Monday, august 31, 2015 (new) by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

PDP’s mess must be cleared for better life –APC

THE

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NIWA, NNPC discuss crude oil delivery to refineries P.7

Sleazes going on under Buhari’s watch, says PDP

OBIORA IFOH AND OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU Oyegun

Vol. 5 N0. 1189

of the Goodluck Jonathan's administration. The party said the corruption mess that charac-

ll Progressives Congress, APC, has listed new instances of insane looting of the treasury by some officials

Monday, August 31, 2015

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

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Boko Haram targets I Lagos, Enugu, Rivers

OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

ndication emerged at the weekend that the Boko Haram sect plans to attack some parts of southern Nigeria, particularly Lagos, Enugu and Rivers states. Multiple but credible intelligence sources said that security operatives had scaled up intelligence-gathering mechanism to nip in the bud activities of the sect

…DSS nabs 20 suspects

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Ooni stool: 9 top contenders emerge P.8 Boko Haram kills 68 in Borno village P.6 Rivers probe:

I'll not join issues with Amaechi –Wike P.11

Ten members of Boko Haram executed by firing squad in Chad, at the weekend.

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Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Boko Haram targets Lagos, Enugu, Rivers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in the bud. Our correspondent learnt that the heavy military onslaught against the strongholds of the sect in the North-East has forced some of their foot-soldiers to relocate to other parts of the country where they are regrouping in smaller cells to launch bomb attacks in their new areas of responsibility. Consequently, the Department of State Services, DSS, said it had re-strategised its counter-terrorism measures to combat the menace of Boko Haram insurgency in the country. It said the group’s new pattern of movement and spread is necessitated by the pressure being put on them in their core areas of strength in the North-East. Accordingly, DSS said it had rounded up some notable commanders and frontline members of the notorious group from different parts of the country. A statement signed by Tony Opuiyo said the suspects were arrested in Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Enugu and Gombe states between July 8 and August 25. In Lagos alone, nine members of the violent gang were arrested. However, according to Opuiyo, of particular note was the arrest on 8th July, 2015 in Gombe State of those responsible for the coordination and execution of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and Jos. Opuiyo gave their names as Usman Shuaibu, Ahmed Mohammed, Adamu Abdullahi, Ibrahim Isa, Mutaqqa Yusuf and Bakura Modu. Others are Mustapha Alli Jamneri, Abuyi Sherriff, Babagana Ali and Babagana Koloye, Abba Modu Sagma, Grema Abubakar, Tijani Bagudu, Baba Alhaji, Abass Ibrahim, Ibrahim Audu, Ibrahim Haruna, Mal Ali Mohammodu, Adam Wakil Abdul Jilbe and Mohammed Usman. According to the DSS, Shuaibu, also known as “Money” revealed that he coordinated the attacks on the four cities with N500, 000, which was provided by his Amir, one Isa Ali. “He claimed that the said Isa Ali has links to the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, from

where he collects monies to fund operations undertaken by their Markaz. “Also, he revealed that he has participated in several Boko Haram attacks, including the attacks at Gwoza Divisional Police Station in 2014. “Shuaibu admitted being the leader of the team of nine sect members that was dispatched from Sambisa Forest to carry out the attacks. “He disclosed that four out of the nine of them were used as suicide bombers in executing all the attacks,” Opuiyo stated. Ahmed Mohammed also called Abubakar is said to be an IED expert, who allegedly confessed to the preparation of IEDs used for the mentioned attacks. He also averred that it was him who strapped the

suicide bombers, notably Sule and his wives, with IED vests, which they used in the attacks on Jos. Adamu Abdullahi on his part reportedly confessed that Usman Shuaibu motivated him to work closely with Ahmed Mohammed in the preparation of the IEDs used in the attacks. Ibrahim Isa was however the one who allegedly carried out reconnaissance on the targets in Jos ahead of the attacks. Muttaqa Yusuf, in his confession, disclosed that one Aliyu, believed to be Aliyu Gombe, in Sambisa forest, was the one that ordered the serial attacks which the syndicate carried out. He further confessed that he assisted Usman Shuaibu in the planning and execution of the said attacks.

Those arrested in Lagos axis include Bakura Modu, who was picked up on July 20 at Kara, Isheri Berger, Ifo LGA, Ogun State; Mustapha Alli Jamneri was arrested on July 24 at Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Alimosho LGA and Abuyi Sherriff who was rounded up on August 7 at Ebute-Metta, Lagos Mainland LGA. Both Babagana Ali and Babagana Koloye were arrested on August 7 at Eric Moore, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere LGA, while Abba Modu Sagma was arrested on August 9, at Ijora Badiya, Apapa. Also, Grema Abubakar and Tijani Bagudu were arrested on August 10 at Amukoko, Ijora Badiya, Apapa LGA, while Baba Alhaji and Abass Ibrahim were arrested earlier on the same day at Alaba International

Market, Alaba, Ojo LGA. Adam Wakil Abdul Jilbe was arrested on August 23 at Obanikoro Area, Mushin LGA, even as Mohammed Usman was arrested on August 25 at Atuashe Estate, Gbagada, Kosofe LGA. On his part, Ibrahim Audu was arrested on August 19 at New Artisan Market, Enugu, Enugu State; Ibrahim Haruna the 30-year old suspect from Kanawa Village, Sumaila LGA, Kano State was arrested on August 21, at Kwomi Village, Kwami Local Government Area (LGA), Gombe State. Mal Ali Mohammodu, a 33 year old suspect was arrested on August 22 at Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Fagge LGA in Kano State. DSS said Nigerians and indeed the general public had to note that the arrest of Usman Shuaibu and the

core members of his cell, stemmed the spate of bombings by the extremist sect. It would be recalled that Shuaibu and his group were arrested on their way to Bauchi State where they had planned to execute another heart-rending bomb attack. “Furthermore, the sudden influx of Boko Haram members into Lagos State points to the determination of the sect to extend its nefarious terrorist activities to the state and in fact, other parts of the country. “The arrest of these confessed terrorist elements has however helped in no small measure to avert devastating attacks in the area. “However, the Service is making efforts to conclude its investigations and commence prosecution of the suspects,” the statement added.

L-R: Judges of Glo Literature Prize and WS, Prof. Olu Obafemi of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo of the University of Lagos, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Mohd Inuwa Umar Buratai of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Secretary of the panel, Dr. Ogochukwu Promise, during the launch of Glo Literature Prize for Undergraduate Students in Lagos, at the weekend.

PDP’s mess must be cleared for better life –APC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

terised the administration was so pervasive that until it is cleaned, Nigeria would not be able to actualise its potentials. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday in Abuja, which was a reply to PDP’s insinuation on the state of affairs in the country since May 29, APC said: “Those who would rather give comfort to the looters by dismissing media

exposure of looting cases as mere hell-raising should realise that no sane person can be silent in the face of what is unfolding as the worst cases of brazen stealing of public funds in Nigeria’s history. “On August 16, we listed some instances of the breath-taking looting of the treasury by some officials of the immediate past administration. Today, we bring three more heart-rending cases to the attention of

Nigerians. We will not relent until closure has been brought to this issue.” APC listed the new cases as: a $2.2bn arms scandal; a $6.9m fraud by the Chief Security Officer, CSO, to former President Jonathan, committed under the guise of buying three mobile stages for the President and a N2.5bn scam involving the rent of house boats. “While those charged with handling these cases are finalising the details of

bringing the suspects to justice, our immediate concern is the attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under whose umbrella the looting took place, to blame the Muhammadu Buhari administration for the mess and then infer that things have been worse in Nigeria in the past three months under the APC-led Federal Government than in the 16 years under the PDP. This is totally provocative, shameless and uncharitable.

“PDP said we are yet to fulfil our campaign promises to Nigeria, but they have forgotten that if only the PDP/Jonathan administration had not stolen Nigeria blind, there would have been more than enough money to give school children in Nigeria not just one but three meals a day and even pay N5,000 monthly to 50 million most vulnerable Nigerians, not just the 25 million we promised in our manifesto,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, August 31, 2015

Photo News

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L -R: Junior Brand Manager, Peak, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Mr. Adetunji Quadri; one million naira winner of the Peak Reach for Millions Promo, Raji Muideen Taiwo; Senior Brand Manager, Peak, Mrs. Omolara Banjoko and Client Service Manager, Oracle Experience Ltd, Mrs. Idongesit Ezekiel, during the prize presentation in Lagos, on Saturday.

L-R: Principal Investigation Officer, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) Youth Development Project, Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun; President of NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori; Academy Secretary, Biological Science, Prof. Temitayo Sokunbi; Principal Consultant, Lonadek, Dr. Ibilola Amao and Academy Secretary, Physical Sciences, Prof. Domingo Okorie, presenting project report on NAS-Youth Development Project, during a roundtable meeting with media representatives in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: Director, Finance and Accountants, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mr. Musa Babura; Director-General, Mrs. Dayo Keshi and Director, Extension Services, Hilary Ogbechi, during a press briefing on activities of NCAC 40th anniversary celebration in Abuja, at the weekend. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

L-R: Rotimi Alakija (a.k.a DJ Xclusive), Brand Manager Star, Obabiyi Fagade and Comedian Lafup, during Star Music Trek Grand Finale in Gbagada, Lagos, on Saturday.

National News

Group berates Buhari over appointments Abiodun Nejo and Chris Njoku

socio-political group known as South East Progressive Assembly, SEPA, has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for jettisoning federal character in the appointments so far made since he assumed office. In a statement titled “President Buhari’s Appointment and Ndigbo”, signed by its President, Ebere Uzoukwa, the group stated that President Buhari’s agenda of jettisoning federal character in the recent appointments was a game plan to exclude Ndigbo in his government. The statement reads in part: “The South East Progressives Assembly, SEPA, has observed with dismay the lopsided and glaringly non-federal character compliant ap-

•Cleric tasks president on equity pointments so far made by President Muhammed Buhari since he assumed office as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. “The most recent appointment of Secretary to the Federal Government, SGF, Chief of Staff, Controller General of Customs, Controller General, Immigrations; as well as Senior Special Assistants on Legislative Matters for Senate and House of Representatives from the northern part of the country has clearly proved that South East zone in the eyes of President Muhammad Buhari is not a component of Nigeria.” The group recalled that President Buhari had vindictively disengaged about five persons from the South East holding various plum posi-

tions at federal establishments and hurriedly replaced them with his kinsmen. According to the group, the deliberate exclusion of the South East from the current government portends grave implications, which the group observed, could lead to agitations. They pointed out that the appointments had made a mess of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s prediction of a better political deal for Ndigbo under the umbrella of APC. “The governor during his campaign period promised that Ndigbo would either get the Vice Presidency, Senate Presidency, Speaker of Federal House of Representatives or at worse National Chairman of the ruling party. “Having lost the posi-

tions and even the APC principal positions in the two-chamber National Assembly, Ndigbo were reportedly promised the SGF by the governing party with Chief (Dr) Ogbonna Onu highly favoured for the position. “With over 25 appointments so far made by President Buhari without anyone from the South East, it is now glaring and incumbent on Ndigbo irrespective of party affiliation to return to the drawing board and probably rediscover themselves in the Nigerian political space,” the group added. Meanwhile, General Overseer of the Word Bible Church, Prophet Babatunde Kumoluyi, has urged President Buhari to ensure equity in his appointments into offices. Kumoluyi said all parts of the country

should be considered equitably in the appointments “since we own Nigeria together and we all have a role to play together in building and rebuilding it.” The cleric, who was in Ekiti State for a monthly three-day All Purpose Prayers programme, spoke in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, saying the President should also consider members of the different opposition parties in his search for responsible Nigerians for appointments. He said Buhari had been on a steady path of reconstruction since he assumed office. He said: “So far, President Buhari has been doing well. Nigeria is like a 13-storey building that collapsed. It has to be reconstructed steadily and carefully. “Some people say Mr.

President is slow, but he is on course. The needful has to be done to ensure responsible people and things are in place. The results are coming out. For instance at Ketu Lagos where our headquarters is, electricity has been somehow stable now. This is a deviation from what it used to be.” The cleric said that what Nigeria needed were sincere leaders who would lead the country aright. “We have been praying for good leadership for the country. With sincerity, Nigeria will lead the whole world. “God has blessed the country with vast natural and human resources. With sincere leaders, the country’s good fortunes and glory can be restored and all will be well again,” Kumoluyi said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Monday, August 31, 2015

PDP’s mess must be cleared for better life –APC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

the party added Assuring Nigerians of better days ahead, despite the almost daily discovery of cases of corruption under the Jonathan administration, APC said all its campaign promises will be kept because of the commitment and determination of President Buhari not only to clean the Augean stable, but also to ensure purposeful governance for the benefit of all Nigerians. Mohammed said: “It is clear to all Nigerians that the debilitating impact of 16 years of PDP’s misrule cannot be reversed in just three months. It is an obvious truth that it is always easier to destroy than to construct, but nothing will stand in the way of the Buhari administration’s commitment to improving the quality of life of Nigerians and making our country to function again.” He said that a major clog in the wheel of faster progress for the new Nigeria under President Buhari had been the discovery that the pot housing the commonwealth had been licked dry by the looters of yesterday, hence the need to work meticulously to recover looted funds and facilitate the delivery of good governance that would manifest in abundant jobs, strong economy and improved welfare and security for Nigerians. APC added that while PDP, ever steeped in the pursuit of lies, presents the recently released data on job creation and economic growth as 'clear signals' that President Buhari is failing Nigerians, the disgraced party mischievously omitted the fact that those numbers are basically a manifestation of the disastrous final days of President Jonathan’s failed economic policies. It said: “PDP omitted the fact that these numbers measure job creation and economic growth for the second quarter of 2015, which covers April to June 2015, a period in which President Jonathan was in office for 2 months while President Buhari was only just settling in to discover even more of the mess left for him to clear. “No one in his or her right mind will hold someone more accountable for actions in just one month and exonerate another who was in the same office for

two months. “Since the PDP has become insular to global events, the APC will also like to educate the party that every country in the world is struggling to adjust to the effects of a global downturn at the moment. “Only very few countries, if any, are growing as fast as they did, in say two years ago. From China, India, Russia, South Africa, to Ghana, Malaysia and Brazil, every country is feeling the effects of a sustained slowdown in global growth. “APC will also like to categorically say that it supports the policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, in its quest to ensure greater transparency in the foreign exchange market and eliminate currency substitution in our economy. “CBN’s policy to stop cash deposits of foreign currency is in line with global best practices and has led to a drastic reduction in the BDC exchange rate for the dollar.” Commending Nigerians for showing absolute understanding and faith in the leadership of Buhari to change the way Nigeria has been misruled in the last 16 years, APC assured that, in the days ahead, the painstaking efforts of the President would manifest even more than Nigerians had already witnessed. PDP had earlier challenged the APC-led government to present to Nigerians a score card of investments it has made in any critical sector of the economy in the last 90 days. PDP said it noted the deliberate resort to diversionary blackmail and overused excuses by President Buhari-led APC government to shy away from providing answers to the salient issue of unprecedented damage it has done to the nation’s economy in its 90 days in office. The party said rather than hide their heads in shame for poor performance in the last 90 days that had resulted in the sudden economic retrogression, the worst ever experienced by the nation, APC and Presidency continued to grope and look for excuses. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement said: “We challenge this administration to present to Nigerians a score card of invest-

ments it has made in any critical sector of the economy in the last 90 days. “What investment has the Buhari administration made in power, health, education, the railway or petroleum sectors in the last 90 days, to warrant its posturing on achievements?” PDP said it had severally expressed its support for a holistic fight against corruption and had also challenged the Federal Government to investigate and prosecute all corrupt persons irrespective of ethnic and political affiliations. It said: “We are therefore appalled that instead of getting serious with the challenges of governance, the APC is bent on inventing excuse for its crass incompe-

tence to create and manage wealth, to the detriment of the nation. “We challenge the APC and the Presidency to be honest enough to respond to issues instead of resorting to propaganda. “Is the so-called mess clearing an answer for the adamant stance of the APC and President Buhari in running a government without a cabinet and precise fiscal policy direction, a strange totalitarian approach that has taken serious toll on the economy and the polity in general. “What has the APC and the Presidency to say to the official report by the National Bureau of Statistics that while they are busy celebrating imaginary

achievements, the economy is running aground with real Gross Domestic Product, GDP, plunging with about 2.35 per cent, with job creation dropping by 69 per cent under their watch? “Are we not already experiencing the consequences of abuse of rules such as the foisting of foreign exchange transaction restrictions in violation of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, otherwise known as Decree No. 17 of 1995? “What is the APC-led government’s answer to the report by Fitch Rating, which alerted that Nigerian banks and other businesses in the sector are now at risk following the economic slowdown occasioned by the incompe-

tence of the President Buhari-led APC government? “Why have the government and the APC refused to provide answers to the recent depleting of funds inherited from the previous administration without recourse to appropriate statutory arms of government, while no corresponding improvement has been witnessed in the economy? “Is the APC not artfully seeking to appropriate the achievements made by the PDP-led administration; such as the effort in ending polio, the improvement in power supply, the reopening of the refineries, among others which are dividends from numerous investments by the previous administrations?”

Senate President Bukola Saraki (left); Senate Leader, Sen. Ali Ndume (2nd right) and other guests, during the wedding Fatiha of Sen. Ndume’s daughter at Alnur Mosque in Abuja, at the weekend.

Anti Corruption: Buhari won’t succumb to blackmail–Presidency ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

ormer President Goodluck Jonathan’s ministers yesterday condemned what they called concerted effort by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to condemn, ridicule and undermine the efforts of the immediate past administration. The ministers also accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, government of impugning the integrity of its individual members. But the Presidency in a swift reply said it cannot be distracted from its avowed commitment to prosecute the war against corruption.

The former ministers in a joint statement in Abuja, signed by former National Planning Minister, Dr Abubakar Suleiman urged the President to stop unwarranted attacks on them and former President Jonathan. They noted that while Buhari and his party, had the right to chart their path, they considered the vilification of the Jonathan’s administration as ill-intentioned, unduly partisan, and in bad faith. They noted that contrary to what the present government has made Nigerians to believe, the Jonathan administration did not encourage corruption or involved in looting public funds. They said: “We are proud

to have served Nigeria and we boldly affirm that we did so diligently and to the best of our abilities. The improvements that have been noticed today in the power sector, in national security, and in social services and other sectors did not occur overnight. “They are products of solid foundations laid by the same Jonathan administration. “Contrary to what the APC and its agents would rather have the public believe, the Jonathan administration did not encourage corruption, rather it fought corruption vigorously, within the context of the rule of law and due process. “For the benefit of those who may have forgotten so

soon, it was the Jonathan administration that got rid of the fraud in fertilizer subsidies, which had plagued the country for decades. “This helped to unleash a revolution in agricultural production and productivity.” But the Presidency in its reply said no amount of blackmail would stop President Buhari from prosecuting the war against corruption in the country. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in a statement in which he asked what the former ministers are afraid of, maintained that the issue of fighting corruption by Buhari was nonnegotiable.

News

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

It’s more expensive to maintain legislators in U.S., UK –Institute N

ational Institute for Legislative Studies, NILS, has said it is more expensive to maintain legislators in the U.S. Congress and the UK Parliament than in Nigeria. Director-General of NILS, Dr Ladi Hamalai, who disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja yesterday, was speaking

against the backdrop of calls for a massive cut in the remuneration of Nigerian legislators. Hamalai said most of those calling for cut in salaries and allowances of National Assembly members were not informed on how much it costs to maintain a parliament. “If you go to the United States, United Kingdom, salaries of legislators may

not be much, but the budget of maintaining a single legislator in the US Congress is much. “Each legislator has a budget for maintaining office; each legislator is entitled to about 18 aides. “This is apart from the many committee staff and research staff they have at their disposal. “We calculated salaries of a legislator in the US

Congress plus his personal aides; just this two will amount to almost N254m a year. “Now, this is exclusive of budget for maintaining the office. They also have claims, re-imbursables. “You travel to do a town hall meeting - these are eligible claims. So, it is not really cheap maintaining the congress in U.S. “Let’s even look at the

Buhari, CDS mourn victims of ill-fated NAF aircraft UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

resident Muhammad Buhari and the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, yesterday, commiserated with the families of the ill-fated Donnier-228 Nigerian Air Force, NAF aircraft, which crashed in Kaduna on Saturday killing all passengers on board. A statement by the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, through the Director of

Defence Information, DDI, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said the President, was represented at the Federal Government’s visit to the crash site and families of the deceased by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, MOD, Aliyu Ismaila in company of the CDS amongst others. The President, the DDI said, described the incident as colossal loss not only to the family, but to the nation. He extended his condolences on behalf of the Fed-

eral Government and Nigerians to the families of the victims. The President prayed for the repose of their souls and also prayed Almighty God to grant the families the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss. Similarly, Abubakar said the CDS, who was also in the Presidential entourage, consoled the families on behalf of the Armed Forces and described the late officers as fine, loyal and patriotic gentlemen,

who died gallantly while serving their fatherland. The Dornier-228 aircraft, with call sign NAF030 crashed into a house at Ribadu Cantonment, Kaduna shortly after take-off on Saturday, killing all passengers onboard. The Abuja bound aircraft was said to have taken-off at about 6:45am from the Kaduna Military Airfield before the mishap.

UK Parliament. By the time you calculate all the expenses, it will cost between N90 and N100m to maintain a UK parliamentarian. “They have personal aides of between eight and 20 depending on the importance of the legislator,” she said. Hamalai allayed fears that the cost of running the legislature in Nigeria would have a negative impact on the economy. “One would say yes their GDP is much higher; they can afford it; then our criticism should not be that they do not deserve this amount of money (paid to them); maybe you look at the implication on the economy. “Now, if you even look at the wider implication on the economy, you (will) discover that the whole budget of the National Assembly is just three per cent of the national budget. “If you calculate it, you have over N4trn federal budget in a year; the Na-

tional Assembly this year has N120bn; this is even less than three per cent. “So, is it the three per cent that would have so much impact as to cause so much damage to the national economy? I don’t think so,” she added. Also reacting to the calls for the country to adopt a unicameral legislature as a way of cutting the cost of governance, the DG argued that it would amount to changing Nigeria’s system of government. She said that subscribing to a unicameral legislature could weaken the principle of Separation of Powers and make the executive arm of government dictatorial. “We need a system whereby we will have good checks and balances. “We need a strong legislature; we need a strong judiciary in this country to make sure that everybody does the right thing,” she said.

Boko Haram kills 68 in Borno village INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

t least, 68 people have been killed and several others injured in a Boko Haram attack on Baanu village in Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State. A resident, Yuram Musa, who fled to Maiduguri, said the insurgents invaded the village on horses at about 8:30pm on

Friday. He said, “We fled into the bush to hide and after they left, we returned to pick some of our belongings. I counted 68 corpses. Some had their throats cut, while others had gunshot wounds. Corpses littered the streets.” Confirming the attack, Governor Kashim Shettima, while addressing parents of the abducted Chibok girls at the weekend

said the insurgents killed 56 persons in the village. “The Boko Haram crisis is a calamity that has befallen us, as the insurgents do not discriminate whether somebody is Christian or Muslim nor tribal affiliations. “Just yesterday, they killed 56 people in Baanu village, and as I am speaking to you, their corpses still littered the streets of the village.”

Council of Imams back Buhari’s loot recovery move

ouncil of Imams and Ulama in Kaduna State, yesterday said the effort by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in recovering stolen wealth from past corrupt officials was commendable. The resolution was passed in Kaduna after the council’s annual conference. Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Baban Tuni, and Secretary-General,

Yusuf Arrigasyyu, presented the resolution. According to the resolution, the effort of the Federal Government to recover all ill-acquired wealth looted from the nation’s treasury was laudable. Tuni said, “Therefore, it is compulsory to retrieve the people’s right from corrupt and selfish persons. “The Council is urging the government to do justice to the culprits accord-

ing to the provisions of the law. “The Council also feels delighted and appreciative of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari in its effort to wipe out insurgency and other terrorists acts from Nigeria. “The Council equally observes that some progress and successes have been recorded at various levels within few months of this administration.”

THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, MUBI OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR PMB 35, MUBI, ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERI WIBSITE: www. federalpolytechnicmubi.edu.ng Email: mis@federalpolytechnicmubi.edu.ng

INVITATION FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL BIDS FOR 2013/2014 MERGED TETFUND LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTION PROJECTS Introduction: The Management of the federal Polytechnic, Mubi Adamawa State is desirous to execute its 2013/2014 Merged Tetfund Library Development Projects. Consequently, in line with Public Procurement Act 2007, the Polytechnic is requesting qualified and reputable contractors of good track records to bid for the Library Development Projects. Interested contractors with relevant experience in supply of Library Books. Furniture and Equipment are hereby requested to submit their documents for consideration. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS: LOT A: Procurement of 3,889 copies of Assorted Books for 27 Academic Departments. LOT B: i. Procurement of 90 copies of Reference Books. ii. Procurement of copies of 861 Assorted Books for three (3) Science based academic departments. iii. Procurement of 311 Copies of Local Journals. Iv. Procurement of 4000 copies of E-Books. v. Procurement of 1318 copies of E-Journals. vi. Procurement of 355 Nos. of E-Library furniture and Library Furniture. LOT C: i. Procurement of 230 E-Library Equipment and Library Equipment. ii. Procurement of 105 Nos. of HP Desktop Computers. iii. Procurement 5 Nos. of HP Laptop. THE PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS TO BE PROVIDED BY INTERESTED CONTRACTORS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Your company should show the following mandatory requirements: 1. Evidence of certificate Incorporation with corporate Affairs Commission. 2. Evidence of Current Tax clearance in the last three (3) years. 3. Evidence of compliance with Pension Reform Act. 2007. 4. Evidence of compliance with Industrial Training Fund (ITF). Others: 1. Evidence of audited account for the last three (3) years. 2. Evidence of Financial capability and Banking support. 3. Evidence of Registration with VAT/TIN. 4. Evidence of comprehensive company profile. 5. Evidence of similar verifiable projects awarded and executed within the last five (5) years. 6. Evidence of social responsibility rendered (if any). VERIFICATION OF CLAIMS: Please note that the Federal Polytechnic Mubi reserves the rights to verify claims made for the purpose of prequalification and financial tender as submitted by the interested contractors COLLECTION OF TENDER/BID DOCUMENTS: Interested companies are to collect tender document from THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR. FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC MUBI, ADAMAWA STATE on the payment of non-refundable fees of N30,000.00 to the Bursary Department and obtain a receipt. SUBMISSION OF TENDER/BID DOCUMENTS: Technical and Financial Bids are to be submitted in two separate envelopes clearly marked “TECHNICAL” and “FINANCIAL” with Lot No. and Description of Project addressed to THE REGISTRAR, FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC MUBI, ADAMAWA STATE. The envelopes are to be dropped in THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE, FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC MUBI, ADAMAWA STATE not later than Monday 14th September, 2015 at 12:00 noon from the date of this Publication. OPENING OF TENDERS/BID DOCUMENT: The Pre-qualification documents (Technical Bills) shall be opened in the council Hall of the federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State immediately after closing of submission of bids by 12 Noon on Monday 14th of December, 2015, Followed by tender opening (Financial Bids). Representatives of all responding companies, Civil Societies, NGO’S and Members of General Public are hereby invited to witness the Bid Opening Exercise please. PLEASE NOTE THAT: 1. Tender documents submitted late shall be rejected. 2. Invitation for Financial Bids Opening will be extended to only bidders who are technically pre-qualified. 3. The Polytechnic shall not enter into any correspondence with any unsuccessful bidder. 4. Nothing in this advert shall be construed to be commitment by the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. Signed: Dr. Suleiman S. Buba Registrar

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National News

Monday, August 31, 2015

CSOs commend FG’s endorsement of centenary city project Adeola Tukuru ABUJA

L-R: The Chairman, Local Organising Committee, 40th Annual General Meeting of the Pharmacological Conference, Mr Caleb Mpyet; President, Pharmacological Society of Nigeria, Prof. Sebastian Nwosu, and Consultant Ophthalmologist, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr Nanbam Bupwatela, during the 40th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Society in Jos on Saturday. PHOTO:NAN

NIWA, NNPC discuss crude oil delivery to refineries N ational Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, has initiated discussion with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on how to deliver crude oil to refineries through the waterways. Acting Managing Director of NIWA, Mr Danaladi Ibrahim, told newsmen in Lokoja on Sunday that formal discussion with management of the NNPC on the proposal would begin this week. Danaladi said NIWA was encouraged to initiate the proposal by the recent decision to stop delivery of crude oil by trucks to the refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri. He said NIWA was in a good stead to deliver crude oil through barges to the refineries, describing the option as cheaper, safer and environment-friendly, adding that NIWA also had the capacity to deliver refined products through inland waterways to all the states except Katsina and Kano. According to him, the organisation had procured enough tugboats to drive the barges, which were of varying capacities from 300 tonnes to

800 tonnes. He said NIWA had also procured 17 gunboats to guarantee security of the facilities and personnel involved in the operation. Ibrahim expressed hope that the proposal would enjoy favorable consideration of the NNPC, adding that the organisation had taken steps to protect the banks of River Niger. This is to prevent the dredged channel which was undertaken at a cost of N36 billion from being blocked. The NIWA chief expressed delight that the

country would start reaping the benefits of the dredging, saying that more companies had indicated their readiness to use to barges to move their products. Ibrahim suggested the establishment of an inland waterways trust fund for the country to take maximum advantage of its inland waterways. He said that the fund would make it compulsory for the stakeholders in the maritime sector to pay a certain percentage of their earnings for the development of inland waterways infrastruc-

ture. Ibrahim added that his vision was to unlock the potential of the sector in line with efforts of the government to diversify the economy. “Our prayer is that the Federal Government should muster the necessary political will to finance it, while we provide adequate manpower,” he said. He also spoke of plans to maintain waterways and develop the water fronts in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Asaba and Warri through a publicprivate partnership arrangement.

18,909 Nigerian pilgrims airlifted to Saudi Arabia –NAHCON

ational Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, at the weekend, said it had transported 18,909 intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the 2015 pilgrimage. About 76,000 intending pilgrims from 36 states and FCT are expected to participate in this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Director, Public Affairs of the commission, Alhaji Uba Mana, told the News Agency

of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja that the airlift had been hitch-free since it began on August 23. He said the commission had so far recorded 49 flights of pilgrims mostly from Kaduna, Lagos, Sokoto, Katsina, Oyo, Zamfara and Kogi. The director added that most of the pilgrims were airlifted direct to Medina, where they were expected to spend seven days

before proceeding to Mecca, while others were transported to Jedda. “Buses are readily available at Jedda International Airport to transport pilgrims to Medina. “Those airlifted to Medina on August 23 will move to Mecca on August 29,” he said. Mana said the airlift would be concluded on September 15, adding; ``no pilgrim will be left behind.

entre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency and 13 other civil society groups have thrown their weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari for endorsing the Abuja Centenary City Project, saying it was a proof of the possibility of government succession without project abandonment. The organisations told a news conference in Abuja yesterday that truncating the $18.5 billion project would have had grave consequences on the economy in addition to creating credibility problems for the country as foreign investors would have concluded that Nigeria has no culture of honouring agreements.

Comrade Ikpa Isaac, Executive Coordinator of the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, who briefed the press on behalf of the other groups, commended President Buhari for approving the project initiated by his predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan, despite efforts by a few individuals to confuse the issue because of their own selfish interests. He noted that the openness with which the board of Centenary City Plc led by its Chairman and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, discussed the project with the president has brought an end to controversy surrounding ownership of the project, which Nigerians were also misled into believing belongs to an individual.

INEC Chair, Ikeazor, others for SheForumAfrica 2015

ore panelists have emerged in the line-up of voices that would be heard at the 2nd edition of SheForumAfrica holding tomorrow at the National Centre for Women Development in Abuja. Top on the line-up is Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Hajia Amina Bala-Zakari, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, celebrated Publisher of Today’s Woman Magazine; Jennifer K. Lynne, Founder/Director at TheContactProject, a global enterprise; and Sharon Ikeazor, Vice President, Women in Politics Forum. Others are Angela Ajala, an astute educational entrepreneur and administrator; Aisha Attah, a Personal Development Consultant; Dr. Ify Monye, a Primary Healthcare & Lifestyle Medicine expert physician, Lola Adele-Oso, Executive Director of Act4Accountability UK, an African Diaspora organisation; and Terri Pardonu, host of the popular WE WOMAN Radio talk show. In a bold and novel demonstration of the commitment to bridge generational knowledge gap, SheForumAfrica 2015 features a number of young panelists representative of various age brackets, among them, Rinsola Abiola, the young BOT member of APC; Adaora Asala, dynamic Managing Director of EasyTaxiNigeria; Lois Auta, Mandela Washington

Fellow & Founder Ceedar Seed Foundation, as well as Fatima Musa Aliyu, recent participant of the British Council’s Active Citizen Programme. Also in the line-up are Hajia Saudatu Mahdi of WRAPA, Dr. Christiana Kwabe, a GP with Asokoro General Hospital; Chioma Kanu, a gender exponent/ Programme Manager CISLAC; Laura Ajoiyi, a legal practitioner; and Amina Salihu, foremost gender activist and Chairman, Board of Trustees, HADIS Foundation. The keynote presentation on the topic: “Being a Voice not an Echo: Synergising for Sustainable Impact” will be delivered by Eugenia Abu, frontline broadcast journalist, author/trainer, motivational speaker & life coach. The maiden edition of SheForumAfrica was held in 2014 with participation from 2 countries. According to conference host & founder of the Friendraiser community, Inimfon Etuk, “the conversation this year across the forum’s 4 panels will reflect the road travelled by the average African woman, with priority on demystifying persisting stereotypes that keep women at the bottom of the ladder especially in the areas of health, basic education and the ability to function optimally in the enlarged entrepreneurial space”. The theme for SheForumAfrica 2015 is “Risk the Unusual Make it Happen.’’

South West

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

7 feared dead, others injured in Oyo-Ogbomoso road auto crash K emi O laitan IBADAN

even people were yesterday feared dead in a fatal auto crash that occurred at Oyo-Ogbomoso road. Several others were said to have sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident. An eyewitness, who simply gave his name as Tayo, disclosed that the casualty figure in the accident was high. He said when he got to the accident scene some moments after it occurred, people were assisting the victims. Our correspondent learnt that the accident occurred when an Ilorin-bound commercial bus overtook a Sport Utility Vehicle and tried to manoeuvre its way back to its lane, but failed. It was gathered that driver of the SUV increased speed and made it difficult for the commercial bus to join the lane. “When driver of the SUV increased speed, there was an articulated truck coming from Ilorin. Driver of the truck saw the commercial bus and applied brake. The impact of the brake was so much that the truck

kept moving and with the high speed of the commercial bus, which was coming from Lagos, the driver could not control the bus and collided with the truck. “Six persons died on the spot, while another victim died on the way to the hospital. Only the driver of the bus survived the accident,” an eye witness said. It was learnt that the accident caused traffic gridlock, which delayed other road users for more than 30 minutes. As at the time of filing this report, security agents were said to have towed the mangled vehicles off the road. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he would contact their men in Oyo town and Ogbomoso and get back but did not do so as at the time of filling the report. In another development, a truck loaded with 33,000 litres of fuel was said to have somersaulted at Taki area of Ogbomoso and emptied its contents. Many people were said to be scooping fuel from the scene while security men have been dispatched to the scene to prevent casualty.

Traditional crowns of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, on display during the celebration of new yam festival at the Ewi’s palace in Ado-Ekiti, on Saturday.

Ooni stool: 9 top contenders emerge

…Adedoyin, Fadehan missing from Giesi’s list Boladale Bamigbola OSOGBO

s race for the vacant stool of Ooni of Ife gathers momentum, nine princes at the weekend emerged top contenders from the Giesi Ruling House. Giesi, one of the four ruling houses in Ile Ife last produced an Ooni over a century ago, when Derin Ologbenla ruled the town. Initially, 35 persons from the ruling house

were said to have shown interest in contesting the stool. This development made the ruling house to set up a committee to work on the list and come up with capable candidates. Sequel to achieving this, a meeting, it was learnt, was held on Saturday at the family compound at Agbedede Lane in Ile-Ife. A reliable source at the meeting told our correspondent yesterday that report of a Selection Screening Com-

mittee put together to prune down the list of 35 princes was submitted to Prince Modupe Fadehan, the family head of Giesi. The source, who attended the meeting, but preferred not to be named, in a telephone chat said: “Well, that is a good development for us and we are sure that a good person would be picked as Ooni. “This is the normal process and we know it won’t cause disaffection. “The normal thing is

Stop embarrassing Igbo, Oyo Ohaneze tells national body Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

yo State chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo at the weekend called on Igbo leaders of thought to prevail on the national body to stop fanning ember of chaos in the state. Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State, Alex Anozie, and President of Ohaneze in the state, Ndidi Nzeako, while addressing a press conference in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, condemned the role of Ohaneze national body in the leadership crisis rocking Igbo community in the state. The leaders insisted

that Anozie was the only recognised paramount head of the Igbo community in Ibadan and Oyo State. They reminded Ohaneze national body of a subsisting court judgment delivered by an Oyo State High Court on February 18, 2014, in which it affirmed the leadership of Anozie as democratically elected and crowned Ezendigbo, Onyendu Ndigbo in Ibadan and Oyo State. According to them, the court did not only pronounce Anozie as paramount head of Oyo Igbo community, but also “ordered everything

about the Igbo General Assembly, IGA, including their acts, steps taken by the group and the SouthEast Traditional Rulers null and void, and restrained Chief Aloy Obi from parading himself as Onyendu Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State.” They expressed surprise about the recent visit to the state of “one person who called himself the Deputy President of the Ohaneze Worldwide, by name Ogochukwu Onyema”, who said what they believed are contrary to the court ruling, and claimed to have spoken on behalf of the Ohaneze national body.

