated to an evening of fun, laughter and dance as the show landed at Floral Hall, Santos, Egbeda.

Characteristic of the comedy show, young, upand-coming acts were given the opportunity to showcase their talents as they set the ball rolling for the show.

Fabulous, Bamsley, Crown, Phlow, D-One and Illven were the singers who performed while Dave, SLK and D- Lecturer, cracked hilarious jokes. The anchor man for the show, Bright

Okpocha, aka Basket Mouth, was simply in his element as he introduced the performing artistes and comedians while intermittently reeling out ribcracking jokes.

Acapella was unarguably the curtain-raiser for the night as his performance set the pace and tempo of the show. He was followed by Princewill who gave value for his fans’ time out at the show with jokes about his upbringing in the slums of Ajegunle.

channel 172 last Tuesday, saying the action was for the interest of its viewers.

“We are aware of the concerns raised by our viewers across various platforms, about the airing of “I am Jazz”, a miniseries about a transgender child which was scheduled to show on TLC, channel 172 on October 27", the company said.

In a statement, the multi-national company stated that after careful consideration and wide consultation from various stakeholders, MultiChoice has informed its esteemed subscribers that the mini-series, “I am Jazz” has been pulled off the schedule.

“We regularly assess the impact our content have on our customers and we reassure them that their interests are always considered.

However, “We take comfort in knowing that our decoders are encrypted with the parental control feature that empowers parents with ultimate control over what their children view.

We also encourage parents to make use of this feature as much as possible to ensure that their children only watch what their parents deem appropriate,” the statement said.

S

ince she gave birth to her first child in June, songstress Tiwa Savage has not been spotted in public with her baby,probably for fear of exposing her little bundle of joy to danger.

But the Marvin record first lady, last weekend damned the consequence as she was spotted with her son in a spa somewhere in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The singer who was accompanied by her mother,snapped at a paparazzi who attempted to take shots of mother and baby.

Our source said, the multiple award-winning singer did everything to avoid the camera as she later interrogated the paparazzi to ascertain that he did not take her shots. The singer was one of the guests who graced the opening of the Spa and showroom.

Ali Baba headlines Lagos ‘Night of laughter and Awards’

N

*Kid star, OzzyBosco and his mum at the event

igeria’s foremost comedian, Ali Baba is expected to take comedy to its greatest heights on Sunday, as he headlines the maiden edition of “Project ASHA

1st Empowering Laughter Day & Award Night” holding at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event, which will be anchored by comedienne Princess and MC Bambino, is being packaged in conjunction with OzzyBosco Smile Foundation.

Addressing the press ahead of the event, during the week,

one of the organizers, Tricia Obi said, those who are on the line up to perform at the night include, Timi Dakolo, Buchi, kid star Ozzy Bosco, Oke Bakasi, Koffi, Toby Grey, Ronnie, TJ Hays, Mr John bull, Gordons and MC Abey.

Also, the organizers said, the likes of actress Caroline Danjuma, Ogee Robinson,

Segun Manuel among others will be delivering inspiring lectures at the event.

Project ASHA is Youth led NGO which is committed to advocating for and securing the basic human rights and civil liberties of society’s most vulnerable through good governance, democratic values and principles.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 31

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32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Glo named among Africa’s top 2 most admired brands

By Prince Osuagwu

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Untold secrets of internet speed

By Laju Iren & Maximilian Anosike

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ou know it doesn’t make sense to be angry with an inanimate object, but that doesn’t stop you from lashing out on your mobile device from time to time; especially when it takes so long to load pages on the internet. Although sometimes, the Internet Service Providers, ISPs are to blame, there are efforts you can make to speed up browsing.

Reduce the web cache Although Cache helps in storing data for future use, on the flip side it can deplete the pace of the internet. A good first step in speeding up your slow internet connection to tweak your internet options. The task here is to make your web cache as small as possible.

The less disk space your reserve for your temporary files is less data that your computer needs to search through.

Clean house Just like parasites, dormant applications on your device make it slower and less effective hence limiting your bowsing experience. Clean up your device by uninstalling apps that you hardly use. Another thing you must do is close properly apps and tabs that are not being used at the moment.

Enable text mode while browsing More often than not, text and pictures are go together to ease the understanding of the

user perusing the internet.

However this could have a negative impact on the internet speed. To save data and increase speed you can switch between text mode or image mode at browser settings on your device.

Install fast mobile web browser The web browser of a mobile phone plays a crucial role in increasing the speed of internet activities. There are a lot of mobile web browsers,

most of them for free. Making an appropriate choice will take you to the next level of experiencing the world of internet efficacy.

ISPs still matter Face it. Some networks are faster than others. Find Internet Service Provider one that works best for your location. Even if you don’t want to give up your number, you can switch to another network, or better still, go the Nigerian way-use more than one service provider.

lobacom has been named one of Africa’s top two most admired brands for the second year running, in the annual Brand Africa 100 rankings announced in Johannesburg, South Africa recently.

Globacom is the youngest brand in the Top 10 list, as other companies in the Top 10 including Dangote Group (Nigeria), MTN (South Africa), Tusker (Kenya), Mukwano (Uganda), Simu TV (Tanzania), Zenith Bank (Nigeria), Peak Milk (Nigeria), Sasco (South Africa), and Star Beer (Nigeria), were all established before the arrival of Glo, August 29, 2003.

The Award made a good outing for Nigerian companies as 11 of them made the list. South African and Kenyan brands were joint second with four places each on the list.

The rankings also showed that indigenous African brands are on the rise as they constitute nearly 25% of the the Brand Africa 100.

The Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Chairman of Brand Finance Africa, Thebe Ikalafeng, said the rankings were increasingly significant. “They are an important metrics of the progress Africa is making in creating brands and services that respond to African conditions, needs and ambitions.”

He added that “the time has never been more opportune or urgent for Africa to develop ‘Made in Africa’ brands.

The success of businesses behind these brands will enable Africa to drive its own agenda because they create jobs, contribute tax revenue necessary to fund public goods and help shape the image of Africa as an entrepreneurial and competitive continent.”

It is believed that Globacom’s commitment to innovation and affordable services since 2003 when it started business has set it apart from competition in its various markets. One of its major accomplishments is its international submarine cable, Glo 1, which has provided the much needed Internet bandwidth in West African.

Globacom recently launched what is regarded as the most innovative offering since it pioneered per second billing in 2003. Called Free Tomorrow, the promo gives back to the subscriber the next day the total value of credit spent on calls, texts and data the previous day.

The company has over 35 million subscribers across the three markets where it operates.

‘Why we established Kaymu village’ Richard Udofia and Maximilian Anosike

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o doubt, the world as we know it has now become a mobile village, all thanks to technology.

However, to fully utilize the potentials of this global village, and boost ecommerce in Nigeria, online marketplace company, Kaymu, has launched the first-of-its kind social innovation village in Yaba, Lagos.

The company ’s Managing Director, Mr. Sefik Bagdadioglu, said the village would provide a platform to enhance engagement between sellers and buyers in the online marketplace.

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Kaymu Village According to Bagdadioglu: “As an shoppers avoid a myriad of innovative company, we aisles in search of specific “but rather constantly seek ways to products, contribute to the growth of through the use of the smart SMEs and the sustainability devices provided at the of our community of buyers center, customers can launch and sellers. In our village we their online businesses, aim to contribute to the search for items they require, efforts of the government in experience available services developing local e-commerce and fulfill their orders in an businesses in the community enabling environment.” as well as provide a one stop “Having built a village of hub for effective interactions between buyers and sellers established and aspiring within the community”, he entrepreneurs as well as tech-savvy buyers, we are stated.

The company believes focused on connecting and that the village will help assisting communities in

accessing products and growing local businesses,” added the Kaymu boss.

Meanwhile, the company has partnered with Telecommunications operator, MTN Nigeria,to allow Nigerians shop on kaymu.com.ng at zero data charge.

Kaymu’s current and prospective buyers and sellers on the MTN network can shop via it’s mobile app without incurring any data costs.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 33

By Funmi Olasupo

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TAKEHOLDERS have enjoined government to create Women Development Fund as well as evolve practical policies and programmes targeted at promoting women entrepreneurship development amongst Nigerian women.

They gave the advice at the 22nd Annual LAPO Development Forum held in Abuja with the theme”Women Entrepreneurship Development: Issues, Opportunities and Approaches.’

To this end, in a 10-point communiqué, the forum declared that financing women-owned enterprises has the potential to positively influence women’s lives, thus contributing to economic growth in Nigeria, adding that tackling poverty amongst women would facilitate Nigeria’s economic growth, sustainable human development, material prosperity, peace and progress.

The forum observed that whereas women play critical and major roles in the society, they are often denied their rightful place in decision making.

It therefore advocated for gendersensitive policies, programmes and legislations directed at providing the enabling environment for women to thrive as entrepreneurs.

Lapo canvasses establishment of fund for women development

Participants at the forum in Abuja

The forum also observed that socio-cultural factors militate against women’s active participation and sustenance in entrepreneurial activities

The forum also observed that socio-cultural factors militate against women’s active participation and sustenance in entrepreneurial activities and challenged Government agencies promoting enterprise activities to broaden and deepen the scope of their training to rural women entrepreneurs.

It urged the Federal, State and Local Governments to deepen partnership with groups and organisations such as LAPO, which, over the years have worked assiduously towards poverty reduction in Nigeria.

The forum identified energy, infrastructural deficit and insufficient start-up capital as part of the challenges bedeviling SME development in Nigeria and stressed the urgent need to address them.

It also advocated the need to bridge the gap between big industries and small enterprises through the provision of social and financial opportunities at the grassroots.

The forum commended LAPO for its efforts in promoting poverty alleviation through the provision of

financial and social empowerment services to millions of low-income earners in Nigeria, as well as creating employment for young people in Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Founder of LAPO, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said at the occasion that the organisation has continued to demonstrate uncommon commitment to the realisation of institutional objectives and emerging as one of the leading community development organisations in Africa.

Celebrating the power of the adolescent girl

By Anino Aganbi

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VERY child regardless of age and sex has a right to live and be heard.With a lot of issues going on among children especially when it comes to molestation, children have become scared of being abused by adults who they trust to care for them. The girl child is at a greater risk when it comes to child molestation.

The society needs to put adequate care in place to checkmate abuse and molestation amongst children.

Parents also need to be taught that blames should not be put on any child who goes through the trauma of being abused. Paedophiles go scotfree because the laws in Nigeria are not strict on sex

*Funke Oguntuga

offenders. If a man is caught molesting a child, then let the law punish him duely.

The International Day of the Girl Child was set up with the aim of creating awareness among the female children to enable them battle gender inequality, rape or molestation among other issues. The theme for this year’s event was “The power of the adolescent girl Vision for 2030’’.

Celebrating the girl child in Lagos were women who had the well being of the girl child at heart. Present at the event were Sola Soneye, Lola Sanusi,Lara Odebiyi, Mercy Aigbe amongst others who came out to give talks to the students of Girls Baptist School.

Speaking at the event, Funke Oguntuga, CEO HeartMinders stated that

“Being a youth group, we like to work things out for the girls. The International Day of the Girl Child project is one of the two projects we carry yearly. We work with the UN scheme every year. We have a mentoring program for girls where we collaborate with a mentoring company”.

She further stated that “ We believe in starting with girls when they are much younger.

With what is happening in the society, it is very expedient that we start while they are young,that way the information can stay in their heads. Most information’s available online are not things they can take in hook line and sinker. We come around to give them advices which they can take into adulthood. “

“There is no law that places the girl child as a second class citizen.More focus should be placed on the girl child. A lot of families discriminate against the female child in our society.

The sustainable development goal released by UN this year states that there should be gender equality. It is part of the advocacy that girls should be allowed to be girls and should be allowed to go to school instead of being married out at a tender age. A lot of this is as a result of poverty. If you are financially stable, you wont push your girl child out to be married. NGOs, government and other parastatal’s are working hard to reduce the trend of gender inequality that is not favorable to the girl child.”

34—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

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Rape Alert!

By Itoro Eze-Anaba

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did not know it was rape”. This was a statement made by a young man who walked up to our team members during one of our advocacy/awareness visits to youth corps members in the state. It was not surprising though as many men and women do not even know when rape has occurred. Imagine this scenario – a young man has been friendly with a girl over a period of time, maybe months. During this period, he takes her out, buys her gifts and generally spends time with her. Then she visits his house, willingly. As far as the man is concerned, it is pay back time.

