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Climate change threatens food security in Nigeria –Buhari ROTIMI FADEYI

Ogbe

Vol. 5 N0. 1255

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said that the adverse

effect of climate change has become a threat to food security in Nigeria. Speaking at the Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) in Paris, France, Buhari

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

External reserves drop to $30.04bn –CBN

said there was increase in extreme climate conditions such as flood and drought, stressing that such factors have resulted in the destrucCONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Faleke heads for court, withdraws as deputy …says he remains Kogi gov-elect

OBIORA IFOH AND WALE IBRAHIM

Supporters in free for all at party headquarters

unning mate to All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate in the November 21 election in Kogi State, James Faleke yesterday said he would go to court to reclaim the mandate given to the late Prince CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

NAF promotes 153 senior officers P.11

President Muhammadu Buhari (right), being welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (2nd-right); President Francoise Hollande of France (2nd-left) and others, at the opening of United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Senate increases fuel subsidy payment to N521bn …says increment to avert future scarcity

7 female students die in fire outbreak in Kano

P.2 P.5

Ogun police intercept 26 Lagos-bound children P.8

Cracks in MASSOB as Uwazuruike is expelled P.7

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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Senate increases fuel subsidy payment to N521bn GEORGE OJI ABUJA

he Senate has added N108bn to the N413bn contained in the supplementary appropriation request sent to it by President Muhamadu Buhari for approval for the payment of outstanding fuel subsidy to oil marketers. The addition, which was proposed by the Senate Appropriation Committee yesterday, is to cover fuel subsidy for the last quarter of this year. This new addition has therefore brought the total outstanding fuel subsidy requirement to N521bn. The lawmakers explained that the new addition was not part of the N413bn requested for by the President. The N413bn fuel subsidy comprises N120.52bn areas for 2014, while the balance of N294.43b represents subsidy that has accrued from January to December 31 this year. The senators stated that the addition became important in order to forestall possible fuel scarcity that may occur during the coming Christmas and New Year celebrations. The committee blamed Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its agencies for computing the supplementary budget, without including the period from October to December. The lawmakers contended that the omission would have led to another round of fuel scarcity in no distant time. Speaking on the development, Chairman of the committee, Senator Danjuma Goje, said the committee was disappointed to discover that the government was laying the foundation for another round of fuel scarcity by failing to budget for subsidy for the last quarter of the year especially as Christmas draws nearer. “We are concerned because we don’t want to see this kind of situation in the next four years again. We want to see that fuel scarcity is totally eliminated 24 hours a day and fuel is available to all. But we are disappointed to hear that this subsidy is only from January to September. “With Christmas coming, it will be unfortunate that

after paying this money, we will come back and face this problem again,” Goje said. Also speaking, Senator Adamu Aliero said the October to December subsidy must be approved in the supplementary budget. This position was sup-

ported by Senator Jibrin Barau, who said it was unacceptable that fuel scarcity should be a recurring decimal in this era of change In her response, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Jamilla Shuara, said the

budget had been prepared before Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and herself assumed office as the Minister of State for Petroleum and permanent secretary respectively. In order to save the situation, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator

Udoma Udo Udoma intervened with the assurance that a review of the budget would be done and the subsidy would be captured and re-submitted to the Senate by 3pm yesterday. The committee sought further breakdown of the

Members of the Diplomatic Corps at the celebration of United Nations 70th Anniversary in Abuja, yesterday.

N120.5bn subsidy from the year 2014 and N294.4bn in 2015. But Goje, sensing that the request might upset the government officials, intervened, assuring that he would request for the docuCONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Faleke heads for court, withdraws as deputy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Abubakar Audu. Faleke also rejected his nomination as the running mate to Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who has been picked as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the December 5 supplementary election. This was even as a free for all ensued between Faleke and Bello’s supporters at the Abuja national secretariat of the party yesterday. After a two hours meeting in Abuja, the leadership of the party affirmed its resolution to present Bello as replacement for Audu. Already, Bello’s name and that of Faleke have been sent to INEC. However, Faleke has distanced himself from the party’s decision, while insisting that he remains the candidate as well as the governor elect. Faleke, who walked out of the meeting, told reporters that the party had already taken decision on who it wants to field in the supplementary election and was only invited to be informed.

He said: “The issue of Kogi State was paramount in the mind of our national leaders, and especially the national chairman of our party that he wanted a solution to it. “However, we met for about two hours as you have observed and of course we discovered that the meeting that we were invited for was just a mere briefing. “Rather than it being where we could have deliberated and solve the quagmire we find ourselves in, we were only briefed about the position of the party. “The party told us that they have nominated Alhaji Yahaya Bello and of course we made it clear as the political family of Prince Abubakar Audu, we told them that it is not acceptable and we are not going with it. “And I personally observed that my name has been submitted to INEC as deputy governorship candidate to pair with Alhaji Yahaya Bello and I told the national chairman clearly, in clear words that Mr. chairman, I have submitted a let-

ter this morning distancing myself from that decision that on no ground will I want to be associated with the decision of the party to pair me with Alhaji Yahaya Bello because I am already governor elect. “For us as a family; Kogi State political family, we are not taking part in that election, my name cannot be submitted because I was not even consulted in the first instance. The governor elect cannot yet become another deputy governorship candidate. “I want to make it very clear that Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not take part in all our campaign process and we are only contesting election in 91 polling units out 2,548 polling units and we have made it very clear that if they go ahead to conduct election because I have pulled out, that election would be challenged in the court of law, it will be null and void. “We won’t be addressing you today if the party had towed the path of honour and challenge INEC.

But, Mr. Chairman told us directly right away without considering it twice that the party will not go to court and since the party is not going to court we have taken it upon ourselves as our right to defend ourselves in court and we are challenging the decision.” As the APC leaders were about to meet, the national secretariat of the party was invaded by supporters of both Faleke and Bello, who were armed with cudgels, stones and other dangerous weapons. There was a free for all as the supporters could not control their emoticons. The fight left many people injured, while scores of cars were damaged by the rampaging thugs. It took the intervention of t soldiers, who were drafted to the party headquarters to restore sanity as even police reinforcement could not calm the restive youths away. Faleke, before he left for the Abuja meeting had told party supporters in Lokoja, the state capital that he was

ready to defend the mandate freely given to APC on the Audu/Faleke ticket. He stated that he carried a moral burden to defend the interest, vision and leadership tenets of the late Audu, adding that the political family was more united than ever. He accused those he described as reactionaries of trying to truncate the process that ordinarily should have led to a smooth transition of power in the state. Meanwhile, Ebira Renaissance Group, ERG, and Ebira Youth Congress, EYC, have aligned with the position of APC to nominate Bello as replacement for Audu in line with the Electoral Act. The spokesman of the group, Pastor Joseph Suleiman, who spoke in Lokoja yesterday, stated that they are in support of Bello and urged him to reach out to all the aggrieved parties. “We at ERG, EYC take particular exception to the ethnic dimension which the present political logjam has triggered in the state.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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L-R: Managing Partner, Brandzone, Mrs. Chizor Malize; Chief Executive Officer, NECCI and Organiser, Nkechi Ali-Balogun; President, White House Synergy, Mr. Ken Egbas and Chief Executive Officer, CMC Connect Burson Marsteller, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, during the 15th NECCI PR Roundtable in Lagos, recently.

New intake during the matriculation of new students of Success Bible College and Theological Seminary, Christ Anointing Bible Church into 2016 session of the school in Ogun State, yesterday.

L-R: Director, Registration and Regulatory Affairs, NAFDAC, Dr. Monica Hemben Eimunjeze; Group Regulatory Manager, PZ Cussons Nig. Plc, Udoka Adegor and Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, OON at 2015 NAFDAC Summit and Exhibition in Lagos, yesterday.

L-R: MD/CEO Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; Board Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Nigeria, Babatunde Savage; former CJN, Hon. Justice Aloma Mukhtar (GCON) and ICC Nigeria Treasurer, Dorothy Ufot (SAN) during the 2015 ICC Nigeria Annual Dinner and Dance in Lagos, at the weekend.

National News

Ex-FIRS tax operatives charged to court with forgery, fraud

ederal Government has charged five former tax operatives of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, before the Federal High Court Abuja for alleged fraud and forgery of tax clearance certificate. The suspects; Batimehin Ojo, Atere Ayodeji, Adegbite Adewale, Yusuf Olatunji and Mustapha Dodo are facing 31-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and fraud. In the charge, filed before the court yesterday, the defendants were alleged to have defrauded the country of huge sums through the issuance of forged tax clearance certificates to company owners. They were alleged to have impersonated a former senior tax manager with FIRS, Mr. Nwogu Chris, to issue fake tax clearance certificates to some unsuspecting tax

payers. The suspects were alleged to have in November 2011, issued the companies income tax clearance certificates with Serial No: 05329283

covering tax years 2008, 2009 and 2010 in favour of Release Auto Garage Company Ltd. The offence is contrary to section 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap

C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010. The suspects were also alleged to have forged a seal of FIRS, which they appended on forged companies income tax clear-

ance certificates. The suit was instituted on behalf of the Federal Government, by the Assistant Director and Head, Criminal Prosecution Unit, Legal Depart-

ment, FIRS headquarters, Mr. James Binang. The suspects will be arraigned before Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division today.

addressing newsmen on the activities of the command in the last two weeks. Owoseni said while some of the suspects died exchanging gunfire with the police during gridlock robbery, others died robbing some residents in different areas. He said 19 other rob-

bery suspects and 11 cultists were arrested and 15 ammunition, eight guns and two vehicles were recovered within the same period. According to him, other exhibits recovered are four speed boats, two canoes, four military camouflage uniforms, two mobile police uniform

and handsets used by the robbers to attack banks in Agbara, Ogun State. The commissioner said within the period, 949 suspected miscreants were arrested during raids of some black spots but 83 were released after screening. Owoseni said 866 were charged with various of-

fences, adding that 1,060 motorcycles were impounded for contravening the ban on commercial motorcycles plying the highways. He noted that incident of traffic robbery had reduced but said there was the need for members of the public to give prompt information to the police.

Anwukah made the announcement in Abuja yesterdayduring the 2015 Annual General Meeting, AGM, of Principals of Federal Government Colleges, FGC. He said the institution would ensure that teach-

ers at all levels were certified to boost the quality of education. “It is only in education that there is no regulatory body like Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, and the Council

for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN. “We will ensure that the teaching profession is regarded in this country by pushing for the regulatory body to give teaching the status it de-

serves,” he said. Anwukah also promised that government would restructure the curriculum of Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, to ensure that its graduates were grounded in basic education.

10 suspected robbers killed in Lagos in 12 days

o fewer than 10 suspected armed robbers have been killed in the last 12 days in different parts of Lagos State during exchange of gunfire with the police. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, made the disclosure yesterday, while

FG to set up regulatory institution for teachers - Anwukah

ederal Government will set up efficient regulatory institution for the teaching profession in the country, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, Minister of State for Education, has said.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Climate change threatens food security in Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

tion of many economic and social structures. The President noted that climate change was having effect on Lake Chad which he said was drying up while many communities had been deprived of their means of livelihood. Buhari urged world lead-

ers at the event to save the planet by arriving at binding resolutions for sustainable development. Buhari said, “like many countries, Nigeria continues to witness the adverse effects of climate change in all its ramifications. At present, we are reeling under the challenges of climate

change as the frequency and intensity of extreme events like floods and drought are on the increase. “These challenges have resulted in the destruction of many economic and social structures and more worryingly, threatening our national food production and security.

“The magnitude of insurgency Nigeria is facing cannot be completely explained away without taking cognizance of the threat of climate change. Without a doubt, “Climate change is threatening not only the sustainable development of our social and economic ac-

tivities but also the totality of human existence in our country as in other parts of the world. “At the sub-regional level, we are saddled with the challenge of the drying up of the Lake Chad Basin, which is resulting in the total wipe out of livelihoods of many communities sur-

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (right) with the former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, during Gana’s 70th birthday thanksgiving service at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church Maitama, Abuja on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN

Senate increases fuel subsidy payment to N521bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

ment from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. However, the committee uncovered payment of unappropriated subsidy by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Senator Bassey Akpan said the National Assembly had intelligence report that total subsidy, including that of NNPC, stood at N950bn, while the corporation had been pretending that the entire subsidy was N413bn. This revelation implied that the corporation had

been paying its own subsidy without appropriation. NNPC was not represented at the event as Shuara disclosed that notice of the budget defence only got to her and Kachikwu yesterday morning. She added that Kachikwu was away in Lagos, persuading major oil marketers to resume importation since the process of their payment had kicked off. Meanwhile, the issue of unappropriated subsidy by NNPC was still left open, waiting to be dealt with an-

other day. Earlier, Director General, Budget Office, Aliyu Gusau, explained that the supplementary budget became compelling in view of discoveries that the amount earlier budgeted by the outgone administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan was insufficient to pay outstanding subsidy. While defending security budget, Minister of Defence, Musa Dan-Ali, said N29.958bn had been captured in the budget for military operations against in-

surgency in the North-east. According to him, N17.465bn is required for the well being of army personnel on the field; N8.141bn for logistics of the air force; N4.348bn as the balance of defence budget in the 2015 appropriation and N1.987bn required for short service recruitment by the military. Ali did not hesitate to disclose that it was impossible to wipe out insurgency in one fell swoop, noting that all that was being done by government and the military was to ensure that

Fire kills 7 female students in Kano

o fewer than seven female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jogana, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, have been killed by fire that broke out in their hostel on Sunday night.

This is contained in a statement signed by Director of Press in the Deputy Governor’s office, Alhaji Usman Bello, and made available to newsmen in Kano on Monday. According to the statement, 25 other students are

currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital. The statement said deputy governor of the state, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, had since visited the school and hospital where the victims were receiving medical

attention. “The state government has also condoled with parents of the deceased and wished the injured quick recovery. “The state government has ordered immediate closure of the school to enable

maximum security was provided in observance of the December timeline given to eliminate insurgency. Earlier, the Accountant General of the Federation had disclosed that of the N557bn capital expenditure appropriated in 2015, only N274.290bn had been released to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) so far. He gave the breakdown of the releases as N112.039bn in first quarter; N88.792bn in second quarter and what he described as capital supplementation of N73.459bn.

the students and parents manage the trauma,” it said. According to the statement, the government will soon set up a technical committee to investigate the cause of the unfortunate incident and advise on how to prevent a recurrence.

rounding this trans-boundary natural resource. “Regrettably, the world is leaving behind millions of people who depend on the Lake for their survival. The Government of Nigeria welcomes the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Plan, and the Lake Chad Basin Commission and international partners for designing this climatebased Plan. “In all, the experience of countries sharing the Lake Chad further illustrates the mutual challenge we face today and which must be collectively addressed without further delay”, Buhari said. While highlighting the inadequacies of existing climate change treaties, protocols and conventions, Buhari explained that for the potential of Paris Agreement on Climate Change to be meaningful, achieve its objectives and eventually become universal in nature and scope, it must draw extensively on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. “Indeed, for the Agreement to be durable, it must recognize not only the emission right but also the survival rights of the citizens of developing countries,” he added. According to him, the inadequacies of the existing climate change treaties, the Conventions and its Protocol, constitute the driving force propelling Parties to reach another climate change agreement as the main outcome of this Conference of Parties. The President commended the efforts and demonstration of flexibilities of all in the run up of discussions since Durban towards evolving the new global climate regime. He noted that the agreement reached in Paris must equitably address climate change mitigation and adaptation activities in terms of the means of implementation with emphasis on adequate financing, technology transfer and capacity development. Buhari said based on national considerations, Nigeria intends to attain the mitigation reduction objective of 20 per cent unconditional and 45 per cent conditional below the Business as Usual level of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.

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Rotimi Fadeyi and Olufemi Adeosun

resident Muhammadu Buhari has approved submission of the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, INDC, to address climate change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC. A statement issued yesterday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Nigeria’s INDC was approved by Buhari on November 26 and submitted to the UNFCCC on November 28, ahead of yesterday’s opening in Paris on the United Nations Climate Change conference, widely known as COP 21. The statement said the Federal Government’s policy to address climate change, as espoused in the country’s INDC, commits to 20 per cent unconditional and 45 per cent conditional Greenhouse Gases, GHGs, emission reduction post-2020. The action plan announced by the Federal Government represents a fair and meaningful contribution towards addressing climate change and equally reaffirmed Buhari’s commitment to an economic transformation, which places inclu-

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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Buhari approves Nigeria’s INDC for Paris climate change confab sive, green growth as key priority for the administration. The statement further said that Buhari was fully aware of the acute threat climate change poses to Nigeria’s development through flooding, desertification and insecurity as many of these emanate from weather-related natural disasters. In Paris, the issue of Lake Chad’s current de-

pletion, which has become a cause for international concern, would be a major focus of a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Summit of Heads of State and Government, which Buhari would attend with Nigeria’s delegation today. Lake Chad is currently less than 10 per cent of its original size and little of the remaining waters is in Nigeria. Of an estimated 20 mil-

lion people that lived on the Lake Chad Basin as at 2013, about 11.7 million were in the north eastern region of Nigeria. Also during the conference in Paris, Buhari is scheduled to participate in the launching of International Solar Alliance by the Indian Prime Minister and French President during which he would seek international partnerships to deliver Nigeria’s

climate change response. Meanwhile, a coalition of Abuja climate groups yesterday called on the Federal Government to come up with strategic action plans that would help in addressing the myriads of environmental challenges confronting the nation. The call was made in Abuja during a climate march aimed at sensitising the public on the ef-

L-R: Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Alh Mamud Dutse; Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Project Lead, Efficiency Unit Steering Committee, Ms. Patience Oniha, during the Inauguration the Members of the Efficiency Unit Steering Committee in Abuja ,yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

Osinbajo flays Nigeria’s dependence on oil Dennis Naku, PORT HARCOURT

ice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday flayed Nigeria’s over-dependence on oil resources, saying it was the cause of the high level corruption, dwindling economy and redundant human resource base in the country. He said the over-dependence on oil was the reason behind agitation for resource control, especially from the South South geo-political zone. Osinbajo stated this while speaking at Partners for Sustainable Development Forum organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in Port Harcourt, yesterday. The vice president described the theme of the forum, ‘Restrategising Development Concepts in the Niger Delta Region

to Provide for Post-Oil Wealth Socio-economic Sustainability,’ as strategic and apt, considering the current decline in oil revenue globally. Osinbajo, who was represented on the occasion by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidency, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the inauguration of the forum was coming at a time the new globally adopted Sustainable Development Goals was nearing commencement. According to him, “the country’s over-dependence on oil is the cause of the downturn in the economy for now; it has been responsible for the emergence of redundant human resource base and high level of corruption. “It is also at the root of agitations for resource control, particularly from the South South. The theme of forum could not have been more apt, coming at the time that

we have a global decline in oil revenue, especially in a country such as ours that has total dependence on oil for survival,” Osinbajo stressed. He, however, expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to the development of the oil and gas-rich Niger Delta region. “Realising the concept of sustainable development comes with numerous challenges, especially the Niger Delta region that represents the world’s third largest wetlands, with several years of unaddressed oil pollution issues that have hindered agricultural growth in the region as well as affected the general health of the populace,” the Vice President said. On the clean-up of Ogoniland, the Vice President explained that the Federal Government has begun the exercise in the area

and other seriously affected communities, adding that government is putting measures in place to alleviate the impact in areas already polluted. Osinbajo stressed the need to intensify activities in the rural areas with a view to improving socio-economic well-being through agricultural and related rural enterprises, providing access to markets and rural areas by improving road network and value chain development. According to him, “the current government has already commenced work on the clean-up of the Ogoni area and other seriously affected communities. “It will be our primary task to ensure that strategies are put in place to protect the environment as well as apply remediation measures to alleviate impact in areas already

polluted,” he added. Earlier, managing director of the NDDC, Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, had listed poor funding of the commission as the major challenge facing it, even as he maintained that the NDDC should not be seen as an alternate government. Dan-Abia urged the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, to initiate the process of paying its own contribution to the funding of the commission based on the fact the company fell within the oil and gas producing companies operating within the Niger Delta region. He urged youths in the Niger Delta to reduce their level of restiveness and tension in the region, explaining that the NDDC does not have the capacity to solve all their problems.

fects and opportunities in climate change. The environment enthusiasts, numbering about 500, began the march from the Unity Fountain, Maitama and ended at the National Assembly where they delivered a request letter received by the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on climate change. In the letter read by a climate change expert, Mr. Smart Amaefula, the groups said even though it is right and desirable for President Buhari to attend the conference, such gesture would amount to nothing except it helps in addressing some of the nation’s environmental problems. Amaefula stated that now that the attention of the entire world is focused on achieving a new universal climate change agreement, the President should be concerned about delivering bold new climate policies that would tend toward eradicating the era of fossil fuels and launch the country into the path of sustainable development.

External reserves drop to $30.04bn –CBN

entral Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said the nation’s foreign reserves fell to $30.04 billion as at November 26. The bank disclosed this on its Website yesterday. It said the figure dropped by $7 million from the $30.11 billion recorded in October 26. It said the $30.04 billion represent the ‘gross’ amount; $29.33 billion was ‘liquid;’ while $719.32 million was ‘blocked.’ According to the apex bank, the continuous pressure on the foreign exchange market is due to the rise in internal demand for dollars. CBN said the price of crude oil at the international market stands at $44.27 per barrel as at November 30.

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Tola Akinmutimi

nalysts and traders surveyed by Bloomberg have predicted that if the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, kept its policy of favouring market shares over prices when it meets this Friday, Nigeria and most members would find themselves unable to balance their budgets. According to 30 analysts and traders surveyed by the global research entity, despite the fact that oil futures had tumbled more than 25 per cent since OPEC’s last meeting in June, yet the group will keep pumping to batter rival producers. Specifically, the survey indicated that with Brent crude forecast to average about $57.50 a barrel next year, only Qatar would be able to keep its finances in check. A thorough appraisal of the latest comments from OPEC members and analysts on the future outlook of the market when analysed on members’ shares of supply based on October levels, showed that Nigeria and other oil commodity producing countries would find it extremely difficult to achieve balance in 2016 fiscal year. For instance, Bloomberg, which stated that the estimates for the price that each member needed to balance its budget were from the International Monetary Fund, predicted that for Nigeria to achieve balanced budget in 2016, it needed a $120 per barrel supply price and 6.3 per cent share of the cartel’s production.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Analysts set $120pb oil price for Nigeria’s balanced budget in 2016

bers of OPEC, opposed Venezuela’s proposal for an oil-price summit with nonOPEC producers”, the Wall Street Journal reported. A further analysis of the survey indicated that Iraq would require $81 per barrel price to achieve balanced budget based on the country’s 13 per cent share of OPEC production. According to available statistics on oil supply to the global market, Iraq pumped a record 4.4 million barrels a day in June and its daily production has surpassed 4 million barrels for the past five months. Together with the U.S., it’s responsible for

most of the global surplus this year. But then, International Energy Agency, IEA, and other industry analysts, including the Iraqi oil minister, have predicted that that would be unlikely to persist in 2016, with the country struggling with prices below $50 and is embroiled in a “costly battle” with Islamic State militants The survey also showed that Libya, with 1.3 per cent share of OPEC production, would require at least $269 per barrel price to achieve efficient budgeting. Analysts and traders noted that as OPEC’s smallest producer, Libya had been unable to restore output to the 1.6 million barrel-a-day level it reached before the Arab Spring in 2011. According to RBC Capital Markets Ltd, Libya’s production has swung between 250,000 and 850,000 barrels a day in the past year amid an escalating conflict between the divided country’s rival governments. Libya is one of OPEC’s “Fragile Five” nations that face greater risk of significant instability and output disruptions in the current oil market. For the biggest cartel member, Saudi Arabia which controls 32 per cent of OPEC’s production share, achieving a balanced budget in fiscal 2016 requires that oil price hovers around $106 per barrel.

wu bestowed on him.” Also reading its report, the four-man committee that probed Uwazuruike’s leadership of MASSOB indicted him of fraud and gross betrayal of the movement. The committee in its report read by the Chairman, Samuel Edison, alleged that MASSOB has contributed up to four billion naira in monthly dues and other levies in the last 16 years, which were diverted by Uwazuruike. According to the statement, “in the course of our work, we found out that MASSOB members in the last 16 years contributed about N4 billion, which Uwazuruike lavished and converted as his personal earnings.

“With this overwhelming evidences and exposures, the committee with unbiased mind unanimously finds Uwazuruike guilty of corruption, embezzlement and betrayal of MASSOB struggle and living extravagant life as if he was a politician or government contractor. The committee hereby recommends that Uwazuruike be expelled from MASSOB.” In his acceptance letter, the new MASSOB leader said, “Today’s event is a sign of new hope, vision and self-determination. The new leadership of MASSOB will work and cooperate with other genuine and dedicated pro-Biafra groups in the spirit of Biafranism on the plane of unity of purpose”.

President Muhammadu Buhari (left); Minster for Environment, Ms. Amina Mohammed and other members of the Nigerian delegation, during the Plenary session of the Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, yesterday.

It quoted Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, as saying on November 21, that oil at $40 per barrel was acceptable and OPEC needed to do more to enforce production quotas. Kachikwu reportedly said Nigeria would consider $60 a barrel more “tolerable,” Bloomberg reported that for Algeria, at least $96 per barrel price would be required to balance the country’s budget based on the projected 3.4 per cent share of OPEC production. It recalled that recent Algeria’s efforts to organise

an emergency OPEC meeting in August failed to bear fruit while its calls for nonOPEC members to cut output were not heeded, thus compelling the country to back Venezuela’s motion to hold a summit of OPEC and non-OPEC producers to boost prices. Similarly the research agency’s survey showed that Angola with a projected 5.6 per cent share of OPEC production would need at least $90 per barrel oil price to achieve balanced budget in 2016. Noting that Angola’s oil exports are heavily dependent on China being the lat-

ter’s second-biggest crude supplier in October, Bloomberg analysts and surveyed traders predicted that any slowdown in the Chinese economy could make the outlook for Angola’s exports more uncertain. On Kuwait with 8.7 per cent share of OPEC production, the country is projected to need just $67 per barrel price to balance her budget and also effectively positioned to weather a prolonged period of low oil prices given its current-account surplus as reported by Capital Economics Ltd. “The country, along with other Persian Gulf mem-

Ojukwu’s dream of Biafra’s actualisation, his deviation into the mainstream of Nigerian politics and using the Biafra struggle to enhance his selfish political ambition in Nigeria are the onus of our rejection of his association with Biafra’s struggle.” The leadership also indicted the sacked MASSOB leader of defrauding members to enrich himself and members of his immediate family; “the introduction of Biafra International Passport was a gross and dubious means through which he generated about one hundred million naira for himself. The existence of the passport without Biafra’s sovereignty was illegal. Today, the passport

is useless to thousands of the holders’ even Uwazuruike does not use it. “The over N40 million realised from the dedication of the Biafran war veterans’ home in Okwe built by MASSOB members was diverted to Uwazuruike’s personal purse. “All sorts of criminality in Igboland by MASSOB members have the backing of Uwazuruike and his political romance with enemies of Ndigbo creates serious danger to actualisation of true Biafra. “In the light of these ugly developments in the struggle for Biafra’s actualisation, we felt and believed Uwazuruike has betrayed the confidential trust and leadership mantle Dim Odimegwu Ojuk-

Cracks in MASSOB as Uwazuruike is expelled …Madu becomes new leader Chris Njoku OWERRI

ovement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday swore in a new leadership for the movement after the national officers, including the zonal and regional administrators of the group, formally announced the expulsion of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike as MASSOB’s national leader. The new leadership was headed by the group’s former National Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, while Ugwuoke Ibem Ugwuoke emerged National Secretary. The new leadership, at the well-attended ceremony in Okwe, Onuimo

Local Government Area, warned Uwazuruike to stop parading himself as MASSOB’s leader or using Ojukwu’s name to dupe Ndigbo or garner personal fame to pursue his political ambition. Reading the resolution and communiqué signed by the national officers and administrators at Okwe, MASSOB’s headquarters, the new national secretary stated that, “The development is to redeem and revive the lost spirit and confidence of the Biafran revolution in our people and Biafra’s friends and sympathizers.” The communiqué continued; “Vote of no confidence and total rejection has been passed on Ralph Uwazuruike. His inability to sustain and maintain

South West

Tuesday December 1, 2014

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SON destroys N10bn substandard goods in 4 years –Odumodu

Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole (middle), with the management team of the University of Ibadan, at the inauguration of Central Administrative Complex of the university, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Musician, student nabbed for impersonating Tinubu, Lagos CP Patience Ogbo

agos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatia Owoseni, has advised members of the public to be careful when interacting with persons on Facebook and other social media platforms. The CP gave the advice during a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, while parading two suspects, one Lucky Adeze, 24, and his friend John Osunnowo, for allegedly

impersonating former Lagos State governor and the All Progressives Congress leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. CP Owoseni also paraded a student, one Obinna Collins, for operating a fake Facebook account using the CP’s photograph. The police boss said the suspects were arrested by a team of policemen from the XSquad Unit of the command following complaints from members of the public. He added that the com-

mand also arrested 948 suspects during raids of criminal hideouts and impounded 1,060 motorcycles. Commissioner of Police also stated that the command recovered four speedboats, two of which were used during the Agbara bank robbery, as well as two canoes, four military camouflage uniforms and a GSM phone. Giving a breakdown of arrests made in the last one week, the CP said: “We would like to use this

medium to advise members of the public to be extra careful when relating with people they meet on Facebook and other social media platforms. I do not have a Facebook account and I don’t operate any. The command in the last one week arrested 19 armed robbery suspects, 11 cultists, 6 traffic robbers, 10 armed robbers died while engaging the police, eight arms and 15 ammunition including two vehicles were recovered,” he said.

OAU students protest poor electricity, water supply Boladale Bamigbola Osogbo

tudents of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, yesterday staged a peaceful protest over poor power and water supply to their hostels. The protesting students, who very early in the morning, converged on the entrance of the institution and put it under lock, also condemned the poor funding of education in the country. During the protest, human and vehicular movements were prevented, as many with business on the campus were stranded at the entrance of the institution. President of OAU Students’ Union, who spoke on behalf of the students, demanded improved electricity and water supply

to their hall of residences, adding that students were facing untold hardships over inadequate supply of power and water. He also lamented poor funding of education in the country, calling on government at all levels to inject more funds into the sector. Commenting on the development, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mr. Biodun Olanrewaju, condemned the action of the students, stating that the institution’s management was giving attention to students’ welfare. Olanrewaju noted that the management was aware of the necessity of power to the students, adding that all efforts were being made to make students comfortable in their halls.

On funding of education in the country, Olanrewaju said it goes beyond the power of the univer-

sity and advised students to avoid any action that could further prolong their academic session.

Fake anti-malaria drugs in circulation drops to 3.6% –NAFDAC Dare Akogun

recent survey conducted by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, in conjunction with USAID revealed a remarkable drop in the level of counterfeit anti-malaria drugs in circulation from 19.6% in 2012 to 3.6% in 2015. This was coming on the heels of a similar research by World Health Organisation, WHO, which in a release in 2011 noted that the quality of anti-malarials in Sub-saharan Africa, in-

cluding Nigeria was 20%; a drastic reduction from the 64% reported in an earlier study conducted in 2008. This was disclosed by the agency’s Director General, Dr. Paul Orhii, at the opening of NAFDAC summit and exhibition on counterfeiting, legislation and enforcement yesterday in Lagos. Orhii noted that the summit was conceived to be a convergence of all stakeholders under the statutory regulation of NAFDAC on a single platform through an annual engagement that provides opportunity for a summit, exhibition and conference.

irector General of Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, yesterday said the organisation destroyed substandard goods worth N10 billion in the last four years. Odumodu disclosed this during his official visit to the headquarters of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, in Lagos. He said the items were destroyed from 2011 to date. He urged freight forwarders to collaborate with the organisation in order to halt importation of substandard products. “In the next few years, we will reduce substandard products to 15 per cent. “Now, we are going through the period of change since the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected based on his honesty and integrity. “I am pleading with you all to change in all ramifications because many

people are dying daily due to cancer as a result of substandard goods coming into the country. “You should all be part of the positive change by complying with the eProduct Registration and e-Provision Clearance Certificate platform,’’ Odumodu said. He commended the Nigeria Customs Service for supporting the organisation. Chief Boniface Aniebonam, founder of NAGAFF, urged freight forwarders and clearing agents to collaborate with SON to reduce substandard products in the markets. He said that seized containers should be checked and conveyed to SON base by officials of the organisation instead of checkpoints. He stressed the need for continued campaign to remind agents on the actual time for moving out cargo from ports. Chief Eugene Nweke, president of NAGAFF, said trade could not be facilitated under rigid and uncoordinated process and procedures.

