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NNPC deploys drones to monitor oil vessels CHIDI UGWU AND OSAHON JULIUS

roup Managing Director of Nigerian National

Kachikwu

Vol. 5 N0. 1191

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has disclosed plans to deploy drones across the nation’s territorial waters to monitor the inward and outward movements of oil

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Diversification, key to stemming recession in Africa –AfDB boss, Adesina

bearing vessels. This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs

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Afenifere kicks against Buhari’s appointments ...says Yoruba not cannon fodder

Lawyer drags President to court over Igbo marginalisation

OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU AND ADEOLA TUKURU

fenifere Renewal Group, ARG, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to make a strong “first impression” following anxious agitation across the country CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Firearms possession: Dasuki docked, gets bail on self recognition P.4

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L-R: Former Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa; former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki and others, after Dasuki was arraigned over unlawful possession of arms and ammunition, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

CDS summons commanders on Boko Haram deadline ...troops recapture Gamboru Ngala

We must manage our resources or face economic decline –FG

P.5 P.6

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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Afenifere kicks against Buhari’s appointments CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

on recent presidential appointments. The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, said the appointments had created many confusing interpretations, instead of galvanising the country towards an expected course to rebuild Nigeria as charted in All Progressives Congress, APC, manifestoes. Famoriyo said: “Our people have hope that the new administration

would engender genuine rapprochement between nationalities in Nigeria; but there are now growing perception, at least, in the Southern parts of the country, that the President might be slipping into the stereotypical Northern hegemonist he was labelled as during the campaigns.” Saying that Nigeria was in deep crisis prior to the last election and that a new government was acutely required, ARG added that the present administration must

stop what appeared to be the frittering away of the goodwill invested in it and “not treat our people with disdain; as they have not forgotten that exactly this kind of insensitivity marked the point of derail for the last administration.” Calling for unity among Yoruba political leaders, ARG said: “The unheard but agitated voice on the street is that there is urgent need for unity amongst all Yoruba political leaders, which they henceforth must consciously work

to sustain. It is therefore crucial for them to close ranks and work together if they must continue to earn their current recognition as leaders.” It said that “President Buhari and APC leaders must also remember that the party is not just a political platform but a product of an ideological belief that aims to stabilise Nigeria and bring it to its full potential by nurturing the kind of union that produced the party. “Therefore, the party has a responsibility to

all Nigerians, as custodian of that ideology, by ensuring that every policies and decisions of the Federal Government – including appointments to public offices – are done to promote development across all spectrums. “While we call for the continued support of our people for Buhari’s administration, we also want to remind Mr. President that Yoruba people have never been a cannon fodder and will resist any such treatment.”

Ile-Ife Prince, Adedamola Aderemi (left) and Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, during a visit to the governor, in Lagos, recently.

NNPC deploys drones to monitor oil vessels CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Division of NNPC, Ohi Alegbe. According to the statement, the NNPC boss gave the hint in a presentation at the special conference on Security in the Gulf of Guinea organised by the Gusau Institute. Dr. Kachikwu stated that the Corporation is working on a range of far -reaching options designed to end the ugly episodes of crude and petroleum products theft within the next eight months. “We are launching an armada of approaches which will include incorporation of drones to check movements of vessels within our territo-

rial waters; we are looking at the current logistical nightmares of changing staffing at the loading bay of crude oil export terminals virtually every 90 days. We are trying to equip the navy sufficiently though they are very well equipped in terms of skill set but not in terms of arsenal for patrols within the maritime area.” On the issue of pipeline protection, the GMD explained that though the Corporation was working assiduously with the law enforcement agencies to increase the presence of military personnel in the area, the ultimate security for the critical oil and gas assets was squarely with

the host communities. “The best security for these pipelines lies with the communities. We are trying to create enough incentives for them to see these pipelines as their own,’’ he said. Lamenting the impact of oil theft on the smooth operations of the nation’s refineries, the NNPC GMD warned that if left unchecked, the menace could invariably make it impossible for the NNPC to operate the refineries. “Most of our product pipelines are ruptured and attacked frequently. For instance, between June 2014 and June 2015, we recorded about 3,500 to 4,000 attempts at the various

products pipelines across the country. In addition to that, the pipelines that are supposed to convey crude to the refineries are perpetually hacked, ’’ he said. Dr. Kachikwu noted that the resort to the use of marine vessels to convey crude to the refineries is coming at heavy cost. “What this means is that no matter what we do with the refineries today, unless that is solved, we really are going nowhere, we cannot operate the refineries.” He explained that beyond the loss of crude and products, the incidents of oil theft had also claimed a huge number of human lives.

He informed that in the last three years a total of 350 persons including NNPC staff, Police officers, community members had been killed as a result of activities of oil thieves. “Today, I ask all of you to join us in this campaign, it is not just a campaign for NNPC but it is a campaign for every Nigerian…. So, it is war time, it is business time, it is focus time and there is a lot to do. Everybody is being called to the table and everybody is being called on the state of alert but in eight months we must be able to deliver an environment that is free from the vices of oil theft,’’ KachikCONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Meanwhile, an Abuja based lawyer, DimYdebuani Marcel, has dragged President Buhari, to court over the 25 appointments he made so far which excluded the South East geo-political zone. Marcel, in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/732/2015 instituted against the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Chairman, Federal Character Commission, filed on 31st August, 2015, by his counsel Jude Ifesemen, the plaintiff wants the court to determine whether the 25 appointments made so far by President Buhari is not against the spirit of section 14(3) of 1999 constitution as amended. “Whether the exclusion of South-East geopolitical zone in the 25 appointments made so far by the 1st defendant is unconstitutional and divisive? “Whether there are no qualified and credible or corrupt-free persons from the entire South East zone? “Whether the 2nd defendant has in the circumstance of this case, discharged its statutory duties under paragraph 8(1), (a), (b) and (c) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)”. The plaintiff prayed the court for an order compelling the 1st defendant (Buhari) to reverse the appointments so far made to observe and comply with the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). He also sought an order of court compelling the 2nd defendant (Chairman, Federal Character Commission) to invoke paragraph 8(1) (c) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 constitution (as amended) and order of court declaring all the appointments so far made null and void for violation of the principle of Federal Character enshrined in the constitution. The suit was supported with 23 paragraph affidavit deposed to by the plaintiff, Marcel. No date has been fixed for the matter.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Photo News

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (right) and Ambassador of Poland to Nigeria, Mr. Andrezj Dycha, during a courtesy visit to Mr. Fashola at his Surulere residence, Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria, Dr. Sonny Kuku; MD, Mr. Jibril Aku; former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Prof. Anya O. Anya, during Hallmark Public Policy Lecture Series, in Lagos, yesterday.

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L-R: Newly installed President, Rotary Club of Maryland, Rotarian Olufemi Akodu; his wife, Dupe; newly installed District 9110 Governor, Rotary International, Rotarian Otunba Bolaji Onabadejo and his wife, Serah, during the installation of Rotarian Dr. Olufemi Akodu in Lagos, recently.

L-R: Cathedral Provost, Ven. (Barr.) Adeyinka Ekanola; Bishop of Lagos Central Diocese, Rt. Rev. Gabriel Adebanjo; his wife, Dorcas; Vice Lay President, Chief Muyiwa Adebajo; Chairman, Ilupeju Archdeaconry, Ven. James Akinwande and Publicity Secretary, Chief Femi Adetona, during the welcome service for Rt. Rev. Adebanjo, new Bishop of The African Church, Lagos Central Diocese, at the Bethlehem Cathedral, Ebute-Meta, Lagos, yesterday.

National News

NULGE urges Buhari to probe LG joint account Olufemi Adeosun ABUJA

ational Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has declared support for the present administration’s anti-corruption war, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the ongoing probe to local government administration. It specifically urged the President to probe local government joint account through which billions of tax payers’ money has been frittered away. Addressing journalists in Abuja at the end of the National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, NULGE president, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, stated that the union had resolved to throw its weight in support of the fight against official graft in the country. Aside expressing readiness of the union to serve as a whistle blower, he added that the union’s NEC had resolved to mobilise members across the 774 local councils

in Nigeria to Abuja to participate in the anti-graft rally due to be convened by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. Khaleel added that though the ongoing clampdown on official graft at the federal level was commendable, such would have the desired impact if extended to other tiers of governments, which he claimed “also stink with filth.” He said, “We hope and pray that President Bu-

hari will also take the fight against corruption to the grassroot level, looking into all the issues surrounding the local government operations, particularly the operation of state and local government joint account, which has been bastardised by many state governments. “The money that has been hijacked completely over the years by state governors should also be of great concern to Mr. President and his government.

As a union operating at the grassroots level, we are ready to avail the new administration first-hand information that will enable it unearth some of the sharp practices that take place there.” The NULGE boss also stated that the union had resolved to re-strategise with a view to pursuing the issue of local government autonomy with the new government.

To this end, he disclosed that the union had agreed to have a retreat which would bring all relevant people together to come up with suggestions on the best form of local government administration desirable for the country. “On the issue of local government autonomy, we have agreed to re -strategise with a view to articulating our position before Mr President for us to have a func-

tional, more reasonable and result-oriented third tier government. “On that note, the NEC in session resolved that a national retreat should also be organised where intellectuals will be drawn from the academia, civil society organisation, other sister trade unions to discuss dispassionately on the best form of local government administration desirable for the country,” he said.

Firearm possession: Dasuki gets bail

Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the immediate National Security Adviser, NSA, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, on self-recognition after he pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of illegal possession of firearms.

Dasuki is standing trial over illegal possession of firearms preferred against him by the Department of State

Security, DSS, who searched his home 48 hours after leaving office in July 2015. Soon as the charge of “being in possession of firearms without license punishable under Section 27 (1) (a) (i) of the Firearms CAP F28 LFN 2004” was read to him, Dasuki pleaded not guilty. His lead defence counsel, Joseph Bodunrin Daodu (SAN) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association asked for bail. Daodu predicated his argu-

ment on the premise that the alleged offence was bailable and the law presumes the accused innocent until proven contrary in court. He pleaded that the accused is a responsible Nigerian who has held top level security office in the country without betrayal. He relied on section 158 (1) (2) (3) of the new Administration of Justice Act and Sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution. Following the no-objection

by the lead prosecutor, Mohammed Diri who is the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Justice Adeniyi Ademola consequently granted bail as sought. Justice Ademola thereafter admitted the accused to bail on self-recognition but ordered the deposit of all his travelling documents with the Deputy Chief Registrar, Litigation of the court. The judge ordered that the documents must be brought

to the court in case they are in possession of the security operatives. Dasuki, who had arrived court from home, will return on October 26 and 27, when the case will resume for hearing. Dasuki played a prominent role in the fight against terrorism during Goodluck Jonathan’s rule, especially in the recovery of more than 20 local government councils from terrorists.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

CDS summons commanders on Boko Haram deadline UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

hief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Gabriel Olonisakin, yesterday summoned all Field Commanders as well as Principal Staff Officers, PSOs and senior officers at the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, to review efforts towards achieving the presidential directive to end Boko Haram in three months. A statement through the Director of Defence Information, DDI, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said that the CDS also unveiled his vision for the armed forces, while commending the field commanders and troops for sustaining the momentum in the fight to crush Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. The CDS, according to the DDI, said “all hands must be on deck to ensure that the presidential directive of ending terrorism very shortly is achieved.” General Olonisakin unveiled his vision for Armed Forces of Nigeria which was “to ensure a well motivated, trained and equipped Armed Forces that is responsive to national security commitments.” The CDS emphasised that the pursuance and drive of all operational responsibilities of the Defence Headquarters henceforth would be guided by the vision. He therefore urged all personnel of the Armed Forces to redouble their efforts to ensure that all confidence repose in the military by the nation was not shaken. In a related development, Nigerian Army yesterday captured the economic and strategic town of Gamboru Ngala, Borno State, from the Boko Haram terrorists group. The town was ruptured by the sect on March 19, after they were driven out by Chadian troops. The return of the terrorists was made possible because the town was left unguarded after the insurgents were flushed out. Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, said the triumphant troops were now busy with clearing and mop-

ping up patrols. Meanwhile, the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the country received yet another boost on Monday, as the Brazilian government has thrown its weight behind Nigeria, offering training opportunities. This is coming few days, after the Ukrainian government also made similar offers with readiness to supply the country with military hardware when the need arises. A statement yesterday, by the Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Colonel Sani Usman, confirmed that delegates from Brazil were at the Army Headquarters, AHQ, where they met with the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai. Led by the Deputy Chief of Army Staff for International and Special Affairs, Brazilian Army, Major General Joarez Alves Pereira Junior, Usman said that Brazil expressed readiness to support Nigeria as well as strengthen the existing relationship. General Pereira Junior, according to the DAPR, had said that his country started reaching out to African countries and considered Nigeria to be the first to be visited because of its strategic importance in the West African sub-region. The Brazilian General “further stressed the need for military cooperation between the two countries which was aimed at strengthening their long existing relationship while expressing his government’s readiness to offer training opportunities to the Nigerian Army personnel at all times”, Usman stated. In a response, the COAS, Lt. Gen. Buratai, was said to have expressed gratitude to the Brazilian Army Chief for the visit, acknowledging that the Brazilian example was good for Nigeria to emulate, citing the defence industries as a typical area of interest between the two countries. He pledged the Nigerian Army’s readiness to cooperate with Brazil and assured him of the Nigeri-

an Army’s determination to end Boko Haram terrorism soon. General Buratai also described the existing cooperation between the two countries as a good step in

the right direction, stressing that there was a lot of things for the two countries to learn from each other. The COAS also used the opportunity to request the

Deputy Chief of Army Staff ’s assistance in facilitating training billets for Nigerian Army personnel particularly in jungle warfare due to the present security challenges in the

country. Present during the visit were the Brazilian Defence Attaché to Nigeria/ Ghana and some Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters.

L-R: Director, Procurement, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Remi Afolabi; Director-General, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri and Director, Research and Training, National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS), Mr. Adeyemi Fajingbesi, during a one-day workshop on ethics and values organised by NOA for staff and management of NILS in Abuja, yesterday.

NNPC deploys drones to monitor oil vessels CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

wu enthused. He informed that in executing the campaign, adequate support would be sought from the international community especially from countries that had become host nations to the stolen cargoes. Earlier in his keynote address, Patrice Emery Trovoada, Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, called on the countries in the Gulf of Guinea to forge a broad based collaboration to stem the ugly tide of insecurity on all the waterways. Meanwhile, Joint Task Force, JTF, operating in the Niger Delta has arrested 12 persons for various criminal activities related to oil theft and destroyed over 15 illegal refineries in Southern Ijaw local government, Bayelsa State and at various point in the region. The Sector 2 deployed in Babaragbene general area in Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa State destroyed 15 illegal oil bunkering sites where oil thieves operate with 20 large reservoir and 40 metal drums filled with illegally acquired AGO.

A statement by the spokesmen of the outfit, Lt. Col. Ado Isa, said the anti–illegal oil bunkering squad of the Sector 5 of the task force nicknamed Operation ‘Pulo Shield’ operating along Ohaji palm plantation in Imo State arrested five suspected illegal oil thieves with truck loaded with 127 drums filled with illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO). The suspects gave their names as Onwuchekwa Kalu from Ohaofia Local Government Area of Imo State; Chinonso Nathaniel from Asa Ohaji in Imo State; Chinonso Udemezue from umunachi of Onitsha in Anambra and Chika Usolo from Ebonyi State. The statement noted that the leader of the team, Chinonso Nathaniel, confessed to the crime while the truck with registration number Anambra XD 857 AGU and products were destroyed in line with the mandate of the outfit while the suspects are in custody of JTF for preliminary investigation. “In another development, Sector 1 of the Joint Task Force Operation

PULO SHIELD arrested a suspected illegal oil bunkering barge loaded with 150,000 litres worth of illegally distilled Automated Gas Oil (AGO) along Frado Oil Company Tank Farm in Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State. The captain of the barge, Mr. Umar Abdulkadir, was arrested alongside three other crew members who gave their names as Isiah Emujekaroho, Ovoke Okotieboh and Abel Dama. The barge and the suspects are in custody of the JTF for preliminary investigation before handing over to the prosecuting agency,” the statement added. It also added that the sector also intercepted and arrested a Volkswagen car with registration number, Kogi AE 173 KAB, and a truck with registration number, Delta XA 395 BUR, along Niger cat junction and Oghara in Ethiope West Uvwie LG of Delta State, loaded with unquantified litres of substance suspected to be illegally acquired AGO. Four suspects arrested while trying to flee from

the scene are presently cooling off their heels along with the products in the custody of the Task Force. In Delta State, JTF stated it troops deployed at Chanomi raided five illegal oil bunkering refineries at Kantu creek in Warri South West LGA of Delta State where oil thieves operates with five surface metal tanks, and six drums filled with illegally refined AGO and crude. Other items discovered includes cooking pots, three pumping machine, hoses and several other illegal bunkering equipment, though no arrest was made as the suspects fled on sighting the troops, The items were destroyed. This is as another suspect, Mr. Ugu Justice of Owhoelogbo community in Isoko North LGA of Delta was arrested while trying to plant a dynamite in an oil pipeline. Items recovered from the suspect include among other things, battery, primer, cable wire and lighter, which are currently in the custody of the JTF.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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Corruption: Culpable persons won’t be spared –Buhari •Says resources must be well-managed to avoid economic decline Rotimi Fadeyi

(WITH AGENCY REPORT)

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday vowed to strengthen his anti-corruption campaign in the country, noting that his administration would not spare anyone found guilty of corrupt practices. Buhari said this at the opening session of the 45th Annual Accountants Conference and 50th Anniversary celebration of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria tagged “ICAN: Building on a legacy of service.” The president, represented by Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Anastasia Nwaobia, vowed to step up his anti-corruption campaign through

re-invigoration of all anticorruption agencies in the country. He said institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission, ICPC, were key in his fight against corruption. The President said lack of prudence, transparency and honesty in the management of public resources had left Nigerians in a state of suffering and deprivation. He called on ICAN to assist his administration in reversing the trend by ensuring that resources of government were duly accounted for with all sense of transparency. “We are at the threshold of history where we must

Buhari didn’t promise specific achievements in 100 days –Presidency Rotimi Fadeyi ABUJA

he Presidency yesterday insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari never promised Nigerians during his electioneering campaign any specific achievements of his government in 100 days. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, told Nigerians to ignore claims that the President made such promises. While reacting to reports that Buhari promised some specific achievements in 100 days, Shehu maintained that the document tagged ‘One Hundred Things Buhari Will Do in 100 Days’ as well as ‘My Covenant With Nigerians’, never emanated from the authentic channel of the campaign’s media department. Shehu said in his capacity as Director, Media and Communications of the Buhari campaign organisation, he never authorised any document relating to specific achievements of Buhari in 100 days. “I didn’t fund them and I didn’t authorise them. From what President Buhari himself had said at Chatham House, he had no iota or knowledge of those documents. So, people cannot hold him to account on something which he did not commit himself,” Shehu said. He, however, noted that

what was important in respect to President Buhari’s 100 days in office were milestones reached within the period under review, rather than achievements. “We prefer to talk about milestones instead of achievements; whether the milestones represent achievements or not, that is left for the people to decide. Milestones have been achieved which is important for the country”, he added. Shehu said the president never promised anything to anyone during his lecture at Chatham House in London shortly before the March 28 Presidential election. He said the president, while responding to a question posed to him during the lecture categorically said he would remove the idea of 100 days because it was fraudulent. On the claim that All Progressive Congress, APC, posted the documents on its website, Shehu explained that the party had many centres of communication, some of which were on the loose. “APC had a campaign in which there were so many centres of public communication and unfortunately there were some among those centres that were more or less on the loose. “Yes, it was possible that things were being done without the knowledge or the usage of the proper channel of communication,” he added.

collectively take the destiny of the nation in our hands. “As Nigerians, no one can love Nigeria like you and me. On our part, we will continue to lead by example, making efforts to live above board. “As we strive to walk our talk, we will carry to its logical conclusions our initiative to overhaul the bureaucracy of the public sector in an effort to engender transparency and improve productivity in public governance. “I assure you that persons found wanting will not be spared,” he said. Buhari said with the huge number of resources at the country’s disposal, its citizens had no business being classified poor among comity of nations. The president said his administration had commenced the process of rebuilding a better country for all through the enthronement of honesty in the management of public resources. “As blessed as we are as

a nation, Nigerians have no business being classified as poor. “Yet, through the greed of some unpatriotic few, our commonwealth has been badly pillaged in the name of public service. “Our ability as a nation to create wealth has increasingly been hampered by lack of prudence, transparency and honesty in the management of public resources by some of those entrusted with the duty of governance at all levels. “This should not be allowed to continue. The nation ought and must leave the throes of poverty and underdevelopment. I do believe that as a people, we are naturally destined for greatness,” he added. While admitting that the battle for the enthronement of the right values would be difficult, his administration was committed to effecting a change. He expressed optimism

that corruption would soon be a thing of the past. He reiterated his administration’s commitment in changing Nigeria for the better. Earlier, the President of ICAN, Mr. Samuel Deru, said the nation’s economy needed surgical and drastic reforms beyond the solution of privatisation of government companies. These reforms, he added, should begin with plugging of all revenue leakages, revisiting and redefining priorities, slashing of cost of governance and investing more in capital ventures. Deru called on government to make the budget cycle a subject of legislation, to enhance budgeting ethics and effective implementation processes. President Buhari, who also received the ICAN delegation at the Presidential Villa, urged accountants to support his administration’s efforts to restore greater pro-

bity, prudence, transparency and respect for financial regulations to the management of national resources. He warned that with declining prices of oil, which remain the mainstay of the national economy, the country must begin to properly manage its available resources or face developmental stagnation and decline. “You should help us to go back to the days of real accountability in the management of public funds. “The annual audits of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, which your members undertake must be taken more seriously. People must be made to properly account for whatever government funds are entrusted to their supervision. “Let your audit reports on our MDAs be thoroughly, professionally and dispassionately done to ensure greater probity in the management of our national resources and sustainable development,” the President said.

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (left); President Muhammadu Buhari (3rd left); President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Otunba Samuel Olufemi Deru (2nd right); Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode (right) and others, during ICAN’s visit to the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

Diversification key to stemming recession in Africa –Adesina Sylva Emeka-Okereke

ew President of African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has unveiled his plans to improve the fortunes of financial institutions on the continent in view of their strategic roles in addressing the growing crises prevailing in most of the economies. This is even as he canvassed the diversification of the economies of African countries in order to fully exploit their potential for inclusive growth. Adesina, who gave the promise during his inaugural speech as new President of the apex African Development Bank, also noted that the AfDB would

strengthen institutions for transparency; accountability as well as good governance, appealing to different countries to assist him to achieve his economic goals. He said: “We will build Africa’s confidence in itself; the confidence to solve some of its greatest challenges. We must light-up and power Africa. Energy is the engine that powers economies. The more energy economies have, the more prosperous are their peoples.” Adesina stressed that Africa cannot stand-by with such massive resources for conventional and renewable energy, even as he noted with displeasure that Africa is known for darkness, instead of brightness.

According to him, Africa must be integrated to grow and develop together as the countries collective destiny is tied to breaking down the barriers separating them. He noted that as Africa is being opened up with high quality regional infrastructure, especially rail, transnational highways, information and communications among others, it would witness phenomenal boost in global trade and entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses. “Through partnerships with regional economic communities and the African Union, we will make progress toward our shared goal of truly integrating Africa,” he added.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Nigeria needs N9.6trn for MSME funding –CBN A ssistant Director, Development Fund Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Jonathan Tobin, yesterday said N9.6trn is needed to adequately fund Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, in the country. Tobin stated this in Abuja at a workshop on Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise Development Fund (MSMEDF) organised by Banker’s Committee of CBN. He said the financing gap was caused by banks and other lending institution’s aversion to lending to small businesses in the informal sector. “Nigerian banks are averse to taking risk. They like to play safe. The economy is virtually collapsing yet banks keep declaring huge profits.

“There are currently 17.3 million MSMEs in Nigeria that employ about 33 million people. Yet only 4.2 million of these have access to finance. “From 2002 till date, lending by Money Deposit Banks to the sector has reduced significantly. Now N9.6trn is needed to bridge the financing gap in the sector,’’ he said. Tobin said lack of entrepreneurial skills by MSME operators, adoption of “one size fits all products’’ strategies for loans by banks and poor

“Customised risk management lending method in place of collateral driven lending currently employed by banks should be developed. “We strongly recommend that banks start lending from their balance sheet. “There is need for collaboration between CBN and other government agencies on the implementation of various initiatives geared towards de-risking the sector and making finance available to MSMEs.’’

Tobin listed policies introduced by CBN to boost MSME to include Agriculture Credit Support Scheme, N200bn Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme and the Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, Others include the N220bn MSME Development Fund, SME Credit Guarantee Scheme and the National Secured Transaction Collateral Registry. He urged the banks not only to patronise the

CBN schemes but also invest their monies in MSME. The Director, Development Finance, CBN, Mr Mudashiru Olaitan, said inflation would reduce if MSMEs were properly supported and financed. “The country needs a strong financial system that is capable of providing innovative, dynamic and wide range of financial services. “We must support MSME to grow because if they grow, the country will be better for it.

“The sector is already employing a lot of people but an additional 18 million people can be employed if properly funded,’’ he said. First Bank Area Manager, Kano, Mr Ahmed Badawi, said banks were hindered from accessing CBN support schemes for MSMEs due to “long bureaucracy.’’ He said CBN was slow in disbursing funds thereby making it difficult for banks to attend to customers who applied for the loans.

governance structure were some of

the challenges

faced by sector. “Banks and other lending institutions should offer tailor made solutions to lending for MSMEs instead of the current one size fit all approach.

FG wants more NIS personnel at borders Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA

ederal Government has asked the newly-appointed Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Martins Kure Abeshi, as a matter of urgency to deploy more personnel in and around the country’s land, air and water borders to ensure maximum security. Abeshi is to also take decisive measures in addressing corrupt practices, indiscipline and wrong-doings in his service. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, who stated these yesterday in Abuja during the official decoration of Abeshi as the new NIS ComptrollerGeneral, said despite the limited resources concerted efforts should be taken to provide more working tools to the officers and men at the borders. “It is pertinent to note that the responsibility of border control and prevention of illegal migrants from coming into Nigeria rest squarely on the NIS. And any failure in that direction will not be tolerated by the government. “Other issues that should also be addressed

immediately including the alleged excess charges for Nigeria’s standard passports, indiscriminate issuance of official and diplomatic passports, and sharp practices associated with numerous immigration service’s,” he said.

L-R: Former Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CP Emmanuel Ojukwu; his successor, Mrs. Olabisi Kolawole and Deputy FPRO, CSP, Abayomi Shogunle, during a news conference on Kolawole’s investiture as first female FPRO, in Abuja, yesterday.

CAC registers 37,250 limited liability companies in 6 months

egistrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Bello Mahmud, has said the commission registered 37,250 limited liability companies between January 1 and June 30. Mahmud in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja said 21,196 business names and 4,529 incorporated trustees were also registered within the period. Giving statistics of post-incorporation documentation in the period under review, he said the commission also received 305 applications for change of company name. According to him, CAC also received 1,126 notices for increase in share capital, one for reduction, 533 for charges, 44 for appointments of receivers and 18 applications for windingup. He said: “The digitalisation of 600,000 company records, 1,000,000 business

names records and 40,000 incorporated trustees records, which commenced in 2014 has been making appreciable progress. ``So far, 363,013 company records and 162,823 business names records have been digitalised. ``The digitalisation project is expected to be completed at the end of this year. Its completion will facilitate access to postincorporation records and ensure data safety and security,’’ Mahmud said. The CAC boss also said a file tracking system had been introduced to address the issue of missing files at the commission. He said the system would assist the Records Management Department in tracking movement of files in and out of the department. Mahmud further said Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras had also been installed to provide

additional security for files. He also said steps were taken to sensitise the public on the need to register their businesses and the penalties for violation. ``The Commission is collaborating with the Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3) to sensitise the general public on the benefits of formalisation of businesses by way of registration. ``This is in conjunction with some state governments, chambers of commerce, market and trade associations. Under the initiative, registration services are taken to the door steps of entrepreneur. Mahmud said the commissioned had stepped up its enforcement visits to companies to raise awareness of statutory obligations on them. This includes displaying their names and registration numbers outside

their places of business, filing annual returns and notices of change of registered office address, among others. He said more than 1,539

companies were inspected last year and those found to have violated the law were sanctioned to deter recurrence.

NAF declares new appointments, postings Ubong Ukpong ABUJA

he Nigerian Air Force, NAF, yesterday announced appointments and postings of four Branch Chiefs, three Air Officers Commanding, AOCs and two commandants for efficiency in the Service. A statement through its Director of Public Relations and Information, DOPRI, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, said the four branch chiefs at NAF Headquarters were Air Vice Marshal (AVM) A.A. Iya formerly the Chairman Air Ex-

position and International Liaison Secretariat (AILS) now appointed as Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP). While AVM A.M. Mamu the former AOC, Training Command Kaduna takes charge as the Chief of Administration (COA), AVM I.J. Yahaya was moved from his former position as the Director of Works to become the Chief of Logistics and Communications (CLOG & Comms), as Air Commodore CU Usoh, the former Director of Air Engineering is now the Chief of Aircraft Engineering (CAcE).

South West

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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Ondo female politician not killed by police OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (right), his Ogun counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun (3rd left), President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Otunba Samuel Olufemi Deru (middle) and others, during the 45th Annual Accountants’ Conference, with the theme: ICAN Building on a Legacy of Service, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, yesterday.

VGN promises dedication, more support for police, others

igilante Group of Nigeria, VGN, Oyo State Command, has promised to support the police and other sister security agencies, especially in the state for better security arrangements. The pledge was made by leader of the group, Mr. S.A. Olajide, at a meeting held at the Police Command’s headquarters, while highlighting activities of the group. The meeting, with the theme “Community policing in our society”, touched on how crime rate can be reduced to the barest minimum. It also urged participation of citizens in community policing by giving information to the police.

Olajide described how his group patrols communities day and night, especially the interiors, where criminal activities were being perpetrated. He said this was being done in collaboration with the police, Department of State Service, DSS, the military and other security agencies. He explained further that there is need for vigilance groups to be re-organized, while their capacity should be enhanced by both federal and state governments. Olajide also called on government to formalizing vigilante groups as security agency, which he said, will go a long way in the provision of security at community level, even

as he expressed the need to bring the groups under one umbrella. He narrated how the seminar he attended with his men helped in improving the skills being used in arresting criminals. He urged religious and opinion leaders to always spread the message of tolerance and love for peaceful co-existence and at the same time report any suspicious moves in their environment to the nearest police station where information will be treated in confidence. In his reaction, representative of the new Oyo Police Area Command, Mr. Yemi Oyediran, an ACP, conveyed the message of the area com-

mander to the audience as an advocate of community policing. He commended the vigilante group for their contributions in assisting police. He also commended other sister security agencies for good cooperations with the police in combating criminal activities in the area. Presents at the occasion were representatives of his imperial Majesty, Iku Baba Yeye, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oyo Area Commander, DPO Atiba, DPO Durbar, DPO Ojongbodu, DPO Jobele, religious and opinion leaders, representatives of other sister agencies among others.

Punishment: Human rights activist decries Ekiti governor’s action

ormer Chairman, Human Rights Committee, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Port Harcourt branch, Mr. Augustine Ojekudo, yesterday decried Ekiti State governor’s punishment of workers that reported late to work. Ojekudo told News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Port Harcourt that the corporal punishment the governor meted out to civil servants, especially directing them to kneel down was not necessary. The governor was reported to have ordered the workers to kneel down for reporting late to work in

Ado Ekiti. Ojekudo noted that the governor’s action was not only crude but condemnable and that such humiliation should not be taken kindly. “For a governor elected by the people to punish workers is the height of torture, torment and intimidation. “The matter should not be left just like that; he was elected for the good of the people only to humiliate them.” According to Ojekudo, children of the affected workers will feel bad seeing their parents and guardians on television

kneeling down. He, however, said the workers in the first place,

should not have obeyed the governor’s “crude” order.

ndo State Police Command yesterday said its men were not responsible for the death of a female politician, Ronke Adelugba. Adelugba was reported to have been beaten to death on Sunday by men from Ala Police Station, Akure, Ondo State capital. Reacting to the report yesterday, spokesman of the command, Wole Ogodo, claimed that the woman died after policemen left her house. Ogodo said: “The woman was acclaimed to be a renowned politician and allegedly killed by police. It was untrue. The woman was a petty trader, according to his son. “The true account of

INEC chair makes case for more elected women

cting Chairperson of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mrs. Amina Zakari, yesterday advocated better representation of the female gender in Nigerian politics. Speaking at the “She Forum Africa,” a friend raiser community programme, which was organised by Premium Logic, she noted that women were still disadvantaged as far the country’s governance is concerned, in spite of a gender policy that is already in place. She added that there was need to consciously address such issues. Zakari, who called for gender protection laws to

3 policemen declared missing after encounter with gunmen

agos State Police Command yesterday said three of its personnel who exchanged gunshots with some gunmen on Monday morning in Ikorodu Area were missing after the encounter. The spokeswoman of the command, Patricia Amadin, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos. According to the statement, there is intensive manhunt on the gunmen who have encounter with

the policemen. The statement appealed to members of the public to volunteer useful information and report cases of persons with gunshot wounds to the nearest police station. It said that on August 31, seven policemen attached to Owutu Police Division had an encounter attack by suspected armed men believed to be militants. The statement said the

the incident was that there was a black spot adjacent to the woman’s residence. Policemen were there to carry out raid. On sighting police, two of them fled to the woman’s residence. They were chased. “In the process of struggling to apprehend one of the felons, the woman might have been pushed down. The deceased’s son confirmed when he was being interviewed by the CP together with the policemen that after the departure of policemen from their house, their mother stood up to take her bath. “Thereafter, she began to pant. She was not shot nor tortured. “However, investigation has been instituted to unravel the cause of her death. The policemen have been arrested.”

incident occurred in the Owutu Area of Ikorodu at about 3.a.m., adding that the suspected militants were travelling in a bus at the time of the encounter, while the policemen were posted on pin-down. “On sighting the policemen, the suspected militants suddenly opened fire on them. The policemen were however, quick to respond and successfully repelled the unprovoked attack.”

tackle issues of relegation of interests of the Nigerian woman, also urged political parties to give women the needed support to achieve their political potentials. She also noted that INEC was very much aware of the gender challenges in any organisation and had set up a gender directorate. She said, “We at INEC recognize the importance of mainstream gender issues and that is why we have a Directorate on Gender.” The INEC acting chairman stressed that women should not only be appointed based on the 35 per cent affirmative women participation in Nigerian governance, but should also be engaged in elective offices “The political process should not be seen as skewed against women but women should be given adequate space to make their relevant contributions,” she added. The forum attracted the presence of high-profile Women Rights Activists and On- Air Personalities like Eugenia Abu of the National Television Authority, NTA, Youth Activist and daughter of acclaimed winner of the annulled 1993 Presidential Election, Rinsola Abiola and a host of others.

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South West

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Ambode urges accountants to help Buhari fight corruption FRANCIS SUBERU

L-R: Former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen Oladipo Diya (rtd); an Elder of United African Methodist Evangelical Church Cathedral, Abule Oja, Yaba, Elder Folorunsho Oladepo and Senator Anthony Adefuye, during the conferment of awards on worthy members of the church in Yaba, Lagos.

Ambode approves recruitment of 1,300 teachers FRANCIS SUBERU

overnor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has approved recruitment of 1,300 teachers into public primary schools in the state. The recruitment will strengthen the quality of Universal Basic Education Programme in the state. Executive Secretary of

the State Universal Basic Education Board, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, who disclosed the governor’s approval yesterday, said the exercise will also achieve a balanced workforce of teachers in public primary schools in the state. Mrs. Adelaja urged enterprising and young teacher applicants with specialisation in English, Mathematics, Yoruba, Computer, Basic Science, Agricultural Science,

Home Economics, Arts & Crafts, Special Education and IRK/CRK to apply. She stressed that applicants, who must not be above 40 years of age, would only be considered for employment upon completion and submission of application forms online at www.jobs.lagosstate.gov.ng. The executive secretary pointed out that all applicants must have merit grades in Education and

other core subjects. According to her, applicants must be computer literate and be of good character, adding that the successful applicants must be ready to work anywhere in the state. She however advised non teaching staff already in the employ of the state government with appropriate qualifications to apply afresh stressing that they would be screened along with others.

Police order pub, liquor joints to close business by 10pm …restrict Okada operation FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

gun State Police Command yesterday gave proprietors of pub centres and other public joints in the state till 10pm to close shop for business or risk being arrested for breaching security laws of the state. Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, gave the order in Abeokuta, the state capital, while parading 126 suspected cult members arrested in connection with the cult clash that paralysed activities in four communities in the state capital on Monday. The commissioner also ordered that commercial motorcyclists operating in the state should keep off the streets by 8:30pm. Ali, who emphasised that commercial motorcyclists were being used by

criminals to perpetrate evil acts, however, maintained that his command would not allow cult members and okada riders to jeopardise the peaceful security being enjoyed in the state. He further vowed that he would personally lead the police on the operation to enforce compliance with the directives on pub and liquor centres. He explained that the order became necessary in view of police investigation, which has proven that patrons of liquor centres tend to lose sense of decency and are prone to commit security breaches after 10p.m., with their attitudes likely to be influenced by “an overdose” of beer intake. Maintaining that the command would treat any proprietor of joints and liquor centres caught violating the order as aiding and

abetting criminals in the state, Ali also added that Club houses across the state would have the grace of closing by 12 p.m. Though the police authority did not give further details which necessitated the early closure of pub

centres, our correspondent, however, gathered that the directive may not be unconnected with the outbreak of secret cult war which paralysed activities for more than four hours on Monday in which three persons were killed.