The group then called on Ohaneze to stop embarrassing the Igbo race, wondering “if t is true that they are the ones who sent one Ogochukwu Onyema to Ibadan on 15th of August, 2015, to come and say all what he had said.” Oyo Ohaneze warned that this action of flouting court judgment is capable of causing confusion among Igbo people living in the state, and disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the state. “We are responsible, peace-loving citizens of Nigeria, who so much believe in the rule of law, and that is why we toler-

ated so many provocations since many years now, and we have continued to allow the judiciary to help us sort things out peacefully. Oyo State is peaceful and we want it to remain peaceful. “We are aware of the antics of the very person who has been the brain behind all these problems since all these years; he would want to drag everybody that matters into this controversy, including the South-East Traditional Rulers and Ohaneze national body, whom we expected to play a justified fatherly role in this issue,” the Igbo leaders said.

that the Ruling House will send names of qualified candidates to the kingmakers. For instance, the Ogboru family sent 14 names out of which the late Oba Sijuwade emerged.” The contestants that made the list include Princes Aderemi Adeniran Alani Adelowo, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Taye Ogunleye, Adegboyega Ologbenla and Gbadegesin Ologbenla. Others are Princes Adetunji Adeyemi Ogunwusi, Bankola Ojulalayo Adediwura, Adegboyega Adediran, Olajide Adejoba, Adetona Sikiru Ayedun, However, both Princes Ademoyowa Omomadelo and Adegoke Adeyemo, a source said may have also made the list, while notable absentees include Princes Rahman Adedoyin and Soji Fadehan. It was not particularly clear, if the kingmakers have narrowed the contest for the throne down to only the Giesi Ruling House, but sources in Ile Oodua, Ooni’s palace, said letters requesting submission of names of qualified

candidates

from

the kingmaker’s may be sent out this week.

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South West 9

Monday, August 31, 2015

Lagos tasks royal fathers on gender-based violence Francis Suberu

omestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, of the Lagos State government, at the weekend, tasked traditional rulers in the state on sexual and gender-based violence, enlisting their support by playing initial responders’ role. In furtherance of its campaign against domestic violence, coordinator of DSVRT, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, led the group to a meeting with traditional rulers, including Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwanu

Akiolu, and 30 others. According to VivourAdeniyi, as traditional rulers, the counsel they give to victims of rape, defilement and domestic violence and their family members can go a long way in helping the victims. She said as first time responders, the traditional rulers were given protocol responses to rape, defilement, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect. Vivour-Adeniyi said the traditional rulers were also given resource materials in the form of posters and stickers, which they promised would be shared at their respective palaces.

Why corruption thrives in Nigeria –Rep Ojo Oyewamide AKURE

ember of House of Representatives representing Akure North/South Federal Constituency, Pastor Afe Olowookere, has ascribed the endemic nature of corruption in Nigeria to obsolete laws. He noted that corrupt people had always taken advantage of these obsolete laws to escape justice, saying the development was not good for anti-graft war going on in the country. The lawmaker, however, promised that the eighth National Assembly would do everything within its power to get rid of these laws in order to strengthen the fight against the scourge. Olowookere spoke at the weekend during the foundation-laying ceremony of community town hall at Emiloro, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The legislator, who flayed the claim by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that the anti-corruption crusade was targeted at its members, said it was wrong for anybody to say the fight had been politicised. He said: “So far, I’ve not seen how this anti-graft war has been politicised. PDP members are protesting that the probe is targeted at them. But my question is, since 1999, which party had

been ruling us at the centre? “If the Federal Government is probing activities at the centre, which party will be affected? Is it not PDP? The probe has not been extended to the states where other parties are involved in governance at that level. “The crusade is not targeted at any particular party. The anti-graft war is still in order. As a member of the National Assembly, I support it and I am going to encourage my colleagues to do everything necessary to support it.”

Intending pilgrims during the 1st 2015 International Hajj Seminar at Med-View Airline Head office in Ikeja, at the weekend.

Airport customs generates N20.1bn in six months

…appoints First Bank import collector

Olusegun Koiki

igeria Customs Service, NCS, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, says it generated at least N20.1 billion revenue from its operations in the first half of this year. The service at the airport also disclosed that it earned over N5.209 billion in July this year, thereby

becoming the highest revenue ever collected by the unit since formation. The image maker of the command, Thelma Williams, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Lagos, over the weekend. She also disclosed that the command had designated First Bank Nigeria Plc as its revenue collector on import duty, which she said, are processed using the Passenger Electronic

Smuggling: Customs partners border-town communities Femi Oyeweso ABEOKUTA

gun State Command of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, over the weekend, entered into collaboration with community leaders in border towns, who will henceforth counsel and ensure that traders in their domain desist from trading in items already prohibited from being imported into the country. NCS Controller in the command, Comptroller Haruna Mamudu, who disclosed this to journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, said the move becomes necessary as part of efforts of his command towards ensuring that innocent lives are not wasted in the course of chasing smug-

glers, who easily fizzle out by mixing with other people of the community each time anti-smuggling patrol teams are after them. With specific mention of poultry products, NCS tasked the community leaders in Idiroko-Ilasheto, OjaOdan, Ilara, as well as other border towns to always enlighten their kinsmen on the health hazards inherent in consumption of frozen turkey and chicken as preservative chemicals used in preserving them is the same as the one ones used in embalming dead human bodies. Haruna, who emphasised that importation of frozen turkey and chicken still remained prohibited in Nigeria, also appealed to traders to consider the health of Nigerians rather

than engaging in importation of poultry products laced with chemicals used in embalming dead human bodies, which he said, is hazardous to human health. Speaking on the 18, 582 cartons of poultry products intercepted and destroyed between July and August this year, the customs’ boss, charged the traders to patronise local poultry product firms which he said would guarantee their safety as well as enhance the nation’s economic growth. It would be recalled that the command within the last two months, impounded a total of 18, 582 cartons of poultry products, which were buried at both Abeokuta and Idiroko barracks of the customs command.

Baggage Entry System, PEBES. Williams said duty payable, is calculated based on the tendered invoice value of some items, stressing that about N179,326, 833.00 million had been collected by the command at the international wing of the Lagos airport between January and July 2015 as revenue accruals on informal trade alone. Williams said the huge revenue capture was achieved as evidence of the diligence and hard work of officers and men of the command in the period under review. She attributed the huge revenue as part of the ongoing reforms, stressing that their performances affect trade facilitation, duty collection and the enforcement of prohibition. The stride by the Airport Customs Command, Williams assured, would be sustained with the cooperation of stakeholders in the aviation and allied sector, just as she urged industry players to partner with customs to achieve its goal of trade facilitation and revenue generation for the country. She said that where invoices were not available, passengers are referred to the valuation unit where imports are assessed using valid data in the sys-

tem. She added; “Recent events at the arrival and departure halls of the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, has made it necessary to clarify issues related to the operational modalities of officers posted to the arrival and departure halls with particular focus on methods of processing payment for merchandise in baggage, defined as merchandise accompanying inward bound passengers for which import duty is supposed to be paid. Also passengers are statutorily required to make declaration of all cash in excess of $10,000 both at points of entry and exit. The NCS implores travellers to be patient and honest during routine checks and questioning. Where travellers have complaints about the conduct of officers on duty help desk and the officer of the Public Relations Department are available to help resolve all disputes that may arise thereof. “For further clarification as to the items that are allowable, as personal baggage by travellers and the quantity that may be brought in without incurring taxes, the command wishes to refer members of the public to its website”

News

Monday, August 31, 2015

Saraki leads delegation to UN Confab

enate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will today lead Nigeria’s delegation to participate in the 4th United Nations Conference of Parliamentary Heads at the organisation's headquarters in New York, United States. This year's conference, which will be declared open by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, will feature presentation of reports and general debate on "placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development." Other issues billed for

Saraki

discussion include challenges facing parliaments today, parliamentary oversight challenges and opportunities, while a bilateral meeting with Dr.

Saraki is expected to be hosted by Speaker of Israeli Parliament (Knesset), Mr. Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR, Inter Parliamentary Union, IPU, and selected Heads of Parliaments (GLOBE International Representation) are also expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference. The Senate President is billed to address session of the world forum on Wednesday, September 2, and later hold a press conference immediately after the speech.

Saraki is accompanied on the trip by Senators Andy Uba, Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye. Others on the entourage include Special Adviser to the Senate President on Economic Matters, Dr. Uchendu Okoye and Special Assistant on Public Partnerships. The Senate President and his team departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for New York on Saturday ahead of the conference which begins on Monday 31st August 2015 and ends on Wednesday September 3, 2015.

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Body of 65-year-old man recovered from well

lifeless body of 65-year-old Dele Ogundeyi was on Saturday recovered from a well on Aperan Way in Omu-Aran, Kwara State. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Ogundeyi was a retired Secretary of Offa Local Government Area Liaison office, before his death. The deceased, who hailed from Ile-Nla compound in Omu-Aran, went missing around 11am on Saturday, according to a relation, Mr Abdulkareem, prompting a search party by family members. He said the search party later traced the deceased to a site at Aperan Way where his lifeless body was found inside a well around 4pm that

same day. Abdulkareem said the well was located in front of an uncompleted building and a farm land belonging to the deceased. The relation told NAN that the deceased body had since been removed from the well by family members and deposited at the Adeyemo hospital’s mortuary in the town. He said the family was still in shock over the death of the deceased whom he described as the bread winner of the family, a caring, easygoing man. NAN reports that some sympathisers had visited the residence of the deceased to commiserate with the family over the unfortunate incident.

CITL tasks FG on improved transport system

Students of National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja Study Center, during the 2015 matriculation in Dutse, Abuja, on Saturday.

ndustrial Training Fund, ITF, said it had trained no fewer than 74,000 youths and 5,000 women across the country on various skills’ acquisition under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme, NISDP. Head, Media and Publications of the organisation, Dr Fred Otuwarikpo, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Jos. He said the fund provided technical and vocational skills to support the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP. Otuwarikpo added that the training was organised by ITF in collaboration with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, Peugeot Nigeria, Leventis Farms and other institutions.

Skills acquisition: ITF trains 74,000 youths, 5,000 women According to him, most of the beneficiaries are not just left to start business or secure jobs on their own, but will be engaged by the collaborating companies. ''So far, 74,000 Nigerian youths benefited from the National Industrial Skills Development Programme, NISDP, covering the 36 states and FCT in welding and fabrication, cell phone repairs, plumbing, pipe fitting and tilling. ''We also trained them in poultry farming, fish farming, domestic wiring and installation, gemstone cutting and polishing, aluminium fabrication, computer repairs,

auto body works and polymer recycling work among others. ''We have also trained no fewer than 5,600 women nationwide in the areas of bead making, soap and detergent production, decoration, pop production, garment making among others. ''These people are not just trained and allowed to go; so many of them have been offered jobs in the companies that we collaborated with. ''Most of these companies use their retention policy to absorb the trainees since they are already familiar with their standards and modes of operations,'' he said.

Otuwarikpo also said that ITF had trained 4,000 artisans in the construction industry from its ongoing partnership with Cement Technology Institute of Nigeria, CTIN. He said that the ITF lacked training centres and facilities but it had provided mobile training units to enable it meet up with the demands of the people. He said: ''We have only five training centres in the country and they are not enough to meet up with our mandate. ''However, we have provided mobile training units to enable us meet the need of the people,'' he said.

hartered Institute of Transport and Logistics, CITL, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to enact policies that would enhance safety on roads and airports for socio-economic development of the country. Professor Kayode Oyesiku, National Presidentelect of the institute, told the News Agency Nigeria, NAN, on the sideline of the institute’s recent 2015 conference and Annual General Meeting held in Lagos. Oyesiku said the institute was planning to come up with a workable policy for development of transport system that would ensure safety of lives on the highways and enhance aviation industry development. The Professor of Transport System Planning, Urban and Regional Planning said the development of cargo terminals would create opportunity for massive employment in the country. "For the aviation industry, we expect that efforts will be made to maximise the potentials available in many industries. "Unfortunately, such potentials have yet to be tapped and Nigeria is an import dependent nation, rather than an export dependent nation. "Therefore, a number of our airports that have been designated cargo airports have yet to function well. "What we then clamour

for as a professional institute, is to make the overall development of the economy an export dependent, particularly on agriculture and manufacturing," Oyesiku said. The don also lauded the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, for its service to road users and appealed to the Federal Government to support it so that its work would be more effective in enforcing speed limit among motorists. "The FRSC should collaborate with the relevant agencies in enforcing the laws and ensuring that only vehicles that are road worthy are allowed to ply the highways. Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr Dunoma Saleh, said the development of airports would enhance business efficiency and productivity for socioeconomic development of Nigeria. Sakleh, the guest speaker at the event said:"Airport facilitates economic growth at regional and national levels, but also acts as magnets for a wide range of economic activities. "Airport provides the necessary infrastructure for a wide range of economic activities and provides easy access to suppliers and customers. "The air transport for passengers and freight constitutes an essential component of the modern global economy," he said.

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Rivers probe: I'll not join issues with Amaechi —Wike Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said yesterday he would not join issues with his predecessor, Chibuike Amaechi, over the setting up of a Judicial Service Commission. The commission set up by Wike is probing sale of the state’s assets and other related matters by the previous administration. Amaechi, while addressing supporters and members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, last week in Port Harcourt, described the panel as illegal. “I will not appear before the panel because Wike failed to comply with the laws setting up an administrative panel,” the former

South South

Monday, August 31, 2015

governor said. Reacting, however, Wike, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, said the legality of the panel had been confirmed by a court of law. Inko-Tariah said: “It is laughable that Amaechi will call a panel that has already been declared lawful by a court of law illegal. This means as at when he questioned its proprietary in court, he thought the court would declare it illegal, but was shamed. “This is no media trial and the government (Rivers) will not be embroiled in any war of attrition; he (Amaechi) should go and defend himself just like Dr Peter Odili did during the Kayode Esho’s panel.”

DESOPADEC: Itsekiri women applaud monarch over appointment Theophilus Onojeghen WARRI

lu of Warri, Atuwatse ll, has been commended for recommending Mr. Victor Woods as Executive Director on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC. The commendation was given by hundreds of women and youths, who throng

the monarch’s palace to pay him homage for his role, which they described as a move to redefine the Itsekiri nation. Popular activist and woman leader, Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, who led the various groups, observed that the choice of Mr. Woods for the position of Executive Director was a good move for the Itsekiri people. They described the new DESOPADEC executive

director as a technocrat with vast experience in the oil and gas industry, noting that it's a testimony of the change Itsekiri people have being craving for. Chief Lori-Ogbebor said: “Now, the Olu of Warri has a say on persons appointed to represent the people in government as opposed to the belief in the past that it is politicians only that can make choices for the Itsekiri nation, appointing unfit persons into

positions of power beyond their capability and intelligence quotient.” She charged the people to brace up to the challenges ahead, adding that the nation cannot afford to leave their destiny in the hands of neophytes any longer. The crowd was received on behalf of the Olu by some palace chiefs who assured them that their message would be delivered to the royal father.

Gunmen kidnap essayist in Rivers Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

n essayist with Vanguard newspapers, Dornu Kogbara, has been kidnapped by gunmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ahmad Muhammad, confirmed the abduction yesterday, even as he said security agencies were on the trail of the kidnappers. Kogbara, who maintains a column in Vanguard, was snatched in the early hours of the day at her residence in Nkpogu near Port Harcourt. The gunmen were driving in a CVR jeep when they launched the attack. It could not be confirmed if the kidnappers have established contact with family of the victim for ransom at press time.

The state government in its reaction condemned the abduction. Governor Nyesom Wike, who spoke through his media aide, Sir Opunabo Nko-Tariah, expressed strong hope that she would be released unhurt. He said the government was making effort to ensure every resident in the state enjoyed adequate security. “Although the government is not seized of the issue, no responsible government will brook such acts of criminality. On this premise, the kidnap is roundly condemned and we believe that by God's grace, she will come out alive. “The government is working assiduously to ensure a crime free state and that is why he has stopped at noting to provide the necessary tools including the donation of 64 security fitted vans to the Police,” the governor said.

L-R: Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson; Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Duate Iyabi and Special Adviser to the Governor on Treasury and Accounts, Mr. Timipre Seipulo, during a transparency initiative monthly press briefing with members of the Guild of Editors on the occasion of the 11th All Nigerian Editors Conference in Yenagoa.

ayelsa Police Command yesterday said its Marine Division in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area had repelled an attack by sea pirates on a passenger boat in the area. Spokesman of the command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said in a statement that the attack occurred at Gina-Gbene

Police repel pirates' attack on passenger boat, recover arms area of Southern Ijaw. According to the spokesman, an AK-47 assault rifle and live ammunition were recovered from the pirates, who abandoned their 75

Bayelsa records N2.8bn balance in July –Dickson

ayelsa State government has declared a balance of N2.8bn as at the end of July 2015. Governor Seriake Dickson, who made the declaration at the monthly transparency media briefing for the month of July, 2015, expressed concern that revenue from the federation account has dropped drastically from N18bn in 2012 to about N9bn. Noting that the state has fallen short of its contrac-

tual obligations in view of declining crude oil prices at the international market, the governor said the price may not rise above 40 dollars per barrel and therefore, urged the people to show some understanding. Presenting the income and expenditure profile for the month of July, Dickson said, the state received a gross inflow of N9.3bn, comprising statutory allocation of N2.5bn, derivation N5.9bn,

Value Added Tax N590.9m, while exchange differentials stood at N179.9m. On outflow, he explained that, total deductions at source came up to N1.5bn, leaving a balance of about N7.8bn, noting that, internally generated revenue has improved from N60m, when he assumed office in 2012 to about N628m in the month of July 2015. While expressing government’s determination to em-

bark on aggressive revenue drive for development purposes, the governor pointed out that, in developed countries, taxation remains one of the major sources of revenue. On expenditure, Dickson said salaries for civil servants gulped N4.4bn, while that of political appointees stood at N436m, monthly overhead N540m, in addition to inherited liabilities of N2.1bn.

Horse Power speedboat and fled into the creeks. Butswat assured that efforts were being intensified to arrest the fleeing pirates. “On Aug. 28, at about 0820 hrs, the Bayelsa State Marine Police, stationed at Koluama, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, repelled some suspected sea pirates attacking a passenger boat around Gina-Gbene, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. “The Pirates ran into a nearby Creek, abandoned their speed boat, mounted with 75HP Yamaha Engine, with the Inscription 'DEEP SEA MARINE'. “One AK-47 rifle,

three magazines loaded with live ammunition, one bag, one voter card and four life jackets were recovered from the suspects. “The Marine Police are combing the creeks to arrest the culprits. Investigation is ongoing,” Butswat said.

Arase, Police boss

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Monday, August 31, 2015

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Kwara NSCDC nabs five pipeline vandals WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

L-R: Representative of the Emir of Ilorin/Balogun Fulani of Ilorin, Alhaji Durosinlohun Atiku; Sultan of Sokoto/President-General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar; Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his wife, Omolewa , during the 30th Annual National Conference of the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria at the University of Ilorin, at the weekend.

IDPs: Attention shifts to rehabilitation, reconstruction –NEMA G LORIA USMAN ABUJA

iberation of most communities in the NorthEast from Boko Haram coupled with massive return of Nigerians from the Republics of Cameroun and Niger, have changed the humanitarian outlook from emergency relief intervention to rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery of affected persons and communities. Director General of National Emergency Agency, NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, disclosed this at the African

Union Regional Consultative meeting for West Africa for the development of a common African position on the World Humanitarian Summit held in Abuja, at the weekend. In a release made available by the agency, he said, in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies, SEMAs, with the support of UN System has undertaken damage and loss assessment of affected communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and has made submission to the government for appropriate intervention by line ministries, departments

and agencies. Sidi noted that the humanitarian outcome of the insurgency has equally impacted on the contiguous states of Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba and neighboring Republics of Niger, Chad and Cameroun. He said there were about 57,743 Nigerian refugees in Cameroun, Chad and Niger, with Cameroun having 40,366 that are taking refuge in Minawayo, Mora, Fotocol, Limani, Amchide, Douala, Kentzou and Garoua Bouali refugee camps; 15,000 in the Republic of Niger who were taking refuge in

Diffa, Bosso, Maine and Kablewa, and 2, 377 in Chad taking shelter in Ngouboua, Lake Chadi region. Responding to questions, the Director General lamented how about 12,000 Nigerian refugees were expelled by the Camerounian authorities and dumped at the border while UNHCR was watching. He expressed concern to UNHCR when Nigerian delegation went to Chad, Niger and Cameroun for assessment of the condition of Nigerian refugees which was misconstrued as forceful evacuation by UNHCR.

Senator presents relief items to Yobe flood victims INUSA NDAHI DAMATURU

enator Muhammad Hassan, representing Yobe South Senatorial District, has donated relief materials and cash worth N2 million to thousands of victims of flood disaster in Ngelzarma town of his constituency. The items include rice, millet, guinea corn, salt, sugar, cartons of milk, vegetable oil, palm oil, beans and cartons of Spaggetti. Other items include blankets, mattresses, mats, wrappers, kitchen utensils like plates, cups and other clothing ma-

terials. Presentation of the items was performed amidst tight security at the palace of the Emir of Ngelzarma, Fune Local Government Area of Yobe State. Ngelzarma town recently suffered flood disaster that left hundreds of buildings collapsed and rendered thousands homeless. Speaking to newsmen shortly after presentation of the materials to the monarch and respective community leaders, Hassan said: “It was a very sad event that happened in the town of Ngelzarman and other towns, this was as a result of flood disaster

which affected many houses, it was really sad, and as a senator representing this district, it beholds on me to see what I could do to cushion their sufferings.’’ He used the forum to appeal other well-meaning individuals and agencies to come to the aid of the people; “the first thing we did when the report reached us was to use the media to let the world know the extent of the damage; I came to sympathise with the people and present my support,” he said. He also described erosion menace in the area as alarming, which ac-

cording to him requires proper town planning. “If you go round you discover that there are no drainages that is why this problem keeps reoccurring and unless relevant authorities do the right thing, it will continue recurring and I can tell you its not just Ngelzarma, but many towns in Yobe State, the town planning is very poor, we do not have drainage systems, for example if you go to Potiskum during rainy season, there are lots of places you cannot drive round, so government has to do something about it.”

igeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Kwara State has arrested five oil pipeline vandals with their vehicles, as well as vandalised oil products at Jebba in Moro Local Government Area of the state and some parts of Asa Local Government Areas between June and August 2015. Kwara State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Augustine Obiekwe, who disclosed this at the weekend, expressed the view that the corps was the outfit that could be engaged by governments to monitor and guide oil pipelines in any part of the country. According to him, to engage any other unofficial outfit to do the job was inappropriate in the first place, talk less of funding them by government. “The truth is that we don’t need such forces to even be funded by government, such funds should be expended on the regular agencies like the NSCDC that is created specifically for anti-vandalism and prosecution of vandals. We can use the unofficial ones as volunteer informants. That’s just how we can use them. OPC and all these unofficial hands fall into this category,” he said. Obiekwe also said sister security agencies in the country are expected to hand over suspected vandals to the NSCDC for prosecution, adding that NSCDC is the only agency created to prosecute suspected vandals. “Yes, law, crime and criminality are actually interwoven. So, we believe in synergy. Though, vandalism is essentially created for civil defence corps, but where an officer of the police, army or immigration makes an arrest of vandals, such agency is expected to hand the suspects over to NSCDC for prosecution. That’s part of synergy. “When you respect the areas that belong to others, it enhances cooperation, understanding and collaboration. And so, what we are saying is that if there’s a case of armed

robbery, we make arrest and send to appropriate quarter, police. If it has to do with drug addiction or drug peddling, it goes to NDLEA. So we expect that when it has to do with vandalism, it comes to NSCDC. That’s what I think should be part of synergy,” he said. Some were arrested while vandalising the pipelines, while others were arrested moving their trucks loaded with the products away.” We have taken them to court. We have our legal and intelligence department dealing with the matter,” he said. He, however, lamented that the support the corps used to get from Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN in the task of monitoring oil pipelines was no longer coming because of the unresolved leadership problem currently rocking the association. He also regretted the absence of logistics support from the Kwara State Government in the task of carrying out the corps’ functions in the state. “They gave us two pick up vehicles in the past and they used to give us logistics support towards their fuelling. But now, it’s no longer coming and so we try within our meagre resources to fuel our regular patrol vehicles to monitor the pipelines. We do it night and day. It’s a regular patrol. Even just yesterday at a particular area along Asa, there’s a pipeline there. It was discovered to have been punctured by suspected vandals. “We quickly sent a message to the depot manager and he sent his repair team. We gave them security cover. So they stayed with them to get the punctured pipeline repaired. Monitoring is a daily affair. It requires logistics support. And definitely, we are not having it from the state government or the IPMAN. The state government complains of not having the financial ability to render assistance. So nothing is coming from the state government to support. But we can still say that the state gives us its promise. We are hoping that it will be better,” he added.

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Politics

Sanitation Day clash: Attempt to kill our chairman –Bayelsa APC Osahon Julius YENAGOA

ayelsa State All Progressives Congress, APC, has alleged that the near bloody clash between officials of Bayelsa State Sanitation Authority led by Mr Oboku Offorji and convoy of Bayelsa State APC chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimigha, was an attempt on the lives of some chieftain of the party. APC said though leaders of the party involved in the incident did not violate the sanitation laws as they were stopped at exactly 10.08am

while heading to the Okpoama community venue of the conferment of chieftaincy title on former governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, the presence of heavily armed policemen and thugs hired by the sanitation authority during the incident showed that it was a plot designed to assassinate some APC chieftains before the election. In a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa by itsstate Publicity Secretary, Mr. Panebi Fortune, APC alleged that recent utterances and claims by the present administration of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,

led by Governor Seriake Dickson showed that the security apparatus led by the Police have been engaged to harass, intimidate and kill some members of APC in the state. Fortune said: “How do you explain it? Two APC chieftains were harassed and intimidated on a sanitation day. While the car of a gubernatorial aspirant, Godknows Powell, was seized and his brother, who drove the car beaten, APC chairman, Chief Orunimigha, was treated shabbily even after pointing out to the authority staff that the

time was 10.08 am. The incident was not a Sanitation Day exercise violation but an attempt to shed blood on sanitation day with many residents indoors. But the plot failed due to the peaceful disposition of the APC chairman.” Saying that the whereabouts of Powell’s car was yet unknown, the APC added: “One expected that since they claim it was seized in violation of the sanitation laws, it should have been taken to the premises of the sanitation authority. And a fine charged. But the car is nowhere to be found and

maybe another plot by the Ssanitation authority to use it for a criminal act and blame it on the APC.” APC said its investigation to the incident and many others on record were part of a plot to use the state security apparatus, including armed policemen to intimidate APC loyalists and leaders. It said: “It is part of a plot to intimidate and harass those who decided to dump the dying PDP and embrace change. It was a deliber-

Ex-Gov Audu promises to rebuild Kogi Wale Ibrahim LOKOJA

L-R: National Chairman, Kowa Party, Alhaji Umar Kumshe; Deputy Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Onwubuya Breakforth; newly elected Chairman of IPAC, National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Movement, Alhaji Bashir Ibrahim, taking oath of office before a notary public officer, Mr. Anthony Enumah, during their inauguration in Abuja, recently. PHOTO: NAN

Ex-Interior Minister sued by ICT firm, claims N350m damages Henry Iyorkase MAKURDI

ormer Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, has been dragged before a Benue State High Court, sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, by Bosmos Infotech Limited, claiming the sum of N350 million as damages for false, wicked and malicious defamation to tarnish its hard earned reputation. Counsel to the plaintiff, Barr Ocha Ulegede and Co, who instituted the legal action for his client following

public declaration by the former minister that Bosmos Infotech Limited, during the ill fated Immigration Service recruitment exercise went through the ministerial tenders’ board, but upon investigation it was not registered to recruit along with three other companies. He revealed that to the bewilderment of his client’s imagination Bosmos Infotech Limited has at no point sought for any bidding; talk less of tendering any proposal to engage in any recruitment transaction whatsoever.

The legal firm however averred that the utterance, statement and use of its client’s corporate identity is aimed at tarnishing its image and reputation before the eyes of the public, hence necessitating to seek redress. Prior to the legal action, the aggrieved party had earlier on suffered termination of a contract based on the declaration made by the former minister ascribing to the company during the defence to buttress the illfated recruitment exercise as not properly registered and is even not known by

the government. The counsel further made contacts with the defendants in writing, demanding a retraction and apology but all the efforts have fell on deaf ears as neither did they deny, retract nor apologise for the unwarranted attack on the image of the organisation. The case is yet to be assigned to a judge for commencement of trial, but all efforts to reach the former Interio Minister, Hon. Moro, were futile, as several phone calls to his mobile line were neither picked nor returned.

ate attempt to provoke a clash and probably kill the APC state chairman, Chief Orunimigha.” APC therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, to intervene and call the men of Bayelsa Police Command to order, adding: “The IGP should know that the Police Force has handed to Governor Dickson their mandate to secure the lives of our people in a fair and just manner.”

ormer governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, has been declared the winner of the keenly contested All Progressives Congress, APC gubernatorial primary, polling 1109 votes. Chairman of Kogi State APC Gubenratorial Primary Election Committee and governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir elRufai, who declared the results yesterday at Lokoja Confluence Stadium, stated that the election was mostly transparent. el-Rufia stated that another history has been made in Kogi State by the conduct of a very transparent, free, fair gubernatorial primary election, widely accepted by all contestants without rancour. Announcing the result, the returning officer, elRufai stated that 28 aspirants obtained nomination forms and 26 of them went into the primary election, one was absent and another stepped down. He disclosed that total delegates were 3,458, while 3,044 were accredited and 28 votes were voided The former governor

polled 1,109 votes to defeated young and vibrant politician, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who polled 703, while the senator who represented Kogi Central senatorial district in the seventh National Assembly, Nurudeen AbatemiUsman, sprang surprise by polling 400 votes. Sanusi Abubarka Gamji polled 309 votes while retired Air Vice Marshall Salihu Atawodi garnered 183 votes Other results are James Ocholi, 90 votes; Olushola George Olumoroti, 58; Suleiman Baba-Ali, 28; Rotimi Obadofin, 16; Tim Nda Diche, 13; Dr Yaqeen Abdullahi Habeeb, 8; and Chief Clarence Olatunde Olafemi, 7. el Rufai said: “I, Nasir el-Rufai, as the returning officer of Kogi APC gubernatorial primary election and in accordance with party guidelines hereby declared former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, the winner having polled a total of 1,109 votes and the standard bearer of our party, the APC.” Congratulating Audu on his election, the Kaduna governor urged him to work with all other contestants to ensure total victory for APC on November 21.

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Monday, August 31, 2015

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Party members want Bayelsa acting chairman removed Osahon Julius YENAGOA

t is not yet uhuru for the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, ahead of his September 8 second term bid declaration, as the crisis rocking the Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is far from over, even as the December 5 gubernatorial election draws nearer in the state. Although, the tough talking governor has remained resolute in his ambition to return to office, it was however learnt that most of the remaining aggrieved leaders of the party are bent on removing the state acting chairman, Chief Serena Spiff-Dokubo, before the party’s primary election. The leaders, who formed a splinter group, the PDP Unity Group, PUG, were said to have insisted that Dokubo, who is a strong supporter of Governor Dickson, was not qualified to hold the position. The position of the party stalwarts and the uncompromising stance of the governor, according to sources, were reasons former political office holders and the party’s state chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba, rtd, deserted the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC. The PUG is an antiGovernor Dickson group, comprising mainly the governor’s former aides, who were controversially sacked for their allegiance to the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and other party leaders not

disposed to Dickson’s second term bid. Impeccable sources at a recently held meeting at Government House, Yenagoa, at the instance of a jittery Dickson, to resolve the impasse between the PUG and the governor told National Mirror that the meeting ended in a deadlock as both party disagreed on certain issues. PUG members, led by its coordinator, Mrs Marie Ebikake, were said to have rebuffed all entreaties from Governor Dickson to sheathe their swords. Ebikake and her group were said to have argued that Dokubo hails from a different zone, Bayelsa East, from that of the former chairman, Inokoba, Bayelsa Central, contrary to the provisions of PDP constitution. Besides they were said to have pointed out that Dokubo, despite parading himself as the acting chairman, is also an employee in the state’s Judicial Service Commission against the provisions of the party law. Signs that the meeting ended in fiasco emerged yesterday following the decision of PUG to send a petition to the acting National Chairman of PDP, demanding Dokubo’s immediate removal. He letter, copied acting chair of PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, and National Vice Chairman, SouthSouth, said Dokubo’s appointment as the acting chairman of the party was illegal and a nullity from the beginning.

L-R: Senate President Bukola Saraki; Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Sen. James Manager, during the burial ceremony of Sen. Manager’s father, Pa Manager Emiemokumor at Ogbein-Ama town, Bomadi LGA, Delta State, at the weekend.

What late Ooni said about Buhari –Prof Aina Obiora Ifoh, ABUJA

n Ile-Ife chief, Prof Olu Aina, has said the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade Olubuse II, fought the cause of the South-West before his death and had canvassed support of the zone for President Muhammadu Buhari in his desire to re-invent Nigeria. Prof Aina said he was privilege to hold a private meeting with the Ooni some few days before he died, noting with great interest how Oba Sijuwade described President Buhari as a man “God specifically brought as a Messiah to re-start Nigeria.” Prof Aina disclosed this in an audience he had with some Ife kingmakers and chiefs at the weekend, as preparations for installa-

Kogi 2015: APGA sets up 5-man panel for primary Adeola Tukuru, ABUJA

ll Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has constituted a five-man committee to conduct the gubernatorial primary of the party, in Kogi State, which is billed for September 10. In a press release signed by its National Director of Publicity, Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, APGA said the aim was promotion of internal democracy, adding that every machinery has been put in place to conduct free, fair, transparent and credible gubernatorial primary in Kogi State. APGA also pledges

to provide level playing ground for all the aspirants, so that the most acceptable and credible candidate will ultimately emerge at the end of the primary, without any rancour, acrimony or recourse to litigation by any aspirant or party member, as is common in our body politic. Similarly, the party also implored all aspirants to play by the rules, guidelines and regulations set out by the party as well as in the Electoral Act. Meanwhile, APGA has enjoined the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to put its house in order to avoid the flaws and shortcomings

witnessed in the 2015 general elections, and to make sure that all the smart card readers to be used for the November 21 Kogi State poll are properly configured. The committee members are: National Vice Chairman, North-Central, Engr Sule Ajayi; National Organising Secretary, Chief Mike Kwento, who are to serve as chairman and secretary, respectively. Others are: National Women Leader, Mrs Ezinne Amaka Agbiogwu; Assistant Organising Secretary, Mr Tony Nwaekelumma and Taraba State APGA chairman, Hon Ishaya S. Bako.

tion of the next Ooni begins to generate attention. He, at the meeting, called for great wisdom from the Ife kingmakers on the need to support a candidate who will continue from where Oba Sijuwade stopped and advance the development of Ife, Yorubaland and Nigeria in general, counting on the powerful and influential stool of the Ooni to do so. He told the kingmakers that the Ooni in deep reflection expressed a desire to ensure an end to the marginalisation of the South-West and believed

strongly that the zone should accord the present government strong support while playing very key role in ensuring the progress of Nigeria. He said: “Permit me to share an intimate moment I had with the Ooni a few days before he passed on. On the July 9, Baba called me and instructed that I should see him urgently. He even rebuffed my attempts to shift the date he set for the meeting which he made compelling. I struggled hard with my very tight schedule to see the Ooni.

“Surprisingly, our discussions centered on state of the nation. He told me bluntly that Nigeria should be grateful for having Buhari as President. He talked at length on his worries about Nigeria and the reign of impunity in high places as well as the general breakdown of security across the federation. “He expressed concerns about the dilemmas of the Nigerian youths and the rate of unemployment in Nigeria. At a point, he heaved a heavy sigh and said that God specifically brought President Buhari as a Messiah to save Nigeria!”

Former Rep backs Buhari over appointments …says appointments not lopsided Ndoma Richard CALABAR

ormer member of the House of Representatives for Odukpani/ Calabar Municipality federal constituency, Etubom Dr. Nya Asuquo, at the weekend charged Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari over appointments that he had made so far since he assumed office. Asuquo stated that he believes that subsequent appointments that the President is going to make would certainly reflect all ethnic groups across the country. He dropped the charge while fielding questions from journalists at the occasion of his 67th birthday celebration, stressing that it

was too early and unfair for Nigerians to begin to cast aspersions on the person of President Buhari when in actual sense there are over 5000 appointments yet to be made by the President before the year runs out. Faulting Buhari`s critics for raising alarm that no Ibo man had benefited from Buhari`s appointments, he urged Nigerians not to forget that the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, was an Ibo man and not from the same zone with Buhari. The former Deputy Leader of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in the lower chamber of the National Assembly stated that “Nigerians are very impatient. As a President, people would always criticise your action and inaction. For the

first time in Nigeria, a new government has come on board and the number of positions that it would have to fill is more than 5,000,, so we cannot judge anything by 10 or 20 positions. The former parliamentarian averred that the Buhariled APC Federal Government has made very serious strides in almost all the spheres of the economy, lauding Buhari in his efforts to bring to book those who looted the country`s treasury. He chastised former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his successor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for allowing corruption to escalate in the country, adding that the two former presidents had in several instances frustrated the efforts of anti-graft agencies in the fight against corruption.

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Views

Monday, August 31, 2015

Lagos and pensioners’ welfare BILKIS BAKARE

ccording to the famous American writer and producer, Gene Perret, “retirement is wonderful. It’s doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.” Ideally, the approach of retirement is supposed to be a phase of life to be savoured by all categories of workers, either in the public or private sector. The reason is that such workers sits back to enjoy the fruits of the labour of their working days – their gratuities and pensions! The pension system was introduced into Nigeria by the colonial administration; and the first legislative document on pension was the 1951 Pension Ordinance, retroactively dated back to 1st January, 1946. This ordinance provided public servants with both pension and gratuity. It was meant to serve as a form of inducement and attraction for employment in the public service. The old pension scheme was non- contributory, as only the employers were saddled with the basic obligation of providing care for employees on retirement. The increasing burden of pension led to the introduction of the contributory pension scheme in the nation’s public sector in 1998. The management was left to the Pension Commission. Observed irregularities in the new scheme forced further improvements in 2004 and 2014 through the Pension Reform Act respectively. The Pension Reform Act 2014 addresses and

defines the custodian of these funds and assets, as well as the overall management. The Pension Reform Act 2014, which was meant to address the shortcoming of the 2004 Act, provides stiffer penalties against mismanagement or diversion of pension funds’ assets under any guise. Under the new law, operators who mismanage pension funds will be liable, upon conviction, to not less than 10 years imprisonment or a fine of an amount equal to three times the amount so misappropriated or diverted, or both imprisonment and fine. The 2014 Act also empowers the Pension Commission with the core mandate to ensure greater protection of pension fund assets by, subject to the fiat of the Attorney General of the Federation, instituting criminal proceedings against employers who persistently fail to deduct and/or remit pension contributions of their employees within the stipulated time. This was not provided for by the 2004 Act. Similarly, the 2014 Act has reviewed upwards, the minimum rate of Pension Contribution from 15 percent to 18 percent of monthly emolument, where eight percent will be contributed by employees and 10 percent by the employers. This will provide additional benefits to workers’ Retirement Savings Accounts and thereby enhance their monthly pension benefits at retirement. And in the event of loss of job, the waiting period for accessing benefits has been reduced from six months to four months. This is done in order to identify with the yearning of contributors and labour organizations.

