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FG closes in on oil thieves, looters

NMA urges Buhari, others to ban oversea’s treatment with public funds

…says accomplice countries, banks identified

OMEIZA A JAYI

fforts by the new administration to recover most of Nigeria’s stolen funds

Lamorde

Vol. 5 N0. 1170

are nearing final stages with President Muhammadu Buhari disclosing yesterday that he was in the process of identifying where the funds were being kept. Speaking during an

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

audience with visiting United States Congressmen, the president specifically stated that his administration had taken steps to recover looted funds further by identiCONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Obembe

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Boko Haram: US to U sell arms to Nigeria

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UBONG UKPONG AND LIVINUS MENEDI

Delegates meet security chiefs Shekau absent from sect’s latest video

nited States, US, is considering lifting its ban on weapons sale to Nigeria, as its delegates met with the country’s security chiefs yesterday, with assurances of support in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. The US imposed restrictions on weapons sale to the country, because of stipulations of the Leahly CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

NIESV sues FG, CCB over mode of assets declaration P.6

L-R: Chief Upstream Officer, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Mr Antonio Vella; Chief Executive Officer, Eni Spa (AGIP), Mr Claudio Descalzi; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; Deputy Managing Director of NAOC, Mrs Olufumilayo Goka; Managing Director, NOAC, NAE/AENR, Mr Massimo Insulla and Vice-President,Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Ciro Pagano, after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

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Ife residents urged to shun rumour about Ooni

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PDP crisis: Staff threaten to publish details of NWC looting BoT, NEC align with workers

Why cattle rustling persists in Plateau –Katso

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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PDP crisis: Staff threaten to publish details of NWC looting OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

here appears to be no respite in sight for embattled members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as workers have threatened to release several documents on how the treasury of the party was looted. This is even as some members of the Board of Trustees, BoT, and National Executive Committee, NEC, have thrown their weight behind the call for sack of the NWC. One of the leaders of the workers said the damaging documents will be released in phases if the impasse was not resolved soon. A source told our correspondent that some former national chairmen of the party and BoT members met select workers where they expressed their support for the staff. According to the source, the NEC and BoT members, who were scandalised by the woeful outing of the party during the last general election, were on the same page with the workers that members of the NWC should have thrown in the towel and quit after the former national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu resigned. “The feeling among BoT and NEC members is

that since members of the NWC led the party to such an unprecedented defeat in 16 years they should have done the honourable thing and resign to allow others come in and rebuild the party from the ruins of the last election,” he said. He added that the NWC lacks the moral rights to implement the report of the Ike Ekweremadu committee that was set up to evaluate the circumstance that led to the defeat of the party. “What if the Ekweremadu committee indicted the NWC? They cannot be judge in their own case,” he added. And, worried by the turn of events, the Prince Uche Secondus-led NWC yesterday opted for dialogue with the workers to resolve the standoff. The management of the party, comprising directors held a meeting for several hours with leaders of the workers’ Welfare Committee at the national secretariat over their grievances, including alleged plot by the NWC to sack some of them. After the meeting, the directors were scheduled to meet with the NWC members in Abuja. None of the NWC members reported to work yesterday over fear of possible attack by the aggrieved workers.

However, it was gathered that the BoT will likely give approval for the revalidation of the workers to weed out those that are suspected to be moles in the party. A ranking member of the BoT, who did not want his name mentioned, said some of the workers were brought into the party by their godfathers who have since defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The fear within the

PDP is that the workers who owe allegiance to the godfathers that facilitated their employment will be passing sensitive information and documents to those that brought them. He, however, gave assurance that the BoT will not allow anyone to witchhunt any innocent worker in the process of the revalidation exercise. The directive of the NWC to the workers, some of whom have worked for the party for 16 years, to

go back to their respective state chapter chairmen to get clearance letters was one of the major grievances. They argued that none of the incumbent state chairmen of the party was in that position when they were engaged by the national secretariat several years ago. There are also fears that the embattled NWC members may prod state chairmen not to issue clearance letter to any staff they

have scores to settle with. Meanwhile, as tension continues to mount at the party’s secretariat, operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, were noticed in the premises at about 12.15pm. Three of the DSS operatives went upstairs where they stayed for over 30 minutes when the directors were meeting with leaders of the aggrieved workers. They later came down to inspect the premises before departing.

IGP Solomon Arase (sixth left); Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mr Abdullahi Ahmed-Yola (fifth left); Director-General, Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle (fourth left); Chief Judge of FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello (fouth right); DIG, Department of Criminal Investigation, Dan’Azumi Doma (third right) and other members of Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, at the Training Workshop on Effective Implementation of Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act for the Nigeria Police in Abuja, yesterday.

Boko Haram: US to sell arms to Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Law, but the meeting has commenced processes of removing all the restrictions. The new move is not unconnected with the just concluded visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the US, where he sought assistance to win the war. Lifting of the ban was top on the agenda of a closed-door meeting between visiting US Congress Judicial Committee and security chiefs yesterday at the National Defence College, NDC, Abuja. Leader of the delegation, Rep Darrel Issa, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, said that the discussions centred on wide range of issues, es-

pecially the area of technical support in fighting Boko Haram. Issa also noted that another topic for discussion was how to address the alleged human rights violation in order to lift the restrictions. “There were a number of things that were discussed; basically the need for additional technical support, including overhead surveillance to fight Boko Haram. This is also important to stop the oil theft by pirates and other security challenges in the country,” he said. The Congressman noted that both countries still remained partners and allies, despite the lack of support to the preceding administration of Presi-

dent Goodluck Jonathan due to the limitations imposed by the controversial law. He gave the assurance that America was now ready to support the new administration as a process has began on the lifting of the Leah Law. “The fact is that this new regime with the new general staff (CDS and Security Chiefs) has begun process of ensuring that military professionalism for both civilians and combatants has been made in a way that we can both be confident that the rule of law is being obeyed. So, the process has begun to lift restriction under the Leah Law. “The vast majority of support the US provides

will continue regardless of the restrictions. The support will also include training, technical support and equipment supplied will never stop but will continue. “We are looking with the President (Muhammadu Buhari) and new General Staff to work to make sure that the people of Nigeria have the confidence in the professionalism of the military, something the people can rely on. We are looking forward to a great different relationship, a very proactive relationship,” the Congressman said. Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, MOD, Mr. Ismaila Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of the Nigeria De-

fence team, assured that the US now believes in the country. “They have trust and confidence in Nigeria, that is why they are here; also that the issue of human rights is being addressed. “The delegation of US congress is on a visit to Nigeria as a follow up to President Buhari’s, is a great gain to the country and has rekindled the hope and aspiration of the two countries. “The US has trust in the President and people of Nigeria and also very concerned about the security situation in Nigeria and Lake Chad Basin Area, which is one of the reasons for the visit to discuss with the Service

Chiefs,” he said. In a related development, Boko Haram group has released a new video on the insurgency in Nigeria, with Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, again failing to appear in it. His continued absence has increased speculation about his fate. He was last heard from in March, when he released an audio message, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, according to BBC. Shortly after, Nigeria’s military said it had recaptured all towns and cities from Boko Haram. The military said on Sunday that it had freed 178 people held captive CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Photo News

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema; Forte Oil Plc Group Chief Executive Officer, Akin Akinfemiwa and Group Chief Financial Officer, Julius Omodayo-Owotuga during Forte Oil Plc 2015 Facts Behind the Figures, at Nigerian Stock Exchange floor, Marina, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

L-R: Governor, Rotary International, District 9125, Nigeria, Dr. Mike Omotosho; aide to DirectorGeneral, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs. Chika Mokwugwo and Director- General, Mr. Mike Omeri, during an advocacy visit of Rotary International District 9125 to NOA Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

L-R: Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Ibadan Prof Jones Moody; Chairman of the National Committee on African Traditional Medicine under the Harmonisation Process of African Regional Organisation for Standardisation, Prof Maurice Iwu and Director, Legal Services, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Barr Umaru Kawu, during the Inaugural meeting of the Committee in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nipco Plc, Mr Taofeek Lawal [middle] presenting some food items donated by the company to District head of one of the towns IDPs camp is located in Gashua, Yobe State, Alhaji Lawan Gana, while one of its Directors, Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed, watches with keen interest, recently .

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EFCC drills NAFDAC boss over alleged contract scam Olufemi AdeOsun ABUJA

conomic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday continued with its clampdown on corrupt government officials with the interrogation of Director General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Paul Orhii, for alleged contract scam and abuse of office. A reliable source at the Abuja office of the antigraft body informed our correspondent that no sooner had the embattled director general arrived at the commission at about 10am than a team of operatives commenced his drilling to ascertain his level of complicity in the alleged deal. Orhii’s visit was premised on an invitation extended to him by the EFCC. Although details of the allegations against Orhii

were yet to be released by the anti-graft agency, another source linked his travail to a petition by former Director of Finance of the agency, Ademola Mogbojuri, accusing him of graft. Some of the accusations against him include failure to remit the internally-generated revenue of the agency to the Federal Government, award of contracts to unknown companies and without approval and allowing unqualified contractors win bids in the agency.

The embattled NAFDAC boss was also said to have made his kinsmen and cronies enjoy flights tickets meant for staff in both local and international flights. Our correspondent however gathered that after being quizzed for several hours, he was granted administrative bail. EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren cannot be reached to confirm the story. The NAFDAC boss had last week said the allegations against him by his

ex-staff was aimed at destroying his reputation, adding that there was no single merit in the petition which forwarded to the EFCC. Orhii said Mogbojuri was incompetent, the reason he said he moved him out of the Finance Department. He also said the agency had persistently been starved of funds by the Federal Government, which he said, often forces the agency to spend its internally-generated revenue.

NIMASA redeploys directors

cting DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Jauro, has approved the redeployment of some members of its senior management. This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos

yesterday by Hajia Lami Tumaka, Deputy Director and Head, Public Relations Unit of the agency. According to the statement, the new postings are expected to reposition the agency toward meeting its statutory mandate as enshrined in NIMASA Act and other enabling instruments. “Mr. Ibrahim Jibril is

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the Director of Administration and Personnel Services; Mr. Felix BobNabena is Director of SERVICOM; while Mr. Olayemi Abass takes over as the Head of Financial Services Department. “Mr. Suleman Abdulsalam is the Acting Legal Adviser; Mr. Mohammed Sani is the Head of Procurement Department;

Ife residents urged to shun rumour about Ooni

…kingmakers meet BOlAdAle BAmigBOlA OSOGBO

esidents of Ile-Ife were yesterday told to go about their normal daily activities without fear, even as traditional rites continued in the town. Some people believed to have been sent by the Royal Traditional Council of Ife, it was learnt, moved round the ancient town, jingling bell and urging people to go about their daily businesses. Those that jingled the

while Hassan el-Yakub is Head of Cabotage Department. “Tumaka is now the Deputy Director and Head, Public Relations; Aisha Musa has been redeployed to Head the Western Zone; while Mr. Isichei Osamgbi is Deputy Director, Maritime Guard Command,” the statement said.

bell around the town were seen at Enuwa, Oja’fe and Moore areas as early as 6am. A resident, Eludire Thomas, said those that made the announcement targeted markets and moved round, telling people to remain calm. “We saw them at Enuwa and Oja’fe, moving round the town and announced to people to disregard all rumours about Oba Sijuade,” Eludire said. Meanwhile, some IleIfe kingmakers yesterday met at Ile Oodua, the Ooni’s palace. Informed palace sources told our correspondent that the meeting was not unconnected with the traditional rites that must be performed before the formal announcement of Ooni’s passage would be made. Atmosphere around the palace however remained calm, while commercial activities in the ancient town continued.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

FG closes in on oil thieves, looters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

fying banks, financial institutions and countries in which payments for stolen Nigerian crude oil have been deposited. Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, confirmed the development in a statement yesterday. Acknowledging the

support and cooperation his administration was getting from the international community in gathering required intelligence for tracing and recovering stolen national resources, the president sought for strengthening of bilateral trade and economic ties. “We are getting cooperation from the inter-

national community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction, or pour their contents into other ships mid-stream. “Some monies were paid to individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and countries that are involved.

“I have been assured that when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries will treat our case with sympathy,” the President told the Congressmen led by Rep. Darrel Issa. He said his administration will welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United

States Bi-National Commission. Buhari noted that the Commission could serve as a more useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations as well as joint cooperation in the war against terrorism. In his remarks, Issa assured of more support

from the United States in the ongoing onslaught against Boko Haram by providing training, intelligence and military platforms. “We look forward to helping you in many ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the theft of crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.

SMEs operators laud FG over improved electricity supply

L-R: Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Adm. Patrick Agholor; Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin; Chief of Air Staff, AVM Sadique Abubakar and Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, during the visit of a delegation from the U.S. Congress Judicial Committee to National Defence College, Abuja, yesterday.

Boko Haram: US to sell arms to Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

by Boko Haram in northeastern Borno State, and had killed a commander following airstrikes on its bases. In the eight-minute video, an unidentified young man speaks in the name of the Islamic State in West Africa calling on people to be patient: “We are still present everywhere we had been before.” The man spoke in the regional Hausa language, with subtitles in Arabic and English The video shows the militants attacking a security checkpoint, seizing weapons, and slitting the throat of a man dressed in a police uniform. Shekau also failed to appear in a Boko Haram video released in June. BBC Nigeria analyst, Naziru Mikailu, said this will renew speculation that he is either deep in hiding, or has been wounded and even killed. Regardless of Shekau’s

fate, it is clear from the video that some militants in Nigeria are still determined to fight, he said. The video is gruesome, but its production sleek and this suggests that it was produced with the help of IS-allied propaganda units, he adds. The young militant spoke in the regional Hausa language, with an accent from the Kanuri ethnic group, to which Shekau belongs. Shekau became Boko Haram leader following the killing of the group’s founder, Muhammad Yusuf, in police custody in 2009. Meanwhile, the sect has launched fresh attack on Madagali, Adamawa State with the death of five persons, according to a lawmaker, representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Emmanuel Tsamdu. The attacks have forced the community to arm and equip 200 members

of a vigilance group in the area to repel future attacks, the lawmaker said. Tsamdu, who broke the news of the attacks in his constituency to newsmen, called for more security presence in the area. He observed that the area had not known peace since the onset of the rains as many of the Boko Haram insurgents had been taking shelter in the mountains. He said it was from these hideouts in the surrounding mountains, which dot its landscape that the insurgents come out from to unleash attacks on the dwellers who are mostly farmers. The lawmakers maintained that many such attacks had occurred in Midigu, Lanssa, Immulsa, Kubula, Sabon Gari and Wagachakawa, within the last five days with scores feared killed by the insurgents. Worried by the spate of the attacks the lawmaker

said, some stakeholders in the area, including himself, had recruited over two hundred local hunters as vigilance group. The aims of the vigilance group, he said, were to “go after the dreaded members of the sect who are still dwelling in the mountains and also repel any future attacks in the area”, since they were more conversant with the terrain. Tsamdu said the last attacks in Kolbachwa had left the community with no choice than to resort to self-help even though he noted that the military command in the state had been briefed of recent development in Madagali. The lawmaker therefore called on government to deploy more soldiers to the area as the current size of the military personnel might not be able to contain the onslaught of the sect because of the terrain and gorilla nature of the attacks.

ome Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, yesterday lauded the Federal Government over noticeable improvement in the nation’s electricity supply. They said in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos that President Muhammadu Buhari’s character and commitment to nation building has impacted in the sector. Some artisans, including salon operators, fashion designers, restaurant owners and vulcanizers, said the near steady electricity supply had impacted positively on their businesses. A welder at Oyingbo, Lagos, Mr. Salisu Tajudeen, expressed satisfaction with the drastic improvement in power supply. Tajudeen said that the situation had challenged them to meet the demands of clients and assisted in retaining the bulk of their profits. He also urged government to sustain and grow the current electricity profile, adding that its sustainability would leapfrog the ability of SMEs’ to expand the nation’s employment window. A hairdresser at Surulere, Lagos, Mrs. Florence Simon, said President Buhari should be applauded for the improvement. She said during the last administration, electricity supply in Nigeria was a total disaster. “Federal Government should privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN; this will not only help to fully achieve the goals of privatisation but also help the private firms to

invest in that segment of power supply value chain. “ With the investment from the private sector, the transmission network will be expanded speedily and the problem of system collapses will be drastically reduced,” she said. Simon said that the control of the transmission arm of the power sector by the government was slowing down the attainment of the privatisation goals. Another small scale enterprise, Mr. Kingsley Titus, a sachet water producer, said the improved power supply had reinvigorated Nigerians’ hope in governance. Titus also said President Buhari should put more effort to ensure that Nigeria achieved its dream of uninterrupted power supply. He said the only avenue the improved electricity supply would impact the economy was for the Federal Government to complement the situation by building new power plants. Titus also urged government to critically study the private companies that acquired the successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. Meanwhile, some experts said the increase in power generated by the Egbin Power Plant was responsible for the significant electricity supply across Lagos State and its environs. Sources close to the station said the plant currently generated 1,050mw, compared with 500mw it generated a few months ago.

News

Marcus FatunMole, ABUJA

igerian Medical Association, NMA, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and other tiers of government in the country to stop officials from using public funds for overseas medical treatment. President of Abuja chapter of the association, Fatima Mairami, made the call in the nation’s capital yesterday. Mairami said the practice was borne out

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Ban overseas treatment with public funds, NMA urges FG

of corruption detrimental to growing the nation’s health system and facilities, and drains its dwindling economy. At the Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference organised by the FCT association, the doctor said: “Whoever goes outside for medical tourism, if you are paying the bill yourself,

Budget: Buhari orders reduction in recurrent expenditure oMeiza ajayi, ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the National Planning Commission, NPC, to evolve ways of producing a framework for the 2016 national budget that would reduce recurrent expenditure in favour of capital projects.

The president gave the order yesterday when he received operational briefing from Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Bassey Akpanyung, at the Presidential Villa. Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who was part of the meeting, said the president told Akpanyung and directors in NPC that capital projects must now be given the fullest possible priority because Nigeria cannot achieve real development without adequate investment in capital and infrastructural projects. “In carrying out its role in surveillance of the economy, review and appraisal of policies, the commission should devise a plan to realign the budget so that capital projects can be prioritised,” Buhari directed. Executive Secretary of NPC had informed the President that Nigeria’s planning system was beset with many challenges. The challenges, he said, included non-alignment of national plans with the annual budget

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and inadequate capacity in the departments of Planning, Research and Statistics in the various government ministries. He said his visit to the president was to brief him on activities of the NPC, which covers mainly preparation of long term and medium term plans for the economy. “We used the opportunity to inform him that we already have on ground a prospective plan, that is, national Vision 20:20:20, and we are in the process of developing a medium term plan to cover Vision 2016 to 2019, which will address the core elements of this present administration’s priorities. “Of course, we sought his support for articulation and finalising of that document because his pronouncement on it will assist us rapidly to do so. Planning, like I said, will make it effective from 2016 to 2019. So, we should already be working very seriously to pick out elements that would form the document. “The president’s response was positive and he has specifically directed that we take a second look at the capital projects and their funding, rather than spread widely capital funding that will not impact on anything. We should look at the core priority areas, select those and fund effectively to the end and take on the second priority areas and do likewise,” he said.

it is not an easy task. But, what has happened before was a lot of corruption. People cheated on the government, used public resources. That is why it is easy for them to go outside without feeling the pain. “But, by the time we make it mandatory that everybody must get healthcare within the nation, as long as we can provide such services, and if you want to still go abroad, you must pay out of your pocket. Then, you will see the rate of medical tourism will dwindle as not many people would be able to afford it.” She described medical

tourism as a thorn in the flesh of the nation. She also decried brain drain in the nation’s medical system and called for solution to the problem, arguing that anyone that could afford treatment abroad could go there and avoid the nation’s public hospitals. Fielding questions from journalists, President of the association, Kayode Obembe, restated the call for publicprivate-partnership in managing the nation’s public hospitals. He argued that private hospitals succeed more in service delivery than those run by government alone.

His words: “I want to clearly state that publicprivate partnership is the way forward. The earlier we address this issue, the better. We cannot concentrate all our services on everything within the context of the public sector. We must see how we can collaborate with the private sector… there is an element of commitment in privatisation.

“I don’t think it is easy to hear that private hospitals in Abuja have downed tools. I have not heard it. Private sector is driven by determination to achieve excellence. And, it is in that area that I want us to explore, if there is going to be collaboration

between the public and the private sector. I think it will be better for the society. “In United States of America where many of these people that have money go for check-up and also keep our oil money, many of the hospitals there are privately run; and they are delivering the goods. “The problem in Nigeria is that when we go to these nations, we don’t copy what is happening there and bring it home. I think we should do something about that,” he added. Obembe also said the NMA was making efforts to ensure that peace prevailed in the sector.

L-R: Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mrs. Zainab Ahmed and Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Barnabas Bantex, during the visit of NEITI officials to the governor in Kaduna, yesterday.

New Defence spokesman, Abubakar, takes command ubong ukpong ABUJA

ew Director of Defence Information, DDI, Col. Rabe Abubakar, yesterday took command of the directorate at Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Abuja. Abubakar’s appointment on acting capacity was announced in a statement by the Army Headquarters, AHQ, last week, following new postings and appointments for senior officers approved by Chief of

Army Staff, COAS, MajGen Tukur Buratai. His formal assumption of duties yesterday brought to an end the era of his predecessor, MajGen Chris Olukolade, who by reason of nonreappointment is scheduled for retirement. Abubakar in his maiden statement promised to ensure effective communication to counter terrorist propaganda through timely, proactive and responsive media relationship. He identified the need for synergy, especially

in the articulation of information management, assuring on ensuring same. “You know that terrorists thrive on information, hence there is also the need to bring a counter communication and information strategy. You are aware that they are now in disarray and don’t have Central command because of what we are doing in the North East. We will pursue and take them down. “Let me assure you that I will be proactive and responsive in my

media relations. I will adopt a positive and robust strategy in our media as well as Civil-Military relations,” he said.

Chief of Defence Staff, MajGen. Abayomi Olonishakin

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Why corruption is escalating, by NIESV ...sues FG, CCB over mode of assets declaration Ise-Oluwa Ige

he registered Trustees of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV, has fingered the current practice of accepting assets declaration forms from public officers without any valuation report of experts as the principal reason for incidence of corruption in public service. The association which expressed revulsion at the practice has sued the Federal Government and its Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, before a Federal High Court in Abuja for reversal of the practice. Specifically, the association is asking the Federal High Court to restrain the Code of Conduct Bureau from further accepting or receiving assets declaration forms from public officers without a backup valuation report. In the suit filed on behalf of the body by Mr. Ikechi Gerald Nweneka, it contended that the practice of accepting assets declaration without a report by registered estate surveyor and valuers to determine the real value

Buhari appoints new Provost for FCE Oyo OmeIza ajayI ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Professor Kamoru Olayiwola Usman as Provost, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo. This was disclosed in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina. According to the statement, the appointment of the 51 year old Oyo-born professor is for an initial term of four years. “His academic qualifications include a Bachelors Degree in Science Education, a Masters Degree in Education (Mathematics) and a Doctorate Degree in Education (Mathematics)”, Adesina said. Until his new appointment, Usman was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

of assets is in contravention of section 3 (a) and (b) part 1 of the third schedule of the 1999 constitution. Other plaintiff in the suit is Olorogun James Omeru who is the President of NIESV. Named as defendants in the suit are; the Attorney General of the Federation, Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, as well as Mr. Sam Saba CCB Chairman. Specifically, the plaintiffs sought court declaration that the current practice of the Code of Conduct Bureau in receiving assets declaration form from public officers without a valuation report signed by a registered es-

tate surveyor and valuer is in contravention of section 3 (a) and (b) of the 1999 constitution and section 3 (a) and (b) of the CCB and Tribunal Act. They also asked for a declaration by the court that the combined force of sections 2 and 15 (1) of the CCB and Tribunal Act cap C15 and paragraph 6 (d) a valuation report of the assets of public officers signed by a registered estate surveyor and valuers is necessary for a valid assets declaration to be received by the CCB. In a 19 - paragraph affidavit in support of the originating summons, plaintiffs averred that by

law, only persons registered by the Estate Surveyors and Valuer Registration Board of Nigeria have authority to value assets in Nigeria. The affidavit deposed to by Olorogun James Omeru stated that the current practice by public officers is to allocate figures to their assets without any professional input or verification of the true value of the assets. The plaintiffs averred that the practice was largely responsible and has heightened corrupt practices by public officers in the country. They also contended that the CCB has a duty to

maintain a high standard morality and accountability in the conduct of government business by ensuring that the actions and behaviours of public officers conform to the highest standards of morality and accountability. Plaintiffs therefore seek an order of the court directing the CCB to henceforth request for a valuation report signed by a Valuer registered in accordance with the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Act before accepting assets declaration form from public officers in the country. No date has yet been fixed for the suit.

Kogi State APC gubernatorial aspirant Baba Ali (left), collects form from Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunazor, in Abuja, yesterday.

Ondo councils get new caretaker chairmen OjO OyewamIde AKURE

ndo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko yesterday sworn in Caretaker Chairmen for 16 out of the 18 local governments in the state. The governor however, extended the tenure of the current Akure South and Akoko South West Caretaker Chairmen. The new caretaker chairmen are Alhaji Azeez Al-Aman (Akoko North East), Joseph Aladetimehin (Akoko North West), Wale Ozogoro (Akoko SouthEast), Patrick Orimolade (Akure North), Akpoebi Ebielatei (EseOdo), Oladejo Adeloye (Idanre), Olaniran Wemimo (Ifedore), Adegbite Samuel (IleOluji/ OkeIgbo) and Jeplita Obakpolor (Ilaje). Others are Adesanmi Elumaro Julius (Irele), Ikumawoyi Ayodele (Odigbo), Solomon Bitire (Okitipupa), Gafaru Akinkuolie (Ondo East), Victor Ogunya (Ondo West), Ilepe Johnson (Ose) and Kehinde Lawal (Owo). Two of the former council chairmen were retained by the governor because they were appointed only last year, they are, Adebayo Alarapon of Akure South and Wale Suru of Akoko South West. Mimiko said the appointment of the chairmen became inevitable following the recent dissolution of the former caretaker committees.

Deputy speaker seeks improved ties between Nigeria, S’Korea TOrdue salem ABUJA

Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Lasun Sulaiman, yesterday called for a legal framework to address specific sectors of the country’s economy. Lasun made the call yesterday while receiving the South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria in his office. While responding to an address by the Korean Ambassador, Mr. Mr. Noh kyu Duk, the deputy speaker opined that Nigeria, despite its high rate of literacy, still grapple with alarming unemployment due to the absence of fitting institutions that would entrench knowledge utilisation for practical and developmental purposes. “We need to strengthen our economic and social institutions to be able to move

forward, which was why we needed to have a good democratic system in place to achieve that”. “South Korea is about 49million people and Nigeria is above 170million. The truth of the matter is that we are a well educated country, but we have not been

able to apply the education to lack of employment opportunities occasioned by weak institutions. “If you go out there, you will discover that there are lots of trained engineers, medical professionals and the likes. But many of them are not engaged and when

they go out to other countries and are exposed to the way they do things, you realise that they excel,” he said. He appreciated the ambassador’s visit to Nigeria, saying that it would strengthen bi-lateral relations between both coun-

Ambode appoints 19 new perm secs

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the appointment of 19 new permanent secretaries in the state public service. In a statement issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the appointments are in line with the governor’s drive to restructure the civil service for efficient performance and service delivery.

The development is coming on the heels of the streamlining of some existing ministries, departments and agencies aimed at ensuring greater efficiency. The new permanent secretaries, the statement said, have been deployed across board in the new structure of the civil service. The names of the appointees are; Mr. Bamgboye Abiodun; Mrs.

Dapo-Thomas Boladele Aderemi; Mrs. Ariyo Elizabeth Olabisi; Mrs. Adekanye Adebunmi Elizabeth; Mr. Bode Agoro; Dr. Ayandele Olufolayimika Abiose; Dr. Sodeinde Nuriat Ibironke; Mr. Odeyemi Mohammed Adesina; Mrs. Odulana Arinola Olufunmilayo. Others are Mrs. Onisarotu Adesina Jemil; Engr. Bade-Adebowale Ajibade Caster; Mrs. Amosu Sewande Ayodele; Mr. Kadiri

tries. The South Korea Ambassador Noh kyu Duk, had earlier in his speech expressed his government’s willingness to collaborate with Nigeria in the area of education which he said, is the only tool of greatness used by the ‘Asian Tiger’.

Abayomi Adebisi; Mrs. Anifowoshe Amidat Abiola; Mr. Adeyemi Folarin Anthony; Dr. Oduwole Olanike Elizabeth; Mr. Mustapha Abdul Ahmed Olorunfemi; Mrs. Odunlami Funlola Adesola and Mr. Odupitan James Olusola. The new permanent secretaries will be sworn in on August 5. Meanwhile, 15 permanent secretaries have also been retired from the civil service accordingly.

South West

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Med-View increases competition on Lagos-London route Olusegun KOiKi

ompetition on Lagos-London route would become more intense with plans by one of the fastest growing carriers in Nigeria, Med-View Airline, to commence direct flight operations to the route soon. This is as the airline on Sunday night acquired another Boeing 767-300ER for the annual hajj operations to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which commences on August 16, 2015. The aircraft is also being positioned for use on the United Kingdom route. Managing Director, MedView Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, disclosed this to journalists during unveiling of the new B767-300ER with registration number 5NBQN at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport,

…acquires B767-300ER for hajj

MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday. Bankole observed that Nigerians were regularly exploited on the Lagos-London route by foreign carriers, assuring that with the coming on stream of the airline on the route, such exploitation would be reduced to the barest minimum, while air travellers would now have better choices on carriers to fly with to the European country and beyond. At present, three carriers, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Arik Air operate direct flights to London from Lagos and Abuja daily, while several other foreign carriers like Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, Kenyan Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, among others, operate indirect flights between the

two countries. He lamented that the Nigerian government had opened the country’s gateways too wide for foreign carriers to exploit, adding that such opportunities were not given to Nigerian carriers operating into foreign cities. He declared that both Nigerian and British governments had given the airline the nod to commence direct operations, stressing that the airline was also looking at the possibility of linking Nigerians to Portugal through the United Kingdom with its operations. He specifically said the new aircraft would be designated to Europe latest by November after the hajj exercise, which commences by mid-August and noted that all its crews were all Nigerians,

who had been trained and type-rated on the aircraft. Annually, millions of Nigerians travel between the country and United Kingdom, making UK the most visited country by Nigerians. On the new aircraft, B767300ER, Bankole revealed that the airplane was christened ‘Abeke,’ a name taken after his mum whom he said had a great influence on his life. He explained that the aircraft had 221 configuration; 30 business class and 191 economy seats with all labels, stressing that with reconfiguration to all economy class seats, the aircraft could accommodate about 300 passengers. Bankole, however, noted that before the aircraft would be deployed in Europe, it would first be used for the

L-R: South African Regional Head, Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs (AYE), Mr. Steven Reed; Vice President, AYE, Mrs. Ibada Ahmed; Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and President, AYE, Mr. Summy Francis, during a meeting with the governor, yesterday.

EFCC has secured over 1,000 convictions —Lamorde …wants special court to try corruption OjO Oyewamide AKURE

hairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday said the commission had secured conviction of over 1,000 people in both public and private sectors in the last 11 years of its existence. Lamorde also disclosed that hundreds of cases were still pending in various courts across the country. He stated this in Akure, Ondo State capital, during a two-day workshop on Budget

Monitoring and Tracking organised for communitybased organisation, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, media and local government staff. The EFCC boss, represented by Director of Public Affairs Department of the commission, Osita Nwajah, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to reform the judiciary for prompt prosecution of offenders. Lamorde also called on the Federal Government to establish a "Special Court" that would only focus on cases of corruption.

He said: "It was the EFCC that proposed the Special Court and we have not relented on that. There is too much delay in the regular courts. This is one of the things that made us to call for special courts and judicial reform." According to Lamorde, regular diversion and embezzlement of funds allocated for provision of basic social amenities and infrastructure for the benefit of the masses necessitated the workshop. "In a number of ways, the management of public funds is still secretive and

accountability very poor. However, the budget, as we all are aware, comes from the government treasury and it includes the taxes people pay. "The commission is, therefore, convinced that if it embarks on an intensive sensitisation campaign, civic education and training of stakeholders on budget processes, the citizenry will appreciate what budgeting is all about, understand the process of making budget and improve their advocacy capacity to be able to influence budget outcomes," he said

forthcoming hajj operations to Saudi Arabia on the 16th of this month through October. He added that apart from the B767, another B777 aircraft would be deployed for hajj operations, thereby becoming the first airline in the country to use the aircraft type for hajj or any flight operations. He added that the airline had trained its crew and inspectors from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, in Atlanta, United States of America, on B777,

stating that the airline would airlift at least 10, 000 pilgrims for the exercise and was in charge of the entire Southwest zone, including the south eastern part and Maiduguri. He further bemoaned the crash of naira in the international market, especially against the dollar. “In terms of finance, it has been a headache because the currency keeps going up when we started negotiating, it was N158 to a dollar, but today, it has risen to N244 to a dollar.”

Shun gay marriage, nepotism —Catholic Archbishop Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

atholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Most Reverend Gabriel Abegunrin, has lent his voice against gay marriage, urging Nigerians to avoid same sex marriage and nepotism. The cleric, who spoke during the celebration of this year’s consecrated life, held at the SS Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan, said it was against the wish of God for a man to take another man as wife, except they see themselves as roommates. He also urged religious leaders in the country to always keep their vows and avoid nepotism in order to show the world the values and principles of uprightness. He decried the declining status of values and principles of uprightness in the country, especially among religious leaders, noting that the celebration found great relevance in the theme: “Wake Up the World”, declared for this year by Pope Francis. He said: “In as much as it is our mission to wake up the world, I remind you all that none of us can give what we do not have. It has to start from us, to see if we stand right for the mission of soul-winning. “Gay marriage is against the wish of our Heavenly Father. We cannot see in the Bible where God says we should engage in such immorality, rather the Bible condemns it. So, I want to advise people practicing it to

desist. “We need to reconsider our vows. That is the entry point, the defining moment of what we sought to be as followers of Christ. How well do I keep my vows? I challenge you all to consider the practice of the vows of poverty and obedience. “How do we practice these? Are we on track or we have derailed? Is the world your standard? Once we start looking away from the Lord, we can be sure to start sinking and deviating.” Abegunrin added that an effective way of promoting the vows is to ensure that community living is revitalised, stating that community living would enhance fidelity to vows and “we should exude happiness.” He charge clerics not to see money as a cog in the wheel of their progress, though it is required for evangelisation and running certain affairs of the church. He tasked clerics to avoid nepotism, especially in employing people. Never show favouritism towards any class of people. You are sent to all peoples. The church should not be a mirror of what people complain about in civil society. Let us heal our world with our virtues.” The President of Nigeria Conference of Women Religious, Sister Florence Nwaonuma, urged participants drawn from different religious communities, Area Conferences and 58 diocese of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, to celebrate their similarities, uniqueness and call as consecrated persons.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Businessman sues EFCC, 4 others for N100m

GbenGa OGunbufunmi

n a bid to enforce his fundamental right, a Lagosbased Lebanese businessman, Raji Tarraf, has filed a N100 million suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Nigeria Police and three others before a Federal High Court in Lagos. Other respondents include Yakubu Kabiru, Ismail Mikankan and Buba Suleiman. The complainant in a motion on notice filed before the court by his lawyer, Olumide Braithwaite, is seeking an order of the court compelling the respondents to pay him N100 million as general damages for the psychological, physical and mental injuries he sustained over the years in their hands. He is also seeking an

injunction restraining the respondents, their agents or privies from continuing to harass, arrest, detain or threaten his life, invade his residence, office, or seize his property. Tarraf in the suit said sometime in 2013, he engaged in business as an intermediary and foreign exchange broker with Kabiru, who in turn was in partnership with Mikankan and Suleiman, the eighth and ninth respondents, and that in one of the transactions on September 19, 2013, he effected the transfer of $75,000, from Wilburn Green of 1014, Nashville, USA, to Magnolia Trading Incorporation of 321, Greenfield, Dearborn, USA (the beneficiary), into its bank in JP Morgan Chase & Co. Bank, NA Detroit, USA, Account Number/072000326. The complainant said

that unfortunately, JP Morgan Chase & Co. froze the account of the beneficiary without giving any reason for the action. Consequently, Messrs Donald B. Elder LC engaged by the beneficiary wrote JP Morgan Chase & Co. regarding having frozen the account. The plaintiff averred that despite being aware of the freezing of the beneficiary's account, the 8th, 9th and 10th respondents conspired with the Nigeria Police to exploit and dispossess him of his money. He added that sometime in November 2013, Kabiru filed a bogus petition containing trumped up charges of firearms and threat to life against him and that with the assistance of the police, they arrested and detained him for 24 hours, during which he was forced to sign

an undertaking to pay the sum of $62,500. He also averred that the police in connivance with Kabiru and Mikankan, extorted the sum of N500,000 as bribe from him. He said despite paying the undertaking amount, the 8th, 9th and 10th respondents filed another petition on the same matter at the Nigeria Police, Area 2, claiming the sum of $5,000, consequent upon which he received summons from the seventh respondent, DSP Illesanmi Ogunyemi, on July 13, 2015, inviting him to attend an interview with the Commissioner of Police, Interpol, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos, on the bogus petition, citing grounds of threat to life, stealing, conversion and fraudulent misinterpretation. The plaintiff urged the court to grant his applica-

L-R: Mrs Josephine Anifowoshe; retired Lt.-Col. Yakubu Anifowoshe; Mr Wole Anifowoshe, Lola Anifowoshe and the GOC, 2 Div., Maj.Gen. Salihu Muazu, at the unveiling of a street named after retired Lt.-Col. Anifowoshe in Letmuck Cantonment, Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

tion, stating that he will suffer grave injustice if the respondents were allowed to continue to breach his right to life and properties. Responding to the plaintiff’s application, the police urged the court to dismiss

the suit, as it constitutes an abuse of court process. While admitting some of the applicant's deposition, the police, however, said the plaintiff was only invited in respect of a petition against him by Mikankan.