Human trafficking: Ogun police intercept 26 Lagos-bound children Femi Oyeweso Abeokuta

en of Ogun State Police Command yesterday intercepted 26 under-aged children suspected to have been recruited as suicide bombers by members of the Boko Haram insurgent. The 26 children, whose ages ranged between eight and 10 years, comprised a boy and 25 girls, who were rounded up by the police at a motor park in Ibafo, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state, while on transit to Lagos from Kano State. Police Commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, who paraded the under-aged suspects of suicide bombers at the command headquarters in Eleweeran, Abeokuta, yesterday explained that three suspected human traffickers were also arrested in connection with the Lagos-bound children whose mission was yet to be ascertained. Ali, who gave names of the suspected human

traffickers to include a 55 years old woman identified as Aisha Abdullahi, Zainab Ahmad (18), as well as Zuliat Abdulmalik (45), emphasised that they were arrested while planning to take the children to Lagos. “We were alerted because of the threat of insurgence coming into our area and we have to be very proactive. If you see the children, they look quite innocent and they may be used as suicide bombers and that is why we had to round them up and investigate their being. “They look innocent and we had to take some measures to avoid unpleasant situations, particularly in this period of festivity. “Based on our usual stakeholders meeting and the proactive measures put in place by Nigeria Police, our attention was called yesterday that some groups of under-aged children were seen at a motor park at Ibafo area.

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Kemi Olaitan Ibadan

rof. Isaac Adewole whose five-year tenure as 11th ViceChancellor of the University of Ibadan ended yesterday, has enjoined his successor, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, to build on the foundation laid by his predecessors in order to make his own ‘building’ higher. He gave the admonition at the formal handover to the new VC at a short programme described as first of its kind in the history of the university, held at the senate chamber of the institution, where the for-

South West

Tuesday December 1, 2015

Adewole tasks new UI VC mer VC also thanked other members of staff for their support during his tenure. Adewole, while acknowledging the uniqueness of the programme, described it as one of the new things happening to the university as he recalled that the presentation of the new VC by the chairman of the governing council, even in the presence of both the outgoing and the acting VC at the last convocation was part of the new things.

He paid glowing tributes to his lieutenants, who he said allowed him to take the credit of having done well in office, adding that “it is easy to give credit to the leader, but a good leader must appreciate that his success comes from the support received from his subordinates and I do sincerely thank you all for allowing me to take the glory.” He, however, pleaded for a greater level of support for Olayinka, who he described as a wonderful

team player, adding that “even if he does not thank you for doing it, God will thank you. It is easy to become the VC, but it is more challenging to succeed in office; if he succeeds, the university succeeds.” Adewole specifically charged the new bursar of the university, Mr. Michael Alatise, to make the job of Olayinka easy by protecting his integrity. He urged him not to allow the new VC to combine the job of his office with that of the bursar.

The new VC whose tenure actually takes effect from today, recalled that the opportunity given to him serve as deputy VC by his predecessor, in no small way, prepared him for the task ahead, which eventually culminated in his presentation as the 12th VC of the university on the September 9, this year. He thanked Adewole for the confidence reposed in him, stating that he had wanted to christen his tenure as continuity, but later changed it to consolidation - not only to consolidate on the achievements

of his predecessor, but, also those of all his 11 predecessors. While soliciting the support and cooperation of all, he acknowledged the eyebrows being raised in some quarters on where he comes from as well as an allegation of being loyal to his former boss. He dismissed the two allegations as untenable, noting that it was not within his power to determine where to be born just like every other persons and that his loyalty as alleged was to the university which is greater than any individual.

Forgery: Court remands 2 French nationals in prison Wale Igbintade

L-R: Head, Benefits Administration, NPF Pensions Ltd, Mustapha Sulaiman; Deputy Commissioner of Police and Director, Police Pensions, Ibrahim Mohammed; Managing Director, NPF Pensions Ltd, Hamza Wuro Bokki; Head, Business Development and Customer Service, NPF, Chukwuma Ohaka and Regional Manager, South West NPF, Kunle Ogunlade, during the NPF Pensions Ltd Pre-Retirement Seminar for Policemen in Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.

Septic tanks : Lagos reads riot act to landlords F r ancis S uberu

agos State gover nment has war ned owners of buildings in the metropolis to desist from using substandard septic tanks, saying the practice is unhealthy and could lead to outbreak of epidemic. Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Adejare, who said this at a stakeholders’ forum on Sensitisation and Public Awareness on Environmental and Health Implications held at the Agege Mini Stadium yesterday, added that the state gover nment would no longer toler-

ate a situation where multiple rooms in a building have a single toilet. Accordingly, he advised landlords with multi-room tenement to find appropriate solutions, adding that those who constitute environmental nuisance would be dealt with. Speaking on substandard and unhygienic septic tanks, the commissioner said the management of 2.1billion litres of waste water generated by Lagosians daily and its attendant health and environmental implications was a task necessitating the ongoing efforts.

Adejare, who described the theme of the stakeholders’ forum titled, ‘Waste Water Management - Perfecting the Natural Practice’ as apt, added that people should desist from digging boreholes and well water close to septic tanks as such practice leads to epidemics. He said the environment, to a large extent, deter mines people’s personality, adding that the development of a country is often measured by how hygienic its environment is. On his part, per manent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Ade-

sina Onisarutu, war ned against waste discharge into drains. Adesina said many people erroneously believe that once they dispose their waste into drains, it does not adversely affect the environment, war ning that whatever is disposed wrongly always comes back to haunt the people. “We have tur ned our environment, drainage channels into dump sites. Gover nment spends huge resource to treat the water that we drink. The lagoon and the sea are filled with dirt disposed by residents. This is not good for us as a people,” he said.

Lagos High Court yesterday remanded two French nationals, Gnahouse Sonrou Nazaire and Senoue Modeste, in prison custody over alleged forgery and altering of documents. Justice Raliat Adebiyi remanded the defendants after listening to the submissions of their counsel, Rickey Tarfa (SAN), urging the court to grant them bail. Justice Adebiyi granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties in like sum. The court directed that the two sureties must be gainfully employed, and be Nigerian citizens. The court, however, granted the third defendant, Ferdinand Eugene (a lawyer) bail on self-recognition. The three defendants are facing four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and altering of documents preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. EFCC prosecutor, Chikezie Udozie, told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences on May 28, 2007. He said the defendants conspired among themselves to forge Rana Prestige Industry Ltd’s ordinary resolution, which was purported to have been signed by one Mad-

am Rashidat. Udozie also alleged that on November 22, 2005, the defendants forged Corporate Affairs Commission’s Form CAC 17, while also alleging that it was signed by Madam Rashidat. The prosecutor further stated that on the same date the defendants forged a CAC form, which was also purported to have been signed by the same Rashidat of the commission as genuine. However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Counsel to the first and second defendants, Rickey Tarfa, urged the court to grant them bail in the most liberal terms as they were still presumed innocent until proved guilty. But counsel to EFCC urged the court to dismiss the bail application filed by the first and second defendants and order for their accelerated trial, stating that the first and second defendants could jump bail. He said he was not opposing the third defendant’s bail application dated October 4, adding that the lawyer, who represented himself, has been visiting their office since bail was granted him. In her ruling, the judge granted the third defendant bail in self-recognition, while she admitted the first and second defendants’ bail in the sum of N500,000 each and adjourned till February 5 and 11, 2016, for trial.

South East

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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UNN students seek minister’s intervention over N75,000 laptop fee Emmanuel E zeh Enugu

risis is brewing at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, over a compulsory N75,000 levy slammed on students by the university’s administration. Students, who spoke on the matter yesterday, urged the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to intervene on

the matter, describing the N75,000 compulsory laptop levy as “corruption of the highest order”. It was gathered that the university’s administration had recently introduced a mandatory policy, wherein all students were forced to own a laptop. One of the new students described the policy as inhuman, noting

that “it is so sad that they are making education so difficult for the poor. “With this policy, we would now be paying close to N200,000 in a federal university per session. This is wickedness. “As I speak to you, I’m helpless because my parents don’t have that kind of money. It is wrong for anyone to make computer ownership compulsory. It should be a matter of

choice. The management should not use us to make money.” Also speaking, another student called on the education minister to call the vice chancellor to order. “We are begging the minister to urgently intervene because they are turning this university into a marketplace. “If the vice chancellor is interested in doing laptop business, he should

L-R: (Front row) Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano; his wife, Ebelechukwu; His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze; former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, with Catholic bishops during the Golden Jubilee Episcopal Celebration of Francis Cardinal Arinze at the Basilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, Anambra State, at the weekend.

Group rejects LG caretaker committees Emmanuel Ezeh Enugu

ave Enugu Group, SEG, yesterday rejected plans by Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, to set up caretaker committees for the 17 local government areas in the state. In a statement in Enugu, the group said: “The purported approval from the so-called stakeholders’ amount to nothing since they are not a constitutionally recognised organs or arms of government.” The group also accused Governor Ugwanyi of “covering up for his predecessor, Sullivan Chime, by not disclosing how much he inherited from the previous administration, noting that the information would have allowed Enugu people to know if the state was genuinely too broke to hold local government elections.” Reacting to a meeting held last Saturday, which was attended by Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, chieftains in the state, the SEG said: “Chieftains of one political party have no right to gang up to deny the people of the state the right to governance.” It said Enugu State government must immediately set machinery in motion for elections to hold within the shortest possible time. A statement by coordinator of the group, Chief Willy Ezugwu, explained that Governor Ugwanyi had ample opportunity to plan for the council elections since coming into office six months ago, “but deliberately opted to create a scenario where his stooges would be appointed caretaker committee chairmen at the expense of democratic structures.” It described the reasons given by Governor Ugwanyi for not being able to hold local government elections as “laughable since he had never been heard to raise genuine concerns about the condition of Enugu State’s

finances.” The group said: “If genuinely, there were no budgetary allocations for the council polls, it should have formed the

basis for Governor Ugwanyi to come clean about the condition of the state’s finances. He should tell us how much he inherited from the previous administration.

N200,000 as school fees for one session. This is wickedness of the highest order. Computer ownership should be by choice,” he stated.

find a market for it without placing such a burden on poor students. “Some of our parents are leaving on N18,000 minimum wage; now they want them to pay

Enugu JPSNC asks CBN to release bailout fund Emmanuel E zeh Enugu

oint Public Service Negotiating Council, Enugu State Council, yesterday called on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to release the approved bailout fund to Enugu State government. The labour union said the request had become necessary to enable the state offset arrears of salaries for non-permanent staff, pension and subventions for government parastatals, boards and agencies. The council equally commended Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his administration’s consultative approach in preparation of the 2016 budget and efforts to sanitise some errant government agencies in the state in order to reposition them for efficient and effective service delivery. In a statement jointly

signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Comrade Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe and Comrade Theo Obasiani, the council expressed worries that “the prolonged delay in releasing the bailout fund since the announcement of its approval is affecting the socio-economic lives of the workers.” It regretted that the non-release of the fund has brought untold hardship on the workers as “creditors kept harassing, insulting and threatening them on grounds that they have been paid.” According to the statement, “the council strongly condemns the non-release of the fund to Enugu State government and calls for immediate release of the fund to the state to enable her discharge its statutory responsibilities to workers. “The continuous devaluation of the naira, galloping inflation, which weakened the purchasing power of the national currency has made non-release of the fund counterproductive.”

Ebonyi to make junior workers mainstay of civil service –HoS IPMAN wants Enugu fuel

bonyi government said it will make workers in the junior cadre of the state’s civil service, the mainstay of its workforce. The state’s Head of Service, HoS, Dr. Chamberlain Nwele, made the pledge yesterday in Abakaliki during a workshop organised for workers in the junior cadre of the state’s civil service. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the workshop with the theme, ‘The Role of Junior Workers in a Participatory Governance’ is being attended by workers in all ministries and parastatals and agencies in the state. Nwele, who was represented by Mr. Moses Ugo, noted that junior workers constitute the platform

of the state’s civil service and are expected to play leading roles in actualising government’s objectives. “This workshop is apt and timely, as it will enable the workers know areas in which they would complement their senior counterparts in enhancing the civil service,” he said. The HoS noted that the state governor had always restated his desire to rewrite the ugly history of ill-treatment and backwardness confronted by junior workers. “The governor had always identified with junior workers, and it is expected that the participants would be abreast of modern civil service tenets at the end of the workshop,” he said.

depot repaired

etroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has called for the repair of Enugu Petroleum Depot, Emene, to reduce the problem of products distribution in the area. Chairman of Enugu Zone 1 of IPMAN, Chief Ikechukwu Nwankwo, made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday, in Awka. He said marketers in the zone depended on Lagos and Port Harcourt for 11 years that the facility has been faulty. According to him, Enugu Zone 1 comprises Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states. He also said the Aba depot, which was reopened

in 2013 has not served maximally, stressing that loading of products has not been regular. Nwankwo decried incessant attacks on the nation’s pipeline network, which hampered effectiveness of petroleum products distribution. He, however, called for a lasting approach to the problem of fuel scarcity. “We marketers are worried about this problem; we hope it ends soon. “For our zone, we want the Federal Government to fix the Enugu depot and make Aba more effective so that we do not have to go far to load products. “We want more protection for our pipelines so that distribution can be freer, and this scarcity ad-

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South south

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

NAF promotes 153 senior officers

...14 AVMs, 26 Commodores, 22 Group Capts, 91 Wing Cdrs Ubong Ukpong Abuja

igerian Air Force, NAF, yesterday, announced the promotion of 153 senior officers to their next ranks. A statement through its Director of Public Relations and Information, DOPRI, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, showed that 14 Air Vice Marshals, AVMs, 26 Air Commodores, 22 Group Captains, 91 Wing Commanders were favoured in the exercise. Those promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal are Chief of Aircraft Engineering at the Headquarters of NAF, Air Vice Marshal Onyemaechi Osahor; Director of Works at NAF Headquarters, Air

Vice Marshal Shehu Adamu; Director, Air Intelligence at NAF Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Usman; Principal Air Staff Officer to Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Abdul-Wahab; Commander 75 Strike Group, Yola, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao; Commander 303 Flying Training School, Kano, Air Vice Marshal John Baba; Commander 81 Air Maritime Group, Benin, Air Vice Marshal Okechukwu Ntukogu; a Directing Staff at the National Defence College, Air Vice Marshal Humphrey Okpala. Others are Commander 203 Medium Airlift Group, Ilorin, Air Vice Marshal Yekeen Ishola; Director of Information Communication Technology at the National Defence College,

Air Vice Marshal Christian Dii; Managing Director, NAF Housing and Construction Company, Air Vice Marshal Sambo Usman; Commander 335 Base Services Group, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Auwal Muhammad; Director, Search and Rescue, National Emergency Management Agency, Air Vice Marshal Charles Otegbade, and Commander 333 Logistics Group, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Isyaka Bukar. Alonge further named the senior officers elevated to the rank of Air Commodore as Group Captains Emmanuel Udenyi, Aliyu Bello, Iboro Etukudo, Chiebonam Ozougwu, Abidemi Marquis, Abubakar Liman, Pius Oahimire, Kabiru Aliyu, Ubrufih Uzezi, Nkem Aguiyi, Sule Lawal and Paul Masi-

yer. Others are Group Captains Isah Muhammad, Kurotimi Obidake, Dalhat Ladan, Adeniyi Amesinlola, Olagoke Ogunmola, Raheem Tijani, Obainana Imafidor, Framah Batnah, John Dibal, Mohammed Sini, Barisi Keenam, Sunday Ogba, Habib Adamu and Emma Enam. The statement added that the recent promotions were in line with one of the key drivers of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar’s vision, which is to promote and inculcate the core values of integrity, excellence and service delivery. “As an annual exercise, the purpose of promotion is to encourage officers to rededicate themselves to assigned duties as well as the development of the Nigerian Air Force and the nation as a whole.”

Ubong Ukpong Abuja

hief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-General Tukur Buratai, has declared total war against personnel who abuse the rights of citizens. According to a statement released by the Nigerian Army yesterday through its Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Colonel Sani Usman, such human rights violators would start facing hard times because the Army has commenced trailing them. Buratai, who was speaking at a human rights workshop at Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State, put together by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, declared that there was no more safe haven for perpetrators of human rights abuses in the Army. The General stated that the Nigerian Armed Forces was established by the

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is therefore, guided by laws in all its affairs. He further added that the Nigerian Army respects and protects human rights even in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. Buratai further said that the Army took human rights issues very seriously and trains its personnel both locally and abroad on the issue. He said the Army has also partnered National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and the International Red Cross, ICRC, which visited Army detention facilities on regular basis. He further added that the Nigerian Armed Forces have recognised the importance and respect for the rule of law. He also said there was no safe haven for human right violators in today’s Nigerian Army.

FG pledges commitment to solid minerals sector James Abraham Jos

M L-R: Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere; representative of Vice-President, Mr Ade Faye and Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Bassey Dan-Abia, at the Partners for Sustainable Development Forum (PSDF) in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

IGP calls for vigilance, caution over yuletide gifts

George Opara Abuja

nspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase has called for caution and vigilance during the forthcoming yuletide while receiving gifts from unknown persons that may pose as friends during the season, to avoid explosive-laden hampers as gifts. The IGP also cautions

against the use of fireworks such as knockout “bangers” and other explosives in the celebrations as they could cause distraction that may further heighten fear of insecurity. He enjoins citizens to shun all forms of violence and unlawful acts, eschew bitterness, hatred and rancour and go about their legitimate duties without fear of intimida-

tion from any quarter during and after the season. The Inspector General also directed all Zonal AIGs and Commissioners of Police to take necessary measures in ensuring the provision of adequate security for worshippers, travellers, picnickers and all citizens across the country before, during, and after the celebration. According to a statement from Force Public

Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, “The IGP has also directed commissioners of police to personally ensure that all key and vulnerable points within their jurisdictions, including places of worship, recreation centres, motor parks, shopping malls, highways, financial institutions and all places of public resorts are adequately and effectively protected.”

inister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi, yesterday restated Federal Government’s commitment under President Muhammadu Buhari to reposition the solid minerals sector in the country. Addressing staff of National Metallurgical Development Centre, NMDC, in Jos, Fayemi and his Minister of State Solid Mineral, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa Bwari, also promised to look into the plight and welfare of workers to ensure the agenda succeeds. He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has designed plan to meet the local needs of the country to reduce over-dependent on oil sector towards enhancing capacity building of coal, mining and research to contribute effectively to growth of GDP and government allocation. According to him, Ajaokuta Steel Melting Company will soon be revamped to increase local need of industries because of the poor price of petroleum products, especially the current chal-

lenges facing the country. The minister promised to partner with Plateau State government in the area of solid mineral development and building capacity of workers for better productivity. In his remark, Professor Ibrahim Abdullahi Bagudu said the maiden visit to the NMDC by the ministers was a manifestation of the confidence and dedication of change agenda of the present administration with the capacity and capability to offer the desire need to diversify the economy so that solid mineral can play a major role in contributing to the growth of the country. He said the centre has made remarkable contributions to the metallurgical and mineral sectors of the country since its establishment, adding that the development of Itakpe Iron Ore deposit was to meet the requirement of the iron and steel industry. Bagudu said blend formulation studies and pilot scale levels indicated that about 35 per cent of Nigerian non-cooking coals could be incorporated in a blend with imported prime cooking coals for coke production.

North

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Court orders reinstatement of 110 varsity staff

ational Industrial Court of Nigeria yesterday ordered immediate reinstatement of 110 disengaged staff of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria. The appointment of the affected staff was illegally terminated in 1996. The order was given in a judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, in a suit filed by the disengaged staff against the university. The court ruled that ``the purported termination was illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.’’ The judge ordered that the claimants be reinstated as bonafide staff of the university. The order also mandated the university to pay the claimants all outstanding entitlements and allowances from the date of disengagement till the date of judgement. The court held that the university should comply with all the recommendations of the 2004 and 2010 Presidential Visitation Panel on the university and undertake such recommen-

dations as binding. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the 110 disengaged university staff had instituted a suit of illegal termination of appointment against the university in 2013. The claimants joined the Minister of Education, Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice in the suit. Counsel to the claimants, Mr. Femi Aedeji, had argued that his clients were not given fair hearing before their appointments were illegal terminated, adding that the action was carried out during the military era. He further held that the claimants who were academic and non-academic staff of the university had served for over 20 years without blemish before the unlawful termination of their appointment. Adedeji expressed satisfaction with the judgement. “The judgement was a healing to many wounds especially wounds incurred during the military regime,’’ he said.

...Reserves judgment in PDP chairmanship tussle

n Abuja High Court yesterday reserved judgment in a case filed by Mr. Ahmed Gulak, seeking to compel the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to fill its vacant chairmanship position. Justice Hussein BabaYusuf reserved the judgment after conclusion of arguments by counsel to the parties in the suit. The judge said the registrar of the court would communicate the date he would deliver judgment to the parties to the suit. Gulak, former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, sued the PDP over “deliberate delay to conduct election into the party’s substantive chairmanship position.” Specifically, he said the acting national chairman of the party, Mr. Uche Secondus, failed to initiate the process of filling the position of the party’s chairman. Gulak said following the resignation of the former national chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu (from North East Zone), the party was under a mandate to get a replacement from the same zone. The plaintiff, who claimed he had indicated

interest to contest the position, asked the court to compel the Secondus-led leadership of the party to commence the process for the election. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Gulak’s lawyer, Mr. Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), argued that ``by the zoning formula, the North East is yet to conclude its tenure as chairman of the party.” He said the zoning system was reflected in Section 223 sub-sections 1(b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and in Article 47(6) of the party’s constitution. He also argued that the plaintiff was the only candidate from the North-East that had indicated interest in the position. Okutepa, therefore, prayed the court to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiff. Counsel for the defendants, Mr. Isaiah Powl, however, asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of locus standi by the plaintiff. Powl argued that Gulak has no `locus’ to institute the suit because he is not a financial member of the party, having failed to pay the mandatory requisite dues within certain period.

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Lalong reduces ministries to 17 James Abraham, JOS

head of formal constitution of his cabinet members, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State yesterday said his administration has reduced government ministries from 23 to 17. He said the measure became imperative in order to reduce the cost of governance in the state.

The governor made the disclosure yesterday during his first critical stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House, Rayfield, Jos. He lamented the financial difficulty the state is facing, adding that his government is taking farreaching measures to address the situation. According to Lalong, already a list of commissioner would be presented

next week to the Plateau State House of Assembly for screening. His words: “Let me use his opportunity to also assure you that we are on course with respect to the appointment of commissioners and the constitution of boards, agencies and institutions; nominations have been received; security vetting has been done and the process of final submission and presentation to the House of

Assembly is on course.” The governor pleaded with Plateau citizens to be patient, saying what seems like delay is the process his administration undertook in the selection which needed to be streamlined to reflect the lean government bureaucracy adopted at the federal level as well as a consideration of the current financial predicament confronting the state and nation.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Mr. Bassey Ekpenyong; Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, and Controller-General, Federal Fire Service, Mr. Joseph Anebi, during the minister’s visit to Federal Fire Service Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

PDP tips David Mark for victory in Benue re-run poll Obiora Ifoh, ABUJA

eoples Democratic Party, PDP, said the party and the people of Benue South are solidly behind the former Senate president, Senator David Mark, to repeat his electoral victory in the rerun election ordered by the Court of Appeal. The party which described Mark as an asset to the nation, said it is assured

that the people of Benue South Senatorial zone, as ardent members and supporters of the PDP since 1999, would remain steadfast in giving him another resounding victory at the rerun election. PDP national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said the confidence of the party in retaining the senatorial seat is even stronger now that the deceit of the All Progressives

Congress, APC, has become obvious to all Nigerians. The PDP said the inexplicable ruling of the Appeal Court, even when all evidence pointed to Mark’s victory as upheld by the lower tribunal, is yet another evidence of APC’s dangerous interference with the judiciary, which negative consequences the PDP has continued to alert the nation. The party also noted the significant contributions of

Senator Mark in growing and stabilising the nation’s democracy through his mature, responsible and patriotic leadership of the Senate, a virtues that are still highly needed in the polity. The PDP therefore urged its members in Benue South to resist any attempt to intimidate them, especially in their determination to ensure effective and result-oriented representation in the Senate as typified in Senator Mark.

tablished by agency such as the National Emergency Management Agency have largely eroded FFS’ performance in securing lives and properties during fire disasters. The minister revealed this yesterday in Abuja during a familiarisation tour of the headquarters of the FFS where he expressed shock at the dilapidated and obsolete equipment with which the agency has been performing its duties.

He said: “Even before I became minister, I started wondering what agencies like NEMA have to do with fire service to setup fire-fighting units. I think this is a misnomer we have to address very soon.” Earlier, FFS controller general, Engr. Joseph Garba Anebi, had told the minister that the agency which was established in 1901 has 1,710 staff and operates with obsolete equipment and an equally

outdated Fire Service Act of 1963. He disclosed that about three years after the United Nations’ building was attached in Abuja by Boko Haram terrorists and a Presidential Inter-agency Committee recommended that N2.8 billion be released to the agencyfor the purchase of trucks and modern firefighting equipment, the money has not been released despite series of demands by the agency.

FG to scrap fire service units in govt agencies Obiora Ifoh, ABUJA

inister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Bello Danbazau, has indicated that the present administration would soon scrap fire service units established by ministries and government agencies and strengthen the Federal Fire Service, FFS, to function effectively. Danbazau said the parallel fire service units es-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY APC Senators not against stipens for unemployed –Boroffice

Politics

14, 35

Richard Ndoma CALABAR

he Cross Rivers House of Assembly has been enmeshed in crisis. The crisis is not unconnected with alleged romance of the speaker of the House, John Gaul-Lebo with the state governor, Professor Ben Ayade as well as alleged neglect of the welfare of the House members by the state governor. The speaker whose emergence has been enshrined in controversies as many members had preferred Hon. Simeon Nkoro, a three –term member of the house as the one that should occupied the post of Speakership. It was gathered however that Gaul-Lebo has the former governor of the state, Senator Liyel Imoke as his godfather and that it was Imoke who also schemed out several egg heads like former member for Boki 11 state constituency and former Chairman, Finance and Appropriation Committee, Jake Otu Enyia who was trying to assumed the leadership position of the house and replaced him with Hillary Bissong. So the members of the House felt that the Speaker was not fighting for their interest and this was the immediate cause of the political imbroglio in the House. Hon.Okon Ephraim aka Baba who it was alleged had at inception eyed the seat of the deputy speaker before Imoke maneuvered the position in favour of the present leadership of the house was also said to be fingered in the confusion that is currently trailing the House of Assembly. The house leadership seems to be lucky to have escaped the impeachment move by whiskers following the disappearance of the mace from where it used to be. The mace which is the symbol of authority of the house and which if is not kept in front of the chambers no house proceeding can held got disappeared when the aggrieved members planned to change the house leadership. Rumour mongers fingered the mace bearer and other officials in the office of the clerk of the house as those responsible for the disappearance of the mace because of their perceived support for the present house leadership. Cross River is noted for being peaceful when it comes to affairs of governance and so many were surprised when trouble brew up so suddenly. The crisis is coming up after just six months in the House and political analysts believe that six months is just too early for anybody to jump into conclusion that the house leadership is inept and lacked the will power to do what is expected of them. Political watchers in the state were of the view that the Speaker, Mr.Gaul and his deputy have been gallivanting with the governor who was in the habit of travelling from country to country in the name of going to woo investors who will come and invest in the state. At the height of the crisis, rumour be-

C’River House of Assembly swims in crisis

Ayade

Gaul-Lebo

We have no money to embark on anything, look round and tell me what actually is

happening here, we are sad and we have no

excuse to offer our constituencies, we have been so patience for a long time gan to make the rounds particularly within the Calabar metropolis that another plot had been hatched to smuggle the mace of Calabar South Council into the Assembly Complex to enable the angry faction of the lawmakers sit and impeach the speaker and his deputy but that unfortunately the secret leaked out forcing the custodians of the mace of Calabar South Council to keep the mace jealously. Speaking on the crisis, Chief Bassey Edem wondered why a group of aggrieved lawmakers constitute themselves into a nuisance in the name of agitating for their right and tried to remove the house leadership which has not spend up to a year. However lawmakers who did not want their names mentioned criticized both the governor and the speaker and stressed that the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade and the speaker were in the habit of travelling together from one country to another and that the speaker had not done well when it comes to tabling the matter of their welfare before the governor. They criticized the duo for travelling always from China to Japan under the guise of seeking for investors to transform the state. Apart from such criticism, a lawmaker who spoke to National Mirror ion condition of anonymity accused the executive arm of the government of

leaving the legislative arm in total neglect. “Imagine since we came on board the governor has forgotten that as lawmakers we needed official cars to enable us do our work. Will we be trekking to work? Come on, he has not been fair to us,” the lawmaker said. With the disappearance of the mace, the aggrieved lawmakers were left with no choice other than to become so frustrated that the bubble had burst leaving them in a mood of frustration and resentment, frustration and palpable tension. It will be recalled that Ayade`s government had come under serious attack in recent times. Only recently the state Chairman for Inter- party Advisory Council, IPAC, Mr. Godwin Akpama engaged Ayade in a discussion through text messages bordering on the state of federal roads in cross River with every Cross Riverian know that such roads are in very sorry state. Ayade. Who was not pleased with Akpama`s utterances got angry and said that IPAC`s chairman advice was self- serving. To Ayade ,why would Akpama dare speak about roads when he, Ayade has been risking his life and resources going from one country to another to look for investors to perhaps enable him complete the N700bn CalabarIkom -Ogoja –Katsina- Ala dual carriage

260km super digital highway. But the IPAC chairman retorted that to him he would have preferred Ayade to embark on road repair since the state is laddened with very bad roads now. A development that tend to put the Governor and the IPAC chairman on the spotlight via the media, But lawmakers accosted by National Mirror at the Assembly complex bluntly refused to speak on the issue as some of them were seen wearing long faces and responded in low and weak voices and declined to speak on the issue but were rather seen in splinters groups grumbling about the development in the house “We have no money to run the assembly, various committees cannot do their official functions because of lack of “necessary infrastructure be it stomach or physical infrastructure” to enable us work, we are just sitting down here doing nothing and the speaker and his deputy are doing nothing” a source hinted. “We have no money to embark on anything, look round and tell me what actually is happening here, we are sad and we have no excuse to offer our constituencies, we have been so patience for a long time. The Governor kept on moving from one country to the other and the state is been suffering” However a PDP stalwart in the state, Amba Ojang said that the lawmakers are so much in a hurry to push the speaker to make trouble with the governor stressing that all that is needed by them was to give the governor more time so that he can stabilize. Ojang blamed the lawmakers for being in a hurry to foment trouble, perhaps only to put the affair of governance into confusion. “I see a lot of potentials and prospect of success in Gov. Ayade if given the chance and support”, he said. Ojang maintained that the only problem with Cross Riverians is that they are quick to jump into criticism.”Ayade has a bumper package in terms of programmes and lofty projects that if given support and goodwill Cross River state is bound to turn to “ little Dubai,” he added. The PDP faithful who spoke in defence of the governor posited that Ayade`s travelling to different continent of the world was not in vain but in good faith to enable him do the needful in changing the fortune of the state stressing that the governor should be given time to prove his mettle. But another lawmaker who also spoke on condition of anonymity stated that : “We expected the Speaker and the Deputy to initiate actions but none was forthcoming, perhaps to call the governor to order but nothing in that direction. We are tired and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

Politics

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

APC senators not against stipends How has the APC been faring, migrating from the main opposition party to the governing party? I think we are doing very well. Don’t forget that APC emerged from a merger of political parties, parties with different tendencies, even though they were all progressives and coming together as a party has its own teething problems, but i think we are gradually overcoming those teething problems. But you can see that under the leadership and guidance of our President, the major problem confronting this country has been tackled headlong and that is corruption. As you can glean from pages of newspapers, today, I was shocked the amount of money involved in fake defence procurements. The PDP has been milking this country to the extent of paralysing the country economically, traumatised Nigerians psychologically and stigmatised Nigerians as a corrupt nation and this is what the President has been addressing, prescribing solution and ensuring that we do not go through this experience again. So, in this area we are doing very well. Very soon, the party will roll out its own programmes. Recall that the budget we are running now is the budget prepared by the outgone PDP government of former President Jonathan. Very soon we will roll out our own budget and the actual strength and integrity of our party as the governing party will become evident when we have a budget prepared by this administration. That is when you will see people-oriented programmes that are designed to fulfil the election promises of the President. So far, we are implementing an inherited budget, even then, we are still doing very as the governing party.

