Monday, december 14, 2015 new 2 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Inflation rate rises to 9.4% in November

THE

BUSINESS SECTION

Banks target N300bn for SMEs, agric sector P.7

...Nigeria's economy not in recession –CBN TOLA AKINMUTIMI AND BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA Emefiele

CPI, which measures the prices of goods and services, inched up margin-

fter slowing down slightly in October, the nation’s Composite Price Index,

Vol. 5 N0. 1264

Monday, December 14, 2015

UBONG UKPONG AND AZA MSUE

...Zakzaky arrested

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Free Fre e inside insi nsid ide de

National Mirror Online

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@NationalMirror

20 feared killed as troops raid Shi’ites headquarters FG to investigate clash –Army

ilitary authorities yesterday raided the residence of leader of Shi’ite Islamic Movement, Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky, in three locations in Kaduna State. More than 20 followers of the Islamic cleric, including his son, Sayyid Aliy and spokesman, Malam Ibrahim Usman, were said to have been killed. Also allegedly killed CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Why we postponed 2016 population census P.7 –NPC

Internally Challenged Persons picking from some clothing materials donated to them in preparation for Christmas by philanthropists at the New Kuchingoro IDP Camp, Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

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News

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Inflation rate rises to 9.4% in November CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ally to 9.4 per cent (yearon-year) in November, up from the 9.3 per cent rate in the preceding month. The CPI report published yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, indicated that the increase in the Headline index was driven in part by higher prices within the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages division as well as increases in the Transportation division due to petrol (Premium Motor Sprit) scarcity with its knockon effect impacting movement of people and goods nationwide. The Bureau reported further that food also increased at higher pace in the month under review with the Food sub-index rising to 10.3 per cent (year-on-year), representing 0.2 per cent points from rates recorded in the preceding month. According to NBS, all major food groups which contributed to the Food sub-index increased at a faster pace during the month with the exception of the Fruits group, which has been trending lower since June, this year. Similarly, the agency noted that the increases in the “All Items less Farm Produce” or Core sub-index also rose at the same rate for the second consecutive month at 8.7 per cent, as rates had slowed or held steady for a quarter. Specifically, the Bureau clarified that the Core sub-index was weighted

upon by slower increases in multiple divisions such as Clothing and Footwear; Housing Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels; and Furnishings & Household Equipment Maintenance, amongst others. In addition, it stated that on a month-on-month basis, both the Headline Index as well as the Food and Core sub-indices all increased at a faster pace in the review period, particularly the Headline Index which surged by 0.7 per cent, representing 0.3 per cent points higher from 0.4 per cent in October. The Bureau expatiated: “All indices which contribute to the Headline index increased at a faster pace (month-on-month) in

November with the exception being the Education division. In November, the Urban index grew at the same pace as recorded in October; at 9.4 per cent (year-on-year). The Rural index also edged higher from 9.2 per cent in October to 9.3 per cent in November “On a month-on-month basis, both the Urban and Rural indices increased at the same pace, both increasing at 0.7 per cent in November, 0.3 per cent points from 0.4 per cent in October. “The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve month period ending in November over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve-month

period was 8.9 per cent, marginally higher from 8.8 per cent recorded in October. “The corresponding twelve-month year-onyear average percentage change for the Urban index moved in the same fashion increasing from 8.8 per cent in October to 8.9 per cent in November, while the corresponding Rural index also edged higher to 8.8 per cent in November from 8.7 per cent in October.” Meanwhile, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN at the weekend allayed fears that Nigeria’s economy was plunging into recession, saying the fundamentals remain strong still despite fiscal challenges. Giving the hint during

an interactive session with newsmen in Osogbo, Osun State, at a meeting of officials of the bank, held with the people of the state, the apex bank’s Assistant Director, Development and Finance Department, Mr. Babatunde Okulaja, said rather than depressed, the nation’s economy was being restructured in accordance with the dynamics of the global economy. He explained that one of the recent initiatives of CBN to restructure the economy was the Produce Add Value and Export, PAVE. “Through PAVE, we don’t only consume all what we have produced, we package and send abroad and earn dollars. By so doing, GDP is improving and

Ooni of lfe, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (left) with Bishop of lfe, Anglican Communion, Rev.Oluranti Odubogun, after the Coronation Thanksgiving Service at St Paul Anglican Church, Ayebaju lfe, yesterday.

the economy will be better for it,” Okulaja said. According to him, as the regulator of the economy, CBN has discovered that efforts were mainly geared towards production, while no tangible value was been added to the produced items. He explained that through P.A.V.E, Nigerians are being encouraged to add value to the goods produced to make them exportable and thereby earn for the country world stronger currencies. The banker also listed plugging of leakages in public finance as one of the components of measures being adopted by the banking regulatory institution to strengthen the naira exchange rate. On the Bank’s plans to stimulate the economy, Okulaja explained that people must know the measures the monetary authorities were employing in checking pricing and forex before they can understand the magnitude of work involved. He said: “That is one of the reasons behind the introduction of BVN. We want a unique identification to enable us trace every transactions. Through thumbprint, even if an identical triplet borrows money and one of them wants to be funny, we will discover him or her. “As touches, forex, CBN has listed 41 products that you cannot just access foreign exchange over, but despite this, there are provisions for payment for school fees, medicals and so on through other avenues. “So we want to discourage patronage of CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

20 feared killed as troops raid Shi’ites headquarters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

was a top leader of the movement, Muhammadu Turi, and the head of the medical team, Mustapha Saidu. Elzakzaky’s whereabouts is unknown, but a source said he has been arrested by troops, following a siege on his Zaria residence. There was a confrontation between members of the sect and the Nigerian Army on Saturday, which led to the death of some members of the movement. The Nigerian Army in a statement on Saturday

had accused the Shi’ite followers of attempting to assassinate Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai. Consequently, our correspondent learnt that troops sustained a crackdown on members of the sect throughout Saturday night, with heavy shootings and sounds of explosions heard in Gellesu and Sokoto Road, location of Hussainiyya, the spiritual centre of the sect. However, when contacted yesterday, Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, failed to comment on the attack.

Rather, in a statement, he said the Zaria clash would be investigated by the police. Usman said: “Yesterday’s (Saturday) incident involving clashes between detachments of the Nigerian Army, accompanying the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General TY Buratai and followers of Sheikh Ibrahim El Zak-Zaky, suspected to be members of the Shiite sect in Zaria, leading to loss of lives as a result of the Shiite group members’ blocking roads and not allowing other passers-by to go about their lawful businesses and activities, was

most unfortunate. “The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the rights of any group of persons and Sheikh El Zak Zaky’s followers to hold a peaceful march or procession unhindered, but it also guarantees other people’s rights of way on public highways. “It is important to note that over the years, this group has subjected ordinary citizens using public roads to untold hardship, delays, threats and disruption simply because they insist on using public space irrespective of inconvenience and hardship on other law abiding citizens

and motorists. This cannot be tolerated and must stop! “As soon as order is restored to the situation in Zaria city and its environs, the police will conduct an enquiry and the public will be informed. “In the meantime, the public is advised to go about their lawful business and report any suspicious persons or incidents to the police.”

Media Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria in its reaction described the killings as unprecedented. The forum issued a statement yesterday signed

by its President, Ibrahim Musa. The statement said: “In the meantime there is no idea as to the whereabouts of the leader of the Movement, Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky, nor his current condition, and aggrieved members of the Movement across the country have taken to the streets in condemnatory protests. “In the meantime, leading members of the Islamic Movement and other members as well, have been killed by soldiers including the leader of the Kano CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PAGE

Monday, December 14, 2015

Good Health What your father ate before you were born could affect your health –Study influenced by their ancestors’ gametes (sperm or egg), which carried specific epigenetic marks , e.g. chemical additions to the protein that encloses the DNA, methyl groups that change the structure of the DNA once it is attached, or molecules also known as small RNAs. Epigenetic marks can control the expression of genes, which has also been shown to affect the health of offspring in insects and rodents. “In our study, we have identified the molecular carrier in human gametes that may be responsible for this effect,”

SAM EFERARO

WITH AGENCY REPORT

his should be of interest to young men who desire to be fathers: The amount of food you consume could have a direct impact on your unborn child’s health and well being. This is because research studies are revealing increasing evidence that parents’ lifestyle and the environment they inhabit even long before they have children may influence the health of their offspring. A current study, led by researchers from the Novo Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Copenhagen revealed that a dad’s diet before the child’s conception could genetically be passed onto the next generation, with a subsequent impact on the child’s health. Researchers in Associate Nordisk Professor Romain Barrès’ laboratory compared sperm cells from 13 lean men and 10 obese men and discovered that the sperm cells in lean and obese men, respectively, possess different epigenetic marks that could alter the next generation’s appetite, as reported in the medical journal Cell Metabolism. A second major discovery was made as researchers followed six men before and one year after gastric-bypass surgery (an effective intervention to lose weight) to find out how the surgery affected the epigenetic information contained in their sperm cells. The researchers observed an average of 4,000 structural changes to sperm cell DNA from the time before the surgery, directly after, and one year later. “We certainly need to further examine the meaning of these differences; yet, this is early evidence that sperm carries information about a man’s weight. And our results imply

that weight loss in fathers may influence the eating behaviour or their future children,” says Romain Barrès. “Epidemiological observations revealed that acute nutritional stress, e.g. famine, in one generation can increase the risk of developing diabetes in the following generations,” Romain Barrès states. He also referenced a study that showed that the availability of food in a small Swedish village during a time of famine correlated with the risk of their grandchildren developing cardiometabolic diseases. The grandchildren’s health was likely

DID YOU KNOW?

Stress, depression linked to stroke risk in diabetics

eople with diabetes are much more prone to depression and stress than other individuals, and these mental health problems in diabetics are tied to an increased risk of strokes and deaths from cardiovascular disease, a U.S. study suggests. “Our study is one of the first to show a pattern of increased likelihood of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in those with diabetes compared to those without diabetes – first with increased likelihood for either (stress or depression) alone, and then an even higher like-

lihood when both behavioral co-morbidities were reported,” lead study author Doyle Cummings of East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, said by email. To assess the impact of these mental health problems on heart disease and stroke risk, Cummings and colleagues reviewed data on nearly 22,000 adults including close to 4,100 with diabetes. People in the study were 64 years old on average, 58 percent of them were female, 42 percent were black, and 56 percent lived in the southeastern U.S. region known as the “Stroke Belt” for its high prevalence of these cardiovascular events.

says Barrès. “Today, we know that children born to obese fathers are predisposed to developing obesity later in life, regardless of their mother’s weight. It’s another critical piece of information that informs us about the very real need to look at the pre-conception health of fathers” says Ida Donkin, MD and one of the lead authors of the paper. She continues, “And it’s a message we need to disseminate in society.” “The study raises awareness about the importance of lifestyle factors, particularly

egardless of gender, young adults who have greater aerobic fitness also have greater volume of their entorhinal cortex, an area of the brain responsible for memory. Better aerobic fitness however does not appear to impact hippocampal volume, another area in the brain responsible for memory. While aerobic fitness is not directly associated with performance on a recognition memory task, the participants with a larger entorhinal cortex also performed better on the recognition memory task. These findings by Boston University School of medicine (BUSM) researchers appear in the journal NeuroImage. The entorhinal cortex is a brain area known to show early pathology in Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by profound memory impairment. Because of the strong association between hippocampal cell growth and exercise in models, previous

our diet, prior to conception. The way we eat and our level of physical activity before we conceive may be important to our future children’s health and development,” says Soetkin Versteyhe, co-first author of the paper. Another study by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia also suggests that a dad’s diet before the child’s conception could be genetically passed onto the next generation, with a subsequent impact on those children’s mental health. The cross-generational study led by Antonio Paolini from RMIT’s School of Health Sciences compared male rats allowed to eat abundant amounts of food with those who had access to 25 per cent fewer calories in their diet. “Even though the fathers had no contact with their offspring and the mother’s behaviour remained relatively unchanged, the offspring of the food-limited rats were lighter, ate less and showed less evidence of anxiety,” Paolini said. The differences appeared to be ‘epigenetic’, meaning the younger rats’ genes functioned differently as a result of their fathers’ experience. Yet, in another study of mice published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at McGill University, Canada found that a low-folate diet in males was linked to an increased rate of birth defects among their pups, compared to the rate among pups whose fathers were fed a folate-sufficient diet. . “Our study and others are now showing that the father can be a route for the transmission of birth defects and can influence offspring health.” “Guys need to pay attention to what they’re doing in terms of lifestyle choices prior to having a baby, just like the woman does,” Sarah Kimmins, a specialist in reproductive biology who led the study said.

Physical activity, aerobic exercise helps keep brain healthy

work on exercise and the brain has not focused on the entorhinal cortex, despite its critical role in learning and memory until now.

Photo News

Relative of Pass.ng awardee, Amaka Ani; founder, Pass.ng Platform, Samson Abioye; an outstanding student in 2015 UTME and Pass.ng Awardee, Joshua Ani, with Digital and PR Manager, Airtel Nigeria, Erhumu Bayagbon, during the award presentation at Pass.ng Excellence Awards 2015 held in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday.

L-R: CEO, M-Net, Yolisa Phale; Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe and Regional Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, during the AMVCA 2016, Nominee Announcement in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: Past President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr Charles Mbanefo; Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Highway Engineers, Engr Isa Emobino and President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi, during the Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Institution of Highway Engineers in Abuja, at the weekend. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

L-R: Coordinator, United Nations Development Programme, Mr Matthew Alao; Unit Coordinator, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Dr Waheed Adedeji and Peace and Development Advisor, Dr Takwa Suifon, during the opening of Second Batch of Orientation Programme for Candidates of Livelihood Support Scheme from North-East states in Jos, yesterday.

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: Sponsorship and Events Officer, Arik Air, Diana Ekpenyong; Capt. George Kavourides; winner, Mr. Ogovgbulem Vincent; Second Officer, Abubakar Raji and Senior Cabin Crew Paschal Ezeanowi, during the presentation of 3D Home Theater Cinema System to the winner, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

L-R: Olite Club new executive: Chief Whip, Olite Sola Adekunla; Director of Social, Olite Alaba David; Director of Finance, Olite Lukeman Farinu; Secretary General , Olite Felix Aiyenuro; Vice President, Olite Bayo Odumosu and President, Olite Tunde Odumosu, Olite Club handing over ceremony in Lagos, on Saturday. PHOTO:ADEMOLA AKINLABI

L-R: General Manager, Corporate Affairs Commission, Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited, SAHCOL, Mr. Basil Agboarumi; Managing Director/CEO, Olliebonav Company Limited, Mr. Elihu Eshiet; Chief Host, Nze Aloysius Igwe and keynote Speaker, Mr. Norbert Biederman, during an Indepth News Haulage Logistics conference in Lagos, at the weekend.

L-R: Eze Geoffrey Okoro, the Oko 1 of Upe Autonomous Community, Owerri North, Imo State, receiving a free Safe Birth bag from Specialist, Community Relations, Abdulwahab Umoru and Community Relations Officer, Tochukwu Okafor, of Etisalat Nigeria, and CEO, Traffina Foundation for Maternal Health, Chinomso Obi-Peters, at the Etisalat-Traffina Community Maternal Health Platforms Programme in Ulakwo, Owerri North, Imo State, at the weekend.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

enate yesterday said project vehicles that are to be purchased are meant for the execution of committee assignments. The upper legislative assembly was reacting to reports that it was insensitive to the sufferings of Nigerians for proposing to purchase vehicles for the use of members, despite the severe economic crunch in the country. In a statement by its spokesperson, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said the automobiles are part of the necessities which the institution usually provide to committees to enable them function without depending on external bodies

News

Monday, December 14, 2015

Project vehicles are for committee work, says Senate for effective performance of oversight functions. “The vehicles are not meant for individual Senators. They are purchased for the use of the committees. “For those who may want to find out what happened to the ones bought in the past, we cannot expect that after four years, the vehicles will still be in the condition to effectively serve the present committees. “The best practice in government institutions

and even private organisations is for official vehicles allocated to top officials after four years of use to be sold at the depreciated value. “We have been very frugal, responsive and responsible in our spending. We have also cut down on several expenses. However, there are certain expenses and purchases that are normal in government and any organisation generally. The legislature is not an exception.

“With respect to the official vehicles of the Senate President, it should be noted that majority of the vehicles in his convoy are his personal vehicles while some of the vehicles that he inherited, including his official vehicles and the backup car, are so old that they are already developing faults and not fit for long journey. We can recall that on several occasions, his official car broke down. “Three instances will suffice here. I remember

on a visit to Nasarawa State for a wedding of the daughter of a colleague. Other occasions were at the National Mosque three weeks ago and at the Abuja airport. “The implication is that the vehicles in his official convoy are so old that they are already causing embarrassment for the Senate. The media should know that a man of his antecedent will not at this point be excited with purchase of new cars. His official cars

are really long overdue for replacement. “The media should avoid deliberately portraying the legislature as irresponsible and inciting the people against it. We seek the understanding of the media to explain issues and situations to the people. “Both the media and the legislature have different roles to play in sustaining our democracy and none should be seen to be undermining the other,” Aliyu stated.

Inflation rate rises to 9.4% in November CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

black market. Recently in travelex, a dollar is sold for N204, so why going to black market to buy at N240 plus and destroy the economy? “BVN also enables us to identity whoever wants forex from CBN. For instance some BDC that are allowed to retail dollars, after picking dollars from us and we expect them to sell to people to the limit of $5,000 for people to transact. But some, not all of them, instead of selling, will string the money together and make it up to $1m and give some funny Nigerians, who do illegal busi-

ness. This act is draining the economy that is why everyone must provide BVN,” Okulaja added. He explained that the purpose of the meeting with the people of Osun was to enlighten them on their rights and how they can channel whatever complaints they have while attempting to source funds through many of its initiatives. Similarly, he pointed out that the meeting will the people would also enable CBN get feedback from customers on its initiatives, one of which he called Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund, ACGSF.

Mass Choir, singing Halleluyah Chorus during the service of 2015 Nine Lessons and Christmas Carols at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, yesterday.

20 feared killed as troops raid Shi’ites headquarters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Center, Sheikh Muhammad Turi, Dr. Mustapha Sa’eed, Malam Ibrahim Usman and Sister Jummai Gilima. “Also killed was Sayyid Aliy, the son of the leader of the Movement, Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky and tens of other members. “The sporadic killings took place at three different locations that include the residence of the revered leader of the Movement at Gyallesu, the Husainiyya Bakiyatullah at the GRA and the Darur Rahma located along Zaria-Jos road where many armless people were killed. “The killing was so brutal at Gyallesu that even those injured in the shooting were identified and

killed in cold blood by the soldiers. And as at the time of writing this press release, the victims run into their hundreds, if not thousands. “Considering the gross violation of fundamental human rights and extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Nigerian Army, the Islamic Movement hereby condemns these unjustifiable acts. “We state categorically that the claim by the Army that Members of the Movement attempted of assassinate the Chief of Army Staff was a blatant lie as the army came back to launch their attack more than an hour after the COAS had passed. “Clearly, the Nigerian

government through its military is now on rampage, in an all out war with the Islamic movement, its members and structures. The scale of this attack would suggest it was meticulously planned by authorities and now being executed ruthlessly. The alleged attack on COAS Burutai was just an alibi.” Meanwhile, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appealed for calm after visiting Zaria. The governor’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement said El-Rufai has spoken with the Shi’ites leader on phone and met Butatai, in Zaria. The statement said: “Kaduna State Governor,

Malam Nasir El-Rufai had appealed for calm and peace. “The governor has spoken on phone with Sheik Ibraheem Zakzaky and later proceeded to Zaria to see things for himself. “He later met with Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Butatai at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria immediately after the passing out parade ceremony. “The situation is calm and security has been beefed up in Zaria.” Leader of Shi’ite in Gombe State, Mohammed Abari Bajoga, in his own reaction described as a lie, the alleged blockage of the convoy of Buratai. Abari, who spoke to journalist after a similar

procession held yesterday in Gombe, said the movement want an unconditional withdrawal of the army from the House of their national leader. According to him, the Nigerian Army lied when it said members of the movement blocked the road and made an assassination attempt on Buratai. He said: “We have never at any point in time, whether yesterday or in the past thirty years tried to kill anybody talk less the Chief of Army Staff. We have always observed our religious processions and never tried to kill even a corporal. The army just framed everything and we also believe it was orchestrated by US and Israel.

“We want the government to be truly democratic and call our leader for dialogue, if there is anything wrong he had done just the way the government is wooing MASSOB agitators.” He said the Buhari government must respect the fundamental human rights of Nigerians by allowing freedom of worship. “We are expressing our anger because it involves the destruction of lives of our members and the army issued lies to the public. This is our own version of what transpired, we will still hold a formal peaceful procession in condemnation of this act and make our stand known through write-ups too,” he added.

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Monday, December 14, 2015

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Africa needs $100bn annually for infrastructure gap –AfDB

L-R: Member, Bankers Committee and Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs Bola Adesola; Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos; Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, at the 7th Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat in Lagos.

Anti-graft: Probe past govt’s security votes –PDP …demands establishment of Truth Commission OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

s the wave of corruption allegations and confession continue to sweep across the country, particularly as officials and loyalists of the immediate past government of President Goodluck Jonathan are daily being caught in the web of corruption allegations, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Federal Government to extend the probe to past governments’ security votes in the country since 1984. PDP also asked the Federal Government to set up a National Truth Commission wherein politicians and other Nigerians publicly discuss the true meaning of corrupt practice in Nigeria. In a statement, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, also called on the government to probe “award of contracts by the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, from 1995 to 1999. “The expenditure of our military purchases and expenditure during the Bakassi wars, the fight against militancy in the Niger Delta, military interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, among others. “The source of funding

of the PDP and APC’s 2015 Presidential campaigns, the contributions from APC-controlled state governors for their Presidential campaign and the beneficiaries thereof. “The allegation that people were made ministers just to cover up the slush fund that they provided to finance the APC presidential campaign.” While restating its support for an honest, holistic and total war against corruption, the PDP demanded the trial and prosecution of all those involved, including those who may have returned ‘loots’ to the government. “However, we are completely against any onesided public trial and mob conviction of accused persons without following the age-long and worldwide legal process wherein all accused persons are presumed innocent until the contrary is lawfully proved. “We do not believe that mere investigation confers a guilt verdict on those concerned and the government should stop the brutal mob and public conviction of individuals and transfer of the burden of proof of people being investigated.” The PDP spokesperson emphasised that a media and public war against corruption is good, but it should not be limited to

only those opposed to the president and the ruling party. “In fact, until top officials of the former government open up on the exact source of the funding, it remains premature to be accusing our party members of corrupt practices. He said if indeed the government’s investigation includes the expenditure of President Jonathan security votes from 2011, then it should be extended to other public inquisition since 1984. “In the light of the way and manner of this government’s selective prosecution of the war against corruption, the PDP challenges the gov-

ernment to set up a National Truth Commission wherein politicians and other Nigerians publicly discuss the true meaning of corrupt practice in our land. “This commission would also provide a platform for a proper public inquisition into the mindboggling wealth of some Nigerians in public office. “Nigerians are quite eager to learn the business and investment tricks of past and present public officers in the APC fold, especially former governors, former ministers as well as their national leader, who suddenly acquired multibillions investments and are now reputed to be the richest politicians in the country.

resident of African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, says African countries need 100 billion dollars annually to close its infrastructure financing gap. Adesina disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Abuja. He said the bank had invested a lot in infrastructure, adding that the aim of the bank was to connect African countries with a trans-national highway. Adesina said in order to close the infrastructure gap, the bank had created what it called “Africa 50” as a new private sector platform to moblise funds for infrastructure development. Adesina said the aim of “Africa 50” was to help mobilise at least 10 billion dollars toward what Africa would need over the next five years on infrastructure. He said that “Africa 50” was to help countries to use their sovereign wealth funds toward the development of infrastructure. “The continent needs to have roughly 100 US

My ascension ordained by God –Ooni Ogunwusi BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA OSOGBO

oni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, yesterday said his ascension to the revered throne was ordained by

Union partners lawyers to protect Nigerians in S’ Africa

resident of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, said on Sunday that the body had partnered an NGO, Lawyers for Human Rights, to protect Nigerians in that country. Anyene disclosed this at Kimberley, Northern Cape Province of South Africa, at an end-of-year party organised by the union`s chapter in the province. He said the lawyers assisted the union to secure the release of 35 Nigerians and 10 citizens of other African countries detained by immigration officials in

that country. According to Anyene, the Nigerians were arrested on November 5 during a protest at the Home Affairs Office in Pretoria. The president, however, urged Nigerians in South Africa to embrace the identity card project initiated by the union and the Nigerian Consulate for their own protection. He said the card had features of the Nigerian passport and would provide them adequate identification when confronted by law enforcement officers in South Africa.

dollars a year to close its infrastructural gap. “Today, Africa has about 164 billion dollars in sovereign wealth funds that can be easily used to finance infrastructure. “Our pension funds that we have in Africa are over 360 billion U.S. dollars and this can also go into infrastructure. “The bank’s role is to de-risk those investments so that private sector can invest. “The bank is also investing in rail in East Africa. ``The bank has invested in rail that will connect the ports coming out of Mozambique to Uganda and Rwanda. ``We have also invested in the road connecting Lagos to Abidjan and Abidjan to Dakar. “We have invested in air travels to improve air transportation and air navigation system for many airports and we will continue to invest,” Adesina said. Speaking on investment, Adesina said that Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, inflow in Africa was about 64 billion dollars as at 2015, adding that the investment would continue to rise.

Anyene also urged them to be law-abiding and respect the laws of the host country. Mr Kennedy Osagie, Chairman of the union in Northern Cape Province, said four new wards had been created in the province. He said the wards would soon be inaugurated after some logistic challenges had been tackled. Osagie added that Nigerians in the province had been law abiding and living in peace with other residents in their host community.

God. The monarch, who led church in several praise songs during a thanksgiving service held at St Pauls Anglican Church, Ayegbaju, Ile-Ife, to round up his installation activities, said God made him king. Thanking God for choosing him as king, Oba Ogunwusi prayed for peace, assuring that time had come to fulfill a mission in Ile-Ife and the rest of Yoruba land. In his sermon, the Lord Bishop of Ife, Rt Reverend Oluranti Odubogun, described the new Ooni as a conqueror, and likened him to King Solomon in the Old Testament, who had been ordained to be king from the womb of his mother. He prayed God to grant him wisdom to walk in His light for the monarch to have a smooth sail and successful reign.

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Prison decongestion: FG asks states to offset inmates’ fines obiorA ifoh ABUJA

L-R: Religious leader, Sir Charles Oladeinde Williams; Presbyter, Wesley Cathedral, Olowogbowo, Lagos, Very Revd Sola Lala; new Arch Bishop of Lagos, Most Revd. Luke Odubanjo, and Lady Gloria Williams, at the annual Choir Festival of the Church in Lagos, at the weekend.

he Federal Government has appealed to state governments to offset the fines of inmates who have been convicted by the courts as a way of ensuring the decongestion of Nigerian prisons. Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau, gave the charge at the weekend when he visited the New Keffi Prisons where the Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Almakura, paid the fines of 78 inmates. Dambazau equally charged other governors to assist in procuring vehicles for the Nigeria Prisons Service for conveying inmates to vari-

Why we postponed 2016 population census –NPC Joel AJAyi ABUJA

ational Population Commission, NPC, has said that the shortage of times to prepare well was the main reason the commission why the shifted the proposed 2016 National Population Census till 2017. Chairman of NPC, Eze Duru-Iheoma, who was represented by Federal Commissioner Enugu, Mr. Festus Uzor, gave this hint at the weekend in Abuja; at the luncheon organised for population correspondent. He noted that quest for credible, fair and effective conduct of census caused the postponement. Duru-Iheoma said that it will be recall, that few months ago, series of uncertainties emanated as NPC up till today is yet to receive Federal Government proclamation for the 2016 population census. Despite the fact that the commission seems be in dark over the census, the commission is not deterred as its has

declared its readiness for the exercise, as precensus activities like Enumeration of Area Demarcation, EAD, have been begun in the six geo political zones including Abuja for the successful conduct of exercise. He added that even if the commission has all the money needed for the head count today, 2016 will not be realistic to do a very good job. According to him; I am not going to say anything novel, be-

cause I am representing the chairman. I am not speaking in my personal capacity and what I am telling you is what he has told the media and to our board meetings. He said; “We set out planning for 2016 census because going by United Nations guild lines for census, it should hold between five to ten years, the 2020 round of censuses which this one falls into, was to hold in 2016 in Nigeria going by the

fact that the last census was held in 2006. “Now, the reality on ground is that the required minimum of two years to plan for census, even if the money required is giving to us today, we would not be ready by 2016 to do a good job. “And it’s our position; that we rather not do a job at all, than doing a bad job, because that will be a waste of national resources, the Nigerian media would be part of those that

will condemn us if we fail to do a good job. “So the chairman has made it clear that the way things are; 2016 is not realistic, not that we don’t want it to hold it, but for us at the commission, to do a very good job, will now be in 2017 provided all preparations are put in place in earnest which means, funding have to be available, but on the part of the commission a lot has been done in terms of planning,” he said.

Banks target N300bn for SMEs, agric sector

he Bankers Committee said it had set a target of N300 billion to boost lending to Small and Medium Scale Entreprises, SMEs, and the agriculture sector in 2016. Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, said this while briefing newsmen on the communique released after the 7th Annual Bankers Committee Retreat held in Lagos from December 10 to 11th. The theme of the conference was; “’Creating an Enabling Environment for SME Growth’. Emefiele said that the facilities would not only be for SMEs, but also to large scale farming companies. On the agriculture, he

said its value chain needed to be de-risked to allow banks to grant facilities to farmers to stimulate growth in the economy. Emefiele said that the bankers agreed that derisking those value chains in the agriculture would encourage large scale farming and boost productivity in the sector. According to him, achieving this will increase lending to the sector, while the monetary and fiscal authorities must work together to improve local production. He said that increased local agriculture products like rice, tomatoes, wheat, fish, sugar, among others, would reduce the demand for foreign exchange.

Emefiele said this would help to boost country’s foreign exchange reserves and by extension strengthen the naira. The central boss said that banks believed that there was need to improve the level of infrastructure. He said that the retreat, which allowed stakeholders to share ideas, also afforded them the opportunities to review the performances of the outgoing year of 2015 and set agenda for banking industry in 2016. The CBN boss said the retreat also gave the opportunity to exchange ideas with invited ministers about their agenda and plans. He said the banking industry would continue to

support government’s effort to diversify the economy because of the ongoing challenges facing the global market. “I must say that the Nigeria is not an exception given that today we are affected adversely by the drop in crude oil prices which in itself has adverse impact on nation’s revenue. “We had extensive discussions on some of the previous outcomes of the Bankers Committee which have helped to increase lending to the manufacturing sector, facilitated finance to the power and aviation sectors. “It has also helped to sensitise lending to the agriculture secture where we have seen lending increas-

ous courts. Built in 2009, the Keffi Prisons has a carrying capacity of 160 inmates, but now has 586 inmates. Of this figure, 260 are suspects from courts in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Dambazau said to convey the suspects from Keffi in Nasarawa State to Abuja exerts a lot of strain on the vehicles owned by the Nasarawa State command of the prisons service, adding that the situation is not different in other states. He said stakeholders in Nigeria’s criminal justice system must begin to take more than a passing interest in the welfare of inmates. “There are quite a number of these inmates who do not have the ability to pay their fines. It does not make any economic or logistic sense to continue to keep them here and also feeding them just because they cannot pay the meagre fines given them as options. “It is a waste of human effort and resources to continue to keep them because the money spent on their feeding far outweighs the fines imposed on them,” Dambazau said. Earlier, Controller General of the service, Dr Peter Ekpendu, had taken the minister and Governor Almakura on a guided tour of the prison cells and other facilities.

ing from as low as one per cent in 2010/ 2011 to as high four per cent in 2014/2015,” Emefiele said. Those in attendance at the conference included the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Raji Fashola and the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amechi. Also in attendance were the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun,and chief executives of banks, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), SME operators and those in agriculture and power sectors.