Ambode hailed over Ejigbo-Ikotun road repair francis suberu

esidents of Ejigbo and Ikotun axis of Lagos State have commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for commencing repair of the road. The road has been dilapidated for the last eight years, causing nightmare for motorists plying the routes. Ambode recently paid an unscheduled visit to the area, describing the state of the road as unacceptable, even as he assured residents, who trooped out to welcome him that the road would soon get a face-lift. In line with his assurance, the governor last week mobilised the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, LSPWC, to commence work on the network of roads. Ekerin of Isolo, Chief Samina Lawal, commended the governor for the intervention, urging him not to relent, but to ensure the final execution of the project. Immediate past chairman of Ejigbo LCDA, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said people of the area were elated that within 60 days of the new administration, the governor could promptly come to their aid. Bamigbetan said the gov-

ernor, through his action, has demonstrated he was a listening governor, who would not take life and security of residents for granted. He also implored the governor to intensify efforts to put up permanent structures on the site to match influx of people to the area. He said a total reconstruction of the entire road, constructed about 30 years ago, will totally ease the gridlock often associated with the route. Corroborating what he said, Chairman of Ndigbo in All Progressives Congress, APC, Kanayo Osondu, urged the state government to consider total revamping of the road, adding however that the palliative work has reduced travel time from Ago Roundabout to Cele. Also, General Manager, LSPWC, Engr. Ayotunde Shodeinde, reaffirmed that in fulfillment of the directive of the governor, construction has started in earnest with the clearing of drainages and opening of silts. He, however, stated that the government was really committed towards total rehabilitation of the road and appealed for the cooperation of motorists in the area, especially as the reconstruction work progresses.

Synagogue: Court adjourns suit challenging coroner’s verdict Wale iGbintade

Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday fixed September 30 for the hearing of a suit filed by two structural engineers that supervised the construction of the collapsed building within the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, premises. The plaintiffs in suits numbers FHC/L/ CS/1095/15 and FHC/L/ CS/1096/15 filed by Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, respective-

ly, are asking the court to nullify the coroner's verdict on the collapsed building. The respondents in the suits are the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, Lagos State police commissioner, Attorney-General and Coroner, Oyetade Komolafe. When the suit came up yesterday, Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned it following the inability of COREN, 2nd respondent, to file its counter-affidavit to the application. The lawyer to COREN, L.O. Karim, told the court

that he had just been briefed on the matter and was yet to file any process. Justice Idris faulted Karim's request on the ground that the stipulated period of five days allowed for COREN to file its response to the suit had lapsed. He thereafter adjourned the matter till September 30 for hearing. Lagos Coroner, Komolafe, who conducted an inquest into the deaths of 116 persons that perished in the accident, had on July 8 indicted Ogundeji and Fatire-

gun of criminal negligence and recommended them for criminal prosecution. Following the coroner's verdict, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently disclosed the readiness of Lagos government to implement the coroner's verdict, including filing criminal charges against the church and two engineers. But Ogundeji and Fatiregun, through their lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, prayed the court to restrain the police from inviting or arresting them for questioning. He argued that the plain-

tiffs’ constitutional rights to dignity and personal liberty enshrined in sections 34 and 35 of the Constitution, were at stake as they could no longer move about freely. He told the court that policemen have visited the home of Ogundeji, adding that when they did not see him they arrested and detained his brother-in-law. Besides, Ojo informed the court that the police went to Fatiregun’s office in Ikeja on July 16 to arrest him, but he was not available.

He said Fatiregun voluntarily went to the police station where he was arrested and detained and asked to make written statement regarding the role his company, Hardrock Engineering Construction Limited, played in the collapsed SCOAN building. Ojo said the move to arrest the engineers on July 16 followed the fundamental rights enforcement action they filed against the respondents on July 15, challenging the coroner's verdict.

South East

Counterpart fund stalls Imo farming projects Chris Njoku OWERRI

nability of Imo State government to honour counterpart funding obligations has stalled many projects in agriculture in the state, especially the World Bank/ Federal Government $200m FADAMA III Extension Project extended to farmers in the country since 2013. Investigation revealed that Imo government was supposed to pay N100m participation fund for 50 hectares of cassava farmland earmarked for the project, but Governor Rochas Okorocha’s refusal to pay the counterpart funding positioned Imo as the only state excluded from the project that involves 35 states of the federation and Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. It was gathered that Imo farmers did not benefit from the World Bank $300 million released in 2012 for farmers in the federation to access in line with its implementation of the National Fadama Development Project, FADAMA III project, aimed at increasing food security, income of its users and reduce rural poverty in Nigeria.

It was discovered that only Imo farmers were excluded from these projects because they could not access the fund for failure of the state government to pay its counterpart funding, which is required before any state can access the fund. Due to success the project recorded, World Bank extended the project in 2013 - 2015 with $200 million funding, which the state governments are expected to pay its counterpart of N100m. Some of the farmers told National Mirror that since 2013 to date, farmers in the state were unable to access the fund due to inability of the state government to pay its counterpart fund. The farmers said the oversight had stalled most agricultural projects in the state, including the cassava farmland acquired by farmers for the purpose. Speaking with our correspondent in Owerri, President of Imo State FADAMA Farmers Federated, Okenze Damian Keke, said the state, which is recognised as the highest cassava producer in the federation, was the first to be selected for cassava farming in the Fadama III Extension Project.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Orient Petroleum’s output hits 3,000bpd in Sept M

anaging Director of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc, Sunny Okoye, yesterday said the firm would increase production of crude oil in its wells to 3,000 barrels per day in September. Okoye said this after a meeting of its Board of Directors with Governor Willie Obiano in Awka, Anambra State. He said the firm also planned with indigenous company, Nails & Stanley Ltd., to establish a gas plant in Umueje, Ayam-

elum Local Government Area of the state. According to Okoye, the company had revved up activities at two new oil wells in its Aguleri oil fields that would shore up production capacity to 3,000bpd before September, adding that Orient was not only working assiduously on boosting production capacity of its oil wells, the company was also developing the vast gas resources in the state. “We are dealing with gas development on two fronts.

“The first is the gas production we have right now, side by side with oil. “We are looking at how to transform it to an income-earning resource,” Okoye said, adding that the drive to turn its gas resources into an income earner informed the partnership it recently struck with Nails & Stanley to produce Compressed Natural Gas, CNG. “We are engaging Nails & Stanley for that. “They are on track to install their compressor cans very soon and as soon as

we are ready to flag their operations off in the state. “We are going to develop the ANU Gas Field. We have a well that we are going to use to produce sufficient gas for increased power production in the state. “That’s the second plank of our gas development plan,’’ he said. Okoye added that Nails & Stanley was a wholly owned indigenous company operated by Anambra indigenes eager to lend hand to ongoing efforts to build a prosperous state.

FRSC convicts 33 motorists in Anambra Gloria aNaeze ONITSHA

o fewer than 33 motorists, mostly commercial drivers, were yesterday convicted by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC’s mobile court in Onitsha, Anambra State. The court, however, discharged two drivers, while all the prosecuted motorists went through some minutes of road safety enlightenment. Their offences included over-loading, seat-belt violation, driving without driver’s licence or valid licence, reckless driving and driving against traffic. Anambra FRSC Sector Commander, Sunday Ajayi, told newsmen that the mobile court was part of ongoing agency’s ‘Operation Restore Sanity on Roads in Anambra State.’ Ajayi noted that the operation was meant to check motorists in Onitsha and environs that had been notorious

in driving against traffic. “Most times the best way to enlighten motorists is by enforcement. The mobile court here is not only enforcing the rules and regulation governing use of the road, but also interpreting them to the offenders. “I know some commercial drivers, who faced the magistrate and paid the stipulated fines, would have a lot to tell their colleagues in the park and their various loading points. “FRSC will continue to join Governor Willie Obiano’s vision in making Anambra roads safer for all,’’ the commander said, adding that the mobile court exercise would be a continuous one, as the corps would not relent until compliance with road rules become part of motorists in Onitsha and environs. One of the convicts, Simon Madu, said he was unaware that his front seat passenger was not putting on seat belt.

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu commiserating with some victims of last Friday's Ariaria market riot in Aba during his visit to hospital, yesterday.

Traders told to embrace FG’s MSME fund

nambra State government has urged traders to take advantage of Federal Government’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME Fund scheme to expand their businesses. The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Industry (BoI) and MSME Development Agency had set aside N220 billion as loan facilities to MSME business owners. Commissioner of Industry, Trade and Commerce in the state, Mr Ifeatu Onejeme, made the appeal while addressing market leaders in Onit-

sha on Monday. Onejeme said the state had set up Anambra State Small Business Agency, ASSBA, to ensure that traders benefited from the fund. He said ASSBA would ensure traders accessed

Obiano

the funds at reduced cost in order to grow their businesses and be employers of labour. “In commerce, ultramodern markets and shopping malls are springing up with new amenities in Anambra State and enabling environment being put in place for our traders to switch from importation to manufacturing of goods they now sell. “There is also Anambra State Government/ BoI Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Intervention Fund Scheme domiciled in our ministry. “You can also avail yourselves the oppor-

tunity of getting some loans from the scheme because our governor is not relenting in putting the state’s own counterpart fund for it to reach many people,’’ he said. The commissioner, however, urged the traders to continue to support the state government’s policies and programmes especially on payment of taxes and levies. “The security we enjoy today is due to the government using tax payers’ money to invest heavily in security of lives and property. “Today, everybody can sleep with his or her two eyes closed,’’ he added.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

AMORAN official kills okada rider over N450 ticket femi oyeweso ABEOKUTA

L-R: A leader of Bonny Youth Federation, Mr Simeon Wilcox; National Chairman, Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer and Salvation Front, Mr Ala Hart and National Secretary, Ijaw Youth Council, Mr Bristol-Alagbariya Emmanuel, during a news conference by the leadership of Niger Delta Youth Organisations in Port Harcourt, yesterday, over recent location of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company's multi-billion naira Drydock at Badagry, Lagos State.

Wike jittery over my appointment, says Amaechi obiorA ifoh ABUJA

ormer Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government in the state was jittery that the politics of the state would be controlled and determined by him if he was eventually considered for political appointment under President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. Amaechi said this in Abuja at a reception organised in his honour by his friends. He said the PDP government in Rivers State was carrying out a campaign of calumny against him in a bid to dissuade the president from considering him for political appointment. "The current governor

of Rivers State and PDP are afraid of me getting appointment at the national level, because that will determine the politics of Rivers State. They know that the current president abhors corruption and the only way to stop me from getting appointment is to paint that picture of corruption. Amaechi challenged the people of Rivers State to stand up and defend him by telling the world the "truth" he stood for. "When the trouble between me and the former president started, as Chairman of Governors Forum, the oil subsidy was N300 billion under President Obasanjo, it remained the same under Yar’Adua, six months of President Goodluck Jonathan took over, the oil subsidy rose to N1.9 trillion, is it that the country

now doubled its population or bought more machines or started manufacturing? As chairman of Governors Forum, I was in a position to get my own share of the N1.9 trillion, but I chose the part of honesty and truth, you cannot catch me being dishonest. In his remark, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo applauded Amaechi for his doggedness on the road to APC's victory in the last presidential elections, adding that such feat was worthy of celebration. "I agree with everything that has been said about Rotimi Amaechi absolutely. One thing no one can deny about him is his tremendous courage; he stood up not just against President Jonathan, but the entire establishment. "Everyone agreed that

the PDP was powerful and it would be difficult to oust them from office, but one man stood up against the whole might of the Federal Government and today we are celebrating the man and the victory of our party because of what he did. "Amaechi is also a man of big ideas and very insightful, he understands how to live long in the hearts of men. His education policies in Rivers State and all of those children he gave real hope and opportunity would always remember him long after he left this earth. On his part, chairman on the occasion and Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, praised Amaechi for bringing his experience to bear in the last general elections."

en of Ogun State Police Command yesterday arrested a member of the Articulate Motorcyclists Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, AMORAN, identified as Kola Adegbite, for allegedly killing a commercial motorcyclist over his reluctance at obtain the union's daily ticket of N450 in Ifo, Ogun State. Kola, a Ticketing Officer with AMORAN, allegedly assaulted the Okada rider identified as Ahmed Azees by hitting him with a charm at the popular Bank bus stop after he and his co-ticketing officers had assaulted the victim for causing them extra effort over the mandatory daily union ticket. National Mirror gathered at the scene of the incident in Ifo yesterday that the late Ahmed, a bricklayer and father of two, who occasionally operated commercial motorcycle called Okada, was confronted by his wouldbe killer, Kola, which eventually resulted in a fight and eventual exchange of blows. Eye-witness at the scene of the incident said other AMORAN officials, who were on duty with Kola, joined and rained barrage of blows on Ahmed, forcing him to collapse before other assailants retreated, leaving only Kola, who allegedly brought out a charm and hit him. Sensing danger that the charm had taken its toll on Ahmed, Kola, however, attempted to flee before he was forced to carry the dying Ahmed, who eventually died on the way to the General Hospital in Ifo. Following the develop-

ment, however, an eyewitness who preferred anonymity was said to have lured Kola to Ifo Divisional Police headquarters where he was detained since Sunday evening. At the time our correspondent visited the scene in Ifo yesterday, friends and relatives of the deceased numbering over 100 were seen milling around the police station, where Kola was being detained, while they all condemned AMORAN ticketing officials as dangerous to the society. National Mirror further gathered that members of AMORAN had penultimate week harassed riders and passengers at Coker village near Ifo town where three Okada riders were beaten over ticket issues. Speaking with journalists over the matter, AMORAN Chairman in the local government, Alhaji Nurudeen Jimoh, condemned Kola's attitude, stressing that the standing order for all ticketing officials was to avoid any argument that could lead to a fight between them and okada riders. He maintained that Kola had broken the union's law and as such, should be made to face the music, according to extant laws. Meanwhile, trouble was averted at the scene of the incident yesterday as men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, from Ifo police headquarters prevented sympathisers of the deceased from taking laws into their hands when they attempted to prevent other Okada riders from operating. When contacted, the command's Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident.

Obama's resolve raises hope on corruption, insurgency —Aluko Abiodun nejo ADO EKITI

ormer Senate Deputy Whip, Senator Gbenga Aluko, has said American President Barack Obama’s resolve to join the fray in Nigeria’s fight against corruption and sectarian crisis has raised hope of success in the war. Aluko, who was in President Muhammadu Buhari's entourage to United States as a director of Chevron recently, said this was against the backdrop of the state-

ment by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that the President's trip to America was a fruitless effort. The former senator, an All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, said on the contrary, the stride achieved with Obama's resolve during Buhari's visit would boost the fight against corruption and Boko Haram insurgency in the country. Aluko in a chat with journalists on phone in Ado Ekiti yesterday said: “Nothing is too much for Nigeria to do to curtail corruption

and Boko Haram. President Buhari’s visit to US was majorly on these two critical areas and the US had given assurance to repatriate over $150 billion stolen from Nigeria. This, if actualised, will turn around the country for good." He praised President Buhari for quick response in seeking global help against the two dangerous ills rocking and reducing the country's economic viability. Aluko, who lamented that corruption and insurgency had affected every

facet of the country’s economy, said only those ignorant of the relevance of the world super power in taming these monsters, could condemn such good step. “I was on Buhari’s entourage because I work with Chevron, an American oil firm, so I had to be there. “The PDP had tried to seek America’s help during former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan administrations. So, what President Buhari did was not out of place.

“In diplomatic issue, it is always very hard to get immediate assurances from US. But for President Obama to have given the nod to help was even a success on its own,” Aluko said. The former legislator, however, urged President Buhari to quickly wade into the factional crisis rocking Ekiti State chapter of the APC and unify all the factions so that the party could wrest power from PDP in the state in 2018. He said the APC had

bright chances of recapturing Ekiti in 2018, urging those declaring ambitions to rather subsume their aspirations and pursue how the party could be unified before it is too late. Aluko advised APC to continue to seek reconciliation on the crisis surrounding the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President, saying “based on the politics of legislature, Saraki’s hands were tied under the circumstance Senator Ike Ekweremadu emerged as his deputy.”

North

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

FG grants 12 auto assembly plants’ licences

he Federal Government through the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, has awarded licences for the establishment of 12 new vehicle assembly plants in the country. This is contained in a document made available yesterday in Abuja to the News Agency of Nigeria by the spokesman of NADDC, Bello Rasheed. The document stated that the benefitting companies are automobile manufacturing giants such as Toyota, Honda, General Appliances West Africa, Perfection Motors Company, and Richbon Nigeria. The others are R.T. Briscoe Nigeria, NigeriaChina Manufacturing Company, Nigeria Sino Trucks, Coscharis Motors, DAG Motorcycle Industry Nigeria, Globe Motors Nigeria, Century Auto-Assembly Nigeria, and Concept Auto Centre. The plants are expected to produce a wide range

of automobile products such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs), passenger cars, pickup vans, buses, tricycles and motorcycles, among others. The document also indicates that the companies, with their corporate offices in Enugu and Lagos, have started making arrangements to begin operations. According to the document, the commencement of operations by the new licensees will bring the current total number of automobile assembly plants in the country to 45. It stated that there were 15 assembly plants in the country before the National Automotive Industry Development Plan, NAIDP, was launched in 2014, but only three were operational. While stating that 18 additional vehicle assembly plants were set up after the NAIDP came into being in 2014, the document stated that the plants were in different stages of completion.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World Bank approves N1.5bn for 10 Nigerian varsities Marcus FatunMole and Joel aJayi

orld Bank has approved the disbursement of N1.47billion to 10 universities making up Centres of Excellence, ACE, in Nigeria. The fund is in addition to $8 million earlier approved for each of the schools by the World Bank. The fund is meant to further help address regional challenges, strengthen capacities, quality trainings and applied research which the institutions were shortlisted by the

World Bank to achieve. Executive Secretary, Nigeria University Commission, NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, stated this yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the posteffectiveness workshop for all stakeholders in ACE. Some beneficiaries are Ahmadu Bello University, University of PortHarcourt, Redeemers University, Bayero University, Benue State University, and University of Benin. He said the project would also help in the area of capacity building, adding, “The project was also put together, primar-

ily, to build the capacity of all stakeholders to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities, so that the above-stated objectives can be achieved.” Okojie also assured that emphasis would be placed on financial management and audit processes, procurements among others in the project. He argued that the ACE project had capacity to transform the economic landscape of the sub-region only if governments in the region would look inwards and come up with innovations that could address common problems. He however charged the

beneficiaries to use the funds for the purpose it is meant for. The World Bank-ACE team leader, Dr. Tunde Adekola, described the project as a game changer for education system in the country. He noted that about 60 universities on various continents applied for ACE project, whereby 19 centres of Excellence emerged from West and Central Africa. Adekola charged all beneficiaries to brace up toward applied research, which he said would boost capacity-building in the country.

Why cattle rustling persists in Plateau, by Katso JaMes abrahaM, JOS

he police high command yesterday gave insight into why cattle rustling continues to rear its ugly head in Plateau and other North central states. Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Kakwe Katso, yesterday ın Jos said collaborative strategy initiated by the federal government and states in North-East and NorthWest to rout the escalating menace of cattle rustling in the two zones might have sent the rustlers migrating to other parts of the country, especially Plateau, in search of veritable grounds for their crime. Katso, who is in charge of the “F” Department of Research and Planning at Force Headquarters in Abuja, was addressing Area Command heads, the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and other unit heads of the police in

the state, while on a visit to Jos where he also met with stakeholders. The DIG, who was received by the state commissioner of police, Nasiru Oki, told the command that the operation to flush out cattle rustlers in those zones must elicit a proactive operation by the command in Plateau State, to fight against the potential migration of the criminals there. The commissioner had informed the DIG, who is also in charge of North-Central, that certain parts of Plateau have become notorious for cattle rustling, strife over grazing field and farmland, naming Barkin Ladi and Riyon areas as major spots. But he said the command under his watch has made major gains in tackling the two crises, and has gone lengths in mopping up illegal arms in the state to curtail the menace of cattle rustling and strife over land.

Administrator, Ahmadu Ribadu College, Alhaji Nazeef Isa (left), conducting the Dan Galadima of Adamawa Emirate Council, Alhaji Lawan Ribadu (M) and District Head of Mayo-Belwa, Alhaji Mohammed Bamanga, round the College’s Geography Garden, during a visit to the school in Yola, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

Boko Haram: Saraki assures N’East residents inusa ndahi, MAIDUGURI

enate President Bukola Saraki yesterday assured that he would use all his legislative powers to end the carnage by Boko Haram sect in Borno and other Northeast states. Saraki spoke while leading a team of his colleagues in Senate on a courtesy call on Governor Kashim Shettima at Government House, Maiduguri. He said he was in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, with his entourage for on-the-spot assessment of the activities of Boko Haram and to identify with victims and people of the state over the spate of killings and bombings by insurgents. He however promised that government will soon come out with

better strategy aimed at ending the activities of the terrorists in the northeast sub-region. Responding, Governor Shettima thanked the Senate president and other members of his delegation for taking their time to visit Borno despite the security challenge posed by insurgents. He commended Saraki for leading the delegation to assess the damages done to areas of the state, and solicited support from the Senate leadership to move motion to establish a ‘Rebuilding and Development Commission’ for people of the northeast, like is obtained in the Niger Delta. Shettima informed Saraki that the activities of insurgents which started since 2009 had left thousands of people dead, destroying property

worth billions of naira. He stressed that the state government under his leadership had been spending undisclosed substantive amount for the upkeep of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in various camps in the state, coupled with other support rendered to security agencies who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the sect members. He lamented that due to the lingering crisis that has led to the sacking of over 20 local government areas of the state with over a million people displaced, hundreds of women were forcefully turned into widows prematurely. He further stated that children were made orphans and public structures like schools, hospitals and roads destroyed in the state.

He, however, thanked the Senate delegation for donating N10 million to assist in the upkeep of IDPs in the state. Those who accompanied the Senate President were Senate Leader Ali Ndume, Deputy Chief Whip Francis Alimikhena, senators Mohammed Hassan, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Danjuma Goje and chief of staff to Saraki, Isa Galaudu. The Senate president also paid homage to the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Garbai Elkanemi at his palace where he reassured the monarch of the federal government and the legislative arm’s commitment to end Boko Haram activities in the region. The delegation also visited some IDP camps despite the tight security and blockage of some major roads in the city.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY

Politics

Presidential prestige came to play in resolution of NASS crises –Oyegun

14,43

Oloyede vs Aregbesola: Again, Osun in the eye of the storm Since the petition of Justice Oloyede Folahanmi, a member of the bench from Osun State judiciary against the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, became an issue in the media, the state’s political horizon that was about resting after the turbulence of 2015 general elections, appeared poised for fresh rounds of crises, writes BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA.

ince year 2007, Osun as a state has always claimed a front seat in the nation’s political discourse, albeit, most times for negative developments. This trend however seemed to have witnessed a slower frequency when Governor Rauf Aregbesola was handed the baton of leadership of the state in November, 2010 after almost three and half years of tortuous legal battle against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC who declared Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, then of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP winner. And the moments of respite were enjoyed till April, 2014, when the battle for another governorship election, after almost seven years the last one was held in the state, commenced. Between then and now, the state has not also been spared of some of the tensed moments of the last general election, but at the time when many states in the country were in relaxed mood after surviving tension of the general election, Osun State is no doubt entering another uncommon realm of controversy that looks strong enough to shake it to its foundation. In traceable past, it has never happened that a serving judge in the judiciary would write a petition against a sitting governor and his deputy, demanding a probe and possible impeachment, if found guilty of already listed impeachable offences. But shortly after reports on the history making petition of Justice Oloyede was published, the major question has been; has it happened before that a serving judge would petition sitting governor demanding impeachment? Aggregating views on this has raised a lot of dust, as there have been a rather violent swing in arguments by respondents, against and in favour of a judicial officer that must be heard and not seen, even when issues involved are being decided in his or her court, but now chose to tear through veil of confidentiality and demanded action based on convictions that the state’s finances has been inexpertly handled by the governor. Reading through the 39-page petition, the petitioner, Justice Oloyede, number 18 on the seniority list of the 20-man Osun judiciary, carefully sequenced, what according to her, were constitutional breaches by the governor, demanding investigations and probably, his impeachment alongside his deputy. Just as Oloyede’s petition has successfully strengthened the prolonged media

Aregbesola

Oloyede

war led on the side of All Progressive Congress, APC, by Barr. Kunle Oyatomi and for opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Diran Odeyemi, it has also suddenly awaken many hitherto hibernating rights groups in the state, with them taking positions, either in support or against the judge’s action. Also, the vicious circle of controversies the petition has created did not spare colleagues of Oloyede in the state judiciary, with many of them during informal chats, aligning with her position though underneath. But many judges in Osun State judiciary differed and assumed posture of waiting to see how Oloyede will rumble through the labyrinth and the effects her efforts will have on the governor, seen by many as sitting pretty. From the composition of the panel that would investigate the petition against Aregbesola by Osun State House of Assembly, to the eventual invitation and appearance of Oloyede by proxy, it has been from one controversy to another. Dejo Makinde, the Assembly’s Minor-

ity Leader, who nearly openly broke House rules on the day the probe panel, headed by Adegboye Akintunde, the Majority Leader of the House, was inaugurated, when newsmen took the Speaker, Najeem Salam, up on why no opposition lawmaker was included, made known the stand of his party on the matter by declaring he has no faith in the panel. But a very close Assembly source, however told National Mirror that the leadership of the House deliberately left out opposition party lawmakers not because it feared they will ruffle feathers, but because the PDP was not in the habit of considering opposition lawmakers for any critical assignment when the party controlled the house. A former lawmaker, elected on the platform of the defunct Action Congress, AC, in 2007, who does not want his name in the print told National Mirror that former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adejare Bello, never gave AC lawmakers leadership positions, even when it had 11 out of the 26 lawmakers in the Assembly. If that explains why the lawmakers

FROM THE COMPOSITION OF THE PANEL THAT WOULD INVESTIGATE THE PETITION AGAINST

AREGBESOLA BY OSUN STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, TO THE EVENTUAL INVITATION AND APPEARANCE OF OLOYEDE BY PROXY, IT HAS BEEN FROM ONE CONTROVERSY TO ANOTHER

elected on the platform of PDP were not considered for the probe panel, it no doubt further encumbered the panel with credibility yoke under which it has since struggled to carry out its assignment. On the day the petitioner appeared before the panel, new vista of controversy over the impeachment saga opened, when the petitioner sent a counsel, Mr. Lanre Ogunlesi, SAN, to represent her and at the meeting with the panel, demanded Aregbesola’s response to her petition. Akintunde, while defending the panel’s position on the demand of the petitioner, hinted that Oloyede’s petition in the first instance, fell short of basic rules petitions to the House must meet. He said each page of any petition to the House Assembly must be signed and that the petitioner, upon summon, must appear in person and not by proxy. He said: “This is not the end of the petition. We are still going to take our report to the floor of the House where every member of the House will debate it. But she is the one who sent the petition and the onus rest on her to prove it. “Her petition must have been dead on arrival, it was not sent according to the rule of the House. But we made this rule. We are arbiter in this case and this is not a trial court. But we will get in touch with her.” But Oloyede’s counsel, Ogunlesi, a former Attorney-General of Ogun State, while reacting, said: “They said the committee was a fact-finding one, but the issue at stake was a serious one and for the sake of posterity and generation yet unborn, they need to forward the answers to her. “She may even come out and say I am sorry, I withdraw my petition after going through the governor’s reply and may not need to see the committee again. But, I want to say that she will be here. We are not running away. She is bold enough to write the petition and she is prepared to defend it. If she should have the reply today, she will be here tomorrow. “They said they have their rules but they are not forthcoming towards our demand. They said they will decide and that we will be hearing from them. It may be that they have made up their minds on what to do.” The two-week time limit for the committee to complete its assignment has ended on Thursday, July 30, with no extension sought, and with the contentious issue regarding appearance of the petitioner unlikely to be resolved in favour of Oloyede, new rounds of controversies are setting in on the impeachment saga.

Politics

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Presidential prestige came to play in Now that the National Assembly crises among your members have been resolved, how do you feel and what are the lessons you took away from the whole scenario? We are glad that the misunderstanding in the House of Representatives has been very amicably resolved; thanks to the intervention of Mr. President, who once again made it quite clear to everybody, that there is no alternative but to listen to what the party says. He emphasised the fact that all of us are what we are, thanks to the platform that the party provided for everybody. I think his message resonated very intensive with all the members of the House. He still did not interfere, I want to make that very clear and his parting words to us was that the presiding leadership of the House and the party should go and resolve whatever issues there are that were militating against the resolution of the problem and that exactly is what happened. When we were leaving there, the press was very anxious to hear that A, B and C have been appointed to whatever positions, but that is not what happened, I promised that within a few hours, and I said definitely by the next morning, the nation will be glad knowing that this issue would have been resolved and put behind us. We left there and a few hours later after consultations and discussions with the presiding officers of the House of Representatives, and let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to their maturity, sense of responsibility, their loyalty to the party and above all their sense of general good, the patriotism displayed by the Speaker and his Deputy. It did not take long; necessary concessions that had to be made were made. The very next day I think you all witnessed the general jubilation that greeted the final resolution of what has proven to be an intractable problem. One behind us, one to go. Everybody has ended up being happy with the solution that was proffered to the problem of party position primarily being upheld. How do you feel that the party had to resolve these crises sacrificing the interest the South-East, which appears not to have anything? The sharing process is not over; I want everybody to get that very very clear, even in the House of Representatives it is not yet over, all these will be taken into consideration when other positions in the House are being distributed, I have no doubt. The argument is that there are six principal position and each zone is expected to get at least one each. Now a zone has two and another has none. What other position would be given that would equate to a House principal position? Here, we are talking of real life; in real life, there is no perfection, there are pluses and minuses; there are ups and downs, there are valleys and there are peaks. What is important is that the system functions, the system went out of gear with the very first election that was made. So the planning of the party was thrown out, so you have to walk back and resolve it as best as possible in the circumstances. In human affairs there is no perfection. What is It that the party could not do in the last 48 hours that it was able to do in few hours of House resumption to resolve this issue? Easily one can say that Presidential prestige came to play. That means a lot and it counts for a lot; I won’t want to elaborate, but I want to make it quite clear that we emphasised the fact that the people had not gotten his message before, he was re emphasising it, that in this political system as we are operating, the party is number one and everybody derives whatever he becomes from the party. Many believed that the party executive contributed to this imbroglio through its role in nominating leaders for the National Assembly. Why didn’t the party leave the pro-

ONE CAN SAY THAT

PRESIDENTIAL PRESTIGE CAME TO PLAY. THAT MEANS

The crises in the National Assembly appear to be National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun re influence of President Muhammadu Buhari in the

A LOT AND IT COUNTS

FOR A LOT... HE WAS RE

EMPHASISING IT, THAT IN THIS POLITICAL SYSTEM AS WE ARE OPERATING, THE PARTY IS

NUMBER ONE AND EVERYBODY DERIVES WHATEVER HE BECOMES FROM THE PARTY

cess, considering that there was the belief that the mock election and letters written to the Assembly by the party incinerated the crisis? We organised primaries for selecting our candidates who wanted to contest for public office, specifically presidential, what happened there was that all the aspirants cooperated, all the aspirants contested, a winner was declared and everybody agreed to work with the winner. In this case, for whatever reasons, what you called mock poll could as well pass as a primary, but if some candidates say they won’t honour the primary, it is a fundamental right of Nigerians. You can take them to court; you can discipline them, of course according to the party rules. What the party planned is exactly what you are seeing indeed for our primary elections to select better candidates for the various offices. Human feelings being what they are and in a situation where the voting is limited, very limited; everybody knows everybody and of course people reacted differently. It was not like our primaries where you have thousands of people forming the electorate. In the Senate, we have 59 and in the House, we have 220-member electorate, so you can understand why things happened the way they did. You were able to solve the House of Representatives’ crisis temporarily… Did you say temporarily? Why is it temporarily? Some people are uncomfortable with the South-West having two principal positions. The Senate crisis is still there. The APC is said not to be satisfied with Ike Ekweremadu’s emergence as Deputy Senate President, DSP. You were also quoted to have said you will handle the Senate crisis differently, would you elaborate on that? Simple, in the case of the House that we have just dealt with, they got to the bridge but have not crossed it, they had not named any principal officers, so obviously it was a lot easier to handle. The Senate has named its principal officers and by their rules they can only be removed either when they voluntarily resign or when you command a two - third majority to vote them out. So the approaches obviously will be totally different in the sense that, in the Senate also, I hear there is a court process underway, that make a lot of issues subjudicial, so it changes the picture, doesn’t it? Is not enough for us with what happened in the House, but we are also watching that and we are going to engage on the Senate situation and by God’s grace it will also be resolved. There are those who feel that with the present leadership of the National Assembly, the APC change agenda might not see the light of the day, what is your take on that? I don’t see how the APC change agenda will be affected.

Oyegun

I will be very sorry for any member of the House who demonstrates objection to any measures or proposed laws which are directed towards the change agenda. I don’t know of someone who will stand up and say he likes corruption to thrive? Or somebody who will stand up and say we don’t need to do what we need to do to restore peace, that is, to defeat the insurgency. I don’t know anybody who will stand up to say that the power sector should not be made functional, or anybody who will stand to say we should not ask for any billions or trillions of dollars that have been stolen to be refunded or retrieved, that is the change agenda. I don’t think that will happen on both sides of the divide, I do not see that happening in the National Assembly. I don’t see that happening. You are speculating so we wait until we see it happen. There are insinuations that the \apc has a hand in the ongoing investigation of the wife of the Senate President. How true is that? I want to assure you without any doubting that the APC absolutely has nothing to do with it. She’s not on trial by the way. It is an investigation that has to do with the Senate President’s wife. You saw all the speculation in the media, as a matter of fact, this could have been triggered by the opposition party itself, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, asked its branch in Kwara to write a petition.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

JTF commander settles dispute between oil company and Okomu community OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

here was a breath of fresh air as peace finally returns to Okomu community, an almost forgotten hamlet in Ovia South Local Government Area of Edo state, as the age long dispute between the community and the Okomu Oil Company, was finally buried at the weekend.The process for the peace agreement which was initiated by the Commander of the Joint Task Force, JTF, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, was finally resolved at a final peace parley in the community between management of the oil company, the elders, youths and indigenes of the community and the military outfit, presided over by the Commander in person.The peace process which begun few months ago after the JTF Commander in his customary manner intervened after receiving security reports of the hostility between the two, took four different meetings in three separate venue before the final accord was reached over the weekend amidst jubilation from the indigenes of the community, who thronged the community hall.At the final meeting on Friday the youths and elders of the community after agreeing to sheath their sword, embraced and promised to work together with the management of Okomu oil company to bring the much needed development to the community.Speaking at the occasion, the JTF Commander reminded the community that the JTF was not an army of occupation but an army committed to bring peace and tranquility to the Niger Delta region, adding that development only come when there is peace.”I came all the way from Yenagoa, my Sector Commander came all the way from Benin, the General Manager of Okomu oil left his office, we all left all our businesses, so we must resolve the impasse today.”He said it was the Department of State Services, DSS, Component commander of the JTF that first intimated him of the impasse between the community and the oil company and he waded in to bring in a lasting solution to the problem.According to him, Friday’s meeting was the fourth meeting between the community representatives, the company and the security outfit, having previously met twice at the headquarters of the JTF in Yenagoa, once at the office of the company at Okomu and the final one which was been held on that day. He said from his findings it shows that there was a communication gap between the company and the community arising from the age long impasse and so recommend that that there must be a sustainable method for communication between the two for peace and development to be achieved. He said, “I have seen genuine intention in the management of Okomu oil and the desire of the people of Okomu and in our own little way, we have identified with you. Okomu oil company is one of the best in the world and you must be proud to be the owners, so therefore peace must reign for you to achieve development.”Be patient with the company and work out modalities to get things done. They have built a town hall, provided two boreholes, though not working for now, brought books and writing materials for the primary school, be patient with him and he will surely send an Engineer to repair them, but that will only be possible if you people are patient and allow peace to reign.”To resolve the communication gap which has further widened the gap between both warring parties, the Commander inaugurated a new executive comprising seven men and three women to represent the community in their dealing with the oil company as part of the agreement reached at the last meeting.He charged the executives led by Chief Wilson Wuluku, to serve with integrity, honesty and sincerity,

Major General Atewe

saying that God has entrusted the community to them and so there was the need for them to serve the community well.He said, “this people whom you have chosen by yourself today will represent you and from time to time you will have meeting with them and demand their stewardship. This will allow the community to know what the company has done, what it intended doing and also let the company know what the community want. Their must be dialogue for peace to reign.”Gen., Atewe also used the opportunity to warn the youth on the dangers of illegal oil bunkering and pipelines vandalization, saying that apart from the lost in revenue accruable to the nation, the polluted air cause a lot of health hazard to the inhabitants.”I want the youths to stay clear of anything that is illegal, our prayers today is that our efforts today will be remembered by generation yet unborn,”he stated.Speaking also, the Managing Director of Okomu oil, Dr. Graham Hefer, said the company had always responded to the needs of its host communities but for the impasse which started since five years ago.He said he has sunk two boreholes, provided books and writing materials, built the town hall where the meeting was been held until the community who were then in crisis could not reconcile among the various executives who claim to represent them.He said the company apart from these, also pay the sum of N60, 000 as bursary to three students of higher learning from Okomu Ijaw community, just as they have provided Skill Acquisition Training for the Youth at BOSCO training school.He said despite the challenges the company has done what was required, adding that with the now pervading peace, the door of the company was open for any of the youths who wish to work as there are vacancies for 1000 field workers.He also promised to begin work on the new partnership with the communities, saying that there were eight communities where the company had provided with social amenities as part of its social responsibility.On the demand for the construction of

Dr. Hefer, MD Okomu Oil

the road that led to the community, the MD, said though it was not it primary responsibility to provide roads to communities, he promised to work with the state government to find a solution to the road construction.Earlier in his welcome address, the Traditional Ruler of the community, Chief Wilson Yunyun, thanked the JTF Commander for bringing peace to the community, saying it was the first of its kind since the trouble started. He said, “He has come all the way from Yenagoa and for the second time to see that peace reign between the people and the company. He is also interested in seeing that development comes to the community.Atewe has been a different Commander of the JTF because he cause less war and concerned himself with the development of the area. He has renovated schools, buy fishing nets for women and even bought canoes for some, all these is for the development of the people.”Also speaking, the youth leader, Lawrence Yanbor, thanked the JTF for bringing peace to the community, promising that the youth has sheath their sword and will not engage the company in warfare but work for the development of both parties.Gen. Atewe at the end of the peace parley, donated a new borehole to the community and urged the company to begin immediate repairs of the existing two boreholes, and also promised to donate 100 wrappers to the women in the community.The two parties for many years were on loggerhead over who gets what. The Community is accusing the company of neglect and environmental pollution without compensation and non employment of Okomu citizens while the company is accusing the community of sabotage and attack on company workers and installations. The result achieved by the Commander yesterday was as a result of various reconciliation meetings held at various places including the headquarters of the military outfit in Yenagoa, the company premises at Okomu and Okomu village, both in Ovia South West local government area of Edo state.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

DESOPADEC appointments should reflect production quantity, says Bello THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

L-R: Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa; Bishop Magreath Idahosa and Bishop Obianke Udume Bishop o f Anioma Bishopric, during courtesy visit by members of the Church of God Mission International ,to Government House Asaba, yesterday.