Why did APC senators reject the proposal to pay unemployed Nigerian N5,000 monthly in fulfilment of the campaign promises of the President? No, APC senators did not kick against the proposal. What happened was that PDP senators were trying to tie that N5,000 proposal to a motion they passed and we said ‘no, your motion is different and the N5,000 is different.’ APC is going to implement that proposal, APC senators are fully in support of it, but we do not want it tied to PDP motion and we are saying: ‘we are going to start implementing it immediately we recovered all the loots from the Jonathan administration.’ So, we are not against it. We promised the electorate and we are going to do it and the government has said that it will be implemented. PDP members are propagandists; they thought they can use that to blackmail us, but they have not succeeded. I was in the Senate on that occasion; we are not against the N5,000 for the unemployed; we were only against the motion that wanted to tie that N5,000 to PDP recommendation. What is your assessment of President Buhari so far? Having inherited an economy that was almost in coma, I think President Buhari has discharged his responsibilities creditably well. What he is trying to do now is to revive the comatose economy he inherited from former President Jonathan. Again, the fear of Buhari has changed a number of the way things are done in the country. People who were damaging the grid lines are no longer doing that; pipeline vandals are checking themselves now; even though we have these few hardships, for example, the man-made fuel scarcity, I can tell you that in another three months, things will be better. As I said, by the time we have a budget drawn by the Buhari administration, we will now see how the President is going to move. So far, i think he has done very well; at the international level, Nigeria has regained her respect, because we have a leadership that has zero tolerance for corruption. He is doing quite well and unless we establish the basic baselines of governance and let everybody fall in line, we won’t get out of the woods. It can no longer be business as usual. Changing the psyche of our people

Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice, who represents Ondo North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, is an aspirant for the governorship of Ondo State come 2016. In this interview with journalists, he bares his minds on sundry national and state issues. Excerpts:

Boroffice

and changing the strategies of governance is enough and cutting costs in the various areas of the economy; for example the Treasury Single Account, TSA, has blocked many sources of leakages, even though there are problems here and there in the TSA which the National Assembly is looking into to make sure the leakages are blocked. He has also tackled the Boko Haram insurgency headlong; he has given the troops a December deadline to flush out the insurgents and the troops are working round the clock to ensure that they deliver on the mandate and many countries are ready to assist us simply because they can see sincerity of purpose in the President. The National Assembly has since inauguration had its fair share of misunderstandings and misconceptions; how would you rate the performance of the National assembly, especially the Senate since inauguration? The National Assembly, as you said, have had problems on our hands; we cannot deny that fact and those problems will definitely affect the output of the National Assembly. You must also realise that there is a new administration; a new Assembly, so there will be problem of adjustment. It is unfortunate that what has happened in the National Assembly happened and everybody is concerned about it; everyone of us want the National Assembly to move on, but then we cannot sweep what has happened under the carpet; if we want democracy to grow; if we

want our legal system to grow, we must be able to test what is happening for the integrity of the National Assembly, for the integrity of our legal system and if that is the price we have to pay, we will pay it. But again, it is not as if the National Assembly is at a standstill, no. I have submitted two bills this time, which have passed through the first reading; several motions have been debated and passed, motions that affect critical areas of our economy. Now chairmen of committees have been selected and committees membership have been announced and members are being sworn-in. We have also screened the list of ministers submitted by the president, screened the list of Special Advisers and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman. The National Assembly has been busy and working though under very difficult circumstances, to make sure that the country run smoothly. 2016 is around the corner, and the incumbent governor in Ondo state will rotate out. How would you assess his performance in the last seven years? I don’t want to speak as if I do not appreciate a few things that he has done right, but if I have to score him in the last seven years or so, I will give him 25 per cent. This is because most of his programmes are not well planned and I don’t know what are his goals, his programmes have not yielded the desired goals, even from the perspective of the public. Look at the mega schools he said he was building in

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

Release LG funds now, Ebri charges Ayade Richard Ndoma CALABAR

A cross section of graduating students of University of Benin (UNIBEN) during the 41st Convocation / 45th Founder Day in Benin.

FG to implement N’Delta master plan –Osinbajo

ice President Yemi Osinbajo says the federal government is focused on the implementation of Niger Delta Master Plan to drive development of the region. Osinbajo stated this at the inaugural meeting of Partners for Sustainable Development Forum organised by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in Port Harcourt on Monday. He said President Muhammadu Buhari had also expressed concern with current degradation of the environment with a view to addressing challenges faced by the region. ``Niger Delta remains a priority of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government with a view to attending

to current devastation and environmental degradation in the region. ``The federal government will give NDDC all necessary assistance and support to achieve its mandate of ensuring rapid and sustainable development of the region. “For meaningful and sustainable development to take place in the region, citizens and stakeholders must be peaceful while curbing militancy and eliminating terrorism”, he said. Represented by Mr. Adeola Ipaye, the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Presidency, Osinbajo added that Niger Delta, being the world’s third largest wetland, had immense potential to become an agriculture hub.

He said the nation’s overdependence on crude oil was partly responsible for “redundant human resource base and high level of corruption.” According to him, there has to be a major shift from dependence on oil to agricultural production which will assist job creation and encourage development of the manufacturing sector. The Vice President assured that ongoing clean up of several years of un-addressed oil pollution in Ogoni area of Rivers and other communities in the region would be completed. Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia said poor funding was a major challenge facing the commission. He explained that the com-

mission was an intervention agency, not an alternate government, as widely held by some people. “Youths should reduce the level of restiveness because NDDC does not have the capacity to solve all their problems. “Restiveness and tension caused by some youths in the region clearly have direct negative impact on the development of the region”, he said. Dan-Abia called on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) to commence payment of its own contribution to funding of the commission. According to him, this is based on the fact that NLNG falls within the oil and gas producing companies within the Niger Delta.

NIS warns foreigners to keep off Bayelsa guber election

he Bayelsa State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has warned foreigners resident in the state to stay away from the December 5 governorship election. The Comptroller of NIS in the state, Mr. Sule Wunti, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenogoa on Monday.

Wunti said the command would deal decisively with any defaulter particularly nationals of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) resident in the state. He said that as part of security preparations ahead of the polls, the command had convened a stakeholders’ forum to sensitise ECOWAS nation-

als resident in the state on the election. “As part of security preparedness ahead of the election, the command has invited leaders of ECOWAS Citizens Associations to a forum to warn them to keep off the elections coming up on December 5. “We have taken time to ex-

plain to them that the elections are for Nigerian citizens alone, and anyone who flouts the directives would be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law,” Wunti said. The Comptroller said that the NIS was working with other security agencies in Bayelsa to provide adequate security for the elections.

ne time Cross River State governor, Dr. Clement Ebri, has charged the governor of the state, Prof. Ben Ayade, to release funds due to the 18 local government councils in Cross River State so that the councils could properly function. Ebri made the charge while fielding questions from journalists in Calabar on recent protest march carried out by aggrieved councillors over non-payment of their nine months allowances. He stressed that local governments were grass-roots government, adding that if such monies were released to the councils’ leadership it would enable the council leadership the opportunity to effectively function. The ex-governor stated: “I want to tell the governor to please empower the local governments to enable the local government chairmen do certain things that are expected of them within their official resources. “Money should be given to them. If you think they are not responsible, then they ought not to be made chairmen. You don’t say somebody is a Reverend Father and you say he cannot serve mass”. National Mirror learnt that since the beginning of the present administration local government councils have not received any money from the state government in form of statutory allocation due to the 18 local government councils from the federation account, a situation which has made running of the local government very cumbersome. National Mirror also gathered that the monthly Joint Account Allocation Committee meetings have not been held since the en Ayade came on board. However, councillors from the various wards of 18 local government councils across the state had however given Ayade`s government two weeks ultimatum to release their statutory funds including legislative votes and other funds due to councils. But former governor of the state Dr. Clement Ebri who commented on the development, stated that: “the local government system in Cross River State is completely dead and something needs to be done urgently to revive it. Nothing is going on at that level and that is bad because local government is the starting point.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Speech experts seek law to prevent noise Richard Ndoma CALABAR

awmakers have been urged to come up with legislations that can prevent noise within residential environment. Speaking in a one day conference held at the Chinua Achebe New Arts Theatre, University of Calabar, President of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists Association in Nigeria (SPAAN), Prof. Julius Abiola Ademokoya, lamented how young people in Nigeria are gradually losing their sense of hearing due to noise that often generated within the environment. Ademokoya who also doubles

as a lecturer in the Department of Special Education University of Ibadan stated that unless something was urgently done to salvage the harrowing situation, Nigeria would stand the risk of losing about 50% of its youth population to deafness which some time occur due to risk behaviours which had become part and parcel of daily life in the country. The audiologist who was speaking at the South-South geo-political zone public awareness campaign rally to sensitise the people on the dangers of noise pollution, speech disorders and hearing loss and its management charged the federal and state governments to

swing into action without any hesitation before hearing impairment reached an alarming rate. The speech pathologist enumerated causes of hearing impairment some of which he described as injection of earpiece into the ears by youths in the name of listening to music, peculiar life and noise generated from piano from churches and mosques He said that a person stood the risk of having air impairment if he stayed in a particular environment where noise, either from a block industry or church music is being produced at about 80 decibel at a minimum of eight to nine hours.

He said that noise surgeons had proven his claims after taking samples of noise from workshops and churches producing noise at a very high rate. “We have to put legislations that would check the very high level of sound produced by churches, mosques and workshops producing sound on daily basis close to our homes, otherwise we will one day wake up only to discover that everybody has gone deaf,” the sound expert warned. ”We have to put agencies and structures that would help the country check noise knowing well that Nigeria is a very noisy country. Often times we hear noise being produce from loud

speakers of those who market cassettes. “If you are in doubt go to the ear and nose hospital to get the statistics of those suffering from hearing loss that is when you will know that the number of people losing their hearing ability has hit an alarming rate,” he said.

Bayelsa Police debunk attack on Jonathan

Osahon Julius YENAGOA

Dignitaries at the tribute night for Olu of Warri, at the weekend.

Ayade promises stronger tie with media Richard Ndoma CALABAR

he governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, on Saturday, said that one of his administration’s policy thrust was to form stronger tie with the media to enable him achieve meaningful develop-

Ayade

ment for the state. Ayade made this known while receiving an `Àward of Excellence as Grand Patron of NUJ, Cross River State ’’ which was presented to him by the state council of union during its Gala/Award Night held in Calabar. Ayade who said that he was happy for the honour done him described the award as a morale booster and stressed that the award was surely going to spur him on in the task ahead. `Ì am excited and humbled by this award, especially as it is my first award by any organisation since my assumption of office. `Ì assure you that I will work with the media for the full realisation of our collective dream of making Cross River State

the most Industrialised and economically viable state in Nigeria, ‘’ Ayade added. The governor stated that no responsible government could succeed in the task of leading his people without the media. This, he said, was because the media played a very significant role in the task of nation building. Ayade lauded the NUJ for the award and promised not to disappoint them and the entire people of the state. The NUJ also gave various awards to some deserving individuals, corporate organisations and posthumous awards to some departed colleagues. One of the awardees, Olumba Olumba Obu was honored by the NUJ as an outstanding pa-

tron following his outstanding contributions to the state NUJ. Other awardees are: the Chief Medical Director of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Dr. Thomas Agan; Chairman of Cross River State Water Board Ltd., Ntufam Ekpo Okon and General Manager of Cross River Basin Development Authority Mrs Etta Eyo-Eta. Former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Obeten Okom, was given an award while Mr. Frank Effa also received one. Speaking also at the occasion, the chairman of NUJ Cross River State council, Mr Ndoma Akpet, stated that the awards were in recognition of the contributions of the awardees to the service of humanity.

he Bayelsa State Police Command, yesterday, debunked online report of an alleged attack on the convoy of the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, saying there was no attack whatsoever on the former number one citizen of the country. Speaking with journalists in the wake of the reports that the former president was attacked by assassins, the Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, ASP Butswat Asinim, urged members of the public to disregard such reports. Explaining further, Asinim said contrary to reports, the boys in question were ordinary citizen of the state, who followed the convoy of the ex-president, thinking the convoy was that of one of the candidates in the Saturday’s gubernatorial poll. He said the boys, on getting near the President Villa at Kpansia, Yenagoa, discovered it was the former president’s convoy and immediately pulled out, but were giving a chase by security men attached to the convoy, who caught up with them and handed them over to the police for investigation. He said after investigations, it was discovered that the boys were innocent, as not a single arm was found in their possession. Online reports had claimed in their reports that the President escape assassination by assassins hired by the All Progressive Congress, APC.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Misinformation and runaway new media ALEX O. ATAWA- AKPODIETE

uring World War II, Germany’s Adolf Hitler was a master of propaganda and misinformation, with the credit for this going to Joseph Goebbels, his “genius of spin”. Later, the Allied power borrowed a page from Hitler’s book and started dropping leaflets to divide the enemies’ camp. US Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of War Information in 1942 and an affiliated Writers’ War Board, while British Political Warfare Executive was created in 1941 by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He used it to disseminate propaganda that would damage enemy morale. Within four years, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s foreign language used radio stations, postcards and leaflets to do the damage. Today, the “leaflets” are in a different form and more portable. The Old Media is now confronted with the New Media. The New Media poses a great problem in Nigeria. We were already battling “cash and carry” journalism and now it has been compounded by electronic witch hunt, blackmail, sycophantic reporting, and the plagiarism of cut-and-paste reportage. There have always been problems with regulating media practitioners, and this has become exacerbated by the proliferation of New Media. Anyone with a computer or hand-held device such as android or I-phone can become an

armchair journalist and claim to be practicing journalism. Or is it as Karol Jakubowicz puts it that we have the problem of “Media or media-like activities performed by non-media actors”? So, what exactly is New Media? New Media has been broadly defined “as the ability to combine text, audio, digital video, interactive multimedia, virtual reality, the web, email, chat, a cell phone, a PDA such as the Palm Pilot or BlackBerry, computer applications, and any source of information accessible by a personal computer.” A great dilemma with the New Media is the legal ramifications. The United Nations is still trying to wrap itself around policing internet crimes, and will someday have to deal with issues of defamation in New Media. Defamation is really a legal Siamese twin. One is libel (written) and the other is slander (spoken). Both must be published to be actionable in law. The video on YouTube is published slanderous material and the written story on Facebook is potentially libelous. As an international lawyer, I know the issues surrounding in persona jurisdiction, not to talk of subject matter jurisdiction. Briefly, persona jurisdiction is jurisdiction over the person (corpus) so that you can sue them, while subject matter jurisdiction usually refers to which court (place) can hear a lawsuit. This simplified explanation means that to sue someone in a particular court for a particular matter, you must have both personal and subject matter jurisdiction.

NEW MEDIA IS NOW INDISPENSABLE. IT MUST BE USED TO DO

THINGS IN A NEW, BUT ACCOUNTABLE WAY With the advent of New Media, the issue of jurisdiction has become complicated. Assuming you want to sue a journalist for defamation, where do you file the lawsuit? The journalist sitting on his computer in China that fabricates or obfuscates a story that is derogative to you may be unreachable. Do you use his computer IP address? Some of us that travel and write can tell you of scenario where a story is started in Nigeria, sent to the media house, while you are transiting via Wi-Fi at London Heathrow Airport, only to edit it in North America. Recently, two journalists were casting aspersions on each other because they both believed they had to do this to zealously represent their principals (clients). The words published on Facebook and WhatSapp were defamatory at best. Where then are the ethics or rules of engagement? Let us not forget so soon the last general elections and the role of the New Media in perpetration of lies before, during and after the elections. There is so much misinformation going out. Immediately, President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, a list of his alleged minis-

ters emerged in the social media, which was a hoax. Even before Senate President Bukola Saraki opened the official list from the Presidency on September 30, the New Media was at it again. Just last week, phantom portfolios were given to the confirmed Ministers by the New Media. This again proved to be wrong. This must be stopped. We must regulate our runaway New Media locally, nationally and internationally. There is a plethora of writings encouraging self-regulation and co-regulation of new media content globally. The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the National Assembly should get cracking to control the situation. We can look for guidance from the Global Network Initiative, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and the Global Online Freedom Act of 2007 bill submitted to the US House of Representatives. On the positive side, new Media has been instrumental in dissemination of urgently needed information. It has also been stated that New Media must be understood as part of a wider information arena in which new and old media form complex interrelationships. New Media is now indispensable. It must be used to do things in a new, but accountable way. Atawa-Akpodiete, a public affairs analyst and media consultant, wrote from Washington DC via Profatawa@gmail. com

Of global terrorism, chemical weapon and ‘multicide’ BOBSON GBINIJE

ogmatic blandishments, doctrinaire sophistry and religious extremism and systematic political indoctrination etc, have unleashed a horde of psychopathic mass murderers upon our world. Terrorists and terrorism have become the horrendous predators on humanity. Hence, the English playwright William Shakespeare said that “…men have lost their reasons and power has flown to the brutish beast”. Following the recent Paris attack’ and the subsequent United Nation’s (UN) Security Council unanimous adoption and resolution of the French-drafted document urging the UN members to “take all necessary measures” in the fight against ISIL (the UN Resolution 2249 also condemned the recent attacks in Sousse, Tunisia and Ankara, Turkey), the UN Security Council called on member states to “eradicate the safe haven” ISIL and other militant groups had established over parts of Iraq and Syria. The document also stresses that nations should “redouble and co-ordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks”. However, the resolution does not invoke the UN’s Chapter VIII, which gives specific legal authorization for the use of force. France and Russia argued that military action is justified because of the right of countries to defend themselves. This UN resolution will precipitate the ascendency of terrorism and it will stimulate its aggressive serpentine spread to all nooks and crannies of our world, and sequel to the current desire for the world

to come together to launch a singular arrowhead against terrorism and terrorists, it will definitely make these murderous irritants to resort to the use of chemical, radiological and biological weapons etc to perpetrate their heinous crimes against our world. How ready is the West led by America, Russia, Japan, Brazil, and our own Nigeria, Kenya, etc to deracinate the tentacles of biological, radiological and chemical weapons when unleashed on them by Islamic State, Al Qaeda, Shiite, Sunni, Tijaniya, Quadariya, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Hizbollah etc terrorists groups? It is unquestionably obvious to our world that these terrorists groups have the stockpile, productive capabilities and pragmatic quotient to produce and unleash chemical weapons on protean nations, precipitating global genocide. We have seen the unleashing of chemical weapons in Japan, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait etc. There is abundant evidence to show that Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria etc are listed by the CIA as supporters of terrorism and are believed to possess chemical, radiological and biological weapons. Nuclear, chemical and biological agents, as we have seen, are inherently terrorizing. They latently evoke moral dread, emotional turpitude and visceral revulsion out of proportion to their lethality. The government of any country attacked with such weapons would have difficulty controlling the anarchical entropy and apocalyptic confusion they will cause because chemical and biological weapons are silent killers and an attack could occur at any time without warning. The first sign of a chemical or biologi-

THE WORLD MUST COME TOGETHER NOW TO FORESTALL THE TENTACLES OF GLOBAL TERRORISM…

cal weapon attack, according to the Journal of American Medical Association (1997 edition) and a United State government scientist, might be “hundreds or thousands of ill or dying patients”. But, despite the alluring appeal of these weapons as instrument of terror, terrorists have seldom used them. Terrorists have never detonated a nuclear device. They clearly rarely used chemical weapons, except most often to poison foods, and biological and radiological agents rarely still. What has restrained terrorist from using them over the years? The answer involves both technical constraints and motivational or organizational hurdles. The hurdles are cyclopean, acquiring the agents or weapons would present one set of difficulties and disseminating or exploding them would present another. But in the current dispensation of terrorists’ desperation and the platitudinous network or Internet, the availability of manuals on chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons making, it has become very easy for terrorists to get what they want. One of these manuals, ‘Bacteriological Warfare: A Major Threat to North America’ is described on the internet as a book for helping readers survive a biological weapon attack. But in fact it also describes the reproduction and growth of

biological agents and includes a chapter on “bacteria likely to be used by terrorists”. The book is sold over the internet for $28:50 and is reportedly advertised on rightwing radio shows. Its author is Larry Wayne Harris, the former member of neo-Nazi organization, who ordered three vials of the bacterium that causes bubonic plague. It is unequivocally clear from the foregoing that chemical and biological weapons are easy to make and are already in the hands, domain of the terrorists around the world. But without moral caution and qualms of conscience, the terrorists are the most likely to use them against perceived enemy nations. The immediate and future use of these dangerous weapons against some nations of our world stares us most glaringly on our faces. The nations of our world must come together to share scientific and technological know-how on how to protect our world and its peoples from the horrendous toxicity of chemical, biological and radiological weapons of mass destruction. The world must come together now to forestall the tentacles of global terrorism and the dissemination of chemical and biological weapons on man. Chief Gbinije wrote from Warri, Delta State. 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, December 1, 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 OBIORA IFOH ACTING ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

Corrupt judges, lawyers and loot recovery

resident Muhammadu Buhari, speaking recently through his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the flagging-off of the 2015 All Nigeria Judges’ Conference in Abuja, said he was perturbed that more than ever before, allegations of judicial corruption had become more strident and frequent in the country. The Nigerian justice system, according to him, had a notorious reputation for delays, “usually occasioned by a combination of endless adjournments, incessant interlocutory applications and overwhelming caseloads… ”. Buhari said: “As my lords are undoubtedly aware, corruption transfers from public coffers to private pockets resources required to deliver social and economic justice. Government’s attempts to recover such assets in accordance with the law are often faced with dilatory tactics by lawyers, sometimes with the apparent collusion of judges. These tactics are often not directed at reaching any conclusion or affirming innocence or guilt, but at stalling trials indefinitely, thus denying the state and the accused person the opportunity of a judicial verdict. I wish to echo the sentiments of the vast majority of Nigerians in saying that we cannot afford to continue on this path”. “Delays in the trial process, he stated in addition, “have damaged the international reputation of the Nigerian Judiciary, even amongst its international peers. It is not

surprising, therefore, that Nigeria ranks near bottom on the ease of doing business index. We are currently ranked 143 out of 189 countries by the World Bank Group’s Enforcing Contracts Indicator”. President Buhari’s remark corroborates the story of a former head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, who lamented in 2009 that some senior lawyers were frustrating the fight against corruption by stalling the prosecution of their corrupt clients docked by the commission. Such lawyers, Waziri alleged, fraudulently obtained money from their clients under the guise of delivering same as bribe to officers of the EFCC to kill cases under investigation. She said they exploited the weaknesses of the judiciary by filing frivolous applications to frustrate the trial of corrupt and money laundering suspects. Much later after Waziri left the EFCC, her successor, Ibrahim Lamorde, revealed at a time that some in-house lawyers and their counterparts from private law firms hired by the commission to assist in the investigation and prosecution of high profile graft cases deliberately created loopholes to enable suspects escape justice. It was implied that the unscrupulous lawyers preferred gratification and bribes from such high-wire accused persons in exchange for watery and slipshod prosecution. Indeed, few weeks before he proceeded on his terminal leave,

December 1, 1976 Angola joined the United Nations. The Republic of Angola is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh largest country in Africa; and is bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the north, and Zambia on the east. Its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean and Luanda is its capital city. Cabinda, an exclave and province of Angola, has borders with the Republic of the Congo and the DRC.

WITH PRINCIPLED AND FEARLESS JUDGES IN CHARGE OF THE

SPECIAL COURTS, IT MAY NOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR COMPROMISED LAWYERS AND THEIR CORRUPT CLIENTS following his removal from office by President Buhari, Lamorde was quoted as saying highly-placed persons arraigned for corrupt practices hired ‘better’ lawyers to stall their cases in court. “The high profile individuals have the resources to hire very good lawyers who, of course, come with all these arguments to delay the cases”, he said. It is, therefore, no surprise that President Buhari has seen through the translucent conspiracy of the corrupt Bench and Bar against the Nigerian state in the latter’s campaign against high-brow graft. Ordinarily, through internal cleansing or reforms from the highest to the lowest rungs of the Bench; giving expeditious treatment to high profile corruption cases; as well as sanctioning lawyers and litigants who deliberately stall or frustrate the judicial process, the judiciary may eventually midwife a justice administration system that promotes equity and justice.

ON THIS DAY December 1, 1997 In the Indian state of Bihar, the Ranvir Sena militia attacked the CPI (ML) Party Unity stronghold, Lakshmanpur-Bathe, killing 63 lower caste people. Ranvir Sena was formed by Bhumihar and Rajput landlords to stop the aspirations of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes people by violent means and their organized killings. It carried out actions against Dalits and other members of the scheduled caste community.

Some sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which forbid the entertainment of any form of application for stay of proceedings in criminal trials; and which also stipulates that any objection, including preliminary ones, shall only be considered alongside the substantive matter, seem a deliberate effort by the state to fasttrack the nation’s criminal justice system. But not to be overlooked is the possibility that some dishonest judges and lawyers married to impunity would find smart ways of side-tracking the law and rendering it impotent. Consequently, we strongly recommend the creation of dedicated or specialized courts specifically for economic and financial crimes frauds, corrupt-self enrichment, money laundering, etc. - manned by upright judges to drive the anticorruption campaign of the Buhari administration. With principled and fearless judges in charge of the special courts, it may not be business as usual for compromised lawyers and their corrupt clients. In addition, the campaign for loot recovery will bear better fruits, if, like the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, rightly pointed out lately, the prosecution of corrupt suspects is based on investigationled arrest; and not arrest-led investigation. In other words, only diligent investigation and prosecution of corruption cases would yield the desired results.

December 1, 2013 China launched ‘Yutu’ or ‘Jade Rabbit’, its first lunar rover, as part of the ‘Chang’e 3’ lunar exploration mission. Chang’e 3 is an unmanned lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), incorporating a robotic lander and China’s first lunar rover. It was launched in December 2013 as part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme.

Business

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

FG restates youths’ involvement imperative for agric sector’s growth 22

UNIDO, Heineken x-ray Nigeria’s cumulative 25 water stress

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG orders Maritime Academy probe over N13bn 21 allocation AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Med-View Airline

Assessing N37bn Corporate Social Responsibility expenditure impact on Nigeria Most corporate entities in Nigeria are known for their corporate social responsibility, CSR, programmes and activities but many are seen as mere marketing propaganda than actually impacting on the operating environment positively. In this analysis, David Audu, captures views of experts on the N37 billion CSR expenditure in the country.

overty, lack of portable water, corruption, poor basic health care facilities, ill-funded and equipped educational system, environmental degradation and pollution, militancy and insurgency are among the major problems ordinary Nigerians contend with on daily basis which they would like to see frontally tackled by their elected governments to enable them live fairly well. With solutions not readily coming from governments, they look toward organizations and businesses in their

immediate environments to offer some help to alleviate their socio-economic burdens. An investor rightly captures these expectations, saying while companies are not government saddled with the responsibilities of providing basic amenities, but “as people in the world of business, we cannot look away. The world of business can lay claim to many fantastic achievements, but we must not forget our involvement in many of the problems. We must commit ourselves to finding solutions. I

The world of business can lay claim to many fantastic achievements, but we must not forget our involvement in

many of the problems. We must commit

ourselves to finding solutions. I believe that the role of business is to make the world a better place for everyone

believe that the role of business is to make the world a better place for everyone”. In other words, while businesses must make sense, economically, in adding the new moral imperative, it must also be environmentally and socially sustainable and responsible. It is in this sense that the world, both in government and corporate business now gravitate to making relevance the dictum of being socially responsible. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, in a recent report noted that “corporate social responsibility, CSR, is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large” CSR, therefore, is the deliber-

ate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision making, and the honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet and Profit. It is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society – to “make the world a better place”. According to figures compiled by Social Enterprise Reporting and Accountability, SERA, it shows that the total spend on CSR by companies in Nigeria is reported to have increased from a little over N600m in 2006 to N30 Billion in 2013, while over N27.8b were spent across the country in 2014. Approximately, according to a paper presented by Friday Okuwe, Director, Strategy and Planning, SO&U Nigeria, during a recent forum on CSR in Nigeria, CSR and sustainability spending in the reporting year June 2014 to July 2015 by Nigeria’s leading 100 companies CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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 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 News

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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Assessing N37bn Corporate Social Responsibility expenditure impact on Nigeria CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 amounted to N37 billion. Giving a breakdown of the biggest spenders sector by sector, it showed that Oil & Gas nearly totalled half of the spending with 45 per cent of spend, followed by the Telecommunications companies by 20 per cent; the banks spend 15.7 per cent while the manufacturing companies, especially, the fast moving consumer goods, FMCG, spend 11 per cent. The big question he asked, however, was where does Nigerian companies CSR money really go? But, before he attempted an answer, he related the story of a Nigerian company visa-vis two global players. MTN Nigeria, XEROX and Target, which all operate in different sectors of the economy and in different environment. MTN Nigeria, founded in 2005 is said to invest one per cent of profit after tax, PAT, into CSR initiatives and focused on three key areas – health, education and economic empowerment. It is also reported to have spent over N11billion in 341 project sites across the six geopolitical zones of the country. There was no marketing budget report or it was not made available. “What specific initiatives and programmes were these monies invested in? How have these investments impacted on the public perception of the brand? And how are beneficiaries speaking up for the brand, were some of the questions raised. In juxtaposing MTN’s case with Zerox and Target, CSR assumes a different meaning, albeit, impact. It is reported that since its earliest days, XEROX has embarked on a never ending journey that demonstrates that good business and good citizenship are not only compatible but synergistic. The printing giant is said to have multiple programs for donating to and supporting programs for social responsibility. “Their community involvement program encourages it by directly involving employees. Since 1974, more than half a million Xerox employees have participated in the program. In 2013 alone, Xerox earmarked more than $1.3 million to facilitate 13,000 employees to participate in community-focused causes. The return for Xerox comes not only in community recognition, but also in the commitment employees feel when causes they care for are supported by their employers. “Since 1974 when the program began, more than 500,000 Xerox people have been involved in regional, community-focused projects. In 2013, the Xerox Foundation invested over $1.3 million in the Community Involvement Program, enabling 13,000 Xerox people to participate in 800 projects. “During 2013, 91.3 per cent of our philanthropic investments were directed to institutions and organizations where someone from Xerox was personally involved, said, Xerox global CEO, Ursula Burn. Another good CSR example is Target. “Since 1946, Target has been committing more and more effort and assets toward local and environmental support for the communities in which they have stores. Over the past several years, the company’s efforts—

Ufot, APCON President

Aganga from growing sustainable practices to educational grants—have amounted to 5 percent of its profit going to local communities. That’s $4 million each week! In the area of education alone, Target has donated more than $875 million since 2010. “Can your company afford to give $4 million a week to good causes? Most likely the answer is no, but the good news is that you don’t have to. By supporting any good cause in your community, you provide two important factors that pay dividends. You have employees who are proud to work for you and clients who are proud to be associated with you. The financial return of either can be many orders of magnitude”, the company noted on its website. So, where does CSR money in Nigeria go? Though, it is generally agreed that CSR investments and objectives can sometimes be difficult to evaluate, therefore, making accountability difficult, and even raises suspicion towards organizations that manage to come up with seemingly flawless CSR reports. However, questions are being asked for specifics of CSR spending. Other sore points in CSR impact reporting, according to experts, is how to justify CSR spend and marketing budgets. It has been discovered that most corporate do not disclose marketing budgets for their CSR, raising suspicion that sometimes marketing budgets far outweight the actual CSR spend. Globally, it has been acknowledged and

arguments canvassed that “some of the highest givers around the world give quietly, sometimes even anonymously; they sincerely want to meet a need without attracting unnecessary attention to themselves. Why don’t organizations do the same?”. The answerer as a participant in the forum puts is that the motive always dictates the manner it is given. While it has been found that most organizations spend too much on CSR marketing, others have been found also to under spend in their CSR marketing efforts. The cases of CSR initiative in most Oil & Gas companies come to mind. For example, questions are being asked that if 45 per cent of N37 billion by the Oil & Gas sector is actually spend, what was it spent on, and how many people are aware? “With the presence of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and the Ministry of Niger-Delta, why is the Oil & Gas sector still having increasing challenges with host communities? Again, with 20 per cent of N37 billion by the telecoms sector, approximately N7.4 Billion, arguably the most active sector in marketing activities and spend, there are still question mark what CSR programmes are they involved in? This reinforced the observation, and many rightly think so, that most of the marketing and communications budget are being spent are sponsorships properties and consumer engagement programmes, which sometimes are mistaken or present-

In moving forward to more transparent CSR project accountability, organizations are advised on the need to begin to set clearly defined

CSR objectives that are

linked to measurable business and brand objectives

ed to the public as CSRs. In moving forward to more transparent CSR project accountability, organizations are advised on the need to begin to set clearly defined CSR objectives that are linked to measurable business and brand objectives. These include “setting a defined annual budget for Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and appropriately allocated into each of the respective components – Donations, Philanthropy, Community Initiatives; streamline CSR programmes to key initiatives that can create maximum impact and deliver the appropriate value to the business It also include having a clearly defined strategy for leveraging and marketing its core CSR programmes and initiatives in a manner that creates and delivers measure value to relevant stakeholders – then allocate the appropriate budget based on the strategy Shift from looking out for easy-win strategies or activities with direct commercial benefits. To derive long term benefit, businesses need to take a more indirect route to creating value with corporate responsibility initiatives - and how key stakeholders react to those initiatives Commenting on the impact of CSR in Nigeria, the CEO of Trucantac, organizers of the yearly SERA award, Mr. Ken Egbas, believes many companies are not doing enough in their CSR, saying many companies do not understand what they should be doing with the money and at the same time many of them do not even know how to go about their CSR initiatives. “They call people together and give them gifts, or give exercise books to school children or renovate a school classroom, grade a small stretch of road here, then, they call the journalist and splash the photos on the pages of their paper and they call that CSR. He pointed out that while the companies themselves do not understand most of what they were doing, the media themselves also do not understand, hence everything goes and as such activities of journalists that are supposed to complement what they do at the end contribute in lowering the standard

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Business News

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

FG orders Maritime Academy probe over N13bn allocation FRANCIS EZEM

here are strong indications that some principal officers of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom State, may be relieved of their appointments if the N13 billion allocation to the Academy are not properly accounted for. Already, the Minister of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, has directed the full scale probe of the disbursements of the over N13 billion allocations made to the Academy in the last five years under his watch. A reliable source at the Federal Ministry of Transport, told our correspondent that the Minister ordered a full-scale investigation into the financial activities of the Academy from the start of the tenure of the current Rector, Dr. Joshua Okpo. According to him, the Ministerial order was in response to several allegations of large scale fraud leveled against the institution’s management. National Mirror reliably gathered that the probe was sequel to accusation and counter-accusations between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the leadership of the Academy over mat-

ters bothering on inadequate The source also disclosed that report of the ordered probe. on the spot assessment of the funding of the latter. the minister threatened to sack The minister was reported facilities at the academy in a The sources also disclosed as many officers of the Acad- to have therefore ordered the bid to ascertain to what use the that the Rector of the Acad- emy found wanting in transpar- immediate audit of all the enormous amount received by emy reportedly told the newly ent management of the funds amounts remitted to the inthe rector over the period. appointed Minister that NI- as may be determined by the stitution since 2009 as well as MASA was always reluctant to release statutorily allocated funds to the Institute, a development, he claimed, had continued to frustrate the infrastructure development of the institution. It was gathered that following these allegations, the minister summoned the management of NIMASA to his office to find out why it was sitting on the subvention statutorily meant for the funding of the premier maritime training institution in the country. However, the bubble seemed to burst when the acting Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Jauro, told the minister that the agency had remitted over N18 billion to L-R: General Manager, Central Securities Clearing System, CSCS, Mr. Joseph Mekiliuwa, Executive Commissioner the academy since 2009. Legal and Enforcement, Sa’adatu Bello, Director General,Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mounir Gwarzo, On enquiry the minister Director Sis (SEC) Abdul Zubairu; and Director Zonal Offices SEC, Loiusa Eni- Umukoro, during the Capital Market was told that Okpo took over Committee, CMC, media briefing in Lagos at the weekend. the reins of the academy in 2011 during which the rector confirmed the NIMASA’s remittances to the academy. Investigations showed hownent, she hinted that 80 per cent of Addisa Abbaba or Kenya Airever that the minister accused Olusegun Koiki Africa passengers were being car- ways to Nairobi to connect a Okpo of trying to deceive him he International Air Trans- ried by non-African carriers, not- flight to Brazzaville. by feeding him with lies about Adeyemi stated that the port Association, IATA, has ing that for Africa to enjoy rapid the true situation of the disticket from Dakar to Sengrowth, there must be intraAfprojected that 28 million pasbursements.