Even when she says “no”, the man thinks she is joking or playing hard to get. He eventually gets his way and she leaves, feeling violated and blaming herself for going to his house in the first place.

Believing she was at fault,, she keeps quiet and does not report at the police station.

Even when she confides in a friend, the question is “ why did you go to his house?

Did you not know you have to pay back for those gifts?”

What is rape?

Many young girls and boys have fallen victim of rape in this way. So the question is “ what is rape?” Simply put, rape is sexual intercourse with someone without the person’s consent. That consent must be freely and willingly given. This means that the person must be in a position to give consent. For instance, a minor, under 18 years cannot give consent and a perpetrator cannot claim as a defence that a minor consented to the act. It is also not a defence under the Child Rights Law of Lagos State that the perpetrator did not know that the victim was a minor. Silence does not mean consent and if consent is given under duress (threats whether physical or emotional), then it is not freely given and sex with a person consenting under duress is still rape. Where the person is drunk due to alcohol or drugs, then the person is deemed incapable of consenting to sex.

Rape is not always violent and absence of injury does not mean there was no rape.

Silence does not mean Yes and it does not matter if you have had sex with the perpetrator before. If you have had sex before but do not consent this time and he continues with the sexual activity with you, that is rape. Even if you have already started, then you change your mind and say “No” and your partner does not respect that but keeps going, that is rape. “No” means “No”.

ULTI-TALENTED, energetic and creative, are words that best describe Evelyn Okere. A woman of many parts with a captivating oratory prowess, Imo-born Evelyn is an astute entrepreneur who has worked her way up various ladders.

The History graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is one of the few Nigerian women in the oil & gas sector who own vessels.

‘A remarkable achievement’, you might call that, but this eccentric wife and mother is more excited about her creative skills- fashion designing and painting.

She is the Founder/Creative Director of top-notch fashion label, Rose di Omimi, the organisers of the St. Eve West Africa Fashion Show; Managing Director, St. Eve Concept, a lifestyle and enzymatic health and weight management company, and Publisher, St. Eve Magazine. She is a politician as well but her fearless exploits in that terrain is a story for another day.

In this interview, Evelyn prefers to talk about her love for fashion designing, her upcoming fashion show slated for 28 and 29 November, as well as issues affecting the fashion designing industry in Nigeria.

Fashion is a huge moneyspinner for any nation — Evelyn Okere

By Josephine Agbonkhese You’re into health, fashion, oil & gas and publishing; how do you combine all these?

Some of these things are just interests and passion. I believe people should look beautiful and healthy, no matter their age. In fact, everyone should be able to live life to the fullest and also have fun.

My mum actually led me into fashion. She would make clothes for us during Christmas and when she threw away the pieces, I would gather and sew them together with needle because I did needle and craft back then in school. I would make a blouse with those pieces, wear it, and my mum would come asking where I got the blouse from. I used to put very nice ribbons on them. Apart from my mum, my grandfather also made clothes. So, I would say it runs in the family.

So at what point did you go full scale into fashion?

I went full scale into fashion about three years ago. Many years before then, I had wanted to go to a fashion school in Milan, Italy, but my sister talked me out of that. But I woke up one day about four years ago, and became agitated at the reoccurring desire to redesign dresses I was seeing on people.

It was clear it was my passion.

I see a fabric and immediately start thinking of the many things I could turn it into. That passion for fashion soon led me

into buying sewing machines and other designing items to start making clothes.

Three years done the line, would you say you’re impressed with progress made?

No, I’m not. It was why I went into fashion promotion with an annual fashion show; to promote fashion the way it should be promoted. Again, I must give kudos to Nduka Obaigbena of This Day. It’s a pity he didn’t continue promoting fashion with Arise; maybe by now, Nigeria would have been the biggest centre for fashion in Africa. Notwithstanding, I want to portray fashion the way it should be.

Fashion is a business; not just glitz and glamour. With all due respect to every fashion designer,

...everything can be done here in Nigeria.

But we keep killing industries just like we killed the industry in Aba which we should have improved on.

I want to say the fashion we do here in Nigeria is still in its cottage.

Details do not appear to be a concern.

Now, we see all kinds of designs, which is good, but what we are yet to get is the business side of fashion.

I’m talking about the point where we can produce fabrics, have a manufacturing firm that produces outlined designs and we simply just

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—35

plants springing up. That’s why I’m very happy with the current president of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigerian, FADAN, Funmi Ajila-Ladipo.

She’s doing everything to push the business of fashion and has really brought life and personality to FADAN. Together, we’re all working to see that Nigeria is seen as a fashion city just as you go to New York and you know you’re in a fashion city.

You see, our government needs to know that fashion is a big money-spinner.

Like Funmi Ajila-Ladipo said in one of her interviews, the fashion designer is very close to our skin because without them, we will all be going naked. It is therefore very fundamental that the industry gets the massive boost the music industry and Nollywood have. More importantly, the textile industry should be helped to bounce back.

Now, that brings us to that sector. Are you doing anything to revive the textile industry as well?

*Evelyn Okere

have to send out to our stores without having to create one piece at a time. That’s the real fashion business. But right now, we’re still in our cottage where a customer comes, we measure, cut and sew for every single person.

I however want to say power is actually a very big factor in all of these. With it, a lot of things can be made better with manufacturing

Textile manufacturing is an industry with plenty of chains which must all link. Sometime ago when I went to China to discuss with the Chinese government about getting facilities for more vessels for my oil and gas shipping business, I was opportune to stumble on a place where they were manufacturing wool for a certain kind of material. You need to see the whole thing and how it was carried out by indigenous people. There’s a coordinated chain; there’s a company that makes the wool and another that makes the thread. It was amazing to see these indigenous people produce such beautiful fabric before my very eyes. You see, raw materials are needed for textile factories to function and the manufacturers will not provide that with their blood.

The enabling environment isn’t available here for such industry to thrive and that’s why we keep importing.

Meanwhile, everything can be done here in Nigeria. But we keep killing industries just like we killed the industry in Aba which we should have improved on. Look at how China started?

Now, everything in the world comes from China.

What’s unique about this year’s fashion show…

With this year’s show, we want to market designers as much as possible by giving them exposure. Our ideology at St. Eve West Africa Fashion Show is that one day, people

here can be proud to say they ’re wearing an indigenous fashion label just as they are proud to mention foreign brands. This year, our show’s theme is ‘Fashion is Arts, Arts is Fashion’.

When we actually started doing shows, we first organised the Rick Ross Musical Concert in 2012 in which I brought Rick Ross to Nigeria. It was really expensive doing a musical concert. Trying to get another artist became a drag and I noticed there were lots of hanky panky in the game. The contact chain is too long and there’s a lot of cheating. I didn’t want to kill the brand, so, I thought it was a good avenue to project fashion the way it should be projected.

I could see you also make accessories like jewellery...

Yes, and that’s because I love to look good. I love jewellery but not jewellery of diamonds.

I’m a craft person; I also love to paint and draw. I want to organise my business to a point where I won’t be needed all the time and can just come in, sit down and just paint. A lot of creative ideas come to my head every now and then and when they start driving me crazy, I just start to play candy crush on my phone. It’s just time.

Tell us the focus of your magazine?

St. Eve Magazine was created when we came up with the St.Eve Concept. At St.Eve Concept, we make people loose weight and look better with good skin as well, using enzyme supplement.

At a point, we did a grassroots campaign where we went all-over the streets of Lagos, taking people’s weight, telling them the right thing to eat, screening them medically, etc. It was so tedious but very fulfilling.

That opened my eyes to the need for awareness creation.

Then the idea for a health, beauty and fashion magazine dropped in 2009, 2010. I thought it was going to be cheap but it hasn’t been at all.

Coping with personal life…

I designate how much time I spend every where I go to.

When I get home, I don’t pick calls; I focus on my kids, go through their lesson notes and we also do their homework together. If it’s weekends, we play games and watch cartoons together.

I create that time even though they have nannies. Creating time for family is essential. In facts, it tells on your child’s psyche.

Woman turns instant millionaire from hotel cleaner

*Amaka Agilibeazu receiving her cheque

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By Prisca Sam-Duru

T was joy in abundance when a poor hotel cleaner, Amaka Agilibeazu won a million naira in the Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ promo.

Amaka Agilibeazu who plans to open a provisions retail shop, is a hotel cleaner in Enugu before becoming an instant millionaire through Peak promo The school certificate holder and mother of one who resides in Enugu told reporters that she saw the advert of the promo on television but never expected to win as much as a million naira.

“Actually, when I was playing in the promo by sending codes, I never thought I could win as big as a million naira and now, to God be the glory; Peak has made me an unexpected millionaire.

She also claimed she never believed it when a text message was sent to her that she had won a million naira in the promo. When I saw the message that I have won a million naira, I did not believe it because I was not expecting to win up to a million naira. I only tried my luck and see if I could win N50,000 or N100,000 but fortunately God has another plan for me through peak milk-I won a million naira.”

She stated.

At the cheque presentation, Amaka narrated how she felt when she was informed she had won a million naira in the peak promo.

“I can’t express how I felt when I received a text that I’ve won a million naira in the peak promo, it was like a miracle. I showed the text to my sister who didn’t really believe it also; but she

however advised we should wait for their call. Of course they did call us and as I am talking to you N1 million is in my account right now courtesy of peak milk. It was as if I was dreaming, a million naira, just like that. I can never forget that moment; it was amazing and so exciting. When they called me eventually to confirm I have won a million naira, I jumped up and fell rolling on the ground.”

Joyous Amaka who described peak’s largesse as ‘a rare magnanimous privilege’ also hinted on her plans with the cash reward.

“With this money from peak, I will definitely resign as a hotel cleaner and open a big provision retail shop with part of the money.

Secondly, I will fix a certain amount for my child’s education and also support my husband in his business.”

The hotel cleaner who believes she now have a bright future however thanked FrieslandCampina WAMCO, makers of Peak for the laudable promo.

In her words, “I thank peak milk a lot for this wonderful promo. Aside being the best dairy product we have in Nigeria, Peak has always been good to consumers with great rewards. Today, I am one of the lucky ones and I am very happy about it.

Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ promo is part of 60th anniversary celebration of the Peak brand in Nigeria.

The promo is targeted towards rewarding the consumers for 60 years of loyalty and patronage and also to build brand love with consumers who have been consistently consuming and are willing to consume more peak.

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Primate Ayodele’s prophecies: The fulfillment, the pains •How prediction of young Ooni triggers media follow-up

By Bashir Adefaka IGERIA knew, knows and is still knowing about prophets in the Lord’s Vineyard.

The prophethood exhibited by the founder and head of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, according to investigations, appears to be one on the side of development that must be taken serious. This is a prophet who told this reporter before jetting out to Enugu enroute Achalla on Monday October 12, 2015, among many other prophecies that a young man would emerge as Ooni of Ife and that his emergence would not only come to pass but that it will bring prosperity to Yoruba race.

This triggered this follow-up that has deliberately been embarked upon as a way of critically looking into how religious leaders can actually positively partner the state in matter of growth and development.

When contacted over the most recent prophecy the Primate said, “My prophecies coming to pass is not for me to celebrate. I tell the government and peoples of the world especially of my home country, Nigeria, whatever I am asked to tell them. I give thanks to God, however, whenever my positive prophecies come to past but feel so pained whenever the negative ones warned against but unheeded come to pass due to nonchalance on the part of the affected people.”

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Nonchalance of affected people Primate Ayodele had said that the PDP would not survive its March 28, 2015 collapse and that even the current ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would be split as some of the leaders would team up with one another to form a new party out of the APC. He also said that President Buhari might in the light of that eventually have reason to bring back his rested Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Records show that at a time in the past, Primate Ayodele had closely and directly warned Mr. Buruji Kashamu over his fate in politics, which he failed to heed. If that warning was true, the possible question now is who bears the brunt of the disobedience? The Ikere, Ekiti State-born prophet, had in Vanguard edition published on April 26, 2015 said there was nothing he said in his book, Warnings to the Nation about the elections and the two major contenders that did not come to pass.

In Saturday Vanguard of December 28, 2013 he said:

Primate Ayodele “President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term is dicey. He will start some political abracadabra in order to gain his second term which will be characterised by so much of negotiations. He will have to cajole and beg a lot of people; he will also beg Obasanjo. What Nigerians see now is only a tip of an iceberg of the clash that will come between Obasanjo and Jonathan.