South West

Abiodun nejo Ado Ekiti

armers and owners of the expanse of land on which Ekiti State Government proposes to construct an airport have headed for court over alleged “unlawful and forcible acquisition” of their land. The farmers and landowners said agents of the state government forcibly entered their land without any prior notice on October 2 and subse-

Ekiti airport project: Land owners seek N650m damages from govt

quent occasions to clear and remove economic trees, crops and buildings. The described the action as “illegal, unconstitutional, violation of their fundamental human rights and provisions of the Land Use Act 1978.” In a suit, HAD/71/2015,

filed before an Ado Ekiti High Court, the plaintiffs - Faluyi Ayeni, Tunde Ademiluyi, Faturoti Simeon, Awe Ojo Oladimeji Ojo, Oloniyi Agbadaola, Moses Ojo, Fabiyi Oso and Julius Oso-sued for themselves and on behalf of farmers and land owners of four communities affected by the air-

port project. The communities are Igbogun, Igbemo, Iwajo and Aso Ayegunle farm settlements, spanning three local government areas of Ado, Irepodun/ Ifelodun and Gbonyin. The defendants in the matter, according to the originating summons filed by the counsel to

L-R: Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi; Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Overall Best Graduate of the University of Ibadan, Dr. Olayinka Olamide Sodiq, during the presentation of award of excellence to Sodiq, at Government House, Osogbo, at the weekend.

Lagos to construct flyover bridges in Ajah, Abule-Egba FrAncis suberu

agos State Government has approved the construction of flyover bridges for two of the state’s high-density traffic zones - Ajah roundabout and Abule Egba junction. The two major projects were approved by the State’s Executive Council and have been duly awarded to contractors for commencement of work. According to a statement, signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the projects will be completed within 16 months as part of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s ongoing road infrastructure projects across the state. The statement said the construction of the reinforced concrete flyover and signalised intersection at Ajah roundabout will be undertaken simul-

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Monday, December 14, 2015

taneously with the rehabilitation of Freedom Road in Lekki, with a view to reducing the heavy traffic being recorded at the Ajah roundabout and the Lekki-Ikoyi axis. According to the commissioner, the Ajah flyover bridge will have a solarpowered signalised intersection in order to greatly improve traffic, while the upgrade of Freedom Road is expected to ease traffic considerably for vehicles using the Third Roundabout to connect Lekki through Admiralty way. While the Ajah project will ease movement of residents and commuters on the Lagos Island - Ibeju Lekki areas, the construction of the reinforced concrete dual-carriage flyover bridge at Abule Egba junction will equally bring joy and relief to millions of commuters that use the Lagos -Abeokuta Expressway in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Area when completed.

Like the Ajah project, Ayorinde said the Abule Egba flyover bridge will also have signalised intersection under it to service Oko-Oba and other link roads within the axis. Similarly, the state has repaired more than 300 roads in the last six months through the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, LSPWC. The statement also said the state is equally at the verge of completing another one hundred roads before the new year to underscore Governor Ambode’s top priority of providing good roads and infrastructural development across the state. In the statement, Ayorinde said that the state government has also awarded contracts for the rehabilitation and upgrade of strategic arterial/inner roads in Epe Local Government Area. While noting that Epe division is currently undergoing rapid industrial

and commercial growth arising from the commencement of developmental projects such as oil refinery, air and sea ports as well as citing of various industries within the Lekki Free Trade Zones, LFTZ, the Commissioner said a massive upgrade of strategic roads within the division had become necessary. According to him, some of the areas to be rehabilitated and upgraded in Epe include Lagos Road, Prof. Agbalajobi Road, Awolowo Road (Marine Police/Oke Oyinbo - Hamarun) as well as network of roads in Oloja Estate, Araga Road and Oke Osho junction – Itokin, among others. He said the newly awarded road contracts are coming on the heels of several other projects being constructed by the administration through the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, some of which are either completed or nearing completion.

the plaintiffs, Ayodeji Makanjuola Esan, made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, are the state governor; Commissioner for Works and Transportation; Commissioner for Lands and Housing and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Among others, they are seeking an order for the payment, jointly and severally by the defendants to the claimants, the sum of N650m, being general damages for the unlawful entry, damaging, removal of economic crops, destruction of buildings, huts, storage sheds and general trespass on their parcels of land. They are also seeking an order of injunction restraining the state government, its agents, servants, assigns, labourers, workmen or whosoever from forcibly entering, trespassing, coercing, intimidating, harassing, threatening or in any manner whatsoever from gaining access to their farms and landed properties. The applicants are also seeking an order of injunction restraining the state government and

its agents from further removing, harvesting, cropping, clearing or otherwise damaging their economic crops, buildings and chattels. They want a court declaration that the purported revocation of their Right of Occupancy to their respective parcels of land vide the Notice of Revocation captioned “Land Use Act 1978, Land required for the service of the Government of Ekiti State of Nigeria is unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void and consequently ineffectual to divest them of their rights to their respective parcels of land.” They also want the court to determine whether the Notice of Revocation titled “Land Use Act 1978, Land required for the service of the Government of Ekiti State of Nigeria”, dated the 18th day of September, 2015 and signed by the governor has any legal value and is not otherwise null, void and of no effect, for reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the provisions of the Land Use Act 1978.

Police arrest herbalist who keeps arms for robbery suspects Femi oyeweso

bery Squad of Ogun State

AbEokutA

command has arrested

one herbalist for keeping

en of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a herbalist, who allegedly keep firearms for a gang of armed robbers in the state. The herbalist, identified as Musiliu Otun, was arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, at Itunranikenken area of Sagamu in Sagamu Local Government Area, while in possession of some guns and ammunition allegedly belonging to his clients, who are armed robbers. A statement issued yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital by Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi said Otun was arrested with assorted charms allegedly prepared for his armed robber clients. “The Special Anti Rob-

arms and making charms for a group of suspected armed robbers who have been terrorising innocent Nigerian particularly the good people of Ogun State,” he said. Adejobi further explained that SARS operatives had being on watch out for the herbalist, following a tip off on the activities and involvement of the man in many robbery operations of the suspects. The PPRO also said SARS operatives carried out a raid in the house of the herbalist last Friday December 11 and arrested him. In another development, police in Sagamu yesterday arrested one Kabiru Soyemi for robbery and cultism.

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South West

Monday, December 14, 2015

Ex-lawmaker wants Dokpesi, others to refund $2bn fund Abiodun nejo Ado Ekiti

Orangun of Oke lla, Oba Adedokun Abolarin (right) and Obawara of Iwara lfe, Oba Olayiwola Adereti, during the Coronation Thanksgiving Service of Ooni of lfe, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, in Ile-Ife, last week.

NEPC assures of 300,000 jobs from cashew production Kemi olAitAn ibAdAn

igeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC, has reiterated its commitment in creating no fewer than 344,000 new jobs through its “One State One Product Initiative’’. Zonal controller of the agency, Mr. George Enyiekpon, made the disclosure at the weekend during the Train - The Trainer Cashew Workshop entitled “Maximising the potentials of cashew from the farm gate to the market,’’ held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.. The workshop was held in collaboration with the state Ministry of Agricul-

ture and Rural Development. He said the workshop was aimed at educating and showcasing best practices in cashew value chain for the farmers, agricultural extension agents, processors and exporters. He said: “Cashew is one of the 13 national products chosen by Nigeria to drive the non-oil export sector. Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of raw cashew nut in the world and with the product grown in almost all states in Nigeria.’’ According to Enyiekpon, an increase of 20 per cent from the current production figure would create more than 344,000 jobs, stating that such would

also generate $75, 875,000 additional incomes for the nation. He added that the country’s cashew attracted the lowest price in the global market as a result of challenges, which included low peel ability, poor quality, lack of traceability arising from fragmented value chain and poor skills among workers in the sector. Enyiekpon, added that Oyo State is the highest producer of cashew and that was why the agency started the training in the state among the three selected states of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo. Acting Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Gabri-

el Kehinde, assured the agency of the state government’s readiness to collaborate at exploring the potentials in it to benefit the people. Kehinde, who was represented by the Zonal Manager, OYSADEP, Ibadan/Ibarapa zone, Mr. Lukman Oladapo, urged the participants to make good use of the experience garnered at the workshop for the development of cashew production in the state. He said the present administration in the state under Governor Abiola Ajimobi, is more committed to the transformation of the state through revenue generation, job creation and infrastructural development.

Illegal detention: Court orders Navy to pay N200m GbenGA ounbufunmi

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Navy and the Chief of Naval Staff to pay an oil company, Mercury Oil Limited the sum of N200 million as damages for illegally detaining its vessel M. T SAPPHIRE 1 and siphoning 280,000 litres of Automated Gas Oil, AGO, from the said vessel. In his judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke said: “This case brought

to the fore once again, the arrogant, brutal, callous and capricious manner our law enforcement agencies commonly adopt in the exercise of their functions to the consternation and embarrassment of any discerning and decent minds around. We are in a democracy and must do everything to enthrone and nurture democratic ethos for the good of the society.’’ The court judgement was sequel to the fundamental right suit filed by a Lagos lawyer, Barrister Norrison Quakers (SAN), on behalf of Mercury Oil limited and its vessel M

T SAPPHIRE 1, and four crew members on board, Folorunso Olayiwola, Joshua Arthur, Asabalashe O.Johnson, and Wale Alade. In an affidavit in support of their application sworn to by the Managing Director of Mercury Oil, Osita Onumonu, the deponent averred that, sometime in February, 2014, Mercury Oil was engaged in offshore operation to load Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, adding that relevant approvals were gotten. The plaintiff stated that however, the vessel and its crew members were arrested on suspicion of

engaging in illegal operations. It further contended that after investigation by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, the body responsible for such investigation, the vessel was cleared of any wrong doing or illegal activities and recommended to be released. The applicants said that despite the clearance, the Nigerian Navy refused to release the vessel and that during the period the vessel’s detained, the 280,000 litres of AGO contained in the vessel was illegally siphoned by the Navy.

ormer member of the House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Faparusi, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to approach the court to compel the owner of Daar Communication Limited, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, to refund the N2.1 billion allegedly paid into his company from the $2 billion arms fund. Faparusi said Nigerians preferred refund of such huge amount of money into the Federal Government coffers to any litigation that could drag endlessly at the law courts. The former lawmaker said in a statement in Ado Ekiti: “As much as I don’t want to presume those fingered in the sleaze guilty before the court adjudicates on the matter, I want to state here that these callous Nigerians should not only be prosecuted, they should be made to

refund all the money they criminally misappropriated”. All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain disagreed with the money laundering charges preferred against Dokpesi, saying that the option left for the accused persons was to refund the money since he (Dokpesi) claimed that he was only paid for the publicity he ran for Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation for the 2015 elections through a wrong channel. Faparusi urged the EFCC to press further and secure a court order liquidating the company, through which the money was allegedly siphoned, describing this as the best way to send signal to many business owners being used as conduit pipes by politicians. According to Faparusi, it stands logic on its head for Dokpesi, who rendered service to Jonathan’s Campaign Organisation to receive payment for such service through the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA.

My plans for EKSU - VC Abiodun nejo Ado Ekiti

ew Vice Chancellor, VC, of the Ekiti State University, EKSU, Ado Ekiti, Professor Samuel Oye-Bandele, has said that his goal of ensuring development of qualitative education in the state will be realised at the university. Oye-Bandele regretted that the immediate past administration in the state cancelled the erstwhile University of Science and Technology, Ifaki Ekiti, USTI, of which he, as its VC then, was nurturing to centre of excellence in science and technology. The EKSU VC, who spoke at Ijesamodu Ekiti at the weekend during the burial of his late mother, Mrs Julianah Adesoye Bandele, aged 84, regretted that his mother, who had prayed for him to retake the VC seat, did not live to enjoy the fruits of that labour. In a tribute to his mother, Oye-Bandele said: “My pain is that you did not stay to enjoy this moment with me, which you laboured and

wished to see. I begged you to forgive the immediate past government in Ekiti State that terminated my appointment as VC and cancelled a vibrant and rapidly developing University of Science and Technology that I was nurturing in Ifaki-Ekiti. The VC described his late mother as a woman of admirable values - jocular, joyous, unique, ubiquitous, loving, industrious, innovative, agile and humble among others. The Anglican Bishop of Ekiti Oke Diocese, Most Reverend Bishop Isaac Olatunde Olubowale, described the late Madam Bandele as a devout Christian whose passion for God’s service was unrivaled, adding that she would be remembered by the town for being one of those who brought Christianity to the community. The cleric, who used the occasion to congratulate Professor Oye-Bandele on his appointment as EKSU VC, admonished the children of the deceased woman to continue to support God’s work as their late mother had done.

South East

Monday, December 14, 2015

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ASUU wants impunity at Michael Okpara varsity probed Femi OyewesO ABEOKUTA

agos zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called on the Federal Government to probe alleged acts of impunity being perpetrated at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU, Abia State, before it creeps into other higher institutions in the country. ASUU, Lagos zone, which comprises public universities in Lagos and Ogun states respectively, also warned that sacredness of the nation's academic sector would be jeopardised should the Federal Government allow the alleged extortion, fraudulent financial dealings against students and appointments of academic staff by patronage, among others, going on at MOUAU unchecked. Speaking with journalists after an emergency meeting of the zone yesterday at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago-Iwoye, ASUU's Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Adesola Nasir, said all such alleged "sleaze" and "impunity" should be thoroughly investigated by a well-constituted panel with the principal goal of sanctioning whoever was found culpable. The body further identified what it called other acts of impunities at MOUAU to include alleged running of unapproved programmes and collection of application fees for

appointment. Adesola rued that all the alleged anomalies were going at MOUAU under the watch of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Hilary Edeoga and the Pro - Chancellor, Professor Anya O. Anya. The ASUU, Lagos zonal emergency meeting had in attendance, chairmen of various branches of ASUU from the zone such as Dr. Adelaja Odukoya (UNILAG), Dr. Adekunle Idris (LASU), Dr. Deji Agboola (OOU), Dr. Bayo Akinsanya (TAISUED) as well as Dr. Adeosun F.I. of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Commenting on the disagreement between Ogun State Government and lecturers of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, ASUU, Lagos zone declared its supports for the indefinite, total and comprehensive strike action embarked upon by the lecturers over non-payment of their 16 months salaries. Adesola called on the Visitor to the university, Governor Ibikunle Amosun to ensure proper funding of the university, pay the lecturers their outstanding allowance legally earned and also resolve the issue of academic staff that were unjustly sacked by the university. Adesola also advised state government not resort to denial, blackmail or sit down and watch the strike drags on and on before taking the necessary steps.

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (right) commiserating with the Commissioner for Transport, Barr. Mrs. Nnenna Obewu Onwuka (left) during the funeral of her late husband, Chief Obewu Ukaegbu Onwuka, at Amaogulu-Abririba in Ohafia LGA, yesterday.

Enugu council poll: APC sues Ugwuanyi ...you have no moral ground to criticize —PDP

emmanuel ezeh ENUGU

nugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday announced that it has dragged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to court over his intention to set up caretaker committees for the 17 council areas in the state. However, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, insisted that APC lacked the moral ground to speak on matters concerning local government elections. Ugwuanyi had recently disclosed that caretaker committees would be set up to run the affairs of the council areas to enable government make adequate budgetary provisions for the exercise and as well com-

plete ongoing verification exercise in the local government areas. But the APC described the plan as unacceptable, prompting it to file a suit at the Enugu State High Court. The APC said it had already secured an order of the court to serve the Originating Summons and the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction “to restrain the governor and his officials from appointing any such caretaker committee pending hearing and determination of the case.” The case, with suit number E/362/2015, is pending before Honourable Justice R O Odugu of High Court 6, Enugu. Meanwhile, in a statement made available on Sunday by the Publicity Secre-

tary of APC in the state, Mrs. Kate Ofor, she stated that the party headed to court in order “to forestall the tendency of misapplication of local government council funds under the lame excuse of no money to conduct local government council election”. She said it must be known that the APC Enugu State chapter, vehemently opposed to setting up of caretaker committees to run Enugu State local government councils, as canvassed by Ugwuanyi. However, in a swift reaction, Enugu PDP has lampooned the APC over what it called the party's "mischievous comment against plan by the state government to constitute caretaker committees to run the affairs of the 17 local government

councils." The PDP said the APC lacked the moral grounds to speak on the matter in the sense that most states controlled by the APC administer council affairs through caretaker committees. The party maintained that there was nothing constitutionally wrong with the setting up of the committees under the present circumstances which the state found itself. In the statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Dr. Okey Eze, the party called on the APC to appreciate the new tempo of democratic experiment in Enugu State being championed by Ugwuanyi aimed at advancing good governance in an atmosphere of peace, civility, and rule of law.

Biafra agitation: Igbo politicians urged to support Okorocha Chris njOku OWERRI

United Nation’s Peace Ambassador, Chief John-Paul Ochemba, has called on Igbo politicians and other stakeholders to rally round Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to resolve the looming security crisis and find lasting solution to the socio-political challenges bedeviling the zone. Ochemba, who lauded Okorocha’s proactive initiatives in tackling the proBiafra protests that created tension across the country, noted that Okorocha had

given South East a sense of political direction in the last few years, which he said has repositioned the zone to reclaim its pride of place. According to him, the foremost challenge inhibiting meaningful development in the South East is the absence of a leader figure, who will serve as a rallying point as obtains in the South West, SouthSouth and the North, where the people have respect for political leaders, who represent their collective interests on national issues. “Ndigbo cannot continue like this. It is about time we come under a focused

and determined leadership where our collective aspirations and ambitions are articulated and vigorously pursued for the overall interest of the people,” he stated. The Peace Ambassador further stated; “It is also important that at this point, Igbo politicians and stakeholders should come together, irrespective of their political differences and rally round Governor Okorocha, who by providence has emerged as a political leader. Take for instance, the last pro-Biafra protests that almost crippled the zone, Governor Okorocha’s time-

ly interventions helped in calming the situation, several meetings of stakeholders were convened and the Igbo converged under one umbrella and addressed the problem and that is the kind of leader figure we need to succeed both politically and economically”. Ochemba urged the Igbo not to work against or betray each other to get selfish political advantage, lamenting that since the death of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Igbo have been groping in the ‘wilderness’, without an identified leader. “We have been greatly shortchanged in the scheme

of things because we have not been able to negotiate with one voice, our approach has shown that we are divided and this has greatly reduced our strength and rating among our contemporaries. “In the South West, for instance, the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has adequately stepped into the shoes of the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo and galvanised the zone, in the North you have the likes of Balarabe Musa, Maitama Sule and that is what Governor Okorocha should do, to pro-

vide leadership direction irrespective of concerted attempts to disparage and lampoon his efforts by some elements, he should remain focused for the interest of the Igbo. “And until we come together under a defined leadership, our collective political ambition will continue to elude us, until we prove beyond all reasonable doubt that we can lead ourselves devoid of rancour and acrimony nobody will take our quest to lead the nation seriously that is why it has become imperative that we put a leadership structure in place”.

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Monday, December 14, 2015

Police, lawyers bicker over promotion exercise C

South South

We apprehended 17 suspects during Bayelsa poll —Military

…threaten to quit service RichaRd Ndoma CALABAR

ggrieved police personnel, who qualified as lawyers while in service on Saturday evening threatened to resign following exclusion of their names from the ongoing promotion exercise of graduates in the force. The aggrieved policemen and women, who spoke with journalists in Calabar, said such exclusion was uncalled for and decried their exclusion from ongoing promotion exercise for what they termed “favouritism and man-know-man” approach adopted by some police commands in selecting those they preferred for the promotion interview scheduled for police headquarters in

Abuja this week. The aggrieved policemen and women, who were over 20, said that during the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Conference that took place in Abuja in August this year, said the President of NBA, Mr Augustine Alegeh, did call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, to expedite action on the promotion of policemen who have qualified as lawyers and were still in the rank and file, a request the IG agreed to implement, stressing that they were shocked that the police authority was trying to do the contrary despite the plea by NBA president. “When the ongoing promotion exercise came, we thought police lawyers who are still in the rank and file would all be elevated, but we

are surprised that in some commands just three or two names were selected for the interview” Corporal Justine Ebema said. Another police lawyer said she had qualified as a lawyer and was called to Bar since 2009, adding that despite the fact that he had been handling police matters in zone 6 Police Command covering Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Ebonyi states and because she had no one to make case for her, she was skipped from the exercise. “I hardly know any rest from Monday to Friday as I move from court to court in the six states of zone 6 just to prosecute police matters,” adding that even though she recently got a commendation certificate from the Inspector General of Police for successfully defending and

discharging a suit against an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, for N500 million, but in this promotion exercise, her name was skipped.’’ She said the names of those for the interview were generated by states of origin of the policemen, which gave room for manipulation as those charged with generating the list favoured some people, particularly in Akwa Ibom State where she comes from. “In the examination, which was cancelled, I scored 72 and during the screening exercise I presented my certificates and no issue was raised by the panel. That is why I am wondering what yardstick was used to pick those to attend the interview, while the rest of us were left out.”

L-R: Chairman, Orient Group, Mr Godwin Ezeemo; Director, Planning,Research and Strategy,Voice of Wisdom and Vision International, Prof. Funmi Adesanya-Davies, and Mrs Atim Ita, after receiving their Certificate of UN Peace Advocate in Port Harcourt, on Saturday.

ommander, 2 Brigade, of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Stephenson Olabanji, yesterday said the military apprehended 17 suspects for various election offences during the December 5 governorship election in the state. Olabanji also told newsmen in Yenagoa that the military played a supportive role to the police during the election. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that INEC had on Monday cancelled the result for Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, citing violence while declaring the governorship election inconclusive. The election in the council area was earlier shifted from December 5 to December 6 and it continued till the early hours of December 7 without a clear winner. Olabanji, however, said the election duty was coordinated through "Operation Safe Conduct" outfit comprising all security agencies under his watch. The commander said that in spite of the presence of troops and other security personnel, some thugs armed with dangerous weapons tried to disrupt the smooth process of the election. He said troops were deployed in all the eight local government areas of the state, adding that some areas like Southern Ijaw Local Government and Ekeremor were more volatile than others. “In Ekeremor Local Government Area, three youths were apprehended with 30 PVCs suspected to be stolen from their original owners. “Similarly, on December 6, along Olugbobiri River, a

speedboat carrying nine persons was intercepted carrying five AK-47 rifles and some ammunition. “The suspects were duly handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigations. “In Southern Ijaw, troops met a highly tense situation caused by members of contending political parties. “There was also information on the high influx of arms into the communities, particularly in Oporoma, headquarters of the local government,” he said. He said sporadic gunshots were later heard from Oporoma where it was discovered that unidentified rival gunmen had entered the community in an attempt to attack the INEC collation centre and hijack sensitive materials. The commander said this led to the swift response of his security outfit to track down the materials. "Consequently, there was exchange of fire and this led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of five AK 47 riffles and some ammunition,” he said. NAN reports that Olabanji handed over the cache of arms recovered to Mr Nasiru Oki, the Police Commissioner in the state.

Yakubu, INEC boss

Why I visited Southern Ijaw on election day —Dickson osahoN Julius YENAGOA

midst controversy that continued to trail the visit to Optoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, during the ill-fated rescheduled gubernatorial poll, Bayelsa State Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Seriake Dickson, yesterday

gave reasons for his action. Dickson made the clarification on Sunday through Jonathan Obuebite, Director of Publicity of his campaign team, Bayelsa Restoration Campaign Organisation. His explanation came on the heels of claims by Brigadier-General Stevenson Olabanji, Commander 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in charge of 'Operation Safe Conduct' for the Bayelsa

election that "the sudden appearance of one of the governorship candidates fueled the violence in Oporoma." Dickson said he stormed Oporoma, headquarters of the LGA, because "security concerns were still at alltime high" after Saturday's election was shifted to Sunday for the area. He stated that as Chief Security Officer of Bayelsa State, it was imperative for

him to visit Oporoma to see things for himself. He insisted that he acted well within his rights and out of genuine concern for life and property. Dickson said the security outfit under Olabanji failed to acknowledge that it erred by not heeding his advice and those of INEC officials and ad-hoc staff to postpone the election in Southern Ijaw following the gun duel be-

tween troops and militants throughout Friday night and Saturday morning. The governor said Olabanji lied that his presence heightened insecurity in Oporoma, which resulted in large-scale violence. Dickson said he visited the area hours before the election started. "Unfortunately, the JTF ('Operation Safe Conduct') lied that the governor's pres-

ence further heightened insecurity in the area. "That's so cheeky and it only clearly shows that the military was indeed compromised. "The governor went to Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, out of genuine concern for the security of lives of the citizens. "He went there as early as 7am long before the com-

North

Monday, December 14, 2015

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Committee on recovery of govt property nets N5.7bn in Bauchi

committee set up by Bauchi State government to recover assets illegally carted away by officials of the last administration has recovered property worth N5.7bn. A statement signed by Yakubu Ibn Mohammed, Special Adviser to Governor Mohammed Abubakar on Media and Communication, said the recovered items included movable and landed property carted away in eight years. Mohammed named 86 vehicles, generators, 31 air-conditioners, 311.54 hectares and 97 plots of land as some of the property recovered by the committee. “The interim report on Orphans and Vulnerable Agency shows betrayal of public trust by the principal officers of the agency that doubled as procurement officers. “False documentation and inflation of costs exemplified by the purchase of six laptops at N6m and granting approvals over and above official limit permeates the report. “N488.55m expenditure consummated under questionable circumstances by the

officials is yet to be accounted for,” he said. Mohammed said the report further indicated that N2bn loan obtained through the agency from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for sustenance of Microfinance to boost Small and Medium Enterprises, was diverted. “N1.5m out of the N2bn was diverted to address security challenges in the state, leaving N500m for disbursement to 13 Microfinance institutions for lending to enterprises,” he added. The special adviser said the report revealed wanton disregard for laid down rules and regulations pertaining to sale and allocation of government landed and movable property within the period under review. Former Commissioner for Information during the period under review, Alhaji Salisu Barau, while reacting to the report described it as “false.” Barau said former Governor Isa Yuguda followed due process in allocating property to his former aides and officials. He said the affected officials filed a suit and judgement was delivered in their favour.

Company procures 100,000 prepayment meters for customers

ano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO, has procured 100,000 prepayment meters for distribution to its customers. Managing Director of the company, Dr Jamil Gwamna, disclosed this in Kano. He said of the number 62,000 had since arrived, while the remaining 38,000 were being awaited. Gwamna said as soon as the remaining meters arrived, the company would commence distribution to custom-

ers. He said the company found it necessary to provide meters in order to stop estimated billing and ensure effective service delivery. Gwamna said the company planned to employ 1,000 additional staff as part of efforts to improve its services. He said the company had taken measures to improve its revenue generation. The measures, according to him, included customer enumeration which would soon commence.

Cross section of students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, during their matriculation in Bauchi, on Saturday.

Kogi East APC leaders reject gov-elect …insist on Audu/Faleke ticket Wale IbrahIm, LOKOJA

eaders of All Progressives Congress, APC, and stakeholders in Kogi East and part of western senatorial districts have resolved to reject the state’s governor-elect, Yahaya Bello. The leaders said they stand by the existing Audu/ Faleke ticket. Rising from their zonal meeting yesterday in Anyigba and Lokoja respectively, Chairman, Comrade Daniel Isah, stated that the Igala nation will not shift ground on the issue. Isah explained that the decision was borne out of the fact that the late Prince Abubakar Audu had already won the November 21 election, the result of

the supplementary election notwithstanding. He noted the over 6,000 votes scored during the supplementary election were not enough to deny the Audu/Faleke ticket the mandate freely given to them before the election was declared inconclusive. He said Bello, who scored 6,000 votes is a supplementary governor. He stated that all the stakeholders and party loyalists from nine local governments in Igala Kingdom have resolved to stand on the Audu/Faleke ticket. He noted that Igala people contributed enormously to the votes given to Audu/ Feleke during the governorship election, lamenting that people thought the APC hierarchy would allow the law to take its course,

but were disappointed with the imposition of another candidate. The meetings were emotional as women could not hold back tears, while the men wore gloomy faces, still mourning the late Audu. Among dignitaries that attended the meeting Senator Dangana Ochaja, a former House of Representatives member, Inna Ismaila Ocheni, a member of the state House of Assembly, representing Ankpa constituency, Rabiu Alfa Umar, a former council chairperson, Hajia Halima Alfa, council chairmen, all members of the state executive of the party, as well as local government and wards executives . In a related development, stakeholders of the party in Kogi West Senatorial Dis-

trict have also rejected Bello as Audu’s replacement. The stakeholders said they support Hon. Abiodun Faleke in his move to seek legal redress against the party. This was contained in a communiqué signed by Hon. Dare Olatunde and made available to newsmen in Lokoja yesterday. The stakeholders meeting in the senatorial zone was conveyed by Hon. Buba Jubril in Lokoja. The stakeholders resolved Faleke should continue with his legal case against the party over the nomination of Bello. “That we shall remain loyal and committed to the struggle of Hon. James faleke in the law court; no retreat, no surrender come rain, come sunshine,” they said.

Unemployment, poverty cause of insecurity in North East –Buhari rotImI FadeyI, ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari said the insecurity in the north east, abduction for ransom in the south and the sabotage of oil industry in the Delta region has one connection or the other with poverty and unemployment. Buhari therefore, assured that revival of indus-

tries would be the focus of his attention after the 2016 budget preparation in order to tackle unemployment. A statement issued yesterday by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Buhari spoke at a dinner he hosted in honour of the visiting Alumni Association of Indian Defence Services Staff College, DSSC, Wellingon, where he received part

of his military training. According to the statement, Buhari said very soon, “we will sit down to see how we can rehabilitate industries. We will do this in order to clear the problem of unemployment.” He decried a situation in which 60 per cent of the country’s youth population was unemployed, saying such situation was extremely dangerous for the country.

“We are meeting after the budget to see how to revive industry and secure the economy,” he further assured. The delegation was led to the President by the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ajjampur Ghanashyam The event was also attended by a number of retired Indian army generals, who were course-mates of the president.