IATA projects yearly 28m air passengers for Africa

British Foundation introduces $5 pocket-sized computer

British non-profit organization is offering a new way to spend that $5 change in your pocket: buy a computer. Raspberry Pi, as the maker of credit-card sized computers is called, today released the Raspberry Pi Zero in the U.K. and the U.S. With the new version, made in Wales, the manufacturer went “from the cost of four lattes to the cost of one latte,” founder Eben Upton said in a video published on the foundation’s website Thursday. The computer isn’t your standard PC. Conceived as a programmable computer to help people get into coding, it’s a piece of hardware that works by plugging it into a monitor and keyboard with a USB cable (not included). In spite of its small size, it has half a gigabyte of RAM, an HDMI socket for compatibility with modern televisions and a microSD memory card reader, among other features. The Zero isn’t Raspberry Pi’s

first cost-cutting project. It follows the foundation’s $25 Model B+, released three years ago. While the Model B+ was created to offer affordable computers, “we still meet people who say the cost is a barrier of entry,” Upton said. However, anybody looking to wait for an even cheaper Raspberry Pi is in for a disappointment as Upton warns the maker won’t go below the one-latte cost “in the foreseeable future.”

sengers will fly to and from Africa yearly by the year 2034. This is just as the international airline body estimated the average yearly passenger growth in Africa in the next 20 years at 4.4 per cent. The Regional Head External Relations, Africa and Middle East, IATA, Adefunke Adeyemi, disclosed this at the weekend while speaking on the intra Africa connectivity at the AKWAABA African Travel Market forum in Lagos. Adeyemi, who spoke during the Aviation Day of AKWAABA, said that currently aviation carried 3.5 billion passengers worldwide and assured that that this figure would continue to grow annually. On passenger traffic in the conti-

rica connectivity. The industry player lamented that it was easier to connect flight from Lagos to other European countries than connecting flight from one African country to the other. Elaborating further, the IATA Regional Head posited that connectivity was fundamental to the growth, as it would lead to the transformation of Africa aviation and that connectivity in continent was not robust. For instance, to support her views she declared that there was no direct flight from Nigeria to Congo and that for anybody to fly to Congo, the person had to fly Ethiopian Airlines to either

egal to Nairobi in Kenya cost about $5, 000, adding that this amount was 45 per cent higher than that used in buying ticket within any region around the world. She pointed out that Nigeria was not connected to many African countries and identified Ethiopia and Kenya as the only two countries in the continent that had direct connection to more than 50 per cent of countries in the continent. She also decried that getting visas from one African country to the other was difficult, stressing that this was not good for the continent.

NCC to end multiple regulations, tax regimes in sector Isaiah Erhiawarien

he Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has assured telecommunications companies in the country of its resolve to end the era of multiple regulations, taxes and right of way in the industry. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who made the promise following discussions he had at the Nigerian Governors Forum, MGF, disclosed that he had also initiated discussions

with other agencies of government to mitigate the industry’s operational challenges He said that the talks were focused on improving relationship with telecommunications service providers who are often the victims of excessive taxation and multiple regulations. Danbatta gave these hints during discussions with the management team of ATC Wireless Infrastructure Company of Nigeria, ATC Nigeria. He said that the NCC as a responsible regulatory agency was worried about multiple regulations and taxes because they do not augur well for smooth development of the telecommunica-

tions sector. The industry regulator explained that in view of the negative implications of these challenges for the growth of the telecom industry,the Commission decided to engage all stakeholders, especially other government agencies in order to cushion the pains operators go through. He clarified: “The NCC is particularly worried about the indiscriminate way base transceiver stations are sealed by agencies and some State governments and we have appealed to these agencies and the State Governors to show some understanding.

Business News

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG restates youths’ involvement NBC unveils plans to upgrade facility imperative for agric sector’s growth

… commends AfDB for suppor t

he Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has restated the need to encourage Nigerian youths to engage in agriculture as a strategic option of improving the viability of the sector and by implication, its contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. The Minister made the remarks when he received the Australian High Commissioner in Nigeria, H.E Jonathan Richardson, in the ministry at the weekend. Ogbeh expressed his desire to make agriculture more attractive to the young people, stressing the need to replace the older farmers with young Nigerians, adding that a large population of the youth in agriculture is an asset to production. The Minister, who recognized Australia as one of the biggest players in livestock and animal production, sought for more areas of co-operation between Nigeria and the country. He identified the training of young people in agriculture, the need to engage students in more practical agriculture and involvement of agricultural institutes in more research and production as a better way of repositioning the agricultural sector in Nigeria. He also expressed the need to improve cattle breeding and milk production in Nigeria, so as to improve the mental health of Nigerian children. He said it has become imperative to develop and improve pastures for animals to reduce the migration system of mov-

ing animals. The Minister said that Nigeria would improve wheat production capacity to reduce importation and assured the High Commissioner of Nigeria’s readiness to cooperate with Australia. Earlier in his remarks, the Australian High Commissioner said Australia had offered post-graduate scholarships in the past to Nigerian students in specialized areas of agriculture like Post-Harvest management, saying over 44 persons had benefitted. The Envoy also said that Australia had the technical expertise in wheat production and was in the ministry to discuss the new areas of co-operation. The Minister also when he received a delegation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) led by the Sector Vice President in charge of Agriculture and Water, Mr. Aly Abou-Saba, commended the continental development institution for its support to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development drives. He thanked the former Minister of Agriculture, now President of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, for laying a very solid foundation in the agricultural sector and promised to deepen and widen the sector. The Minister said the government would take steps to avoid any bleak future through better nutrition for the children while also emphasizing the need to mechanise agriculture so as to be attractive to the youths.

David Audu

igerian Bottling Company, NBC, has stated its commitment to focused investments and upgrade of its manufacturing facilities in Nigeria. In a recent company statement during an engagement session with its major stakeholders, the Acting Head, Public Affairs and Communication, NBC Limited, Mrs Sade Morgan, said that the company is upgrading its manufacturing operations, and the Ilorin facility is being transformed to become a world class material handling and logistics hub. “The re-streaming of NBC’s operations in Ilorin is part of an on-going Accelerated Investment Plan, aimed at doubling production capacity by 2020, to better satisfy our customers and markets. Whilst manufacturing activities have ceased within the facility, the Company will continue to carry out logistics and commercial operations from that location, making it a major and expanded full-fledged depot and material handling facility,” Morgan stated.

She said that the demand for Coca-Cola products is high and growing, and in a bid to meet up with the sales projection trajectory in a competitive environment, more production lines are being installed in some of our existing manufacturing facilities, most of which will be new. The new Ilorin depot facility, when completed, is expected to support new and upgraded production lines in the region to deliver our products more efficiently and effectively to yearning customers and dealers within the South-West Region and beyond, in an environmentally sustainable way. NBC Limited is partnering with communities on its shared values of water stewardship, youth development and women empowerment. Collaborating with state governments, supporting female entrepreneurs with trade asset financing and business training for women entrepreneurs in the Coca-Cola value chain remains a top priority and a strategic part of the company annual business plan.

Iron ore breaches $40 in Singapore on supply glut

ost-active iron ore futures in Singapore sank below $40 a metric ton for the first time on concern that the economic slowdown in China will cut demand as supplies from the largest miners climb. The SGX AsiaClear contract for January fell 2.7 percent to $39.67 a ton at 4:34 p.m. in Singapore, heading for the lowest close since tradL-R: NDIC Zonal Controller, Kabiru Oniyangi (3rd left) presenting a gift to KACCIMA President, Umar Farouk Dansuleka (1st right) during the NDIC Special Day at the Kano International Trade Fair while other NDIC staff and KACCIMA 1st ing started in April 2013. On the Deputy President, Dalhatu Abubakar, watch. Dalian Commodity Exchange, futures for May delivery sank 3 percent to end at 293.5 yuan ($45.88) a ton, a record low. The raw material has been pumteam, Mr. David Adeola, who spoke vented from entering the LPC due FRANCIS EZEM meled since the start of 2014 as in Lagos, said the Western Zone of to their poor road worthiness. surging supplies from low-cost prohe Nigerian Ports Author- the authority based in Apapa LaHe said: “If the minimum ducers including BHP Billiton Ltd. ity NPA has commenced gos has renewed efforts to rid the standards of road worthiness and Rio Tinto Group in Australia the enforcement on the road nation’s seaports within the Lagos are strictly enforced on all trucks and Brazil’s Vale SA combine with worthiness standards for trucks corridor of old and substandard admitted for operations into the faltering demand in China to spur that lift and drop consignments as trucks from entering the ports. ports and the terminal operators a glut. Losses in Singapore and part of measures to forestall the It was gathered that member- also adhere strictly to it, it will Dalian could presage a drop in the incessant breakdown of some of ship of the team, which is also eventually eliminate cases of misbenchmark price for spot ore in these trucks, which contributes drawn from the LPC and TCIPC haps within and outside the port Qingdao, which will be updated to the worsening gridlocks on the in addition to personnel from the vicinity due to faulty and substanlater in the day. port access roads in Apapa. zonal headquarters, are now fully dard trucks”. The latest sign of new supply This is sequel to the constitu- involved in the physical inspec“The minimum standards of came from Australia, with a vestion of a surveillance team drawn tion of trucks, to ensure that only road worthiness for trucks entersel waiting offshore on Monday from the personnel and safety trucks which comply with the ing the ports stipulate specificato load the first cargo from Gina department of Western Ports, stipulated road worthiness safety tions expected of a truck coverRinehart’s Roy Hill mine. which controls Lagos Ports Com- standards are allowed entry into ing among others, the truck head, “Prices are likely to continue plex LPC, and Tin Can Island Port the ports within the Lagos area. body, braking system, engine, bat‘taking it on the chin’, trending Complex TCIPC, under the regionHe also disclosed that the exer- tery, trafficators, warning devices, into the $30s,” Gordon Johnson, al port structure of the authority. cise has started yielding results as twist locks and other fittings”, he an analyst at Axiom Capital ManLeader of the surveillance a number of trucks are daily pre- also said.

Trucks’ regulation crucial to hitch-free port operations –NPA

agement Inc. in New York said in a note received on Monday. He cited lower Chinese demand and rising supply, including from the probable start of Roy Hill. The top miners are betting that higher output will enable them to cut unit costs and defend market share while smaller rivals shut. Mills in China, contending with overcapacity and depressed margins, will cut steel production by almost 3 percent next year, according to the China Iron & Steel Association. Ore with 62 percent content delivered to Qingdao rose 1.2 percent to $44.50 a dry ton on Friday, according to Metal Bulletin Ltd. The price bottomed at $43.89 on Nov. 24, a record for daily price data dating back to May 2009. Rinehart’s $10 billion operation, which targets annual production of 55 million tons, missed an initial deadline to begin shipments earlier this year. The Capesize carrier Anangel Explorer, anchored offshore, will be loaded with the first cargo from the mine, Roy Hill Holdings Pty. confirmed in an email. While Citigroup Inc. has forecast the mine’s new supply will contribute to a further slump, the producer has said almost 90 percent of its output is under longterm contracts.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Jobs & Career

Berger Paints’ boss bags Marketing Institute’s Fellowship

he Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, Mr Peter Folikwe has bagged the Fellowship of the National Institute of Marketing. Folikwe, who described the award as a call to duty explained that he would continue to leverage on his training and exposure to advance positive changes in the corporate world. Conferring the award on him at a colorful ceremony organized by the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, the institute’s President, Mr Ganiyu Koledoye described Folikwe as a quintessential turn -around manager who has recorded milestones writhing the short period of his assumption of office as the Chief Executive Officer of

Berger Paints Nigeria Plc. Koledoye advised the new fellows to take active part in the activities of the Institute in order to move it to the next level. The Institute conferred fellowship on twenty distinguished members. Folikwe was appointed the Managing Director of Berger Paints Nigeria Plc in April 2015 and six months, the business has begun witnessing a turnaround and its performance as evidenced by its half year and nine months results which grew by 50 per cent and 89 per cent respectively. Folikwe is a graduate of Marketing of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of

Benin, Nigeria. He is a seasoned Sales and Marketing professional with over 24 years of experience as Marketing, Sales/Distribution and General Management, garnered from a number of top rated companies in Nigeria. He started his career with Vitafoam Nigeria Plc as a Trade Marketer. He later became Channel Manager, MTN Service Centres and MTN Connect Stores across the country . He returned to Vitafoam Nigeria Plc in 2006 as Head, Sales and Marketing. Due to his sterling performance, he was elevated to the board of the foam and mattress manufacturing company to serve as Sales and Marketing Director at Vitafoam Nigeria Plc from 2008

Caterpillar launches e-learning website for Africa’s future technicians Tola Akinmutimi

aterpillar has announced the launching of the pilot-phase of its Technicians for Africa Project, an e-learning website for people who aspire to become a technician in Nigeria, Mozambique and DR Congo. The website, which is available in French, Portuguese and English, is leveraging Caterpillar’s existing, state of the art e-learning solutions and makes them available for anyone in the three countries that has the ambition to develop a career as a heavy equipment Technician. Caterpillar operates through its three product segments - Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation - and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment to customers globally. Speaking on the technolo-

gy-driven capacity building initiative for Africans, Region Manager responsible for Caterpillar’s distribution in Africa, David Picard, explained that “this is just one of the ways that we’re looking to boost the skills in the industry as a whole. There is a vital need for skilled labour across these sectors in Africa. We are proud to see the launch of this initiative,” said. The pilot websites in English, French and Portuguese have already been launched and during the pilot stage they will be available in Nigeria, DR Congo and Mozambique. The access to the basic Caterpillar Technician curriculum is free as those who register for the curriculum will have the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and upon successful completion of the curriculum, will earn a certificate of completion. In his remarks, the company’s Learning and Development Manager and

also team leader of the elearning project, Maurice Manders, clarified further that “many School leavers are unable to enter the job market because they have been unable to receive enough technical knowledge when they leave school. In schools, the latest technical information isn’t always available. “Offering an Internetbased basic learning curriculum that is available to schools and students is an efficient solution to this challenge,” he added. The new free e-learning curriculum, which contains 18 modules of easyto-understand, technical insights about safety and basic fundamental systems like electrical, hydraulics and powertrain, complements the paid-for e-learning platforms that are available to Caterpillar’s dealers and customers. Paying customers get access to a wider range of e-learning and more functionality of the learning management system.

Koledoye

to March 2013. He played a key role in re-engineering and refocusing the company’s Marketing and Sales strategies.

Nigeria’s unemployment rate may worsen –Oboh Sylva Emeka-Okereke

realtor, Mr Christopher Oboh has predicted that unless urgent steps were taken to provide new jobs, the nation’s unemployment rate may accentuate in the years ahead. The Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has disclosed that the nation’s unemployment rate increased to 9.9 percent in the third quarter, from 7.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year. Oboh said unemployment remained one of the greatest problems of the country, warning that it could worsen, if the growing trend is unchecked. He said that recent reports had shown a gradual increase in joblessness, urging the present administration to rev-up programmes and policies, capable of providing new jobs to graduates. According to him, if this is not done, the rate of unemployment as well as crime rates would go up from next year, arguing that many companies, including banks are sacking their staff. Recently, an old generation bank was said to have sacked

some staff, following the Single Treasury Account, STA, policy of the Federal Government, raising concerns that more workers would soon be laid off. Recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Inspiro Consulting, Jimi Tewe urged the Federal Government to appraise all the factors leading to unemployment rate with a view to solving the problems to avoid the growing rate. “Yes jobs were created, but the reality is that the number of graduates and all the people waiting for employment increased. So in that you’ll find that there’s a deficit in that regard, but I think that the report is quite constructive”, Tewe stated. According to the NBS’ latest report, the labour force population also rose by 2.6 per cent, up to 75.9 million in the second quarter from 74 million the previous quarter. The total number in full time employment increased by 840,773, that’s 1.52 per cent, mentioning three contributors to the increase as public, formal and informal sectors.

FAAN’s Mohammed nominated Board of Directors of ACI (IAP CoP) member

K Maurice Manders

abiru Mohammed, a staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has been selected as a candidate of the Board of Directors of the Community of Practice (CoP) of the Airport Council International.

A statement by the FAAN’s General Manager Corporate Affairs, Hon. Yakubu Dati, indicated that Mohammed’s nomination was by the Nominating Committee of the International Airport Professional, Community of Practice (IAP CoP) in a

letter dated November 24, 2015 issued from its office in Montreal, Canada. According to the letter, the Nominating Committee made its selection based on each candidate’s unique qualification for board duty ... as required in the CoP by-laws.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Real Estate & Environment

UNIDO, Heineken x-ray Nigeria’s cumulative water stress United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, is partnering with Heineken International B.V, a global beverage company, to protect water resources while reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the country. SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE reports.

ust last week, stakeholders from the private and public sectors of the nation’s economy, especially from the environment and water resources converged in Lagos state, to deliberate on best global initiatives, aimed at reducing cumulative water stress in Nigeria. The one-day intellectual engagement afforded the participants, the opportunity to deliberate on water situation in Nigeria as well as other African countries. Tagged, ‘’Water Stewardship in Nigeria’’, the participants x-rayed the significance of water resources in human lives, noting that humans and wildlife like plants and animals depend on freshwater to survive. According to UNIDO Country Representative and Regional Director for Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Mr David Tommy, the water initiatives are centred on countries and regions classified as Water Scarce, saying the international agency would support Heineken International B.V. to implement such projects in the country.

AfDB bolsters irrigation in rural communities 28

He said that the organisation will directly support Heineken in the delivery of its commitment to reduce water consumption to 3.3 hectolitres of water per hectolitres of product in breweries located in the region, adding that the activities will initially focus on Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mexico and Tunisia. Tommy explained that a specialized methodology has been uniquely developed to identify and generate key water issues in

regions, stressing that such project has been applied in Ethiopia. He said: “In Nigeria, the Heineken operating company, Nigerian Breweries Plc, which manages several production units across the country will work with UNIDO, the Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders to identify and overcome cumulative stress on finite water resources, shared by multiple stakeholders in selected catchment areas through collaborative efforts’’.

According to a recent World Bank study on African water resources, two-third of sub-Saharan Africa’s rural population and one-quarter of urban dwellers currently lack access to potable water while millions of

Africans die each year from waterborne and water-related diseases

According to him, these efforts would create awareness among the stakeholders on water stress and its root causes within relevant catchment areas, identifying water risks, mobilizing additional resources to upscale water balancing efforts, so that the overall water stress could be reduced through collaborative efforts. This is in addition to implementing targeted water balance projects in an inclusive, participatory and phased approach for overall water stress reduction. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Bukar Hassan said there is less water to go round than ever before, saying “what is left is getting dirtier as we fail to protect our rivers, lakes and streams. Considering the fact that human and wildlife depend on freshwater, he said the global water crisis is important to everybody, including the private and public sectors of the economy. He explained that water stewardship was CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

The Real Estate Finance Culture War

Reductions in meat consumption could help fight Climate Change 30

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

UNIDO, Heineken x-ray Nigeria’s cumulative water stress CONTINUED FROM 25 about business enterprises, understanding the risks they face from water scarcity and pollution while taking action to ensure that water is managed sustainably as a shared, public resource. Hassan pointed out that this surpassed being efficient water user, saying it is about the private sector collaborating with governments, Non-governmental Organizations, communities and others to protect shared freshwater resources. ‘’The development of public-private partnership for water stewardship programmes aims at overcoming cumulative stress on finite water resources shared by multiple stakeholders in selected catchment areas through collaborative action’’, he stated. According to him, the project would protect water resources; reduce carbon monoxide emissions, sourcing sustainability, advocating responsible consumption, hand safety of its people and growing with communities. “It is heart-warming to note Nigeria is one of the countries, where the initial phase of water stewardship programme will be rolled out. Other countries include Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Mexico. It is also noteworthy that one critical question to be answered at this stakeholder workshop would focus on what we have to do to guarantee water supply for people and businesses in operating catchment areas of the Nigerian Breweries in a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable way’’ In his remarks, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Breweries, Mr Nicholas Vervelde said the company’s sustainable strategy, tagged ‘Brewery a Better World’, centred on protecting water resources, reduce carbon emission, responsible consumption while ensuring health and safety of communities. He said that the essence of the initiative was to ensure that stakeholders bring their experiences and view points to bear in a balanced way, adding that it will also ensure a common supported by all stakeholders on the most important water issues on collective efforts required to enhance water security. ‘’We are all users of water in our daily lives and there is a true saying that ‘’water is life’’. I hope this workshop brings a better of how we can optimally use this important resource to minimize wastage’’, he added. According to a recent World Bank study on African water resources, two-third of sub-Saharan Africa’s rural population and one-quarter of urban dwellers currently lack access to potable water while millions of Africans die each year from water-borne and water-related diseases. Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Protection, UNEP, Mr Jorge Illueca said, “Water is unevenly distributed by nature and unevenly allocated by humans, saying poor spend too much of limited income, calories and time to get inadequate amounts of water are most at risk from the lack of water availability. Another problem is that sub-Saharan Africa, a large portion of which is semi-arid, has “too little water or too much, in the wrong place or at the wrong time, and often of poor quality,” according to the World Bank. Precipitation is highly variable and unpre-

dictable across much of sub-Saharan Africa, and run-off -- the water which is removed from the soil over the surface or through drains beneath the surface is exceptionally low. Drought is endemic, often lasting from one to five years. It said, out of 250 million people, half of sub-Saharan Africa’s population have no access to safe drinking water, and almost 300 million lack adequate sanitation, stressing that if the current situation does not improve, an estimated 500 million Africans are likely to be without safe water and sanitation by the year 2020, given the rate of population growth. ‘’Dwindling water supplies of lower quality, and at ever-higher costs, also will constrain food production and increase environmental degradation -- and may possibly’’, it added. Some countries Mali, Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique and the Zambezi River Basin have been selected as the initial focus for collaboration on improving the availability and management of the continent’s water resources within the framework of the UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. The availability of water has emerged as a critical issue in Africa’s development in part because providing households with secure sources of water and making water available for rained and irrigated agriculture are seen as key elements in any strategy for poverty reduction. For these reasons, the goal of the Special Initiative’s water component -- with the World Bank and the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, as the lead agencies is to

ensure reasonable access to and a fair share of water at affordable prices for the poor majority throughout the continent. This “fair share” approach calls for balanced use of water across different sectors and needs, in national economic development plans and between countries using shared water resources. The Special Initiative, launched by the UN in 1996, is a programme of concrete actions to accelerate African development over the coming decade by boosting access to basic education, health, and water, improving governance and increasing food security. It aims at achieving greater cooperation among the agencies and organizations of the UN family, including the Bretton Woods institutions, in support of Africa’s development priorities. Agriculture already accounts for more than 80 per cent of water consumption in sub-Saharan Africa. But less than a third of Africa’s irrigation potential is exploited. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that in 1990, only 2 per cent of subSaharan Africa’s arable land was irrigated. With an annual rate of population growth at nearly 3 per cent, crop yields must be increased significantly if countries are to advance towards food self-sufficiency. This means production must be expanded through better water harvesting, water and soil conservation, improved technology and farming practices, and increasing areas under irrigation. But only 4 per cent of the approximately 4 trillion cubic metres of renewable water available is currently being used, due to lack of appropriate infrastructure

Efficient water management is becoming an ever more urgent environmental concern in a continent undergoing rapid growth in urbanization and industrialization, as well as population.

These trends have worsened

contamination of freshwater from domestic and industrial waste as well as agrochemicals. In

Africa, this problem is compounded by the low level of government spending on water supply and sanitation

Commissioning of Bank of Industry-funded Solar power project in Osun State... recently

and technical and financial means. In addition to its development benefits, efficient water management is becoming an ever more urgent environmental concern in a continent undergoing rapid growth in urbanization and industrialization, as well as population. These trends have worsened contamination of freshwater from domestic and industrial waste as well as agrochemicals. In Africa, this problem is compounded by the low level of government spending on water supply and sanitation -- usually less than 1 per cent of the national budget along with poor operation and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure. The crisis extends beyond national borders as well. All countries in sub-Saharan Africa share one or more river basins, with at least 54 rivers or water bodies that cross or form international boundaries. But few are effectively managed in a joint manner. Better cooperation and greater investment in shared water basins is needed, but so too is water policy reform at the national level. The first step in the process, say the experts, is to acknowledge water as a scarce resource and its centrality to poverty reduction, economic growth, food security and environmental protection. The Special Initiative on Africa is working to achieve UN system collaboration in support of the goal of equitable access to and sustainable use of the continent’s water resources. A UN inter-agency Informal Working Group on Water was formed in April 1996, cochaired by UNEP and the World Bank, to decide on practical steps to meet the four objectives of the Special Initiative’s water cluster. The working group agreed to designate the initial four target countries of Mali, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, and the Zambezi River Basin based on their geographical representatives and on evidence of government commitment to integrated water resources management. The group also agreed that among the target countries, the broad goals of cooperation are to include capacity-building, improvement of information capacity, identification of investment requirements and stimulation of sector investment.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Real Estate & Environment

Surveyors task Fashola over reconstitution of SURCON

MORTGAGE NOTES

Kemi Olaitan,

with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja

IBADAN

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

The Real Estate Finance Culture War A s the real estate finance industry continues to drive the Nigerian non-oil economy to a very large degree, I wanted to call attention to the ongoing difficulty faced by mortgage companies in originating loans from the everyday citizen in the country. Mortgages are still seen as a very exotic product, so elite and complicated, that pretty much only the ‘yuppies’ and high level professionals are supposed understand the guidelines enough to want to brave a foray into that world of lending (or so the layman thinks). This situation is not at all helped by the fact that the language used in the real estate industry can be so highfaluting, that it actually increases a prospective borrower’s trepidation rather than educating to calm his fears. I mean, I hold a Master’s degree in law, and even I am sometimes thrown by the sheer number of ‘isms’ I have read in some paragraphs of real estate marketing materials. It might be amusing to me, but I assure you it is one of the major reasons for the slow growth in the Nigerian real estate finance industry. So…we really need to wake up and smell the bacon. We are piling difficulty upon difficulty without even stopping to recognize the problem. We are marketing sophisticated products to laymen consumers as if we are the ones the programs are targeting. And we are doing this in a culture that is intrinsically horrified at the thought of being in debt for any purpose, and especially not for the purchase or construction of a family residence.Growing up in Lagos Nigeria, I remember my father building his home. I remember the painstaking block by block process. It took literally 4 to 5 years to complete the building, but I also remember the great pride with which he held the ‘housewarming’ ceremony. We had a huge party with prayers, music, food and drink, and he was the proudest man in the room. You see in those days, when you finished your building you owed zero on it. No mortgage, no line of equity, no credit card balances, nothing. In fact, it was a huge taboo to build with debt, which was to be avoided at all costs. Even after completion, taking a loan against your home was such a shameful thing that such loans were kept completely hidden, and the homeowner would not rest until the loan was paid off in full.In the US, only a truly conser-

vative home owner labors to pay off a mortgage. The more usual thing is for a home owner to simply pay their mortgage note every month and keep the loan on the home. In fact, even multimillionaires continue to carry mortgages on their properties, and the principle of “using other peoples’ money) is widely touted as being financially savvy. Contrast this to a culture where, even at major events like weddings and funerals, we are singing songs proclaiming that not a penny of the monies expended, came from a loan. The difference is in the history regarding credit. Credit in the US is seen as a normal part of life, and in fact, you may be denied for a mortgage if you have no open lines of credit showing payment histories from which your character (ability and willingness to pay) can be determined. A credit score is required for a mortgage, and the credit system does not generate a score without active trade lines. “Formal” credit has been around in the US since the first credit cards showed up in abut 1951, and a rich database has been developed since that time to establish a robust and widely accepted credit market. In Nigeria, the concept of credit is still very much in its infancy, and we are still unable to access major credit cards unless we are high income earners and have jumped through multiple hoops to qualify. The majority of the general populace does not understand credit, and simply want nothing to do with it. Yet because we are in a global economy, it is vital to industry that credit transactions take a foothold and become widely accepted. One therefore wonders how in the face of all this, we are not making our products extra simplified. I have interacted with industry marketing professionals who have agreed completely with my viewpoint on this topic, but feel powerless to do anything

about the problem because their job is only to go out and market what they are instructed to. I consider this a pretty weak argument because, again, I believe that change should always come from the bottom up. The sheer lack of relevant training is one of the main factors causing this problem. I now loan marketing officers who will not even take certain loans from their own institution, yet they make their income from selling those same products to prospects. If you have no confidence in the products you are marketing, it quickly becomes apparent to your customer, no matter their level of education. In essence, if you would not use the product, don’t sell it, get another job.A very dear friend of mine in the US wealth investment industry gave me one of the best pieces of advice I have received in a long time. He said “When marketing to a prospect, use language that your grandmother would understand” or, as I have told every new Loan Originator I have employed, “Assume you are talking to a kindergartener”. Thanks Gulio! I think it would make sense in a market that is already exxxxxxnervous about your tremely product, for you to communicate the product in the most simplistic terms possible… and all the “optimizations” and “utilizations” and “collateralizations” in your presentation will absolutely not help. Simplify, simplify, simplify, and watch your business increase exponentially (sorry, I couldn’t resist...). As always, I welcome all comments and questions. To all my readers, especially those in the US, I wish you a very meaningful Thanksgiving period, and a wonderful start to the Christmas season. Please follow me on Twitter @NikeFinancePro, connect with me on LinkedIn (Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja), and make it a magnificent week.