Community seeks Buhari’s intervention in face-off with Delta Govt THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHENWARRI

il-rich Ekpan community in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene in the brewing crisis between the community and Delta State government over what it described as an undue interference in the appointment of Community Liaison Officers, CLO, to major companies doing business in the area. The community alleged that if President Buhari does not intervene, it could snowball into chaos and youths unrest which would hamper business activities among oil companies operating within the community. In a letter titled “Save Our Soul” and specifically addressed to Mr President, Ekpan community accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of partisan interference in a matter that was purely within the purview of the community leadership. The letter signed by Mr Silver Ofugara, Chairman, Ekpan Development Community, Pa William Ujara, Eldest Man, Famous Etawhene, Men’s Leader, and Madam Ekpokpone Tanofor, urged the federal Government to save the

community from looming palpable crisis. Ekpan community which is host to the highest number of oil companies in the state including the Warri Refinery maintained that the looming crisis, if not checked, will affect the nation’s economy. “Ekpan used to be volatile. However, the prevailing peace for the past five years was shattered 3rd July when the Secretary to the State Government, SSS, Ovie Agas, ordered corporate bodies to suspend appointments of CLOs made by the community and replaced same with CLOs whose tenure elapsed 11 June until further notice”, the letter reads. It explained that, “Your Excellency, when we thought we were on path of peace, four companies where old CLOs reappointed by government were posted were invaded by the army/police/thugs to forcefully impose government appointees as CLOs. In the process, Mr. Innocent Abrakata who was carrying out his legitimate duties at DAEWOO firm was arrested. “Other community persons seen around were beaten and harassed. The whereabouts of Mr. Abrakata remains unknown. Moreover, the residence of the Unuevworo (Head) of Ekpan, Chief Newton Agbofodoh (JP)

was also invaded by the police but not found in.” The community recalled that the Delta state government is aware that CLOs in Ekpan run on three years tenure, alleging that the action of the Secretary to the Delta State Government ordering the recall of former CLOs whose tenures have elapsed is provocative.

It however called on President Buhari to “stop using security agencies to chase leaders and innocent citizens in Ekpan, release those arrested, allow the administrative structures in Ekpan to function without interference or go to court to lawfully seek any reasoned redress on the matter,”

jaw leader and President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), Dr. Bello Oboko, has said production quantum should form the basis for ethnic constitution/representation into the Board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Oboko revealed that the Federal Government statutory disbursement of the 13 per cent derivation was aimed at developing oil producing communities/ areas in the state.His position was contained in a release made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta State. The Ijaw leader posited that ongoing efforts to amend DESOPADEC law should reflect oil production quantum while explaining that oil producing community/area extends to five (5) nautical miles from the point of production. Oboko stated that, “rather than vague ethnic nationalities, the DESOPADEC amendment bill should reflect the FG/ former Governor James Ibori’s Delta State Govern-

ment commitment to the oil producing communities for the sustenance of peace”. He further explained that there was need for equity thus the production quantum should be the basis for all DESOPADEC engagements in furtherance of the derivation principle which determined the amount of funds that accrued to Delta State. FNDIC leader advocated a representation profile of Itsekiri two (2) members, Ijaw two (2) members, Urhobo two (2) members, Isoko 1 member and Ndokwa 1 member at the DESOPADEC Board as currently approximately reflective of the production quantum principle. Arguing for upward review of the 50% of the 13% derivation funds to 75%, Oboko said: “the oil producing communities had already by 13% derivation funds been deprived of 87% derivation funds only to be further deprived of 50% of 13% derivation funds in Delta State. This is no longer acceptable. Let the amendment now raise the derivation funds to 75% in keeping with the contemplated increase in the percentage of the funds in the Principal Law”.

Bayelsa State government remembers Ijaw musician, King Robert Ebizimor OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

undreds of music enthusiasts at the weekend thronged the Gabriel Okara Cultural center, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital as the state government through the Ministry of Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, rolled out the drums to honour one of of Ijaw’s finest musicians and ambassador, late King Robert Ebizimor, who died last year. It was an occasion honour and give awards to Ijaw music living legends in the different genre of Ijaw music as the state governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, gave out cash awards to the septuagenarians and octogenarians musicians whose music in the early 70s and 80s added impetus to the Ijaw language and culture. The governor who used

the opportunity to show his old school dancing skill, presented the special awards to the Ijaw musicians in the state, in recognition of their various contributions to the preservation and promotion of Ijaw culture and tradition. The governor said as part of efforts to honour both the living and departed musical icons, his government was determined to establish a studio at the Bayelsa State Musical School, after its inauguration for the purpose of recording all their songs, including that of late Rex Lawson, stating that proceeds from the sale of the albums would be made available to their families. Governor Dickson, who described King Ebizimo as “the most gifted and prolific musician in Ijaw land,” expressed regret that “he was not celebrated enough, while alive and that the Ijaw nation would greatly miss him.” His words: “King Robert

Ebizimo gave us so much music and a lot to celebrate. Between last year and now, if he had been alive, he would have produced more albums so in that sense, we miss him. When the Bayelsa State School of Music is fully equipped and commissioned, my intention is to have all his songs; from the first to the last one before his death recorded. And, I will also direct the gentleman, who will administer the school to get the songs played by late Rex Lawson and others and the studio will wax their songs and sell them from time to time and the proceeds essentially would be given to their families because from generation to generation, we want to preserve their music as part of our heritage.” Accordingly, the Governor designated the 31st of every July as Ijaw Cultural and Musical Day to further project the identity and positive values of the people. Some of the awardees include, Chief Agbeotu

Teinbo, General Alaska, Bestman Doupere, Orutugu Fubara, Skido Ozidi, Simple Boys of Okutukutu and White eagles of Sabagreia. Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo explained that, the event was organized by the government to honour all those who have contributed, through music to the preservation of the language and tradition of the Ijaw people. Dr. Tuodolo, who applauded Governor Dickson for his passion for the Ijaw culture and language, underscored the need to honour people, who have impacted positively on society and served as a role model to the younger generation. Highlight of the event was when the governor with his deputy took to the dancing floor as the musicians dole out their old music tunes which make the capacity filled hall of Gabriel Okara cultural come alive.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Open University’s uninspiring services TEMITOPE OYADOKUN

efore the revitalization of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) by former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2001, under the Vice Chancellorship of Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede, many Nigerians were deprived of formal conventional university education. Some were as a result of the numerous demands of their jobs, while for others it was a function of their general disposition to learning in a confined academic environment. To many working class Nigerians, the birth of NOUN became a staircase to dreamscome-through. Since inception, NOUN annually produces many graduates. As at 2011, students’ enrolment was over 150, 000. But recently, incumbent VC, Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, disclosed in an interview that the university’s student population stood at 308,000. For this current session, new students enrolment was 65, 000 students, and might increase, the VC asserted. If at the point of entry into the university, the average enrolment fee is put at N60, 000 (admittedly fees for courses vary) it is deducible that the university realizes about N390 million from the current students’ enrolment fees alone. For returning students, the fees per semester range from N13, 000 to N23, 000. The internally

generated income capacity of NOUN is awesome. In every financial transaction, the one who parts with money usually has a say. For this case, however, the one who receives (that is NOUN) obviously keeps the gain as well as dictates the say. To start with, a friend of mine had sat for first semester examination and waited patiently for results to be released. After an unexplained and undue delay, only the results to three out of nine courses she sat for were eventually made available. Having overstayed several weeks in waiting without the other six courses released; she decided to call the complaint numbers posted on NOUN’s website. Most of the times, the phones were switched off. The few times they rang during weekdays, they weren’t answered. I equally joined her in dialing the numbers, but it was the same old story. It is the same situation with the e-mail address obtained from the portals on the website. Apart from the ones she sent, I joined her in sending more than 30 mails on different occasions without response. I, therefore, advised her to visit NOUN’s study centre where her matriculation was held in Garki 2, by NURTW, Abuja to formally lodge a complaint. On arrival, she met many others with similar problems and they were all given forms to fill. More than two months when her results were not displayed, she went

IN EVERY FINANCIAL TRANSACTION, THE ONE WHO PARTS WITH MONEY USUALLY HAS A SAY back to the centre only to find those forms still sitting idly on the table where they were left them after filling them. The only explanation to this act of insensitivity by the lady in charge was that ‘we have not sent them yet’ period! I think it is a imperative for students to see their results before registering for another exam. This is to enable them know the courses they passed and/or failed, and thus guide them to know the courses to register for, after all a fee of N1,000 is imposed on each course registered by the students for exam. After exhausting the official communication channels of NOUN, my friend and a host of her colleagues decided to call the counselor introduced to them during matriculation at NOUN’s Abuja office to register their plight. His response depicts that of unprofessionalism, inexperience and sanctimony. Quite obviously, Mr. Kunle knew nothing about the responsibility bequeathed on him as NOUN’s counselor to students. He used arrogance to cover up his ignorance coupled with inefficiency by angrily shouting down the student before ending the call. The only

information they gathered from him was to keep sending mails to the headquarters. If that is an alternative that could be verbally communicated in such strident manners, what is his relevance here in Abuja as a counselor? New and returning students all pay N2, 000 or N2, 500 each (price varies for courses) for course registration after which they are entitled to hard copy course materials. For a student offering 10 courses, he/she pays at least N20, 000 for course materials for that academic session. This is not included in the range of compulsory fee for new students, neither is it in the between N13, 000 and N23, 000 fee for returning students. Quite fraudulent, however, is that the students end up not getting the exact items equivalent to the moneys they paid. It has become a tradition that every session, NOUN would have a list of courses that their course materials are not available for disbursement to the students. I have severally visited study centres in Abuja to see things firsthand. In my judgment, new students bear the brunt most. As Prof Tenebe warms up to bow out as NOUN’s Vice Chancellor, the focus must be on a person of unimpeachable character and a game changer par excellence as a replacement. Not until this is done, some of us will not cease to see NOUN as a huge Joke. Oyadokun, wrote from Abuja.

Obama’s presidential travails IYKE OZEMENA

t is ‘third time around’ for the homeboy! This time, for business: Global Entrepreneurial Summit, Kenya. Besides the scourge and travails of coming from one of the minority races in the land of opportunities, Barrack Obama pursued his dreams to power amidst numerous challenges. There were successes recorded too; but none of them, according to his autobiographical account, was given or thrust on him. He achieved them by dint of hard work and determination that stood firm for success. The tremendous work he did in Chicago attracted support to become the state’s congressman and later a senator. Though he was not the first black senator, but he became the first black senator that became the 44th president of the United States of America in 2009. Commentators on his ascendancy to power always refer to his speech at the California Democrats Convention in 2004 to be the catalyst to the recognition of his capacity and political endowment to lead the party. No other person than the present Secretary of State, John Kerry facilitated the momentum. His citizenship and legitimacy to contest the presidency under US constitution was challenged to the Supreme Court and he won. Also his religious life was called into question, with his Church Pastor Jeremiah Wright castigated, when he was accused of making racial comment. The alleged racial com-

ment adversely influenced many to believe that Obama being a member of his church would be unsuitable to become neutral and unbiased president. However, it was one of the Pastor’s sermons that Obama used with slight adaptation, as title to his best seller book: ‘Audacity of Hope’. Like the late minister and motivational author, Dr Myles Munroe noted, “Success is determined by the opposition a man has encountered and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” The opposition against Obama’s candidacy was almost overwhelming, especially from Republican Party and far right groups. Yet Obama overcame all those odds. Sometimes, negative publicity meant to pull someone down does turn out to be beneficial. Napoleon Hill, that great author of “Think and Grow Rich”, said: “Every adversity, every failure brings with it the seed of even greater benefit”. Obama’s case proved that. When he rose from the ashes of that religious controversy and allegation that he was not a Christian due to his Kenyan family background, mostly non-Christians, he became strong enough to contest the presidency. His election thereafter broke the jinx that the White House was meant for white presidents. His swearing-in was performed twice, which made his presidency unique. When a former White House staff, Sarah Fagen, referred to him as “a lame duck” he looked the other way and went ahead to introduce a new tra-

HIS ELECTION THEREAFTER BROKE THE JINX THAT THE

WHITE HOUSE WAS MEANT FOR WHITE PRESIDENTS dition “Easter Prayer Breakfast” at the White House. Christian leaders across American states gathered in attendance. Obama administration has been stormy and challenging, especially assuming office at the peak of global economic melt-down. Even though he commenced with Democrats majority at the Congress and Representatives, he soon lost them to the Republicans due to midterm elections. He was fortunate to garner enough support to pass the Obamacare Health Insurance meant to extend health care to more ordinary Americans, who could not afford better healthcare than ever before. Since the law came into force he had not slept with his two eyes closed because Republicans have threatened to repeal the law. Litigations towards achieving the repeal commenced more than a year ago and just some weeks ago the president triumphed. But John Borhner, Republican Speaker in spite of the Supreme Court decision in favor of Obamacare , said it is still “aluta continua”. That is not the only success visible on the screen. The first Latina Supreme Court judge in the name of Sonia Soto-

mayor nominated by Obama and confirmed, Congress came with criticisms which were also overcome. His campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where terrorists and dangerous suspects were detained, lingered on into his second term because of much controversy that trailed the decision. Yet he overcame. No less controversial was his nomination of Loretta Lynch as Attorney-General. The criticism and opposition that trailed the nomination manifested in the dilatory atmosphere that pervaded the Congress. As the nomination tarried, it became quite clear that the Congress never liked Mr President’s candidate a bit. As Obama visits Africa the third time, he would be fondly remembered for being the first sitting American president to visit Ethiopia. Besides, his administration has maintained a policy of strengthening and empowering regional and sovereign nations to embrace and practice liberal democracy through training, collaboration and exchange of policies and ideas. Those are the value Africa must take from his visit. Ozemena is of IKechukwu O. Odoemelan & C0, Corporate Attorneys/ Consultants. 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 clearly marked as such.

Editorial

Tuesday, August 4, 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 ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

FRSC and checkmating truck, trailer operators

he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has kick-started a major action code-named ‘Operation Scorpion’ to curtail the excesses of truck and tanker operators; and ensure they obey traffic rules and regulations. The ultimate objective of the initiative is said to be the prevention of fatal road mishaps involving such articulated vehicles nationwide, which are said to be on the high side. Head, Media Relations and Strategy of FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, said the measure initiated by Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal, followed the spate of road crashes involving trailers and trucks; and the chaotic manner they operate on the nation’s highways. Indeed, shortly before his elevation as Aviation Minister by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Oyeyemi’s predecessor, Mr. Osita Chidoka, revealed that 5,157 people lost their lives to road accidents, while 13,251 others sustained various categories of injuries countrywide between 2010 and 2013. Out of the 18,308 accidents reported during the period, 2,119 and 301 deaths were ascribed to tanker and truck drivers’ indiscretions. A casual visit to the Apapa area of Lagos, for instance, would easily amplify the nightmare indiscriminate operations of oil-lifting tankers and haul-

age trucks constitute to Lagos residents. They ensure the axis is perpetually under the grip of traffic gridlock, while common criminals hound road users trapped in the traffic. Two lanes of the road leading into Apapa from the Oshodi-Apapa highway are always rudely blocked either by oil tankers on the queue to load refined petroleum products from tank farms; or freight containers’-bearing trailers heading to Apapa wharf. Added to the predicament has been the spittlelike impact measures taken by the Lagos State Government, especially, have yielded so far in taming the frustrating trend. The story is similar across all major highways and cities in the country. The menace, however, goes beyond the drivers’ penchant for flouting traffic rules and regulations, chaotic parking, and so forth. Their attitude to vehicle maintenance is scarcely anything cheering. They in the process compromise the integrity and roadworthiness of their vehicles and endanger the safety of other road users. A trip through any major highway will reveal the carcasses of countless tankers, trucks and related articulated vehicles littering the road. Many have likewise drawn attention to how the vehicles contribute to the fast deterioration of the nation’s

August 4, 1984 The Republic of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso. Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958 as a selfgoverning colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy, it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960, it attained full independence from France, with Maurice Yameogo as its first President, before the Thomas Sankara-led coup of August 4, 1983.

THE COUNTRY, IN TRUTH, HAS SUFFICIENT EXTANT TRAFFIC LAWS, INCLUDING THE FRSC ACT, TO RESTORE SANITY TO NIGERIAN ROADS AND REDUCE

ROAD CRASH-RELATED MORTALITY largely decrepit highways and accelerate the further depreciation of whatever remains of the country’s valuable infrastructure, such as railings, electricity installations and the structural integrity of most bridges, et cetera. Besides, no mention is made of the impunity of articulated vehicle operators without a look at the reckless lifestyle of most of the drivers, which contribute to their disrespect for traffic laws and their ‘conquering emperor’ treatment of other road users, which lead to fatal accidents. Frequent references are often cited concerning their reckless attachment to huge alcohol consumption, even while driving, frolicking with women of easy virtue at their stop-over points instead of taking enough time to rest before embarking on long journeys, among others.

ON THIS DAY August 4, 1993 A federal judge sentenced Los Angeles’ Police Department officers, Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell, to 30 months in prison for violating motorist Rodney King’s civil rights. Rodney Glen King III (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was an American construction worker who became nationally known after being beaten by Los Angeles police officers following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991.

It is gladdening that the FRSC acknowledged these lapses and has opted to prosecute its ‘Operation Scorpion’ in stages, beginning with education, enlightenment, subtle force and full enforcement. The agency says it has been in full consultation with various transport unions in the country since the beginning of this year, highlighting the need for their members to comply with traffic rules and regulations and forging a collective resolve to ensure safer road environment. Indeed, stemming the tide demands nothing short of the strict enforcement of relevant traffic rules. The road safety agency owes the public the bounden duty of sticking to its own words, that whoever learnt no lesson on the safety messages it preached at the various forums during the advocacy stages must be prepared to bear the consequences of violating traffic rules as it commences full law enforcement. The country, in truth, has sufficient extant traffic laws, including the FRSC Act, to restore sanity to Nigerian roads and reduce road crashrelated mortality. Weak and compromised enforcement, as well as dubious benchmarks for recertifying both vehicles and their users are the cogs in the wheel.

August 4, 2007 United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) ‘Phoenix’ spaceship was launched. Phoenix was a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Programme. Mission scientists used instruments aboard Phoenix to search for environments suitable for microbial life on Mars, etc. The total mission cost was about $386 million, which included the cost of the launch.

Business Tuesday, August 4, 2015

CBN expresses concern over Nigeria’s illicit financial flows ranking 22

Environmentalists set agenda for govt on climate change 25

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Ground collisions: Airlines count losses as experts chart course 31 to avoidance

Stakeholders rev up campaign against Nigeria’s endorsement of EPA

AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES 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

The Economic Partnership Agreement, EPA, is a free trade agreement designed to create free trade area between the EU and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. However, industry stakeholders and trade experts insist that throwing open Nigeria’s borders to an un-inhibited imports between unequal partners will further worsen the nation’s economic situation orchestrated partly by the World Trade Organisation’s, WTO’s, agreement and undermine its current drive toward industrial growth. OLUFEMI ADEOSUN captures the position of experts on the EPA in this analysis.

part from outlawing gay marriage, one of the foreign policy actions undertaken by the immediate past administration with public endorsement was the rejection of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Essentially, the EPA is a free trade agreement that is conceived to create trade area between the EU and the ACP countries in which duties on goods imported and exported between the parties are reduced and eventually re-

moved. However, despite progress made by some regional blocs towards finalising the pact, the erstwhile Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, had in 2014 during the Extra-Ordinary Session of the Conference of Africa Union Ministers of Trade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, summed up the country’s position, noting that it was not in the best economic interest of Africa. He said: “Nigeria’s position on

EPA is very clear. Africa is on the rise. It is very big and strategic market for any trading partner. That is what the EU wants from us but Africa jealously protects what it has. We must not sign an agreement without first of all carrying out a robust economic analysis of the overall impact the agreement will have on the region, our children and future generation. Aganga’s position was also supported by Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN) Bank of

Industry (BOI), National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs) during a two-day conference organized by Africa Today, a London based Pan-African magazine this year. These stakeholders amongst other investors, were unanimous in their rejection of the trade pact, urging President Mohammadu Buhari to sustain his predecessor’s stance on the matter. In September last year at a forum organised by the NANTS to CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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

Business

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Stakeholders rev up campaign against Nigeria’s endorsement of EPA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 appraise the implications of subtle moves by promoted of the agreement, the President, Barrister Ken Ukaoha, particularly commended the minister for taking along the private sector in the EPA discourse, adding that the association applauds his strategic application of technical issues raised by the experts on the EPA as well as his disposition of knowledge that the EPA walks parallel with Nigeria’s development agenda. Ukaoha said: “The Honourable Minister has not hid his opinions that the EPA would distort Nigeria’s industrial development strategy. However, we may further wish to see is a situation where such opinions translate into specific and final positions that would make Nigeria either deciding to sign or withdraw from the EPA and face other economic endeavours. At the Africa Today’s event last week, the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, BOI, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, noted that the proposed trade pact would derail the progress so far made in the development of Small, Medium Enterprises in the country, pointing out that if signed, the EPA would consign Nigeria to a permanent exporter of commodities. Olaoluwa, who took participants along the memory lane, cited the example of United States of America, which in 1791 fought hard to resist economic policies which the British, by then, their colonial master, hoisted on them, pointed out that instead of succumbing to the imperialist economic policies, the US, embarked on measures that were protective of the country’s manufacturing sector. Speaking from the benefit of hindsight on the American experience, the banking expert explained that it would not be in the best national economic interest of Nigeria to sign the EPA. He stated, “Almost every developed country today, developed as a result of protectionist policies. They develop protective barriers in favour of their own indigenous producers and against foreign investors. He clarified: “The EPA which is designed to ensure that Nigeria can throw open her doors and allow a lot of goods to come in may not be in our long term national economic interest. What we are going to end up with is a situation where Nigeria becomes permanent exporters of commodities. And statistics has shown over and over again that no country has ever developed by being an exporter of raw materials. “The only way is to industrialise. EPA as it is currently structured will undermine Nigeria’s quest for industrialization and we will not support it”, Olaoluwa added. On why Nigerian manufacturers have consistently rejected EPA, the President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Dr. Frank Jacobs, noted that although the importance of economic partnerships as tools for economic cooperation and development could not be overemphasized, there was a serious need for caution where such cooperation is on unequal basis. He explained that the EPA agreement, if signed by Nigeria would erode the recent gains in the manufacturing sector, noting that what it required to move from the current 9.2 per cent manufacturing sector contribution to the GDP to a double digit, was a friendlier business environment, not economic policy that would further deplete it.

Olaoluwa

Ukaoha

THE HONOURABLE MINISTER HAS NOT HID HIS OPINIONS THAT

EPA WOULD DISTORT NIGERIA’S THE

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Jacobs

“Nigeria is mainly a commodity-goodsproducer country and would trade same in an EPA free trade arrangement. It has very limited capability to produce and export industrial goods. Most of the industries in the country are undeveloped and are plagued by lack of supportive infrastructure. “The production plans of industry players are constantly distorted by the interplay of macroeconomic variables such as inflation, exchange rate and interest rate variations. EPA, therefore, may appear to be a good course in the document proposal but may be catastrophic if implemented as it will stifle the slowly recovering manufacturing sector in the country. “Nigerian manufacturers are not averse

to free trade cooperation but such should be better done in a situation of equal economic development. Any attempt to coerce the country into a free cooperation will only succeed in killing the fledging manufacturing sector which has just started to recover from a long period of comatose,” he maintained. According to him, what the Nigeria policy maker should be concern about in the immediate course is how to provide the enabling environment that would engender not only the revival of ailing manufacturing industries, but also that which would enhance their competitive edge. On its likely implications on the nation’s economy, he also noted, “EPA will stifle existing manufacturing industries as they will be uncompetitive as cheaper finished products from European countries will flood Nigerian markets. The ECOWAS region, especially Nigeria which is more industrialized, will witness unbridled importation which

will lead to accelerated shut down of the few surviving industries in the region. This will further de-industrialize the region and would have catastrophic implications on employment generation thereby worsening the poverty situation in the country.” Apart from that, Jacobs also emphasized that such trade policy would also jeopadise the various initiatives being made to develop input materials locally because the EU, being the world largest producers of industrial chemicals, steel, just to mention a few, would have more competitive edge. On the way forward, he maintained that the country needed to identify key industries (manufacturing) and apply adequate protectionist measures until they are developed enough to compete effectively in trade, trade more within the ECOWAS region, provide incentives for manufacturers, and develop industrial zones and clusters with requisite infrastructure, amongst others. Sir Ronald Sanders, member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, who was the keynoted speaker, said Nigeria has the obligation to protect its destiny, stressing that responsibility to chart a good cause for the country in the area of economic development, relied mainly with the Nigerian government and its people. Sanders who was involved in the in the EPA negotiation the Caribbean had with the EU, urged Nigeria to look inward and come out with economic policies in tandem with its environment rather than rushing into an agreement that would put it in perpetual underdevelopment. According to him, African continent has a lot of potential and it is time for them to come together to take the advantage of the possibilities this century offers to make progress. In his presentation, the Emeritus Professor of Economic, University of Ibadan, Ademola Oyejide, stated that it took Nigeria a long time to make its position known on the EPA, insisting that it had the opportunity in 2004 to kick against it but chose to play along. He stated that Nigeria got to this stage in the proposed trade agreement because it allegedly refused to carry out relevant stakeholders within the economy and also failed to sensitise other West African countries to alert them to the inherent dangers in the deal. “Nigeria failed to sensitise other West African countries. It also failed to create opportunities for discussion in the process of EPA negotiation and that was a serious minus,” he noted.

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Business News

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

BOI disburses N497m to SMEs in Niger State OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

anaging Director, Bank of Industry (BOI) Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, has disclosed that loan disbursement by the bank to entrepreneurs under its Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Fund (MSME) in Niger State now stood at N497million. Apart from the matching fund, he also added that the bank also disbursed direct loans in excess of N225.0 million to enterprises in the state. Olaoluwa, who spoke while

commissioning the BOI’s Niger State office in Minna last week, stated that the intervention was to enable entrepreneurs harness the potential in the state to industrial scale. He also explained that apart from approving N44million for the deployment of off-grid micro system in Bisanti, a community in the state, the bank had identified SME clusters in areas such as Shea Butter, Yam, Soya Bean, Rice, Sugar Cane, Melon, Fish, Groundnut and Cassava. According him, the deployment of the solar based technology in

the state would help to provide energy need for the industry, particularly the segment that has no access to the national grid. The BOI boss said that the objective of the interventions of the bank in the state was to promote job creation and rapid industrialisation just as he urged the state entrepreneurs to make use of the services of the 23 Business Development Service Providers established in the North Central geopolitical zones for the packaging of bankable business proposals. Giving the update on the MSME fund, which is jointly funded by

the development finance institution and Niger State, Olaoluwa noted that while the bank received 263 loan applications amounting to N2.5 billion, 116 loan applications, amounting to N497.0 million were approved. “In terms of developmental impact, he further noted, “an estimated 615 direct and 683 indirect jobs totaling 1,298 jobs have been created thus far.” Speaking on the economic potential of the state, the financial expert noted that “the most valued assets of Niger State are its fertile land and water resources, being

largely an agrarian state with agricultural products like Shea nut, Soya Bean, Groundnut, Yam, Cassava, Rice, Cotton, Sesame Seed, among others. “The State is also blessed with mineral resources such as Gold, Copper, Iron, Silica, Clay, Marble, Talc, Feldspar, Lead, Kaolin, Cassiterite, Mica and Granite. Niger State therefore has a great potential to support a wide range of agro-processing and other industries that can spur sustainable industrialisation and accelerated Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development.”

Stakeholders decry low investments in gas sector TOLA AKINMUTIMI

L-R: Mr. Shehu Abubakar, Executive Director, Abuja Directorate, Keystone Bank; Mr. J.I.A. Arumemi-Johnson, Chairman, Arik Air; Mr. Philip Ikeazor, Managing Director/CEO, Keystone Bank and Capt. Umar Faruk, Board Member, Arik Air, during a business meeting held at the weekend at the Keystone Bank Head Office in Lagos.

BPE decries non-regulation of health sector ….restates commitment to passage of pending bills TOLA AKINMUTIMI

irector General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki has decried the non-regulation of the health sector in the country which has resulted in high medical pilgrimage abroad by Nigerians. He said it was for that reason that the Federal government was keen on reforming the sector and that a joint preliminary review of the sector legislations begun by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to reform the sector. The BPE boss who disclosed this at the weekend when he received in audience a delegation from Greenpark Worldwide, led by a one-time British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Richard Gozney, was quoted by the Bureau’s Head of Communications,

Alex Okoh, as saying that at present only the medical practitioners were being regulated, leaving out the services and practice thus making the sector open to unqualified operators. Dikki told the visiting team that government was also working on reforming the Sports, Hospitality &Tourism, River Basins, Housing and Road sectors, adding that five bills in the Transport Sector were being reviewed by the government for possible re-representation to the National Assembly for enactment. However, he lamented that unfortunately the bills and three others were not passed before the expiration of the 7th National Assembly and expressed the hope the 8th National Assembly would expeditiously pass the Bills when presented by the executive arm. According to him, once the Bills are passed, other new regulatory agencies would be set up or existing ones restructured.

The passage of the Bills will facilitate private sector investment in infrastructure like railways, roads and inland waters ways and this would require manpower training and capacity building to drive the emerging change Nigerians yearn for. Dikki said the present government had indicated the desire to privatize the country’s refineries and this would require the passage of the correct Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and expressed the optimism that the 8th National Assembly would review the original Bill of 2008, which when passed, would achieve the desired result for the country. On the Sports Sector, the DG said that given the huge population of 160 million Nigerian sports enthusiasts, a lot of potentials abound in the sector which if well harnessed, would be a veritable income earner for the country as is the case in Britain and other countries.

takeholders in the nation’s economy have decried the low level of investment in the natural gas sub sector of the hydrocarbon resources industry despite the nation’s endowment of abundant gas reserves currently estimated at 188 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Participants at a two-day seminar convened by the Post Mortem Sub-Committee of the Federation Account Allocation Committee under the auspices of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC) with the theme, “The Role of Gas in Nigeria’s Economy” noted that the huge non-associated gas reserves held potential for providing more benefits to the economy. Specifically, they listed some of the areas the gas reserves could benefit the economy optimally if properly harnessed as including, domestic use, energy needs of the power sector, promoting value addition in the nation’s petro-

chemical industries and enhancing the use of gas for commercial purposes. According to them, gas can contribute to the Nigerian economy even more than oil if governments’ and other investors’ efforts are concentrated more on domestic gas use rather than exporting, dedicates gas supply to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and petrochemical industries to drive industrial growth improves on the existing gas supply infrastructure and building new ones and maximize the gas to power projects, amongst other areas. The experts listed some of the challenges hampering the efforts to optimize the potential of the abundant gas reserves for national development as underutilization of domestic gas due to the low level of industrialization and the inadequacy of the gas transmission and distribution infrastructure; gas flaring arising from inadequacies in the licensing laws; and dominance of International Oil Companies (IOCs), in the gas sector and poor local participation.

‘Govt should show concern for farmers’ plight’ ABOLAJI ADEBAYO

he Chief Executive Officer of Chimande Seed Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya, has called on the Federal and State Governments as well as other stakeholders of the agric sector to give more support to farmers in order to alleviate their plight and by implication, improve their productivity for national growth. Kibiya made the appeal during a Town Hall Meeting which held in Kano recently over the ravaging effect of Tuta Absoluta- a To-

mato disease. He noted that apart from the Tomato Ebola,- as its being called by farmers in the region, there were quite a number of issues which need to be tackled with urgency. The agro investor listed these as the need to improve productivity, provision of quality seeds and above all access to market. He stressed the need to tackle the issue of accessing quality seeds, adding that the government can wade in by sourcing for high yield variety of seeds and making it available for purchase rather than their unresponsive stance to the plight of farmers.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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CBN expresses concern over Nigeria’s illicit financial flows ranking

Nigeria’s market holds promises for returns on investments –Travel expert

TOLA AKINMUTIMI

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the weekend expressed serious concern over the recent ranking Nigeria as one of the 10 largest countries for illicit financial flows globally. This is as it expressed plans to increase vigilance to ensure that Nigerian banks are not used as conduits for illicit fund flow, money laundering, and terrorism financing both in Nigeria and around the world especially in foreign currencies. The Apex bank in a statement based on report by the Global Financial Integrity Group, signed by the Director, Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu, noted that although it did not have an independent confirmation of the assertion, the report estimated that about US$15.7 billion of illicit funds go through its system annually.

…to intensify vigilance

He stated: “In the light of this avoidably negative commentary, we wish to draw the public’s attention to several protocols on illicit fund flows, we note and applaud that in line with global best practice, Nigerian banks have started to curtail the acceptance of foreign currency cash deposits, much the same way as customers in other countries cannot just walk into banks and make foreign currency cash deposits without proper documentation. “We wish to assure all citizens seeking foreign currencies for legitimate personal and/or business interests that there remains ample opportunity to do so within the law. The CBN’s Foreign Exchange Rules have many windows for accessing foreign exchange for legitimate business as well as for personal commitments including payment of medical bills, school fees, mortgages, demand notes and other bills”.

Mu’azu clarified further that Bureaux de Change (BDC) services to small-scale users remained valid as long as such services were aimed at meeting genuine needs, and operators’ documentations to the apex banking institution include the customer’s Bank Verification Number (BVN). “We will also ensure that persons who venture into currency speculation and currency substitution find it unattractive and dangerous. In these efforts, therefore, we seek the continued cooperation of all Nigerians to make this work for the enhancement of our shared progress, rather than the prosperity of a greedy few amongst us”. The CBN restated its support to the Federal Government’s fight against money laundering, corruption, and terrorism financing, adding that it will block all channels that may be used for the purposes.

L-R Berger Paints Plc’s Head, Corporate Services, Mrs. Sola Balogun, Managing Director/CEO, Mr Peter Folikwe, and Chief Executive Officer, SOFUNIX Investments and Communications Limited, Mr Sola Oni, during courtesy visit of SOFUNIX Investment and Communications Limited’s management team to Berger Paints Plc at weekend.

Nigeria’s teledensity stagnates at less than 3% increase ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

ince hitting the 100 percent teledensity mark seven months ago, the teledensity for the mobile telephone subscription has stagnated over the months. The teledensity, which is calculated, based on a national population of 140 million, measures the percentage of a country’s population with access to telephony services as determined by the active subscriber base. According to June mobile subscribers’ data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, the teledensity has not

been able to exceed a five percent growth always hovering between one and two percent. Investigation revealed that before hitting the 100 percent mark, which was established by the former Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, the growth in this sector was revolutionary growing from about 400,000 telephone lines to now 145.5 Million as at April 2015, and improved teledensity from about 0.4 per cent in 2001 to 103.91 in April 2015. However, it was gathered from the latest report that grow has stagnated such that the percent increase difference for the month of May and that of June was 2.43

percent, which less than three percent while that of April and March was 1.10 percent, and less than two percent. The teledensity trend for the months January and February, the months in which the 100 percent mark was achieved witnessed a bizarrely performance as the increase was 1.34 percent, another less than two percent increase. However, before hitting the target 100 percent mark, the teledensity had been on a steady rise so that in 2014, it from 97.60 percent in November to 99.39 percent in December while it went up from 94.42 percent in July to 95.20 percent in August.

ABOLAJI ADEBAYO anaging Director, Jovago.com, an online travel agency, Mr. Marek Zmyslowski, has said that Nigeria represented the most exciting market in Africa due to its size, speed and the growth. Zmyslowski said that apart from business perspective but also from people perspective, the country remained the most vibrant country in terms of human capacity and business acumen in view of size of trading and entrepreneurial activities in some cities, particularly Lagos. According to him, everybody wanted to make money, which made business negotiations quite easy and enjoyable because everybody had the same goal to

make money and build business and grow the economy. Speaking on the viability of the country as a place to do business, Zmyslowski explained that the high rate of technology acceptability in the country and internet revolution in Nigeria hadhelped to boost the economy of the country. He said: “I am in the business of online travel and in online travel, we can clearly see three trends that enforce each other. The first trend is the trend of putting businesses online, every business you can think of sooner or later will be online, mobile traffic and Nigeria is the fastest adopting country in terms of technologies and the amount of mobile traffic is actually the biggest in Africa and of the biggest in the world.

Brand expert tasks agencies on service delivery DAVID AUDU

he need for advertising agencies in Nigeria to improve their creativity while servicing clients was one of the key points addressed during the Association of Advertising Agencies Nigeria, AAAN, lecture held recently. Brand Director, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Dele Anifowoshe, who delivered a paper titled ‘Global Trends and Expectations of the Client’, noted that agencies’ improving their services had become critical as higher level of accountability is demanded from all parties. According to him the client has developed sophisticated ways of measuring value, and therefore the onus rests on the

agency to follow suit. Anifowose challenged agencies on the need to redefine their value proposition in order to focus on commercially driven business building ideas that is supported by well-tailored organizational structure In addition, he tasked agencies to understand that the consumer is critical to agency value added contribution, and therefore investment in market study to unearth the dynamics driving consumer behaviour is critical to meeting client’s expectation. He admitted that while clients recognized the speed at which consumers are evolving, agencies likewise must keep pace and stay ahead, stressing that the explosive growth in data and information have given rise to a more empowered global consumer.