Monday, December 14, 2015

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Politics

North-East Group rallies support for TETFUND scribe EzEkiEl TiTus BAUCHI

group, North-East Empowerment Advocate for Inclusive Development has called on detractors of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND scribe, Professor Sulaiman Elias Bogoro to toe the path of honour and shun sentiments in their attempt to rubbish the huge gains he has made for the improvement of education in Nigeria . The group also seeks President Muhammadu Buhari’s total support to TETFUND in order to consolidates on its success in line with the APC change mantra The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Hussaini Dass and the Secretary, Abdullahi Garba Lamai said the call becomes imperative due to the campaign of calumny against Bogoro by enemies of President Buhari apparently to indirectly settle their perceive scores. It expressed dismay that people from Bauchi state had since resorted to attacking Bogoro, who is their biological son and whose legacy is indelible through massive provision of infrastructures in public tertiary institutions “ It’s unfortunate that people of Bauchi are placing false information in the social media using the person of one Dr Aliyu Tilde to blackmail Bogoro that he is under investigation by the anti-graft agency whereas this is nothing but a calculated attempt to ridicule him and to underrate president Buhari’s decision to carry along with qualify hands in APC administration”, the release said. The group called on Bauchi indigenes not to continue to wash their dirty linen on the streets in their desperation for sentiments against Bogoro but be watchful as other states are laughing at the envious struggle against the TET-

FUND boss because of his religious status. It said people should stop attacking Bogoro through frivolous petitions saying it will no longer fold its arm and watch marauders destroying Buhari’s blueprints. It further said that should they continue with their act, it will have no option but to sue the mischief-makers , urging Emirs in the state to caution Bauchi indigenes to stop such nefarious acts which they see as disservice to the nation “ The attack on Bogoro has clearly justify the claim that the minorities are not safe in Bauchi state since at no time was his predecessor in office received such attack”, the group further said The campaign of calumny according to the group’s chairman is a signal to bequeath and inculcated hatred among Bauchi generations to come whereas those who occupy such offices in the past were unable to impact positively on their people, but are bunch of failures who use only religion to deceive the masses The group urged President Buhari not to hesitate in given the TETFUND all the necessary support to improve infrastructures in public tertiary institutions.

Former Senate President David Mark (left), speaking during his visit to the OCH’ Idoma Ogabaidu, Elias Obekpa, in Otukpo, Benue State on Saturday. PHOTO:NAN

FG will leverage on youths’ talent to promote attitudinal change –Minister Ayo EsAn

he Federal Government will leverage on the creative ability and talent of Nigerian youths to promote the campaign for attitudinal change and national reorientation, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said. A statement issued from his office in Abuja on Sunday said the Minister announced the plan on Satur-

day in Kaduna, where he attended the state’s first Annual Music Festival. He said because of the large followership being enjoyed by the nation’s artistes, they have the capacity to mobilize and influence attitudinal change among Nigerians. He assured that the Federal Government would provide the enabling environment for the creative industry to thrive in order to harness the potentials of culture for national reorientation and economic

Stop agitation for Biafra, Ortom’s aide tells Igbo HEnry iyorkAsE MAKURDI

pecial Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state on Special Duties, Arc. Joe Kyaagba has enjoined the Movement for the Sovereign state of Biafra MASSOB and other agitators for Biafra to refrain from the moves in the interest of one indivisible nation. Arc. Kyaagba who spoke to National Mirror yesterday in Makurdi noted with enthusiasm that the Igbo race has for long been reintegrated into the mainstream of Nigerian nationhood and urged

them to discountenance the agitation for the sake of peace and harmony. The Special Adviser himself an in-law to the Igbo observed that any moves to disintegrate the nation would degenerate disaffection among the nationalities and consequently lead to revisiting the 1963 mayhem which will not be in the best interest of anyone. The APC Stalwart further argued that the Igbo people of South - East Nigeria has come a long way in the Nigerian project stressing that if in any way there is discrepancies which might not go down well with

them it is rather better being addressed than resorting to disintegration. “Frankly, even if there are grey areas which may not be well with them, there are channels of addressing such issues one among which can be convocation of National confab whereby every ethnic group would have the ample opportunity to present their grievance towards finding amicable resolution” . He also expressed the view that dialogue must be implored by the aggrieved parties in resolving the impasse rather than confrontation which often lead to anarchy and chaos.

growth. Mohammed underscored the role of the creative sector in the economic growth and development of the nation, while noting that Nigeria became the biggest economy in Africa following the re-basing of its Gross Domestic Product, GDP mainly due to the boom in the creative industry. “We could have seen much more if only we are able to help them in terms of giving long-term loans for the creative industry and also to protect their intellectual property and that is the major bane of the creative industry today. So what we are trying to do as the Federal Government is that both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Information and Culture are to provide this support for the creative industry,” the Minister said. He disclosed that the Ministry of Information and Culture would soon partner with state governments to develop a National Cultural Calendar in order to ensure an allyear-round cultural fiesta that would be beneficial for the economy in terms of revenue earnings and also keep many out of mischief, thus enhancing security. “Today we have so many

festivals in many parts of the country and one of the suggestions that I put on the table in my ministry is that we will liaise with states. One state will give us a list of 10 festivals in ten cities and these ten cities in each state will give us 360 cities and then with the five local governments in Abuja, we will have 365 festivals. Then we can develop a calendar of festivals in Nigeria, which means that every day in Nigeria there will be a festival and this will help to attract tourists to the country. The problem we have today is that nobody knows what festival is holding, where and when,” he remarked. Also speaking , the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai said the Music Festival was organized to thank musicians and other artistes for the role they played in promoting peace during the 2015 general elections. “Many of them just sang for peaceful elections, they were not even partisan. The challenges we faced and the postponement of the elections and all that should have led to violence, but we believe that they (artistes) played a very significant role in ensuring that we had peaceful democratic change,” the Governor said.

Politics

Monday, December 14, 2015

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DPC hails Buhari on war against corruption

he Democratic People’s Congress, DPC has commended President Muhammadu Buhari in the war against corruption saying that it is a step in the right direction. The party urges him to extend the war on corruption to all those who looted state and national treasuries irrespective of their political affiliations. The party in a press statement signed by its National Chairman, Olusegun Peters, said Government should also be

transparent in recovering looted funds and release the names of those who embezzled public funds and the amount returned. He said DPC abhors corruption in all its ramifications and advocates long jail term for those who looted the public till. “There should be zero tolerance for corruption in the on-going march in building a strong, decent, progressive and prosperous nation,” he said. The party also congratulates the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate,

Yahaya Bello on his well deserved victory in the recent Kogi State governorship election. “It is victory for democracy and sweet music in the ears of all lovers of representative governance in Nigeria. “Despite the political impasse following the death of the party’s previous candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu before the election was concluded, the good people of Kogi State overwhelmingly voted for Yahaya Bello, who replaced him.

“The people have spoken. We urge politicians irrespective of their political affiliations to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of the state. “It is time to rally round the flag of this Confluence State and build a new Kogi State the people will be proud of. DPC urges the governor-elect to consult widely and package a blueprint for integrated development of Kogi State. The incoming APC government in the State should offer free education and healthcare to the

Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (2nd left), Sen. Joshua Dariye (3rd left) and other dignitaries, during the inauguration of Ulysses Nardin Boutique in Abuja on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN

Ekiti PDP seeks probe of military role in Bayelsa poll Abiodun nejo ADO EKITI

he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ekiti State has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to probe the alleged involvement of the military in the ballot snatching and violence that rendered Bayelsa State governorship election inconclusive. The PDP said such probe was necessary if the military panel set up on Ekiti and Osun state elections should not be taken as mere witch-hunt. PDP State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, in a statement in Ado Ekiti yesterday, wondered why the military men during the Bayelsa election allegedly aided the All Progressives Congress, APC to rig election in the Southern Ijaw Council area of the state after the military panel on Ekiti and Osun elections

was put up to probe the activities of soldiers in election matters. Consequently, the party challenged President Buhari to prove to Nigerians his sincerity on free and fair elections by querying military on its alleged role in the electoral fraud in the Bayelsa State governorship poll. Adebayo stated that if the military could probe the Ekiti and Osun elections where there was no record of killing, ballot snatching or mass thumb printing of ballot papers, “then that of Bayelsa State should be handled by a military tribunal to probe the wanton destruction of lives allegedly by soldiers just to rig for APC. “The President cannot stand aloof when the military under his administration has decided to join hands with his party to be rigging elections as witnessed during the inconclusive Bayelsa election

while at the same time, the Nigeria Army is probing its men that provided security that prevented rigging during the 2014 Ekiti State Governorship election.” The PDP spokesman reminded the President that Ekiti election was adjudged to be free and fair by both local and international observers, adding that the silence of the

President “would be seen as giving nod to the impunity of the military in Bayelsa election. “The essence of the military probing the Ekiti and Osun elections will become an exercise in futility and kangaroo arrangement if the President behaves as if what happened in Bayelsa is normal.”

longsuffering people of the State. “Infrastructure and industrialization of the State should be top priority of the Yahaya Bello administration. A youth with fresh ideas in governance, Kogi people expect the change that will uplift their living standards. “The tasks ahead are enormous and should start by clearing the mess of past governments in

the state. Kogi State is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. Yahaya Bello should prayerfully choose credible men and women who will assist him in building a prosperous state. “As a mass movement, DPC will support all progressive policies and actions of the government and strongly oppose any anti-people programmes,” he said.

George denies collecting N100m from Yuguda

ormer Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has said that at no time did he collect N100m from former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda as it is being carried by an online media. In a statement signed by his Political Adviser, Mr. Uthman Shodipe, George said : “ This is another blatant falsehood, stripped of any iota of truth. This is yet again a depraved continuation of lynch mob journalism orchestrated by Sahara Reporters “The salient fact is that very early this year, long before the election period, the party set up Contact and Mobilization Committee for each zone to reconcile various factions and ensure a firm unity of purpose within the zones before the election. I was elected as the Chairman for the South West zone. “The Committee which was made up of 18 senior members of the party with distinguished history of honor and exemplary leadership met at least 10 times in my office in Lagos.

“These people travelled all the way from every corner of the South West, with three members representing each state. All of them are very much alive to testify to my assertions. “Sometime in the middle of these deliberations, Yuguda came to me and said the party was reimbursing the 18 elders of the Committee for their transportation, accommodation and feeding allowance for the work that was done. The Committee later submitted the report of its deliberations to the party and then wound up .For all these efforts Yuguda gave the Committee only 30,000 dollars. That was less than N6million at that time . “Yuguda can never claim that he gave the Committee 100 million naira . That is the figment of the imagination of rascally scribblers purporting to be journalists ‘, George said. He warned those who are writing falsehood all in the name of journalism saying “facts are sacred. Journalism is diminished when every tout churns out pure garbage to malign public figures”.

Lagos PDP chides Ambode over comment on Lagosians Ayo esAn

he Lagos state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has strongly berated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for lacking morals and commitment to Lagosians. The party said the stance is coming on the heels of the governor’s recent generalisation and condemnation of the attitudes of Lagosians and the decision to deploy the

state’s newly bought security helicopter to his party leader for mere social function at Ife. Lagos PDP in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Barrister Taofik Gani said whereas Governor Ambode is cold, indifferent and ungrateful to Lagosians, he has exhibited unprecedented commitment, gratitude and servitude to his godfather. “We thus conclude that Lagosians have no place in the heart of the governor

except that which coincides with the interest of the governor’s godfather.” It would be recalled that at a recent function of Iyalode of lagos Forum/ health screening, the governor scored Lagosians low in morals and attitudes, thus called for attitudinal change. “It is our take that the governor’s conclusion is an insult, blackmail and diversionary. He should rather appreciate Lagosians who have for these years

indulged the ineptitude, exploitation and dehumanising policies of the state government; a practice which has become the label of APC in the state and which Governor Ambode is now continuing. He should apologise to Lagosians. “This governor’s assessment of Lagosians is very uncharitable and misdirected. It is a fumble. Lagosians are known to be persevering and supporters of good government policies”, the party said.

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Is that Mr. President’s Anti-corruption Office? BOB MAJIRIOGHENE ETEMIKU

here are many questions surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war. Nearly everyone that’s been hauled in is in the opposition, or was somewhat in an ‘adversarial’ predisposition with Mr. President. Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Senate President Bukola Saraki and erstwhile National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki are reference points. The former NSA, the first son of the deposed 18th Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, was managing director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation. He resigned after the corporation was privatized by Olusegun Obasanjo. Yet in spite of the mountain of evidence seemingly stacked against all of these people in terms of underhand and untoward dealings in matters of state, there is corresponding evidence, at least in the public domain that certain key members of Mr. Buhari’s party and his administration have soiled hands as well. What we should be seeing is some balance. On the eve of the long wait before Mr. Buhari’s saintly ministers were unveiled and anointed, countless stories of how former governors and members of the now ruling party ran their states aground. I cannot as a person verify the claim that a lot of the monies that went into the campaign of Mr. President actu-

ally came from funds that were supposed to be for capital projects in the states in question. Was this a legal thing for these people to have done? The only thing that a lot of Nigerians are holding on to, to buttress the wanton profligacy all around is that even in states that had no business asking for a bailout funds, and states that had governors returning re-elected, civil servants are still being owed salaries for as long as between six and 12 months. Not one of these individuals has been arrested, interrogated and facing corruption charges. Aside from the political terrain, there are other aspects of the campaign against corruption that establishes President Buhari as somewhat antithetical to the strengthening of the institutions that help with the fight against corruption. Take a look at the NCC-MTNgate that is currently playing out. Last October, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) realized that MTN had violated a law which instructed all telecommunications companies to cut off all lines that were not registered. So, the NCC wielded its big stick and imposed a hefty fine of $5.2 billion on MTN. As soon as the news hit town, all manner of arguments and speculations about the manner the scenario was going to play out hit the nation’s airwaves. Recall that in October 2014, South Africa, MTN’ home country, seized $15 million belonging to Nigeria. Colonel Dasuki was alleged to be the mastermind of the

Where has Amosun gone wrong? ADEMOLA ORUNBON

ver since the attentive world rose on its feet to applaud Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s virtuoso performance in his first four years in office, the dogs of war seem to have been let loose and they are baying for his innocent blood. Amosun has become the punching bag of miscreants on social media. Every day, they concoct falsehoods to nibble away at his soaring popularity among the long suffering people of Ogun State, who are beginning to finally see that indeed, Ogun can be better. From all indications, the mission of the people, who are sponsoring the endless calumnious campaigns is to distract him from actualizing his dream of a new and better Ogun State and also whittle down his rising profile as a promising leader of Egba. They figured that with his squeaky clean technocratic background and soar away performance in over four years in office, he would dwarf so many wannabe leaders sooner than later if no muck was cast on him. The question is what has Amosun done to earn their fear? Close observers of his administration can attest to the fact that for the first time in a long while, Ogun State is witnessing a structured approach to governance. Amosun’s philosophy of governance is inclusiveness and openness. Bringing his years in the commanding height of the private sector to bear on governance, Amosun

OGUN STATE IS HOME TO SOME OF AFRICA’S LARGEST MARKETS WITH NUMEROUS INVESTMENTS THAT COULD GENERATE INSTANT REVENUES

had outlined his Vision and Mission in the Government House from the outset, when he told Ogun people that he would make Ogun State first choice investment destination and a hub for industrialization and commercial activities. And for his mission, he said he was out to create a socially stable, business friendly environment that would attract both indigenes and foreigners to seek wealth creating opportunities in Ogun State. So, it would seem that Amosun is probably the first governor of Ogun State to articulate a vision and mission statement that would guide him in office. Again, in full appreciation of the security nightmare that had bedeviled Ogun State through the years, Amosun had divined that his leadership goals had no chance in hell if he failed to tackle the security challenges in the State. So, he went after the kidnappers, armed robbers and secret cultists, who had made the state inhabitable with a figurative sharp knife. And what exactly did he do? Quite simple: He spent the security votes on providing security infrastructure for the state. In just four years,

WHAT NIGERIA NEEDS IS FAIRNESS AND

JUSTICE. AND JUSTICE IS NOT JUSTICE WHEN IT IS LOPSIDED illegal arms procurement deal that went awry. Nigeria applied to South Africa for the monies to be returned, but South Africa scoffed at the move, insisting that ‘due process’ must be applied before the funds would be returned to Nigeria. But before the storm generated by that seizure subsided, South Africa again busted another illegal Nigerian arms deal. As we speak, South Africa stands its ground concerning the seized Nigerian cash. But by far the most remarkable twist to the NCC-MTNgate was the announcement by the communications minister, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, that whatever decision that would be taken over the fine imposed by the NCC on MTN was going to be made by Mr. President himself. I thought this was going to be impossible, because the NCC Act exists to deal with issues as the one involving the NCC-MTN gate. But I was shocked beyond words to read on the pages of most Nigerian newspapers that the NCC had decided to reduce the fine imposed on MTN from $5.2 billion to $3.5 billion on the instruction from the Presidency. The NCC communicated this initial reduction to the MTN in a letter, but later communicated a further

Amosun cleansed Ogun State of violent criminals and restored sleep to the eyes of the masses. And that is why they are kicking… One of the visible dividends is that Ogun State has become the new investment destination in West Africa. To actualize this, the governor set up an investment agency/ministry known as Ministry of Commerce and Industry and appointed one of Nigeria’s most brilliant investor-bankers, Mr. Bimbo Ashiru to run it. The ministry quickly knocked down the bureaucratic bottlenecks that discourage investors from moving into new territories and opened the state up for a candid assessment. This worked like magic. Again, leaning heavily on his technocratic background, Governor Amosun realized that for him to have enough money to find what he calls the ‘enablers’ that support the five cardinal programmes of his administrative strategy, he could not continue to depend on the hand-downs from the Federal Government. So, from an inherited Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N700 million monthly, he moved it to a new threshold of N5bn monthly. And what, in fact did he do? Ogun State is home to some of Africa’s largest markets with numerous investments that could generate instant revenues. The state hosts quite a sizable chunk of Nigeria’s manufacturing firms as well. Amosun simply opened bids for the investors and handed them over to competent hands, re-organized the vari-

reduction of the fine through another letter. Things cannot be messier than this. In the first instance, when the embattled NSA allegedly bungled the arms deal with South Africa and Nigeria had to go running to South Africa like some third rate African country, our ego in the international community was bruised beyond measure. But now, we are the one country in the whole world that cannot seem to get things right. Why do I say this? Why would it have to be the President countermanding NCC, when the law setting it up is clear on what to do to those who contravene it? Nigeria will never be a true democracy, and indeed, corruption cannot be mitigated if acts of impunity get a fillip from the highest quarters. What Nigeria needs is fairness and justice. And justice is not justice when it is lopsided. We must remember that democracy is not about strong individuals, but about strong institutions that work without the body language of a strong individual. That fact alone, together with its import, is playing out in a Lagos State, where Governor Akinwunmi Ambode seems to be unable to match his predecessor in body language and the political will to do the needful. Etemiku, of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Benin City, wrote via majirioghene@aneej.org.

ous markets and opened an enlightenment campaign on the importance of tax compliance. The people began to see the use of the taxes they pay in keeping Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Oja-Odan and Agbara clean and in the sudden return of sanity to Igesa. And they responded in kind. Ogun State had always needed a bridge-builder with deft social skills; someone who would climb down the moral high-horse to share a meal and a laugh with anybody. They found that in Amosun’s natural gregariousness. Before long, all the hitherto disparate forces from the maverick billionaire Buruji Kashamu to Mike Adenuga and even opposition figures like Otunba Gbenga Daniel as well as former President Olusegun Obasanjo among others have all found one reason or another to believe in Amosun’s approach to governance. They have seen a consummate consensus builder, who truly loves his people. And this explains which his opponents are kicking! Ademola Orunbon wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun State via orunbonibrahimademola@gmail.com 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, December 14, 2015

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

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

NAF and production of aircraft spare parts

affled by the level of industrial retrogression in the country not too long ago, respected jurist and former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore, once recalled how, in 1962, Nigeria invited Germans to set up the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON). The same year, Germans established the Brazilian Defence Industries (BDI). Unfortunately, however, while the Brazilians have blazed in glory, churning out products for both the military and civilian communities, including fighting vehicles, assorted military and civilian aircraft, trucks, luxury buses, and so on, according to reports, DIC ended up being known for producing salt - they call it ‘DICON salt’! The DIC prides itself as saddled with the responsibility of operating the ordnance factories for the manufacture and supply of arms and ammunition; as well as inspecting, testing and recommending ordnance material intended for use by the (Nigerian) Armed Forces and other security organizations; and using the excess capacity to support the development of local Industries. It was officially established by an Act of Parliament in 1964; with a West German manufacturing firm, Fritz Werner (FW), assigned to provide technical expertise and set up the Ordnance Factory in Kaduna. The company designed and built

the Kaduna Ordnance factories in 1964. Expected from the factories were 5000 units of BM 59 Rifles per annum, 18,000 units of SMG 12 per annum, 12,000,000 rounds of 7.62mm x 51 per annum and 4,000,000 rounds of 9mm x 19 per annum. Reports said the Nigerian Civil War (1967 - 1970) necessitated the tripling of the said production capacities; and the factory was thus able to make a significant contribution to the war effort. But after the war in 1970, DICON also literally died, as the military facility decided to be producing items for the civilian populace - rural water supply equipment, industrial spare parts and furniture for sale to the public. The DICON story became necessary because of the report, about a fortnight ago, that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced the production of locally-made spare parts and other related equipment for its fleet. Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, was quoted as saying the effort was in a bid to address the challenges associated with spare parts procurement from third party countries. The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Alonge said, had set up both research and implementation committees comprising three professors and NAF officers in partnership with 28 indigenous

IT IS QUITE INTERESTING THAT THE RESOLVE BY

NAF TO LOOK

INWARDS IS COMING AT A TIME WHEN THE COUNTRY IS BATTLING WITH, PERHAPS, ITS

WORST ARMS IMPORT/ PROCUREMENT SCANDAL

universities. The committees, we were told, recently submitted a combined interim report. “The research outcomes of the committees will save the country enormous resources in hard currency and the time lag experienced in purchasing spare parts and military hardware from other countries”, the NAF spokesman stated. We are, however, not unaware that President Muhammadu Buhari’s, two or three months after his inauguration as president, directed to the Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a military industrial complex for the local production of weapons for use by the nation’s armed forces. The president, at a graduation ceremony of the National Defence College in Abuja, charged the Defence Ministry “to liaise with strategic ministries, departments and agencies to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria

ON THIS DAY December 14, 1918 President of Portugal, Sidónio Pais, was assassinated. Pais (May 1, 1872 – December 14, 1918) was a Portuguese politician, diplomat and the 1st President of the country. He was known as the President-King. He escaped a first assassination attempt, but was shot on December 14, 1918 by José Júlio da Costa, at Rossio railway station, in Lisbon, when he was preparing to board a train to Porto.

Letters tothe theEditor Editor Letters to

December 14, 2004 The Millau viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, near Millau, France, was officially opened. It is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn, near Millau in southern France. Designed by the French structural engineer, Michel Virlogeux; and British architect, Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast’s summit at 343.0 metres (1,125 ft) above the base of the structure.

(DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements”. It was equally reported that Buhari asked the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to partner with DICON and commence the manufacturing of light weapons that it had designed. Perhaps the NAF initiative is a product of this charge. It is quite interesting that the resolve by NAF to look inwards is coming at a time when the country is battling with, perhaps, its worst arms import/procurement scandal. But reports, as far back as three years ago, had hinted that the billions of naira budgeted and expended year-in-year-out on defence by the Federal Government do not justify the output on the ground. The common recommendation is that Nigeria presently needs men and women of vision capable of turning defence votes to a better defence community with the requisite equipment and weaponry, not the mockery of corruption-stricken defence paraphernalia the country is now scourged with. Only when this is gotten right can President Buhari, the Commander- in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Defence Ministry, the entire armed forces - Army, Navy and NAF – and DICON, including the police, etc., truly claim they are on top of the nation’s security challenges.

x December 14, 2013 A reported coup attempt in South Sudan led to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties. Trouble began at the meeting of the National Liberation Council at Nyakuron, when opposition leaders, Dr. Riek Machar, Pagan Amum and Rebecca Nyandeng voted to boycott the meeting. Fighting later erupted between the Dinka elements of the Presidential Guard and the Nuer elements. President Salva Kiir called it a coup attempt.

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Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

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Cover

Kuru

Toxic Loans:

AMCON re-strategising to fulfil mandate

Despite the enormous fiscal challenges the Nigerian government is contending with now and the slow nature of the country’s judicial system, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, has unveiled plans to rev up its bad loans recovery drive in order to meet its N5.6trn bond obligations to banks. Udo Onyeka, reports

here are mixed reactions as whether Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, has been able to achieve the objective for which it was set up. This is because many had expected that by now the AMCON would have recovered all the bad debt which it acquired from the banks. But on the other hand there

people who believe that considering many challenges facing the organisation such as economic challenges and the slow nature of the nation’s judicial system among others, the institution as a Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV, has not done badly. As an SPV some of the major objectives of AMCON include assisting eligible banks in ef-

ficiently disposing the toxic assets, manage such assets where necessary and strive to obtain the best realistic financial returns on such assets or other assets it may acquire. However while doing this, it is expected to contemplate the long-term economic value of these assets; cost of acquiring and dealing with them, and all other necessary cost implica-

tions to be considered for the overall protection of the described assets. The Corporation’s assignment was huge and the former management under the leadership of Mr. Mustafa Chike Obi, could be said to have achieved some positive results, even though a lot more desired to be done if the mandate of the organization

would be achieved. Last week in Lagos at an interactive session with Journalists, the current Managing Director and Chief Executive, AMCON, Ahmed Kuru UDO ONYEKA, CO-ORDINATOR BUSINESS COURAGE udonyeka@gmail.com c

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Chike-Obi

organisation set up to exist forever. So if we leave our doors open to acquire more bad loans, some managers of banks would become reckless with their operation knowing that somebody has been position to clean up their mess at the end of the day. All over the world, banks are businesses set up to make profit and if they fail to make profit and mismanage their resources, they should be allowed to fail,” Kuru He explained that AMCON was trying to clear what it had already in the next few years. According to him if the corporation continues to buy new bad loan from banks, many of the managers will take a lot of things for granted, adding that a situation could even lead to the establishment of a second AMCON to rescue the first AMCON. He said “If you do a critical analysis of the banks’ loan portfolio today you will be amazed at what you will see and so we do not want to get involved in the acquisition of fresh bad loans.” Concerning recovery of debt Kuru the corporation would adopt naming and shaming of debtors by publishing the

‘

names of debtors on the pages of national newspapers. “We may resort to ‘naming and shaming’ of those who refuse to pay back their debts and would not also approach the us for negotiation by publishing their names on the national daily newspapers. Though publishing of names in newspapers may not be the best option but it is quite effective, saying that a lot of bank debtors rushed to the banks to pay back their debts or commence negotiations on how to offset the debt to make sure that their names or names of their businesses were not made public. “I know that publishing the names of debtors may not be the best option, but it was certainly an effective means of recovering debt. You remember that before banks published the names of debtors early this year, many debtors rushed to their banks to commence discussion on how to pay back. That actually was why some names were removed then banks debtors list at the last minute. I know it is effective because no responsible and good business person would to tag a bad debtor, which result in black listing

We won’t take up new loans because AMCON is not NPLs organisation set up to exist forever. So if we leave our doors open to acquire more bad loans, some managers of banks would become reckless with their operation knowing that somebody has been position to clean up their mess at the end of the day

‘

assured the readiness of his team to deliver on the mandate of the organisation. According to even though AMCON faced with economic difficulties including decline in crude oil prices and to repay N5.6trn bond obligations to banks. He said that AMCON is expected to pay up N5.6trn of the funds raised through bond issuance over the next 10 years but it is finding it difficult to get enough money to pay up. He explained that banks which contribute 70 per cent of the AMCON sinking fund is growing at about 12 per cent which is less than the 20 per cent projected growth. Banks are contributing 0.5 per cent of their balance sheet into the AMCON sinking fund but Kuru says that the contribution of banks to the sinking fund is going to fall short of expectations this year. The bad bank he explained is also faced with the challenges created by the dwindling oil price. According to him, the low price of crude oil at the international market is affecting its ability to sell off some of its assets and pay up on its obligations. Kuru explained that decline in price of crude in the international market has affected the valuation of some of the assets which it is holding. With over 30 per cent of its assets being in the oil and gas sector, he said “we all know what is happening to the price of crude, what it does is that it affects the price of the assets that we are holding.” He also listed as challenges of the bad bank the slow nature of the judicial system, “We have some obligors that are trying to abuse the court processes. We are challenged with an economy that has low purchasing power and this year we were also challenged with the elections and aftermath of the elections and the changes that was experienced in AMCON. The AMCON boss also foreclosed further purchase of Nigerian banking industry’s delinquent loans going forward, this was even as the stock of non-performing loan has gone above the mandatory 5 percent of industry loan portfolio to nearly 10 per cent. He said that the corporation would no longer take up anymore delinquent risk assets of banks, but would mobilise available resources toward recovering all bad loans it bought from them in 2009. “We won’t take up new loans because AMCON is not NPLs

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

such a person or company from taking part in Nigerian currency and government debt markets”, he said. Concerning some of the companies that AMCON stopped their operation by sealing them Kuru said the corporation did not close down any company there was running profitably, adding that all the firms taken over by AMCON were the that have run aground by former management and were also in serious debt. He said AMCON would be willing to discuss with owners of any sealed company that wants to resume operation. According him AMCON is not interested in sealing any company. “We disposed a number of assets we are holding and had some challenges selling off some others due to the crash in property prices across the country. But our mandate is to recover our money with debtors and to honor obligations to the people we are owing. “But those that took our money and diverted it to other uses must be made to account for their action,” he said. He also pointed out that the sinking fund which assumed the industry will be growing at 20 percent suffered some impairment in the past few years when it had been growing only by less than 12 percent. Kuru said disposal of assets has also been slow due to poor liquidity situation in the economy as most people coming to buy assets from AMCON want to do so under distressed situation which will not be good for the corporation. Going forward, he said there will be no more secret sale of asset, as it will be advertised in the news-

A3 19

papers through competitive bidding. The AMCON boss assured that a new timetable for the sale of Keystone Bank would soon be released to enable prospective investors and buyers to come with their bids. According to a report by Abata, Matthew Adeolu, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management Sciences, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos,banks should be better placed to resolve NPLs than using centralised special-purpose securitisation like AMCON. He said this is due to the fact that these banks have the loan files and some institutional knowledge of the borrowers. “ Leaving the toxic assets on banks’ balance sheets may also provide better incentives for banks to maximize the recovery value of bad debt and avoid future losses by improving loan approval, monitoring procedures and overall credit management process. One other beneficial important of this measure is that it will discourage carefree, indiscriminate lending. The existence of AMCON in itself could cause moral hazards”, he said. AMCON was set up by the legislature, via the instrumentality of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act ,AMCON Act, 2010. This paper seeks to examine some provisions of the AMCON Act, while assessing its status as a special purpose vehicle. The primary reason for establishing AMCON was due to the joint auditing of banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation ,NDIC, which revealed enormous, non-performing loans which was bedevilling the books of the said banks and threatened the corporate existence of these institutions. AMCON was therefore established to mop up these toxic assets and place these affected banks above water. The use of Special Purpose Vehicles ,SPV, to rehabilitate the books of troubled financial institution has been an age-long practice. As part of its power, the AMCON is enabled generally to issue bond or other debt instruments as consideration for the acquisition of EBAs. These bonds are usually guaranteed by the Federal Government. It also has the inherent powers to borrow or raise money, in Naira or any other currency with or without guarantee of the CBN and secure its payment. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News NPA canvasses intermodal transport system to end Apapa gridlock

Border rice imports: Customs nets N1.2bn on 17.6m tonnes Francis Ezem

Francis Ezem

he Nigerian Ports Authority, MallamHabibAbdullahi has made a strong case for an intermodal transport system linking the nation’s seaports with major cities in the country as the only long term measure to the perennial gridlock in Apapa. Managing Director of the authority, Mallam Habibu Abdullahi, who spoke against the background of moves by the Senate to facilitate the truck terminal in Apapa, said that the provision of adequate rail lines connecting the ports with major cities in Nigeria remains a major panacea to the perennial problems of gridlock in Apapa area of Lagos State. Mallam Abdullahi, who made this assertion while speaking at a stakeholders’ forum with the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, said the NPA remains the most negatively affected organisation in the maritime Industry by the worsening traffick congestion on the port access roads, According to him, the authority is therefore very eager to see that a permanent solution is proferred to the problem. “In past rail lines were used to convey cargoes from the ports to other parts of the country but these rail lines are no longer functioning” the Managing Director recalled. He therefore argued that the resuscitation of these services will further reduce the hardship being faced by commuters and other stakeholders. He also said: “Transportation of petroleum products by rail from the ports to the North, particularly Kano, which I witnessed as a youth no longer exists” He therefore called on the relevant authorities to rise up to this challenge. While pledging the readiness of the NPA to complement the efforts of other agencies whose responsibilities it is to provide the needed facilities. He also suggested that petroleum products could be piped from the ports to other destinations if the pipelines are also made right to ease the gridlock on a temporary basis. Chairman of the committee and former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima had said the committee has embarked on the moves to ensure the payment of the N1.5billion to facilitate the completion of the Tin Can Island truck terminal following a resolution passed by the

L - R: MD/CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola; Governor, Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, at a retreat of the Bankers’ Committee in Lagos

Senate expressing concerns over the gridlock. He therefore assured that the committee will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the problem of gridlock in Apapa is solved. The committee had following this motion embarked on inspection tour of the 400- capacity truck bay opposite Tin Can Island second gate. The chairman had also insisted that the sum of N1.5billion, which the government has yet to pay the contractors is the cause of the delay in the completion of the project. Senator Sani therefore called on all stakeholders to come up with suggestions on how best to combat the menace, pointing out that whatever affects the efficiency of the port operations affects the nation’s economy

Ecobank partners EDC to train SME operators

cobank Nigeria in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre, EDC, of the Pan-Atlantic University has trained and extended financial grants worth millions of naira to five budding Small and Medium Enterprises ,SMEs operators in the country under the ‘Ecobank New Venture Initiative’, ENVI. The ENVI, an innovative business training education programme is collaboration between Ecobank SME Club and EDC of the Pan Atlantic University. The five selected SME entrepreneurs otherwise known as ENVI Fellows include: Olufemi Adenekan, Daily Fresh Farms; James Onyebuchi, Ojames Footwears; Winifred Obazeh, Asa Organics; Ifeoluwa Olatayo, Soupah Kitchen Limited and Adegboyega Adesida, Charms Horizon International Farms Ltd.