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.

he Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), has appealed to the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to re-constitute the Surveyor Council of Nigeria (SURCON) which was dissolved last year. It would be recalled that SURCON, which is the regulatory body overseeing surveying profession in the country, was dissolved in October 2014. The re-elected Chairman of NIS in Oyo State, Surveyor Ola Shiyanbola, while speaking on behalf of his colleagues in Ibadan, the state capital, during the 2015 Annual Luncheon and swearing-in of newly elected executive members of the association, said the re-constitution of the body would go a long way in solving the problems of surveying and the profession as a whole. He said: “I will want to welcome the minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to his new assignment. The works of Surveyors cannot be overemphasized in the areas he has been assigned to oversee- Works, Housing and Power. “I am therefore appealing to him to please re-constitute the regulatory body overseeing Surveying Profession- Surveyor Council of Nigeria (SURCON). The council was dissolved in October, 2014 which was over a year. “In doing this, many problems facing the institution will be solved, and the professional as a whole will be able to move forward. The minister should also look into the area of separating the Survey contents or components from engineering jobs. This is to ensure that compo-

nent professionals will be handling such aspects and the results will be rewarding to the country”, Shiyanbola added. This is even as he urged Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to appoint a Special Adviser on Surveying and Mapping who would oversee the implementation of laws on Surveying and Physical Planning at the rural and urban levels. The construction industry expert pointed out that the office will also be in a better position to protect many government lands. “It will interest the state government that most of the government lands acquisition are being encroached upon by land speculators who had been thereby selling to unsuspecting members of the public. To avoid pulling down of houses and other structures when the government wants to use such acquisitions, such lands must be fully protected.”, he said While commending Ajimobi for making use of the Surveyors in the provision of the Route Survey of the roads so far dualized in the state, he canvassed the separation of the Route Survey jobs from the contracts of the road constructions and be awarded separately to surveyors. Speaking on the topic “The Relevance of Land Surveying to Urban Renewal in Nigeria”, President of Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and the guest lecturer, Prof. Layi Egunjobi, suggested a platform for synergy building among the professionals, increased or improved political will of government at all levels and integration of the members of the public into development process in Nigeria.

Expert rates real estate market low on yields SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

anaging Director of MCO Real Estate, Mr Munachi Okoye has appraised the nation’s real estate market in this outgoing year, disclosing that it witnessed low yields with only a few big transactions taking place. Okoye said that the fundamentals of the Nigerian economy have not changed and this would positively impact on real estate space going forward. He explained: “Nigeria still has the huge demographic base of consumers coupled with the growing economy and a positive gross domestic product, GDP. “There are a lot of opportunities waiting to be plugged; we are still seeing very good returns. There is a very strong demand

for residential market,” Okoye added. The industry expert also noted that land prices had remained stable in 2015 with little transaction activity, noting that part of the optimism in the real estate space was informed by a pipeline of projects coming in 2016. He clarified: “A number of international investors had stepped backwards due to political and perceived currency risk which did not necessary mean there was no interest. Africa is one of the last markets left that is not developed’’, he stated. “We believe so, expect so and hope so that the hospitality market will pick next year. The hospitality has been through a challenging cycle due to Boko Haram, Ebola and political change”, the MCO boss added.

Real Estate & Environment

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Reductions in meat consumption could help fight Climate Change D

ramatic changes in diets around the world could help to ensure that global temperatures keep from rising above 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. If the world piled on the veggies and cut back on steaks and hamburgers, the UK-based think tank Chatham House said in a report this week, the world could generate a quarter of the remaining emission reductions needed to keep warming from rising above 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-Industrial Age levels, a threshold at which most

scientists fear the worst impacts of climate change would take hold. “Reducing meat consumption is a real win-win for health and for the climate,” Laura Wellesley, one of the report’s authors, said in a statement. “As governments look for strategies to close the Paris emissions gap quickly and cheaply, dietary change should be high on the list.” The report is the latest to highlight the contributions the agriculture industry is making to global emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, at a time when meat consumption

among a growing middle class in Asia is projected to rise dramatically — 116 percent in China between 2006 and 2050 and 138 percent in India, according to the World Resources Institute. Once overlooked in favor of fossil fuels like coal and oil, the sector — especially the production of livestock — has come to be recognized as a growing part of the problem and one that has some of the greatest potential for emission cuts. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, emissions from

livestock production is estimated at 7.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions. Beef and milk production are the leading culprits by a long shot, contributing 41 and 20 percent of the sector’s emissions. Pig meat and poultry meat and eggs contribute 9 percent and 8 percent. The FAO and others said the emissions could be cut in the sector by as much as 30 percent if farmers around the world modernized their farms, improved land use practices, and incorporated the recycling of things like ani“unless strong demand growth for meat is curtailed, livestock sector emissions will increase to the point where dangerous climate change is unavoidable.” It would also improve people’s health, the report found, to cut down on meat consumption. Global per capita meat consumption is

mal waste into their operations. But increasingly, scientists are saying further cuts will have to come from shoppers who are buying all this chicken, pork, and beef. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in its latest comprehensive report on the state of global warming that “emissions can be substantially lowered through changes in consumption patterns … and dietary change and reduction in food wastes.” The Chatham House report essentially echoed those recommendations and went further, saying already above healthy levels, and double the recommended amount in industrialized countries, it said. Too much red and processed meat is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, in particular cancer, as found by the World Health Organization. (Source - vice.com)

Investors get lowest property costs in Shanghai –Report

A Manager, Government and Business Relations, Exxonmobil, Mr Nigel Cookey-Gam (right), speaking at the company’s Energy Outlook presentation, with him is the General Manager, Deep Water Operations and Joint Interest, Mr Oladotun Isiaka.

RICS appoints new regional manager for West Africa

he Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced the appointment of Benjamin Manu as the new regional manager for West Africa. Benjamin Manu has been appointed as the new regional manager for West Africa by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This is according to regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Wafula Nabutola, who says based in Accra, Ghana, Manu is responsible for the development and delivery of RICS market strategy and operations within West Africa. He joins RICS from Invest in Africa where he was the manager of the African Partner Pool (APP). This was the first PanAfrican online business linkage platform connecting local businesses to leading multinational companies to promote sustainable investments into Africa. Nabutola says Manu previously worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to develop climate change response strategies in the health sector for the Ghana-

ian government. He also worked with the British Council and the International Consortium for Law and Strategic Security. “I am pleased to join RICS as it marks its entry into the West African market. It is my aim to contribute my efforts towards promoting the RICS qualification and professional standards as part of our public service mandate,” says Manu. “Our presence in strategic markets across Sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly developing and I am proud to be a part of that.” Manu joins a growing RICS team in Sub-Saharan Africa as the organisation expands its offering in the region. Having identified the region as an area of opportunity where real estate and infrastructure investment is seeing phenomenal development to meet the needs of a growing population, RICS now has operations in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Nabutola says the RICS approach is to build relationships and collaborative partnerships with governments and national bodies to realise the potential in markets across the region.

“I wholeheartedly welcome Benjamin Manu to the team that is still in its infancy. RICS has excellent programmes, products and professional services all over the world,” says Nabutola. “We are now building our operations in Africa where we will work towards collaborative partnerships and facilitation for which RICS is a natural and compelling champion,” he says. Last year RICS launched a research report on the real estate markets in key African economies, including South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. ‘Unleashing Sub-Saharan Africa Property Markets’ highlights the growing opportunities for professionals in Africa in the business, residential and retail property sectors. It also found that many countries lacked skilled professions, such as engineers, compared to countries such as Chile or Malaysia. The report illustrates

how the region has many opportunities for growth, but also needs real capacity building across the built environment.

report by Knight Frank and EY International, indicated that investors were offered the lowest property costs in Shanghai. Liam Bailey, global Head of Research at Knight Frank, says the Global Tax Report 2015 analyses the buying, holding and selling costs for foreign buyers of prime residential property over the five year period from 2010 to 2015, as well as providing illustrative taxation costs in 15 key cities worldwide. The report analyses the costs for individuals buying property in their own name as an investment to rent out over the five-year period. Whilst Shanghai offers the lowest property costs out of the 15 cities, it is Monaco which offers the lowest taxation when buying a property at both US$1 million and US$10 million. Bailey says they are often asked how property costs and taxes compare around the world, and whilst Shanghai and Monaco offer favourable property and taxation costs at 2.9 percent and 3.5 percent respectively, other cities have produced interesting results. For example, Hong Kong and Singapore offer low property costs at 3.7% and 4.3% respectively for a $1 million property, but the stamp duties for foreign buyers mean taxes are relatively high at 22.4% and 19.0% respectively. Bailey says the overall property costs remain largely the same for a $1 million and $10 million property in some cities, for example Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Geneva, whilst others see a significant re-

duction in percentage terms at the $10 million level, like New York and Paris. Considering tax costs, however, Dubai and Paris follow Monaco in offering low tax levels for non-residents purchasing property at the $1 million level. Investors here incur combined tax charges of 3.6% and 7.0% respectively over the fiveyear period. This level of taxation remains roughly the same when purchasing a $10 million property; however, Paris sees its percentage figure jump to 12.8%. Carolyn Steppler, Private Client Tax Services Partner at EY, UK & Ireland, says when buying property as an investment, tax is not necessarily the first concern, but it is important because it is often the after tax return that measures the success of the investment. “Our research shows that the tax burden across the cities in this report varies considerably both in amount and extent. From 3.5 percent or 3.6 percent of the property price in year five in Monaco and Dubai respectively, to over 30 percent in Sao Paolo,” she says. “However, a common thread across all these countries, which shows no sign of slowing, is a continuing focus on property as a source of taxation.” Currency shifts, wealth flows, tax changes and fluctuating levels of supply and demand have all had a bearing on the performance of prime residential markets worldwide. As the rate of price growth slows in many global city markets, transaction costs and taxation are becoming increasingly important considerations for investors.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Aviation

FG’s investment in national carrier shouldn’t be more than 10% – Bankole

Med-View Airline on Friday November 20, 2015 commenced non-stop flight operations to Gatwick, London Lagos, making the airline the fourth to operate direct flights on the route. In London, the airline’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, engaged journalists in an interactive session. He speaks on the airline’s operations, the nation’s aviation policy regime and other issues affecting the operations of the industry. OLUSEGUN KOIKI was there. Excerpts:

How successful can you say your inaugural flight to London from Lagos was? The inaugural flight was successful. We left right on schedule and we arrived safely on schedule, too. We always have it on all our products that whatever we are doing, we must maintain zero tolerance on reliability, which builds confidence on your operations by the travelling public. We have been doing that on the domestic routes and also on our Accra route. This has helped us to grow gradually. Some people claimed that we are not doing enough publicity on our new route, but you need to appreciate one thing with us, all we have pledged to do is what we have been doing. This has given us so much comforts and knowledge. I want to assure everyone is that we will continue to be reliable and grow in phases as we have been doing. On the meal, before we commenced operations, we promised local cuisines and that was exactly what we delivered. All the things that we put into that aircraft, the only one that belonged to us was that aircraft, which we own. The aircraft, Boeing 767-300ER has a total maximum takeoff weight of 187 tonnes, but without asking anybody to come, we took off with 92 tones. It is easy for us to tell you how much fuel we are going to burn between Lagos and London and vice versa. All these things put in place; we have what we call allowable weight that enables us to put in more cargo, which is part of our revenue generation. We have moved in gradually, and we will continue to do that. As we all know, there is aggressive competition on the LagosLondon route, what unique difference would you be offering air travellers on this route to make them fly with you? If you have value for this business, you take on time departure very seriously and people will start to appreciate your business. That is one of our Unique Selling Points, USP. If your departure and arrival as advertised, air travellers would start gaining more confidence in your operations. I have flew many airlines on this route and I can tell you how their in-flight services have been, but on Med-View, whatever that was offered the passengers onboard, had a flavour of Nigerian content, which you can’t find anywhere else. No airline would give you vegetable, egusi soup and other Nigerian dishes and at interval, ensured that you have something to eat. More so, the people you are seeing onboard are 99 per cent Nigerians, which gives you an insight that 80 per cent of those people are Igbos. So, we tend to make them feel at home better while onboard our flights. Are there plans by the management to increase the flight to daily in the future? To be honest with you, they have given us the window of daily flight, but we turned it down and I will tell you why. What are we marketing? Don’t forget that this is winter period and most Europeans don’t fly now, most businesses at this period go slow and that is why most travellers at this period; August to March, shut down businesses. So, aircraft are now available in many parts of Europe looking for market that are not affected with this winter period so that they can keep the aircraft in the air unlike in the summer. Some of you have craved for appointment of aviation professional aa a minister in the past, what can you say about Sen. Hadi Sirika as the new Minister of State for Aviation? Let’s wish ourselves the best of luck. It does not matter the profession of whosoever that is appointed a minister for the sector. Whatever your profession is in the industry doesn’t

the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, has said in all their conferences.

Bankole

NCAA must have its autonomy. All over the world that this airline

has been designated, we’ve only had cause to discuss

Civil Aviation Authorities, CAAs, and

with their

not with the ministries of aviation drive the course, what drives every business is your commitment. We have had a situation in this country where pilots were made chief executives, directors in airlines, but they never delivered. It is your commitment that matters. However, I pray for him to succeed. I want him to see the industry from a different angle that the aviation sector is going down the drain and there is a lot to be done. We have said it over time that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, must have its autonomy. All over the world that this airline has been designated, we’ve only had cause to discuss with their Civil Aviation Authorities, CAAs, and not with the ministries of aviation. In the United Kingdom where we have approval, I didn’t go to their Ministry of Transport or even know their Minister of Transport. We only discuss with their CAA. The only thing the Ministry of Transport does is to write to the Foreign Affairs about your intention and the ministry of foreign affairs will convey it to the embassy of that country. Then, it would be delivered and the airline would come and start the process; check your documents and your Air Operator’s Certificate, AOC, among others. That’s the end of the game, but our own is different. So, these are the few things that we need to eradicate in our system. Nigeria is going backward on aviation. CAA has the authority on your operations all over the world and that is what

What form of support do airline operators expect from government? We have said this severally, we don’t have to pay landing charges in Nigeria. Other governments all over the world are supporting their carriers, but it is not so in Nigeria. Which money has the government used to build the airports? It’s our tax money and who are we carrying? The nationals of Nigeria. We invested money in buying aircraft. Airlines are like supporting entities that provide services to the people. we pay landing charges, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Passenger Service Charge, PSC, we pay for importation of aircraft and spare parts, we pay 5 per cent to NCAA on each passenger, we pay navigational charges to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, pay charges to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, we pay Ticket Sales Charge, TSC. Sometimes, you are tempted to ask why are we collecting these money and where are they going? Until the government realises that it is not business as usual. If you pay money for a service, you are expected to be offered that services because most of these government agencies are being run with the same colonial ideas. The money generated does not go to those places where the services would be improved upon. Some of our runways, terminals and airport facilities are obsolete. When are we expecting to see Med-View listed on the floor of Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE? The NSE listing management came to me in my office a couple of weeks ago. Some people are going to the floor while they (NSE) are coming to us. I don’t want to pre-empt anything, but I can assure you that by the middle of 2016, you will get the good news. We are already there. Your view about the impending national carrier For the national carrier, I was invited by the committee and I told them that government involvement in the project should not be more than 10 per cent at most if they want to succeed. Government should not have any serious stake so that we don’t go back to the old story of Nigeria Airways. Also, the government should partner with the manufacturers of the aircraft so that newer aircraft can be given on barter basis. Nigeria should desist from third party negotiation. We should eradicate this third party syndrome and go directly to the manufacturers. What is your reaction to the re-introduction of customs duties on spare parts and aircraft by government? The right thing to do is that whenever a new government comes onboard, policies can only be reviewed, but cannot be banned or reversed, but it is unfortunate in Nigeria. We don’t have a single window in Nigeria where a part of an aircraft is manufactured. So, the last government after much deliberation gave us a window. We are talking about spare parts that would change the lives of people and it was gazette, I have a copy, when you gazette something, it becomes a policy and once another government comes in and it’s not comfortable with that policy, they need to sit down again to look into the policy, but somebody from nowhere just said they have not been given a letter on that waiver by the government and just cancelled it. That’s why we are not moving forward.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

MCO boss seeks collaboration among freighters in aviation industry Olusegun Koiki

Producer of ‘Film 93 Days,’ Mr. Steve Gukas and the Chief of Staff to Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Kabir Mohammed when the former paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the agency at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA, Lagos recently.

wholesome acts being perpetrated currently by some unregistered and un-licensed operators would be minimized, adding that this would save the genuine operators from ridicule. She said: “I have come as a partner in progress to join hands with you and others in moving the cargo business forward and we will do our best to ensure that our customers are offered the best available services.” In his remarks, Chairman

of ANLCA, Lagos chapter, Mr. Nze Aloysius Igwe, commended the company for its initiative despite being a new entrant and pledged his association’s unflinching support. He however advised the company to register with the association, be a paid up member in order for the company to enjoy all the privileges accrued to members. Similarly, Chairman of NAFFAC, Lagos chapter, Mr. Alade Shabi, expressed profound appreciation for the visit and promised that the association would work with the company.

Firstnation Airways gets IOSA certification

ne of the indigenous carriers, Firstnation Airways has received the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Certification, making the airline the third to be so certified in the country. A statement issued by the Director, Flight Operations, FirstNation, Capt. Chimara Imediegwu, hinted that the airline was the first among the 10 airlines chosen across the African continent by IATA in 2014 to undergo the prestigious IOSA certification. Imediegwu said the airline successfully completed the certification process and achieve IOSA registration within the timeline, adding that Firstnation has now joined the elite group of airlines across the globe holding IOSA certification. He disclosed that the airline

FirstNation aircraft

shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

Nigeria and aviation policy inconsistency

n indigenous cargo and freight forwarding company, Mainland Cargo Options Limited, has called for cooperation among stakeholders in the sub-sector in order to improve their operations. The General Manager of the company, Ms. Shakeelah Naransamy, made the call during her visit to the leaderships of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Cargo Agents, ANLCA, and the Nigerian Association of Air Freight Forwarders & Consolidators, NAFFAC, at their various secretariats in Lagos. She pointed out that with cooperation among members, developments would be accelerated in the sub-sector and also reiterated the readiness of her company to partner with other stakeholders in moving the industry forward. Naransamy also noted that with fairness and openness, sharp practices and other un-

Airside

from launch had assembled beyond IATA membership. IOSA certification would help young crop of dynamic and motivated professionals, which has to enhance African Airlines Saferesulted in the airline building ty and Operational Standards to a strong brand with respectable World class and in line with inmarket presence within a rela- dustry best practice. It would be recalled that the tively short period. He stated: “The fact that the air- 22nd Ordinary Session of the Afline was able to attain this certifi- rican Union, AU, Executive Councation within record time attests cil held on (25th-26th January, to the airline’s robust structure. 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), The airline is currently working endorsed the Abuja Declaration on aircraft fleet expansion that and Associated Plan of Action on will see the airline grow aircraft Aviation Safety in Africa, making it a requirement for all African fleet and route networks.” IOSA Programme is an inter- airlines to successfully complete IOSA Certification by end of 2015. nationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control system of an omen in the Nigerian airline. IOSA certified airlines aviation industry have have the highest safety standard been urged to discharge worldwide in 2014. their duties objectively without beAs such IOSA has become a ing molested. global standard recognised well A Motivational Speaker, Mrs. ID Ogufere, gave the advice at the weekend during the Health Week organised by Women In Aviation, WIA, in Lagos. Ogufere noted that there had been so much attention on the performance of women in their workplace, stressing that women generally had unique role to play in the development of aviation not just in Nigeria, but around the world. She told the over 100 women at the occasion that there were lots

fter much lobbies and appeals by the indigenous airlines, the Federal Government in 2013 eventually approved waivers on customs duties for airline on aircraft and spare parts. The call for the waiver was pushed to the Presidency by the erstwhile Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. The approval of the waiver by the government brought relief and smile to the faces of operators in the system and funds saved from such hitherto duties were used for training of technical personnel, boost safety in the system and expansion of their operations. The policy was gazette by the government. But, it was disturbing recently when Airside learnt that immediately the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government came into office, the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, claimed that there was no circular to it from the

government on the implementation of the policy and immediately resumed collection of duties from operators. Ironically, the same NCS leadership complied with the policy when President Goodluck Jonathan was in government, but made 360 degrees turn immediately power changed hand. For a policy that was gazette to be changed, it requires the government with all stakeholders that participated in the formation of such policy to sit down again to look into it and not a commando way the NCS went about it. Airside says this is one of the many policy summersaults that have continued to retard growth in the country and has made Nigeria an unserious entity. Airside appeals to the Federal Government to take another look at this policy in order to further increase safety and comfort in the system.

Dealing with dud cheque issuance in industry

ssuance of dud cheques by organisations either government or private is a criminal offence in Nigeria and it is punishable with 21 years’ imprisonment if the culprit is found guilty. There are several organisations and associations in the Nigerian aviation industry, but regrettably, one of such respected organisations/associations in the sector is known for issuance of dud cheques to its clients or partners. In fact, operators and organisations that deal with the company in question hardly trust this organisation with cheques. Some even prefer to collect cash

instead of cheques from this organisation whenever they have any business deal with it. Airside says the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as the regulatory body in the sector should beam its searchlight on the activities of this organisation before it’s too late. Airside insists this act of criminality should be stopped by this association that stands as an umbrella body to several other organisations in the Nigerian aviation industry or would be compelled to reveal the name the organisation very soon. A word is enough for the wise.

of information on the internet that could change their lives, urging them to take advantage of this to develop themselves. While noting that any woman that can deal with the tantrum of two years old, can run an organization successfully, the speaker explained that the Constitution had zero tolerance for domestic violence against women and urged them to always speak up whenever they were maltreated. She hinted that several women are daily battered daily and abuse domestically, but regretted that these incidents were never reported or made known to the public. Ogufere advised WIA to im-

bibe the principle of strong corporate governance, which she said would help them to evaluate themselves and move forward. She listed the principles of corporate governance to include; life plan and goals, ethical behaviuor, self –reflection, dealing with stress, personal development and personal interest and passion. On dealing with stress, Ogufere stated that women must understand their limit as women, just as she warned them against worrying too much and to also learn to say no, when people want their help and they cannot assist.

Women in aviation charge tasked on productivity

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Insurance

NAICOM, NIA urge FG to tackle excessive taxation in industry Isaac Asabor

he Commissioner for Insurance, Alhaji Muhammed Kari has urged the Federal Government to intervene on the challenge of excessive taxation and legal framework gaps which, he claimed, were stiffling insurance industry’s growth in the country. Kari, who disclosed this during the inauguration of the Insurers’ Committee in Abuja, called on the new Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to facilitate the process and enactment of the law to enable the industry play its rightful part in the developmental programmes of the government. Speicifically, the NAICOM chief lamented the excessive and supposed unfair assessment modalities being used by tax authorities for tax computation, describing them as unsupportive of the industry. He said: “The industry has been yearning for a review of the Insurance laws in the country, to these end an insurance bill was drafted and submitted to the Ministry of Finance with the full involvement of all stakeholders. Almost five years later nothing has been heard of it. We strongly solicit the Minister to see to the process and enactment of this law so as to enable the industry plays its rightful part in the developmental programs of the government. “The industry has complained of excessive and supposed unfair assessment modalities being used by tax authorities

for tax computation of its finances. We plead with the new government and the tax authorities to pick interest on this and continue with the engagement with the industry to find lasting solution to this problem, so that the industry can play the expected role of investible and developmental fund provider for the Nigerian economy,” Kari added He also raised concern over government’s general attitude to insurance, stressing that there is need for an improvement on the low patronage of insurance by government and its agencies and the lack of effort to protect public assets. According to him, even when government does, the funding is haphazardly disbursed and that it is common knowledge that the ability of government to replace damaged or lost asset is not as sound as it used to be and as such insurance is the best alternative to no protection at all. “There is an apparent lack of Insurance expertise in the civil service as such government is not guided properly internally as it ventures to deal with the industry. The position of insurance is virtually non-existent in the civil service’s scheme of service, for the few insurance professionals are not placed properly to play their professional role.”, the NAICOM boss said. Kari noted further that despite the challenges facing the insurance industry, there was need for the biggest stakeholder which is the Federal and state governments to partner with the industry more

going forward. This is just as he also called on operators to increase insurance contribution to Gross Domestic Product; deliver jobs in this industry and widen access by growing the number of insurance policyholders in the country significantly moving forward. He expressed optimism that “the Insurers’ Committee will provide a platform for all Chief Executives of insurance companies in Nigeria to sit with the regulator to discuss issues affecting the Industry and proffer steps on developing the business of insurance with the goal of having an effective, efficient performance and improved contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of the nation” In a related development, the Nigeria Insurers Association, NIA, also appealed to the Federal Government to stop taxes on claims in the insurance industry. The Director-General of the association, Mr. Sunday Thomas, noted that the taxes imposed on claims had been negatively affecting the industry’s growth adversely and appealed to government to waive the aspect of the Income Tax Act of 2007 as it is limiting the performance of insurance firms. He said that the aspect of the Tax Act of 2006 eroded the capital of insurance entities, adding that any insurer that pays tax on a claim that is more than 25 per cent of its premium is subject to be retarded. He pointed out further that since the law was not in existence in other jurisdic-

Kari

tions, the association is advocating that the aspect of the law for insurance entities should be expunged from the Act. The NIA DG said: “Insurance claims should not be subjected to tax because paying claims in the case of the unexpected is one of the purposes insurance firms are established. It is like saying that money deposited in the banks would be subject to tax when they are withdrawn. “I want to believe that people at the Inland Revenue Service know this, at least with the interaction between us. He linked excessive tax burden to the low insurance penetration and consequently, the industry’s low contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Lloyd’s to pool $400m catastrophe capacity for developing economies

ight Lloyd’s of London syndicates are teaming up to provide their specialist underwriting skills and $400 million of natural catastrophe insurance and reinsurance capacity to help developing economies build resilience to disaster, climate or weather risks. The eight Lloyd’s syndicates aim to develop new solutions to combat underinsurance, help to fill the protection gap and increase the resilience of the developing world to the threat of natural catastrophes and severe weather events. The $400 million of capacity has been committed by syndicates managed by Amlin, Beazley, Hiscox, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Nephila Capital, Renais-

sanceRe Syndicate Management, Tokio Marine Kiln and XL Catlin. The involvement of the world’s largest catastrophe insurance and reinsurance linked investment manager Nephila ensures that an element of capital markets support will be brought into this initiative. Lloyd’s stresses that membership of this facility of pool is open to the entire market and other managing agencies will be welcome to participate. Tom Bolt, Director of Performance Management at Lloyd’s, commented; “This collective initiative means the Lloyd’s market can help provide the insurance solutions needed to build resilience to natural hazards and promote risk awareness around the world. We are keen to work closely with

organisations across the globe to help protect economic growth in developing countries.” The group of eight syndicates has issued an open invitation to international organisations including, but not limited to, the World Bank and the British government’s Department for International Development, as it looks to partner on initiatives as a risk capital provider. The group also aims to strengthen its existing ties with several ongoing global initiatives, such as the Insurance Development Forum created by the International Insurance Society, as well as to engage with governments, municipalities, and nongovernmental organisations, in addition to

Lloyd’s typical client base. The timing of the announcement is important, coming the week before the Paris COP21 climate talks begin, where loss and damages from climate related disaster and weather events are set to be high on the agenda. In order for organisations like UNISDR to achieve their goals of reducing the loss and damage impact from climate change, weather disasters and natural catastrophes, efficient sources of risk capital are required. This Lloyd’s syndicate led initiative looks set to bring significant expertise and insurance or reinsurance capacity to support work on this issue. (Source- artemis.bm)

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Money

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

TSA Policy- Banks rev up retail banking drive for sustainable operations Analysts in the financial sector have said that in spite of the somewhat harsh monetary tightening policies regime by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, banks operating in the country with a combination of strategic focus, driving scale in their respective niches and improving asset quality, would make adequate returns on investment going forward. UDO ONYEKA reports.

he implementation of the TSA as directed by the Federal Government, which has led to the withdrawal of up to N1.2tn from the banks, can be minimised by a reduction in the Cash Reserve Ratio, according to analysts. For instance analysts at Renaissance Capital said last week “Considering that federal deposits, which left the banking system, were estimated at N1.2tn, we compute the CRR release at N202bn, which implies a net system debit of N1tn post TSA implementation. “This is still significant, partly due to the fact that FX federal deposits on which there was no CRR also left the system. On our estimates, system naira deposits should be lower by five per cent, FX deposits by 12 per cent, total deposits by seven per cent and CRR at CBN (post release) down by five per cent.” The analysts said for a reduction in the CRR to have the desired impact, it had to be moved down to 23 per cent. On the back of comments by CBN officials that they would do what they could to minimise the impact of the TSA on the banks, including reducing the CRR, the experts said, “We run some numbers to deduce what the CRR number would release sufficient cash back into the system to offset the net liquidity debit from the system of N1tn post TSA. Ceteris paribus, we deduce this figure at 23 per cent CRR. “Essentially, we deduce that if CRR is maintained at 31 per cent at next week’s MPC meeting; the banking system will remain under liquidity pressure, significantly hurting banks’ funding costs and earnings. Reuters had last Wednesday noted that the interbank market remained shut from the previous day with no trading going on, though some banks are quoting indicative rates as high as 50 per cent.” The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, explained that the implementation of the TSA would “further tighten the available liquidity in the system and that will lead to uptick in lending rates. In fact, the banks are actually refusing to lend. What that means is that you will have very little credit flowing to the real sector and economic activities will further slowdown. “It simply means that despite the fact that stocks have very low prices now, we are not going to see additional liquidity because if interest rates are going up, the pension fund managers will put their money into fixed income instruments instead of equities, because return on

Unegbu

Emefiele

With increased CRR the environment does not allow for significant earnings growth, in our view. In order for the

banks to deliver earnings growth, we believe banks must be disciplined on the cost line fixed income will be better than equities’ returns.” The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, also has assured banks that he is ready to inject liquidity into the interbank market if needed to cushion the effects of the TSA. Emefiele said banks should not panic about the effects of the implementation of the Treasury Single Account policy on the financial system in an interview with Reuters last week. The CBN Governor said that the apex bank was ready to inject liquidity if needed into the interbank market, which dried up this week following the directive to government departments to move their funds from banks into a ‘Treasury Single Account at the CBN. Apart from the TSA, Banks in the recent past banks have had to fine tune their strategies to face the increasing competition. The increase of the public sector Cash Reserve Ratio, CRR, was one of such policies for monetary tightening. Speaking to National Mirror when public sector, CRR,was raised Director General, West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, WAIFEM, Professor Akpan Ekpo, in the face of continuous monetary tightening environment banks would survive by re

strategising and depending that market drive. He said that banks did some of the things they do may be in order to meet the target given to them by their owners. “It is as if banks are given some sort of target by their owners to make certain level of profit. This I think is the reason why banks retrench staff even when their profits are on the increase. I know some banks may decide to cut down the number of their staff because of the monetary tightening.” He said that the CBN hike banks’ Cash Reserve Requirement, CRR, on public sector deposits from 50 per cent to 75 per cent is not meant to hurt the banks nor the financial system. In some countries public deposit is domiciled with the Central bank. So banks should do their home work to bring monies that are outside the banking system in to their banks,” Ekpo said. Former President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN and Managing Director, Maxifund Finance and Securities Limited, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu said banks should gear up towards facing increasing monetary tightening. He said the way The CBN is going the CRR on public sector deposit may be raised to 100 per cent. Unegbu said the decision of CBN on

the CRR on public deposit was right and in the interest of the economy. “Banks have left their core mandate and they are now trading with Government funds If were The CBN governor I would the CRR to 100 per cent so that they would concentrate to do what they are supposed to do”. He said what would distinguish banks at this period is ability to restrategise by developing new products and services that would attract new customers and retain old ones. Experts at RenCap had said that banks would no doubt face challenging environment in 2014, but they can also make good out of the year. The Renaissance Capital said the banks are also moving into 2014 with some key positives. “The 2013 nine months results showed attractive loan growth, in our view, from four of the five Tier 1 Nigerian banks. In 2014 we expect strong loan growth trends to be maintained and further upward adjustments to lending rates, as banks try to offset the lost income from the higher cash reserve ratio, CRR. With yields on Treasury bills having declined, we see scope for lower funding costs. Overall, we expect banks to maintain NIMs or show some marginal improvement. The report said higher CRR and cuts in commission-on-turnover, CoT, would be the primary challenges for banks in 2014. “With increased CRR the environment does not allow for significant earnings growth, in our view. In order for the banks to deliver earnings growth, we believe banks must be disciplined on the cost line; and impairment charges will have to remain benign”, the report said. The report also said, tier 2 banks in the face of monetary tightening can improve their returns. The report pointed out that Diamond Bank and Stanbic IBTC have been the positive outliers among the tier 2 banks, delivering RoE north of 20 per cent in 2013. It said tightening of monetary policy, however, has made it tougher for the other tier 2 banks to deliver improved returns, but these two have beaten the odds – with a combination of strategic focus, driving scale in their respective niches and improving asset quality, they managed to reach the 20 per cent RoE mark. It said one very important strategy for Tier 2 banks to have a clear strategic focus, in our view, and also need to communicate this clearly to investors.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Capital Market Listing on stock Nigerian Stock Exchange not now, Tiger Brands CEO The Chief Executive Officer of Tiger Brands, Mr. Peter Matlare, speaks on the future of Tiger Brands Consumer Goods, why Dangote Flour Mills declared losses and other its long term outlook for the company in this interview with JOHNSON OKANLAWON. Excerpts: Given what is going on regarding your investment in Dangote Flour Mills (now Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc), do you regret making the investment? Hindsight is always a perfect science! At the time, it was the right decision but we could not have anticipated the global economic circumstances which would impact the business. The challenges which have faced Dangote Flour Mills include significant over capacity in the industry, the impact of low oil prices and the devaluation of the Naira against the US Dollar, and could not have been foreseen. The inability of the company to pass on cost increases to the market has contributed significantly to the losses. Since its acquisition in 2012, the performance of the business has been disappointing, despite a number of proactive steps taken by Tiger to improve the situation.

having a new board for the Nigerian subsidiary? This is something that is being dealt with as we consider options for the future of the company. Tiger Brands Consumer Goods still has other directors. You once launched a tender offer to increase your shareholdings, as required by SECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rules, what happened to the tender offer? Will you give a commitment to sustain the listing of Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in the light of envisaged corporate restructuring? The continued listing of Tiger Brands Consumer Goods will depend on whatever option is chosen for the business, so such a commitment is not possible at this stage. However, while we are looking at options, it

In the light of the recent happenings will Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc retain its current management team? Yes. What informed your choice of buying into the Nigerian company and do you still have confidence in retaining this investment for a long time? In 2012, Tiger Brands bought a 63,35 per cent shareholding in Dangote Flour Mills, the second largest flour milling company in Nigeria primarily for its significant downstream interests in Pasta and Noodles and strong branding, production and distribution capabilities. The acquisition represented an important step in Tiger Brands growth strategy on the balance of the continent and added substantial scale to the Groups existing interests in Nigeria. The Nigerian market was recognised as one of the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa, and represented a significant growth opportunity for the group. The options for the future of the company are still being considered. With the withdrawal of further funding to Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc, which has been struggling with losses over the years, and surely we know that restructuring usually include financing, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the future of the Nigerian subsidiary? A variety of options are being considered, which could include a partnership, a sale, a merger, but no decision has as yet been made. You have investments in other food-focused group in Nigeria, is there any consideration of possible mergers and acquisition as resolution to the Tiger Branded Consumer Goods? A variety of options are being considered, but we are not able to provide any detail at this stage. In specific terms, do you consider Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc a viable business in the light of the food industry, macroeconomic and your group investment strategy and goals?