Jonathan might be the last president of PDP to rule this country, anyway.” The prophet said he, however, had a message for the APC in that same publication in 2013 that, “If they (APC) really want to rule, they have to struggle and pray very well to get the right candidate. They must be careful so that their party is not used for negotiation.”

The Inri Church leader ’s prophecies are also contained in Sunday Vanguard of November 2, 2014 interview that Jonathan’s visit to Jerusalem was a waste of time but that if he really desired to win the 2015 election, he should fast for 14 days, a call he said he did not heed. In The Guardian of Saturday, July 13, 2013, Ayodele specifically referred to what he said about 2015 as laying the foundation for the disintegration of Nigeria “except we pray and Jonathan listens to the words of God.” The publication revealed the primate as prophesying that “Jonathan will not win in 2015,”

We have defeated Boko Haram but we should work more against non-Boko Haram terrorists

citing many other warnings of the past that he did including the one published by Daily Champion of Wednesday February 29, 2012 on page 43 where he said, “I am not against President Jonathan or his government but let him not contest in 2015. He should relax else he will break the country.

In Weekend Champion of June 16 – 17, 2012 on page 12, he said, ‘The governors will gang up against Jonathan and the PDP will lose the central government in 2015.”

Incidents of bomb blasts In Global Excellence of Tuesday, September 25 –Monday October 1, 2012 on page 5, he said “President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition will break the governors into factions” and that Governor Mimiko should not leave the Labour Party for the PDP. Primate Ayodele has said further that the current Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Emefiele will go and has asked the South West and South East to be watchful about incidents of bomb blasts. He however said that, “We have defeated Boko Haram but we should work more against nonBoko Haram terrorists.”

The Primate spoke on the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, prophesying dumping APGA. He warned that Obiano’s dumping APGA will plunge him into trouble.

“Obiano may dump APGA but it will be problem for him like Mimiko’s dumping of Labour Party for PDP failing to listen to the warnings.” The prophet said the electricity supply in Nigeria will be stable but that its stability will begin from 2017. Experience has shown that words of men of God are not to be thrown away without looking at the substance that is inherent in them for the love of country.

Nigerian in Indonesia launches security device

By Vera Samuel Anyagafu & Prisca Sam-Duru

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NIGERIAN youth will want to leave the country to a foreign land all in search of greener pastures.

Many of these youths lose their lives in the process of travelling out of the country through illegal means, while some engage in drug businesses which most often endanger their lives.

The unholy activities of these few have earned the country a stereotype which many foreigners find difficult to erase from their black books, irrespective of the fact that there are many young Nigerians living around the world who are contributing positively to the economies of such countries.

It is worthy of note here in, that a Nigerian security expert based in Indonesia, Mr. Darlington Okafor, is one of those helping to end the stereotypes. He has invented a security device that is capable of resolving numerous security challenges across the globe.

Through this devise known as Access Gold, he has been able to save thousands of lives which would have been wasted daily by armed robbers, assassins, kidnappers etc, who capitalize on security loopholes to unleash mayhem on citizens.

Okafor who recently held a presentation at the Indonesia Trade Promotion center in Lagos, to highlight the benefits of the security device told pressmen that the research came to fruition after decades of hard-work.

In addition to the newly introduced security device, Okafor, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Access Telecommunication Services Link Ltd, said the company situated in both Indonesia and Nigeria has other security gadgets to its credit, such as Anti-mobile Theft Code, Access Data Bank

I was determined to ensure that Nigeria rises above security challenges, which have turned out to be the greatest challenge to mankind all over the world

Security, Hybrid Security Solution (Eagle Eye), and so on.

He communicated his concern to the increasing global waves of terrorism, kidnaping, robbery, banditry, frauds as well as loss and misplacement of vital documents, hence the urge to seeking a security solution capable of countering such challenges in the Nigerian society. He said, “I was determined to ensure that Nigeria rises above security challenges, which have turned out to be the greatest challenge to mankind all over the world and which governments of most nations are striving to put a wedge.

Over a million people have lost their lives to various deadly explosives which could have been tracked and dislodged if effective security system were deployed.

Equally, the overall effect of the security lapses has discouraged a good number of foreign investors and is slowly crimpling most countries’ economies.”

Security gadgets Also speaking during the presentation, the Indonesia Trade Promotion Director, Mr. Nino Suswan, while giving his testimony in respect of the product, expressed the need to having security gadgets that are capable of detecting any form of danger a few meters away.

He noted that in a world where the issue of insecurity tops every deliberation, devises that can assist to ensuring an end to various criminalities are worth encouraging.

Also enumerating the values as imperative to securing lives and properties, Okafor was quick to add that with that the one of the invented devises that is used for safe guiding and protecting mobile phone data and mobile phone devise, including recovery of data from mobile device in case of telephone loss or damage is quite recommended, for fact that mobile phones are largely used worldwide “If installed the mobile data system, signals information leading to tracking and recovery of lost telephone handsets. The devise informs you of any tampering, even when the phone’s sim card is removed and a new sim card inserted.

This system which combines efficiency with affordability of value is meant to alleviate the suffering of the victims of handset loss or theft,” Okafor added.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2015—37

Court stops FG from winding up PHCN

By Victor AhiumaYoung

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ATIONAL Industrial Court, NIC, holding in Abuja, has restrained the Federal Government and 19 others including Distribution Companies, DISCOs, whether by themselves, their agents, proxies or privies, from winding up the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, or liquidating its assets.

Specifically, the NIC ordered the respondents, jointly or severally, whether by themselves, their agents, proxies or privies, from winding up PHCN or in any manner whatsoever, from liquidating or dissipating its assets pending the determination of the motion on notice already filed in court.

The court, presided over by Justice M.N. Esowe, on October 27, gave the restraining order while ruling on Ex-parte Application by the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, against the respondents.

The defendants are Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, Liquidator for Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Power, Federal Ministry of Labour & Productivity, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, and Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.

Others are Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kano Electricity Distribution Company, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Yola Electricity Distribution Company, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Egbin Electricity Power Plc, Afam Electricity Power Plc, Sapele Electricity Power Plc, Kainji Electricity Power Plant, Ughelli

Power Plant, Shiroro Hydro Power Station and Transmission Company of Nig. Plc, TCN. The court also ordered parties to maintain the peace until the motion on notice before it was heard and determined, noting that “hearing notices are hereby ordered to be issued and served on the respondents and the matter is now adjourned to November 11, 2015 for hearing of the motion on notice before the court."

In the Ex-parte Application,

NUEE had approached the NIC through the Suit no. NICN/ ABJ/31/9/2015, seeking an Interim Injunction restraining the Respondents jointly or severally, whether by themselves, their agents, proxies or privies from winding up the PHCN or in any manner, whatsoever, from liquidating or dissipating the assets of the said PHCN, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

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HE Nigerian National Summit Group, NNSG, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to halto the perceived drift of Nigeria towards anarchy, economic distress and disunity by setting in motion steps to implement fundamental Resolutions of the 2014 National Conference that were adopted by the delegates.

Executive Secretary of NNSG, Mr Tony Uranta, in a statement said Nigeria could still suffer “the 2015 bogey if we refuse to begin restructuring now.”

Uranta noted that “in recent times, very important voices from the north have come out loudly in support of restructuring.”

According to him, Northern leaders like Alhaji Ahmed Joda and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar at the recent Leadership award ceremony, had thrown their weights behind the need for Nigeria to practice true federalism.

He said: “This is not a call by just a few disgruntled sections of Nigeria. The Southwest, NorthCentral (Middle-Belt!), SouthC M Y K

By Emem Idio

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E N A G O A — ANOTHER aide of Bayelsa State Governor on Business Development, Mr Barnabas Edure, has resigned his appointment from the state cabinet.

Though no reason was given for his resignation, it was learnt that Edure, a kinsman of Governor Seriake Dickson and two-time chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, resigned his appointment following alleged poor working conditions.

Edure in his resignation letter dated October 28, said his resignation was voluntary and thanked the governor for giving him the opportunity to serve the state.

He said:“The resignation will afford me the time to concentrate on my family, business and other private interests that need my attention.”

PDP'll soon be forgotten in Delta State — APC chieftain

By Perez Brisibe MEDIA PARLEY: From left: Nik Ogbulie, Publisher, BusinessWeek; Tokunbo Adedoja, Editor, Sunday Thisday; Kamar Abass, CEO, ntel; Funke Egbemode, Managing Director, New Telegraph and Eric Osagie, Managing Director, Sun, after an interactive media parley hosted by ntel for media executives in Lagos.

Restructure Nigeria now, NNSG tells Buhari

By Dapo Akinrefon

Bayelsa gov’s aide resigns

East and South-South have been spearheading this campaign for true holistic change via restructuring for decades. Now that Arewa chieftains like Joda and Atiku have admitted to the

urgent need to embark on this pressing national exercise, President Buhari must recognise that the North-West and North-East strongly desire restructuring also.

So, Mr. President cannot but

immediately step up to the plate and fulfill his oath of office to serve Nigerians by guaranteeing our welfare to the very best of his ability and opportunities.”

Itsekiri organizations cautioned against 7-day ultimatum to shut DESOPADEC

By Emma Amaize, Festus Ahon & Egufe Yafugborhi

E

FFURUN—URHOBO and Ijaw youths in Delta State, yesterday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, cautioned Itsekiri organizations over their seven-day ultimatum to shut the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, over purported marginalization of the ethnic group.

The Urhobo Youth Leaders Association, UYLA, Urhobo Youth Council, Ijaw Youth Leaders Forum, Ijaw Youth Council, Urhobo Professionals Association

and Ijaw Youth Council at the end of an emergency meeting in Effurun, condemned the ultimatum, which they described as the handiwork of a dismissed staff of the commission.

In the communiqué by national spokesperson of UYLA, Samuel Oghotomo, and others, they said, “As we appreciate their agitation, the Itsekiri must be cautious of their activities because they have no right to shut down the commission. The commission was established in 2007 to cater for the development of the oil producing areas and also to promote ethnic harmony.”

They argued that the ultimatum by the Itsekiri groups was capable of truncating the peace enjoyed in

the state, as other groups would resist the move.

The Urhobo and Ijaw youths urged the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILT, to call the former DESOPADEC worker, who they said wants to retain his former position at all cost and his accomplices to order, as the present management of the commission, led by Chief William Makinde, had nothing to do with the issues they raised.

“We, therefore, urge all ethnic nationalities to support the William Makinde-led DESOPADEC management to deliver prosperity to all Deltans in their catchment areas,” they added.

U

GHELLI—DESPITE the Delta State Governorship Tribunal ruling, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, has predicted that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would be a thing of the past in the state, in February 2016.

Egbo, who was speaking on the heels of the ruling, explained that contrary to the scenario where defected members of the PDP who had left the party to contest elections on other political platforms normally return to the party, the reverse had been the case after the 2015 general elections.

Okolie passes on

M

R. Okonkwo Okolie is dead, aged 67.

Service of songs and interment have already been conducted at the deceased’s compound. He is survived by a widow, children, grandchildren, father and grandfather.

Late Okonkwo Okolie

38—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

NAS visits Emiko, Olu of Warri designate over late monarch

Enugu community alleges Police harassment, intimidation Police deny harassment 

By Francis Igata

ENUGU—RESIDENTS of Umabor community in EhaAlumona, Nsukka Council Area of Enugu State have fled their homes following a reported mass arrest of residents by the police.

A dependable source disclosed that over 20 persons, both youths and elderly, were arrested by the police prompting the natives to leave the community in droves.

It was gathered that the development is a fall-out of an alleged attack on a police station in the community.

According to an eyewitness:

By Tare Youdeowei

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AT I O N A L ASSOCIATION of Seadogs, NAS, also known as Pyrates Confraternity, Xkravos Deck, has paid a condolence visit to the regent, families members, chiefs and the new Olu of Warri-designate on the demise of His Majesty, Atuwatse II, as well as felicitated on the emergence of Prince Godfrey Emiko as the Olu of Warri - designate.

Chairman of the Elders’ forum and spokesman for the team, Mr. Misan Ukubeyinje expressed concern and sympathy for the regent and Itsekiri people on the demise of the late Atuwatse 11 and prayed to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, as he applauded the Itsekiri nation for a quick, rancour free and successful emergence of a new Olu of Warri.