The beneficiaries were enrolled for a one year training and mentorship with EDC leading to the award of the highly sought Certificate Entrepreneurial Management at EDC, the premier SME focused training Centre of the Pan- Atlantic university. The grant was awarded midway into the training so as to monitor a real life growth in their businesses over the one year mentorship with EDC. Speaking at the presentation of grants to the recipients in Lagos, Business Executive, Business Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Umadia, said the massive support for SMEs is in line with the bank’s philosophy which recognises the SME sub sector as the engine room of the nation’s economic growth. According to Umadia “the EMVI initiative is part of our plans to help grow small businesses. Apart from capacity building, we want to see these businesses grow hence the financial support. I believe this will further deepen Ecobank brand in the SME sector in Nigeria”. Stating the rationale of ENVI, Head SME/Value Chain, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Sunkami Olowo, explained that the programme is geared towards developing the capacity of entrepreneurs thereby creating sustainability in their business and also growing their bottom line. “The EMVI is an initiative between Ecobank and EDC. The SMEs were selected from over 150 participants that applied for the program across the country while 32 SMEs made the final list, the 5successful participants were selected after a rigorous exercise. The selected entrepreneurs were all young business owners below the age of 35 years. From our interaction, the training is already impacting positively in their business as the

participants have grown their business averagely by over 250 per cent since we commence the program. We will support and monitor them over a period of one year with EDC and subsequently their business growth over many years,” he stated. They will remain as Ambassadors of Ecobank in the SME space.

Arik Air increases Flight Operations on Lagos-Accra-Monrovia routes

rik Air, has increased its frequency on the LagosMonrovia route from three weekly to four weekly flights effective Sunday, December 13, 2015. The additional flight will be operated on Sunday to add to the existing Monday, Wednesday and Friday operations. This flight will also operate via Accra, Ghana as of the former schedule. Outbound flight departs Lagos at 7:20 am (local time) and arrives in Accra at 7:20 am (local time). The flight thereafter departs Accra at 8:05 am and arrives in Monrovia at 10:05am (local time). The inbound flight departs Monrovia at 10:50 am and arrives in Accra at 12:50 pm (local time). The flight then leaves Accra at 1:35pm to arrive in Lagos at 3:35pm (local time). Arik Air inaugurated the Lagos-Monrovia service on August 12, 2010 with twice a week flight service. This was later increased to four weekly before the suspension of flights to Monrovia due to the Ebola outbreak in July 2014. Arik Air resumed flight services to Monrovia on October 5, 2015 with three weekly flights.

ess than two months after it reversed the policy which restricted the importation of polished and brown rice to the seaports alone, the Nigeria Customs Service says it has recorded a total of 17.6 million metric tonnes of the commodity between October and November, 2015. It also generated import duty revenue of N1.2billion on the imported product through the land borders. National Public Relations Officer of the service, who made the disclosure, also said that these figures were disclosed at a strategy session convened by the Comptroller-General of the service, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd). It was gathered that the strategic session was specifically designed to review the service’s revenue performance for the year. A breakdown of the rice imports shows that Idiroko Border Command of the service located in Ogun State accounted for the largest volume of 8.276 metric tonnes, with a collection of N555.2 million duty. Similarly, the Katsina Border Command comes next in terms of quantity, having accounted for 3,636 metric tonnes of the commodity imported within the period with total revenue of N242.9 million collected. Others include a total of 2.156 metric tonnes imported through the land borders of Oyo/Osun Command, generating total revenue of N144.3m. The Seme Border Command accounted for 2,140 metric tonnes with a total of N143.4m revenue collections while the Sokoto Command accounted for 602 metric tonnes of the commodity with an import duty collection of N40.2m. Meanwhile, the Kano/Jigawa Command accounted for 470 metric tones with a revenue of N31.6m, the Adamawa/Taraba Command accounted for the importation of 248 metric tonnes with N16.6 million even as the Niger/Kwara/Kogi accounted for 68 metric tonnes with N4.7 million import duty collection bringing to a total of 17.6 million metric tonnes with a total revenue of N1.2bn. The Comptroller-General, who reacted to the new revenue profile, expressed satisfaction that the new policy is yielding fruitful results. He said: “The huge collection in just two months has vindicated our position. If we had stuck to our previous directive, this much quantum of rice would still have been smuggled into the country and we would

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have lost more than N1billion revenue.” The CG, who also observed that this is critical period in the nation’s economic history, insisted that the service would ensure that all import and export revenue due to the government were collected. The Comptroller-General of the Service, who assumed duty in September, had approved the removal of the restriction placed on importation of rice through the land borders one month after his resumption. The removal, according to the service was predicated on the large scale rice smuggling through the land borders, resulting to huge revenue loss and distortions in the price of the item in the local markets in the country.

Minister blames crisis on failure to diversify economy

he Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said on Friday in Abuja that the failure of past administrations to diversify the nation’s economy was responsible for the current economic crisis bedeviling the country. Onyeama said this at the ``Invest in Africa World Summit and Expo 2015’’ with the theme ``Investment Opportunities in Africa’’. He said that Nigeria’s failure to diversify its economy over the years was becoming very visible. He, therefore, stressed the need to harness other economic potential of the country fast track economic growth. He said that Nigeria needed foreign investment to galvanise the resources at its disposal and deploy them to productive activities in order revive the economy. The minister said that the nation’s agricultural sector must be modernised to make it deliver and compete with the rest of the world. In her remark, Mrs Aisha Abubakar, the Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment, said that the Federal Government’s desire was to

Onyeama

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

create a vibrant and enabling business environment for economic growth and development. “The economy needs to have a vibrant industrial and services sector. “This has soured the government to foster and strengthen the national and sub-national productive and industrial sector in the country to increase productivity, employment and overcome inequalities,” she said. Mr Angelo Ilozie, the organiser of the summit, noted that investment opportunities abound in Africa.

Al-Makura flags off cargo airport construction

overnor of Nasarawa state, Umaru Al-Makura on Friday, inaugurated the construction of an international cargo airport worth N17.5bn in Lafia. The governor laid the foundation stone for the project at Kwandere village, about 10 kilometres from Lafia metropolis. He said that the conception of the airport was informed by the desire of his administration to create a formidable platform for transportation of both domestic and international passengers. He explained that the project would be executed under Public-Private-Partnership, PPP, arrangement. He said that the principal partner a Chinese company, Tongyi group, would provide 75 per cent of the cost of the project, while the government would provide the remaining 25 per cent. Al-Makura expressed confidence that the construction firm would complete the project within the 18 months period stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU. He said that when completed, the airport would unbundle the economic potentials of not only Nasarawa state, but the North-Central geo-political zone of the country. He maintained that the project would open a new vista of economic activities, create employment for the teeming youths and boost the inflow of revenue into the coffers of the state. ``This airport will also serve as spring board for easy evacuation of the abundant agricultural produce and solid mineral resources in the state,” Al-Makura added. The governor pointed out that aside the attraction of investment, the airport would serve as an alternative terminus to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. ``When constructed, the new

airport will help assuage the congestion and over-stretched facilities at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.’’ He assured the host communities where the airport is sited of adequate compensation on their lands in line with the provisions of the land use Act. He urged them to support the execution of the project for the benefit of all. Al-Makura also announced that government had concluded plan to construct a bye-pass to link the airport to Abuja. He explained that the byepass would shorten the journey from Lafia to Abuja to one and half hours and provide alternative for commuters plying the Lafia-Akwanga-Keffi-Abuja route. Earlier, Mr Zheng You, Chairman of Tongyi group, assured the governor and people of the state that the company would deploy its expertise and technology to deliver on the project within the stipulated time.

Masha

OLX harps on benefits of car servicing during festive period Abolaji Adbayo

leading online marketer, OLX, has reiterated the importance of servicing cars, especially during this yuletide period. The firm, observing that people travel long distances during the festival period to visit family and friends, stated that it becomes imperative to give the advice as an essential reminder for car owners to take proper care of their vehicles as Christmas and New Year are fast approaching. Speaking, OLX Country Manager, Lola Masha, said that the company wanted to keep its users’ needs in view, whilst helping them optimize their car usage. She added, “With the huge volume of vehicles on our platform, we realized that we had to educate our car users by carrying out a survey. It is our way of ensuring that we remain connected to what is most important to them, especially at

this time where a lot of people travel for the festivities.” She said it was revealed by the survey carried out by the firm that 68 per cent of the respondents serviced their cars every three months, about 20 per cent serviced their cars every six months, two per cent every 12 months, and about 10 per cent were not forthcoming on the regularity of service. The research further revealed that a handful of respondents took their cars for service every month, based on the mileage of the car. An automobile expert, and General Manager, Mandilas Enterprises Limited, Stephen Gladwin also advised car owners to service and maintain their cars regularly for longer lifespan and prevention of breakdown of the vehicles which is usually a cause of road accidents. Gladwin added that, “It is best to service your car every three months. A long road trip is a serious test for your car, and it is always best to have it in great condition. One thing that a car user must know is that, there are no small problems when it comes to cars, an improperly aligned tyre can cause a lot of trouble, just like an overheating engine.” He noted that people do not service their cars due to poor budgeting and not servicing one’s car regularly could lead to complicated mechanical problems whilst driving. Recently, OLX partnered with Mandilas to offer eligible users who posted their cars for sale on the site, an opportunity to screen and evaluate their cars for free. At the end of the screening, the user would get an evaluation certificate from Mandilas that would state the current market value of the car as well as the condition of the parts of the car. The firm stated that this would 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. 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 to buy, sell or exchange used goods and services by making it fast and easy for anyone to post an ad through the mobile app.

GTBank to reward GTCrea8 customers

uaranty Trust Bank plc held the third edition of the GTCrea8 Mini Cooper giveaway with Hassan Jamiu Olawale from Kwara State University emerging as the proud owner of a Mini Cooper Car.

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Agbaje

The promo which was launched in 2013 provides a platform for the Bank to reward one lucky GTCrea8 customer with a brand new Mini Cooper car. The raffle draw for the Mini Cooper giveaway held on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at the GTBank Head office in Lagos. Since the launch of the campaign, two lucky GTCrea8 customers have been rewarded with a brand new mini cooper car. In 2013, Shalom Wigwe Elisha – a 2nd year student of medicine at the University of Lagos became the very first recipient of the prestigious car. Maryam Adebiyi – a student of Lagos state Polytechnic was the next to win the car in 2014. In addition to the car giveaway, 90 undergraduates have been rewarded with scholarships worth 150,000 each over the last 3 years. This year, GTBank has continued its tradition of rewarding loyal customers with amazing prizes such as laptops, smart phones, free mobile data and cosmetic kits for aspiring make-up artists. The Bank has also awarded monthly scholarships totaling N900, 000 to 6 lucky students since the beginning of the year. Commenting on the event, CEO/Managing Director of GTBank, Segun Agbaje, said: “The younger generation hold the key to our economic future and as such must develop a habit of planning ahead, saving, and investing wisely. The GTCrea8 platform is structured to assist students with their daily and future financial plans by enabling them develop valuable financial literacy and money management skills which subsequently prepare them for greater responsibilities in the years ahead”. The GTCrea8 account is a trendy, card-based interest bearing account designed especially for undergraduates. It is part of the Bank’s value proposition to deliver banking in a different way to young people by engaging them with fun, exciting and interactive activities such as musical Campus Storms and master classes which resonates with their unique demographics. BC

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Monday, December 14, 2015

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Companies & Markets

NBS adopts Stanbic IBTC’s PMI as official index Udo Onyeka

he National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has adopted the Stanbic IBTC Nigeria Purchasing Managers Index ,PMI, as the Nigerian government’s private sector-based index for the country. The Statistician General of the Federation and Director-General, NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale revealed this at the official launch of the index last week in Lagos. Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, said it launched the index, compiled by Markit, as part of efforts to ensure a vibrant business environment and that the monthly index will help gauge the health of private sector businesses in the country. The Statistician General commended Stanbic IBTC for again taking the lead in the financial services industry with the PMI launch. He said his agency is pleased to partner with the bank on the index and assured that it will continue to extend the necessary assistance and support to ensure the PMI is robust. “We looked at the methodology, asked questions and we are extremely happy with the PMI. And to show the extent to which we are happy with it, we have officially adopted the Stanbic IBTC Nigeria PMI as

government’s PMI,” Kale said. According the bank, the index would reflect figures derived from the survey of the business landscape. The index, among other things, would measure private sector operating status and thereby provide an early indication of business conditions in the country. It is a composite index, cal-

culated as a weighted average of five individual sub-components: New Orders, 30 per cent, Output 25 per cent, Employment 20 per cent, Suppliers’ Delivery Times 15 per cent and Stocks of Purchases 10 per cent. Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Yinka Sanni, said the availability of data has been

L – R: Principal, Oke Odo Junior College, Abule Egba, Lagos, Mr. L. O. Ajiteru; Executive Director, Business Development, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Representing the Permanent Secretary, Education District 1, Lagos, Mr. A.J Ojo, and Director of Facilities, Education District 1, Lagos, Mr. Asimi T.G at the Commissioning of NSE Learning and Development Centre, Oke Odo Junior College, Abule Egba, Lagos

largest quoted company on the Botswana Stock Exchange, BSE. The group has more than 250,000 consumers being served by its micro lending subsidiaries across 10 countries in Southern and East Africa. These subsidiaries provide short to medium-term unsecured loans to formally employed clients. FBN Microfinance Bank Limited was incorporated in March 2008 and duly licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, under the BOFIA, Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act No 25 of 1999.

It commenced operations in January 2009 with a fully paid up capital of N2bn. FBN MfB is a national microfinance bank licensed to operate in 36 states of Nigeria including Abuja, FCT. A fully owned subsidiary of FirstBank, FBN MfB is committed to providing financial access to small scale industries, petty traders, artisans and individuals to meet their day-to-day business aspirations and to create wealth. The micro bank is also dedicated to providing financial and

business advisory services to its target segment with a range of products designed for the growth of their businesses. The bank, as at December 2014, disbursed N 19.1bn in loans to 51,148 customers. A statement from FBN Holdings Plc said: “FBN Holdings Plc has executed a sale and purchase agreement with Letshego Holdings Limited to sell its shares ,in FBN Microfinance Bank, to Letshego. We expect that the sale will be concluded before the end of the current financial year.” BC

Union Bank partners Ogun State in revenue generation

nion Bank has donated 2 hilux vehicles to the Ogun State board of internal revenue to boost the agency’s effort in generating internal revenue for the State. The bank’s Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Mr Adekunle Sonola, who presented the vehicles at the state secretariat in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, expressed support for Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s drive towards enhancing internally generated revenue in the state. Amosun was represented on the occasion by the state Dep-

to improve collection and dissemination of statistics, Stanbic IBTC looked to identify a need in the space,” Sanni said, adding, “We recognised that Nigeria needs accurate, timely and reliable data by which individuals and corporates can quickly gauge the temperature and momentum of economic activity.” BC

Dai-ichi Life invests in European Bank’s microfinance bonds

Botswana firm acquires FBN MfB

Botswana-based financial services institution, Letshego Holdings Limited, has acquired majority stake in FBN Microfinance Bank,MfB. Although, the deal is yet to be fully concluded, there are strong indications that the acquisition would be sealed before year end. The sale of the microfinance bank by FBN Holdings was a decision reached by the management of the latter to divest from FBN MfB. Letshego Holdings has a market capitalisation in excess of $500m which makes it the third

an invaluable input for individuals and businesses to weigh in environmental, political, economic, financial and capital market opportunities and issues in taking strategic positions for the future. “Giving the importance of data and acknowledging the good works the National Bureau of Statistics has done over the years

uty Governor, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga. The Union Bank team included the Executive Director, Public Sector, Alhaji Ibrahim Kwargana; Team Lead Commercial, Foluso Adisa; Chief Marketing Officer ,Retail Banking, Oluwadunni Arigbede; and Divisional Executive ,South West, Samson Shittu. Sonola, who lauded the achievements of the state government since inception, said the bank was committed to fruitful and mutual relationship with the state. In his remarks, Amosun said the state government would

seek for more private sector partnership in realising its set objective by supporting its revenue drive to reduce dependence on the dwindling federal allocation. The governor appreciated the Union Bank management for partnering with the state government, explaining that the donation would open a new dawn of revenue drive for the state. “We want to thank the bank for previous support. You have been so supportive for our mission to rebuild. These vehicles will indeed enhance our revenue generation for the state,”

he added. Amosun, who described the bank’s donation as “a starting point,” said he looked forward to more social and economic relationship with the state government from the bank. He lauded the chairman of the state Internal Revenue Service, Mr Kunle Adeosun, for his ingenuity at facilitating a working relationship between the government and the financial institution. On his part, Adeosun assured the bank that the donations would be judiciously used to improve the revenue profile of the state. BC

he Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company has purchased $100m of Microfinance bonds issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, becoming the sole investor in the bond that supports EBRD’s funding to micro or small-sized enterprises. The insurance firm is an international financial institution that invests in projects in 36 countries, from central Europe to central Asia and the southern and eastern Mediterranean The EBRD has a long history of support for Micro, Small Enterprises, MSEs. MSEs are an important source of jobs and growth and an essential part of a healthy modern economy. At the same time, they are particularly vulnerable to some of the transition gaps that exist in the EBRD region, such as financing constraints, difficult business conditions and an economic legacy dominated by large state-owned companies. Improving MSEs’ access to funding is a crucial aspect of the EBRD’s effort to provide sustainable sources of lending to the real economy, and a particular reference is made to the support of small and medium sized enterprises in the agreement establishing the EBRD. “Dai-ichi Life follows investment principles that combine attractive investment opportunities with social, environmental, and governance (“ESG”) considerations. We strongly support the EBRD’s projects that provide the sustainable development of the emerging countries thorough funding to MSEs. Therefore, it is very meaningful for Dai-ichi Life to become the first institutional investor to provide financial support to EBRD’s Microfinance Bond Program through these bonds. We also believe the bonds offer solid and attractive investment opportunity,” said, General Manager, Global Fixed Income Investment Department, Dai-ichi Life, Kazuyuki Shigemoto. BC

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Monday, December 14, 2015

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Brand Watch

ConSol sustains contact solution gap bridging David Audu

s conSol celebrates a decade of rendering contact services in Nigeria and pledges to continue efforts to bridge the gap between Nigerian companies active in various industry sectors in their quest for quality customer service delivery. Chairman, ConSol Ltd, Ademola Eleso, in a press conference to mark the company’s 10th year of operation disclosed that the company has one of the largest deployment of outsourced call centre agents in Nigeria and an efficient single-site contact centre complex employing hundreds of Contact Centre agents, serving multiple clients in West Africa. DEm explained further that ConSol has combined strong ICT and customer management solutions in the last 10 years that enhanced client’s ability to deliver better service and value to their customers. “As the premier in the provision of customer interactions management solutions in Nigeria, ConSol also delivers a range of value-added services to clients within and outside the shores of Nigeria,” he said. Eleso noted further that ConSol has renewed its commitment to deliver more valueadded services to its existing and potential clients across industry, commerce and service

sectors. “We continue to create more value for our customers by providing first class contact and call centre services that deliver on customer satisfaction whilst reducing costs. “Consequently we help organisations increase profitability, by executing world-class inbound and outbound contact centre business processes and reducing total cost of ownership ,TCO, of this core customer ser-

vice function,” he said. “With our experience in mobile telecommunications and ICT sector in Europe, USA and Africa, ConSol has connected several Nigerian companies and Multi-National corporations to their customers in order to get feedback from them to verify their quality of service delivery and level of customer satisfaction. Most importantly we share the specific action areas companies can take, to achieve desired

improvements” he added. He revealed that ConSol’s clients are wide ranging and rising in number. “Some of them are Public sector organisations such as the Lagos State Government, National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Nigerian Briadcastign Corporation NBC, among others in financial services and telecommunication industries. BC

Right: Business Executive, Business Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Kingsley Umadia, presenting cheques to five selected SME businesses trained at Pan Atlantic University as part of ‘Ecobank New Venture Initiative’ (ENVI)

StarTimes reward subscribers with exclusive channels

urther to its recent investments in sports content and channels, digital TV service provider, StarTimes said it has gone a notch higher by adding new entertainment channel, Sony SAB and a new audience-engaging documentary series titled Nigerians in China showing on StarTimes popular Hausa channel, Dadin Kowa. StarTimes Marketing Director, Dare Kafar said StarTimes has recorded another milestone in its relentless quest towards enriching content, granting subscribers more value for money and offering a refreshing and enjoyable experience on the screens particularly during the festive season. “For our new subscribers that get free decoder this season after recharging with only N3,390, Digital terrestrial, or N4,800, Dish TV, or existing ones who recharges for one month and get one month free of Sports Plus viewing, StarTimes offers them this great op-

Kafar

portunity to enjoy the new Sony SAB channel and the exclusive homemade documentary on Nigerians in China. This is a significant development for us in our quest to connect all Nigerians to the digital TV space and ensure great experience with sharp images and superlative content. He said the new programmes are synonymous with highquality, cutting-edge Bolly-

wood-filmed entertainment with an extensive catalogue of prime-time programmes that resonates with the vision of StarTimes, which is to provide every family access to highquality digital entertainment. “The initiatives allow us to nurture an ‘axis of content excellence’, as well as more clearly differentiate our value proposition which in turn gives us the means to deliver the very best entertainment to our subscriber-base,” Kafar explained Sony SAB is a classic Indian general entertainment and comedy-centric television channel. With its premiere on StarTimes (DTT Channel 509, DTH 554 ) on December 1 and the upward yearnings of Nigerians for general Indian entertainment programmes, StarTimes subscribers will be thrilled with non-stop Indian entertainment and lifestyle programs. The new channel is available to StarTimes subscribers on Classic bouquet for DTT and Indian bouquet on DTH.

Some of the special programs lined up for the festive season include F.I.R, a detective movie; TU MERE AGAL BAGAL HAI, a comedy show; BAAL VEER, kids super hero show and TARAK MEHTA, a comedy show among other great and entertaining innovations. Meanwhile, StarTimes has also announced plans to sponsor two lucky Nigerians who will win its All Expense Paid Trip to Experience China. This opportunity is open for viewers of the fresh Nigerians in China documentary which came live on December 06. By viewing and following the new documentary on StarTimes Dadin Kowa, people can answers questions and win the lucky trips for a great experience in far away China. Some of the segments on the series are Yan Zamani, an initiative that challenges unemployed youth to be entrepreneurial; Hira Da Likita, a daily life educative program; Mairo, a family drama; Dan Baiwa, another youth educative program. BC

Sandtex unveils experience centre in Uyo

aints manufacturer, Portland Paints and Products Nigeria Plc, subsidiary of UAC, has unveiled an “all-inone” Sandtex experience centre in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom to cater for all your paints and painting needs. The new experience centre will provide all the quality brands from Portland Paints in a customer friendly environment. The centre has the latest computerised Paint tinting technology where any colour can be tinted for customers immediately, it offers over 15,000 colours in different paint finish such as Emulsion, Gloss, Silk, Matt, Satin, scrubbable matt and special effects paint finishes. In addition to this, the centre also provides free colour consultation to customers; helping customers to make right choice in paint and colour selection. At the commissioning event in Uyo , Head of Sales and Marketing for Portland Paints and Product Nigeria Plc Mrs Nnenna Azuka-Onwuka, said that “extending Sandtex’s brand footprint to Uyo is in fulfilment of the company’s commitment to ensuring that our brands are within our customers reach at all times; also customer trend has shown that taste for unique finish and variety of colour is on the increase, hence we have developed a solution for that need to suit the lifestyle of our customers by offering more colours and varieties of finish in a comfortable environment. Sandtex Paints products which are durable, covers and adheres more and have been developed to lasts longer on your walls.” While speaking to the Architects, engineers, painters and other building professionals who were at the event, AzukaOnwuka further stressed that Sandtex is the No 1 Exterior paint brand in Nigeria providing up to 15 years guarantee on some of its exterior finishes and also offers widest decorative finish. She further explained that Sandtex Experience centre was designed to ensure customers interacted with the brand in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere. The franchiseefor Uyo Experience Centre, Mrs Funke Aderemi expressed excitement at being a Sandtex Partner and noted that she is proud to be associated with brand, she called on customers in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Calabar, Aba, Owerri and its environs to patronise the brand to enjoy quality paint and excellent service. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

CWG task lawyers on technology adoption

Isaiah Erhiawarien

egal practitioners in the country have been urged to adopt technology innovation that will enable them perform their duties with ease, as well as aid the quick dispensation of justice. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group, CWG Plc, Mr. Austin Okere told members of the bar profession that the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, can use its websites to create a database of lawyers practicing in Lagos. Okere who made the remark at the official commissioning of the Ikeja Branch’s Website, held at the Bar Centre at the High Court in Lagos said that the Association could use the website to publicising its activities and promote the skills as well as the knowledge of her members by publishing their articles on the website. He said that the website could serve as a reference point for users of legal services and also as a medium to achieve significant

online presence by simply linking her social media handles such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram”. He observed that lawyers in the country are still seen carrying large files to court premises for judicial process despite the possibility of having the files on portable devices. According to him, they can make their jobs easier by “employing the service of a competent IT service provider that can help create applications that can transform their huge files into digital format that can be taken everywhere and accessed with convenience.” He added that “with technology you can file your proceedings online from the convenience of your office and make your services available to more people online.” Okere commended the branch for taking the bold step towards bridging the gap between legal practitioners and the society by creating a website for interaction, and pledged to partner the Association in the area of

Technotalk

he first mobile phone device that comes with dual pixel for both the back and front camera has been introduced into the smartphone market in the country. The technology comes with the flagship mobile phone, InnJoo 2, which was introduced into the market with the aim to offer photo savvy the best photo quality when taking a selfie. Managing Director, InnJoo Technology Company, Robert Lians said during the launch of its flagship device, InnJoo 2 in Lagos that the smartphone is also equipped with Fingerprint 2.0 technology which is with the latest module of fingerprint detector and recognition algorithm. He disclosed that the dual 13-megapixel camera is the most advanced cameras ever saying that both cameras are adopted with Samsung CMOS Sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 88 degrees shooting range, 5P lens, and Blue Glass IR filter, which can produce sharp detailed photos and full HD videos with full-sided zero-delay shutters whenever wherever. Lians noted that the Front camera has 13-megapixel and the front camera is8-megapixel, which is perfect for the social photographer and selfie enthusiasts without worrying much about running out of battery while enjoying the

phone. The Chinese mobile device maker, which arrived the country last year said that it istaking the market by storm noting that unveiling its unique brand of finger technology mobile phone one of its strategy. The flagship model InnJoo 2 is come with its high speed of 508PPI resolution of finger print, it’s easier and quicker to recognize and record the users’ finger print. Users will benefits from this new technology with its easier photo taking, higher security and the faster phone unlocking time with only 0.46 seconds. Lians said further that InnJoo 2 support Live Photos selecting the live photo mode, with just a press, that reveals the moments immediately before and after the shot was taken, saying “so you can enjoy a living memory rather than an instant frozen in time.Users also have several modes including continuous capture (up to 40 and 90 pieces), panorama mode and face beauty optimisation mode.” InnJoo’s Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, Tim Chen,

innjoo-i1k

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How to increase traffic on your blog

B Okere

ICT Training to ensure that they take advantage of technology to optimise their work. He however, charged them to extend their scope of influence to other critical areas of the society outside their sphere of practice saying that one of such critical concerns is the development of quality education in Nigeria. Okere said: “as we speak, about 30,000 Nigerians are schooling in the UK alone. Similarly, the nation loses about 2 billion dollars annually to neighbouring Ghana as school fees of Nigerians schooling in that country.” BC