Dana opens 36,000 capacity vehicle assembly plant in Lagos OLUSEGUN KOIKI

ana Motors at the weekend unveiled a new vehicle assembly plant in Lagos in a bid to manufacture cars of different brands in the country. The company said that the opening of plant, Universal Vehicle Assembly Limited, UVAL, was in line with the Federal Government’s policy of vehicle manufacturing in the country. Its Chief Operating Officer, COO, Mr. Gitesh Yagnik, said that the plant was capable of manufacturing 27,000 vehicles annually, but could go up to 36, 000 if the need arose. Yagnik explaind that the plant was constructed in a record 90

days and has since commenced operations in March while no fewer than nine models of the KIA family had already been churned out to the public for sales. According to him, some of the fully tropicalised vehicle brands manufactured to meet the Nigerian and African road condition so far manufactured in the plant are, Rio, Picanto, Cerato and Soul. He said: “No any major challenge so far because in this plant we are developing what we need locally, all the fabrication items are designed here, we give it to our fabricators they fabricate here, even the skills, the trolleys; we do them here, everything is sourced here, so we are trying our best to see that maximum resources are sourced from Nigeria.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Jobs & Career

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N90,000 Minimum Wage: Appraising its feasibility under current economic realities In this analysis, ISAAC ASABOR, takes a critical look at the battle of organised labour in recent years for improved welfare of Nigerian workers and argues that the current demand for N90,000 minimum wage for workers might put employers and organised labour on war path as past experiences had shown over the years.

n the Christendom, any case that

be an exaggeration to say that the lead-

seems impossible to achieve is

ership of the NLC are no doubt putting

usually presented to God with the

their faith to test.

scriptural mindset of “With God, All

Recall that for more than two years

Things Are Possible.”

that the law was passed that the gov-

If the Nigerian Labour Congress,

ernors of almost 20 states blatantly

NLC, were to be a religious body, one

refused to pay the N18,000 minimum

would have said that the N90,000.00

wage. Their collected action no doubt

minimum wage which the leader-

triggered series of labour-related cri-

ship of the Nigerian Labour Congress

sis across the country.

(NLC) is presently proposing to the

However, with the recent proposal

federal government through the Sen-

of N90,000

ate is a case of “With God All Things

ment and Nigeria Employers Consul-

Are Possible.”

tative Association (NECA) as the new

to the Federal Govern-

The reason for the foregoing line of

minimum wage for the workers after

thinking cannot be far-fetched when

five years when the N18,000 minimum

seen from the fact that since the law

wage was vehemently kicked against,

that brought the N18,000 minimum

despite the fact that it is comparatively

wage was passed into law in 2011 that

far lower than the currently proposed

it has remained a source of controver-

N90,000 , it would not be wrong to ask

sy that has pitched state governments

if labour is on a wild goose chase.

against their workers to the extent that more than 20 state governments in the present political dispensation were exposed for being unable to pay the accumulated salaries of civil servant in their pay rolls. Then, one of the reasons given by the state governors for kicking against the payment of the N18,000 minimum

House of Rep Speaker, Dogara

NLC Sec Gen, John Odah

The argumenT was arrived aT on accounT of The dispariTy in The federaTion allocaTion accruing To The differenT sTaTes of The federaTion

wage was that they should be allowed

The organized Labour and Nigerians never had only the state governments and some employers to contend with as long as the issue of the N18,000.00 minimum wagwe was concerned. The decision by the Senate to remove it from the exclusive legislative list and deregulate minimum wage attracted wide condemnation.

to decide what they can pay their work-

others. They argued that there should

the Senate could amend the bill to the

be a uniform payment for all workers

Against the foregoing background,

ers. The argument was arrived at on

National Minimum Wage of N18, 000 as

account of the disparity in the federa-

since there is uniformity of prices of

one can neither be optimistic nor

the least amount of salary that could

pessimistic concerning the proposed

tion allocation accruing to the differ-

commodities across the country.

be paid to the Nigerian worker that is

N90,000 minimum wage which the or-

at the lowest rung of the ladder in any

ganized labour is struggling to gain for

organization.

the entire Nigerian working populace

There is no denying the fact that it

ent states of the federation. Another argument given then was

took many years of struggles between

that the cost of living is more expen-

the state governments, organized la-

As insignificant as N18,000.00 is,

sive in some parts of the country than

bour and Nigerians in general before

when compared to N90,000.00, it won’t

but to wait on the promise that “With God All Things Are Possible.

Continuous education, key to industrial relations mgt – Wabba Isaac asabor

resident of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has said that the importance of education cannot be ignored. He further stressed that the “Nigeria Labour Congress does not toy with the education of the members of its affiliate unions.” Speaking at the opening cer-

emony of the 10th NLC State Level School, he said that “Given the fact we are permanently in the struggle for the emancipation of the working class, there is the dire need for us to continuously train and retrain the members of our officials so that they can be prepared to the every day challenges that arise in the workplace.” Ostensibly to enlighten his audience at the occasion on what NLC state level school is

about, he said “the state level school was a platform where trade union leaders and activists representing worker meet to interrogate themselves, share and draw experiences that help in providing meaningful leadership for their members. He clarified further: “As representatives of the working class in Nigeria who are desirous of defending their rights, there is dire need to be continuously trained, and

retrained in order to be intellectually and psychologically acquainted with the realities of every given situation in the workplace and in the society. “In this digital age, every human engagement needs to be backed up by knowledge. And as trade union leaders and representatives of the working class in Nigeria, we cannot afford not to take education seriously.”, the labour leader added

Wabba

Jobs & Career

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Responsibility for your career development rests on your shoulders

Want to develop a successful career in process improvement? 10 tips on how you can make it happen from Shady El Safty, Quality Manager at General Motors China. (Continued from last week)

he people whose careers seem to grow the fastest follow similar patterns of behavior: they understand competition exists, they recognize the steps they need to succeed, and they understand who is responsible. They take charge of their career and accept full responsibility for their growth. Having lived and worked in different countries, over the years I have often been asked by people about what brought me to a specific country or into a specific job. When I think about my own life and career, there are top 10 tips for career development that I found very

helpful and I would like to share with you. 6. Find a Mentor Develop mentoring relationships, either inside or outside of your company. Recent studies have shown that four out of five promotions are influenced by a mentor higher up in the company. Mentors are also great sources of information and career guidance. The perfect mentor is someone who works well with you and who has the experience and success you seek. 7. Build your Reputation In business, your reputation is the most valuable thing you own. Be known for being dependable, professional, and cooperative. Act and look the part by dressing professionally.

Make a name for yourself by attending conferences, delivering speeches, or writing articles. 8. Stop Telling & Start Selling Learn the fine art of self-promotion. If you have had major accomplishments or created successful programs, make sure people know about it especially those in influential positions who could help you advance professionally. Let it be known that you are seeking a promotion or the next step up in your career. 9. Develop trust People naturally want to surround themselves with people they trust. Developing trust takes time and consistent effort. Trust goes

two ways: you need to behave in such a way that people will trust you will do what you say. And equally important, you need to trust others. 10. Pay Back Think about who you’ve met and how you can help someone else. Do some volunteer work .Explore possible career tracks and build a strong networking base through volunteer activities. Volunteering teaches you about yourself and your world while preparing you for the future and connecting you to your community.

NULGE suspends strike in Kwara

fter embarking on an indefinite strike that lasted for two weeks, more than 20,000 workers in all the 16 local government councils of Kwara state under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) at the weekend decided to suspended the strike. The suspension of the strike was car-

ried out after reaching an agreement with the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, who promised to pay their salaries and allowances. The leadership of the NULGE purposely embarked on the strike to ensure that the bailout funds from the federal government is prudently disbursed to what it is meant for.

Job vacancies

osition – Graduate Trainee (Sales) Guinness Nigeria Plc - We are Guinness Nigeria, member of Diageo Plc the world’s leading premium drinks business with an unrivalled collection of beverage alcohol & nonalcohol brands across the Spirits, Wine & Beer categories. Guinness Nigeria operates a Total Beverage Business (TBB). A key contributor to the success of the GNPLC strategic plan is an effective & flexible field sales force demonstrating industry leadership in both volume driving & brand building activity. We put the customer at the heart of everything we do, and through this, will deliver sustained, mutual growth for our brands, categories, customers and partners. Will you partner with us on this journey? (For details, see wwwjobberman.com) Position - Sales Associate (Abuja & Jos), Nigeria

The incumbent, working very closely with the Sales (C&TM Operations) Manager will be responsible for all aspects of coordination and collaboration with the distributor on the sales and distribution operation and on the trade marketing field force deployment and monitoring. His role is to ensure that distribution and merchandising strategy as well as the KPIs agreed upon with the distributor are being met. He will work closely with the distributor staff in the management and execution of trade and consumer activation programs as well as monitor implementation and competitive activity. (For details, see www.findajobafrica.com) Position – Specialist/ Economist (World Bank) The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight pov-

erty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. The World Bank Group is launching a recruitment drive aimed at increasing the number of Sub Saharan Africans in its work force. This commitment to hire Sub Saharan Africans reflects the Bank Group’s senior leadership commitment for a diverse workforce in which African nationals can play a key role in fighting poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Employment opportunities will be in various technical areas and professional streams for talented and diverse young professionals and mid-career level professionals to contribute and grow their skills in a career in international development. (For details, see wwwjobberman. com)

A group of people using the computer to work

NIMASA’s new DG approves redeployment of directors, others Francis EzEm

he new management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, headed by its acting Director General/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Haruna Jauro, has approved redeployment of some senior management staff in the agency. A statement issued by the new Deputy Director in charge of Public Relations Department, Hajia Lami Tumaka, indicated that the new postings were designed to reposition the agency towards meeting its statutory mandate. She had worked previously in the Planning, Research and Data Management Services and Administration and Personnel Services departments of the agency. Affected by the redeployment exercise is Mr. Ibrahim Jibril, who becomes the Director in charge of Administration and Personnel Services Department. Until the redeployment, he was the Director of Planning Research and Data Management Services Department.

Jubril was at various times head of Human Resources, Public Relations and Maritime Capacity Building Units of the agency. Mr. Felix Nabena now becomes Director in charge of SERVICOM, while Mr. Olayemi Abass takes over as the Head of Financial Services Department. Similarly, Mr. Suleman Abdulsalam is now the Acting Legal Adviser of the agency, while Mr. Mohammed Sani becomes the head of Procurement Department and Hassan el-Yakub assumes headship of the Cabotage Department. Tumaka takes over from Mr. Isichei Osamgbi as Deputy Director/Head of Public Relations, who now assumed a new position as Deputy Director, Maritime Guard Command, while Aisha Musa has been redeployed to head the Western Zone. Others affected by the redeployment are, Mr. Dele Ejekuko, who is now in charge of Zones in the DG’s Office just as Mr. Eric Orji becomes the Acting Registrar of Ships while Mr. Olayemi Abass is now the new head of the Financial Services Department.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Real Estate & Environment

Environmentalists set agenda for govt on climate change As preparation towards this year‘s climate change conference, also known as COP 21 heightens, environmentalists speaks on the expectations of the people, particularly on addressing issues of desertification, gas flaring and other key environmental challenges confronting Nigeria. OLUFEMI ADEOSUN writes.

igeria is one of the 195 countries that will participate in the forthcoming 2015 Paris Climate confer-

ence. Unlike the previous meetings, this year’s event is very significant in that for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, it will strive to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

Lafarge plans to transform construction industry 27

As a prelude, the 19th session of the multilateral climate forum which took place in Warshaw, Poland mandated all parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, to submit their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, INDCs. The document is expected contain policies and programmes that align with the global attempt to reduce the level of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas

emissions. However, even as Nigeria sets to fulfil this international obligation by submitting the document by the end of September next month, environmentalists cautioned that the meeting would not in itself address the looming dangers that climate change represents in the country. According to them, producing beautiful documents has never been a problem in Nigeria; the real issue has been imple-

NEPAD rallies support for renewable energy policy

mentation. While noting that Nigeria has been a part of the negotiating process since UNFCCC entered into force 1994, they contended that it has not had any meaningful impact on the nation’s climate policy. For instance, Mr. Ade Odunayo, an Abuja based environment enthusiast condemned the country’s policy makers for their failure to domesticate some of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Creative bookshelf ideas 28

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Environmentalists set agenda for govt on climate change CONTINUED FROM 25 agreements reached at different international fora. Odunayo said that he was particularly piqued by the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to withhold assent to a bill for the establishment of a National Climate Change Commission despite its being passed by the 6th Assembly. He recalled that he grinned with laughter when the then Minister of Environment Mrs. Hadiza Mailafia listed the establishment of the commission as one of the achievements of Jonathan’s administration in 2011 during COP 17 conference in Durban South Africa. He therefore dubbed Nigeria’s participation in the yearly climate change conference a failure and a waste of precious time and resources. But, the Chief Executive Officer Connected Development (CODE) Hamzat Lawal disagreed with Mr. Odunayo’s submission, stressing that a call for Nigeria withdrawal from the UN backed conference would amount to throwing out the baby with the bath water. According to him, the role of Non Governmental Organisation (NGOs) in the environment sector is to help government achieve its plans and programmes by offering constructive criticisms while chatting a way forward. Speaking on the Nigerians’ expectations from the forthcoming climate change forum, Lawal who stated that COP 21 presents an opportunity to put Nigeria back on mitigation and adaptation pathways, however maintained that Nigeria INDCs submission as required by the UNFCCC should bridge knowledge and information gab with accurate data accessible by policy makers for better informed decisions. He also added that, “Our government

Buhari

Former Minister of Environment, Mallam Laurentia

should explore an avenue to effectively engage Civil Society and Activists to provide technical support during the UNFCCC negotiations to curb excessive travel budget and man power shortage during COPs. The next environment minister would give a positive signal if Nigeria is serious towards climate change.” The environmentalist said that President Mohammadu Buhari’s acceptance and inaugural speeches which specifically stated that the present administration would join in the global fight against climate change and put Nigeria at the forefront in the African continent, presented a glimmer of hope that the nation’s environment was at the verge of a rebirth.

On the agenda for the meeting, he stated, “We should aim at having a Presidential Committee or Task Force that would bring and unite key stakeholders, most especially the private sector and businesses, not forgetting the important role of the media to amplify climate education and drive behavioural changes towards a sustainable and green society. We should explore alternative energy sources of energy and invest in renewable energy in Nigeria.” Also commenting on Nigeria participation, a Climatology Prof. Olukayode Oladipo said that unlike in the previous outing, preparation for this conference started early. According to him, apart

from setting up a technical committee to oversee Nigeria’s preparation for the global event, the country is finally putting finishing touches to the INDCs. He said like every parties to the convention, Nigeria would present its INDCs and it would be analysed globally to see whether it could help the world in its effort to bring temperature below 2.0c. On what would be the focus of the world during this year’s outing, Oladipo noted that it is expected that all the parties to the conference would agree to a new climate deal that would enable the world achieve a more stable climate. “Like all parties to the convention, Nigeria will submit its INDCs. The document will be analysed globally to see whether it can help the world to bring temperature to below 2.0c. For Nigeria, the preparation is very good this time around. A technical committee that will oversee Nigeria preparation has already been set up and Nigeria is putting final touches to its INDCs due for submission by September ending.” The renowned Professor however said that while everything had been gotten right this time around to ensure that Nigeria participates fully in the proceedings of the COP 21, the issue of finance might be a constraint to achieving its core objective for the country. For the Michael Simire, environmentalist and Editor-in-chief EnviroNews Nigeria, early arrival is key to the impact the country would make during the meeting as it would enable it participate fully in all the proceedings. In particular, Simire noted that the first week of the conference would be critical; stressing that it is in the course of the week that numerous sensitive issues are addressed and agreements arrived at. According to him, although the Nigerian economy is largely dependent on fossil fuels exploitation such as petroleum, the focus should however be on renewable energy sources, growing our carbon sink and ensuring that proper adaptation strategies are put in place. “We should likewise place priority on cleaning up the Niger Delta and curbing gas flaring/oil spills, “he added.

OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD EXPLORE AN AVENUE TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE

CIVIL SOCIETY AND ACTIVISTS TO

PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT DURING THE UNFCCC

NEGOTIATIONS TO CURB EXCESSIVE TRAVEL BUDGET AND MAN POWER SHORTAGE DURING COPS

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Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Lafarge plans to transform construction industry

MORTGAGE NOTES with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

Email: Nike@MVPSolutionsinc.com Fasanya-Osilaja https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35277333

Gaining access to cheaper mortgage funds

s is usually the case, I was involved in a conversation with a very good friend in the Nigerian Legal sector, who specializes in mortgage and real estate transactions. As is also usually the case, she was not too positive about the possibility of Nigeria making a full transition to a mortgage based real estate sector. She was quite certain that the typical Nigerian homebuyer is still too spooked regarding the idea of owing money on the house they live in, and therefore the number of mortgages funded would probably not support the sector for a long term projection. I responded with the same question I ask anyone with a negative viewpoint of the industry – “Is it enough of a reason for us to then stop trying?” This has become my battle cry for so long, that it is my go to question. Should we be so focused on the possibility of failure that we stop trying to build a sustainable mortgage industry in Nigeria? If we do so, have we not failed simply by our inaction? With the NMRC gaining approval to issue bonds on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, every company should be training hard to ensure access to these low interest funds they will be raising. As of May 72015, I remember being in a workshop and learning that only one company had so far submitted a request to sell some of their MBS files to the NMRC. If approved, the loan file would be sold at a discount to NMRC, and the bank would then receive funds that they reinjection into their mortgage pool of funds. This is what keeps the market vibrant in most of the developed mortgage markets, and the Nigerian industry should definitely strive to achieve this. Once a mortgage company has raised an initial fund base for mortgage loans, all that would be needed would be for the company to learn to originate NMRC compliant loans. The company would then simply sell the loans to the NMRC and recapitalize, in order to give out more mortgages. This would ensure that the company stays liquid, remove the burden of the long term loan portfolio, and generate much faster and easier profits. The only caveat is

that the companies would need to be very conversant with the said rules, and with how to package a loan in compliance with NMRC guidelines, and this involves a pretty intensive training process. Our company, MV Professional Solutions, Inc. is involved in the training of mortgage company staff in Nigeria, and I have found a very disturbing common thread. There is a huge void in the area of mortgage training that actually meets Fannie Mae as required by the IFC/NMRC, Freddie Mac or any other international guidelines. The problem is compounded by the additional burden of having to meet Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as well as the National Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC) guidelines. The good news is that all of these bodies have several overlapping guidelines. The bad news is that pretty much every mortgage company in Nigeria has its own independent proprietary mortgage system for everything from software to loan underwriting processes, and this is a huge hindrance to the standardization of the industry. In our opinion, this is definitely an issue that CBN / NMRC have to address and as soon as possible, to enable document and process compliance. One of the most unusual practices of the industry is the diversification/progression from giving consumers the mortgage loans directly, to the building and development of estates for sale to their clients. This practice actually seems to move mortgage companies closer to becoming building societies. I have been reliably informed by a top CBN officer however, that CBN will not allow this practice to continue, and that there will soon be a directive barring mortgage companies from building such estates, and limiting them to the provision of finance for mortgages. Training the mortgage officers to effect this change should be a priority, and should be happening right now, because there will need to be a total shift in their mindsets to embrace the new directive. So, as our MVPS team heads

from Chicago, Illinois to Port Harcourt, Nigeria in the very near future to train a 250+ employee mortgage company, we are determined that at the end of the one week training period, the company must be able to immediately start generating NMRC compliant loans, as well as drastically improving the quality of their loan packages. I look forward to the challenge, and will be back with you upon my return. As always, make it an awesome day. Please post any comments and/or questions, and I look forward to hearing from yo u. The authorities of Lead City University, Ibadan, have once again displayed its resolve to promote staff’s welfare with the unveiling of an ‘Owner Occupying Housing Scheme’ for members of its workforce. The university last Wednesday commissioned 72 flats housing estate located about 200 meters to the main campus of the institution at a ceremony coordinated by the Chancellor of the university, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola and the Chairman, Governing Council, Prof. Jide Owoeye. Ogunmola, who in his address congratulated the first xxxxx batch of beneficiaries among the members of staff and also presented them with keys to the flats, describing the scheme as a good development meant to facilitate their settling down for better service delivery,. He said, “This has shown the genuine concern of the management for your welfare and that is why the payment for the flats is structured in a manner that would be convenient for you”. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olufemi Onabajo, said the scheme which is in tandem with the institution’s policies of ensuring good welfare package for its staff, is in its first phase, assuring that more people would benefit when the project reached its final stage.

ABOUT THE WRITER Fasanya-Osilaja a lawyer and mortgage expert has owned and operated Marvel Ventures Mortgage, Inc. (www.marvelmortgage.com), a Chicagobased Mortgage Brokerage Company since 2000 and has worked in the US Mortgage industry since 1996. She also consults and facilitates industryrequired activities, from set up of mortgage organisations to documentation, training and compliance.

marting out of its merger with a French company, Holcim, Lafarge Africa Plc said, it is ready to transform global construction industry. Managing Director of WNT Capitas, Investor Relations Conferences Consulting firm for the group, Mr Abimbola Agboluaje, who announced the merger in a press statement in Lagos, said its business will continue to be known as Lafarge Africa Plc. According to Agboluaje, the vision is to be most trusted and preferred partner of construction professionals as well as home builders by delivering concrete, aggregates and other building solutions that are environmentally sustainable while being available nationwide at affordable costs. Agboluaje said, ‘’LafargeHolcim is located in 90 countries, including 73 emerging markets, spread across the five continents. The company has over 2, 500 operations and 115,000 employees, including 1, 100

Research and Development experts. LafargeHolcim is set to transform the global construction industry’’. Lafarge as one of the leading building Solutions Company in Africa is a member of the group, formed this year as a result of the successful merger between two global cement giants. With the world’s biggest materials testing laboratory, LafargeHolcim is the most advanced building materials company in the world, offering an unprecedented range of products and services to answer the changing demands of the construction industry as well as challenges of increasing urbanization. It is also an industry leader in terms of innovation, sales and manufacturing capacity and jointly chaired by Wolfgang Reitzle, the former Board Chairman of Holcim and Bruno Lafront, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge while Eric Olsen is the Chief Executive Officer.

Ekiti dredges waterways, canals to avert flooding ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

he present administration in Ekiti State has dredged over 32 kilometers of water ways and river channels in Ado-Ekiti to avert flooding in the capital city. The Commissioner for Environment, Hon Bisi Kolawole, said that dredging works had been extended beyond the state capital and assured that government would not exclude any flood prone area in the state from the exercise. The commissioner, who spoke in Ado Ekiti while hosting members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, said that the gesture was part of government efforts to prevent flooding in some flood prone areas usually affected by perennial flooding. He listed rivers and water ways that have been dredged to include Ofin Stream and its tributaries (8,200m), Odo AyoBawa (4,000m), Basiri (3,200m), NTA/Orubaloye/Omisanjana (1,500m), Adere/Omisanjana/ Water ways (5,200m), Christ Girls School, Dalimore/Akeju (8,450m) and Emirin/Poly

(1,800m). Kolawole said that work had begun on the dredging of waterways in Ilawe in Ekiti West Council, assuring that dredging of Diamond Bank/Awedele Waterways would soon begin to forestall avoidable flooding of the new market. He, however, advised residents of the state to avoid dumping refuse in the water ways as such acts led to blockage of the water ways and the attendant flooding of the area. The commissioner said that the proposed House-to-House Waste Collection billed to begin soon would assist in keeping the state clean and as well boost revenue generation as the people would be expected to pay a token for the disposal of their refuse. Earlier, the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon Dele Fajemilehin, had called for more focus on forest regeneration and the tackling of environment degradation. The lawmaker said that his committee’s visit was to familiarize it with the activities of the Ministry as part of its oversight functions.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Source: www.decoist.com

NEPAD rallies support for renewable energy policy OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

ew Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD, has urged the federal government to sustain renewable energy policy. Speaking during the Energy for All national workshop in Abuja, the acting Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, Gregory Iyogun underscore a national action plan for sustainable energy, describing it as very imperative for the development of the country. He disclosed that NEPAD alongside principal players such as ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, ECREEE, the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN, and various ministries, including power, environment, science and technology as well as consultants, were working towards producing a corporate

world class document that would serve as a road map to delivering on the energy for all policy. Iyogun noted that with the actors in place, the country would no doubt develop a workable policy that would provide a solid foundation upon which economic development could be built. He said: “NEPAD is a coordinator of all the agencies, instead of people going differently, NEPAD is able to bring the actors under one umbrella and the focus is for Nigeria to be better off. “We believe that when we get it right in the energy sector, we will get it right in Nigeria. It is NEPAD’s objective to reduce poverty and promote the economic development of Nigeria,” Iyogun added. The lead Consultant, Prof Ken Ife had lamented that only 40 percent of the total population of about 160 million Nigerians have access to any form of energy in the country.

According to him, Sustainable Energy for All, an initiative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, was concerned to ensure that by the year 2030, an estimated population of 250 million Nigerians should have access to some form of energy. Also, it is expected that the renewable energy in the nation’s energy mix would double and also increase the energy in the system by providing pathways to invest on all alternative mechanisms to reduce energy leakages and waste to increase access. “We are trying to have a corporate world class unified national document, that goes out to the world that this is Nigeria and this is our programme on how we see ourselves complying and delivering on the energy for all policy. The chronic shortage of power in Nigeria has gone beyond story, we are driving this programme by driving the action to the private sector let people see how they can

invest in power. Until we get to that point where people see how they can make money they will never invest,” Ife added. The director renewable and rural power access department of the ministry of power, Engr. Abayomi Adebisi, also disclosed that the needed transformation in the energy sector was dependent on the guarantee of returns on investment. “It is only here in Nigeria people seeing energy as charity; smaller countries are getting it right. Nigeria is so positioned; we have all the resources so all plans must be carried out properly to ensure we get it right. “The problem is not technology or funding, they are available. The fear of investors is how to get their money back and once investors know return of their investment is guaranteed, the power sector will experience a turn around,” he maintained.

Completed Benin-Ondo road

Cost of housing caus

ganda’s headline inflation rose to 5.4 percent year-on-year in July from 4.9 percent the previous month, after costs of housing and energy increased, the statistics office said on Friday. Policymakers, who have been concerned about inflationary pressures after the shilling weakened sharply against the dollar, raised the bench-

mark earlie Co food, also cent Stati On inflat cline

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Real Estate & Environment

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Energy efficiency will accelerate economic growth –World Bank SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

es inflation in Uganda –Statistics

k lending rate by 150 basis points er this month. ore inflation, which excludes metered water and fuel prices, rose to 5.4 percent from 4.9 perin June, the Uganda Bureau of stics said. n a monthly basis, the headline tion rose by 0.4 percent from a dee of 0.9 percent in June.

Electricity, fuel and utilities inflation went up by 4.5 percent from a rise of 0.2 percent in June. “Increase in prices was recorded for clothing, footwear, rent charges, cement, charcoal, firewood, petrol, diesel and kerosene,” the bureau said. Food inflation fell during the month mainly due to a decline in the prices of vegetables and fruits.

orld Bank has said integration of efficiency into energy access projects would encourage wide-use of quality energy efficient products while subsidizing energy tariffs. According to the world’s apex financial institution, “The more energy efficient lighting source, coupled with easy-to-use solar kits, the more reliable periods of electricity supply at a much lower cost”. This, it said, meant that about 18.5 million consumers in some countries have been able to adopt to power their homes. The programme also serves as an example of factoring energy efficiency considerations into development projects, which can accelerate efforts to make modern energy services available to those who need it most. World Bank’s new report entitled “EA+EE: Enhancing the World Bank’s Energy Access Investments through Energy Efficiency,” identifies the difference between energy ef-

ficiency and energy access. The report, which examined eight recent World Bank energy access projects, also recommended ways in which energy efficiency measures can amplify the impacts of future projects, aimed at achieving universal energy access. Such boost could be critical to achieving Sustainable Energy for All’s, SE4All, objective of making reliable and affordable electricity available to everyone globally by the year 2030. Currently, about 1.1 billion people globally do not have access to electricity. This puts them at a significant economic and social disadvantage. Lack of electricity means children cannot study at home, productive hours for adults are cut short and women and children often cannot go out independently at night, where there are no street lights. Technology like solar home systems, small wind turbine systems and renewable mini- and

micro-grids can help change the situation. On supply side, greater energy efficiency means more electricity to deliver to a larger number of households as well as businesses. Besides being considerably more energy efficient than traditional fuels, it is also one of the best ways to take electricity supply to people, who are not serviced by traditional grid supply. Such “off-grid” solutions can be cost-effective and reliable and serve as an intermediate solution for those waiting for grid-based electricity supply. The report also recommends ways for the World Bank to maximize the impact of future energy access projects. They include making energy efficiency a cornerstone of projects, communicating the benefits of the nexus between energy efficiency and energy access as well as setting tangible project indicators and targets to help countries procure more energy efficient products.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Office apartments cost rises in Saudi Arabia A

nnual office take up in key Saudi Arabian cities is continuing to rise, but higher demand is offset by new office completions, according to the latest report into the country’s commercial property market. In Riyadh and Jeddah in the 12 months to June 2015 this resulted in vacancy rates remaining broadly stable over the same period and rents were also unchanged in the two cities. The analysis from international real estate firm Knight Frank also shows that in the first half of 2015 Grade A and B office rental values in the capital stood at SAR1, 300 and SAR900 per square metre per annum, respectively. Meanwhile, Grade A at

SAR1,200 per square metre per annum and Grade B at SAR700 per square metre per annum rents in Jeddah were also flat. In Eastern Province, demand for office space was flat in the 12 months to June 2015 and the report points out that there is little to indicate that demand will rise in the near term, suggesting that the completion of new office projects will exert upward pressure on vacancy rates. However, with landlords in the market largely insensitive to changing supply demand dynamics, it is suggests it is difficult to see rents budging from their current levels of SAR1, 050 for Grade A offices and SAR700 for Grade B offices. The report says that the current supply of Grade A and

Grade B office stock in Riyadh stands at 3.5 million square meters, the majority of which is concentrated in the central and northern parts of the city. ‘Due to current dynamics we do not expect the market as a whole to see increased vacancy rates or a reduction in achievable rental rates as demand for quality commercial spaces that are well located and benefit from good floor plates will remain strong in the short to medium term,’ it adds. Supply of office space in Jeddah currently stands at 820,000 square meters with over 100,000 square meters of office supply due to be added to the market in the short term. As a result of construction delays, the first half of the year saw few comple-

tions which resulted in market wide vacancy rates remaining stable at 10%. Total stock is expected to exceed 1 million square meters in the medium term as new supply comes online and the report says that the second half of the year will see additional supply coming from a number of small to medium sized projects. ‘Due to the historic lack of Grade A stock in the market, we see robust demand for good quality offerings in the short to medium term as tenants look to upgrade to better quality premises and the non-oil economy continues to show healthy growth,’ the report adds. Whilst the Eastern Province does not benefit from a welldefined CBD, supply looks set to

grow with a number of projects under construction due to be released to the market between the fourth quarter of 2015 and the second quarter of 2016, the report explains. Knight Frank expects the Eastern Province to continue to be dominated by Grade B stock, leaving it some way behind the more established markets of Riyadh and Jeddah. ‘As a result of future stock coming to the market, we expect vacancy rates to tick up by the end of this year,’ it adds. Rental rates in the Eastern Province have remained flat throughout the first half of 2015, a trend the firm expects will continue in the short term as new stock counteracts any future increase in demand.

Scotland hikes property prices

verage property prices in Scotland increased by 3.5 percent to £167,765 in the second quarter of this year compared to the previous year, according to the latest data from the Registers of Scotland. It means that the average price of a home is now at its highest for this quarter since Registers of Scotland began compiling quarterly statistics in 2003. The highest rise was 10.1% recorded in West Dunbartonshire, taking the average price to £120,822, while Edinburgh recorded the highest average at £237,286, a rise of 4.4% compared with the same quarter the previous year. The largest percentage fall in price was in East Renfrewshire, with a drop of 7% taking the average price to £216,565. Sales of property across Scotland increased by of 1.6% on the same quarter the previous year, the highest volume of sales for this quarter since 2008. Glasgow saw the biggest rise in the number of sales with an increase of 17.6% compared to the same period in the previous year. This increase brought Glasgow above Edinburgh in

terms of volume with 3,035 residential house sales compared to 3,002 in Edinburgh. This is the first time that the volumes of Glasgow sales have exceeded those in Edinburgh since quarter four of 2012. Aberdeenshire sae the biggest decrease in the number of sales with a fall of 18% as in Aberdeenshire, and the total value of sales across Scotland increased by 5.1% compared to the previous year to over £4.14 billion, the highest value of sales for this quarter since 2008. Edinburgh was the largest market with sales of over £712 million for the quarter, an increase of 6.4% on the previous year. West Dunbartonshire recorded the highest increase in value with sales of over £45 million, an increase of 27% compared with the same quarter last year. In terms of type, flats showed the biggest increase in average house price in this quarter, up 4.7% to £133,790. Semi-detached properties also showed an increase of 1.8% on the previous year. Meanwhile detached and terraced properties saw decreases in average house prices of 0.2% and 0.3% respectively.

UK property

Private rental prices up 2.5% in UK

rivate rental prices paid by tenants in Britain increased by 2.5 percent, according to latest data from the Office of National Statistics. There were regional variations and a breakdown of the figures shows that rental prices grew by 2.5 percent in England, 2.1% in Scotland and 0.8 percent in Wales. Rental prices increased in all the English regions over the year to June 2015, with rental prices increasing the most in London at 3.8 percent, followed by the East at 2.6% and the South East at 2.5 percent.

Since the beginning of 2012, English rental prices have shown annual increases ranging between 1.4% and 3.0% year on year. Excluding London, England showed an increase of 1.7% for the same period It is the biggest annual increase in average rents since January 2013 and according to Steve Bolton, founder of Platinum Property Partners, it is due to a shortage of suitable properties, coupled with strong consumer demand He explained that demand for rental properties is coming from

people priced out of the housing market and those who find renting better suits their lifestyle and this has set rental prices on an upwards trajectory. ‘This rise in rents isn’t likely to slow down any time soon, particularly as landlords now face a number of increasing costs. The prospect of an interest rate rise, together with the cap on mortgage interest tax relief introduced in the Budget, could pressure some landlords to increase their rents as they look to regain some of their profits,’ said Bolton.

remained stiff last month, as low inventories in many markets reduced choices and pushed prices above some buyers’ comfort level,’ he explained. ‘The demand is there for more sales, but the determining factor will be whether or not some of these buyers decide to hold off even longer until supply improves

and price growth slows,’ he added. According to Yun, existing home sales are up considerably compared to a year ago despite the share of first time buyers only modestly improving and he said the reason is that the boost in sales is mostly coming from pentup sellers realizing their equity gains from recent years.

Latest data shows home sales in US dips

fter five consecutive months of increases, pending home sales in the United States slipped in June but remained near May’s level, which was the highest in over nine years, the latest data shows. Modest gains in the Northeast and West were offset by larger declines in the Midwest and South,

according to the pending home sales index (PHSI) from the National Association of Realtors, NAR, The index, a forward looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 1.8% to 110.3 in June but is still 8.2% above June 2014 when it was 101.9. Despite last month’s decline, the index is the third

highest reading of 2015 and has now increased year on year for 10 consecutive months. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said that although pending sales decreased in June, the overall trend in recent months supports a solid pace of home sales this summer. ‘Competition for existing houses on the market

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Aviation

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Ground collisions: Airlines count losses as experts chart course to avoidance The recent on ground collisions of aircraft in the Nigerian aviation industry have started to raise aviation stakeholders’ serious concerns about the issue of air travel safety and why such incidents should be avoided in view of their implications for the growth of the industry. OLUSEGUN KOIKI reports.

ver the past weeks, two major on ground incidents involving airplanes occurred at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos, causing substantial damages to the affected aircraft and loss of huge revenues to their operators. The first of such incident was an Emirates aircraft, Boeing 777-200 with the flight number EK782 to Dubai with over 300 passengers onboard. The aircraft was taxing to the takeoff point at the local wing before its hand wingtip made a contact with the tail of a Hak Air aircraft parked at the apron of the airport. Both aircraft involved in the incident had substantial damage and source close to the scene of the incident confided in our correspondent that the incident might have occurred due to the closure of the international runway, 18Left, which had safety issue as at the time while there was already a Notice To Airmen, NOTAM, by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN to all operators. The Regional Manager, Emirates West Africa, Mr. Manoj Nair, said that the incident occurred when the aircraft was taxiing for departure while the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, said it was investigating the cause of the incident. Less than two weeks later, another disaster was again averted at the airport with two aircraft belonging to FirstNation colliding at the same airport. One of the aircraft, Airbus 319 with about 130 onboard passengers was taxiing from the runway to Murtala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2, to disengage passengers while the other aircraft, another A319 was preparing to take off to Port Harcourt Airport from the same terminal. The management of the airline blamed FAAN’s marshaller that handled the aircraft, saying that he misdirected the pilot. FirstNation Airways management stressed that if the marshaller had been well-trained, he would have carried out its job more diligently while the accident would have been avoided. The airline alleged that the marshallers at MMA2 were deployed by FAAN under a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, the operator of MMA2. The airline stated: “This incident is avoidable if FAAN marshallers had been diligent to avoid marshalling the aircraft wrongly. “We urge FAAN to retrain the marshallers as we understand that the marshallers at MMA2 are deployed by FAAN under an MOU with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, the operator of MMA2, Ikeja. It is important to emphasise that at no time was the safety of passengers at risk.” Apart from the on ground incidents, the past month also recorded series of incidents, which among them was the Aero Contractors aircraft, a Boeing 737 with the registration

FirstNation Airways aircraft incident at Lagos Airport

AviAtion goes beyond pAssengers Airlifting, but About sAfety. government hAs not done Anything in the pAst 10 yeArs to protect the sector. sAfety recommendAtions Are not shAred to operAtors.

out of 150 sAfety recommendAtions, only 30 hAve been implemented by ncAA in the pAst few yeArs number NG127 that had a burst tyre on takeoff from the same airport. Aero management in a statement however stated that the pilot of the aircraft did the right thing by not aborting the flight, stressing that he controlled the airplane into the “air and following all trained procedures, he brought the plane back to a safe landing,” adding that “at no time during all of these were the passengers lives at any risk.” However the recent incidents in the nation’s aviation industry is already causing discomfort in the Ministry of Aviation as the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Binta Bello less than two weeks ago summoned all the Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, to Abuja for questioning. A source close to the meeting told our correspondent that Bello feared that the recent incidents if not quickly nipped in the bud may result to an avoidable accident and charged all the respective agencies to improve safety to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, recommended standards or face the government sanction. Besides, most times, when these incidents occur, the airline operators are left to suck their wounds while the agency responsible for such incidents looks the other way or blame the pilots for such occurrence.