Matlare

The inability of the company to pass on cost increases to the market has contributed

significantly to the losses.

These factors make this a

challenging business in the medium term The challenges which have faced Dangote Flour Mills include significant over capacity in the industry, the impact of low oil prices and the devaluation of the Naira against the US Dollar, and could not have been foreseen. The inability of the company to pass on cost increases to the market has contributed significantly to the losses. These factors make this a challenging business in the medium term. What are the short to long term plans to stabilize the business and deliver returns to shareholders? A variety of options are being considered, which could include a partnership, a sale, a merger, but no decision has as yet been made. Following the resignation of four directors from Tiger Branded Consumer Goods, will Tiger Brands be

will be business as usual. Many multinationals had in recent period been making efforts to increase their shareholdings in their Nigerian subsidiaries-many below 70 per cent like yours wanting to move to between 70 to 75 per cent, do you see any possibility of you going this way as part of the corporate restructuring at Tiger Branded Consumer Goods Plc? This is not an option we are considering. Are you still interested in further acquisitions in Nigeria? We will look at all opportunities and consider them on their merits. This action is not a vote of no confidence in Nigeria, as Tiger Brands retains its 50 per cent interest in UAC Foods and its 100 per cent interest in Deli Foods. Africa remains fundamental to Tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international growth strategy and we will continue to develop in these markets and invest appropriately to drive penetration. Despite some challenges in our African businesses, expansion in Africa represents a growth opportunity for the group. Where do you want to see the company in five years to come? Right now, we are looking at options for the company. Once we have made a final decision, we can look at the longer term.

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Farmer urges Delta govt to encourage fish export

r. Fischer Ogwugwu, the President, Ufuoma United Fish Farmers Association in Delta, has appealed to the state government to create a conducive environment that will enable the association to export fish. Ogwugwu made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba on Sunday. He said that the major challenge facing the association was the inability to process fish for export. According to him, the association, which had more than 1,000 members, had the largest cat fish farm in West Africa. He said that the farm, based in Ekpan, in Uwvie Local Government Area of the state, produced more than 10 tons of fish on a daily basis all year round. “We need support from government, banks, willing partners, and even non-governmental organisations to enable us to break into the international market. “We produce so much fish, but we don’t have buyers; if we can process and package the fish and export, every member of the association will be better off. “The local market women have taken advantage of the excess supply to the extent that they determine the prices. “So, we want to break into the international market to earn foreign exchange and expand our businesses.” Ogwugwu stated that the fish farm had proven to be a sound investment as some micro-finance banks in the state could attest to. The president, therefore, assured prospective investors/ partners of the viability of the business and the safety of their investments. He said that more youths would be attracted to the business if the fish value chain could be established.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Britain promises help for Niger Delta development

he British government has given assurance that it would assist President Muhammadu Buhari in the bid to enhance the development of Niger Delta. British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Paul Arkwright, who gave the assurance, said the assistance was necessary

if the Niger Delta must be given the required speedy development. The High Commissioner said upon inquiry about the major things needed by the Niger Delta said he realised that the assistance would ensure peace and further development of the oil rich area of the country. The High Commissioner who

spoke while on a visit to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, said with peace and development, there would be room for abundant and uncommon opportunities for the people of the area in particular and the country at large. In his response, Usani thanked the British government for its

support in the area of political development and pleaded that it should be continued. He emphasized the need for the British government to help secure the nation’s badly polluted environment by assisting to upgrade the existing environmental standard and procedure already put in place.

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson (centre), on arrival at Angalabiri Town, during his Community to Community Meet the People campaign tour in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

Slyva decries poor state of PLWA in Bayelsa Osahon Julius YENAGOA

s the world celebrate the World AIDS Day today, the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has raised the alarm on the poor state of welfare of the People Living With HIV/AIDS in Bayelsa State. World AIDS Day takes place on December 1st every year since 1988, which provides an opportunity to draw attention to the HIV/AIDS scourge around the world. A statement by the Director

of Media and Publicity of the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation, Chief Nathan Egba, said it is worrisome that the Seriake Dickson administration had stripped that category of people of the benefits they were enjoying under the previous governments of DSP Alamieyeseigha, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Timipre Sylva. The statement reads in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) will like to identify with these set of people to help encourage them live a meaningful life, as we believe they all deserve our love and care.

“The Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation however notes with dismay the fact that the government of Seriake Dickson, willfully abandoned the PLWA, by stopping their monthly stipends and supply of anti-retroviral drugs just as he refused to fund any HIV campaigns since 2012. “During the tenure of Chief Timipre Sylva, the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, as governor, the People Living With HIV/AIDS enjoyed the best of support from government. “Then, Governor Sylva, did not only give monthly stipends,

but provided free Anti-Retroviral drugs for their medical maintenance with full support to the state SACA.” Egba said the governorship and deputy-governorship candidates of the APC in the Saturday’s election, when elected would restore all the statutory benefits due the People Living With HIV/AIDS that had been denied them by the government. Chief Egba, called on the PLWHIV/AIDS to support the election of Chief Timipre Sylva and Elder Wilberforce Igiri, on Saturday so as to experience marked improvement in their quality of life.

Police in Bayelsa strengthen security ahead guber election

T Okowa

he Police in Bayelsa said on Sunday that they had strengthened security in the state towards ensuring a hitch-free December 5 governorship election. This is coming just as the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase, is scheduled to pay a visit to the state on Tuesday. The Police Public Relations

Officer, Bayelsa Command, ASP Asinim Butwat, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that Arase was expected to address policemen deployed to ensure security during the election. ``The Inspector General of Police, Mr Soloman Arase, is expected in Bayelsa on Tuesday to address officers and men deployed for election duty,” the

PPRO said. NAN reports that other security agencies are deploying men and equipment from neighbouring states to bolster security ahead of the election. Scores of Armoured Personnel Carriers were seen moving into Yenagoa, the state capital on Saturday and Sunday morning. The state Commissioner of

Police, Nasiru Oki, had told NAN that some 9,000 policemen would be deployed for the governorship election. Meanwhile, Operation Pulo Shield, the joint military operation deployed to the Niger Delta to secure oil installations, has said that it will be on stand-by to assist the police and other security agencies in providing security during the election.

Insurance

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ogun, NCRIB collaborate on builder’s liability insurance

n its bid to ensure that relevant laws and policies in respect of insurance on public buildings in Ogun state are enforced, the state government has partnered the Nigerian Council for Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, to ensure compliance by property owners. Specifically, the government expressed its readiness to collaborate with insurance brokers in the area of disaster management and enforcement of insurance of public buildings as enshrined in Sections 64 and 65 of the Insurance Act 2003. The State’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, while welcoming NCRIB delegation to the state secretariat, explained that the involvement of insurance professionals in risk management in the state became imperative in view of the incessant building collapse and other forms of disasters across the nation.

The commissioner pointed out that the collaboration became more expedient in order to win more investors to the state. He noted that when disaster is well managed that the government could be saved the inconveniences of compensating disaster victims with large amount of funds when insurance professionals could handle same at a very minimal cost. Oshinowo urged brokers to be more creative and innovative in developing their products as it would impact the lives of the people. In his response, NCRIB President, Kayode Okunoren, lauded the state government for the ongoing transformation in the state, adding that Nigeria cannot have sustainable economic development by relegating insurance services to the background. He said that apart from engendering peace of mind, funds generated from

insurance constitute a large percentage of investable pool of funds in most countries. However, he decried the situation where the law on insurance of public buildings that was promulgated to protect citizens against losses is not being adhered to by most state governments.

The Commissioner called on Ministries Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and local governments in the state to support the growth of insurance industry by ensuring that the law on insurance on public building and disaster management is strictly adhered to at all stages of property development.

EIOPA seeks treatment of infrastructure corporates’ evidence

he European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published today a Call for Evidence regarding the treatment of infrastructure corporates under Solvency II. EIOPA invites market participants and (re)insurance stakeholders to provide information and data on the nature of infrastructure corporates and their risk profile. The paper describes the evidence that EIOPA is aware of and sets out the specific areas where EIOPA would be interested to know if additional evidence or data is available. The deadline for responding to the Call for Evidence is 10 December 2015. Please note that comments submitted after the deadline or not submitted in the template provided cannot be processed. Based on the feedback received, EIOPA will prepare the draft technical advice to the European Commission (EC). This Call for Evidence follows the Call for Advice from the EC, where EIOPA was asked to “further consider the evidence regarding the treatment of infrastructure

corporates”. The EC based its request on EIOPA’s Advice on infrastructure investments, which was submitted on 29 September 2015. In that Advice EIOPA proposed a more granular treatment of debt and equity investments in qualifying infrastructure projects. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) was established in consequence of the reforms to the structure of supervision of the financial sector in the European Union. The reform was initiated by the European Commission, following the recommendations of a Committee of Wise Men, chaired by Mr. de Larosière, and supported by the European Council and Parliament. Before and during the financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, the European Parliament has called for a move towards more integrated European supervision in order to ensure a true level playing field for all actors at the level of the European Union and to reflect the increasing integration of financial markets in the Union. (Source – europa.eu)

Liberty Mutual to pay attorney’s fees on Gulf oil spill

iberty Mutual Insurance Co. is liable to pay attorney’s fees to Houston-based Cameron International Corp. in litigation stemming from 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, says a federal appeals court, in reversing a lower court ruling. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans also affirmed a grant of summary judgment by the U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Cameron’s breach of contract claim in the case. It also asked the Texas Supreme Court to consider whether Boston-based Liber-

Nicon Insurance house

Major insurer AIG urged to ‘sell-off’ units

ohn Paulson, the billionaire whose proposal to split American International Group Inc. into three companies was rebuffed by Chief Executive Officer Peter Hancock, would also support an alternative plan for the insurer to sell units, according to people familiar with his hedge-fund firm’s thinking. Individual sales of subsidiaries could create more value than the spinoff off the entire life-insurance business, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations at the hedge-fund firm. The goal of the plan would be to focus AIG on property-and-casualty insurance. Activist investor Carl Icahn cited Paulson in an October letter urging Hancock to split the insurer into separate companies focusing on life, P&C and mortgage coverage. Asset sales might be more palatable to Hancock, who has said the three-way break

up would be impractical. “The market for insurance mergers and acquisitions is red- hot,” Josh Stirling, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said in a note to clients Monday. “Many investors are increasingly turning to a simpler approach as AIG’s answer: pursuing an enthusiastic course to choose the simpler path of selling its businesses outright to de-conglomerate the firm.” Hancock has sought to simplify the company since becoming CEO last year, and has sold some units in locations including Taiwan and Central America. While he has said there is a “tremendous benefit” to keeping life and P&C at the same company, the CEO has told analysts he’s open to further asset sales. Jennifer Hendricks Sullivan, a spokeswoman for New York- based AIG, declined to comment. Icahn didn’t immediately respond to a message.

Paulson’s firm believes the asset-sale plan would value AIG more than its $75 billion market capitalisation as of Monday’s trading close, the people said. AIG jumped 1 percent to $61.26 at 10:48 a.m. in New York, the biggest increase in the 21- company Standard and Poor’s 500 Insurance Index. AIG’s life business could be sold in pieces for $43 billion, compared with a $33 billion valuation if it was trading publicly, they said. The mortgage guarantor, United Guaranty, could be sold for about $6 billion or have a market value of $4.5 billion if it were spun off, the people said. The standalone P&C business, which would remain as the core operation, could be valued at about $44 billion, the people said. Paulson’s firm considers P&C to be the most important business to retain because of its global scale, the people said. (Source: insurancebusinessonline)

ty Mutual violated the Texas insurance code by wrongfully denying Cameron’s claim, according to Thursday’s ruling in In Re: Deepwater Horizon, Cameron International Corp. v. Liberty Insurance Underwriters Inc. In 2014, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board held that a faulty blowout preventer made by Cameron was a factor in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which killed 11 men and released more than 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. According to the unanimous threejudge appeals court ruling, only Liberty Mutual among Cameron’s insurers objected to a $250 million settlement Cameron reached with BP P.L.C. in connection with the incident, and refused to offer its policy limits of $50 million. Cameron filed litigation in the matter in January 2012. “Cameron did not waive, impliedly or otherwise, its claim for attorney’s fees incurred in this litigation,” said the panel, in overturning the lower court’s ruling on the issue and remanding the issue to the lower court for a determination of the total. In affirming the lower court’s breach of contract ruling, the panel said there was coverage under Cameron’s policy. “In our view, Cameron’s interpretation is reasonable, and Liberty’s is not,” said the ruling. The policy’s “plain language” support’s Cameron’s reading. (Source - businessinsurance.com)

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Politics

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

for unemployed –Boroffice

who are ready to work with it to bring about the desired change we need in Nigeria.

No, APC senators did not kick against the proposal. What happened was that PDP senators were trying to tie that N5,000 proposal to a motion they passed and we said ‘no, your motion is different and the N5,000 is different

the local governments, one per local government and a local government that has from one end to another a distance of not less than five, seven kilometres; with communities scattered all over the place, how do you want them to benefit? The mega school is not a boarding school; movement to and from the school becomes difficult; even if you provide buses, how many students would the buses convey? The mega school project is illconceived and is of no benefit to anybody. On infrastructure, there is nothing to write home about. Let me give an example, Akokoland has the worst road network in Ondo State; in fact, it was as if he deliberately punished the people of Akoko, nay Ondo North senatorial district; we can’t see his hands in any road infrastructure in Ondo North. I have been to Ondo town, the road infrastructure he started many years back, are still uncompleted. The dome he was building had become a doom for us; a money-guzzling project! What we have now he is taking us into more problems; taking loans in a reckless manner; so I think he has not done well at all. When I joined Labour Party, LP, even before i joined LP, I have know Dr Olusegun Mimiko, a medical doctor, rated very high, but unfortunately, his performance has been very very low and is of great concern. We know what accrues to this state before the downturn in the economy and we cannot see the correlation between what he has received and what is on ground in terms of projects and infrastructure. So on a whole, I think he hasn’t done very well. What are your plans for 2016? My plan for 2016 is to offer myself for service to run on the platform of my party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. And if I am given the APC ticket by the leadership of the party, both in the state and at the national level, to run for the governorship in 2016, I will simply implement the manifestoes and programmes of the party in the state. Of course, 2016 is the election year in Ondo State and we have to mobilise ourselves and our people at the grassroots level to make sure that our people come out in large number to exercise their franchise. Very soon there will be a period of voter registration and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, before the election; we will encourage those who have not registered to go and register and also mobilise our people to come out and vote We would also educate our people as to why they should come out enmasse to vote for APC and not any other party or the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Ondo people are tired and are fed up with the present PDP administration. We are even aware that there are so many people who are card-carrying members of the PDP, who are also fed up with the Mimiko administration and they are ready to work with APC. Everybody wants change and the change mantra that has manifested at the federal level with the election of President Muhammadu Buhari will also manifest in Ondo State in 2016. So 2016 is going to be an exciting year

for us politically and as you can see, we are warming up. In 2012, there was this general belief that what led to the dismal performance of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, was the inability of the party to manage the number of aspirants on its platform, leading to many defecting to other parties and those who remained not working for the party. How will APC, which has subsumed ACN, prevent a recurrence of that incident in 2016? In 2012, I don’t think it was the number of aspirants that created problem for the defunct ACN. In Kogi State, we have about 27 or so aspirants on the platform of the APC; so it wasn’t the issue of the number of aspirants. I think what really happened was that people were unhappy that the due process for the selection of the party’s standard bearer, which is the primary, was not followed. And because due process was not followed, people believed that there was no level playing ground for all aspirants ad that angered many people. Some went back to the LP, while others found succour in the PDP and other parties. However, I am sure that with the new party that we have now, and with our constitution, which insists on conducting primary election for the selection of the party’s candidates, insists on level playing ground for all aspirants, I don’t think anybody will have any course to leave the party this time around. As you can see, we have had primary in Kogi State and people didn’t leave the party; we have had primary in Bayelsa State and nobody has left the party because of that; so I think with adherence to the party’s constitution as far as primaries are concerned, we won’t have any problem. What is the party doing to bring back those who left in 2012 back to the family? I think we have done a lot in that regard. We have had opportunity to talk to some of them; many also believed that they would probably have no chance in APC, so they prefer to remain where they are. but one thing that is certain is that between then and now, many of those who left had returned to the party and interestingly, some of those who left in annoyance are back to the APC family quietly, even though they are not this time aspiring. And judging from what is happening in the political terrain now, people would prefer to join APC and be part of the change mantra than staying behind the fence and remain in a party like PDP that has no future, confused and so much in disarray and has been exposed as the most corrupt party in Africa; people of honour and integrity are leaving the PDP in droves. I think those who are left behind may have some reasons why they remain behind. The magnanimity of APC was demonstrated in Bayelsa State; somebody like Senator Heineken Lokpobiri was once former President Goodluck Jonathan’s strong supporters, but he is now not only in the APC, but an honourable minister of the Federal Republic; that shows that the APC operates open door policy and it is magnanimous to receive as many

If you get the nod of your party to run for governorship in 2016, what are the specific things that the people of Ondo State should expect from your administration, if you win the election? Generally, I will work towards achieving political stability, creating a vibrant economy and also provide social security in Ondo State. I will work towards the integration of Ondo State into the South-West geopolitical zone. But beyond all of these, Ondo State should have been among the top three states in Nigeria in terms of vibrancy of the economy, but we are distant sixth largest economy in the country and yet we have all the resources to be the leading economy in Nigeria. So what I would do is to revive some of those industries that are either in coma or dying, like the Oluwa Glass factory in Okitipupa, the Nigerian-Romania Wood Industry in Ondo, the Ceramic Industry in Ifon, the cement factory, the Okitipupa Oil Mill, among others. We need to revive these industries to provide jobs for our people and also to generate wealth both for government and our people. it is very important for us. We will go back to the basics and revive all these industries. We would also look into the area of agriculture. We are blessed with large expanse of land in Ondo State and this state should be a rich agricultural state, so we are going to invest in agriculture and we are going to look for help from outside in agriculture. We would not just be producing and selling our products as raw materials, we are going to add value by establishing agricultural industries, depending on the location. For instance, the cocoa butter industry that we have in Ile Oluji; we would not stop at producing cocoa butter, but go beyond that by producing confectionaries made from cocoa and in doing that, we would be expanding the economy, generating wealth and providing employment. Our focus will not just be producing in agriculture, but also adding value to our products. In the area of health, we are going to make the rural areas very attractive for our doctors, because 70 per cent of our people live in the rural areas and many rural health centres will operate as primary health centres, well equipped and well staffed, so that people will not have to rush to the urban cities for medical attention. If the doctors are given adequate incentives, they would be willing to go to the rural areas. We are going to use modern technologies in bringing frontline medical service to our people, including telemedicine in connecting every community to the Federal Medical Centre, owl, the state Specialist Hospital, Akure and even the University Teaching Hospital in Ibadan and other teaching hospitals around so that our doctors can benefit from the knowledge of the experts in the teaching hospital. So healthcare delivery will one of the key programmes of our administration. In the area of infrastructure, Akokoland has the worse set of roads in the state, although it is almost the same story in other parts of the state. The infrastructures would be rebuilt; we will start with the roads, not only in the cities, but in the rural areas, because some of the agricultural products must be brought from the rural areas to the urban centres or to industries that will process them. So we will be investing heavily on roads. We are also going to invest in energy. We have coal in Ute and we have abundant sun to provide solar energy. We will establish solar power stations, 100 megawatts, 200 megawatts, that we can feed into the grid to serve our people. Osun State has done it. So we shall have small small solar power stations across the state. This will also energise the economy of the state.I can go on and on. We have the largest coastline in Nigeria; we would collaborate with other agencies to establish a deep sea port and revive the Olokola free trade Zone and work closely with Ogun State. We have a lot to do to ensure that Ondo state is back on its feet.

Politics

Osahon Julius YENAGOA

head of next Saturday’s governorship poll in Bayelsa state, the incumbent Governor, Seriake Dickson, has called for collaborative efforts with international community, lovers of democracy, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and other relevant agencies to ensure that best practices are implemented in the election. The governor who spoke during his campaign visit to some communities in his native Sagbama Local Government Area of Toru-Angiama, Angalabiri, Agorogbene, Kabeama, Okumbiri and the Ofoni federated communities, comprising Eyanvwien, Ediagbon and Ogbe, said the call become

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Dickson woos international community, INEC ahead of Saturday poll more imperative for the sake of sustaining the existing peace and stability in the state. He stressed that instead of canvassing the support of the electorate in a responsible manner, the main opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been claiming that the Buhariled Federal Government would deploy its might to rig the Bayelsa governorship poll in favour of their candidate. According to the governor, the utterances and actions of the APC have clearly shown that they are

not ready for a free and fair electoral contest but rather dreaming to wrestle power away from the ruling party through the backdoor, a situation he described as impossible. Reiterating his commitment to peaceful elections, Governor Dickson said he was not only overwhelmed by the show of love Bayelsans are demonstrating for him and the PDP during his electioneering campaigns across the state, but also the level of preparedness to exercise and protect their franchise. Interacting with the chiefs and people of the var-

ious communities, the PDP candidate thanked them for the three times they have voted massively for him, twice into the House of Representatives and as a governor in 2012, adding that, he has no doubts whatsoever that, the people would, as usual, make good their promise of giving his party bloc votes come December 5. While assuring them of his readiness to impact more on their lives, immediately after being sworn in for second term, Dickson promised to expedite work on the ongoing SagbamaEkeremor Road and other

Scene of a clash between supporters of Kogi State Deputy gubernatorial candidate to Late Abubakar Audu, Hon James Faleke and Yaya Bello in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

No APC member defected to PDP on Saturday –Sylva Osahon Julius YENAGOA

he Sylva /Igiri Campaign Organisation of the All Progressive Congress, APC, has denied that any of its members defected to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the party’s mega rally on Saturday, saying the impostors were stage managed by Governor

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Seriake Dickson and his lieutenants The campaign organization said PDP brought underage children, boys and girls and gave them broom sticks to carry to the Samson Siasia Sports complex as members of APC defecting to PDP to achieve cheap political points and further show how desperate they want to hold on to power. “We are happy that the television camera captured the faces of the under-aged who posed as APC members with more than 70 per cent of them less than 18 years” APC in a statement by Director General, Media and Publicity, Sylva/Igiri campaign, Nathan Egba said the poor turn-out of supporters and members

of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the mega rally was an indication that the party has lost the goodwill and support of the people of Bayelsa State. The rally, tagged “Mother of All Rallies”, recorded poor attendance as mainbowl of the Samson Siasia Sports Complex was empty with only handful of party faithful and supporters in attendance. Egba, said the continued defection of heavyweights from the PDP to APC had boosted the chances of the APC in winning this Saturday’s election. On the allegation raised by the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and Governor Seriake Dickson over a possible plot by the APC to rely on the federal might

to win the election, APC described the allegation as a mere distraction to gain attention and sympathy. “For us in the APC, we will rely on the electorate to do the needful by voting our candidates on merits. The people of the state have promised to savour the great momentum the APC was bringing into this election to change the retrogressive government of restoration into a government of prosperity.” The display was just to score one point and deceive the national leadership of their party into believing that they were on ground when in actual fact, PDP is already dead and buried while we await the burial on the election date come Saturday, 5th December, 2015.

development projects, in addition to new ones that would be awarded to improve the living conditions of the area. At Ofoni, he said, “You are one of the largest and densely populated communities in our state. You have two wards and even a very high voting population. So as your son, this community means so much to me. That is why I am passionate about your progress and development. I thank God that all of you that came out here to talk, attested to the fact that I do whatever I say. I will never promise what I know I cannot do. But I’m assuring you and indeed all Bayelsans that I will do more to impact on your lives in my second tenure as the governor of this great state. “Just do your part as you have always done by giving our party, the PDP, your votes enbloc on the day of the election, which is this Saturday. Come out with your PVCs, vote and wait till after they have counted and declared the result in your unit before you leave. Don’t be intimidated by anybody because no genuine security personnel would harass you for doing the right thing.” At Ofoni, the state Commissioner for Works and In-

frastructures, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who is an indigene, noted that, apart from the ongoing SagbamaEkeremor road, which sand-filling has reached the community, the Dickson-led administration has completed a number of projects including linking the area to the national grid. In their separate addresses, the spokespersons for Ofoni Communities, High Chief Matthew Ediruo, Chief Daudu Eric, Chief Jacob Akpani and the Acting Amananaowei of Toru-Angiama, High Chief Bruce Okpo, described Governor Dickson as a worthy son by making them proud with the achievements he has recorded within his first term in office, a feat they noted, his main challenger and candidate of the APC could not attain for five years as governor of the state. In all the communities visited, the people lauded the development efforts of Governor Dickson and assured him of their preparedness to work for the victory of PDP in the forthcoming election, noting that, giving their bloc votes to the Dickson/Jonah ticket is a responsibility that must be done to reciprocate the dividends of democracy they have benefitted from the present administration.

Dickson Commissioner resigns, set to join Sylva’s APC Osahon Julius YENAGOA

head of today’s All Progressive Congress, APC, final rally in Yenagoa, another serving Commissioner in Governor Seriake Dickson’s cabinet, Indutimi Komonibo, has dumped him, following his immediate resignation yesterday. The resignation of Komonibo which came days after many of the governor’s aides and commissioners also dumped his cabinet to join the campaign train of former Governor, Timipreye Sylva is seen as a rude shock to the governor who is strategizing on the possible ways to win the forthcoming poll. Komonibo until his resignation yesterday, was the

Honorable Commissioner for Science & Technology and Manpower Development in state. In a resignation letter by Idutimi Komonibo which was made available to newsmen in Yenagoa on Monday, he said, he resigned to enable him face his business and other progressive venture that needed his attentions. Although, Komonibo did not say he is joining the APC or any other political party, but sources said Komonibo, may declare his intention at today’s mega rally by the APC. Komonibo, who hailed from Odi community in Kolokuma/Opokuma local government Area of the state, in the statement thanks Dickson for giving him the opportunity to serve in his cabinet,

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Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

resident Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to implement the recommendations of the report of the Professor Chidi Odinkalu-led Panel, which investigated the electoral violence that occurred in Rivers State before, during and after the 2015 general elections. Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, made the call at a special interdenominational memorial service tagged Rivers Black Day, in honour of over 100 people allegedly killed during the period of the last elections in the state. Over 7,000 members of the APC in the state, all clad in black, had marched from the party secretariat, along Forces Avenue , GRA, PortHarcourt , through Aba Road to the Port-Harcourt Polo Club, where the memorial service was held. Ikanya said, the Justice Chidi Odinkalu panel set up by the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration to investigate the killings in Rivers State had concluded

Politics

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Election violence: APC urges Buhari to implement Odinkalu’s report its report and submitted same to the appropriate authorities. He further said that as part of the honour that can be done to the memories of these innocent citizens, “I, on behalf of the APC, Rivers State demand the implementation of the recommendation of the panel. “I also wish to appeal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, to make good his promise to bring the masterminds of these senseless murders to justice,” he said. Speaking, the State APC governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, expressed regrets that those behind the killings were still walking freely in the state. Peterside said, “On February 17, this year, we got to Okrika and we are gathered as we are all now gathered, over 5,000 of us; to sell to the

people of Okrika, the message of change that the then General Muhammadu Buhari was preaching and the message of change all of us were preaching. “Only for gun-wielding men, trigger happy men to open fire on this 5,000 innocent and defenseless people. Our women were maimed, they were stripped naked. Our young men, their hands were cut off, legs cut off. A policeman, Corporal Okorie paid with his dear life. “Till today, nobody has been arrested, nobody is being prosecuted and I know that the spirit of Corporal Okorie has been restless. That is not all, in April, I was in Tombia to spread the message of change; a message that we believe in; that our President, Muhammadu Buhari is the symbol. In Tombia, we gathered the same way we are gathered here and they opened fire on defenceless members of the APC, just because of their political beliefs. On that

day again, over 100 persons were maimed, some hands cut and some lost their eyes. The people who did this are still working around freely,” Peterside said. In his speech, former chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe expressed the optimism that there will be justice for victims of election violence in the state at the end of the day. According to Abe, “Our gathering here today is not political, but for the act that we respect life and we value life and the sanctity of life is paramount in every human being. We have gathered here today because Rivers men and women who committed no crime, who did no wrong were killed by other people in a country where there is law and order; in a country where there is police; in a country where there are courts. “Even as we speak, no investigation has been car-

ried out into these killings; nobody has been arrested; nobody is standing trial. Nothing has been said; people have died and died for nothing. Can they die for nothing? Can our people be slaughtered for nothing? There will be justice and that is why we are gathered here today. “We call on the conscience of Nigeria, we call

in the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari; he did not just hear that there was violence in Rivers State, he came here and he saw; people who came out to see him when he came to Rivers State, they were waylaid; they were ambushed; they were attacked. They were shut at and almost killed,” Abe said.

Group wants PDP guber ticket zoned to Ondo-North Ojo Oyewamide AKURE

group, United Democratic Forum, UDF has called on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo state to zone its governorship ticket to the northern senatorial district of the state. The group made the call yesterday in Akure, the state capital, after its monthly meeting. In a communique signed by the coordinator, Bamisinle Oseni Oscar, UDF noted that it was the turn of the northern senatorial district to produce the next governor of the Sunshine state. It warned the PDP leadership against ignoring

the mood of the people of the state if the party was interested in remaining at Alagbaka Government House. The people of Ondo state will go to the polls next year to elect who takes over from Governor Olusegun Mimiko whose second term tenure will expire in February, 2017. The group praised the reconciliation efforts of the party national leaders, urging them to ensure the return of those who have left the party. It said: “For the sake of justice and equity, PDP should zone it governorship ticket to the northern senatorial district of the state. That is the only way the party can win next year gubernatorial election.