Dual pixel camera phone technology debuts T

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said, “We are dedicated in bringing the new technology to the market, with an affordable price and premium quality the market are chasing”. He added: “Think as a normal user while design products, define the new functions and apply the new technology to the devices. As we see the increasing demands for privacy and security for every personal product, the Fingerprint technology helps to satisfy it completely.” He explained that InnJoo 2 is designed in 2.5D full metal frame, 7.3mm thickness and 126g weights. Adopted the world’s strongest Dragontrail glass touch panel, noting that it has 8 times of hardness than its rivals and displays stunning visual effects with 5.0inch screen. “The new device is also equipped with a powerful Octacore processor and running the Android Lollipop operating system, 2GB RAM and 16GB flash memory which can be further expanded to 64GB via microSD card”, he said. Concerning the quality of the battery, he said, the device boast of a built-in 3200mAh battery with fast charge technology, it ensures a longer battery usage saying that “Based on the Android 5.1 lighter Lollipop OS, InnOS allows a better user experience for browsing the Internet, playing games, watching videos, listening to music and talking on the phone.” BC

eing a blogger, business owner, or an entrepreneur, you want people to know the services you have to offer or read the creative content you produce. Driving traffic to your personal blog, portfolio, or business website is key to building a larger audience, gaining new customers, and going viral. Everyone can benefit from learning about driving traffic to their site. When you’ve put a strategy in place that optimizes your website for organic traffic from search engine results, you are guaranteed to boost the traffic to your site. Here are few tips that can help you: Create good content / well-written blog posts This should be your number one task from the beginning. Write compelling and interesting blog posts. Information that other people (your blog readers) may not be aware of. It’s even better when it’s valuable and up-to-date. If possible, add images and videos. In addition, you can share you own stories or news from the beginning to attract the right readership. Once you have at least 4-5 compelling blog posts or articles, you might start considering promoting your blog. If your blog is unfinished and you don’t have much content to read, then people will just think that the blog in-process and there’s not much to read. Become the expert of your subject Try and become the expert of your subject as that will make people to visit your site often. Also, If readers believe you have information and thinks about what is newest and best they come to your blog first as they want to be informed about new things. Use the search engine optimization (SEO). Always place keywords in the pages of your blog. This can be achieved by including links in the text and title of your posts. Don’t make your blogging an advertisement. Try to avoid making your blog content as an advertisement because readers feel abused when they visit a site thinking they will find useful information and they discover that they are in the process of read only blatant advertising for certain products and services. Concentrate more in making your content like an expert advice by providing thoughtful and thorough information that you will reach the top of the interests of your readers. Send notifications about updates to your blog via email: Sending notifications about updates to your blog by email is essential for potential readers who don’t really have time. This a good way to communicate to them about the content of your blog daily and you can use a free blogging service like WordPress or auto responder email also known (auto responder) to invite readers and manage your list of drives. Make sure the link to your blog is displayed on every post: Including the link to your newsletters, your brochures, your business cards and in every post you make on various forums and also sending emails is very essential. Make your blog a free article entitled: Create access to your blog through your articles and place them in article directories online with free link back to your blog. Other bloggers will use your article in their own blog and let you know as soon as site is been used. Put your blog updated often: It is difficult to develop a base of readers and even a list of diffusion. People want to know that they can expect an update daily or weekly blog to your loyalty. Set a goal for your writing and keep it up. It is the regularity and originality of your post that will make the difference between a professional blogger and an unprofessional blogger. Finally, have a good plan. One step at a time you will surely get there which will in turn lead you to success and BC profitability. BC BC

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Monday, December 14, 2015

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Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

2016 Subaru Tribeca

Autocare Checking and adding fluids to vital vehicle components Engine Oil ngine oil cools, cleans, lubricates, and seals the internal engine components. Clean engine oil is gold in color, while dirty engine oil is black in color. The most common weight of engine oil is 5W30, but always refer to the your vehicle’s recommendations. To get an accurate reading it is best to check the engine oil when the engine is cold. Most automotive engines have an oil capacity between four and five quarts. Vehicle manufacturers suggest adding oil when the engine is low one quart. To check the engine oil, shut off the engine, open the hood, and look for the engine oil dipstick. The engine oil dipstick runs through a metal tube that is usually located on the side of the engine on rear-wheel drive vehicles or on the front of the engine on front-wheel drive vehicles. Refer to your owner’s manual if you have questions on the location of the engine oil dipstick. Note: When checking any fluid, it is important to park on a level surface. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it off with a shop rag, reinsert it completely into the tube, remove again, and note the reading. The engine oil should be in the safe range. To add engine oil, locate the oil filler cap on the valve cover of the engine. Use a clean funnel to add the correct amount of engine oil. Give the engine oil time to flow to the oil pan. Recheck the level and correct if necessary. Do not overfill.

his is a luxury sports car that reaches new heights in terms of elegance, has an elegant shape, quality, performance and this car is also very environmentally friendly. Subaru is one of the most popular car brands in the world. One of the greatest autos the coming year will be 2016 Subaru Tribeca, at least in its course. Family motor vehicle, capable of accommodating 7 travellers and is exceedingly handle-able for the weight and size. On the other hand, comfort and space in the cabin is sufficient. The Subaru Tribeca was one of those vehicles that never really caught on, even among the Subaru enthusiasts. It was launched as a 2006 model and its design immediately faced a lot of criticism. Over the years, the Tribeca struggled with slow sales and it was finally discontinued in late 2013. That left Subaru with the Forester as the currently largest model in its lineup, while the demand for a mid-size three-row crossover has been increasing rapidly. According to some reports, the Japanese automaker is actively working on a potential replacement for the discontinued Tribeca, and an all-new model might hit the market as a 2016 Subaru Tribeca. Design The exterior styling was one of the biggest issues when it comes to the original Tribeca. The company was even forced to undertake a major facelift only two years after the model had been launched. The design was often criticized for being too generic with hardly any distinguishing features. The model simply couldn’t stand out, even among its Subaru siblings. Thus, the success of the 2016 Subaru Tribeca will depend largely on the automaker’s ability to

create a new visual identity for its three-row SUV. At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Subaru unveiled its Viziv 2 concept which previews the possible new look of the 2016 Subaru Tribeca. It remains to be seen to what extent the new crossover’s styling will be influenced by this concept. Some sources even speculate about the new Tribeca being offered with the plug-in hybrid technology based on the Viziv 2 concept. New design 2016 Tribeca SUV model will be inspired concept models of the company. Certainly, on design the vehicle will have the greatest impact Subaru Viziv 2 Concept and Subaru crossover 7 Concept. In addition, the company announced the appearance of the vehicle similar to the Mazda CX-9 model. 2016 Subaru Tribeca, will go beyond the dimensions of the current Tribeca models. New dimensions of the vehicle will offer more comfort in the cab and the passenger compartment. The new Tribeca model, will be larger versions of Outback, it is designed to be a sports crossover SUV model, with visible impact Subaru Viziv Concept 2 model. Powertrain Within the hood from the 2015 Subaru Tribeca will be 3.6-l H6 powertrain competent to generate 256 hewlett pack-

ard. This engine is going to be mated to 5-velocity vehicle gearbox and definately will deliver power to all wheels. Some of the techniques mounted to perform greater drive are going to be 4-wheel Ab muscles and driveline traction handle. Because new Subaru Tribeca is really a loved SUV, security methods are enhanced, which includes 2nd and 1st row side and airbags seat mounted safety bags. Motor vehicle was graded among the most dependable SUV autos from IIFS or maybe the Insurance coverage Organizations for the Road Security. Engine What will move this huge SUV is three.6-l H6 drivetrain. With this engine brand-new Tribeca are going to be capable to supply 256 horse powers through 5-speed transmission system. Diving system can send out power to any or all wheels of 2016 Tribeca. For higher performance and accrued safety, company has ready several safety systems, like 4-wheel ABS, driveline traction management, 2d and first row airbags and aspect seat mounted airbags that was ok for Insurance Institutes for the main road Safety that hierarchal safety of the 2016 Tribeca united of the foremost safest crossovers. BC

Transmission Fluid Both automatic and manual transmissions have fluid to cool, clean, lubricate, and seal internal components. Clean automatic transmission fluid is pinkish-red. The most common type of transmission fluid is Dexron/Mercon®, but always refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is usually recommended to check the fluid level in an automatic transmission while it is hot. Drive the vehicle about ten minutes to warm up the transmission. To receive accurate results, most manufacturers recommend that the engine be running and that the gear selector be in park. Apply the parking brake. Locate the automatic transmission oil dipstick. With the engine idling, pull out the dipstick, wipe it off with a shop rag, reinsert it completely into the tube, remove again, and note the reading. The automatic transmission fluid should be between the full cold and the full hot marks. If low, use a clean funnel to add the necessary fluid by pouring the fluid directly into the tube. Do not overfill. It usually takes only one pint (½ quart) of fluid to bring the fluid level from the full cold to the full hot mark. Recheck the level and add more if necessary. On manual transmissions there is usually a plug on the side of the transmission. To check the fluid level, you must turn the engine off, apply the parking brake, and remove the plug with a wrench. The fluid should be at or near the bottom of the filler plug. Some manual transmissions take ATF (automatic transmission fluid), while others take heavyweight (SAE 80W90) gear oil. Check the owner’s manual for specifications. Fill as necessary. Sometimes you need a special adapter that fits on quart bottles to transfer the fluid. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

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Victor Osibodu:

Silent, strategic deal

maker

He is the brain behind the Vigeo Group, a company which started with marketing of corporate gift items but has evolved to be a big player in banking, oil and gas, shipping, power, marketing, hospitality and investments. He is Victor Gbolade Osibodu, a trained pharmacist who has since found attraction in other lines of businesses By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

ictor Gbolade Osibodu may not be a very popular name in the realm of successful Nigerian business persons, but the impact which his chain of businesses has made in the Nigerian economy cannot be easily dismissed with a wave of hand. In fact, his wife, Olufunke, whom they both nurtured what started as a family business together, is more visible than Victor. Funke the immediate past Group Managing Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and until this; she was at the defunct Merchant Banking Corporation and later, Ecobank as managing director. In all his about 59 years, Gbolade Osibodu worked as an employee for only nine years. After his first degree in pharmacy from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo, he started his working career in 1977 at the Lagos State Health Management Board. After two years in the service of Lagos State government, Osibodu moved to Boots Company Nigeria Limited in 1979 but, three years after, he moved again, this time, to Bodnat International Company and got as far as becoming the company’s Deputy Managing Director. But then, his sojourn at Bodnat lasted only four years as he decided to call it quit with the company in 1985. Interestingly, Osibodu did not resigned from Bodnat to join another company with bigger prospect like many would do. Instead, he set his foot on the path of entrepreneurial engagement. Having attained such a height in his career, within a short period, Osibodu’s decision to quit the services of Bodnat was something out of the usual. But

because he has an entrepreneurial blood flowing in his veins, Osibodu took the risk and plunge himself into the world of uncertainties. Immediately after he disengaged from Bodmat, he incorporated Vigeo Limited, a multi-service organization which today is fast assuming the status of a conglomerate. He started out by marketing corporate gift items and souvenirs like calendars and exotic diaries, leveraging on the relationship with big corporate clients he had encountered while working in his previous engagements. With the near immediate successes recorded when Vigeo debuted, it may probably not be right to assume that Osibodu left Bodmat without knowing what exactly he wanted to do. No, he obviously saw a business lacuna somewhere and he quickly moved in to tap into it. Like he admitted recently, the coming of Vigeo Limited was borne out of an opportunity he garnered from working for a marketing company. “I was about 24 years old then and there was a need for promotions and we addressed it,” he recalled. “But the focus was not on what we did but how we did it. In 26 years, we have gone through eight phases and we now run what I call customer capital. That simply means the broader the clientele base, the more potential you have. The beauty is that, we have relationship with the clients,” he said. Incorporated in 1985, Vigeo Holdings Limited is a multi business enterprise with service offerings through five distinct business divisions: - Capital, Marketing and Distribution, Oil and Gas, Power and Shipping. Vigeo Group has carved a niche as a quality company, providing quality services

Osibodu

consistently and has become more or less a household name in the corporate Nigeria. The marketing and distribution division of the Vigeo Group operates through two different platforms namely CitiServe Limited and Vigeo Marketing Management Services, VMMS. CitiServe offers ‘easier life’ services to consumers and the brand has come to be synonymous with ‘convenience,’ through Refresh and EDistribution as its service delivery platforms. The CitiServe Refresh Services Limited, a subsidiary of Vigeo Holdings, is a unique retail distribution company which facilitates the delivery of light meal and refreshment faster to consumers through the Automated Vending Machine. This unique retail channel enables consumers to purchase light meals and or refreshment more readily and conveniently outside the traditional distribution channel. Citiserve is the pioneer and only company in Nigeria delivering drinks and or snacks to consumers through the vending process. Its vending machines have over the years established recognizable presence in critical public and pri-

vate sectors such as banks, hospitals, educational institutions and airports, among others. At present, it has significant market concentration in Abuja and Lagos with plans to expand to other cities in the country. Under the E – Distribution, CitiServe Limited serves as a national service provider for the distribution of e-products and services in Nigeria with a nationwide network of partners in the 36 states, including the FCT. CitiServe Limited has, for over seven years, partnered with several service providers and operators for bulk distribution of their products in PINs through its Mobile-Point-of-Sale, CMPOS, as its traditional business involved the distribution of PIN-based products including airtime top-up of all GSM service providers, pay-tv topup and exam PINs on its point-ofsales terminal, the Orange Box. Currently, CitiServe E-distribution is a player in Nigeria’s emerging e-payment market partnering with key stakeholders to provide e-payment solutions to customers at the last mile. This is done through the delivery of top-quality Point-of-Sales terminal management services to clients. The divi-

sion has undergone several positive evolutions that position it as a leading terminal management service provider, which is committed to delivering payment solutions to its identified clients. It has recently upgraded this service to accept bank card payments and in collaboration with electronic switching companies, make payments at multiple locations convenient, seamless and easy. Vigeo Marketing Management Services Limited, on the other hand, is a multifunctional service provider with a variety of offerings that enable effective management of customer interface and brand building concepts, which it has delivered over the years using, ingenuity, quality and bespoke tools. “We make bold to say that, Vigeo Marketing Management Services redefined the corporate promotions industry in the country, managing events such as the Nigerian Breweries AWILO concert, the marketing of the Barcelona Olympics sales in the early 90s, developed and introduced the robust information pages in diaries that has since been named the executive edition, classic of which is the Shadow hide Presidents Set,”

he said. Vigeo Marketing Management Services’ wealth of experience over the past twenty-five years has given it the privilege to work with (and still provide services for) the top five companies in every industry in the country. Its main clients include GTBank, Nigerian Breweries, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, MTN, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, First Bank, Guinness Nigeria, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Airtel, the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA ,Union Bank, Nigerian Bottling Company, PHCN, Multilinks, UBA, Seven Up Bottling Company, U.A.C Nigeria among others. In the capital market, the presence of Osibodu’s entrepreneurial endeavours is very visible. Through the Vigeo Capital which operates through Citi Investment Capital Ltd (Stockbrokerage Company) and Citi Asset Management Ltd (Asset Management Company), the firms have been delivering unique customer service to their clients, through a distinctive professionalism and high quality financial services with the use of ICT and Bloomberg. Citi Investment Capital Limited, CICL, a stock brokerage firm along with its sister company, Citi Asset Management Limited, CAML, an asset management/wealth and financial services firm has not only executed various stock brokerage transactions, but also engaged in discretionary and non discretionary fund management services backed by strong research. In addition, the stock brokerage firm takes responsibility for providing and/or supervising various aspects of clients’ financial planning needs which enable it to provide them with cost effective, hasslefree personal financial planning and wealth management. Another arm of Osibodu’s business line is the V.G. Estates Limited, a real estate investment company which is involved in property acquisition, construction and project management, marketing and sales of property, off-plan real estate ventures, and property and facility management. Incorporated in 1989, the company has over the years built a strong and dynamic organization with consistent delivery of premium service in real estate investment and property acquisition in major commercial centres in Nigeria, especially in Ikoyi, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Ogun State. With its vision to be a leading luxurious accommodation provider, committed to providing professional and premium services for the satisfaction of its stakeholders, it has its focus in creating a fully integrated lifestyle development offering of international standard; residential, office and resort accommodation with the best services and technology. V.G. Estates has continued to invest to expand its market opportunities. Currently, it is developing the Vigeo Human Resources Development Centre, VHRDC, at Ilisan, Ogun State. The project being built on 65 hectares of land is

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

expected to have provision for Golf Course, Five Star Hotel and other world class facilities. The Grand View Towers, a 15 storey building consisting of 52 palatial luxurious residential apartments in Ikoyi, Lagos, which will provide top-scale accommodation for top executives of blue chip companies, high net worth individuals and expatriates, is one of V.G Estates’ on-going projects. Also in the kitty of Osibodu’s conglomerate is the Vigeo Shipping Limited, a wholly owned Nigerian shipping company operating in the deepwater vessel segment of the Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The company was incorporated in August 2004 with the aim of changing the face of indigenous participation in the offshore support vessel business. The company commenced operation in a Joint Venture, JV, with Farstad ASA of Norway, one of the biggest providers of deep offshore assets. This JV led to the development of VigeoFarstad with 60 per cent ownership by Vigeo. In the course of the life of the JV, the company operated M/V Lady Margaret, an 8850BHP Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) and Lady Melinda, a 2750 DWT Platform Supply Vessel which were engaged by SNEPCO to support Bonga FPSO operations. In 2007, Vigeo took the decision to buy out the 40 per cent Farstad interest along with the acquisition of the vessel “Lady Margaret” now “Vigeo Olufunke.” In the power sector, Osibodu’s hand is conspicuous through Global Utilities Management Company, GUMCO, the company he established in 1999 as a utility infrastructure management company, providing services to improve the efficiency at the downstream sector of electric power industry. The company has an in-depth knowledge of the country’s electricity utility sector, beginning in 2002 with participation in the PHCN Revenue Cycle Management Programme, RCM. That involvement enhanced its knowledge and competence on improving efficiency of the revenue cycle and in essence,

reducing non-technical losses. With almost 10 years of collaborative engagement with PHCN, the company has accumulated an in-depth knowledge of the country’s power sector, including areas of critical needs currently inhibiting efficient delivery of power to consumers. In the last few years, GUMCO has been involved in the National Prepayment Metering Programme, NPPMP, in partnership with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC. Services rendered by GUMCO include, Support Services for Distribution Company, DISCOs, Customer Services Management, Marketing Management Services, ICT Solutions, Payment Systems/ third party payment solution and Revenue Cycle Management. It is also involved in Metering and Billing Management, Management of PPM systems, MD meter audit and maintenance, Grid Metering, Statistical Metering, Power Engineering Services, Supply and Installation of Distribution Materials, Design and Construction of Injection Sub-Stations and Alternative Energy Solution Consultancy. In the oil and gas sector, this is another venture where Osibodu is making waves, investing in specialized assets and through the Extended Enterprise Concept (JVs), developing competences to provide a spectrum of services to the oil and gas industry. Vigeo oil and gas partners with notable organizations around the world to provide a range of specialized services/products to its various clients in the industry with the objective of promoting skill acquisition, transfer of technology and improving local content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

‘

With over a decade of operations, the company has built a strong franchise and developed quality management systems leading to the award of the ISO 9001 : 2008 certification. With a multi-skilled and multitalented professional workforce, a strong financial base, state-of-theart IT platform, excellent in-country logistics and a strategically located office network, the company says it is poised to maintain its track record of high quality and excellent performance. In recent time, the company has expanded its scope of business to cover a broad range of business spectrum including Steel Products, Engineering and Maintenance Services, Oil Field Services, Safety Equipment Services and Operations Support Services. In its typical trail blazing style, through its state-of-the-art service centre and investment in the steel industry, Vegio Oil and Gas has been adding value to the nation’s fledging indigenous service/manufacturing sector of the oil and gas industry in line with the principles and intent of the Nigerian Content Development Act. Vigeo Oil and Gas has continued to invest in human capital and required infrastructure and continuously expanding capacity to establish itself as a committed and competent service provider in the sector and in view, the Gulf of Guinea. Recognised for his various contributions to the nation’s economy, Osibodu was in 2000, decorated with a national merit award of the Member of the Federal Republic by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. To those close to him, Gbolade Osibodu is a stylish corporate icon who believes that “Any chief executive is meant to dress well because a lot of people look up to you. Your dress sense would dictate the kind of people you employ and how they behave after employment. In our company, we take new entrants through training which include etiquette, dressing, poise, and other subjects because we come from different backgrounds and we can’t all behave same way. There is need to imbibe new sense of decency to everyone in any organisation. If you come to work not dressed well, I would know and take the necessary steps. Your job as a business executive is to sell your products, which hinges more on how you present yourself,” he said. Osibodu has always been a suit person until lately when he decides to dorn native attires. “I still wear my suits,” he said, “But I want to be flexible now, so I go for native attire. To me, dressing should be to set an example,” he stated in a recent interview.

My job is to know where we are going in the next five years. What are the shortfalls now? What do we need to do to improve? So, there is really no room for challenges. I worry less and I believe challenges come and go

‘

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A11 27

Gbolade Osibodu clearly has penchant for good looks, the attribute which he admit to have learnt from his late mother. “I was at Government College Ibadan, where you can’t dress shabbily and with a mother like mine, you cannot be wrong in how you look. My mother was very fashionable and it worked for me because even as a young executive, I was well dressed and was able to do things that people older than me could not achieve. I learnt long ago that you are addressed the way you are dressed,” he revealed. Aside the Vigeo Holdings, Osibodu is also on the board of several companies and banks in Nigeria including Phillips Consulting Limited, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Dorman Long & Amalgamated Engineering Ltd, UTC Nigeria Plc (a conglomerate). Osibodu, who is a pioneer director of the GTBank, is the Chairman of GTB Assurance Plc as well as SO & U Saatchi Ltd (a leading advertising agency). A voluntary mentor, he enjoys volunteering his time to several not-for-profit causes including serving as Country Chairman for Special Olympics Nigeria (affiliated to Special Olympics International, Washington, USA) which promotes sports among the mentally challenged, and the Fate Foundation, an NGO which focuses on promoting business and entrepreneurial development among Nigerian youth. Osibodu is Vice Chairman of Fate Foundation, a non-profit, private sector led organization created and funded by Nigerians in March 2000 and led by Fola Adeola, former Managing Director and co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Faculty of Science of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State. Osibodu, in his entrepreneurial strides does not see anything as a challenge. “The only challenge I could describe as one is seeing the future and planning for it. In planning for it, you build operations and less of you are there. You then become a member of the team. Now as chairman, I don’t manage any business again, we have subsidiaries that do all that. My job is to know where we are going in the next five years. What are the shortfalls now? What do we need to do to improve? So, there is really no room for challenges. I worry less and I believe challenges come and go,” he explained. Osibodu is a family man who is so devoted about his family despite his tight business schedule. Being married for 27 years is no joke, he revealed. “We are now the best of friends. We were both undergraduates at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. She is a credible person and no matter how busy we both are, we carve out time for each other,” he enthused. “We are both up by 4.00am and discuss issues. We try as much as possible to have dinner together as a family. I believe you would always find time for what you want. We are both busy but we give ground to the family. BC

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Business Courage

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, December 14, 2015

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs BUSINESS

See improved future now

KLINIC

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.

t is the beginning of a new week in the last month of year 2015. I will like to use this opportunity to inspire you to believe that you are more than this. I believe this is your season of celebration because your story is about to change. Those who ignored you and your ideas before will begin to honour you and call to support! As the year runs to a close, the obstacles that stopped you before cannot anymore. New opportunities are coming your way more than you ever imagined. I see you breaking forth into new horizons. I see you on your way to greatness in the year 2016. The story of Abiodun, my wife, will inspire you never to give up on your slow result but focus on possible improved future. In the year 2008,while we were in courtship, she lived in Ijebu Ode, south west, Nigeria. There she decided to lecture professional accounting students through an institution that could only afford to pay her ten thousand naira as three month remuneration. That would be about sixty dollar wage for three month services. She wasn’t discouraged, although I frowned at the decision. She saw what I didn’t see. Abiodun decided to put in her best for the success of the students. She perfected her lecturing and public presentation skills. That decision, Abiodun herself would later acknowledge, was one great decision. It opened an opportunity for her at a multinational business school two years later. There she earned an average of twenty one dollar an hour (three thousand, five hundred naira hour) to lecture the same category of professional accounting students. Friends, that responsibility that seem so unrewarding today may be worth a fortune tomorrow in another system. That area of business that doesn’t look attractive may be your biggest cash cow in few years. And that idea you are planning to abandon could be the next break through idea in the world. I have also observed that most ideas are like seeds that when planted requires good environment and takes time to grow before it produces fruit. There are factors that influence the

success of people’s idea. Some people whose idea profit them eventually, knows that it takes divers level of effort and time. An example is a person who has an idea and trade with it. Her business success is a minimal level type. The sustainability of such effort and success is limited to her life time. At another level, a person with idea who leverage on other people effort and build a system will experience business success on a bigger scale. Such a person has moved from self employed to entrepreneur. Entrepreneur is a person who has an idea, see an improved future and build a system around it to birth the

‘

Most ideas are like seeds that when planted requires good environment and takes time to grow before it produces fruit. There are factors that influence the success of people’s idea. Some people whose idea profit them eventually, knows that it takes divers level of effort and time

future. Chances are that the business will be around beyond the person. I will encourage you to be system conscious if you will improve success rate in your venture. You have an idea that you are passionate about then start thinking system now.

‘

e-mail: olusegunmamora@gmail.com

There are two categories of system. The first is inanimate system; department, process and control etc. The second is the animate system; the people perspective or the workers mental model and skills. System thinking and development is one factor that is responsible

Motivational Business Quotes

t is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin

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

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

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. – Harold Geneen

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

To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart. – Thomas Watson, Sr. The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers. – John Egan BC

for success of your idea. The second factor that is responsible for the success of idea is the people skill. It is the characteristic of successful people. People flows in the direction of celebration. The people you don’t celebrate will not support you. I agree that it is somewhat expensive to introduce more over head cost starting out with your idea. Let me share my personal experience. My wife is a professional accountant and I support her passion and career growth. While she prepare for exams, I will make myself available for support in research and technology adaptation. Today, she is my consultant. She does that for me with joy and for free often. Why? Don’t be tempted to think that well she is your wife. The simple reason is because I have a surplus emotional credit with her. I have given her support and celebrated her to prove my genuine love for her and what she does. You also have people around you who can help you develop your idea without paying so much. Start with people around you by away of little support. Show love to people, volunteer your time too and have a good emotional deposit with peoples. Those who are future and business improvement conscious do not underestimate the importance of relationship. They value people correctly and always. A research was carried out in the United States of America several years ago. The research shows that the success of artisans and factory workers depend on 75%technical skill and 25%people relational skill. For supervisors, it is 50% technical skill and 50% people relationship skill. The executive success on assignment depends on 25% technical skill and 75% people relationship skill. The more you are people relationship improvement conscious the better is your future and quality of result you get. Those who love people development are paying it forward. They have seen beyond now. Please hold on to your passion, be system conscious, and leverage on the support of people around you to prepare for the dream future where your business has improved on many front. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

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ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

The corporate

Paparazzi

Many talents wasted away due to lack of proper education while much potential are not fully harnessed as a result of the parochial view that some jobs do not need formal training. However, for the Osun state born Aderoju Taofeek Ademola, photography is beyond the clicking of the buttons or flashing of lights; it is a profession that took him four years study in the university. He tells his story. face at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, not as a student but a campus photographer where he became a toast among the students, especially fresh undergraduates who are always interested in taking photographs of their new citadel of study. “It was a big challenge because I started working as a campus photographer at O.A.U immediately I left secondary school, so I was young as at that time but my work always speak for me. It was a common occurrence for most of the students to have doubt in my ability but the few that trusted me ended up as my best clients and also my best advertisers,” he added. Indeed, it was a big challenge for him to compete with other photographers on campus, most of whom are old enough to be his father and with years of experience at their disposal. “Most often, I always feel uncomfortable with most of the campus photographers because they are older but it ends up to be an advantage because I learnt a lot from them. They have years of experience and stories to tell about the job; so I learnt from their success and failures to chart a better path for myself,” he told Business Courage. Ademola took two major decisions that changed his photography story. The first was to expand his reach, establishing a photography booth at Federal University of Technology, Akure, and later in Osun State Polytechnics, Iree; the decision to a large extent, extended his reach unlike his colleagues that limited themselves to Obafemi Awolowo University. The expansion of his

‘

business at that tender age also increased his income and turned him into an employer of labour. The second was his determination to further his education in photography. Notwithstanding that most people he worked with had no formal education and coupled with the fact that he was already a boss of his own business, earning income that seems enough for his present needs and more so, he felt the compelling need to seek further knowledge. He studied photojournalism and cinematography at the Lagos State University. “I must confess that it was a bold step. The idea of expansion of the business came when I saw the need at my visit to FUTA and as human being, we are limited because we cannot be at different places at the same time. “So I thought of a way to meet the needs of the students there but there was this common skepticism that it will not work and the person that I will employ to man one of the booth will embezzle the income but in fairness, I saw it as a way to employ somebody and contribute my quota,” he said, adding that “ I have always love to further my education and being in the university environment further enhanced the drive for it. I was of the opinion that with the right education, I can make my job better and the opportunity to study photojournalism and cinematography was great”. It was in 2001 that he came up with the name PIXdotCOM for his photography outfit but his relocation to Lagos to study in 2005 reposition the business, especially in branding and mar-

It started as a hobby, it was something I love doing. It is a talent that earned me respect among my mates and even teachers because everyone does acknowledge my strong drive and motive

‘

t the tender age when most of his mates were struggling to form a path to choose in life, Aderoju Taofeek Ademola was already a popular name in his neighborhood and a favourite among his college teachers and administrators. It was not his academic prowess that unlocks doors for him or that make the little boy the toast of his community; rather, it was his talent and what he achieved with it. Armed with his 19th century 35 mm analogue camera, Ademola, popularly known as omode photographer (often shorten as Omode foto; meaning baby photographer or young photographer) is always a beauty to behold. When he was in Senior Secondary School one at Ife City College in 1996, he was already popular with his camera and started earning money, though, it was not the priority at that stage. “It started as a hobby, it was something I love doing. It is a talent that earned me respect among my mates and even teachers because everyone does acknowledge my strong drive and motive. At that tender age, I will work for people, especially during anniversaries or special celebrations; it was a great experience; the normal ‘wait and get’ at functions in Osun state, where you rush to the laboratory before the end of the event to print the photos. “I started with manual camera called Zenith Manual Camera, later to Pentax manual camera before the advent of digital cameras,” he recalled of his early sojourn to the field of photography. Ademola enjoyed the backing of his parents, especially his mother who bought his first camera and enjoined him to be diligent in whatever he chooses to do with it. He hearkened to the voice of his mother and in no distant time after leaving the secondary school, he was already a regular