AIG urges Ondo residents to be vigilant OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

ssistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone II, Mrs. Kalafite Adeyemi, yesterday advised people of Ondo State to be conscious of happenings around them. Adeyemi, who gave the advice in Akure during her familiarisation tour of the state, also urged parents to always monitor activities of their children. She noted that there was always an insider in every kidnapping case, adding that kidnappers would not

just come and abduct people without understanding areas of their operations. She said: “I am around to sensitise the people, to tell them to be conscious of their environment. You have to know your neighbours. You have to know where your children are and what they are doing. You have to know the type of people you are employing. ”You don’t just employ people because you need help. You have to know where they come from. This will help reduce the issue of Boko Haram and kidnapping.

agos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday urged members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, to key into the ongoing anti-corruption and re-orientation efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari. The governor, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the 45th Annual Conference of ICAN, held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, said the pivotal role played by accountants in the day to day running of government calls for them to be above board in discharging their duties. He also tasked accountants in the country to commence the process of raising the bar of integrity through a pragmatic rebuilding of the nation’s value system so as to redefine the vision of the profession. The governor recalled that since establishment of ICAN in 1965, the Institute has lived up to

expectations and dreams of the founding fathers, which has birthed world class chartered accountants, offering quality services at the top echelon of both the public and private sector organisations. He said the over 38,000 practicing members of the Institute have in no small way contributed immensely to national economic growth as well as played critical roles in wealth creation. “From a mere 250 members to over 40,000 membership, the Institute has, no doubt, made a remarkable achievement that is worth celebrating. This is in addition to the continuous reforms in response to the evolving changes in the 21st century. “Today’s celebration, however, presents a golden opportunity for the present leadership to bequeath to the coming generation legacies and landmarks that would be worthy of celebration in the next 50 years. That legacy, in my mind, can be found in our motto ‘Accuracy and Integrity,’” he said.

Ekiti to shut schools, businesses over dues payment default ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

kiti State government has threatened to shut down private schools and business outfits that default in payment of necessary dues and levies to its coffers. The government warned private school owners and business operators to pay their dues and levies immediately. A statement by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Idowu Adelusi, also warned tax and levy assessors against undermining government’s efforts. He charged officials to block all leakages and be innovative and double the state’s internally-generated revenue within the next six months. The statement disclosed that a new tax order was in the offing in the state. Cautioning tax and levy assessors against undermining government’s ef-

forts, the statement said any government official involved in fraudulent act would be severely dealt with. “A new tax order in Ekiti State is in the offing. We have no other place to call our own. We depend on taxes to survive and we depend on you. Let people go and pay to the bank and any indicted state worker will be appropriately sanctioned. “We hope to double our Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, in six months. We must devise strategy on revenue generation and do it with sense. The state will employ Spread Cost Strategy so that the impact of any levy will not be hard on the payer and the public at large,” the statement said. It added that a task force would be set up on revenue generation and that it would have some civil servants as members for them to be able to make their contributions.

South East

Okorocha commissions outfit to battle kidnapping, cultism Chris Njoku OWERRI

mo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has commissioned a security outfit named NigerDelta Security Network to fight cultism, vandalism of oil pipelines, kidnapping and other heinous crimes in oil producing areas of the state. Inaugurating the outfit yesterday in Owerri, the state capital, Okorocha said it takes the indigenes to effectively fight crimes in a given area since no criminal operation could succeed without the cooperation or information from an insider or someone who knows the terrain. The governor urged the members to cooperate and subject themselves to the authorities of the police and other security agencies in the state, and not operate like a counterforce to these agencies. He said: “your duty is to find out the hiding places of these cultists or miscreants who have been terroriding the oil producing areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta, flush them out and hand them over to the law enforcement agencies for prosecu-

tion within three months. “The rate of cultism and other crimes in Ohaji, Egbema and Oguta has become worrisome to the government. And we have decided to take the bull by the horn. The activities of these cultists have resulted to the deaths of innocent people with some traditional rulers fleeing their homes to avoid being killed by these cultists.” He said the state government would no longer tolerate the activities of such miscreants, adding: “We will do all within our power to check the ugly situation.” Okorocha also directed that 16 area offices built for the organisation be released to it as well as N4 million to the outfit to enable it cushion the harsh effect of the rigorous training they passed through while in camp. He gave the Imo Niger Delta Security Network 90 days to bring the activities of the cultists under check and warned that the outfit will be dissolved if they do not achieve the set target within the stipulated period. Earlier, Director General of the organisation, Dr. Justice Harcourt, thanked the governor for the interest shown in developing the

Anambra 2018: Stop criticising Obiano —APGA chieftain Gloria Anaeze ONITSHA

ollowing criticism as to Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano’s alleged non-performance to merit second tenure, a former chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Oyi Local Government Area, Vincent Anyakora, yesterday advised such critics to turn a new leaf as the governor is God-sent to better the welfare of the people. Urging the people to exercise patience, the party chieftain said “Obiano will perform more than his predecessor, Peter Obi and others.” The former APGA chairman spoke during the New Yam Festival of Nkwelle Ezunanka Community, Oyi Local Government Area. Admitting that political criticism is everywhere, Anyakora said, “The truth is that Obiano is the only good thing that has hap-

pened to this state in terms of flushing out criminals. “Before Obiano there was crime everywhere, kidnapping, armed robbery and assassination. But today, Obiano has chased them away.” He revealed that critics were unaware that the state government for now receives meager allocation, “still Obiano maintains the tempo by paying workers salary when due.” Calling for the critics to have a rethink, the APGA stalwart insisted that Obiano’s performance would speak for him in the 2018 gubernatorial election. On the New Yam Festival, Anyakorah said it was a yearly event meant for interaction among relatives, friends and well wishers. “It is also a period to thank God for the harvesting of farm produce and preparation for the farming season.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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ASUP protests killing of priest in Imo Chris Njoku OWERRI

ore than 500 members of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP yesterday in Owerri, Imo State protested the murder of a colleague, Revd Fr. Dennis Osuagwu, who was gruesomely assassinated on his way to office. Father Osuagwu was killed two weeks ago along Obinze-Port Harcourt Road by suspected assassins. The protesting ASUP members besieged Government House Owerri yester-

day to task the state government on the need to expedite action in the investigation to unravel the killers of the priest, who was a lecturer at Imo Polytechnic. The ASUP chairman in the state, Engr. Oguchi Ikpemo, told newsmen that they were at the Government House to sensitise the government on the need to unravel the killers of the deceased, adding that more than two weeks since the Catholic priest was murdered no breakthrough had been recorded. “We are here to sensitise the government of the day to step up action because no-

body knows who will be the next victim. We are aware that tyhe governor is aware of the death, we are aware that the security agencies are aware of the murder, the Reverend father was not only our staff, but also a priest of God who was stabbed to death and allowed to die in the pool of his blood. There is need to unravel the killers,” he insisted. He said within the last two months, two of their members had been kidnapped along the same route the priest was killed, adding: “There is a cartel of kidnappers operating within the area. We don’t have guns, we

are not armed, so we want the government to provide us with security.” The ASUP chairman disclosed that the Catholic priest would be buried this on September 4, adding that the members were mourning and would want the government to join them. Addressing the protesters, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Kingsley Uju, assured them that the state government would take all necessary measures to unravel the killers of the late reverend father, adding that all the requests tendered by the union would be implemented.

L-R: Sector Commander, Enugu, David Mendie; Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone RS9, Enugu, Samuel Obayemi; Assistant Corps Marshal, Command Administration and Strategy, Austin Aipoh, and Head, Media Relations and Strategy, Bisi Kazeem, during ‘Operations Scorpion’ at 9th Mile, Enugu, yesterday.

Don’t negotiate with B’Haram, says ex-CP Gloria Anaeze ONITSHA

isturbed by alleged move by Federal Government to negotiate with the dreaded Islamic religious sect, Boko Haram, the Chairman of Anambra State Vigilante Supervisory Committee, Ikechukwu Aduba, a former Commissioner of Police in Delta State, yesterday warned that any form of negotiation with the sect would result in permanent curse on Nigeria. Aduba told newsmen, “There is real danger in any form of negotiation because they (Boko Haram) are demonic in their operations. They are blood suckers.” According to him, negotiating with them is like negotiating with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, ISIS, pointing out that their understanding of the tenets of Islamic religion is instant

death penalty through cruelty to non-supporters. He said, “Instead of granting them amnesty or other form of negotiation, the insurgents deserve to be routed from the face of the earth.” The former police boss however stated, “I will sup-

port only exchange of prisoners particularly with the Chibok girls still in their cell. But the war should rage on. Their days are numbered.” Aduba stressed the need for concerted efforts by all and sundry including security agents and members of

the public. He commended Governor Willie Obiano for his relentless efforts towards fighting crime in the state, adding that as chairman, Anambra State Vigilante Supervisory Committee, he would ensure crime is completely wiped out.

Group seeks partnership with Anambra on security

ssociation of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria, ALPSPN, Anambra chapter, has expressed willingness to collaborate with the Willie Obiano-led administration, to ensure law and order in the state. Chairman of the organisation, Maduka Atueyi, gave the indication during a courtesy visit to deputy governor Nkem Okeke in Awka. Atueyi, who led a sevenmember executive of the

association, commended Obiano for the security arrangements in the state which he noted had ensured ample peace. “The association will like to key into the system and be part of the security success story, especially at the grassroots, companies and establishments as well as in individual homes. “We want to partner the government, key into their security operations, assist in information gathering and sharing our knowledge

for the progress of the state and Nigeria in general.” The chairman expressed concern that the local vigilante groups had taken over security operations in the state and pleaded that his organisation be carried along. The News Agency of Nigeria further reports that Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in the state, Mr Benedict Ezeh, also joined the delegation on the visit.

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Ugborodo women pledge peaceful take-off of EPZ Theophilus Onojeghen WARRI

tsekiri women of oilrich Ugborodo community in Warri South West Local Government of Delta State have assured the federal and state governments, including investors, of conducive atmosphere for official takeoff of the multimilliondollar Export Processing Zone, EPZ, cum Delta Gas City project in the area. The women, who held a one-day prayer session in Warri yesterday for the progress and peace of Ugborodo community and the Nigerian government, noted that absolute peace has returned to the community, host of the EPZ project. They assured that the youths and community leadership are ready to give the Federal Government and investors full support for takeoff of the project. Ugborodo women, who took turns to speak at the event, appealed to all aggrieved indigenes and stakeholders of the project to

South South

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

jettison any plot to further disrupt existing peace in the community. Madam Mercy Olowu and Mrs. Praise Abraham, women leaders and members of the EPZ interface committee, said Ugborodo women are keen to see work commence on the project. The Itsekiri women said with the takeoff of the project hundreds of thousands of jobless youths in the country would be provided gainful employment opportunities. “We’ve gathered here today to pray for Ugborodo land especially as it concerns the EPZ project takeoff. Ugborodo women are very concerned to see the project come to fruition. The Ugborodo people have united for this purpose. “We have also gathered here to pray for the federal and state governments to succeed. Peace has fully returned to our community. As mothers, we have spoken with the youths who assured us of their support for Buhari’s government and the EPZ to succeed,” said Abraham.

Bonga oil spill victims petition Buhari over $3.6bn compensation ...plan protests in Warri, PH, Lagos

Theophilus Onojeghen WARRI

ictims of the 2011 Bonga oil spill along the coastal communities of Delta and Bayelsa states have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the imbroglio involving Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO, and the devastated communities over failure by SNEPCO to pay the approved $3.6 billion compensation. Over 168,000 persons drawn from 350 communities were negatively affected in the spill which followed equipment failure in December 2011. An estimated 40,000 bar-

rels of crude oil was discharged into the Atlantic Ocean which affected the nearby coastal communities. In a letter dated August 17 addressed to President Buhari by the victims under the aegis of Oil Spill Victims Vanguard by its Executive Director, Harrison Jalla, they lamented their shabby treatment in the hands of SNEPCO. The letter recalled that after due process, the House Representatives and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA on December 2014 found SNEPCO culpable and levied it the sum of $3,600,191,206 to both federal and shoreline communi-

ties. “In their (SNEPCO) usual manner of being insensitive to the environment in which they operate and their consistent disdain and disrespect for constituted authorities in Nigeria, SNEPCO has failed and completely refused to pay the recommended compensation. “The royal Dutch Shell cannot defy the decision of any government agency in the Netherlands. The recent oil spill in the gulf of Mexico is a case in point where compensation was promptly paid to victims of the incident,” the victims stated. While congratulating Buhari on his recent stride since assuming office, the victims added: “It’s in the

light of the above that the Oil Spill Victims Vanguard, OSPIVV, is appealing to your Excellency to urgently step into this matter and call SNEPCO to order.” Meanwhile, the victims have pledged to embark on protest in Warri, Port Harcourt and Lagos to demand compensation. In a separate letter to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr Solomon Arase, the aggrieved spill victims said “We humbly hereby officially request sir (IGP), that you use your good office to give us police protection for three peaceful processions march with placards to Shell offices in Warri, Port Harcourt and Lagos on the following dates.”

Rivers wants UNIPORT student’s death probed Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

ivers State government has ordered full-scale investigation into the death of a female student of the University of Port Harcourt on Monday. Miss Kelechi Precious, a 200-level female student of Theater, allegedly suffered an attack after nurses at the university teaching hospital refused to attend to her on the excuse that there was no bed space. Irked by the development, some Uniport students staged a protest at the hospital even as they also blocked the East-West road section leading to Bayelsa State to register their anger. The protesting students however appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to intervene, while calling for drastic action to be taken against those on duty at the hospital at the time of the incident. But reacting to the sad incident, deputy gover-

nor Ipalibo Banigo-Harry called on the Federal Government and the teaching hospital authorities to probe the circumstances leading to the death of the student to prevent recurrence. Condoling with the school management and students over the untimely demise of the student, Banigo-Harry said what happened was a wakeup call on hospital authorities, nurses and doctors in public and private sectors to be alive to their responsibilities to patients. The deputy governor noted sadly that the incident happened after Governor Wike-led government’s repeated calls for medical practitioners to always show compassion in their profession. Banigo, also a medical doctor, prayed God to grant the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, even as she appealed to the students to remain calm and desist from taking the law into their hands.

A West African migrant entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco curled up next to a car engine (above) and another was hidden behind the back seat of the Mercedes-300 car (right), on Sunday. PHOTO:BBC

SGF: APC alleges gang-up against Amaechi Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

ll Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has alleged a gang-up against former governor Rotimi Amaechi by some “powerful forces” in the state. The party said the forces were bent on ensuring Amaechi is not appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari into his cabinet. A statement issued in Port Harcourt and signed by the state APC chairman, Davies Ikanya noted that in-

cumbent Governor Nyesom Wike and his team were prepared to reach any length to ensure Amaechi is not appointed into the federal cabinet. But Wike’s Special Adviser, media and publicity, Sir Opunabo Inkor-Tariah, debunked claims that his principal has a hand in the non-appointment of Amaechi as SGF. The statement reads, “These retrogressive forces led by the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, are so afraid of the shadow of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi

that they are willing to go to any length to ensure that he is not accommodated in President Buhari’s cabinet. “They have for months mounted a relentless campaign of calumny against the person of Amaechi, thus biting the finger that once fed them. “This is not only shameful but also a clear sabotaging of the greater interests of Rivers State.” Ikanya also alleged that the party was shocked at how Wike reportedly ordered a trailer-load of his favorite brandy, Louis XIII

which he said cost N1.7m per bottle to celebrate Amaechi’s ill-luck. He further alleged that the governor had set up a committee to bribe and influence the Senate to reject Amaechi in case Buhari nominates him as a Minister. “We wish to advise Wike, who is well known for his corruptive tendencies, to desist and stop trying to play God. “We are confident that he can never constitute a stumbling block to Amaechi if President Buhari wishes to

North

Tordue Salem, ABUJA

ational Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has commenced investigations into alleged killing of scores of civilians and destruction of property in Makurdi, Benue State. Executive Secretary of NHRC, Prof Bem Angwe, disclosed this yesterday while responding to a petition filed on behalf of the affected community by a member of the House of Representatives, Dickson Tarkighir. While receiving a delegation of the North Bank Community of Makurdi in Benue State led by Tarkighir, Angwe promised to lead a group of in-

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Killings by soldiers: NHRC begins probe vestigators to the state to verify the allegations. He said if culpable, the commission would prosecute soldiers involved in the sacking of the community. “We will look at the houses you allege have been destroyed. We will also look at the properties you allege have been destroyed and will assess them. We will also interact with the government of Benue to verify if indeed after this incident, the governor visited this community. “We’ll marry the findings of the state government with our findings and will confront the

military to identify the culprits with a view to ascertaining the exact situation of things. Thereafter, we will proceed to enforce the rights of Nigerians and the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the protection and enforcement of the rights of all Nigerians,” he said. Earlier, Tarkighir presented a petition titled, ‘Petition to Demand the Investigation, Prosecu-

tion and Compensation over Attacks on Unarmed Residents and Destruction of Property in North Bank 2, Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State by Soldiers from NASME Barracks, North-Bank Markurdi.’ He alleged that “On the night of August 14, some soldiers from NASME Barracks in North Bank 2 of Makurdi Local Government embarked on what they termed a repri-

sal attack on the community.” According to him, “This so called reprisal attack was triggered by an altercation earlier in the day between a soldier, Private Innocent Okoro and three other young men over a lady. “This reprisal attack carried the hallmark of lawless society as soldiers showed their disregard for civil authority in the pursuit of justice an

descended on an entire community in the dead of night, beating up residents and commuters as they also set over 200 cars ablaze while shattering the glasses to more than 100 houses and about 150 other cars they did not have time to set ablaze.” The lawmaker, on behalf of the community in a petition he signed, called on the commission to act and serve justice to the alleged culprits.

Police not recruiting yet –Okiro Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

eeved by reports that some unsuspecting job-seekers were already falling prey to the antics of fraudsters, the Police Service Commission, PSC, has dismissed reports that it has begun recruitment into the Nigeria Police.

Chairman of PSC, Sir Mike Okiro, who stated this yesterday in Abuja, warned Nigerians interested in joining the security agency, especially with the Presidential pronouncement on recruiting 10,000 policemen, to beware of scammers who might want to take advantage of the pronouncement to dupe unsuspecting would-be applicants. According to him, the commission has not started the recruitment exercise nor released any application form for recruitment.

Head, Press and Public Relations of the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, who confirmed the development, said the commission and the Nigeria Police were working out details, stressing that when completed, the PSC would publicise commencement of the recruitment exercise in line with the requirements of the law. He warned that the police would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anybody caught selling police recruitment forms or collecting money from intending applicants in the pretext of helping them to get employed. The PSC chairman noted that the commission would not charge fees for forms when the exercise begins and advised prospective applicants to exercise patience and await formal commencement of the exercise.

L-R: Plateau State Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden; Governor Simon Lalong and contractor handling the State Secretariat renovation project, Mr. Ikenna Azomchine, during inspection of the project in Jos, on Monday.

APC plots to overturn PDP’s electoral victories –Metuh Obiora Ifoh, ABUJA

eoples Democratic Party, PDP, says it has uncovered fresh plot by the All Progressives Congress, APC-led administration to tinker with the composition of the election tribunals in Rivers and other PDP states, with a view to import pliable judges to overturn the party’s victory in

the last general elections. The party said it has “concrete evidence that the APC administration in its desperation was set to transfer uncooperative tribunal judges and replace them with malleable ones to overturn PDP’s electoral victory in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Taraba and Delta states and hand them over to the APC.” PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday said “fol-

Kolawole takes over as police spokeswoman Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

ew Police Public Relations Officer, ACP Bisi Kolawole, yesterday assumed office with a promise to focus on restoring the battered image of the agency. Kolawole, who spoke during a brief hand-over ceremony at the police headquarters, said since the police is the mirror of the society, it behooves on members of the community to assist her in exe-

cuting her core mandate. “A wrong society breeds a wrong police and a wrong police is the woe of a nation. It is therefore, the responsibility of all to sensitise the communities and the entire nation on the benefits of a good, proactive and friendly police organisation,” she said. According to her, a police organisation that does not enjoy the patronage of the press cannot perform its constitutional obligations of

maintaining the security of lives and property. “This is because whatever information that destroys or propagates the inability of the police inadvertently destroys the economy and development of a nation, as no nation can progress without the police,” she added. While she commended the media for projecting the security agency in positive light and deemphasising its interest in giving support to ter-

ror, Kolawole thanked the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, for being gender-friendly and leading the agency to key into the National Gender Policy. Earlier, outgoing PRO, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, who is now in charge of Kogi State command, said he has great faith in the ability of his successor to manage public perception of the police. Kolawole is the first woman to be appointed PPRO.

lowing the insistence by some tribunal judges on delivering justice, despite pressure being mounted by the APC government, machineries have been put in motion to influence the outcome of the judicial process by replacing them with those already briefed to do the bidding of the APC government.” The party further alerted that “part of the plot is to use the Department of State Services (DSS) and some unscrupulous officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tamper with official records of evidence and other electoral documents in INEC’s custody for presentation at the tribunals, which would be manned by the compromised judicial officials. “We have uncovered an unholy alliance between the DSS and INEC to interfere directly in the activities of election tribunals in some PDP states by removing and altering some records in INEC and instigating the APC to insist there were no elections in those states. “You will recall that after

the elections, former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, insisted and showed to the whole world that there were governorship elections in Rivers, Abia, Taraba, Akwa Ibom and Delta states. However, upon prodding by APC, the DSS and INEC are already interfering with the electoral process by using some persons in INEC to doctor the results and change the true position of affairs regarding the elections in these states. “Secondly, we want to inform the nation that any moment from now, some tribunal judges in these states have been marked for transfer. We had earlier informed Nigerians that the DSS was already meeting with some INEC and tribunal officials ostensibly to compromise the process. “Now, we have found out that because some tribunal members were not cooperating, they have concluded plans to replace them with pliable ones. The PDP is alerting the entire nation and the international community of this devious development, which is a direct assault on our democracy.”

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Politics

Forgery in the political landscape

igeria’s political landscape has witnessed serial cases of forgery but how such cases ended have often churned the stomachs of rightthinking Nigerians. While some political actors were merely accused of forging their educational certificates, there were those who went as far as forging election results. From “Toronto” to “Chicago”, it has been one sorry tale of forgery or the other. If one thought the era of forgery was gone, one was perhaps mistaken. From the National Assembly to Benue State and then to Enugu State, forgery has actually taken over the political landscape of the Nigerian nation.

Nigeria’s political space has been inundated with reports of forgery cases involving politicians who want to win at all costs. OMEIZA AJAYI examines the situation.

NASS forgery A clear case of forgery, manipulation, and tampering was recently established in the emergence of the Senate Standing Orders of the eighth National Assembly. According to the police, the Clerk presided over the election of some principal officers of the Senate on June 9 with forged Standing Orders 2015 when he ought to know better. National Assembly clerk, Salisu Maikasuwa, has however neither been arraigned nor is any of his staff, despite the police saying they have a case to answer. Then came the petition against the wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, alleging that the signatures of some of its members were forged and attached to the petition. Speaking in Abuja, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Olawoye, the party insisted that its members were not privy to the alleged petition against the wife of the Senate President. Olawoye said neither him nor PDP had anything to do with the petition, accusing Mrs Saraki of money laundering while in office as Kwara State first lady. He added that his signature on the petition was forged, while the authorship credited to PDP was pure impersonation. Apparently disturbed by this development, the party spokesperson stated that it was high time the party tamed the monster of forgery and impersonation that certain people were always dragging it into, in the politics of the state, adding that the current situation was the second time such would be rearing its head.

The Benue forgery The situation in Benue State is rather unfortunate. First, its immediate past governor, Gabriel Suswam, was alleged to have forged some of his educational qualifications, fortunately for him, he was able to prove his critics wrong. The most recent case of forgery in Benue State was the one involving a member of the House of Representatives, Christian Abah. Just recently, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the certificate of return, CoR, it issued to Abah for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo federal constituency seat of Benue State in the House of Representatives. Justice Adeniyi Ademola, delivering judgment in

Saraki

Dogora

If one thought the era of forgery was gone, one was perhaps mistaken. From the National Assembly to Benue State and then to Enugu State, forgery has actually taken over the political landscape of the

Nigerian nation

the suit challenging Abah’s eligibility to stand for the election, said the allegation of certificate forgery brought against the respondent by the plaintiff, Mr. Hassan Saleh, has been duly established to be true. According to the suit, Abah was accused of forging an Ordinary National Diploma, OND, certificate in Accountancy allegedly obtained from the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, in 1985. The judge held that his findings revealed that a judgment delivered by the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi on September 6, 2011, and a letter by the Registrar of the Polytechnic, Mr. Suleiman Buba, confirmed that the certificate presented by Abah to INEC was forged. He therefore ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to commence the immediate prosecu-

tion of Abah for forgery and perjury. Abah, a member of the PDP was declared unopposed and elected for being the only candidate presented for the March 28 National Assembly election. According to Justice Ademola, all the votes that went to Abah in the PDP primary of December 6, 2014, was wasted and he subsequently declared Saleh, who came second, as the winner of the primary. He subsequently ordered INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Saleh. As the eighth National Assembly was yet to be inaugurated by then, the court further ordered the incoming Speaker of the National Assembly to swear in Saleh as the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/ Ogbadibo federal constituency.

The Enugu forgery Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi is the immediate past chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Works. He did three terms in the lower chamber of the National Assembly. He wanted a fourth term through the 2015 general election but his Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency of Enugu State thought otherwise. Ozomgbachi, undoubtedly had done his best in representing the constituency for 12 years at a stretch and picked the PDP nomination form for a fourth term against the wish of his constituency, which seemed to have preferred Mr. Dennis Amadi. At the end, Amadi reportedly defeated Ozomgbachi in the party primary election with 140 delegate votes against Ozomgbachi, who polled two votes. On the day of the PDP primary election for the federal constituency in December last year, Ozomgbachi CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Forgery in the political landscape CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 allegedly showed up at the venue and left, according to Amadi. Ozomgbachi on his part said the primary election that produced him, took place at another location, a claim Amadi dismissed, accusing Ozomgbachi of holding his own primary election with self appointed delegates, returning and electoral officers. While Amadi was issued CoR by INEC and consequently sworn in to the lower House, Ozomgbachi had approached the courts to press his case further. Among the documents he presented to prove his case were two letters purportedly from the then acting state chairman of the PDP in Enugu State, Elder David Ajah, appointing Hon. Paul Anikwe and Mrs. Ify Ozoani as returning and electoral officers of the party, respectively. The letters tendered have Ajah’s signature, but only on a photocopied paper without what forensic experts would call “an original ink character document”. Both Anikwe and Ozoani went further to depose to an oath, claiming that they were appointed returning and electoral officers for the election and that they conducted a disrupted primary election. Miffed by this development, Elder Ajah went to court as witness to Amadi who is the first defendant in Ozomgbachi’s suit. Ajah, under oath, submitted to the court that he appointed Barr C.O.C. Egumgbe, Barr Emeka Igwesi and Mr. Ogbodo Uwaezuoke as monitor, returning officer and electoral officer for Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency. He said: “After the election, a copy of the result was given to me and Mr. Amadi won the primary election...I did not appoint Hons Anikwe Okoani (Ozoani) as the returning and electoral officers for Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency. I did not sign any letter appointing them for any purpose whatsoever.” Armed with documents of the two different claims, Hon. Amadi, representing the federal constituency at the House of Representatives on July 6, petitioned the IGP, Solomon Arase, to determine the veracity of Anikwe and Ozoani’s letters of appointment. Amadi through his legal counsel, MD Enape and Associates, petitioned the IGP, alleging impersonation and perjury by Anikwe and Ozoani. He prayed the police to investigate the matter and bring the two suspects and their collaborators to justice. Amadi’s petition to IGP was assigned to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation, FCIID, in Abuja, who moved men to Enugu and interrogated the suspects on July I5 and were granted bail but to report to the Force Headquarters on July 21. Checks at the Force Headquarters revealed that on July 21, the two suspects appeared at the FCIID Abuja and continued to lay claim to the appointment letters. This then made the Police to request that they should

Ozongbachi

Abah

come back on July 28 so that they can meet face to face with the Enugu State PDP officials in persons of the then acting chairman and secretary of the party, Elder Ajah and Barr. Steve Oruruoh respectively, but on this appointed date, the two suspects however failed to appear in Abuja with different excuses. However, Elder Ajah honoured the invitation along with Barr Oruruoh and told the Police that the document in dispute bearing his purported signature on a photocopied document was fake and did not emanate from him or from the party. He emphasised that all the appointment letters issued to genuine persons who worked for the party were counter-signed by the party secretary with the party seal, whereas the photocopied document tendered by the suspects was purportedly signed by the acting chairman, only. Ajah went further to tender the comprehensive list of all persons whom the party appointed to represent it in the party primaries across the entire Enugu State. Amadi however said he became angry that the Investigating Police Officer, IPO, of the case, ASP Emma Mordi, instead of pursuing for prosecution of the suspects, “diversionarily recommended for a forensic examination of the signature contained only on a photocopied document without an original ink-character signature on the document, of which the suspects have not produced the original copy till date.” Amadi in his second letter to the IGP noted that all relevant witnesses have made statements to prove the alleged offences and wondered the reason for contin-

ued delay in charging the suspects to court. The lawmaker maintained that the suspects’ failure to honour police instruction was a ploy to delay their prosecution and demanded for the immediate arraignment of all suspects connected with the alleged offences in a court of competent jurisdiction. He also wondered if the continuous rounds of interviews by the police could serve any useful cause of justice. He insisted on immediate prosecution of the suspects to restore dignity and confidence in the Nigeria Police Force. Reacting to the petition, one of the accused, Hon. Anikwe, who admitted knowledge of the petition, said the police have not found him culpable because he has done no wrong. He said as a lawmaker and former PDP chairman in the state, there was no way he could be involved in any case of forgery as alleged by the Amadi. He said: “I am aware of the petition. The matter is before a competent court of jurisdiction in Abuja. I hope the statement I will make will not be subjudice. I do not want to pre-empt anything. I am a lawmaker and having served as PDP chairman, I do not think I should be involved in any case of forgery. To be very clear, it is a total fallacy. There is no iota of truth in what they are alleging. It is total fallacy.” For now, the ball is in the court of the IGP, Arase to do the needful and establish the veracity or otherwise of the above claims. The earlier one is cleared or prosecuted, the better for the nation’s political space.

APC-USA backs Buhari over appointments Olajide Omojolomoju

nited States of America All Progressives Congress, APC-USA, has thrown its weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent appointments, saying that Nigerians in the Diaspora are solidly behind the President over the appointments. In a statement signed by Francis John and Prof

Isa Odidi, APC-USA said: “Truth be told, Nigerians in Diaspora see Buhari’s recent appointments as helping to maintain a balanced equilibrium in the overall balanced equation of Nigerians serving in his government. “We should not lose sight of the ‘raison d’être’ for making these appointments. These appointments were Buhari’s personal staff, positions which are too strategic and important to be left to

partisanship alone.” The duo said that on behalf of well-meaning Nigerians in Diaspora, APC-USA would like to reiterate support for “President Buhari’s stellar choices and to disassociate Nigerians in Diaspora and ourselves from the recent insinuation in the press that ‘Nigerians in Diaspora condemn Buhari’s recent appointments, allege nepotism.’” It said: “We call on the Buhari administration to

ignore such sponsored, baseless and sensational headlines and stay the course in its well defined plan to put Nigeria on a strong footing. “We also want to reemphasise that contrary to views expressed in certain quarters, Buhari’s recent appointments were not done to disfavour the South. It is a well-known fact that no less than 30 key positions in the Federal Government are currently held by Nigerians

who are not of Northern extraction.” APC-USA said these positions include: governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS; chairman, Revenue and Fiscal Mobilization Commission, RFMC; director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP; chairman, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE and chairman, Sovereign Investment Commission.

Others, it said were: Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; managing director, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; directorgeneral, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency; the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Inspector-General of Police and Comptroller-General of Nigerian Prisons Service, among others, too numerous to mention.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

From The Civil Service

NUC says ICT is key to access expansion in tertiary institution P.16

Japan supports Nigeria with N600m to empower PWDs Adeola Tukuru, ABUJA

L-R: Rivers State Head of Civil Service, Mr. Rufus Godwin; Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo; Commissioner for Agric, Mrs. Onimim Jack; Chairman Head of Civil Service Commission, Chief Oris Onyiri and Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Kenneth Kobani, during the Civil Service Day and Awards Celebrations in Port Harcourt.

Open varsity offers admission to 103-year-old chief ...woos Buhari, Jonathan, others A za Msue, KADUNA

he Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Prof.Vincent Ado Tenebe, at the weekend said President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerians could enroll for quality education in the institution. Addressing a news conference in Kaduna shortly after matriculating over 200,000 students, NOUN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tenebe, said the university had offered admission to a 103 year old paramount ruler in Delta State and given him automatic scholarship throughout the chief ’s course duration.

Prof.Tenebe, who commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Emir of Bauchi, governors and other Nigerians for enrolling at NOUN revealed that immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan had promised to enroll in the university after his tenure. He added that the management and students were waiting for him to gain admission and enjoy excellent distance learning. NOUN Vice Chancellor said President Buhari could also join the university as academic activities would not affect his official duties, adding that the university distance mode of learning was maintaining high standard of education despite its mass admission of stu-

National ID requisite for drivers’ license –FRSC

dents. He also declared that anybody or any organisation that found any half bake graduate of NOUN should report to the management as the university would not withdraw the person’s certificate but ask such graduate to go back and repeat all the courses. Prof.Tenebe said: “We don’t compromise quality education in NOUN. Our graduates are the best considering their backgrounds in the society. It will interest you to know that one of our students is a 103 years old. He is a paramount ruler in Delta State. NOUN gave him automatic scholarship and he is performing very well. “The Emir of Bauchi and many other emirs,

traditional rulers, governors, ex-ministers, captains of industries, labour leaders, senators, former president of this country are all our students. We also have some vice chancellors of conventional universities including myself the vice chancellor of open university as students in NOUN. We conduct e-examination using biometric to all our one hundred and two hundred levels students. So, how can a student cheat? “ Prof.Tenebe however said NOUN Law students came first in legal competition beating students from conventional universities. He stressed that its graduates should be allowed into Law school as being practised worldwide.

Amaechi left an empty treasury, Wike insists P.16

P.41

he Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday lent a hand of support to the Federal Government of Nigeria with a grant aid of three hundred and fifty million yen, estimated at six hundred million naira. Head of the Economic/ Development Cooperation Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, Ambleside Chikara Yoshimura, said the grants were designed to support the economic and social development of recipient countries by utilising products made in East Japan, especially the Tohoku region. The grant is turned into 2,750 wheelchairs and 450 walking support wheels to support the physically challenged persons. Amb. Yoshimura made this known on the occasion of the distribution and presentation of wheel chairs and walking support wheels to Non Governmental Organizations and Persons with Disabilities, recently in Abuja. According to him, the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will benefit from the grant as we also aim to deliver assistance as broad as possible. “Today, we are going to distribute 1900 wheelchairs and 450 walking support wheels and the rest will follow. We declared in Yokohama Declaration 2013 at TICAD V, we have been highlighting human rights and dignity in our aid policy practice. “Freedom Yoshimura of movement is an integral part of human right. The appliance we are about to distribute to us-

ers is giving mobility to people in difficulty and would help them, though in a modest way, recover their right.” Also, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi, said the federal government had continued the formulation of policies and implementation of policies in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, aimed at improving the general welfare, effective rehabilitation and the provision of after care services to PWDs in Nigeria. According to him, the federal government is aware of the plights of Persons with Disabilities and the need for effective and efficient programmes throughout the country. “It is on this premise that the government through his ministry in partnership with and support from the Japanese Government took bold step towards ensuring the full actualisation of what we are witnessing today,” he said. Dr. Oyemomi said that the presentation and distribution of these enabling appliances to NGOs and PWDs is an indication of the federal government’s commitment to seeing that Persons with Disabilities were not only empowered for independent living, but also ensuring that their mobility was enhanced. He explained that the ministry was charged with the responsibility of caring for the less-privileged with particular emphasis on rehabilitation of Person with Disabilities and that 10 NGOs and 250 PWDs would benefit from the kind gesture.

53% Nigerians affected by desertification –FG P.42

Civil Service

Chidi Ugwu,

ABUJA

orps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps [FRSC], Boboye Oyeyemi, has said that possession of National Identity Card will be one major criterion before the issuance of driver’s licence to the motoring public. Oyeyemi stated this when the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission [NIMC], Chris Onyemenam, paid him a working visit recently to fine-tune plans on the harmonisation of the data base of the two agencies of gov-

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National ID requisite for drivers’ licence –FRSC ernment. He, however, said the policy would take effect only after the harmonisation and integration of data base among relevant agencies of government. He also pointed out that National Identity Cards could be used in place of permanent voter cards during election when all relevant government agencies must have harmonised and integrated their data base in the NIMC. According to him, “When National Identity Card is in place, there is no

need for permanent voter cards during elections.” “By the time we finish the whole process, it will serve a lot of purpose.” The FRSC boss, who underscored the need for the harmonisation of biometrics of Nigerians by relevant government agencies, said the exercise would reduce duplication of data bases as well as reduce multiple identification. He also pointed out that in the face of current dwindling revenue of government and scarce resources, the harmoni-

sation would save huge resources on the part of government. Therefore, he pledged the FRSC’S unflinching support to the success of the project, adding that all relevant agencies of government must work together in compliance with the presidential directive on the harmonisation of data base. Earlier, the DirectorGeneral of NIMC, Chris Onyemenam, had enumerated the benefits of having harmonised and integrated data base among the agencies of government.

Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Tunji Olaopa (middle), Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Peter Jack (left),and others after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of their ministry activities at the State House, Abuja.