Speaking on behalf of the monarch, Chiefs Emma Jones and Roland Omagbemi, thanked the Pyrates Confraternity for the visit.

Members of the NAS Xkravos team present were: Mr. Felix Gbiwen, Emiko Dore, Emiko Tunde, Eugene Eyube, Augustine Okene and Emmanuel Yemiete.

Others are Atariata Abednego, Okotie Charles, Toyin Uwajamomere, Bakpa Samuel, Tosanwunmi Godfrey, Arubi Emmanuel and Felix Uku.

“What happened, yesterday night, in Owerre, Umabor, is most shocking and strange; some youths from Eha community allegedly attacked the police station the previous night, but to our greatest shock, instead of the police going there to make arrest, they came to Umabor community in the night and started arresting even the elderly men.

“The police are not in doubt over the people that attacked the police station; they are not in doubt over the people that blocked Makurdi Expressway. So, this latest action by the police is most condemnable.

“They went as far as entering the family house of Nsukka Council Chairman, where they also arrested three persons.

“As I speak to you, our place is deserted now; we are calling on relevant authorities and the Enugu State governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to come to our aid. The governor should please save us from this intimidation.

“The police know they have issues with Eha community, not Umabor, does it mean they are afraid of going there? The Tuesday clash was caused by a similar action, because they stormed a viewing centre and

arrested some residents; now they are at it again. They should stop this unnecessary mass arrest.”

It could be recalled that the police had, Tuesday night, arrested some youths at a viewing centre during a Chelsea match, a situation that angered the residents, leading to alleged attack on the Umabor police station.

However, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, denied the accusations, adding that the area was infested with cult members, prompting police raid to rid the area of miscreants.

FG urged to address challenges confronting senior citizens

By Jonah Nwokpoku

T

HE FEDERAL Government has been urged to pay more attention to senior citizens in Nigeria to improve their welfare by addressing the numerous

challenges confronting them.

The Executive Director, 3rd Age Initiative, a Non-Government Organisation, NGO, dedicated to the welfare of the elderly in Nigeria, Mrs. Toun Giwa made the appeal during this year’s Old

People’s Day celebration in Lagos.

Addressing newsmen during the event, Giwa called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put in place measures that will address the plight of the elderly.

She said: “I am happy that the

Foundation advocates new devt initiative for S/East mobilization of successful Igbo

By Rosemary Onuoha

T

HE IGBO Youth Empowerment Foundation, IYEF, a South East advocacy group, has sought for the promotion of community development as a viable model to support government intervention initiative in advancing development in the region.

The group said the call had become necessary to close the yawning infrastructure gap in the South East.

Addressing the media in Lagos last week, Chairman of IYEF, Mr. Bright Ezeocha said the foundation was found to champion empowerment and development of the South East region.

Ezeocha called for widespread

entrepreneurs to think of how to pool resources and tackle some of the key challenges militating against development of the region.

He said: “In the past, communities usually mobilize themselves to embark on road construction. I recall when we were in school, the Imo State government mobilized indigenes of the state by creating special levy for the construction of the Imo airport. The Imo Airport was built through the effort of the people, and I recalled while in school we were asked to pay airport development levy.”

He said such patriotism could be replicated in some of the areas that require urgent attention, adding, “for instance, the sea port, which the region had

agitated for over the years, could commence through spirited efforts of large entrepreneurs.

“The foundation aims at creating a platform and engagement process that will mobilize support of the people and also create synergy among other interest groups in the region. One of the key problems of the region is divided interests and lack of harmony among groups and individuals and if we can come together and speak as one entity, then we can achieve a lot in terms of empowering our people.

Speaking further, Ezeocha said though he had not totally lost hope in governance, over the years successive administrations seem to have neglected the region and abandoned critical aspects of development.

president is a senior citizen himself. We want him to pay particular attention or, at least, lean on those, who should pay particular attention on everything concerning the elderly.

"For the state governments, we want to appeal to them to help the local governments to work.

The local government has to work.

We no longer want to hear local government chairmen complaining of lack of fund or that their hands are tied. There are very little things that help the elderly that the local government can do.

"Sometimes they complain that the sidewalk is too high and at zebra crossings, nobody stops for them anymore. These are some of the things we are also looking at legislating on.”

She said over the past four years, 3rd Age Initiative had tried to let the state and local government understand the plight of the elderly, and that although they continue to lament lack of finance “we can never stop talking because that will make matters worse.”

Giwa said: “We are hoping that this current government will be more positive and do more for the elderly."

By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com

PEOPLE SPEAK

On senate screening of ministerial nominees

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maechi was once voted the Best Governor of the Year, for his role in the development of Rivers State. Not a single worker was owed salary till April this year, when he was rounding off his tenure as governor. -Mr. Vitus Efosa, Instrumentalist

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have no personal grudges against Amaechi but how can we be talking of fighting corruption when someone like him, who has charges against him, made ministerial list? The fight against corruption should be without bias. -Mr. Ekene Ogbu,Businessman

I

n Nigeria, when the person in question is your person you look for ways to bend the rules to favour him, but when it comes from the opposition, you look for the slightest weakness, magnify it and nail the person. -Mr. Nduka Azubuike, Worker

W

e should be happy that the Senate has a rule which they are following. Even if Amaechi gets cleared by meeting the set down rules. That is what is called rule of law.

Laws may not be perfect, but let us just follow it until it is improved. -Miss Chioma Ani, Model

A

s far as I am concerned the reason why Rotimi Amaechi’s name is being blown out of proportion is the fact that he withstood GEJ and Dame Patience during his tenure as the governor of Rivers State.

-Mr. Chibuzor Ogbonna, Deck Cadet

N

igeria is a funny country! To become a minister you will be drilled and thoroughly questioned to ascertain your intellectual and moral levels. But to become a president, you will be shielded from presidential debate. -Mr. Nedu Anyaoha, Self Employed

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2015—39

Over N3bn Benue LGs' tax deductions missing, says BIRS boss

By Peter Duru

M

AKURDI—BENUE Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, has alleged that over N3 billion Pay As You Earn, PAYE, tax deductions from local government council employees in the state between 2012 and 2013 were not remitted to the coffers of government.

Executive Chairman of BIRS, Mrs. Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, made this known yesterday when officials of the Board visited the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, in Makurdi.

Mrs. Adzape-Orubibi disclosed further that over N427 million PAYE tax deductions from local government staff, accruable to the government between July and September 2015 were yet to be remitted to the coffers of the government.

The BIRS boss, who decried the development, cautioned that the Board could be compelled to invoke the necessary laws to sanction all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, that diverted

government revenue.

She said: “That is why we are urging all organizations, government agencies and ministries, including the Bureau, who are owing and not up to date with their tax remittances to the Board, to do so or we may

be compelled to invoke the necessary laws for that purpose.

“We will resist any attempt by MDAs and other firms to withhold tax deductions due to the state government because doing so would amount to robbing the state government.”

Responding, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Titus Zam, assured that the Bureau would investigate the matter to trace the funds.

FORUM: From left: Hamisu Lambu, Special Adviser on Power and Energy to Kano State Governor; Professor Hafizu Abubakar, Deputy Governor, Kano State; Professor Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and Ubale Maska, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, at a forum on the awareness of electromagnetic field, EMF, from telecoms infrastructure in Kano, yesterday.

PDP govt responsible for Nigeria's woes —Okorocha B

By Suzan Edeh

AUCHI—THE Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum and governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has said the mismanagement of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government was responsible for the sufferings experienced in the nation, assuring that the APC government would address all the challenges facing Nigeria.

He said the APC was a masses oriented party created to touch the lives of the ordinary man in the country.

According to him, APC government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has all it takes to fix the problems of the country.

Okorocha, who stated this yesterday while giving a brief remark at the opening ceremony of the APC governors progressive meeting at the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi, said the aim of the APC governor ’s meeting was to address critical issues affecting the ordinary man, pointing out that the nation was going through a very difficult moment.

“This meeting will also avail the governors the opportunity to look at the upcoming election in Kogi and Balyelsa states because we want the wind of change to blow across these states in the next election .

“We will also discuss with APC

state leaders and national chairman of the party on how to the strengthen the APC because this is a party for today and tomorrow,” he said Okorocha commended the

judiciary in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states over the outcome of the sitting of the tribunal, saying it met the expectations of Nigerians.

In his address, Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar, told the governors that since the

revenue from the federal account was dwindling, they should should look inwards by improving the internally generated revenue in their states to maintain a vibrant economy.

PDP gov candidate, Sen Pwajok dies

By Henry Umoru & MarieTherese Nanlong

J

OS—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the April 11 governorship election in Plateau State, Senator Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok, is dead.

Senator Pwajok, who represented Plateau North senatorial zone in the 7th Assembly and was succeeded by the incumbent, Senator Jonah Jang, contested the last governorship election but lost to the incumbent governor, Simon Lalong, of All

Progressives Congress, APC. GNS, as the late senator was fondly called, was said to have died on Wednesday night in an Indian hospital at the age of 48, after a protracted liver disease.

He took ill sometime in May this year and was not really seen in the public shortly after the general elections.

Consequently, he was not able to join his colleagues in the valedictory session of the 7th Assembly.

Though there is no official report about his demise, friends of his family have confirmed the incident, adding

that arrangements were on to return his remains to the country.

However, condolences are being expressed on social media and citizens of the state are discussing the situation in hushed tones.

Reacting to his death yesterday, the national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described the death as shocking, especially coming at a time he was still pursuing his case at the tribunal.

Royal father lauds Wada on grassroots devt

L

By Kingsley Fanwo

OKOJA—THE Oba of Illah Bunu, Kabba/Bunu local government area of Kogi State, His Riyal Highness, Oba Folorunsho Ikutanwa, has hailed the government of Capt Idris Wada for paying necessary attention to rural development.

The royal father made the commendation in his palace in a chat with Vanguard, saying

Governor Wada had shown that governance was not all about urban renewal but also charting a sustained rural transformation agenda.

He said: “One of the achievements of the present administration in the state is the attention given to rural communities. Through different government agencies, the governor has been able to provide

infrastructures for improved rural life.

“What people at the rural areas demand for are not beyond the government. They want potable water, good roads and improved medical facilities. ‘’They want good schools for their children that will be able to compete with their counterparts anywhere in the

Lagos holds 1st int'l poetry festival

By Elizabeth Uwandu

By Elizabeth Uwandu

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AGOS—THE first Lagos International Poetry Festival, which would run between October 28 and November 1, 2015, was declared opened at Freedom Park on Wenesday.

Themed “Borderless Words’, one of Africa’s icon, Prof. J. P Clark, is expected to be honoured at the festival for his contributions to literacy discourse within and across the globe.

Director of the festival, Efe Paul, said the theme of this year’s festival was unique as it bordered on issues of migration within Africa and, indeed, the entire Europe and the impart of creativity in bridging the gap of ethnicity, racism, and gender issues, among others.

He said: “Borderless Words as a theme coincides with a season of heightened forced migration, not only in Africa but also across Europe, with the ensuring tensions compelling a reevaluation, a cursory look at borders restrictions and our humanity as a whole.’’

The five days festival, according to the organisers, will feature workshops/ masters classes, school outreaches, panel discussions, readings and performances in open spaces and enclosed venues across the city, including a conversation with Prof. JP Clark.

Passage

H

IS ROYAL Highness Oba Funso Omo-Ogunkoya JP (Afimolegbade-Tunwase 1), the Saderiren of Isonyin, Ijebu North East Local Government, Ogun State is dead.

According to a statement issued by Isonyin Community Development Association, burial activities has been scheduled for November 27 and 28, 2015 in Isonyin.

Late Oba Funso OmoOgunkoya

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

C M Y K

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: From left—CEO, Flying Doctors, Dr. Ola Orekunrin; MD, Easy Taxi, Adaora Isala; Regional Director, GLEEHD, Mr. Dayo Israel; Consul General, US Consulate, Dehab Ghebreab; former President, Nigerian Philosophical Association, Professor Sophie Oluwole; Chairperson, GLEEHD Foundation Governing Board, Chief (Mrs.) Opral Benson, and summit President at the Women in Business and Leadership Summit, WIBLES, in Lagos.

GTB AWARD: From left— Managing Director/CEO, GTBank, Segun Agbaje; CFO, West Africa, ABN Nigeria Ltd, Mary Ojulari, and Managing Director, Robert Bosch Ltd, Ghislain Noumbessy, at the presentation of the West Africa Business Leader of the Year award to Agbaje in Lagos.