Ademola

keting. The demand in Lagos exceeded his expectation and the attention to little detail especially in the handling of the photo album opened new vistas in the business for him. He did not only study photojournalism, he took courses in Public Relations and advertising as well as in Human communication to further boost his customer relations. Studying photojournalism and cinematography as he admitted was different from the day to day photography he was engaged in during his days at Osun. It helps refined and redefined his views and scope of photography, erasing the erroneous opinion that photography was not a profession but a craft with little reward. “Photojournalism and cinematography as a course of study was different from photography. There were similar elements but to a very large extent, there were some noticeable differences. It was also a rare privilege to learn from veterans in the field; successful photographers ad cinematographers who have the wealth of experience and exposure. “The knowledge I acquired were the needed lubricant to make me stand out from the crowd; it brings a touch of distinction and class to the job. Branding and marketing is imperative in the life of an entrepreneur, especially in this type of work because there are a good number of people that are also into it but a little touch can make all the difference,” he said. The study of cinematography helped him to add both visual and audio visual production to his photography, stressing that it ensures that the images are not just still but they are more interactive and are done like a movie. “We also added video coverage to our line of business, especially for those that want a touch

of professionalism in their jobs. We are also involved in corporate photography in different fields including oil and gas industry. Most companies now require expertise in handling their photographs unlike before when any photographer can be picked; the truth is that photography has gone beyond the days of taking just photographs or clicking the buttons away; it is now sophisticated and required a good degree of knowledge to handle the demands,” he added. Ademola sponsored his university education from his earnings as a photographer. Buy today, Pixdotcom has gone beyond photography, as Ademola has diversified into travel and tours where he takes people to notable tourist centres in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries to compliment his work as a photographer.“Most people are interested in visiting and taking photographs in historical places,” he said. However, Ademola’s world view is not just about photography alone. He told Business Courage that he also has a pet project called Eliminate Malaria Initiative (EMI), as a way of giving back to the society “because I almost lost my life to malaria at my early stage so I want to help in eliminating the diseases,” he said. Ademola observed that his journey has not been entirely smooth with many challenges on his way to success. He noted that the job is full of challenges and require dedication, determination and a strong will to succeed in the profession. He admonished aspiring entrepreneurs to always identify their talent and passion, belief in it and always seek ways to improve it. He also counseled that the lust for money should not always be the number one priority, especially at the infant stage of a business. BC

A14 30

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Zenith Bank: Manpower, technology sustain revenue increase

enith Bank one of the major financial institutions in the country has continued to sustain leading position among its peers majorly on account of two factors competent personnel including a sound management and adoption of modern financial technological. The cardinal values of excellent customer service, competent workforce, as well as the optimal use of technology have continued to drive the outstanding performance of the lender. Little wonder Zenith Bank for the half year ended June 30, 2015 has reported a growth of 24 per cent in gross earnings. The audited half-year results released on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, last week showed that gross earnings rose from N184.4bn in June 2014 to N229.08bn. The result showed net interest income rising by 14 per cent from N98.6bn in 2004 to N112.6bn. The group’s profit before tax increased by 24 per cent from N58bn to N72bn while profit after tax rose to N53bn, from N47bn in 2014. Customers’ confidence in the Zenith Bank soared during the period under review as deposits rose from N2.5trn to N2.6trn, as total assets stood at N3.8trn in 2015 when compared with N3.7trn in 2014. Gross loans and advances grew by 10.4 per cent without compromising the asset quality as evidenced by a best-in-class

low cost rate of 0.8 percent, which is below industry average Non-Performing Loan, NPL, ratio of 1.44 percent. 2014 full year result The audited results for the 2014 financial year, shows an 8.3 per cent increase in profit before tax, PBT. The results showed that the group’s PBT rose from N110.597bn to N119.796bn in the review period, while its profit after tax edged up by 4.3 per cent to N99.455bn from N95.318bn in the previous year. This followed a 14.76 per cent year-on-year growth in gross earnings. Gross earnings rose from N351.470bn to N403.343bn. Earnings per share was up by 4.98 per cent to N3.16 from N3.01, while total assets jumped by 16.3 per cent to N3.755tn from N3.143tn in 2013. The group also increased its loans and advances by 38.21 per cent to N1.729tn from N1.251tn. Experts’ comments Analysts at FBN Capital Research said, “All in all, the bank’s 2014 full year results were ahead of expectations. “Zenith delivered an Return on Average Equity of 19 per cent for 2014. We would expect consensus estimates for 2015 to move up slightly. “On the back of the results, we would expect the market to react positively, with the caveat

that concerns about the impact of the fallout from the decline in oil prices are likely to linger a bit. Zenith shares have outperformed the index this year, gaining 3.2 per cent compared with a loss of -12.4 per cent for the ASI. We rate Zenith Bank shares Neutral. Our estimates are under review Fitch affirms B rating for Zenith and nine other lenders in February. Fitch has affirmed the Longterm Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of 10 Nigerian banks, including Zenith Bank. The IDRs of FBN, UBA, Diamond, Fidelity, Union and FCMB are support-driven. Zenith’s, FBNH’s, GTB’s and Access’ IDRs are driven by their standalone strength as measured by their Viability Ratings (VRs). In assessing the probability of sovereign support, Fitch considers the authorities’ willingness to support the Nigerian banks to be high as demonstrated in the past, but its ability to do so may be constrained by Nigeria’s ‘BB-‘ sovereign rating. Fitch assigns Support Rating Floors (SRFs) based on each bank’s systemic importance. The most systemically important banks in Fitch’s view were FBN, Zenith and UBA, which are assigned SRFs of B+’. The other banks have SRFs of ‘B’. Zenith’s Viability Ratings, VRs considers its strong franchise, management quality, conservative risk appetite and

robust financial metrics. Asset quality is sound and upstream oil & gas exposure represented a limited 6% of loans at endSeptember 2014. Zenith has a track record of good client selection and Fitch does not expect major impairments in its corporate book. The bank’s capitalisation and leverage compare well with peers and benefit from a strong funding franchise, sound liquidity and proven access to wholesale markets. Zenith’s resilient financial performance stands out, and the bank should manage 2015 better than most peers. What is in it for shareholders? The results also showed that the board of directors had proposed a dividend of N1.75 per share – the same amount it proposed for 2013 – from the retained earnings account as at 31 December 2014. Based on the 2015 half year result, the board of directors of Zenith Bank have recommended an interim dividend of 25 kobo per share, the first in the history of the bank. The qualifying date for the dividend is August 21, 2015while the register will close on August 24, 2015 to enable the Bank’s registrar prepare for payment of the interim dividend. Innovations and awards Zenith bank, the biggest in Nigeria by Tier-1 capital, re-

cently adopted a new financial reporting policy of publishing audited half-yearly results, a development hailed by market analysts as representing a major boost for the financial brand. The bank’s outstanding service delivery has won numerous international endorsements and awards, including Best Bank in Corporate Governance in Nigeria by Global Banking and Finance (2015), Best Customer Service Bank in Nigeria by Global Banking and Finance (2014) and the Most Customer-Focused Bank in Nigeria by KPMG (2014). The continued focus on customer service and deployment of innovative products has led to growth in market share. The bank only recently scored another first, becoming the first Nigerian institution to be awarded a triple ISO certification by the British Standards International (BSI): the ISO 22301, 27001 and 20000 standards. The three standards, which require the bank to subscribe to internationally accepted principles/standards, according to the bank will deepen customer experience through greater information security and IT management system that emphasise the protection of the customers and their investments in an increasingly unpredictable business environment. Corporate profile Zenith Bank Plc was established in May 1990, and commenced operation in July of the same year as a commercial bank. The lender became a public limited company on June 17, 2004 and was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, on October 21, 2004 following a highly successful Initial Public Offering, IPO. The bank has over one million shareholders and is Nigeria’s biggest Tier 1 capital. In 2013, Zenith Bank listed $850m worth of its shares on the London Stock Exchange, LSE. The bank has over 500 branches and business centres across the country. In March 2007 Zenith Bank was licensed by the Financial Services Authority, FSA, of United Kingdom to establish Zenith Bank (UK) Limited as the United Kingdom subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc. Zenith Bank has subsidiaries in many African countries and The Peoples Republic of BC China.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

A15 31

Stock market last week Equities A turnover of 1.174 billion shares worth N13.846bn in 13,870 deals were traded this week by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 1.218 billion shares valued at N14.685bn that exchanged hands last week in 13,495 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 827.653 million shares valued at N5.108bn traded in 8,266 deals; thus contributing 70.49 per cent and 36.89 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Natural Resources Industry followed with 147.047 million shares worth N73.740m in 18 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 88.348 million shares worth N4.428bn in 2,518 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – Multiverse Plc, Guinea Insurance Plc and Zenith International Bank Plc(measured by volume) accounted for 397.435 million shares worth N1.869bn in 1,785 deals, contributing 33.85 per cent and 13.50 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. ETPs: Also traded during the week were a total of 318,734 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N1.469m executed in 50 deals, compared

NSE trading hall

with a total of 23,812 units valued at N417,201.24 transacted last week in 32 deals. Bonds: A total of 10,501 units (two Federal Government Bonds and one State Government Bond) valued at N12.024m were traded this week in 5 deals, compared with a total of 90 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N109,423.68m transacted last week in 1 deal. Index Movement: The NSE AllShare Index and Market Capitalization depreciated by 1.31 per cent to close the week at 27,269.71 and N9.376trn respectively.

Similarly, nine other Indices finished lower during the week, with the exception of the NSE Oil and Gas Index that rose by 0.09 per cent, while the NSE ASeM Index closed flat. Summary of Price Changes: Twenty-five (25) equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than twenty-eight (28) equities of the preceding week. Thirty-seven (37) equities depreciated in price, lower than fifty-one (51) equties of the previous week, while one hundred and twentyeight (128) equities remained unchanged, higher than one hundred and eleven (111) equities recorded in the preceding week. BC

Market Indicators for Week Ended 11-12-15 All-Share Index 27,269.71 points Market Capitalization 9,384,579,713,513.96

NASD WEEKLY MARKET SUMMARY-WEEK 50 Equity Report

The Unlisted Security Index (USI) and the Market Capitalisation depreciated by 4.44% to close the week. The USI pure price closed at 643.30 points as against the previous close of 673.18 points. The Market Capitalisation closed at ₦381.41 billion as against the previous close of ₦399.13 billion. The USI is calculated using the total Market Capitalisation approach. Volume traded rose by 97.56% from 126.61 million units to 3.09 million units while the total value of shares traded also appreciated by 95.63% from ₦616.67 million to ₦29.95 million in 35 deals. Six (6) securities were traded out of the 24 securities admitted to trade on the NASD OTC market. NDEP, CSCS, IGI, JAIZ and WAMCO emerged the top traded securities for the week by volume and value

11-Dec-15

1200.00

NASD Unlisted Securities Index

1000.00

800.00

600.00

400.00

200.00

Base date:

Unlisted Securities Index (USI-Pure Price) MARKET CAPITALIZATION (₦ 'BILLION) TOTAL VOLUME TRADED TOTAL VALUE TRADED

(₦)

673.18

% Change (29.88)

DATE

USI

(17.72) i

(4.44)

7-Dec-15

674.76

0.23% -5.94%

(123,519,495.00)

(97.56)

8-Dec-15

634.66

26,952,047.90

616,673,969.15

(589,721,921.25)

(95.63)

9-Dec-15

642.89

1.30%

(51.00)

(59.30)

10-Dec-15

641.81

-0.17%

(8.00)

(57.14)

11-Dec-15

643.30

0.23%

LOSER(S)

Industrial & General Insurance Plc Niger Delta Exploration & Production

CHANGE

%CHANGE

SYMBOL

10-12

03-12

26-11

19-11

12-11

05-11

29-10

22-10

15-10

08-10

01-10

24-09

17-09

10-09

03-09

27-08

20-08

0.07

SDACORN

790,000

130.00

145.00

15.00

0.12

SDARMPROP

528,791

2.41

0.11

0.12

0.01

0.09

SDCAPDBETO

314,074

69.99

144.90

150.00

5.10

0.04

SDCSCSPLC SDFCWAMCO

VOLUME

VALUE ( ₦ ) 16,891,812.50

INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC

100,000.00

11,000.00

809,710

5.55

1,000,600

9.50

150

115.00

0.38

189,583

130.00

SDFOODCPT

3,250,000

0.76

SDGEFLUID

2,307,132

0.34

SDIGIPLC

500,000

0.11

SDNDEP

207,598

144.90

72,000.00

102,240.00

SDPARTNER

3,234,000

0.79

71,821.00

9,365,745.00

SDRSOURCE

1,035,700

0.48

4,096.00

579,407.40

SDSWAPPLC

286,800

0.97

SDTRUSTMB

3,250,240

0.74

TOP 5 TRADED SECURITIES BY VALUE SECURITY

LAST OFFER PRICE (₦)

2,842,250.00

NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC

VOLUME OFFERED

0.40

JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC

LAST BID PRICE (₦)

6.30

CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC

FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC

VOLUME BIDDED

5.90

TOP 5 TRADED SECURITIES BY VOLUME TRADES

13-08

OUTSTANDING OFFERS & BIDS P CLOSE ( ₦ )

SDDUFIL

SECURITY

6.44%

CLOSE PRICE ( ₦ )

Friesland Campina Wamco Nigeria Plc

06-08

673.18

126,611,562

Central Securities Clearing System Plc

30-07

4-Dec-15

3,092,067

NUMBER OF TRADED STOCKS

SECURITY CODE

23-07

(4.44)

399.13

NUMBER OF UNTRADED STOCKS

16-07

%change

381.41

NUMBER OF DEALS

09-07

UNLISTED SECURITIES INDEX

WEEK 49 Change

643.3

02-07

April 1, 2015 = 1000

NASD MARKET STATISTICS WEEK 49

25-06

18-06

11-06

04-06

28-05

21-05

14-05

07-05

30-04

23-04

16-04

09-04

02-04

0.00

TRADES

CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC

FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC

VOLUME

VALUE ( ₦ )

2,842,250.00

16,891,812.50

71,821.00

9,365,745.00

NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC

4,096.00

579,407.40

JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC

72,000.00

102,240.00

INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC

100,000.00

11,000.00

Disclaimer This document is provided for information purposes only. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or otherwise deal in any security mentioned herein. Kindly consult your NASD registered Participating Institution before making any decision on the OTC Market.

A16 32

Business Courage

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, December 14, 2015

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Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

‘’A trial is not an investigation and investigation is not the function of the court’’

JUSTICE MODIBBO ALFA BELGORE, FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA xx

Govt should curb its appetite for higher spending —Etomi 37 AGF, Abubakar Malami (SAN)

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki

Sagay, others fault Social Media Bill How Bashir was detained over ‘false’ deposition against Aikhomu 38

US S’Court sceptical of racial preferences in university admissions34

Penultimate, ago, a bill designed to restrain activities in the social media in Nigeria passed a second reading on the floor of the Senate. While some Nigerians see the bill as a ploy to stifle free flow of information, the Senate sees it as a means to curb excesses of people who use social media to malign others on their platform. WALE IGBINTADE takes a look at the bill and highlights the views of notable human rights lawyers.

riticisms have continued to trail a pending bill before the Senate aimed at regulating the activities of the social media. Presenting the bill entitled ‘A bill for an act to prohibit frivolous petitions, and other matters connected therewith, 2015 (SB. 143), deputy senate majority leader, Senator Bala Na’ Allah, explained that the aim of the bill was to bring sanity into the system. Already, Senate President, Bukola Saraki has referred the bill to the Senate Committees on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions; Committee on Information Communication Technology; and Committee on Judiciary with the mandate to work on the bill and report back within one month. Part of the provisions of the bill state that; “where any person in order to circumvent this law makes any allegation and or publishes any statement, petition in any paper, radio, or any medium of whatever description, with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons, institutions of government, he shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction,

I see the bIll as retrogressIve. It Is a backward step, and an uncIvIlIsed step and It Is not a law that we desIre In thIs 21st century. I know that the bIll wIll faIl and If they pass It Into law, It wIll be shot down by the judIcIary. shall be liable to an imprisonment term of two years or a fine of N4 million,” the bill states. “Where any person, through text message, tweets, Whatsapp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2m or both fine and imprisonment.” The draft bill, also proposes a sentence of up to seven years in prison or a N5 million fine (US$25,000) for “anyone who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the security of the country or that is capable of inciting the

general public against the government through electronic message. The bill further states that a petitioner must have a sworn affidavit to back up his claim in a petition. While condemning the criticisms that have greeted the proposed bill, Senate President, Bukola Saraki insisted that senators cannot be blackmailed to drop the bill. According to him, ‘’the Senate cannot let `a few bad eggs’ taint the image of the social media. People must be held responsible for their action. I believe what has been raised is important”. However, it is universal and established that freedom of information derives its legitimacy from the conventions and the constitution. For instance the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Hu-

man Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers” Specifically, Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution states that the press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people. Already, the bill has continued to generate negative reactions from the public and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has asked that the proposed legislation be shelved forthwith. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Law & Justice

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Govt should curb its appetite

George Etomi is the pioneer Chairman, Section on Business Law (SBL) of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS). In this interview with FRANCIS FAMOROTI, he speaks on the new trends in commercial law, the role of regulators in the country’s economy and globalization of legal practice, among others. Excerpts:

How did you conceive the birth of the Section on Business Law (SBL)? The idea to set up the SBL was conceived by a few of us who decided to work as Solicitors. You know a lawyer may choose to work as an Advocate or a Solicitor though in Nigeria most lawyers carry out both. Those of us who chose not to go to court decided to stay back in our firms and work as Solicitors. But of course, when the idea to form SBL was mooted; some lawyers did not quite understand the concept that it is not an alternative to the NBA. We have to make our position and the idea behind the concept clear to the bar leadership. However, not quite long we got support from the former NBA President, O.C.J Okocha, SAN and the NBA Constitution was amended during his tenure to accommodate SBL. When Chief Bayo Ojo came in as the NBA President, he liked the idea; he eventually perfected the arrangement and we have not only the Section on Business Law (SBL) but also Section on Legal Practice (SLP). You know today that since then SBL has been an exceptional section of the Bar. What government policy changes and practice do you expect in the first quarter of the year? I don’t know about any policy changes but we all know that transition is not easy especially with a change from party to another. The only way you can look at is promises. In the past ministers were not appointed but now ministers have been named and as they settle, we will see clear directions of the government policies. Of course, the only thing is that they should have been named earlier. How will you react to inconsistencies in the policies of Federal Government? Generally, there is nothing new in the government policies. A new administration can clothe an existing policy in new cloth for example; look at the BVN issue in banks; it has always been there during the Jonathan administration. Most of what we will be seeing is giving teeth to existing policies although there may be radical departure on some policies. Do you think the government has the capacity to stem the tide of recession in the country? There is nothing anybody can do if micro- economic factors outside your control go outside what you are budgeting. The real challenge we have in Nigeria today is how to ensure that this consumption pattern is curbed. There is a way out; government’s expenditure is too much; we need to curb our appetite for higher spending in this country. What we should realise is that 70 percent of the budget go to recurrent expenditure; this is a fact. We must look into areas where the economy can grow for example, the Small – Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Etomi

There is noThing anybody can do if micro- economic facTors ouTside your conTrol go ouTside whaT you are

budgeTing. have in

The real challenge we

nigeria Today is how To ensure

ThaT This consumpTion paTTern is curbed.

What do you think in real term is the economic policy of this government? Let’s wait and see since the ministers have just been appointed. One of the things we must admit is that there are development plans; I don’t expect that they will do anything new but to give teeth to what is on the ground and is being pursued by previous administrations. When there is corruption, then there is a problem. Corruption under-

mines everything; I think corruption cannot be totally eliminated, it is a hybrid, let’s bring it to manageable proportion. How will you react to the proposed re-introduction of toll-gates in the country? Policy changes can take place within the same political context. The question should be asked fundamentally, should government

have cancelled the old toll gates in the first instance? In developed countries where they have the will power, they have these toll-gates and they used the proceeds from the tollgates to develop their economies. How will you react to the proposal that workers should choose between reduction in the work force and reduction in salaries? You must have heard about zero budgeting. The game changer is that monolithic source of revenue for the government has gone. For instance, one can ask, do we need 36 states in the country?. I can say we don’t need this figure because some of these states are not developing. Previous governments created states not based on equality. They applied the wrong parameters to create states and so when you applied the wrong principles, wrong policy implications are bound to follow. We have to look beyond the oil and explore other sectors of the economy.

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Law & Justice

Monday, December 14, 2015

for higher spending —Etomi

What do you consider to be the role of regulators? The starting point is this, if you want to grow the private sector, government should determine policies and come out with policy statements. To drive that policies look for regulators that will effectively carry out the task of driving the policies. The telecommunications is a success story. The fundamental between power and telecoms’ is that telecoms’ is growing and we are trying to reform power. In power, you are inheriting a sector that was allowed to decay over the years; this is unlike telecoms’. The right thing is to deregulate and that is what they are doing. To address this issue of power you have to deal with the existing infrastructure, the long years of decay, huge number of workers and so on. In effect, the pace of reform in power has been slower than expected.

Do you see any justification in the increase of tariffs in the power sector in the country? It is chicken and egg situation. There are estates in Lagos that are enjoying power, they are called captive estates, they pay between 50 and 60 per cent high tariffs and they are enjoying the services. We should take a look at other sectors, take the gas for instance, we need to develop our gas for domestic use. In

Nigeria, the total production of gas is not up five per cent. This is low and we need to tap this area and develop it for optimum use.

How will you appraise the role of the regulators of the economic sectors in the country? They are meant to be a balance to promote consumers’ interest and government excesses. There must be a balance between contending interests and the regulators often act as the major players that balance these economic interests. How will react to the assertion that some institutions are operating without regulatory laws in the country? I don’t think any institution can operate without regulatory laws. I think it is enforcement of the laws that is the problem with the institutions because they cannot exist without any law or Act backing them up; it is the enforcement of laws that is the issue. In Nigeria, you and I know that regulations are observed more in breach. Can you shed light on what exactly the Sovereign Wealth fund was designed to achieve? If Nigeria has saved up 50 Billion Naira, we would be able to cushion the effect of the economic problems we are having in the country. If we have enough funds, we can toll. For instance, the Lekki-Epe expressway was tolled, it is a privet public initiative and you can imagine the huge income being generated from this initiative. How do think the pension fund should be managed? Pension fund should be used anyhow. They are meant for pensioners who will later collect the funds and use them in their old age; they should not have problem accessing the funds at the time of need. Pension fund should be used for infrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects are long-term projects; we can build an infrastructure fund that should have government support but not government-driven. It should be eternity fund; you can build up to a hundred trillion Naira and will yield over the years.

Etomi

Policy changes can take Place

within the same Political context.

the question should be asked fundamentally, should government have cancelled the old toll gates in the first instance?

Sacked workers file N5bn suit against Virgin Atlantic Airways Wale IgbIntade

wenty Nigerian cabin crew staff recently laid off by Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd have instituted a N5 billion suit against the Airline at the National Industrial Court, Lagos Division. The aggrieved workers are; Genevieve Mordi, Umo Akinselure, Lukman Yusuf, Ekaete Victor-Iyamu, Victoria Enyi, George Ezemba, James Ajayi, Rosemary Ogbor, Babajide Akinyele and Remilekun Lashebikan. Others are: Yewande Salau, David Dagat, Babafemi Oshifeko, Babatunde Olamuye, Juliet Ezumba, Rachel Ideho, Ademola Olowolade, Imelda Blankson, Halimat Odeyemi and Tolumilade Sogbesan. Joined as co-respondent in the suit is the Aviation Logistics and Management Ltd. In a motion on notice filed by them through their lawyer, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe (SAN), the claimants are seeking for an order of interlocutory injunction

restraining the respondents from laying them off or giving effects to the notice of termination of employment served on them pending the hearing and determination of the suit. They are also seeking the suspension of the notice of termination of employment served on them pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. The claimants are also asking for an order of the court directing the respondents to pay them the sum of N5billion as damages for the act of discrimination against them. They were all laid off on November 30, 2015, following an internal memo issued by the Executive Vice President, Customer, of the Airline, Jill Brady. In the memo, it was disclosed that the provision of cultural expertise which was the primary purpose of employing the claimants was no longer required by the Airline on its Lagos-London route. However, in a 36-paragraph affidavit in support of

the motion on notice which deposed to by one of the claimants, Akinselure, he stated that they (claimants) were not informed by the respondents that the sole reason for their employment was to provide cultural expertise in respect the Airline’s flight operations on the Lagos-London route. It was further averred that no survey was ever conducted by the Airline which revealed that the cultural expertise provided by the claimants in respect of its Lagos-London route is no longer required. The deponent averred that the Airline’s intention to terminate the employment of the claimants was based solely on their race, colour and social extraction. It was further stated that the Airline has consistently and persistently taken actions which are discriminatory, oppressive and detrimental to the interest of the claimants as Nigerians and Nigeria as a country. The Lagos-London route was said to be the most commercially viable and most profitable route for the Airline.

Law & Justice

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Monday, December 14, 2015

‘Bill’ll outlaw freedom of expression, free speech’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

In a statement signed by its President, GarbaDeen Muhammad, the NGE said the bill was an unnecessary distraction and that the Senate could better deploy its energies into more productive work. The editors expressed concern that “a group of persons elected by Nigerians to ensure that their rights, privileges and interests are protected, should gleefully misuse the mandate given to them to the detriment of the same people that elected them’’ “The broad objective of this curiously accelerated Bill is to outlaw the freedom of expression of all Nigerian citizens and freedom of speech of all media organisations operating in print, electronic and on-line platforms in Nigeria and beyond. Appallingly, the Bill has also included as its target very personal and private means of communication such as SMS or text messages and Whatsapp, among others.” The editors argued that freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed in section 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and that “to enact any kind of law under any guise that will contradict these fundamental provisions is to deliberately seek to undermine the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Commenting on the proposed bill, former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN said ‘’ it is a bill trying to provide immunity for criminality. What they want to do is to have a situation in which they can commit any crime and be guilty of any kinds of misbehaviour and at the same time have everybody totally silenced and incapable of exposing it. It is self-help to be able to do anything and get away with wrong conduct”. Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr. Yemi Farounbi described the bill as retrogressive. According to him, information must be freely made available to the people and any attempt to cage the source of that information will be criminal.

Sagay, (SAN)_

Otteh

Ibn-Naallah

If the Senate IS IntereSted In protectIng perSonS from beIng unfaIrly vIctImIzed by the SocIal medIa, It Should Strengthen

lawS gIvIng Such people a rIght of defence,

not gag the communIcatIon of InformatIon. ‘’I see it as a retrogressive bill. It is a backward step, and an uncivilised step and it is not a law that we desired in this 21st century. I know that the bill will fail and if they passed it into law, it will be shot down by the judiciary. We are in a progressive country and we cannot go back to Egypt’’, Farounbi added. He urged the Senate to take another look at the bill adding that Nigerians will resist it. Reacting, the Executive Director, Access to Justice, Mr. Joseph Otteh said “ the bill represents an obnoxious attempt to interfere with and constrain the constitutional space available to citizens and non-citizens alike to express opinion, and play civic roles in ensuring the accountability of public officials in Nigeria’’. According to him, ‘’placing restraints in the right of people to freely communicate information on the grounds that such information may be frivolous is itself a judgment

about the merits of the information. Whether a petition or complaint is frivolous or not will ultimately be subject of an administrative or other hearing, and anybody maligned by any such information will have a right to a fair hearing on the allegations. Swearing to an affidavit does not improve the truth or merits of a complaint or petition, neither does the absence of an affidavit diminish the substance of a complaint’’. He added that ‘’If the Senate is interested in protecting persons from being unfairly victimized by social media, it should strengthen laws giving such people a right of defence, not gag the communication of information that could be extremely useful in holding such people, particularly public servants, to account’’. ‘’Nigeria is locked in a mortal struggle against an existential threat - corruption. To survive the threat posed by corruption, we must, at this critical juncture, facilitate

LEGAL TIPS

To which lawyer number one replies, “It’s that $50 I owe you.

Bar

Jokes

Doctor and Lawyer at a cocktail party A doctor and a lawyer were attending a cocktail party when the doctor was approached by a man who asked advice on how to handle his ulcer. The doctor mumbled some medical advice, then turned to the lawyer and asked, “How do you handle the situation when you are asked for advice during a social function?” “Just send a bill for such advice” replied the lawyer. On the next morning the doctor arrived at his surgery and issued the ulcer-stricken man a $50 bill. That afternoon he received a $100 bill from the lawyer.

Two Lawyers in a Bank

Cigars for the Judge

A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was talking to his lawyer. “If I lose this case, I’ll be ruined.” “It’s in the judge’s hands now,” said the lawyer. “Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?” “Oh no! This judge is a stickler or ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against you. He might even hold you in contempt of court. In fact, you shouldn’t even smile at the judge.” Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the defendant. As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, “Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked!” “I’m sure we would have lost the case if you’d sent them.”

Two lawyers are in a bank, when armed robbers suddenly burst in. While several of the robbers take “But, I did send them.” the money from the tellers, others line the customers, “What? You did?” said the lawyer, increduincluding the lawyers, up against a wall, and proceed lously. to take their wallets, watches and so on. While this is “Yes. That’s how we won the case.” going on lawyer number one jams something in law“I don’t understand,” said the lawyer. yer number two’s hand. “It’s easy. I sent the cigars to the judge, but enWithout looking down, lawyer number two whis- closed the plaintiff’s business card.” pers, “What is this?” Culled from Best lawyers jokes.com

more and not less civic activism: more whistle blowing, more exposes, more voices for accountability’’. Consequently, Otteh stated that where people feel unfairly scandalised by untruthful information, they have legal remedies they can pursue. According to the Executive Director of the SERAC, Adetokunbo Mumuni, ‘’the bill will restrain access to internet and social media, curtail freedom of the press, and online content in illegitimate, disproportionate, or unlawful and abusive ways. The real targets of the bill are social media and human rights defenders that might be critical of government policies or report on corruption involving high ranking government officials.” Also, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international rights group, through its Nigerian Researcher, Mausi Segun described as unnecessary the attempts by the Nigerian Senate to gag the social media and criminalise laws that are already in existence in Nigeria. He stated that the proposed bill is vague, problematic and open to diverse interpretations while the sanctions proposed are too heavy for the offense committed. HRW stated that if the bill is passed into law, it will restrict freedom of expression and a free press, which are protected by Section 39 of Nigeria’s constitution.