Bello hails Marafa’s election as NSSF chairman Priscilla Dennis MINNA

G L-R: Members, Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Power, Senator Hassan Mohammed; Senator Mustapher Buka and Chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari, at the public hearing on power with stakeholders at the National Assembly in Abuja recently. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

C’River House of Assembly swims in crisis CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 best for us now is for our members to think otherwise and initiate a move to get the speaker and deputy out so that action could be taken in some aspects of governance. But the Deputy speaker who was contacted said there was grumbling in the house by some lawmakers who were insisting that their welfare be taken into consideration. But critic of the speaker alleged that the speaker and his deputy are perhaps aware of the plot to impeach them and that was why the

speaker was not around. Pundits said that Ayade`s habit of travel had lowered productivity of the state workforce as workers who are noted for playing truancy might be taking advantage of the governor’s absence to lazy about. Cross River state civil servants are noted for playing truancy. Perhaps this account for the reason why the workers of Governor`s office were shut out by Ayade for reporting to work late when it was more than eight o’clock just few weeks after Ayade assumed office as governor

of the state. But the media aide to the speaker, Azogor Ideba in a press release made available to National Mirror debunked newspapers reports of impeachment attempt against his boss and deputy by house members. he speaker who is said to be out of the country for an official duty through his media aide said that the publications were mere speculations adding that lawmakers had at no time been in crisis with the leadership of the House to warrant any impeachment. He

overnor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has described the election of the Speaker, State Assembly, Hon. Ahmed

therefore, the leadership of the Speaker and Deputy has never been in any doubts. “Can a House of Assembly that has passed 15 bills into law barely six months of its existence and reputed as one of the best in the country suddenly disintegrate into crisis if not imaginary; who are the signatories to the impeachment and what are the impeachable offences the Speaker or his Deputy are being alleged to have committed; where are the facts justifying the allegations?”, he asked.

Marafa as Chairman of Northern States Speakers’ Forum, NSSF as thoughful and well deserved. He also described him as someone who has real passion for the parliamentary process and a decent sense of what is right as well as good judgment of fair play. Congratulating him on the appointment, Bello stated that Rt. Hon. Marafa would bring his wealth of experience and build an enduring relationship with the other Speakers to bring development to the region. “As you take up this role, I once again congratulate you and assure you that the Northern States Governors are committed to working with you for the rapid development of the Northern region.”

Features

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

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Decongesting roads, improving cargo haulage through rail

Having committed hundreds of billions of naira into the resuscitation of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), it is, perhaps, high time its full potentials were harnessed by individuals, corporate organisations and government agencies. FRANCIS SUBERU examines the possibility of rail system providing excellent alternative to road transportation in the area of fuel and cargo movement.

n 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) ranked Nigeria second in road traffic accidents in the world; implying that of the 192 nations on the planet earth, Nigeria ranked 191 with unsafe roads. The country has an unenviable record of 162 deaths per 100,000 human population dying as a result of road traffic accidents. The same organisation predicted that if nothing was done by the country to stem the tide, death rate by road accident would increase by 65 per cent between 2015 and 2020; overtaking malaria and tuberculosis. One of the numerous reasons why we have high rate of road traffic accidents in the country is bad road. In all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, our roads are bedevilled with articulated vehicles, hauling goods in tens of tons. Some in the process have accidents which further damage the roads. But what haulage of goods by road has as disadvantage, rail transportation system has as advantage. To a greater extent, rail transportation has greater capacity to haul goods and products at greater quantity and safer system than road transportation. In realisation of the importance of effective and efficient rail system to the economic development of the nation; the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) after being abandoned for over five decades by successive government has since 2006 been picking its bit and pieces together to improve rail services in the country. According to the Managing Director, NRC, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuade, since the federal government saw the need to invest in Nigeria railway, the corporation had embarked on landmark restructuring, re-engineering and infrastructural development of the hitherto moribund corporation. In the wake of this, the corporation, though still relying mainly on its narrow gauge lines, has laid tracks to link communities, towns and cities across the country. Many passenger services have been launched, just as cargo services. Presently, the corporation operates a network of 3,505 kilometres of single track line with a network of passenger services which include Lagos to Agege, Ifo, Ibadan, Ilorin, Minna, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano. In the centre of the country the Nigeria Railway Corporation has a network of standard line that include 217 kilometres from Oturkpo to the Ajaokuta steelwork. A further 51.2 kilometres line of standard gauge is operational between the Itakpo mines and the Ajaokuta steelworks; even as there are plans to add more standard gauge lines to these ones; including Ajaokuta to Abuja and Ajaokuta to the Port of Warri, together 500 kilometres and from Port Harcourt to Makurdi over a distance of 463 kilometres. Similarly, cargo services, including container haulage, fuel as well as cement haulage are fully operational. This is done by the Nigeria Railway through partnership with various private initiatives and firms. For instance, haulage of containers from Apapa Port to Inland Container Nigeria Ltd (ICNL) depots in Kaduna and Kano by rail began more than two years ago and it has been transforming Nigeria’s transport system and helping the nation’s economy. There is equally a partnership agreement between Connect Rail Service Limited and the Nigeria Railway Corporation through which Lafarge transport cements from their factory in Ewekoro to Kaduna. Speaking with the Chief Executive Officers of the Connect Rail Service, Mr. Edeme Kelikume, recently, he informed that his firm had capacity to haul about 80 tons of cement daily from Ewerekoro cement factory to Kano and Kaduna thereby taking more than 45 trailers out of the road

Train.. Insert: Adeseyi Sijuade

all at once daily. He encouraged the federal government to invest more in rail saying “in the country today, are NRC staff enough to address the demands we are looking at? We are looking at about a hundred million tons of goods within Nigeria per year. What rail is doing presently is maybe if we work very hard, we might do two hundred thousand tons of goods and they are not even up to one per cent. “When you travel around Lagos-Ibadan, you notice the poor state of the road, therefore we want these roads to last longer and trucks should not be on these highways. They should only do what is known as the last mile distribution from the rail station to the warehouse or depot in all of the locations nationwide. This is the model NRC should strive to achieve.” Kelikume said further that very soon, his firm’s services would start moving cement from Ewekoro to Lagos, to reduce traffic congestion on Lagos roads, especially the traffic in Apapa axis. According to him, there is an already installed capacity for movement of two trains daily. “This means you will be taking away almost 50 trucks daily. We have also discussed it with other customers that normally take their trucks down to transport their goods to different locations. Therefore an estimate of 100 trailers will be taken off Lagos roads daily with that operation. This is an initiative that is going to commence before the year

In the wake of this, the corporation, though still relying mainly on

its narrow gauge lines, has laid tracks to link

communities, towns and cities across the country

ends,” he said. Experts are of the view that this will not in anyway reduce the importance of trailers and trucks as they normally should serve as complement to rail services. Ademowo Dare, a transportation scholar and consultant, in an interaction with our correspondent said trailers would be able to move cargos which could either be cements, flours, fuel, and more, from the depots and train stations to its final destination which usually should not be a short distance. He said, “It is a complementary service and inter-modal system. Effective train service does not mean that trucks will become useless or irrelevant. It will only make trucks to be more efficient. For instance, a truck that will take two days to enter and come out of Apapa will take a day and comeback. So, you can imagine the turnaround time of the trucks, the wear and tear on the trucks, their profitability for owners and the driver’s safety. Nobody has to sit down on the steering for days.” It was gathered from the NRC Manager for Apapa Station, Mrs. Ngozi Umoh, that the Nigeria Flour Mill in Apapa, Lagos, in the last five months have moved over 328, 000 bags of flour from Lagos to Kano by rail system as the rail tracks in Apapa axis is linked to the Flour Mill. Also through the same Apapa station, the NRC has moved 160 containers belonging to APM Terminals within the same period from Lagos to Kano and Kaduna. She said the NRC is currently in talks with various companies especially Dangote for movement of their products too. Perhaps it is time for tank farms in Apapa axis to embrace this inter-modal system of rail transportation to their various depots across the country. Findings from the Lagos District Manager of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Mr. Akin Oshinowo, revealed that more than six tank farms in Apapa had been connected for immediate access by rail. It is believed that if these tank farms take this opportunity by transporting their petroleum products through rail, the traffic congestion in Apapa area of Lagos will be a thing of the past; jus as the nation’s economy will be the better for it.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

EBERE NDUKWU looks at human factor in poor safety management system in Nigeria, its effects on everyday life of the citizens and what possibly could be done.

Features

Focusing on human factor in Nigeria’s safety management system

ire, fire everywhere. That has been the situation in Lagos for some time now even when it is not yet dry season let alone harmattan period. There’s hardly any week in recent time without a number of fire incidents recorded in the state and a few others in the country. In the first two months of this year alone, Lagos State recorded at least 417 fire incidents and other emergencies, destroying property worth billions of Naira. Since the beginning of the year, there has been increase in the number of fire outbreaks and other emergencies. In 2014, the state recorded over 1,621 fire incidents while 1,537 fire incidents occurred in the state in 2013. Experts have said that most of the fire incidents, both in Lagos and other states of the federation are often as a result of lack of good knowledge of risk and safety management among the citizenry. This, it is believed, follows neglect of the importance of safety management by institutions and individuals. Aside fire, there are also other accident incidences both on the roads, in markets, homes, offices, industries and companies resulting from poor risk and safety management that has characterised the nation’s lifestyle. Upon the recognition of this worrisome situation, the Corporate Institute of Risk and Safety Management, CIRSM, during its recent 5th Public Lecture/Induction of new members held at NAPTIN Executive Hostel, Surulere, Lagos, called on both government and individuals to show more concern on risk and safety management, saying that the citizens as well as Nigeria as a country needed to be secured against threats from within and outside the national boundaries. In the welcome address by the president and chairman of council, CIRSM, Senator Levi Nwokeafor, and read by his representative, Retired Chief of Army Staff, General Alex Ogomudia, who is also vice chairman of the institute and chairman of the occasion, he stated that safety system was the total sum of efforts of both the government and the people of a country to detect, prevent and where necessary, eliminate all sources of danger and risk, either internal or external, which threaten the collective interest of the citizenry or the nation. His words: “On our part as institute, we have remained undaunted in pursuing safety, security and risk reduction administration by mounting workshops and professional training, for better performance in government, commerce and industry.” Hinting on the lecture theme: Human factor perspective in safety management system – The Nigerian experience, Dr. Nwokeafor described human factor perspective in safety management as the totality of an individual’s efforts at self preservation and ability to realise the need to protect himself against imminent danger to life and property. “As the individual needs security and protection for life and property, the nation also needs to be secured and protected against threats from within and outside the national boundaries. “Thus, human factor perspective is a derivative of personal security. A secured individual resides in a secured nation. A secured nation in turn provides conducive atmosphere for peace and stability to prevail for economic development and socio-political interactions,” he said. The chairman, Ogomudia, in his opening remarks said that it was human being that would ensure safety, adding that “even when we have automatic machines, it is human beings that will control it.” While saying that safety management involved arrangement made by organisations to ensure safety, he posited that lack of commitment by management and staff, neglect of staff in most organisations in Nigeria posed challenges to management of safety in the country. He said: “If the responsibility of a safety manager ends with himself, it will never work. Most organisations do not have safety managers; they instead use admin managers as safety managers. In some cases persons who are ignorant of safety management are called upon when there are dangers

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In whatever we do, we should ensure every action we take is geared towards lowering risk and thereby bringing safety in our homes and society

and one cannot achieve any meaningful result in such circumstances.” Bemoaning lack of safety management system in most organisations, Ogomudia said that safety management policies had to be updated as new innovations and technologies were introduced into the system. “Using automatic machines does not mean there won’t be safety precaution,” the chairman stated. In his lecture note on the theme, Dr. Muyo Kasim Provost, Lagos State College of Health Technology, represented by Dr. Femi Macaulay, blamed political class, who he said often frustrated efforts to safety management in the country. He added that employer and employee attitude also contributed to poor safety management in the country, saying that the country must develop a system that would ensure that safety management was a concern for everybody. “Safety has to do with reduction of risk; it is only in this part of the world that you have plane crash due to shortage of fuel. In whatever we do, we should ensure every action we take is geared towards lowering risk and thereby bringing safety in our homes and society,” he said. In her keynote address, Mrs. Catherine Famuse, Director Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, said that the theme of the lecture, was in line with the current issues facing the country. She listed lack of commitment from management or staff, level of prioritisation given to safety management by organisations; difficulty in finding suitable and competent people to develop and implement safety management system; culture that does not encourage open communication of safety threats, as factors militating against safety management in the country. Other factors, she said, include confusion regarding safety roles and responsibilities, strain placed on personnel

involved in safety management, problem in introducing or establishing change, integrating safety management with other management systems, knowing where to start and what to do next. The institute’s registrar, Daniel M. Umoh, said the institution hoped to break new grounds in conducting research, creating think-tank to proffer solutions to diverse national challenges in the areas of health safety environment, school and church safety. To the inductees, he said: “I strongly believes that the induction into CIRSM are well deserved as they are made after careful examination and consideration of individual merit, experience, academics, professionalism, proven ability and status in your various endeavours. It is my hope that your enrolment into this top-grade safety management and risk administration would be viewed as a new challenge and call to service.” There is no doubt that a deliberate attempt by government and organisation to develop a policy of continuous orientation of the citizens on some safety tips will to a large extent save the country some unwarranted dangers and risk lack of safety management posses in the country. Many Lagosians will never forget in a hurry some fire and other incidences which have destroyed lives and properties worth billions of naira, many of which a good knowledge of safety management would have averted. Not too long ago, spokesperson for the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Amodu Shakiru, after one of the fire incidents in the state, urged Lagosians to be cautious about fire, regretting that many people who made distress calls mislead responders by giving wrong descriptions. He urged people to learn the state’s emergency numbers and use them when necessary. This goes to say that most Nigerians lack basic information and knowledge of safety management and therefore needs seminars, workshops, trainings, in safety and risk management. Even in the northern part of the country, most especially North East, some of the loss of lives and properties resulting from the activities of the Boko Haram sect would have been averted had the people not been ignorant of safety and risk management. It is against this backdrop that many Nigerians are calling on government to make or enforce policies that will mandate government institutions and corporate bodies to employ the services of safety managers; engage the citizens on programmes that will draw awareness of safety consciousness in their environments, homes, offices and working places. There is also the need to encourage institutions such as CIRSM, Nigeria Institute of Safety Professionals, NISP, Federal Fire Service and other federal safety and emergency agencies and commissions along with co-corporate bodies rendering such services.

Global Business

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

works with Sanofi on $12.7bn Musk’s Tesla faces German battle Lazard animal health unit deal –Sources over battery-powered homes I

f Elon Musk’s vision of millions of households producing all their own power becomes a reality, it will probably happen first in Germany. But he will face a battle for market share against local firms with years of experience in renewable energy. The South African-born entrepreneur’s company Tesla, best known for its electric cars, sparked global interest in the idea of self-powered homes in April, when it said it would start selling lithium-ion batteries for households next year. The batteries, called Powerwalls, connect to solar panels on the roof of a house and aim to store enough power during the day to drive kettles and washing machines at night, raising the prospect that households one day will be able to rely fully on clean energy and become independent of the power grid. There are big challenges. The technology does not yet allow most users to disconnect from the grid - the German solar industry association BSW estimates batteries currently raise solar power self-sufficiency to at least 60 percent. Then there is the price. Buying and installing solar panels and batteries costs around 10,000 euros ($10,600) or more. But the technology is improving, and costs falling, and some analysts

think Germany - with more solar panels than anywhere in the world and sky-high power prices - could become the industry’s first mass-market. “The business model of power batteries is becoming increasingly attractive,” said Norbert Schwieters, global utilities leader at consultants PwC, noting market estimates that sales in Germany could reach half a million within a decade, up from around 25,000 now. If the market does take off, Musk will have a fight on his hands against German companies with established retail networks and years of experience managing solar equipment. While acknowledging Musk’s slick marketing - Powerwalls are made at his “Gigafactory” in the Nevada Desert - some of these rivals think he has created a buzz around home power storage batteries that will ultimately work in their favor. “Tesla has made sure that they’re seen as a lifestyle gadget,” said Volker Wachenfeld, in charge of hybrid energy and storage solutions at SMA Solar. SMA Solar is one of a number of German companies with ambitions in the market, including

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Sonnenbatterie, SENEC.IES and Varta. Daimler Accumotive is also due to launch a product, while Solarwatt, owned by major BMW shareholder Stefan Quandt, says it is ready to join the fray. Sonnenbatterie, whose backers include Germany’s E-Capital and Czech firm Inven Capital, has already sold around 8,500 batteries in Europe, mostly in Germany, but its ambitions go further. “The biggest challenge of our generation is the move to renewable and inexpensive energy supply,” said its 32-year-old managing director, Philipp Schroeder. “I started this vision and now want to take it to global success.”

EU wants to give national privacy regulators more clout in new U.S. data pact

he European Union wants to enhance the power of the bloc’s national privacy regulators in policing a planned new EUU.S. data pact after the previous one was struck down by a top EU court on concerns about mass U.S. surveillance. Brussels and Washington are locked in negotiations to forge a new framework enabling data transfers from Europe to the United States, which are otherwise subject to cumbersome and lengthy legal processes under EU data protection law. The previous pact, known as Safe Harbour and used by over 4,000 U.S. and European companies, was declared invalid by the European

EU President, Jean-Claude

Court of Justice in October because U.S. national security needs trumped the privacy of Europeans’ data. To address the court’s concerns, particularly that Europeans do not have legal channels to challenge misuse of their data, the Commission is looking for ways to involve European privacy watchdogs more deeply, according to three people familiar with the matter. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was responsible for monitoring companies’ compliance with the Safe Harbour privacy principles, although it does not deal with complaints from individuals. A bigger role for European watchdogs would allow citizens to complain directly to their national authorities, the sources said. A similar mechanism existed in the old Safe Harbour framework for human resources data which are often sensitive. U.S. companies handling Europeans’ human resources data had to commit to cooperating with European data protection authorities in case of complaint. “That’s one issue to play around with,” said one of the people on condition of anonymity. However, there is no agreement

yet and differences remain over how the European regulators would cooperate with the FTC to avoid giving the EU extraterritorial powers. The European Commission and the U.S. Mission to the EU declined comment. The Safe Harbour system allowed companies to self-certify that they complied with EU privacy law when transferring EU citizens’ personal data to countries deemed to have insufficient safeguards, which include the United States. Both U.S. and EU companies shuffle personal data across the Atlantic on a daily basis, whether employee data for multinationals or user data collected by internet companies for use in the billion-dollar online advertising market. But the system came under strain in 2013 after former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snow den leaked details of U.S. government spying programs. Brussels has committed to wrapping up the talks by the end of January but is looking for further guarantees from Washington that U.S. authorities will not access Europeans’ data on a wholesale basis, something that has drawn out the negotiations.

nvestment bank Lazard is working with Sanofi’s management to prepare a sale or listing of its Merial animal health unit, aiming to land the leading advisory job for the deal, which could value the business at up 12 billion euros ($12.7 billion), sources familiar with the matter said. Lazard is expected to win the role for the so-called dual-track process having helped Sanofi’s management in the ongoing review, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. If successful, the deal will play a pivotal role in getting France’s most valuable company back on track and delivering on its fiveyear strategic plan, after the business was hit by lagging diabetes sales and boardroom rows. Sanofi and Lazard declined to comment. Lazard has a close relationship with Sanofi Chairman Serge Weinberg who has often recommended the investment bank on deals carried out by his private equity firm Weinberg Capital Partners, another source said. Sanofi’s new boss Olivier Brandicourt, 59, took the helm of the drugmaker in April and on Nov. 6 unveiled plans to cut costs by 1.5 billion euros by 2018 while seeking bolt-on acquisitions to continue growing its product offering. But he also hinted at possible disposals, namely Merial and the company’s European generic

Weinberg

drugs business. The company said on Nov. 6 these two units provide “limited synergies” and all options would be considered including retention. Led by Carsten Hellmann, Merial provides veterinary products such as antiparasitics and vaccines and is present in more than 150 countries. The unit, which employs around 6,500 people, expects to exceed 2.4 billion euros in sales this year. Sanofi could favor an initial public offering (IPO) for Merial as any takeover attempts by industry rivals would face antitrust challenges, a banker familiar with the matter said. Merial competes head to head with Pfizer’s former animal health business Zoetis (ZTS.N), which Brandicourt helped to list on the New York Stock Exchange in a previous job at Pfizer (PFE.N) in 2013.

VW knew fuel usage in some cars was too high a year ago – Report

olkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) top executives knew a year ago that some of the company’s cars were markedly less fuel efficient than had been officially stated, Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag reported, without specifying its sources. VW in early November revealed that it had understated the level of carbon dioxide emissions and fuel usage in around 800,000 cars sold mainly in Europe. The scandal, which will likely cost VW billions, initially centered on software on up to 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide that VW admitted was designed to artificially suppress nitrogen oxide emissions in a test setting.

Volkswagen’s car

The Bild am Sonntag report contradicts VW’s assertion, however, that it only uncovered the false CO2 emissions labeling as part of efforts to clear up the diesel emissions scandal, which became public in September. A VW spokesman declined to comment on whether VW had knowledge already a year ago of overstated fuel efficiency. Months after becoming aware of excessive fuel consumption, former Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn decided this spring to pull one model off the market where the discrepancy was particularly pronounced, the Polo TDI BlueMotion, the paper cited sources close to Winterkorn as saying.

National Mirror National Mirror Tuesday,4,December 1, 2015 47 Tuesday, February 2014 www.nationalmirroronline.net www.nationalmirroronline.net

Community Mirror I believe in lifelong education; nobody should stop learning until he or she dies. –FORMER PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

Dare Akogun

agos State Government has expressed its readiness to continue to provide a conducive and enabling environment for business to thrive especially in all the Central Business Districts, CDB designated area of the State. Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Honourable Agboola Dabiri who disclosed this at a stakeholders Committee meeting with officials of the United Bank for Africa, saying that the time has come for corporate organizations to develop a meaningful partnership with CBD with the aim of returning lost glory especially on the Lagos Island. According to him ‘’All hands should be on deck to nip in the bud the increasing flight of corporate organizations from Lagos Island to places like Lekki and Ikoyi due to incessant power outage, insecurity and activities of hoodlums and miscreants’’. “CBD is more than ready to provide needed impetus to encourage the return of all corporate organizations that have left the Island for reasons best known to them, pointing out that the Agency will open an operational office in the heart of the Island where corporate organizations can come to, as next door neighbor, for complaints and settlement”, he noted. Dabiri urge the organization to assist in the area of sanitation by securing the services of street

Lagos to provide conducive environment for businesses in CBD

ver 20 thousand traders may be thrown out of business following a threat by the Agbado-Oke Odo Local Council Development Area to demolish their shops before this week runs out. The traders that the said proposed demolition if carried out would be a subjudice since the matter is still in court, warning that failure to stop the proposed demolition could lead to a major crisis in the market. President of the traders Alhaji Lawali Dangaladima noted that they recently went to the office of Agbado-Oke –Odo LCDA Executive Secretary to intimate him that the matter is before the court and that the proposed ultimatum given the traders to vacate the market for the propose demolition should be reconsidered, but said the council said there is no going back on the demolition.

Wale Igbintade

President of Rotary Club of Oto-Ijanikin Central, Rotn Sekoni Oluwatele presenting drugs and health materials to patience of Oto Awori LCDA Primary Health Centre, during the club’s Rotary Family Health Day Programme held recently. sweepers, kitted and branded in UBA outfit, even as UBA should come up with street branding, beautification and maintenance. While expressing their readiness to partner with CBD, Direc-

torate Head, Public Sector and Personal Banking of the bank, Mr. Oliver Alawuba appealed to the State Government to give a thought to the issue of insecurity, incessant traffic and educational

centers where people can relax and cool down at the of a working day to avert traffic, towards securing the confidence and support of other corporate entities on the Island.

Tension mounts over propose demolition of Lagos market Dare Akogun

Land speculator risks jail for disobeying court order

Dangaladima accused the former President of the market Alhaji Haruna Ismaila, for the cause of their problem when sometime in 2005 the market was about to be redevelop into modern market, and the traders paid to him for shops which they didn’t get after the completion of the project. “Upon the completion and al-

location of the market to the owner the traders approached their former chairman for the allocation of their shops which they didn’t get. He has created enmity between the traders and always give excuses that the issue of the shop is receiving attention from the government, he alleged.

However Ismaila was contacted for his reaction about the alleged conversion of the shop to his own personal used said, what they are saying is a lie. He added that own shops and stalls in the market asking that how can I connive with the council to demolish the market where am getting my daily bread.”

Communal crisis: Arigidi leaders sue for peace Ayo Esan

rigidi Leaders of Thought, a foremost body of sons and daughters of ArigidiAkoko in various fields of human endeavours around the world has appealed to the Governor of Ondo State, security operatives and all stakeholders in Ondo State to call people causing problem in the ancient town to order. In a release issued to journalists in Lagos Monday and signed by its Chairman, Chief Owado-

kun Olufemi Lawson and Secretary, Chief Bola Olutayo, Arigidi Leaders of Thought said there is the need to call a group which allegedly belong to Pastor T.B. Joshua to order and allow the prevailing peace in Arigidi - Akoko to continue. Explaining the genesis of the crisis in the ancient city, the leaders in the statement said, “Shortly after the transition of the former king into eternity, two prominent princes, among others, showed their interest to succeed the late king. The two are the incumbent,

Oba Yisa Olanipekun and Prince Tunde Olanipekun, who is a member of Pastor Joshua’ church. They further opined that, “Though the substantive case has been resolved in favour of Oba Olanipekun, these people have refused to let go, consistently causing one form of trouble or another. The latest was last week when a group of war mongers decided to celebrate their own traditional Ajagbo festival, long after the traditional festival, which is traditionally held in the month of September, has ended.

nited Bank of Africa, UBA, Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited has initiated a contempt proceeding before an Ogun State High Court sitting in Sagamu against one Alhaji Kamorudeen Lamina (aka sir K) over his alleged disobedience of court order. The alleged contemnor (Lamina) is to show reason why an order for committal to prison should not be made against him. The motion for leave to serve the alleged contemnors with the forms 48 and 49 was filed by the claimant’s lawyer Mr. Yemi Omodele. Justice Osinuga had on April 1, 2015 granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), it agents or representatives from carrying out any form of construction on a landed property situated at Ewu Odofin Village, in Sagamu Local Government area of Ogun State. Justice Osinuga gave the order in a suit filed by United Bank of Africa, UBA, Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited against the Registered Trustee of RCCG over the disputed land measuring about 30.7 acres. However on April 7, 2015, RCCG in its application urged the court to set aside the order but the court in a ruling delivered on July 22, 2015 dismissed the application with cost of N10, 000.00 in favour of the claimant. In a 20-paragraph affidavit in support of the Notice of Committal deposed to by the secretary /principal member of Olowototo Olisa chieftancy family, Mr. Sanya Odubanjo following the order of interlocutory injunction made against RCCG, the church allegedly sought the services Lamina (land speculator) who invaded the village and chased out residents of the village. He stated that despite the order of the court, the defendant (RCCG) and its agents have commenced construction on the land in dispute adding that the attitude of the defendant was an indication that it lacked respect for the court.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Workers shutdown ITF hqtrs in Jos James Abraham Jos

L-R: Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Ben Langat; Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; Director, NBC, Laolu Akinkugbe and another Director, NBC, Alhaji Ahmed Mantey, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Ilorin, recently.

Cattle rustlers arrested with 159 cows in Kaduna

A za Msue Kaduna

o fewer than eight cattle rustlers were arrested with 159 cows by Operation Yaki Surveillance Patrol Team in a joint operation with Lere Divisional Police operatives in Kaduna State. According to a statement issued by Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, security operatives received a distress call at the con-

trol room of Operation Yaki headquarters that a group of suspected rustlers and animals were seen migrating from Doka Lere heading towards Yadin Garu in Lere Local Government Area of the state. Aruwan said the patrol teams, who were alerted immediately arrested the suspects and recovered the animals, noting that the recovered animals comprised 129 cows and 30 sheep.

According to Aruwan, the suspects and the recovered animals were handed over to the Divisional Police headquarters for delivery to their owners while preliminary investigation was in progress to establish the criminal profile of the suspects for possible prosecution. The statement added that three suspected cattle rustlers were also arrested with 33 cows by operatives of Operation Yaki Surveillance Patrol Team in a

joint operation with Lere Divisional Patrol Team in Wartsi Piti village in the local government. “The suspects and animals recovered were handed over to Lere Divisional Police headquarters for further investigation to establish the criminal profile of the suspects for possible prosecution.” The recovered animals have been handed over to the Zaria Area Command for delivery to their owners,” Aruwan said.

Diversion: Kaduna NSCDC arrests 8 filling station managers

Aza Msue Kaduna

igeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Kaduna State Command, yesterday arrested eight managers of filling stations in the metropolis and impounded two tankers for illegal diversion of petroleum products. State Commandant of the corps, Alhaji Modu Bunu, who announced this in a statement through his command’s Public Relations Officer, Orndiir Terzungwe, explained that the managers were strongly believed to be among saboteurs frustrating government’s efforts by selling PMS above approved pump price of N87. The commandant, however, said the suspects have been released on bail after signing an undertaking, but stressed that investigation was continuing. On the impounded

trucks marked ZAR 84 XR and ZAR 85 XR, whose content was believed to be petroleum products, Bunu said investigation has confirmed it belongs to Ebenco Global Link Limited located at Block A7, DC Rock Shopping Mall, 91 Hospital Road, Ekpan, Warri in Delta State. The commandant added that investigation has revealed that the suspected petroleum product was meant for Kano, but wondered why it was been diverted to another company (name withheld) in Kaduna metropolis when the NSCDC surveillance team intercepted it. Bunu said: “We have embarked on monitoring and distribution exercise of petroleum installations and distribution outlets in collaboration with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN.” “In view of the biting fuel scarcity leading to long

queues across the country and the urgent need to end it, the Kaduna command of NSCDC has taken measures to check-mate petroleum dealers who indulge in selling over the approved pump price to black-marketers beyond official hours, which is from 0600hrs to 2000hrs,” he added.

Bunu explained that in view of the worrisome trend, which has inflicted untold hardship on the people, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, had requested the corps to support it in enforcing sale to be restricted to 6am to 8pm pending improvement in the situation.