NUC says ICT key to access expansion in tertiary institution Adeola Tukuru, ABUJA

he Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, yesterday said ICT was the only means to expand access in Nigeria tertiary institutions. Speaking on transition from the obsolete teaching method to the use of ICT, Okojie, during the 2015 Conference on Technology Assisted Learning jointly organised by the National Universities Commission, American University of Nigeria and the Digital Promise Foundation, emphasised the importance of the ICT in driving the Nigerian university system. Professor Okojie urged stakeholders in the university system to key into the on-going change factor

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in the country, in addressing key problems of access and quality affecting the sector. According to him, there is the need for more the creation of more access, considering the fact that about 2.4 million students are in Nigeria universities and over 1.8 million students still seek admission every year, while only 500,000 spaces are available. He explained that based on this the National Open University of Nigeria should be strenghtened and encouraged more in the use of ICT for its teaching and learning exercise. “ICT of course will improve the quality of students produced by our universities and will also enhance the quality of the teachers what we need basically is how to ensure expansion of access into the tertiary institutions” On the establishment

of a common platform for sharing advance technology among universities in Nigeria, the Secretary General of Committee of Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Faborode urged the federal government to rescue the Nigeria Research Education Network (NgRen) which, according to him, is in a comatose state due to insufficient fund to strengthen the Network. “Nigeria is a very good platform that is expected to connect all universities on the same platform to share research materials and exchange ideas on university system if not only now that it is in a comatose state and needs funding to avoid its present dwindling state. NgRen will also allow universities to key into e-learning” Also, the keynote Speaker and the former Executive Secretary of NUC,

Professor Peter Okebukola, who spoke on ICT in the Nigerian education sector said: “Its current state and future prospects said the current curriculum in Nigeria schools is not keeping pace with the current revolutions in advance technology.” Professor Okebukola identified weak capacity of school administrators and inertia to change from analogue to digital frame of mind as hindrance to full adoption of ICT in Nigerian schools. He recommended capacity building for teachers and school administrators in ICT to enhance teaching, research and school management. “NUC should initiate and sustain capacity building in ICT for teaching, research and management for vice chancellors and all universities teachers in specialised field,” he said.

He further pointed out that the exercise would eliminate falsification of age among Nigerians, adding that it would also achieve digital environment in Nigeria. Onyemenam revealed that he had already consulted with the management of Central Bank of

Nigeria as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] on the harmonisation of data base. He stressed the need for all government agencies involved in the registration of biometrics to collaborate to ensure the success of the exercise.

CSOs laud NAFDAC on new fake drug detection service Adeola Tukuru, ABUJA

he National Agency for Food, Drug A d m i n i s t r at i o n and Control ( NAFDAC ), has been commended for its on the spot fake drug detection mechanism. The service called TRUSCAN enables consumers to determine the authenticity of drug purchased right from the store before consuming it. The Coalition of Civil Societies under the aegis of Civil Society Organisations for Transparency in Governance lauded NAFDAC in a communique issued in Abuja by Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi and Barr. Usman Jubril, after the coalition’s consultative assembly of civil society groups held in Abuja. According to the group, they had Xrayed the progress in the health sector as necessitated by the Paul Orhii-led NAFDAC and deemed it fit to distinguish him in the ranks of administrators in the nation to serve as an example to others and further encourage him to do more. Highlighting the agency’s achievements, the coaliton hailed the introduction of Mobile Authentication Service, MAS, WHO pre-qualification for four Nigerian pharmaceutical companies that enable them to sell their products globally. The coalition said under the leadership of Dr. Orhii, NAFDAC had initiated the review of its law to make them more stringent so as to deter counterfeiters (life jail term and confiscation of assets on conviction),

while the water re-certification exercise is a coordinated war against unregistered and poorly packaged water using a mobile laboratory to test water on factory premises. The communique said in the last two years, NAFDAC has seized and destroyed fake drugs and other counterfeit products running into billions of naira at Kano, Onitsha, Enugu, Osun, Abuja and Lagos States. The communique stated that “as a seasoned and globally certified health expert, Dr. Orhii has proven that pharmaceutical products, in view of their unique nature, are not to be ubiquitously sold and exhibited consequent upon which the regional Mega Drug Distribution Centers{MDDCs} and States Drug Distribution Centers {SDDCs]were conceptualized for adoption and subsequent implementation nationwide”. “NAFDAC has also initiated the compulsory food fortification campaign to combat dangers of hidden hunger. Several counterfeiters have been arrested and trials are ongoing in the courts. From several innovations introduced by Dr.Orhii, NAFDAC now belongs to the elite group of the top 18 regulatory agencies in the world,” it reads in part. They also praised the conferment of global status on local drug plants through World Health Organisation (WHO) good manufacturing practice pre-qualification certification which has boosted self-reliance in production and competitive export.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The richest address in Port Harcourt NIMI F. GEORGE

or many years I have lived in Port Harcourt, the capital city of oil-rich Rivers State, I did not know the richest address. I only got the information while reading a petition, and the rejoinder thereto, in the newspapers. The richest address is situated somewhere on Trans Amadi Road, where three companies, colocated at the same address either received or bought the hard currency equivalent of not less than N17 billion, (according to the petition or rebuttal), all within a week (between December 1 and 8, 2014). According to the published petition, which was addressed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Rivers State government sold its electric power plants and the monies, or at least a chunk of the proceeds, were then allegedly paid to the three companies located at the same address. How much each company got and on what date are part of the details of the petition. However, in the rejoinder which was also widely published with appendices, the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and former Commissioner for Finance under the administration of Rotimi Amaechi, refuted the allegation that the monies were simply paid to the three companies for doing nothing. Instead, they argue that part of the proceeds of the sale of power plants was in US dollars, which the companies bought and paid the state

government the naira equivalent. My first observation is that whereas in the petition, the three companies are named and their address given as the same location on Trans Amadi Road, the rejoinder lists the companies but without their addresses. I must admit straightaway that my interest in the matter was stirred by the curious coincidence of the three companies having the same address and dealing in such huge sums within a short space of time, hence my coinage of the title for this article. Yet, I note that the rejoinder did not refute the co-location of the three companies at the same address. Even to the untrained eye, the fact that such monies as aforementioned went to the same address, and within a week or so, should trigger alarm. Forget for now that in law, companies are regarded as separate and distinct entities, from their human owners. Companies have a life of their own. Thus, a hundred or more companies can operate from the same address; they can share the same office. But the law also recognises that companies are potent vehicles for perpetrating fraud, which is why the history of company law is replete with pieces of legislation aimed at blunting the capacity of companies being used as avenues of fraud. The rebuttal to the petition provides a background to the sale of the state’s power projects; it also indicates that proceeds came in various tranches between 2012 and 2014, and that there were US dollar components of the proceeds of sale. Subsequently, according to the former SSG and former

D ID

THE THREE

COMPANIES , IN

CONTRAVENTION OF EXTANT

REGULATIONS , BUY THE FOREX FOR SPECULATIVE PURPOSES ?

Commissioner for Finance, the US dollar proceeds “were sold to willing buyers”. But why is it that those three companies located at the same address were the “only willing buyers” of the forex proceeds? Was the sale advertised, or was it insider dealing? The rejoinder is silent on that. The rate at which the three companies bought the forex was stated at N175 to US$1. Yet, by December 2014, with falling crude oil prices, and the Central Bank of Nigeria battling to shore up the country’s external reserves, the naira was already taking a beating in the exchange market. The Rivers State government had dollars, so why the rush to sell off ? Did the three companies, in contravention of extant regulations, buy the forex for speculative purposes? That question may be unnecessary after all, because the rejoinder asserts that, “Once the funds were received into Rivers State government revenue account…they were used alongside others from other revenue sources to finance var-

ious government projects and activities.” But, let me return to the richest address in Port Harcourt. It is interesting that, as disclosed in the rejoinder, the proceeds from the sale of power assets were identified as one of the revenue sources under the state’s 2014 Appropriation Act. Such proceeds were projected at N33 billion. But why did the Amaechi administration have to wait until December 1st to begin off-loading the US dollars it received for the sale of the power plants? And the offloading continued right up to December 22nd. Does Rivers State accounting system forbid carrying over credit balances to the following year? Would the state not have had more naira in its kitty, if the dollars were sold early this year? Still, if within three weeks, according to the facts supplied by the erstwhile SSG and former Commissioner for Finance, in contradistinction to one week as alleged in the original petition, three companies shelled out at least N17.1 billion to buy forex, it buttresses my assertion that where the three companies are located is the richest address in Port Harcourt. Just by their names, the companies are not any of the oil majors, nor do their names ring familiar as among the well-known service provider companies for multinational oil firms. It may help then to, as lawyers say, lift the veil of the three companies, so the real identities of the wealthy folks behind the companies are known. Nimi George writes from Port Harcourt.

Ambode and Lagos quest for 24/7 economy TAYO OGUNBIYI

n most of the world’s major cities, socio-economic activities take place 24 hours around the clock. A 24 hour economy is one in which socio-economic activities do not halt at night. New research from across the world has indicated that many cities, over the past two decades, have deliberately put in place a strategy to run a 24-hour economy. The hospitality and entertainment industries, in particular, thrive better in a 24/7 economy. Entertainment spots such as restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, cinemas, casinos, concert halls, theatres and licensed clubs make more businesses in this respect. This is particularly because high flying business executives and others who have worked hard in the day often love to unwind at night. It should, however, be stressed that other socio-economic activities that are non-hospitality and nonentertainment related also flourish in a 24-hour economy. These include, among others, the printing industry, cleaning services, education, government services, retailing, baking and other forms of food and logistics related activities. Presently, Lagos boasts of the largest economy in the country. But then, the economy is yet to be properly situated in the league of those of city states that operate effective and efficient 24/7 economy. This is why the state government is

BY 2025, THE STATE HOPES TO DOUBLE

ITS 24/7 ECONOMY TURNOVER AND INCREASE EMPLOYMENT BY 55 PERCENT

developing a strategy to ensuring that the state’s economy is more diverse, better connected, inviting and safe. A major part of the strategy’s development came out of extensive consultations with the local business community and other stakeholders, which included residents, focus groups, representatives from the retail, liquor and entertainment sectors as well as key private sector leaders. The vision of the Akinwunmi Ambode administration is to make Lagos State Africa’s model megacity and global economic and financial hub. This can only become a reality if every minute of the 24 hours in a day could be properly harnessed in a secured and safer environment. Cities that operate 24/7 economy place immense emphasis on getting security right. It is in line with this tradition that Governor Ambode has been working relentlessly with other key stakeholders to advance security cause in the state. Recently, the governor met with individuals and corporate organisations that made commitments, in cash and kind, towards advancing

a safer Lagos. At the event, which was a brainchild of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), over one billion naira was realised as donation from various corporate organisations and individuals, while others made commitments to provide some vital technical support. An integral part of the Ambode administration’s renewed plan to stem up security in the state is to fortify the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). This is in addition to establishing an integrated security and emergency control platform. Part of the arrangement is for the control and command centre in Alausa, Ikeja to have an interface with other security networks through surveillance cameras. It is the firm conviction of the administration that security is at the very centre of its ploy to turn Lagos into a 24/7 economy. This explains why the administration remains committed towards developing new strategies to efficiently police Lagos and purge the state of criminal activities. The state government is also working on a scheme to incorporate technology into the state’s security system. Through this scheme, the whole of Lagos can be electronically monitored in order to prevent violent crimes, protect lives and property and to be able to prevent crisis and to manage crime situations at any location in the state. Presently, the various security strategies of the Ambode government seem to be paying off in good measures. In terms of crime management and security,

night activities in Lagos have become relatively stable. Compared to cities like Cairo, Nairobi and Johannesburg, the security indicators for Lagos are high up despite the obvious fact that there is still work to be done. Cheerfully, the state government is not resting on its oars as the long term plan is to create a vibrant and safer Lagos that offers something for everyone. In the next 10 years, it is expected that the state’s economy will be transformed away from a focus on younger people and entertainment. It is hoped that 40 percent of people taking advantage of the improved 24/7 activities in the state will be over the age 40, and that 40 percent of operating businesses at this time will be chiefly anchored on formal business concerns. This is why the Ambode government is encouraging a larger variety of retailers to stay open late, to broaden people’s choices of things to do at night. By 2025, the state hopes to double its 24/7 economy turnover and increase employment by 55 percent through the creation of several new jobs. Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja. Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be

Editorial

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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All the Facts, All the Sides A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER

SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO BEN MEMULETIWON ACTING DAILY EDITOR GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

Reconciliation of NLC’s two factions

he delusion by warring splinter groups in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that they could operate as separate entities and still work effectively for the protection of the interests of Nigerian workers gave way to good reasoning few days ago when the Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero factions expressed their readiness to let go of the past and work together for the good of the union, workers and the nation. The first time the NLC had cracks in its ranks was 37 years ago, when in 1978, at its Delegates Conference held in Benin, the Edo State capital, two factions, one led by Comrade Takaya Shammag and the other by Comrade Ali Ciroma, emerged. As if the labour house had arrived at its destination with nonexistent memory of where it was coming from, it wallowed into the same historical infamy again in the first quarter of this year when its scandalous Delegates Conference in Abuja, the Nigerian capital on February 12, 2015, virtually ended up in a free-forall. The delegates shredded ballot papers and destroyed ballot boxes following allegations of election irregularities and the production of ballot papers to favour a particular candidate. What followed

WABBA AND AJAERO FACTIONS SHOULD SEIZE THE PEACE WINDOW AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SOFT LANDING OF THEIR

FACTIONS, DESPITE THEIR FOLLIES became ‘To your tents o Israel’. The following two weeks or thereabout witnessed the carving out of two NLC dynasties, one led by Wabba of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), who emerged as NLC’s president in Abuja, and the other headed by Ajaero of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), elected into the same position in Lagos. We did warn at the time, however, that with the shameful spectacles the NLC failed election and subsequent leadership crisis portrayed, the umbrella labour body had frittered away its public goodwill and moral pedigree to protest against or challenge any government in power for perpetrating electoral frauds; and that the NLC as a body had lost the strength to bargain and fight for the collective welfare of Nigerian workers. It was, therefore, very imperative that the rival factions

quickly returned to the dialogue table and found ways of resolving their differences. For, the factions were faced with the risk of being taunted as an unserious pack; and would eventually end up as mere nuisance and tools in the hands of the government of the day. They would also constitute a huge disappointment to Nigerian workers, whose interest they claimed to be championing, a responsibility they certainly cannot accomplish in their confused state occasioned by sizzling crave for power. To the credit of the hitherto divided NLC, however, reports said the rancour was amicably resolved lately after a marathon reconciliatory meeting involving past and present leaders of organised labour held in Abuja. Governor Adams Oshiomhole, himself an ex-NLC President, who broke the news of the peace deal, was quoted as saying: “At the end of the day, we came up with a collective decision that we can’t continue this way and that there is only one movement. You have a new government in place and everybody is trying to ensure that the interest of their members is protected. You know that various interest groups are able to have their interest projected in corporate policy. This is not the

ON THIS DAY September 2, 1985 A joint American–French expedition located the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK to New York City, United States. The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of more than 1,500 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters ever.

September 2, 1997

The death of Diana, Princess of Wales was announced by Buckingham Palace. Diana was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into an aristocratic English family with royal ancestry as The Honourable Diana Spencer. She was the fourth child of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp and his first wife, the Honourable Frances Roche.

time for NLC to be detained and bogged down by internal quarrels. A couple of things definitely went wrong; there is no question. We identified a lot of things and we agreed that the way forward is to put a solid movement in place…We must ensure that the morality of the labour movement is always reflected, because organised labour is always ruled by sentiments about justice, fair play; what is proper more than any other thing. I think everybody agreed that we must find a way to get on with the job…” Wabba and Ajaero, the chief war horses of the rival factions, were said to have concurred with the position expressed by Oshiomhole. For Wabba, it is not about position, but effectively responding to issues bordering on the polity and the economy; and for Ajaero, “it is going to be participatory, so the idea of whether we will agree on something and we will come out to say we don’t agree again will not arise”. The NLC has no better choice than remaining and doing its battles as one indivisible unit. Wabba and Ajaero factions should seize the peace window as an opportunity for the soft landing of their factions, despite their follies.

September 2, 2004 The Beslan school hostage crisis occurred when armed terrorists took children and adults hostage in Beslan in North Ossetia, Russia. At least 334 hostages were killed as a result of the crisis, including 186 children, with a significant number of people injured and reported missing. The event led to security and political repercussions in Russia. Most notably, it contributed to a series of federal government reforms.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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Health & Wellbeing ‘Most FP methods are easy to use’ 22

Children’s brain development requires adequate nutrition –Paediatrician 21

Hydrocephalus: How congenital disease ruins children …parents’ superstitious belief still delay early surgical intervention

Festus Fajemilo

FRANKA OSAKWE

estus Fajemilo has an abnormally enlarged head, a condition known as hydrocephalus. This condition is caused by a build-up of fluid inside the skull that leads to brain swelling. Festus’ condition was detected two months after his birth and he was recommended for immediate surgical operation (V-P Shunt). However, his parents delayed, not having any idea how best to handle the strange ailment. It took them some time before they made up their mind to go for the operation, but then, they could not afford the money for surgery. It was not until Festus was fourteen months old before he finally had the first operation in September 2005 – a fatal error that has reduced him to a vegetable state. Right now, he is unable to walk without aid

even at ten years of age and is currently in the US undergoing rehabilitation. According to experts, Hydrocephalus is a potential life-threatening condition that can be managed however; delay in surgical treatment could resulted in some complications. “It was a bitter experience for us, we faced lots of hurdles, aside from finance, he was often stigmatised due to his enlarged head size, and we were advised to either dump him in a charity home or give him a mercy killing. But we still held on, until we got the fund for his first operation. Exactly a year after the first surgery, Festus had complication arising from migration of shunt into his brain which led to the second procedure he had in August 2006,” his dad, Mr. Afolabi Fajemilo told National Mirror. Mr. Fajemilo recalled sadly that if they had been well informed about the deformity from the onset, they would not have

delayed so long before his first procedure. the delay in surgical According to him, th had today led to other operation for Festus ha abnormities. years old but cannot “Festus is nine ye walk without aid, and his motor coordination is poor. Though he can p write, it is difficult for him to grasp things and his hand th writing is very poor”. writi But despite these B challenges, Mr. Fajemilo is grateful to God because many children with m Hydrocephalus and H Spinal Bifilda who Sp had delayed surgical treatment end up with trea even more complication death. or de Festus is not alone. Fe Anifa, also a boy with Anif hydrocephalus and spina bifida (opening at the spine) now a year and half year old, had delayed surgical treatment. Anifa needed a back surgery to close up the opening in his spine (spinal bifilda) and a surgically inserted shunt system to drain the fluid in his brain (hydrocephalus). This should have been done few days after his birth, but because of lack of fund, Anifa’s parents had to wait till he was nine months before they could get aid for surgical treatment which led to complications for the baby. Anifa cannot move with his legs (he is paralyzed) and he has no bowel and bladder control. He works very hard just trying to crawl on his chest. Fajemilo who had since established a foundation for children living with Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifilda (Festus Fajemilo Foundation) identify lack of fund and superstitious belief as the main reason why parents would not seek early surgical inter-

vention. “If Festus had done the shunt surgery when diagnosed, his head could not have been noticeably big and the deformities would not be so pronounced and complicated,” he said. He calls on government and well meaning Nigerians to assist these children through donations towards early surgical intervention and subsequent rehabilitations. He also advocated more support, the need for more awareness and acceptance of children with neuro tubal defects for affected children and family. Dr. Omotayo Ojo a Consultant Neurosurgeon with Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) told National Mirror that delay in identification and treatment of Hydrocephalus and spinal bifilda can lead to more complications such as incontinence (urine & feaces), paralysis (depending on the level of involvement), leg and sacral ulcers, erectile dysfunction, tethered cord syndrome (especially in spina bifida occulta). He described Hydrocephalus and spina bifida as potentially life-threatening conditions affecting between one and three per thousand infants, often resulting in severe disabilities. He however added that risks are much reduced by immediate surgery and careful management, advising pregnant women to take folic acid always to prevent congenital diseases such as hydrocephalus in their unborn babies. Also, Dr. Kabiru Rabiu, a Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) told National Mirror that if hydrocephalus is identified early during pregnancy, treatment could be planned and the disease managed. Although the disease is congenital, Dr. Rabiu disclosed that certain risk factors such as infection from the mum, consuming herbal medicine and antibiotics while pregnant, diabetes and obesity could also contribute to it.

Health & Wellbeing

Nutrition for Health

ucumber is an edible vegetable that comes from the cucumber plant cucumis sativus, which is part of the gourd family. They are one of the oldest cultivated vegetables and believed to have originated from India. It is a member of the same family as watermelon, pumpkins, gourds, squash and zucchini. Like watermelon, cucumbers are made up of mostly (95 percent) water, which means eating them on a hot sunny day can help you stay hydrated. Cucumbers are composed of mostly water and low in calories. Nutritionally, it has a very relatively high antioxidants such as vitamins A, B, C and K. It also contains valuable excellent sources of minerals like: silica, sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, fluorine, sulphur and magnesium. The high fiber soluble fiber in cucumbers dissolves into a gel-like texture in your gut, helping to slow down your digestion. This helps you to feel full longer and is one reason why fiber-rich foods may

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Amazing health benefits of cucumber

help with weight control. The water content of the cucumber helps aid digestion, keeps the body hydrated and regulates body temperature. Cucumbers also contain unique polyphenols and other compounds that may help reduce one’s risk of chronic diseases such as cancers, etc. Silica in cucumber improves the health of the skin and makes it naturally hydrating resulting to a good complexion and a glowing skin. Silica also helps strengthen connective tissue such as bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels. It is believed that cucumber when sliced into circles and placed on the eyes are the most wonderful and natural eye pads for those who have dark circles around their eyes. These natural eye pads do wonders when placed on the eyes in a relaxed fashion after a long days work. When cucumber is grated and applied over the face, eyes and neck, and left for 15 to 20 minutes has been found effective as a beauty aid and a best tonic for the skin, good for treating acne, pimples and other skin blemishes. Cucumber juice promotes hair

Chizoba Benson chizobanwobu@yahoo.com 08120807588 (sms only)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

growth, nails, teeth, gums and helps repair cells due to its high silicon and sulphur content particularly when mixed with carrot, lettuce and spinach juice. Cucumbers contain an antiinflammatory flavonol called fisetin that play an important role in brain health, improving memory and protecting nerve cells from age-related decline. Fisetin has been found to prevent progressive memory and learning impairments in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. Fresh cucumber juice can provide relief from heartburn, stomach disorders such as constipation, gastric and duodenal ulcers. It is good for dissolving kidney stones, treatment of urinary bladder disease and reduces hyperacidity in the urine. It is also said to be used in controlling high blood pressure because of the potassium, magnesium and fiber contents in it. Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress. They contain polyphenols called lignans which may help to

lower your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Cucumbers contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which have anti-cancer properties. According to the George Mateljan Foundation: “Scientists have already determined that several different signaling pathways required for cancer cell development and survival can be blocked by activity of cucurbitacins.” Cucumber juice is great for rheumatism, arthritis, gout conditions caused by excessive uric acid in the body. Flavonoids and tannins in cucumbers have been found to have both free-radical scavenging and pain-relieving effects.

Placing a cucumber slice on the roof of your mouth may help to rid your mouth of odor-causing bacteria. According to the principles of Ayurveda, eating cucumbers may also help to release excess heat in the stomach, which is said to be a primary cause of bad breath. Cucumbers should be eaten raw because cooking potassium and phosphorus are usually lost when cooked. The skins are not to be peeled because most nutrients are embedded on the cucumber skins. Cucumbers can be used for making salads, sandwiches, juiced, may be used to garnish other dishes or may be just eaten like that.

Sexual solutions and love products for adults My wife calls me a sex addict just because I want to have sex every day. Am I a sex addict for wanting my wife? Solomon Wanting sex everyday does not make you an addict. Most men will like to have sex every day if given the opportunity. Addictive behavior is usually reflective of an inability to function or cope without the object of your desire and it comes with many other signs such as restlessness, twitching, irritability, mood swings, erratic behavior, lack of concentration and even violence – Uche When I was in my twenties and thirties, I had a great sex life. Now I am 42 years and married with four children. I cannot remember the last time I had sex or felt like having sex. My husband thinks I am cheating - Oyinda Oyinda what causes lack of sexual desire in women, also known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) are many. Work,domestic stress, depression, sexual abuse, child birth, discomfort, fatigue, lack of emotional connection or satisfaction with your partner, dropping hormonal levels due to aging, health problems like fibroids, alcohol intake and certain medications as well can all cause it. You are not alone in this. 33 percent of women from ages 18 to 59 all experience a lack of sexual desire. So what you are experiencing is quite common but taking some time out to work on your sex life can help. Simply subjecting yourself to erotic images and fantasies can help distract your mind from some of the things preventing you from wanting to be sexual. Adult magazines, novels, films and sensual massage can all be very helpful.If you smoke and drink, quitting those habits can help too.Aphrodisiacs can also help especially if the problem is hormonal. A

supplement like the G Female Oral Tablet can help make you desire intercourse again. So the solutions vary depending on the cause – Uche It is with a lot of excitement that I greeted the news of new products you wrote about last week. Me I am interested in penis enlargement because my organ is quite small. After I read your article, I went online to research it a bit more and I was impressed to hear doctors say nice things about VigRx and Vimax penis enlargers. So I feel more confident about them but I don’t know which one to choose – Okey Depending on the reviews you read, some will tell you that VigRx is the best while others will say Vimax is the best. But mostly, VigRx is ranked as the best. The most important thing however is that they are both very good and do the same thing so anyone you use is fine. But since you are having trouble making up your mind, I will say take VigRx penis enlarger but be sure to combine it with a Penis Pump to get up to four inches in length – Uche I received the Boss Rhino Gold I ordered last week Friday. I took it on Saturday and I have never experienced anything like it. This Monday morning I am on my way to work and I still feel like having sex. I am easily aroused even though I had sex like seven times between Saturday and Sunday. Anyway, just wanted to let you know – Jide I am on your website trying to order the Hydro Play Lubricant but so far all I can see is Colt and Tiger Lube Carnivore. I want something for vaginal dryness and pain – Maria Maria the Hydro Play Lubricant is there. Call the numbers therefor assistance.

Colt, Tiger Lubricant and Hydro Play Lubricant all do the same thing anyway – Uche Please I need a performance enhancer that is mild. I just need erection and I prefer gentle aphrodisiacs. Thanks – Maxwell Try Maxidus or Man Up Now. These are all new erection enhancers with lower grammage for people like you. Two capsules of each are still under 1,000 milligrams – Uche Please do you have the thrusting vibrators now and which ones do you have? Been waiting for it – Agnes We have the Thrusting Rabbit Stroker now and it is very good – Uche My problem is premature ejaculation and a friend of mine that you helped says you can help me too. He says I should ask for a spray like that – Chima That would be the LS Delay Spray. Yes you can go for it. Users have had very nice things to say

about it – Uche And that is it for today. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 08171912551 or 08027901621 for help or visit www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com-Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

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Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Children’s brain development requires adequate nutrition –Paediatrician FRANKA OSAKWE

paediatrician has urged parents to ensure that children are given adequate nutrition from conception to age 2 to ensure full development of their brain.

Speaking during the 10th Nutrition Seminar of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria held in Lagos recently, the National President, Paediatric Association of Nigeria, Prof. Adebiyi Olowu, stressed the importance of nutrition during the first 1000 days of a child

saying that the brain of a child develops 80 per cent by age 2 years and 90 per cent into adult size by the age of 5 years. According to him, this development involves acquisition of the skills required for adaptation to life: such as psycho-motor development,

special senses, intellect and social neurological development “At birth, the body of a newborn is only 5 per cent of the adult body size but the brain is 70 per cent of the adult brain size. Subsequently, 15 per cent increase in brain size occurs in in-

L-R, Marketing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Mr. Gupta Tarang, President, Nutrition Association of Nigeria, Prof. Ngozi Nnam; Senior Scientist, Global Nutrition Development, FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre, Dr Anne Schaafsma; and Marketing Manager (IFT) FCWAMCO, Mrs. Zatur Hassim, at the 10th Nutrition Seminar of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria held in Abuja, recently.

FG, US build pharmaceutical warehouse in Lagos SAM EFERARO

he Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration the US government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) last week began the construction of a state-ofthe-art pharmaceutical grade warehouse in Lagos. The warehouse, which will be constructed using an innovative technology referred to as “Warehousein-Box” is expected to double the storage capacity of existing warehouses in the country and will make it easier for the ministry to buy, store, track and distribute medica-

tions to health care centres across Nigeria. Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of Health, Mr. Linus Awute described the project as a major milestone in the nation’s healthcare delivery efforts. He told guests at the ceremony that the Lagos store, converted to central medical stores in 1945 after the Second World War, serves as the only central storage hub for health products procured by the health ministry, local and international agencies and non-governmental organisations working in partnership with the ministry. “For some time now, there has been a lot of pressure on this facility as most of the stores lack the capacity and

equipment to accommodate the volume of medicines and other health commodities expected to be stored in the facility. Therefore, FMOH in collaboration with some Agencies and partners, namely United States government through USAID, the Global Fund and UNFPA decided to address these challenges by executing the project which was divided into two phases. The first phase was the renovation and upgrading of four cluster warehouses here at the Federal Medical Stores, Oshodi, Lagos. The project was completed and delivered in 2013. “The second phase is the complete construction, from the scratch of six standard Pharmaceutical grade warehouses, three each here in

Lagos and the Premier Medical Stores, Abuja.” The Permanent Secretary thanked the United States government and other partner agencies “who have always stood by us, giving us technical advice and ensuring provision of necessary medicines and equipment for improving the health of our people. We are grateful. ” In his remark, the USAID Mission Director, Mr. Michael Harvey said the $5 million “Warehouse-in-a-box” is a pre-fabricated building with smooth dust-free floors, temperature regulating systems, thermal insulated ceilings and appropriate warehouse handling equipment such as shelving, electric reach stachers and hand pallet movers.

Create demand for FP commodities, Perm Sec urges health workers

ealth Workers, Health Care Providers and Community mobilisers in Lagos State have been challenged to create demand for Family Planning Services. This was the appeal of the Permanent Secretary, Lagosm State Ministry of Health, Dr. Modele Osunkiyesi at the Flag off of the Pilot Scheme on Private Provider’s access of Government free Family Planning Commodities.

The Event involved fifty accredited Private Health Clinics drawn from five Local Government areas in Lagos State. Osunkiyesi said that the need to improve the demand for Family Planning Services is a challenge to all Health Workers in the State and that this intervention would impact positively on the State’s maternal and child mortality reduction program. She further stated that

the present initiative midwifed by the Federal Government through Strengthening Health Outcomes through Private Sector (SHOPS) has ensured that short and long term Family Planning options are available at Private and Public Sector Health Facilities at little or no cost. According to her, “this would boost the contraceptive rate and reduce unmet need for family planning in the State”.

Speaking in the same vein, Mrs. Ayodele Iroko, the Head of Party, SHOPS, urged all Stakeholders to join in the Crusade for Planned Parenthood. She said, “we should all be passionate marketers of Family Planning Commodities”. Furthermore, she affirmed that there had been appropriate human capital development involving the private health providers and community mobilizers.

fancy while the remaining 10 per cent is gained during the entire pre-school period. Between two to five months, visual development is prominent. The baby sustains eye contact and uses stares to catch the attention of the mother. The baby also begins vocalization and the speech is described as cooing. It is important that the mother responds to this cooing by talking back. The absence of such response may cause the infant to withdraw from further interaction”, he said. However, the Prof warned that brain development could be hindered by structural or functional abnormalities of specific parts of the brain. “This can be caused by neuronal injury or death from lack of required calories and fatty acids, traumatic insults to specific parts of the brain, Cell damage from toxins and other noxious agents, extensive suppression of experiences and pruning”, he added. Another key speaker at the seminar, Dr Anne Schaafsma, Senior Scientist, Global Nutrition Development, FrieslandCampina Innovation Centre, Netherlands, also explained that when infants are fed the appropriate

food, they become smarter, faster and happier. According to her, brain development and mental health of a child is essential and it should never be neglected. Significantly, both speakers noted that children whose diet lack important fatty acids like Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been found to be at risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, unipolar depression and aggressive hostility. As a pointer, the resource persons reiterated that improved health and nutrition will lead to enhanced economic development. Declaring the Nutrition Seminar open, the Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, noted the lack of awareness by mothers on what adequate nutrition is and the significance of nutrition in the first five years of a child’s life. In view of this, Mrs Ambode called on Healthcare Practitioners to “take opportunity of the Nutrition Seminar organized by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria to dialogue on new strategies, and new perspectives alongside the sharing of current knowledge on ways to improve the nutritional well-begin of the Nigerian child.”

Over 1m Nigerians now U-reporters –UNICEF FRANKA OSAKWE

bout one million Nigerians are now using the UNICEF SMS- based platform known as U-report to share their view on issues pertaining to health and development. The U-Report Nigeria platform discuss topics such as health, education, safety and security, Internally Displaced Persons, water and sanitation, violence against children and trafficking in persons, and the results have been disseminated to Government and other relevant agencies. The UNICEF Chief of Communication, Nigeria, Doune Porter, announced this in a release made available to National Mirror yesterday. According to her, Nigeria has become the first country to reach one million responders on the SMSbased U-Report platform, designed to strengthen community-led development and citizen engagement.

“UNICEF’s Global Innovations team has launched U-Report in 17 countries, mostly in Africa, as a way for community members to share their opinions and drive positive change. It is a user-centred social monitoring tool based on simple Short Message Service (SMS) messages, polling opinions on issues that affect communities and sharing useful information. It relies on volunteer community members, mostly young people, serving as U-Reporters to provide information on issues that affect their communities”, she said. In her remark, Director of Global Innovations at UNICEF, Dr Sharad Sapra said, “It is heartening to see a million young people in Nigeria becoming agents of change for their community and nation.These young people and the many more that join them every day, are becoming the pillars for sustainable social development in Nigeria.”

Health & Wellbeing

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Most FP methods are easy to use’ patches are user-dependent after initiation by healthcare provider.

Statistics from the recent National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) show that about 36,000 women in Nigeria die annually from pregnancy-related causes, childbirth, and unsafe abortion. According to the data, these deaths are heightened by low use and awareness of modern family planning (FP) methods. However, Mrs. Latifah Tanimola, a nurse with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, explains all about family planning methods in an interview with Health correspondent, Franka Osakwe. Excerpts: Please tell us about the different methods of Family Planning available in the country There are many Family Planning methods. They are categorized according to the mechanism of action, content or length of action. We have the barrier methods, which prevent pregnancy by keeping the sperm from reaching the egg, we also have the hormonal methods, which prevent the woman’s ovary from releasing an egg, making it harder for the sperm to reach the egg and keep the lining of the womb from supporting a pregnancy. There are also the IUDs, which prevent the man’s sperm from fertilizing the woman’s egg, the natural methods, which help a woman know when she is fertile, so that she can avoid having sex at that time and the permanent methods which makes it impossible for a man or a woman to have any children. How well does each of them prevent pregnancy? Barrier methods such as the male condom, condoms for women, the diaphragm, and spermicides prevent pregnancy by blocking the sperm from reaching the egg. They do not change the way the woman’s or man’s body works, and they cause very few side effects.

Barrier methods are safe if a woman is breastfeeding and they also protect against STIs, including HIV. When a woman wants to become pregnant, she simply stops using the barrier method. We also have the Hormonal methods such as the oral contraceptive pills. Hormonal methods work by preventing the woman’s ovaries from releasing an egg. The hormones also make the mucus at the opening of the womb very thick, which helps stop the sperm from getting inside the womb. Some women should not use pills or injections with estrogen for health reasons, or because they are breastfeeding. Women who should avoid hormonal methods are; women who have had breast cancer or a hard lump in the breast. Hormonal methods do not cause cancer. But if a woman already has breast cancer, these methods can make it worse. Other kind of people to avoid hormonal methods are; women who might be pregnant or whose monthly bleeding is late, women who have abnormal bleeding from the vagina during the 3 months before starting hormonal methods. These kinds of women should see a health worker to find out if there is a serious problem. Progestin-only pills (also called mini-pills), implants, and some

Family planning devices

injections containing only one hormone - progestin are safer than combined pills or injections for women who should not use estrogen, or are breastfeeding. Some hormonal methods are harmful for women with other health problems. Be sure to check each method to see if it is safe for you. If you have any of the health problems mentioned and still wish to use a method, talk to a health worker who has been trained in hormonal methods of family planning. How does a woman know which method to choose? The choice of a family planning method is solely that of the woman. However, medical conditions present or past medical

history may stop her from using some methods in which case the family planning provider will explain to her and guide her towards making other choices. There is the World Health Organization’s document on Medical Eligibility for Contraceptive Use. This is the document which guides the provider in knowing which medical condition is eligible or not for each method. How safe is it especially for someone with some health issues? Family Planning methods are generally safe for the majority of women. The service provider will take detailed history of past and present health conditions and carry out examination on the woman before deciding whether or not she can use a method. Where medical conditions are present, the woman will be treated or referred appropriately and in certain circumstances the woman can still use the method after treatment of the condition. Some can use the method under close monitoring. If the condition is an absolute contraindication, the woman will be counselled for other methods. How easy is it to use? Most methods are easy to use. Methods like IUD, implants and sterilization will require skilled professional intervention whilst condoms, pills and

Which is the best method for a breast feeding woman or a woman who wants more children, If a woman is breastfeeding exclusively and the baby is under 6 months, she may be covered. To be effective, a woman must give her baby only breast milk and her monthly bleeding must not have returned. This is called “Lactational Amenorrhea Method”, but it does not work for all women. There is no best method in family planning. Your best method is a method that works best for you. Breastfeeding mothers can use the levernogestrel only pill (mini pills). Women desiring more children in the future can use virtually all the methods except the permanent methods. Proper screening is important. Also, such women should ensure that they procure their family planning services from qualified providers. I recommend government hospitals and Primary Health Care Centres and registered private hospitals. How much do the methods cost? In government hospitals, family planning methods are offered free of charge to the client as the commodities are supplied free of charge by the federal government to all the states. However, some methods require certain consumables like cotton wool, antiseptic lotion, plaster, gauze, chlorine solution which are not supplied. Also, most hospitals charge all their clients for hospital cards. In consideration of all this, some hospitals/PHCs might charge a little amount for the said items or ask patients to buy them. Is it easy to get? Will you need to visit a health center often? In Lagos State, public health facilities and some private health facilities receive adequate quantities of FP commodities once in two months according to their consumption pattern. There is zero tolerance for stock out in our health facilities. Commodities are available at all times. Some methods require frequent visits e.g Noristerat and Depo Provera (every 2 and 3 months respectively) while some require 6 months or even yearly visits e.g IUDs and implants. A woman is encouraged to visit the clinic anytime she has a complaint regardless of her appointment date.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Arts Lounge

AFRIMA at Notting Hill Carnival

I hate kids suffering –OzzyBosco

Finding lasting peace in Nigeria’s music industry The Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), is once again embroiled in intrigues over the dissolution of some of the state chapters. This has created ‘a fragile unity’. Regina Otokpa

or over ten years, the Performing Musicians Employees Association of Nigeria (PMAN), has been bedeviled with leadership tussle at the national level with five factions battling to have an upper ground over the others. Yet to find a lasting peace, the saga assumed a new twist following the inauguration of an interim caretaker committee in the FCT where there already is an existing active PMAN administration.