Contempt of Court

ontempt of Court in legal parlance is the willful disregard of or disrespect for the authority of a court of law or legislative body. *Contemptuous act is punishable by the court and its purpose is the need to protect the dignity of the court to the person of the judge and to prevent undue interference with the administration of justice. *It is not to show or bolster up the power and dignity of the judge as an individual. Conduct or acts that amount to Contempt *Using language or exhibiting behaviour which is outrageous or which is deliberately insulting to the court; *Comments whether oral or written scandalizing the court is contemptuous; *Publication in a Newspaper or

Bar

article containing scurrilous personal abuse of a judge with reference to his conduct as a judge in any judicial proceedings. Forms of Contempt Contempt may be in-facie curiae that is, in the face of the court or exfacie curiae, i.e. outside the court. Punishment *Contempt is committed under S. 133 of the Criminal Code (CC) carries a maximum of three months imprisonment. *The court will pardon a contemnor whose conduct is unintentional and who purges his contempt by a sincere apology to the court. *A contemnor can be ordered to be kept in prison until he purges himself of contempt. We welcome feedback and reactions from readers via our e-mail: nationamirrorlaw@yahoo.com

Jokes

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Law & Justice

Monday, December 14, 2015

How Bashir was detained over ‘false’ deposition against Aikhomu FAMOUS CASES

ometimes in the late 1980s, Mohammed Bashir stunned the Nigerian populace when he deposed to an affidavit while in detention that he allegedly bribed the then Chief of General Staff, (CGS), Vice- Admiral Augustus Aikhomu with $500,000 dollars, to enable him acquire 40 per cent shares in the Pan Ocean Oil Corporation . In the mind-boggling deposition, he further claimed that Aikhomu collected the money without performing his own part of the deal. Indeed, the matter crept into national focus like any other case. Bashir was detained under the dreaded Decree No 2 of 1984 and he challenged his detention at a Lagos High Court. But the Federal Government (FG) said he was being detained as ‘a security risk and that the CGS duly signed his detention warrant’. On May 4, 1989, Bashir swore to an affidavit that he was not a security risk and that he was being detained because of a business transaction that went awry between him and Aikhomu. But the FG dubbed Bashir who was then being incarcerated at Bama Prisons, Borno State as an ‘’International crook’’ who wanted to malign the CGS’s name. Bashir was later released from detention in 1990. Shorty after he regained his freedom, the government charged him with a four-count offence of making false statement on oath against the CGS, Aikhomu. Interestingly, Bashir’s allegation had some precedents in the country. Forty years ago, the late Mr. Aper Aku accused the then Governor of BenuePlateau State, the late Commissioner of Police, Joseph Gomwalk of pilfering the state’s resources. Aku swore to an affidavit that Gomwalk was corrupt. His purported anti-corruption crusade was scuttled by the FG through the then Attorney- General of the Federation, Dr. Taslim Elias, who announced to the media that the government had outlawed the swearing of affidavits against public officials except the matter was brought to court. Few years after the Aku’s episode, the late social critic, Mr. Godwin Daboh accused a one-time Federal Commissioner for Communications, the late Mr. Joseph Tarka of corrupt practices. The matter eventually saw Tarka out of the Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s cabinet. It was an era of the slogan ‘If you Tarka me, I will Daboh you.’ Tarka sued the Daily Sketch and Daboh jointly for N1 million libel at the Lagos High Court and the case was eventually dismissed by the court. Justice Ademola Candide-Johnson in his judgment held that the Sketch newspaper had performed a moral and public duty which it owed to the public at large

A businessman, Alhaji Mohammed Bashir, came into the limelight in 1989 when he accused the then Vice- President Augustus Aikhomu, of receiving bribe from him to facilitate his acquisition of substantial shares in the Pan Ocean Oil Corporation. This accusation earned him prolonged incarceration and trial, writes FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary.

Aikhomu

Bashir swore to an affidavit that he was not a security risk and that he was Being detained Because of a Business transaction that went awry Between him and to expose and comment on acts of abuse of office and alleged corruption on facts personally and purposely supplied to the paper by Daboh. Another case involving allegations of official corruption in the 1970s was orchestrated by the late Dr. Obarogie Ohonbamu, a-one-time law lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). In early period of the military administration in 1975, Dr. Ohonbamu accused the then Head of State, late Gen. Murtala Mohammed of corruption. However, Gen. Murtala chose to enter the witness box to clear his name but government officials prevailed on him not to do so. Ohonbamu later realised that his allegations were unfounded and he apologised to Gen. Murtala and the FG.

aikhomu. Yet another similar one known as the Olatunbosun/ Madaki affair occurred in 1986 when the former Director of Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, Prof. Dupe Olatunbosun, accused former Governor of old Gongola State, Col. Yohannah Madaki of persecuting him over an alleged N25,00 bribe. Both parties sued for libel and the matter lingered in court for years. The circumstance that led to the ousting of Mr. Adolphus Wabara as the Senate President in 2003 was still fresh. Like those before him, allegations of corruption brought about his downfall. In April 2005, he resigned having been alleged to have collected a bribe from the then Minister of Education, Prof. Fabian

Osuji, to facilitate the passage of the annual budget of the Federal Ministry of Education before the National Assembly. Although Wabara’s charges were eventually dropped, the damage had been done. Lagos businessman and founding Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Forte Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola accused a member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan of corrupt practices through the money he allegedly collected from him to remove his company’ s name from the list of oil firms indicted for subsidy scam. The matter is still in court. In essence, the allegation contained in Bashir’s affidavit was not a new phenomenon in the country. When the government set out to prosecute Bashir, the prosecution alleged that the detainee had made a false statement on oath contrary to section 191 of the Criminal Code Cap 31 Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 1973. The prosecution also stated that on or about May 4, 1989 while Bashir was being detained, he deposed to an affidavit that he was being held on Aikhomu’s orders because of his personal interest in Pan Ocean Oil Corporation. Bashir claimed that he paid the money to the then CGS’s purported foreign accounts. According to his deposition,’ That I paid the 500,000 American dollars into the accounts of the said Vice -Admiral Augustus Aikhomu in Standard Chartered Bank, Zurich, Switzerland upon request and specific instruction.’’ In suit No M/162/89 at the High Court, Bashir was said to have made a false statement ’’ That there are two accounts in Standard Chartered Bank, Zurich, Switzerland belonging to the said ViceAdmiral Augustus Aikhomu, one personal account and the other investment account. ‘’The account numbers are (a) Ordinary Personal Account Number 190: 788 152442 and (b) Investment Account No. 391: 193 152441. And I paid 250,000 American Dollars to each of the accounts.’’ When Bashir was arraigned initially before Justice Solomon Hunponu-Wusu of the Lagos High Court, he pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge. However, when the criminal case again came before Justice Moshood Olugbani of the high court on December 19, 1991 neither Bashir nor his counsel was in court. But the then Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Bode RhodesVivour, now Justice of the Supreme Court, appeared for the state and the case was adjourned till January 28, 1992. After several adjournments, the Federal Government withdrew the charge and discontinued Bashir’s trial.

Law & Justice

Monday, December 14, 2015

T Criminal courts charge to be scrapped by UK govt

ustice Secretary has announced that the criminal courts charge is to be scrapped from 24 December. Since April, convicted criminals in England and Wales have had to pay a charge of between £150 and £1,200 towards the cost of their case. But Mr. Gove said “while the intention behind the policy was honourable in reality that intent has fallen short”. MPs had called for it to be axed and the Magistrates Association said the decision was “tremendously welcome”. According to ABC News the charge is paid on top of fines, compensation orders and defendants’ own legal charges, and is higher for those convicted after pleading not guilty. It is set according to the type of case, with the minimum charge for magistrates’ courts and the maximum level for crown court cases. In March, the then Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the fee would ensure that criminals “pay their way”. But MPs on the Justice Committee published a report in November in which they said the fee, which is not means-tested, created “serious problems” and was often “grossly disproportionate”. The cross-party group’s chairman, Conservative MP Bob Neill, said they evidence they had received raised “grave misgivings” about the fee’s benefits and whether it was “compatible with the principles of justice”. He said it created “perverse incentives - not only for defendants to plead guilty but for sentencers to reduce awards of compensation and prosecution costs”.

UNITED KINGDOM

British Prime Minister David Cameron Mr. Gove, Mr. Grayling’s successor as justice secretary, announced it was being dropped, during a meeting of the Magistrates’ Association Council. The Magistrates’ Association’s national chairman, Malcolm Richardson said: “This is an enormous success for the MA (Magistrates’ Association) but most importantly for justice in our criminal courts system. “In my 26 years as a magistrate I have never seen such a powerful reaction from my colleagues on the bench and Michael Gove’s announcement is therefore tremendously welcome.” Justice Select Committee chairman Bob Neill said it was “good” Mr. Gove was “willing to respond so swiftly to take account of the inquiry we carried out and the evidence submitted to us”. “We will watch with interest the review which Michael Gove has announced into the whole panoply of financial impositions on offenders,” he added. The Howard League for Penal Reform - which has called for the fee policy to be suspended - also welcomed the news, saying the charge was “simply unfair”.

he Supreme Court’s conservative majority came down hard during oral arguments on the University of Texas’ use of racial preferences in admissions, but the justices stopped short of indicating that they are willing to end affirmative action across the land. A report by BBC says that several of the most conservative justices sharply questioned lawyers for the school and the Obama administration, contending that they have not proven why the use of race as one factor in admissions is needed to achieve a truly diversified campus.

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US S’Court sceptical of racial preferences in varsity admissions WASHINGTON

“When do you think your program will be done?” Chief Justice John Roberts asked Gregory Garre, the university’s lawyer. “How does the university know when it has achieved its objective?” The court’s liberal justices stood firmly behind the continued use of racial preferences in college admissions, something the high court allowed in two precedent-setting cases

US President Barack Obama from California Michigan. They argued

and that

the university at least should be able to prove its case through a factfinding hearing in Texas before the Supreme Court considers striking down its affirmative action program. That left Justice Anthony Kennedy, as usual, as the swing vote. He expressed frustration that, more than two years after the high court voted 7-1 to send the case back to a federal appeals court for stricter review of the university’s program, little had changed.

Brazil’s Supreme Court suspends Rousseff impeachment

razil’s President Dilma Rousseff won a respite in her battle to avoid impeachment when the Supreme Court ordered the commission considering her case suspended for a week. According to AFP report, the court in Brasilia suspended the special commission that had just been formed to recommend to Congress whether Rousseff should be removed from office. The suspension, made in response to an appeal from the Communist Party of Brazil, which is allied to the leftist Workers’ Party of

BRAZIL

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff Rousseff, is in effect until Wednesday when the court will meet to make a ruling. The appeal claimed irregularities in the way the

commission was formed, with Rousseff loyalists complaining that opposition leaders had unfairly managed to force out members who were more sympathetic to the president. “The court understood that the allegations are relevant. There is the risk that everything which has been done would come to nothing. So they suspended all work of the commission until December 16,” Ademar Borges, a Communist Party lawyer, told AFP. Brazil’s first female president, a moderate leftist, is accused of illegal budgeting, but says the practices were long accepted by pre-

vious governments. The turmoil is stirring passions across the South American country of 204 million people, where Rousseff ’s Workers’ Party has been in power since 2003 with the help of its often uncomfortable coalition partner, the centrist PMDB. Rousseff was left reeling by indications in a leaked letter that her vice president Michel Temer, leader of the PMDB, could withdraw his support because he felt she had shown “absolute lack of confidence” in him. If Rousseff is forced from office, Temer would become interim president.

India Court refuses to stay restriction on private vehicles

he Delhi High Court has refused to pass an interim order to stay government’s decision to restrict the number of private vehicles on roads on the basis of odd-even number of their licence plates from January 2016. According to BBC report the court held that the public interest litigation was “premature”. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant

NEW DELHI

India Prime Minister, Narendra Modi

Nath held that the Delhi government had proposed to introduce the plan to run the vehicles with odd and even registration numbers on alternate days on a trial basis. “It is just a proposal, If you doing it for the sake of public interest, come after two weeks,” the Bench told the petitioner, Shweta Kapoor, who is a lawyer in the High Court. The AAP government had announced the decision last week after the High

Court pulled up the authorities for not having a concrete plan to tackle dangerous levels of air pollution in the Capital. The proposed move had triggered a widespread debate and a cross section of experts had expressed doubts about its practicability. The PIL was filed in the High Court in the midst of the Delhi government sending mixed signals on the enforcement of the decision.

I was dumbfounded —Uju Peace Okeke

y very first appearance before a judge was during my National Youth Service Corps in Edo State. I was actually with my principal in the court but he just stepped out of court and the judge came out from his chamber to commence proceedings

for the day. Unfortunately for me our case file was the first one the court clerk called so, I was dumbfounded, I could not say a word before the judge, it was as if the ground should open and swallow me up. The judge even made jest of me that he used to see me

and my principal together in court but I have never been opportuned to address the court. He directed me to continue with the matter, I was embarrassed, looking at everybody as if help will come from them. Eventually, my principal came back and continued the case but, when I started

practicing in Lagos, my principal was into debt recovery. I have been following him for a while and I have mastered the process, I just approached him one day that he should allow me to handle a particular matter. He looked at me and asked if I could do it, I said yes, I can do it.

Okeke

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Law & Justice

Monday, December 14, 2015

Framework in anti-corruption campaign: Challenges and opportunities

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

Aminu mAhmud

nd that the framework promotes the greater justice for the greater number under a strong framework that attributes a strong Rule of Law to better institutions, strong campaigns as ‘’key elements for the success of the rule of law endeavour’’.

Exploiting the legal framework

The legal framework for the current anti-corruption campaign does not lie alone in those laws enacted under the current democratic dispensation. As other laws that trace their history to other legal epochs, our criminal and penal codes have sufficient provisions that criminalises corrupt practices. Though some scholars have questioned the use of law, or better put the effectiveness of law in the regulation of social behaviours or in the combat of social ills. I make no pretence; I have not set out to interrogate the subject from the sociological point of view, having charted the formalist course so far. However, it is important to stress that the law becomes ineffective only where its enforcing nature is replaced by the political. The insulation of law from politics and the insularity of its enforcement institutions sure give fillips to the anti-corruption campaigns. As I noted in the opening paragraph of this section of this paper, an anti-corruption crusader would find the following instruments to call to aid. It should also be noted that the main law that regulates corrupt practices and other related offences in Nigeria is the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000. Other instruments, enacted in the past, are: Investigation of Assets (Public Officers and other Persons) Decree of 1988; The Corrupt Practices Decree of 1975; The Public Officer (Special Provisions) Decree of 1976; Recovery of Public Property Decree 1984; Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Act 1990; The Public Complaint Commission Act, 1990; The Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, 1990; The Criminal Code Act, 1990; The Penal Code Act 1990; Recovery of Public Property (Special Military Tribunal) Act, 1990; The Failed Banks (Recovery of Debts and Financial Malpractices) Act, No 18, 1994; Failed Bank Act, No 16, 1996; Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, No 13, 1995; The Foreign Ex-

change (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, No 17, 1995; Money Laundering Act, No 3, 1995; Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004; Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2002 and the Promulgation of the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters within the Commonwealth (Enactment and Enforcement) Act, No 13, 1988. The legal framework of anti-corruption in Nigeria is the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000. This piece of legislation gives the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission powers to undertake the investigation and prosecution of corrupt public officers. Though, these powers devolve on the powers assigned to the police under the Police Act, it doesn’t derogate from the powers of the police to carry out its statutory duty. See section 69 of the Act. Section 61 (2) of the Act clearly delineate the powers of the Commission and protects other instruments and institutions or persons thus: ‘’…nothing in this Act shall be construed to derogate from or undermine the right of authority of any person or authority to prosecute offenders under any other laws’’. Aside the Corrupt practices and other Related Offences Act, the 1999 Constitution invests the two arms of the National Assembly and their committees with the powers to undertake investigation, particularly in cases of corruption. See Section 88(2) (b). It also should be stressed that the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 is an important instrument to be used in the anti-corruption campaign. See sections 1 and 2 of the Act. The implementation of the legal framework of anti-corruption in Nigeria has been challenging. The ineffectual nature of the institutions charged with the responsibility of discharging its powers under the Act has been publicly documented. In the next section, I shall look at the challenges and opportunity that the legal framework provides.

Corruption: challenges and opportunities

ernance. Nuhu Ribadu and Wale Adebanwi document what goes wrong when the law is used to protect corrupt interests. See their books, ‘Nuhu Ribadu, My story; my vision and ‘A Paradise for Maggots’ respectively. The monopolisation of discretion by power and the disdain for accountability by power give rise to the growth of corruption. Corruption, therefore, is the flourish of impunity. Kilgaard is right when he describes corruption as monopoly plus discretion minus accountability. So, the first identifiable challenge to the legal framework is impunity. Secondly, the lack of genuine political will of those who wield power to fight corruption or who use the anti-corruption legislations as instruments of witch hunt. And with a poor social and economic environment, the law as it is legitimises and privileges the entitlements of the elite classes. The pervasive weak state institutions give rise to corruption. Thirdly, the absence of a coherent and concise anti-corruption policy challenges the effectives the legal framework. Fourthly, the multiplicity of anticorruption agencies provides its own challenge. While it is a waste of resources, individual agencies get on each other way and impede on the broad objectives of the anti-corruption regime. Opportunities are abound when the anti-corruption laws function at their optimal. And the social contract that exists between the governors and the governed is protected. There will be less tension when the citizens become less cynical and suspicious of the action or inaction of government. The most important opportunity that can be derived is that which an effective legal framework delivers. An effective legal framework, free from power and interests, brings about economic development. In concluding this paper, I urge argue that for us to have a grasp of the anti -corruption campaign it is important that the collective aspirations of citizens form the constitutive elements of the governance environment in which the law operates. When inclusion, participation and representation form part of the governance process, government becomes one of collective ownership. Thank you.

In the background section of this paper, I highlighted two cases that have defined the way we look at the fight against corruption today. Whilst the trial and sentence of Chief Olabode George exemplifies what you get when the law is correctly applied, The Asaba trial of Ibori presents a sad picture of the law, Concluded Mahmud is a managing Partner at Sagittarian Berkeleys, a so contrived by interests and politicised. But for the London Crown Court, Ibori would still be walking our quarters of gov- firm of Attorneys

EVENT

L-R: Justice Morenike Obadina and Justice Christopher Balogun at the 2015 Human Rights Summit with the theme ‘’Towards Combating Corruption and the Protection of Human Rights’’ organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos branch.

L-R: Keynote speaker, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti, Professor Akin Oyebode and the Chairman, NBA Lagos branch, Mr. Martins Ogunleye on the occasion

. L-R: Former Chairman, NBA Lagos branch, Mr. Alex Mouka, current 1st Vice Chairman/ Chairman, Human Rights Committee, Mrs. Uche Ikwueme and Pa Tunji Gomez

L-R: Prof. Oyebode and former Attorney-General, Lagos State, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN) at the event.

North

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Yuletide: Stay off crowded places, NSCDC warns AZA MSUE KADUNA

L-R: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of State for Budget and National Planning. Hajia Zainab Ahmed; Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, during the Kaduna Music Festival in Kaduna, on Saturday.

Deregulation, answer to fuel scarcity –DPR official WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

urrent oil crisis in the country can only end if the sector is deregulated, an expert in the industry, Mr. Salvation Philips, has said. Speaking with National Mirror in Ilorin, Kwara State, Philips, who is Operations Controller of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in the state, said the problem, which did not start now, has become an avenue through which certain Nigerians enrich themselves at the expense of the remaining citizens. According to him, those who smile to the banks as a result of subsidies gov-

ernment pays on petroleum products would always want to deceive and incite Nigerians against its removal for their selfish gains alone. The DPR chief said it was sad that the country would produce crude oil, spend money to take it abroad for refining, spend money to bring it into the country and still spend money to take it to the citizens for consumption and all this while, certain influential individuals are raking into their purses the goodies accruing from the process. “Government should privatise the sector, particularly the distribution through the pipelines, pointing out that whoever would want to get the out-

fits and run it on private basis are the same ones who know how to protect the lines against vandals for their own benefits. He wondered why government in a bid to get fuel to her citizens would go the whole hog only for a few to corner the dividends in the process and some go and brazenly break the pipelines and steal the products. Philips said he still refused to believe that pipeline vandals were not those in the industry who have the trucks, know the expertise in siphoning fuel from live pipelines and have discharging points pointing out that if his assertion was true, then it goes to say that the same people who had gained from the le-

gitimate means of milking the system were still those who go behind to steal. Also, Philips debunked claims by petroleum marketers that they spend extra money to get the products to their filling stations, arguing that all the bills to get petrol from outside the country to the end point were picked up by the government. Bridging from depots to filling stations across the country he said, were at the expense of government, pointing out that no marketer imports fuel into the country neither do they have any depot where they pick fuel from at their personal expense. He therefore punctured the claims by the marketers.

‘Sabke dam needs N4bn to complete’ JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

bandoned Federal Governmentowned Sabke Dam in Katsina State needs about N4 billion for completion, a consultant for the project has said. The consultant, Engr Nasiru Ibrahim, stated this when Governor Aminu Bello Masari paid inspection visit to the project site yesterday. Located in Daura Emirate, Sabke dam contract was awarded by the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, in 1997 for

provision of portable water supply and irrigation farming at the cost of N420 million. But contractors handling the project abandoned same during first tenure of former President Olusegun Obasabjo due to unavailability of funds. Ibrahim, who conducted Masari round the project site, said it was designed to provide about 51 million litres of water to 17 communities within Daura emirate. He also said the project had more than 1,200 hectares of irrigation land,

which if utilised for food production, could provide food and employment to the teeming youths. He said contractors handling the project had completed major components of the dam with exception of its pumping and power stations. The consultant however, lamented the level of vandalism and stealing of important equipment at the dam, saying replacement of such equipment and completion of the project would cost Federal Government over N4 billion. Responding, Governor Masari said the visit was to

ascertain the situation of the project and work for its completion.

aduna State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Alhaji Modu Bunu, at the weekend warned residents to stay off crowded areas during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Bunu noted that intelligence report indicated that extremists have plotted to cause serious human and material damage in the state during this year’s yuletide. In a statement by NSCDC state Command’s Public Relations Officer, Orndiir Terzungwe, the commandant called on residents of the state to be extremely careful during the yuletide’s last minute shopping, warning that some unscrupulous elements may want to take advantage of the rush to cause mayhem. Bunu said the tactics of insurgents are no longer entirely new as extremists would always want to exploit festive period to generate greater casualties.

Katsina dissolves boards of 15 micro finance banks JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

oards of 15 micro finance banks owned by Katsina State government have been dissolved. Governor Aminu Bello Masari ordered the dissolution in a statement issued to newsmen by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Abdu Labaran. The statement identified affected banks to in-

Hisba intercepts beer-laden vehicle in Kano

r Abba Sufi, Dir e c t o r- G e n e r a l , Kano State Hisbah Board, said a trailer loaded with 24,000 bottles of assorted beer were intercepted in Kano on Saturday. Sufi told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the vehicle carrying the beer was arrested at Murtala Mohammed Way about 1am. He said the driver was also arrested, while the

He said, “It has become necessary following intelligence reports that extremists have plotted to cause serious human and material damage in the state during this year’s yuletide.” He assured that the corps was working tirelessly to dislodge bad elements in the state, calling on the citizens to observe NSCDC’s proactive measures by avoiding rush hour shopping in crowded markets, unnecessary gatherings and timely reports of any suspicious incidence. Bunu explained that in tandem with the directive of NSCDC Commandant General, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, the command has deployed a large number of personnel for intelligence operations to have hitch-free celebrations. He, however, called on residents of the state to use the period to live in peace with one another, avoid hate messages and actions that may create unnecessary tension that could culminating to violence.

vehicle and items were moved to the premises of the board, adding that the driver would be arraigned on Monday. He, however, warned people in the habit of bringing alcoholic drinks and other intoxicating items into the state to desist from doing so. Sufi said the state government would not take it lightly with anyone caught in the illegal act.

clude FTA Microfinance Bank, Funtua; JAnzama Microfinance Bank, Mani; Baure Microfinance Bank, Baure; Kankia Microfinance Bank, Kankia; Matazu Microfinance Bank, Matazu; Kankara Microfinance Bank, Kankara, and Sandamu Microfinance Bank, Sandamu. Others are Dutsinma Microfinance Bank, Dutsinma; Danja Microfinance Bank, Danja; Sabuwa Microfinance Bank, Sabuwa; Safana Microfinance Bank, Safana and Batagarawa Microfinance Bank, Batagarawa. The rest are Jibia Microfinance Bank, Jibia; Fa’ida Microfinance Bank, Rimi and Iya Zakari Microfinance Bank, Mashi. It stated that the dissolution of the boards of the affected microfinance banks was informed by the desire of the state government to “re-position the banks to assist local and small scale farmers, small scale business owners and artisans.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, December 14, 2015

World News Our country’s commitment to the migrants’ crisis is total and irrevocable and we shall stand by this principle. –GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL

Face-off: Russia fires ‘warning shot’ at Turkey AfolAbi GAmbAri

Swiss Police yesterday arrested two people with Syrian passports and found traces of potential bombmaking chemicals in a car as security remains high around Geneva amid a terrorism alert and a hunt for suspects, authorities have said. A man hunt had been launched for at least two people with indirect links to suspects in the November 13 Paris terrorist attacks. But it was not immediately clear whether the Geneva arrests were linked to the attacks in Paris, in which 130 people were killed. The two were arrested Friday and charged Saturday, according to a statement Saturday from the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. They were arrested on suspicion of the manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives or toxic gases, as well as on suspicion of violating the prohibition of groups such as al Qaida and ISIS.

WITH AGENCY REPORT

ussia said yesterday that one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish fishing vessel in the Aegean Sea to avoid a collision. A Russian Defence Ministry statement said the Turkish vessel approached to 600m (1, 800ft) before turning away in response to Russian small arms fire. The Turkish military attache in Moscow has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry over the incident. Relations remain tense over Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian bomber. The Russian SU-24 bomber was shot down by two Turkish F-16s in the Turkish borderSyria area November 24. Turkey maintained the plane crossed into its airspace, although Russia disputed the claim. Last week, Turkey complained over what it said was a sailor on a Russian naval ship brandishing a missile launcher as the vessel passed through Istanbul. But Russia rejected the criticism saying the crew had a

The Russian frigate, the Smetlivy, anchored just off the Greek island of Lemnos when the incident happened yesterday “legal right” to protect the ship. In the latest incident, Russia’s defence ministry said its frigate Smetlivy was anchored just off the Greek island of Lemnos yesterday morning when it spotted the Turkish fishing boat heading towards it some 1, 000m (3, 000ft) away.

“Despite numerous attempts by the crew of the Smetlivy, the crew of the Turkish fishing boat did not make radio contact and did not respond to visual signals by semaphore or warning flares,” the ministry said in a statement. Turkey had not yet response

to the incident at press time. But the country’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned on Friday that Ankara’s patience with Russia was “not unlimited”, and accused Moscow of using “every opportunity” to punish Turkey for the downing of the plane.

Jammeh declares Gambia ‘Islamic Republic’

ambia’s President, Yahya Jammeh, has declared the tiny West African country an Islamic Republic, saying he decided this because Islam is the religion of the majority of the country’s citizens and to break from the nation’s colonial past. About 90 per cent of Gambia’s 1.8 million people are Muslim. The country gained independence from Britain in

1965. Jammeh made the declaration Friday at a political rally in the coastal village Brufut, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of the capital, Banjul. “In line with the country’s religious identity and values, I proclaim Gambia as an Islamic state,” the Gambian leader said. “Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy,” he added.

It does not appear that Jammeh’s announcement changes Gambia’s laws or the country’s constitutional status as a secular state while the declaration was not aimed at allying the country with the jihadist organization known as the Islamic State group. “We will be an Islamic state that would respect the rights of all citizens and non-citizens,” he further said.

The head of the country’s Islamic body, Supreme Islamic Council Chairman, Imam Momodou Lamin Touray, would however not say if he endorsed the declaration. “We haven’t met yet to discuss over the presidential announcement,” Touray said. Jammeh has ruled Gambia since seizing power in 1994.

Saudi elects first women politicians

t least six women have been elected to public office in Saudi Arabia, according to preliminary results published in state media yesterday. Saturday’s historic elections for municipal councils marked the first time women in the country were allowed to vote and to run for office. The female winners include Salma al-Oteibi in the Mecca region, Lama al-Suleiman and

WORLD BULLETIN Terrorism: Geneva on alert after arrests

Rasha Hufaithi in Jeddah, Hanouf al-Hazimi in Al Jouf province, and Sanaa alHammam and Masoumah Abdelreda in the Ahsa region. Despite the new rights extended to women, critics have said restrictions made it hard on women who wanted to run for office and vote. Among other things, women complained of difficulties proving identity and residency and a limited number of

registration centers, according to Human Rights Watch. Female candidates also were barred from speaking to male voters and required to segregate campaign offices, the organization said. A total of 5,938 men ran for the local offices, which mostly oversee planning and development issues. Voters will fill half of the seats while the King selects the other half, according to the

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

Leave Burundi, US warns citizens The US State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Burundi as political violence increases in the country. A travel warning issued yesterday also urged US citizens in the central African country to leave “as soon as it is feasible to do so”. “As a result of continuing violence, the Department of State ordered the departure of dependents of US government personnel and non-emergency US government personnel from Burundi,” the US statement read, adding, “The US Embassy is able to offer only very limited emergency services to US citizens in Burundi.” About 87 people were killed on Friday after three military sites were attacked, Burundi’s army said yesterday.

Egypt jails policemen A court in Egypt has given fiveyear jail terms to two policemen convicted of torturing a lawyer to death. Karim Hamdy was detained in Cairo in February, accused of belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. A forensic report showed he died two days later. His ribs were fractured and he had suffered a brain haemorrhage. The Muslim Brotherhood was removed from power in 2013. The Egyptian government has conducted a crackdown against it since. Human rights groups say dozens of lawyers have been jailed for defending Muslim Brotherhood members. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has promised to investigate all allegations of police abuses which human rights activists say have been on the rise since the coup in 2013.

World News

Monday, December 14, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CAR crisis: Gunfire rocks Bangui poll H eavy gunfire broke out yesterday in a Muslim district of the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui, during a referendum on a new constitution. UN forces deployed after machine-gun fire and rocket launchers were used, as voters waited near a school. It is hoped the new constitution can help end more than two years of conflict in the CAR between Muslims and Christians. Presidential and parliamentary elections are also due on December 27. The conduct of the referendum is seen a test of whether December’s elections can go ahead safely, according to the media. Several people were reported to have been injured in the latest violence in the PK5 district of Bangui, but it is not yet clear who carried out the attack. An earlier incident left

A UN Forces soldier is sighted as he protected an area in Bangui yesterday

several others wounded. The CAR has been prey to sectarian violence since March 2013 when Muslim Seleka rebels briefly seized power, deposing the

Christian President Francois Bozize. The Seleka group was then itself ousted, leading to a wave of violent reprisals against the Muslim

Election: French far right party routed

rance’s far-right National Front (FN) has failed to win a single region in the second round of elections, exit polls indicate. Early results yesterday suggested the party was beaten into third place, despite leading in six of 13 regions in the first round of votes a week ago. The polls predicted Nicolas Sarkozy’s centreright Republicans would win most seats ahead of the ruling Socialists. Acknowledging defeat, Ms Marine Le Pen pledged to keep fighting. “Nothing can stop us. Long live the French Republic! Long live the nation! Long live France!” she told her supporters,” she said. Le Pen stood as a candidate in the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie. Her niece Marion MarechalLe Pen was standing in Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, in the south. After both secured more than 40% of the vote in the first round, the trailing Socialist candidates in those regions pulled out to shore up the vote against the FN

for the second round. One poll suggested Le Pen secured 42.5 per cent in the second round in her region, against the centre-right’s

57.5 per cent. Xavier Bertrand, who is leading in Nord-Pasde-Calais-Picardie, said the French had given “a

Ms Marine Le Pen after conceding defeat yesterday

population by the Christian anti-Balaka militia. Only two weeks ago, Pope Francis visited the country and appealed to Muslims and Christians to live in harmony.

lesson of rallying together, courage. Here we stopped the progression of the National Front.” But Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls was less upbeat. He warned the “danger posed by the far right has not gone away, far from it.” The first round of voting on 6 December gave the FN the best election results in its history. It was the first electoral test since last month’s Paris attacks, in which 130 people were killed, an attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State group.

China offers urban migrants permit

hina is to offer residency status to some of the millions of migrant workers who have moved from rural areas to cities in recent decades. It means migrants will be entitled to use public services, such as health and education, where they live, rather than in the villages they come from. Migrants will be able to apply if they can show proof of work, study or

housing in a city for six months. By 2030, up to 70 per cent of Chinese will live in cities, the World Bank has predicted. An estimated 61 million Chinese children are left behind in the countryside by their parents. Migrants who bring their children with them can only place them in unregistered schools, often of dubious quality.