Several thousands of dollars are spent by the operators to effect repairs on their aircraft, which most said is having a big toll on their already depreciating finances and operations. Expectedly, stakeholders and professionals in the sector are worried about the huge amount of money expended on repair of damaged parts as a result of on ground incidents in the nation’s airports of aircraft by airline operators. Those spoken to argued that any agency or companies responsible for on ground incident to aircraft should be responsible for any amount of money spent to carry out repairs on such aircraft through their insurance companies. Stakeholders also adduced reasons for continuous on ground incidents in the sector. Aviation analyst, Mr. Chris Innocent accused the aviation agencies of not doing enough to ensure the safety of aircraft at the airports. He said that the airlines had been solely responsible for the repair of any damaged engines or parts of their aircraft due to bird strike or on ground incidents. Innocent insisted that most of the incidents were avoidable if the respective agencies or companies in the sector carried out their jobs

professionally and to ICAO recommended standards and practices, but decried the attitudes of organisations especially government agencies to such incidents. He said, “The cost associated with ground incidents is enormous and this includes direct repair cost, indirect cost (insurance premium) and lost revenue opportunities while the damaged aircraft is out of service.” Also speaking at a seminar in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Century Securities, Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu(rtd), stated that paramount in global aviation industry was about safety and security, which he said had been neglected in the country’s aviation sector. He warned that the recent incidents may be a buildup to an accident if not immediately tackled by the respective agencies especially the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. Besides, he emphasized that most of the incidents or accidents continued due to the inability of the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, to publish to the public and operators in the sector its safety recommendations. He said, “Aviation goes beyond passengers airlifting, but about safety. Government has not done anything in the past 10 years to protect the sector. Safety recommendations are not shared to operators. Out of 150 safety recommendations, only 30 have been implemented by NCAA in the past few years.” The President, Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, AFARN, Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma, condemned the poor illumination of the apron, which according to him must have contributed the collisions that occurred recently at the Lagos Airport. He wondered why some critical aspects of the airport were not well illuminated by FAAN, maintaining that the two on ground collisions that had happened in recent times were avoidable if FAAN was up to its task. He also blamed NCAA for not carrying out its oversight functions properly especially as it concerns agencies in the sector.

NCAA DG, Capt. Muhtar Usman

Aviation

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

AIB has technical capacity to handle investigations – Spokesman StorieS: oluSegun KoiKi

he Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, has confirmed that the Bureau had enough technical staff to handle incident and accident investigations in the industry. The spokesman of the bureau, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi told our correspondent that the agency was ready to investigate any incident or accident in the sector, stressing that it had always carried out its duties with high professionalism. He dismissed a report that it only had five technical staff for incident and accident investigations, saying that apart from those the management took over from the former Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, AIPB, in 2007, it had also trained several other personnel in various aviation colleges to enable it cope with the current challenges in the sector. He also hinted that the new employees recruited to boost the technical department and meet its succession plan were currently on training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, saying that manpower capacity building is a continuous exercise in the agency.

Oketunbi disclosed that as presently composed, it had about 14 technical staff, both contract and regular staff who were enough for the sector at the moment. He noted that both regular and contract staff were full time workers of AIB producing accident reports that had been receiving commendation from within and outside the country over the years and assured that it would continue to discharge its duties with utmost professionalism it deserves. He said: “AIB at inception in 2007 inherited from AIPB few staff, majority of who were without aviation background. To bridge the gap, experienced aviation experts, including pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and weather specialists were quickly recruited while the staff without aviation background were sent to NCAT, Zaria for sound professional training. “All technical staff were thereafter sent to Cranfield University in United Kingdom to be trained as professional accident investigators putting them on same footing with their counterparts in other parts of the world. The ‘five regular techni-

ne of the leading foreign carriers in the country, Air France/KLM has appointed a Nollywood actor, Mr. Kunle Afolayan, as its brand Ambassador, thereby becoming the first Nigerian to be so named by the airline. Speaking at the signing of the agreement recently at its office in Lagos, the Commercial Director, Air France/KLM, Mr. Arthur Dieffenthaler said that Afolayan was chosen because of his integrity, quality of works, cultural development and his relevance to giving Nigerians and movie lovers pleasure through his work. He said that Air France/ KLM as an airline valued what Afolayan stood for, stressing that through the airline’s operations; it had been able to connect people around the world with ease. Dieffenthaler explained that

Airside shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Accidents: Time for NCAA, AIB to be proactive

Oketunbi

cal staff’ have since been receiving several trainings that can positioned them to be Accident Investigator In Charge, IIC. “The new staff recruited to boost the technical department and meet our succession plan have been put on training at NCAT, Zaria. This is a medium/long term plan. Recruiting staff is a continuous exercise in AIB. The bureau may further recruit certain categories of experienced aviation professionals to further boost the technical department and prepare us for the future exit of the contract staff.”

Air France/KLM appoints Kunle Afolayan brand ambassador one of the plans of the airline was to develop the arts and travel industries in the country and hoped that its relationship with Afolayan would further make this a reality. He said: “Some months ago, our team met with Kunel Afolayan and his team and since then, there has been connection between the two parties, which has further metamorphosed into this agreement we are signing today.” The airline’s General Manager, Jean-Raoul Tauzin, said that the airline was very proud of its brand ambassador who he believed would further promote the airline in the country and beyond. Commenting, Afolayan thanked the airline for choosing him as its brand ambassador and promised to represent the airline wherever he went. He said that Air France-KLM had over the years been promot-

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ing the film industry in the country and beyond, assuring that he would be a good brand ambassador for the airline. “I’m a filmmaker who is very conscious of brands. In the past 10 years, my organization, Golden Effective Pictures, have released to the public high quality films, which are rich in terms of culture and uniting people. “I am sure that our partnership will propel the industry forward. I see a lot of possibilities with this partnership and I want to announce to you that the airline would be our official carrier in the new film that we are packaging at the moment”, Afolayan enthused.

irside and other stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry are not comfortable with the recent incidents, which enveloped the airline sub-sector. More still needed to be done to take the entire industry to a level it truly deserves to be. Airside insists the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, have a lot to do to prevent the sector returning to the era of gnashing of teeth and apathy due to needless accidents that have claimed hundreds of lives. The accident of Dana Air of June 3, 2012 is sill fresh in the psyche of many. Stakeholders at several forums have regularly accused the NCAA of not carrying out its oversight functions as it used to do in the past due to several reasons. Some claimed that NCAA

has inadequate professionals to properly carry out checks on the airlines while others alleged that some of the inspectors now show less enthusiasm to their job. Also, some stakeholders and professionals are also reproving AIB of not publishing to the public numerous safety recommendations of incidents and that it is not monitoring the affected airlines or companies if its recommendations are followed to the letter. Airside appeals to the two agencies to carry out their duties professionally, help grow the sector to enviable position and ensure that the recent incidents do not translate to accident in the future. The Nigerian aviation industry can’t cope with another crash. Someone should please be proactive and safe our sector from calamity.

Need to checkmate trucks drivers’ menace in Lagos airport

he man-hour loss and havoc fuel tankers and other articulated vehicles are causing daily on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is second to none in Nigeria. In fact, in the past three months, several millions of naira and lives have been lost to accidents, courtesy fuel tankers. But, regrettably, the ugly tankers are finding their way into the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Lagos with their snake queue on the airport road. When they are not over-speeding, they cause gridlock on the road due to mechanical faults. Although, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria,

FAAN, some few years ago relocated the fuel tankers; aviation fuel and Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from the airport road, but within a twinkle of an eye, the drivers returned to their old spot. Just last week, a Jet A1 tanker belonging to a private firm tumbled on the airport road and almost caused irreplaceable havoc to users of the road and companies close to the scene of the accident, but the quick intervention of fire fighters from FAAN and Lagos State Government put the situation under control. Airside advises FAAN to initiate major restrictions on these vehicles before they cause serious havocs on our highways.

Kenya announces $290m loss

enya Airways has announced its biggest ever annual loss. It has partly blamed the $290m (£188m) shortfall on a decline in Kenya’s tourism sector. This is as the airline seeks the sum of $200m loan to help it through the difficult period. The airline stated that it incurred the massive loss due to competition and travel advisories warning about terror threats in certain areas by some governments across the world. Finance Director of the airline, Mr. Alex Mbugua told investors that the airline had been hit by competition from Gulf carriers, adding that competition from within the conti-

nent was also a factor, with Ethiopian Airlines becoming a major regional rival. Losses were forecast, but these were “much worse that they were expected to be”, African Aerospace magazine editor Alan Peaford said. Tourism numbers are down because of the attacks in Kenya by Somalia-based militants al-Shabab, he added, but Kenya Airways has also been late in responding to the challenge of Ethiopian Airlines. Kenya Airways moved to upgrade its aeroplanes ordering its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners in 2013, some two years after Ethiopian Airlines. But, the timing was unfortunate as it coincided with the tourism slump

and the “growth of the fleet was not matched by revenue growth,” the airline’s Mr Mbuga acknowledged. As a state-owned company Ethiopian Airlines does not publicly declare its profits or losses, making it hard to draw a financial comparison between the two airlines. Kenya Airways has also been hit by insuring itself against fuel price rises at exactly the time when prices have been falling. The airline is now looking for a $200m loan to help it through this period. In June, the United Kingdom Government lifted its warning against travelling to part of Kenya’s coast, including Mombasa.

Insurance

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

We eliminated ghost pensioners from payroll – PTAD boss iSaac aSaBor

he Director-General of The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, Nellie Mayshak, has disclosed that no fewer than 132,000 pensioners that cut across parastatals, agencies and the Police were currently collecting pension allowances from the federal government. Mayshk, who gave the hint at a two-day seminar in Abuja, said there was a discrepancy between the list of 18,000 pensioners which the body originally received in the first instance and the 15,000 discovered upon verification exercises carried out across the states. She said if the discovery was not made that the Pension Directorate would have continued paying pensions to non existing 3,000 pensioners, adding that with the discovery that the Directorate has saved the Federal

Government more than N100 million monthly. She said her agency was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to ensure that the fraud is detected and prevented. To this end, she urged pensioners to submit their details to PTAD in order to enhance appropriate documentation. She added that the essence of the workshop was to sensitize concerned pensioners on what they are expected to do to pave the way for seamless access of their entitlements. She said PTAD was handling the payrolls of 132,000 pensioners who retired from various parastatals, agencies and the police. The population of the pensioners is composed of 104,000 pensioners

Mayshak

from the civil service, 13,000 from the parastatals and 15,000 from the police. She said the pensioners were earlier sensitized through their unions, radio commercials, newspaper advertisements and SMS cautioning them not to offer bribe to anyone before their files could be processed.

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Insurer must cover oil firm’s Hurricane Katrina cleanup – Appeal Court

federal appeals court has upheld a $22.5 million jury award to an energy company in a dispute with its surplus lines insurer. According to last Thursday’s ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans in Cox Operating L.L.C. v. St. Paul Surplus Lines insurance Co., Dallas-based Cox Operating L.L.C, which. operated oil and gas production facilities in Eloi Bay and Quarantine Bay off the coast of Louisiana, had $1 million in primary pollution cleanup coverage with St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Co, a unit of Hartford, Connecticut-based Travelers Cos. Inc., and another $20 million in excess coverage. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the facilities, throwing wreckage into the bays and causing oil to escape from the wells and from damaged equipment and pipes, according to the ruling. Cox complied with various federal statutes and regulations and spent millions of dollars cleaning up the

oil contamination and removing wreckage from the bay, according to the ruling. After Cox submitted its claims, St. Paul paid $1,480,395, which included the policy limit of $1 million under the primary policy and $480,395 under the excess policy, but refused to pay more, stating it was not liable for the rest of Cox’s claim. Cox field suit against St. Paul, and after a five-week trial, a jury in U.S. District Court in Houston awarded Cox, among other amounts, $9.5 million in damages for breach of the excess policy and $13.1 million in penalty interest. St. Paul appealed, and a threejudge panel of the 5th Circuit ruled unanimously in Cox’s favor. Among other issues, the appeals court agreed with the District Court that St. Paul’s denial of Cox’s claim constituted a waiver of the one-year reporting requirement under the excess policy. (Source - Businessinsurance. com)

Injury suffered in pre-employment test is compensable By Stephanie GoldBerG

re-employment testing of job applicants can prevent workers compensation claims down the line, but an employee who gets injured while undergoing the test may well be due comp benefits. Pre-employment tests are a way to make sure applicants can safely perform essential functions of a job before they’re put to work, sources said. Many employers utilize the cost-containment strategy, particularly those with workers in positions that require heavy lifting or have extreme physical requirements, said Trish Ennis, Denver-based senior loss control consultant at Holmes Murphy & Associates. Driving and agility tests also

are common in industries such as trucking. In a decision last week in Averitt Express Inc. v. Kevin Collins, the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled that the knee injury Mr. Collins suffered during a pre-employment driving and agility test for the Cookeville, Tennesseebased company is compensable. Pre-employment testing injuries are “exceedingly rare,” Dr. Fred Kohanna, Woburn, Massachusetts-based corporate medical director of occupational health services firm AllOne Health Group Inc., said in an email. After applying for a truck driver position with Averitt in 2012, Mr. Collins received

a letter offering him a job that was contingent on him passing a road test, court records show. The letter also welcomed him to Averitt and called him a “member of our team.” Mr. Collins, however, failed the road test, leading the company to rescind the job offer when he reported for orientation the next day, according to records. He said he had injured his knee while attempting to enter and exit the truck trailer during the test and filed a claim for workers comp. An administrative law judge with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission and, later, the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled that under an “implied contract of hire,” Mr. Collins was entitled

to benefits as an Averitt employee. Typically, an applicant’s employment is conditional on being able to perform the essential job functions with or without accommodation, Dr. Kohanna said. Mr. Collins, however, received compensation — in the form of $238.68 for mileage and a $75 per diem — from the company, Dr. Kohanna said in citing the Mississippi court’s split decision. To prevent pre-employment screening injuries and subsequent workers comp claims, employers should work closely with the facility administering the test to make sure precautions are taken, Ms. Ennis said. The person administering the test should “do a good preassessment with the employee before throwing them into the

heavy lifting piece,” Ms. Ennis said. “If they question whether the employee can do it, they should have the ability to call off the exam.” In addition, “it’s prudent to ask during the exam” if anything hurts or if an applicant feels discomfort to make sure he or she “isn’t overdoing it in an attempt to get a job,” she said. In addition, Dr. Kohanna said applicants should be asked to “review the required elements of the functional assessment to make certain they are comfortable performing it. A consent form with a release of liability for the company is then typically signed by the applicant.” (Source - Businessinsurance. com)

Insurance

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Shareholders chide regulators over imposed fines on insurance firms StorieS: iSaac aSabor

hareholders in the insurance sector of the economy have expressed their disgust over what they termed unjustified fines imposed by regulatory authorities on operating companies, seeking a reversal of the sanctions regime. Shareholders of Cornerstone Insurance Plc, who were not happy over the exorbitant fines, were also dissatisfied with the extant regulation on the deadline for submission of annual accounts and financial reports and the huge amount deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), as statutory deposit by insurance firms. The shareholders who expressed their dissatisfaction during the company’s 23rd Annual General Meeting, AGM, in Lagos recently, described the regulatory institutions as “heartless and inconsiderate institutions”, and urged them to return the monies so far collected from various insurance companies to them. The shareholders said it was unjustified for the regulatory bodies to be collecting such huge amounts of money without realizing that they belong to shareholders who are mostly retirees that are struggling to survive in the face

NSE DG, Oscar Onyema

of prevailing harsh economy. They lamented that about N128 million fine had been paid by the company to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and other regulators in the sector as a result of the company’s regulatory guidelines offences, urging the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) to table the issue of excessive fines of operating companies before the National Assembly. One of the shareholders, Mr. Akinsanya Solomon, bemoaned the incessant rate

Commissioner for Insurance, Muhammed Kari

at which fines were imposed on insurance companies and paid by them and lamented that it was becoming unbearable. He said that almost all insurance companies in the country had been found wanting and consequently made to pay one fine or the other. He further said that the regulatory role of the Financial Reporting Council in ensuring that operating firms are kept in the system is becoming very un-

comfortable. Most of the shareholders of the company argued that the issue of statutory deposit lying idle with unappreciable interest rate is unprofitable. They argued that the deposit when given back to the depositors, which unarguably lies idle with CBN, could be re-invested in other areas of businesses that would attract commensurate interest rates. It would be recalled that NAICOM as the insurance industry regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, have raked in millions of naira from erring firms that failed to meet the various deadlines given them. Some of the outstanding deadlines are that of the National Insurance Commission which states that firms which fail to meet the deadline of submitting their duly audited financial statements and annual returns would be penalized, and that of the Security and Exchange Commission and Nigerian Stock Exchange which also have one role or the other to play in the insurance industry. Most insurance companies were last year made to pay millions of naira as penalties for failing to meet the deadlines given for the submission of their accounts.

…as Kari becomes Commissioner for Insurance

resident Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend approved the appointment of Mohammed Kari as the new Commissioner for Insurance. A statement by the Assitant Director, Corporate Affairs of the National Insurance Commission, Mr. Rasaaq Salami, indicated that the former Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, had handed over to Kari. Prior to his appointment, Kari was the Deputy Commissioner Technical, in

Kari

the Commission. The new appointee is a Chartered Insurance Practitioner with over 35 years cognate experience in private and public sectors. Kari started his career with Royal Exchange Assurance Nigeria, Kano Branch, in 1979 after completing a Diploma In Insurance program. Two years later he proceeded to the Caledonian University Glasgow, Scotland to study; on full time basis; the Associateship of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII). On return in 1984 he joined Yankari Insurance Company where he worked until 1989, when he was appointed as an Executive Director in Niger Insurance Plc. In January 1992 he was appointed to the position of Managing Director/Chief Executive of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, a position he held until March 1993 when he was assigned to take over the Chief Executiveship at NICON Insurance Corporation, a leading company in the financial sector and the Insurance industry. He served in that capacity until January 2000 when he resigned his appointment to set-up Arit Solutions Limited. He returned to Insurance management in 2007 as the Managing Director/Chief Executive of UnityKapital Assurance Plc, after consulting in the acquisition and merger of the three companies that form the entity (UnityKapital Assurance Plc.)

He had since completed his four year tenure and resigned back to full time consulting. On professional level, he has been exposed to various roles in West Africa Insurance Companies Association (WAICA) (Member, President and Chairman of Council for two consecutive terms), United Nation Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): Financial services Committee (Vice Chairman for two consecutive sessions), African Insurance Organisation (AIO)(Governing Council Member), Council of the Bureaux of the ECOWAS Brown card scheme (Member, Chairman two consecutive sessions), Nigeria Insurers Association(NIA)(Governing Council Member), Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria(CIIN) ( Governing Council Member), and many

more. In September 2001, he proceeded to the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK to undertake a MBA program. He has since graduated with a Masters Degree in Information Management. This is further enhanced by the obtainment of Professional Certification from the Learning Tree Centre in the United Kingdom for IT Management. Kari started and run Arit Solutions Ltd; Information and Communication Solutions company and was the Lead Consultant in Arit Consult Ltd, Insurance, IT and Management Consultancy. He was a member of the Nigerian Vision 2010, a member of the 20:2020 Committee and a recipient of the much-coveted African Insurance Organisation’s gold medal for excellence

Law Union & Rock appoints Olaonipekun as Acting CFO

aw Union & Rock Insurance Plc has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange of the appointment of the current Head Financing Reporting and Budget, Mr. Tunde Olaonipekun, as the Acting Chief Finance

Officer effective from October 8, this year. The announcement was sequel to the decision of its Chief Finance Officer, Mr Olusola Fowora, to quit the position on health grounds from the date.

Olanipekun’s appointment was reported to have been approved by the Board of the company. He will act in that capacity pending the appointment of a substantive Chief Finance Officer.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Money

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Naira devaluation hampering MFBs’ loan recovery drive – Experts Udo onyeka

he current devaluation and fluctuation in the price of the Naira against dollar is posing a great challenge to Microfinance Banks, MfBs, in fulfilling their financial obligations and also recoup their loans. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had earlier devalued the Naira in its bid rescue the country’s currency, while also mitigating the full effect of the fall in the price of oil, in the international market, on the nation’s economy. Currently, the Naira is 197 against a dollar in the interbank market, while it is trading as high as N230 against a dollar in the black market. This development, however, has led the sudden rise in the prices of both imported and locally produced goods. National Mirror was told that the customers of microfinance banks are now using more money to buy the same quantity of goods they sell before, which makes them run at a loss and a situation that has affecting their ability to meet loan obligations, pleading for more time from their respective MfBs to repay. It was also gathered that the rate of savings in micro finance banks have reduced since the beginning of the year, as customers have to withdraw more to meet their immediate and business needs, while many who previously save, have little or nothing to save.

CBN Gov, Emefiele

Access Bank MD, Herbert Wigwe

On the other hand, since Microfinance Banks loans are a recycling fund, the inability of debtors to repay their debts is impeding the financial muscle of the banks to grant further loans. According to Executive Director, Parkway Microfinance Bank, Mr. Lanre Shotunde, this development, coupled with the national elections, that preceded the change in government, has slowed down activities in the sub sector. “For instance, imagine somebody trading with N100, 000 and the price of goods has gotten so high. Under this scenario, he is still trading the same quantity, but the

value has increased. So, he is looking for more money. If he can’t get, what it means is that the quantity of goods he sells would reduce and that business may eventually begin to record a losses.” Shotunde said some people saving in microfinance banks, including, his bank, are now, withdrawing their money in exchange for dollars to hedge against Naira price fluctuation. “Meanwhile, a lot of people that are saving with us are now withdrawing their money in exchange for dollars so that they can hedge against Naira price fluctuation. If you have your money in dollars, dollar is

Ecobank partners MoneyGram on money transfer service

cobank Nigeria said it has commenced MoneyGram Outbound Money Transfer Service. The newly launched ‘MoneyGram Naija Sends’ service allows Nigerians to send money abroad through any of about 500 branches of Ecobank Nigeria, while the funds are received in the specified currency in the receiving country. According to the bank, a customer, who wishes to use the service, would pay the naira equivalent (plus applicable charges) to Ecobank as an agent of MoneyGram for the foreign currency that would be paid to the specified beneficiary in the destination country. The initiative is in line with the recent introduction of the revised guidelines for International Money Transfer Services by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, which

allows provision of Outbound Money Transfer services in Nigeria. Speaking during the partnership agreement signing event in Lagos, a statement quoted the Executive Vice President, Business Development and Global Product, MoneyGram, Alexander Hoffman, to have said the partnership between MoneyGram and Ecobank on the Outbound Service platform was set to further ameliorate difficulties associated with sending funds outside the country. “The MoneyGram Outbound Service is a platform for easy interaction between families and friends. Over the last two decades, MoneyGram has facilitated over 15 million transactions in Nigeria, enabling safe, convenient and reliable receipt and transfer of funds from the Nigerians in Diaspora to their

loved ones. “As Africa’s largest economy, with over 10 million migrants, Nigeria is truly deserving of this unique partnership that offers the opportunity for citizens and residents to send money abroad to their loved ones,” she added. Continuing, Hoffman stated, “Ecobank is a very competitive brand and we at MoneyGram are proud to partner with the fantastic Ecobank family to further entrench our service culture of effective service delivery to ensure connectivity, sustainability and customer delight.” In the same vein, Executive Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Kingsley Umadia, said the service opens a new vista of opportunity for Nigerians to easily connect with other Africans and also connect with other parts of the world.

constant, Naira is being devalued. So, they can always edge against fluctuation.” This, he said, leads to a mismatch between savings and loans of micro banks, adding that, ‘importers are now trying to hold their money in dollars, against fluctuations. Others who have no option than to trade with Naira now have less money to trade with and less ability to repay loans.’ The debtors, he pointed out, are equally looking for more money because the value of what they used to trade has increased, yet the quantity of goods they trade in, has not increase. He said the CBN are making frantic efforts to defend the naira, but noting that we need a long term approach to manage the economy just like the developed economies. “What we need to do to put the economy on a strong footing as it is done in developed climes is to put in place a long term strategic policies. Some countries had envisaged that one day, the price of oil will drop, leading most of them having buffers. “Over time, they have made provisions; they have enough savings to cushion the effect of that price fall when it occurs. For us in Nigeria, we are just hoping it won’t happen and now it has happened. For us to now go into our savings basket and see what we can do, there is nothing there. So, we have to take ad hoc solutions, but it is not mainly going to help, because we are import-driven. The only solution is focus on export and generate more forex,” he said.

Banks reject dollar deposits to curb forex speculation

igeria’s commercial lenders have stopped accepting cash deposits in dollars, in a move to discourage speculation on the naira currency, two banks said on Friday. “Banks no longer accept dollar cash due to large speculation on the currency,” the chief executive of First City Monument Bank, Ladi Balogun, told a conference call. Lenders will continue to receive dollar transfers from other banks, he said. His comments were confirmed by another Nigerian lender, which asked not to be identified. “We are constrained due to the current influx of foreign exchange cash deposits we have been receiving in recent times, and the lack of available forex cash

outlets, to stop receiving forex cash deposits,” that bank told Reuters. Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele last week said the naira, which has lost around 15 percent against the dollar over the past year, with an official devaluation in November and a de facto one in February, was “appropriately priced” at its current level of 197 to the dollar on the interbank market. The naira has weakened on the parallel market, falling as low as 242, on persistent dollar shortages after the central bank last month limited importers’ access to dollars, in order to save its reserves. Early this month, the central bank fixed the spread at which bureaux de change operators can sell dollars to individu-

als, and has also limited the amount bank customers can spend using their debits cards abroad. Although the restrictions have angered investors and frustrated companies that need dollars for imports, Emefiele has rejected the idea of loosening the curbs, saying the central bank could not adopt an “indeterminate policy” of currency depreciation. Global ratings agency Standards & Poor’s has said Nigeria will have to devalue its currency at some stage, possibly by more than 15 percent, though it saw the adjustments as likely to be gradual. FCMB’s Balogun said the parallel market was beginning to see a reversal in the naira’s weakness as banks stopped taking dollars deposits.

Global Business

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Swiss central bank records 50bn francs loss

he soaring value of the Swiss franc against the euro has led Switzerland’s central bank to report a first half loss of 50bn francs (£33bn). The bank, which is owned by the Swiss federal government, said the loss could affect its ability to pay a dividend this year. Those dividends are traditionally used to pay for public services. Switzerland shocked markets in January when it abandoned its four-year currency peg to the euro. The move saw the Swiss franc skyrocket in value as investors piled into the currency over fears of a renewed eurozone debt crisis despite the imminent onset of quantitative easing by the European Central Bank (ECB). The continued strength of the Swiss franc is hurting exports from the country which are down 2.6 per cent this year. The tourism industry has also reported fewer visitors and retailers are also struggling.

The first-half loss was almost entirely - 47.2bn francs the result of losses on foreign exchange positions, which occurred in the weeks that immediately follow the bank’s decision to remove the currency peg against the euro. Since ending the 1.20 francs per euro cap, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has intervened in the currency market by buying euros to weaken the franc, which currently hovers at around 1.06 francs per euro. The bank, which also has several private shareholders, warned that its full-year results would rely heavily on developments in the gold, foreign exchange and broader financial markets. “Strong fluctuations are therefore to be expected, and only provisional conclusions are possible as regards the annual result,” the central bank said in a statement. The SNB said euro-denominated assets made up 42 per

Obama

the broadest measure of labor costs, edged up 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, the Labor Department said. That was the smallest gain since the series started in the second quarter of 1982 and followed a 0.7 per cent rise in the first quarter. The weakness in compensation was concentrated in sales, information and wholesale trade, occupations where workers are likely to receive incentive pay. Commissions and bonuses helped lift worker compensation at the start of the year. Excluding commissions, compensation was up 0.6 per cent in both the first and second quarters, according to TD Securities. Economists had forecast the employment cost index, widely viewed by policymakers and economists as one of the better measures of labor market slack, rising 0.6 per cent in the second quarter. At 5.3 per cent, the unemployment rate is close to the 5.0 per cent to 5.2 per cent range that most Fed officials consider consistent with full employment. That tightening of the labor market, which is expected to eventually translate into faster wage growth, has helped to hold consumer sentiment at lofty levels over the past eight months. In a separate report, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index slipped to 93.1 in July from 96.1 in June. Still, the index was up 13.8 per cent compared to July of last year.

BA owner IAG reports rise in quarterly profits

ritish Airways (BA) owner International Airlines Group (IAG) has reported a big jump in quarterly profits. IAG reported a 25 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to 449 million euro (£315m) for the three months to 30 June. Chief executive Willie Walsh told the BBC’s Today programme the results “reflect the underlying strength of the airlines”. IAG is in the process of buying Irish carrier Aer Lingus. The group is still waiting for Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas approval from stakeholder RyJordan anair, which Mr Walsh is conficent of its investment portfolio dent they will receive. at the end of June, unchanged “What Ryanair has said is that from the end of March, and 32 per cent was held in US dollars, also unchanged. Peter Hegglin, the head of Switzerland’s 26 canton finance directors, said he was “not going to assume” that the first half loss would mean the SNB would not be paying a full year dividend, suggesting the bank could still reverse its fortunes.

U.S. wage growth brakes in secondquarter; consumer sentiment slips .S. labor costs in the second quarter recorded their smallest increase in 33 years as workers earned less in commissions and bonuses, in what appeared to be a temporary wage growth setback against the backdrop of diminishing labor market slack. The surprisingly smaller rise reported by the Labor Department on Friday did little to temper expectations that the Federal Reserve is set to raise interest rates later this year. The job market is fast approaching full employment. “Labor market fundamentals are improving, job openings are at record highs, and slack on a steady downtrend. This is precisely how the Fed will interpret this report, even if the numbers here are atrocious,” said Eric Green, chief economist at TD Securities in New York. The Employment Cost Index,

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Households expected their incomes to rise over the next two years, in sharp contrast with another confidence survey published earlier this week that had suggested a deterioration in consumers’ perceptions of the labor market. “On balance, the Michigan survey suggests that consumer sentiment remains broadly stable,” said Jesse Hurwitz, an economist at Barclays in New York. Stocks on Wall Street were marginally higher, while the dollar fell against a basket of currencies. Prices for longer-dated U.S. Treasury debt rose. In the second quarter, wages and salaries, which account for 70 per cent of employment costs, rose 0.2 per cent. That was also the smallest increase on record and followed a 0.7 per cent increase in the first quarter. Private sector compensation failed to rise for the first time on record. Compensation in the services sector nudged up 0.1 per cent in the second quarter after rising 0.6 per cent in the prior period. Compensation in the goods producing sector rose a solid 0.7 per cent after increasing 0.5 per cent in the first quarter. “If we took this as a sign of things to come in the labor market, we might have to rethink the timing and pace of Fed rate hikes. However, this report seems to be out of tune with other indicators and anecdotal evidence,” said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.

they do intend to sell us their stake,” he said. Mr Walsh also said the weakening euro had an impact on the company’s results in the first half of the year: “We continue to take cost out of the business, with both employee and supplier unit costs down at constant currency, and improvements in productivity levels,” said Mr Walsh. The company said that at current fuel prices and exchange rates, IAG’s outlook remains unchanged. Since the formation of IAG through the merger of BA and Iberia in 2011, Iberia has been undergoing a massive restructuring programme, with jobs and salaries being cut.

BA aircraft

Goldman agrees to pay $270 million to settle lawsuit – Source

oldman Sachs Group Inc has tentatively agreed to pay about $270 million to settle a lawsuit by investors, according to a source familiar with the matter. Pension funds led by NECAIBEW Health & Welfare Fund of Illinois accused the bank of misleading investors about the risks associated with mortgage securities offerings. NECA-IBEW, an electrical workers’ pension fund, owned some mortgage-backed certificates underwritten by Goldman. Goldman and its rivals have faced many lawsuits by investors seeking to recoup losses on mortgage securities. The investors typically have

David Lehman

claimed they were misled about the risks relating to the underlying home loans, most of which were made before or as the U.S. housing slump took hold in 2007. A spokesman for Goldman Sachs declined to comment and attorneys for the fund did not immediately return calls for comment. Also on Friday, Goldman Sachs was among a group of banks that received court approval for a $235 million settlement related to mortgage securities reached in February, according to a court filing. Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs and UBS AG agreed to pay $235 million to settle U.S. litigation accusing them of concealing the risks of mortgage securities sold by the former Residential Capital LLC before the global financial crisis. Led by the New Jersey Carpenters Health Fund, the investors accused the banks of misleading them in registration statements and prospectuses about the quality of mortgage loans backing the securities they helped underwrite in 2006 and 2007. The bank is still awaiting potential settlements with government authorities. On July 16, Goldman disclosed it set aside $1.45 billion for mortgagerelated legal costs and regulatory matters.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Capital Market

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E-dividend ‘ll restore investors’ confidence in market – SEC DG The Director General of Securities SEC, Mounir Gwarzo speaks on the efforts to integrate West Africa markets, reduce unclaimed dividends and the need for Bank Verification Numbers during an interactive session with journalists after the Capital Market Committee, CMC’s, meeting in Lagos. JOHNSON OKANLAWON captures his views. How is the Nigerian market positioned for the integration of the West African market given the fact that we are a major player in the region? The West Africa Regulators Association, WASRA is supposed to provide that support for the integration of the market. We think the West African market ought to be more than where it is now and with the work the West African Capital Market Integration Council, WACMIC, has done so far, we have a committee within the SEC, NSE and other stakeholders and they are looking at the issue of rules, regulation and recapitalization. I am sure, by the time they finish, we will be able to have a working document. WASRA has come to work and we are ready to support WACMIC to see that that integration within the West African Region is quite successful. What will you say are some of your achievements so far of the capital market Master Plan? One of the achievements is what we are seeing here now with the launch of the e-dividend platform. It is part of the initiatives in the master plan. Another thing is that we are doing our best to reduce the transaction cost in the market. In the last four or five months, some of these initiatives have reached advanced levels. Our target is to conclude our initiatives for the year by the end of this year. We are engaging a consultant for transaction cost analysis and one of the things they will do is to interface with the various stakeholders and address any pending issue. By the end of this year, we should have concluded on that. The issue of direct cash settlement has been lingering in the market and all of us have agreed that we need to start implementing it; whereby a client buys shares and those shares are sold, rather than the proceeds being paid to the stockbrokers account, it will be paid directly into the client’s account. This, we think, is very good and will make people to come back to the market. With what we are doing with the Bank Verification Number, BVN, portal all the Know Your Customer, KYC we are doing, it will be very easy for the customers to be known. These are some of the initiatives of the master plan and we expect the direct cash settlement to be concluded by the end of this year. So, I believe, we are on course and we have done more than what we are expected. What is happening with collective investment scheme? Has it fully taken off or not? We are still on it. Any application that is submitted to us and has met our minimum requirement will be approved. We have not put any ban on the approval of Chattered Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS. Anyone that has not been approved, maybe that application has not met our minimum requirement. Are you disturbed by the performance of the capital market or not? Yes, we are not happy, but we have to bear in mind that that is how the stock market operates. In China few days ago, the market dropped by about 13 per cent; so, it is something that sometimes will go up and come down. But the beauty of it is that if you look at the fundamentals on some of these companies, they are good. It is a trend that the market is familiar with where sometimes it does well and at other times it does not do well. But our focus at the SEC and the NSE and other stakeholders is to continually engage and bring the domestic investors back to the market as we think they are very critical in lifting the market and that is why we are going into this public enlightenment programme, the e-dividends and other initiatives. We think those initiatives will be able to bring back the domestic investors. The market is well regulated and operators are following a

more than what it is doing now.