Presenting a case of being the only national president of PMAN backed up by law following a court judgment on the 31st day of October 2014 before Justice O.E Abang with suit number: FHC/L/CS/919/2012, Pretty Okafor has been leading a team round the states and the FCT to dissolve all state chapters of PMAN and set up interim caretaker committees. These interim caretaker committees headed by chairpersons are to take over full responsibility of overseeing and conducting the affairs of PMAN according to stipulated laws in the PMAN constitution within a period of eight months, after which an election would be conducted to bring in new executives who would take over running of the association. Spearheading press conferences over the country, Okafor has continued to maintain that there are no factions in PMAN and his position as national president was legal with a consent judgment that could not be appeal able in any court of law. “I am the only executive that is backed up by law because we have a court judgment that put us in place and as law abiding citizens we are all under the Federal Government; no other authority is bigger than the law. lf they are saying there are factions, they should give you a proof that shows you authority that they are the faction to operate but we have the authority and a proof that gives us relevance to operate as the governing body of the union.” However, all does not seem to be going well for both Pretty Okafor and the newly appointed FCT PMAN chairperson Juliette Ofuyeta, as the duo have been charged to court by Mr. Collins Adeyemi, the present and recognised Governor of PMAN FCT chapter to defend his position as national president and also defend his actions in constituting an interim caretakers committee against the provisions as rightly stipulated in the PMAN’s constitution where an interim care taker committee could only be set up following an ongoing crisis in the said chapter. According to the PMAN constitution as cited by Adeyemi, only super delegates of the national executive council have the authority to dissolve a state chapter after a super dele-

Nigerian artistes gate conference with a unanimous voice count calling for a dissolution due to a lingering and deepening crisis within the affected chapter. Basing his argument on the provisions of the PMAN constitution, he insists that Pretty Okafor does not have the authority to dissolve the FCT chapter of PMAN because it is not in his power to do so, he is not the president of PMAN and if he were to be, there is no ongoing crisis or an emergency to call for such an action especially in the FCT which can only be undertaken by super delegates of the national executive council of the association. “When there is a crisis in a state chapter, only a super delegate of the national executive council, NEC, can dissolve a state chapter. Even the president does not have the right to do that except a super delegate conference is called and with a unanimous voice count and voice call, state chapters can be dissolved and that is when there is an emergency or crisis but we don’t have crisis in the FCT until these people came from Lagos to cause commotion and we are saying remain in your Lagos, leave us in our FCT. Over a year we have been having our activities no problem until now somebody wants to create a faction because of their own interest.” Defiling a court injunction not to host a press conference and inaugural meeting of the interim caretakers committee in the FCT, Okafor and Julietta have also failed to appear before the Industrial Court sitting in Abuja on two occasions, however, the defense counsel to both parties appearing during the second sitting had argued that his clients were not properly served their notices as claimed by counsel to the plaintiff, Adeyemi. Following Okafor’s attitude during a truce meeting organised by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity involving all five factions at the national level few months back where he

walked out of the meeting, one would think that his absence was a ploy to embark on a stalling game but reacting to why he walked out of the meeting, Okafor notes that the ministry had no right to wade into the matter after waiting this long years and watching the association crumble only to step in when he had embarked on positive steps to rejuvenate the association. “My anger that day was where was the Labour Ministry for the past 12 years, why didn’t they come to rescue the union, why are they coming to interfere in the progress of the union when some old people came to report to that these new and younger ones are taking the union over. We are not taking the union over illegally, we are taking the union over legally and not even that, we brought in a lot of things; benefits, prosperity to the union. Instead of the Labour Ministry to investigate and find out why they have failed in their duty to be able to manage the crisis of the union for the past 12 years, they are telling us the younger ones moving the union forward to stop and work with these people and I said sorry it is too late I cannot be stopped now and If you are going to insist I should work with them I will rather walk out of this meeting.” But the document of resolutions reached during the meeting held on the 25th day of June 2015, which was forwarded to the Pretty Okafor’s faction shows that the ministry concluded the conciliation meeting by calling for the appointment of a 25 member caretaker committee consisting of five members to be presented by each of the five warring factions tasked to take into consideration, the works already done by both the Kevin Luciano and Pretty Okafor’s led factions. The document also reads that the task of the 25 man committee would be to first and foremost resuscitate the state chapters of

Where was the Labour Ministry in the past 12 years, why didn’t they come to rescue the PMAN?

PMAN, to conduct a National Delegates Conference that would usher in a duly elected national executive council to pilot the affairs and reestablish unity and harmony built on the strong consensus of its members. Unfortunately, the 25 man committee never saw the light of day due to the disagreement of Okafor’s faction to lay down their horn and settle the national rift once and for all, even though four of the factions had agreed to let peace reign. Contradicting Okafor’s claims of being the only national president of PMAN, Adeyemi has stressed repeatedly that PMAN does not have a national president until the ongoing rift is settled and proper elections are conducted. “Pretty Okafor was not duly elected by PMAN members so we do not recognize him as our president and he has no right to do what he is doing. During the truce meeting called by the ministry of labour and productivity which he walked out off, the remaining four factions accepted to make peace and run proper elections when due so why is he scared of running for proper elections? “I was elected for a two years period which reflects on my certificate of return and cannot be dissolved by a president but duly by tenure expiration removable through elections. This is misrepresentation, fraud and betrayal by one of our members called Julietta alongside an impostor wanting to bring faction to a chapter that has had stability all this while.” “With the industrial court on break, both sittings had been presided by different vacation judges who seeking to hear both parties out before arriving at a judgment, have continued to adjourn the case, allowing for the defense counsel to prepare a counter affidavit for the sake of justice. Interestingly, both parties are calling for proper elections to be conducted to usher in a brand new PMAN in their different ways however, the court has ordered all parties involved to remain the way they are, desist from engaging in actions that would undermine the peace pending the next hearing.

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

VOICES

Resolving conflicts with drama Rasaki Ojo Bakare

s I conclude this, the question that is left to seek answer to is this: in spite of the enormous creative energy that Nigerian theatre artistes have invested in the peace-building process through their works, why is the culture of violence and act of war still prevalent in the polity? Is it because theatre has lost its potency in this context or that art, like J. P. Clark Bekederemo frustratedly declared recently, does not change anything? Let us consider three reasons: 1) Theatre is still potent and art does change things, however, the environment and those who populate it must make themselves available and receptive to the message of the theatre maker. Otherwise, the biblical parable of the sower who sowed on infertile soil and among thorns becomes manifested here. Yes, and this is sad, to a great extent, the Nigerian theatre maker has been talking to a citizenry that is seemingly bent on self annihilation; a people pathologically engrossed in voluntary foolishness. In a nation where leaders do not read literature and deliberately insulate themselves from serious and thematically topical dramatic performances, in a nation where the relationship between the men of power and the performing artiste could be likened to the one between David and Saul â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where the artiste is only summoned to come and fool around in faddish entertainment or wriggle her waist in primordial ecstasy in order to heal the self-inflicted psychological injury of the political thin-god, in a nation where the followers only see alcoholism, womanising and unbridled emotional investment in the fortunes of foreign football teams (that do not even know such a people exist) as the only way to unwind and recreate, the theatre maker, no matter what his message is, labours in vain. 2) The second reason is the steady and gradual intellectual disempowerment of the Nigerian child through deliberate act of poor funding and wrong policies in the educational sector. It smacks of igno-

Prof Bakare Ojo Rasaki

rance that those who today manage our educational sector gleefully announce that for Nigeria to develop, the study of science based courses is being encouraged while the study of arts courses is deliberately discouraged. A nation that discourages the study of literature; a nation that discourages the study of its own history and philosophies is a nation that has caged the mind of its populace. Literature, history and philosophy are liberators of the human mind. A nation that discourages its citizens from studying those subjects cannot breed truly educated people. In that nation, violence and war will prevail and the theatre maker who preaches peace is merely engaged in Sisyphus effort. Sound and well-rounded education is a pre-condition for a culture of peace. Our policy makers must know that the technologically advanced nations of the world did

not discourage the study of arts subjects before attaining their technological feat. 3) The third reason is the fact that government has explored different options in its efforts to achieve true peace but has never deliberately explored theatre. The efforts catalogued earlier in this paper were personal and private efforts of the various committed theatre artistes mentioned. Perhaps, government is still seeing theatre as an unserius vocation and so is yet to leverage on its power to conscientize and change behaviour. This is a mistake because Drama is the most economical mode of experience, which conveys an idea that can be accepted generally as true. Drama impact is also direct and more immediate than other forms of expression. Way forward: It is no longer in doubt that theatre is a tool for conscientization and an alterna-

It is time governments at different levels engaged the creative arts, which avail here in Nigeria, like no other place in the world, and other public performances either in the form of indoor theatre or street theatre

Memorable Reads What is the best literary book you have every read? It is the History of the Yorubas by Reverend Samuel Johnson What fascinated you about the book? It is the deep and rich Yoruba history. Africa has a rich an exhilarating history which needs to be documented on film. You are an author? My first book was on the development of broadcasting in Nigeria. I have a number of unpublished works ranging from the Development of the Nigerian Music Industry, Nigerian Musical Legends, The Development of the Cinema in Nigeria ....to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Export Products Potential. But

Femi Lasode

Film Producer

I find myself writing more movie scripts which I have about 10. What book are you reading presently? Since video editing is a major love of mine, I read more technical books these days. I can hardly remember the last time I read a novel, possibly a Marie Corelli book. But I am a great fan of soft sell magazines (which I took after my mother) every week I buy all the soft sell magazines on the news stand. All the vendors in my area around Oniru Beach know me. How much do you spend on books per month? I spend at least N10,000 on technical books every month.

tive conflict resolution mechanism that employs the democratic method in conflict mediation and remediation. For us as a nation to benefit more from its potentials in this regard, therefore, I recommend the following: 1) Nigerians, especially the political class, should, as a matter of urgency take advantage of the arts as the only safe haven or refuge in a time of crisis like this. The different forms of insurgency that pervade the air apparently call for solace which only avails in the refuge of the theatre. 2) The Nigerian public should be more attuned to the arts and prepare to embrace the truth as presented by the arts. Political office holders at the different tiers of government should desist from the prevailing rent-a-crowd or tickle-my-ear styles of performance which provides them only what could suit them and not the reality. It is time governments at different levels engaged the creative arts, which avail here in Nigeria, like no other place in the world, and other public performances either in the form of indoor theatre or street theatre like the Abuja National Carnival, Calabar Carnival, Carniriv in Rivers State, Bayelsa Christmas Carnival, Lagos Carnival, Ekifest in Ekiti State, or Mare Festival in Ondo State, as machineries to construct the culture of peace. 3) These carnivals as well as other forms of performances like dance, drama, music or poetry, if encouraged, capture the mood of the country at a particular point in time. They, therefore, provide opportunities for reflection and atonement, thereby unwinding, recharging and renewing the crisis-ridden psyches of the people. 4) Nigerians, especially the political class, should, as a matter of urgency take advantage of the arts as the only safe haven or refuge in a time of crisis like this. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, is Professor of Theatre Aesthetics and Choreography at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ARTISTE UNCENSORED Oziomachukwu Mojekwu, fondly called OzzyBosco is a child, but he has achieved what older musicians cannot help being envious of. NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

Arts Lounge

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

I hate kids suffering –OzzyBosco

e is an eight year old, with twenty years’ experience. This is how best to describe this kid music star, who started out two years ago on the stage of the seventh edition of ‘Kids Got Talent’, a reality TV show. Before he could get a head-start in school, it was already clear to his mother, Nonye Mojekwu-Chukwujama, that her four year old belonged to music. Like Michael Jackson, his vocal ability, led his mother to enroll him for the ‘Kids Got Talent’ competition, where he distinguished himself in the competition meant for children between the ages of four and sixteen. “I cannot explain it”, he responds to a question about who taught him what he does on stage. “I just know that I love music, and it makes me very happy, so I move to the feeling inside”. In a few years, OzzyBosco has clinched many honours. The sensational artiste cleared 56% votes cast for five contestants and became the first kid in seven years to cart home the gong in Nigeria at an award event. His seems a life of ‘firsts’ indeed. He is also the first kid to perform on the NMVA stage. And barely twenty four hours later, he became the first kid to be celebrated at the ‘2013 Kids Got Talent Competition, Grand Finale, where he remains the youngest to have won the ‘Best Entertainer Trophy’. Apparently, OzzyBosco’s award winning ‘Tinini’ video directed by JJC Skillz is yet another record-breaker which transcends all ages across the continent. Before ‘Tinini’, he had released ‘Super Star’ video (I know I can be a superstar) which became an instant hit with children and remains their most favourite. In terms of collaborations, OzzyBosco is a trailblazer amongst his age group. So far, he has done collaborations with notable artistes like: Lamboginny, Flavour N’Abania, Olamide and Terry G. His ‘Ozingo Dance’, produced by MasterKraft which is a few weeks old cannot be ignored.

Within three days, this dancehall song went viral on the internet, airwaves and has generated lots of comments. Another exciting feature of this kid, is how much he looks out for children his age who are on the underprivileged side of life. In various ways, he has used his vantage position to impact on his fellow kids. The music sensation in an unprecedented holiday package tagged: ‘OzzyBosco Charity Adventure’ took fourteen children from orphanage homes and winners of ‘OzzyBosco Radio Quiz’ on a one week all-expense paid summer holiday to Tinapa in Cross River State. They were warmly received by the State Government, Tinapa Lakeside Hotel and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (Calabar Chapter). The high point of the tour was a visit to the motherless babies’ home in Uwanse, Calabar where he instantly bonded with

MIDWEEK JUMP

93 Days comes to Terra

he movie, 93 Days will be showing on Wednesday, 2nd of September 2015 at Terra Kulture from 8am to 5pm. The movie is a Steve Gukas film, one that its story is based on the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and focuses on men and women

who risked their lives and made sacrifices to save others during the outbreak of the highly dreaded Ebola disease. The film is by Bolanle AustenPeters and others. Terra Kulture is located at Tiamiyu Savage, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Steve Gukas

the children. What is the driving force behind this humanitarian gesture? “I hate to see children like me suffering. I like to make them happy and I will continue to do so”. Already a brand ambassador, OzzyBosco is the image behind the brand, Tigo milk drink, one of the brands manufactured by CWay. Increasingly a toast for both the mainstream media and online blogs, he has a prophetic way of ending his shows, by urging his audience to watch out for him because he is the ‘youngest African superstar’.

According to him, he is holding onto this prophesy. “I believe I will go places. I believe that something big is on the way for me. That is why I am called the Wonder kid”, he says. Of course, it will be pretty difficult to combine this burgeoning career with education but his mother says, she is making sure that OzzyBosco does not lose sight of the need for schooling. “In school, he is doing so well. His results are the proof. And as a mother who values education, I am making sure that he does not lose sight of the need to pursue his education as much as this music career”.

Increasingly a toast for both the mainstream media and online blogs, he has a prophetic way of ending his shows

Comedy with Seyi Law

eyi Law, will be performing live at Comedy Club with other comedians and the show is one that will make you crack your ribs with laughter. There will be other genres of arts like music performance, dance etc. Comedy Club is a good place to network and unwind. So hook up with the comedians on Wednesday 2nd of September 2015 at MVP Lagos.

Arts Lounge

FAR AND NEAR

AFRIMA at Notting Hill Carnival

t is indeed an eventful year for the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA as the London NottingHill Carnival Enterprises Trust, LNHCET has signified interest in a collaborative relationship with AFRIMA and has thus given the prestigious African music awards platform a V-VIP invitation where they were represented at the 2015 London Notting Hill Carnival, LNHC between Saturday, August 29 and Monday, August 31 to showcase the rich musical culture of African countries to the world in a letter signed by the LNHCET Communication Manager, Mrs. Deborah Alleyne De Gazon and the LNHCET Trustee/Secretary, Mr. Lewis Benn. The London Notting Hill Carnival, LNHC is a renowned Afro-Caribbean street festival and the biggest carnival in Europe which brings different groups together to showcase their different cultures and music. It also uses carnival arts collaboratively and artistically as a catalyst to facilitate artistic excellence, education, engagement, empowerment, entertainment, integration, transformation of perceptions and inspiration. AFRIMA identified with and participated at the 2015 London Notting Hill Carnival, LNHC, with a team of AFRIMA officials to showcase the 23.9 carat gold-plated award trophy and give out some of the awards collaterals which include branded T-shirts, literature and other memorabilia as well as propagate and communicate the objectives and vision of AFRIMA to an international audience. In addition, there will be a meeting between members of the AFRIMA International Committee and members of the LNHCET on September 3 in London to further discuss other areas of

ad it not been for a New York Times’ article, which chronicled the life and stardom being enjoyed by Hao Ge, a Nigerian musician (previously named Emmanuel Uwechue) in Beijing, little would anyone imagine, he has his roots in Nigeria? It’s not as

Urhobo-Isoko Comedy All Stars show

participants at Notting Hill Carnival

partnership and collaboration for mutual benefits. Participation at the 2015 Notting Hill Carnival will bring the awards project in direct interaction with Africans and African music lovers in the Diaspora as an opportunity for every follower and fan of African music to take advantage of AFRIMA’s rich bouquet of events and the on-going voting process which commenced on Friday, August 21 to vote for their favourite artistes in the 29 award categories open for public voting. Affirming LNHCET`s interest in AFRIMA and its values, the LNHCET Communication Manager, Mrs Deborah Alleyne De Gazon, PgDip, MA and the LNHCET Trustee/Secretary, Mr. Lewis Benn in the V-VIP invitation letter sent to AFRIMA stated that “LNHCET perceives theV-VIP invitation as an eminent gesture which will have a significant impact in facilitating opportunities to promote the AFRIMA brand as well as the

brand of the London Notting Hill Carnival.” Speaking about the decision of the International Committee of AFRIMA to be part of LNHC 2015, AFRIMA Project Director, Ms. Adenrele Niyi said: “AFRIMA`s participation at this year`s edition of the London Notting Hill Carnival is a result of direct invitation from the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trustees, LNHCET. We hold shared objectives and values with the LNHCET who have used the carnival tradition to build a strong legacy for Afro-Caribbean culture in the Diaspora and around the world. This is what AFRIMA seeks to achieve for African music and culture decades from now; a legacy of originality, authenticity and the cultural identity that is truly Afrocentric. Cultural collaboration and exchange with our brothers and sister can only better foster understanding of the Black culture and heritage”.

Nigerian star called Hao Ge

Hao Ge

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

if Hao Ge’s journey in China could be traced to many decades past; he only immigrated to China in 2002, with the assistance of a Chinese friend, Li Yayu, who had been working in Nigeria at the time. But when it was time for Li Yayu to leave in 2001, to run a hotel in one of the popular provinces of China, he asked Emmanuel if he would like to join him. For the young Uwechue ( he was 23 years old then) it sounded like a wonderful opportunity, because his passion has always been to do music, in spite of the fact that he had obtained an engineering degree from a university in Nigeria. His brush with music had instinctively been horned by his role as a member of the choir at House on the Rock Pentecostal Church in Lagos, headed by Paul Adefarasin. According to Uwechue, who is really thankful that the opportunity was timely, ‘my father almost disowned me. He thought I was throwing my life away.’ With his fan base reportedly shooting into hundred s of millions of people especially within the children and middle aged women age bracket, Uwechue who has a mastery of Mandarin and also sings in it, is increasingly becoming the

toast of Chinese dance halls. He has also been getting rave media reviews on account of this. “The African Who Searches for His Dream in China,” read the headline atop a 2006 article about Mr. Uwechue on QQ.com, a popular social networking site in China. Articles by the state-run Xinhua news agency and in the web-based magazine Sina Entertainment, as well as a television documentary, have similarly chronicled his unusual story. Mr. Uwechue even appears on bus ads: “Good Song Comes From Good Wine,” reads an advertisement for the Guan Gong Fang company, which signed him to represent its brand of wine. Uwechue is not the first foreigner to have made a name for himself in China, but he is the first African to have reached widespread success there. Some music industry experts in China credit part of his fame to the close economic and cultural ties — including friendship and exchange programs and other joint ventures — that have long existed between China and some African countries. “This is not just about Hao Ge,” said Long Hu, a music producer and talent scout in Beijing who cultivates young musical talent. “It’s about China and Africa.”

ndigenes of Urhobo and Isoko have teamed up with Africa Travel Times to host an epoch making event; an evening of entertainment featuring comedy, music, cultural displays and art exhibition. Tagged Urhobo/Isoko Comedy All Stars show, it is a forum for unifying the people of the region, according to Ace Comedian and co-programme organiser, Atunyota Akporobomerere (Ali Baba). Billed for October 25 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, the show will feature comedy icons from the region, Ali Baba, Gordons, I-Go-Die and Bovi in comedy, Daddy Showkey, Dr. Sid in music and arts. Organisers say the show is an avenue for showcasing the rich culture of the Delta people and celebrate their achievements nationally and internationally. According to Lucky Onoriode George of Africa Travel Times, who is the initiator of the project, the choice of comedy as handle for the show is informed by the fact that the country’s foremost comedians, at this time, are from that axis and are tagged the ‘Golden Generation’. “If you take a look at the entertainment landscape, you will see that the big names are either Urhobos or Isokos. Is it Ali Baba or Gordons, I-Go-Die or Sammy Okposu? Name them, they are all from that region”, he said. “This is an opportunity to celebrate these great achievers and to call on Nigerians to celebrate with us”, he submitted. He said that the event will have artists/comedians including Ali Baba, Gordons, I-GoDie, Bovi, Ogus and their associates comedians/artist like; AY, Akpororo and Don Jazzy. It will also feature cultural displays, oral tradition and music by traditional and contemporary artistes such as Johnson Adjan (Ogbu ‘ri ne), Okpan Arhibo, Arube as well as Daddy Showkey and Dr. Sid. There will be sculpture and paintings exhibition from the area. The Urhobo and Isoko people of Delta State have several things in common, apart from the similarity in the languages and cultures, the ethnic nationalities have lived side-by-side for centuries. Inter-marriages and mongrelisation is common among them. In the last 30 years, the two nationalities have been at the heart of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, especially Nollywood and comedy. From almost nothing, the Urhobos and Isokos have made the people proud by making comedy a lucrative occupation for hundreds of men and women across the country that otherwise would have been jobless. Jude ‘Away Away’ Onakpoma, followed by Ali Baba paved the way. Several others have also hit the road and carved niches for themselves – Gordons, I-Go-Die, Onobrakpeya, the Ejiros, the Amatas, Mofe Damijo, Mudi (fashion) and several others in the music industry are all very successful brands from that region.

Ali baba

Business

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Electricity tariffs: CPC summons DISCOs over consumers’ complaints 31

FMARD, NIPC partner on investments in 30 agric sector

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AfDB launches report to boost women’s participation in agribusiness

200,000 barrels of stolen oil ‘ll earn AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Nigeria N1.44trn yearly –Expert

easoned management and financial consultant, Dr Biodun Adedipe, has stressed the need to curb financial leakages in the nation economy as way out of the current economic quagmire Nigeria has found itself. Adedipe who spoke to National Mirror in an exclusive interview recently, anchored his position on the facts that Nigeria loses about 200, 000 barrels of crude per day, saying, “if we can save 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil that is stolen it would put N1.44 trillion on the table. “So, that is why it is significant. Compare that to the budget of this year, that is about one third of this year’s budget, just saving 200,000 barrels per day can put that much on the table. He said if Nigeria can work on the leakages there would be no need to worry about how much the crude oil is selling ‘even if it goes down for as low as $25 per barrel for scenario analysis, Nigeria can still survive”, Adedipe added. While describing the current measures of the present administration to fight corruption and ensure accountability in public finance as desirable for the economy, the financial expert explained that despite the pricing headwinds in the global crude market, the country could still sustain its economic development agenda if all leakages in revenue sources are plugged. Adedipe, who is also the Chief Consultant, B. Adedipe Associates Limited, a management and financial consultancy, recalled that even when the crude oil price fell below the current level, particularly in 1999 when Nigeria began the present democratic experience and the price crashed to as low as $10 per barrel, the country was able to cope through the adoption of appropriate financial management policy options. He said: “Primarily, the President is going in the right direction in terms of tightening the

leakages which is one of the major challenges facing our economy in recent years. I have said this repeatedly that the problem of our economy is not revenue dwindling per se, but fiscal indiscipline on the one hand and the other hand is the leakages. “If we can plug the leakages

and also bring our expenditures in line with the reality of our situation and the objective we want to achieve, then we will make progress. If you look historically at the price of crude oil on the one hand we have had occasions when the price of crude went down as low as $10 and this was just in 1999 when

we began this democratic experience and it improves gradually. “Even at the time it was thirty something dollars per barrel, we started to grow our external reserves which means it is not so much about where the price is but making efficient management of our resources.

Med-View Airline Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50. Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

Dana Air

L – R : Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman; Mr. Hecker Jurgen, renowned financial journalist based in France and lead speaker at a training programme organised by Sterling Bank Plc for financial journalists and Mr. Yemi Adebomi, Group Head, General Internal Services, of the bank during a courtesy visit by Jurgen to Sterling Bank Towers at the weekend

Seafarers’ medical certification conform with int’l standards-NIMASA FRANCIS EZEM

he Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA has said that its decision to introduce the new Seafarer’s Medical Certification documents is in tandem with its efforts at complying with extant international conventions and protocols. The agency had last year domesticated and commenced implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention MLC 2006, of the International Labour Organisation, ILO. Acting Director General of the agency, Mr. Haruna Jauro, who spoke at the official presentation of the new document to stakeholders, said it was in compliance with the requirements of the MLC 2006,

and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping STCW 1998 as amended of the International Maritime Organisation IMO. While officially presenting the document to stakeholders, disclosed that it was in line with the current efforts at better compliance with relevant international instruments, which he said is one of the key areas in which the agency plays its role of domesticating international maritime laws and conventions. This, he argued would help to keep maritime environment and activities safe.. The DG who was represented by the Director in charge of Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards Department, Mr. Vincent Udoye, also observed that the fea-

tures on the new certification are more secure as they are printed with better security features in collaboration with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Cooperation NSPMC,. This it was also gathered was to ensure that medical certificates of fitness for seafarers in Nigeria are authentic and in line with international standards. “NIMASA as an agency of the Nigerian government will continue to strive to meet the needs of the industry through better administration of safety standards in all facets of maritime operations”, the DG said Available records show that the agency is prompt in complying other international maritime laws and convention to which Nigeria is signatory.

Abuja-Lagos 9am, 1pm, 5.28pm daily Lagos-Abuja 7am, 11am, 1.23pm,3.30pm daily Lagos-PH: 7.20AM, Ph-Abuja9.54am, Abuja-ph: 3.30pm and Ph-Lagos: 5.28pm daily Lagos-Uyo: 9.20am, Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am, Abuja-Uyo 1.05pm, Uyo-Lagos: 3pm daily Weekends Lagos-Abuja: 7.02am, 9am, 3.30pm Abuja-Lagos: 9am, 2.20pm and 5.28pm Lagos -Phc: 11.07am Phc-Lagos: 1.05pm Phc-Abuja: 12.51pm Abuja-Phc: 10.50am Lagos-Uyo: 9.18am Uyo-LOS -3.03pm Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am Abuja-Uyo: 1.05pm

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Executive Discourse

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Delay in PIB passage, greatest undoing to The Chairman of Trade Union Congress in Rivers State, and Immediate Past Chairman of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) Joint Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Mr Chika Onuegbu, has a deep understanding of the issues affecting the nation’s oil gas industry. The labour leader and public policy analyst in this interview a few weeks ago with MESHACK IDEHEN, speaks on what should be done to achieve optimal performance of the industry, especially on the implications of passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for the economy.

hat has NUPENG and PENGASSAN as major stakeholders in the nation’s oil and gas industry done to justify their demand for quick passage of the bill by this 8th assembly? As you are aware, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) under the aegis of NUPENGASSAN worked very assiduously for years through its NUPENG and PENGASSAN Joint Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) under my Chairmanship, in order to articulate the oil and gas workers position on the PIB. As critical stakeholders, NUPENG and PENGASSAN have and mustcontinue to demand that the 8th National Assembly and the administration of President Buhari expedite action on the reforms in the Petroleum Sector and the eventual passage of the bill into law before the end of 2016. Further Delay is dangerous to the immediate and long term survival of the economy of the country. Can you give a historical background into the reforms in the Petroleum Sector and how the PIB became an issue in the sector’s transformational drive? The reforms in the Nigeria’s oil and gas sector actually started some 15 years ago, specifically on April 24th 2000 with the inauguration of the Oil and Gas Industry Committee (OGIC) by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. That OGIC committee submitted the Draft National Oil & Gas Policy in 2004.The Draft National Oil and Gas policy was approved by the administration of the Late President Yar Adua, who also reinaugurated the OGIC

Onuegbu on September 2007. The OGIC submitted their report and it was approved in 2008, leading to the forwarding by the Yar Adua administration, the 2009 Petroleum industry Bill (PIB). Unfortunately that PIB was not passed by the 6th National Assembly. Consequently the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration was advised to restart the whole process over. Accordingly former President Jonathan administration in January 2012 set up the Special PIB Task Force led by Senator Udo Udoma to work with relevant government bodies to produce a new version of the PIB for presentation to the National Assembly. The PIB Technical Committee was headed by the then Director of Department of Petroleum Resources, (DPR), Mr Osten Oloronsola. The Special Task Force on PIB submitted its report in June 2012 to the Presidency, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria on 11 July 2012. The Presidency upon the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) forwarded the 2012 PIB to the National Assembly on 18th July 2012. The Senate and the Federal House of Reps set up their separate adhoc

committees on the PIB. The Federal House of Representatives and the Senate adhoc Committees have all completed their public hearings on the PIB in 2013. Unfortunately the 7th National Assembly ended without passing the PIB into law thereby taking the country back to square one. The ball is now in the Court of President Buhari and the 8th National Assembly to push the much talked about reforms in the oil and gas sector and specially the eventual passage and implementation of the PIB. What are the immediate and long term implications of further delay in the passage of the PIB for the economy? The greatest undoing of the Nigerian Oil and gas sector in the past 8 years is the nonpassage of the PIB. The fact that as a country we have in the past 8 years been talking about the PIB without passing it into law for whatever reasons made investors to adopt a wait and see attitude, refraining from making any new investment pending the passage of the bill. For instance, since 2009 when the Yar’Adua government first introduced the PIB, no new Final Investment

We believe that the PIB represents a great opportunity for Nigeria to ensure a solid foundation on which the future of oil and gas operations in the country will rest.

Decision (FID) has been taken on any oil and gas project in Nigeria, not even on the government-promoted, Brass LNG project. While we are dithering in Nigeria, there are new oil discoveries all over Africa, drawing in investors just as new technology is making hitherto unreachable and uneconomic hydrocarbon deposits accessible in Europe and North America thus attracting investors to those environments. The other day i saw a publication by PENGASSAN Producers Forum which estimated that Nigeria lost some $80Bln investments due to the non passage of the PIB. I think that even that estimate is grossly conservative over the period under consideration. Nigeria therefore cannot afford the luxury of time while politicians indulge in unnecessary bickering over such an important bill on a sector that is the main stay of our economy accounting for over 90 per cent of our foreign exchange earnings, about 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and 80 per cent of government revenue. We believe that the PIB represents a great opportunity for Nigeria to ensure a solid foundation on which the future of oil and gas operations in the country will rest. Also, that the petroleum resource which Nigeria have been endowed, work for and benefit the Nigerian people. As critical stakeholders, NUPENG, PENGASSAN, TUC and NLC must demand that the current National Assembly and the Presidency expedite action on the reforms of the Nigeria oil and gas sector and the eventual passage of the PIB is passed before the end of 2016. Further delay is dangerous. Already our economy is under pressure and if we do not act fast as a country, we will soon be like Greece.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Executive Discourse

Nigeria’s oil and gas sector–Onuegbu What is labour’s position on the refineries, downstream operations and Subsidy? On the downstream sector, it is obvious that the challenges facing the country with regards to availability of petroleum products are at unprecedented heights and continue to constitute a source of hardship to the already stretched citizenry. Our four refineries produce at some 20% of their capacity and the country is forced to import about 80% of needed refined products thereby expending scarce foreign currency and perpetrating fraud in the name of subsidy. As labour unions, we frown at the little or no provision made under the 2012 PIB for this critical sector of the industry. We believe that any reasonable reform in the Oil and gas sector must address the vexed issue of petroleum products importation and other areas of concern in the downstream. We expect the Presidency under President Buhari having been a former Minister of Petroleum to come up with a PIB that will lay the legal foundation for a sustained growth in the development of our local refining capacity, end the regime of importation of refined petroleum products and ultimately usher in Nigeria as an exporter of refined petroleum products. Accordingly, we propose that the new PIB under President Buhari should make provisions for the following: With regards to the existing refineries, the country adopts a modified business model tailored towards the NLNG ownership and operating structure such that the Nigerian Government through her National Oil Company( whatever name it will go by then) will hold a substantial minority of about 40 per cent; core investors/local participation having a working majority; and host community, staff and staff unions – PENGASSAN and NUPENG holding minority shares. Also the Refineries should be stand-alone entities independent of the proposed National Oil Company. This way the management of each refining company should be autonomous and fully responsible for its success and failure. In addition, Government should also provide effective incentives to allow for the development of private refineries alongside the existing refineries. A framework should also be articulated that will make available required crude oil for effective functioning of local refineries. Crude guarantee is very important as one of the major challenges of the existing refineries, especially Warri and Port Harcourt is that they are not given crude to refine. One then wonders what will happen to the private refineries if the government can deny its own refineries the much needed crude. If the government can properly articulate all these into a believable plan of action, they can engage the stakeholders especially the NUPENG, PENGASSAN, NLC and TUC for their buy-in. This will form the basis for the discussions for the eventual removal of the fuel subsidy. Genuine and sincere Stakeholders engagement is very key to any successful move to remove the fuel subsidy. We need to see that the drive for the removal of subsidy is not just to access the cash that is applied for subsidy payment for sharing by the three tiers of government but genuine

In fact many workers and residents have been kidnapped, killed, attacked and maimed with impunity in recent times without any effective action by the security agents to curb the ugly trend commitment and plan to move from a regime of fuel importation to 100% in-country refining of our need for refined petroleum products. What would you consider as the major challenges confronting the nation’s oil and gas sector? One of the major areas of grave concern about Nigeria’s petroleum industry has been the opaque nature of the industry. Many processes and activities are shrouded in mystery that controversies usually arise even amongst government agencies on matters such as the country’s daily production or revenue arising therefore. We have also had occasions when Nigerian Presidents and their Petroleum Ministers award lucrative oil blocks to themselves or their cronies. It is commendable that the new PIB provides that agencies and companies established under the proposed law shall be bound by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. However, to ensure greater transparency, it is important that the provision covers not only the agencies and companies created under the PIB but all companies in the petroleum sector. Other another serious problem confronting the oil and gas industry is Crude Theft. As we speak some 480,000 barrels of Crude Oil is stolen daily through Pipeline vandalism; Well Head vandalism and Illegal Crude Oil Diversion. In addition, there is extensive breakage / unlawful access to pipelines, flow lines, wellheads and other facilities. This has led to crude oil theft, production deferments, divestment of land/onshore assets, crude supply difficulties to the nation’s refineries, environmental degradation and avoidable deaths. As if the above are not enough, there is the enormous securitychallenge in the oil and gas industry which has significantly increased the cost of doing business. However the greatest of these challenges currently facing the upstream sector is the inability of the Federal Government to fund its equity interest in the Joint Venture. This has and is still stalling ongoing oil and gas projects and operations. And only recently a blanket 40% reduction in JV approved programme budget was effected middle of the year by the government through NNPC. All these are in addition to the 50% fall in international oil price and the sourcing of new markets for Nigeria’s crude oil. These are indeed trying times for the country and we cannot afford to compound these problems by acting as if the whole world is waiting for Nigeria. We obviously cannot afford the luxury of inertia. What is your advice for the present government, particularly as far as elim-

inating corruption is concerned? President Muhammadu Buhari must be dogged in the fight against corruption and the elimination of waste in governance through strengthening the institutions that fight corruption in the country. The president must adopt a truly zero tolerance approach to corruption and waste of public funds; and more importantly, pass into law the offence of unexplained wealth in Nigeria and ensure that offenders are properly dealt with in accordance with the nation’s laws. Again, the offence of unexplained wealth, which can also be called office of possession of unexplained wealth should be able to penalize people for possessing wealth disproportionate to their known lawful sources of income if they cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for this. This development has been recognised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe as one of the best practices for combating corruption, and also in Hong Kong, where the offence has existed for nearly 40 years. Corruption remains the greatest problem of the Nigerian nation. Those who perpetuate it must be treated as enemies of the state and they do not deserve any form of mercy whatsoever. For me therefore, I recommend that the offence of unexplained wealth in Nigeria should be established and be able to pun-

ish with imprisonment of at least 20years, those convicted, plus forfeiture of the unexplained wealth to serve as an effective deterrent to others. Hence, I am assuring the president that our congress and indeed the good people of Rivers state and Nigeria will stand by him in this divine fight against corruption in Nigeria. Security of oil and gas workers has become a major concern, due to the incessant murder and kidnaps of the workers. How is the labour union grappling with this situation? Even as we speak, I have just been informed that an oil worker and a PENGASSAN member was killed in the AGIP area of Porthacout. The current security situation in Rivers State is objectionable. As a congress, we issued a 14-day ultimatum to improve security of lives and property in the state and to protest to the Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike. Our contention is that if the work locations and environment are not safe then we have a duty as labour unions to withdraw our members from such work locations in self defence. The truth is that kidnapping, armed robbery, oil theft and pipeline vandalism, and wanton destruction of lives and property have reached an unprecedented level in the state. In fact many workers and residents have been kidnapped, killed, attacked and maimed with impunity in recent times without any effective action by the security agents to curb the ugly trend. The situation is so bad that many of my members now live in fear and are seeking transfers out of Rivers State. Also worrisome is the unwarranted attacks on the secretariat and leadership of labour unions in Rivers State. We were impressed by the quick response of the Commissioner of Police to our letter. Infact he got our letter on Friday July 3 and we got his letter inviting us to a meeting on the next working day.