MULTICHOICE/PEP: From left— Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mrs Caroline Oghuma; Financial Manager, PEP, Mrs Kofo Awonuga; Channel Relationship Manager, MultiChoice, Mrs Aderoju Ope-Ajayi; Logistic Manager, PEP, Mr Abdul Azeez Iposu, and Public Relations Manager, GOtv, Mrs Efe Obiomah, during a briefing on MultiChoice/PEP partnership in Lagos. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

INDUCTION: From left— Past President, Ikeja D’Ivy Lions Club, Lion Mrs Otunba Felicia Koleoso; 1st Vice District 404B-2 Governor, Lion Tos Adewunmi, and Lion Mrs. Florence Oshofisan, at Oshofisan's induction as the club's new President in Lagos.

ORDAINED: From left — International President, Christian Ministers and Ministries Network International, CMIMNI, Bishop Zukka Bonet; one of the newly-ordained evangelists, Ms Margaret Adimbite, and Bishop Alice Bonet, after the ordination of 17 ministers in Kubwa, Abuja.

BRIEFING: From left — Janet Udogu; Editor-in-Chief, Mrs Maureen Umanah, and Editorial Consultant, Quaye Tawiah, all of Billboard World Magazine, at a briefing in Lagos. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

FELLOWS AWARDS: From left — Professor Sonnie Oniye, Mrs. Olafunke Bangbose, Engr. Adebola Shabi, Professor Ademola Omojola, Professor Nurudeen Olasupo, Dr Titilayo Anibaba, representative of Professor Babtunde Rabiu; Mrs. Onisarotu, representing her husband, Mr. Oluwatoyin Onisoratu, all conferred Fellow; Dr. Funmilayo Doherty, President, Society for Environmental Toxicology and Polution Mitigation, SETPOM, and others, at the 2015 Fellows Award conferment and SETPOM conference, in University of Lagos, UNILAG.

CHARITY: Chairman, Peters Mission for the Less-Privileged, Mr. Onoriobe Peter-Smith (2nd left), donating relief materials to flood victims at the Internally Diplaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Asaba, Delta State.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—41

RIVERS GOV POLL: Appeal Court expunges part of APC’s petition against Wike

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

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BUJA—THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, expunged some paragraphs of the petition that led to the annulment of the April 11 governorship election that brought Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to power.

In a judgment it delivered, a three-man panel of Justices of the Appeal Court headed by Justice Datti Yahaya, struck out portions of the petition alleging that security agents were used to rig the election in favour of Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The decision of the appellate court followed an interlocutory appeal that was lodged before it by the APC and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

Both APC and Peterside had gone before the court to challenge the ruling of the previous chairman of the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal panel, Justice Muazu Pindiga, which deleted paragraphs of the petition containing criminal allegations against unnamed security operatives.

Justice Pindiga, who was subsequently removed from presiding over the petition by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, based his decision on the fact that the petitioners failed to join the said security agents and other persons it said participated in the

alleged electoral fraud as parties to the suit.

Among those that the APC alleged masterminded the rigging of election in Rivers State included wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience.

But, dissatisfied with the ruling of the lower tribunal, the petitioners took the matter before the appellate court.

While upholding the decision of the tribunal yesterday, the appeal court held that paragraphs of the petition containing allegations of electoral crime against named and unnamed security agents

and alleged political thugs should be expunged from the record of the tribunal.

The court stressed that the petitioners ought to have joined the accused security agents and political thugs as parties to the petition.

Specifically, the court directed that evidences that were led against security agents and political thugs, whether named or unnamed, in the course of hearing of the petition against Wike, where the said security agents and alleged political thugs were not joined as parties, should be struck out.

The Court of Appeal further

directed that all the criminal allegations contained in the petition against the said security agents and alleged political thugs be expunged as they had no opportunity to defend themselves at the tribunal.

The court held that in cases where criminal allegations were made against institutions, agents and individuals, the law required that in the interest of justice, they should be joined as parties to the matter.

Other members of the appeal court panel that delivered the judgment were Justices Tanim Yusuf and Mustapha Mohammed.

VISIT: Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade (left) with the Chief Operating Officer, General Electric, Engineer Ahmed Zakari, during a courtesy call by the team of General Electric Nigeria, in Calabar, yesterday.

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ALABAR—RELIGIOUS tension is brewing in Cross River State, after the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, rejected the directive by the state government to stop morning devotion in secondary and primary schools across the state, saying such a directive is totally unacceptable to the association.

In a statement, CAN state chairman, Archbishop Joseph Edra Ukpo, yesterday, called on the state government to immediately withdraw the directive as it negated freedom of worship in the state.

The statement said: “Sequel to the letter from the Ministry of Education with reference No MOE/S132/VOL 1, by the Permanent Sectary of the Ministry of Education dated October 21, directing public and private primary/secondary schools across the state to suspend all assemblies (morning and afternoon) till further notice, the Christian

Association of Nigeria , Cross River State chapter, hereby, says that such directive is totally unacceptable. This directive will negatively affect the moral upbringing of our children who are future leaders of this country.”

Mrs Anne Odey, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of

Education in the state, had last week, written a letter to all schools across the state, both primary and secondary, ordering the suspension of morning and afternoon devotions.

When contacted, Mrs Odey said the directive came from the state Commissioner of

By Samuel Oyadongha

Y

ENAGOA—AHEAD of the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson, has urged security agencies to intensify efforts at keeping the state safe before, during and after the election.

Granting audience to the new Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Apoehi Suleiman, in Yenagoa, Dickson restated his administration’s commitment to partnering with the Nigerian Navy to effectively police the waterways in the state.

He said: “We expect no less from you and at a time that our state is gearing up for governorship election, we are counting on the Navy and other related services to ensure that violence along the waterways does not discredit or mar the poll.

Bayelsa cannot be safe until the Navy plays its own role because of our maritime nature. The security of even the upland areas depends so much on the security of the creeks and waterways."

Kubeyinje passes on

T

Religious tension brews in Cross River

By Emma Una

Bayelsa poll: Dickson tasks security agencies on safety

Police, Mr Henry Fadairo, in view of prevailing security concerns in the country, adding that it was not the state government that was trying to stop the age long practice established by missionaries who established most of the schools in the state.

HE death has occurred in Manhattan, New York, U.S.A., of John Foritse Kubeyinje on October 23, 2015 at the age of 51.

Johnny, as he was fondly called, will be interred tomorrow. He is survived by his mother, brothers and several relatives.

Edo ex-PDP council chairmen slam Oshiomhole over sack of LG bosses

T

HE Association of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Former Council Chairmen, an umbrella political organisation of all former executive council chairmen of PDP in the 18 local government areas of Edo State, has slammed Governor Adams Oshiomhole over what it termed, “illegal sack of local government chairmen.”

Mr Victor Enoghama, state chairman of the association in a statement, yesterday in Benin City, said: “For quite some time now, we have observed, with great concern, the happenings in many local government areas in the state ranging from inactivity and non-payment of council workers’ salary to illegal and arbitrary sack of elected council chairmen by the governor. While we do not support corruption, indiscipline and dereliction of duties by either elected or appointed public officers, we

uphold tenaciously the tenets of democracy as powered by the constitution and on which provisions the

government must adhere to in sanctioning erring elected council officials."

Late John Kubeyinje

42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

DELE GIWA’S MURDER: Omeben lied, I made

statements to police twice — SOYINKA F

ORMER LONDON Bureau Chief of Newswatch Magazine, Kayode Soyinka, who was present when Dele Giwa, the co-founder of the magazine was murdered in 1986 through a letter bomb, has dismissed as lies comments by a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Chris Omeben, that he fled after the attack and was never questioned.

Omeben said on Monday that Soyinka was a prime suspect in the murder but the Newswatch management shielded him from being quizzed by the police.

Mr. Soyinka, who is now the publisher of Africa Today magazine, told Premium Times from his London base that he was questioned twice by the police after the incident and accused Omeben of deceit.

In his comments, Soyinka said: “I gave statements not once but twice to the same Nigerian Police he represents before I eventually left Nigeria. The first one was at the hospital where I was admitted – Dele’s body was next door to me.

That interrogation by a senior police officer whose name I cannot recall took place on the spot when the incident was still fresh. It was inside the hospital. Dele Olojede (publisher of defunct 234next newspaper) was beside me – he is alive, go and ask him,” he said.

Continuing, Mr. Soyinka said: “The second statement I made when the police requested to see me again. It was made at the premises of Newswatch in Oregun Road in Lagos in the presence of the eminent lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

"I don’t know why Omeben did not know about this and he is accusing me wrongly. The statement I made, and the ones made by Funmilayo (Dele’s wife) and Billy, I believe, is now in public domain. Chief Gani Fawehinmi must have published them in the

CAMPAIGN: From left, Assistant Chief Driver, Mr. Amos Oyedeji; Chief Security Officer, Mr. Amorighoye Miller, both Vanguard Media Limited; Zonal Head, Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO, Engr. Tony Garuba; Deputy Admin Manager, Vanguard Media Limited, Mr. Hassan Balogun; Area Command, VIO, Engr. Bode Jimoh, and Chief Driver, Vanguard, Pastor Felix Oregbeyiwa, during the Annual Safety Campaign Week, and workshop for Vanguard Media Ltd Drivers , by Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Services, and Vanguard Media Limited, at Vanguard Premises, Apapa, Lagos, yesterday. Photo:Kehinde Gbadamosi series of books he published on this subject before he died.

“So I don’t understand why Omeben should tell Nigerians such blatant lies. That is wickedness. He does not fear God at all. Thank God I am alive and I can respond to him. Can you imagine if I had died with Dele, Omeben and cohorts would have succeeded in putting cotton wool on the faces of Nigerians and sold a different story completely to them to exonerate those who did it.

Telephone discussion Mr. Soyinka recalled that Halilu Akilu called Mr. Giwa’s house about three times within 24 hours and spoke to Funmilayo, Dele’s wife, to know how to get to the journalist’s Ikeja home.

“On the Sunday of the bomb blast Dele had spoken to Akilu from his upstairs bedroom before coming down to have breakfast with me, to tell him that he heard he had called him on Saturday and asked why. The letter bomb

was delivered to the house within 45 minutes after that early morning telephone discussion between Dele and Akilu. So who should be Omeben’s ‘principal suspect’ then? Should it be me who was bombed with Dele? Or

Akilu?

“His ‘principal suspect’ should be Halilu Akilu, who called Dele’s house about three times consecutively Saturday before the Sunday bombing and spoke to Funmilayo, Dele’s wife, to ask for

Five Customs chiefs resign BUJA — Five of the six Customs Service Board.

In their joint letter, they said A Deputy Comptrollers General of the Nigeria having attained the pinnacle of Customs Service yesterday voluntarily retired from the service.

They are John Atte (Finance, Administration and Technical Service) ; Adewuyi Akinade (Tariff and Trade); Tahir Musa (Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection; Chukwuma Nwosu and Mera IM, According to authoritative sources in the organisation, the five senior customs chiefs wrote a joint letter of voluntary resignation through the Comptroller General of Customs Col Hameed Ali to The Chairman, Nigeria

their career, it was time to leave.

They thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity to service the nation.

The decision of the senior officers to resign was not unconnected with the appointment of Col Hammed Ali, a retired Army officer and confidant of the president as Customs Comptroller-General.

When the Customs spokesman, Mr Wale Adeniyi was contacted, he said he was not aware of the development while the Service had not responded as at last night.

Devaluation of Naira not an option, says Osinbajo

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

A

BUJA—VICE president, Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said that further devaluation of Naira was not a solution to the current economic down turn in the country.

He however announces federal government plan to set up $25 b Infrastructural Fund which would be sourced from local and international sources including Nigeria’s Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Osinbajo spoke when he received the Ambassadors of Italy Mr. Fulvio Rustico and the Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria Mr. Perry John Calderwood in his office at the presidential villa, Abuja.

He also recalled that his principal, president Muhammadu Buhari had at different fora said

that a further devaluation of the Nigerian currency was not healthy for the Nigerian economy.

He said “I don’t agree on devaluation and it is not that I am doctrinaire about it. In the first place, it is not a solution-we are not exporting significantly. And the way things are, devaluation will not help the local economy.

“What we need to do is to start spending more on the economy and then things will ease up a bit.”