SEC DG, Gwazo

The issue of direcT cash seTTlemenT has been lingering in The markeT and all of us have agreed ThaT we need To sTarT implemenTing iT strong regulation regime and we are putting in strong processes to make sure the operators are fitting in strong and proper. Markets go up and down, what is more important is the fundamentals in the market. What is the SEC doing on the issue of unclaimed dividends? There is a provision of the law that the SEC has been implementing; it says where dividend is stale for a period of 15 months, it should be reverted back to the companies. We have directed the registrars to comply with that and about 80 per cent of them have complied. The people that have not complied have written to us with cogent reasons and sought for an extension and we have given them. At the end of that extension, all of them must comply with the law. The law says after 15 months, dividend must be returned back to the company and it also says that after 12 years, it becomes status bar and as at today, that is the law and that is what we are operating with. What is the position of the SEC on demutualization? We have come up with very robust rules on demutualization and we had a lot of engagements with the market in coming up with the rules. It is now at the doorsteps of the NSE. We have told them that any assistance they want in terms of advocacy we are ready to assist them. They have a council committee on demutualization and I am sure they are working on it. What is the position of the capital market institute? What the Nigeria Capital Market Institute, NCMI, is doing largely now is to run training programmes, we did not want to go into the bigger ticket because our intention is massively restructure the NCMI in terms of infrastructure and in terms of man power. We have engaged a consultant to look at the issues and by the time that work is completed, NCMI will certainly do

What resulted in removing the zonal offices if the initial position for setting them up is to get closer to the people, have you achieved that aim now or what do you intend doing going forward? There was a lot of work that was done that made us come to the conclusion to close those zonal offices. They have been in existence for like 10-20 years and we did a stock taking. Basically, what they do is public enlightenment and secondly attends to complaints. Now with our lunching of the complaints management framework, where issues at the primary level will go through the trade groups, we now realized that those zonal offices might not have enough work to do. We believe our public enlightenment will be focused mainly on radio, television and newspapers rather than on one-on- one in the zonal offices. For those two issues they were handling, we think our new focus for handling those issues will be better and therefore some of these zonal offices might not do those things maximally. Our intention is also to fortify the other zonal offices such that Port Harcourt should be fortified to be able to interface and go to Onitsha and other places around that zone, same with Kano to cover entire northwest. Rather than spending scarce resources on several offices, it is better we concentrate in one area in terms of the quality of man power and we think we will do better. What is the state of the investor protection fund? We have the Investor Protection Fund, IPF, funded solely by the SEC. We have not paid anybody in the past couple of years because it is a very labourous process. First and foremost, if you find an operator who is registered to perform the function of broker/dealer and he goes out and does fund management, as far as we are concerned, that fund management aspect has nothing to do with the SEC. But if he is registered as a fund manager and goes out to do fund management and in the process he defrauds people, we believe the SEC has right to come in to protect those investors. But if we register you for a particular role and you go and do something else, there is a limit to what the SEC can do. If we say we are going to be tackling those issues, we will exhaust the entire funds in no time. If someone comes to you and says that he has lost money, we need to verify that he invested and there is a clear document that his money was collected before we approve that. The rules also mandate that the maximum anybody can collect is N200, 000 and there is also a provision that that sum collected is just a stop gap measure. If you invested N1m and the SEC gives N200, 000, we will go after that operator and if we are able to recover money, we will pay the balance and also collect the N200, 000 the SEC has given. On recapitalization what is the position of the SEC and how prepared are we? This market strives on integrity, our word is our bond. We have agreed that September 30, 2015 is our deadline on recapitalization. The SEC is not going to move the date, that date is sacrosanct and we have told the market that we will not change. We have told them all the options that we have, those that want to step down from their functions we have told them to do so in good time so that we can move on. There is a committee working towards that, there are teething issues that will come up but in about two or three weeks, they will likely have an idea of those that are likely going to meet it or not. By the time they are reaching the finishing line, they will have better idea of those that will make it and they will take precautionary measures so that there would be no crisis.

Features

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

overnor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa state’s experience of private enterprise has taught him that one cannot make great strides if one is hostile to spurts of dramatic change, or seek the easy way out of complex problems through expedient or messy compromises. Perhaps it was against this background that Governor Al-Makura introduced a development levy to be paid among all categories of civil servants in the state in order to improve on its Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. The governor disclosed this at the Government House, Lafia, while receiving report of the Transition Appraisal Committee earlier inaugurated to study the performance of the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration in the state for the past four years. According to the governor, “the measure had become necessary as the state could no longer depend on the dwindling allocation from the federation account.” He lamented at the current situation where about ninety percent of the state’s resources were being spent on the payment of workers’ salaries at the detriment of the masses who constitute a greater percent of the total population of the state was no longer acceptable to the state government. Apart from the development levy, our correspondent gathered that the state government was putting other measures in place to ensure aggressive IGR generation to save the economic crisis that was facing the state and country. This was even as Al-Makura regretted that the local government councils in the state were under the challenge of paying their workers’ salaries, which unpalatable situation the governor attributed to over staffing. Al-Makura said: “I challenge salary earners in the state to see the new policy as a way of sacrificing for the sake of developing the state. Hitherto, I, my deputy and other government appointees are not exempted from the development levy which would be deducted at the source on monthly basis.” Nevertheless, putting up a mechanism that would woo foreign investors to come and exploit the abundant varieties of solid mineral deposits found in all parts of the state instead of allowing it to lie waste; as it has the potential of transforming the status of the state’s economy from over dependant on oil, Governor Al-Makura equally directed his antenna to that sector. It is pertinent to note that the 13 local government councils in Nasarawa state, there is none without a commercially viable deposit of solid minerals. Among these are uranium, tantalite, columbite, silica, barite, emerald, and granite, gemstones like tourmaline, aquamarine and sapphire. Equally abound in the state are topaz, iron ore and mica, galena, cassiterite, limestone, and many others numerous minerals. Consequent ly, the governor inaugurated a nine-man committee to look into ways of harnessing the abundant mineral resources in the state. During the inauguration of the committee, the governor said that it has become necessary to diversify the economy of the state bearing in mind the dwindling revenue allocation from the federation account. He added that the committee is to ensure that the state explores ways of ensuring that it gets the advantages derivable from the mineral resources that abound in the state. Part of the terms of reference of the committee was to look for the way forward in getting potential investors to tap the abundant resources in the state. The committee has also been mandated by the governor to look for outfit and agencies that would be responsible for articulating government policies and implementation on mineral resources. Yet to be contented with the addition of the solid minerals sector as a driven force for the growth of the Nasarawa state economy, Governor Al-Makura also signed a N2 billion contract with Suraj Nig. Ltd for the development of the second phase of the Nasarawa State Geographic Information System, NAGIS, to boost the state’s IGR..

Gov. Al-Makura

Al-Makura tackles Nasarawa dwindling revenue base Shortly after signing the contract in Lafia, the governor said: “The long stretch of borderline between the state and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, offers revenue potentials second to oil in Nigeria. Hence the need to expand the scope of the revenue generation in the state led to the initiative of engaging in a sophisticated land administration project with the signing of contract in 2012 to the tune of N2.7 billion.” He continued that the first phase of the project, which had been concluded, involves Arial mapping of the entire land mass of the state and production of auto photo to be sold to interested developers; urban planning as well as the establishment of a Geographic Information Service platform. According to him “the project is considered a ‘cash cow’ of government as over 95 per cent of the N2 billion invested had been recouped even before the first phase was completed.” He explained that the second phase of the NAGIS project hold more prospect for the improved economic fortune of the state as it would boost revenue generation and collection. “The project would serve as our 'fall back' since the chances and prospects for getting dole outs from the federation account is becoming slim," AlMakura added. The components of the second phase, National Mirror observed to include the networking of NAGIS headquarter in Lafia and the office in Karu to share information and data electronically; development of Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as development of an electronic platform for the benefit of other sectors. Al-Makura continued that the state government, through NAGIS, was already synergizing with the Federal inistry of environment towards checking deforestation and desertification. Security outfits, local and international private organizations can also take advantage of services of the NAGIS, given its robust information platform, as stated by the governor during the signing ceremony. Senior Consultant of the contracted firm, Suraj Nig. Ltd, Mr. Peter Ritchie, said at the signing ceremony that the second phase of the project is to boost revenue base of the state and extend the services of NAGIS to other government agencies to enable them share a common platform. Still decisive in harnessing all the available revenue potentials available in the state in order to boost the revenue base of the state, Al-Makura said President

Muhammad Buhari will commission the Karu International Market, which was constructed by the Nasarawa state government. He disclosed this when he paid an unscheduled working visit to the market, adding that the state government is set to commence the demolition of illegal structures around the market to preserve the beauty of the market. He gave reason for the delay in the commissioning of the International Market to some adjustments in the market in order that the market would accommodate other categories of business men and women. The shift in the commissioning of the market was because it was realized that some category of businesses were not included in the early project. That was why the state government had added about 1000 open space stalls that can accommodate tomato sellers, fish and others in that category. Apart from the locked up stores, eleven cold rooms have also been completed while additional 100 hectares of land was earmarked to accommodate entrepreneurs like Shop-rite and other big businesses". The governor said when the market is commissioned, it will serve both as a tourism attraction and source of employment to the teaming youths across the state and the country at large. Nevertheless, construction works on the Lafia ultra modern market, another child brain of the governor, sited along the Tudun Gwandara – Kwandere road, is progressing at an acceptable pace that when completed, it will strengthen the economy of the state. The envisaged market which is located in Lafia, the state capital, is to have 5000 lockup shops, Motor Park, administrative block, road network, police outpost, banking facility, ware houses, clinic, fire service, parking lounge and an opened space for local market activities. The governor, who was optimistic in the venture said: “When completed, the ultra modern market will improve the economic base of the state by providing job opportunities to the teeming population of the state. This critical infrastructure would be one of the best in the country hence citizens of the state should actively participate in it as it would reduce the total dependency on oil revenue from the Federal Government.” Similar market edifices are equally springing up simultaneously in Keffi and Akwanga towns to back up with the Al-Makura’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, initiative towards transforming the state’s economy from over dependence on oil.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Features

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

IDPs in Taraba groan over land seizure

Internally Displaced People being attended to by members of Red Cross Society in Taraba State

espite concerted efforts by Governor Darius Ishaku to achieve peace in Taraba which was ravaged by ethno-religious crisis in the last two years, peace may not return soon in some parts of the state as land grabbers are preventing the displaced inhabitants to return to their homes. JUSTIN TYOPUUSU writes on the brewing land seizure controversy. Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba state had during his campaign tour of the state asked the people to give him peace and he would in turn provide them accelerated development. Barely three weeks on assumption of office, the governor took a bold step toward ensuring peaceful coexistence when he met separately with religious and traditional leaders at the government house in Jalingo to fashion out ways of ending violent killings in the state. But despite this commendable step by the governor, some people are bent on thwarting his peace agenda going by series of complaints by the displaced people that their lands are being sold out. Ishaku had during the meeting with the traditional rulers told them that the major concern of his government was to ensure the return of IDPs to their homes to continue with farming and grazing activities and urged the traditional rulers to ensure peaceful coexistence of people in their domains. The governor noted that no chiefdom can exist with just one tribe or religion, adding that chiefdoms grow and prosper when the leader accommodates all, irrespective of tribe and religion provided the people are law abiding. "You must therefore, put in place necessary peace measures to ensure peace in your domains. As a governor, I will not compromise the security of this state and in the same way I will expect you to help me in bringing peace, which will enable me to quickly launch the state on the path of development. "I will be compelled to hold you responsible if there is breakdown of law and order and will take action if there are evidence that the security of a place is compromised by a traditional ruler," he said. The IDPs, filled with joy over the governors peace efforts and apparently tired of staying in camps, on hearing of the meeting of the governor with the chiefs, started leaving their camps to their displaced houses without government official pronouncement and many of them met their untimely death in the process of going to inspect and farm on their lands. Mr. Zege Agbur was gunned down in the early hours Tuesday, July 21, while working on his farmland. His relations were lucky as they ran on hearing the first gunshot which killed Mr. Zege. His corpse was taken to the police station in Bali and was later released for burial. In Gassol local government, three people were killed on their farms, just few meters away from Dan-Anacha town. Local residents told National Mirror that they have stopped going to their farms for fear of being

Life in camp of Internally Displaced People

YOU MUST THEREFORE, PUT IN PLACE NECESSARY PEACE MEASURES TO

ENSURE PEACE IN YOUR DOMAINS.

AS A GOVERNOR, I WILL NOT

COMPROMISE THE SECURITY OF THIS STATE AND IN THE SAME WAY

I WILL

EXPECT YOU TO HELP ME IN BRINGING PEACE, WHICH WILL ENABLE ME TO

QUICKLY LAUNCH THE STATE ON THE PATH OF DEVELOPMENT killed. This is even as over 30 people were injured in the violent attack that was launched on the community in the night while many residents of the town were deep asleep in the comfort of their rooms. Mr. John Shagbaor told our correspondent that the little crops they have managed to cultivate are all gone. "We are not going to the farms and the herdsmen have grazed over our crops. What remain of us is our lives and government should protect us as citizens of this state," he cried out. A resident of Anugwan Bayan Dutse in Bali town while conducting journalists round his house now turn farmland, said his house and that of four others in the area have been sold out by Mallam Abdulkadir (the Dekechi Bali) with the full backing of the District Head of Bali, Alhaji Inuwa Gidado Misa. In Aungwan Sabon Dare in the nearby Bali town, Mr. Adema Alema, Vihishima Manyi, Samson Augustine Kyambe all said they met different people in their houses in the area and upon enquiry, the new occupants said they bought the houses from Maiaungwa Tanko Sabon Dare. One of the complainants, Adema Alema told National Mirror that the move is a deliberate attempt by the district head of Bali Inuwa Gidado Misa who he alleged has vow to resist their return to their areas in the council and appealed to Governor Ishaku to call him to order. The crisis in Taraba which started in late 2013 first seemed as religious, and later wore ethnic and political face as accusing fingers were pointed on some top politicians in the state for fueling the crisis to their own advantage, which killed hundreds and displaced thousands. The alleged seizure of peoples' lands and denying them access to their houses is an indication that the crisis is far from over and perhaps there may be more to the crisis than could see the eyes. The IDPs on their part, have resolved to go to court and seek redress should governor Ishaku fail to

Gov. Ishaku

call the land grabbers to order. But Secretary to the Taraba State Government, SSG, Mr. Anthony Jellason while reacting to the development urged the people to remain law abiding as government is doing everything possible to ensure that peace return and the people return to their homes safely. "Government is disturbed that the attacks are persisting and is doing everything to broker peace and ensure that people live peacefully with one another, irrespective of their differences." Jellason advised the people to stop going to their farms in the meantime to allow government tackle the security challenge. But as the waiting game continue, the people said the land graspers are smiling to the banks daily on proceeds from the lands that does not belong to them and appealed to the authorities to quickly put a stop to continued selling of their houses and farmlands to other people. They also called on the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, to expedite action on the petition they submitted to them in respect of the human rights abuses being perpetrated against them. According to them, should the human rights body act on the petition which has been with them since September last year, the issue of selling peoples' property would not have arisen. For now, the people could only hope that authorities concerned act quickly on their complaints and nib in the bud what could metamorphose into another crisis, but how soon the authorities would act is what no one, other than the authorities concerned can guarantee.

Global Business

Iran plans to buy 80-90 Boeing, Airbus planes a year, post sanctions

ran plans to buy as many as 90 planes per year from Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) to revamp its antiquated fleet once Western sanctions are lifted, its state news agency IRNA quoted a senior aviation official as saying on Sunday. “Iran will buy a total of 8090 planes per year from the two aviation giants in the first phase of renovating its air fleet,” said Mohammad Khodakarami, the caretaker director of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, according to IRNA. Last month’s nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers has raised the prospect of banking and trade sanctions on Iran being lifted, perhaps around the end of this year, which would mean a chance to renew a fleet of commercial aircraft whose average age of 23 years is almost twice the international average. “We will purchase planes from

Airbus aircraft

Boeing and Airbus in equal numbers,” Khodakarami was quoted as saying, adding that Iran would initially need to add at least 80 planes to its fleet each year. That would mean a total of 300 planes within five years, he added. Iran will finance the purchases through mechanisms including leasing, foreign

Japan PM, Shinzo Abe

meetings that we have had,” New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said. “You can see clearly that there are one or two really hard issues, and one of them is dairy.” Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb said the problem lay with the “big four” economies of the United States, Canada, Japan and Mexico. “The sad thing is, 98 per cent is concluded,” he said. Failure to seal the agreement is a setback for U.S. President Barack Obama, given the trade pact’s stance as the economic arm of the administration’s pivot to Asia and an opportunity to balance out China’s influence in the region. The talks, which drew about 650 negotiators, 150 journalists and hundreds of stakeholders, had been billed as the last chance to get a deal in time to pass the U.S. Congress this year, before 2016 presidential elections muddy the waters. The TPP seeks to meld bilateral questions of market access for exports with one-size-fitsall standards on issues ranging from workers’ rights to environmental protection and dispute settlement between governments and foreign investors. The result frustrated negotiators who had toiled through the night to cross off outstand-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Greece may seek up to 24 billion euros in first new aid tranche – Paper

reece may seek 24 billion euros in a first tranche of bailout aid from international lenders in August to prop up its banks and repay debts falling due at the ECB, a pro-government Greek newspaper said in its early Sunday editions. Athens is now in talks with the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund to secure up to 86 billion euros ($94.48 billion) in bailout aid. It will be its third bailout since 2010. Avgi newspaper, which is close to the leftist Syriza government, said Greek authorities expected to conclude talks with lenders by midAugust.

loans and state funds, Khodakarami said. Iranian and Western industry officials had earlier estimated that Iran, a country of 80 million people, would need a total of 400 aircraft in the next decade, assuming implementation of the nuclear deal proceeds smoothly and the sanctions are lifted.

Pacific Rim free trade talks fall short of deal acific Rim trade ministers failed to clinch a deal on Friday to free up trade between a dozen nations after a dispute flared up over auto trade between Japan and North America, New Zealand dug in over dairy trade and no agreement was reached on monopoly periods for next-generation drugs. Trade ministers from the 12 nations negotiating the TransPacific Partnership, which would stretch from Japan to Chile and cover 40 per cent of the world economy, fell just short of a deal at talks on the Hawaiian island of Maui but were confident an agreement was within reach. “The undergrowth has been cleared away in the course of this meeting in a manner that I would say is streets ahead of any of the other ministerial

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

ing disputes. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said resolved issues included protection for regional food specialties. Japan’s Economy Minister Akira Amari said that TPP member nations could reach a deal if they meet one more time, and his understanding was that the ministers aim to get together again by the end of August. Despite the progress made, issues pegged as sticking points going into the talks were still blocking a deal after four days of discussions. New Zealand has said it will not back a deal that does not significantly open dairy markets, with an eye to the United States, Japan and Canada, as well as Mexico. John Wilson, chairman of the world’s largest dairy exporter, New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra (FCG.NZ), arrived to attend the talks late on Thursday to press home the case. Ministers also remained apart on how long to protect data used to develop biologic drugs. U.S. drugmakers want 12 years protection, but Australia has only five and Chile has none at all. “For us it’s vital to have an agreement that balances public policy goals for intellectual property in medicines,” said Chilean vice minister for trade, Andres Rebolledo.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras

The first tranche of 24.36 billion would be used to channel 10 billion euros as an initial recapitalization to Greek banks, 7.16 billion euros to repay an emergency bridge loan, 3.2 billion euros toward Greek bonds held by the European Central Bank and other payments, Avgi said. It has been estimated that Greek banks may require up to 25 billion euros to be recapitalized, a shortfall exacerbated by an outflow of deposits when a stalemate with lenders threatened Athens’ place in the euro zone. The flood of money leaving the country culminated in authorities imposing capital controls on June 29 to prevent a financial meltdown. In exchange for funding Greece has accepted reforms including making significant pension adjustments, increasing value added taxes, overhauling its collective bargaining system, and measures to liberalize its economy and limit public spending. If the talks are not completed in time, European authorities may have to provide further temporary financing as they did with a July bridge loan, though Avgi said that possibility had not been discussed with lenders.

Verizon’s workers say no strike for now, union talks continue

erizon Communications Inc and the unions representing its wireline unit employees on the U.S. East Coast said work will go on and talks continue after their current contract expired. Since June, the unions have been in talks with Verizon over the company’s plans to cut costs by controlling healthcare and pension-related benefits over a three-year period. Last week, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that represent over 37,000 wireline employees said they had voted to go on strike, if needed, after their contract expired on Aug. 1 at midnight. During the last round of contract negotiations in 2011, talks ended in a strike. The unions want extra benefits in addition to job security provi-

Verizon

sions. The CWA said on Saturday that Verizon has not budged from its original proposal which they have said would increase workers’ healthcare costs by thousands of dollars, eliminate job security and remove any restrictions on the company’s right to contract out or offshore union jobs. “Despite our best efforts, Verizon refuses to engage in serious bargaining towards a fair contract,” Dennis Trainor, Vice President for CWA District One, which represents Verizon workers in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, said. “We’re not going to take it, and we’re going to keep the fight going while we’re on the job.” Verizon presented the unions with a revised proposal on Saturday night that is on the table, the company said in a statement.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Nembe elders, traditional rulers writes Buhari over illegal oil sales OSAHON JULIUS, YENAGOA

pparently not happy with alleged sales of oil and gas reserves in their domain by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, without the involvement of the indigenes, elders and traditional rulers from Nembe Kingdom, Nembe Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State has sent a protest letter to President Muhammad Buhari . They said though the Nembe kingdom is one of the biggest on-shore oil producing communities in the Niger – Delta Region with the oil mining lease (OML) 29 producing over 150, 000 barrels of crude oil per day and oil block covers an area of 983 square kilometers, the decision of the SPDC these reserves without the equal participation of the Nembe communities in the processes was provocative and capable of disrupting the peace of the Niger Delta. The communities in a Petition to President Muhammad Buhari and titled “Shell’s Clandestine Sale Of Our Oil and Gas Reserves” ,claimed that the action of the SPDC to exclude the Communities is an insult and a provocative stance that could disrupt oil exploration in the area. The petition, made available to Niger Delta Mirror in Yenagoa and signed

by the Chairman of the Nembe Oil and Gas Committee, Chief (Amb.) Nengi James - Eriworio and the Secretary, Chief Austin Aye Martins- Gboro, “ said this became “imperative in the light of the fact that, we as a community was never consulted or informed of the outright sale of our God given natural resources as regards our reserves of oil and gas.” “ We just woke up one morning and started reading in the newspapers and the electronic med ia that our oil fields have been sold by Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) and acquired by an unknown company, Aiteo

Eastern Exploration and production company limited involving the acquisition of SPDC’S thirty percent (30%) stake in our oil mining lease (OML) 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk line (NCTL) under the latest shell’s divestment policy of empowering indigenous oil companies as enunciated in the lurch to suffer for all the ‘sins’ committed by Shell in our environment. This smacks of impunity as it is not done in line with global best practices.” “The problem of this clandestine sale without prior consent and or consultation of the custodians of the oil fields to Aiteo to boost indigenous compa-

nies in the upstream subsector of the oil and gas industry, have produced a lacuna that the sale had not taken care of. During the time of shell’s operations in the Nembe environment over the years, our land had been totally devastated and degraded which was occasioned by incessant oil spills that called for clean-ups and remediation of the environment. Shell was responsible for these anomalies and as a result of their negligent behavior. That is why it beats our imaginations that nothing was made known to us, as a community that had shouldered these hazards of oil exploration and exploitation. “

.Warri South-West Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. George Ekpemupolo(3rd from left) commissioning the Kokodiagbene Community Town Hall, while Kokodiagbene Community Chairman, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Secretary of Warri South-West Local Government Council, Hon. Emmanuel Golly, Leader of Warri South-West Local Government Council Legislative Arm, Hon. Dennis Erebo, Chief Emmanuel Ekpetipu(right) and Hon. Blexson Omadoye, Vice Chairman of Warri South-West Local Government Council.

NUPENG threatens strike THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

“Apart from the devastated and degraded environment that has been unwittingly left behind to our detriment, there were also the issues of mutual agreements entered into between the company and the community. These were memoranda of understanding that ensured the provision of amenities to the community and contracts to local contractors. These were things done to mitigate the effects of their oil exploration and exploitation activities; and to give the people a sense of belonging and to create harmonious company/community relations.” “The above outstanding and unresolved problems

he Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Warri zone, has threatened to embark on industrial action following alleged failure of Chevron Nigeria Limited to pay displaced contract staff their severance entitlements and pension fund of over 2 months. It said the Warri zone which covers Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Kogi and Ondo states would be severely affected should they be forced into the industrial action

due to alleged maltreatment by Chevron. Briefing journalists last week, NUPENG’s Warri zonal chairman, Mr Cogent Ojobor disclosed this during a protest by displaced workers at Chevron yard in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State. The threat is sequel to an alleged failure by Chevron to pay severance entitlements and pension fund to displaced contract staffs who were relived of the jobs over twelve months ago. According to Ojobor, “At various fora, Chevron has admitted owing the workers, but from two weeks to more than 12 months running, commitment to pay the entitlements

has repeatedly not been honoured. “For now it is peaceful protest but it may turn to an industrial action if lack of response by Chevron pushes it to that limit.” He added that, “When it gets to that, we will shut fuel supply, we will cut down supply of gas to power generating plants and BEDC may go down again and the economy will be affected and people will start saying NUPENG a is at it again. This is no idle threat.” Patrick Gbetah who is one of the affected contract staff lamented that they have been disengaged for over 12 months without payment of benefit to the affected workers. “Under the collective engage-

ment bargaining with Chevron and its contractors under which we work, we are entitled to end of contract bonus, redundancy and pension benefits in case of disengagement. “For over 12 months, most of us have been disengaged in the name of transition without these benefits being paid. Those made not to go back to work are also asking to access our pension fund over which several sums have been deducted from our salaries while we were engaged”, Gbetah stated. Several efforts to reach Chveron management to respond to the development proved abortive at the time of filling this report.

have since remained, and no explanations have been given as to how they would be resolved. That is why our people have been seriously aggrieved of the sale without our knowledge: express our misgivings over certain aspects of the sale; and even make a protest on certain areas that we may have found repugnant to our collective aspirations as a people. Rather our voices were suppressed, sidelined, and now, we simply standby to watch the complete devastation and annihilation of our agelong economic, social and cultural heritage.” “Indeed what is the meaning of Nigerian Content development without taking cognizance of the feelings of the people that are in custody of the oil and gas reserves? So in all these, where did the people stand to gain? In fact what are the supposed benefits of the goose that lays the golden eggs? In the circumstance we find ourselves, it is our onerous resolve and demand that SHELL and AITEO must consult us to tie all loose ends of this unfortunate sale, with a view to including the Nembe Community as stakeholders and as partners in progress.” “ This is the only fair thing to do. We should be given a room to participate as stakeholders in the indigenous companies’ participation in the upstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry. We must be given equity shares as the original local indigenous owners of the oil and gas reserves: otherwise, the local content development policy will not have any meaning. It is a fact that, it is only when we are given a room to participate that we are going to give our total support and our community’s good will, to the sale that is skewed against us. What we are saying is that, there ought to be openness, fairness, justice and equity. A role must be carved out for our people in the value chain of activities compressing acquisition, exploration and product in the oil and gas industry. This is the end of our sad story.”

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Dickson commissions Nembe City Stadium OSAHON JULIUS YENAGOA

ayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson said his administration’s decision to provide N3bn to the contractor handling the Ogbia-Nembe road was borne out of his personal love for the Nembe people and the desire to spread development to all parts of the state. Governor Dickson, who stated this while commissioning the Nembe City Stadium at Ogbolomabir at the weekend, vowed not to be dissuaded by the activities of detractors from implementing the well intentioned plans of the present administration’s restoration agenda. He said the state government, under his watch decided to intervene in the project, which had suffered setbacks for decades, to fulfill its electioneering promises to the people of Nembe. The governor noted that, the project, which is being funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, would not have reached its present level of completion, without the intervention funds from the state government and assured the people of Nembe Kingdom of more dividends of democracy. His words, “ You know people will always talk whatever they like, but don’t mind them. If you gave 3 billion naira cash to enable the contractor to finish a road that has been on the drawing board or that has been off and on for over 15 years and people are telling stories, would you join issues with them? Allow them to continue their talk, because you can’t stop them from talking. We are not talkers. We are doers and I can assure you that, no talk and nobody can stop us from doing the work of the people. “But do me this favour: Don’t join them in perpetrating criminality. While we have brought peace and we are providing facilities that will encourage our youths to exercise their energies in a positive direction, we also know what used to be before when some people were creating crisis in their communities.

“Instead of nurturing friendships, people were promoting animosity. And by the grace of God, one of the things that God Almighty has used our government to achieve, not just in Nembe Kingdom, but for the whole of our state, is that we have brought back peace to our communities and state. Expressing gratitude to the people for their support for his administration and the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Dickson said, the government would soon mobilise the contractors to commence work on a similar stadium at Nembe-Bassambiri. Governor Dickson, who took the kick-off at the opening match of the maiden Restoration Cup Competition between Rear Okoroma United FC of Ologoama in Nembe Local Government Area and Thunder Bullet FC of Zarama in the Yenagoa Local Government Area at new stadium, explained that, the government was building sporting facilities across the state to provide platforms for youths to develop their innate talents. While calling on the people of Nembe to continue to complement the efforts of the government in maintaining the prevailing peace in the area, he urged all participating teams not to see the competition as a do or die affair, but as a good opportunity to create and strengthen the bonds of friendship. In his remarks, the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd), observed that, the Nembe Kingdom has never had it so good in terms of having its fair share of projects from the government of the day, right from the old Rivers State to the inception of the present administration. Expressing gratitude to the state government for the completion of the capital intensive stadium, he promised that all well meaning Nembe people would continue to identify with the Dickson-led administration. Also speaking, the Chairman of Nembe Local Government Council, Mr Eminah Bioghoemi and the Commissioner for Energy, Barr. Francis Ikio, who is

L-R: Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah Rtd; Governor Seriake Dickson and PDP Chieftain, Chief James Jephthah, during a condolence visit to Chief James over the demise of his mother,late Nancy Jephthah, at his residence in Bassambiri, Nembe LGA, yesterday.

also the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Restoration Cup 2015, noted that, the existence of the facility would promote sports development, especially soccer in the area.

They also paid glowing tributes to Governor Dickson, particularly for connecting the area to the state capital by road, pledging that the people of Nembe would do everything with-

in their reach to ensure his victory in the forthcoming governorship election. The ceremony witnessed the Governor, his Deputy, some members of the State Executive Council and

their aides undertaking a one lap jog round the newly commissioned multi-million naira ultra modern stadium, amidst cheers from the teeming spectators.

Ex-Gov tutors young people on survival strateRICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

ormer Governor Of Cross River State Sen.Liyel Imoke has called on Youths in the country to inculcate the habit of becoming self reliant rather than hoping to relly solely on people to survive. Imoke who spoke at at the weekend in Calabar at the 2015 Career Day with a theme;Career and Entrepreneurship Trend for Survival organized by his pet project, The Bridge Leadership Foundation TBLF which he founded five years ago and urged young people to exploit whatever God giv-

OSAHON JULIUS, YENAGOA

x-freedom fighters under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative have lauded the leadership strides of President Muhammadu Buhari in the appointment of Brig-Gen Paul Boroh (rtd) as the new coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta region. Speaking through their national president, Pastor Reuben Wilson, the ex-agitators noted that they are hopeful that he will play a key role in resolving the crisis surrounding the region, since he is a Bayelsan and knows the prob-

en talent deposited in them by their creator. The former governor charged them to have confidence in themselves and push their passions,interests and business to a level that they would have found their “blue ocean”.rather waiting to rely on people for survival. Imoke who spoke on career trends for young people in Nigeria`s emerging economy stated that he formed the foundation in 2011 in his 50th birthday and he said now he is 54,and challenged youths to take their future in their hands through developing their creativity and en-

hancing their lifestyle so as to achieve excellence stressing that most great people who had risen to stardom today were a nobody yesterday adding that coming from an impoverished family background was no justification for one not to make it in life. He urged young people to vehemently refuse to remain at the bottom, urging them to fight hard so as to transform their quest for survival to a success story,achieving significant feats in the various fields of human endeavour. The ex- Governor advised young people to be careful in their quest for selecting their mentor so as

to choose a right one and urged them to strive and acquire skills that would help them transform their lives since the private sector has evolved in a manner that only those with certain skills can excel. The Career Day was rounded off with lecture from motivational speakers from Executive Director Paradigm Initiative Gbenga Sesan,Founder / CEO Reel Fruit,Affiong Williams,Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomeriere (GCFR) a.k.a Alibaba and Executive Secretary of the Foundation TBLF-Ewajesu Fasina and CEO/MD of Tistle Praxis Ini Onuk.

Ex-freedom fighters accept appointment of amnesty chief

lems of the region more than anyone else. He said, before now, a lot of political jobbers have tried to hijack that position but failed, but thank s to President Buhari for looking inward in appointing a credible person to handle the affairs of the region. He however urged the new coordinator to see that he makes sure that the sons and daughters of the region studying in various institutions abroad complete their studies and be re-integrated into society so that the objectives of the

programme will not be defeated. Gen. Pastor Reuben Wilson also said that he and the other Niger Delta ex-militants will give their full support to the newly appointed coordinator to enable him work effectively. While responding to a question concerning the cancellation of a meeting of ex-freedom fighters at the Ijaw House recently, Gen. Pastor explained that a lot of people wanted the meeting to be postponed because many of them were not aware of it.

He explained that the meeting was not meant to spur any violence; but to deliberate the way forward for the Ijaw nation but was postponed as the Executive Governor of the host state was not also aware of its existence. “So many people were not aware. Even the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson was not aware and the programme was scheduled to hold in the state capital. That was why many people came out to say the meeting should be postponed,” he said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Politics

n resolution of NASS crises –Oyegun

e in the past and the nation is hopeful that the government will soon be on full throttle. However, All Progressives Congress, APC, elives the crises to OBIORA IFOH, justifying why the South-East was made the sacrificial lamb in resolving the crises as well as the e process. Excerpts: what we have not done like in the PDP days is to rush and interfere with the processes of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which our President has made quite clearly, everybody should be ready to carry out its legitimate functions without interference. The EFCC is doing what it thinks it has to do. APC’s support of the probe of the Goodluck Jonathan administration has elicited a lot of reactions, with some saying that such probe should go way back beyond the Jonathan administration. Can you educate Nigerians more on this? The President, I’m aware, knows that he has only four years, minus two months? So it is not four years anymore and if he wants to probe Nigeria, where does he stop? 16 years? 50 years? Where do you stop when you want to do that kind of probe? What is important is that the level of impunity in the last six years, the level of rot in the last six years, the extent to which the economy of this nature has been damaged in the last six years, is phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal! I can’t speak for the President, neither can I speak for the Presidency, but I’m not aware there is going to be a formal probe, but these things are there even if you don’t want to see them, they are sitting right in front of you. The impunity of the corruption is looking at you in the eyes, Nigerians by the time, people were not bothered about hiding anymore, so when talking about probe, you can’t turn without seeing the damage, the theft, massive theft so that is the way I interpret it. What is your reaction to Senator Bola Tinubu’s assertion that the President and APC need 100 –day honeymoon before hitting the ground running? If we have not hit the ground, how can we run? We are going to hit the ground and we are going to run, it’s just that expectations were so high that everybody thought that, as a matter of fact people thought that the day he was declared President-elect, things will start changing, that shows you the anxiety among the Nigerian population. 100 days is just three months, when you start running, you certainly will run and that is what we are promising this nation, once the government is put in place, the kind of people we expect to man it, then you see results and you o ssee results pretty quickly.

THIS IS NOT A POOR COUNTRY, IT IS NOT AND WE INTEND TO PLUG ALL THE LOOPHOLES,

MR. PRESIDENT HAS SAID

THAT QUITE CLEARLY THAT HE HAS TO STOP THE MASSIVE LOOTING OF OUR RESOURCES, MASSIVE THEFT OF WHAT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY

They have to be nudged to make a denouncement that they were not the originators of the petition or whatever triggered this investigation. We are totally, completely, absolutely, innocent of it,

The President has told us why he has been taking his T ttime in forming his cabinet and the qualities he expected ffrom his would-be ministers. What is the party doing to contribute to the selection process? c The question is a question for Mr. President, it is abssolutely his prerogative and to the extent that other than tthat we are having input into the process, he is the only one (that can answer that). o So at the party level, you have no contribution? I said to the extent they want our input in the process. It was expected that the moment this government takes over, security must and should be tackled. Why has this o government adopted a ‘go-slow method’ in addressing g security? s You are talking from a point of view as if a lot of progrress has not been made, but considering that the full government is not in place yet, the achievements recorded in e tthe two months have been solidly tremendous. To start with, our number one priority is security and I want you to look at the fact that security is in fact improving, I want you to remember that insurgents, including foreigners in their midst, no longer hold territory and form govern-

ment in any part of the country. If that is not improvement, I don’t know what is? I want you to know that one of the first things Mr. President did was to redeploy the operational headquarters to the area of conflict; if that is not improvement, I don’t know what is? I would want to refer you to the basic fact that any dying elephant kicks very hard, very very hard. And because the insurgency has been deprived of territories, it has resorted to soft targets and let us face it, any fool, any idiot can bomb a church; any idiot can bomb a market place; it is very unfortunate, it is very sad because this are soft targets. Because the insurgency is being massively defeated, it has resorted to creating this atmosphere of fear by picking on soft targets; it is a slight re orientation of priorities and tactics with the new and growing realities, the process of wiping them out or largely putting the insurgency under control is now underway. If you want to think of achievements in two months it’s been tremendous, look at the last visit to the United States something that has never happened before to any Nigerian President in over 50 years of our existence as a nation; in two months, Nigeria has suddenly become one of the nations to be reckoned with, not just in Africa but in the entire globe. The President attended the G7, and he has been received in the United States; no President has been received before, because the impression of Nigeria around the world has always been bad, it’s either drugs or fraud, but in two months, that impression has been obliterated; in fact the challenge before us now is to maintain and build on the achievements of the just two months of Mr. President, changing the image of the Nigerian nation and it is a precursor to foreign investment which is a precursor to economic growth and development. If don’t call these achievements I don’t know what definition achievements means. The level of rot you have discovered is not what you imagined and there is paucity of funds in fulfilling your promises to Nigerians, especially to the aged and other welfarist promises you made to Nigerians. Will you now renege on your promises based on the rot you have discovered in the system? We don’t have anything to tell Nigerians except the truth, if there is rot, we will tell Nigerians there is rot. The people of this country know, come to think of it, if anybody has not received his salary, in some cases up to one year, if that is not rot what do you call it? Even the Federal Government can no longer meet its obligation; if that is not rot what do you call it? Look at the East-West road, it has not been completed up till now. Look at one of the few international airports we have, Port Harcourt, it is an abandoned project. When you add that to a nation where governments are unable to pay workers what is due to them, not for two months, not for three months, if that is not rot of the very worst kind, I don’t know what rot is? You have to tell the people this and we are all prepared to bite the bullet, if need be, but getting the nation out of that rot is why President Muhammadu Buhari was elected and there will be no excuse. We intend to accomplish that and we intend to embark on the process of fulfillment of our promises to this nation. This is not a poor country, it is not and we intend to plug all the loopholes, Mr. President has said that quite clearly that he has to stop the massive looting of our resources, massive theft of what belongs to the people of this country. When all these are done, there will be resources for meeting the aspirations of the people and for meeting the promises that the President has made to the Nigerian people.