Priscilla Dennis

try. According to him, heterosexual transmission still accounts for majority of HIV transmission, while stigma still remained a major challenge to effective fight against the disease in the country. He also explained that children are exposed to HIV/AIDS through mother to child transmission or loss of one or both parents from the scourge, adding that Nigeria was getting to zero, ending AIDS by 2030. Tiffin revealed that

ctivities at the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, headquarters in Jos, yesterday, came to a standstill following protests by some staff who alleged mismanagement and high handedness by its leadership. But management of ITF said the allegations levelled against its Chief Executive, Dr Juliet Chwukkas Onaeko, by protesting staff of the organisation was false and unfounded. Head of Public Relations Unit of ITF, Mrs. Ifoma Ihezeu, stated this in a press statement issued in Jos, while reacting to allegations by the protesting workers. She said the alleged neglect by management as stated by the workers was untrue, saying that no worker of the Fund was owed any entitlement. According to spokesperson of the ITF, the union officials had rather refused meeting with management to discuss the lingering issues, thereby frustrating it efforts. “We have made several attempts to sit on a roundtable with officials of the union to discuss, but they refused to honour our call, they also refused meeting with officials of our ministry when they came calling.” Mrs. Ihezeu also debunked allegations by the workers that the DG was living in Abuja, rather than Jos, where headquarters of the ITF is located, to perform her duties; “it is not true that the DG resides in Abuja,

Niger HIV/AIDS rate drops to 1.7% Minna

iger State Ministry of Health said that based on the 2014 zero AIDS prevalence survey, HIV/AIDS in the state has decreased from 4.0 per cent to 1.7 per cent. Briefing journalists to mark World AIDS Day, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Ibrahim Tiffin, said the percentage was below the National average of 3.0 per cent and lowest in the North Central zone of the coun-

in 2015, 177,988 persons were counseled and tested out of which 19,396 were found positive and currently 15,444 people are on antiretroviral therapy treatment of HIV/AIDS in Niger State. The permanent secretary then stated that marking the day was aimed at increasing awareness, educating the people and fighting prejudice, while expressing determination of the state to end AIDS by 2030 with strategies already in motion.

the truth is that her visit to Abuja are for official reasons, you all know that headquarters of the Ministry of Industry just like every other is in Abuja, so as the chief executive, she had to be in Abuja most times for official engagements.” She attributed recent delay in meeting some financial obligations of companies partnering with ITF to the recently introduced Treasury Single Account, TSA, by the Federal Government, but explained that ITF had met its obligations to most of her clients. Earlier, staff of ITF shutdown its headquarters in Jos with all Area Offices of the organisation across the country over alleged abnormalities by the director-general. Addressing newsmen, chairman of Amalgamated Union of Public Cooperation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees, AUPTRE, Comrade Ishaya Audu, said they were not happy with the way and manner the present DG was handling affairs of the organisation. Some of the allegations levelled against the ITF chief executive by union officials were non-remittances of all deductions from salaries of staff from June till date, renovation of ITF headquarters with the sum of N248,622,900.00, which they considered very high, dissolution of staff school’s board without due process, nonpayment of training contributors reimbursement claims, which, according to them, has made staff redundant, lack of internal facility for training, among others. The protesting workers also revealed that the sum of N20.8 million approved for her foreign trips to 7 countries were not prudently managed, asking that the fund be returned to the organisation. It was observed that the ITF training centre in Bukuru and the Area Offices within Jos, and the headquarters were both locked as the threeday warning strike embarked on by the staff was nationwide.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Students on rampage over colleague’s death Femi Oyeweso Abeokuta

cores of students of D.S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic located at Itori in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, yesterday, went on rampage, following the death of one of their colleagues allegedly crushed by a fast-moving truck. The victim, identified CHANGE OF NAME ODEY: I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ODEY JACOBS, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OKO MERIT OKPEINYI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as INI OKON IDEN, now wish to be known and addressed as INI OKON AKPAN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME ONYISHI: I, formerly known as MISS ONYISHI MARY CHIOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ODO MARY CHIOMA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to certify that INALEGWU OGWA BLESSING, UDUAH OGWA BLESSING and AZIOGWA BLESSING refers to one and same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AZI OGWA BLESSING. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Adewoyin Omowumi Adebimpe now wish to be known and addressed as Adewoyin Omowunmi Adebimpe. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as OLUOHA CASMIRE TOCHUKWU , now wish to be known an addressed as EMMANUEL CASMIRE TOCHUKWU. All documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

YAKUBU FITUMI AND GRACE OJOMA REUBEN is the same and one person and now wish to be known and addressed as YAKUBU FITUMI. All former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known as vitus vicanics now wish to be known and referred to as nzerem chidubem anthony. All documents bearing the former name shall remain valid.General public take note CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to confirm that I, MUSA ABDULLAHI is one and same person known and addressed as MUHAMMED ABDULLAHI. All former documents bearing these names are mine and hence remain valid. The general public should please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

That my names were wrongly spelt as GRACE MFON UDOFIA whereas my correct names are UDOFIA, MFON EDET. That for all intent and purposes my names are UDOFIA, MFON EDET. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

as Ahmed Oladimeji, was said to be an OND II student of Business Administration of the institution, crossing the Itori end of the Abeokuta - Lagos Expressway when he was knocked down and crushed by the truck. Our correspondent gathered that the victim was going to collect his industrial attachment letter in the school when he met his untimely death. CHANGE OF NAME MATETA: I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ANNA DAVIS, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS PHIL NSONA MATETA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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

AMEDU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS JOY OJOMA AMEDO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OGWUCHE JOY OJOMAAMEDU. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to certified that MUOBIKE CHINAZO CYNTHIA is the same one person as IBEKE CHINAZO CYNTHIA , that henceforth wish to be addressed as IBEKE CHINAZO CYNTHIA . All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

The accident was reportedly caused by oneway traffic, due to another fallen truck, which blocked the inward lane to Abeokuta, forcing every vehicle coming from Lagos, Ota, among others, to face oncoming traffic from Abeokuta, at Itori axis. The truck was on its way to Abeokuta, when it crushed the victim, who probably was not aware that the traffic on both CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as MISS. ALAMU OLUWATOSIN ELIZABETH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. DAUDA OLUWATOSIN ELIZABETH ( NEE ALAMU). All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Ajikawo Adeniyi Afeez, now wish to be known and addressed as Kareem Adeniyi Afeez. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NNAJI: I, formerly known and addressed as NNAJI JOY CHINYERE (NEE EZE), now wish to be known and addressed as EZE JOY UZOAMAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME AGU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AGU GETRUDE .N., now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNADI GETRUDE NWABUNDO. All former documents remain valid. Local Government Service Commission, Enugu Central Local Government DC, Enugu North Local Government Council and general public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Adewoye Oluwabusayo Mary now wish to be known and addressed as Adeleke Oluwabusayo Mary. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Balogun Aisha Biola now wish to be known and addressed as Okwodu Aisha Biola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as JOHN PATRICK, now wish to be known an addressed as OGWU KEM GERALD. All documents remain valid. General public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as ADEBOYE Adeseun Christiana but now wish to be known as Mustapha Adeseun Christiana. General public please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ALOGUNLEKO ADEOLA MARY NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OLAWALE ALOGUNLEKO MARY. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE.

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CHANGE OF NAME OKPULOR: I, Formerly known and addressed as OKPULOR SAMSON OKECHUKWU, but now wish to be known, called and addressed as SOLOMON SAMSON OKECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public should please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Omowaye Ayodele Olusuyi, now wish to be known and addressed as Omowaye Ayomide Rowland. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note. Ajose

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known as JACOB INNUAEYEN ESSIEN now wish to be known and addressed as EKONG AKPAN UKO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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lanes had been collapsed to a single lane. The students on hearing the sad news raced to the scene, but the driver of the truck had escaped. However, they descended on the truck and set it ablaze. The students disrupted the traffic, which led to a gridlock. The protesting students allegedly held motorists up in the ensued traffic gridlock for more CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Fausat Omowumi Ahmed now wish to be known and addressed as Fausat Omowumi Yahaya Onyinoyi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME FAVOUR:I, formerly known and addressed as NGWU UKAMAKA FAVOUR, now wish to be known and addressed as NGWU UKAMAKA OGECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS MBANEFO CHINELO THERESA and MISS IDECHUKWU CHINELO THERESA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AGU CHINELO THERESA. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank, Zenith Bank, Fidelity Bank, UBA, Let Partner Ltd and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NWANKWO: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWANKWO UCHENNA COMFORT, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UKWUNNA UCHEGBULAM COMFORT. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Arotimi Esther Iyabode now wish to be known and addressed as Olujimi Esther Iyabode. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as JUBRIL SAHEED, now wish to be known and addressed as MALLAM JUBRIL SAIDU. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank, First bank Plc and general public should please take note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as UCHE DARLINGTON, now wish to be known and addressed as AKUDIUCHE DARLINGTON. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to confirm that I, OKOCHA STEPHEN is one and same person known and addressed as HENRY YAMA CYRIL. All former documents bearing the names mentioned above are mine and remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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than four hours. Some of the protesting students also vandalised vehicles for allegedly defying their ‘no movement’ order. When contacted, Registrar of the institution, Bayo Ogundimu, who spoke with journalists on phone, confirmed the incident. Ogundimu said the victim had just completed his ordinary diploma programme and was heading to school to collect letter for his Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme when he was crushed by the truck. “The truck that killed him was coming from CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as LAIOMOJE SHOLAGBADE, now wish to be known and addressed as OLAYIWOLA AMOJE SHOLAGBADE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OGBU:I, formerly known and addressed as OGBU JULIET CHINYERE, now wish to be known and addressed as OGBU MARIA NGOZI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as OTUKOYA BABATUNDE, now wish to be known and addressed as OTUKOYA SULAIMAN ADEMOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SALAWU TAIBAT OLANIKE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AYELEKE TAIBAT OLANIKE, former documents remain valid general public note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss. Oguntade Victoria Kemi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Aboyeji Victoria Kemi . All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as OLADIPO OLALEKAN AKINOLA, now wish to be known an addressed as OYINLOYE SEGUN MICHEAL. All documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

These names ONYEKWELU IKECHUKWU and ONYEKWELU IKENNA SAMUEL belong to the same person, all former documents remain valid. Zenith bank, Diamond bank and the general public please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to confirm that I, AHMED ABUBAKAR ADAMU is one and same person known and addressed as MALLUT ADAM and MALLUT ADAMU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME IKECHUKWU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS COMFORT CHUKWUDINKPA NGUMA IKECHUKWU now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS. COMFORT ROBINSON-NNANNAH. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

Lagos-end and heading for Abeokuta. You know many of those truck drivers are reckless. “There was a trailer that fell at Itori-Wasinmi axis, and the traffic on both lanes was collapsed into one. It became oneway for those coming from Lagos, because they were facing those coming from Abeokuta.” Ogundimu, who expressed sadness at the incident, said the school authorities rushed to the scene with an ambulance and was conveying the victim to General Hospital, Ifo, but he died on the way. CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as MISS HELEN ABIJIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS HELEN ABIJIA CHIEDO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME NWODO: I, formerly known as NWODO NGOZI MARYJANE, now wish to be known and addressed as ODOH NGOZI MARYJANE. All former documents remain valid. UBA and general public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss. Adewole Adebukola Oluwayemisi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okeyia Adebukola Oluwayemisi. All former documents remain valid. Airline Service Limited and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as OWOICHO THANKGOD USMAN now wish to be known and addressed as USMAN OJONUGWA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as EVEXITIUS CHUKWUDI MADUKA, now wish to be known an addressed as KELVIN OBINNA MADUKA . All documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

MODINAT SHODIPO, MODINAT HAMMED and SIDIKAT BAKARE, is the same and one person and now wish to be known and addressed as MODINAT HAMMED all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Ifeoma Anasthasia Obi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ifeoma Anasthasia Tunde-Asolo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME DAVID: I, formerly known and addressed as ROSEMARY DAVID now wish to be known and addressed as UGWUMADU ROSEMARY AMARACHI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME CHIMA: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS CHIMA COMFORT, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS. ORJI FELICIA AMUCHE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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44 47

World News

I want to assure the world that the United States not only recognises the climate change problem but is committed to doing something about it. –US PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA

Pope canvasses inter-religious harmony WITH AGENCY REPORT

Congo raid kills 24 Pope Francis and Imam Tidiane Moussa Naibiin in Bangui, Central African Republic, yesterday

country. The trip to the CAR was the Pope’s first visit to a conflict zone and the final stop on his three-nation African tour that also took in Kenya and Uganda. Conflict has blighted the CAR for decades but it was only in 2013 that the fighting took on a religious form.

President Francois Bozize was ousted in a coup in March 2013 and a group of mostly muslim rebels from the north, the Seleka, marched on Bangui, briefly taking control of the country. Towns and villages are divided, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced into camps divided along religious lines.

Vote counting begins in Burkina Faso

fficials said yesterday that counting is under way in Burkina Faso where voters have been choosing a new president and parliament after a year of political turmoil. It is the first election since last year’s popular uprising which toppled longstanding president Blaise Compaore. The vote was due to have been held last month but was delayed by a failed coup in September led by members of the elite presidential guard. Provisional results are expected by press time yesterday. “It is a victory for the youth that has expressed its will for change and for real democracy,” transitional President, Michel Kafando, had said on Sunday as he cast his vote. Former president Blaise Compaore was forced from office by street protests in October 2014 over his plans to serve another five-year term after he had been in power for 27 years.

Israelis nabbed over murder Two 17-year-old Israelis have been convicted of the murder of Palestinian youth Mohammad Abu Khdair, abducted and burned to death in Jerusalem in 2014. A verdict on a third defendant, a 31-year-old Israeli man, was postponed for a mental health review. Mohammad Abu Khdair, 16, was killed in apparent revenge for the murders of three Israeli teens in the West Bank. The killings were part of an escalating cycle of violence, culminating in a war between Israel and militants in Gaza. Khdair’s body was found in a forest in West Jerusalem on July 2 2014, two days after the bodies of the Israeli teenagers abducted and murdered by Hamas militants that June were found.

Afolabi Gambari

ope Francis yesterday told worshippers in a mosque in Bangui, Central African Republic that christians and muslims are brothers and sisters. The Pope spoke to muslims who had sought shelter in the capital Bangui after nearly three years of violence between christians and muslims. More than 100, 000 muslims fled the capital as a result of the fighting but 15, 000 are left in an area called PK5, according to the campaign group Human Rights Watch. Analysts said, however, that the Pope’s visit to the mosque was seen as the most difficult part of his Africa tour. The Pontiff later left Bangui at the end of his six-day visit to the continent. On Sunday, the Pope called on fighting factions in the CAR to lay down their weapons. Celebrating Mass in Bangui, he said they should instead arm themselves with justice, love, mercy and authentic peace. Earlier, he said he hoped next month’s election in the CAR would open a new chapter for the

AFRICAN BULLETIN

A transitional government was installed but the country was thrown into turmoil again in September when members of the elite presidential guard led a shortlived coup. The attempt failed and the guard was disbanded. Fourteen candidates are standing for the presidency and reports suggest that Roch Marc Christian Kabore and Zephirin Diabre are the front-runners.

Diabre has served as minister of economy and finance before he fell out with Campaore in 2010. Kabore served as prime minister and chairman of the Congress for Democracy and Progress party (CDP) before leaving the party in 2014, after opposing plans to extend Compaore’s rule. If no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, a second round will be held.

Contenders: Christian Kabore (left) and Zephirin Diabre

Army set for Ramadi attack

he Iraqi army has urged people living in the centre of the Islamic Stateheld city of Ramadi to leave before an operation to retake it is launched today. Reports yesterday said leaflets had been dropped by planes, warning residents the army planned to storm the city today. The call, which was also broadcast on state television, told them to use an exit secured by the army to the south. Ramadi was captured by IS in May in an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army. Last month, the US military said Iraqi troops and pro-government militiamen had essentially encircled the city, located about 90km (55 miles) to the west of Baghdad, and that conditions were set for a final assault. “This is the last warning by the security forces to the people inside Ramadi,” a source said, adding, “The security forces will storm the city, whether residents are inside it or not.” However, a spokesperson for Ramadi residents has called on the government to postpone the offensive.

At least 24 people have died in a town in the east of the Democratic Republic Congo after a rebel attack, the Congolese army said yesterday. Seven civilians, one UN peacekeeper and four soldiers are among the dead, the army also said. But UN General, Jean Baillaud, said it was suspected that the attack was carried out by a Ugandan Islamist group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is based in north-east DR Congo after being pushed out of Uganda. The seven civilians who died were all killed in the clinic. The attackers also blocked the town’s military base and a position of the UN peacekeeping mission, while others looted shops and the clinic after which they left in the middle of the night, having raided and burned down a large number of houses.

SA ‘baby sell’ mother pleads guilty A 20-year-old woman in South Africa, Zama Madlala, yesterday pleaded guilty to trying sell her child for 5, 000 rand ($380; £250) on advertising website Gumtree. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the mother faced charges that include human trafficking and money laundering. The 19-month-old boy is now in the care of social workers. Madlala, who appeared in court in Pietermaritzburg, was arrested after a police agent posed as a buyer. She will now remain under house arrest until her next court appearance early next year. NPA spokeswoman, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said more investigations would be carried out into the mother’s personal circumstances.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Any rumour of January transfers remains a rumour and, to be honest, I don’t act on rumour. For now, I am pleased with what I have –Manchester City Manager, Manuel Pellegrini

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Messi, Ronaldo go head-to-head again

S’South NFF Congress okays Falode for Women’s League

Awoniyi

CAF U-23 AF

CON

Awoniyi talks tough Paul Erewuba

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

igeria U-23, the Dream Team striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, has promised an improved performance when they face Egypt tomorrow in their second group game at the CAF U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal. It would be recalled that the Samson Siasia-coached team edged Mali 3-2 in Sunday’s game. Goals from Junior Ajayi (brace) and Usman Mohammed gave the Dream Team VI a 3-0 first half lead. But in the second half, the Malians came back strong and scored two goals. Reacting to the win, Awoniyi in a chat reportedly said he was

.. As Egypt dare Dream Team delighted that the team was able to hold on to the lead despite Mali’s second half onslaught. “That’s football for you (the narrow win against Mali), but we thank God that we were able to hold on to our lead and secured the three points. “There will be an improved performance tomorrow against Egypt.” The Eagles will qualify for the semi-final if they beat Egypt tomorrow. Meanwhile, Enyimba midfielder Kingsley Sokari is anticipating a difficult game for the U-23 Eagles in their second fixture at the CAF U-23 Cup of

Nations in Senegal, although he is confident his compatriots can get the job done. Sokari who was dropped just before the team jetted out to Gambia where they had the last lap of preparations for the second edition of the tournament thanked God for the win against Mali. “The Malians are a very good team but we have good players too and a very experienced coach,” the Enyimba midfielder stated. “Now that Mali is out of the way it is Egypt tomorrow. It will be another tough match but I trust my friends, they can do it. They will deliver. We just

need to take our chances and not give in when they come at us. “North African teams are very technical. They may not be as strong as our fellow West African rivals but you are sure the match against them will be as hard as the ones against teams from other parts of Africa.” Algeria is another North African foe that the U-23 Eagles will face in Group B of the tournament on Saturday. Sokari’s inability to be part of the team to Senegal was because of the insistence of some Enyimba players to leave the U-23 camp and be part of their club’s last league game in Lagos.

t was back-slapping galore in Port Harcourt as the South South Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation met to address pressing football issues ahead of elections into some arms of the football fraternity in the country. The meeting which was held at Aldgate Hotel, Perekule Street, GRA Phase 2 in the Garden City, had all the Chairmen and Secretaries, including other stakeholders of the South South football community in attendance. After robust discussion of members from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and River State, the congress unanimously agreed that first rate women’s sportscaster and football administrator, Aisha Falode, be adopted as the zone’s candidate for the forthcoming Nigerian Women’s League election. The communiqué described Falode as not only passionate and knowledgeable about the game, with cognate international experience, they also believed she has the capacity to help revive the dwindling fortunes of women football in the country by attracting sponsorship for the game, instead of the present situation that has seen complaints being hauled at the NFF leadership for not providing money for the women’s game in the country. The South South NFF Congress urged other geo-political zones to join it in reviving the Women’s game in the country. “We are sure our brothers and sisters from other zones will join hands with us to give new direction to Women’s football in the country as it has suffered in recent times”. The congress also passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation, saying under Amaju Pinnick, it has done well through victories at the U17 World Cup, qualification for various tournaments including the Women’s U17 World Cup and the Super Eagles continued battle to make it to the next World Cup in Russia and the upcoming Afcon Championship in Gabon.

Sports

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Robben wants Guardiola to stay at Bayern

2015 World’s Best Footballer:

Messi, Ronaldo go head-to-head again

ionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will go head-to-head once again for the title of world’s best footballer after being short-listed along with Neymar yesterday for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or. For the seventh time in eight years, the dynamic duo of Barcelona’s Messi and Real Madrid’s Ronaldo are expected to fill the top two places on the podium in Zurich in January for the coveted accolade of being the year’s leading player. Even before the award was merged with France Football’s Ballon d’Or in 2010, the men’s World Player of the Year had effectively become an annual private ‘Clasico’ between two of the great players of any generation. Argentine Messi, who will now have been on the podium for an amazing nine

… Neymar also on list successive years, won four times in succession between 2009 and 2012, while Portugal’s Ronaldo has won three times, once when he was at Manchester United in 2008 and the most recent two editions at Real Madrid. The only time in the last seven years when they did not finish one-two was in 2010 when the Barcelona trio of Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi swept the podium. Messi is an overwhelming favourite to lift the trophy again for a fifth time after a calendar year in which, despite losing two months to injury, he has still scored 48 goals while inspiring Barca to a Champions League/La Liga/King’s

Bryant,

Bryant

LA Lakers great to retire from NBA

ive-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history, will retire at the end of the season. Bryant has scored 32,683 points during a 20-year career with the LA Lakers to rank third on the NBA’s all-time list. The two-time Olympic gold medallist, 37, has been hindered by injuries in recent seasons and has been below his best this year for the Lakers. He told the Players’ Tribune: “My body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”

Cup treble. Ronaldo, too, has 48 to his name for club and country in 2015 but Real’s fortunes have slumped and his protests on the chat show beat that he is still the number one have held just a little less conviction than usual. Yet on his present scintillating form, Brazilian Neymar, Messi’s partner in destruction along with Luis Suarez at Barca, has a claim on being the equal of either of them. The Ballon d’Or vote has been made by national team coaches and captains and leading journalists, with the winner being announced at a ceremony in Zurich on January 11.

Bryant has averaged more than 25 points per game in his 1,293 NBA matches. Should the Lakers fail to make the end-of-season playoffs, his final game is set to be at home against Utah on 13 April. ‘I can’t love you obsessively for much longer’ The Lakers have won just two of their 16 matches so far this season, with Bryant

averaging 15.7 points per game. In a poem entitled ‘Dear Basketball’, Bryant announced “this season is all I have left to give”. The Philadelphia-born player added: “You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream. And I’ll always love you for it. But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.”

etherlands international Arjen Robben is eager for Pep Guardiola to remain at Bayern Munich beyond the end of this season. Arjen Robben has joined the queue of Bayern Munich players hoping coach Pep Guardiola commits to the Bundesliga champions - and also ruled out a move from the Allianz Arena himself. Guardiola’s current deal runs out at the end of the season, although talks are planned with the Bayern board following their final game before the winter break against Hannover on December 19. Robben is keen for the former Barcelona coach to remain in Bavaria for years to come. He told reporters: “We have one of the best coaches in the world. As many of our players have said, we all want him to stay. It is a lot of fun working with him. “Tactically he is maybe the best. And I don’t say that just because he is our coach at the moment.” Robben has a little over 18 months left on his deal but is not interested in discussing a move elsewhere. He added: “I am happy in Munich, my family is happy in Munich. My contract runs until 2017. You can’t look far forward in football, but everything is fine at the moment. I hope to continue this way.

Robben

Ogie makes golf pledge

ponsor of the 2015 edition of Edo Governor’s golf tournament, Barrister Osarondion Ogie has commended organizers of the tournament for a successful hosting of the event even as he promised to continue to support Benin Club Golf Section towards the development of golf in Edo State. He stated this at the closing ceremony of the tournament organized to commemorate the 7th anniversary of Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomole held at the Benin Club Golf Section (BCGS), Benin City. “I am delighted to be part of the golf tournament, am happy with the turnout and it rally encouraged me to do more if am called upon by the club in the nearest future. Ogie, who is also Edo State Commissioner for Works after playing a game with Hon. Sam Iredia and Philip Shaibu respectively confessed that he has stayed away from the game for over two decades but was quick to add that he would find time from his busy schedule to return to the game

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Mercyjacob_26@yahoo.com Tel: 08063056537

Rio Olympics: AFN assures of medal

..Sets July 7th for trials

thletics Federation of Nigeria, (AFN) has expressed confidence that 2016 Olympics will be a harvest of medals, adding that the athletes are roaring to go. Speaking to National Mirror during a chat in Lagos, , AFN Secretary General, Bamiduro Olumide said Nigeria had capable athletes who can win medals. “When most Nigerians keep hammering that Blessing Okagbare is our only medal hope, I just see it as ignorant, as I speak to you we have about 15 high profile and medal hopes, who are training in their various locations ahead of the Olympics. “It will be very wrong for us

to lay our eggs in one basket, though Blessing Okagbare is a good athlete she is not our only medal hope, Olumide said. The AFN yesterday released a date for the 2016 All Nigeria Athletics Championships which will serve as trials for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In a statement signed by Head of Communications, Media, Olukayode Thomas and made available to National Mirror, Thomas said the federation did not at any time fix a date for the trials being reported by online. “After our board meeting in Abuja last month, we approved the 2016 plan designed by the technical committee.

Nigerian athletes

The technical committee fixed the national championships for July 7-9 and the date has not changed’’. Thomas implored those writing another date for the trial to provide a written document from the AFN or verbal discuss with an authorized official of the federation to back their claim. “I am the only person authorized by the board of AFN to speak to the media on behalf of the board, and I can say authoritatively that we never issued a release on the date of the trial. I implore our media friends to always cross check information with AFN before going to press’’ Thomas concluded.

IAAF suspends three top Kenya officials

hree of the leading officials in Kenyan athletics have been suspended after being accused subverting anti-doping processes and siphoning off sponsorship money from Nike. Athletics Kenya’s president Isaiah Kiplagat, vice-president David Okeyo and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua have all been suspended for 180 days by the ethics commission of the IAAF, athletics’ world governing body. Okeyo is also an IAAF council member while Kinyua was Kenya’s team leader at the IAAF 2015 World Championships in Beijing in August. An IAAF ethics commission statement said the action had been taken by its chairman Michael Beloff QC. The statement says: “The chairman has imposed these orders for provisional suspension having carefully considered the complaints, evidence and information referred to the ethics commission.

“[These] disclose prima facie cases, i.e. cases warranting investigation, against Mr Kiplagat, Mr Okeyo and Mr Kinyua in relation to (1) potential subversion of the anti-doping control process in Kenya and (2) potential improper diversion from Athletics Kenya of funds received from Nike. “A prima facie case has also been found to exist in respect of Mr Kiplagat in relation to receipt, personally or by Athletics Kenya, of an apparent gift of two motor vehicles from the Qatar Association of Athletics Federation in the period 2014-2015.” An investigation will now be carried out which will then lead to a decision on whether disciplinary charges should follow. The ethics commission has appointed Sharad Rao, the former director of public prosecutions, as its investigator. Okeyo has denied any wrongdoing and said all funds had been fully accounted for by Athletics Kenya and audited.

Star Quote…

Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle!

Sanya Richards-Ross

World bits… 2016 Comrades Marathon entries closed

urban - Entries for the 2016 Comrades Marathon have officially closed. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) announced that the entry cap of 20 000 was reached on Monday morning, necessitating the closure of the entry process. Next year’s ‘down-run’ will be run on Sunday, May 29, 2016. The 91st edition of the iconic ultramarathon is expected to once again boost the KwaZulu-Natal economy by a whopping R500 million. CMA General Manager, Chris

Fisher says, ‘The Comrades Marathon contributes to the economic impact of the entire KwaZulu-Natal region due to the ever-increasing number of runners from the rest of Africa and internationally. This year we will be hosting athletes from some 70 countries around the world.’ CMA Race Director, Rowyn James has thanked all Comrades entrants for getting their entry in on time, saying, ‘Our plans are that the 91st Comrades Marathon is a truly awesome experience for our athletes as well as our supporters and spectators.’

Top honours for African duo

irhanu Legese of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Cynthia Limo overcame a tough challenge to emerge champions in the men’s and women’s elite fields respectively at the Delhi Half Marathon here on a misty Sunday morning. Legese clocked 59 minutes and 20 seconds to claim the top spot while his compatriot Mosinet Geremew was a second slower to finish second. Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese, the world record holder in the half marathon, finished third in 59:24. Tadese’s race was hampered after someone accidentally

stepped on his shoe at the eight km mark, but he was happy with his performance. “I took a break to tie my laces after someone stepped on my shoe. But I managed to catch the group and am glad I finished on podium,” said Tadese. Legese, 21, notched up his second major half marathon title this year after winning in Berlin in March where he set his previous personal best of 59:45. In Delhi, he was just 14 seconds outside the course record set in 2014 by another Ethiopian and defending champion, Guye Adola.

‘Russian Anti-Doping Agency will not be disbanded’

he Russian Anti-Doping Agency will not be disbanded despite the scandal surrounding the systematic doping of Russian athletes, the country’s sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, said on Monday. Rusada was criticised in the independent commission report put together by Dick Pound on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency earlier this month and was suspended

after being declared “non-compliant with immediate effect” at a Wada meeting in Colorado. The scandal has led to all Russian athletes being banned indefinitely by IAAF, a decision Russia decided last week to accept alongside the promise to cooperate with inspectors who will oversee changes to its drug-testing system. However, Mutko has insisted it’s own testing authority will not be shut down.

WORLD RECORD

Largest trick roping loop bybasketballs a male Fastest marathon dribbling two

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1253 Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The largest trick roping male was achieved by Charlie Keyes (USA), who spun loop around him fed to 107 ft 2 in, at Will Rogers International Wild West Expo in Claremore, Oklahoma, USA; 22 April 2006.

Of marriage, motherhood and fatherhood I have always known my wife to be a strong and determined woman. Sometimes, I call her the “Amazon” or “Iron Lady”, but each time she was in the labour ward, the iron in her always melted. I could not believe it. So the pain could be that dreadfully bad? I hope science discovers something soonest that would help reduce child bearing labour. Our formation into intricate and very delicate interwoven cells, veins, arteries, arterioles, muscles, flesh and bones, is all but a profound miracle. Any man who is worthy of the name man has no right to kill a child or even any human being. Left to some of us, infanticide should be visited with instant death penalty. For a

Guest Columnist

Ademola Orunbon

woman to carry a child for nine months and then turn around to kill that baby is unbelievable, yet it does happens. Most medics see such women as suffering from “post natal depression.” More dreadful, as is the in-thing in Lagos State, is to brand a child a witch. In Nigeria, if there is no term or nobody to explain the term “post natal depression”, the people concluded that the woman is also a witch. However, even though post natal depression is more prevalent in the advanced countries where there is complete lack of community spirit and sincere social interaction, the fact is that our “extended family” principles and practice has effectively nipped in the bud the early manifestation of such dangerous state of mind. In Africa, post natal depression is easily taken care of by the abundant presence of a couple’s extended family members. Their daily presence is a succour and a curative measure for the onset of its symptoms. In Europe, everything (including social relationships), is a commodity with an affixed price tag. In African tradition, a child is God’s gift to a family and must be accepted whether it was born out of wedlock or in it. I find it strange to use very funny but derogatory sounding terminologies like “bastard” or “illegitimate child”. To me, their coinage and usage ought to be limited to the English culture where authoritative assertiveness, bequeathed on all British citizens, is the order of the day. Every child has bona fide father

IT IS NOT EVERY MAN THAT HAS PATERNAL

INSTINCT, JUST AS IT IS NOT EVERY WOMAN THAT HAS MATERNAL INSTINCT and mother. Though, in the way we had lived, and even in modern time too, it is traditionally wrong for a lady to have children when her “bride wealth” has not been paid for by a man; but, that does not mean if the woman per chance becomes pregnant and gives birth, the child should not be absorbed into a family. Again, it is not every man that has paternal instinct, just as it is not every woman that has maternal instinct. Some people just want to give birth but run away from responsibility. I call them simplicity-seekers. A man who flees because his wife or partner has given birth to a baby cannot claim to have paternal instinct. This is notwithstanding the man’s social economic status or maternal condition. He has got to support his wife, his partner, and most important of all, his child. Financial support is not the all in social relationships. Moral support and the fact that one is always there from cradle to adulthood is equally of beneficial importance. Following from this and in the African tradition, the fact that you are a “biological father” does not automatically confer on you the status of “a social father”. If your demeanour and character as a “bio-

logical father” have a question mark, the “other others” and “significant others” will take control immediately. In other words, by the principle of the unity of the extended family practice, a neonate is never left in the cold. The child must be taken care of by either the mother’s or father’s siblings or by any member of that extended family unit. Part of the work of the UK Social Services Department has been effectively shortened and taken care of by the intricate working of our extended family system. Though modernization has impeded and somehow truncated its peaceful but gradual process of evolution, most of its practices are still intact in our countryside and villages. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, the joy of motherhood is, therefore, the joy of fatherhood. Women, especially African women, have this erroneous belief that the inability of children to start coming in a marriage is more of their headache. This is very, very wrong. The reality is 101 percent of men who sincerely go into marriage, especially African marriages, go into it not only for the sake of love and companionship, but for the sake of procreation. Every man will like to reproduce himself for his sake and for the continual evolution and existence of society. Women should always have it at the back of their mind that for a man to genuinely and sincerely choose you out of a whole lot, kneel before you to propose, and then later vowed to live the rest of his life with you, is a surmounting obligation which goes with enormous responsibility. That is why I would always advise men not to easily open their mouth and propose to a woman. Men have got to be psychologically ready and mature to utter such words. Orunbon, a political analyst, wrote from Epe, Lagos State via orunbonibrahimademola@gmail.com

Sport Extra

yson Fury’s world title victory over Wladimir Klitschko is the greatest since Muhammad Ali beat Sonny Liston in 1964, says trainer Peter Fury. The 27-year-old outpointed Klitschko in

Tyson’s win over Klitschko ‘best since Ali beat Liston’ Dusseldorf to become the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion of the world. The Manchester fighter claimed his victory was “not a shock for him”.

But Peter Fury, also the fighter’s uncle, said: “Ali said he had shaken the world [by beating Liston]. Tyson has done that, he’s shaken the world.” He added: “Tyson will

be in boxing a long time and will cement his legacy. He is going to enjoy his reign at the top. It has been a hard road but now he has landed at the top of the hill.”

Muhammad Ali - then known as Cassius Clay - upset Sonny Liston in February 1964, the overwhelming favourite retiring on his stool after the sixth round.

Tyson

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