The Vice President disclosed that already other sovereign wealth funds have indicated interest in the fund which would be used to address the nation’s decaying road, rail and power infrastructures.

He said “this is our approach to speeding up the country’s infrastructural development.”

Osinbajo also restated that the

current foreign exchange restriction is a temporary measure to ensure that “we don’t deplete our foreign exchange substantially,” at a time when the prices of oil in the international market is dropping.

He added that the restriction is also to bring some stability to the country’s foreign reserves without which Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, might be affected.

“I am not sure devaluation is the issue, but how to ensure foreign direct investment which is more useful”, he said.

Allaying the fears of investors who already have contracts and loan commitments, the Vice President also gave assurance that the federal government would work with the Central Bank of Nigeria to protect legitimate businesses from being affected by the current foreign

exchange restrictions.

The Vice President also called for greater economic ties between Nigeria and the two countries even as he conveyed the appreciation of the federation government to the envoys.

Meanwhile, a delegation of top executives from Citigroup led by Mr. Jim Cowles also paid a courtesy call on the Vice President.

description of and direction to Dele’s house in Ikeja.

“Omeben, said, and I quote: ‘Soyinka knew what was coming and he left the room to hide behind the wall.’ What a blatant lie? This man, who I understand is now a pastor, has no fear of God in him at all, making such bold erroneous statement like that on an issue of such sensitivity and accusing me, an innocent man – a victim and survivor of the bomb blast. He should ask God for forgiveness!

“Dele and I were the only two people in the study when Dele’s son Billy delivered the letter bomb to his father. Dele looked at it and handed it over to me. I looked at it and handed it back to him. He held the envelope with both hands, and tried to tear it through the top left-hand corner. He had not really opened it up, if he did it was only very slightly. And boom! The bomb exploded!’

Ayingba, Ikeja host Glo Laffta Fest, Slide ‘n’ Bounce

G

LOBACOM’S POPULAR music and comedy shows are scheduled for Ikeja in Lagos State and the rocky university town of Ayingba, Kogi State, this week.

The company said in a statement in Lagos that the comedy show, Glo Laffta Fest, was held, yesterday, at Ayingba, while Ikeja will play host to the music concert, Slide ‘n’ Bounce, tomorrow, October 31.

Anyingba, generally regarded as the heart of the Igalaland in Kogi State, became the first town in the North Central to host either of the two shows.

Slide ‘n’ Bounce kicked off on August 29, in Ibadan, while Laffta Fest started on August 30 in Benin City.

Globacom explained that for the Ikeja concert, Glo subscribers in the neighbourhood, who had used up to N2, 000 Glo recharge card in the last one month, will be able to attend the event, which will take place at the Water Parks Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

It added that the trio of Korede Bello, Burna Boy and P-Square had been contracted to entertain.

Elisha & Rebecca Oyekunle for burial

M

R. ELISHA & Mrs. Rebecca Oyekunle will be interred today, October 30, 2015, at Baptist Cemetery, Ekosin, after lying in state in Oyekunle's compound, Iyeku Road, Ekosin, Odo-Ofin Local Government Area and funeral service at Ogo Oluwa Baptist Church, Ekosin.

Entertainment of guests follows immediately at Ekosin Community Late Mr. & Mrs. Oyekunle Grammar School.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 43

44—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Only 10m Nigerians so far captured in National Identity project – Onyemenam

By Emmanuel Elebeke

T

HE DIRECTOR General and Chief Executive of National Identity Management Commission (NIMS), Mr. Chris Onyemenam has said that only 10 million Nigerians had been captured in the ongoing National Identity Number enrollment exercise across the country.

The NIMC DG disclosed this yesterday while presenting a paper entitled: The Role of Efficient Identity Management System in Medical Emergency, at the 10th year anniversary celebration of Lifeline Care Association held in Abuja.

Onyemenam decried what he called ‘the problems of inefficient management system in medical emergencies in the country and attributed it to lack of unique identification infrastructure in the system.

He emphasized the importance of efficient identity management infrastructure, which he said will lead to patient identity management system and urged Nigerians to key into the enrollment exercise.

ALLEGED FALSE DECLARATION OF ASSETS:

Saraki knows fate at A-Court today

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

A

BUJA—THE Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, will today, deliver judgment in the appeal seeking to quash the 13-count criminal charge pending against the Senate President, Dr. Olubukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. The appellate court had earlier adjourned its verdict on the matter indefinitely, a situation that forced the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal to defer hearing on the case against Saraki till November 5, to await the outcome of the appeal.

The tribunal took the decision to suspend full-blown hearing on the criminal case after the Justice Moore Adumein panel of the appeal court, on October 21, postponed its judgement without adducing any reason.

A source at the appellate court who spoke to Vanguard on ground of anonymity that day, insisted that the “eleventh-hour deferment of judgment on Saraki’s appeal”, was not unconnected with the just concluded screening of Ministerial nominees that were forwarded to the Senate by the Presidency.

Saraki is in his appeal, challenging the legal propriety of the 13-count charge that was

preferred against him by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

He was among other offences, alleged to have owned and operated foreign bank accounts while being a public officer.

However, aside challenging the charge, Saraki also queried the constitutionality of the warrant of arrest that was initially issued against him by Chairman of the CCT, Justice Umar.

Besides, the embattled Senate President, through his team of lawyers led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. J.B. Daudu, SAN, wants the higher court to ascertain whether the

UNVEILING: From left, Jonathan Akpoborie, Mr. Maxwell Loko, Director, NTA StarTV Network; Mr. Kanu Nwakwo, New Super Star Face of StarTimes Ambassador; Mr. Jack Liu,MD/CEO, StarTimes, and Mr. Oludare Kafar, Marketing Director, StarTimes, at the unveiling of Kanu Nwankwo as the New Super Star Face of StarTimes Africa, in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

Justice Umar-led panel subscribed to the appropriate legal procedure when it ordered him to mount the dock and enter his plea to the charge despite preliminary objections against his trial.

He raised 12 grounds of appeal against the CCT, supported by a 16-paragraphed affidavit and four exhibits.

Saraki also deposed another 17paragraphed affidavit of urgency, wherein he urged the higher court to intervene and protect him from what he described as “a politically motivated witch-hunt”.

Out of the 12-grounds, five of them are basically seeking to invalidate the charge against Saraki.

He is begging the appellate court to suspend the proceeding of the tribunal pending the hearing and determination of his substantive appeal against the Justice Umar-led panel.

The appellate court had on October 8, okayed accelerated hearing on the matter.

Meantime, the federal Government, while urging the appellate court to dismiss the appeal, maintained that it has garnered sufficient evidence to establish that Saraki, as a public officer, acquired several assets beyond his legitimate earnings.

FG, through its lead prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, equally told the appellate court that five witnesses it lined-up against the Senate President, have all expressed their readiness to appear before the CCT tomorrow to testify and tender exhibits against him.

Senate confirms Yakubu as INEC Chairman, 5 others as commissioners •Wants candidates to emerge a year before election, backs e- Voting, Diaspora voting

By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA—THE Senate yesterday confirmed the nomination of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as well as five others as federal commissioners to represent the five out of the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Those confirmed as federal commissioners of INEC were Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo, Dr. Anthonia Taiye Okoosi Simbine, Mrs Amina Zakari, Dr. mohammed Mustapha Lecky and Mr Soyebi Adedeji Solomon.

It will be recalled that Senate President Bukola Saraki had on Thursday last week read a letter from President Buhari intimating the Senate of the name of the new INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu and five other National Commissioners and for subsequent confirmation.

In the letter, President Buhari

also sought for the confirmation of Amina Bala Zakari who was acting INEC chair as Representative of the Northwest, Dr. O Taiye Okoosi (Kogi), North-Central, Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo (Borno), NorthEast, Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lecky (Edo), South-South and Mr. Soyebi Adedeji Solomon(Ogun) South-West.

Answering questions from the Senators, Professor Yakubu who noted that he was coming in to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor, Professor Attahiru Jega and not for experimentation, said that he would send to the National Assembly a bill that would amend the Electoral Act where candidates of political parties would emerge a year to the elections.

He said, “Prof. Jega has done a marvellous job in reforming the electoral system of this country.

I’m not coming in for experimentation. I’m coming for consolidation.”

The confirmed INEC chairman who boasted that it was too late

for anyone to intimidate him, however vowed that he will not in any way compromise his position, adding that the issue of E-voting and that of diaspora were desirable and inevitable, but however warned that if the E- Voting process must be adopted, Nigeria must trend with caution.

Professor Yakubu said, “I can’t be intimidated. In the services of this country, I can’t be intimidated. It is too late. I have the character to do the right thing.

Appropriate amendment “The success of any election depends on the ability of the Commission to organise, arrange elections properly and in advance.

But in this country, we have this culture of last minute rush. And as a result of this, so many things that are supposed to be done much early are not done. If six months is the time limit under the law at present, definitely we will look at the possibility of coming back to the National Assembly for an of the Electoral Act to enable us have longer period of time that will allow longer period of preparation.”

On E-voting, he said, “It is desirable and inevitable. If you look at the trajectory from the last 10 years, the voters register comes in an electronic form.

Initially, it was just a register, then photographs were added.

And in the last election, both photographs and biometric were added.

“So, it is inevitable that one day, we will go into electronic voting. But the experiences of other nations show that we have to thread cautiously. It’s technology, maybe untried, untested, we get bugged down.

Is it pure electronic voting or electronic voting paper trail like they do in Venezuela?

“We are still grappling with the problem of infrastructure either for simple ICT use in our institutions or in our places of work and homes. So, it’s desirable, inevitable, but we need to think through the implications of what we do.

Otherwise, we may rush into it and just get bugged down.

“There must be no room for experimentation. As far as I’m

concerned something has happened in this country in 2015.

And we need to consolidate on that rather than to begin new experimentation with longer span of testing the validity of the process.

“Fortunately for us at governorship level, we have staggered election by default. Very soon, it will be Kogi and Bayelsa.

Thereafter, we will have Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Edo and Anambra.

“There must be a guiding principle. The workability of the technology and adequate consultation with stakeholders.

The all-tested card reader and the challenges. The problem of technology is that it always comes up with challenges.”

On Diaspora voting, he said,”That is inevitable. As a student of history, I know that there was a time in the history of this country in the First Republic when political parties had branches overseas. And we have a large number of Nigerians overseas, one estimate put it at 15million. They remit $20billion annually in returns to the country.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 45

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

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Confirmation of name This is to confirm that Joy Nwadiuto Uzodinma is the same person as Mabel Nwadiuto Uzodinma as it appear on my ECObank Account. I now wish to be known and addrressed as Mabel Nwadiuto Uzodinma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—47

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remain valid. General

This is to certify that the name(s) Uche Ifeanyi, Ifeanyi Jekson and Ucheagbala Ifeanyi, refer to one and same person. I now wish to be known and addressed as Uche Ifeanyi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKOYE—We, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Bede Ifeacho Okoye, Mrs. Mary Rose Okoye, Dr Theophine Chinwuba Okoye, Mr Sunday Christian Chimezie Okoye, Mr Julian Toochukwu Okoye, Miss Ebele Gloria Okoye, Dr (Mrs) Maureen Ogochukwu Okoye, Mrs Chinyere Stella Okoye, Mrs Chinelo Judith Okoye, henceforth wish to be known and addressed as Mr Bede Ifeacho Akunne, Mrs Mary Rose Akunne, Dr Theophine Chinwuba Akunne, Mr Sunday Christian Chimezie Akunne, Mr Julian Toochukwu Akunne, Miss Ebele Gloria Akunne, Dr (Mrs) Maureen Ogochukwu Akunne, Mrs Chinyere Stella Akunne, Mrs Chinelo Judith Akunne. All former documents and records remain valid. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria; Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the general public please take note.

This is to inform the general public and FCMB that Oseyili Omofonria Paul and Uboh Paul is one and the same person. All former documents remain valid. FCMB and general public please take note.

C H U K W U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Chukwu Patricia Chiebonam, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Chidiebere Patricia Chiebonam. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANIGBO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Anigbo Amuchechukwu Lilian, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Afadi Amuche Ikechukwu Lilian. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AGBADAMUSI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Agbadamusi Ebi Patricia, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ebehirehmen Patricia Agbor. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UDOH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Udoh Susan Okon, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ntuk Susan Friday. All former documents remain valid. AIICOFA, Sea Petroleum and Gas Co., Union Bank Plc and general public please take note.