Onuegbu

Business News

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Anabel group seeks review of entrepreneurship policy A

s part of the strategy to revamp the Nigeria’s dwindling economy, the Chief Executive Officer, Anabel Group, Dr Nicholas Okoye, has urged the Federal Government to review its policy on entrepreneurship development for enhanced contribution of entrepreneurs to the development of the nation’s economy.

This is even as he identified effective communication and education as potent resources that could properly position an entrepreneur for optimal performance. In his globally acclaimed recent research titled “Who wants to be an entrepreneur?” An insight into the profile of individuals interested in entrepreneurship in Nigeria”, published in the “European Journal of Business and Management”, Okoye described entrepreneurs’ roles as very critical to the growth and development of any economy worldwide. The research topic which was co-authored with a consultant to the Federal Government on public policy, Dr Obi Adigwe, was

conducted for the respondents who were within the age bracket of 26 to 40 was quite revealing. He said: “Although some evidence suggests that current educational curricular does not sufficiently address knowledge and training needs of entrepreneurs, there is an indication that higher educational qualification contribute to a more robust engagement with entrepreneurship. “For stakeholders however, this insight into the educational background of entrepreneurs can be invaluable for policymaking. For instance, better targeting of training programme can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of workforce development strategies,” the Anabel boss added. He lamented that there was little evidence that suggests that the potential and interests of public and civil servants who have passion for entrepreneurship are considered in the development of policy issues in Nigeria. He advocated an inclusion of a part time model for this category of people in the national policy.

DHL invests 47m Euro in Sub-Saharan Africa

he Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Post DHL Group, Frank Appel, visited South Africa and Nigeria this week in demonstration of the overall importance of emerging markets in the Group’s Strategy 2020: Focus.Connect.Grow., and in specific the encouraging development of Sub-Saharan Africa.

During his stay in South Africa and Nigeria, Frank Appel met with employees and customers, and visited several logistics facilities. Affirming the Group’s focus on emerging markets, Appel said:“Today, emerging market revenues contribute over 20 percent to Deutsche Post DHL

Group’s revenues, but by 2020 the Group expects this figure to climb to 30 percent. Therefore, we will continue to concentrate on organic growth by investing into promising present and future markets. “DHL already has a strong footprint in Africa, but we see some excellent opportunities to further increase our presence in the Sub-Saharan region. South Africa’s exceptional geographic location as the gateway to Africa, and Nigeria’s growing gross domestic product (GDP) and diversifying markets are only two of the many important indicators for this.”

While noting that globally there is some evidence of the part time model in entrepreneurship, particularly in academics, Okoye lamented that in Nigeria, currently, there was a lack of nation-

ally recognized strategy for using part time arrangement as an entire full time entrepreneurship careers, as is the case in other economies. He therefore advocated in-ser-

L-R: National President, Association of Nigeria License Customs and Agents, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; Director General Standard Organization of Nigeria Dr. Joseph Odumodu and President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, during the sensitization seminar on the Integration of SON’S e-Certificates for processing SONCAP Form “m” and PAAR in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

Perm Sec commends NCAT on manpower devt Olusegun Koiki

he Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria has been commended for its contribution towards manpower development for the country’s aviation sector in the past 50 years of its establishment by the Federal Government. The college has also been granted an interim accreditation by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, to run National Diploma, ND, and Higher National Diploma, HND, pending the amendment of its enabling Act, by the government. The Permanent Secretary, Aviation Ministry, Mrs. Binta Bello, disclosed this recently in the college during her presenta-

tion to journalists in Zaria, Kaduna State. Bello who was represented at the occasion by the Rector, NCAT, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick, further explained that the college had contributed to the training of aviation professionals over the years. She listed aviation professionals that had been trained by the school to include pilots; Air traffic Controllers, ATC, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, AME, Aeronautical telecommunication engineers and other professionals in the industry for the country and beyond. The college, she emphasised had been consistently upgrading the equipment and capacity in defending its enviable status as the aviation institute of excellence.

Energy policies to influence future oil supply, demand –OPEC UDEME AKPAN

he Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC has cautioned oil and gas nations to be mindful of their policies as they are capable of influencing future oil supply and demand in the world. The cartel indicated in its world oil outlook that good policies are needed to make positive impact on oil supply and demand. “Concrete policies on the demand side reflected in the Reference Case include: the Chinese

National Plan on Air Pollution, including local car sales control; Japan opening up the possibility of the nuclear option again; European emphasis upon energy efficiency; and energy efficiency targets for international shipping, as mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2011, affecting energy efficiency for new ships and an energy efficiency plan for all ships.” “For the supply side, the assumption is made in the Reference Case that transportation infrastructure does not constitute a constraint to supply. It is also assumed that the US crude oil export

vice training for civil and public servants to bring them to the door step of entrepreneurship so that upon retirement, they already have immediate means of livelihood .

ban remains in place,” it maintained. It also indicated that, “it has also been noted that the viability of the European Union’s (EU) biofuels target of 10 per cent of energy content by 2020 in road transportation is increasingly being questioned in light of an on-going discussion about the sustainability of crop-based biofuels.” Meanwhile, the price of crude oil leapt from over $40 to $50 per barrel in the international market yesterday. For instance, the price of Brent rose from $47 to $50.05 per barrel while that of WTI from $43 to

$45.22 per barrel. The price of OPEC basket of 12 crudes stood at $42.37 per barrel, compared with $40.51 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

She explained that the school aviation had continued to strengthen the capacity building in core areas such as introduction of Multi-Crew Pilot license, MPL, helicopter training, Boeing 737 type training, training instructors course by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, train –air plus and Airline Transport Pilot License, ATPL. Bello disclosed further that the college had been granted an interim accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International, AABI, for Post Graduate Diploma, PGD, Course, pointed out that the Ministry of Aviation has made it a priority to close the gap of the training need of the industry. The industry expert said, “As an industry, we put great importance in the training and retraining of our personnel. The Aviation Ministry has made it a priority; closing the gaps of training needs is our core goal, in order to improve the human capacity and professional development of the sector. “At the core of the roadmap for the industry, as you are all aware, is training and retraining of aviation personnel to acquire required skills and capacity to drive the goals of the industry. In line with this objective also, is the fundamental premium placed on the training of other allied personnel and stakeholders, whose jobs and activities are crucial to the overall development of the aviation sector in the country.”, Bello added.

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Power shortage hits South Africa SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

outh Africa has been hit by prolonged power outage, forcing it to open the first power station in the last 20 years. President Jacob Zuma opened the new power plant with great concern that the country’s perennial energy shortages were hampering economic growth. Construction on the six-unit 4,764 megawatts of Medupi plant near Lephalale, about 350 km north of Johannesburg, started in 2007, but the first 794mg came online this week, after delays due to strikes, technical and cost issues. The state-owned power utility, Eskom is facing its worst crisis as it struggles to stem power shortages. “Shortage of energy does not only cause enormous inconvenience, it is a serious impediment to economic growth. Today, I am here to say, there is light,” Zuma said on Sunday. Medupi’s Unit 6 brings Eskom’s installed capacity to 45,000mw, Brian Molefe, Eskom acting chief executive of the utility said. Zuma had said that power cuts were South Africa’s biggest challenge. They had shaved-off one percentage point off growth and contributed to South Africa’s economic contraction in the second quarter of this year, he said. Medupi’s first unit started contributing power during its synchronisation period and the plant is expected to be fully operational by the first half of 2019 and contribute to oneeighth of South Africa’s total electricity capacity. Once completed it will be the fourth-largest coal-fired plant and the largest dry-cooled power station in the world, the government said.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Business News

Electricity tariff: CPC summons DISCOs over consumers’ complaints Olufemi Adeosun, Abuja

he Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has summoned all electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in the country to a hearing on alleged outrageous billings, based on estimated consumption. A statement issued by the agency on Monday in Abuja indicated that the summon was sequel to series of complaints from electricity consumers over estimated billings and non-provision of metres. The Council stated that the summon was issued to each of the distribution companies, warning that absence by any of them at the hearing would be regarded as a violation of its enabling Act. The letter dated August 26, 2015 and signed by the agency’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, fixed Monday, September 7, 2015 for the hearing on these issues. The Council claimed that “ it has been inundated with complaints commonly referred to as ‘crazy billing’, by which Electricity Distribution Companies

(DISCOs) are alleged to arbitrarily determine consumption level of consumers of electricity and bill them accordingly”, adding that it also “received complaints that many consumers have paid for metres for periods spanning over 12 months, but are yet to be supplied same by their respective DISCOs”. It pointed out that pursuant to these complaints, it has decided to commence investigation to “enable your organisation as well as other DISCOs make representation and individually state your position regarding the said complaints, particularly as they affect con-

sumers in the area of your coverage. “You are, therefore, by this letter summoned to attend, make representation and submit a status report on the aforementioned complaints in your area of coverage, including any other document or evidence, to support your position at the hearing”, the Council declared. CPC, in its letter, cautioned the DISCOs to be “guided by Section 18 of the CPC Act that criminalises disobedience of summon, which includes neglect or refusal to attend and testify before the Council or to answer any lawful enquiry or to produce any document as may

Olusegun Koiki

he International Air Transport Association, IATA, has projected a $100 million profit for 12 African countries, including carriers from Nigeria in 2015. However, the association said that the profit would be just 0.8

per cent when compared to the previous year, thereby becoming the thinnest of all aviation regions globally. IATA also said that liberalised air travel in the continent would assist to stimulate an 81 per cent increase in traffic flows between the 12 countries within two to three years. It further added that in terms

L-R: Executive Director, Large Enterprises, Bank of Industry (BOI), Alhaji Mohammed Alkali; Managing Consultant, Team Building International, Mr Yinka Olugbodi; Managing Director, (BOI), Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa and Executive Director, Small And Medium Scale Enterprises, Mr Waheed Olagunju, at the Top Management Team Building Retreat facilitated by team Building International, recently.

mporters as well as exporters in the country have lauded the e-registration exercise of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, describing it as a great improvement from the clumsy manual product registrations. SON had two years ago, com-

menced the registration aimed at saving time while ensuring convenience. An importer Joseph Oliseh said under manual product registration, the certificate of registration took over two years to come out, adding that everything was done manually. However, he said with the electronic registration, ‘’we can now get our certificate in a maximum

be required”, advising the companies to “note that, whether you attend or not, far reaching decisions, which may be of consequence to your operations, may be taken after the hearing”. “The Council’s action is in line with the dictates of its mandate, which empowers it to provide speedy redress to consumer complaints, ensure that consumers’ interest receive due consideration at appropriate forum and provide redress to obnoxious practices or the unscrupulous exploitation of consumers by companies, firms, trade association or individual.”, the Council stated.

IATA forecasts $100m profit for 12 African countries’ airlines

Experts list gains of SON’s e-registration to economy SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

of one month, if we meet all our requirements’’. According to him, the sample of a planned registration could be sent to SON’s head office through the nearest state offices, instead of going to the headquarters to process their certificates. ‘’If we send it to them and they are certified, they will email us their feedback and if

there is problem, they call us on phone to rectify it, we may not necessarily need to be physically present before we can process our papers’’, he stated. Another importer, Keneddy Chukwurah said the process scared fakers from coming to register their products since the database feature of the scheme enables the agency to detect them.

of passenger trips, this would translate to an increase from the present 6.1 million passengers to 11.0 million passenger trips, which is an additional 4.9 million passenger trips. This was the major finding of a Value of Aviation for Africa econometric report commissioned by IATA. The report according to IATA, examines the impact of liberalised air transport for Nigeria and 11 other major African economies. The Vice President, IATA, Mr. Raphael Kuuchi explained that apart from African carriers, other regions are experiencing robust growth this year, adding that demand for air travel within the regulatory-constrained intra-African market was only expected to grow by 3.2 per cent this year. He emphasised that smarter regulation, giving African carriers greater access to all intraAfrican markets, would however stimulate competition and with it demand for travel as businesses and traders were able to expand into that market. He insisted that the net result in much stronger growth not only for the airlines, but for the economies of those countries that embraced the “open skies” framework. The report had studied 12 nations, which included Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda. He added, “Employment and economic growth are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the benefits of connectivity-aviation plays a major role in helping to fulfill the African Union’s mission of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.”

Business News

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AfDB launches report to boost women’s Boeing uses clout to control participation in agribusiness

he African Development Bank has launched a report that seeks to empower women to take the lead in agribusiness and agriculture value chains thus participating in Africa’s economic growth process. The report, ‘Economic Empowerment of African Women Through Equitable Participation in Agricultural Value Chains’, identifies opportunities for women that can increase Africa’s competitiveness and participation in global value chains. “Women’s presence in the agricultural labour force is significant at 50% and produces 80% of Africa’s food. There is no better overlapping opportunity to support women’s economic empowerment and to strengthen a critical sector on the continent,” Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, AfDB’s Bank’s Special Envoy on Gender (SEOG), said Thursday. The study, jointly commissioned by the Office of the SEOG and the Bank’s Department for

Agriculture and Agro-industry, identifies opportunities for women in four subsectors including cocoa, coffee, cotton and cassava sectors in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Nigeria, respectively. These sectors account for US $43 billion in production and US $12 billion in export value across the focus countries. “They present opportunities to expand the export market share by improving processing techniques and integrating production into regional and global value chains,” the report indicates. The report says women can seize the opportunities if backed by the right policies, technologies, training, and access to financing. In Côte d’Ivoire, Africa’s largest cocoa producer, generating one third of the world’s cocoa, “land is available, but women do not have the right training and appropriate funding to modernise agricultural systems,” according to Irié Lou Colette, Chairperson of the Na-

tional Federation of Croppers Cooperatives . “To be active in agriculture it requires huge investments, and we as women are ready to move when given the right support. Women provide the most labour in agriculture; therefore it is important that they are facilitated accordingly if Africa is to feed itself,” she said. The same facilitation is required for Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Nigeria, which are Africa’s largest producers of coffee, cotton and cassava, respectively. Fred Kawuma, Secretary General of Inter-African Coffee Organisation, called for publicprivate partnerships in agribusiness that target women’s groups, integrating them into value chains. “In the case of coffee, for example, there is need to offer support in processing, packaging, and market access in order to make women farmers in coffee-producing countries more competitive,” he noted.

supplier consolidation

erkshire Hathaway Inc’s $37 billion deal for aerospace supplier Precision Castparts Corp is encouraging investors to consolidate the fragmented aircraft components industry, even as Boeing Co uses its clout as the world’s biggest plane maker to put a check on some deals. Berkshire chief Warren Buffett isn’t alone in seeing potential for profits from rising demand for commercial aircraft. Private equity and strategic buyers have been pouring into the sector, and foreign companies such as China’s AVIC and Senior PLC of the UK have recently been prowling for deals, bankers and company executives said. Potentially standing in their way, though, is Boeing, these people said. Boeing is the biggest customer of most aerospace suppliers, and is slowing some acquisitions by using its power to approve the transfer of its supply contracts from one owner to another. Boeing can act like as an unofficial regulator on aerospace mergers and acquisitions because of the “assignability clause” inserted

in most of its contracts with suppliers. The clause allows Boeing to refuse to transfer the contracts to the new owners, giving it a de facto veto over deals. Boeing said it hasn’t changed the process it uses to scrutinize mergers and acquisitions among suppliers, and that the time taken depends on the size and complexity of the deal. Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg, who took over July 1, is continuing predecessor Jim McNerney’s policy of “de-risking.” “We have an ability to have our voice heard in the M&A process and we use that ability,” said Kent Fisher, vice president and general manager of suppliers at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. But bankers and company owners said approvals from Boeing that used to take a couple of weeks now take much longer, putting deals at risk, with no explanation from Boeing for the delay. “Any time you have a pause in a transaction, it increases the risk that it won’t get across the finish line,” said Brian Murphy, a managing director at Meridian Capital, an investment bank based in Seattle.

Toshiba scandal continues on discovery of new accounting errors

Executive Director, Business Development, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Head, Legal and Regulation Division, NSE, Ms. Tinuade Awe; Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema OON; British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ray Kyles and Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo, at the presentation of ISO 27001:2013 Certification to The Nigerian Stock Exchange on Monday.

Samsung introduces solution to boost SMEs’ performance Isaiah Erhiawarien

n all-in-one digital signage solution designed for small and medium scale business owners in Nigeria has been introduced into the market by Samsung Electronics. According to the t company, the new Smart Signage TV combines the functionality of a television with built-in management software for creating personalised promotional content to increase sales and improve customer loyalty and retention. The Samsung Smart Signage TV has been optimised for shop owners’ needs. Unlike conventional TVs, businesses can divide the display screen into multiple sections and show a wide range of materials that can be utilized

to show promotional banners and menus using videos, images, and texts. The solution’s embedded content management system also makes it easy to create and display promotions from remote locations using a mobile device. Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa’s Enterprise Business Division, Mr. Charles Ojei, said that the new smart signage solution was designed to provide small and medium enterprises with all that they require to get up and running with digital signage. He explained: “At Samsung, we understand the unique challenges that small business owners face when it comes to selecting and implementing technology, and we built this product to address the market need for a cost-effective, easy-to-manage, professional-

grade solution that is better suited for these environments. “With Samsung Smart Signage TV, we’re giving SMEs the power to enhance their customer communications and enable them to create more personalised content to drive conversations that extend long after a customer leaves the store to keep them coming back. The solution helps to Turn on Your Business,” he said. Head of Samsung Electronics West Africa’s Enterprise Display Unit, Mr. Anu-Rotimi Agboola, pointed out that the 40-inch and 48-inch models, Samsung’s smart signage TV provided a complete platform for displaying digital content on promotions, sharing educational information about products and services, and broadcasting live TV for customer entertainment.

oshiba Corp President and Chief Executive Masashi Muromachi attends a news conference at the company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. Toshiba Corp again delayed announcing its annual financial results on Monday, as new accounting errors prevented the company from drawing a line under Japan’s worst corporate scandal in four years. Toshiba, which was scheduled to post its earnings for the business year ended in March, said the newly discovered problems included incorrect impairment charges on fixed assets at several subsidiaries and improperly timed booking of loss provisions at a U.S. subsidiary. “We deeply apologize for the situation we are in yet again, and for the inconvenience and concern we have caused to our stakeholders including shareholders and investors,” Chief Executive Masashi Muromachi said before making a deep bow of contrition to a packed, late-night news conference. The laptops-to-nuclear conglomerate had already delayed announcing its results by around three months due to an independent investigation over its past

accounting practices. That probe found Toshiba had overstated past results by around $1.2 billion over several years, prompting its then-CEO and several other executives to step down last month. It is Japan’s biggest accounting scandal since 2011 when Olympus Corp was found to be involved in a $1.7 billion scheme to conceal two decades of investment losses. Toshiba said government regulators accepted its request for extension and that it plans to submit the results by Sept. 7. Muromachi declined to say how much the newfound errors were worth but said they were “not huge”. Toshiba found some 10 new cases of accounting errors stretching back to around 2010, although these will not drastically affect Toshiba’s forecast for an operating profit of 170 billion yen ($1.4 billion) for last fiscal year, Muromachi said. He said the U.S. unit named in the new disclosure was not Toshiba’s Westinghouse nuclear business. Investors have speculated the company might need to reassess the value of that business due to a downturn in nuclear energy demand.

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EnergyWeek Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Samsung introduces solution to boost SMEs’ performance 32

Delay in PIB passage, greatest undoing to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector –Onuegbu 28

200,000 barrels of stolen oil ‘ll earn Nigeria N1.44trn yearly –Expert27

Experts rally against fuel subsidy regime, decry havoc on economy

Warri Refinary

The nation has become a major fuel importing destination despite its huge oil and gas reserves. These imports breed corruption and deplete its economy in many ways. Despite these and other issues, UDEME AKPAN and CHIDI UGWU report that the industry’s future outlook seems promising as the Federal Government continues to grant new licenses to investors for refinery projects.

ith its 445,000 barrels per day, bpd refineries, located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Warri, Delta State and Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria should ordinarily have nothing to do with massive fuel importation. In other words, importing fuel to Nigeria should have been like taking coal to Newcastle that has commercial reserves of the product.

The cost of the product in many parts of the country outside the main urban centers of and

Lagos

Abuja is higher than the regulated price

Investigations showed that the importation was sustained for years because of many reasons. These included the irregular maintenance of local refineries, low capacity utilisation of the plants and lack of courage to tackle fundamental challenges in the downstream sector in particular and the industry in general. This impacted negatively on the nation’s economy in many ways. First, many past administrations expended huge funds to subsidise fuel for the general public. Second, the benefits of the subsidy were not felt as the monies expended went

into the pockets of few oil traders, including Nigerians. More than that, the few beneficiaries had at different times subjected the nation to untold hardship whenever they felt their debts were not paid. Expectedly, many experts indicated that these and other issues are unacceptable. Take the managing director of BIC Consultancy Services, Dr. Boniface Chizea as an example. “The level of subsidy as has been severally demonstrated breeds the worst type of corruption, encourages the smuggling of imported refined products across the borders to take advantage

of the subsidised prize, creates occasional scarcity and productivity sapping long queues.“ “The cost of the product in many parts of the country outside the main urban centers of Lagos and Abuja are prices higher than the regulated price, potential damage to car engines as citizens purchase adulterated products owing to the activities of greedy hawkers and the growth of the sector is undermined as even associated gas is not optimised. And as private capital remains shy of going into a regulated environment and generally a poor advertisement for a country which is the sixth largest producer of crude petroleum but which is woefully dependent on importation to meet its needs for refined products,” he indicated. He maintained that obviously, it goes without saying that this level of subsidy payment is injurious to the development of the national economy and cannot therefore be sustained. And therefore there is the urgent need for some initiative in this connection. Chizea indicated that as a quick win, it will be necessary to activate CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Energy Week

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Experts rally against fuel subsidy regime, decry havoc on economy

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

Kachikwu

Buhari

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

the refineries in the country to begin to operate optimally to reduce the burden of importation which also contributes in no small measure to the pressure which the country presently confronts in managing the exchange rate. “We recommend consultation with organised labor to convince them of the unassailable need for the subsidy to be removed. And we would wish to caution that what we recommend is once and for all removal of subsidy by total deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. Experience has shown that partial increase in the price of products will not do as President Obasanjo alone is reputed to have increased product price seven times; the last of which was undertaken a few months to the end of his two term tenure as civilian President. All that will be required is to agree some palliatives as product price increase works through the economy.” A group known as JCI Lagos City has also expressed concern for the management of the nation’s fuel subsidy. Chapter President, JCI Lagos City, JC Kehinde Adedeji said, “What we are doing today is a debate on a national policy issue. We are actually mandated by Junior Chambers International that we should be active citizens. We are not partisan politicians, but however we are active when it comes to issues that affect our lives. We should actually look at this issues, offer solutions when we can put together whatever we have learnt and sometimes involve ourselves beyond the four walls of our organisation in whatever we do because we know that the success of a nation is when we are also able to gather to do whatever things we want to do. That is why we bring up such pressing issues.” “Our focus is also to better ourselves as individuals and also better our communities by actively bringing to the knowledge of a lot of people who do not have the opportunity to be in politics or to be in government to understand why the government does certain things as we seek the

First, oil is very strategic, even to our security. marketers will one day come together and say that they will sell petrol at

what will you do? diesel,

N200 per litre but

Like the case of kerosene and

DPK has been fully deregulated but you go to some places they sell at N200 per litre

way forward for improvement. We did a whole lot of reading and we looked at the one that was most pivotal on peoples’ mind and being the fuel subsidy issue, the fuel crises actually elicited this particular topic and we looked at why we are having a persistent fuel scarcity and what we expect of the new government.” He indicated “A lot of us were agitated about what will become of the fuel subsidy issue which erupted lot of other issues at both the national and state level which even informed some people’s decision for the choice of a change of mind. We thought of it that what kind of topic is most pressing on the mind of the people and then we decided to address the issue of subsidy and how it will affect us on a long run.” The President National Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba insisted that subvention is a major function of the government which avails it the ability to be able to carry out its core functions of provision of welfare facilities to the citizens. He argued: “Subsidy in any economic system cannot be ignored but in our context subsidy has been used to do a lot of havoc to our economy that is why I have given you the background of where it all started. Therefore, the quagmire will continue even if you allow the system to be controlled by marketers.” He maintained that placing subsidy side by side with deregulation which means allowing market forces to determine the price emphasizes the need for the government continue to subject itself

hook, line and sinker to economic policies of the multinational agencies that will always advance their selfish interests. “They will always give reason Nigeria should continue to import, they will always give reasons we need to deregulate so that they can have more money”, he argued. “First oil is very strategic, even to our security, marketers will one day come together and say that they will sell petrol at N200 per litre but what will you do. Like the case of kerosene and diesel, DPK has been fully deregulated but you go to some places they sell at N200 per liter. Why should this be so? Why should citizens continue to carry the burden? What is the essence of government? It is welfare and well-being of the people and therefore why should it be so in our system? I gave an example here to capture all OPEC countries’ cost elements, the second issues is that the cost element caused by the free fall of our Naira. If our Naira was very strong, like N1 to a dollar, what will be the cost of fuel in Nigeria?” “This is what should guide us because if you allow your money to a free fall and it becomes $1 to N500, certainly the cost element will be there. So it is for us to guide our Naira, so when you are presenting those facts you must also look at the underlining elements. What amounts to cost differentials between us and other petroleum producing countries is clear when you put the currencies side by side looking at the strength of our currency and it gives us insights to what the economic

issues are about the issues of appropriate pricing or deregulation and even subsidy,” he maintained. Renowned Economist, Mr. Henry Boyo, in his analysis of the fuel subsidy regime posited that fuel can sell at cheaper prices in the country on the basis of an appreciable exchange rate as it has a significant correlation with the price of crude oil. Boyo noted that Naira’s weak exchange rate to the Dollar is a major bane on subsidy regime which has been complicated by the negative impact of Nigeria’s faulty monetary framework on revitalisation of the real sector. “Banks’ attempts to increase credit capacity in the economy resulting to excess liquidity putting too much cash in the economy, more cash more problems has over the years resulted into weaker Naira, lower purchasing power and inefficient borrowing system both in terms of international debt funding and domestic borrowing. But the nation’s fuel situation may improve in the coming years as the President Buhari-led administration has approved 65 licences for the construction of private refineries. The companies were selected from about 285 applications that were screened for the purpose and it marked a departure from previous experiences when local refineries were destroyed. Modular refineries are mini-refineries with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 barrels per day, bpd, which can be assembled and separated easily for enhanced performance and efficiency. Although officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR declined to comment on the subject, one of the beneficiary companies maintained that the decision to award License to Establish, LTE, which was taken within first 10 days of this administration, is targeted at increasing domestic refining capacity to meet local demand, thus reducing huge Federal Government commitment into fuel subsidy.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

OPEC to sustain investments in oil, gas sector STORIES: UDEME AKPAN

he Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC is promoting investments in exploration, production, refining and marketing of petroleum in member states. The cartel indicated that regardless of all the challenges and uncertainties, OPEC member countries continue to invest in additional upstream capacities. “On top of the huge capacity maintenance costs that Member Countries are faced with, they continue to invest in new projects and reinforce their commitment to the oil and gas market and as well as to the security of supply for all consumers. Needless to say, this is only a reflection of OPEC’s wellknown policy that is clearly stated in its Long-Term Strategy and its Statute.” “In the medium term, about 117 projects, with an overall estimated cost of some $270 billion, are being undertaken by OPEC Member Countries. Additional refining capacity in OPEC Member Countries will come from new ‘grassroots’ projects, supplemented by expansions at existing facilities.” “The largest new refineries are expected to come on stream in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with several ex-

pansion projects under construction in other countries. The single largest refinery worldwide that started its operations in 2013 was a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and Total which partnered for the 400,000 b/d refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia,” it noted. The organisation maintained that this project led a series of new grassroots refineries in the Middle East. It indicated that the next addition will be in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia as a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and Sinopec which is also designed for an operational capacity of 400,000 b/d targeting primarily ultra-low sulphur diesel and gasoline as final products. The cartel disclosed that early 2015, an expansion of the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company’s (Takreer) existing facility in Ruwais, UAE, is expected to be fully operational. It maintained that other large projects include new refineries in Lobito, Angola, Tiaret, Algeria, Manabi (Refinery del Pacifico), Ecuador, Fujairah, UAE, Jazan Industrial City, Saudi Arabia and El Palito, Venezuela, among others. The organisation indicated that the cumulative investment required for the realization of these projects to 2018 is estimated at around $60 billion. It added that this is part of OPEC’s ongoing efforts to support market sta-

Energy Week

El-Badri

bility by supplying required products to consumers. The price of OPEC basket of 12 crudes stood at $45.19 per barrel on Friday, compared with $42.37 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

Group tasks Kachikwu on products’ refining, distribution

il and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria, OGSPAN has asked the newly appointed Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, to prioritise products refining and distribution in his drive towards reforming the downstream sub-sector. According to the group, this is crucial to meeting domestic demand of industries and other consumers. OGSPAN indicated that increased refining would also culminate in a significant reduction in imports as well as generate additional foreign exchange through export of refined petroleum products to other countries. It maintained that there are hardly

any industries that have no need for an oil and gas products or by-products for their operations. The OGSPAN National President, Mazi Colman Obasi, maintained that some of the nation’s refineries can refine as many as 32 different types of petroleum products, adding that the rehabilitation and increased capacities of the refineries would assist to create more employment opportunities, attract new investments, spread of domestic technologies and capacity building for young graduates in particular and youths in general. The association maintained that the Niger Delta is the home for upstream oil and gas operations where Nigeria gets most of its crude oil and gas and

ipsofacto the revenue the government uses to run the country. It also indicated that exploration and production facilities, oil tankers, a network of pipelines, rigs, terminals and others dot the landscape of the region. “What are critically lacking in Nigeria are the vast oil and gas manufacturing plants (downstream services) that would usually use the resources of the industry to locally produce oil and gas equipment and use the by-products of crude oil and gas to process them into industrial and domestic uses as done in other oil producing countries.” “The absence of these vast resources/services and the technology to achieve it is largely responsible for the underdevelopment of the oil and gas in-

Commodity

Units

Price

Change

% Change

Time(ET)

Crude Oil (WTI)

USD/bbl.

41.85

-0.65

-1.53%

16:21:47

Crude Oil (Brent)

USD/bbl.

48.62

-0.57

-1.16%

16:22:12

TOCOM Crude Oil

JPY/kl

39,360.00

+110.00

+0.28%

14:55:02

NYMEX Natural Gas

USD/MMBtu

2.73

-0.07

-2.43%

16:21:55

Source: Bloomberg as at August 17, 2015

dustry in Nigeria and transformation of the Niger Delta and the rest of the Nigerian economy. If the new GMD and President Buhari administration can achieve these, they would have set Nigeria on the part of industrialisation.” “On marketing and distribution of petroleum products, we urge the new GMD to be more proactive in ensuring regular availability of petroleum products throughout the country and that marketers do not make payment without availability of petroleum products. It affects the working capital of marketers/ investors and also deprives them of obtaining loan facilities from banks,” it noted. It maintained that more efforts should be made to restore sanity in the distribution of petroleum products at the refineries and depots by ensuring that un-authorised and unscrupulous persons or agents vacate the premises. OGSPAN called for the construction of modern facilities, including effective depots business in the nation.

Energy Week

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oil and gas sector reform ‘ll end fuel scarcity – IPMAN boss Chief Obasi Lawson is the National President of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN. In this interview with CHIDI UGWU, he speaks on the current reform in the oil industry, the leadership crisis in the association and sundry issues. How do you appraise the reforms currently taking place in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC? Well, the reforms taking place in NNPC are welcome developments as far as IPMAN is concerned. Since the reforms started, a lot of things, including petroleum products have become more available than before. As we speak now, most of the refineries are operating. These are Port Harcourt, the Kaduna and Warri refineries. With this development, I think that fuel scarcity will soon be a thing of the past. What is the situation currently with regard to government debt to IPMAN members? The money being owed to IPMAN is an ‘ongoing thing’. There is no time that all the debts would be cleared completely because every day we are buying product and every day we are selling. So, everyday government owes and as they owe they are paying. It is a continuous process. As they are paying more transactions are going on and they are reconciling them. I think debt is really not a problem because it is business. You know by the time we run, we send our bills to PEF; they will need time to process it. If your bill is N100 million or more, they also have a system to check it. So, they will also have their time to look at these things. And once they find the ones that have fault, they will call the attention of the owners and correct them. So, everyday they are paying but the thing is that they can pay John today, tomorrow they pay James. It depends on when your own is matured to pay. But, if they do not pay for a long time, you also have right to go ask them ‘why have you been delaying my bill’. We used to complain about is delays in the past. But with this government has promised to pay regularly. What is the latest in the leadership crisis in IPMAN? The leadership crisis in IPMAN as far as I am concerned is a man-made issue. It is just that we were in a

law is there and we all know that the best way to seek redress is to go the court. IPMAN crisis is not news because it is something that started quite a long time ago. But, at a time a certain group, went to court. A lot of things were canvassed during the case and lawyers came up from both parties and at the end of the day, the Federal High Court declared that I am the President. That was the declaration of the Court because of the position of the law, and these are laws that are made for people to obey. So, you can see that any other crisis is man-made. So, what happened later? So somebody went ahead, when court has declared Mr. A, President, and Mr. B sacked. The Mr. B has the right to appeal while allowing Mr. A to operate as the President as declared by the Federal High Court for now until such a time the Appeal Court upturns that judgment. That is a simple civilised manner of doing things.

Lawson

THE REFORMS TAKING PLACE IN NNPC ARE WELCOME DEVELOPMENTS AS FAR AS IPMAN IS CONCERNED. SINCE THE REFORMS STARTED, A LOT OF THINGS, INCLUDING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS HAVE BECOME MORE AVAILABLE THAN BEFORE country where people can act with impunity otherwise we have the legal framework to address the issue. The

Is it true that 80 per cent of the nation’s corruption is recorded in the petroleum industry? No, I do not agree. There is no way anybody can accept that 80 percent corruption is in the petroleum industry. We should thank God that President Muhammadu Buhari has come to correct a lot of things. President Buhari knows the industry and he has come to change a lot of things. You can see that already most of the sectors where major changes have been effected are not even from the oil industry. What is the place of proper monitoring? The oil industry needs to be properly monitored because it is the cash-cow for the federal government. So, government needs to watch developments in the industry. Already, everything appears to be going on well. In the past, there were no developments. It was like the country was tensed up because there was no product. There were fuel queues everywhere. But now everything is well.

WAPCo yet to meet gas demand in Ghana, others UDEME AKPAN

he West African Gas Pipeline Company, WAPCo, operator of the West African Gas Pipeline, WAGP has not

WAGP pipeline

yet meet gas demand of consumers in Ghana, Togo and Benin. Investigations showed that consumers in these nations still complain of inadequate supplies of gas.

A source in Ghana who preferred not to be named indicated that the development has constrained power plants from generating adequate power for transmission and distribution in the country. He said the situation was the same in other nations that have also taken to the use of other sources of energy to generate adequate power. But a source in the company indicated that it is undertaking a number of activities in response to developments in the energy sectors in the countries in which it operates. He maintained that WAGP is now available to entities interested in shipping gas from Nigeria to Benin, Ghana and Togo. The company also maintained in a statement that in conjunction with the Volta River Authority, WAPCo’s facility at Tema is being expanded to deliver higher gas volumes and the company is in discussions with the Ghana Gas Company to establish an interconnection at Aboadze, in the Western Region.

It indicated that WAPCo began commercial operations in March 2011 and a number of developments since then, have required the company to undertake measures to adapt to changing market dynamics. These developments include continued rapid growth in demand for power, the discovery of oil and gas in Ghana, and the emergence of independent production companies in Nigeria. The first major change WAPCo undertook was in July 2012, when WAGP was declared an “open access” system to allow multiple shippers to use the pipeline to transport gas to any of the three gas importing countries. Any suitably qualified entity can now apply to become a shipper with a view to entering into gas transportation contracts with WAPCo. WAPCo has recently qualified two new shippers and is working with them to develop agreements for gas transportation.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Energy Week

Shell, Total intensify pipelines maintenance efforts STORIES: UDEME AKPAN

hell Petroleum and Total E & P Nigeria Limited have intensified efforts to complete the maintenance of their pipelines which vandals attacked a few days ago. The attack on two Shell’s pipelines had affected the supply of Bonny Light to Bonny terminal for export to the global market. The attack on Total’s ObagiRumuekpe oil export pipeline also crippled the supply of crude oil for export. But investigations showed that the two companies have already deployed human and materials for immediate rehabilitation. This raises hope that the rehabilitation would soon be completed so that export can start in the coming weeks. “With the increasing pace of work in the two locations, I am optimistic that the facilities can be put back on stream before the

end of September, this year.” “The stakeholders, especially operators and contractors have demonstrated adequate commitment because of the importance of the pipelines,” said a well-informed contractor. Total E&P Nigeria had reported it had stopped expedition of crude on its Obagi-Rumuekpe oil export pipeline, after observing an oil spill at Kilometer 25 and 27 locations. Relevant authorities had been informed immediately. A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV), in accordance with the extant regulations, had since been carried out on the oil spill locations, with relevant regulatory agencies (DPR, NOSDRA, Rivers State Ministry of Environment). It has allowed the JIV team to ascertain that the oil spill incident was due to third-party interference (sabotage). “Total mobilized intervention teams, to clamp the

Pipeline vandalism

leaks on the pipeline. Relevant agencies and service providers were also mobilized and have deployed containment booms to contain the spill and prevent further spread.” “TEPNG is committed to preventing further spread of the spill and to restore the en-

vironment. Total will continue to work with the relevant government authorities and communities, to ensure that this is achieved. Total E&P Nigeria operates OML 58 with a 40% interest, alongside the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (60%),” it added.