RECENTLY RELEASED N11 BILLION ON THE ORDER OF GOVERNOR AKINWUNMI AMBODE, TO PAY OFF PENSION LIABILITIES OWED THE MAINSTREAM RETIREES Some of the challenges of the Pension Reform Act 2004 were the inability of the employers to honour the agreement of promptly remitting their own part of the fund; employment of unqualified staff to man the pension commission office; nonprosecution of indicted officials in the mismanagement of these funds, as well as the laborious protocol involved before accessing these funds after retirement. As a result of these challenges and several others, the period of retirement supposedly meant for resting and relaxation becomes the time for countless journeys to the pension commission office for one registration or the other. Often, some retirees lose their lives either through road accidents or via lack of resources to attend to old age-related ailments. One cannot overlook the corrupt practice of demanding for recharge cards from these old people, whenever the need arises for them to provide the commission with information. But by far the most outrageous illtreatment these old people get is the mismanagement of the pension funds. The

arraignment of some officials in the federal civil service for diverting the pension funds for their personal use illustrates this point. However, the Lagos State government, having domesticated the Pension Act and signed it into law on March 19, 2007, recently released N11 billion on the order of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, to pay off pension liabilities owed the mainstream retirees and retirees in local government areas. The development is part of the administration’s efforts to find a holistic solution to the issue of payment of pension entitlements to retirees in the state. In addition, the state government has also painstakingly developed plans to disburse pension funds monthly to ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals, including local government areas and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), commencing from August, 2015. This intervention will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of retirees in the state. In all, if all the provisions of the new pension reform are strictly adhered to, then the retirees will be grateful to the state government. The Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright and poet Oliver Goldsmith painted this pensioner’s longed for El Dorado thus: “O, blest retirement! Friend to life’s decline, How blest is he who crowns, in shades like thee. A youth of labor with an age of ease!” Bakare is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

Still on don’t squirm on your single status SANDRA AKUOMA

ast week I introduced this topic and concluded that the idea that true happiness can be found only with an attachment to someone else is a myth. In my opinion, marriage is not the end all and be all of life. I highlighted some of the benefits of singlehood - selfimprovement, self-development, enriching friendships and less headaches, just to mention a few. Today I will discuss the effects of seeing “single” as a “disease”, in other words, I am dwelling on the fear of being single. First is neediness. When we see being single as a disease, we become needy. The greatest counterpart to someone needy is a partner who doesn’t need us (the unavailable). This becomes a game of cat and mouse for those in such situation with the cat always chasing, but never catching the mouse. People who are needy are suffocating to be around. The problem is needy people give control of their happiness away by making their own happiness dependent upon being loved by someone who they may or may not have a chance with. If your partner doesn’t take the time to nurture you or the other relationships in their life, there is no way you are going to be “the one” to change him/her. This is about emotional maturity. The

YO U C A N ’ T

BE HAPPY BEING

S I N G L E , YO U W I L L NEVER BE HAPPY IN A R E L AT I O N S H I P

emotionally unavailable are not mature enough to sustain any more than a cat and mouse game. If you stay with someone like this, you will feel more alone than if you were single, but your fears of being alone keep you from seeing rejection as more painful than aloneness. Looking for external validation: When you are scared of being single you become needy, as mentioned above. The issue now is that you constantly look for validation from other people in the long run, which will never come, because you are communicating to the world, “I don’t have enough, so let somebody else can come and fill me up and make me feel whole.” In a nutshell you constantly look for someone to feel that hole, that is, to complete you. You will never be happy in a relationship: If you can’t be happy being by yourself and accepting the fact you are single, you will never be happy in a relationship. Why? You are making your happiness dependent upon something happening that you have no control over. Only you can make you happy. At the end of the day, the events and circumstances of your life only have the meanings that

you give them. We end up settling for less: There was a research done by University of Toronto that demonstrated that the fear of being single predicts settling for less in romantic relationships, and that worrying about not having a romantic relationship may promote an approach that any relationship is better than no relationship at all. Those who are less secure about their own value as romantic partners tend to be more willing to compromise their standards in a relationship like partner traits, such as intellect, attractiveness, social status, and interpersonal skills. In a nutshell those with stronger fear of being single will be willing to accept lower quality mates in order to avoid being single. Clinging on to unhappy relationships and excusing the unacceptable behaviour: The fear of being alone can trap you into accepting treatment that is far below the standard of what you deserve and also keep you trapped in unhealthy relationships. If you find that you are constantly justifying and rationalizing your partner’s treatment by saying to yourself or to others that “nobody’s perfect,” or “it’s not that bad,” then you are running from your own insecurity into a relationship that will only create more insecurity for you. Further, justifying and staying in these dead-end relationships only keep

you from finding the right person. The fear of being alone makes us cling on to our ex, or even when we are in a relationship, we always try and keep a door open just in case we end up single again. You are never single longer than a week after a breakup: You never take time to heal after a breakup. According to experts, it takes almost a year or more to heal depending on the circumstances or emotional condition of the persons involved. Some people rush into another relationship within a week or two and always live by this old adage “It’s better to be with a warm body than being alone.” Food for thought “It’s more about one having a deep knowing of who you are, your purpose and that while you desire love, you won’t allow yourself to be miserable while you’re single” - Alanna Levenson Ms Akuoma wrote from Lagos via Sanlifepointers@hotmail.com and can be reached on 08165583876 (SMS ONLY)

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

Monday, August 31 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

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

Anti-graft courts: Judges’ flunking of integrity test

he recent report by a national daily that majority of the judges nominated for placement as possible heads of the special anti-corruption courts being contemplated by President Muhammadu Buhari failed integrity tests conducted by the nation’s security agencies appears supportive of an earlier publication that the Buhari-led Federal Government is seriously tinkering with the idea of raising specialised courts to adjudicate strictly on cases of corruption and tax evasion. Thirty-seven of such courts were said to be underway to cover the nation’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Among the major criteria for nominating judges to the special courts were that they must be bold enough to deliver impartial judgements, as well as have tolerable numbers of judgements dismissed by the Court of Appeal. About 100 judges described as the best of the pack from the bench were reportedly selected from courts across the country by the leadership of the nation’s judiciary for screening by security agencies before the final consummation of their appointments. Unfortunately or fortunately, however, the majority of them failed the integrity hurdles

erected by the security apparatus, thus necessitating fresh nominations and prolonging of the screening exercise. We did recall quite recently that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, while swearing in former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, in 2012, remarked: “Our citizens complain of delayed trial, particularly in cases of corruption, terrorism and other matters of serious concern. These complaints have led to frequent calls for special courts or designation of special judges to handle them with the required experience and speed… the entire country is in agreement that justice delayed is justice denied”. Mukhtar, however, did not buy into Jonathan’s suggestion. Her position was that “there is no need for a special court. A judge, two or three in the states can be designated to take care of that…” But agitations for the setting up of specialised courts to try high profile corruption cases especially have persisted; and may hopefully be realised in no distant time. Besides, it is no surprise that majority of the nominee judges to man the courts put up dismal integrity profiles. Past and serving CJNs of Nigeria, including the incumbent, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, have been repeat-

JUSTICE MUST NOT ONLY BE SERVED; BUT SHOULD BE WIDELY SEEN AND ACCLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN TRULY AND TRANSPARENTLY DELIVERED

edly lamenting the increased wave of misconduct, fraud and corruption in the nation’s judiciary involving judges and other judicial officers. The immediate past CJN, Justice Mukhtar, had in the twilight of her tenure, bluntly stated: “Now more than ever, the public has become more critical of the conduct of the judicial staff, perhaps buoyed by public outcry against unwholesome conduct of the judicial staff, like leakage of judgements before delivery, demanding bribes before the preparation of records of appeal, acting as go-between for some overzealous litigants and some corrupt judicial officers, ostentatious lifestyles beyond legitimate earnings, and a host of other activities”. Yet, the Nigerian public is desirous of having all those entrusted with the nation’s treasury at various levels, whether in the public or private sector, who abused the privilege and heartlessly ripped off the nation and the people, brought

ON THIS DAY August 31, 1980 Flood in Ibadan, Nigeria, after 12 hours of heavy downpour, killed over 300 people with properties worth millions of naira destroyed. The Ogunpa River is a third-order stream with a channel length of 21.5 km and a drainage basin covering 73.3 km2 draining the densely populated eastern part of Ibadan. It was, however, the flood of 1980 that brought the river to national and international notoriety.

Letters tothe theEditor Editor Letters to

August 31, 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed, driver Henri Paul and one other died in a car crash in Paris. Diana was the first wife of Charles, the Prince of Wales from July 29, 1981 until they divorced on August 28, 1996. On August 31, 1997, Diana died in a fatal car crash in a road tunnel in Paris, France. The accident also claimed the lives of Dodi, Henri and the acting security manager of the Hotel Ritz Paris.

to justice as quickly as possible. This seems the main driving force behind the widespread agitation for the establishment of special courts. But because of the powerful vested interests, whose toes might be stepped on in the process, and who would go to any length to contest the legitimacy of the special courts, the least public expectation from the Buhari government and the Professor Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, is that they would patiently follow due process in establishing the courts by ensuring that the National Assembly, judicial arm of government, the police and other security agencies, as well as the country’s anti-graft agencies and other stakeholders, are carried along. Besides, Buhari for one, can only prove claims by the opposition that his government is a junta out to witch-hunt and clamp perceived opponents into jail, wrong, by ensuring that corruption cases meant for prosecution in the specialised courts are diligently investigated and backed by concrete facts; and that the prosecutors and counsels entrusted with the cases are of iron cast integrity. Justice must not only be served, but it should be widely seen and acclaimed to have been truly and transparently delivered.

x August 31, 2005 A stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad killed about 1,199 people. The Al-Aaimmah bridge runs across the river Tigris in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The bridge links the areas of Adhamiya, which is a majority Sunni Arab area, from its East bank, with the Shia area of Kadhimiya on its west. It was the place the deadly stampede occurred and hundreds of Shiite pilgrims were crushed to death.

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Cover

TSA:

Implications for banks’ capacity on financial reengineering, profitability

Kifasi

As all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, migrate into a Treasury Single Account, TSA, analysts say, apart from engendering transparent financial system, banks in the country will have to go beyond where they are currently in funds mobilization to enable them sustain their financial roles in the economy and post higher returns on shareholders’ funds. Udo Onyeka reports

he determination by the Federal Government to ensure discipline and transparency in the management of the nation’s finances informed the recent directive mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to pay their earnings into a unified bank account known as Treasury Single Account, TSA. This directive, which applies to the MDAs that are funded from the Federation Account such as Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, among others, required that the affected MDAs are to pay all their revenue to a sub-account linked to the TSA at CBN. Even though many ana-

lysts say the implementation of the TSA would bring about transparency, efficiency and accountability, this initiative is already sending warning signals to the financial institutions operating in the country in view of the need for them to explore of new sources of deposits and other ways of sustaining market liquidity aggressively. More worrisome is the fact that market watchers have projected that the increasingly difficult conditions under which banks are operating such as having had to contend in recent months with the increased vulnerability of the oil and gas sector, pressure on the naira, the slower economy and tightening bank liquidity may linger if lender do not become more creative than they are. To ensure immediate compliance with the di-

rective, the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, has given the name and number of the TSA as Accountant General (Federal subTreasury) Account No. 3000002095. The order on TSA, which came into effect on August 11, marks the beginning of MDAs’ retirement of revenues due to the Federal Government into a unified account maintained by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. The payment of government revenue into multiple bank accounts operated by MDAs in commercial banks, as obtained under the previous administrations is believed to be in violation Sections 80 and 162 of the Nigerian Constitution which provided that all federally-collected revenue should be paid into the Federation Account. The fears that have been

raised about the implications of the new measure are hardly necessary. The benefits of the TSA for the economy and good governance far outweigh its seeming disadvantages. The consolidation of federal revenues in a single account will allow for easier and better tracking of funds, thereby enthroning a better regime of accountability, in line with global best practice. However analysts say one of the fears is that it may delay government operations as valuable time could be lost between payments and appropriations for spending. “This is one reason why the co-operation of the National Assembly is necessary, to ensure timely appropriations and release of budgeted funds to government agencies. The MDAs, in collaboration with the Executive, will also need to be dili-

gent in drawing up their budgets and presenting them for consideration and passage by the legislature. The financial regulators, including the CBN, should also be proactive and institute measures to correct any lapses or negative impact of the policy, as no law or measure is foolproof. The fear that it will negatively affect commercial banks, and possibly lead to massive job losses, should be addressed. Total commitment and sincerity of purpose are required of those who are to implement this policy. The agencies of government that are affected by the measure are thus enjoined to ensure that it succeeds. They must subsume their personal interests under the greater need of the country”, an analyst have said. Findings show that the

TSA, hash business environment and regulatory actions are expected to affect banks’ bottom lines this year and moving forward unless device creative means of contending these challenges. The TSA is federal government’s independent revenue e-collection initiative that has automated revenue collections of MDAs directly into the federal government’s consolidated revenue fund, CRF, account at the CBN. It does not allow MDAs’ funds to stay in the vault of commercial banks. Group Managing Director, FirstBank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, was quoted to have said that “Banks have UDO ONYEKA, CO-ORDINATOR BUSINESS COURAGE udonyeka@gmail.com c

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Onasanya

had significant reduction in their level of government’s deposits. It is not just because of the reduction in oil price, it is also because of the restructuring of the fiscal accounting, in which the TSA has been implemented. “That has almost necessarily moved away public accounts at the federal level from the vaults of commercial banks into the central bank. That has reduced the liquidity in the financial sector. Liquidity is shrinking also and you have to look at the impact on your liquidity ratio and liquidity management in all the things that you do,” he said. Many stakeholders believe the TSA would of a truth significantly reduce the inflow of government funding into the banking system as a result of the federal government’s policy. According to some analysts banks operating in the country may be losing about N2trn deposits to the CBN, with the implementation of the TSA. The report on accounts of banks with CBN shows that as at beginning of this current quarter, banks’ total public sector deposits was N1.3trn but additional net flows from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FACC, as at end of last month, about N240bn as well as expected inflows by end of

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

Dissanayake

this month may push the figure close to N2.2 trn by the TSA would have fully begun. It has been alleged that the TSA would have gone full blast during the Goodluck Jonathan administration but some highly connected banking industry operators pressurised the former president to soft pedal on the implementation which was originally scheduled for February 2015, on the reasons of a likely negative impact on the economy. Bank operators including bank treasures have said the implementation of the new policy would adversely affect liquidity in the banking system and end up putting pressure on interest rates and availability of credit to the economy. Also in a statement, weekend, Afrinvest Group, a Lagos-based financial investment house, said: “Whilst the directive issued came as the first official statement by the Presidency on the TSA, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had earlier began withdrawing its funds from banks for retirement into CBN. “This had an impact on liquidity level in the banking system, resulting in a surge in money market rates during the period as banks scrambled for funds to cover their li-

Teriba

Khan

quidity positions. “With the TSA implementation now extended to all federal MDAs, the Nigerian banking industry, on an aggregate basis, would be affected in terms of deposits and funding cost structure.” In relation to this FBN Capital, an investment arm of FirstBank of Nigeria Plc, stated in its money market reports last weekend that the NNPC withdrew about N400bn from the banks last month pushing Open Buy Back, OBB, and overnight interest rates to a record high of 50 per cent. It, however, stated that this pressure was corrected when FACC inflow came to the

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banks within the same period. Global rating agency, Fitch has last week end sounded the alarm that Nigeria’s financial sector is likely going to experience turmoil. The agency noted that the country’s banks are heading into financial and operational storms in view of what it called the increasingly difficult conditions under which they are operating. This it said is likely to result in a sharp deterioration in profitability, asset quality, liquidity and capital ratios. In its report the Director, Financial Institutions, Mahin Dissanay-

ake, Fitch Ratings said Nigerian banks are highly exposed to the domestic market and that the economic slowdown would affect their performance. More worrisome to operators Business Courage gathered was some states have signified keen interest in the TSA. Lagos and Kaduna states are in the fore front of adopting the TS. There may be likely bandwagon effects on other states. If that happens then it may create serious crisis in the financial system and the economy because the ‘big banks’ will get the slot to the detriment of smaller ones. But Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Ibrahim Muazu has said the TSA as a government policy, is part of the national payment initiative aimed at modernising the country’s payment system. “MDAs are complying and it is going to have positive impact on the economy,” he said. Chief Executive, Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, has said it is absolutely necessary for government to determine what comes to its cover at every given time. Speaking on a Channel Television programme two weeks ago, Teriba noted that “Prior to this time, many government agencies had the autonomy to receive money on behalf

of the federal government or on behalf of the federation account and they had the liberty to spend part of the revenue because they were only required to remit only a fraction of the amount that they declared.” According to the privilege was increasingly being abused. “We had agencies which handled capital projects and there were abuses. It is going to be beneficial to the country when all revenues accrued to the government come to one account. Let us know how money comes in. With this policy, all agencies will go through appropriation process without exception. He dismissed the fear that the treasury single account system would encourage bureaucracy and delay in access to funds, adding that there was no sacrifice that is too much to be taken to achieve transparency. “We should learn to take this country to a stage where we learn to be efficient. We cannot use the issue of efficiency to promote opacity. We need transparency. A situation where you don’t know how much is due to government and government revenue gets intercepted will make it difficult for government to embark on developmental project and equip the military”, he said. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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News Forex scam: CBN canvasses automation, simplification of trade processes

farm produce in dirty environment was part of the food borne diseases the nation was having and that nobody was doing anything to check it. According to him, food safety is very important if we want to live long. He said that the non monitoring of farm produce and how they were displayed was one of the reasons the life span in Africa, especially in Nigeria was not long.

Francis Ezem

he Central Bank of Nigeria CBN has said that the simplification and automation of international trade processes in the country would check the increasing cases of foreign exchange scams. The apex bank had in the recent past, especially in response to the dwindling fortunes of the naira against other major international currencies introduced stringent foreign exchange management measures, which include banning commercial banks from accepting cash deposits of foreign currencies, mainly the dollar into local domiciliary accounts. Deputy Director in charge of Trade and Exchange of the CBN, Mr. J.O. Ajewo, who spoke in Lagos recently during a sensitisation seminar on the integration of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria SON’s electronic certificates and SONCAP into the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System NICIS, said simplification and automation of trade processes has become a global practice. According to him, the CBN would be able to manage foreign utilisation better and be able to detect easily some people who would want to access foreign exchange for dubious purposes. Apart from this, he also said that simplification and automation of processes would facilitate international trade, which will in turn lead to economic boom and creation of job opportunities for the teeming youths of the country. It was in line with its commitment to simplifying trade processes that the apex bank in 2013 introduced the automated Form M, which is a vital document used for importation of goods into the country, which was before then issued and filled manually, with the attendant rampant cases of abuses and fraud. “The introduction of automated Form M, has made it possible for importers to declare their intentions to import online, real time from the comfort of their offices or homes and has also reduced the inadequacies and inefficiency associated with the manual system to the barest minimum”, the deputy director argued He also said: “We will make trade processes as simple as possible. This will promote trade and business and when trade booms, the economy booms, more jobs will be created, crimes and other social vices would be reduced”

Power supply: IBEDC assures customers of improved service

T L-R: Mr Babajide Komolafe, Deputy Business Editor, Vanguard Newspaper; Mr Musa Jimoh, Deputy Director, Banking and Payments System Department; Mrs Mudia Augusta, Senior Manager; Mr Ahmed Wali, Assistant Director and Rita Jatto, Assistant Manager, all of Central Bank of Nigeria during the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria Bi-Monthly forum held in Lagos

Get ready for name and shame’, PRCAN warns unregistered PR consultants Adejuwon Osunnuyi

he Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, PRCAN, has warned unregistered Public Relations Consultants who have set up PR practice in the country to get ready to be named and shamed. Rising from its Extraordinary General Meeting held in Lagos to discuss the state of PR Practice in Nigeria, the professional body warned all unregistered consultants and clients doing businesses with them to get ready for a legal showdown. Following a motion moved by the CEO of CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, members unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the present leadership of PRCAN while praising them for partnering with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, to step up the fight to rid the industry of quacks and unregistered PR Consultants. According to Badejo-Okusanya, “PR is a profession regulated by law just like medicine and

Ehiguese

accountancy. The law regulating PR practice in Nigeria today is an Act of the Parliament. You cannot just wake up one morning in South Africa and decide to float a PR agency. No, it is never done and this will not be allowed here in Nigeria. We must take the battle to the gates of these unregistered professionals just like our colleagues in advertising have done.” In his response, the PRCAN President, John Ehiguese, thanked members for their unalloyed support and said the PRCAN leadership will continue to work closely with the NIPR to ensure that the crusade is pursued to its logical conclusion. He reiterated the resolve of the association to engage other corporate bodies and government establishments still patronising the services of unregistered PR Consultants in Nigeria while assuring those who are indeed qualified to practice PR of the readiness of the professional body to welcome them to its fold. The PRCAN President further assured all private and public sector organisations in need of PRCAN consultancy services that the professional circle is the right direction to look. He said, “This is a win-win situation for us and for all private and public sector clients who need the services of PR consultancies. If any of our members is not living up to the standards expected by clients, such clients should know they can make a formal report to PRCAN and we will ensure they get their money’s worth in terms of best-in-class professional PR services. But we can only hold our registered members accountable for standards and not the unregistered army currently parading themselves about as PR consultants in Nigeria.”

Expert decries nonmonitoring of farm produce on sale in markets

hairman, Agro and Non-Oil Sector, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Mr Wale Oyekoya, has decried the non-monitoring of farm produce being sold in the markets. Oyekoya lamented the situation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos. He spoke against the background of the ban on export of farm produce by the international communities to their countries. According to him, there is need to guarantee food safety in the country by regulating the quality of farm produce on sale in local markets. “The international community has standard and oversees what is coming into their country. “Who monitors and oversees what we consume in this country? “That is why some of us are really wondering if we are doing this for the produce the international communities bring in. “Who is monitoring and regulating what we are eating in the country? Oyekoya noted that in the open markets, some of the farm produce on display were covered with flies. “The produce are also displayed in unhygienic and worst conditions that rendered the foods unfit for human consumption. “Not only do we have to meet the international standard, what about the local food safety? “I think it is about time the government should really look into it, if not, we will just be killing ourselves,” he said. Oyekoya said that displaying

he Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, has assured residents of Ilorin of efforts by the company to improve on erratic power supply to the town. The Commercial Business Manager of IBEDC Office in Challenge, Ilorin, Mr Adetunji Adeyeye, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Friday that the company was working round the clock to ensure steady power supply. He expressed regrets over recent erratic power supply to the Kwara capital, blaming it on a technical fault that was being addressed. “If the feeders are overloaded, it means that we need long time solutions. “Some of our feeders are overloaded and we are working to resolve it. We are bothered about it and we will like to apologise to our customers. “The recent development is not deliberate and we are working to improve it. “Sometime, some of these issues escalate to regional office or the head office before they are finally resolved,” he said. Adeyeye appealed to customers to bear with the company as it was taking steps to improve on the situation.

100 Indian companies indicate interests in Nigerian markets

epresentatives of not less than 100 Indian companies on Friday said that more Indian companies and investors were willing to take advantage of Nigeria’s huge investment environment. The representatives spoke differently to the News Agency of Nigeria ,NAN, in Lagos on the sidelines of a seminar on Nigeria and India’s investment opportunities, attended by no less than 100 Indian companies. According to them, Nigeria currently has the largest population and market in Africa that will continue to attract foreign investors and companies.

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Mr Naresh Leeka, who led the companies to Lagos to exhibit their products, said that export from India to Nigeria was increasing as more Indian companies were ready to take advantage of Nigeria’s market. Leeka said the companies were in Nigeria to first have oneon-one interaction with their partners before coming to establish their companies in Nigeria. “This large number of Indian companies to Lagos, Nigeria, indicates how much regard and interest more Indian companies have in Nigeria,” he said. Executive Director of All India Rice Exporters Association, AIREA, Mr Rajen Sundaresan, said that rice producers in India were becoming more interested in bringing their finished products to Nigeria. Sundaresan said that the association was working hard at making Nigeria a ready market for India’s variety of rice. “We know that there is presently a high demand for rice in Nigeria. So, we want to bridge the gap between rice demand and supply in Nigeria. “We are presently looking for more Nigerian partners for the importation and distribution of Indian rice in Nigerian markets,’’ he said.

Ambode pledges support to manufacturing sector

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has pledged support to the manufacturing sector as it held the key to a sustainable economic growth and development of the state. Ambode pledged the support at the opening of the 3rd Quarterly Council Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture ,NACCIMA, in Lagos. He said the support to the manufacturing sector and investment in the state would drive self-sufficiency and sustain the status of Lagos State as the economic hub of the country. “We are aware of the challenges of the business community in terms of poor power supply, inadequate infrastructure, high interest and foreign exchange rates among others. “The resultant effect of these problems are manifesting in high operation cost, high rate of unemployment and poverty. But I am positive that these challenges are surmountable. “We, therefore, need to be proactive and look towards becoming self sufficient by collaborating with the manufacturing sector which obviously, holds the key to sustainable economic growth and development. “This is why Lagos State has established the Office of Over-

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L – R: Senior Managing Director, Blackstone , Mr. Sean Klimczack; Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar N. Onyema; Chairman/CEO and co-Founder, Blackstone , Mr. Steve Schwarzman; President of Council, NSE, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, and Chair Blackstone Africa Infrastructure LP and Managing Director Black Rhino, Mimi Alemayehou, at Closing Gong Ceremony at The Exchange

seas Affairs and Investment to make the state a first choice exhibition for both local and foreign investors. “This administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for the business community to thrive to create employment and grow our GDP,’’ he said. Ambode urged NACCIMA to collaborate with the state government in its efforts to make Lagos the number one business friendly state. Also speaking, Mr Bassey Edem, National President of NACCIMA, urged the Federal Government to hasten its roadmap for the diversification of the economy to tackle the dwindling income from crude oil. Edem also urged the government to tackle corruption as it would translate into economic advancement, good governance and good living standard of Nigerians. He decried the poor utilisation and management of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex and urged Ambode to call for a review of the concession of the complex. “The complex is primarily designed for trade promotion in Nigeria, but it has become a shadow of itself. “We therefore, request that the management of the complex be transferred back to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry as was done for Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex.”he said.

aspiration to industrialise the country. The event is hosted by Event Patrons, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, in partnership with Spintelligent Pty and Clarion Events Ltd, African event specialists and organisers of the West African Power Industry Convention, WAPIC. “There is more to Nigeria than oil”, says Russell Hughes, Director of the Nigeria Manufacturing Expo. “Last year Nigerian imports of food processing and packaging machinery increased over 20 per cent to $365 million, plastics and rubber products grew by 23.8 per cent and $7.4bn was spent on importing vehicle and automotive parts along with the National Automotive Council, NAC, disbursing $46m in loans aimed at developing local production.” As Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari stated during his first visit to the US, “We are the most populous nation and largest market in Africa with vast human and natural resources, blessed with abundant young skilled workforce.” “There is no other way to expand economic opportunities and create employment opportunities for millions of our youths than boosting domestic manufacturing, undertaking infrastructural development and industrialization” Hughes said. According to the organisers, It will be an international platform to showcase manufacturing ma-

Nigeria’s Manufacturing Expo to hold in Lagos

reparation is ongoing for inaugural Nigeria Manufacturing Expo scheduled to hold in Lagos in March next year. The expo will provide a platform for experts in the manufacturing sector to deliberate on how to support government’s

Ogunmefun

chines, facilitate re-tooling, build capacity of plant managers, stimulate investment and promote made-in-Nigeria products in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP. Also Director General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Remi Ogunmefun, said “We will mobilise MAN members and other stakeholders on the manufacturing value chain to participate in the exhibition” Invitations to over 2,000 MAN members, automated production equipment resellers and distributors from West Africa will be issued in order to meet with over 100 international automated production machinery producers who will be showcasing their equipment and technologies as exhibitors. Examples of some of the automated production machinery available for purchase and evaluation by manufacturers visiting the Trade Fair include drives, motors, cams, sensors, switches, control units, robotic arms, conveyors, m-2-m comms, on-time logistics, warehousing and much more.

OLX, Mandilas partner on free vehicle valuation, diagnostic Leonard Okachie

igeria’s leading online classifieds, OLX, recently announced its partnership with Mandilas, one of the leading players in the auto industry in a strategic relationship that will offer users on the OLX platform free vehicle valuation and diagnostic services. In addition, Mandilas will list its vehicles on the OLX platform in an effort to attract buyers from across the country. Speaking recently, the OLX country manager, Lola Masha stated that “the partnership between two trusted brands in

Nigeria - Mandilas and OLX - is truly one of a kind. It reinforces OLX’s commitment to enhancing its users experience on the platform and also provides a nationwide reach for Mandilas”. She also stated that “this collaboration with Mandilas validates the effectiveness of OLX as a platform with a wide range of vehicles where buyers can find great car deals and trade with trusted sellers”. The partnership will offer eligible users who post their cars for sale on the OLX site, an opportunity to have their cars screened and evaluated for free. At the end of the screening, the user will get an evaluation certificate from Mandilas that will state the current market value of the car as well as the condition of each part of the car. This will benefit both the buyer who is worried about the worth and condition of the car they want to buy and the seller who is not sure of the monetary value of the car. While expressing delight working with OLX, the General Manager, Mandilas, Stephen Gladwin stated that “the partnership with OLX will help build trust amongst Nigerians who are in the market to buy or sell their used cars because of the certificate they get at the end of the screening process”. Gladwin added, “Over the years, Mandilas has built a reputation of providing unrivalled service in the auto industry. We are excited about the partnership with OLX, the number 1 online classifieds site in Nigeria. OLX has provided a platform where users can feel safe buying and selling used vehicles across the country.’’ OLX is the world’s leading classifieds platform in growth markets and is available in more than 40 countries and over 50 languages. OLX connects local people tobuy, sell or exchange used goods and services by making it fast and easy for anyone to post an ad through the mobile app. BC

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Companies & Markets

Gulder unveils world’s largest poster, kickstarts Nigeria’s biggest Promo Udo Onyeka

ulder, a premium beer brand manufactured by Nigerian Breweries Plc., has unveiled World’s biggest poster. The epoch-making poster measuring 5,367 square metres unveiled at the Michael Okpara Square in Enugu State broke the record for the existing largest poster measuring 4,793.65 square metres, which was displayed in India on June

27, 2015. The size of the poster was attested to by Mr. Nath Agu, a chartered quantity surveyor while Barrister Onyekwuluje Ogochukwu, a lawyer, legally affirmed the measurement. The Gulder poster served to kick-start the 2015 edition of the Gulder National Consumer Promotion. The Governor of Enugu State, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was represented by the Commissioner

for Commerce and Industry, Barr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo who commended the Gulder brand for the feat. He said: “Indeed, this is a very momentous feat and I applaud Nigerian Breweries Plc, makers of Gulder for choosing Enugu as the take off point for this milestone event. Enugu has also been one of the most lucrative tourist destinations for businesses. By implication, Enugu will also be in the Guinness book of world records

for hosting this event. In Enugu, there is a continuous drive from government to provide adequate security for forward-thinking companies like Nigerian Breweries.” Since its unique launch in 1970 as Nigeria’s first lager brand packaged in a brown bottle, Gulder has blazed the innovative trail, achieving milestones in the process. The brand organized Nigeria’s first reality TV show, the Gulder Ultimate Search, while Gulder’s current packaging, is regarded as Nigeria’s most innovative bottle.

In his welcome address, the Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, recounted Gulder’s momentous stride in the beer market and the company’s choice of Enugu as the rallying point. He stated that ‘‘since the commissioning of our second brewery in Aba in 1957, the South East has been a solid base for our operations and a veritable home to our brands. It is in continuation of this robust relationship with the South East that we are here in Enugu courtesy of Gulder the ultimate lager beer’. BC

DStv assures subscribers of improved services Adejuwon Osunnuyi

L-R: Communications Specialist, IFC, Anna Koblanck; Deputy Director, Finance Policy and Regulations, CBN, Obot Udofia; Principal Financial Specialist, IFC, Luz Maria Salamina and Mainasara Muhammad from the Development Finance Department, CBN, during the inaugural meeting of the Credit Reporting and National Collateral Registry Education and Awareness Campaign Working Group in Lagos

Sterling Bank organises training for financial journalists

s part of its capacity building initiative across all sectors of the economy, Sterling Bank Plc at the weekend facilitated a training programme for financial journalists. The programme was aimed at enhancing the participants’ understanding of key developments in the economy. a financial expert and media trainer from France, Mr. Jurgen Hecker, and a renowned economist, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, presented papers during the event. Topics covered include Sovereign Debt, Bond Market operations, Exchange & Interest rates dynamics. The Bank in a statement signed by the Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola said the training programme was facilitated to equip financial journalists in the country with current trends in the global financial world to serve as reference when analysing issues affecting the economy. “We all know the importance of qualitative reporting and accurate in-depth analysis of economic issues especially develop-

ments in the Banking sector. For this to happen, there is a need to equip the journalists- reporters and editors alike with adequate understanding of economic developments”, he said. The Bank said the choice of Hecker and Rewane was based on their rich experience in financial journalism and the economy respectively. Part of the statement reads: “Mr. Jurgen Hecker is a journalist and media trainer currently working at the Agence France Presse, AFP, an international news agency. His experience in financial journalism and training that spans about two decades, has seen him hold responsibilities as Finance Editor and Bureau Chief for the AFX financial news subsidiary; Bureau Chief for Northern Europe and Deputy Chief of the Television service in AFP. He has also previously worked at the BBC and the Reuters Financial News Service in London. He teaches journalism at the SciencesPo Journalism School and has previously taught at the American University of Paris”, it said. BC

Mr. Atilola also assured that Sterling Bank will continue to invest in capacity building in various sectors because the national economic development prospects of any country is hinged on adequate capacity at all levels and across all sectors in the country. BC

midst complaints and frustrations being expressed by thousands of DStv subscribers over appalling services they claimed to be receiving, the Pay Tv provider, Multichoice Nigeria has promised to make sure that they will continue to get value for their money. Marketing Manager of DSTV, Chioma Afe stated this at the Multichoice Customer Forum held at the Swan Hall, National Stadium Surulere, Lagos recently. Afe noted that the event was organised for customers and DSTV officials to interact and reconcile any existing challenges they might be going through. “We are not here to defend ourselves or quarrel with you but to listen to your challenges regarding our product and see how best to address them.” “We are working hard to make sure that you enjoy the services Dstv is giving to you.” She said. At the Swan Hall, which was

filled to capacity, the subscribers had expressed their anger, frustration and disappointment towards Dstv services. While some of the customers complained about time being wasted each time the decoder boots, others expressed their anger over the long period of time it takes them to get response from the customer service line. Other complaints include charge on DSTV Toll line, lack of service/disconnection even when a subscriber has paid, non freezing of account even when it’s obvious that subscriber is out of town, especially regarding customers that are on yearly subscription, as well as non-refunding of money even when there is disconnection or loss of service due to faults emanating from the service provider. Other issues which subscribers bitterly complained about were non availability of live matches on Compact Plus despite paying N7, 500 monthly, and lack of rewards for loyal customers. BC

UACN plans to raise capital Johnson Okanlawon

nited African Company of Nigeria, UACN, has stated that it is considering proposing to raise capital through a Rights Issue. A notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Friday said the proposed capital raising will be presented to the shareholders for approval at the next Annual General Meeting of the company. It therefore advises shareholders to exercise caution when dealing in the Company’s shares until a further announcement is made. According to the statement, the capital will be used for its business expansion and further

development of the company and its subsidiaries. “We are considering certain proposals and options which will be subject to agreeing substantive terms and shareholders’ approval,” the notice added. The company’s impairments on hotel investments has contributed to a downswing in half year profit as the leading conglomerates continues to grapple with the tough operating environment that makes it difficult for businesses to thrive. For the first six months through June 2015, its net income dipped by 70 per cent to N1.03bn from N3.48bn the previous year. Sales were down seven percent to N37.3bn as declining discretionary consumer

spending continues to dampen the top lines of subsidiaries. The company’s distribution/ administrative expenses were down by 31 per cent to N7.25bn in June 2015 as against N5.37bn last year as bad roads, high energy costs at offices continues to spiral up distribution/administrative and other expenses. The company is also spending more to produce each unit of products as operating expense ratio increased to 19.40 per cent in June 2015 compared with 8.64 per cent as at June 2014. While operating expenses are rising, the company controlled production costs given a seven per cent fall in cost of sales to N28.9bn in June 2015 from N31.08bn the previous year. BC

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Companies & Markets

Firstmonie partners MMIT to facilitate international payments

irstmonie, the mobile money platform of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has partnered with Mobile Media Info Tech Global Limited, MMIT, to commence a new mobile wallet capability that allows consumers to purchase services on international merchant websites. This initiative is the first of its kind in the African mobile money and payment landscape and would enable online purchases, and apps download through the Firstmonie platform. Leveraging on its expertise in electronic payments, FirstBank is constantly exploring innovative ways of enhancing its service offerings to ensure products are well suited to its existing and potential mobile subscriber

base. With the upswing in digital applications, Firstmonie subscribers can now directly pay for applications download from their mobile wallet. This has eliminated the limitation posed by daunting payment process, especially for the youth market, many of whom have no access to international payment cards and have been un-served within the global ecommerce space. On the heels of this partnership, Firstmonie and MMIT have launched the Aflix project - a mobile Video-On Demand, VOD, content provider that offers a wide range of streaming materials including international hit movies, series, music, children programmes, lifestyle, nature and science, and much more. The Aflix VOD application, is

available through the Google Play store, it allows consumers to stream content directly on their mobile devices and tablets on 3G/4G networks and WiFi. Nigerians can now enjoy a firstof-its–kind experience by paying for international digital content in local currency using the Firstmonie electronic wallets on

their mobile devices. Through this partnership, FirstBank has again spearheaded the CBN cashless policy and financial inclusion for unbanked youths, as you do not even have to be a bank customer to use Firstmonie and enjoy the Aflix service. Kim Fraser, CEO of MMIT, commented on the initiative say-

ing, “MMIT is very excited about the launch of services with FirstBank’s mobile wallet. The ability to use an African based mobile wallet to transact with international merchants is a first in the alternative payments space, and MMIT is very proud to be working with First Bank of Nigeria on this initiative”. BC

Premium Pensions pays N87bn to retirees under CPS

remium Pension Limited has disclosed the payment of about N87bn to 33,000 pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS. Making the disclosure in Lagos at the Annual General Meeting of the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents ,NAIPCO, managing director of the company Wilson Ideva, said that as it stands today, the CPS is arguably the most conspicuous and indelible legacy of the Federal Government in the past decade. Ideva who was represented by Paddy Ezeala, noted that Premium Pension is a pioneer Pension Fund Administrator, PFA, which is ranked top among the market leaders in the Nigerian pension industry. The Company, he said, currently maintains well over 600,000 Retirement Savings Accounts, RSAs and has paid out over N87 billion to over 33,000 retirees or their next-of-kin as entitlements since 2007. According to him, with pension assets under its management in excess of 370 billion naira and pension enrolees under the company’s management spread in over 1000 organisations across the country, Premium Pension has already been firmly established as a key player in the new Contributory Pension Scheme. Professionalism in pension service rendition at Premium Pension is complemented by the Company’s adoption of the robust Canadian Pension Administration Software, CPAS, he noted, adding, ‘We are partnering with this organization to ensure continued cutting –edge service delivery. All the relevant staff operating this software have been adequately trained in Canada by CPAS’. Ideva stated that the company has consistently posted Return on Investment of pension asset

well above industry average and above inflation. He siad the company recently introduced a mobile application known as The Premium Pension Mobile, with a view to facilitating its operations and enhancing customer service and interaction. This, he explained was in response to the evident need for devices that would further close the gap between the company’s operations and its customers on the one hand and the customers and their Retirement Savings Accounts ,RSA, on the other. ‘The Premium Pension Mobile is a mobile application that is downloadable from the appstores of Androids, Blackberry, Apple Store and Windows phones. The mobile application is loaded with exciting features which include a dashboard view that shows summary of a customer’s account/fund while incorporating a pie chart for the purpose of clarity. It also includes the history of unit prices and a graphical representation of movements in this regard. BC

L-R: MD, Mandilas, David Edwards; Country Manager, OLX, Lola Masha; GM Mandilas, Stephen Gladwin

Fidelity emerges Best Bank to work for in Nigeria

idelity Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading banks, has been adjudged as the best bank to work for in Nigeria. In a recent study conducted by Venture Africa, an online platform for news and analysis about African businesses, in conjunction with Jobberman. com, Nigeria’s leading employment website, Fidelity Bank Plc., is the only bank among the top 12 most preferred places to work in Nigeria. The report tagged “Top 100 companies for Nigerian millennials” surveyed young Nigerians born between 1982 and 2003 and measured company culture, dream-company, staff welfare, gender equality, government in-

Airtel unveils diesel distribution apps Isaiah Erhiawarien

irtel Nigeria in partnership with another telecoms company has launched a mobile application that will make diesel accessible to customers on its network. The application, which was created in partnership with a developer, Yuzah allows users to request instant delivery of diesel to their homes or offices, using their mobile phones. Known as Yuzah, the simplicity of the product and distribution model earned the application the one million naira prize money in the Airtel catapult-astartup competition held earlier

in the year. Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Maurice Newa described the service, which is the first-of-its-kind in Nigeria, as part of efforts by the Telco to deliver products and services that offer convenience to its customers. “Airtel has collaborated with Yuzah, one of the winners of Airtel Catapult-A-Start up competition, to offer Nigerians this unique service which will further enhance their access to diesel and address the inconveniences associated with the logistics involved in delivery,” he said. According to him, interested

stitution, company’s prestige, salary, and non-salary benefits. It also looked at the level of satisfaction, salary consideration, level of contentment, career growth, concerns outside work and worklife balance amongst others. According to the organisers, Fidelity led all other banks in the country in all the measuring indices. In a statement, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo said that the development is a testament to the bank’s robust human capital management policies which focuses on enhancing the lives and wellbeing of employees. He explained that Fidelity places a premium

in supporting and rewarding the performance of its people. “We are proud to be honoured, especially because of our strong initiative and focus not only on staff welfare but also on the wellbeing of their families”. Okonkwo alluded to the great work the bank has done in making Fidelity Bank a great workplace. Citing the Great Place to Work, GPTW, studies conducted in more than 44 countries and 4,500 organisations, which had seen corporations like Google, Goldman Sachs and Microsoft emerge as winners together with Fidelity, Okonkwo said that he is proud that Fidelity Bank belongs to this league having won the award on two occasions. BC

users can download this app on their mobile phones from http://bit.ly/YuzahApp noting that once that is done, the app will locate their place on the map and they will be able to see all the diesel trucks within their radius. Users can then order diesel through the app and the product will be delivered within 30-60 minutes once accepted by a Yuzah approved supplier. He also explained that the partnership further lent credence to the company’s Catapult-A-Startup, which is driven by its vision to encourage innovation and empower young Nigerians by creating opportunities for them to bring their business ideas to fruition.