UZOIGWE—I, formerly Known and addressed as Miss Winifred Ogochukwu Uzoigwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Winifred Ogochukwu Edeh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

FOLANI—I, formerly Known and addressed as Miss Fidelia Fatima Faith Folani, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Okatta Faith Binta Fidelia. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

A S A G WA R A — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Ugochi Chioma Asagwara, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ugochi Chioma Nduka. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKOME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Okome Rosemary Toritseju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. O m a r i j i v w i e Rosemary Toritseju. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

SOWEMIMO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Sowemimo Joan Omotayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obazuaye Joan Omotayo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ODJUWUEDERHIE— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss A k p e s i r i Odjuwuederhie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Akpesiri Kodu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

THOMPSONBALOGUN—I, formerly known and addressed as Thompson-Balogun Tevane, now wish to be known and addressed as Usieta Eunice Tevane. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

MAGIC—I, formerly known and addressed as Magic Emmanuel, now wish to be known and addressed as Kobele Emmanuel. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation of name

YOU CAN BOOK YOUR ADVERT AT: TRINITY MALL, 79/81 OBAFEMI AWOLOWO WAY, IKEJA. CALL: 08028289689, 08035449960, MURPHÝ'S PLAZA, 27, SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND. CALL: 08038092373, 08033163424

48 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Special pr ayer ffor or Dr eem, pra Dr.. AbdulHak AbdulHakeem, Lagos Commissioner for Home Affairs Photos: Bunmi Azeez

Muharram 17, 1437 A.H.

Hajj: The aged, children can throw stones by proxy — Solate Ahmed Solate is the CEO/Managin Director of Hajj Mabrur, one of the popular Hajj agencies in the country founded by The Muslim Council, TMC. He shares his views on the ways of reducing crowd at the Jamarah, during the annual pilgrimage.

Excerpts.

By Aderonke Adeyeri

A

LOT of people have given accounts of the stampede that led to the death of many pilgrims, yet some are still missing, what do you think went wrong?

When things like this happened to us as Muslims, we should understand that it did not happen outside the Will of Allah.

But from the human perspective, the Saudi Arabian government had arranged that when you are going for the Jamarah, you take a particular route in and another for exit. But unfortunately, some people whose tents were nearer to the exit route felt going through the entrance meant trekking a long distance under the sun.

They wanted to avoid the stress, save time and energy.

This led to a gridlock and in situations like that, it could be chaotic. People behind could hardly see what was happening ahead of them. This led to the stampede as everybody struggled to survive.

Wrong decision I think the heat also contributed to the problem.

Summarily, the wrong decision by some pilgrims led to the stampede.

Were there no security officials on ground to prevent the crowd from taking the route?

For nine years, Jamarah has always been smooth. We only experienced stampede on the road to Jamarah. So the officials concentrated more on the road to Jamarah. Also, pilgrims walked in group. So stopping one or two persons from a group will likely not make a difference.

The security officials also made sure pilgrims didn’t take any item that could hurt others to Jamarah. Many pilgrims were illiterates and there was also a language barrier. Also, people like to be with their group in order not to miss their way. In fact, there was little the security officials could do. Their police are matured in their approach, they don’t harass pilgrims unlike what we have in Nigeria. This

than having casualties especially on the first day. For the pilgrims, I advise all pilgrims to adhere strictly to instructions. Most pilgrims only do things that soothes them forgetting the effect on others. Pilgrims should obey the Saudi Arabia officials because they have a bigger picture. Some people died because of dehydration, fatigue and heat. Some people had even collapsed out of fear. All these led to the large number of casualties.

There is also a principle in

means they have to let pilgrims have their way most of the time.

The security officials were overwhelmed by the pilgrims.

Another factor perhaps was that there were tents around.

Pilgrims in their tents were afraid and began to lock their tents.

May be if the pilgrims had opened their tents, others will have access to it and that would have reduced the crowd. But, I can’t blame those who locked their tents because it was done out of fear.

W h a t preventive measures should be taken to avert future reoccurrences?

I will advice the Saudi •Ahmed Solate Arabia authority to pay more attention to the Islam which most people don’t streets in order to control the want to take. The elderly ones crowd. If possible, they also need and children are allowed to go to do some reconstruction to directly to their tents. The create more space. Possibly principle permits them to do the remove some of the tents to avoid stoning rite by proxy, but we congestion. Also, I think usually go against this, because reducing the number of pilgrims everybody wants to have a feel is also not out of place. It’s better of all the rites. What we usually do in our group is to take the elderly ones in a bus at night and take them back to their tents from Muzdalifa. If others also do this, it will reduce the crowd to a certain level.

What makes Hajj Mabrur different?

Mabrur started not with What we usually do theHajj intention of making money but rendering services to the in our group is to faithful. We started 2001 take the elderly ones Muslim when we saw how some pilgrim in a bus at night and agencies were poorly treating pilgrims. They were not seeing take them back to to the welfare of pilgrims during their tents from hajj. My first time in Hajj was in 1997 through one pilgrim Muzdalifa. If others agency. We were left to struggle also do this, it will on our own. Personally, I didn’t reduce the crowd to a see any of their officials throughout. There was no one certain level to direct or guide.

To be concluded

From left: Hon. Fola Lasisi, Alh. Marufdeen Shitu, representing Chief Imam Epe, Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, Commissioner of Home Affairs and Alh. Bashir Maja, representing Chief Imam of Ikorodu, during the prayer and reception in Honour of Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef on his appointment as the Commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos state and completion of his Ph.D in Law, organized by Muslim Friends at Ostral Hall, Ikeja, Lagos.

From left: Sheik Zhikrulah Shafi, Head of The Muslim Congress, Prince Sulyman Olagunju, Chairman, Zakat and Sodaqat Foundation, Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, Commissioner of Home Affairs and Dr. Tajudeen Yusuf, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Bus Admin UNILAG, at the event.

From left:Dr. Ismail Ibraheem, Senior Lecturer Mass Communication UNILAG, Dr. Nurudeen Olaleye, Principal Lecturer Lagos State Polytehnic and Imam Abdullah Shuaib, CEO, Zakat and Sodaqat Foundation Cordinator Lagos, during the Prayer.

From left: Hajia Nimatullah Abdullateef AbdulQadr, Amirah Al-Muminat Organaistion; Dr. Ashiru Ajoke Sariyu, Amirah,FOMWAN , Lagos and Hajia Hafsa Badru, Amirah MSSN Lagos State Area Unit, during the Prayer and Reception in Honour of Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, recently.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015—49

14 Adamawa pilgrims comfirmed dead in Hajj stampede

By Umar Yusuf

Y

OLA—FOURTEEN indigenes of Adamawa State have been confirmed dead in the Hajj stampede during this year ’s pilgrimage that claimed more than 700 people.

Presenting this year ’s hajj report to the State Executive Council yesterday, the Executive Secretary of the state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Engineer Umar Bobboi, disclosed that nine of the persons died at the stampede site, while three others lost their lives at different places, adding that two were still missing.

According to the Executive Secretary, only one female

pilgrim was among the dead persons. Consequently, the State Executive Council

constituted a committee to visit the victims’ families.

It also approved presen-

22 candidates set for Kogi governorship

By Boluwaji Obahopo

L

OKOJA— THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the names of 22 governorship candidates and their running mates for the November 21 governorship election in the state.

Prominent among the governorship candidates are the incumbent, Idris Wada, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,

and Prince Abubakar Audu of All Progressives Congress, APC. Also in the list is the immediate past deputy governor of the State, Dr. Philip Salawu of Labour Party, LP; Isah Kamadeen, AA; Dickson Fred, Accord Party; Ukwenya Musa, ACD; Michael Abdullahi, AD; Usman Zainab, ADC; Odufu Friday, APA; Akwu Goodman, APGA; Yinka Oloruntoba, CPP;

Transcorp makes N7.2bn profit

By Nkiruka Nnorom

T

R A N S N AT I O N A L Corporation of Nigeria, Transcorp, has recorded group profit before tax of N7.2 billion for the nine month period ending September 30.

Highlights of the financial statement showed that the company recorded profit before tax of N1.24 billion, compared

tation of death certificates from Saudi authorities to the victim's families.

to loss after tax of N1.36 billion in third quarter, 2014.

The company ’s gross earnings stood at N2.27 billion, against N1.12 billion in the previous quarter in 2014 (group): N30.43 billion, compared to 2014 third quarter results of N31.40 billion.

The company’s total assets was stable at N54.06 billion, while group total assets was

up by seven percent to N182.98 billion, against N170.76 billion in 2014.

Emmanuel Nnorom, President/CEO of Transcorp Plc, said: “Our performance over the past nine months reflects the stability injected into the group’s corporate strategy since 2011, particularly in light of the challenging business environment.”

Philip Koleola, DPC; Abubarka Ibrahim, DPP; Ibrahim Adejoh, ID and Raji Ogrima, KOWA. Other governorship flagbearers are Mohammed Dangana, NCP; Mallam Abdul Hussien, NNPP; Emmanuel Daikwo, PDC; Emmanuel Ozigi, PPA; Dr. Oju Hussein, PPN; Enema Paul, SPD and Saadu Mukailu of UDP. INEC also disclosed that arrangements for a credible, free and fair election were in place.

Borno First Lady donates cancer kits

By Ndahi Marama

M

AIDUGURI— WIFE of Borno State governor and Founder, Support for Women, Orphans and Tsangaya, SWOT, Foundation, Hajiya Nana Shettima, yesterday, distributed kits for prevention and detection of cancer at early stages to wives of the 27 local government caretaker chairmen for onward delivery to targeted beneficiaries across the state.

Presenting the kits at a one-day cancer awareness campaign in Maiduguri, Hajiya Shettima said cancer, especially among the women in the state, was worrisome, hence the need for government at all levels to contribute their quota towards its prevention and eradication.

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 – 51

7-Star Osimhen dedicates goal to Tobechukwu

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OLDEN Eaglets’ talisman at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015, Victor Osimhen has spoken on why he dedicated his fifth goal of the competition in the 6-0 thrashing of The Joeys of Australia to out-of-action defender, Tobechukwu Ibe. Wednesday’s match at the Estadio Sausalito saw Osimhen scored a hat trick to take his tally so far in the competition to seven goals after four matches. He had previously scored a goal on the opening day in the 2-0 win over the USA; a brace in the 5-1 crushing of host Chile and a goal in the 2-1 defeat by Croatia.

“Tobechukwu is one of our key players but he has not played here; and immediately I scored the opening goal today (against Australia), he was the only one on my mind,” said Osimhen who has notched up a total of 48 goals for Golden Eaglets after 77 matches in all competitions.”He (Tobechukwu) is a good guy and has been encouraging all of us to work harder.” Going into Chile 2015, Tobechukwu was going to be one of the mainstays in Golden Eaglets’ back four until he suffered an injury few days to the kick off of the tournament but has gradually been working his way back to fitness.The ever-smiling Tobechukwu who bore his disappointment with selfcontrol , admitted he felt special by the outpouring of love from Osimhen and the team in general despite the fact that he has not played in the competition.

Victor Osimhen (l) celebrating a goal with team mates

Ambode appoints Adeboye as SSA, Sports

L

AGOS State g o v e r n o r, Akinwunmi Ambode has confirmed the appointment of Adeyinka Oni Adeboye as Senior Special Assistant on Sports.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, the appointment takes effect from October 26.

Mr Adeyinka Adeboye, was the Special Assistant, Football Matters to the former governor, Babatunde Fashola. He also served the state as a Deputy Vice Marshal, Kick Against Indiscipline.

Adeboye promised to replicate his past achievements in the state while declaring his unflinching commitment to the growth of sports in Lagos state

Oliseh Continues from BP Stadium in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, November 17.

Martins, who has not featured for the Super Eagles in two years, has been in great form in the Major League Soccer, and his invitation shows clearly that FIFA Technical Study Group member Oliseh has an open mind to all Nigerian players across the globe.

The invitation is also a sweet birthday present to Martins, who celebrated his big day on Wednesday. He scored for Nigeria on his debut in a friendly match against Republic of Ireland in London in May 2005.Six home – based professionals,

who all played notable roles in Nigeria’s qualification for the 4th African Nations Championship at the expense of Burkina Faso, are in the 23–man mix.