Dangote to invest in Zimbabwe’s cement, electricity, mining sectors

liko Dangote is reported to be considering investments in Zimbabwe’s cement, power generation and coal-mining industries as part of an expansion in the Southern African nation. Bloomberg confirmed that Dangote Cement Plc may start building a $400 million, 1.5 million metric tons-a-year cement plant by the first quarter of 2016, if all the necessary approvals are received, the Nigerian billionaire told reporters in Harare, the capital, on Monday. Dangote Industries may invest in Zimbabwean power generation through Black Rhino Group, a $5 billion African

Power station

infrastructure fund in which U.S. private-equity group Blackstone Group LP is a coinvestor. A potential power investment in Zimbabwe could be “huge,” said Dangote, who is meeting President Robert Mugabe on Monday. While the billionaire has interests ranging from sugar to oil, the majority of his investments outside Nigeria have been focused on cement. Dangote Cement last week signed contracts with Chinese construction company Sinoma International Engineering to add 25 million metric tons across 11 countries, and Dangote said at the time he expects to reach

NCDMB, NUC partner to link oil industry with universities

more than 70 million tons of capacity once the projects are completed. A Zimbabwean plant would help reach the next milestone of 100 million tons of cement capacity by 2020, he said. Dangote that has expanded into many African nations recently said he believes in Nigeria and other African countries. “As an investor who believes in Nigeria, knows Nigeria well and whose prosperity was made in Nigeria we have responded to the challenge with our recent decision to invest over $9.0billion in a Refinery/ Petrochemical and Fertilizer complex to be located at the OKLNG Free Trade zone.” “This complex will be the largest industrial complex project ever in the history of our great nation. Funding for the project will come from a $3.3billion medium term loan, the agreement for which we are signing. We are happy to inform your Excellencies that because of the improvement in the enabling environment for investment created during this present government’s tenure we have had excellent response from the international finance organizations and today we are here to sign the agreement for the medium term loan of $3.3billion.”

“We also want to thank the CBN for having facilitated our investments in these critical long gestation investment cycle sectors, by making available special intervention funds which we have taken advantage of. The projects have effectively taken off, with the award of Engineering, Procurement and Construction, EPC, Contract to Saipem of Italy for the Fertilizer Plant. For the refinery project the award of Basic Engineering Design and Optimization has been made to UOP, of the Honeywell Group of USA, and award of Project Management Consultancy has been made to Engineers India Ltd, a Government of India Undertaking. The Fertilizer Project will produce when in operation, 2.75 mtpa of Urea and Ammonia, while the Refinery will have the capacity to process 400,000 bpd, of crude oil. The refinery will produce gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel/ household kerosene, slurry as raw material for carbon black, as well as 650,000 mtpa of polypropylene,” he added. He also indicated that, “At the completion of these projects we expect Nigeria to become not only self sufficient in fertilizer and refined petroleum products but indeed to become recognized as a leading exporter of these products.”

he Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB and the Nigerian University Commission, NUC have partnered to link the oil and gas industry with the university system so that both sectors can improve operations for the benefit of the economy. The management of the two agencies agreed to this initiative tagged Adopt A Faculty (AAFac) Programme at a recent meeting in Abuja and subsequently set up a joint committee to develop a detailed action plan within four weeks. At the meeting, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Denzil Kentebe, described the AAFac Program as a capacity development initiative of the Board intended to use academic institutions as a catalyst for local content development. According to him, the programme aims to facilitate partnerships between the academia and the oil and gas industry so as to align the university curriculum to industry technology and skill requirements to enable them train their students in courses and programmes relevant to the needs of the industry. Kentebe listed other goals of the programme to include, developing a culture for applied research; stimulating commercialization of research findings from Nigerian academic institutions; encouraging beneficiaries of Nigerian oil and gas resources to invest in manpower and innovation; and maintaining healthy pipeline of oil and gas talents. He also confirmed that the Board would use its with its regulatory powers and mandate to ensure that oil and gas operating and service companies comply with the AAFac programme. In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary 1, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, commended the Board for initiating the programme and engaging the commission first rather than going directly to various institutions. He reported that Nigeria had 142 universities running 610 academic programmes, assuring the commitment of NUC to partner with NCDMB in the implementation of the AAFac. The NUC boss also decried the rejection of several Nigerian students by operators in the oil and gas industry due to perceived lack of relevant skills and expressed hope that the initiative will address the trend. He explained that the first step in the AAFac programme would be to review the curriculum, identify the gaps both in theory and practice and restructuring the curriculum to suit the needs of the oil and gas industry.

Energy Week

Chevron completes subsea engineering project

hevron has recorded a technological feat in the depths of one of the world’s largest underwater canyons. With vital right-of-way permits approved by the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola, Chevron has completed the drilling of a well intersection conduit beneath the Congo River submarine canyon, part of the Congo River Canyon Crossing pipeline project. The Congo River Canyon Crossing pipeline project involved crossing beneath the Congo River’s submarine canyon by simultaneously drilling two wells from platforms more than 3 miles apart. To create the intersection, two wellbores were drilled simultaneously from shallow water platforms located on each side of the canyon. One of the platforms is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while the other platform is located in Angola. The wellbores transitioned from vertical to horizontal, and then intersected almost midway beneath the canyon, approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) beneath the seabed, where the water depth is one-half mile (0.8 km). “The Congo River well intersection is a major engineering feat,” said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company. “And with the drilling platforms and subsea structures having been fabricated in-country, this project is another prime example of Chevron’s commitment to helping fuel Angola’s economic development.” The Congo River crossing is Chevron’s largest-ever well intersection and it is the most technically challenging aspect of the pipeline project. The well intersection provided the most secure method of crossing the canyon and connecting to the pipeline at the platforms located on each side of the canyon. “This was the most unique well intersection project of its kind ever undertaken by Chevron—and the very first in the industry performed offshore,” said Ben Leonard, project drilling manager for Chevron’s Southern Africa strategic business unit. “Other intersection projects have involved drilling under highways or riverbeds, but this one is more than 10 times the length of a routine crossing.” Several innovative technologies and processes were employed during the drilling of the well intersection. For example, an active magnet ranging technology was used to direct the drilling assembly so that the wellbores merged precisely on a target roughly the size of a basketball. This involved a magnetic sensor in the drill string on one side and a powerful magnet, located behind the drill bit, on the other side.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Seven Energy delivers 57m scfpd gas to firms UDEME AKPAN

even Energy, a major player in the nation’s oil and gas industry delivered 57 million standard cubic feet of gas daily to companies in the Niger Delta. It company maintained that by the end of the first half of 2015, the Group was delivering to all of its five contracted gas customers, with gas deliveries averaging 57 MMcfpd. Seven Energy indicated that this was made up of 15 MMcfpd to Ibom Power, 17 MMcfpd to Unicem cement factory, 14 MMcfpd to Notore fertilizer plant, 5 MMcfpd to Calabar NIPP power station and 6 MMcfpd to Alaoji NIPP power station, which commenced taking gas in May. It maintained that the average combined gross oil production for the first half of 2015 from the Uquo and Stubb Creek fields was 1,600 bopd, (2014: nil), with the net entitlement to Seven Energy averaging 600 bopd. The company indicated that the commencement of oil production from both locations

was only possible with the milestone of our successful tie-in at ExxonMobil’s Qua Iboe terminal. Oil from the Uquo and Stubb Creek fields was the first third party oil to be exported through this terminal. It disclosed that work is progressing on the 26 km Oron to Creek Town pipeline with a significant amount of the land and swamp based sections laid and welded, leaving the 6 km of riverine areas to be completed. Seven Energy maintained that completion and commissioning of the pipeline is scheduled for early 2016, anticipated to coincide with Calabar NIPP power station taking full contractual volumes of gas. It added that in February, the North-East 1 prospect in the Uquo field area was drilled to a vertical depth of 7,576 feet, encountering gas reservoirs as expected, as well as oil accumulations in two horizons. The company maintained that gross contingent resources discovered by the well within the original licence area amount to 15 MMboe.

It indicated that since this time the Group has been granted a licence area extension adding a further 106 billion cubic feet and one million barrels to 2C resources taking the total resources added to 34 MMboe. The company maintained that gross production under the Strategic Alliance Agreement between the Group and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company from OMLs 4, 38 & 41 averaged 47,200 bopd for the first half of 2015. “Shutdowns of the Trans Forcados pipeline continued to impact production levels, with the line being down approximately 30% of the time. In contrast there were no shut downs recorded in July where average monthly gross oil production was 81,000 bopd.” “This reflects the increased production capability at the OMLs following successful drilling activities. During the period, six new development wells have been drilled and completed, four gas and two oil wells; also, one oil well workover has been completed.” “The number of rigs work-

Seven Energy MD, Ihenacho

ing on the blocks has reduced from five at the beginning of the year to one rig currently; this being reflective of the reduced 2015 capital expenditure budget. Seven Energy’s average net entitlement from the OMLs for the first half of 2015 was 15,400 bopd (HY 2014: 10,400 bopd). The average oil sales price achieved during the first half of 2015 was $57/bbl, 50% of the $111/bbl achieved in the same period last year. During the first half of 2015, the Group lifted 1.8 MMbbl of oil from the OMLs, compared to our entitlement volume of 2.8 MMbbl for the same period,” it added.

Total sells North Sea assets for £585m

otal has signed an agreement to sell all of its interests in the FUKA and SIRGE gas pipelines and the St. Fergus Gas Terminal to North Sea Midstream Partners for £585 million (around $905 million), subject to the customary approvals. “The sale of these midstream transportation assets is another example of Total’s strategy of active portfolio management and the strong potential to unlock value from a range of infrastructure as-

Fuel tanker

sets,” said Patrick de La Chevardière, Chief Financial Officer at Total. “Transferring ownership to an entity specializing in midstream UK assets creates value for us and ensures a long and bright future for the facilities.” The Frigg UK Pipeline (FUKA) is a 362-kilometer, 32” gas pipeline that was originally constructed in 1977 to connect the Frigg Field on the UK - Norway median line to the St. Fergus Gas Terminal in Scotland.

The Frigg Field is now decommissioned but the FUKA pipeline is still operational, delivering gas from some 20 fields in the Northern North Sea to the terminal at St Fergus. Total holds a 100% operated interest in the FUKA pipeline. The St. Fergus Gas Terminal is a three-train processing plant with a capacity of 2,648 million cubic feet of gas per day (Mmscf/d), currently serving over 20 fields. Total holds a 100% operated interest in the terminal.

The Shetland Island Regional Gas Export System (SIRGE) is a 234-kilometer, 30” gas pipeline with a capacity of 665 Mmscf/d connecting the Shetland Gas Plant to the FUKA pipeline. Total holds a 67% operated interest in the SIRGE pipeline alongside Dong E&P (UK) Limited (18.3%), Chevron North Sea Limited (7.2%) and OMV (UK) Limited (7.5%). Following the completion of the sale, North Sea Midstream Partners will have an agreement with px Group for the operation and maintenance of the assets. The Group is one of the country’s leading oil and gas operators, with equity production of 89,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2014. More than 90% of Total’s production in the UK comes from several operated fields located offshore in two major zones: the Alwyn/Dunbar area in the Northern North Sea and the Elgin/Franklin area in the Central Graben, where the West Franklin Phase 2 project was brought on stream earlier this year. With the coming start-up of the Laggan-Tormore project in the West of Shetland area, Total is opening up its third hub in the UK and a new frontier gas production area for the industry.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Industry & SMEs

Lagos govt assures manufacturers of support ABOLAJI ADEBAYO

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has promised the support of the state government to the manufacturing sector in view of its potential to sustainable economic growth and development of the state. The Governor, who gave assurance at the opening of the 3rd Quarterly Council Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in Lagos, pointed out that the support to the manufacturing sector and investment in the state would drive self-sufficiency and sustain the status of Lagos State as the economic hub of the country. He said: “We are aware of the challenges of the business com-

munity in terms of poor power supply, inadequate infrastructure, high interest and foreign exchange rates among others. The resultant effect of this problems are manifesting in high operation cost, high rate of unemployment and poverty. But I am positive that these challenges are surmountable. “We, therefore, need to be proactive and look towards becoming self sufficient by collaborating with the manufacturing sector, which obviously, holds the key to sustainable economic growth and development”, he added. According to him, the reason Lagos State has established the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment to make the state a first choice destination for both local and foreign investors. While urging NACCIMA to

collaborate with the state government in its efforts to make Lagos the number one business friendly state, the governor promised that his administration would continue to provide the enabling environment for the businesses to thrive to create employment and grow the GDP.. In his remarks the National President of NACCIMA, Mr. Bassey Edem, urged the Federal Government to hasten its roadmap for the diversification of the economy to tackle the dwindling income from crude oil. Edem, who appealed to the government to tackle corruption as it would translate into economic advancement, good governance and good living standard of Nigerians, decried the poor utilisation and management of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex and urged Am-

Samsung loses $44bn of value in worst streak since 1983

epid demand for Samsung Electronics Co.’s newest Galaxy smartphones triggered a fifth straight monthly decline for the electronics maker, wiping out about $44 billion in market value since April. Shares of the world’s biggest smartphone vendor slumped 8.1 percent this month, extending their longest losing streak since December 1983. Samsung dropped almost $12 billion of value in August alone as the South Korean company surrendered market share to Apple Inc. and Chinese competitors. Samsung’s decision to steal a march on Apple and advance the release of new Galaxy smartphones failed to dispel pessimism about its secondhalf earnings. Apple is expected to take the wraps off a new iPhone on Sept. 9 and release it in time for the crucial end-ofyear holiday shopping season. “We all know its smartphone business isn’t doing well,” said Lee Seung Woo, an analyst at

Palm karnel processing machine

IBK Securities Co. in Seoul. “I can’t really figure out when the stock will stop declining. The fundamentals look problematic.” The stock has been the biggest drag on the 758-member Kospi index in the past six months, leading the benchmark 2.2 percent lower in the period. It ended Friday at 1,089,000 won. The drop in market capitalization is almost equivalent to the value of General Motors Co. Samsung profit has fallen five straight quarters, and third-quarter net income is estimated at 5.33 trillion won ($4.5 billion), down from 5.63 trillion won in the three months ended June, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Samsung’s global smartphone market share fell more than 3 percentage points in the second quarter, and it no longer is the top seller in China, the world’s biggest mobile-phone market.

It is being undercut at the high end by Apple’s bigger iPhones and at the mid-range and low end of the market by devices from Xiaomi Corp., Lenovo Group Ltd. and Huawei Technologies Co. Samsung misread demand for the S6 models released in April, failing to produce enough three-sided screens for the Edge while the regular version struggled against the iPhone. One of its latest models, the Galaxy Note 5, was criticised by reviewers and customers this month as the company acknowledged that the device can break if the stylus is inserted backward into the storage slot. “Foreign selling of shares is adding pressure on the stock, which now seems attractive value-wise,” said Greg Roh, an analyst at HMC Investment Securities Co. in Seoul. “The smartphone business isn’t going to worsen further from here, but any rebound seems highly unlikely.” (Source – Bloomberg.com)

bode to call for a review of the concession of the complex. “The complex is primarily designed for trade promotion in Nigeria, but it has become a shadow of itself. “We therefore, request that the management of the complex be transferred back to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry as was done for Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex. As an umbrella body of all chambers of commerce and industry, we will continue to lend our voice and support the governments at all levels to fulfill their roles,’’ he said. Similarly, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello, cited poor power supply, unstable policies, multiple taxation, poor access to credit

Lagos Gov, Ambode

and deficient infrastructure as problems affecting the business community. Bello said that the meeting was aimed at reviewing the challenges for a better business environment.

NACCIMA signs Abuja Plaza’s N500m contract ABOLAJI ADEBAYO

he Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, has signed a N500m building contract with XMATRIX 369 Limited for the construction of the first phase of NACCIMA Plaza in Abuja. The first phase of the project, which would make Abuja Secretariat the hub of the association’s operations, is expected to cover the preliminaries, basements, hall, ground and first floors of the building. Speaking on the project, the NACCIMA national President, Chief Bassey Edem, said that the project was a step towards making the association more vibrant in its responsibility as a driver and promoter of businesses in the country. He promised to take measures towards making the Association the first point of call for business information, regarding any member of the Association and the entire business community, adding that the association would enhance its representation in any trade/bilat-

eral mission of the Federal Government while it continues to play its leading role in the ECOWAS sub region through the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FEWACCI. To achieve the above, the NACCIMA boss said the association needed to be more viable hence, the need for a befitting Secretariat in the nation’s capital. He said: “As you are aware, NACCIMA is the umbrella Organization for all Chambers of Commerce and Industry nationwide. The Association’s membership also includes Business Associations, Professional Bodies, Trade Groups and some corporate bodies in Nigeria. NACCIMA has the strategic role of promoting trade, investment and other commercial activities in conducive business environments, to be provided by the governments at federal, state and local levels. This would enable the private sector to create wealth which in turn generates more jobs.” Edem emphasised that the protection of local production with proactive policies

would save the country huge amount it lost to importation on yearly basis. The association’s Director General, Emmanuel Cobham said the moving of the association’s Secretariat to the nation’s capital would enable it to be committed to influencing government to improve operating environment, which has been the major constraint businesses in the country by urging government to take deliberate steps to drive improvement in the operating environment in terms of provision and/or facilitation of access to security, power, finance, processing, storage and marketing facilities. Business stakeholders have also described the Abuja Plaza initiative as an important step by the association towards development of the nation’s economy. They believed this would afford the association the proximity opportunity to be more committed to influencing government’s policies to create more conducive business environment.

Cocktail

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Daredevil films self on metro train-riding stunt

Ukrainian YouTuber who loves “to ride on the roof of a subway car” captured video of himself doing just that atop a metro train. Pasha Bumchik posted a video to his YouTube channel that begins with a firstperson view from his headmounted action camera as he slides down stairway railings at a metro train station and catches a train to a second station. Bumchik climbs onto the

roof of the second station and scales a barbed-wire fence to reach the area of the roof where he leaps down onto a train that then begins to move. The YouTuber continues to record as he runs on top of the train and jumps from car to car before removing his head-mounted camera for a train-surfing selfie. The daredevil eventually jumps down between two cars and hops a fence to flee the scene at the next station stop.

Australia offers tourists appcontrolled ‘GIGA Selfies’

ourism Australia is seeking to attract selfie-loving Japanese visitors with “GIGA Selfies,” cameras that take far-off photos of tourists via a smartphone app. The “GIGA Selfie” events, announced via a video posted to YouTube, call on visitors to stand in designated spots to control far-off cameras that take short video clips that begin as close-up shots and quickly zoom out to show the surrounding scenery.

Tourism Australia said the first two “GIGA Selfie” cameras will be available for tourists to use at locations in Queensland’s Gold Coast resort region Sept. 5-6. “The ‘GIGA Selfie’ campaign will help to raise the level of conversation about Australia in Japan as people share their incredible experiences of holidaying here with their friendsandfamilybackhome,” Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said in a news release.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oddities

Nearly $100K raised for father seen in viral photo cradling daughter H eartbroken readers around the world have made a definitive statement after seeing a viral photo circulated on the Internet this week -- showing a Syrian father selling pens in the streets of Beirut while cradling his sleeping daughter. And that statement so far has nearly six digits in it. A Norwegian activist named Gissur Simonarson came face-to-face with the refugee on Tuesday. With a heavy heart, he posted it to a social media account -- as a symbol of the omnipresent challenges faced daily in the Middle East by those trying to attain safer lives for their families. It didn’t take long for Simonarson’s photo to explode online -- first with his 6,000 followers, and then the global news media. “Syrian father selling pens in the streets of #Beirut with his sleeping daughter,” Simonarson wrote beneath

his photo. The next day, the Norwegian tweeted that he had set up a Twitter profile for the man as a way to jump start the philanthropy for the needy father and daughter. The new Twitter handle: @Buy_Pens. Although only his daughter is seen in the photo with

him, the @Buy_Pens profile says he has two children. “It’s a terribly emotional picture,” Simonarson told CNN. “You see the look in his face and just the way he holds the pens out, as if those pens are everything he has in the world.” After two days of effort, the man was finally iden-

tified as Abdul -- a Syrian refugee from the violencemarred town of Yarmouk. A crowdfunding account was subsequently established and has so far raised nearly $100,000 for Abdul -$95,000 more than Simonarson first hoped to raise. The Norwegian was stunned. Abdul was floored.

Syrian father selling pens in the streets of Beirut with his sleeping daughter

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Civil Service 41

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Amaechi left an empty treasury, Wike insists Dennis Naku, PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has insisted that his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, left an empty treasury. Speaking during the Rivers State Civil Service Day on Tuesday , Governor Wike said that he met a state without resources, wondering why the former governor would leave debts if the state had resources. According to him: “If there was any money left, why was the former governor unable to pay two months salaries of civil servants, six months pension arrears for retired

civil servants and the state could not pay WAEC fees.” The governor further said that his administration had been able to overcome the challenges of lack of resources occasioned by the failure of the last administration to respect the principles of probity and accountability. He said that the new Rivers Vision of his administration was aimed at repositioning the civil service for greater productivity, adding that Governor Wike noted that the State Civil Service has a critical role to play in the revival of the state. He said: “I wish to reiterate our promise to prioritise the welfare of the state’s civil service. Clear-

ly, we have demonstrated good faith and commitment by clearing the backlog of outstanding arrears of unpaid salaries and pension benefits owed to civil servants by the past administration. “We have also un-freezed the payment of overheads to the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Plans for training for enhanced capacity building and effective service delivery are underway. “Similarly, the state secretariat complex and the offices will receive the necessary restoration and face-lift to provide for the desired conducive work environment.” Speaking further, the governor urged civil

servants to remain nonpartisan and be loyal and committed to the administration, assuring that his administration would favour women in appointments and delegation of key responsibilities. In his remarks, Head of Service, Mr. Rufus Godwins commended the governor for his commitment to the welfare of civil servants, especially the payment of two months salaries owed by the previous administration. Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Mr. Oris Onyiri, urged the civil servants to reciprocate the kind gesture of the governor by improving on their performance.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Al-Hassan Barde; contractor, Mr Kopshak Gomwalk and Leader of the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr Umar Gulani, during the handover of contractual documents for the hostels project, at the Ground Breaking ceremony and handover of the site in Shendam LGA of Plateau.

Striking NTDC workers demand DG sack Olufemi Adeosun, ABUJA

igeria Tourism Development Corporation’s workers under the auspices of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the Director General, Mrs Sally Mbanefo. The workers said her continued stay in office would derail the effort of the current administration to tap into the potentials in the tourism sector as a means of diversifying Nigerian economy. The workers, who have refused to report to duty since last week, said they

were protesting non-activities in the NTDC since the appointment of Mrs. Mbanefo and demanded her sack due to alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office. They accused the DG of killing the tourism sector and destroying all the structures put in place by her predecessor, whom they claimed built the sector to an enviable height before his inglorious removal by former President Goodluck Jonathan. The Secretary of AUPCTRE, Comrade Dankano Chise kunama, told journalists that the NTDC workers, under the umbrella of AUPCTRE, had written to the Department of State Security (DSS), on their on-going protest and actions, before they em-

barked on it. The union and the DG had earlier dragged themselves to the DSS where they reached and signed agreements which the DG failed to implement. On their demand, Comrade Kunama said: “We want her removal. She is killing the tourism sector. Except the government is not serious with tourism, but if government wants to tap into the potentials of tourism to diversify Nigeria economy, they have to remove her and bring in a professional that has a vision for the sector.” He stated that the workers received her warmly when she resumed in May 2013, where he made promises which she has failed to fulfil. Comrade Kunama said

the crisis had lasted for almost a year, during which the union had written her twice on their grievances and also signed agreement with her twice but nothing came out of it. They accused her of siphoning the money meant for the corporation while she only comes to office once in two weeks and failed to attend all the international fares and local festival where NTDC are partners. All efforts to locate the spokesperson or any management staff was not successful as there was no staff in the offices. However, the Director of Administration Mr. Boniface Eboka, declined to comment, arguing that he is a civil servant and not permitted to speak.

100 civil servants benefit from EU supported programme

o fewer than 100 workers from selected government agencies have benefited from the European Union (EU) Supported Programme on Governance Reforms, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. NAN reports that the beneficiaries were drawn from the National Planning Commission (NPC), Federal Ministry of Finance and National Bureau of Statistics. Others are drawn from the Office of Head, Civil Service of the Federation, Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Budget Office of the Federation. Prof. Vincent Akinyosoye, the lead consultant on the training, at the end of the five-day training on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the beneficiaries had learnt skills on effective planning and budgeting. ``We have trained the civil servants on how to conceptualise planning for development. `` We have been able to explain to them that for meeting the mandate of their ministries or agencies, they should always plan. ``In this modern world, the best plans are called strategic plans; looking into the future, determine the goals of development and strategising on how to get to achieve that goal.

``After achieving the goal, you set target for yourselves and monitor the performance of your agencies; you work towards the target. `` After the term period of two or three years, you evaluate whether you are doing the right thing or not,’’ he said. According to him, the knowledge they have acquired would help to reduce corruption in their agencies. Akinyosoye said that the knowledge gained at the training would help to curb corruption, adding that getting the plan of their sectors right would help in effective monitoring and reducing wastage. ``If they will be able to reduce wastage, the efforts will also reduce corruption in their organisations,’’ he said. However, some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the sponsor (EU) of the training as they had learnt a lot on strategic planning and budgeting. Mr. Tope Ajomo, an official of NPC, said that he had learnt other key tools for planning to achieve results. Ajomo said that he could use the Medium Term Sector Strategic (MTSS) and Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to plan for both small and medium terms.

Perm Sec advocates for NYSC lottery scheme

r. Jamila Shu’Ara, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, has urged the National Lottery Regulatory Commission to introduce a lottery scheme targeted at corps members. Shu’Ara made this known in Abuja at the opening of a three-day lottery stakeholders conference and exhibition. The theme of the exhibition is ``Repositioning the Nigeria Lottery Industry for National Development.” The permanent secretary said that the scheme would afford corps members the opportunity to benefit from the country’s revenue. ``The potential of the lottery business to the human population cannot be overemphasised. ``In many countries, lottery is used to positively impact on the lives of the citizenry. ``The ministry is now

giving a matching order to the commission to introduce a national lottery scheme for the NYSC. ``The marching order is to develop a more socially acceptable product for our citizens.’’ She added that the government would give the necessary policy support to ensure that a big league of revenue earners are created for the country. In his remark, the Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Adolphus Ekpe, noted that for the commission to realise its full potential, there was the need for total enhancement of the market. Ekpe said that this could only be achieved through the automated capture of all transactions of the operators. ``In line with our operations, the automation of the workflow and reporting process of the departments and units is in progress and expected to be completed soon.”

Civil Service

Regina Otokpa, ABUJA

he federal government has said about 53 per cent of the total population of Nigerians are grossly affected by desertification even as 40% of the land mass in the north was taken up by deserts. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Nana Mede, disclosed this during a dinner held in Abuja with the State of Israel alongside the Ministry of Water Resources, to fashion out solutions to water and environmental challenges through collaborative efforts. According to her, an effective management of the soil and efficient management of natural and ground resources would assist in overcoming the challenges posed by the environment to improve

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

53% Nigerians affected by desertification –FG the agricultural potency of the north. She said: “We have 53 per cent of Nigerians already being affected by the effects of desertification. If we are able to manage our soil and our lands very effectively, we will able to provide food and improve the livelihood of our people in the northern part of the country.” Mede went further to attribute the lack of sufficient food and grazing lands as reasons behind most of the conflicts witnessed in the country. “A lot of conflicts already exists because these farmers and cattle rearers have to find

where to get food for their animals so they are migrating to the south.” Commending the initiatives put in place by the Israeli government in ensuring there was availability of agricultural produce all year round regardless of the huge

mass of desert land, the Permanent Secretary called on the Israeli’s to assist the nation by sharing the strategies put in place in overcoming desertification. “Nigeria and Israel have similarities in areas of the effects of deserti-

fication in the northern parts of Nigeria. We all know that even though Israel is a desert more or less, when you visit the State of Israel you will find fresh fruits, vegetables and food all year round. “The Ministry of En-

vironment will want to know how the State of Israel has been able to convert its deserts to food so that our people in the northern part of Nigeria who have been affected by desertification can also have food all year round,” she added.

Ekiti teachers get N144m vehicle, housing loans

Abiodun Nejo, ADO EKITI

kiti State government has disbursed N144 million as vehicle and housing loans to 712 teaching and non-teaching staff in the state teaching service. The State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Chief Toyin Ojo, said N63 million was disbursed as car loans to 257 teaching and non-teaching Staff according to their grade levels. He said the vehicle loans ranged from N250,000 to one million naira for benefiting teachers on grade levels seven to 16 while junior non-teaching staff from grade level one to six received N70,000. Ojo said that the remaining N81 million was disbursed as first and second tranches of staff housing loans to 455 teaching and non-teaching staff in the state teaching service. The governor had last month approved the disbursement of N119 million as car loans to 623 workers in the State Public Service despite the prevailing paucity of fund in the state.

Ojo said that the gesture would reduce the burden of obtaining bank loans with its attendant high interest rate among the beneficiaries, assuring that the exercise would be continuous. According to him, all interested teachers would benefit from the schemes. He charged teachers to reciprocate government’s gesture by living up to their responsibilities and discharging their duties conscientiously, stressing the importance of their roles as the key to the future of their students.

L-R: Deputy Editor-In-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Ibrahim Mammaga; Director-General, National Institute for Legislative Studies, Dr Ladi Hamalai, and Senior Editor of NAN, Mr Ahmed Dada, on Nan Forum in Abuja.

FG task scientists on girl child science education he federal government has called on professionals in the science, technology and engineering sector to reach out to reach out to mothers and support girl child Science education. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. Win-

ifred Oyo-Ita, said this would encourage young girls to become interested in science and technology so as to deepen and demystify the study of science education from an early stage. Speaking during a meeting with Society of Women Engineers, Technologists and Scientists in Abuja, she noted that the initiative of the society to establish Engineering, Science and

to address such inherent challenges confronting the sector. ``I have been briefed by the Permanent Secretary on some challenges being faced by the ministry. ``These challenges include dilapidated and illequipped health infrastructure across the state. ``I have also been informed of the outstanding staff claims and shortage of skilled manpower as well as shortage of office accommodation and development partners,’’ Abubakar said. The commissioner said her vision was to build a standard infrastructure

that could stand the test of time in the state. Abubakar appealed to the staff of the ministry not to be discouraged by the situation they have found themselves at the moment. She also pledged that her leadership would ensure that the slogan of `change’ was realised at all levels in the sector. ``I want to emphasise that my `modus operandi` is to build and provide a standard healthcare infrastructure and delivery. ``We will strive to secure and sustain a highly vibrant, skilled and motivated manpower for the health sector,’’ she said.

Regina Otokpa, ABUJA

Commissioner promises to transform health sector in Adamawa

r. Fatima Abubakar, the Adamawa Commissioner for Health, has promised to use her experience in the private sector to improve the state’s health sector. Abubakar gave the assurance in Yola on Tuesday while addressing staff of the ministry on her assumption of office. Abubakar, a daughter of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, said she had been informed about staff constraints and shortage of skilled manpower in the ministry. She gave assurance that her office would collaborate with development partners

Technology as a desirable career aspiration for women was a welcome development and would prosper more if full participation of other women scientists could be achieved. Oyo-Ita, appreciating the society’s objectives to provide significant voice for women engineers, technologists and scientists, addressing the under representation of women in science, technology and engineering, maintained that they were in tandem with government’s desire to develop the critical mass of the Nigerian women and girls using science and technology apparatus. Earlier in her presentation, the president and founder of the Society of Women Engineers, Technologists and Scientists, Engr. Vera Egwautu, said the professional body was in the ministry to inform the permanent secretary on its existence, the inauguration of the association in October and to further brief her on the Society’s activities so far and also to establish areas of col-

laboration and partnership with the ministry. Meanwhile, the Arewa Student Association has presented a certificate of credence to the Permanent Secretary in recognition of her immense contributions to nation building and youth empowerment. Making the presentation in Abuja, the chairman, ex-presidents of the association, Odeh Samson, assisted by the president of the association, Ibrahim Usman, emphasised that when public officers were devoted and committed to national aspirations, Nigerians especially the youths, would always recognise and identify them as role models. In accepting the award, the Permanent Secretary thanked the association for recognising the role of mothers in nation building and called on them to support the Buhari administration who is particularly interested in youths having identified them as the pillar and hope for the future of Nigeria.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Wednesday September 2, 2015

The salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers has been a major source of concern to Nigerians. Would you ascribe to a downward review of your emoluments? As it is now, we need an increase in the allowances and emoluments of National Assembly members; in fact even civil servants. I believe that wherever you work, there should be commensurate emoluments in view of the hardships in the country. We have enormous responsibilities so the call for cut in our remunerations is not welcomed. Look at the way our democracy is structured; it is not a conventional democracy. The same people accusing us of collecting jumbo pay have not taken their time to talk to our constituents to expect only legislative results from us. As a lawmaker, I am here to make laws; to oversight and to represent. But we have a peculiar system in Nigeria, because by the time your constituents ask for your stewardship, not many people will ask you about the number of bills or motions you have sponsored. They will be asking you about how many boreholes you have drilled; how many roads you have built; how many people you have employed. There are processes for employment but you have to lobby and go the extra mile to ensure that you get jobs for your constituents for them to accept that you are working for them. So, there is no luxury in the salaries and allowances you get here because except you are not a good leader, whatever you get, you share with your people. What we get here is not enough to do what the people expect us to do. You pay school fees of indigent constituents; you settle hospital bills; you buy food for families; you even provide shelter in some cases; all from your allowances. People are suffering and the executive has not taken upon itself to address the issues, so the whole burden falls on us the lawmakers. I understand in the United States of America, a legislator gets a little over $1 million a year. They have about 600 members in the House of Representatives and about 100 senators. But they do legislative work and community service with their emolument. They don’t do boreholes; they don’t do electrification projects with their emolument because the executive is responsible for all these projects. So, if the people criticising us will ingrained this in the consciousness of our people and the executive is also alive to its responsibilities, there will be no problem. In fact the executive is responsible for the problems we face as legislators. We are really doing the work that is not ours and then leaving our own work to suffer. But when we try to ensure that our work moves on smoothly alongside the other responsibilities that the executive ought to do but is shying away from, people will start raising questions on our emoluments. So, I think the Federal Government should even increase the budget of the National Assembly. What is your take on some legislators spending four years in the National Assembly without sponsoring a single bill or motion? It is the responsibility of their constituents to take them to task. The constituents have to serve as a check. The nation as a whole should also ask questions about such legislators, because, as a member of the House of Representatives, I am not only representing my constituency but the entire country - I make laws and provide oversight on behalf of Nigeria. So, there should be a process by which the public, through the civil society organisations, CSOs and non-governmental organisations, NGOs should assess legislators. There should be a mechanism to assess us to know who is really working. But to generalise will not be fair, because some of us are really doing our work. You were in the Plateau State House of Assembly; would you say there is democracy at the state level? Democracy is not working at the state Houses of Assembly. The governors are suffocating democracy at that level. And in my contribution to the debate on our legislative agenda, I said there is need for a very strong institutional oversight from the National Assembly over state Houses of Assembly; if not, the governors

Federal lawmakers not earning enough –Hon Golu Former Chief Whip of Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Timothy Golu represents Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke federal constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, speaks on the controversy over the lawmakers’ pay and a new structure for state Assemblies. TORDUE SALEM brings excerpts: believe; because its mere size is intimidating to any potential dictator, because it is not possible for the National Assembly to be controlled by one party; but at the state level it is possible. Before now, in Plateau State, it was a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, affair entirely; the same thing in Benue and some states. Today, if you go to Katsina State, it is all All Progressives Congress, APC; if you go to Kano and Kaduna, it is only APC members in the state House of Assembly. So, the governors have made the state Assemblies a family affair, but in the National Assembly, nobody can do that. I am saying there is need to put an eagle eye on the type of democracy that is practised in the states. Even the process of budgeting at the state Assembly is not ideal for our nation. So, there should be a committee on state Houses of Assembly, because granting autonomy to state legislatures is just part of the solution. For example, the governor of Plateau State just dissolved duly elected local government council executives; it is illegal. So, if we allow this to continue, our democracy will not grow.

Golu

There is no luxury in the salaries and allowances you get here because except you are not a

good leader, whatever

you get, you share with your people.

What we

get here is not enough to do what the people expect us to do

will kill democracy. It is the governors that are killing democracy at the state level. At the federal level, even if the President wants to be dictatorial, it will be difficult for him, because of the size of the parliament. Although so many people have called for trimming of the size of the National Assembly; that will be very dangerous for us. I came from a House of Assembly with just 24 lawmakers and the governor knows everybody by name. Only 16 members could form a quorum and if the governor decides to corner 10 legislators on his side, the remaining 14 cannot do anything for the rest of the four years. You cannot pass a bill or motion. They will frustrate you. But the size of the National Assembly is an asset and not a liability as some people would want us to

A cross section of Nigerians has complained that the National Assembly oversights ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, every year but the results are nothing to write home about. What have you to say about this? I don’t agree with that submission. I think there are results. If you go to a state where the governor has no respect for the legislature, the commissioners, permanent secretaries, directors will also have no respect for the legislature. But I can tell you our democracy is being sustained by the National Assembly. The National Assembly is the last hope of democracy in Nigeria. If the National Assembly were as weak as the state legislatures, democracy would have collapsed in Nigeria. But here both Senate and House can face the President squarely and Nigerians have been monitoring. The motions that we pass here are keeping the executive on its toes because the executive do not believe in law. They just sit and create some policies, which to them have taken the place of law in our country. But with the oversight from National Assembly, some of the excesses of the executive are curtailed. In fact our oversight has reduced corruption, executive arrogance and lawlessness. It has also helped people to behave well. But we still have to strengthen our oversight and we even oversight ourselves too. The current recess has been trailed by criticism. Would you say it is justified? I want to appeal to Nigerians to bear with us. We are just coming out of a general elections and a new leadership in the National Assembly, so there are bound to be teething problems. There is nothing wrong with this recess because it is not a time when you go home to feast and while away time. You can see that majority of the lawmakers are still around working. If you don’t give a window for lawmakers to reflect on what they intend to do, then the legislature will suffer. Lawmaking is a very difficult job. So this recess is an opportunity for legislators to go and sit down, reflect on what they have planned to do and consolidate. With the recess, lawmakers can have time to also confer with their constituents on what they want and what should be done.