“As an organisation, we are passionate about building a community for young talented Nigerians. We are aware of the abundance of young people who are blessed with the skills to develop relevant apps with most of them not having the opportunity to showcase or develop their skills. Through the Catapult-aStartup programme, we aim not only to identify talent, but also to encourage local content”, he noted. Commenting on the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer of Yuzah.com, Ovo Emorhokpor expressed delight at the partnership and maintained that the service will offer Nigeria optimal convenience to purchase diesel through their mobile phones. BC

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Global News government is facing a political crisis and a rebellion of allied MPs who want to increase spending, rather than reform the economy.

Facebook has a billion users in a single day, says Mark Zuckerberg Dilma Rousseff, Brazil President

Brazil’s economy enters recession

razil has entered recession after official figures showed the country’s economy contracted by 1.9 per cent between April and June compared with the previous three months. Analysts had expected a contraction, but the number was worse than expected. First quarter output was also revised down to show a 0.7 per cent, rather than a 0.2 per cent, contraction. The country, the seventhlargest economy in the world, has seen economic growth fall sharply in recent times. This is due in part to low commodity prices and sluggish global growth. High interest rates - currently 14.25 per cent - have also affected consumer spending, an important element of Brazil’s economy, while this year, the government has introduced stringent austerity measures designed to tackle high levels of debt. Government spending, including on unemployment benefits, has fallen sharply, while taxes have risen. In the second quarter, household spending fell by 2.1per cent compared with the previous three months. The biggest falls came in the industrial sector, where construction output fell 8.4 per cent Transport, storage, postal services, financial services and insurance all saw falls in output. Compared with a year earlier, the economy as a whole shrank by 2.6 per cent. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. Most people have already been feeling the economic downturn long before today’s figures were out. Unemployment has risen rapidly, while inflation over 12 months is running above 9 per cent - twice the government’s target. More worryingly, analysts believe growth might not return until 2017. Brazilian authorities are trying to fix the economy with austerity measures, but the

or the first time over a billion people used Facebook on a single day, according to company founder Mark Zuckerberg. The “milestone” was reached on Monday, when “1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family”, he said in a post. Facebook has nearly 1.5 billion users who log in at least once a month, but this was the most in a single day. The company gained its billionth user in October 2012. It was founded in 2004 by Mr Zuckerberg while he was a Harvard student. In his post on Thursday, he predicted that Facebook’s reach would continue to grow. “This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it’s just the beginning of connecting the whole world,” Mr Zuckerberg wrote. In July, Facebook claimed that over half of the world’s online users visited the site at least once a month. It was only back in October 2012 when Facebook first announced it had one billion users using the site at least once a month - and now, just under three years later, the site has managed to pull in that many in a single day. The question is how can it continue to grow? Surely it will plateau at some point, right? Yes - but we’re a long way off that. I’ve just come back from Facebook’s headquarters in California to discuss some of the projects in the pipeline. On the wall, a map of the world highlighted countries with lots of Facebook users. Sure, the US, Europe and India are almost at peak Facebook. But there are huge gaps - Africa, much of Asia, some of Latin America. That’s where Facebook is focused on now.

Zuckerberg

Why China’s share slump affects the world

hina’s economic slowdown has finally left its imprint on global stock markets. But the impact has been discernible in the oil market for many months and it has gone further in the last few days. The reason: China is the world’s biggest importer of crude oil. It took top spot in April this year and even before that was behind only the United Sates. Slower economic growth in China means less demand for oil than there would otherwise have been. Of course there are other factors behind the oil price collapse of the last year, some of them leading to abundant supplies. The rise of shale oil in the United States and Saudi Arabia’s unwillingness to respond by curbing its own output have also put pressure on the oil price. But demand is an important element. And just look at what the impact of all these factors has been. The price of Brent crude oil roughly halved in the second six months of last year. It recovered a bit and then fell by nearly 40 per cent from the level it reached at about the same time (in June) that the Chinese stock market began its sharp decline. That’s not to say the Chinese stock market is directly responsible for oil’s fall. But it has reinforced concerns about whether China’s economic growth is going to slow very abruptly, and has undermined expectations about future oil sales - driving down the price now. Oil revenue dependency Cheaper oil is a great boon for struggling economies that have to import the stuff. There are plenty of them around, notably the eurozone. But it is an increasingly serious problem, certainly economically and perhaps politically too, for oil-exporting countries. Oil accounts for a very large share of government revenue in many countries. The IMF says it’s more than half for many oil exporters and as high as 80-90 per cent in some, including Iraq, Qatar, Oman and Equatorial Guinea. The IMF has also estimated the oil price it would take for some countries in the Middle East and North Africa (and a couple in the former Soviet Union) to balance their government budgets. For all of them that “breakeven” price is higher than today’s level. For several, including Saudi Arabia and Iran it would take a

lot more than double what it is now to balance the budget. For Libya it is more than $200 a barrel, higher than the oil price has ever been. Economists at Deutsche Bank have done a similar analysis and extended it to a few more countries. They suggest that Venezuela and Nigeria would also need an oil price of about $120 a barrel to balance the books. The IMF is forecasting a deficit in the Saudi government finances of 14 per cent of national income this year. Saudi Arabia has reserves it can draw on, savings built up in years of higher oil prices. The same is true of some other oil producers, but such a low oil price would be a problem even for these countries if it were to persist for several years. These economic strains could have a political impact. The state has had a central role in the economic life of many countries across the Middle East and North Africa. It has been called a social contract. The World Bank said: “The old development model - or social contract - where the state provided free health and education, subsidized food and fuel, and jobs in the public sector, has reached its limits.” This social contract is not confined to the oil producers, though an earlier World Bank report said that oil is important to other countries in the region as migrant workers get jobs in the sector and send funds home.

Fischer

Wall St. slips as investors assess volatile week

.S. stocks looked set to snap a two-day rally on Friday after comments by a top Federal Reserve official appeared to suggest that a September rate rise was still possible. Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said the United States was heading in the direction of higher rates and that recent economic data had been impressive. Fischer also said the Fed could not wait for the case to be

overwhelming to increase rates and that the recent market volatility could settle quickly. Fischer’s remarks to CNBC added to a general reluctance to take big positions into the weekend after days of tumultuous trading that featured both the market’s worst session in four years and biggest two-day gain since the financial crisis. Following Fischer’s comments, overnight indexed swap rates implied traders now see a 35 percent chance the Fed would raise rates in September, up from 22 percent earlier in the week. Despite Friday’s declines, the three main U.S. indexes were on track to end the week higher after a brutal selloff early in the week sparked by worries about the health of China’s economy. “A lot of investors are rebalancing their portfolios before going into the weekend and the dips that we saw earlier in the week were good buy opportunities,” said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin. The recent market turmoil, that saw the Dow lose more than 1,000 points at one point on Monday, has prompted several strategists to cut their endof-year forecasts for indexes. Credit Suisse, for example, cut its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 2,100 from 2,200 on Friday. At 13:59 ET (1759 GMT), the S&P 500 .SPX was down 6.67 points, or 0.34 percent, at 1,980.99, the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 72.16 points, or 0.43 percent, at 16,582.61, and the Nasdaq composite .IXIC was down 7.00 points, or 0.15 percent, at 4,805.71. Strong gains over the last two days suggested that the worst might be over, but the CBOE Volatility index indicated that the market was still more volatile than usual. The index .VIX — popularly known as the “fear index” — was up 2.3 percent at 26.70. It soared to a more than 6-yearhigh earlier in the week. “The VIX average for the year has been about 15 and I definitely expect it to be above 20 in the short-term,” said Frederick. In China, stocks jumped more than 4 percent for the second day as authorities announced that pension funds managed by local governments will start investing 2 trillion yuan ,$313 billion, as soon as possible in stocks and other assets. Eight of the 10 major sectors were lower, with the utilities index’s .SPLRCU 1.5 percent fall leading the decliners. The energy index .SPNY jumped 2.6 percent as oil added to gains a day after oil prices jumped the most in a day since 2009. [O/R] BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Brand Watch

MTN, Android unite to deepen internet usage in Nigeria David Audu

ware of the huge gap in internet penetration and in its bid to ensure more Nigerians enjoy the benefits of affordable connectivity, telecommunications provider, MTN Nigeria in collaboration with Google, has launched the Android One program in Nigeria. Android One is a program designed to help bring quality and affordable Android devices to everyone. Chief Executive Officer MTN, Mr. Michael Ikpoki said the Company is proud of this partnership given the fact that many Nigerians are still not connected to the internet. Ikpoki explained that “MTN has offered a very affordable data plan to enable customers get the best experience on the new Infinix Hot2 smartphone. The bundle plan is for 1Gigabyte monthly data for just N500 for a

12 months period.” The rationale behind this initiative according to Ikpoki is that, “68 per cent of Nigerians are still not connected to the internet. The introduction of the Android One program will enable more people to get connected to the Internet. This large data bundle will definitely enhance entrepreneurship and innovation among Nigerians. More so, it is quite interesting that Nigeria will be the first country in Africa to experience this new product and that puts us at an advantage.” He added that, “MTN sees this collaboration as an opportunity to actualise our vision of empowering more of our people, whom we are so passionate about. We will continue to roll out data coverage aggressively and we are adequately prepared to meet the demands of our subscribers”. In Nigeria, MTN is offering the Infinix Hot2 smartphone, as this is the first time the An-

Ikpoki

droid One program has been introduced to Africa, with Nigeria being the first market and MTN Nigeria the first partner operator in Africa. The Infinix Hot2 is available on Jumia online store as well as MTN stores nationwide. Infinix Hot 2 is manufactured by Infinix, a smartphone manufacturers in the market.

Through Google Play, Android One phone users have access to over one million apps that allow them to message friends, make video calls, socialize, check news and weather, and play games. Google apps such as Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Search, and Google Translate come preloaded on the phones. Speaking on the initiative, Caesar Sengupta, the Vice President, Product Development at Google, said “Google is pleased to collaborate with MTN on Android One — a program designed to help bring high-quality, affordable Android devices to everyone. We’re looking forward to working with MTN to empower people in Nigeria. Infinix’s Managing Director, Ben Jiang, explained that the project is the company’s way of getting closer to its customers, expressing satisfaction at its successful launch in Nigeria. BC

GTbank, Zenith, FirstBank lead in Terragon’s website ranking

uaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank and First Bank lead the pack for the website country ranking of the Terragon’s digital insights on the Nigerian banking industry. According to a report released by the company recently, the websites of GTBank and FidelityBank however were judged to be the most engaging. Terragon Group, a digital media company, said the research, which was based on analysis carried out for a period of three months, focuses on key activities carried out by the banks utilizing digital media, their innovations and what impact these activities

have on their overall business achievements. The report concentrates on elements of their presence online, providing insights on Website Traffic, Search Engine Optimization, Bounce rate, Web mentions, Social Media Assets, Mobile speed and User experience. The findings saw Guaranty Trust Bank, GTBank, Zenith Bank and First Bank soaring above others for the website country ranking. The analysis, according to Terragon, “made it clear that the banks are aware of the intrinsic benefits of digital marketing and the ways in which

they have latched on. However, one key point the report points out is the need for more strategy and engagement to be made by these financial institutions to ensure that their customers have a seamless experience.” Speaking about the research findings, Head of Strategy and Research, Terragon Group, Juno Kurian, stated that the digital media offers an endless array of ways through which banks can attract new customers, engage existing customers and sustain their relevance in the ever evolving digital space. “As digital and mobile penetration continuously grows in Nigeria, strengthening online

presence and throwing huge weight behind Digital Marketing is no longer optional, it is an imperative. To be visible to customers who are increasingly residing in the digital world, to gain their mindshare and to provide a superior customer experience, banking and financial institutions need to invest in fine-tuning their digital strategy” she said. Over the years, Terragon Group, as part of its contributions to providing necessary insights into the local ecosystem. In the second quarter of 2015, the company also provided insights as to the current state of ecommerce in Nigeria. BC

234Radio positions to export Africa to the world

34Radio started transmission in Nigeria and across the world two years ago with a promise to be a one-stop shop for entertainment. The online radio has since then grown in leaps and bounds. With transmission points in Nigeria, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and Jamaica, the radio is no doubt living the dreams of its promoters. 234Radio has successfully reinvented online radio, thereby making the unfamiliar terrain the toast of many. 234Radio redefines radio broadcasting with a mix of DJs touch and quality radio programming, bringing unparalleled entertainment on the go, beyond geographical barrier. Speaking on the success of the radio in its two years of operations, the General Man-

Olowoyeye

ager of the radio, Kayode Olowoyeye popularly referred to as DJ O’kay Megamixer said that 234Radio is a product of several years of in-depth research in online radio programming, hard work and dedication. “234Radio is blessed with dedicated and hardworking

team that toils day and night to ensure that listeners are entertained. We have been applauded for not recording a minute of downtime since we started transmission two years ago. This wouldn’t have been possible but for our resolve to be a leading radio station in not just Africa but the rest of the world” says DJ O’kay Megamixer. The robust technology deployed by the management of the radio station ensures seamless handshake between the four transmission points of the radio, thereby engendering 24/7 broadcasting of quality and unparalleled programmes. 234Radio has positioned itself as a radio of first choice for all and sundry. According to DJ O’kay Megamixer, “We are aware that people listen to radio for different reasons and we

factor this in our programming. On 234Radio, we have something for everybody.” “One of our priorities is to export Africa to the rest of the world. This we have been able to achieve by ensuring that about 95 percent of our programmes and contents are about Africa. This has however received commendations from our listeners both within and outside Africa who now see 234Radio as a point of call for everything African.” said DJ O’kay. The deployment of 234Radio mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms has further increased the accessibility of the radio. Listeners across the world can now carry the radio with them anywhere on their internet-enabled mobile devices, or listen on the radio’s website: www.234radio.com. BC

Sprite sponsors ‘Battle of Year’ winners to Germany

agos based B-Boy Crew, Space Unlimited, has emerged winner of the Sprite sponsored 2015 edition of the Battle of the Year, BOTY, dance contest which held over the weekend at the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos Sports Center, Akoka. The three-time winners who had consecutively won the 2011, 2012, and 2013 editions defeated defending champions, 619 Crew in a keenly contested show of Break Dance skills and artistry to clinch the number one spot. Representing Nigeria, the winners will travel to compete at the International BOTY World Finals in Braunshwieg, Germany, courtesy of Sprite, later this year. Speaking at the event, Senior Brand Manager, Flavours, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Toyin Nnodi expressed delight at the number of talented youths who participated in this year’s contest. Nnodi said, “What we have seen at this year’s competition clearly attests to the fact that there are many youths in Nigeria with amazing talent. Sprite’s commitment is to be the spark that fuels the passions of Nigerian Youths, and we are happy to have brought this to life at this year’s edition of the BOTY event.” Of the 13 Crews who participated in this year’s edition of the contest, four crews made it to the semi-final round – 619, Floorworkz, Space Unlimited and Squad One. The keenly contested semi-finals saw Space Unlimited and 619 progress to the Finale where Space Unlimited emerged as the judges’ favourites for this year’s competition. Excited about their win and the upcoming trip to Germany, the members of Space Unlimited crew thanked Sprite and the organizers of the event, House of Royalty, for the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the international competition. Speaking on behalf of the crew, Vikbone said, “We are grateful for this amazing opportunity once more to represent Nigeria at the International BOTY World Finals in Germany. This time we promise to bring home the crown.” BC

Nnodi

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Energy Review

Revisiting fuel subsidy removal as fiscal buffer option As the search for improvement in revenue accruing to the country in the face of dwindling oil prices in international market intensified, experts continue to harp on the need for the total removal of subsidy to free up more funds for other developmental purposes, reports Gbenga Odogun.

uccessive administrations in the country have at one time or the other muted the idea of subsidy removal as public finance strategy to shore up revenue base for governance. However, none has been determined enough to end the regime and its permissive abuses. Recent developments in the macro economy, particularly the decreasing revenue from crude oil exports in the face of growing expenditure demands have made the option imperative, hence the mounting pressures by experts on the President Buhari-led administration now to tackle the fiscal monster in the interest of the country. Simply put, fuel subsidy is the money paid by the Federal Government of Nigeria to reduce the cost of refining petroleum products, especially fuel. Specifically, it was argued that the removal of subsidy will make more money available that can be spent on other areas such as health, education, and infrastructure. As at today no one can say with iota of finality how much is being paid by the federal government to subsidise petroleum products, it is believed that government has been spending an average of N1 trllion annually as subsidy for the past four years. This colossal amount spent on subsidy have no doubt reawaken the consciousness of experts and stakeholders in the growing calls for the complete removal as the continued payment is impacting negatively on the full implementation of the budget.

Kachikwu

While submitting its report before the swearing in of the present administration,the transition committee called the complete removal of subsidy. This has also been the position of eminent world leaders such as Tony Blair, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who has advised the President to ride on the crest of his current abundant goodwill to get rid of subsidy. Similarly, Emmanuel Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, canvassed the speedy deregulation of the nation’s oil and gas industry to pave way for a fair deal for Nigerians from the abundant petroleum resources, through fair prod-

Olawore

uct prices for consumers, full cost recovery, and reasonable margins for operators. “Implementation of the policy will entrench efficiency in product usage, product availability and effective competition among investors, hence ending products shortage. Kachikwu said. Thomas Olawore is the executive secretary major oil marketers association of Nigeria MOMAN, he said that “the on-going recovery of crude prices at the international market calls for complete deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum sector to permanently give the government, the marketers, Nigerians and all stakeholders the rest of mind,” According to Mr. Olawore,

when the recent devaluation of the Naira against the dollar and other international currencies are taken into consideration along with other indices, deregulation was the best way to go. “The only way to end this recurring cycle of issue fuel supply disruption and price reviews is, complete deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry,” he insisted. With deregulation, he said the country’s four refineries would be rehabilitated and made to refine petroleum products locally to replace the current arrangement where the bulk of the fuel consumed in the country are imported. However, stakeholders have continued to express doubt about the true intention of those calling for the complete removal of subsidies. In fact the president himself during his electioneering campaign tour expressed doubt about the existence of subsidies in petroleum sector in the first place. The president argued that the subsidy issue might be the creation of corrupt element who are diverting the money elsewhere in the name of paying it on subsidy. Last week in Abuja the President Muhammadu Buhari said he has not taken a decision on the removal of subsidies on refined petroleum products as he had de-

cided to handle the matter with care because most of the presentations he had received on the need to remove the subsidies had no depth. Buhari made his position known after receiving a briefing from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other agencies in the oil sector at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday. The President told members of the delegation that he would carefully review all the submissions he had received on the need to remove the subsidies. Buhari was quoted as saying, “I have received much literature on the need to remove subsidies, but much of it has no depth. When you touch the price of petroleum products; that has the effect of triggering price rise on transportation, food and rents”. “That is for those who earn salaries, but there are many who are jobless and will be affected by it.” The President said subsidies were not necessarily the most serious problems in the nation’s oil and gas sector. Rather, he identified lack of security, sabotage, vandalism, corruption and mismanagement as the bane of the industry. “We have to go back to the good old days of transparency and accountability,” the President said. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Design drags down Tablet’s patronage as phablet leads in shipment Isaiah Erhiawarien

he present designs of tablet coupled with the massive influx of phablet may have been forcing the decline of tablet sales across the globe. Business Courage gathered that since the beginning of the year, all devices introduced into the market are phablet, and they were majorly on the slightly affordable list of phablet. Two weeks ago, Samsung Electronics unveiled the Samsung Galaxy edgePlus in Lagos while Huawei launched the Huawei P8. Both are phablets that come with features that have the capabilities to edge out tablets from the market. The development was recently buttressed by preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, which revealed that global tablet shipments totalled 44.7 million units in the second quarter of 2015, Q2, compared to 48 million during the same period last year, declined to 7 per cent. According to IDC, the market was marked by little hardware innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates saying that the market also declined -3.9 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2015. Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers at IDC, Jitesh Ubrani disclosed that longer life cycles, increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones, combined with the fact that end-users can install the latest operating systems on their older tablets, has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market. Commenting on the trend, Managing Director, World Wide Worx, Arthur Goldstuck said that tablets are big in the education market, but perhaps even bigger among executives who are constantly on the move or in and out of meetings. However, recent development in South Africa and some other African countries like Nigeria showed a slow growth of the tablet market because once you have a tablet, there is little reason to get another one or even three years later, said

Phablet

Goldstuck. Goldstuck explained that “unlike computers, tablets do not feel obsolete after a year or two. Someone with an iPad 3 has no compelling reason to upgrade to the latest iPad, especially since all iPads get a similar upgrade when new versions of iOS arrive.” He added: “Similar issues apply to Android tablets. It is only the techies who can tell the difference between different versions of Android and for whom an upgrade to a newer Android tab may seem necessary. Even Windows tablets can now be upgraded to the latest version of Windows at no cost.” Making reference to South Africa, he noted that tablet penetration keeps rising, although sales are on the decline saying that “there is no paradox here: we are simply seeing fewer new tablets being bought each year, but these sales still add to the installed base, which does not get rid of old tablets”. “There is a definite link between the rise of the phablet and the decline of the tablet. A 5.5-inch smartphone can do much of what a 7-inch tablet does. There is little reason to carry both,” noted Goldstuck. IDC Research Director for Tablets, Jean Philippe Bouchard said that beyond the decline, IDC see a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market.

Bouchard

He said that despite a continued decline in shipments for its iPad product line, Apple maintained its lead in the worldwide tablet market, shipping 10.9 million units in the second quarter. The IDC report stated that Samsung held its second position in the market with 7.6 million units shipped and 17 per cent market share in 2Q15 while Lenovo maintained its third position with 2.5 million units and 5.7 per cent share of the market while LG and Huawei ended the quarter in a statistical tie for fourth place, rounding out the top five, with each shipping 1.6 million devices. IDC reported that share outside the top five continued to outgrow the market, representing 46 per cent of total tablet shipments in 2Q15. In June, IDC reported the Middle East and Africa (MEA) tablet market recorded its first yearly decline in the first quarter of the year, with shipments to the region declining 5.8 per cent, to 3.83 million units adding that it came after years of successive gains in the MEA region. Also in March, IDC announced it would scale back its five-year forecast for the tablet product category, following the first yearly decline in worldwide tablet shipments in the fourth quarter of 2014. The research house said that the Middle East and Africa

(MEA) tablet market recorded its first yearly decline in the first quarter of the year, with shipments to the region declining 5.8 percent, to 3.83 million units. According to market insight by IDC, the poor performance was due to a sharp dip in Turkey, the region’s biggest tablet market, where shipments almost halved in comparison to the corresponding quarter in 2014. Research Manager for Personal Computing, Systems, and Infrastructure, Solutions, Fouad Charakla said that the major reason behind the decline of the Turkish market was the discontinuation of deliveries for the massive FATIH education project, which had a huge impact on commercial demand for tablets in the country during first quarter. “Currency fluctuations in Turkey, high inventory levels carried over from fourth quarter of 2014, and some saturation in the tablet market also had a negative impact on shipments targeted at the consumer segment.” These factors were responsible for a slowdown in the market’s performance in other key parts of the region as well, said IDC. In addition, the devaluation of certain major international currencies, such as the euro and rouble, negatively impacted tablet demand in MEA, as a result of reduced international trade and tourism

from the affected regions. The research firm noted Samsung continues to lead the MEA tablet market in terms of shipments, despite suffering a decline of 5.5 per cent yearly, to total 920 000 units in the first quarter adding that Lenovo overtook Apple to move into second place for the first time, growing almost 96.4 per cent yearly by shipping 520 000 units. As for Apple, IDC said that it has continued to occupy the third place suffering and posting a sharp decline of 43 per cent, to total 430 000 units saying that Huawei who has remain in the fourth place was the fastest growing major vendor in MEA, shipping 240 000 units, and achieving a 280.3 per cent yearly growth rate. According to IDC, 2015 as a whole will see positive growth, with shipments increasing 5.8 per cent yearly, to total 17.66 million units noting that that represents a stark slowdown from the overall growth of 41.6 per cent seen in 2014. “The reduction in global oil prices has caused a slowdown in government-driven initiatives in some of the region’s oilproducing countries, negatively impacting demand for tablet devices,” said Charakla. “The decline in government spending has also had a ripple effect on other sectors across the region, and has impacted demand from the consumer segment”, said IDC. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ debuts in Nigeria S

amsung Electronics has made a simultaneous launch of its latest device, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus in Lagos and New York. The device, which enters the Nigerian market at the weekend as its newest flagship device is the most attractive in its category in the market, and has a sleek ergonomic edge design, and a stylish, slim and light body made from metal and glass. The look and feel of the S6 Edge+ design portrays sophistication and excellence. The sleek phablet has a gorgeous, curved design and the beautiful harmony of metal and glass combined for durability. The glass includes a reflective surface to highlight colour characteristics, which creates unique effects and depth definition when reflecting light. The device is available this week in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Silver Titanium. The brilliantly built phablet comes in a slimmer and lighter body with an improved curved screen of 5.7” Super AMOLED and a QHD 2560x1440 pixel resolution, delivering excellent sharpness, brightness, saturated colours and overall image quality as expected from Samsung, enhancing entertainment experience. The Quad HD provides a resolution that offers crisp and vivid images, delivering an immersive viewing experience Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Brovo Kim, said that dual edge display technology has been taken many notches higher with the new Galaxy S6 Edge+.

“At Samsung, we pride ourselves at being the first in developing the newest technology that improves the way we live, communicate and shape the world. We pioneered large display phones and then led the way with curved glass technology. Today, we are bringing these two technologies together, by offering a device that is intuitive and efficient with a bigger screen, allowing consumers achieve more with their smartphone,” Kim added Another exciting feature of the device is the Live Broadcast, which allows users share or broadcast a video in real time over YouTube. With this feature, users can easily share special occasions as they happen with family and friends. The thrilling thing about this feature is that broadcasts can be sent directly from the camera app and friends and family can be invited to watch via text messages, e-mail, and social networking platforms. Another exciting video feature is the video collage, here Samsung took the photo collages a step future into videos. Users can combine multiple short videos and make them

into one single video, giving each video a different look and feel-one can be slow motion while another black and white in a single video giving users exhilarating collage of videos that can be uploaded to different social media platforms. The Fast Wireless Charging is an impressive feature that takes just two hours to fully charge a discharged battery and compatible with most wireless chargers available. With the super-fast charging feature, once the device is connected to the fast-charging power adaptor, the device is fully charged in 90 minutes when the battery is completely out. The device combines the exceptional features of the Galaxy S6 Edge including the People Edge, Edge Lighting and Information Stream. One of the biggest improvements is the addition of app shortcuts to the Edge Screen. Users can now add shortcuts to five favourite apps and access them with just a swipe, saving you a tap or two. Director of Hand Held Products for Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas described the S6 Edge+ as an entertainment power-house, intensifying multimedia experience with a big beautiful screen. “Two years ago, we took a decision to deliver a superior display technology, great camera and best-in-class design, which led to the coming on stream of the S6 Edge. The dual edge design was like nothing else out there and the curved display resonated with our customers,” he enthused.

MTN signs deal to boost internet access

obile Telephone Network Group has partnered Liquid Telecom to leverage each other’s fixed and wireless networks in Nigeria. The partnership will enhance a larger connectivity footprint across Africa and offer Liquid Telecom services in Benin, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan and Swaziland. The partnership enables MTN Group and Liquid Telecom to access each other’s fixed and wireless networks in countries where one party may not currently have a presence. The deal covers wholesale, carrier-to-carrier, high-speed broadband, enterprise and fixed data services. According to Liquid Telecom, the partnership is in response to the increasing demand from businesses across West Africa for the company’s broadband services. “We have a well-deserved reputation in East, Central and Southern Africa, for providing quality broadband to businesses. We are laying 100km of new fi-

bre every week but have decided to partner for the time being in West Africa so that we can immediately meet demand from businesses there,” said Liquid Telecom Group, Chief Executive Officer, Nic Rudnick. The agreement with Liquid Telecom gives MTN the ability to service its multinational enterprise customers in Burundi, DRC, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. MTN said the partnership furthers its ambition to be the ICT partner of choice for customers looking to expand geographically. “This partnership will provide great benefits to our customers. We will be able to leverage each other’s products and services to improve our offerings to carrier and enterprise customers in Africa, the Middle East and Europe,” said MTN’s Enterprise Business Unit Head of Global sales, Elia Tsouros, Tsouros said the combined footprints of both companies provide significant opportunity to customers. Liquid Telecom’s fibre network spans 20 000km across

Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and is complemented by its satellite service for rural areas while MTN has an extensive connectivity footprint, with points of presence for its global MPLS network in 22 countries. Together the companies say they will be able to provision networks with complex requirements faster and sell each other’s various services on the combined network, providing more choice. BC

Rudnick

Technotalk

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

with Esther Ozue (ozueesther@nationalmirroronline.net) 08059234648 (sms only)

Monitoring your IT infrastructures

anaging your IT infrastructures is really a decision that can bring real value to your company by ensuring reliable operation and effectiveness of the infrastructures which manages your business critical services. Organisations need to deliver operational analytics in other to have insights across their entire infrastructure, like faults, events, capacity, configurations and security of their storage, server and network elements. The best network monitoring solutions will not only alert you to these changes, but will also help you troubleshoot the issue by allowing you to compare your network’s current state with what it looked like before the change. By this, you can solve the problem faster so that it doesn’t affect your operations. The aim of monitoring your IT infrastructure is to effectively contribute to the security of your network, resolve issues faster when problem arises by correlating infrastructure problems with service availability and response time, prevent business outages with proactive monitoring across your physical and virtual server, storage/network elements and make informed business decisions with operational analytics such as capacity planning, usage and cost metering, configuration and security tracking. There are a lot of monitoring solutions and here are key factors you need to consider in deciding a monitoring solution for your IT infrastructures: Decide what you need: You have to be clear in your objectives, what you wish to monitor and what you expect to achieve from it. When monitoring tools are deployed, administrators need to be at alert as problem is detected so that they can take corrective action immediately. What you want the monitoring solution to do: You need to first determine which monitoring solution to be deployed in a working environment without adversely impacting their performance. Once you are able to determine this, it will guide you on which monitoring solution to use. What you need to monitor: Once you have made your choice then you need to consider what you need to monitor and what it intends to achieve, you can monitor your network, system, applications and service. In monitoring your network, you need to use a complete solution that offers indepth topology views showing the network interconnection and making it easier for administrators to identify where the problem areas of a network are. Proactiveness of your chosen solution: A proactive solution should be able to alert administrators before users notice problems. To know if your monitoring solution is proactive is by the depth and breadth of metrics being collected as many administrators over emphasize the importance of monitoring response times to solutions than monitor more proactive performance indicators which should be chosen ahead of solutions than just monitoring response time. Does your solution offer automatic root cause diagnosis capability? Effective correlation and root cause diagnosis capabilities is a key for effective monitoring and management. True correlation and root cause analysis go hand in hand as correlation involves analyzing the state of the service impact to identify where the cause of a problem lies. Cost consideration: A critical factor in choosing a monitoring solution is cost, you need to know your budget and plan according to it and also deploy a solution you can effectively manage considering the setup, installation, training and maintenance. Finally, You need to consider how long it will take to implement the monitoring solution, what hardware and software you need to install, how well the monitoring solution can be used across locations and what kind of personnel that you need to effectively utilize the solution. The advantage of having a monitoring solution that will meet your needs is that you will save money by reducing man power, streamlines your operations, enhancing efficiency, increasing sales and also improving customer satisfaction BC which is a factor that governs return on investment. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Austin Kwesi Okere:

An entrepreneur by accident His entry into the entrepreneurial world was accidental. But after starting off as a hardware vendor in 1992, Austin Kwesi Okere has transformed Computer Warehouse into an IT utility company with presence in Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda and an eye to capture 14 more by 2015 By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

orn to a Nigerian father and a Ghanaian mother, Austin Kwesi Okere, founder and chief executive of Computer Warehouse Group, CWG, has emerged, in the last 20 years, as an example of a classic entrepreneur, who through sheer determination, hard work, can-do spirit, clearheaded and far-sighted business strategies raised a company from ground zero to an enviable international status. Imbued with the humility of his Ghanaian mother and the aggressiveness of his Nigerian father, Austin has managed to beat all odds to survive in a turf mostly seen as the preserve of Western companies. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Lagos, and Agricultural Science from the University of Ghana, Legon, Austin served out his compulsory National Service (NYSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. He had hoped to secure a permanent job with the corporation, but that was not to be. He had to wait a little while before securing his first job with Tritech. Incidentally, his engagement with the company did not last more than eight months before he moved on to Inlaks Computers, an Indian company based in Lagos. At Inlaks Computers, Austin dutifully worked as sales executive and within a short period, had a good number of clients he served. But then, as much as he enjoyed the job, the young computer engineer could not withstand the barrage of embarrassment he was almost daily subjected to by clients over Inlaks’ failure to meet their job specification and delivery schedule. At a point, the satisfaction he initially enjoyed thinned out and his integrity, he claimed, became compromised as a result of late delivery of customers’ orders. Though he admitted that some of the delays were genuinely caused by difficulties encountered in clearing shipments from the ports, it was he who had to