Politics

EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

auchi State chapter of Arewa Youth Development Foundation, AYDF, has applauded the giant strides of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, for the improvement in education development in Nigeria, especially under the current leadership of Prof Sulaiman Elias Bogoro. This was just as AYDF urged stakeholders in the education sector to give maximum support and

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

AYDF applauds TETFUND for improved education cooperation to TETFUND executive secretary, Prof Bogoro, who it described as a focused and credible academician, who deserves to pilot the agency towards achieving the aim of taking education to the next level. AYDF said this in a press statement, signed by its chairman and secretary, Comrade Auwal Gambo Pali and Engr Emmanuel Isheni respectively and made available to National Mirror in Bauchi yesterday.

Describing Bogoro as the best performing TETFUND boss, AYDF said that his achievements as the helmsman at the agency speak volume about his commitment to the genuine education development required by the current All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, especially with the gradual improvement education has recorded since his appointment just one year ago.

It said Bogoro’s policy and administration acumen have made it easier for tertiary institutions across the country to access funds from the agency. Part of Bogoro’s initiatives as TETFUND boss include the introduction of e-library, quest for the extension of the agency’s offices in all the six geopolitical zones of the country as well as award of both national and international scholarships to all catego-

L-R Special Adveser on Politics to Kaduna State Governor Mal. Uba Sani; Speaker Kaduna State House of Assembly, Dr Aminu Abdullahi Shegali and Governor Nasiru El-Rufai at a town hall meeting with Zaria community in Kaduna on Sunday.

Youths demand reversal of Speaker’s impeachment ADEOLA TUKURU ABUJA

outh in Kuje area council, Federal capital territory, FCT, at the weekend staged a peaceful demonstration demanding the reversal of the impeachment of the Speaker, Hon. Aisha Yakubu. Explaining their grievances, the youth spokesperson, Mr. Emmanuel Kure, called on the council chairman, Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, to bring back the Speaker who they consider as the only female key position in the council. He called on the chairman to develop the council by providing social ameni-

ties to the people of Kuje, instead of sacking those who voted him into power, adding that after more than two and half years of Shaban’s administration, there was no achievement. The embattled speaker, Hon Yakubu, while reacting to this, said, due process for her impeachment was not followed, adding: “One thing I know of the chairman is that when you tell him the truth he will have problem with you. I know that if you are impeaching somebody you have to notify the person but, in this case I only heard it on the radio, so I am still the Speaker.” She explained that the rift between her and the

chairman started “just because I advocated for the delevarance of dividend of democracy to our electorate.” She further stated that, before Sallah this year, she was denied her imprest, “because I have been saying the truth about the development in the council. For those of you who came to Kuje, Kuje is so dirty in terms of environment and bad roads which are very unusual compare with the past administration. “There is no scholarship, no project has been executed, as I am speaking to you now, 2015 budget has not even been sent to the legislative chambers, less alone, to talk about it been passed, he is operating off the bud-

get, no due process. “I am not desperate, because I contested as councillor and I won, then my people elected me as their speaker so what am asking the chairman is to tell us where our allocation is going after building mansions in his village without executing any new projects since he assumed office as the council chairman, because his priority is not development.” Reacting, the council chairman Hon. Tete, said the issue of speaker is purely a legislative matter and not the chairman, adding: “I was served with the impeachment letter, but I cannot interfere in the legislative issues.”

Ogun East: Abiodun confident of favourable verdict DARE AKOGUN

he National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun tate capital has heard the final addresses as filed by parties in the petition filed by Prince Dapo Abiodun against the election of Prince Buruji

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Kashamu yesterday. Prince Abiodun who contested the Ogun East senatorial seat in the March 28 election on the platform of the All progressives Congress, APC, filed the petition following what he believed was a “fraudulent” and “irregular” election, going by the results released by the Independent National Elec-

toral Commission, INEC, which declared Kashamu as winner of the election. According to the Media Aide to Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organisation, Dennis Ogunnaike, the election was marred by irregularities, inducement of voters and falsification of results in favour of Kashamu, who is a close ally of immediate past

President Goodluck Jonathan. Ogunnaike said: “Abiodun, a onetime gubernatorial aspirant in Ogun State continues to receive the backing of various interests groups, civil servants and the entire populace of his immediate constituency and the state at large as their preferred choice.

ries of students and lectures. AYDF said: “We are happy Bogoro has introduced training and retraning through seminar/ workshop as a window for enhanced productivity among students and lecturers in the country and we are also aware that there have been appreciative students’ enrollment in all the tertiary institutions with the efforts of TETFUND to provide sufficient infrastructures to cater for students accommodation.” Pali regretted the unfortunate media bashing of Bogoro by a faceless coalition group, describing it as an attempt to drag Bogoro’s integrity to the mud, adding that the group may be acting the script of their sponsors after the dissolution of Federal government boards of parastatals, cautioning them to desist from the nefarious act. He said: “It’s a shame to the nation’s educational aspiration to learn that their sponsors have even gone

spiritual to ensure the ouster of Bogoro from office, even when none of them has the capacity, quality and qualification to hold same office. We are calling on Nigerian students not to fold their arms and watch street touts threaten the education sector which is an indispensable tool of development by inciting Buhari against Bogoro.” He said the anti-Bogoro elements are using bothe ethnic and eligious sentiments as weapons in their move against Bogoro, adding that such contravenes the spirit of the Nigerian nationhood, noting that AYDF would not hesitate to sanction any Northerner agitating for the removal of Bogoro as TETFUND boss. AYDF urged all stakeholders to support and cooperate with Bogoro to enable him execute the task ahead towards improved education development, and called on President Buhari to ignore attempts to instigate him against Bogoro.

APC Women lament marginalisation in government OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

ll Progressives Congress, APC, National Women Leader, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, has lamented the gradual reduction in the number of women holding elected and appointed positions in the country. Speaking in an interview with journalists, she specifically regretted that the 8th Assembly has fallen far below previous Assemblies in terms of appointment of women into key positions. Hajiya Tijjani said: “We are very much aware that, the 8th Assembly has dropped in women participation. So we want to make it up and augment by the principal offices occupied by the women. “Unfortunately, the quagmire we now found ourselves in the National Assembly has put us in a very difficult and tight corner.” She expressed displeasure as a women leader over the development in both chambers of the National Assembly over the failure to appoint women as principal officers.

“Well, I am very worried, and the situation is worrisome and pathetic. With the saga and turnout of events at the National Assembly, there is little we can do.” She added that arrangements were earlier made for women to occupy some of the principal offices but the struggles and what played out at the National Assembly has put women at a disadvantage. She added: “The power tussle in the National Assembly seems to have pushed women back again, because they could just not only meet up, but they couldn’t get the cooperation of their male counterparts to bring them up. “Like in the Senate, we have a candidate that was coming for the position of the Deputy Senate President. And again we have Khadija Bukar Abba in House of Representatives, who also showed interest of contesting for Majority Leader.” Tijjani however expressed optimism that some of the issues would be worked out to support affirmative action.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

oordinator of Kogi Liberation Movement, KLM, Alhaji Abdukadir Usman, has cautioned gubernatorial aspirants in the state against dropping names of All Progressives Congress, APC, national leaders to canvass for votes. Usman, who spoke on the vexed issue, while addressing newsmen over the weekend in Abuja, warned aspirants and their backers against name-dropping ahead of the party’s prima-

Politics

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Group cautions Kogi guber aspirants against name dropping ries to select candidate for the November 21 election. Usman was enraged that some neophyte individuals seeking for elective positions were busy dropping names for cheap political motive, noting that the practice was parts of orchestrated plots designed by unscrupulous persons to heat up the polity ahead of the party primaries and

the main election in the state. He said: “What should be issue of concern to right thinking Kogites should be which of the aspirant has the capacity and dexterity to rescue the state from its current abysmal position and return it to the pedestal of growth and transformation.” He regretted that Nige-

rians forget easily and fail to draw lessons from the recent past political scenario in the land by still embarking on illusionary voyage of dishonest and mischief. Counseling politicians against name droppings and campaign of calumny, in the build up to the electioneering process in the state, Usman regretted that people have forgotten so

L-R: Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; members, House of Representatives, Hon. Wale Raji ; Hon. Babajimi Benson and Hon. Ayodeji Joseph, during an interactive session with the U.S Congress delegates hosted by the governor at the Lagos House, Marina, on Sunday.

soon how hate campaigns launched by PDP boomeranged in the just concluded 2015 general elections. Expressing confidence that despite desperation and craftiness of the political opportunists, a deft and astute politician with interest of the state at heart will emerge to redirect and compel the course of the state from failures to success, Usman said APC leader in the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, is mostly qualified to become next governor of Kogi State. He added: “Since the recent shenanigans orchestrated to humiliate President Muhammadu Buhari out of the presidential race couldn’t stand against the tide of voting populace, no amount of mischief can stop Audu. “One thing we should admit are the qualities Buhari and Audu shared in common; both are consistent, tested, trusted, pragmatic, honest, prudent and credible leaders. “At present the major

concern is that young incompetent blokes with no background at all are now seeking to contest for governorship when such people have nothing to offer and their pedigree is to cause confusion and perhaps, in the process discourage the highly respected ones, like Audu, from such contest, thus guaranteeing backwardness and underdevelopment that perverted the state since 2003, when Audu was rigged out office in an unprecedented manner with unconventional use of the Army and police in a strange event in the history of our country.” He advised Prince Audu’s political detractors to learn to redirect campaigns more on issues of good governance and development rather castigating a winning horse, adding: “Since the hate campaign failed to achieve mischievous target on March 28, I make bold to put it forthright to the critics that Audu is a beautiful bride waiting to snatch victory from the shark.”

Anambra youth condemns allegation against Umeh We’re totally behind A T Dogara –Rep DEOLA

ABUJA

UKURU

outh for Greater Anambra State, YGAS, has condemned the recent malicious attack by one Austin Ndigwe against the immediate national Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, describing it as unfortunate. The group while reacting to an interview by one Ndigwe, granted to the Sunday Nation published on July, 26, where he criticised Umeh’s tenure as the immediate past APGA National

Chairman. In a press release signed by its Director of Publicity, Kingley Elvis, YGAS said Ndigwe wrongly claimed to be a founding member of APGA in Anambra State, a former Board of Trustees, BoT, member and a former member of National Executive Committee, NEC, with no evidence of when he was elected into such position and when his tenure ended. Elvis said: “He arrogated these positions to himself to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public to take him serious in his mission, to tarnish Umeh’s

image and justify his purported threat to forward a petition to EFCC and institute a case in court, actions previous blackmailers like him took in the past and were dismissed as being frivolous, spurious and malicious. “In this era of change, rule of law and progressive governance, it is hoped that the police and EFCC will pick up Ndigwe to adduce evidence of holding the offices he claimed and his false allegation that APGA account has not been audited for 11 years, when party and INEC auditors exam-

ine the account every year in line with the Electoral Act. “INCE publishes audited accounts of political parties in national newspapers and give out copies to stakeholders, including civil society organizations. It is an electoral offence for a political party account not to be audited by the commission every year. It amount to political naivety and recklessness for Ndigwe to make false allegations against Umeh and claimed to be a former national officer of the party, a position he never held.

Kogi: I’ll make employment priority –Baba Alli OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

gubernatorial aspirant in the forthcoming Kogi State gubernatorial election, Sulaimon Baba Alli, has picked nomination form to contest the primaries and subsequently fly the party’s flag at the forthcoming election in Kogi

state even as he promised to employ more workers instead of retrenchment. Addressing newsmen after he had paid and received the forms, Baba Alli as he is fondly called said that among all the aspirants he is the most prepared for the top job. The former Commissioner for Health in Kogi State also revealed that he

has prepared a blueprint to rescue the state from the present “backward state”. “The current wage bill that we have in kogi state I believe has a lot of legs, hands and all of the into it. All those legs and hands that are eating into the wage bill will be removed and once we do that we will have capacity to engage more people into the ser-

vice. “Once we are able to do that, we will block the leakages and those gap.” He also promised that when given opportunity he will deal squarely with the issue of corruption in the state, saying, “The decay that has been institutionalised by the PDP led government in the state in the last 16 years.” .

•Says Speaker’ll be fair in c’ttees’ allocation TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

member of the House of Representatives representing Dutsinma/ Kurfi federal constituency of Kastina State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Danlami Mohammed Kurfi, yesterday assured Nigerians that the Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, will be fair and just in sharing committees and sub-committees in the House of Representatives. He also assured the Speaker of his and other members’ total loyalty to his leadership of the House. Kurfi, in a statement he signed yesterday, also commended the Dogara for his maturity in handling the leadership crisis in the green chamber, just as he advised him to remain just and fair in handling the al-

location of committees in the House. He said: “My interest has been drawn to the mature manner with which, our Speaker, the Rt Hon Dogara has been handling the affairs of the 8th House of Representatives, especially the approach to the constitution of committees and the respect to the principle of party supremacy. “We are impressed by his leadership prowess and qualities, and we are willing to stand behind him 100 per cent against unnecessary opposition and unwarranted distraction from all quarters, arising from the outcome of deliberations on matters that may arise in the coming weeks. We will also join him in protecting the institution of the legislature and the tenets of democracy as encapsulated in the Rules of the House and the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

Politics

LIVINUS MENEDI YOLA

peaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Kabiru Mijinyawa, yesterday overcame concerns of a secret plot to impeach him after 22 members passed a confidence vote on him. The state has been gripped by rumours of a sinister plot to impeach the Speaker upon the resumed sitting of the House yesterday after five weeks’ recess. But the plot, allegedly seen to have the underhand backing of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, came flat following the resolution of members, conveying vote of confidence on the leadership of the House under the Speaker, Mijinyawa. Speaking shortly in his office after, Mininya-

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Adamawa Speaker escapes impeachment wa said the development should never be allowed to happen because of the instability created by previous crisis in the legislature and the drawback it had on the state, “earning it the unenviable record of the state performing seven swearing-in ceremonies for the chief executive of the state”. Yesterday’s sitting of the Assembly followed the same ritual observed for impeachment proceedings, but only in this case it was the Speaker presiding over his own fate. The proceedings began with the Speaker, reading a letter signed by 23 out of the 25 members, passing a vote of confidence on him, and he accordingly called each member one

by one to confirm their signatures. In their respective submissions at the plenary, members lauded the House leadership for its commitment to transparency and

quality leadership. In his submission, Abubakar Abdulrahman, APC-Mubi South, who is the chairman of the House Integrity Forum, described the Speaker as

a team player who carries everyone along. Following the vote, the Speaker thanked all members for the confidence reposed in him, urging them to sustain

the support. He said: “I thank you for the confidence reposed in me and promise not to disappoint you in steering the affairs of the House.”

Lagos PDP berates Ambode over governance without cabinet EBERE NDUKWU

agos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for sitting on the governorship stool relaxed and comfortable when he ought to govern the state holistically with cabinet and constitutionally recognised local government councils as third tier of government. Describing these omissions as deliberate and reflecting that the governor was not in any way prepared to govern the state in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, said the All Progressives Congress, APC and Governor Ambode have opted to turn the state to a kangaroo republic where well-known norms for good governance are violated and put in abeyance. Calling on the state House of Assembly to withhold all approvals to the governor on any expenditure to any ministry and local councils until those institutions are legally and properly constituted, Gani said: “We are shocked that the APC and Ambode can confirm their

unpreparedness to continue to govern Lagos State. How can one explain that the governor does not have a cabinet even when he took over from a governor of same party? The transition that should ordinarily be smooth is now disjointed because of the unpreparedness of the governor and his party. “This lacuna is a violation of the constitution. The state must have commissioners and to us this continual delay in appointing commissioners and advisers are deliberate and to clean up the mess in the various ministries and departments.” PDP accused the governor of sitting comfortable in illegality, saying that “the governor is diversionary by attempting to reform the local government system. This is just an alibi to avoid council polls knowing well that his party is not popular at the grassroots. Unfortunately, the state House of Assembly is abetting these contraptions. A serious Assembly should summon the governor to explain why he should continue to spend state resources at this time without commissioners and democratically elected local councils.”

Vice chairman, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Comrade Idris Musa (left) and secretary, Comrade Emmenuel Isheni, during a news conference over ‘Giant Strides’

Gombe: Tribunal throws out ADC petition over counsel’s incompetence WILLIAMS ATTAH GOMBE

he Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Gombe yesterday dismissed the petition filed by the gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Jaafar Abubakar, challenging the declaration of Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as governor of Gombe State by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The petition was nullified and dismissed by the tribunal over question of competency of the petitioner’s counsel, Mr Sam Kagbo, as a legal practitioner. Tribunal chairman, Justice Muhammad Sirajo, referred to an earlier judgment of the tribunal, where the personality of the petitioner’s counsel was challenged, having signed the petition with

the name Sam Kagbo. Justice Sirajo said based on the provision of section 1(2) and 24 of the Legal Practitioner’s Act, only persons whose names are on the roll of Legal Practitioners can practice as Barristers or Solicitors in the court. Earlier, counsel to the first respondents, Mr Solomon Umoh, SAN, submitted an application before the tribunal questioning the competence of the petitioner’s counsel, insisting that the name Sam Kagbo with which the petitioner’s counsel appeared before the tribunal was not the same as Samuel Peter Kagbo and does not exist in the roll of Nigerian Legal Practitioners. Kagbo however failed in his bid to convince the court that he was one and the same person and that he only decided to shorten his name. The tribunal therefore ruled that Sam Kagbo was not competent to serve as

a solicitor to Abubakar, since he was not a legal practitioner. It also ruled that the role played by him as counsel during the filing of the petition and pre-hearing session was declared null and void and the petition dismissed. Reacting to the ruling, Kagbo apologised to his client, Abubakar, for the avoidable mistake but said that the ruling was straight forward, adding that the matter had already been taken to the Court of Appeal based on the earlier ruling of the tribunal. He said: “We verily believe that this ruling will not stand, the only fear we have for now is the time we’ve already gone, three months into the time for us to conclude this tribunal sitting. We pray that the Court of Appeal would attend to us as early as possible so that we can come quickly and continue with the job, believe me, we are certain that we are coming back.

“This is a challenge, it is also an experience. The only regret is that between now and when we will conclude the matter, we are going to put our client into an agonising state. I should be sorry for that, even if the appellate court says I can go ahead and shorten my name, next time, as long as election petition tribunals are concerned, I am going to avoid that.” Governor Dankwambo’s counsel, Ibrahim Isiyaku, SAN, said: “It was only a matter of law and the law took its course. We had filed a preliminary objection on somebody who claims to be a counsel using a certain name and the court sustained that, saying the person’s name was not on the list of lawyers allowed to practice in Nigeria. Since he represented his client in the pre-trial, which is now knocked off, there is nothing on which the petition can stand again.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Naira firms at black market as banks shun dollar deposits …index gains 0.2%

Johnson okanlawon

rading in naira closed at N216 on the black market yesterday, a sharp rise from N240 a week ago, as banks stopped accepting cash deposits in dollars, traders said. The naira closed at N225 on the parallel market on Friday, traders said. On the official interbank market, it traded near the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, pegged rate of N197 to the dollar.

“Banks are rejecting dollar deposits ... they are not able to transfer excess liquidity to their correspondent banks abroad which is restricting importers from using domiciliary accounts,” said Aminu Gwadabe, president of Nigeria’s Bureau de Change Association of Nigeria. Meanwhile, investors’ appetite on stocks with good earnings rose on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, as more investors bought shares. The All share index ap-

preciated by 0.22 per cent to close at 30,247.83 basis points, as against 0,8 per cent recorded on Friday to close at 30,180.27 points. Similarly, market capitalization gained N23.2 billion to close at N10.4 trillion, in contrast to the closing figure of N10.34 trillion last Friday. The financial services sector dominated transactions as top traders for the day were Zenith Bank, with a sale of 70.8 million shares valued at N1.14 billion, followed by United Bank for Africa with 60.8 million shares valued at N255.6 million. Continental Reinsur-

ance also sold 47.2 million shares valued at N40.12 million, while Guaranty Trust bank sold 26 million shares valued at N600 million. Access bank Plc sold 24.5 million units of shares valued at N119.8 million. However, Guinness Nigerian Plc appreciated N4.92 to close at N130.02, as Forte Oil also gained N2 to close at N190, Flourmill closed at N30.43 with a price gain of N1.43. Dangote Cement gained N1 to close at N172 per share and Stanbic IBTC Plc gained 38kobo to close at N22 per share.

Dangote, others lose billions of dollars to commodity prices crash …as Adenuga, others’ earnings grow Tola akinmuTimi

frica’s leading industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has been listed among top investors the lingering collapse in commodity prices is taking huge toll on their enterprises. According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index published yesterday, Dangote and Patrice Motsepe were reported to have lost almost $4 billion in 2015, while telecom billionaire, Mike Adenuga and South African retail mogul, Christo Wiese, were stated to have added almost $2 billion during the year. The Index quoted one of the African Central Bank

governor as saying that growth in Africa’s middle class has increased demand for services, while a recent study from South African research company New World Wealth labeled construction, financial services and property development as leading sources of future wealth creation on the world’s poorest continent It stated: “Adenuga’s fortune has been boosted by 6 million more subscribers at his mobile phone company, Globacom, since April 2014. Shares in Steinhoff International, Wiese’s main asset and Africa’s largest furniture retailer, have risen 30 percent this year Wiese has added $1.4 billion to his

$7.4 billion fortune this year while Adenuga’s $4.4 billion fortune is up $489 million. “Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, amassed a $14.9 billion fortune by founding Nigeria’s biggest cement producer and has lost $3.6 billion in 2015. He also owns stakes in oil fields and is building the country’s biggest oil refinery. “South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe, who has a $1.6 billion fortune, is chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, an iron-ore and platinum miner whose shares have fallen 41 percent in 2015, helping to push his fortune down $329 million this year”, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index added.

Speaking on the impact of the commodity markets headwinds on investors’ fortunes, the Chief Executive Office of South Africabased investment research firm, Frontier Advisory, Martyn Davies, said that “the go-go years of African billionaires whose wealth has been built around oil is over,”. He noted that Africa had placed far too much emphasis on a handful of people making significant capital through distorted-priced resources, saying that true wealth creation is where billionaires are created from non-resource assets. Including Egypt, Africa has eight billionaires among the 400 world’s richest people, with a combined $54 billion in wealth.

Forte Oil reports N2.3bn PAT in Q2, 2015 Johnson okanlawon

orte Oil has declared a profit after tax of N2.53 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2015, a decrease of 19 per cent when compared to N3.13 billion recorded in the same period of 2014. The company’s revenue also dropped by 23 per cent to N61.2 billion, from N79.6 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2014. Speaking at the company’s Facts Behind the Figure in Lagos yesterday, the Group Managing Director, Mr. Akin

Akinfemiwa, said the energy company will focus on high margin products such as lubricants, increase lubes and throughput per station. According to him, Geregu Power Plant asset will be expanded and diversify into the upstream space through profitable acquisition of upstream assets. Others, he said, include harness partnerships with quick service restaurants, financial institutions and telecommunications firms and increase footfall to stations He stressed further that the

company will optimize opportunities from real estate assets to grow complimentary businesses to enhance the bottomline, achieve optimal term structures for loans - Longer term loans and injection of capital to shore up working capital. He added that the company will focus on retail network optimization and strategic expansion through acquisition of prime retail sites, growth of profitable commercial customer base through the provision of tailor made energy solutions and expand network of partnerships with blue chip businesses.

Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

Crude oil price

$58.96

Exchange

Rates (N)

WAUA

270

USD

196.95

EURO

214

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

SWISS FRANC

202

POUNDS STERLING

293

SDR

273

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

N196.95 Market indicators All-Share Index 30,247.83 points Market capitalisation 10.41trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

FLOURMILL

29.00

30.43

1.43

4.93

TRANSCORP

2.06

2.16

0.10

4.85

MAYBAKER

1.31

1.37

0.06

4.58

STERLNBANK

2.05

2.14

0.09

4.39

AFRIPRUD

2.73

2.84

0.11

4.03

GUINNESS

125.10

130.02

4.92

3.93

EVANSMED

0.54

0.56

0.02

3.70

CONTINSURE

0.83

0.85

0.02

2.41

ACCESS

4.77

4.87

0.10

2.10

STANBIC

21.62

22.00

0.38

1.76

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

UACN

38.00

36.00

-2.00

-5.26

NNFM

15.49

14.72

-0.77

-4.97

IKEJAHOTEL

3.88

3.69

-0.19

-4.90

CHAMPION

5.36

5.10

-0.26

-4.85

FIDSON

3.30

3.14

-0.16

-4.85

PORTPAINT

3.96

3.77

-0.19

-4.80

UNITYBNK

2.10

2.00

-0.10

-4.76

HONYFLOUR

2.95

2.81

-0.14

-4.75

DANGFLOUR

3.19

3.04

-0.15

-4.70

PAINTCOM

1.15

1.10

-0.05

-4.35

FGN Bonds

Bid

Description

Offer

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.04

98.28

14.89

98.43

14.72

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.73

100.12

14.97

100.27

14.87

16.00 29-JUN-2019

3.90

102.71

15.04

103.01

14.94

15.54 13-FEB-2020

4.53

102.00

14.91

102.30

14.82

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.49

105.28

15.08

105.58

15.01

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.61

95.96

15.04

96.26

14.98

Closing Market Prices of August 3, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

29-Oct-15

13.66

14.12

04-Feb-16

13.13

14.06

02-Jun-16

12.96

14.52

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

O/N

8.8750

13.5577

15.8633

16.7439 The Fixings of August 3, 2015

Capital Market

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Stock exchange daily equities summary Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045

Equities as at August 3, 2015 Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045

Daily Summary (Bonds) No Debt Trading Activity

1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

1st Tier Securities

Daily Summary (Equities)

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 17 10 27

Current Price 26.00 31.19

Quantity Traded 80,913 26,081 106,994

Value Traded 2,015,229.81 774,302.17 2,789,531.98

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 22 22

Current Price 1.80

Quantity Traded 486,638 486,638

Value Traded 878,804.51 878,804.51

593,632

3,668,336.49

Quantity Traded 2,759 4,894,034 640,362 5,537,155

Value Traded 3,034.90 10,486,492.39 23,066,930.02 33,556,457.31

AGRICULTURE Daily Summary as ofTotals 03/08/2015 Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

Symbol AGLEVENT

No. of Deals 1 64 62 127

TRANSCORP Daily Summary (Equities) UACN

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

127

Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals CONSUMER GOODS Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 Household Durables Totals

Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015

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

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 0.68

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 45.58

No. of Deals 26 26

Current Price 8.63

Symbol UAC-PROP

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services ActivityAIICO Summary on Board INSURANCE PLC.EQTY CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC Published bySTANDARD The NigerianALLIANCE Stock Exchange © INSURANCE PLC. WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 Other Financial Institutions Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY Other Financial Institutions Totals

Quantity Traded 124,145 124,145

Value Traded 1,107,223.30 1,107,223.30

263,025

1,853,756.10

Quantity Traded 250,000 89,442 125,571 2,486,272 2,951,285

Value Traded 1,275,000.00 11,584,644.79 2,249,765.57 300,797,610.60 315,907,020.96

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 18 18

Current Price 190.00

Quantity Traded 28,131 28,131

Value Traded 5,219,216.50 5,219,216.50

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM

No. of Deals 34 35 112 14 25 1 221

Current Price 3.04 6.01 30.43 2.81 6.22 14.72

Quantity Traded 504,724 Page 624,802 16,275,013 215,730 211,872 100,000 17,932,141

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 1 63 64

Current Price 35.05 850.01

Quantity Traded 30 51,713 51,743

Value Traded 999.00 44,663,139.16 44,664,138.16

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 24 2 26

Current Price 5.46 1.13

Quantity Traded 822,252 50,000 872,252

Value Traded 4,444,098.80 54,000.00 4,498,098.80

No. of Deals 11 (Equities) 22 33

Current Price 27.55 36.01

Quantity Traded 26,700 165,011 191,711

Value Traded 736,952.10 6,118,157.46 6,855,109.56

22,027,263

866,612,691.66

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol PZ Daily Summary UNILEVER

544 Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Value Traded 12 21,539,562.22 of 3,749,687.31 480,778,528.79 606,201.30 1,323,128.06 1,472,000.00 489,469,107.68

Current Price 4.87 3.84 19.30 1.50 23.06 2.04 2.14 4.17 7.50 2.00 0.90 16.02

Daily Summary

No. of Deals 94 8 24 54 305 81 27 102 31 23 34 480 (Equities) 1,263

Quantity Traded Value Traded 24,451,603Page 119,848,795.69 12 3 of 142,300 550,208.68 128,187 2,470,209.94 2,654,940 4,031,444.34 25,993,330 599,492,390.78 4,541,265 9,166,811.64 1,612,093 3,337,264.84 60,849,616 255,648,408.52 289,085 2,204,949.89 1,506,768 3,014,036.00 1,083,812 949,332.29 70,788,015 1,135,332,237.08 194,041,014 2,136,046,089.69

Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE

No. of Deals 13 7

Current Price 0.84 0.85

Quantity Traded 248,977 47,201,563

Value Traded 208,567.44 40,118,338.57

Symbol LASACO LINKASSURE MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM PRESTIGE STACO STDINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 2 3 5 1 13 3 2 4 3 56

Current Price 0.50 0.50 2.55 0.50 0.61 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,001,000 325,740 1,604,944 2,000 414,958 174,999 4,000 Page 100,000 24,774 51,102,955

Value Traded 500,500.00 162,870.00 4,092,478.94 1,000.00 253,566.96 87,499.50 2,000.00 12 4 50,000.00 of 12,387.00 45,489,208.41

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 1.00

Quantity Traded 13,100 13,100

Value Traded 13,144.00 13,144.00

No. of Deals 84 14 374 98 (Equities) 48 39 657

Current Price 2.84 4.00 6.84 2.70 22.00 1.33

Quantity Traded 3,392,590 418,452 16,607,867 6,814,428 1,520,504 1,339,837 30,093,678

Value Traded 9,436,557.76 1,674,258.00 114,727,198.00 18,572,713.34 33,452,422.61 1,787,582.87 179,650,732.58

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB Daily Summary STANBIC UBCAP

1,980

275,250,747 Page

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Value Traded 80,425.00 80,425.00 12 1 of Value Traded 666,107.80 666,107.80

Current Price 5.10 130.02 18.24 120.50

FINANCIAL SERVICES FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals

33,556,457.31

Quantity Traded 123,500 123,500 Page Quantity Traded 15,380 15,380

No. of Deals 7 38 16 121 182

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

5,537,155

Symbol COSTAIN

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION PLC. Daily Summary as of BREW. 03/08/2015 GUINNESS NIG PLC Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

Current Price 1.10 2.16 36.00

No. of Deals 13 3 9 5 30

Current Price 0.56 3.14 40.00 1.37

Quantity Traded 504,420 129,945 36,628 70,250 741,243

Value Traded 278,286.80 407,277.30 1,419,632.19 95,015.00 2,200,211.29

741,243

2,200,211.29

No. of Deals 14 14

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,777,060 2,777,060

Value Traded 1,397,900.60 1,397,900.60

Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC Computers and Peripherals Totals

Symbol OMATEK

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Processing Systems E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC Processing Systems Totals

Symbol ETRANZACT

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 3.60

Quantity Traded 5,500 5,500

Value Traded 18,810.00 18,810.00

2,783,560

1,417,210.60

Company name

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 BETA GLASS CO PLC. Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 Packaging/Containers Totals

No Of Deals

Page

Quotation(N)

Value of Shares(N)

No. of Deals 10 11 4 11 28 1 4 47 116

Current Price 22.00 9.80 37.95 9.50 172.00 1.10 3.77 103.09

Quantity Traded 44,492 49,670 15,733 59,270 105,852 100,000 83,475 266,577 725,069

Value Traded 953,937.80 462,947.00 574,458.98 546,359.10 18,213,736.47 110,000.00 314,700.75 26,987,994.35 48,164,134.45

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 1.50

Quantity Traded 25,000 25,000

Value Traded 36,114.00 36,114.00

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 43.00

Quantity Traded 1,144,938 1,144,938

Value Traded 49,223,706.00 49,223,706.00

1,895,007

97,423,954.45

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 4,620.00 4,620.00

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Chemicals Totals

Quantity Traded

Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM PAINTCOM PORTPAINT WAPCO

123

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol BOCGAS

No. of Deals 2 2

NATURAL RESOURCES NATURAL RESOURCES Totals

Current Price 4.86

1,000 Page

4,620.00 12 of

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 45,000 45,000

Value Traded 22,500.00 22,500.00

Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 Integrated Oil and Gas Services Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 196 196

Current Price 12.11

Quantity Traded 7,726,098 7,726,098

Value Traded 90,034,153.66 90,034,153.66

Symbol

No. of Deals 7 1 53 12

Current Price 40.85 2.34 190.00 155.98

Quantity Traded 20,101 3,000 256,276 6,294

Value Traded 780,119.81 6,690.00 48,562,671.42 935,604.56

Symbol TOTAL

No. of Deals 9 82

Current Price 160.00

Quantity Traded 18,874 304,545

Value Traded 3,016,134.65 53,301,220.44

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 300.00

Quantity Traded 17,959 17,959

Value Traded 5,369,422.32 5,369,422.32

8,093,602

148,727,296.42

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals

Daily Summary (Equities) CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL

Daily Summary (Equities)

OIL AND GAS Totals Activity Summary on Board EQTY SERVICES OIL AND GAS Advertising Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Distributors Petroleum and Petroleum Products AFROMEDIA PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Advertising Totals Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

288

Symbol Symbol AFROMEDIA TOTAL

No.of ofDeals Deals Current CurrentPrice Price No. 0.50 91 160.00 1 82

Page QuantityTraded Traded Quantity 250 18,874 250 304,545

8Value Traded of 12 Value Traded 125.00 3,016,134.65 125.00 53,301,220.44

Symbol Symbol RTBRISCOE SEPLAT

No.of ofDeals Deals Current CurrentPrice Price No. 0.71 71 300.00 71

QuantityTraded Traded Quantity 1,000 17,959 1,000 17,959

ValueTraded Traded Value 680.00 5,369,422.32 680.00 5,369,422.32

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals Current Price 288 13 4.93 6 1.03 19 Current Price No. of Deals 1 0.50 No. of Deals Current Price 1 1 0.50

Quantity Traded 8,093,602 174,610 62,600 237,210 Quantity Traded

Value Traded 148,727,296.42 823,346.00 64,760.00 888,106.00 Value Traded

250 Quantity Traded 250 500

125.00 Value Traded 125.00 250.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.71

Quantity Traded 1,000 Page 1,000

Value Traded 680.00 9 of 12 680.00

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 13 6 (Equities) 19

Current Price 4.93 1.03

Quantity Traded 174,610 62,600 237,210

Value Traded 823,346.00 64,760.00 888,106.00

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 500

Value Traded 250.00

Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price

Quantity Traded Page 500

Value Traded 9 of 250.00 12

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 3.69

Quantity Traded 1,583,400 1,583,400

Value Traded 5,857,796.00 5,857,796.00

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC Printing/Publishing Totals

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA

No. of Deals 4 6 10

Current Price 0.76 1.14

Quantity Traded 19,102 26,200 45,302

Value Traded 14,036.56 28,072.00 42,108.56

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.51

Quantity Traded 2,000 2,000

Value Traded 1,000.00 1,000.00

No. of Deals 1 36 (Equities) 37

Current Price 1.89 5.05

Quantity Traded 2,000 1,180,604 1,182,604

Value Traded 3,780.00 5,920,546.62 5,924,326.62

No. of Deals 2

Current Price 4.03

Quantity Traded 5,500

Value Traded 21,065.00

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Exploration and Production R T BRISCOE PLC. DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD SEPLAT PETROLEUM Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Exploration and Production Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery OIL AND GAS Totals RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. SERVICES Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Employment Solutions Advertising Totals C & I LEASING PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R Tas BRISCOE PLC. Daily Summary of 03/08/2015 Published by The Nigerian Stock Automobile/Auto PartExchange Retailers©Totals Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Employment Solutions Activity Summary on Board EQTY C & I LEASING PLC. SERVICES Employment Solutions Published by The NigerianSolutions Stock Exchange Employment Totals ©

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Daily Summary as of 03/08/2015 Road Transportation Totals Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Symbol AFROMEDIA Symbol CILEASING

Daily Summary

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

Daily Summary Symbol CAVERTON Symbol

Support and Logistics Totals

No. of Deals 2

SERVICES Totals

EQTY Board Totals

Current Price

Quantity TradedPage 5,500

10 of 12 Value Traded 21,065.00

3,058,766

12,735,957.18

3,275

320,245,000

3,529,399,666.18

Quantity Traded 250 250

Value Traded 340.00 340.00

250

340.00

Quantity Traded 5,000 5,000

Value Traded 2,500.00 2,500.00

Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board ASeM 12

CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals CONSUMER Totals Daily Summary as ofGOODS 03/08/2015 Printed 03/08/2015 15:19:45.045 OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CAPITAL OIL PLC Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals 1 1

Symbol CAPOIL

No. of Deals 1 1

ASeM Board Totals

Daily Summary (ETP)

Exchange Traded Fund

Current Price 0.50

3,277

OIL AND GAS Totals

Name Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Current Price 1.32

Equity Activity Totals

Symbol COURTVILLE

ICT Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Support and Logistics Activity Summary on Board EQTY

2,361,199,174.68 5

Sector

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

320,250,250

3,529,402,506.18

5,000

2,500.00

5,250

2 No. of Deals 1 1 2

Current Price 2,092.00 13.70

2,840.00

Page Quantity Traded 51 10 61

11 of 12 Value Traded 106,692.00 137.00 106,829.00

ETF Board Totals

106,829.00

ETP Activity Totals

106,829.00

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Community Mirror

We must be strong, focused and believe in ourselves because there can never be a Nigeria without an Igbo man, because the Igbo nation is represented in all the nooks and crannies of this country. –GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE, ROCHAS OKOROCHA Theophilus onoJeghen, WARRI

il-rich Ekpan community in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene in the brewing crisis between the community and Delta State government over what it described as undue interference in the appointment of Community Liaison Officers, CLO, to major companies doing business in the area. The community alleged that if President Buhari does not intervene, it could snowball into chaos and youth unrest, which would hamper business activities among oil companies operating within the community. In a letter entitled “Save Our Soul” and specifically addressed to Mr. President, Ekpan community accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of partisan interference in a matter that was purely within the purview of the community’s leadership. The letter signed by Mr. Silver Ofugara, Chairman, Ekpan Development Community, Pa William Ujara, Eldest Man, Famous Etawhene, Men’s Leader, and Madam Ekpokpone Tanofor, urged the federal Government to save the community from looming palpable crisis. Ekpan community which play host to the highest numbers of oil companies in the state including the Warri Refinery maintained that the looming crisis, if not checked, will affect the nation’s economy.