Politics

Wednesday September 2, 2015

Suswam never begged Ortom over probe –PDP chieftain Henry Iyorkase MAKURDI

chieftain of Bauchi State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and elder brother to former Governor Gabriel Suswam, Chief Terkula Suswam, has debunked insinuation making the rounds in some quarters that his younger brother has gone to beg Governor Samuel Ortom to discontinue with the ongoing purported probe action against his administration in the state. Dr Suswam, addressing journalists yesterday in Makurdi, the state capital,

said the insinuation is unfounded and mischievous, aimed at jeopardising the harmonious co-existence between Governor Ortom and his predecessor and must be discarded with a wave of hand by all and sundry. He explained that for the avoidance of doubt, the meeting held a fortnight ago between Suswam and Ortom at the People’s House was at his instance and was hinged on collective efforts on effecting development towards improving the well being of the citizens, adding that no one did begged the other for anything as being insinu-

ated in some quarters. Terkula, a first class chief, whose appointment as Tor Sankera by the immediate past administration of Suswam was nullified by the Ortom-led administration for not following due process, emphasised that the essence of the meeting was to synergise with a view to move the state forward from its current backwardness. The PDP stalwart further reiterated the need for everyone to key into the programmes of the present administration, especially in the area of amnesty for those in possession of il-

legal arms; urging them to make bold by submitting their weapons to appropriate quarters before the expiration of the deadline. He said: “I hereby declared that rumour mongers were just at work towards ensuring that they pitched former Governor Suswam against his successor, Governor Ortom, but what most of these people refused to acknowledge is the fact that both political big wigs were friends and associates since time immemorial before one left and pitched tent with different platform and realise his ambition today as number one citizen.

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YDP declares readiness to contest Kogi guber poll Wale Ibrahim LOKOJA

ewly registered political party, Young Democratic Party, YDP, has declared its readiness to present a candidate for and participate in the November 21 Kogi State gubernatorial election. It also called on credible aspirants to seek the platform of the party to actualise their dream of becoming the state governor. Addressing journalists in Lokoja yesterday, YDP state chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Chinga, said the party is a revolutionary political platform for the emancipation of national conscience from misappropriation of governance. He said: “YDP is very and ever ready to favourably participate in the forthcoming gubernatorial election and we have

developmental agenda for Kogi State that is known for richness in culture and potential fertile ground for food production and mineral resources. Our party has enigma for our political, economic and social development of the country.” Pointing out that YDP was founded on social democracy toward aspiration of young and vibrant people in Nigeria, Chinga added that a situation where some politicians chose to manipulate their platforms based on personal interest is not healthy for developmental politics where the electorate expects dividends of democracy. He added that YDP has no money-bag politicians behind its formation, saying that it was the brain child of few young people of like-mind who believed in the unity and development of Nigeria.

More crises in PDP over chairmanship tenure

•Secondus’ acting capacity illegal -Gulak

Obiora Ifoh ABUJA

U L-R: Representative of INEC Chairman, Mrs. Toyin Babalola; USAID Director of Democracy and Governance, Mr. Blair King and National President, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Mrs. Hauwa Shekarau, during the launch of Stop Violence Against Women in Elections logo in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Don’t jettison federal character in appointments, senator tells Buhari Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

ational Assembly member representing Ekiti North senatorial district, Senator Duro Faseyi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to comply with the Federal Character principle in making appointments into public offices. Faseyi said jettisoning the principle would negatively affect the polity and as well stir up mistrust as a result of fear of domina-

tion among Nigerians. He said in a statement in Ado Ekiti yesterday that fairness to all groups in the country must be adhered to at all times for the unity and oneness of the country to be preserved. He said: “Appointments into various offices in the land must be based on equity, fairness and justice to all geopolitical zones of Nigeria. “Those who enshrined the principle of federal character in the nation’s constitution took into consideration our peculiar na-

ture as far as ethnic issues are concerned. “All the key appointments made so far under this administration are not in line with the said principle. Therefore the President must be decisive and patriotic enough to keep Nigeria one.” Faseyi reminded President Buhari that Nigeria belongs to all and any attempt to subvert the appointment principle would be resisted at all cost, adding: “Even placing a section of the country ahead of others or giving such preferential treatment

FG’ll not micro-manage judiciary –APC Olajide Omojolomoju

ll Progressives Congress, APC, has asked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to stop denigrating the judicia-

ry by suggesting that election petition tribunal judges handling various election petitions can be influenced, saying the APC-led Federal Government will not micromanage the judiciary. In a statement issued in

Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said the PDP is throwing wild allegations against the tribunals in Rivers and other states because the party knows it stole the

is a breach of the constitution that the President had promised to uphold. “And that is the reason for calling on the President before it is too late to halt the lopsided appointments of his administration to save the country from disintegration. “Ethno-centrism must be completely buried in our land because Nigeria must move forward and there is no other catalyst to the development of the nation than to embrace equity, fairness and justice without tribalism.”

votes in those states. Mohammed said: “The affected states are the cashcows of the PDP, hence the party is so jittery about losing the states, which they know they did not win in the first instance.

nless something is done urgently, a major crisis may tear the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apart, as some members and National Working Committee, NWC, of the party are now back to the trenches over the refusal of the leadership to replace former National Chairman, Ahmadu Mu’azu. Former Political Adviser to the immediate past President, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, who was at the party’s National Secretariat yesterday, told journalists that his mission was to submit a letter of intent to the NWC to fill the vacancy created by erstwhile National Chairman’s exit. But at a joint press briefing by PDP National Secretary, Prof Wale Oladipo and National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, the NWC said the party’s constitution is silent on the period of time someone can hold office in acting capacity. Gulak said: “I bring to the notice of NWC of my intention to fill in the

vacuum of Mu’azu and have seen and delivered my letter of intent for us to partner, to rebuild, reinvigorate and reach out on the task ahead. “Even Uche Secondus knows there is vacancy and that must be filled, my action will not bring crisis but will cement cracks in the party.” Kwon explained that by joint action of sections 45 (2) and 47 (6) of the PDP Constitution, it is only the National Executive Committee, NEC, that will appoint a successor from the same zone where the person who formerly held the office come from. He added: “So as we speak now, it is constitutional for the acting National Chairman to continue in office pending when NEC in its wisdom may decide to make an appointment to that office, because both sections 47 (6) and 45 (2) of the constitution did not specify time limits. So it is always the prerogative of NEC to appoint a replacement where there is a vacancy in an office from the zone where the former occupant of the office hails from.”

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Capital Market

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Domestic investors’ equities decline by N104bn in July Stories: Johnson Okanlawon

omestic investors conceded about 25.8 per cent of equities trading to foreign investors on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in July, as domestic transactions decreased from 65.8 per cent to 37.1 per cent, while Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) transactions increased from 34.2 per cent to 62.9 per cent over the same period. Data from the NSE’s website showed that total FPI transactions increased by 90.5 per cent when compared to the

same period in 2014, while the total domestic transactions decreased by 62.2 per cent. Foreign Portfolio Investors’, FPI, inflows accounted for 28.5 per cent of total transactions in July, while the outflows accounted for 34.4 per cent of the total transactions. The FPI outflows outpaced inflows which was not consistent with the same period in 2014. Overall, there was a 23.8 per cent decrease in total transactions in comparison to the same period in 2014. However, the FPI transactions at the market,

which was N69.65 billion at the end of June 2015 increased to N107.47 billion at the end of July 2015, up 54.3per cent from June 2015. Further analysis showed that total domestic transactions decreased by 30.1 per cent from January to July 2015. The institutional composition of the domestic market which was about 33.7 per cent at the end of January increased to 51.8 per cent at the end of July, while the retail composition decreased from 66.3 per cent to 48.2 per cent in the same period.

Total FPI transactions of N616 billion which accounted for 14.8 per cent of total transactions in 2007 increased over the years to N1.539billion representing 57.5 per cent of total transactions in 2014, an increase of 42.7 per cent over the seven years period. Domestic transactions on the other hand started at N3. 556billion representing 85.2 per cent in 2007, but decreased significantly to N1.137billion representing 42.5 per cent of total transactions in 2014, a decline of 42.7 per cent.

Equities up 1.8%, as Access, Zenith, UBA top traded stocks

rading in equities rose further on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, extending three consecutive days of positive trends. Specifically, the All Share Index appreciated 1.82 per cent to close at 30,225.34 points, compared to the increase of 3.02 per cent recorded the preceding day to close at 29,684.84 points. The year-to-date depreciation stood at 12.8 per cent. Analysis of the trading showed that the appreciation recorded in the Index could be attributed to the gains recorded in the share prices of some highly capitalised stocks such

as Stanbic IBTC, Guaranty Trust Bank, PZ Cussons, Nigerian Breweries and Unilever, amongst others. Similarly, the Market Capitalization appreciated by 1.82 per cent to close at N10.39trillion, compared to the rise of 3.02 per cent recorded the preceding day to close at N10.21trillion. The total value of the stocks traded on the Exchange was N7.49billion, up by 116.2 per cent, from N3.46billion traded the preceding day. The total volume of stocks traded was 938.20million in 6,065 deals. The three most actively traded stocks are Access

Bank, Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa, while the most actively traded sectors are Financial Services, Conglomerates and Consumer Goods. Okomu Oil Plc led the gainers’ table with N2.21 or 10.23 per cent to close at N23.81 per share, followed by Stanbic IBTC Bank with N2.10 or 10.23 per cent to close at N21.65 per share. PZ Cussons Plc appreciated N2.46 or 10.19 per cent to close at N26.61 per share, while Caverton Plc rose 33 kobo or 10.15 per cent to close at N3.58 per share. Champion Breweries Plc appreciated 43 kobo or 10.12

per cent to close at N4.68 per share. Conversely, Conoil Plc depreciated N3.23 or 9.71 per cent to close at N30.05 per share, while Neimeth International Plc was down 11 kobo or 8.94 per cent to close at N1.12 per share. CWG Plc lost 14 kobo or 4.98 per cent to close at N2.67 per share, while Cadbury Plc shed N1.42 or 4.97 per cent to close at N27.14 per share. Dangote Sugar Plc declined 36 kobo or 4.97 per cent to close at N6.88 per share. A total of 938.2 million shares valued at N7.49 billion were exchanged in 6,065 deals.

China fears hit stocks and oil, boost volatility

orld stock indexes and commodities dropped, as weak Chinese data revived fears about the effect of China’s economic health on the global economy and fuelled more market turmoil. Oil prices fell more than seven per cent on concerns about global demand for petroleum, reversing a threeday rally that had pushed United States crude up 27.5 per cent. All three major US stock indexes were down more than two per cent, led by declines in energy shares, and were in negative territory for the year. The Standard and Poor 500 is now down 6.6 per cent for the year so far. The CBOE Volatility index, known as Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” was up 10.4 per cent

at 31.41, above its long-term average of 20. The index had spiked to 53.29 last Monday. The moves followed a stormy week in the markets, when investors became increasingly concerned about further losses due to slowing growth in China. The selloff in equities last week raised doubts about earnings and growth while fuelling worries about whether central bank support could make a difference after years of loose policy around the globe. Surveys showed China’s manufacturing sector shrinking at its fastest pace in three years while its services sector also cooled. Adding to economic worries, data showed US factory activity hit a more than twoyear low in August.

“The volatility is here to stay for a while or at least till the Fed gives us an indication regarding a rate increase,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York. Comments by Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer over the weekend appeared to keep alive chances of a U.S. interest rate increase in September. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 406.88 points, or 2.46 per cent, to16,121.15, the S&P 500 lost 48.73 points, or 2.47 per cent, to 1,923.45 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 105.37 points, or 2.21 per cent, to 4,671.14. MSCI’s all-country stock index fell 2.4 per cent and is down 7.1 per cent for the year to date. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 stocks index

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

Crude oil price

$58.96

US Dollar

N196.95 Market indicators All-Share Index 30,225.34points Market capitalisation 10.39trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

OKOMUOIL

21.60

23.81

2.21

10.23

STANBIC

19.64

21.65

2.01

10.23

24.15

26.61

2.46

10.19

CAVERTON

3.25

3.58

0.33

10.15

CHAMPION

4.25

4.68

0.43

10.12

MANSARD

2.20

2.42

0.22

10.00

MAYBAKER

1.23

1.35

0.12

9.76

SKYEBANK

2.45

2.67

0.22

8.98

TRANSEXPR

0.90

0.98

0.08

8.89

GUARANTY

22.92

24.50

1.58

6.89

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CONOIL

33.28

30.05

-3.23

-9.71

NEIMETH

1.23

1.12

-0.11

-8.94

CWG

2.81

2.67

-0.14

-4.98

CADBURY

28.56

27.14

-1.42

-4.97

DANGSUGAR

7.24

6.88

-0.36

-4.97

ETRANZACT

2.58

2.46

-0.12

-4.65

VITAFOAM

6.00

5.76

-0.24

-4.00

FLOURMILL

24.15

23.22

-0.93

-3.85

CONTINSURE

0.87

0.84

-0.03

-3.45

UBCAP

1.32

1.29

-0.03

-2.27

FGN Bonds

Offer

Bid

Description closed down 2.8 per cent. Asian stocks, particularly in Japan, fell overnight. (Source –Bloomberg. com)

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.67

99.10

15.69

99.25

15.58

16.00 29-JUN-2019

3.84

100.55

15.78

100.85

15.68

15.54 13-FEB-2020

4.47

99.51

15.69

99.81

15.60

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.43

102.45

15.76

102.75

15.69

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.55

92.41

15.85

92.71

15.78

10.00 23-JUL-2030

14.91 68.00

15.58

68.30

15.50

Closing Market Prices of August 25, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

26-Nov-15

15.24

15.86

WAUA

270

25-Feb-16

15.47

16.77

USD

196.96

EURO

214

4-Aug-16

13.72

15.76

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

Tenor

Rate (%)

SWISS FRANC

202

O/N

47.1250

18.5054

POUNDS STERLING

293

20.4074

SDR

273

22.1277

NIBOR

The Fixings of August 25, 2015

Capital Market

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056

Stock exchange daily equities summary Daily Summary (Bonds)

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal

Bond Name 14.20% FGN MAR 2024 15.10% FGN APR 2017 16.00% FGN JUN 2019 16.39% FGN JAN 2022 Federal Totals

Symbol FG112024S1 FG9B2017S2 FG9B2019S3 FG9B2022S1

No. of Deals 2 2 2 1 7

DEBT Board Totals

Sector

Company name

Quantity Traded 810 400 230 199 1639

Value Traded 832,886.90 421,488.52 243,421.30 224,258.37 1,722,055.09

1,639

1,722,055.09

1639

1,722,055.09

Equities as at September 1, 2015

Bond Activity Totals

1st Tier Securities

Current Price 96.15 100.05 102.95 111.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 17 12 29

Current Price 23.81 31.00

Quantity Traded 185,709 52,746 238,455

Value Traded 4,418,448.64 1,649,870.85 6,068,319.49

Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities)

Quantity Traded 256,350 256,350

Value Traded 452,689.50 452,689.50

LIVESTOCK

16 16

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © S C O A NIG. PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

45 Symbol AGLEVENT SCOA TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 2 1 204 69 276

CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Daily

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Summary as of 01/09/2015

Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CONSUMER GOODS CHAMPION BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Published by The NigerianNIG Stock Exchange © GUINNESS PLC

INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 U T C NIG. PLC. Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Household Durables CONSUMER GOODS VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Household Durables Totals

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

1.77

494,805 Current Price 0.91 4.37 2.28 35.00

276

Quantity Traded 39,732 Page 1,000 11,551,025 9,145,228 20,736,985 20,736,985

346,155,339.17

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.60

Quantity Traded 51,200 51,200

Value Traded 31,560.00 31,560.00

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 34 34

Current Price 42.00

Quantity Traded 591,194 591,194

Value Traded 24,547,502.39 24,547,502.39

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 8.26

Quantity Traded 214,270 214,270

Value Traded 1,769,149.52 1,769,149.52

856,664

26,348,211.91

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol CHAMPION Symbol GUINNESS INTBREW NB

No. of Deals 34 No. of Deals 47 16 243 340

Current Price 4.68 Current Price 138.63 17.75 126.59

Quantity Traded 828,166 Quantity Traded Page 72,823 149,305 2,158,719 3,209,013

2,584,926.82 270,778,380.96 287,223,789.05

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 12 12

Current Price 190.15

Quantity Traded 25,188 25,188

Value Traded 4,789,589.50 4,789,589.50

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON UTC

No. of Deals 45 48 141 23 60 1 318

Current Price 2.95 6.88 23.22 2.50 6.10 0.50

Quantity Traded 672,804 1,439,819 1,749,535 343,800 749,635 2,200 4,957,793

Value Traded 1,947,978.42 9,906,037.72 41,638,867.09 858,121.04 4,684,103.89 1,100.00 59,036,208.16

No. of Deals 35 (Equities) 56 91

Current Price 27.14 839.79

Quantity Traded 260,823 52,732 313,555

Value Traded 7,246,216.09 43,913,437.59 51,159,653.68

Symbol VITAFOAM Symbol VONO

No. of Deals 20 No. of Deals 3 23

Current Price 5.76 Current Price 0.98

Quantity Traded 168,728 Quantity Traded 105,699 Page 274,427

Value Traded 994,234.50 Value Traded 14 3 103,385.02 of 1,097,619.52

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 99 24 123

Current Price 26.61 42.00

Quantity Traded 1,497,644 285,901 1,783,545

Value Traded 39,638,030.61 11,988,892.00 51,626,922.61

10,563,521

454,933,782.52

Symbol CADBURY Daily Summary NESTLE

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

907

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded ACCESS BANK PLC. ACCESS 350 5.30 488,947,258 DIAMOND BANK PLC DIAMONDBNK 81 3.31 5,948,515 Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 INCORPORATED ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL ETI 85 18.41 6,035,441 Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 FIDELITY BANK PLC FIDELITYBK 152 1.40 11,834,414 GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. GUARANTY 441 24.50 41,107,547 Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 SKYE BANK PLC SKYEBANK 273 2.67 44,421,989 Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 STERLING BANK PLC. STERLNBANK 29 2.13 1,600,608 Daily Summary (Equities) UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UBA 605 3.30 98,598,198 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UBN 36 6.44 1,037,502 Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNITY BANK PLC UNITYBNK 51 1.47 4,673,844 Daily Summary (Equities) WEMA BANK PLC. WEMABANK 16 0.88 2,172,330 FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking Totals 2,119 706,377,646 Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Activity Summary on Board EQTY AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO 13 0.81 1,075,437 FINANCIAL SERVICES CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE 15 0.84 1,782,200 Page Published Insurance by The Nigerian StockBrokers Exchange Carriers, and©Services Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. CORNERST 2 0.50 1,145 CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC HMARKINS 1 0.50 500 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS 1 0.50 700 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LASACO 1 0.50 1,200 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC LINKASSURE 8 0.50 227,416 AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD 56 2.42 13,011,005 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT 2 0.50 389,620 N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NEM 34 0.67 4,858,075 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NIGERINS 1 0.50 5,335 REGENCY ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC REGALINS 6 0.50 13,026 UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC UNIVINSURE 6 0.50 3,786 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC WAPIC 4 0.50 43,522 Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals 150 21,412,967

Micro-Finance Banks Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Institutions Published Other by TheFinancial Nigerian Stock Exchange © AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC FINANCIAL SERVICES Other Financial Institutions Published by CUSTODIAN The Nigerian Stock Exchange © AND ALLIED PLC DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & TRUST PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Quantity Traded 78 248,052 248,130

Value Traded 422.76 240,410.44 240,833.20

Symbol

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 5.50

Quantity Traded 32,569 32,569

Value Traded 170,335.87 170,335.87

Symbol AFRIPRUD

No. of Deals 112

Current Price 2.75

Quantity TradedPage 2,694,928

14 5 of Value Traded 7,405,121.53

Symbol CUSTODYINS DEAPCAP FCMB STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 10 6 83 37 70 318

Current Price 4.00 0.61 2.55 21.65 1.29

Quantity Traded Page 82,173

Value Traded 14 6 331,693.00 of

Daily Summary (Equities) UNHOMES

2,597

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

No. of Deals 15 6 15 33 28 2 99

Current Price 0.67 3.33 35.00 1.35 1.12 2.14

Symbol CWG

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 2.67

630 2,708,677 930,243 3,616,296 10,032,947

365.40 6,857,121.80 20,138,698.93 4,722,130.12 39,455,130.78

738,104,259

4,284,547,550.40

Quantity Traded 646,994 57,716 10,605 412,027 778,816 6,251 1,912,409

Value Traded 433,074.98 184,672.70 385,000.09 555,220.60 875,842.64 12,777.04 2,446,588.05

1,912,409

2,446,588.05

Quantity Traded 200,250 200,250

Value Traded 534,700.00 534,700.00

Page

Daily Summary (Equities)

1st TierActivity Securities Summary on Board EQTY Sector

Company name

ICT Processing Systems CHAMS PLC E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC Processing Systems Totals

No Of Deals Symbol CHAMS ETRANZACT

Quotation(N) No. of Deals 1 4 5

Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. W Summary A GLASS IND. Activity on PLC. Board EQTY Packaging/Containers Totals NATURAL RESOURCES INDUSTRIAL GOODS Activity Summary on Totals Board EQTY Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals Totals Mining Services Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC Exchange © Published by The Nigerian Stock Mining Services Totals

Value Traded 500.00 497,289.00 497,789.00

403,400

1,032,489.00

Current Price 22.40 8.62 37.05 8.73 3.40 10.93 103.00

Quantity Traded 38,658 624,492 42,917 27,220 1,004 500 988,967 1,723,758

Value Traded 858,985.02 5,378,489.21 1,624,983.65 242,804.25 3,584.28 5,195.00 100,949,136.89 109,063,178.30

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals Current Price

Quantity Traded 13,178 500 13,678

Value Traded 547,909.20 300.00 548,209.20

Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN PORTPAINT PREMPAINTS WAPCO

No. of Deals 17 15 21 10 1 1 65 130

BETAGLAS WAGLASS

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Activity Summary on BoardProducts EQTY Distributors Totals OILExploration AND GAS and Production Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production

Symbol Symbol MULTIVERSE

Courier/Freight/Delivery Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals Hotels/Lodging Activity Summary on Board EQTY

IKEJA HOTEL PLC SERVICES Hotels/Lodging Totals Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. © Printing/Publishing Totals

1,737,436 Quantity Traded 15,300 15,300 Quantity Traded Quantity Traded 5,250 Page 5,250

109,611,387.50 Value Traded 67,167.00 67,167.00 Value Traded Traded 2,625.00 8Value of 14 2,625.00

20,550

69,792.00

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 9 9

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 19,578 19,578

Value Traded 9,789.00 9,789.00

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 349 349

Current Price 11.07

Quantity Traded 6,854,154 6,854,154

Value Traded 77,515,599.09 77,515,599.09

No. of Deals 35 9 87 20 (Equities) 3 8 162

Current Price 30.05 1.83 248.50 150.00 49.66 151.00

Quantity Traded 147,659 70,586 172,968 24,946 1,515 800,554 1,218,228

Value Traded 4,456,630.44 134,317.56 42,397,845.62 3,679,433.16 71,477.70 120,881,021.27 171,620,725.75

No. of Deals 12 No. of Deals

Current Price Current244.69 Price

Quantity Traded Page 25,024 Quantity Traded

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL Daily Summary MRS TOTAL

Symbol SEPLAT Symbol

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

43.00 0.63

136 No. of Deals Current Price 3 4.62 3 No. of Deals Current Price No. of Deals 1 Current Price 0.50 1

Symbol BOCGAS

Exploration and Production Totals

SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

5 1 6

Daily Summary (Equities)

NATURAL RESOURCES Totals OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Value of Shares(N)

Quantity Traded 1,000 202,150 203,150

ICT Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 PREMIER PAINTS PLC. LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 Building Materials Totals Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056

Quantity Traded

Current Price 0.50 2.46

25,024

532

Page 8,116,984

Value Traded 9 of 14 6,124,800.91 Value Traded 6,124,800.91 14 10 of 255,270,914.75

Symbol AFROMEDIA

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 0.53

Quantity Traded 146,860 146,860

Value Traded 76,993.88 76,993.88

Symbol TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.98

Quantity Traded 59,560 59,560

Value Traded 58,238.40 58,238.40

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 268,500 268,500

Value Traded 134,250.00 134,250.00

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 2 2 No. of Deals 7 2 11 20

Current Price 2.98

Quantity Traded 62,000 62,000 Quantity Traded 1,131,671 1,100 Page 205,000

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol LEARNAFRCA STUDPRESS UPL

Current Price 0.91 2.30 5.20

Value Traded 184,760.00 184,760.00 Value Traded 1,030,292.45 2,409.00 14 111,036,273.00 of

1,337,771

2,068,974.45

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.53

Quantity Traded 155,990 155,990

Value Traded 82,674.70 82,674.70

Transport-Related Services

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 2 27 29

Current Price 1.73 4.68

Quantity Traded 10,000 212,238 222,238

Value Traded 18,100.00 1,019,550.17 1,037,650.17

Symbol

No. of Deals 14 14

Current Price 3.58

Quantity Traded 331,200 331,200

Value Traded 1,129,232.68 1,129,232.68

2,585,119

4,773,274.28

785,532,132

5,491,710,338.57 Value Traded

AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

CAVERTON Daily Summary (Equities)

SERVICES Totals on Board ASeM Activity Summary CONSUMER GOODS EQTY Board Totals Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

4,747 Current Price No. of Deals 1 1.26 1

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

ASeM Board Totals

1,200.00 1,200.00

1,000 Page

1,000

1,200.00 12

1,200.00

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM

Current Price 5.42 0.97

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC IT Services Totals

Value Traded 2,590,337,307.20 19,859,195.60 111,120,848.81 16,652,503.47 1,001,186,220.91 117,069,710.22 3,368,003.54 333,724,281.20 6,690,980.82 6,625,576.50 1,858,794.28 4,208,493,422.55 Value Traded 871,581.47 1,497,746.64 14 4 of Value Traded 572.50 250.00 350.00 600.00 113,708.00 30,274,440.20 194,810.00 3,200,934.69 2,667.50 6,513.00 1,893.00 21,761.00 36,187,828.00

No. of Deals 2 7 9

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

Value Traded 3,755,024.52 Value Traded 14 210,105,456.75 of

Symbol FORTISMFB NPFMCRFBK

Micro-Finance Banks Totals Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

6,521,008.99 Value Traded 14 1 36,905.40 of 4,160.00 26,690,361.90 319,423,911.87 346,155,339.17

Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015 Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Daily Summary as of 01/09/2015

Symbol ZENITHBANK

No. of Deals 452 452

Current Price 15.25

Quantity Traded 105,616,405 105,616,405

Value Traded 1,616,341,758.77 1,616,341,758.77

Printed 01/09/2015 14:37:56.056 Other Financial Institutions FBN HOLDINGS PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

Symbol FBNH

No. of Deals 819 819

Current Price 6.23

Quantity Traded 46,584,649 46,584,649

Value Traded 296,628,581.67 296,628,581.67

152,201,054

1,912,970,340.44

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM

Building Materials INDUSTRIAL GOODS DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Building Materials Building Materials Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol DANGCEM Symbol

1,271

No. of Deals 46 No. of Deals 46

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

PREMIUM Board Totals Equity Activity Totals

Current Price 174.40 Current Price

Quantity Traded 475,356 Quantity Traded 475,356 Page

Value Traded 82,834,026.24 Value Traded 82,834,026.24 14 13 of

475,356

82,834,026.24

1,317

152,676,410

1,995,804,366.68

6,065

938,209,542

7,487,515,905.25

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund Name LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 1 1 3 5

Current Price 9.97 2,224.00 13.62

Quantity Traded 15 2,353 2,525 4,893

Value Traded 149.55 5,233,072.00 32,831.20 5,266,052.75

ETF Board Totals

4,893

5,266,052.75

ETP Activity Totals

4,893

5,266,052.75

Page

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Community Mirror Minister Onolememen should Nigerians howJonathan he expended LetFormer me again repeat what I have beenexplain saying to that Goodluck hasthe no billions of naira thatpersonal were budgetted for the Ministry of Works because what we agenda in convening this national conference. have on ground as a product of such expenditure cannot score for any pass mark.

Dare Akogun

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday granted bail to a blogger, Seun Oloketuyi, who is being prosecuted by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police over alleged malicious publication against Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo. Oloketuyi was, at the last adjourned date, ordered to be remanded in prison by Justice Mohammed Yunusa after he was arraigned on a two-count charge. Oloketuyi, who is organizer of the annual Best of Nollywood Awards, was said to have published a news report on his blog where he alleged that Okonkwo had a love relationship with a married lady in the marketing department of the bank. In the report, Oloketuyi had further alleged that the extra-

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN –GOVERNOR OF EDO STATE, ADAMS OSHIOMOLE

Court grants blogger N3m bail marital affair between Okonkwo and the said lady simply identified as Justina, resulted in the birth of a baby, and that the affair also destroyed the marriage of the said Justina. He had further alleged that Okonkwo had since sent the affected lady abroad to further her studies. Okonkwo had petitioned the police, and after investigation, Oloketuyi was charged to court. At the resumed hearing of the matter, Oloketuyi’s lawyer, Muiz Banire argued the bail application of his client, and stressed that the police was yet to file the proof of evidence, and that the list of witnesses in the trial was not filed. He said the charge against Oloketuyi was tantamount to

someone just waking up and unleashing a sheet of paper on the court, adding that the charge was properly not filed in the first place. While arguing that the offence for which Oloketuyi was charged was a bail able one, Banire said: “My client is an entrepreneur and a journalist. This is civil case. If you feel that you have been libeled, the proper thing would have been to institute a legal action. “The accused was already

harassed and wounded by the Department of State Security (DSS) before he was charged to court by the SFU. There is nothing like fraud in the charge. I passionately urge the court to grant him bail,” Banire submitted. Responding, the prosecutor, Olakanmi Omisope vehemently urged the court to refuse the bail, and argued that the court should rather give expeditious trial. He added: “We are also inves-

tigating the accused person for similar crime against others. He is a serial blackmailer and I urge the court to refuse the bail application.” In a bench ruling, Justice Yunusa said he was satisfied to grant bail to the accused, and admitted him to bail in the sum of N3 million with two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused and must have evidence of landed property in Lagos.

Community urges FG to provide camp for IDPs Wale Ibrahim LOKOJA

s Odochala community in Ibaji Local Government of Kogi State has been submerged by the flood, residents of the community have appealed to the Federal and Kogi State governments to provide an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp for its displaced members. The call was contained in a letter to Governor Idris Wada signed by chairman of the community’s Development Association, Mr Joseph Omachonu, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Lokoja, yesterday. Omachonu explained that the situation in the village was hopeless and pathetic as the people had been rendered homeless by the ravaging flood, which submerged their homes and farms. He further said that the problem of the community started in 1988 when the Federal Government attempted to dredge the River Niger to allow for sail of big ships. Following the attempted dredging, Odochala and other communities living on the Ni-

ger River bank whose main occupation were farming and fishing had continued to suffer perennial hardships occasioned by terrible landslide and erosion from the floods. Omachonu noted that all efforts to get government attention and possible assistance had yielded no results at all as there had been no response from government. According to him the suffering of the people escalated this year as the community with all the property of its members along with food crops have been submerged by the flood. The community leader therefore called on the Federal and State Governments to come to the aid of his “homeless” community by providing a temporary camp for the people. The Odochala people through the letter appealed that while the temporary camps would succour the people in the prevailing emergency situation, government should on the long run consider relocating them to a safer place.

Scavengers taking advantage of illeagal dumping ground in Orile Iganmu, Lagos. PHOTO : ABIOLA ABDULHAMMED

Woman petitions Oshiomhole over daughter’s defilement Sebastine Ebhuomhan, BENIN CITY

mother has petitioned Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, over the defilement of her daughter by three students of Edo State School of Nursing. According to Mrs Eghobamien, her daughter, eight-year old, Sharon Eghobamien, reported severe abdominal pains on May 25th, 2015 consequent upon which she took her to Central Hospital for observation and treatment by a medical doctor, who later discovered that her hymen was broken during a process of defilement. In a petition, her lawyer, Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi addressed to Oshiomhole, which was copied to Director of Nursing of Edo State Hospital Management Board un-

der the Ministry of Health, he said, “It was at this point that the doctor and our client questioned the girl and she informed the doctor that some students of Edo State School of Nursing defiled her. She gave their names as: Jeffery, Aghama Paul and Ernest. This matter was reported to the school authority but they did nothing about it. Instead, they warned our client to keep her mouth shut.” Afolabi explained further in the petition, “Hence she reported to the police at Adeyan Police Station and subsequently it was transferred to Esigie Police Station. While the police officers at Esigie Police Station were carrying out a discreet investigation to unravel the intrigue behind the act of defilement with the aid of the Commissioner of Police,

the suspects and their cohorts concocted a frivolous petition to the office of the AIG Zone ‘5’ in order to give the suspects a safe landing.” “Surprisingly, some powerful individuals who are morally bankrupt used their positions and influence to move the case file from the AIG’s office to the D.P.P.’s office with a view to securing a no case answer,” he alleged. Afolabi concluded in the petition, “The cry of our client and the mother of the victim to Your Excellency is for an immediate intervention for justice in this case as the suspect and the powerful individuals behind them are now using their influence and connections to crush her and her daughter because of their low estate and because they are devoid of helpers”.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

Quote: “I don’t want to be in the business of rating candidates at this point or grading them. I will support the nominee of my party, as I always have.

–FORMER US VICE PRESIDENT, DICK CHENEY

Battered economy: Dangote offers Zimbabwe lifeline Afolabi Gambari

WITH AGENCY REPORT

frica’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has unfolded plans for mining and power generation projects in investment-starved Zimbabwe as well as to set up a large cement factory. Dangote met with President Robert Mugabe in Harare on Monday in a rare sign of possible foreign investment for Zimbabwe, which has been in economic decline for more than a decade. “We had a very, very good meeting with the president and I told him that we have already decided to invest in power, cement and coal,” Dangote told a mixture of local and foreign journalists shortly after the meeting. The Nigerian billionaire also held a series of meetings with high-ranking government officials that include Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa and Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi. The Nigerian billionaire said he would spend close to $400m on the cement plant, which will produce a million and half tonnes of cement a year, making it the biggest in country. “We are sending our team next week and hopefully if things go well, we would be ready to put the biggest cement plant which is a million and half tones, so we will look into this,” he said. “We have already decided to invest into Zimbabwe. That is why we are here. Any country where you see us visiting it means we have decided to invest there,” he added. Dangote said construction of the cement plant could start in the first quarter of 2016, subject to licencing procedures. “Depending on getting all the documentation, if we get all this, we will start construction by first quarter, we will move very fast, but it all depends on the government,” her further stated. “The investment package will create jobs and help Zimba-

WORLD BULLETIN

S/Leone records fresh Ebola case A woman who recently died in northern Sierra Leone has tested positive for Ebola. It comes as a setback to the country’s effort to eradicate the deadly disease. Sierra Leone was celebrating last week when it discharged its last known Ebola patient from hospital. News of the new case means the country is no longer Ebola-free. High-risk contacts of the woman have been identified, isolated and will now be watched for symptoms. The National Ebola Response Centre is assessing whether to isolate the whole village of Sella in the Kambia district where the woman, who was in her mid-60s, died. The end of the outbreak will only be declared six weeks after the last Ebola patient either dies or tests negative for the virus.

Police apprehend Guinean migrants Alhaji Aliko Dangote (l) and Zimbabwe Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa during Dangote’s visit to Harare, on Monday

bwe to develop its own economy. “We would also explore the power sector, seeing that the country currently generates about 1, 300MW from its ageing plants, against demand which peaks at 2, 200MW in winter.

“We have this fund, which is a joint venture between Dangote and Blackstone Ltd. We have $5billion with them and it is one of the vehicles we want to bring to do the power generation.”

Dangote is the head and founder of multi-billion dollar Dangote Group which has interests including cement production in several African countries.

Militants take over AU base

ighters from the al-Shabab militant Islamist group have overrun an African Union military base in southern Somalia, inflicting heavy casualties, according to eye witness accounts. The militants said they have killed 70 AU soldiers at the

Members of Al Shabab group

Janale base, 90km (55 miles) south-east of the capital. AU forces say they are back in control after taking a “tactical withdrawal”. Al-Shabab, part of al-Qaeda, is battling the AU-backed government for control of Somalia.

Residents said the attack started with a suicide car bombing at the base’s gate, followed by sustained gunfire which lasted more than an hour. Eye witnesses said AU forces were seen leaving the base, which is run by the Ugandan troops. They said they counted the bodies of 20 AU soldiers and later saw more troops arriving at the base after the militants had left with weapons. The AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said the situation was complex, adding that the casualty figures were scant. Reports from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, said the situation in the area was very tense and few residents remained there. The militants had earlier damaged a nearby bridge with a massive bomb to prevent troops from escaping.

A West African migrant reportedly entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco curled up next to a car engine and another was hidden behind the back seat of the Mercedes-300 car. Spanish police found the pair late on Sunday during a customs check at El Tarajal, near the Moroccan border. The two men from Guinea got first aid, having suffered from a lack of oxygen, Spain’s Guardia Civil police said. Sub-Saharan Africans often try to enter Ceuta, as a gateway to the EU. The Mercedes 300 was found to have false number plates. Police detained two Moroccan men who were in the car when it was stopped. It is not clear how long the man in the engine compartment had been inhaling noxious fumes for.

Rare hurricane hits Cape Verde A hurricane with winds of up to 135km/h (85mph) yesterday hit the island nation of Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. The government grounded all flights as heavy rain and winds lashed north-western islands in the archipelago. No hurricane has ever been recorded further east in the tropical Atlantic. Late on Monday, “Hurricane Fred” weakened to a tropical storm as it moved away from the islands, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Strong winds and rain are expected to persist as Fred moves through other parts of Cape Verde yesterday, the NHC added. It said the last time a hurricane was recorded hitting Cape Verde was 1892.