Chelsea of England midfielder John Mikel Obi, Portugal–based former junior internationals Dele Alampasu and Abdullahi Shehu and Arsenal FC’s Alex Iwobi are also invited, as well as former junior international defender Wilfred Ndidi.

Oliseh has directed all the players to arrive at the Bolton White Apartments, Abuja on Sunday, November 8 as training commences same day by 7pm.

Oliseh shocked me — Martins S

UPER Eagles returnee, Obafemi Martins said his recall to the national team was a bit of shock to him.

Obagoal, as he is fondly called by fans was included in the 23 player list called by Sunday Oliseh for the November world cup qualification tie against Swaziland.

“It was a bit of a shock, but a nice shock. I’m very happy, because I have always worked hard, supported and respected all the players picked by the coaches,” he told BBC sports

He was last called up by Nigeria in March 2013 for a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya.

Despite being his country’s most in-form striker last year, alongside Ikechukwu Uche, he was omitted from the Brazil 2014 squad.

However his good form has continued this season - he has struck 15 goals for MLS side Seattle Sounders - and Martins is determined to make the most of his Super Eagles recall.

NCC Tennis League second semifinals T HE cream of Nigeriantenniswill be in Abuja this weekend for the second semifinals of the Nigeria Communication Commission Tennis League whichisofferingarecordN11 million in prize money.

The first semifinal which took place in Enugu was a cliff-hanger with only two points separating winners Team Civil Defence and Team Ogun in the final mixed doubles match which ended 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

Now all eyes and ears are on Abuja where Team Tombim featuring Lagos

Governor’s Cup winner, Moses Michael; Christian Paul, gold medalist at the last sports festival and Sarah Adegoke ranked No.2 in Nigeria, are lined up to take on Team Kalotari from Port Harcourt.

Team Kalotari from Port Harcourt also has an array of talents led by former national No.1 and current doubles champion Sunday Maku.

Maku, winner of the doubles title at the CBN Senior Open this year is backedbyThomasOtu,CBN Senior Open singles

Amuneke

Continues from BP competition at the Estadio Sausalito in Vina Del Mar and others among the goals for Nigeria were skipper Kelechi Nwakali, striker Samuel Chukwueze and Edidiong Essien. “ Where do I start from ?

Amuneke said rhetorically in an interview with thenff.com before heading for the post match conference.” It was a good performance by our players and I want to congratulate them for a job well done.

“This was an interesting match because the Australians are a very good side and they have some individually good players; but I want to praise my players for following through the plans and our strategy which gave us victory. “ Our performance was better than our last when we lost 2-1 to Croatia and we are hopeful that they continue to get better and make progress in the competition start-

ing with our next game ,” he noted. Golden Eaglets’ 6-0 hammering of The Joeys has set up a tantalising quarter-final fixture against the Samba Boys of Brazil who ran away with a late goal against New Zealand on Sunday at the same venue. The encounter will be the second time both teams would meet after Nigeria earned a 2-1 win over the Samba Boys at the Suwon U-17 International Tournament in September. Amuneke said the Brazilians would be accorded the needed respect as one of the favourites , adding the Golden Eaglets already have their work cut out. “It is going to be an interesting game and we have seen what the Brazilians can do with or without the ball,” noted Amuneke. “All what we have to do now is to keep working hard so that we can come with stronger plans to play them on Sunday.”

champion, Sylvester Emmanuel, winner of the

Ikoyi Club Senior Masters and Bala Musa.

L-R: Mr. Godwin Kienka, Director, International Tennis Academy; Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Messrs.Tony Ojobo, Director Public Affairs and Reuben Muoka, Head, Public Relations, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) during the second day of the first Semi-final of the NCC Tennis Tournament in Enugu, Enugu State, recently.

Continues from BP

Chile

place in the last 16 and the dejection of exiting the tournament on Wednesday.

“They’re all crying in the dressing room,” revealed coach Miguel Ponce following the 4-1 loss to Mexico that ended the hosts’ participation at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015.

When English referee Michael Oliver signalled the ended of the match, the Chile players slumped to the ground at the Estadio Nelson Oyarzun Arenas in Chillan. They stayed there motionless for several minutes. And though their team-mates and the coaching staff rose from the bench to offer solace and hugs, nothing could alleviate the pain of defeat for the

disconsolate players in red.

Having rescued their tournament in their final group game, hopes were high among the Chileans that they could make further progress.

“When you get this far and things start working out, as they did for us, you start to dream of going even further,” added Ponce, reflecting on what might have been.

Those hopes seemed to be justified when Ponce’s side took the lead against the Mexicans, the first time in the competition they have struck first. Within two minutes, however, E l Tri, one of the favourites for the trophy, were level, with three secondhalf strikes putting paid to Rojita dreams of glory.

52 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Iheanacho, a world star in the making — Pellegrini •As Oliseh makes U-turn

K

ELECHI Iheanacho scored one and made two, in Manchester City’s 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace in the Capital One cup on Wednesday night. Manager Manuel Pellegrini declared that the former Golden Eaglets star will make a big impact in world football.

It was an impressive way for the youngster to mark his first start for the club and it offered City some encouragement at a time of limited attacking options with leading scorer Sergio Aguero still out injured.

Pellegrini said: ‘It was very important for Kelechi to demonstrate once again that he’s a very good player. He’s not just a striker he provided two assists.

I’m very happy for him. He has things to improve but he’s working in the correct way.’

Iheanacho played up front with Wilfried Bony, who also scored. Iheanacho teed up goals for Kevin De Bruyne and fellow teenager Manu Garcia while Yaya Toure also struck from the penalty spot.

Pellegrini said: ‘I think this moment it’s important for the team to have Kelechi and Bony as options without Kun (Aguero).

“They can play both together as they did tonight.

Of course Kelechi was very impressive but Wilfried also knows he has all my trust and his team-mates’ trust.

Kun is impossible to replace but we know we have another option in attack.”

Meanwhile, Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has had a rethink about the inclusion of Kelechi Iheanacho, in his 23 players list for the World Cup qualifier against Swaziland.

Oliseh said in a tweet: “I initially called up 23 but after seeing repeat of City/Palace Capital One Cup. I’m adding Iheanacho to the list.”

Guardiola: Barcelona defeat one of my finest moments as Bayern coach

B

CELEBRATION... Manchester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates after scoring a goal.

NFF queries Siasia N

IGERIA Football Federation (NFF) has fired U23 coach Samson Siasia a query over what they described as his “media outburst” on Wednesday.

Siasia went public to accuse his employers of abandoning his team with a month to Rio Olympics qualifying tournament in Senegal.

He said the team are owed match bonuses, allowances and he himself has not been paid for three months.

He therefore declared he should not be held responsible should the country fail to qualify for the Olympics

football event.

It was gathered that the NFF officials were “highly embarrassed” by the statements of the coach particularly after he was briefed by a topranking executive committee member about the financial predicament of the federation after the single treasury account adopted by the federal government came into force.

The query has demanded why sanctions should not be imposed on him for his “media outburst”.

The African U23 Nations Cup will be staged in Senegal from November 28 and it will serve as a qualifier for next year’s Olympics in Rio. Siasia’s Dream Team VI are scheduled to train in Morocco and Gambia prior to the championship, where they are drawn against Egypt, Algeria and Mali.

•Siasia

AYERN Munich coach Pep Guardiola has claimed his side’s Champions League defeat against Barcelona in 201415 was one of his finest moments in charge of the Allianz Arena outfit.

The Bavarians took on their coach’s former team in the semi-finals last term, with Barcelona eventually progressing to the final 53 on aggregate, despite a 3-2 defeat in Munich.

Guardiola was not too bothered by Bayern’s failure to win the Champions League, though, as he was proud of his side’s performance regardless of the eventual outcome and feels European success is a matter of time.

“One of the best moments of my career as Bayern coach was the semi-final defeat against Barcelona,” Guardiola said at a news conference.

“The fans were all applauding us. They are not stupid. They all saw the players gave everything for the jersey.

“Successful San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich once said success needs time. What we are doing here is a process.”

Guardiola won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2008-09 and 2010-11, but European club football’s main trophy has evaded him so far with Bayern.

The Bundesliga champions were eliminated in the semi-finals by Real Madrid in 2013-14, before Barca proved to be too strong last season.

Mascherano pleads guilty to tax evasion

B

•Mascherano

ARCELONA mid fielder Javier Mascherano has pleaded guilty to tax evasion after appearing at a Spanish court on Thursday.

The Argentina star was accused of failing to alert Spanish authorities to earnings totalling more than €1.5million, reports said.

Mascherano is alleged to have used companies he owns in Portugal and the United States to cover up

two payments for image rights in 2011 and 2012.

A spokesman for Mascherano told Argentine news agency Telam:

“The defendant acknowledged the facts and his responsibility for tax evasion.”

Claims in the Spanish press said that Maschera-

no has already paid €1.5m to the tax office with a further €200,000 in interest, and it is thought that by pleading guilty he will avoid a prison sentence.

Eto’o joins fight against Boko Haram

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AMEROON football star Samuel Eto’o has set up a foundation to help people displaced by the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Eto’o who starred for various clubs in Europe including Barcelona and Chelsea floated the ‘Yellow Whistleblower’ FC foundation to raise funds and awareness to help dis-

placed people.

The 34-year-old urged leaders and the media to react as they did to the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris in January.

•Guardiola

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 53

C M Y K

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 — 55

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015

Tears flow as hosts bid farewell

T

HE last few days have been high on emotion for La Rojita and not without their ups and downs, from the

U-17 W/Cup nerves of their debut against Croatia and the dogged determination to

take something from a heavy defeat to the mighty Nigeria, to the joy of beating USA for a Continues on Page 51

Oliseh calls Martins, Mikel, 21 others for Swaziland W

ITH a firm accent on current form and ability, Head Coach Sunday Oliseh has invited 23 players, including USA –based Obafemi Martins and six home –based professionals, for the Super Eagles’ 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against Swaziland.

The two–legged fixture will take place over four days next month, with the first leg in Lobamba on Friday, November 13 and the return at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Continues on Page 51

7-Star Osimhen dedicates goal to Tobechukwu — Pg.51 •Martins

Amuneke hails Eaglets G

OLDEN Eaglets Head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke has heaped plaudits on his wards after an imperious

performance in a 6-0 win over Australia in the Round of 16 encounter at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 on

Wednesday.

Victor Osimhen scored the opening goal as well as the first hat trick of the Continues on Page 51

RAMPANT EAGLETS: Players of national U-17 team celebrate hat-trick hero Victor Osimhen (r) during the match against Australia. Nigeria won 6-0.

QUICK CROSSWORD

T OD AY'S PUZZLE ODA

FRI DAY'S ANS WERS FRID ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Lustre (6) 5 Torn (6) 9 Domesticated (50 10 Deserved (6) 11 Noisier (6) 12 Decoration (5) 14 Scorch (4) 17 Gender (3) 18 Otherwise (4) 20 Consumed (5) 22 Mix (5) 23 Cut (7) 24 Send (5) 26 Singer (5) 29 Paradise (4) 30 Border (3) 32 Mature (4) 33 Broader (5) 35 Charm (6) 36 Molluse (6) 37 Storehouse (5) 38 Deposited (6) 39 Required (6)

DOWN 1 Penetrate (6) 2 Lasso (6) 3 Staunch (4) 4 Hell (5) 5 Ease (5) 6 Hero (4) 7 Pool (6) 8 Dashed (6) 13 Erased (7) 15 Loathed (5) 16 Sap (5) 18 Senior (5) 19 Pry (5) 21 Entrap (3) 22 Wager (3) 24 Disclose (6) 25 Repaired (6) 27 Pinched (6) 28 Halted (6) 30 Rented (5) 31 Fruit (5) 33 Paddle (4) 34 Ceremony (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 4, Stray 7, Precis 9, Cur 10, Mad 12, Rural 13, Iced 15, Reset 17, Resist 19, Heed 20, Greet 22, Tar 24, Desired 27, Pot 28, Erode 31, Stop 33, Dulled 35, Irate 37, Wide 38, Erase 39, Ear 41, Tan 42, Demure 43, Adder.

DOWN: 1, Spring 2, Severe 3, Vim 4, Sure 5, Truth 6, Awakened 8, Sari 11, Destitute 14, Deed 16, Star 18, Step 21, Restored 23, Reel 25, Soda 26, Drew 29, Odious 30, Eleven 32, Piste 34, Lead 36, Rear 40, Rep.

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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