Okere

give all the excuses and “I felt I could serve the customers better on my own instead of squandering my goodwill.” So, after spending four-anda-half years on the job, he was convinced that he could stand on his own. He decided to take a plunge and in September 1992, he floated Computer Warehouse Limited, CWL with $31, 000 raised from five friends, including a loan of $5, 000 which he used his old Peugeot 504 car and a video player as collateral. Though he was good at hardware vending, he had little idea of how and where to get his supplies until he met Andy Nwani of Data Flex who gave him his price lists and address of where to get

the supplies in America. While leaving the services of Inlaks, he ensured that his relationship with the company remained unstrained. He kept the line of communication open and the strategy paid off as he later became one of Inlaks’ distributors. He later signed on with Dell Corporation, UK, and just within five years, CWL, through Okere’s effective salesmanship, upstaged many older, more entrenched computer brands in the country. In 2007, CWL was awarded Dell Distribution Award for the fastest growing business in Africa territory. Today, CWL is Dell’s sole distributor in Nigeria. The challenges at the beginning were very unsettling, and

like Austin explained in a recent interview, he almost closed shop. At that time, while other companies, including his former employer, Inlaks, got 85 per cent advance payment from clients, his CWL was virtually pushed to the end if his tether. Prospective customers needed companies with proven track record. Yes, he made a little mark while at Inlaks, CWL was green and as such, he had to look for money to fund his supplies in the few companies that gave him attention. Besides, unlike his contemporaries who would be distributors for all hardware companies such as HP, Compaq, IBM and other computer brands, Austin remained faithful to the Dell

brand, but that almost proved very fatal. Yet, he endured it. That, coupled with the June 12, 1993, political debacle and its attendant disruptions, gave Austin and his team sufficient reasons to contemplate a shutdown of their operations. However, rather than buckled, he stubbornly held onto the dream and as it later turned out, his decision to remain uncowed saved the business from collapse and launched him into the path of prosperity. “I couldn’t sack the staff because I knew business would pick up again, but the bank loans were running, salaries were running and receivables were not coming in. It was so difficult that I almost called it off,” he admitted. The challenges soon became the opportunity, shortly after the June 12 saga subsided, as lot of companies, including those on the same business line with him went under. After the crisis, companies re-opened and naturally, the services of IT providers were needed but only few stuck it out and so, it became a boom time for the business. For him, he admitted, “that was our first jump.” Okere admitted that what kept him and his colleagues on primarily were the grace of God and self-discipline. They were their own bosses but careful with the money as they had to conserve the little they had to pay salaries. At that time, he even had to use his car to do deliveries. “We were not about the image, but getting the job done,” he said. Though they had few businesses to hang on to, CWL’s major break came in 2000 when the global community struggled to contend with the Y2K bug. It was at the time when individuals and corporate organisations, particularly the banks were running with purchase orders in a desperate need to change their banking software. At that time, Okere saw the need to expand the scope of his business beyond hardware vending to software and other associated information technology segment. He had previously before then bought over Expertedge, a software company that had developed software applications for banks. It was also the time that Infosys, Indian software firm came into Nigeria and needed a local partner, to which Okere’s CWL and Expertedge became a ready suitor. Through that relationship, the company secured software Continued on pg A14

Business Courage

contracts with three banks at the same time. At that time, it had expanded its presence in Nigeria to eight offices. By 2002, the company took a strategic decision to open offices in Accra, Ghana and floated CWG Ghana Limited to serve same customers it has been serving in Nigeria. The decision was strategic in the sense that, the period coincided with the time most Nigerian businesses were moving across the West Coast, particularly Ghana, in the spirit of economic integration. At the initial stage of CWL’s interface with clients, particularly the multinational companies, it paid little or no attention to issues such as business models and best corporate practices. But then, as it began to enjoy some look in by companies such as Shell and Dell Computers, it was forced to raise its bar in terms of best practices. In fact, Business Courage learnt that Okere’s CWL had failed to win a bid for its first job from Shell due to issues such as absence of a fire safety regime and workmen’s compensation. Determined to play big, Okere restructured his business and persuaded Shell to do another inspection of the company’s facilities a year later. During the inspection, its officials were forced to participate in a fire drill, when one of CWL’s staff deliberately set off the fire alarm. “That got us the job, and with a reference from a company like Shell, it was easy to get jobs from the likes of ExxonMobil and Statoil,” Okere told a recent gathering. Today, what started out then in one small office at Surulere, Lagos with only four staff has grown into an IT conglomerate of sort. The company has an annual turnover of over $120 million as of the end of 2011, 550 people, 85 per cent of which are IT experts on its pay roll with presence in three African countries and indirectly serving seventeen others with a vision to be the number one IT Utility Company in Africa by the year 2015. Not that CWG’s story is an over-achievement, but it is an African story conceived in Africa with African players and setting, and that makes it special. The dream was nurtured and executed right on the shores of Africa by a man whose only motivation is a “desire to achieve excellence”. It has multiple top-rate industry certifications, including Cisco Certified Network Associates, Dell Certified Systems Experts, Systimax Certified Installers, Microsoft Certified Professionals, Microsoft Certified Engineers, Microsoft Certified Trainers, BICC Certified Installers, Accredited Compaq Technicians, Oracle Certified Professionals and Sun Certified Engineers among others. In the past 20 years, CWG has grown to become a fully integrated ICT firm offering systems integration of hardware and in-

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However, rather than buckle, he stubbornly held on to the dream and as it later turned out, his decision to remain uncowed saved the business from collapse and launched him on the path of prosperity

frastructure solutions, communications and networking solutions and software applications and deployment across West Africa, and now Uganda. It currently runs partnerships with global ICT companies across the world, including DELL, CISCO, Infosys technologies, Oracle, NetApp, Gilat and many more world-class ICT brands. For now, CWG covers the tripod of Information Technology. While Computer Warehouse Limited, CWL specializes in the supply and integration of computer hardware, e-payment systems and ancillary equipment, DCC Satellite & Networks Limited, a communication company specializes in VSAT, Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks (WAN), Local Area Networks (LAN), Systems integration and deployment, systems analysis and e-payment systems design and implementation. It handles the VSAT technology which today serves 22 out of the 24 Nigerian banks (11 of them running its Finacle applications) as well as oil and gas and manufacturing companies and telecom companies, particularly, MTN where about 94 CWG staff running its IT. Of the about 9000 Automatic Teller Machines, ATMs, in Nigeria, CWG has sold, and supports 3500 and with the cashless poli-

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cy being introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the figure is bound to increase. The third of the tripod is Expert Edge Software and Systems Limited, considered to be the biggest software company in Nigeria today, providing software support for more than 75 percent of banking transactions in Nigeria today. How was Okere able to break in so rapidly within such a time in an industry where multinationals and big-time companies held sway long before it floated his company? Those who have either worked with him or have one relationship or the other with him have attributed his meteoric rise to his business strategy, culture of innovations, professionalism and the willingness to make sacrifices in order to bring value to their customers. The first test of the principles, according to close sources occurred in the 90’s when CWG was still a struggling company. Ashaka Cement had problems with computer hardware it bought from Dell and invited CWG, which was Dell’s representative, to fix it. The group rendered the service but the cement company stood on the warranty it had from Dell and refused to pay for the services. Rather than make a case

out of that, CWG took it in good stride and, but as it later turned out, the good deed was never lost on the cement company. Years later, when Ashaka Cement wanted to buy some more computers, it did not go abroad because it saw CWG as a reliable company to relate with locally. This relationship later turned out to be the first major source of a breakthrough for the Group. Another proof of CWG’s commitment to honest dealing in business came when Chevron Nigeria Limited ordered for the supply of computer units. The order came at a time Dell was introducing its mouse product into the market. CWG, Business Courage learnt, supplied the computer units along with the mouse without charging additional cost for the mouse. This came as surprise to Chevron which had been paying heavily to other suppliers. “So before we knew it, our stars started shining. The lesson there is that you may give up something small and get something bigger in return. If you tell people that the secret of your business growth is faithfulness and candour, they would not believe you. But that is the secret of our business,” Okere was quoted as saying. Again, one other factor that saw the company through, rather steeply was its sales strategy based on customer referrals. At CWG, the magazine gathered that principle is that, the more the number of satisfied customers that proclaim their success, the better for the businesses in terms of retaining old clients as well as getting potential customers. In fact, the magazine learnt that the bond from this relationship has transformed it from being a provider of ICT into a trusted advisor to its customers. Such level of trust is informed by the fact that the organization has always maintained consistent and impeccable track record in its niche operations. At a time in the past, CWG had to absorb cost of import duty, which it paid in error on a supply contract with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Oyo State, leading it to winning a very huge contract with the same organisation in Benin Republic. That job, it was learnt, led to the formation of DCC. Born 46 years ago in Accra, Okere had his primary education at New Nation Nursery and Primary School, Cape Coast, and attended St Augustine’s College for his secondary education. After completing his secondary education, Austin had wanted to study Medicine or Engineering and he applied to the University of Accra, Legon and University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, but was turned down and offered a course in Agricultural Science instead. He however missed the qualifying

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exams while trying to make up his mind whether to read the offered course or not. It was at that confused state that the young Austin reportedly came in contact with an Indian dean who told him about Computer Science that was just starting off in the University then. So, rather than face the embarrassment of not being in school, he settled for the course and to his surprise, the course became very natural to him because like he told a Ghanaian newspaper, “I enjoyed it right from the start. It has to do with logic and I am an analytical person.” But then, after just a year into his studies, the military government of Jerry Rawlings in Ghana closed down schools for months after students’ protest and he was moved to Nigeria where he continued his course at the University of Lagos in 1984. That was after he reportedly passed the first semester examinations, though he did not attend the classes. A bright student he was, Austin graduated with a Second Class Upper in 1986 though he had to borrow textbooks and supported himself through school by teaching mature students following the collapse of his retired father’s poultry business. Now, having pushed CWG and its affiliate companies to the frontiers as global brands, Austin’s next ambition is to get it listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He believes that what separates his companies from successful companies overseas is that the latter run as entrepreneurial businesses for a while and go public. Dell went public. Apple went public. So, why not CWG? Austin believes that when a business starts, it needs flexibility in order to grow faster in the market and that flexibility has to be balanced with governance, as the organisation grows bigger. This governance factor, he stresses, is much realisable as a public company. “A public company will also be able to attract more businesses and confidence than a private business. Going public also makes bigger capital accessible from the capital market, so you are not curtailed in your growth. These are the reasons why we are going public,” he was recently quoted as saying. For now, whether he will make good his intention to list CWG is a matter which only he can answer. What is however clear is that, Austin Okere is has brought his entrepreneurial savvy, which he admits came by accident, to bear on the company in the past 20 years. So, when he decides to open his books and business to the investing public to participate in the ownership, he would only be taking another giant stride in his ambitious move to capture the IT world across the African continent. BC

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ThebuddingEntrepreneurs BUSINESS

Priority improves business

With Mamora Victor Mamora is a system thinker and advisor whose belief and activator leadership strengths are directed towards improving workers perspective for city and enterprise development.

e-mail: olusegunmamora@gmail.com

learnt a profound leadership lesson from story of Henry ford shared by JC Maxwell as well as from personal experience as volunteer in one of the world largest faith based organisations in Nigeria. It is the lesson of people centre leadership. The challenge that badly affected the Ford motor in the later year of her founder is still around, but I hope business leaders will experience paradigm shift with this article. Objectively, Henry Ford is the revolutionary of automobile industry and a legend in automobile business history. “I will build a motor car for the multitude”-Henry Ford Yes! Henry Ford executed his vision with Model T and by the year 1914, Ford produced about 50 percent of all automobiles in America. The Ford story soon became stale, as there was no significant improvement in Ford motor business for about two decades because Henry Ford undermined his leaders and didn’t believe in their capability to redesigned Model T automobile. History revealed that Henry became the exact opposite of an empowering leader. It was so bad that he created a sociological department within the company to close up on his employees and direct their private lives. After consistent loss of revenue, Henry finally stepped down for his son as the president of Ford Motors yet Henry undermined him. Ford motors within this period lost many of its best executives and market leadership in the industry. Dear business leader, it is worthy of note that your business responsibility shift to people business the moment your idea develops and attracts people to work in the enterprise. Your priority is the people because they significantly improve the enterprise financial bottom line and market relevance. President T Roosevelt once said: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self restraints enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it” To improve business via empower team members or associates there are three level priority

of the business leader. The priority level 1: Empower the inexperience workers. The word empowerment is more than putting people in the classroom for executive coach to speak to them. Empowerment, truly, is a process of supporting business executives to realise and claim personal power for effective participation in corporate mission. Part of the process is teaching and another crucial one is correct placement. It is the job of business leaders to put in place the process and ensure that inexperience workers are positioned and trained for optimal performances. The priority level 2: lead the

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The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self restraints enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it

experienced workers effectively The experienced workers find it easier to leave an organisation especially where they felt their talent is underutilised. They may also leave for lack of self-fulfillment on the job. Experienced workers, other than remuneration look forward to qualitative leadership and respect from a business leader. The grandson of Henry Ford known as Henry Ford II made

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this leadership mistake when he took over as the president of Ford motors with his best hired Eric Breech who is an experienced General Motors executive. Breech was hire to turn Ford motors around and he succeeded in good time record. The success of Breech and the team he brought along to Ford motor made Henry Ford II to worry about his position as the president of the company. What

Ford

Motivational Business Quotes

urviving a failure gives you more selfconfidence. Failures are great learning tools.. but they must be kept to a minimum. – Jeffrey Immelt Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches. – Napoleon Hill It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin Industry is the soul of business and the keystone of prosperity. – Charles Dickens I don’t pay good wages because I have a

lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages. – Robert Bosch People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps. – Mary Kay Ash In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards. – Donald Trump In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. – Harold Geneen BC

was Henry Ford II solution? He began pitting one top executive against another until many executives were fired from the company. The good way to lead experience workers is to enlarge their experience opportunity and stretch their ability with responsibilities. Gaining their respect through a good judgment and wise decision-making goes a long way to influence and retain their loyalties. The priority level 3: Empower the experience workers Business leader must come to term with a reality that we in an age that people generate value with their minds more than with their muscle. An average experience worker has a capability or knowledge that he brings into the business. He has his means of production, which is knowledge, and it is important to find out what really matter to an experience worker on your team. One of common interest of experience worker is career improvement and fulfillment. An average experience worker wants to see good career progression and perhaps establish a personal business. Only a self-secured leader can engage resourceful experience executive in crucial conversation on life beyond employment. It is possible to have the best of experience workers when you communicate to them the reality of their exit in future and the need for programs to improve their capability for effective leadership in their future endevours. “Great leaders gain authority by giving it away” James B. Stockdale Dear friend, it is my desire that you win in businesses by helping your business executives win every day. That should be the priority of a business leader. People will care to support your business dream when they know that you truly care about them. I believe a great leader does not care so much about building a great business but care so much about building the people who will eventually build the great corporation. I believe you will succeed and see your dream come to reality. Be courageous! BC

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The Veterinary doctor-turned Unable to find a job after obtaining a degree in Veterinary Medicine, young and ebullient Chidi Okpaluba took the proverbial bull by the horns by putting his degree certificate and the ego that comes with it aside. He ventured into entrepreneurship wading steadily through thick and thin to emerge as a force to reckon within Nigeria’s N600 billion electronics market through his CITIZENS brand of electronics and electrical appliances

hidi Okpaluba is the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Quartermasters Group Limited, manufacturers of the CITIZENS electronics whose products include a wide range of home and electrical appliances. He gives an insight into how his entrepreneurial voyage started,” I studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and started out as an entrepreneur immediately after my Youth Service because I could not find a job, in the process I started developing myself and attended Advanced Management Programme at the Lagos Business School and I have done some other businesses before I got into what I’m doing presently.” He recounts what it was like in the beginning describing his experience as a journey which has been tough and sweet as well. In his words: “sometimes you think that it will be impossible to survive to the next day, but you see yourself pull through and overcome the challenge. Every successful entrepreneur knows exactly what I am talking about, because they come across it from time to time.” And his advice to young entrepreneurs is to stick to what they are doing and never give up on their enterprise because a lot of challenges are bound to come their way. “At start the start, one will surely face competition from other established good brands in terms of finance and professional hands that may be unwilling to work for a relatively unknown company, but I believe that opportunities exist even in the face of these challenges. “When I started out, it was with less than N1,000 and when my money grew to about N5,000 it was a huge success and when

it grew to N50,000, I also saw it as another great success and then when I bought my first car I saw it as another huge success so it is a continuous journey”. It is a question of gradually achieving your set goals, sometimes you take three steps forward and a challenge takes you back one step, sometimes you falter and almost fall but you must get back on track and continue to stride on. It is never a smooth ride and successful businessmen like Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga and Bill Gates will attest to it. One just needs to be determined to keep his dream alive; give it your best, keep trying, doing everything you need to do through hard work and diligence, eventually success will come your way.” He actually started off as a merchandising and business promotional entity, producing advertising materials and other point of sales materials such as T-shirts, monogramming and branding, targeting clientele from the telecoms, manufacturing and the oil industries. When he saw the level of success at that point, he decided to expand into home appliances and consumer product distribution before eventually developing his own brand of electronics called Citizens. Currently, Citizens operates under a partnership, as it does not have its own assembly plant; thus using a third-party plant to assemble their products. “As it is, Nigeria is a huge market for electronics, with a population of over 160 million people in Nigeria who are mostly youths; it represents a viable market in which every part of the world wants to participate in. it is a N600 billion yearly market, so it is indeed very massive.

Okpaluba

Citizens first came into the country in May 2009 but before then we had been a major retailer of other brands of electronics and other household appliances in the country, so we did some

studies of the market very well; the weaknesses and strengths of other global brands before we developed our model. And one of the things we made sure we did was, not to

compromise on quality, so Citizen Products are unyielding in the aspect of quality, thus making it one of the highest quality brands you will find in the market today and the facts are there to prove this. We partner the best global manufacturers across the world, to come out with our own brand of electronics (Citizens) and here in the market it can compete favorably with any of the top international brands in the market in terms of quality and service,’ he revealed. An ever careful planner Okpaluba first understudied the market categories of electronic products and then selected some of the best manufacturers in those categories and partnered them to produce for his company. For instance he disclosed that their television manufacturers are the number two exporter of television globally manufacturing for other major brands too. “Our freezer manufacturers are number three net exporters of freezers in the world, so what we have done is to go with the best. “Part of our vision is to partner the best organisations in the world whereever we can find them to produce the best products to sell to our people.

Management Principles

The principles of change management

n most enterprises, most senior executives conventionally focus attention on devising the best strategic and tactical plans to implement change management. But it is important to note that to succeed, it is critical to have an intimate understanding of the human side of change management — the alignment of the company’s culture, values, people, and behaviours — to encourage the desired results. Plans themselves do not capture value; value is realized only through the sustained, collective actions of employees who are responsible for designing, executing, and living with the changed environment. Long-term structural transformation has four characteristics: scale (the change affects all or most of the organization), magnitude (it involves significant alterations of the status quo), duration (it lasts for months, if not years), and strategic importance. Yet companies will reap the rewards only when change occurs at the level of the individual employee. Many senior executives know this and worry about it. When asked what keeps them up at night, CEOs involved in transformation often say they are concerned about how the work force will react, how they can get their team to work together, and how they will be able to lead their people. They also worry about retaining their company’s unique values and sense of identity and about creating a culture of commitment and performance. Leadership teams that fail to plan for the human side of change often find themselves wondering why their best-laid plans have gone awry. No single methodology fits every company, but there is a set of practices, tools, and techniques that can be adapted to a variety of situations. Discussed hereunder are top ten list of guiding principles for change management. Using these as a systematic, comprehensive framework, executives can understand what to expect, how to manage their own personal change, and how to engage the entire organization in the process. Address the “human side” systematically: Any significant transformation creates “people issues.” New leaders will be asked to step up, jobs will be changed, new skills and capabilities must be developed, and employees will be uncertain and resistant. Dealing with these issues on a reactive, case-by-case basis puts speed, morale, and results at risk. A formal approach for managing change — beginning with the leadership team and then engaging key stakeholders and leaders — should be developed early, and adapted often as change moves through the organization. This demands as much data collection and analysis, planning, and implementation discipline as does a redesign of strategy, systems, or processes. The change-management approach should be fully integrated into programme design and decision making, both informing and

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electronics trader And all our products come with the necessary international quality certification which also means that our products can be sold in Europe, United Arab Emirates, America or any part of the world without modifications. The only modifications might be in power voltage and climate specifications,” he stated. At this stage, he believes that the Citizens brand is already thriving and exceeding capacity, as he disclosed that they are unable to meet the rising demands for their products. “Currently we are in the two best industries in the world: retailing and electronics, our products constitute what can be termed the basic necessities of life such cooking appliances, refrigerators and power generating sets, fans and air-conditioners,” he enthused. Citizens Electronics, today, produces almost all the ranges of consumer electronics and household appliances such as chest-freezers, refrigerators, DVD players, hometheatre, gas cookers, stabilisers, pressing iron, water dispensers, television and power generating sets. In Nigeria, the company boasts of over 300 distributors across the six geopolitical zones and regional offices there also. We are also looking at setting up strategic warehouses in all these locations to ease distribution to our dealers.

Personal Finance Bad social media habits businesses must avoid

In retrospect, he believes his venture into entrepreneurship due to unemployment was fate as he said: “I believe there is a way that God arranges events in our lives. That is why I tell young people even though the government has not done what they are expected to do for them, or their parents are unable to do what they are expected to do, my advice to them is never stay idle for a day. “If a job is not coming your way, start doing something with your hands, there are millions of needs to be met in the country today, it is for you to identify these needs and start filling them because the more of these needs you are able to satisfy, the more you will earn. “In the Nigerian economy to-

enabling strategic direction. It should be based on a realistic assessment of the organization’s history, readiness, and capacity to change. Start at the top: Because change is inherently unsettling for people at all levels of an organization, when it is on the horizon, all eyes will turn to the CEO and the leadership team for strength, support, and direction. The leaders themselves must embrace the new approaches first, both to challenge and to motivate the rest of the institution. They must speak with one voice and model the desired behaviours. The executive team also needs to understand that, although its public face may be one of unity, it, too, is composed of individuals who are going through stressful times and need to be supported. Executive teams that work well together are best positioned for success. They are aligned and committed to the direction of change, understand the culture and behaviours the changes intend to introduce, and can model those changes themselves. Involve every layer: As transformation programmes progress from defining strategy and setting targets to design and implementation, they affect different levels of the organization. Change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change “cascades” through the organization. At each layer of the organization, the leaders who are identified and trained must be aligned to the company’s vision, equipped to execute their specific mission, and motivated to make change happen. Make the formal case: Individuals are inherently rational and will question to what extent change is needed, whether the company is headed in the right direction, and whether they want to commit personally to making change happen. They will look to the leadership for answers. The articulation of a formal case for change and the creation of a written vision statement are invaluable opportunities to create or compel leadership-team alignment. Three steps should be followed in developing the case: First, confront reality and articulate a convincing need for change. Second, demonstrate faith that the company has a viable future and the leadership to get there. Finally, provide a road map to guide behaviour and decision making. Leaders must then customize this message for various internal audiences, describing the pending change in terms that matter to the individuals. Create ownership To be continued

day, the issue of unemployment should not be, because the opportunities are there and problems are opportunities in disguise. There are a lot of structural and infrastructural challenges but in the midst of all these challenges also lie so many opportunities. “If I were living in Europe I don’t think I would start a brand and in two years’ time see it flood the market and be accepted the way it has happened here in Nigeria.” Today, Okpaluba is a fellow and faculty member of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies Lagos, founder and president of: Centre for African Renaissance Reformation and Development CEFARRD, a centre for new African dreams. He is the author of a life transformational and bestselling book: Life After School and was voted man of the year in 2010 by the National Association of Nigerian Students NANS, because of his investment in the lives of Nigerian students. “Outside the business, I am also committed to nation building, helping to develop Nigeria and Africa at large, part of my contribution is the formation of CEFARRD, at the centre, we are working closely with Universities and I wrote a book aimed at grooming the young ones and educating them on the realities experienced in doing business in Nigeria. “We also organise workshops across the country to help students understand what they can do with the information they are given in schools, and we have gone round a lot of NYSC orientation camps to do that. “So we are also giving back to the community from our business because of my belief that the young ones have an important role to play in driving the nation’s economy, that is why they should be invested in through adequate training because when they are well-trained they will be a part of the global work-force, but when this is not done they will become time bombs,” he said. BC

hilst social media has connected many millions of people around the world and boosted business and customer relations, there are certain issues to remember in order to make your firm a nuisance free zone. The unfortunate truth is social media has the potential to bring out the worst in people and facilitate some truly annoying behaviour. You must steer your business away from such a fate, otherwise customers won’t be interested in what you have to say, and you may even lose followers. Here are some of the worst sins you can commit yourself to on social media networks, and this goes for whether they’re from a business or personal accounts. Automated Direct Messages on Twitter: One of the worst things you can do on Twitter is set up an automated DM message. Firstly, any Twitter user who has spent more than a few weeks on the service will already be inundated with these things (after two years my Twitter DM mailbox is clogged with thousands of automated DMs). By doing this the Automated DM Twitter user is coming across as spurious, lazy, arrogant, and it’s an extremely irritating practice to employ. It may seem like a tempting concept, but it will, ultimately, make you very unpopular. Overdoing the posting: It’s a fine line each business must tread when posting on their social media accounts. You do need to be sending daily messages out, but do not inundate your followers with endless updates. Post fun updates to encourage customers to engage with you, and each other, with this in itself being far more productive than endless Tweets about what products you have to offer. Narcissism: Showing off isn’t a good idea. If your company has just won an award keep it to yourself and don’t brag to your customers about how amazing you think you are. Be subtle with your success by adding icons onto your website so the success can be seen by customers, without having to rub their faces into it. Marketing too much: The customers who “like” and “follow” your social media accounts know exactly what you do – this is why they’re following your activity. They already like your products and, when they want more of it, they will buy more. Unfortunately this doesn’t register with some businesses, many of whom proceed to lambast their followers with endless information about how amazing their products are; endless tweets, Facebook posts. Widget overload: Whilst it’s vital to have widgets for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and/or Stumble Upon at the end of articles, you should limit it to these networks. It is clear a site has entered desperation stakes when they’re practically begging you to share the article on Digg, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Bebo, MySpace, WordPress, amongst many other networks. Stick to the most popular and let everything else take its course. Begging for Shares/Retweets: Pestering yours customers/other users for social media shares is desperate and irritating. if you’re only interested in self-promotion, people will realise and you won’t go anywhere. Ignoring Shares/Retweets: If someone has found an old blog post/tweet on your company website/social media account and retweeted it, do not consider this a deserved right and completely ignore the person. Always remember the real reason you are online to begin with; social media is, after all, about engaging with people; thank the individual and ask them a few questions about the post. Belated responses: Your average customer knows full well there is a person lingering somewhere around your social media accounts, and if you spend several days in the wilderness before jumping In with a response it doesn’t look good. BC

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Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

Adejuwon Osunnuyi

or lovers of tech-savvy cars, especially those who prioritize quiet comfort and luxurious appointments over driving enjoyment, the 2016 Acura RDX makes a compelling case. To them, the RDX could be said to be one of the best selling SUV. When Acura replaced its enthusiast-extremist, firstgeneration RDX with the far more mainstream second-generation RDX, it swapped the gas-sucking, laggy turbo fourcylinder for a torquey V-6; torque-vectoring all-wheel drive (SH-AWD) for a conventional AWD system; and a stiff, harsh-riding chassis for a far mellower suspension tune. Sales, predictably, shot up. Acura was the first Japanese carmaker to challenge the luxury establishment, rolling into the big-bucks banquet in 1986 with a bold corporate mantra: “Precision Crafted Performance.” Yet it didn’t take long for Honda’s luxury division to stray from that lofty credo and embark on a meandering identity quest that’s only now beginning to show tiny glimpses of returning to its roots—on the passengercar side of the house, at least.

But it’s another story in Acura’s SUV department. After kicking up some dust with its first offering in the compactcrossover segment, the slightly unruly but stimulating original RDX, Acura has retreated to the safety of posh interiors, creamy ride quality, quiet operation, lots of tech features, and not too many demands on the driver. The RDX is currently the brand’s second-bestselling model after the MDX. So the midcycle update visited upon the 2016 model, unveiled at the Chicago auto show, is mostly a spit-and-polish job on a vehicle that doesn’t really need much help. The most notable visual differentiator of the 2016 model is the arrival of Acura’s multiLED headlight cluster, or shall we say, the “Jewel Eye” headlights (a tiresome cliché, now trademarked). The rear lights also are LEDs, and the front and rear styling is mildly tweaked. The wheel designs are new, too. While turbocharged fourcylinders are increasingly the engine of choice in this category, the RDX is staying with its naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6, from which Acura extracts a bit more power and

torque (279 horsepower and 252 lb-ft). At the same time, fuel economy inches up by 1 mpg highway, to 20/29 city/ highway (FWD) and 19/28 (AWD). And while Acura’s torquevectoring Super Handling AllWheel Drive is not making a comeback, the company does claim that the existing allwheel-drive system has been tweaked to send more torque to the rear wheels. New active engine mounts are said to aid refinement. A batch of new collisionavoidance technologies is grouped into a package called AcuraWatch. That includes adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with automatic braking, lane-departure warning, and lanekeeping assist. Commendably, the AcuraWatch features can be had on any trim level, although they’re standard with the new, top-spec Advance package. Should all the electronic nannies somehow fail to keep you out of trouble, Acura claims that the 2016 RDX also has improved crash-test performance. That evolution occurred when the RDX went from generation one to generation two

for 2012, and it’s amplified by this update for model-year 2016. It brings sexier styling (if any of these two-box haulers can be classified as sexy), more content, more safety features, a modest power increase, and a 1-mpg uptick in EPA highway fuel economy to

28 mpg with all-wheel drive. We recorded 23 mpg during our travels with this AWD model. Raising the output of the 3.5-liter V-6 by six horsepower and a single pound-foot of torque, predictably, makes no difference at the test track. Ac-

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

A19 35

Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship sponses are relaxed; and braking performance is so-so by class standards. Our test crew noted the complete absence of fade and consistent distances, but 184 feet from 70 mph is not a bragging point. Understeer is plentiful, of course, but that’s pretty much universal in this segment.

celeration results are identical with those posted by the 2014 AWD RDX we tested: zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14.8 at 96 mph. These are certainly respectable numbers by the standards of this class and quicker than many, and the six-speed automatic is nicely attuned to the engine’s powerband, going about its business unobtrusively in full auto mode. Its languid responses to the paddle shifters add nothing to the driving experience, however. Beyond that, the RDX is a smooth operator on just about any surface, isolating occupants from the harsh realities of nasty pavement, and doing so quietly. What’s not to like? The answer to that question

depends on what you expect from your vehicle. If it’s merely luxuriously furnished comfort and insulation from the vicissitudes of daily traffic, fortified by vigorous throttle response (compared with much of the competition), the RDX is hard to fault. But if you demand a little more—eager responses, minimal body motions, tactile steering, confidence-inspiring grip, decisive braking—the RDX begins to feel a little hohum. The electric power steering, for example, varies effort with speed but doesn’t feel particularly precise; the driver finds himself making little midcorner corrections. Body roll is just this side of abundant; grip, delivered by a set of Michelin Primacy MXM4 allseason tires (235/60-18), is modest at 0.77 g; transient re-

Chock-a-block Leaving dynamics to one side for the moment, the RDX stacks up as a tempting package in terms of eye appeal, features, roominess, and value. The new fascia, with Acura’s now-familiar LED headlight array, adds a little drama to a package that was already about as shapely as it gets in this class. The list of features packed into this full-boat test vehicle—all-wheel drive, navigation, a power sunroof, leather, ELS premium audio, Pandora, Bluetooth connectivity, a power tailgate, power everything else—make the $44,340 all-in price look pretty appealing in the growing luxury-compact-crossover tournament. And that price also includes Acura’s new batch of AcuraWatch safety features: forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, lanedeparture warning, lane-keeping assist, and a color display screen. As for the car’s other tech, we find it difficult to appreciate the Honda/Acura preoccupation with touch-screen controls and phobic rejection of traditional knobs and buttons. And this particular screen can be a bit of a stretch to reach from the driver’s seat. BC

Autocare Car maintenance checklist for DIYs

utomatic transmission fluid An automatic transmission depends on the transmission fluid for transferring engine power to the wheels, shifting gears, lubricating moving parts and cooling down the transmission. Check the transmission fluid when your car is serviced and change it as recommended. Different cars have different ways of checking the transmission fluid level; some require the engine to be shut off (e.g. Honda), some cars don’t have a transmission dipstick at all and the fluid can only be checked in a repair shop. Check your owner’s manual for proper procedure. After the vehicle was driven for a while to let the transmission fluid warm up, place your vehicle on a level ground. Set the parking brake. Make sure the transmission is in “P” (Park) position. Leave the engine running. Find the automatic transmission dipstick (your owner’s manual will tell you where it is located). Pull the dipstick out. Wipe the dipstick off with a clean lint-free rag. Insert it back fully. Pull it out again and check the fluid level. A transmission fluid expands when warmed up, so if the car has been driven for a while (20-30 minutes), the transmission level should be between “HOT” marks. If the vehicle is cold, the level should be between “COOL” marks. Check the fluid condition: a very dirty fluid with strong burnt smell is a warning sign of transmission problems. Normally, the automatic transmission fluid should be clean and transparent. If the transmission fluid level is low, you can top it up, but be careful not to overfill it. Overfilling the transmission can cause problems. It’s very important to use only specified transmission fluid type - check your owner’s manual or simply visit your local dealer, they always have proper transmission fluid in stock. Incorrect fluid type can damage your transmission. You can top up the transmission fluid by using a thin funnel; add a small amount of the fluid through the dipstick pipe. Wait for a few minutes - let the fluid drain down. Recheck the level again. Don’t overfill.

Battery Check the battery condition visually. If you see any leaks, cracks or other damage, the battery needs to be replaced. Make sure the battery terminals are tight and not corroded. Corrosion at the battery terminals will cause poor connection, which can result in all kinds of problems, including a no-start. You may find the tips how to clean the battery terminals in your vehicle’s owner’s manual or online. Be careful, that white flaky corrosion stuff is very acidic. Windshield wipers Replace the wipers at least once a year or earlier if they don’t clean the windshield properly. If you still have the original wipers installed, you can just replace the rubber refills. Check if the windshield washer jets are working properly. Tires Check the tire pressure regularly - at least once a month. If you don’t have the tire pressure gauge, it’s worth to buy a good one. You can find the recommended tire pressure in the owner’s manual or on the tire pressure placard, which might be located on the driver’s door jamb, inside the gas tank lid or inside the glove box. Measure tire pressure when the tires are still cold Pump or deflate to the recommended pressure. The maximum pressure listed on tires is NOT the proper pressure! There is a safe limit of the tread wear. If the tire is worn below this limit, it’s unsafe to drive. Your owner’s manual has the direction how to measure tire wear or your mechanic can check your tires for you. Feel vibration at cruising speed? Have your tires balanced. Uneven tire wear indicates alignment problem. Improper alignment causes increased tire and suspension components wear and poor handling. If a car pulls aside, wanders or feels unstable on the road, have the alignment checked. Properly done alignment will make your car ride a lot more enjoyable. Tire rotation Front and rear tires wear at different rate and have different wear pattern. On a typical front-wheel drive vehicle, for instance, the front tires would wear out a lot faster than the rear ones if not rotated regularly. By rotating your tires regularly, you are making sure that your tires wear more evenly and last longer. Some manufacturers recommend rotating tires at every oil change, others may recommend to do it at different intervals. Tire rotation pattern is also different for different tires. It’s best to check your owner’s manual or call your local dealer for exact recommendations for your tires. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGULATORS

CBN rolls out measures to enhance e-payment, check fraud T

NSE attains ISO 27001:2013 certification

Udo Onyeka

he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has said it is taking strategic steps to ensure that the level of fraud arising from e-payment transactions is reduced to the barest minimum. Director, Banking and Payments System Department, CBN, Dipo Fatokun who made this known at the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria ,FICAN, Bi-Monthly Forum held in Lagos at the weekend, said the Payments System Vision 2020 launched in 2013, was meant to achieve the re-organisation of the National Payments Governance Structure and encourage more people to embrace e-payment transactions. Fatokun, who was represented by the CBN Deputy Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Musa Jimoh, said the project identified agriculture, smart cities, health, transportation, hotels, entertainment, government flow, education and Consumer Bill Payment as well as direct debits as focus areas. However, Fatokun explained that the absence of a unique identifier in the banking industry has negative consequences on the growth of e-payments and that the need to resolve the challenge that prompted the CBN, in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee to launch the Bank Verification Number (BVN) project. The project, he said, will help build confidence of customers on the e-payment channels and enhance integrity

of transactions. “The BVN initiative is aimed at protecting bank customers and further strengthening the Nigerian banking system by uniquely identifying all bank customers and acts as a stopgap, prior to the full implementation of the National Identity Card system,” he said. Also, the CBN mandated all Banks, Switches and Processors to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, PCIDSS, and subsequently conducted an oversight on compliance which showed that most banks had been certified.