Community seeks FG’s intervention in face-off with Delta govt

LAFIA

undreds of traders in the ancient Lafia central market in Nasarawa State yesterday staged a peaceful protest over decision of the state government to relocate them to a new market in the city. Though security operatives were drafted to the scene at dawn of the day to prevent any possible break down of law and order hitherto restricting the protesters to confine their protest within the market

James DanJuma, KATSINA

L-R: Baale of Omole, Lagos State, Chief Taiwo Nasiru Bakare; newly installed Iyalaje of Ojodu, Chief (Mrs.) Folashade Salako; Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Folashade Tinubu-Ojo and Chief Olodipupo Salako during conferment of chieftaincy titles on some eminent personalities in Ojodu, Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday.

“Ekpan used to be volatile. However, the prevailing peace for the past five years was shattered on July 3, when the Secretary to the State Government, Ovie Agas, ordered corporate bodies to suspend appointments of CLOs made by the community and replaced same with CLOs whose tenure elapsed 11 June until further notice”, the letter reads. It explained that, “Your Excellency, when we thought we were on path of peace, four companies where old CLOs reappointed by government were posted was invaded by

the Army/Police/thugs to forcefully impose government appointees as CLOs. In the process, Mr. Innocent Abrakata who was carrying out his legitimate duties at DAEWOO firm was arrested. “Other community persons seen around were beaten and harassed. The Whereabouts of Mr. Abrakata remains unknown. Moreover, the residence of the Unuevworo (Head) of Ekpan, Chief Newton Agbofodoh (JP) was also invaded by the Police but not found in.” The community recalled that the Delta state govern-

Traders protest relocation in Nasarawa igbawase ukumba

Katsina to empower over .5m women, youth

premises under the watchful eyes of stern-looking security men. Speaking with journalists during the protest, spokesman of the protesters, Usman Shitu, said their action was necessitated by the way government handled the occupation of the new market as it has allotted all shops in the new market to politicians, who in turn are surcharging them on rent. According to him, “The rent charges on those shops at the new market as charged by those politicians was so exorbitant that an average trader

cannot afford to pay considering the low patronage to our goods and services being experienced in the state.” Shitu alleged that the state government had given out the shops to the politicians at the rate of N50,000 per shop whereas, the politician in turn give it out for N100,000 per shop to the original traders. He pointed that the traders were taken unaware for the relocation as a notice to that order was given to them to pack out of the ancient market within two weeks time. When contacted, Special As-

ment is aware that CLOs in Ekpan run on three year tenure, alleging that the action of the Secretary to the Delta State Government ordering the recall former CLOs whose tenures have elapsed is provocative. It however called on President Buhari to stop using security agencies to chase leaders and innocent citizens in Ekpan, release those arrested, allow the administrative structures in Ekpan to function without interference or go to court to lawfully seek any reasoned redress on the matter.

sistant, to Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura on media and publicity, Tukur Ahmed, said the government has no ill motive of the trader’s relocation, adding that the idea was to decongest the overcrowded market. He pointed that the traders were earlier given a three months notice prior to their relocation, even as he maintained that the traders had brought in some conditions to effect their relocation which the state government graciously approved instantly.

overnor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has said his administration had commenced registration of over 500,000 women and youth that would be provided with cash assistance to enable them become self reliant. Masari, who spoke during the weekend at a reception organised to honour him by people of Kafur Local Government Area, said the cash assistance was part of measures to minimise poverty among people of the state. The governor said the registered women or youth would each be given cash assistance ranging from 20,000 and above depending on the business they chose to set up. Masari, who lamented level of poverty in the state especially among the youth, said his administration was working to find ways of minimising the problem. He also said that some committees had been set up to come with blueprints on how to effectively revive the education and health sectors in the state. He commended the people of Kafur council area, which is also his hometown, for the honour done to him and assured them that he would not fail them. Earlier, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun said the party was proud of the people of Katsina state for producing President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as an honest and God-fearing leader. Oyegun however called for patience and prayers form all Nigerians for the president for the transformation of the country. The director of planning, Universal Basic Education Commission, Bello Kagara said the occasion was organised by people of the council area in solidarity to one of their son who ascended to the number one position in the state. Bello said the people of the council area were grateful to entire people of the state for electing Masari as the first governor from the southern part of the state

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News

US to defend Syrian rebels with airpower – 51

"The final solution in Yemen is political, in Syria the final solution is political" - Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott

Moroccan suffocates trying to enter Spain in suitcase PAUL AREHWE WITH AGENCY REPORTS

27-year-old Moroccan man suffocated to death while trying to illegally enter Spain hidden inside a suitcase in the trunk of a car, police said yesterday. The man’s older brother appears to have tried to smuggle him into Spain by ferry. The older man, aged 34, legally boarded the ferry linking Melilla, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa, and Almeria in southern Spain with a car Sunday, a police spokesman said. During the crossing he noticed that his brother was not breathing and alerted the ferry’s staff. Crew members as well as emergency services workers in the port of Almeria tried in vain to resuscitate the man. Police have charged the man’s brother with involuntary manslaughter. In May police discovered an eight-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast curled up inside a suit-

10 Malian soldiers killed in attack on northern base Unidentified gunmen killed 10 Malian soldiers at the Gourma Rharous base in northern Mali on Monday, an army official said. "The provisional death toll is 10 dead on the army side," said Souleymane Maiga, head of the army's information office, without giving further details. The attack, near the desert city of Timbuktu, follows an ambush on a Malian army convoy on Sunday further south in which two soldiers were killed.

S’African court postpones Malema corruption trial

Workers lead drivers to get to ferry in Morocco

case - without air vents - that was being carried across a pedestrian crossing from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain’s other north African territory. A security scanner picture of the boy curled up in the suitcase served as a shocking reminder of the lengths migrants take to try to seek a better life in Europe.

His father, a legal resident in Spain, had tried to smuggle the boy into Spain because his income was too low to request residency papers for his son. The boy was eventually granted temporary permission to live in Spain with his parents. Each year, thousands of migrants risk their lives trying to enter Ceuta and Melilla, which

have the European Union’s only land borders with Africa, to try to enter Europe. Many migrants try to scramble over the seven-meter (23foot) fences that separate the Spanish cities from Morocco while others try to swim or sail from shores on the Moroccan side. Four migrants died Sunday

UN airlifts DR Congo refugees from CAR

he UN said yesterday it had begun repatriating more than 600 people who had fled to the now violencetorn Central African Republic from the Democratic Republic of Congo six years ago. The United Nations’ refugee agency said it had airlifted a first group of 39 Congolese refugees from Zemio in south eastern CAR to the remote, eastern DR Congo province of Ango yesterday. “Over the next three weeks, UNHCR plans to repatriate a total of 628 refugees on 12 chartered flights, including the one on Monday,” the agency said in a statement. The refugees were among some 5,000 people who fled DRC in 2008 and 2009 to escape attacks by the notorious Ugandan rebel group Lord’s Resistance

WORLD BULLETIN

Army (LRA). The group was at the time running rampant, robbing villagers, looting property, torching homes, kidnapping people, raping women and girls and using children as soldiers and sex slaves, UNHCR pointed out. The LRA continues to spread terror in the region, and is still present in the Ango area, but UNHCR said all the returnees had said they preferred leaving the Zemio camp, run by the agency, over fears of the volatile security situation in CAR. Thousands have died and hundreds of thousands of people have fled deadly civil unrest in the landlocked nation since late 2012, including at least 2,800 Congolese refugees who have returned home. The Congolese government had said it believed the situation

in the Ango region was stable enough to allow for return, UNHCR said. “The refugees were fully informed about the security situation in return areas before they made a final decision to go back,”

it said. UNHCR meanwhile said it was trying to find a lasting solution for the refugees wishing to remain in Zemio, which is facing funding shortages and is in a volatile part of CAR and difficult to access.

Soldiers patrol in the north eastern part of Central African Republic

Firebrand South African politician Julius Malema yesterday demanded his day in court after his long-delayed trial for corruption was once again postponed, three years after he was initially charged. Malema, who heads the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is accused of fraud, corruption, money-laundering and racketeering linked to a $5 million government contract won six years ago when he was still head of the ruling African National Congress' youth wing. But Monday's court date joined a slew of false starts, with the trial delayed after one of Malema's four co-accused was absent after being hospitalised last week. The politician's lawyers are now pushing to have him tried separately, while the state presses for a postponement to early 2016. A decision is due to be made in the Polokwane High Court on Tuesday. "I came here to subject myself to the rule of law," Malema told a large crowd of supporters clad in the EFF's signature red T-shirts and berets outside the court.

Media condemns assault on journalist in Burundi Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders lashed out yesterday at the "despicable assault" against a news agency reporter in Burundi, who says he was detained and badly beaten after a top general was assassinated. Esdras Ndikumana, a prominent Burundian journalist who works for Agence France-Presse and Radio France Internationale (RFI), said he was held for around two hours, during which he said he was subjected to severe beatings on his back, legs and the soles of his feet. He was later released and hospitalised, with the injuries also including a suspected broken finger. Ndikumana said he was taking pictures on Sunday at the scene of the general's assassination in the capital Bujumbura when he was arrested by members of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) and taken to their offices.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

WORLD BULLETIN

‘Russian minister meets Hamas chief, invites him to Moscow’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Qatar yesterday and invited him to visit Moscow, a Hamas official said, extending a diplomatic welcome to the Palestinian group shunned by the West. Meshaal, who is based in Doha, last travelled to Moscow in 2010, four years after his first official visit to the Russian capital. In a statement released in Gaza, the Hamas official said a delegation led by Meshaal briefed Lavrov on conditions in the Gaza Strip, which the Islamist movement rules, in the aftermath of last summer's war with Israel. Meshaal also discussed with Lavrov "Zionist terrorism in the West Bank and its assaults on Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem", the official said, three days after an arson attack by suspected Jewish militants killed a Palestinian toddler. "The (Russian) foreign minister extended an invitation to the leadership of (Hamas) to visit Moscow and the movement accepted the invitation and the date will be determined later," the official said. Russia is one of the four international sponsors, along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, of an IsraeliPalestinian peace process opposed by Hamas. Peace talks have been suspended for more than a year. Hamas is shunned in the West over its refusal to recognize Israel, accept existing Israeli-Palestinian interim peace deals and renounce violence. Russia says it should not be isolated. In Doha, Lavrov was to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Qatar for talks with the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the nuclear agreement Western powers reached last month with Iran.

World News

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

US to defend Syrian rebels with airpower T he United States has decided to allow airstrikes to defend Syrian rebels trained by the U.S. military from any attackers, even if the enemies hail from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials said. The decision by President Barack Obama, which could deepen the U.S. role in Syria's conflict, aims to shield a still-fledging group of Syrian fighters armed and trained by the United States to battle Islamic State militants -- not forces loyal to Assad. But in Syria's messy civil war, Islamic State is only one of the threats to the U.S. recruits. The first batch of U.S.-trained forces deployed to northern Syria came under fire on Friday from other militants, triggering the first known U.S. airstrikes to support them. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to confirm details of the decision, first reported by the

Wall Street Journal, said the United States would provide offensive strikes to support advances against Islamic State targets. The United States would also provide defensive support to repel any attackers. U.S. officials have long played down the idea that Assad's forces - which have not fired on U.S.-led coalition aircraft bombing Islamic State targets in Syria - would turn their sights on the U.S.-backed Syrian rebels. But they cannot rule out the possibility, perhaps in an unintentional clash. The Pentagon and the White House declined to discuss the decision on rules of engagement or confirm comments by the unnamed U.S. officials. White House National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said only the U.S.-trained forces were being provided a wide range of support, including "defensive fires support to protect them" and pointed to Friday's U.S. airstrikes as proof.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad talking with military officers

Syrian warplane crashes into market, kills 12

t least 12 people died after a Syrian government warplane crashed into a

Son demotes dad in battle for control of S’Korean retailer

family battle for control of South Korea's largest retailer has erupted in public after the group's 92-year-old founder was demoted to a powerless role in the business by his youngest son. Shin Dong-bin, 60, has been trying to solidify his control of the Lotte conglomerate, which has businesses in South Korea, Japan, China and Southeast Asia, in the face of opposition from his older brother Shin Dong-joo, 61, and his father Shin Kyuk-ho. Shin Dong-bin on Mon-

day said his brother and father had attempted to sack him as chairman of Lotte but their efforts had no legal standing. In response to those maneuvers, Lotte had earlier demoted Shin Kyuk-ho to honorary chairman, from general chairman overseeing Lotte's businesses in Japan and South Korea. It said the demotion was necessary to prevent the 92-year-old from being manipulated by people seeking control over the company. Family-owned business conglomerates dominate South Korea's economy.

Lotte group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, centre, surrounded by the media after a press conference

Feuds that spill outside the inner circle provide the public with an occasional glimpse into the inner workings of business empires that for the most part are opaque and unaccountable. Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee fought a long legal battle with his older brother over their inheritance and the sons of the Hyundai founder battled each other for control of the group during their father's last years. Shin Kyuk-ho, one of the many Koreans who migrated to Japan when the Korean peninsula was under Japanese rule, founded Lotte as a chewing gum maker in Japan in 1948. It grew into a retail behemoth with businesses spanning the region. But Lotte generates most of its revenue in South Korea where it operates the country's largest discount and department store chains as well as hotels a chemicals business. Its holding company, Lotte Holdings, is based in Japan. Footage broadcast Sun-

market area in the town of rebel-controlled Ariha during a bombing raid yesterday. Dozens were also injured by the crashed plane, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There are conflicting reports on the nature of the crash. The Syrian government said the crash occurred due to "weather conditions and heavy fog" but rebels

for the al-Qaida-linked alNusra Front rebel group said they shot it down. The condition of the pilot has not yet been reported. The town of Ariha was one of the last Syrian government strongholds in the Idlib province before the town was captured by rebels in May. Most of Idlib, which borders Turkey, is now controlled by rebel groups, including alNusra.

US police chase man in officer's fatal shooting

manhunt was underway yesterday for a suspect who police say fatally shot a Memphis officer after he interrupted a drug deal involving a small amount of marijuana that would have resulted in just a misdemeanour citation and a fine. "He's a coward," Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said of the suspect, 29-year-old Tremaine Wilbourn. "You gunned down, you murdered a police officer, for less than 2 grams of marijuana. You literally destroyed a family." Wilbourn faces a firstdegree murder charge in the death of Officer Sean Bolton, 33, Armstrong said at a Sunday news conference. Wilbourn was a passenger in a 2002 Mercedes Benz that was parked illegally in a southeast Memphis neighbourhood Saturday night, Armstrong said. Bolton saw the car and shined his squad

car's spotlight on the vehicle, according to the director. Bolton got out of his car and walked toward the Mercedes, Armstrong said. Wilbourn got out of the Mercedes, confronted Bolton, and they got into a physical struggle, Armstrong said. Wilbourn took out a gun and fired, striking Bolton multiple times, Armstrong said. The officer died at a hospital. Wilbourn and the driver then ran away, Armstrong said. A civilian used Bolton's radio to notify police about the shooting, Armstrong said. The driver later turned himself in to police, and police described him as a person of interest before he was released without charges. Armstrong said Bolton interrupted a drug deal in progress, and officers found about 1.7 grams of marijuana in the car.

North

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Police arrest 6 over Inspector’s death in Sokoto

Some residents of Zhiko Community in Bwari Area Council of FCT, displaying evidence of their benefits from the UNDP-funded Solar-Powered Energy Bulbs during an inspection of the completed UNDP Projects in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO:NA

SON sets up committee on herbal medicines OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

irector General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, yesterday inaugurated the National Committee on African Traditional Medicine. Addressing the committee members headed by erstwhile INEC chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, in Abuja, Odumodu urged them to work towards provision of standards in herbal medicine that would meet the World Health Organisation, WHO, stipulated quality of pharmaceutical products. The DG, who was represented by Director of Legal Services,

Mr. Imari Kawu, stated that the committee would help articulate Nigeria’s contributions to the harmonisation process of African Regional Organisation for Standadisation Technical Committee on African Traditional Medicine, ARSO THC 13. He regretted that the country had been unable to export its herbal medicines with high market potential because of lack of standadisation. According to him, some of the challenges being encountered by traditional medicine practitioners can be addressed through diligent process and standadisation. The need for standadisation, he added,

entailed the preparation of products under Good Manufacturing Practice, GMP, botanical verification, quality consideration, evaluation of safety and efficacy, labeling, as well as physical and chemical stability of the products in the containers in which they are marketed.” On expectation from the committee, Odumodu stated, “You are expected to work with technical experts from Africa using this National Committee platform to make inputs to standards harmonisation process. “I call on you to work assiduously towards providing standards in herbal medicines that would meet WHO Cer-

tification System on quality of pharmaceutical products in international committee.” Responding, the committee chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, promised to work towards ensuring the effective regulation among herbal medicine practitioners. He also canvassed the inclusion of traditional medicine in the nation’s health care delivery system in view of its proven efficacy in curing some life’s threatening ailment. The former INEC boss promised that the committee would come up with an acceptable policy that would be presented to African Regional Standards Organisation, ARSO.

STF recovers 100 stolen cattle in Plateau JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

pecial Task Force, STF, in Plateau State yesterday said it had recovered 100 cattle stolen by thieves in different parts of the state with the assistance of community leaders in Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government areas of the state. It was gathered that 47 cows and one sheep were recovered at Tafwan village of Foron district, which borders Barkin Ladi and Riyom

local government areas, while 53 cattle were recovered around Kamang village in Jos south. Sector 7 Commander, Colonel Charles Ekulide, while handing over the 47 cattle said 59 cows and 39 sheep were rustled from Ndang farm in Barkin Ladi on July 29, adding that nine of the cows had returned on their own while efforts were still on to recover the remaining three and 38 sheep. Ekulide said STF officers recovered the cows with the help of the Fu-

lani community, who found the animals abandoned by their rustlers. Also speaking, SubLieutenant Raphael Ejabena of Sector 5 in Jos south said the STF received information from Kamang village on August 1 that armed rustlers were seen moving with some cattle around the area. Ejabena said STF personnel had to engage the rustlers in a shootout, which led to recovery of the cows. He said the cows belonged to a Fulani

herdsman, Akawu Musa who thanked the community and the STF for recovering his cattle. Mohammed Adam, the Secretary Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, in Barkin Ladi and Maianguwa Dan Pam Dusu, the village head of Kamang who spoke independently urged other communities to imbibe the goodwill of assisting the STF to recover stolen cattle in the interest of peace.

okoto State Police Command on Monday confirmed the arrest of six workers of a four-star hotel in Sokoto State over the death of a Police Inspector, Mr Nura Hashimu, on Saturday. The command’s spokesman, Mr El-Mustapha Sani, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the deceased died after he was allegedly beaten to a state of coma by security guards of the hotel. “The deceased had reportedly lodged in the hotel for about five days preceding the incident. “The late officer was asked to leave the hotel after repeated complaints by some of his neighbours in the hotel that his room was always rowdy. “He had earlier parked his belongings and put

them in a commercial tricycle and left the hotel, but later returned angrily,’’ Sani stated. He said on his return, the deceased reportedly had a misunderstanding with Managing Director of the hotel, prompting the intervention of security guards, who allegedly beat him up. According to police spokesman, the late Inspector was rushed to Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, where he was confirmed dead. Sani said the corpse had been taken to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, for autopsy to determine the real cause of death. The police spokesman stated that the six suspects had been detained for further investigation.

Contempt: Court adjourns suit against EFCC till Oct 27 ABDULGAFAR OLADIMEJI KANO

conomic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has asked a Kano High Court sitting in Gezawa to stay execution of a judgment delivered in a contempt suit against the commission. The court had on May 25 ordered the anti-graft agency to release vehicles belonging to a Kano-based business woman, Zainab Usman Bichi, in its custody to the care of deputy sheriff of the High Court. The court, which had earlier granted judgment in favour of the business woman, wherein it ordered the commission to release the woman’s properties to her and further ordered the payment of N3 million as compensation to the complainant. However, counsel to EFCC, Salisu Sani, asked the court to stay execution of its judgment, noting that the commission would appeal against the judgment. In his ruling, Justice Mohammed Yahya, granted the request for stay of execution on the premise that the properties belonging to Zainab be kept in the custody of the deputy sheriff pending hear-

ing and determination of the appeal challenging the verdict by his court. However, the commission despite asking for stay of execution of the judgment, failed to comply with the court order. Consequent on this failure of the commission to honour the court order, the complainant through her counsel, Mr I. I. Wangida, filed a motion requesting the court to commit the head of operations, EFCC, Kano Zone, to prison for violating an order of the court delivered on May 25. Responding to the application for committal, counsel to EFCC, told the court that its failure to comply with the court order was as a result of the inability of the Kano zone of the EFCC, to get directives from the Abuja headquarters of the commission promising that the commission has no reason to disobey the order of the court. After listening to both parties’ submission, Justice Mohammed Yahya, adjourned the matter till October 27 ,2015 for the commission to comply with the order of the court or risk having its boss sent to jail for contempt.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

It’s tricky, I think. But as I said before, I will still be careful not to put my neck to the rope this season –Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

My pain at missing Warri Trials –Oduduru 55

Super Falcons line-up

EvErEst OnyEwuchi

resident of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick, laboured yesterday to explain his absence in either of the two venues in Africa where the Super Falcons and the Men’s U-23 Team played two crucial tournament qualifying matches last Sunday. While Falcons played in Bata, Equatorial Guinea and lost 2-1and also failed to progress to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, the U-23 team coached by Samson Siasia pulled the chestnut out of fire with a goalless draw result in Pointe Noire and thus, qualified at the expense of their Congo opponents for the Senegal 2015 Olympics qualifying tourna-

Under fire Pinnick explains abandonment of Falcons ...as Oliseh meets Mikel, Iwobi at Wembley

ment. Nigerian ball fans who expected Pinnick to be at either of these battle fronts were disappointed as the NFF boss was in London, watching the Community Shield game which Arsenal won at the expense of Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium. But yesterday, in what appeared to be an afterthought, the NFF in a statement explained

that Pinnick and the Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Sunday Oliseh, are in the United Kingdom for a number of meetings with prospective sponsors of Nigerian football. “A number of the meetings took place over the weekend, with more scheduled for early this week, and Pinnick will also be involved in sessions related to global football politics, with events heat-

ing up ahead of FIFA’s presidential election early next year. “We have a number of meetings with some groups who have indicated interest in Nigeria football. It is my responsibility to expatiate on the direction that we want to take Nigeria football, and Oliseh is our Head Coach now and they needed to listen to his own development plans as well,” Pinnick said in the statement.

The NFF further explained that Oliseh took the Wembley match opportunity to meet officially with Chelsea players, Mikel Obi and Victor Moses, and also with Arsenal youngster, Alex Iwobi. “The truth is, I actually wanted to travel with the Falcons, if not for the meeting in the UK. I had developed a special bond with the team from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. The NFF is proud of the team’s glorious achievements over the years.”

AAG: Over 200 wrestlers fight for selection P resident of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, yesterday in Abuja, said no fewer than 200 athletes had registered for the All Africa Games (AAG) wrestling trials. News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) reports that the threeday trials is being organised by the NWF to select wrestlers who would represent Nigeria in the event at the games and begin preparation. “We have more than 200 participants from 24 states in Nige-

ria; we left it open for all states and individuals to participate, and they are here based on merit. “We have three categories of the trials - Greco Roman Wrestling, Female Wrestling and Free Style Wrestling,” Igali said. The NWF president added,

“Each day is devoted to a particular class of wrestling; today (yesterday) the focus is on Greco Roman Wrestling, “They have been in camp for the past three weeks and they would be there until they depart for Congo; every winner will be

automatically qualified for the games.” Igali commended the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut, and his management for the support provided for the trials.

Sports

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NBA Games:

NBA Legend Olajuwon (r) tries to dribble Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic during the match

PAul erewubA

he NBA put on a show in its first exhibition game in Africa last weekend starting with a dunk straight from the tipoff by Luc Mbah a Moute. The match, broadcast live on SS6 HD, in support of various charity organisations across the continent, pit Team Africa against Team World. Team Africa, captained by two-time

NBA All Star Luol Deng of the Miami Heat, gave account of themselves even as they lost to Team World. Nigeria’s Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo suited up for Team Africa and played for a stint in the exhibition. In the game monitored in Lagos, the 52-year-old Olajuwon, in a Houston No. 34 jersey, pulled off a turnaround jumper-the “Dream Shake”-that had the current NBA stars leaping off the benches with their arms in the air.

Team World tops Team Africa

“That’s one of the most memorable experiences ever,” Chris Paul, one of the team captains, said, adding, “I told Dream, if he’s still moving like that at his age now, I couldn’t imagine him in his day.” After a relaxed first half, the game got serious in the second: Paul’s Team World rallied with a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat Luol Deng’s “home” Team Africa 101-97. “In the second half we decided enough was enough and we needed to

do a lot better if we didn’t want to lose by 40,” Team World’s Pau Gasol said. Washington’s Bradley Beal led Team World with 18 points and Paul had 12. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points for Team Africa, with Deng adding 20. After Jeff Green’s dunk and a layup by Evan Turner, Team World was suddenly leading 85-78 in the fourth. Team World led 99-97 with a couple of seconds to go when Green was fouled and made both free throws to seal the

Glo commends U-23 team on Congo victory

ational U-23 team “The Dream Team” have been commended for qualifying for the African Championship for the Rio 2016 Olympics after holding Congo to a goalless draw in Pointe Noire on Sunday to sail through on 2-1 aggregate. ICT Solutions Provider, Globacom, in a press statement in Lagos on Monday commended the team for making Nigeria proud. The Dream Team players held their nerves in the crucial encounter and will now play in the eight-team African Qualifying Tourna-

ment billed for Senegal in November alongside the host nation, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Zambia, South Africa and Mali. “We never wavered in our belief that the Dream Team would qualify, despite the tight first leg result. We are delighted that they did not disappoint Nigerians who supported them all the way,” Glo stated. “We wish to congratulate the team for withstanding all the odds against them in Pointe Noure to advance to the Senegal finals,” the statement added.

“We also appreciate the support from Nigerians and the Nigeria Football Federation in particular and we urge the team’s technical crew and the players not to rest on their oars until the Rio Olympics ticket is won. “We also urge the NFF to continue to support the Dream Team’s training programme ahead of the Senegal Championship,” the statement concluded. Globacom is the major partner of the Nigeria Football Federation and official sponsor of Nigeria’s national football teams.

NPL: Pillars’ coach sad in victory AbdulgAfAr OlAdimeji KANO

espite Pillars FC’s 2-1 victory over Lobi Stars last Sunday in Kano, returnee coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru, has lamented that his side lacks character to compete favourably in the Nigeria Professional Football League.

Captain Rabiu Ali and Shehu Shagari scored in the 21st and 35th minutes to snatch victory for Pillars while Tony Okpotu reduced the tally for the visitors in the 48th minute. “The flair I left with the team has disappeared, maybe due differences in coaching styles and approach,” Ganaru told National Mirror yesterday. “It’s obvious now that we

must reinforce the team and I feel sure we will improve and do better. “The win against Lobi is a good starting point and we hope to build on that as we progress in the league.” Lobi players and officials had arrived in Kano with the ambition to secure the three points at and the result left them disappointed.

Benteke (facing camera)

Benteke gets legend’s applause L iverpool legend, Ian Rush, believes new signing Christian Benteke could be the difference between the Reds finishing fourth and fifth this season. Benteke became the Reds’ seventh summer signing last

month when he made a £32.5m move from Aston Villa and immediately made his mark in Sunday’s friendly at Swindon with a thumping volley. Rush, who scored a record 346 goals in 15 years at Anfield, believes the Belgium international will bring

crucial versatility and could be the club’s most decisive signing of the summer. “For me, Christian is a great signing,” Rush said yesterday, adding, “We didn’t score as many as we would like last season, so he is a great addition to the squad.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Athletes/officials selected for Beijing 2015 World Championships

Mercyjacob_26@yahoo.com Tel: 08063056537

Female athletes 100/200/4x100m Blessing Okagbare Gloria Asumnu Stephanie Kalu Deborah Odeyemi Cecilia Francis Ngozi Onwumere

Divine Oduduru

400/4x400m Patience Okon Regina George Oluwatosin Adeloye Etim Margaret Funke Oladoye Rita Ossai High Jump Doreen Amata 100mH Lindsay Weyimi Lindley

My pain at missing Warri Trials –Oduduru

orld Junior Championship silver medalist, Divine Oduduru, says he cannot forget in a hurry how malaria infection denied him participation in the 2015 All Nigeria Open Athletics Championship in Warri, Delta State last week. The multi-talented athlete, who bared his mind in a chat with National Mirror yesterday, said he had been deprived of his ability to showcase his talent at the All Africa Games slated for next month in Brazzaville, Congo. “I prepared very well for Warri but found myself unable to make it as a result of illness,” Oduduru lamented. “Few days to the competition I collapsed and was taken to the hospital. I was grounded there as the event went on. I couldn’t help crying as I monitored the venue. Actually it took the doctor and my coach some time to console me because it was so painful for me.

“As it stands now, I don’t even know my fate as regards the AAG after missing out of Warri. “I would have been the one that won the 200metre race going by my preparation or at worst come second because the person that won the race was my friend and I know his strength.” Oduduru, however, advised his mates to wake up to their responsibilities and emulate the women who he said were on the high at the moment in world athletics performance. “The male athletes need a lot of work to do because the female athletes are ahead of us,” he said. “For the male athletes to rise to the expectation, they have to be focused and stop seeing the track and field event as a business rather as a game. “I feel so bad to see the male athletes under performing in every competition, but my desire is to break that jinx

because my desire is to be the next Olusoji Fasuba that would break the national and the world record.” Oduduru won the silver medal in 200m in 2014 IAAF World youth championship in Oregon, USA and capped it with gold in the Africa junior championship in Mauritius. Meanwhile, US-based sprinter, Seye Ogunlewe, won the 100m men final at the 2015 All-Nigeria Athletics Championship to become the country’s new national champion. In the women triple event, Blessing Ibukun won with 13.32m while the silver and bronze medals went to Hope Idhe (13.11m) and Brown Uche (12.42m) respectively. The women long jump gold was won by Chinazom Amadi with 6.24m while Commonwealth Games gold medalist Ese Brume won the silver when she leaped a distance of 6.14m as Usoro Ruth took the bronze with her distance of 6.07m.

Star Quote…

A lot of legends, a lot of people, have come before me. But this is my time. –Usain Bolt

400mH Amaka Ogoegbunam Long Jump Ese Brume Discus Chinwe Okoro

Heptathlon Uhunoma Naomi Osazuwa Male athletes 100m Ogho-Oghene Egwero 200m Odele Tega Peter 110mH Tyron Akins 400mH 3 Ukaoma Miles Triple Jump Tosin Oke Officials AFN President Technical Director Secretary General Prof Kenneth Anugweje Gabriel Okon Maurice Greene Solomon Aliyu Yussuf Alli Kayode Thomas Falilat Ogunkoya

World bits…

IAAF in doping claim denial

The head of world athletics has staunchly defended its anti-doping efforts following allegations of mass doping among medal-winning athletes. The global sports community is calling for a thorough investigation. International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), President Lamine Diack, said yesterday that any suggestion his organization had been too lax in its approach to drug testing athletes was laughable. “Nothing can be farther from the truth. What we are concerned about is mainly how to improve on the sport and make athletes see reason why they should pursue their careers in the most professional way,” the Senegalese added.

Aguilar shatters javelin record

Yulenmis Aguilar’s world junior javelin record capped a highly competitive 18th Pan American Junior Championships at Foote Field in Edmonton, which concluded after three days of action on Sunday, as the USA clearly dominated with 56 medals, including a record 30 titles. Coming from a disappointing sixth place at the Pan American Games in Toronto, 2013 world youth silver medallist Aguilar unleashed the 600g implement to 63.86m on her first attempt to erase the previous mark of 63.01m set by Vira Rebryk in 2008. On the eve of her 19th birthday, Aguilar confirmed her superb form with a 63.33m effort with her second throw. After a pass and a 57.01m throw in the fourth round, she finished her competition.

Trio excel at Spanish Meet

Ruth Beitia and Miguel Angel Lopez, the country’s top World Championships medal hopes, were in fine form at the Spanish Championships, held in Castellon de la Plana at the weekend. But the surprise highlight of the weekend came from Adel Mechaal, who achieved the first 1500m-5000m double at the event since 1945. The 25-year-old rising star kicked off his campaign on Saturday afternoon with a comfortable advancement timed at 3:45 to Sunday’s final in his specialist event, the 1500m. Barely one hour later, Mechaal tackled the 5000m, a virtually unknown distance for him having tried the event just once before in 2012. The slow pace set in the opening kilometres (9:01:41 at 3000m) played in favour of Mechaal, whose 55.85 closing lap was enough to keep defending champion Toni Abadia at bay, 14:10.59 to 14:10.82, while 37-year-old Jesus Espana had to settle for third on this occasion.

WORLD RECORD

First use of marine mammals defence Fastest marathon dribbling twoin basketballs

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1171 Tuesday, August 4, 2015

The earliest use of marine mammals in active military defence was during the Vietnam War between 1970–71, by US Navy bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Now that Buhari is back from America

ollowing through both local and foreign media, the euphoria that surrounded President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent trip to the United States of America got to a somewhat ridiculous height. The aggregate trend in most of the views and opinions expressed by most media analysts in respect of the visit is that it would usher in ‘big time prosperity’ for Nigeria. Though, most of the analysts did not really state the basis for such extravagant optimism, the general consensus, nevertheless, was that with President Buhari’s trip to America, Nigeria’s greatness is a foregone conclusion. One very (over) excited analyst said: “For President Obama to invite President Buhari to

Guest Columnist

Tayo

Ogunbiyi

America is a big deal. I am now very sure that our economic problems are over”. How simplistic! Without a doubt, President Buhari’s recent visit to America would open new window of opportunities for relations between the two countries. It would be recalled that relations between Nigeria and the US had gone sour in recent past. Nigeria, being the most populous black country in the world ought to take leadership in Africa in terms of international diplomacy. So, it was somehow demeaning for the country to be overlooked by a super power like America when it comes to taking decisions on critical issues that concern Africa. This is what happened in the past. With President’s Buhari’s visit to America, it is believed that Nigeria would, once again, be at the centre of Africa’s diplomacy. But then, that is where it all ends. In international diplomacy, every country looks after its own interest to the fullest. It would, therefore, be too naive for people to erroneously believe that America would want Nigeria to be a great nation. The truth of the matter is that America is responsible for its greatness and that is the way it must be for every other country. The issue of recovery of stolen funds put away abroad back to Nigeria was top on President Buhari’s wish list to America. Would America help us recoup stolen fund stashed in America and other western countries? In all honesty, this is quite doubtful. The sincerity of the American government in accomplishing this task is rather

FOR NIGERIA TO GET OUT OF THE WOOD, IT IS VERY ESSENTIAL THAT WE LOOK INWARD uncertain. It is a common knowledge that America and most western countries operate very rigid financial system that easily detects fraudulent financial transactions. The big question then is: How did the stolen funds get into America and other such destinations in spite of the legendary tight financial mechanism put in place to checkmate such crooked cash movement? Another interesting puzzle is for how long has the funds in questions been kept broad? Now, if at all they are going to be repatriated, what exactly would we be getting; the exact amount stolen or the accrued interests on investment? It is naive and unrealistic for any country to think that its salvation lies abroad. One of the moot wicked acts that the Nigerian state has ever committed against the citizenry is the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. I was a bit naïve politically when the annulment took place, but I was quite pained by that action. So, I supported to the fullest every action that was directed towards the revalidation of the stolen mandate. One of such was the foreign trip made by the acclaimed winner of the annulled election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, to several western nations

including America to solicit foreign help concerning his plight. The idea then, among some of Chief Abiola’s supporters, including myself, was that with America and other western nations backing the Chief, it would be easy for him to retrieve his stolen mandate. After weeks of toiling abroad over the issue, Chief Abiola eventually came back home with no concrete success recorded from the trip. Upon getting home, he had to start all over by meeting with key stakeholders in the country on how they could help him to salvage his stolen mandate. It was the struggle that eventually consumed Chief Abiola and his wife, Kudirat. Though, it remains largely unproven till date, but there were insinuations of foreign complicity in the death of Chief Abiola. For Nigeria to get out of the wood, it is very essential that we look inward. Most of our challenges are self inflicted and could be better tackled with home grown solutions. The present international political order under the supreme leadership of the United States is replete with hypocrisy and deception. Why, for instance, should every country practice democracy as a system of government? If democracy has been working for America, is it a guarantee that it would work for every other country? In as much as it is true that the world is now a global village, it is also a reality that every country in the global village must determine its own future. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent almost the first year of his administration junketing abroad to sell the idea of a new and democratic Nigeria overseas. Whatever successes such trips recorded were largely made nonsense of by home grown developments. What we need to be successful is to build enduring socio-political and economic institutions are largely internal. What we need to become great as a nation is to look inward and make the best use of all untapped potentials.

Sport Extra

BA world welterweight champion, Keith Thurman, yesterday challenged Amir Khan to face him before the end of the year. “Personally, I’m highly interested in an Amir fight. A lot of fans are interested in it.

Boxing: Khan gets Thurman’s ‘come fight’ challenge We both fought Luis Collazo and Julio Diaz so we have two common opponents,” Thurman said. “A lot of fans think he’s fast enough and might have the proper skills to fully ex-

pose Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman. With that, I’d like to shut all that out with a simple, legitimate match. “We can keep talking all day. I want to see some paperwork. I want to see a contract.

I want to hear a date. What do you think, Amir? Are you going to be ready in October, November? You want a Christmas present in December? You let me know.” Thurman, Khan and IBF

king Kell Brook have all been disappointed in their pursuit of a shot with divisional kingpin Floyd Mayweather, who seems sure to take on Andre Berto on September 12.

Khan

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