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World News 49

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Stranded migrants litter Budapest station H R undreds of migrants are stranded outside a major railway station in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, after police sealed off the terminal to stop them travelling through the EU. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs defended the closure, saying Hungary was trying to enforce EU law. Thousands of people, many fleeing war and persecution, are trying to reach northern Europe to claim asylum. EU states are engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity at press time yesterday to find a solution. The crisis has highlighted the limitations of the EU’s system for coping with refugees, according to reports. Under an EU rule known as the Dublin Regulation, refugees should seek asylum in the first EU country they enter. But with countries such as Italy and Greece saying they cannot cope with the numbers, many have headed north. Hungary had earlier appeared to abandon efforts to register migrants. However, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters on yesteday that Hungary would now register all migrants and send those it considered to be economic migrants back to the state from

which they entered the country. The European Union is supposed to have a common asylum system but at the moment it is not worth much more than the paper it is written on. Many of the migrants currently trying to reach Germany via Hungary probably arrived

first in Greece. But they left the EU to travel through Macedonia and Serbia before crossing back into Hungary. But much of this emerging policy has yet to be put into practice, and new rules are rapidly being overtaken by events. Earlier, migrants were be-

ing allowed to board trains at Keleti station in east Budapest, where many had tickets for the Austrian capital, Vienna, or for Munich in southern Germany. But police evacuated the station yesterday, leaving about 1,000 migrants outside.

Stranded migrants waving their tickets at Budapest’s train station, yesterday

PUBLIC NOTICE AFRICAN PRIDE ADVOCACY INITIATIVE The general public is hereby notified that the above named body has applied for registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

PUBLIC NOTICE The general public is hereby notified that the above-named church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts, 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 6. Lady Evan. Lydia Olubukola Funmilola

The Trustees are:

2. Pastor/Prophet Gabriel Oladimeji Rotimi – General Secretary

1. PRINCE ADEYEMI ADEBAYO

2. MR. TAIWO BAKARE

3. Lady Evan. Funmilola Adewumi Bisola -

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote the image and relevance of Africans 2. To engage in people oriented development programs. 3. To advocate for good governance and social transformation. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within twenty-eight (28) days from the date of this publication.

Signed: EHIGIMETON LUCKY ARUYA PHILIPS

Treasurer

- Member

7. Lady Evan. Funmilola Yemisi Biodun. -

9. Lady Leader Grace Asunmo Umah

5. Evan. Ezikiel Olusogo Olateru

10. Apostle Mathew Omotunde

Member

Member Member

Member

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To teach, preach and propagate the total unadulterated, unalloyed gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ both within and outside Nigeria. 2. To help establish and build up churches and religious organizations for the purposes of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ as stipulated in the Holy Bible. 3. To train, license and ordain Ministers of God for the furtherance of the work of God world-wide.. Any objection to this application should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Micheal A. Adeoye Esq. CNA,MNIM/FAAI, Messrs Keye Adeoye & Co. Certified National Accountants (ANAN) 3147 TEL: 08038519469

SOLICITORS

PUBLIC NOTICE ASSOCIATION OF MOBILE PHONE TECHNICIANS, OGBOMOSO BRANCH, OYO STATE, NIGERIA. This is to inform the general public that the above named Association situated in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for registration Under Part ‘’C’’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No.1 of 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Oshin Musibau Oluwasola 2. Adegoke Abayomi Akintayo 3. Akanni Fisayo Olakunle 4. Ayoade Timothy Oladayo 5. Gbadebo Olusola Samson

--- President ---- Secretary -----Vice President ---- Financial Secretary -----Auditor

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To work for the progress of G.S.M repair in our country. 2. To cater for the welfare of the members in the branch. 3. To maintain human rights. 4. To seek opportunities for members to acquire training in practical application of G.S.M repair. Any objections to this registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Oshin Musibau Oluwasola ( President)

Member

8. M.I.I. Elizabeth Iyabo Olaniyan (J.P) -

4. Lady Evan. Oriyomi Funmilola Abosede - Member -

ONYECHUKWU CHIBUEZE 1975-1977 AGE GRADE ASSOCIATION ASABA. This is to inform the general public that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the part C of the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:

CHAIRMAN

TO PROTECT THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS. Any objection to the above registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Trigis Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: ONWUKA PETER. - CHAIRMAN

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known as Miss AGU Judith Toochukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Chime Judith Toochukwu. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Mojisola Abolanle Omilola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Mojisola Abolanle Ige . All former documents remain valid Ogun state civil service commission and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Omotola Akorede Bakare, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omotola Akorede Bakare. all former documents remain valid Ogun state Sports council Ijesa Abeokuta and general public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Sanowiyu Funmilayo Mulikat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ashiru Mulikat Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Miss MBA Justina Adaoma Nnenna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nkwo Justina Adaoma Nnenna. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CAVEAT EMPTOR This property known as No 3 Chike Mba close Osapa Etiosa local government area of lagos state is not for sale. Ishola Abimbola 08025486731. for and on behalf of the entire family of late Kola Ishola.

PUBLIC NOTICE

1. ONWUKA PETER. 2. IJEH VINCENT IWEANYA. 3. OYANA SUNDAY EKENEM EMMA. 4. TOLEFE CHIKE KELLY. 5. ATTOH IZUKA RAYMOND. 6. OKOLO DADA. 7. MKPAYA AFAM FRANK. 8. CHIDI EMEKA. 9. OSADEBE MICHAEL OSADEBE. 10. MONYEI NWANZE NELSON. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:

owan County Clerk, Kim Davis, said she was not issuing a marriage licence under what she calls God’s authority’. A Christian official has refused to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples in Kentucky despite exhausting all of her legal options. Two gay couples denied licenses have requested Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis be held in contempt of court. But they asked a district judge to punish Davis by fining her, rather than sending her to jail. The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected the argument that her faith prevented her from carrying out her duty. Despite court orders to continue issuing licences, Davis turned away two gay couples seeking marriage licences on Tuesday morning. Davis, who cannot be removed from post because she is an elected official, stayed inside her office with the blinds closed as the couples demanded to see her. She eventually came out, but she said she would not issue any licences. “Under whose authority?” she was asked. “Under God’s authority,” she answered.

CHANGE OF NAME

IRETI OGO HOLY YAWEH ISUN IRAPADA CHERUBIM & SERAPHIM CHURCH

1. Snr M.I.I Prophetess Christian Tunrayo Oladimeji (JP) - President

Gay marriage: Kentucky clerk defies court order

VISION AND REVELATION OF GLORY GOSPEL CHURCH INT’L This is to inform the general public that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under the part C of the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. IBEKWE KENNETH CHIKE - GENERAL OVERSEER 2. IBEKWE EDITH MUKAOSORO. 3. IBEKWE MIRACLE CHISOM. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF GOD Any objection to the above registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Trigis Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: IBEKWE KENNETH CHIKE - GENERAL OVERSEER

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Katsina Speaker laments level of poverty James Danjuma, KATSINA

peaker of Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon. Aliyu Sabiu Muduru, has lamented high level poverty facing many people in the state. The Speaker said Katsina was among states in the country with high poverty index, taking the fourth position. Muduru, who was speaking yesterday while receiving Youth Poultry Farmers Association, also lamented the high rate of unemployment in the state. He wondered why the state should be in such situation, considering its renowned political position both in the past and present. He blamed past administrations for not taking measures to minimise poverty among the people through quality empowerment programmes. The lawmaker, however, said the current administration, including the legislative and executive arms, was making efforts to address the situation. He said part of such effort was the approval by

North

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

the lawmakers for the state government to secure a N2bn loan facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for disbursement to improve economic status of the youth. He said the loan, which is meant for small and medium scale businesses, would assist petty traders, among others in the same category with capital to boost their businesses. He, therefore, called on youth in the state and other beneficiaries to make good use of the loan by expanding or setting up small scale businesses for self reliance. Earlier, chairman of the association, Babangida Yakubu called on the lawmaker to facilitate establishment of a poultry market to help stop sales and consumption of unhygienic poultry in the state. Yakubu also appealed for measures that would allow members of the association to benefit from the loan disbursement programme. He called on youth in the state to go into poultry business and stop depending on government to provide them with jobs.

Buhari’s anti-graft war crucial to development –Kaigama

rchbishop Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Plateau State, yesterday said the ongoing war against corruption initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari remains crucial to the development of the country. Kaigama, who is President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, said this in an interview in Jos. The cleric said corruption had done a lot of harm to the country and messed up the lives of most Nige-

rians. According to Kaigama, the church has thrown its weight behind the fight against corruption, and anyone found guilty should be brought to the altar of justice. “Corruption has done us very deadly harm as a nation, and has messed up the lives of most Nigerians. “The President must win the war against corruption just as he is doing with terrorism. “This can only be, if we all vow to be corruption-

free and those who have illegally enriched themselves in the past, make comprehensive restitution. “Every corrupt Nigerian, no matter how high or influential, and no matter how long the act was perpetrated, should be brought to justice. “We support this current wave against this deadly disease, because it will no doubt be a deterrent to those contemplating to corruptly enrich themselves,” Kaigama said. The cleric admonished

Catholics and indeed all Nigerians to desist from indulging in corrupt acts, as such would only lead to retrogression as against the absolute yarn for progress. He further urged public office holders to serve with integrity and selflessness and thrive for the growth and development of the country. “I look forward to my usual interaction with Catholics in high positions in government, to discuss with them on how they can serve with integrity and selflessness,” he added.

Bauchi begins airlift of pilgrims Thursday Ezekiel Titus, BAUCHI

rrangement has been concluded for the commencement of airlifting this year’s intending pilgrims from Bauchi State to Saudi Arabia. Speaking to newsmen in his office, Executive Secretary, state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Aliyu Suleman, said the board has already secured visa and the Basic Travelling Allowance, BTA, for the pilgrims. To this end, Suleman said Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, will deliver his farewell address to the pilgrims tomorrow at the Multi Purpose Sports Hall, Bauchi. The executive secretary said only intending pilgrims, who are in the first and second flights, as well as those who reside in the state capital, are required to attend the occasion. Suleman, who called on them to appear in their uniform, also advised the intending pilgrims to proceed to the Temporary Hajj Camp in Games Vil-

lage, Bauchi, for screening and issuance of travelling documents. He said the first flight of 250 pilgrims will take off from Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport Bauchi on with mixed pilgrims from Katagum Local Government and the board secretariat. He pleaded with other intending pilgrims, who are not in the first or second flights, to refrain from paying unnecessary visits to the board and wait for their turn.

Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Nuhu Gidado (right) and Borno State Governor Kashim Shetima, condoling with the family of his late Deputy, Zannah Mustapha, in Borno, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

NUT demands payment of N32bn arrears to Kogi teachers

igeria Union of Teachers, NUT, in Kogi State has demanded immediate payment of N32bn salary arrears owed teachers in public primary schools in the state. State NUT Chairman, Mr. Suleiman Abdullahi, made the demand in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN,

in Lokoja, yesterday. Abdullahi said N23bn was the outstanding arrears of the new minimum wage, while N8.7bn was unpaid leave grants for four years. The NUT chairman decried the development, and said it was already taking a heavy toll on the education sector. He said government’s

ongoing efforts at arresting the dwindling fortunes of education might run into hitch if the state government failed to take the welfare and wellbeing of teachers seriously. “There cannot be commitment from a teacher who is sick and hungry. “There cannot be commitment from a teacher,

plans to establish functional literacy and vocational centres in Darazo Local Government Area. Briefing newsmen on the proposed plans, the state Executive Secretary of Agency for Mass Education, Hajia Hauwa Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, said the proposed projects will soon commence. She said oversight visit to the state by a delegation from the Federal Government and UNESCO will be

conducted next week to ascertain the state’s preparedness on the projects. According to her, the centres are to serve the north east states, which will enable adult women and the girl-child to acquire skills and training. She remarked that when completed, the centres will enroll Almajiri pupils and youths in order to promote non formal education in the region. The executive secretary

expressed optimism that the state government will accord the necessary support towards the realisation of the set objectives in the state. She called on members of the public to key into the program to enable them benefit from the gesture. She said a piece of land for the project had already been allocated to the agency by Darazo local government.

Mass literacy: UNESCO to establish centre in Bauchi Ezekiel Titus, BAUCHI

nited Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, in collaboration with the National Mass Education Commission, NMEC, is to establish community literacy centre in Bauchi State to promote adult education. Similarly, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, has restated its

who is not sure of what he will be paid and when he will be paid,” he said. Abdullahi also faulted a claim by the State Universal Education Board, SUBEB, that it had paid the December 2014 salaries of primary school teachers. He described the claim as untrue and ridiculous, and challenged the board to throw open its records to prove the payment. He said teachers would only vote for an education-friendly candidate in the coming governorship election in the state, and urged teachers to go and collect their permanent voter cards. Abdullahi, therefore, directed those that missed the last registration to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration in 54 centres across the state.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015 CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME OLOYEDE: formerly known and addressed as Miss Oloyede Temitope Kubura, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Oloyede Khadijat Abake. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

BABATUNDE: formerly known and addressed as Babatunde Nurudeen Mohammed, now wish to be known and addressed as OLANBIWONU TUNDE DAWODU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Hakeem Abobade Fahn, now wish to be known and addressed as Toyin Fahn . All former documents remain valid. FIRST BANK PLC and general public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Shuaib Tolani Musilimat, now wish to be known and addressed as Ariyo Esther Omotolani Adenike. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Salami Rukayat Aderonke, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs. Abdussalaam-Bello Ruqayyah Aderonke. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ige kehinde Febisayo, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs Falaye Kehinde Febisayo.All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I Formerly known and addressed as MISS Akinsanya Ayotunde Mary, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kehinde Ayotunde Mary. All former documents remain valid. The general public and Local Government Service Commission please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Obasare Alicia Eyajefe, now wish to be known and addressed as Lambo Alicia Eyajefe . All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as Olufemi Femi Saheed, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Okeniyi Oluwafemi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OBIESUN: I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obiesun Damilola Folake, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Daniel Damilola Folake. due to marital status. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Adelaja Adefunke Deborah, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. Adelaja Adefunke Omowunmi. All former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladapo Aminat Abiola, now wish to be addressed and called as Mrs. Alaka Aminat Abiola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ifeoluwa Aina Rotimi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ifeoluwa Aina Eguntola.all former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Nkeriuka Samuel, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nkeriuka Dike. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Mr Edem Eliasaph Assah .Now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mr Eliasaph Iminabo Brown .All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Olabode Olajumoke Folashade .Now wish to be known, called and addressed as Fatomi Olajumoke Folashade .All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME UDEH: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. UDEH VIVIAN OLUCHI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKOLO VIVIAN OLUCHI. All former documents remain valid. NYSC, and general public should please take note.

OKONKWO: I, formerly known and addressed as CHUKWUMA EJUH OKONKWO, now wish to be known and addressed as CHUKWUMA MICHEAL HENRY OKONKWO. All former documents remain valid. First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME ODIBEI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. ODIBEI NANCY RITA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. MKPUME NANCY RITA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NWATU: I, formerly known as MISS. NWATU MARY CHIDIMMA,now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. EGBO MARY CHIDIMMA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE AYATUTU PROGRESSIVE UNION The general public is hereby notified that the above named UNION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990 THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. TERFA TSUMBA 2. DANIEL MBAIORGA 3. DONALD IORVIHI 4. GBANGER KENNETH K.

- President - Vice President - Financial Secretary - Secretary.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: A. Progress & unity. B. Promoting positive social integration amongst members C. Fostering of love, peace and unity among members. D. Promoting common values & interest among members. E. Promoting the walfare of members through collective efforts. F. To engage in any kind of activity of the promotion of culture, religion & the arts for the benefit of members. G. Other objectives as shall be laid down by congress from time to time. Any objections to the above registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: PRESIDENT.

CHANGE OF NAME

IDIGBE: Formerly known and addressed as Patience Idigbe, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss? PATIENCE? ODIRI DUDU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

UGOWE : Formerly known and addressed as UGOWE OSARIEME FLORA, now wish to be known and addressed as OGUNMILORO OSARIEME FLORA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Makinde Olayemi Bidemi now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Ayeni Olayemi Bidemi. All former documents remain valid, First Bank Plc, Ado Ekiti and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Ouallasse Bolanle Adenike,now wish to be known, called and addressed as Ogunrinola Bolanle Adenike. All Documents and certificates bearing my former names remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADDITION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Okoji Amaka Jennifer, now wish to be known and addressed as Ogunsemi Amaka Jennifer. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Nwaozor Cypril Tochukwu, wish to be known and addressed as Nwaozor Stephen Tochukwu. and from now all documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I formally known and addressed as MISS Adeola Adijat Akintola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adeola Adijat Tiamiyu. All formal documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as Olufowobi Olajumoke Tayo, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Salaja Olajumoke Margaret. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

formerly known and addressed as Miss Oloso Modinat Olamide now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adepoju Modinat Olamide. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as MISS Afuape Toyin Elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oyelumade Toyin Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid; Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajuzieogu Ijeoma Andrela now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Innocent Hope Ijeoma. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ulo-Onyendi Oluoma Peace now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oluoma UloOnyendi Nwankwo. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and the general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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Formerly known and addressed as Okedeji Ramat Oyindamola. Now wish to be known and addressed as Orepekan Ramat Oyindamola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Miss Ifeyinwa C.Obiora, now wishes to be called and addressed as Mrs. Ifeyinwa Christina Olloh. All documents remain valid. General public take note.

Formerly known as Olufemi Adunni Olayinka, now wishes to be called and addressed as Afolayan Olufemi Olayinka. All documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I Formerly known and addressed as Mr.Mamora Opeyemi Adeniyi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. JEDIDIAH OPEYEMI EMMANUEL. All documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Miss Essien Edemanwan Ibok, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Joy Edemanwan. All former documents remain valid, general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as Olanrewaju Olugbenga Ebenezer, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Olanrewaju Olugbenga Bankole. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as KAJERO FUNMILAYO, now wish to be known and addressed as LAWAL FUNMILAYO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeyemo Aderonke Esther, now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Oyebola Aderonke Esther. All former documents remain valid, general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Idris Adedeji Jimoh, now wish to be known and addressed as Idris Adedeji Jimoh Olugbani. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Miss Nkechi Angela AGWUIBE now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nkechi Angela MARTYNS former documents remain valid general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE WORTHY LANDLORDS TENANTS ASSOCIATION This is to inform the general public that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for Registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. Elder Daniel Anyalechi - Chairman 2. Nze Tim U. Nnolim 3. Nze James Egwim 4. Mr. Lawrence Chidi Marcus 5. Mr. Nnachi Okoro 6. Mr. Peter Onuigbo 7. Mr. Simon Nnakaihe 8. Alphonsus Igboere 9. Daniel Chesa 10. Elder Paulinus C. Ebelebe

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as miss Ilesanmi Monisola Modupe now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Aina Monisola Modupe. All former documents remain valid,Ekiti State Judiciary and general public

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Idowu Abosede Aderonke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olaniyi Abosede Aderonke. All former documents remain valid; Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Obayomi Olajumoke Remilekun, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. Ayeni Olajumoke Remilekun. All former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Awolowo Oluwatosin Esther, now wish to be addressed and called as Mrs. Ajenifujah oluwatosin Esther. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME IGNATIUS I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. IGNATIUS WINNIEFRED NGOZI CHIKAYIMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. UGWUEZE WINNIEFRED NGOZI CHIKAYIMA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Aisha Ladidi Atta, now wishes to be called and addressed as Menkiti Aisha Ladidi. All documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME ADEBOYE. Formerly known and addressed as Miss. Adeboye Comfort Oluwaseyi Now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oni Comfort Oluwaseyi former documents remain valid general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ATELI :I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Ateli Christian Chilozie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Chukwuma Christian Chukwulozie. All documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ABUBAKAR: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Amina Abubakar, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Mohammed Amina Abubakar. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVE 1. To promote togetherness, love, peace and unity 2. To cater and promote members welfare. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar – General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maltam, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: SECRETARY

CHANGE OF NAME CHILOTA: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. CHILOTA AUGUSTINA AMAKA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ENUH AUGUSTINA AMAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as DENNIS OTA JENNIFER, now wish to be known and addressed as OLAGUNJU OTA JENNIFER. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunleye Modupe Funmilayo. Now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adeyoju Modupe Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Samson Morenikeji Serah, Now wish to be known and addressed as Usman Morenikeji Serah. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Miss Fajire Oluwabunmi Stella now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Amogbon Oluwabunmi Stella. All former documents remain valid and general pubic take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ijeoma Mercy Onuoha now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ijeoma Mercy Innocent. All former documents remain valid. general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Ukachukwu Peace Nwamaka, now wishes to be addressed as Chijoke Peace Nwamaka. All documents remained valid. NSCDC, FMI and the public should note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Amoo Moshood Adigun .Now wish to be known, called and addressed as Bello Moshood Amoo .All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Miss Oduyebo Jumai Temitope, now wishes to be called and addressed as Mrs. Fashola Jumai Temitope. All documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Shittu Mojisola Margaret, now wish to known and addressed as Mrs. Olawuyi Mojisola Margaret Shittu. All former documents remain valid. COVENANT UNIVERSITY and General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerlly known as MISS ABIJO ESTHER MODUPE, now wish to be know & addressed as Mrs. DADA EASTHER MODUPE. While other documents remain valid. Ogun State Local Govt Commission to take note.

CHANGE OF NAME EMUKA: I formerly known and addressed as MISS Emuka Precious Oluchi, Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. Chukwuma Precious Oluchi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ADIZA: Formerly known and addressed as Jimoh Akeem Adiza , now wish to be known and addressed as Jimoh Akeem Abraham. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ENUMAH: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS CHITO LILIAN ENUMAH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. CHITO LILIAN IFIEGBUNAM. All former documents remain valid. EBSU, NYSC and general public should please take note.

Wednesday September 2, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I will keep supporting Liverpool until they come across my new team. Then I will have no choice but to stop

Moses joins Hammers on loan

–AC Milan returnee, Mario Balotelli

AFCON 2017 qualifier:

Eagles hit Tanzania tomorrow

Usman Mohammed

Battle of Dar es Salaam:

Jimoh Oni of Heartland (r) being chased for the ball by Jimoh Ismail of Kwara United during their Glo League match in Owerri

S Leone Stars, Elephants to clash in PH T he 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between African champions Cote d’Ivoire and the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone will now take place at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium, Port Harcourt on Sunday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced. Lagos State Government that gave provisional approval to host the game later reneged over the possible reoccurrence of the dreaded Ebola virus disease in the cosmopolitan city of about 15 million people. But the NFF said yesterday that by Monday it had concluded arrange-

ments for the match to hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, but then received a letter from the Sierra Leone Football Association conveying concerns raised by the Football Ivorienne de Football (FIF) about playing on artificial turf, thus necessitating a change to Port Harcourt. Meanwhile, the Elephants will fly into and out of Port Harcourt aboard a chartered airplane. President of the FIF, Augustin Sidy Diallo, confirmed to the NFF yesterday that the Ivorian delegation would arrive in the Rivers State capital on Friday morning.

uper Eagles will fly out tomorrow to Tanzania for Saturday’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against the Taifa Stars. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said in a statement yesterday that the delegation will fly out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja aboard Arik Air chattered plane at 3pm and land at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam at 10pm (8pm Nigeria time) same Thursday night. It said the delegation will be made up of 23 players, technical officials, a number of NFF Executive Committee members and management, staff, some representatives of the media, football stakeholders and members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club. Both countries have not met at senior level since 35 years ago, but there have been clashes at junior level, and an African Women Championship (AWC) qualifying fixture, in recent years. In December 1980, the Taifa Stars had good reasons to hope for an upset when they held reigning African champions, Green Eagles to a 1-1 draw in Lagos in the first leg of a 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture. But two first half goals by John Chidozie and Christian Nwokocha

in Dar es Salaam two weeks later sent Tanzania packing from the race. In 2011, Nigeria’s U-23 lost 0-1 to their Tanzanian counterparts in a 2012 Olympics qualifier away, but thrashed the visitors 3-0 in Benin City. The following year, the Flying Eagles also sent Tanzania’s U-20, known as Ngorongoro Heroes, out of the race for the 2013 African Youth Championship. Last year, the Super Falcons eliminated Tanzania’s senior women from the race to the 9th AWC in Namibia. The first-ever meeting between both countries was on July 6, 1972 – a scoreless draw in a friendly in Dar es Salaam. Four months later, Nigeria’s Eagles edged two quick friendlies 2-1 and 3-2 in Benin City and Lagos respectively, and then achieved another 2-1 win over the Taifa Stars during the 2nd All Africa Games Nigeria hosted in January 1973. In February 1976, both countries played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly in Dar es Salaam on the Green Eagles’ way into Ethiopia for the AFCON. And in March 1980, Nigeria won the opening match of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (for which they eventually emerged champions) 3-1 in Lagos.

Sports

Wednesday September 2, 2015

Wrestling: Lee to dedicate title to Delta

Transfer:

Moses joins Hammers on loan E

nglish Premier League club West Ham United yesterday announced the signing of Super Eagles and Chelsea winger Victor Moses. “West Ham United are delighted to announce that Chelsea winger Victor Moses has signed for the club on a season-long loan,” a statement released by the club said.

Taekwondo: Chukwumerije Open floats N2.6m prize

The Nigeria international spent the last two seasons on loan at Liverpool and Stoke, having made 43 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Wigan in 2012, scoring 10 goals. The 24-year-old is a regular in the Nigerian squad, featuring in the World Cup in Brazil last year while also being part of Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON-winning squad.

frican wrestling heavyweight title contender, Power Lee, says he will dedicate the title to Delta State to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the creation of the state if he emerges winner. Lee, whose real name is Godspower Peace Ikpede, will meet Cameroonian champion, Michel Noudem “Le Matraqueur” for the Pro Wrestling Africa heavyweight title at the Palais De Sports, Yaounde on September 19. The pugilist told National Mirror yesterday that he had intensified training to ensure victory over his opponent. “I am a true son of Delta State and hail from Owhe in Isoko North Local Government of the state,” he said. “I want to win the title for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a present,” added. “I have what it takes to emulate late Power Mike, Ben Lion Heart and Power Uti to win a continental title for Nigeria and I appeal to the Federal Government, Delta State, Niger Delta Development Commission, Isoko Development Union and Corporate Nigeria to support me. “I have been the national champion since December 19, 2010 and this has encouraged me to win the African title on September 19 because 19 is my lucky number.”

Moses

Moses was reported to have met with Eagles’ gaffer, Sunday Oliseh, recently in London whereupon he agreed be part of Oliseh’s future in the national team. He was however omitted from the team that will meet Tanzania in an AFCON 2017 game in Dar es Salaam on Sptember 5 owing to Oliseh declared as lack of fitness.

Why Lagos declined hosting S/Leone, CIV Afolabi Gambari

ver N2.6m will be at stake at the 3rd Chika Chukwumerije International Taekwondo Open Championship billed for the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotel Abuja from October 22 to 27. A statement from the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) yesterday said the tournament aimed at discovering prospective athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympics, showcase the entertainment potential of a well-organized sporting event and promote Nigeria to foreign visitors. The tournament, which will be used to apply for a World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) G-1 ranking status for 2016, is expected to attract over 1, 200 spectators during the three-day tournament with total prize money of N2.8m alongside free equipment worth over N1m, that would be given to medalists and participants.

Ifeanyi Eduzor

AFCON qualifier:

Ifeanyi Eduzor

eport emerged yesterday on why the Lagos State government stepped down from the publicised hosting of the AFCON 2017 qualifier between Leone Stars of Sierra Leone and Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire scheduled for this Sunday. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had earlier accepted an offer from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the qualifier and had earmarked Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos as venue. But National Mirror gathered yesterday that Lagos had weighed the encounter from the view of the dreaded Ebola disease that ravaged Sierra Leone last years and the possibility of the country’s fans trooping to Lagos to support the Stars against the Ivoriens. A statement from the Lagos State Sports Commission yesterday, however, said attributed the government’s U-turn to on-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

going renovation of sections of the stadium which has seen contractors moving equipment around the venue. “We believe that a match of this magnitude cannot afford such distraction,” the statement added. “It was just sheer coincidence with the Ebola scare, even though we cannot foreclose that as well, especially as the health of the citizens is involved. “It is a fact also that Sierra Leone is just coming out of Ebola scourge and a clean bill of health is not there yet and no responsible government would want to take any chance. The occurrence of last year is still fresh in our memories and we would not wish for a recurrence.”

Interestingly a board member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) who is also Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Chief Emeka Inyama, has been mandated by the federation to ensure adequate organisation of the international match.

Yaya

“Everything is in order and we are waiting for arrival of both teams,” Inyama had said on a radio programme monitored in Lagos on Monday. The NFF announced late yesterday that the match would now hold as scheduled at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Wednesday September 2, 2015

Today fixtures Taraba

Sharks

Enyimba

IfeanyiUbah

Bayelsa

Giwa

Lobi

Dolphins

Akwa

El-Kanemi

Rangers

Wikki

Sunshine

Heartland

Wolves

3SC

Abia

Nasarawa

Pillars

Kwara

Midweek League with PAUL EREWUBA 08032138738

Table

Okonkwo

IfeanyiUbah dares Enyimba in Aba

C Ifeanyiubah defender, Chibuzor Okonkwo, has laughed off People’s Elephant’s nzogbu nzogbu victory war song ahead of their clash today in Aba, saying the Nnewi outfit has quality players that can rubbish the league leaders’ impressive runs so far. The Nnewi-based team will be away to Aba in midweek NPFL Week 27 encounter at the Enyimba International Stadium in

Aba. IfeanyiUba won 2-0 in the first fixture clash against Enyimba at the Gabros International Stadium in Nnewi. Although Okonkwo acknowledged Enyimba’s recent strong form, he is optimistic that with his side’s quality players they would give Enyimba a run for their money. “We are ready to beat Enyimba the second time,” Okonkwo said.

“Enyimba are experienced and strong side mostly on home ground, but we will not be cowed or intimidated by their record. With our current form we are sure of beating Enyimba on their home soil so that we will put smile on the faces of our teeming supporters,” he added. FC Ifeanyiubah lies 10th on the 20-team top flight with 38 points to show for their effort.

Agbaji bullish against Dolphins L Agbaji

obi Stars captain, Anthony Agbaji, has said his side will not repeat the mistake that robbed them of vital three points against Giwa FC when they confront Dolphins today in their Week 27 match billed for the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi. Agbaji, however, said the 2-0 loss at Giwa FC was a painful mistake they must avoid in the remaining matches of the ongoing season, especially the encounter between them and Dolphins today.

“We have resolved to put the defeat behind us and work for victory with today’s game against Dolphins,” he said. “We want to use the game to prove a point that we are a side to be reckoned with and further prove to doubters that our survival fight to stay away from the drop zone is for real. “So the three points against Dolphins is not negotiable. We need the whole three points to further improve on our position.” Lobi Stars are 14th on the league table with 31 points.

Teams

Enyimba

Sunshine

Wolves

Wikki

Giwa

Abia

Heartland

Nasarawa

3SC

IfeanyiUbah

Pillars

Rangers

El-Kanemi

Lobi

Akwa

Kwara

Dolphins

Sharks

Taraba

Bayelsa

Ikorodu eyes top flight ticket

korodu United captain, Cyril Olisemah, believes the club has got the quality players to withstand the rigours of top flight football. Olisemah, who played for Gombe United in the Glo Premier League, joined the lower division side on the eve of the season. “I’m convinced Ikorodu United will do well in the Glo Premier League considering the quality of players in the team. Moreover, we have a great coach like Maurice Cooreman. “I worked with Cooreman at Gombe United and he is a fantastic manager,” Olisemah enthused. Olisemah spent two seasons at Gombe United before switching to the Lagos side.

Heartland unleashes Omoniwari, Okpus H eartland duo, Fortune Omoniwari and Brownbraye Okpus, will stage a comeback to league action at Sunshine Stars after serving their respective cards punishment. The Owerri outfit will be guests of Sunshine Stars in today’s top flight match day 27 clash at the Akure Township Stadium. The Naze Millionaires were pummeled 0-3 in the first fixture clash at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.

Omoniwari was issued a straight red in the clash at Nasarawa United while the League Management Company (LMC) upped the punishment with a three-match ban which saw the former Sharks hit-man missing the matches against Kwara United, Abia Warriors and Warri Wolves. Okpus received the marching order in the oriental clash at Abia Warriors and subsequently missed the side’s home game against Warri Wolves. But the two players

will be up in arms against Sunshine today. Omoniwari said he was happy to return to league action on time for the grudge game at Sunshine Stars. “Of course, I’m happy to have seen off the three-match ban and in time, too for the face-off against Sunshine Stars,” he said. Heartland are seventh on the top flight log with 39 points 10 points adrift league leaders and neighbours, Enyimba.

Omoniwari

WORLD RECORD

Largest smoothie Vol. 05 No. 1190

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

N150

The largest smoothie contained 2,300 litres (607.6 US g al) and was pre pared by Dry July (Australia) at Circular Quay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on 30 June 2014.

Of misgovernance and deaths in the Mediterranean

lmost on daily basis we read, watch pictures and videos streaming on the internet and other conventional forms of the media exposing the horrible experiences migrants pass through in their bids to cross over to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. The number of migrant deaths recorded on this Sea is frightening. In fact, the International Organisation for Migration reported that in 2014 and 2015 more than 3,400 and 2,000 migrants had lost their lives in this desperate adventure respectively. Glaring evidences of misfortune encountered by many on this dare-devil adventure and the inclement weather condition never seem to deter intending migrants. Many are factors accentuating the quest for migration from Africa to Europe. First is the obvious failure of leadership in the continent. Many leaders have deliberately abandoned

Guest Columnist

Sunday O. Eze

their social contract with the people, and have instead chosen the road to perdition and institutionalised corruption. Funds meant for development of nations are siphoned and stashed away in foreign accounts. Leaders must be aware that they are “on stage”, therefore, the citizenry take their cues from them. In Africa, being in position of authority is a status symbol considered above requirements for selfless service. The leaders are revered and worshiped by many. Incidentally, they have metamorphosed into ‘demi-gods’ and forget that the primary function of those serving begins with understanding the concept that “to lead, you must serve” is central to promoting an environment that captures the energies, enthusiasm and commitment of the citizens. The very essence of this philosophy is that the individual leader is a servant first, who has made a decision to lead as a way to serve others, not to enhance his own circumstances. Second is corruption on the continent. It has become the scourge of the African society. It is one societal defect always blamed for putting most African nations in their precarious situations today. Corruption is the major cause of poverty around the world. It occurs at all levels of governance. It is equally noticeable in every facets of human society. All over the world, the perception of corruption, especially in public places, is very high. Corruption undermines every aspect of national development. Third is the rising spate of conflicts and

THOSE WHO WERE LUCKY TO HAVE CROSSED TO

EUROPE NOW

UNDERSTOOD THAT ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NO GOLD war. The effects of war are enormous as evident in the devastation of the land, cities and towns, and population. Businesses and employment are adversely affected and the economy overburdened. One of the most immediate effects of war is displacement of the population. When countries are ravaged by war and other powerful forces of nature, many people have to abandon their homes and seek shelter in other more clement regions. The war in Libya and crisis in Eritrea have forced many citizens of these nations to flee for safety, hoping for better future in another shore. In Eritrea where the government of Isaias Afwerki has imprisoned more than 10,000 political prisoners, emasculated the opposition and constantly detain any dissenting voice, Eritreans are left with no option than to leave their country in droves. The success of the third term bid of Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi has forced more than 150,000 Burundians to flee their country. Nigeria too has had her own fair share of mass exodus of people as a result of Boko Haram. Many of those flee-

ing consider the Mediterranean an easy and cheap escape route. One should not completely take the blame of migration to the door steps of those seeking safer havens outside their countries. However, leaders of Africa and other developing nations faced with challenged of forced migration should begin to think outside the box. Good governance is the antidote to deaths on the Mediterranean. It takes only committed leadership of a nation to provide security, social welfare packages, quality education, outstanding health care delivery system, effective transportation system, efficient power supply, etc, sin qua non for citizens to stay back at home. Fourth is the illusion that the grass is greener over there. Africans that embark on illegal migrations have the mistaken understanding that it is simply Eldorado once one steps on the shores of Europe or America. This weird understanding has constantly fired their resolve and aspirations to embark on this uncertain expedition, which is nothing but a journey of no return. Is the grass truly greener in Europe? Certainly, but nothing comes easy in Europe as many thought. Suffice it to say that nothing is free even in Freetown. Money is not picked along the streets; it is worked for. People do more than two strenuous and menial jobs to make both ends meet; and they battle with heavy tax burden. Even with tha, there is still no silver lining in the horizon. Those who are “lucky” to arrange sham marriages have to slave for the “oyinbo girls” for years to escape being deported. Those who were lucky to have crossed to Europe now understood that all that glitters is no gold. At the moment, most of them live as refugees in isolated camps in Spain and Italy, and only survive at the mercy of the authorities of both states. Even with the above gory scenario, the migrants prefer to die in a land of the unknown than to suffer lack and deprivation in their fathers’ land. Eze, a media and communications Specialist, wrote via ssunnyeze02@yahoo.com and can be reached on 08060901201

Sport Extra

AFCON qualifier: ‘SA won’t take chances with Mauritania’

afana Bafana Coach, Shakes Mashaba, says South Africa will not approach the upcoming match against Mauritania lightly and will give the opponents the respect they deserve.

The national team will depart for Nouakchott tomorrow ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the 113th ranked North-Western African side billed for Saturday.

“We’ve done our homework, we’ve searched but what we found is their previous records of how they played,” Mashaba said yesterday, adding, “What has made us aware that Mauritania are not a team to take

lightly is the result they came with from Cameroon. They went there and lost, but if you go far back you’ll find that there are games which they lost 7-0 and 3-0.” “But we don’t want to take that into our minds

because it’s sort of going to make us complacent. We know they are not a very easy side to play, so we’ve got to take them and give them the respect they deserve,” the gaffer further said.

Mashaba

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