He said the certification lasts for one year and banks are currently at various levels of recertification. He explained that PCIDSS is a global compliance standard for any entity that stores, transmits or processes card payment data. The apex bank, Fatokun said, also directed banks to set up systems that will enable the automatic refund of Automated Teller Machine, ATM, dispense errors to customers. The regulator has also issued guidelines for card issuance and usage meant to provide minimum standards and requirements for

ARSO is working towards creating a common free trade area within the continent, which was done by the European Union EU and Latin America, which most countries with the regions are enjoying now. He said: “I am quite aware that of the efforts being put in place by National Standards Bodies NSB across the continent towards facilitating intra-African trade. We need to facilitate trade and transactionalism by putting in place measures to to remove all barriers that hinder and inhibit trade whether intra or inter”.

he Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, said it has achieved the ISO27001:2013 Certification, the most stringent global standard for Information Security. The award which was received from the British Standard Institute, BSI, working with Digital Encode in Nigeria, is subsequent to a series of rigorous and extensive audit of the Exchange’s information management systems and processes. ISO 27001:2013 gives both the NSE and its stakeholders the confidence to trust the Exchange with the safe-keeping and processing of their information as well as ensure that appropriate controls are in place to prevent ,wherever possible and manage risks in the unlikely event of a breach Commenting on the achievement, Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said “ISO Certification is an important reference for many international organizations and I am extremely proud of the Exchange to have achieved this feat, a further testament to our commitment to deploy robust information management systems, policies and processes across our service value chain in line with global standards. As ISO 27001 is the most stringent certification for information security controls, I congratulate my colleagues who worked diligently to get this recognition , Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo, said “We are particularly pleased to be the first Exchange in Africa with this certification, showing our ongoing commitment to information management leadership and attainment of best-in-class operations. As the investing public continue to use data and information to drive insights and investment in the capital markets, security of information will remain on the front burner and the Exchange will continue to adopt market leading approaches and controls in this area. “The achievement of the ISO 27001:2013 Certification required the application of more than 100 different controls across 14 categories with the goal of providing a model for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, and maintaining a robust Information Security Management System. It has re-affirmed our ability to undertake the seamless integration of people, processes and technology to drive our market.” says – Head, Information Security, Mrs Favour Femi-Oyewole.BC

ance business, entrench transparency and accountability in the system. He also urged practitioners to imbibe the spirit of genuine competition assuring that the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) will promote and

drive policies that will enhance insurance practice in the country. Kari promised to fight quacks in the system with the view to rebranding the industry and make it the toast in the country’s financial sector. BC

the issuance and usage of payment cards in the country. “Its implementation enables issuing banks, other financial institution, processors and cards schemes upgrade and maintain their card operations to ensure optimum security, efficiency, cost effectiveness and customer friendliness,” he said. The platform, he added, also serves as a tool for banks and other financial institutions to assess their card issuance portfolio and ensures that consumers that carry Nigerian -issued cards operate within acceptable standards. BC

L-R: Group Head, Financial Institutions/International Organisation, Ecobank, Mr Babasola Aluko; Portfolio Relationship Manager, Private Sector Engagement, The Global Fund, Mr. Andrew Redpath and Local Account Manager, Financial Institution/International Organisation , Ecobank, Mr. Osahon Aibangbee during Ecobank/The Global Fund partnership workshop for global fund sub-recipients in Abuja

Africa accounts for less than 3% of global trade volumes-ARSO Francis Ezem

trong indications emerged that the entire African continent accounts for less than three per cent of the total global trade volume, a development, which accounts for why many parts of the region are still raved by extreme poverty, unemployment and low standard of living and low healthcare system and attendant high infant mortality. President of the African Organisation for Standardisation ARSO, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, who dropped the hint, spoke in Lagos during a sensitisation seminar on the integration of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria SON’s electronic certificates into the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System NICIS. It was gathered that though the African content constitutes over 40 per cent of the total world population, it has not been able to effectively channel

this huge population towards developing the economies of the African countries. He partly blamed this development on the inability of the African nations to trade within and among themselves. According to him, most of the African countries be it Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and even countries in the northern parts of the continent are grappling with the scourge of massive importation of substandard products, which has helped to kill the local industry. “There is massive influx of substandard goods from Europe,

Asia and America into the continent, which has helped to kill local industry and historically, African countries prefer to trade with foreign nation, especially United Kingdom and United States than fellow African nations’, he said. He however disclosed that the association is working with the heads of governments of the African Union towards the creation of a Continental Free Trade Area CFTA by 2017. Dr. Odumodu, who doubles as the Director General/ CEO of SON, Nigeria’s apex standardisation bureau also disclosed that

NAICOM assures brokers of better deal

he Commissioner for Insurance, Mohammed Kari has assured insurance brokers of protection and better recognition by the commission. Kari said the brokers are the engine room of the insurance sector and should be fully sup-

ported to be able to deliver on their mandate. Speaking at the Nigerian Council of Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, members evening hosted by NICON insurance in Lagos, the commissioner, affirmed his readiness to promote insur-

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

A21 37

Stock market last week

NSE trading hall

Equities A turnover of 2.051 billion shares worth N17.869bn in 21,762 deals were traded this week by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 4.304 billion shares valued at N20.048bn that exchanged hands last week in 20,219 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.733 billion shares valued at N12.004bn traded in 12,855 deals; thus contributing 84.48per cent and 67.18per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of 153.481 million shares worth N367.996m in 1,269 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with 77.577 million shares worth N3.379bn in 3,496 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – Zenith International Bank Plc.; United Bank for Africa Plc., and Access Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 851.981 million shares worth N6.646bn in 4,894 deals, contributing 41.54.per cent and 37.19per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

ETPs: Also traded during the week were a total of 10,627 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N678,291.94 executed in 22 deals compared with a total of 2,556 units valued at N981,146.02 transacted last week in 17 deals. Bonds: There was no bond traded this week under review. However, a total of 7,375 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N7.766m were traded last week in 7 deals. Index Movement: The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalization depreciated by 3.56per cent and 3.24per cent to close on Friday at 28,814.62 and N9.909trn respectively. Similarly, all the Indices finished lower during the week with the exception of the NSE ASeM Index that close flat. Summary Of Price Changes: Thirteen(13) equities appreciated in price during the week, higher than eleven(11) equities of the preceding week. Sixty-five (65) equities depreciated in price, lower than Sixty-one (61) equities of the preceding week, while one hundred and twelve (112) equities remained unchanged, lower than one hundred and eighteen (118) equities recorded in the preceding week. BC

Market Indicators for Week Ended 21-08-15 All-Share Index 29,747.57 points Market Capitalization 10,249,558,716,484.81

NASD OTC REPORT Outstanding deals since August, 2015.

Offers

Security SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC SD ARM LIFE PLC SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC SD BGL PLC SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC

Industry Oil & Gas Financials Financials Financials Financials Industrials Financials Consumer Goods Consumer Goods

SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC

Consumer Services Consumer Goods Industrials Financials Financials Financials Oil & Gas

SD FUMMAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES PLC SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC SD RESOURCERY PLC SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC

RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC

Financials Technology Industrials Financials Technology Financials

Nominal value (₦) 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.00 10.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.00

Last Offer Date 26-Aug-15 21-Aug-15 18-Aug-15 28-Aug-15 28-Aug-15 18-Aug-15 18-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 24-Aug-15 28-Aug-15

Bids

Volume offered Last Offer Price Last Bid Price 50,854 0.35 0.27 0.53 500,000.00 3.00 2.70 408,700.00 72.00 4,000 6.32 4.87 10.10 284,754 279.94 250.00 925,000.00 0.78 1,005,697.00 113,514,400.00 3,235,900 1,091,180.00 600,000 3,262,650.00

2 DEMATERIALISATION AND CUMULATIVE TRADE IN OTC SECURITIES 28-Aug-15 Security SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC SD ARM LIFE PLC SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC SD BGL PLC SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC SD FUMMAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES PLC SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC SD RESOURCERY PLC SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC

RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC

Industry Oil and Gas Financials Financials Financials Financials Industrial Financials Consumer Goods Consumer Goods Consumer Services Consumer Goods Industrial Financials Financials Financials Oil and Gas Financials Technology Industrial Financials Technology Financials

Introduced by Company Registrars Meristem Securities Limited CardinalStone Registrars Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc Mega Equity Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc APT Securities & Fund Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc Nigerian Int. Securities Ltd Unity Registrars Limited UBA Stockbroking Firm African Prudential Registrars Plc Greenwich Securities Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc Anchoria Investment & Securities Lim Nnenna Ejekam Associates Capital Bancorp Plc First Registrars Limited Stanbic IBTC stockbrokers limited Meristem Registrars Limited Integrated Trust & Investment Limite PAC Registrars Limited Icon Stockbrokers Limited Meristem Registrars Limited Sterling Capital Market Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc Greenwich Securities Limited GTL Registrars Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc FCSL Asset Management Co. Limited United Securities Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited First Registrars Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited EDC Registrars Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited Mainstreet Bank Registrars Limited Primera Africa Securities Limited PAC Registrars Limited Signet Investment and Securities Limi PAC Registrars Limited Prominent Securities Limited United Securities Limited

Year end 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Mar 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec 31/Dec

0.50 0.12 0.80 0.43 1.37 0.84

1.25 0.97 150.01 0.95 1.05 -

Volume Bidded Last Bid Date 15,000 28-Aug-15 1,400 24-Aug-15 1,600 21-Aug-15 1,500,000 27-Aug-15 1,568,100 11-Aug-15 50,000 25-Aug-15 11,310 20,500 42,400 10,900 700 -

24-Aug-15 24-Aug-15 28-Aug-15 24-Aug-15 24-Aug-15 -

TRADE INFORMATION (JAN 2015-TILL DATE) DEMATERIALISATION INFORMATION Total Share Capital Volume % '000 Dematerialised Dematerialised DEALS VOLUME VALUE (₦) 43,774,346 2,000,000,000 2.19% 65 3,925,356 1,557,458.72 606,000,000 5,785,673,000 10.47% 19,471,000 1,900,000,000 1.02% 21 49,010 148,066.00 54,991,522 1,249,000,000 4.40% 62 25,506,474 60,134,224.50 9,525,357,533 12,000,000,000 79.38% 5 6,300 18,900.00 529,585 196,875,000 0.27% 15 42,643 3,609,782.60 242,454,217 5,000,000,000 4.85% 210 44,146,537 236,559,917.99 6,753,333,334 0.00% 180,775,457 976,335,936 18.52% 493 137,621,891 43,238,732,323.13 89,667,426 5,650,000,000 1.59% 77 6,338,340 3,388,882.00 3,600,000,000 0.00% 556,551,767 4,257,668,000 13.07% 28 11,043,337 16,245,846.31 252,155,056 1,170,324,536 21.55% 9 2,400 2,640.00 1,018,846,720 14,231,238,000 7.16% 56 113,254,775 110,684,326.00 3,226,500 11,829,700,000 0.03% 18 50,000 42,500.00 12,528,618 181,408,000 6.91% 122 12,416,941 2,672,079,541.25 192,627,494 2,875,595,000 6.70% 22 6,829,400 5,806,742.00 516,100,000 2,576,686,039 20.03% 31 448,244,200 224,176,072.00 880,394,000 0.00% 7,138,199,210 0.00% 1,348,188,000 2,705,378,000 49.83% 29 33,260 70,017.30 107,572,305 10,945,334,000 0.98% 13 8,060 7,394.70 103,903,142,055 14,770,817,546 14.22% 1,276 809,518,924 46,573,264,634.50

If you do not see your unquoted Plc on this list or for further enquirys consult your NASD OTC participating broker or visit our website at www.nasdng.com

A22 38

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Flour Mills: debt profile, devaluation undermines profitability “This is in addition to the observed declining consumer spending led by increases in the prices of petrol and transportation, which in our view resulted in lower demand. Given the current economic realities, we anticipate that the current year‘s performance will be in line with that of the financial year to March 2015 or even lower,” the analyst said. However, the management‘s decision to raise N30bn through a rights issue to be used for the repaying of various debts and supporting working capital requirements will bode well for the company even though the current total debt outstanding is N188.4bn. With the current debt level, the company is now capitalized with 74.61 per cent debt and 25.39 per cent equity, which is relatively high.

Johnson Okanlawon

lour Mills of Nigeria, one of the largest flour milling complexes in the world, provides the best in quality flour and flour-based products to help meet and exceed the nutritional and quality taste needs of the Nigerian people and beyond. But its efforts to deliver returns to shareholders have been a big task going by the recent financials of the company released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The results may weaken investors’ confidence in the company, as the current debt profile exceeded operating profit. The consumer goods company had borrowed money to fund its expansion programme with a view to increasing market share. Liquidity Total debt in the balance sheet of the company was N169.2bn in the period ended March 31, 2015, which represents an increase 35.3 per cent from N125.05bn recorded in the corresponding year of 2014. The company’s balance sheets or operations are unfunded with lenders money as debt to equity ratio was as high as 193.57 per cent, an increase from 150.20 per cent recorded last year. This means the company used N1.93 in debt for every N1 of equity. The risk associated with high debt-to-equity ratio is the inability of the company in generating enough cash to satisfy its debt obligations. Also, a 16.10 per cent increase in Interest charges portends potential negative effects on Flour Mills profitability in the next few years. The latest earnings report showed the company recorded a 57.80 per cent increase in net income thanks to a N14.28bn gain from the sale of investments in its subsidiary and tax savings. Without the gains made on such disposals, the company would have recorded a loss of N5.67bn because the interest expense of N18.15bn would have swallowed up operating income of N10.21bn. Hence, the high debt ratio is not helping the company to support future growth. It spent N56.48bn in the purchase of property plant and equipment in the review peri-

od. It is also worth noting that its total debt has followed a continuous upward trajectory since the 2011 financial year. This has been supported by a combination of factors including its capacity expansion and investment in the core food business. Profitability For the financial year ended March 31, 2015, the company posted revenue of N308.7bn, which was 5.23 per cent lower than the N325.79bn recorded in the same period of 2014. On a quarterly basis, its revenue of N64.47bn in the three months to March 2015 declined by 29.89 per cent against N91.95billion recorded in the last quarter of the preceding year and 18.12 per cent below the N78.74billion in the third quarter of the current financial year. Sales reduced by 5.23 percent to N308.2bn in the year ended March 2015, from N325.80bn last year, while operating profits were down by 47.28 per cent to N10.2bn in 2015 compared with N19.37bn in 2014. Cost of sales fell by 5.23 per cent to N273.3bn in 2015 as against N288.4bn as at March 2014. Gain from partial disposal of investment and tax writeback boosted post-tax profits. It is noteworthy to state that the firm‘s investments in agro-

allied and core food businesses led to increase in borrowings and higher interest expense. Hence, net financial charges increased by 16.16 in the review year to N18.7bn. However, the company reported a gain of N14.29bn, which is the first tranche payment from the sale of its 30 per cent stake in UNICEM to Lafarge Africa and the second tranche of the payment is due in the first quarter of 2016. Regardless, pre-tax profit declined by 6.12 per cent in the year ended March 2015 to N7.72bn, from N8.23bn in 2014. However, with a tax write back, post-tax profit rose by 57.7 per cent in 2015 to N8.5bn, from N5.37bn recorded the preceding year. Consequently, post-tax profit margin improved to 2.74 per cent from 1.65 per cent recorded in the prior year. Q1 performance The company also recorded a 66.47 per cent decline in profit before tax for the first quarter ended June 30, 2015. Its profit before tax dropped to N 1.188bn, from N3.544bn the previous year, accounting for a drop of 66.47 per cent. Its net earnings equally were down by 65.5 per cent from N2.822bn to 971.98m in 2014. The company’s gross earnings fell to N82.28bn during the period under review com-

pared with N83.94bn recorded a year earlier. Analyst opinion It is worthwhile stating that, changes in consumers‘activities had a direct impact on the company‘s sales level given contraction in household spending. Supportive of this is the many headwinds currently facing the Nigerian consumer industry reflected in earnings decline observed in results released by most of the trusted names on the domestic bourse. Given the on-going investments in core food businesses, research analysts at DLM Securities Limited, an investment firm, noted that the company exhibited strong earnings growth despite the tough consumer environment necessitated by the observed low consumer activities which will not take too long to dissipate. “We note an increase in the selling prices of some of its products with the view to offset the impact of unfavourable currency movement may have prompted consumers to shift to substitutes. More so, the increasingly growing competition in the industry especially southern markets and insecurity challenges in the North east may have gradually reduced FMN‘s market share and consequently impacted overall sales volume.

Company background Flour Mills of Nigeria was incorporated in September 1960 as a private limited liability company and commenced operations in 1962 with an installed capacity of 600 metric tons per day. The company was converted to a public limited liability company in 1978, and its shares were subsequently listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In its 55 year history, it has remained at the forefront of wheat milling in Nigeria. The company’s flagship brand, Golden Penny, remains one of the best known and the preferred brands amongst bakers, confectioneries and consumers in Nigeria. The company has invested over N25bn in milling infrastructure over the last seven years, to maintain its competitive advantage. The company’s flagship mill located in Apapa, Lagos comprises of 10 integrated mills. Each mill was designed as a multilevel operation in order to optimize the use of gravity in the sifting process, thereby reducing the energy requirements. In addition, the company maintains dedicated mills to the processing of different wheat varieties to produce different flour types. This has ensured consistent quality of its products for 50 years. The Apapa Mill also boasts of modern silos with a storage capacity to 191,000 metric tons. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

A23 39

STOCKWATCH Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, August 28, 2015 SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 0.50 OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 19.60 PRESCO PLC 31.00 Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. 4.26 Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 1.61 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. 0.91 CHELLARAMS PLC. 3.95 JOHN HOLT PLC. 0.94 SCOA NIG PLC 4.37 TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 2.11 U A C N PLC. 33.40 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. 5.30 CAPPA & D’ALBERTO PLC. NT Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. 0.58 G CAPPA PLC 14.46 Non--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 43.00 ROADS NIG PLC. 6.60 Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT UACN PROPERTY DEV 7.50 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC 100.00 UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV 45.22 UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST 10.00 CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 0.50 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 4.19 GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. 0.93 GUINNESS NIG PLC 127.00 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 17.00 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. 1.58 NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 115.71 PREMIER BREWERIES PLC 3.10 Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 190.00 Food Products BIG TREAT PLC NT DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 2.69 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 7.26 FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 23.00 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 2.33 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC 0.50 N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. 10.47 NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 5.46 P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. 5.35 U T C NIG. PLC. 0.50 UNION DICON SALT PLC. 11.84 Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 28.56 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 828.22 Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. 30.23 VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 5.89 VONO PRODUCTS PLC. 0.90 Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 21.91 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 40.00 Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 4.67 DIAMOND BANK PLC 3.03 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 17.66 FIDELITY BANK PLC 1.31 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. NT GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 21.73 INTERCONTINENTAL BANK 13.50 SKYE BANK PLC 2.34 STERLING BANK PLC. 2.03 U B A PLC 3.16 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 6.30 UNITY BANK PLC 1.41 WEMA BANK PLC. 0.89 ZENITH BANK PLC 14.49 Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC 0.50 AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 0.81 CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC 0.50 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 0.83 CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. 0.50 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC NT EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 0.53 GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC 0.52 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC NT INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC 0.50 INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. 0.5 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. 0.50 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC 2.19 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.64 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. 0.50 OASIS INSURANCE PLC NT PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 0.50 REGENCY ALLIANCE INS. COY PLC 0.50 SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 0.50 STANDARD TRUSTASSURANCE PLC 0.50 STANDARD ALLIANCE INS. PLC. 0.50 UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 UNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC 0.50 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 0.50 Micro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 5.42 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 0.89 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC 1.25 ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 0.50 INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC 1.42 RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC 5.5 Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS 2.36 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 4.00 CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT DEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC 0.61 FBN HOLDINGS PLC 5.85 FCMB GROUP PLC 2.2 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.50 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 18.71 SIM CAPITAL ALLIANCE VALUE FUND 103.24 NIGERIA ENERGY SECTOR FUND 552.20 UBA CAPITAL PLC 1.24 HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. 3.72 UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC 0.50 Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 1.82 Pharmaceuticals

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 21-08-15

QUANTITY

9,140 261,540 107,996

52 WK HIGH

0.64 107.81 41.14

52 WK LOW

0.50 20.92 8.24

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

2,200,000,000 476,955,000 1,000,000,000

0.10 2.29 7.55

MOV. (%)

N/A -9.72 -3.13

0.50 21.71 32.00

4.26

60,000,000

0.00

N/A

4.26

1,249,104

7.18

0.68

1,199,549,736

0.07

-6.94

1.73

100,150 300 17,558 512 6,693,406 2,658,148

2.08 6.43 5.89

0.71 4.15 1.07

2,191,895,983 963,900,300 389,151,408

0.11 0.16 1.09

-9.00 N/A N/A

5.89 71.10

0.50 28.00

821,666,666 1,600,720,323

0.09 4.38

N/A N/A

1.00 3.95 0.94 4.44 2.36 37.00

375 3

26.00 95.49

5.05 95.49

148,500,000 196,876,000

0.33 4.50

N/A N/A

5.30 NT

807,550 217

2.66 14.46

0.72 14.46

920,573,765 125,000,000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

0.57 14.46

27,437 1,832

83.75 10.60

19.86 6.61

1,200,000,000 20,000,000

6.74 1.69

-0.72 N/A

43.31 6.60

NT 324,368

7.28 20.90

7.28 8.82

1,375,000,000

0.00 2.20

N/A -4.94

NT 7.89

93 100 6,350

100.00 50.00 10.50

100.00 50.00 0.00

20,000,000 250,019,781

5.82 0.19

N/A N/A

100.00 45.22 10.00

5,016

0.50

4,772,528,415

0.00

N/A

0.50

54,992 8,132 28,374 172,515 50,000 1,808,302 513,550

19.48 0.68 297.41 30.00 9.09 179.40 0.97

3.13 0.68 209.10 5.34 0.81 91.10 0.93

900,000,000 272,160,000 1,474,925,519 2,112,914,681 562,000,000 7,562,562,340 126,000,000

0.00 0.00 8.66 0.63 0.00 5.03 0.00

N/A N/A 6.72 N/A N/A -3.59 N/A

4.25 0.93 119.00 18.45 1.58 120.02 3.10

24,150

75.90

38.12

640,590,362

4.46

N/A

191.00

NT 224,970 1,588,435 187,271 952,850 53,816 159,011 2,835,920 2.08 124,000 50 100

0.50 10.68 12.85 109.24 4.11 1.21 29.70 14.00 5.94 0.93 13.31

0.50 3.85 3.26 50.00 1.83 0.50 17.51 3.65 5.35 0.50 4.22

2,000,000,000 5,000,000,000 12,000,000,000 1,879,210,666 7,930,197,658 3,722,493,620 178,200,000 40,000,000 1,233,375,004 360,000,000

0.00 0.00 0.81 3.38 0.34 0.00 0.00 1.05 0.08 1.13 0.00

N/A -6.27 20.80 -8.26 -7.54 N/A N/A -13.33 N/A 0.00 N/A

NT 2.87 6.01 25.07 2.52 0.50 12.19 6.30 5.35 0.50 11.84

5,725 390,319

64.53 1250.00

8.33 400.00

3,129,188,160 792,656,250

1.57 28.34

0.00 -14.26

28.56 965.98

25,333 100 187,845 15,000

15.58 36.19 5.54 2.88

10.03 32.27 2.91 0.57

63,360,000 819,000,000 300,000,001

3.90 13.92 0.71 0.00

N/A N/A 1.55 N/A

NT 30.23 5.80 0.91

156,973 119,119

56.00 76.00

21.02 27.60

3,176,381,636 3,783,296,250

1.34 1.42

-26.55 0.00

29.83 40.00

0.97

0.57

843,284,027

0.00

N/A

20,610,779 1,358,484 5,746,153 4,669,271 NT 11,491,149

12.39 7.85 17.51 3.47 8.30 29.99

4.70 1.92 9.90 1.13 3.04 13.02

17,888,251,479 14,475,243,105 9,873,614,567 28,974,797,023 16,271,192,202 29,146,482,209

1.61 1.71 3.67 0.68 0.60 3.08

-0.43 1.00 -5.31 4.80 #VALUE! -1.23

5,074,965 2,601,379 11,173,106 1,469,943 359,359 1,128,531 9,778,427

7.05 3.05 9.60 15.30 1.16 1.88 27.40

2.65 0.80 1.64 2.34 0.50 0.50 11.96

13,219,334,676 12,563,091,545 32,334,693,693 13,509,726,273 33,675,576,085 12,821,249,880 31,396,493,790

0.97 0.63 1.70 0.44 0.18 0.00 3.30

17.59 -5.14 -1.86 -5.12 0.00 11.25 -5.91

200 1,627,718 NT 9,140 1,882,960 62,000 9,054,578 4,754 NT 42,003 165,731 NT 698,304 NT 14,710 100 220 23,600 1,319,465 10,579,013 52,100 1,654,611 27,973 5,028 100 1,650 161,547,689 25,000 200 518,140 1,368,084

0.50 1.42 0.64 0.52 1.45 0.72 2.44 0.50 0.69 0.60 0.50 2.50 2.50 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 2.87 0.63 1.01 1.11 0.50 1.24 0.53 0.59

0.50 0.50 0.61 0.50 0.58 0.50 1.08 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.06 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

20,585,000,000 7,809,391,256 211,626,000 6,000,000,000 10,372,624,157 8,820,010,363 5,100,846,808 8,847,298,420 4,549,947,000 3,827,485,380 720,000,000 5,061,804,000 6,420,427,449 28,000,000,000 7,323,313,227 3,437,330,500 4,083,713,569 10,000,000,000 7,998,705,336 5,332,830,881 5,649,693,923 5,003,506,791 2,508,315,436 6,668,750,000 5,203,757,266

0.00 0.19 0.00 0.05 0.15 0.02 0.24 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.25 0.00 0.37 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.04 0.09

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A 0.00 -9.50 N/A -1.54 N/A N/A 0.00 N/A 0.00

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.55

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

8,493,173,450 2,581,733,505 13,000,000,000 16,000,000,000

0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.07

N/A N/A N/A N/A

10,000,000 584,766

6.60 1.22

0.00 0.72

500 500 500 220,000 4,570

1.65 0.50

1.37 0.50

4,200,000,000 8,679,148,676

0.03 0.02

N/A N/A

0.50 0.99

0.50 0.50

13,175,732,404 7,812,500,000

0.30 0.00

N/A N/A

313,164 369,250 500 5,000 8,812,914 27045923 1,050,953 3,807,836 465 100 1,926,013

2.1

0.5

0.61 2.02 21.50 5.70 1.33 20.72 103.24

0.50 2.02 8.57 2.90 0.50 10.64 98.33

1.70

0.00

1.18 0.19

3,608,657,661 18,750,000,000

0.00 0.15 2.45 1.23 0.13 1.53

0.50 0.84 NT 0.50 0.85 0.50 NT 0.50 0.53 0.52 0.50 NT 0.50 0.5 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.42 0.50 0.65 0.50 NT 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 5.42 0.89

0.63 3,778,005,975 1,333,333,333 32,632,084,358

4.69 3.00 18.65 1.25 NT 22.00 13.50 1.99 2.14 3.22 6.64 1.62 0.80 15.40

N/A N/A 1.21 N/A 3.94

0.29

1.25 0.50 1.42 0.50 5.5 2.53 4.00 NT 0.64 5.78 2.2 0.50 18.00 103.24 552.20 1.29

170 40,000

5.05 0.50

4.32 0.50

498,600,908 3,553,138,528

0.13 0.00

N/A N/A

3.72 0.50

100

10.54

7.39

152,178,750

0.00

N/A

1.82

N/A=Not Avialable

SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 0.61 FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 3.18 GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 34.50 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 1.23 NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 1.23 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. 5.16 PHARMA-DEKO PLC. 2.14 ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.50 Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC 0.50 Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.91 IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC 2.95 NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 11.02 TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. 1.69 Processing Systems CHAMS PLC 0.50 E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC 2.71 Telecommunications Services IHS NT HIS NIGERIA PLC 2 NT HIS NIGERIA PLC 1 NT MTI PLC 0.5 INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. 2.72 ASHAKA CEM PLC 22.00 BERGER PAINTS PLC 8.34 CAP PLC 37.05 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 8.73 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC NT DN MEYER PLC. 0.73 FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC 0.50 IPWA PLC 0.50 PREMIER PAINTS 10.93 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 97.00 PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC 1.14 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC 3.40 Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC 2.09 CUTIX PLC. 1.35 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. NT Packaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS 1.52 BETA GLASS CO PLC. 43.00 GREIF NIGERIA PLC 11.48 NIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC NT POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT W A GLASS IND. PLC. 0.63 Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC 7.46 NIG SEW MACH. MAN. CO PLC. NT STOKVIS NIG PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 4.62 Metals ALUMACO PLC 7.75 ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. 10.35 MINING SERVICES MULTIVERSE PLC 0.50 Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. 0.64 OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.50 Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 10.19 Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 0.5 CONOIL PLC 33.28 ETERNA PLC. 1.75 FORTE OIL PLC. 249.89 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 150.00 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 49.66 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 151.99 Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVT. CO, LTD. 244.69 SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC 0.50 Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. 3.15 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 0.53 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 3.80 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. 0.86 Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. 0.50 Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC 0.50 Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL 4.07 IKEJA HOTEL PLC 2.71 TOURIST COY NIG PLC 3.51 TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC 7.86 Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.50 Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS 0.73 LEARN AFRICA PLC 0.91 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. 2.30 UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 5.18 Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 0.54 Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC 4.43 SECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC 0.5 Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 1.73 NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 4.25 SUPPORT AND LOGISTICS CAVERTON OFFSHORE GROUP PLC 3.42 ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC NT OIL AND GAS CAPITAL OIL PLC NT NAVITUS ENERGY PLC NT Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. NT HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT ADSWITCH PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT JULI PLC. NT ETF’s Sector ETF LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NT NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND NT VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF NT

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

74,488 1,444,640 66,411 163,454 251,300 100 572,185

4.80 2.50 69.00 3.38 1.76 8.59 3.50

0.50 0.61 18.97 1.23 0.58 7.36 1.83

486,473,856 1,500,000,000 956,701,192 980,000,000 1,925,717,268 153,786,012 100,000,000

0.58 0.24 3.07 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00

-8.96 -5.07 -4.17 -5.38 -4.65 N/A N/A

0.67 3.35 36.00 1.30 1.29 5.16 2.14

37,000

0.96

0.50

2,960,000,000

0.11

0.00

0.50

100

0.50

2,941,789,472

0.00

N/A

0.50

0.91

4,966,666,668

0.00

N/A

0.91

400 100 5,460

18.70 2.94

13.12 2.07

108,000,000 492,825,600

0.00 0.03

N/A N/A

2.95 11.02 1.69

27,420 1,080

0.50 4.97

0.50 3.13

4,620,600,000 4,200,000,000

0.04 0.04

N/A N/A

0.50 3.42 NT NT NT 0.5

100

0.50

4,893,594,400

0.00

N/A

2,000 1,557,197 40,673 20,474 1,514,719 1,167,463 40,890 600 6,000 60 109,667 50,000 72,650

2.86 29.98 12.20 67.50 12.99 210.01 3.54 0.75 1.34

2.86 8.01 6.82 13.78 4.00 102.00 0.50 0.50 0.50

260,000,000 2,239,453,125 217,367,585 560,000,000 1,241,548,285 15,494,019,668 242,908,200 2,109,928,275 513,696,000

0.07 0.80 0.91 1.66 1.12 5.77 0.06 0.00 0.00

N/A 0.00 -9.64 -9.63 -0.23 #VALUE! N/A N/A N/A

110.00 2.41 7.22

39.80 0.50 2.27

3,001,600,004 792,914,256 400,000,000

6.83 0.36 0.43

-2.51 N/A N/A

2.72 22.00 9.23 41.00 8.75 177.00 0.73 0.50 0.50 10.93 99.50 1.10 3.94

100 220,132 100

2.00 2.39 0.73

2.00 1.20 0.50

510,396,608 2,220,000,000

0.05 0.19 0.00

N/A -17.68 N/A

2.09 1.64 NT

NT 561 1,361 100 NT NT NT

3.98 5.94 13.18 13.28 3.60 1.86 0.63

3.98 1.71 9.04 12.68 1.60 1.05 0.63

N/A N/A

42,640,000 6,215,000,000 240,000,000 199,066,550

0.00 0.00 3.23 0.90 0.24 0.22 0.00

N/A #VALUE! N/A N/A

NT 1.52 43.00 11.48 NT NT 0.63

100 200 NT

8.69

8.26

265,409,280

0.00

N/A

0.14

2,918,000

0.00

N/A

25,000,000 683,974,528

7.46 NT NT

10,000

9.35

5.68

393,120,000

0.76

0.00

4.62

320 100

7.75 12.39

7.75 10.55

75,600,000 100,000,000

0.00 0.24

N/A N/A

7.75 10.35

100

0.50

4,058,989,226

0.01

N/A

0.50

NT 4,050

3.22 1.38

3.22 0.67

50,000,000 220,000,000

0.04 0.00

N/A N/A

NT 0.64

1,408,720

1.02

0.50

6,262,701,716

0.00

0.50

4,924,248

24.80

9.32

2,262,711,568

1.24

-3.41

10.55

10000 2,577,516 2,541,040 412,758 22,164 167,074 43,476

76.00 4.87 115.64 146.00 59.00 190.01

16.96 1.32 7.73 106.00 16.20 118.75

693,952,117 1,249,162,828 1,080,280,628 300,496,051 253,988,672 339,521,837

2.69 0.61 1.43 9.93 1.04 12.91

0.00 -7.89 9.27 -0.79 N/A -1.94

0.5 33.28 1.90 228.70 151.20 49.66 155.00

306,355

28,677,671

200

0.72

0.50

100

3.48

209,933

2.45

1.00

2,572,000 3,000

5.10 3.45

2.19 0.73

4,059,547

1.64

1,500

0.75

100 599,750 1,000 2,800

4,035,497,307

245.30

0.00

N/A

0.50 3.15

980,294,400

0.00

-7.02

0.57

589,496,310 198,819,763

0.52 0.00

-5.00 N/A

4.00 0.87

0.85

865,808,912

0.00

N/A

0.50

3,211,627,907

0.00

N/A

0.50

1.72 3.88 10.00

0.64 3.51 10.00

2,078,796,396

0.00

-4.91

4.07 2.85 3.51 7.86

1,000

0.51

0.50

8,000,000,000

0.43

N/A

0.50

16500 224,498 20 20,800

3.09 2.78 5.77

1.39 2.52 3.00

771,450,000 425,641,111

0.00 0.00 0.61

N/A N/A -14.10

0.76 1.04 2.30 6.03

955,140

1.29

0.50

1,507,000,000

0.21

N/A

0.53

6 40,000,700

5.15 1.88

4.90 0.80

236,699,511 5,631,539,736

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

4.43 0.5

111,000 246,274

5.90 8.81

1.27 5.08

634,000,000 1,230,468,750

0.50 0.43

N/A -4.06

1.89 4.43

189044

3.99

1.43

1.04

45,000,000

0.12

N/A

100

2.26

1.02

201,885,335

0.00

N/A

100000 1000

NT NT

0.60

30,000,000

0.00

N/A

0.50

24,898,850

0.00

N/A

NT NT

1.88

1.63

125,005,250

0.00

N/A

NT NT

NT NT 1,000

0.50

6,650,000

0.00

N/A

3.05

2.76

194,700,000

0.00

N/A

2,706

2,003

41 10

#VALUE! 49467

NT NT NT

A24 40

Business Courage

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

Racial tribal discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatsoever in our democratic way of life Justice George Oguntade, Retired Justice of Supreme Court. xx

FG should overhaul entire machinery of justice administration —Shittu 42

President Muhammadu Buhari

How Jehovah’s Witness member died after refusing blood transfusion 45

Parents ask judge to decide son’s funeral arrangements 46

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode

FG, states, lawmakers should jointly tackle noise pollution —Lawyers

ccording to Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘’ Noise pollution is unwanted or excessive sound that can have deleterious effects on human health and environmental quality. Noise pollution is commonly generated inside many industrial facilities and some other workplaces, but it also comes from highway, railway, and airplane traffic and from outdoor construction activities.’’ Noise is more than a mere nuisance. At certain levels and durations of exposure, it can cause physical damage to the eardrum and result in temporary or permanent hearing loss. Scientific evidence indicates that continuous exposure to noise level above 85db in the day can lead to hearing impairment and other health problems. Experts say it can raise blood pressure; increase heart beat rates, result in headaches, loss of concentration and reduce quality of work and service. The high level of noise pollution has become a major source

The high level of noise pollution in the country, especially in Lagos State may have justified the need for stiffer statutory interventions and enforcement of environmental laws by the government, writes FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary.

’ Noise is more than a mere nuisance. At certain levels and duration of exposure, it can cause physical damage to the eardrum and result in temporary or permanent hearing loss. of health concern in the country especially in Lagos State. This perhaps attracted the intervention of the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), which embarked on stern measures to check and control noise pollution in the state. For instance, LASEPA‘s General Manager, Mr. Adebola Shabi, disclosed last week that the agency had sealed up about 22 facilities, including industries. He explained that when the agency received petitions from

complainants relating to activities of the offending companies and bodies, LASEPA would invite them for discussions. Shabi said the culprits would then be made to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the agency and penalties would equally be imposed on them. The LASEPA boss said some of the liable companies and bodies were found to be discharging pollution effluents into water and environment, which might be injurious to public health.

In years past, the agency had shut down seven churches for violating the law on environmental pollution. The churches were located in Abule Egba, Ikeja, FESTAC, Oregun, and Ifako-Ijaiye of the state. LASEPA had taken the action after several abatement notices issued to them were disregarded. Shabi enjoined worship centres in the state to comply with the state’s standard on noise and suggested the use of sound proof equipment in these centres to reduce noise during their services. The state government had in June 2009 rolled out a law banning religious organisations from using external loudspeakers during worship. Music shops were also told to reduce the noise of music from their shops. Shabi had met with religious bodies and music CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

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FG should overhaul entire machinery Wahab â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kunle Shittu is a Lagos lawyer and lecturer in the Department of International Law and Jurisprudence, University of Lagos (UNILAG). In this interview with MATTHEW IRINOYE, he speaks on the delay by the Presidency in appointing cabinet ministers, prison decongestion and the spate of insecurity in the country, among others. Excerpts:

President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to appoint the Attorney- General of Federation and Justice Minister three months after being sworn-in into office. How will you react to this? Under normal circumstances particularly in view of section 148 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires the President to organize his cabinet members. It is expected under normal circumstances that the President ought to have constituted his cabinet members to ensure that the duty of governance is not disturbed. I think that every Nigerian will agree with me that circumstances are not normal and that is where the President needs understanding, patience and sympathy of Nigerians. The President being a man of integrity needs time to choose the right people to work in his cabinet. Among many problems the President inherited in the office include insecurity which I believe made him travel to United State of America and other African countries to ensure security is in place. Without mincing words, there is no way the economy of a country will grow when security is not guaranteed? Asides, that the National Assembly is not settled and there is no way the President will nominate his cabinet members without the input from the National Assembly, so as to appoint credible ministers without a sympathy, those who were pencilled down for appointment must undergo screening and it depends on the outcome of the screening that will determine whether or not such person would be appointed. We are aware that some of the names pencilled down were rejected so, it is better to wait because it is better for the president to be slow and steady to achieve result than to stampede his decisions that will not be in the interest of the country in the long run. If the Justice Minister is eventually appointed, what Justice sector reforms should be implemented? I expect the administration of justice system to focus on five key areas which include crime, safety and security of the citizens and the country as a whole and also access to justice of the citizens to deliver qualitative and quantitative judgments. There is need for the Justice Minister to focus on the legal profession whether at the level of practitioners or the judges and other stakeholders in the administration of justice such as police and other institutions. Besides what I have mentioned, it should also focus on human resources as well as total funding of the sector, it is only a reform-minded person that is not corrupt and has high integrity and knowledge that can deliver another safely. Do you support the separation of of-

Shittu

I expect the administration of justice system to focus on five key areas, which include crime, safety and security of the citizens and the country as a whole and also access to justice of the citizens to deliver qualitative and quantitative judgments fice of Attorney-General of Federation from that of the Justice Minister? I believe that separating the offices now cannot help the situation, what is important is to get a technocrat who is not lacking in integrity, it depends on the character of the occupant of the office whether he has requisite knowledge, exposure and good professionalism to deliver on the mandate of the office. The office is so significant because the character and the direction of the government depend on the occupant of the office, the occupant needs to guarantee rule of law and be able to guarantee that the rights of citizens are not going to be trampled upon and to generally give qualitative advice to the government where necessary. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was reported to have summoned Justice Oloyede Folahanmi, who wrote a petition indicting the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

Does the EFCC has such power to invite the judge for questioning? My opinion is that, the Osun State scenario is unique in the sense that it is not every time a sitting judge comes out to raise allegation against the executive governor, but I think it is better to look at it from several perspectives whether Justice Folahanmi is a stakeholder in the governance of Osun State or whether she has a voice and the voice can be raised against the background that she remains a serving judge of the state judiciary. If the voice has been raised, if it was raised through the right platform or whether the circumstances through which the voice was raised is not in line with the system I mean constitution. Those are the issues in that scenario, but my view is that ordinarily every citizen of the country should have the right to complain if things are being wronged but considering the kind of voice being raised, calling for the investigation and impeachment of the state governor, one cannot say

that the serving judge does not know the law. It is presumed that she knows the law and it is expected that the judge should know that no member of the public including the judge can initiate impeachment proceedings by virtue of Section 188 (1) to (11), the impeachment can only be initiated and finalized by members of the legislature, will I say that a judge does not know this? Sometime oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motive may be right but the methodology is wrong. If the validity or purported impeachment procedure of the governor is set in motion at the instance of the petition and it is challenged and the matter is assigned to Justice Folahanmi, how will she handle it? Can she be a judge in her own case because she is a member of Osun State judiciary or where will the matter be assigned to? What is offensive in the petition is the methodology and the circumstances that may bring out conflict in constitution. As regards whether EFCC has the right to invite her, the judge has raised issues bordering on financial crimes and it is necessary for her to substantiate the allegation. To be candid one cannot just conclude on the issues because it will raise a lot of constitutional questions, it is still work in progress so any comment on the issue is premature. How do you think that Federal Government should deal with the problems of prison congestion in the country? The root of prison congestion is the element of delay in administration of justice as well as lack of technicality and structural

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of justice administration —Shittu

collapse, to be able to deal with the problems; there is need to overhaul the entire machinery of justice administration. I think the administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 has made provisions to address prison congestion by allowing day to day trial, it also stipulated that the adjournment should not be more than five times. If all these are implemented it will definitely reduce the congestion of prison.

The just retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Badeh in his valedictory speech recently alleged that the ex-head of states had crippled the military, do you think this accusation should be investigated by Buhari administration and why? That is the most serious allegation I have heard in the recent times, it is a direct indictment which has raised a lot of issues on what has happened to the budgetary allocation to the military, how much was the allocation?, how much was released?, how much was utilized?, how much is the balance?, who are those that are responsible for procurement of ammunition, the speech will generate a lot of fundamental issues. It will also raise the issue as to whether those soldiers who did not fight Boko Haram insurgence are right or should be punished because there were no weapons to fight the insurgency. Whether they should properly be convicted or there should not be a second look on their case ? . Whether a soldier should obey the last command even when there is no weapon to fight, these are the issues that will come up from that speech because it is a serious issue. It will also raise an issue whether those who lost their lives and properties to insurgency should not be compensated because the state has failed to protect them.

Do you agree that the award of Senior Advocate of Nigeria has outlived its relevance? There is no lawyer who does not aspire to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria because it is a mark of excellence. I have heard a lot of comments from people who had applied and were not awarded. The fact that one is brilliant does not mean that he will automatically get the award; the conferment of the award is not a right, it is a privilege and that is why the body, ”Legal Practitioners’ Privileges’ Committee” is saddled with the responsibility of conferring the award. There are criteria that a lawyer must meet up before the award can be given, I have applied for four times, I have not been given and I am still going to continue to apply until I get it because I believe in it. I don’t like a situation where by people will call for its abolishment because their expectations were dashed; it is turn by turn everybody cannot get it at the same time. To those who have not been given the award, they should continue to apply; I believe that in no time it will soon get to their turn. Though every lawyer that was called to the Nigerian Bar is entitled to the award but everybody cannot get at a time. What are the legislative reforms that you want the lawmakers to attend to urgently? The lawmakers are not meant to fight for positions rather they are saddled with the responsibility of making laws, I will like the lawmakers to focus on their primary assignment which is law-making, and to be proactive in their duty so that things can take shape. What is your advice for young lawyers? The young lawyers should first of all seek

Shittu

Gen Badeh’s comment is a direct indictment, which has raised a lot of issues on what happened to the budgetary allocation to the military, how much was the allocation? how much was released? how much was utilized? for knowledge on how to go about the job, if he does not know it he should be humble enough to ask for knowledge simply because law profession is not like trading business. A lawyer is not a rent collector or a house agent, I think a lawyer must be able to show his professionalism whether he is a general practitioner or specialized in one area of law. There

are lawyers who specialize in aviation law, criminal law, environmental law and others, so a young lawyer should have an area of specialization and if he decides to do all, he must always have it at the back of his mind that he wants to practice law which will enhance his dedication to the work by being cautious, well- dressed and being truthful.

Evaluating Maritime piracy and security in Nigeria CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

Mike Igbokwe

onsequently, Nigerian ports are seenas prone to piratical attacks with the attendant adverse effect this would have on shipping business in Nigeria. Regrettably, this perception may not change in the near future until piratical incidents in our territorial waters, particularly our ports, are eradicated. Piracy’s effect in raising freight cost, shipping cost and insurance costs cannot be over-emphasized as these increments are ultimately borne by the ‘man at the lower-rung of-the ladder’ who is the end consumer. Shipowners, operators, brokers, freight forwarders and Nigerian ports have also lost businesses and foreign exchange earnings as a result of piracy as most foreign shipping companies divert cargo to the ports of neighbouring countries such as the port of Cotonou.

Insurance implications The effect of piracy in the shipping business is underpinned by its significant effect on the insurance business. The spate of piracy in the major world shipping routes has had attendant effects on shipping insurance in the form of increase in premiums of ships transiting such routes. Furthermore, it is now mandatory for ships transiting pirate havens to have Kidnap and Ransom (K&R) cover or War Risks cover, with premiums increasing for such cover for ships transiting high risk areas. K & R insurance policies typically cover individuals and corporations operating in high risk areas for perils of kidnap, wrongful detention, extortion and hijacking. They are indemnity policies. The policies do not pay ransoms on behalf of the insured.

Typically the insured must first pay the ransom, thereby incurring the loss and then seek reimbursement from the insurer under the policy. One of the largest increases in piracy related costs observed over recent years relates to the size of ransom payments. According to the UNCTAD report supra, between 2005 and 2012 the value of ransoms paid for ships and/or seafarers kidnapped by Somali based pirates is estimated at between US$339 million and US$413 million. In 2005, the ransoms paid averaged around US$150,000 per incident, before escalating to US$3.4 million, US$4 million, US$5 million and US$3.96 million, in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. While in 2010 the total amount of ransoms paid was US$176 million, this amount fell to US$160 million in 2011 and US$31.75 million in 2012. It is estimated that kidnappers and hostage takers in Nigeria pocketed ransoms of over US$100 million between 2006 and 2008. In terms of the insurance cost of piracy, cargo owners , shipowners, ship operators and other stakeholders in maritime industry have had to do shipping business at greater costs especially considering the effect of piracy on the insurance aspect of shipping in terms of increase in shipping rates and premiums. However, some observers have alluded to the fact that increase in piratical incidences in the globe may be a ‘good business development’ to insurers and stakeholders in the insurance industry because ‘given the low risk of attack compared to the potential gains from insurance premiums, some analysts argue that for these brokers [insurance brokers] it is not in their best interest for piracy to stop altogether’. It is noteworthy that Nigerian insurers hardly see claimsarising from losses due to piracy because many of the vessels that call on Nigerian ports through the Gulf of Guinea,

are usually foreign owned vessels that are insured overseas. However, where a piratical attack leads to loss of or damage to cargoes being carried to Nigeria and insured by Nigerian insurer(s), Nigerian insurers usually pay for such losses and/ or damage. Nevertheless, based on available data at the disposal of insurers, they cannot categorically ‘draw any negative conclusion on the impact of piracy on the insurance sector in Nigeria.’ Measures to abate/curb incidences of piracy in Nigeria and their effects: Is the war against Piracy being won? The Nigerian government and stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime industry have tried in various ways to stem the tide of the menace of piracy and unlawful acts at sea and their attendant virulent effects in Nigeria’s waterways. Like any responsible government, the Nigerian government, through its agencies and policies, has attempted to repress these heinous crimes off the coast of Nigeria and possibly eradicate them, with some apparent success. It is therefore pertinent to examine some of these non-legal measures and policies to highlight how they have helped in curbing and possibly eradicating this odious circumstance. Nigerian ship-owners have been proactive in taking individual measures and collective measures in partnership with relevant stakeholders in the maritime industry in combating piracy in Nigerian waters. For example, NSA, whose members are mostly affected by piratical attacks and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Nigeria and her territorial waters respectively, has been reasonably proactive in tackling the problem. Concluded Igbokwe presented this paper at the 7th practical maritime dispute resolution seminar in Lagos, recently.

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Monday, August 31, 2015

‘Legislature should control noise pollution’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 shops operating in the state and told them to obey the new order, which he said was creating nuisance to other residents of the state. The order was however not obeyed, forcing the state government to sign a MoU with the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Lagos State branch in July 2010. The agreement allows religious organisations to control the noise emanating from their worship centres to nationally acceptable limit of 55 decibels, db during the day and 45 db at night. Following this, churches and mosques in the state were directed to immediately remove all external speakers from their worship centres. The churches shutdown during the clamp down exercise were the ones which refused to obey the order. Speaking on the issue, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch, Mr. Yinka Farounbi, said that there were effective environmental laws in the country but the implementation and the enforcement of those laws are the problems. Farounbi said people who broke the environmental law were many and if both the Federal and state Government should take drastic measures, they might result in making life uneasy for many Nigerians. He advised that any individual who felt disturbed in his area should try as much as possible to inform the appropriate authority. According to him, “It is a critical issue because the law is more disobey than being obeyed” .I think this is the best time for grassroot government to create awareness about the dangers in violating the environmental laws and be strict on them.’’. “There would be a change if local government chairmen and the community leaders can collaborate together to enforce the laws on the people rather than the State or Federal Government. Another lawyer, Mr.. Wale Ogunade, applauded the state government for waking up to the reality of tackling the nuisance of

Bar

Jokes

A man and the devil

Prof. Fagbohun

Ogunade

Gbenga Ojo

The programmes and activities of churches and mosques should be done in solemn manner and anything outside that should be deemed as nuisance to dwellers in the environment.

noise pollution through the intervention of its agency, LASEPA. He however said it was important for residents to comply with the environmental laws within which one resides or located. Ogunade said ‘’ it is abnormal to convert residential premises to religious centres and whoever feels that anyone abuses his peace, he should just write a petition to the appropriate authority, LASEPA so as to inform the body of what is happening in his environment so that legal action could be taken on such persons or organisation.’’ A university law lecturer, Mr. Gbenga Ojo,

stated that there was need for the legislature to control the noise pollution and give it quality measures. He said that the programmes and activities of churches and mosques should be done in solemn manner and anything outside that should be deemed as nuisance to the dwellers of the environment. “The way the country is constructed is such that people know what is right or wrong but it is just that nobody wants to hear that a church or mosque is being taken to court”. ”If there is a law that controls noise

The guy says, “But I have a wife and three kids.” The lawyer told him to bring them along. When they were all in the car, the poor man said, “Thanks for taking us back to your house; it is so kind of you.” The lawyer replied, “You’re going to love it there... the grass is a foot tall!”

We’re deciding case on merits

Taking his seat in his chambers, the judge faced the opposing lawyers. “So,” he said, “I have been presented, by both of you, with a bribe.” Both lawyers squirmed uncomfortably. “You, attorney Leon, gave me $15,000. And you, attorney Campos, gave me $10,000.” The judge reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. He handed it to Leon. “Now then, I’m returning $5,000, and we’re going to decide this case solely on its merits!”

A man died and was taken to his place of eternal torment by the devil. As he passed sulphurous pits and shrieking sinners, he saw a man he recognized as a lawyer snuggling up to a beautiful woman. “That’s unfair!” he cried. “I have to roast for all eternity, and that lawyer gets to spend it with a beautiful woman.” “Shut up”, barked the devil, jabbing the man with his pitchfork. Where’ll you get a lawyer? “Who are you to question that woman’s punishAn engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. ment?” Peter checks his dossier and says, “Ah, you’re an engiOnly two bullets neer. You are in the wrong place.” You find yourself stuck in a hole with a murderer, So, the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is a rapist, and a lawyer. You’re armed but you only have let in. Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with two bullets left, what do you do? the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and Generous lawyer building improvements. After a while, they’ve got air One day a lawyer was riding in his limousine when conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and the he saw a guy eating grass. He told the driver to stop. He engineer is a pretty popular guy. got out and asked him, “Why are you eating grass?” One day, God calls Satan up on the telephone and The man replied, “I’m so poor, I can’t afford any- says with a sneer, “So, how’s it going down there in thing to eat.” hell?” So, the lawyer said, “Poor guy, come back to my Culled from Bar Jokes.com house.”

pollution then, whosoever violates the law should be arrested be it Pastor or Imam”. “If the care is not taken it may lead to religious crisis seeing a Christian brother to sue a mosque for noise pollution or a muslim brother to sue a church for noise pollution; it is not what individual can do, rather, the government should create measures and regulations to control the situation. To go to court as an individual in Nigeria, it may be awkward.” But Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, Director of Research, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in a recent interview with the National Mirror said ‘’ the enforcement of environmental law in this part of the world is almost zero. If you have laws and you don’t enforce them, you should forget it. It will be trampled upon with impunity. We need to get out acts together as regards compliance and enforcement, it is very important. Enforcement is still the major problem and there are strategies for enforcement.’’

LEGAL TIPS Criminal Trial

zzzz

*A Criminal trial commences when an accused appears or is brought before the court. The charge shall be read and explained to him to the satisfaction of the court by the Registrar. He shall thereafter be asked to plead to the charge. This is called arraignment.

Bar

*Stand Mute He may stand mute and the court shall call evidence to determine whether his muteness is of malice or due to visitation of God. If the court finds out that his muteness is of malice, a plea of not guilty shall be entered and the trial shall proceed. However, if his action is due to visitation of God (e.g. insanity), the trial shall not proceed and the accused shall be ordered to be detained until the pleasure of the Governor is known. *Plea Guilty Where an accused pleads guilty, it shall be recorded by the court. The judge or magistrate will then follow laid down procedure before convicting him. Written by Francis Famoroti, Head, Judiciary. We welcome feedback and reactions from readers via our e-mail: nationalmirrorlaw@ yahoo.com

Jokes

Options open to an accused

*Preliminary objection He may raise a preliminary objection to the jurisdiction of the court to try him or a defect in the charge. His objection shall be duly considered and if upheld, he shall be discharged. However, if overruled, then he shall be asked to plead. *Refusal to Plead He may refuse to plead to the charge. He shall thereafter be asked by the court to state his reasons. Where the court is of the view that those reasons are not valid and the accused still refuses to plead, a plea of ‘’’not guilty’’ shall be entered on his behalf and the trial shall proceed.

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Law & Justice

Monday, August 31, 2015

How Jehovah’s Witness member died after refusing blood transfusion FAMOUS CASES

About 24 years ago, a patient, Martha Okorie, who refused blood transfusion on religious grounds, died due to her beliefs. The Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal (MDPDT) eventually found the doctor, who treated her, guilty of infamous conduct. On appeal, the charge was quashed and the Supreme Court absolved the medical practitioner of negligence. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary desk, reports.

ne Mrs. Martha Okorie and her husband belonged to a religious sect known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who believe that blood transfusion is contrary to God’s injunction. They take their stand from the scriptures. In Leviticus 17: 10-11 God said: “And I will turn my face against anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who eats blood in any form. I will ex-communicate him from his people.’’ They believe that the prohibition was passed to the “Gentiles”, that, is, non- Jews in Acts 5: 29 where it is stated that “ye abstain from meat offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.” They believe that blood transfusion is “eating” of blood. Mrs. Okorie, then 29 years old, having had a delivery at a maternity on July 29, 1991 was admitted as a patient at Kenayo Specialist Hospital, Onitsha for a period of nine days from August 8 to 17, 1991. She had complained of difficulty in walking and severe pain in the pubic area. At Kenayo Hospital the diagnosis disclosed a severe ailment and a day after her admission blood transfusion was recommended. The patient and her husband refused to give their consent to blood transfusion. Dr. Okafor, a consultant at the hospital consequently discharged the patient and gave her a document in the following terms. “To whom it may concern: Re: Martha Okorie ‘The patient and her husband strongly refused blood transfusion despite appeals, explanations and even threats that she may die. The husband rather asked for his wife to be discharged and he took her away on 17/8/91”. Upon her discharge from Kenayo Hospital she was taken to Jeno Hospital by her husband on August 17,1991. There the spouse produced to Dr. John Emewulu Okonkwo, the doctor in charge, a card signed by the patient titled “MEDICAL DIRECTIVE / RELEASE” which reads as follows: “I, Martha K. Okorie, direct that no blood transfusions be given me, even though physicians deem such vital to my health or my life. I accept non-blood expanders, such as Dextran, saline of Ringer’s solution, hetastarch, I am 29 years old and execute this document of my own initiative. It accords with my rights as a patient and my beliefs as one of Jehovah’s witnesses. The Bible (Acts 15: 28, 29) commands: “keep abstaining from blood.” This is, and has been, my religious stand for six years. I direct that I be given no blood transfusions. I accept any added risk this may bring. I release doctors, anaesthesiologists, hospitals and their personnel from responsibility for any untoward results caused by my refusal, despite their competent care. In the event that I lose consciousness, I authorize witness below to see that my decision is held. It was dated 23/2/91. The woman’s husband, Loveday Okorie and her uncle, C.A Uk-

Justice Ayoola, retired Justice of Supreme Court wuoma also signed the paper as witnesses. In another document signed by the patient’s husband dated 17th August, 1991 and titled “RELEASE FROM LIABILITY” the patient’s husband restated the resolve of both his spouse and himself to refuse blood transfusion. In the document addressed to Jeno Hospital he said among others; ‘It is also contrary to my faith as one of Jehovah’s witnesses.’’ Based on this, Dr. Okonkwo, treated the patient without transfusing blood. However, the patient died on August 22, 1991. Following the patient’s death, Okonkwo was charged before the MDPDT in 1993 on two counts for medical negligence contrary to “Medical Ethics” and punishable under section 16 of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act. Okonkwo pleaded not guilty to the charge. At the trial, witnesses who gave evidence for the prosecution were an officer of the Medical and Dental Council who tendered certain documents, the uncle of the patient, and the mother of the patient. Apparently, the last two were the persons who lodged a complaint against the doctor. The respondent who gave evidence in his own defence testified that the patient and her husband objected to blood transfusion and persisted in their objection even after he had made them to understand the gravity of their decision. Cross-examined, the doctor said that had the patient consented to blood transfusion he would have arranged for it. He gave evidence that he was not influenced by any consideration other than the patient’s refusal to give consent for blood transfusion for his failure to apply blood transfusion. He said that he obeyed the request of the patient’s husband not to transfer

Where a patient refuses medical treatment for

religious reasons, the professional capacity of the practitioner is not called into question by that fact alone.

the patient despite his offering them a transfer. The patient’s husband, Loveday Okorie, the only other witness for the defence, corroborated the evidence of the defendant in material particulars, particularly, in regard to the refusal of the patient and himself to consent to blood transfusion even after being warned by the defendant of the possible consequence of their decision. The tribunal observed that Okonkwo was “being charged with medical negligence arising from the fact that he failed to administer a life- saving measure to his patient.” “What the Tribunal regarded as the main issue in the case was what course of action should a doctor take who had been denied informed consent to carry out a medical life saving measure? The Tribunal referred to a “published Code of Ethics” (“Code”) and stated that the code enjoined a doctor “not to allow anything, including religion to intervene between him and his patient and that he must always take measures that lead to the preservation of life.” According to the panel, “When therefore

he is faced with a dilemma arising from the refusal to grant informed consent our code of ethics prescribes that a doctor faced with such dilemma has two options: [a] he can terminate his medical contract or [b] Refer him or her to another institution where necessary measures for the preservation of life may be taken.” The Tribunal found that Okonkwo colluded with the patient to deny life on religious grounds. It held that the consideration which influenced the doctor’s treatment of the patient was his religious belief. As a result, the tribunal held that ‘’We found therefore that although a doctor as well as anybody else may hold to his religious beliefs he must not allow those religious beliefs to lead ultimately to the loss of life. A blood transfusion does not guarantee life but it is held by the whole profession that it can be a life-saving measure in certain circumstances as in this case. For a doctor to collude with those who will deny this life saving measure on grounds of religion is unethical to the medical profession. In the event the doctor waited and watched over the patient until she died 4 days later. That is, without giving other doctors and other health institutions an opportunity to obtain the consent and administer the correct treatment.” The tribunal concluded its judgment that the doctor held on to the patient knowing fully well that the correct treatment could not be given in the face of failure to obtain consent. It found Okonkwo guilty “on the three counts,” and suspended him for a period of six months “on each of the charge” to run concurrently. Dissatisfied with this decision, the doctor lodged an appeal to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal allowed his appeal and set aside the tribunal’s decision. But the MDPDT also headed for the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in its lead judgement delivered on March 2, 2001 by Justice Emmanuel Ayoola said ‘’where a patient refuses medical treatment for religious reasons the professional capacity of the practitioner is not called into question by that fact alone.’’ The jurist said from the facts as found by the Court of Appeal it was difficult to see anything that is infamous in Okonkwo’s conduct. In these circumstances, the apex court said it was clear that the appellate court was right when it concluded that the measure which the tribunal held Okonkwo should have adopted had not been part of the rules or code of conduct. According to the apex court, ‘’I feel no hesitation in holding that the Court of Appeal came to a correct decision on the merits of the case. In the result I dismiss the appeal with N10, 000.00 costs to the respondent. ‘’Four other justices concurred with the verdict.’’

Law & Justice

Monday, August 31, 2015

Parents ask judge to decide son’s funeral arrangements

NORTHERN IRELAND

Indicted Texas AG to appear in court USA

ndicted Texas Attorney-General, Ken Paxton, has been scheduled to make his first court appearance on charges levelled against him for defrauding investors before becoming the state’s top lawyer. Paxton, who took office in January, is to appear before a judge in Fort Worth. The Republican is charged in Collin County with two counts of securities fraud over allegations that he deceived investors, including a state lawmaker, who put money in a tech start up. Paxton’s attorneys say he will plead not guilty and demand a trial. Paxton turned him-

US President, Barack Obama self into jail earlier this month. He was quickly released after taking a booking photo. Governor . Greg Abbott says the legal system needs to play out but, like other top Republicans, has stopped short of publicly rallying behind the new attorney general.

Group frowns at delays in resolution of family disputes AUSTRALIA

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott volunteer organisation supporting child abuse victims, says unacceptable delays in resolving family disputes in Newcastle means the system is letting children down. The ABC spoke exclusively to a former Federal Circuit Court judge concerned that he is yet to be replaced two months after retirement, despite giving more than a year’s notice of his departure. Judge Giles Coakes said the remaining two judges have been burdened with an

even greater workload in a region where cases already take up to two years to be resolved. Vice-President of Bikers Against Child Abuse, ‘Bronze’ is hopeful the Attorney-General, George Brandis, follows through on his promise to appoint a new judge ‘soon’. “With these delays, unfortunately we have a bit of a ring-side seat to the effects that this has on the child,” he said. “We’ve seen months and months of waiting, and in some cases even years, that a young child has to sit tentatively waiting for a system, so they can have some sort of closure. “This has a massive effect on the child of course.” ‘Bronze’ said there are several ways his organisation provides support to local children at risk of harm as they progress through the court system.

High Court judge has been asked to rule on what kind of funeral a Belfast man should have. The parents of Neil Auld have gone to court in a dispute over possession of his body. The judge will decide whether Auld’s remains should be released to his father for cremation, or to his mother for burial. Auld, who was in his midthirties and from the Shankill area, died on 22 August of a suspected heart attack. However, his body is yet to Michael D. Hggins President of Northern be released by the coroner be- Ireland cause of the ongoing dispute Maureen said her son should over the funeral. Samuel Auld, the dead be buried. Both parents have equal man’s father, has launched julegal rights to the body, so the dicial review proceedings in a coroner was unable to reach bid to secure the body. a decision. He claims his son wanted Instead, a judge was asked to be cremated following his to rule on who should take death. possession of the remains. But Mr Auld’s ex-wife,

Both sides of the family were in court as opposing arguments were set out. Counsel for Samuel Auld acknowledged the central issue was which parent had properly understood their son’s wishes. “The difficulty is that Neil has already been dead for four days and his body is lying in the morgue,” she said. The court heard Mrs Auld claims she may not be treated with respect if the funeral arrangements were left to her ex-husband. However, Auld’s counsel said that other family members would give her time to spend alone with her son’s body. Half the ashes could be given to her to scatter at any grave site she then wants to

arrange. Lawyer to Mrs Auld, said she was adamant that her son should be buried from her home. The lawyer claimed a compromise could have been reached in which both parents made separate visits to see the body at a funeral parlour. Following submissions, the judge decided he needed more evidence from the parents. Adjourning the case he urged both sides to try to settle their differences. The judge said: “This is a most unusual and sensitive matter, and if the parties can continue to try and reflect on a way to resolve the dispute that would be most sensible.”

Contact lenses: Firms seek court’s nod to quash law on minimum prices

legal battle over a hotly contested Utah law banning minimum prices for contact lenses is set to come before a federal appeals court soon. The nation’s largest contact lens companies are asking the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to strike down the measure that could have wide-ranging effects on the $4 billion industry amid an increasingly bitter pricing fight. Alcon Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Bausch & Lomb call the law a brazen overreach written specifically to help Utah-based discount seller 1-800 Contacts. Utah lawmakers deny that. The state’s attorney

USA

British Prime Minister, David Cameron

general contends that the contact lens makers that dominate the market are wrongly driving up prices and the law is a legitimate anti-trust measure. The manufacturers are

Sydney man accused of recruiting foreign fighters to battle the Syrian regime has lost a court challenge to the Australian law that he was charged with breaking. Hamdi Alqudsi, 41, was charged under the Crime (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act 1978 after he allegedly helped seven men go to Syria between June and October in 2013 so they could fight for Jabhat al-Nusra and other al-Qaida affiliates.

appealing a ruling from a federal judge in Utah. After temporarily blocking the law earlier this year, the 10th Circuit allowed the measure to go into effect as the case unfolds. 1-800 Contacts, one of the country’s largest discount sellers, has since dropped their prices by up to $15 a box on some brands that were subject to the manufacturers’ minimum prices. The contact lens manufacturers say the Utah law violates interstate commerce regulations because it allows 1-800 Contacts to ignore price minimums in online sales to customers outside state. Utah argues those are considered in-state transactions, no matter where the

tored by my principal, when the matter was called while announcing my appearance I felt discomfort and was scared but later I regained my courage. The judge and the other people in the court got to know

customer is. The contact lens makers started setting minimum prices about two years ago to protect eye doctors from being undercut by discount sellers. If a company sells at too steep of a discount, the manufacturers pull their products. Though most contact sales still come through eye doctors who bring the manufacturers new customers with brand-specific prescriptions, discounters have taken a bigger slice of the market in recent years. The companies say the pricing policies are good for customers, but they’ve also been scrutinized by Congress, consumer advocates and others.

War recruiter loses court challenge SYRIA

Alqudsi is the first person to be charged under the law with recruiting foreign fighters for the five-year-old Syrian conflict. The law was replaced last year with tougher counterterrorism legislation. The New South Wales state Supreme Court judge rejected Alqudsi’s application to have the charge dismissed and

My legs were shaking —Oluyemi

I appeared before a judge for the very first time before an Ibadan High Court in 2012 during my youth service. It was a chieftaincy matter and I was asked to take a date for mention by my principal. Despite the fact that I was tu-

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I am a new wig when the judge was speaking and I could not hear him well. I wanted to move an application and he asked me if the application had been served on the other party, I could not hear him, I just started moving the ap-

ruled that he should stand trial. He had argued that part of the law was unconstitutional because it was only remotely connected to Australia’s defense and external affairs powers, but Justice Christine Adamson rejected that and found that the law was constitutional because it concerned Australia’s external relations.

plication, the judge shouted at me and my legs were shaking but the other lawyers at the bar assisted me on what to do and I proceeded. Thereafter, he adjourned the matter though, I did not succeed in moving the application on Gbolahan Oluyemi

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Monday, August 31, 2015

Law & Justice

Prosecutor’s perspective on counter-insurgency

inary objections on jurisdiction as well as quashing of the said count charges.

Alex Izinyon

Act 2 Scene 4:

Prosecution objected to these applications vehemently and filed relevant processes accordingly.

INTRODUCTION here is no doubt that the topic is in the front burner in recent discourse following the insurgency and its allied catastrophes in Nigeria. The crux is where to draw the line between counter insurgency and the right of the accused persons in the process. Permit me to narrow this down to the areas of prosecution and trials. This is because investigation must have been completed, viz obtaining the relevant statements and evidence now ready for the prosecution of the alleged offenders. Insurgency: For our purpose, derived from the noun insurgent denote and connote rebel or revolutionary, adjectivally it means rising in active revolt, relating to rebels. Counter: Simply put is a thing which opposes or prevents something else. Prosecutor: A legal officer who represents the State or Federal Government in criminal proceeding. Put in literary perspective, the focus of the topic would be opposing rebels or revolutionary or revolt against government order by the prosecution vis-à-vis, consideration of the human rights involved. In this discourse, insurgency includes all such subversive actions, insurrection, renegade, agitators, revolutionist, anarchism, terrorism, freedom fighter, rebel, mutinous and seditions. The Prosecutor has a duty to prosecute the case of the State. He is not a persecutor but a firm stickler to justice against those who foul the peace of the State, with available evidence who must face justice according to law. Time and space will not permit us to delve into the evolution of the State and the jurisprudential crescendo from Thomas Hobbes, (The Leviathan) (1651) where man to man is a wolf or animal, and rendering the life of man, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” through to John Locke to J. J. Rousseau all on Social contract theory. The aggregate of these theories is that the State is a human creation than result of contract. However the “right” of “human right” which is traceable to divine origin has now been settled constitutionally by modern states and given legal imprimatur by the United Nations’ (UN) declaration on human rights.

Act 2 Scene 5:

The trial court delivered a considered ruling refused the bail applications but ordered accelerated hearing of the case and also dismissed the various preliminary objections.

Act 3 Scene 1:

Dissatisfied , defence counsel appealed against the Rulings of the trial court to the Court of Appeal and meanwhile applied for stay of proceedings at the trial court.

Act 3 Scene 2:

Dr. Izinyon At 1543 Paras F. (Sc); Dapianlong V. Dariye (No. 2) 2007 All Fwlr (Pt. 373) 81 At 131 – 132 Paras. E – A. (Sc) This is the dilemma, the Sword of Damocles. This is the crux of this discourse. How do the State discharge her prosecutorial responsibility without infringement on these entrenched rights in prosecuting the alleged offender, and how should the alleged offender see the State in this exercise without crying wolf when there is none all in guise to use human rights instrumentality under the guise that it is a sine qua non to human rights in the ongoing trial. This safe guard theory reminds us of the re-echoing of those immortal words of Chief Justice Cardoso of the Supreme Court of USA when he said: “We must always take care to safeguard the law against the assaults of opportunism, the expediency of the passing hour, the erosion of small encroachments, and the scorn and derision of those who have no patience with general principles.” The tension between freedom of the individual and security of the State is not peculiar to Nigeria, alone. Lord Denning MR put it thus in England: “There is a conflict between the interests of national security on the one hand and the freedom of the individual on the other. The balance between these two is not for a court of law. It is for the Home Secretary. He is the person entrusted by Parliament with the task. In some parts of the world national security has on occasion been used as an excuse for all Constitutional Safe Guards On Human sorts of infringements of individual liberty. But not in England. Both during the wars and after them successive minisRights In Nigeria The first underling principle of where to draw the line ters have discharged their duties to the complete satisfaction whether the quest for human right is a detraction, or sine- of the people at large. They have set up advisory committees qua non is to consider the constitution of safe guards for the to help them, usually with a chairman who has done everyhuman rights and the scale of justice. For relevance here thing he can to ensure that justice is done. They have never on prosecution and trial are the provisions of Chapter 4, of interfered with the liberty or the freedom of movement of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as any individual except where it is absolutely necessary for the amended). See Sections 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43 & 44 of safety of the state.” (Emphasis mine) the 1999 Constitution (as amended). These fundamental rights Dramatic Illustrations provisions especially Sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 have restricTo nail down the home truth of this tension, permit me tion and derogation provisions. to give a dramatic picturesque in a dramatic monologue of Section 45(1): a common scenario of the dilemma of a Prosecutor and bal“Nothing in section 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of this Constitution ance of the accused person’s right at trial. My apologies if shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a demit is a boring Law movie as it has been said by Roger Ebert, ocratic society American Film Critic: “Nothing could be more boring than (a) In the interest of defence, public safety, public order, an absolutely accurate movie about Law.” I disagree with public morality or public health.” Roger, I bet you this movie will interest you, after all the legal The tension here is the agitation for strict compliance by the audience here are in majority . human rights agitators in the trial and prosecution of insurgency cases by the State and the States insistence that she must be allowed to use all the legal apparatus to institute, maintain and prosecute the alleged offenders without any qualms or detraction from the human rights trumpeters. In this regards the human rights grouse is that all these constitutional safe guides must be applied insisting that justice rushed is justice crushed. Cicero, the 1st Century BC Roman statesman, orator and writer once said: “Extreme Justice” is Extreme Injustice”. They always find umbrage in decisions of court to support this. See the cases of Ogli Oko Memorial Farms Ltd V. N.a.c.b Ltd (2008) All Fwlr (Pt. 419) 400 At 418 Para. E (Sc); Ashiru V. Ayoade (2006) 6 Nwlr (Pt. 976) 405 At 425 To 426 Paras G – A (Ca). On the other hand, the State as anchored by the Prosecutor will stick to the mandate, justice delayed is justice denied. Certainly they find support on this from decisions of superior Courts. See the cases of Amadi V. Nnpc (2000) Fwlr (Pt. 9) 1527

Act1 Scene 1:

Bomb blast in the early hours of xx day in the city of xz leaving 50 persons dead, several persons injured, 10 policemen confirmed dead, 16 members of S.S.S. confirmed dead.

Act 1 Scene 2:

Investigation commenced, arrest made, vital evidence recovered and obtained for the prosecution. Case ready for prosecution by the State.

Act 2 Scene1:

Accused persons arraigned before the Federal High Court for the offence all bordering on insurgency.

Act 2 Scene 2:

Accused persons pleaded not guilty, remanded in prison custody and case adjourned for trial.

Act 2 Scene 3:

Defence counsel filed motions for bail and various prelim-

Before the trial court could consider the application for stay, defence counsel are already at the Court of Appeal, informed the trial court that, appeal has been entered and produced appeal particulars, trial court inclined to stay proceedings and proceeding stayed.

Act 3 Scene 3:

The Court of Appeal based on new Practice Direction on such cases as terrorism, treason etc however gave accelerated hearing and concluded the appeal within 2 years dismissing the appeal. Dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, defence Counsel Appealed to the Supreme Court, meanwhile the case at the trial court is still in abeyance.

Act 3 Scene 4:

The Supreme Court within another 2 years granted accelerated hearing to the appeal being criminal appeal, delivered Judgment dismissing the appeals and ordering accelerated hearing of the matter before the trial court. End of the law movie, I hope you enjoyed it and leave the judgment on both sides of the divide to the viewers.

Balancing Of Right Vs. State Interest: Neither Distraction Or Sine Qua Non Quo Va Dis

From the above real trial has not commenced after about 5 years of legal imbroglio and procedural legal wrangles. Here the prosecutor is put in a fix. He has all the listed witnesses and evidence to prove his case, yet he cannot jump the gun because of the right of the accused persons to fair trial within a reasonable time. See Section 36 of the Constitution. What about the witnesses? If they are not in protective custody, which have not be adequately addressed in this country some may be dead, assassinated, intimidated, blackmailed, all leading to the gradual collapse of the prosecution’s case. Is this part of fundamental right? The above scenario is common occurrence, in our criminal justice system. See the recent case of FRN V. BORISADE (2015) 5 NWLR (PT. 1451) 155. The matter started in 2009, crossed over to Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Judgment was delivered on 30th January 2015 by the Supreme Court. It took a space of over 6 years on this short flight from trial court to Supreme Court, return leg. This is what happens when the law loses, as pointed by R.F. Kennedy when he said “Whenever men take the Law into their own hands, the loser is the Law. When the Law loses, freedom languishes”. “Robert .F. Kennedy former U.S Attorney-General.” There is therefore need to balance the fundamental human right of an accused person as prosecution counsel at trial and the justice of the larger society as the accused person is a part of the larger society. He is a microcosm of the macrocosm. He is the 1/3 of the legal equation postulated by the famous Jurist Oputa, JSC in the celebrated case of Godwin Josiah V. The State (1985) 1 Nwlr (Pt. 1) 125 At 141, Paras. G -H where he said: “And justice is not a one-way traffic. It is not justice for the appellant only. Justice is not even only a two-way traffic. It is really a three-way traffic – justice for the appellant accused of a heinous crime of murder; justice for the victim, the murdered man, the deceased, ‘whose blood is crying to heaven for vengeance’ and finally justice for the society at large – the society whose social norms and values had been desecrated and broken by the criminal act complained of.” Dr. Izinyon, SAN, presented this paper at the just-concluded Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja last week. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

Monday, August 31, 2015

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Community Mirror It is no surprise that former President Goodluck Jonathan failed woefully because he surrounded himself with such charlatans as Godsday Orubebe, whose only credential is his ethnic origin and the large size of his bowler hat. – GOVERNOR OF EDO STATE, ADAMS OSHIOMOLE

Igbominas in Diaspora to sponsor mobile clinic project Dare Akogun

Some delegates and royal fathers at conference of the Igbomina Community of North America (ICNA) held in Atlanta, Georgia, Unites States, recently.

Residents nab 4 armed robbery suspects Dare Akogun

pparently having had enough of frequent armed robberies in their area brave residents of Ayobo in Ipaja area of Lagos State have arrested four robbery suspects who have been terrorizing residents in the area. National Mirror learnt that the residents also recovered arms such as guns, cutlasses, knives, charms and other weapons from the robbers. The incident reportedly happened at Ashapa area of Ayobo in Ipaja, It was gathered that the suspects allegedly invaded the area with their arms to rob the residents at about 3.00 am on Sunday, while the residents resisted and pursued them into a bush in the area. They mobilized other residents who surrounded the bush and combed it and eventually arrested four of

the suspects, while one of them escaped. They handed over the four suspects and the weapons they recovered from them to the police at Ipaja division who transferred the suspects to the Commissioner of Police at the Command’s Headquarters in Ikeja. When our correspondent went to Ipaja police station where the robbers were initially detained, the police confirmed the arrest and told the reporter that the robbers had

been transferred to the State Police Command Headquarters. When our correspondent visited the Command Headquarters, the handcuffed robbers were seen where they were detained. But the police refused to disclose the identities of the suspects and said they were still under investigation which could lead to the arrest of other suspects at large. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, commended

the residents for their efforts in policing their community. It will be recalled that Ayobo and its environs had witnessed robbery attacks in the area especially in the night almost on daily basis. Thus, they started looking for solutions which made them join hands with their local vigilante to secure their community. It was such effort that led to the arrest of the suspects who are now in police custody.

he people of Igbomina in Diaspora operating under the group, Igbomina Community of North America (ICNA) has concluded plans to launch a mobile clinic project for communities in Igbomina land. This was part of the decision at the second conference of the body held in Atlanta Georgia, Unites States recently, during which the president of the organisation, Larry Bode Ojeleye, said the organisation is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Igbomina Land. “One of the areas that the group thinks the Kwara State government has done a great job and may need a helping hand is in the area of healthcare delivery. Towards this end, the group planned launching a mobile clinic project that would cater for the currently underserved communities in Igbomina by providing a first line medical care services to the people,” he said. According to him, the focus of the mobile clinical services will be to highlight and provide preventive care in the areas of major silent kill-

Al-Makura flags off 5.7km market road project Igbawase Ukumba LAFIA

overnor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State yesterday flagged off construction of 5.7 kilometre Karu International Market road that links up several communities in Karu Local Government area of the state. Flagging off the proj-

ect at Agwan Hashimu, Al-Makura said the road would be constructed by a Chinese firm, Tonyi Group, to reduce the gridlock on the AbujaKeffi highway. He added that the road construction would also favour residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and also give the people of Angwa Ashimu a sense of belonging.

The governor continued that the road construction in the area is just a tip of the iceberg of what will be a full blown Karu greater area adding that the Karu International Market is ready for commissioning by President Muhammadu Buhari in a few months. He also said that the over stretch of Abuja population in Kara LGA

of the state is making the social amenities to be inadequate. Al-Makura however decried that the census of the state in the 2006 census is ridiculous as Karu axis alone have over a population of two million. He also urged people of the area to give the contractors the needed cooperation to execute the work.

ers such as diabetes and hypertension that is robbing our people of good healthy living; and to also actively provide health care education and materials to help promote healthy lifestyle and nutrition. He enunciated the organisation’s main objectives to include socioeconomic development of the Igbomina land and political empowerment of the people by helping in the areas where government needs to be supported in serving the people. Recognizing the importance of the health services project, prominent personalities including traditional rulers from Igbomina land in attendance at the conference pledged their support for the laudable project. In a release by the pioneer president, Alhaji Lateef Amolegbe, after the conference, he pointed out that the association is looking for a way to contribute towards uplifting the lives of the people, adding that Igbomina is blessed with both human and natural resources but need to leverage on the power of the traditional rulers’ councils, governmental institutions, educational capabilities, and of course the private investors and partners to help reach greater heights. “Harnessing these resources to achieve a bright future for our people should be our common goals,” he stressed. ICNA also proposed commissioning researchers to undertake the studies of how government allocate resources and implement policies within the state where Igbomina people are currently situated – mainly Kwara and Osun States.

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Monday, August 31, 2015

World News Migrants and refugees who “are fleeing war, persecution, torture, oppression, must be welcomed”. –FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, MANUEL VALLS

Paul Arhewe,

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

olice in Austria say three Syrian children and their families who were rescued from a minivan containing 26 migrants have disappeared from the hospital where they were being treated. The children were taken to hospital in the town of Braunau am Inn on Friday suffering from severe dehydration. Their discovery came a day after 71 bodies, thought to be migrants, were found on a dumped lorry in Austria. Several European countries have called for urgent talks on the migrant crisis. Austrian police said they stopped the minivan in Braunau, which sits on the country’s border with Germany, on Friday and arrested its Romanian driver. The children - two girls and a boy aged between one and five years old - were said to have been crammed in the back along with other migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Police said they were critically ill and almost unconscious when they were found. The BBC’s Bethany Bell in

Migrant crisis: Syrian children disappear from Austrian hospital

Ten members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram have been executed by firing squad in Chad. It comes a day after they were found guilty of terror charges at a trial in the capital N’Djamena. Security sources said they were shot at a firing range north of the capital. All 10 were convicted over their roles in twin attacks on the capital in June, which killed at least 38. A month after the attack, Chad reintroduced the death penalty for acts of terror. “They were shot this morning at the Massaguet firing range,” a source told Reuters news agency, referring to a city about 60km (40 miles) north-east of N’Djamena.

Bashir to visit China despite ICC arrest warrant

A Syrian migrant lifts a child over a fence on the Hungarian-Serbian border near Asotthalom, Hungary, recently.

Braunau says they and their families disappeared from the hospital at some point on Saturday. Authorities believe they may have tried to cross the border into Germany, rather than face deportation back to Hungary.

Separately on Sunday, Hungarian police said they had arrested a fifth man over the deaths of the 71 people who were found in the abandoned lorry in Austria last Thursday. The man is the fourth Bulgarian to be held over the find near the Hungarian

border. The other man is Afghan. Authorities believe the men are low-level members of a human trafficking gang. Officials said the 59 men, eight women and four children - thought to be mainly Syrians - had probably died of suffocation two days earlier.

13 killed in crash on way to Swaziland beauty pageant

hirteen people were killed in a road accident in Swaziland involving girls heading to a traditional royal ceremony police said Sunday, giving a much lower toll than previously reported. “Thirteen people have died and the toll hasn’t risen” since the accident, police spokesman Khulekani Mamba told a news agency. Local media gave the same death toll, yet prodemocracy activists from the Johannesburg-based Swaziland Solidarity Network on Sunday said 65 were killed. Eleven of the victims were girls from the village of Phonjwane in eastern Swaziland, according to the daily Times of Swaziland.

AFRICA BULLETIN Chad executes 10 Boko Haram militants over deadly attacks

The crash happened Friday night when their open truck smashed into a car on the road between the tiny kingdom’s two main cities, Mbabane and Manzini, en

route to the traditional Reed Dance, activists said. The Reed Dance, due to be held Monday, is a beauty pageant at which King Mswati III can choose a new

Girls heading to a traditional royal ceremony in Swaziland

wife. Tens of thousands of young virgins dance before the polygamist king, who can select one of them as a new wife. Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) activists claimed the ruler had fabricated the lower death figure. “It’s lies. This puts the king in an embarrassing situation and he is trying to undermine the toll,” SSN spokesman Lucky Lukhele told a news agency. Mswati, Africa’s last absolute monarch, chose his 14th wife at the celebration in 2013. He has ruled Swaziland since his father’s death in 1982.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is expected to travel to China today for a four-day visit, the foreign ministry said, defying an international warrant for his arrest. The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Bashir in 2009 and 2010, accusing him of masterminding genocide and other atrocities in his campaign to crush a revolt in the western Darfur region. Members of the ICC are obliged to act on arrest warrants. China is not a member. Bashir, who rejects the court’s authority, has managed to travel within Africa and the Middle East. In June, he was forced to flee South Africa, however, after a court ruled he should be banned from leaving pending the outcome of a hearing on his possible arrest.

‘Saudi-led coalition air strike kills 36 Yemeni civilians’ An air strike by warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition, which said it targeted a bomb-making factory, killed 36 civilians working at a bottling plant in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah yesterday, residents said. In another air raid on the capital Sanaa, residents said four civilians were killed when a bomb hit their house near a military base in the south of the city. The attacks were the latest in an air campaign launched in March by an alliance made up mainly of Gulf Arab states in support of the exiled government in its fight against Houthi forces allied to Iran. “The process of recovering the bodies is finished now. The corpses of 36 workers, many of them burnt or in pieces, were pulled out after an air strike hit the plant this morning,” resident Issa Ahmed told Reuters by phone.

Monday, August 31, 2015

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North

Monday, August 31, 2015

NOUN woos Buhari, Jonathan, others A ZA MSUE KADUNA

Gombe State cultural group showcasing their dancing steps at an event in Abuja.

PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

IPAC commends Buhari’s aggressive fight against insecurity PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

iger State InterParty Advisory Council, IPAC, has commended President Muhamadu Buhari for his administration’s aggressive pursuit of solutions to the problems of insecurity bedeviling the

nation. The council in a communiqué signed by state Chairman, Alhaji Isah Ndamaka, and issued at the end of its meeting over the weekend, specifically commended Chief of Army Staff for the onslaught against Boko Haram insurgents. IPAC also appreciated

the President for appointing a Nigerlite, Abdullahi Mohammad Gana, as Commandant General of the NSCDC. Similarly, IPAC urged Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, to expedite action in formation of his cabinet and consider an all-inclusive government for the benefit

and progress of the state. The communiqué also urged the governor to ensure credibility of the forthcoming local government election by providing a level playing ground. He then commended governor Bello on the massive ongoing roads rehabilitation and reconstruction throughout the state.

Dangote floats N160m technical skills acquisition centre

etermined to bridge skill gap in the technical sub-sector of Nigeria’s economy, Dangote Group of Companies has inaugurated an Automation Skills Development Centre valued at N160 million in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony at the weekend, President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said the state-of-the-art skills centre is meant to support development initiatives of the state government in areas of technical skills acquisition. He said: “Dangote Automation Skills Development Centre will help revive and develop technical skills in the country, and provide jobs for the youths.” Dangote, who was represented by Managing Director of Obajana Cement Plant, Mr. J.V. Gungune, said such centre had become necessary in view of the fact that,

“The Federal Government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has prioritised technical skills development and empowerment for Nigerian youths as a key focus.” Chairman of the Project Implementation Committee, PIC and Executive Director in the Dangote Group, Engineer Mansur Ahmed, said the State Governor, Captain Idris Wada, and President of the Dangote Group were the brains behind the project, adding that they expected the project when completed, to make Nigerian youths employable and self-employed at the same time. Speaking, Governor Wada described Dangote Group as a worthy partner, adding that the centre will support the economy of the state by making the youths employable. Lead Consultant and CEO of the Skill-Up

TVET Limited Afolabi Imoukhuede assured that the project will be completed by November. He also assured that when completed in a record time, it will be a modern centre that will be a reference point across Africa. Kogi State Com-

missioner for Land, Housing and Uban Development Engineer Stephen Maiyaki, described Dangote Group as a blessing to Kogi State, saying the state government will continue to partner with the group in its stride to develop the state.

Bello appoints ‘The Nation’ correspondent as SSA Media PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

iger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has appointed Mr. Jide Orintunsin of The Nation Newspapers as Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity. The appointment, which takes immediate effect, was contained in a letter signed by Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Shehu Umar Danyaya. A product of Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, the new

appointee is the current Niger State Correspondent of The Nation Newspapers. Orintunsin is expected to bring his wealth of experience in broadcast and print media as well as his professional goodwill, which spans over two decades, to bear in the discharge of his new appointment. The new SSA started his journalism career with Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, OGBC, joined the defunct Concord Press of Nigeria as a reporter and rose to the rank of Senior Assistant News Editor.

ice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, at the weekend said President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerians can enroll for quality education in the institution. Addressing a news conference in Kaduna shortly after matriculating over 200,000 students, Professor Tenebe said the university has offered admission to a 103-yearold paramount ruler in Delta State and gave him automatic scholarship throughout his course duration. Tenebe, who commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Emir of Bauchi, governors and other Nigerians for enrolling at NOUN, revealed that the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan had promised to enroll in the university after his tenure, adding that the management and students are waiting for him to gain admission

and enjoy excellent distance learning. The NOUN VC said President Buhari can also join the university as academic activities in the institution will not affect his official duties, saying the university’s distance mode of learning maintains high standard of education despite its mass admission of students. He also declared that anybody or an organisation that find any half baked graduate of NOUN should report to the management as the university will not only withdraw the person’s certificate, but would ask such graduate to go back and repeat all the courses. Tenebe said: “We don’t compromise quality education in NOUN. Our graduates are the best considering their backgrounds in the society. It will interest you to know that, one of our students is 103-years- old. He is a paramount ruler in Delta State. NOUN gave him automatic scholarship and he is performing very well”

Flood: Katsina begins destruction of illegal structures JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

orried by cases of flooding, which often leads to loss of lives and properties, Katsina State government says it would soon commence removal of illegal structures constructed on waterways in the state. The government also said massive clearance of drainages would commence in earnest in the 34 council areas to save the state from yearly flood disasters. Governor Aminu Bello Masari stated this at the weekend during the launch of refuse evacuation exercise at Polo Ground in the state capital. Masari said yearly flood disasters in the state were mostly attributed to blockage of waterways through erection of illegal structures. He said some individuals in the state had constructed illegal structures on waterways thereby cre-

ating problem for their neighbours and other unlucky residents. According to him, it was necessary to ensure free-flow of water especially during rainy season and such would go a long way to save properties and lives when the rains come. The governor said the state government had set up a special task force on environmental sanitation exercise and that the committee would work with security agents to achieve minimal flooding in the state. Earlier, Chairman of the Task Force Committee on Environmental Sanitation, Aminu Baballe, called on communities in the state to set up committees at ward levels to ensure cleanliness of their environment. Baballe said five zones that include Malumfashi, Daura, Funtua, Katsina and Dutsinma had been selected for the success of the exercise.

Monday, August 31, 2015

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‘Facilitate reliable online voting for Diaspora Nigerians’

ational Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) has urged the Federal Government to facilitate development of a reliable and secure online platform that would enable Nigerians abroad to vote. Director-General of the institute, Dr Ladi Hamalai, gave the advice at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Sunday. “You all know that Diaspora voting will require online platform that is reliable and secure. As of now, I don’t think we have such online platform. “I believe the legislature

may be shy of drafting a bill and passing a legislation to support Diaspora voting without putting in place such online platform we can all be comfortable with. “So, what we all should do is to, in our different ways, make sure we facilitate development of such online platform that can be reliable and secure. “Once we move closer to that we are also moving closer to the possibility of Diaspora voting,” she said. The director-general expressed belief that Nigeria had the required resources to ensure those living abroad exercised their right to vote

during elections. She therefore, urged the government to exercise discipline and political will in setting up such platform for Nigerians living abroad. “It takes a lot of discipline and political will. It also takes maybe the presence of strong

institutions to make some of these things possible. “We have the resources, but there are others elements that also have to be there. How are we sure that the system cannot be easily manipulated. “Do we have a very good control mechanism that will

day. The communiqué, jointly signed by its President, Prof Kayode Obembe and Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, Secretary General of the association, frowned at the development, which it said, was of recent. The medical personnel said in the communiqué that they were worried at the rate at which regulatory bodies, apart from MediCHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly addressed and known as Miss Olagunju Kafayat Omolara, now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs. Gbadebo Kafayat Omolara. All former documents remain valid, Federal Polytechnic Ede, (NYSC) and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Omotosho Monsurat Adenike, now wish to be known and addressed as Omoteso Monsurat Adenike. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ologbese Tale Abigeal, now wish to be known and called as Mrs. Awe Tale Abigeal. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note CHANGE OF NAME DUE TO DIVORCE

I formerly known and addressed as MRS NWANKWO GRACE IJEOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MISS GEORGE GRACE IJEOMA. ALL former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

even communities were on Sunday flooded in Demsa and Numan local government areas of Adamawa State, following heavy flow of water from Kiri dam. Kiri dam is in Guyuk Lo-

cal and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) invaded hospitals across the country. “NMA appeals to the police to cooperate with us in ensuring no regulatory body apart from MDCN is allowed to come and interrupt doctors while they are on their legitimate vocation of saving lives as this constitutes distraction and interruption in the hospital CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as miss Odubayo monsurat Omobolanle now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Folorunso monsurat Odubayo all former documents remain valid Sagamu local government and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as MISS FAWOLE OLUWABUNMI OYEJOKE, now wish to be known and address as Mrs. AKINSANMI OLUWABUNMI OYEJOKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public of the loss of Deed of Conveyance dated 28th December 1932 and registered at No. 55 page 55 volume 349 in the land registry office, Ikeja in favour of late Sarata Ajoke who bequeathed the property to late Olabode Akibu Akintan in respect of property at No. 30 Ajanaku street, Lagos Island. All effort to trace the document prove abortive. General Public Take Note.

PUBLIC NOTICE SAVE THE WOLRD’S CLIMATE INITIATIVE The general public is hereby notified that the above named Organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Ikwebe Sunday Unogwu 2. Ikwebe Wilson Ikwuonu 3. Iorliam Bartholomew Terfa 4. Iorkumbur Emmanuel 5. Ikwebe Rachael Enewa 6. Vanderpuye Grace Laraba

Chairman

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. Mitigating the effects of global warming and climate change 2. Educating the world’s inhabitants on environment and environmental issues 3. Health issues associated with global warming and diseases mapping Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within twenty-eight (28) days of this publication. SIGNED: Barr. Fred U. Odo 08036385489

ficult to control the system. “I believe that as we continue to grow our institutions as we continue to embrace change, and as we continue to accept necessity for change and doing things right. “All these things are very easy.”

Kiri Dam: 7 communities submerged in Adamawa cal Government Area. The dam, from Gongola River, is about 30 kilometres in length and 15 kilometres wide. Alhaji Haruna Furo, Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA),

NMA decries proliferation of regulatory bodies in health sector

igerian Medical Association (NMA) on Sunday in Ilorin called on law enforcement agencies to deter regulatory bodies invading hospitals and interrupting doctors on their duties of saving lives. The call was contained in a communique issued at the end of National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of NMA in Ilorin on Sun-

ensure that the votes are secured and are not tampered with? These are some of our worries. “Look at even the electoral system; every day we are trying to fine-tune it just to make sure we have some semblance of control because it is so dif-

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Meshack Remilekun Blessing now Mrs. Anya Remilekun Blessing. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME UMEH: Formerly known as Umeh Amara Anulika, now wish to be known and address as Ezenwata Amara Anulika. All former documents remain valid. Fed Poly Oko, NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as OWECK MATTHEW O.,now wish to be known and addressed as OGWUCHE MATTHEW. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to inform the general public that Chima Aririguzo Stanley and Chima Nnabuike, refer as one person but now Chima Aririguzo Stanley. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

environment.`` it stated. The communiqué also frowned at the incessant strike bedeviling the health sector in the country, and the government’s dismal efforts at ending the strikes. “Supplementary allocations should be made to pay for such commitments while on a long term basis, it must be clearly defined as a budget heading in the 2016 appropriation, `` it said. CHANGE OF NAME Formerly. Known and addressed as Ezeala Udo Kingsley, now wish to be known and addressed as Udo Osuagwu. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as MISS AKABONOGU JOY CHIKODIRI, now wish to be known and address as MRS. AKACHUKWU JOY ESTHER. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as miss Ogunade Busayo Simbiat now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adenusi Busayo simbiat all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeyemi Olufunmilayo Mary now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Bajo Olufunmilayo Mary. All former documents remain valid. General Public to note.

CHANGE OF NAME EZEOKOYE: Formerly known as Miss Ezeokoye Ngozi Christiana, now wish to be known and address as Mrs Okafor Ngozi Christiana. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as GBADEBO OMOTOLA OLAITAN. now wish to be known and addressed as SOWANDE OMOTOLA OLAITAN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as ABDULRASHEED OLASUNKANMI, now wish to be known and addressed as ABDULRASHEED ADELEKE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola. Furo said the most affected areas were Bilachi, Bali, Mbongado, Dwam Sabo and Kabawa in Demsa area, while Imburu, Hayin Gada and Gbalang were affected in Numan Local Government Area. “The state’s emergency team together with top state government officials had visited some affected communities. “And after cross-examination, we are going to resettle them in secured and conducive rescue camps,” Furo said, adding that the government had started making contact with various relief organisations for immediate response and rescue mission. CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as Miss Afolabi Adebola Modupe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ajayi Adebola Modupe. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note. CHANGE OF NAME

UDEH: I, formerly known and addressed as CHUKWUEMEKA S. Udeh, now wish to be known and addressed as CHUKWUEMEKA Sylvanus. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as miss Arowolo Ubaydat Olanike now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Bakare Ubaydat Arowolo all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS KAFAYAT OLABISI BOLAJI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. KAFAYAT OLABISI BOLAJI OKUNDALAIYE. All former documents remain valid. The general public, NYSC and all that it may concern should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME OKPALA: Formerly known as Miss Okpala Edith Nwamaka, now wish to be known and address as Mrs Ezennaya Edith Nwamaka. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME EDEH:I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EDEH ETHEL NKEM, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OJENE ETHEL NKEM. All former documents remain valid. Nkanu West Local Government and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as AYOTOLA DAMILARE EFUNBAJO, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. AYOTOLA DAMILARE AKINYELE. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Furo also confirmed that no life was lost in the incident but thousands of people had been rendered homeless. Mr. Lumsun Dili, member representing Demsa Constituency in Adamawa State Assembly, who was among officials that visited the affected areas, said over 12,000 people were affected in Demsa area. Dili told NAN that thousands of farmland, houses and domestic animals were submerged and lost in the flood. “My fear is that there is possibility of cholera outbreak in the affected communities. “Infact, we have hired about three huge engine boats to start evacuating the victims,” Dili said. PUBLIC NOTICE I formerly known as GABRIEL OBEKPA now wish to be known and addressed as AGADA PETER OGBOLE all former documents remain valid, authority concern, and general public to take note. LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to notify the general public that the power of attorney dated as 23/4/2002 with reg number 41/41/1486 and deed of assignment dated as 29/9/1983 with reg number 20/20/1095 and private lease dated as 24/2/1975 with reg number 54/54/781 located at plot 13 block C1B Achara layout belonging to Mr. Nnamchi Christian I. got lost. If found contact the ministry of lands and urban development Enugu.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as miss Aladenusi Elizabeth Oluwakemi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Balogun Elizabeth Oluwakemi. Ogun waterside local government and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Mr Tijani Yasir, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Abdulrasaq Yasir. Former documents remain valid and general public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME AKAOGU: Formerly known as Miss Akaogu Ukamaka Chinyere, now wish to be known and address as Mrs Ezeokoli Ukamaka Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME UGWU:I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UGWU HELEN OBIOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ODO HELEN OBIOMA All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Edwin Orimisan Golojo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mallon Oladeji Adebulu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Monday, August 31, 2015

Quadri shines at Czech Open

Glo League results

Embassy denies Eaglets’ captain, coordinator visas T

Sport

–ZAMBIA STRIKER, CHRISTOPHER KATONGO

Korea Tour:

Embassy in Nigeria had returned the duo’s passports claiming the documents were unreadable. “We don’t know what they mean by ‘unreadable’ because both of the affected have been using same passports without any issues,” Olajire said. “But we are working hard to

Golden Eaglets captain Kelechi Nwakali

make the Embassy issue visas to them on Monday (today), so that they can travel on Tuesday (tomorrow) to join the delegation,” he added. The development meant 17 players traveled by Qatar Airways yesterday and would arrive in Seoul later today for the

Sharks

Enyimba

Wikki

Sunshine

IfeanyiUbah

Bayelsa

3SC

Abia

Taraba

Pillars

El-Kanemi

Rangers

Heartland

Wolves

Giwa

Lobi

Dolphins

Akwa

Nasarawa

Kwara

tournament that the NFF believes will motivate the Eaglets ahead of the defence of their FIFA U-17 World Cup title in Chile in October. Host Korea, Nigeria, Croatia and Brazil will participate at the Four-Nation tournament. Chairman of Nationwide

League One, Alhaji Ahmad Kawu, led the Eaglets to the Tournament. Kawu was also with the coach Emmanuel Amuneke-led side when they went on two-match tour of Cairo in 2014 as well as the 2015 CAN U-17 Championship in Niger.

Ezeonwuka tasks Oliseh on Eagles Afolabi Gambari

he proprietor of Rojenny Games Village, Oba, Anambra State, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, has called on Super Eagles Coach, Sunday Oliseh, to be transparent in his invitation of players to the national team. Ezeonwuka, who spoke yesterday from Oba, said Nigeria could not afford to witness further failure in the Eagles players’ inability to rise to the occasion

I think Chipolopolo have evolved in my absence. However, I have not announced my retirement yet

he Golden Eaglets’ delegation departed Lagos last night for the FourNation Suwon Invitational Tournament without team captain Kelechi Nwakali and Team Coordinator Prince Udofia. NF Spokesman, Ademola Olajire, said yesterday that the Korean

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

at competitive ganes. “Oliseh should work assiduously towards giving Nigerians a rock-solid team,” the proprietor submitted. “Nigeria is blessed with abundant talented footballers, but our national team coaches find it hard to go round the country to discover the future stars. “Oliseh should borrow a leaf from Clemens Westerhof who went round Nigeria and got players from the local league and turned to superstars within few years. “I think he has an opportunity to im-

prove on what Stephen Keshi achieved with the team, so that the credibility of our home-based coaches will remain untarnished.” Ezeonwuka, however, said next month’s AFCON 2017 qualifying match against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam should be approached with a win mentality to avoid a repeat of the AFCON 2015 finals miss after Nigeria won the 2013 edition in South Africa. “There is no room for sloppiness,” he warned.

Ezeonwuka

Sports

Monday, August 31, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

EPL results Southampton

Norwich

Swansea

Man Utd

Transfer:

City lands M

anchester City has signed Belgian international midfielder Kevin de Bruyne on a six-year deal from VfL Wolfsburg. The 24-year-old German Footballer of the Year joins a City side bursting with talent and high on confidence following four straight wins at the start of the season. His most likely route into the side would be in place of Spanish right-winger Jesus Navas.

De Bruyne Ironically, De Bruyne left another star-studded club, Chelsea in January last year after managing just three starts in two seasons. Since then, however, his star has risen and he has been the key player in Wolfsburg’s rise in the Bundesliga, where the side finished runner-up and won the German Cup last season.

De Bruyne

Kogi coach sure of ‘drop escape’

Tornadoes’ promotion thrills Biffo

Afolabi Gambari

oach of Niger Tornadoes FC of Minna, Abdullahi Biffo, has expressed delight at seeing his side back to the Glo Premier League after beating Mighty Jets 2-0 at home at the weekend. “We deserved the victory and promotion ticket,” an elated Biffo said yesterday. “I’m so happy for the trust the management of the team had in me and the encouragement from the fans. “This promotion ticket is dedicated to Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello for his unrelenting support.” Tornadoes, who were relegated to the second tier in the 2012/13 campaign, have won seven matches, drawn two and lost two in the ongoing Nigeria National League campaign, as well as amassing 23 points from a possible 33 with one more

Biffo

game to play before rounding off the season. The game played at the Bako Kontagora Stadium behind closed doors started on an electrifying note with the homers engaging ultra-attacking system. Kayode Agboola gave Tornadoes the lead in the 12th minute while substitute Samson Adeleye converted a 90th minute penalty to seal the promotion ticket.

oach of Kogi United FC of Lokoja, Fatai Osho, yesterday said his team will not relegate at the end of the Nigeria National League (NNL) season. Kogi United lost 1-0 to Plateau United in Jos on Saturday, a match the gaffer described as fairly officiated. “I am impressed with the referee for the game and I think it would be great if all referees can emulate him,” Osho said. The former Supreme Court coach expressed optimism on Kogi’s escape from the chop as the season nears its

end. “I pray we escape the drop because I am so sure that we will get a promotion to the Premier League next season,” he added, stressing, “The people of Kogi State will be happy they have a team to challenge for top places.” Osho, who maintained that his side would fight till the end, also assured that United would end the season with dignity. Kogi United officials are, however, still awaiting decision of the NFF on the Wada Boys’ stalemated match against Adamawa United, even as the Confluence team prepares to host Jigawa Golden Stars in the final NNL fixture in Lokoja on September 5.

Plateau governor eyes sports glory James Abraham JOS

lateau State Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, says the government will encourage the re-attainment of sports glory in the state. Lalong, who spoke at the Rwang Pam Stadium where he watched the NNL fixture between Plateau United and Kogi

United on Saturday, said he would also support every sector in the state to guarantee sustainable development. Asked if he would donate cash award to the Plateau United players after the team’s 1-0 win gave it promotion to the Glo Premier League, Lalong said: “I will make a pronouncement on my 100 days in office. “I will implore everyone to await my declaration on the day.”

Osho

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Sports

Monday, August 31, 2015

Development: Mbisiogu tasks Corporate Nigeria on football

Aruna Quadri

Quadri shines at Czech Open

igeria’s Aruna Quadri has put the disappointment from previous matches behind after his excellent performance aided him to make the last eight of the men’s singles at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour tagged Czech Open which ended at the weekend.

The 2014 ITTF Star Player, seeded number 30 in the tournament, began his campaign from the main draw where was pitched against Iran’s Nima Alamian, clinching a tough 4-3 win to make the round of 32. Quadri was set up against Germany’s Patrick Baum who was tournament’s num-

ber eight seed in the round of 32 and the Nigerian defeated his German foe with ease, whereupon he also dismissed 10th seed Japan’s Masataka Morizono in the round of 16 to ease to the last eight where he lost to France’s Simon Gauzy due to a leg injury he sustained in the round of 16.

“I couldn´t move my leg. The quarter-final is not bad but I lost a big opportunity 2:1 and 7:1, it was a little bit painful. But as my leg wasn´t good I couldn´t continue fighting,” Quadri said. The performance at the Czech Open will likely help to upgrade Quadri’s world ranking in September.

Lagos Sports Commission gets DG Afolabi Gambari

overnor Akinwunmi Ambode has appointed Mr. Ayodele Agbesanwa, as the Director General of the newly-formed Lagos State Sports Commission. Agbesanwa, who is the pioneer head of the commis-

sion, will resume duty today. Agbesanwa was lately the Director, News, Lagos Television (LTV), Ikeja. And is a social scientist, broadcaster and administrator, in addition to having vast experience in managing human and material resources. He was formerly the Di-

rector, Current Affairs (20052009), Manager News and Current Affairs (2000- 2005) and Controller Documentation (1996- 2000). He also held a Masters of Political Science (International Relations) from the University of Lagos in 1982, after his Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the old University

Ezeji calls time on career

Ezeji

fter 19 years in the domestic league, former Nigerian international, Victor Ezeji, yesterday brought the curtain down on his glittering career. Ezeji emerged not only as a distinguished professional, but also the most decorated domestic player with laurels in his trophy cabinet from the League and Cup competitions. Interestingly, Ezeji, who graduated from the prestigious University of Port

Harcourt with a degree in Accountancy, is one of the few footballers, who successfully combined education with professional football. After winning the 2007 Coca-Cola FA Cup, when he became the first player to win the Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, Ezeji headed for Tunisian side, Club Africain, in 2008 and returned to the country to continue his career in 2009. “Ezeji will address the media on his retirement and plans

of Ife in 1980. Agbesanwa, who attended the prestigious C.M.S Grammar School Lagos where he obtained Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 1976, was also a former student of Molusi College, Ijebu- Igbo, Ogun State and Methodist Primary School, Surulere, Lagos.

for a testimonial in September,” a close confidant, Ojeikere Aikhoje, said yesterday. “We are proud of his career as he has since become a role model to up-and-coming players in the Glo Premier League. Ezeji’s achievements are rare in the modern era,” Aikhoje, who heads Sports PR firm, MatchRoom Sports, added. Ezeji played for top sides like Eagle Cement (now Dolphins), Sharks, Enyimba and Sunshine Stars respectively.

ne of Nigeria’s foremost sports philanthropists, Festus Uzoma Mbisiogu, has called on corporate bodies and individuals doing business to contribute to sports development with a view to alleviating rising youth unemployment in the country. The widely travelled businessman, who spoke in Lagos at the weekend, stated that h passion for football motivated his philanthropy, saying his partnership with Papillo FC of Owerri was a resolve to help Nigerian youths eschew crime. “I am determined to give the youths a new lease of life as I feel it is my contribution to sports development,” Mbisiogu said. “I supported Heartland Football Club of Owerri a few years back to break the 18 years jinx of continuous failure to lift the then FA Cup, now Federation Cup. I also promised the team N500, 000 for each goal they scored in the final of that Federation Cup match and they claimed it after scoring a goal. “I have also extended this gesture to Papillo FC of Owerri through jerseys and other kits to the club till date. “I felt that if the youths are encouraged this way, crime rate will be reduced and problems associated with unemployment will be history.” Mbisiogu, however, called business mogul, Aliko Dangote, and others to encourage football development in Nigeria. “Dangote’s investment in sports will help alleviate the plight of indigent persons in addition to providing them employment,” the philanthropist further said. “It is gladdening that Ifeanyi Ubah now owns a club, and I think this will impact positively on the youths and will benefit our football. “The efforts of Glo, Airtel, MTN, Etisalat and several banks are commendable and we can only charge them to do more.”

Mbisiogu

WORLD RECORD

Most piercings in a lifetime (female) Since first receiving a skin piercing in January 1997, Elaine Davidson (Brazil/UK) has been pierced a total of 4,225 times as of 8 June 2006.

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1188 Monday, August 31, 2015

Making sense of Buharism

opular imagination is none of our contemporary politicians can be cast in the mold of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa), Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Awo to his admirers), Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Mallam Aminu Kano, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, etc. In their time, these statesmen bestrode the nation like colossus. Zik and Awo, in particular, deployed their high intellectuality to raise politics to an art; they gave it uncommon sublimity, and in the process became elevated to demi-god status. Awoism became a catechism for Awo’s disciples, and Awoist their identity. Zik enjoyed the same veneration across the country and beyond. The Zikist Movement was a national political platform for all Zikists, and Zikism, their intoxicating political wine. Now, President Muhammadu Buhari has a place reserved for him in our nation’s Hall of Fame. His photograph can adorn that

HeartBeat Callistus Oke

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY) anthonykila@mail.com Hall if only…Time shall tell. Buharism could be the lynchpin of that expectation. Buhari has undeniably emerged a political cult figure with a very strong persona that commands adoration among a large national followership. However, he has not been able to convert his enormous political capital into a veritable platform that could galvanise the latent socio-economic and political energies of his teeming supporters into a momentum for CHANGE. Buharism needs an ideologue with the intellectual capacity to give it the needed push. The nation has seen 95 days of Buhari administration’s action. Admittedly, there have been exciting moments in the polity. Nigerians have heard some inspiring policy statements from him, and have equally seen few reformative actions. But what have been offered so far lack the energizer that could release the synergies to mold them into a holistic roadmap that captures the administration’s core programmes and policies in the next four years. Beyond the eclecticism of actions and statements, there is no total political menu to be used to benchmark his performance after four years. Buharism could encapsulate that total package that underlines the positive ends to which Buhari’s presidential mandate should be deployed. Yes during the electioneering, he outlined the socio-economic and political ideals with which to re-order Nigeria if elected President. His vision has not been crystallized now that he is President. There

BUHARISM NEEDS AN IDEOLOGUE WITH THE INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY TO GIVE IT THE NEEDED PUSH exists gaping implementation gap exacerbated by the absence of a cabinet. There are a myriad of economic problems convulsing Nigeria; and a plethora of social ills plaguing her. He has responsibility to address them. His eclectic approach to governance has made him to concentrate on the nation’s social ills at the expense of its economic plague. A consummate politician would use Buharism as a working ideology and aggressively market it. Pronto, he will have most Nigerians drinking from Buharism and getting drunk. In that state of ecstasy, the needed national momentum for the success of his government would spontaneously erupt. President Buhari should not take Nigerians’ support for granted. Already some sections of the country are suspicious of him. They believe he has a geopolitical agenda. The other day, Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, accused him of behaving like a military dictator and running the country with emotional intelligence. Ohaneze Ndigbo and some groups in the South South geopolitical zone have vilified Mr. President for singling out the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan

administration for probe. Buhari must move fast to sustain his national mandate. A leader of a complex country like Nigeria needs more than integrity to hold the country together. For Buhari to succeed he should be able to manage and balance both the centrifugal and centripetal forces working at cross purposes. One other serious issue he must quickly resolve is what manner of a leader he wants to be. For our own peculiar situation, a transformational leader is it. I reason within the context of what the President has set out to achieve. If, indeed, Nigeria will experience genuine change, Buhari and Nigerians must complement each other to take her to a higher level of morality and progress. Last February at Chatham House, London, Buhari made this highly inspired statement: “I cannot change the past. But I can change the present and the future”. Good thinking. However, making it a done deal requires an inclusive government. Buhari is walking his talk on corruption. The institution of the Professor Itse Sagayled Advisory Committee Against Corruption has given firm expression to this resolve. I do not think the Sagay Committee has something to do with the Air Vice Marsha J.O.N Ode (retd) led 13 member Investigative Committee investigating the nation’s arms procurement from 2007 till date. A strategy misalignment is unfolding too soon in the day. The President is overtly working on the security challenge facing the country. He gave the military a three month ultimatum to end the Boko Haram menace. The world is waiting and watching how things will play out in the weeks ahead. For sure, ultimatum order in an asymmetric warfare situation like we are in is counter-productive. It puts undue pressure on the military, making full disclosure difficult. Buharism will receive additional impetus after the constitution of the Federal Executive Council; it will surely serve as the brain box of the government. God save Nigeria and her leaders.

Sport Extra

EPL: Mourinho threatens players’ sack

helsea Manager, Jose Mourinho, has declared his plan to drop three players from the tea,, sequel to Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace.

It was Mourinho’s 100th Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. “I cannot say I had 11 players at the same time performing. Two or three of them, their individual

performance was far from good,” the Portuguese said yesterday. “I blame myself for not changing one of them. When I made the third change I needed a fourth,”

he added. Asked to identify the players under threat, Mourinho replied: “I won’t tell you. “If a player is not performing there are two

ways to look at it. The first one is that I trust the player so much that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait, and wait and maybe it comes or it doesn’t come.”

Mourinho Emenike

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