Individual cities will be free to set their own rules for residency. The biggest cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, are likely to set tougher conditions, so as not to encourage further migration. This latest reform to China’s registration system seems designed to address frustration amongst migrants and bolster social stability, according to reports.

WORLD BULLETIN ‘Climate action best for planet’ The climate deal reached in Paris is the best chance we have to save the one planet we have, US President Barack Obama has said. He said it could be a turning point towards a low-carbon future. China, the world’s biggest polluter, also hailed the deal, as did India. But some campaigners said it did not go far enough to protect the planet. The Paris pact aims to curb global warming to less than 2C (3.6F) by the end of the century. Nearly 200 countries took part in tense negotiations in the French capital over two weeks, striking the first deal to commit all nations to cut emissions. The agreement, which is partly legally binding and partly voluntary, will come into being in 2020. Describing the agreement as ambitious, President Obama said: “Together, we’ve shown what’s possible when the world stands as one.”

Clinic fire kills 23 At least 23 people have died in a fire at a mental health clinic in the Voronezh region of western Russia, the Emergency Ministry said yesterday. At least 20 people are being treated in hospital, the ministry also said. The building was completely destroyed by the fire that began late on Saturday, reports said. The blaze is the latest in a series of deadly fires at Russian state institutions. The cause is being investigated. A nurse at the clinic, Anatoliy Sergiyenko, said he had to leave the building because he had difficulty breathing. “After this door was forced open a bit of fresh air came in and we evacuated some of the people,” he said. Many people have died in fires at state institutions across Russia over recent years. In 2006, a fire at a Moscow drug rehabilitation clinic killed 45 women.

Libya crisis: Rome talks seeks progress An international conference aimed at ending the civil war in Libya has called on all parties to accept an “immediate comprehensive ceasefire”. US Secretary of State John Kerry said he expected Libya’s rival governments to sign a UN-backed agreement on Wednesday to form a unity government. “The conflict has gone on too long and the power vacuum has been readily filled by extremists,” Kerry said yesterday. Libya has been unstable since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in October 2011. There is growing concern that the Islamic State group (IS), with a stronghold in the city of Sirte, is profiting from the instability. Delegates from the two opposing administrations were at the talks in Rome, along with members from Western and Middle Eastern countries and the UN. “No one understands the need for a ceasefire better than the Libyan leaders and the whole process has been driven by them,” Kerry further said.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

GOD IS AN IMMORTAL SABBATH MISSION

IBIJOKE READING AWARENESS CENTRE

This is to inform the general public that the above named body has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Company and allied matters Act No 1 of 1990.

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named IBIJOKE READING AWARENESS CENTRE has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja for registration under Part ‘ C ‘ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act CAP C20 LFN 2004.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mr Emeka Nwatu 2. Mr John Ibekwe 3. Mr Patrick Aniji 4. Mrs Uzoamaka Ani 5. Mrs Favour Ijeoma Nwatu AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the World 2. To help the needy and make positive impacts in people’s lives 3. To do the work of God in obedience to God’s word 4. To promote unity, love and mutual understanding among Christians 5. To organize and hold religious activities, seminars, retreats within and outside the country 6. To teach, train and educate people to so become committed, God fearing and productive citizens in accordance with the word of God. 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 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Patrick Aniji (Secretary)

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MRS. OMOLOLA ALADE - Chairman 2. MRS. OMOTAYO MORGAN -Secretary 3. MRS. OLUMOROTI ADEDOYIN-ADEYINKA - Treasurer 4. MRS. TOLU FANIMOKUN - Fin. Secretary 5. PROFESSOR OLUKAYODE OYEDIRAN -Member AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To improve the reading skills and access to high quality reading materials for all children in Nigeria. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Trustees

CHANGE OF NAME NWOSU: I, formerly known and addressed as NWOSU EZINNE, now wish to be known, called and addressed as NWACHUKWU PEACE EZINNE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly Eucharia Ekwutosi Alagwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Eucharia Ekwutosi DARA. All former documents remain valid. General Public should please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME formerly known and addressed as Esther Abiodun Sule or Suleiman, now wish to be known and addressed as Esther Abiodun Adeniyi. All former documents remain valid. General Public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Francis Nkechi Jessica, now wish to be called Miss Francis Nkechi Emmanuella. All former documents remain valid. General Public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I hereby confirm that I Elisabeth Olga Osazuwa is the same person as Elizabeth Osazuwa,all former documents remain valid, general public take note CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, TIJANI KEHINDE is same Person as TIJANI KEHINDE FOUAD. All former documents bearing of my names remain valid. General public please take note.

This is to confirm that I RUTH EGBUNU AKPA and QUEEN OCHIGBO Represent the same person.

I formerly known as Confidence Wullimat Adebola now Confidence Wullimat Shielu, All former documents remain valid, general public note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as UDENWUDE ABEL, now wish to be known and addressed as UDEH ABEL OKAFOR. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as FADAIRO OLUWATOYIN ELIZABETH, now wish to be known and addressed as ARIYO OLUWATOYIN ELIZABETH. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME rmerly known and addressed as AWEN ADA SYLVESTER, now wish to be known and addressed as AWEN GIFT SYLVESTER. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as UDENWUDE ABEL, now wish to be known and addressed as UDEH ABEL OKAFOR. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as IKE AKANAM EMMABEST, now wish to be known and addressed as EPHRAIM BOSIM EMMANUEL. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Alabi Janet Ojuolape, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Bababusola Janet Ojuolape . All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Monday, December 14, 2015

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as OMONIYI PHILIP OTOLARIN, now wish to be known and addressed as OMONIYI OLADUNJOYE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as MR. MAYUNGBE YUSUFF ADELEKE, now wish to be known and addressed as MR. MAYUNGBE JOSEPH ADELEKE.

CHANGE OF NAME

OLUYEMI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS FAMAKINWA AYOOLA ABIDEMI now which to be known and addressed as MRS OLUYEMI AYOOLA ABIDEMI.University of Ibadan Postgraduate School, law enforcement agencies and the general public should please take note.

NCHUKU: I, formerly known and addressed as ANGELA EBEBE NCHUKU, now wish to be known, called and addressed as ANGELA DIVINE NCHUKU. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME GLADYS: I formerly known as SAFIYA JUMBE, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss. GLADYS TUNJI, All my former documents remain valid. The public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as ISAH RAIMI , now wish to be known and addressed as ISAH ADDULKAREEM ADINOYI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as USMAN SAIDU, now wish to be known and addressed as USMAN GARBA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME This is to inform the general public that my name was wrongly spelt as Prof. Emmanuel Adebayo Fasakin on my Stanbic IBTC Pension Registration Certificate. Instead of my true and correct name PROF. EMMANUEL ADEDAYO FASAKIN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME FADEYI; Formerly known and addressed as MRS FADEYI GRACE IYABO now wish to be known and addressed as MRS TOWASE GRACE IYABO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known as Miss OLUWATOMI BUNMI IDOWU now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs OLUWATOMI BUNMI BECKLEY. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

This is to certified that Taiwo Jokotade Christianah is the same one person as Dagbode Jokotade Christianah, that henceforth wish to be called and addressed as Dagbode Jokotade Christianah. All former documents remain valid, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public should please take note.

This is to certified that Aminu Adebayo and Aminu Fatai Adebayo is the same one person as Omoola Fatai Olawale, that henceforth wish to be known and called as Omoola Fatai Olawale. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Sulaiman Serifat Abiodun now wish to be called and known as Mrs Agbaje Serifat Abiodun. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

Formerly addressed and known as Miss Ajayi Olubunmi Molarape now wish to be known and called as Mrs Ajasa Olubunmi Molarape. All former documents remain valid, State Hospital Ilesa, State of Osun Hospital Management Board Osogbo and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ONYENZE : Formerly known as Miss Onyenze Ogechi Stephanie now wish to be known And adreess as Mrs Onuorah Ogechi Stephanie. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Oliko Helen now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Shobayo Bamidele Helen. All former documents remain valid. GT Bank and General public take note

FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MISS AJAYI OLUFUNKE MOSUNMOLA. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. OLUWATAYO OLUFUNKE MOSUNMOLA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Adebolu Abosede Abeni now wish to be known and addressed as Olabisi Abosede Abeni. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

This is to inform the general public and the authority concern to know that Mrs. Ebere Peter is the same person as Ebere Osegbo. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MR JOHNSON OLADELE TAIWO Now wish to be known, called and addressed as MR AJAO JOSEPH TAIWO All documents and certificates bearing my former names remain valid. General public and relevant authorities should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MR AFOLABI BENJAMIN OLUREMI EDUN Now wish to be known, called and addressed as MR AFOLABI OLUREMI EDUN All documents and certificates bearing my former names remain valid. General public and relevant authorities should please take note

CHANGE OF NAME AKOMBU: Formerly known and addressed as Mr ALFRED AKOMBU now wish to be known and addressed as Mr AONAVE ALFRED JULIUS. All Former Documents Remain Valid. General Public Take Note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Onifade Oluwatosin Sola now wish to be addressed and called as Mrs Gabriel Testimony Oluwatosin. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME. OLABIWONINU: This is to Confirm that OLABIWONINU ABDULWASIU and OLA ABU refer to one and same person, .All documents reflecting any of the Stated names remain valid. Banks and the general public take .

CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

MOSES: Formerly known and addressed as Miss LYDIA FUNMILOLA MOSES now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs LYDIA FUNMILOLA OYERINDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AHIABA:This is to Confirm that AHIABA UMAR and AHIABA JIBRIL EDIME refer to one and same person, henceforth wish to be known and addressed as AHIABA UMAR.. All documents reflecting any of the Stated names remain valid. Banks and the general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME AKINDEINDE: Formerly known and addressed as AKINDEINDE TITILAYO now wish to be known and addressed as AKINDEINDE FLORENCE TITILAYO.. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME AGBIKE: Formerly known and addressed as AGBIKE DANIEL now wish to be known and addressed as IJI JOHNSON. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

KOFOWOROLA : Formerly known and addressed as KOFOWOROLA MOSES ANUOLUWAPO now wish to be known and addressed as ADELANI MOSES ANUOLUWAPO. . All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME SUNDAY: Formerly known and addressed as SUNDAY EKOMA ONYISI now wish to be known and addressed as ABIAMUWE SUNDAY JUDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME AJAGHA: Formerly known and addressed as AJAGHA FRANCA AYO now wish to be known and addressed as AJAKA FRANCA AYO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

NWACHUKWU: Formerly known and addressed as NWACHUKWU CHIBUEZE JONAH now wish to be known and addressed as NWACHUKWU CHRIS CHIBUEZE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME OGECHUKWU: Formerly known and addressed as OGECHUKWU EZEAGU now wish to be known and addressed as OGECHUKWU EZEAGU ANENE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

IBIBA: Formerly known and addressed as IBIBA EBIOBOERE HORSFALL now wish to be known and addressed as IBIBA EBIOBOERE UNGER.. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

NWAGWONUWE: Formerly known and addressed as FAVOUR ONYEKACHUKWU now wish to be known and addressed as NWAGWONUWE FAVOUR ONYEKACHUKWU. All former documents remain valid Access bank and the general public take note

AKADUCHIEME :Formerly known and addressed as AKADUCHIEME EMEKA MOSES now wish to be known and addressed as LEONARD CHUKWUEMEKA MAXWELL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

ADUDU: Formerly known and addressed as MISS AUGUSTINA AIMIEBENOME ADUDU now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLAPADE AUGUSTINA AIMIEBENOME All former documents remain valid. General public take note

ADAMU: Formerly known and addressed as ADAMU CHARLES FESTUS now wish to be known and addressed as UGBABE FESTUS ADAMU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME EMEKA: Formerly known and addressed as EMEKA EJIOFOR DAVID now wish to be known and addressed as UDEZE DAVID ONYEBUCHI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as UCHENNA OGAZI OGAZI. now wish to be known and addressed as ELECHI WILLIAMS UCHENNA. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as CHIDI THOMAS and SUNDAY CHIDI ORJI now wish to be known and addressed as THOMAS CHIDI SUNDAY. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as OKOH DANIEL ADAH now wish to be known and addressed as RAPHAEL OHUMEJE. All documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladele Funsho Hannah now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adepegba Funsho Hannah. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME SUNDAY: Formerly known and addressed as SUNDAY OHAMADIKE ENECHUKWU now wish to be known and addressed as DAVIDSON SUNDAY OHAMADIKE UMEOJIAKOR. All former documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note

CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

To confirm that I am one and same person bearing ARCHIBONG EFFIONG ASUQUO and ARCHIBONG EFFIONG as obtainable in some of my documents.

CHANGE OF NAME

I fﾃｸrmerly Miss ABIMBOLA RISIKAT FALANA wish to be known and address as MRS ABIMBOLA RISIKAT ITANOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Adedokun Ganiyat Olaide, now wish to be known and addressed as Adejare Ganiyat Olaide born 2nd april 1986. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. CHANGE OF NAME OGUNYEMI; Formerly known and addressed as OGUNYEMI AJAYI TUNDE now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWAYEMI SAMUEL AJAYI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME.

CHANGE OF NAME UBIETU: Formerly known and addressed as MISS UBIETU ESTHER OGHENEKOME BISOLA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS TIJANI ESTHER OGHENEKOME BISOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as RUBIYANGA KARISONYA HANUS now wish to be known and addressed as HANUS DAVID JOEL. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, CHINWIKE OKECHUKWU also known as DAVID MICHAEL OKECHUKWU. All former documents bearing my names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as MR ADIO NURUDEEN ATANDA now wish to be known and addressed as ADIO NURU All former document remain valid LAKESOFT NIG PLC and general public take note

Formerly Known and addressed as Mrs Sogbesan Olanike Mary now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Abiodun Olanike Mary. All former documents remain valid. Abeokuta South Local government and General public take note

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Onadipe Oluwakemi Idowu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adekoya Idowu Awolola. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity bank Plc and General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

KAZEEM: I, formerly known and addressed as KAZﾃ右M ADEOLA TOMISIN, now wish to be known, called and addressed as ISHOLA ADEOLA TOMISIN. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

ZUBAIRU: I, formerly known and addressed as ZUBAIRU AISHA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OSENI AISHA. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities concerned should please take note.

YUSUFF: I, formerly known as YUSUFF MOROUNRANTI SIKIRAT, now wish to be known and addressed as ALABI MOROUNRANTI SIKIRAT. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

TOUCHING LIVES FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

IGBO YOUTH ASSOCIATION FOR UNIFICATION AND SENSITISATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named organization has applied for registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part C of the Companies And Allied Matters Act, 2004. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MISS KOLAPO RUKIYAT ABIMBOLA 2. MR. KOLAPO AKINTUNDE HAMMED 3. MRS KOLAPO MERCY MONISOLA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. Working towards elimination of child labour and the rehabilitation of victims of child labour 2. Providing assistance for widows and orphans 3. Undertaking community development programs at grassroots level 4. Working towards the eradication of poverty in the society Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication. SIGNED SANMI OWOEYE ESQ (Solicitor) 08038259528.

CHANGE OF NAME OKOYE : Formerly known as Miss Okoye Anulika Isabella now wish to be known and address as Mrs Egbunike Anulika Isabella. All former documents remain valid. General public please note.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named organization has applied to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission for the registration under Part C of the Companies And Allied Matters Act , 1990. THE TRUSTEE ARE: 1.Evang. Madu O. Steven,(President/ Chairman) 2.Mr. Noel N. Okoro (secretary) 3.Philip Nnamani, 4.Hon. Austin Anyanwu, 5.Princess Pat. Emeregbam, Aims and Objective: 1.To sensitize and enlighten the Igbo youths socially and politically. 2.To ensure unify of Igbo youths ,so that they will work in one accord. 3.To recognize and appreciate excellence and hard working Igbo youths locally and international. Any objection to this registration should be directed to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, PMB 198 Garki Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Mr. Noel N. Okoro (secretary)

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as ELEME KENNETH NWABUEZE now wish to be known and addressed as ONYEMAECHI KENNETH NWABUEZE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME SUNDAY: FORMERLY known and addressed as SUNDAY EJIOFOR Now wish to be known, called and addressed as CHIBUZOR EJIOFOR. All former documents remain valid, General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME ADISA: I, formerly known and addressed as TAOFIKI AREMU ADISA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as SERIKI AREMU ADISA. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as JUDE OKORO, now wish to be known and addressed as OSINACHI OGUERI. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity Bank, FCMB Bank and the general public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS ANAMASONYE ETHELBERT NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS ANAMASONYE ETHELBERT CHICHI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

FAGBOUN: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS FOLAKE FAGBOUN, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS FOLAKE OKOI. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria police force and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

FAMILY CHANGE OF NAME We formerly known and addressed as ONYEANUSI now wish to be known and addressed as AFOEGBO. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

HOSEA: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS HOSEA HELEN LEKSHAK, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS HELEN KANGSUK DOMINIC. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria Police force and general public should please take note.

Monday, December 14, 2015

The heartwarming news is that Alexis will be back in training on Monday (today) and means so much to us

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

I feel fulfilled after Chile’s feat –Amuneke

–ARSENAL MANAGER, ARSENE WENGER

Nigerian players carrying Coach Samson Siasia shoulder high after their victory over Algeria

Buhari extols victorious Dream Team VI Otimi Fadeyi ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari has extolled the winning spirit of Nigeria’s Under-23 team for gallantly defeating Algeria in the finals of the Under-23 Africa Nations Cup championship played Saturday in Senegal. A press statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said Buhari noted with delight that this was the first time that Nigeria attained the soccer glory in this particular category. According to the President, “the boys have worked incredibly and admirably so hard to bring national glory to Nigeria, adding that” their tenacity and the passion to excel were factors that propelled the Under 23 team to victory.” Buhari said he was proud of the talented and determined young Nigerians for winning laurels for the country and breaking the record of giving Nigeria that opportunity for the first time. He said his administration would give them every support and active encouragement to excel in the future. According to the President, his government would always reward hard work and

... As Team returns today

excellence. He however advised the players to sustain the standard they have attained. Meanwhile, the victorious Dream Team VI, which lifted the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations on Saturday night, will return today. According to the team’s itinerary, the

Dream Team departed the Leopold Senghor International Airport today by 3am aboard an ARIK Airline flight, and is expected to touch down at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos by 9am. The group will then board another ARIK airline flight to Abuja.

Meanwhile, all the three overseas – based professionals - Captain Azubuike Okechukwu and forwards Junior Ajayi and Taiwo Awoniyi have returned to their different clubs and will not be part of the delegation arriving Nigeria. The three players departed for their bases immediately after the team returned to its Alafifa Hotel base from the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor on Saturday night.

Glo congratulates Dream Team

frica’s leading corporate supporter of football, Globacom, has congratulated the Nigeria U-23 team for winning the African U-23 Nations Cup in Dakar, Senegal on Saturday. The Samson Siasiacoached team defeated Algeria 2-1 in the highly technical game to emerge the African champion after enduring a shaky start in the quadrennial tournament. “We are delighted that the

Dream Team overcame all adversities to triumph over Algeria, thereby adding to the sports laurels won by Nigeria in the outgoing year,” Globacom said in a statement in Lagos on Sunday. “We particularly commend the entire Nigerian team for taking the criticisms that greeted their initial poor performance in their stride and re-dedicated themselves to making Nigeria proud,” the statement added. The company said that as

the nation’s next generation network, “We encourage this crop of creative footballers to go and conquer the world in football at the Olympic Games holding in Brazil, and thereafter make the national team the Dream Team that Nigeria is yearning for.” The telecommunications company commended Nigerians for their support for the team which it described as the vital tonic, even as it also commended the efforts of

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Sports Ministry in ensuring ultimate success for the team. “We look forward to a good outing in Brazil as the Dream Team begins preparation for the 2017 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” the statement further said. Globacom is the major partner of the Nigeria Football Federation and official sponsor of the Nigerian national football teams.

Sports

Monday, December 14, 2015

TP Mazembe out of FIFA Club World Cup

frica’s representative at the FIFA Club World Cup has been knocked out after TP Mazembe lost 3-0 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The Congolese club, par-

ticipating at Yanmar Stadium in Osaka as CAF Champions League winners, are taking an early flight home after losing to the Japanese club. Goals from Shiotani, Chiba and Asano were too much for

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Champions League Draw

Enyimba, Wolves express hope

Mazembe, who would have faced Argentine club River Plate in the semi-final on Wednesday had they won. The other semi-final is between Barcelona and Guangzhou Evergrande Thursday.

Mercy Jacob

WITH AGENCY REPORT

Valencia draw Neville’s first league game

ary Neville drew his first La Liga game in charge of Valencia as they came from behind with 10 men at Eibar. The hosts led before half-time when Sergi Enrich scored from close range. Valencia had Lucas Orban harshly sent off in the 63rd minute for an aerial challenge on Dani Garcia, with Jaume Domenech saving the penalty. Despite not managing a shot on target, Valencia equalised late on through David Junca’s own goal, before Eibar’s Ivan Ramis was dismissed. Valencia remain ninth in the table, above their opponents on goal difference.

Neville, the former Manchester United defender and current England coach who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo this month, lost his first game 2-0 to Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday. He looked angry throughout a poor first-half performance against Eibar, and was warned by the referee for his behaviour on the touchline. Valencia’s passing repeatedly let them down and a long-range shot from Andre Gomes that flew over the crossbar was their only attempt before they fell behind. Ander Capa burst down the right flank with little resistance

Gary Neville

and crossed for Enrich, who bundled home. Domenech saved brilliantly to keep out Berjon Perez’s penalty after Orban fouled Garcia. Valencia equalised when a smart turn and pass by former Manchester City striker Alvaro

Negredo, a 76th-minute substitute, forced Junca to deflect the ball clumsily into his own net. Ramis was shown a red card in stoppage time for bringing down Paco Alcacer as he broke clear, with Paco Alcacer firing the freekick inches wide.

Arsenal beat Villa to go top of EPL

Arsene Wenger

rsenal ended a good week by going top of the Premier League courtesy of a win at Aston Villa that leaves Remi Garde’s side further adrift at the bottom. The Gunners, who reached the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek, led through Olivier Giroud’s early penalty. Aaron Ramsey then started and finished a superb counter-attack to reward the away side’s first-half dominance. Jack Grealish returned to action for Villa, who improved after the

break but wasted a number of good chances. Villa’s defeat, coupled with positive results for some of their rivals, means they are now eight points from safety with only six points from 16 games. In sharp contrast, Arsene Wenger’s side have won 10 league games this season and lead the division, a point ahead of Manchester City, who beat Swansea on Saturday, and Leicester, who face champions Chelsea on Monday night. Giroud was Arsenal’s hero in Greece on Wednesday, scoring his

first Gunners hat-trick as they claimed the win they needed over Olympiakos to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. The third of those goals came from the penalty spot and he was again given the opportunity to score from 12 yards in the eighth minute at Villa Park when Alan Hutton was adjudged to have pulled back Walcott in the box. Initially, it looked as though referee Kevin Friend had ignored Arsenal’s appeals before finally - and correctly - pointing to the spot, much to the anger of the home crowd.

he 2016 Caf Champions League draws made in Senegal over the weekend offer Nigerian clubs, Enyimba and Warri Wolves hope of going further than this year. Enyimba are one of two Nigerian hopefuls for a second successive year and seek to atone for a last-32 exit this season. Warri Wolves, the other qualifiers did not compete this year. Draws were made in Dakar for the three, two-leg knockout rounds ahead of the lucrative group stage. Enyimba, the 2003 and 2004 Champions League winners, confront African newcomers Vipers of Uganda in a preliminary-round highlight. The club from Aba should keep a close watch on Farouk Miya, an 18-year-old midfielder with a fondness for goals and occasional captain of Uganda. If Enyimba progress, they would face what appears a less difficult task against Lioli of Lesotho or Vital’O of Burundi, but highly decorated Etoile Sahel of Tunisia loom as round-of-16 opponents. Etoile lifted the Confederation Cup last month, raising to nine their number of African successes, and the Tunisian club are the only ones to have won all five Caf competitions. Warri should eliminate Sporting Praia Cruz of Sao Tome e Principe, but 2015 Champions League semifinalists Al Merrikh and 2014 winners Entente Setif of Algeria are possible rivals for a group place.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Monday, December 14, 2015

Pepsi Academy rewards coaches, players

Golden Eaglet

I feel fulfilled after Chile’s feat –Amuneke AfolAbi GAmbAri

olden Eaglets’ Coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, says he is a fulfilled man after his latest exploits in Chile where Nigeria successfully defended the FIFA U-17 trophy it won at the UAE finals in 2013. Amuneke guided the Eaglets to shot aside adversity in the South American tournament to put his name in the Nigerian folklore after Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen, Fanny Amun, Yemi Tella and Manu Garba achieved the feat before him in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013. “I think I feel fulfilled as a man and if there is anything I feel at the moment, that is it,” Amuneke

told National Mirror in an exclusive interview at the weekend. “My fulfillment stems from the rigours I endured while trying to build the team through screening, training, test games and tournaments. “In all of this, we went through tough times as certain things that we needed were simply not there. But at the same time, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials expected us to perform optimally. Sometimes I looked at the boys and wondered how they got the courage to carry on. But I think they were just determined to make the best of the opportunity in their hands. “Of course, I often reminded them that the option of failure was not worth taking and that Ni-

gerians would remember us more if we failed and we probably would not even be able to walk on the streets! “It is just as well that everything worked out perfectly in the end to justify the struggles from the beginning.” On the reports purporting that FIFA had marveled at the formation deployed by Amuneke at Chile World Cup, which the football ruling body described as “out of the book”, the former Nigeria international said: “I was surprised to hear FIFA say that because every coach has a formation and I don’t see why I should be different. As a matter of fact, the formation I used was to ensure that no player was indispensable in the squad while

NSCDC wins Korean Ambassador taekwondo tourney ifeAnyi eduzor

igeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the weekend confirmed their rating as a dominant force in combat sport in the country when they won the just concluded sixth edition of the annual Korean Ambassador West African Taekwondo Championship held at the Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Athletes of the Paramilitary outfit showed good knowledge of the game to garner the highest points in ‘Team Kyurugi, Poomsae, Creative Poomase and special skills even as it defeated

‘Team Korean Cultural Centre of Nigeria’ in the last event of the tournament by 30 points to 21 to be declared the overall winner of the championship. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong promised that his ministry will continue to encourage the development of taekwondo which he described as a potential medal hope for the country at the 2016 Rio Olympics Games. “Taekwondo being one of the sports we hope to give us medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics will continue to receive government’s attention to ensure the athletes do the country proud not only in Brazil but at other international competitions”, he said.

Dalong while urging youths to embrace the game of taekwondo commended the Embassy of the Republic of Korea for sustaining the tournament with an appeal to corporate organizations to emulate them because investment in sports brings about the development of the mind, good health and unity of the country. “I am particularly happy with what the Embassy of Korea has done in developing taekwondo in the country and they need commendation. Corporate organizations should emulate them because no investment in sports is a waste rather it brings about development of the mind, improved health of individuals as well as to unify the country” Dalong emphasized.

encouraging all the boys to play for one another at all times. It was not as strange as FIFA made it look.” Asked to predict the manner of reward that the Eaglets would receive from the Federal Government after the Chile feat, Amuneke also said: “We had a philosophy going to the World Cup, that is, to put in our very best to defend the image of Nigeria. We are happy to have lived up to the philosophy. So, it is up to the government to determine what befits us. But personally I do not expect much as such, my target having been met by winning the trophy. Personally, the only thing uppermost in my mind is to see the boys excel in their career in the not-distant future.”

epsi Football Academy players and coaches were at the weekend were hosted and rewarded for excellent performances at the 2015 Pepsi Academy Festival of Youth. The event which began with a football tournament for U-14 at Agege Stadium, Lagos ended with a Gala Night at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Tournament players were drawn from the PFA’s Kano, Aba, Ibadan and Lagos zones. Ibadan defeated Kano 4-2 in ther final to clinch the trophy while Aba beat Lagos 4-0 to claim third position. Coordinator of Pepsi Football Academy’s Kaduna Centre, Baba Labaran, and his Jos counterpart, Mrs. Bola Ogun, emerged the Most Outstanding Coaches of the Year as players were also accorded their honours in the three-day event. Former Super Eagles’ coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, who spoke at the Gala Night, described the Pepsi academy as the most consistent and functional football academy in Nigeria. “Although Nigeria has many football academies, Pepsi Academy has remained a shining light,” Onigbinde said. Head of Marketing, Seven Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Norden Thurston, also reaffirmed the sponsor’s commitment to the academy. “We will continue to create platforms such as the Pepsi Academy UK Scholarship for youngsters to make their dreams come true,” Thurston,

Sojurin shines in Satek Squash

he 2nd Satek Squash Series ended at the weekend at the O’Trafford Squash Club with Olumide Sojurin winning the Men’s category and Michael John winning the U-18 boys category. The series which spanned two days, were played on a straight knockout basis and produced some exciting action as the players tried to outdo each other in a quest to emerge champion. Sojurin of Ikoyi Club defeated Mathew Iyere of Police College in a tense and captivating Men’s final to emerge champion, winning a trophy and N250, 000 while Matthew got a medal and N100, 000.

In the U-18 boys’ category, Michael John emerged champion but was taken the distance in an exciting and thrilling final by David Pratt. John went home with a trophy and N50, 000 while Pratt got a medal and N30, 000. Chairman of the club, Mr. Larry Etah, commended stakeholders and management of Satek Nigeria Limited for what he called their commitment to the tournament. Managing Director of Satek Nigeria Limited, Samson Babajide, also described the competition as bright, saying, “Next year’s event will be more exciting as plans are at advanced stage to make it memorable.”

WORLD RECORD

Pogo stick jumping - fastest mile

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1263 Monday, December 14, 2015

The fastest mile jumping on a pogo stick is 9 min 56 sec and was achieved by Fred Grzybowski (USA) in Wooster, Ohio, USA, on 4 November 2014.

An institution going astray T he news came shockingly. And reactions have been torrential. Even a ‘shocked’ President Muhammadu Buhari has deftly and dignifiedly distanced himself from the action of the crowd in the Senate. I am talking about the new drive of our senators (sorry, some of them) to insulate themselves from the furies, angst and venom of the critical and discerning segments of the nation. Their weapon will be a piece of legislation appropriately tagged a “Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith”. Discerning Nigerians have retagged it Anti-social Media Bill. Funning enough, Senate President Bukola Saraki has denounced this as inappropriate labeling. Does it really matter? The intention of the bill is to prevent the maligning of our distinguished sena-

HeartBeat Callistus Oke

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY) anthonykila@mail.com tors and other innocent persons through both the conventional and social media. The bill is criminalizing perceivable unwholesome use of text message, tweets, WhatsApp or any social media. It is also imposing serious restrictions in the access to and use of the conventional media. Are we to brace up for press censorship and curtailment of freedom of expression? See why we should be apprehensive: “Where any person, through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law, shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2 million or both fine and imprisonment.” I find a tinge of irony in this pursuit. President Buhari in his days as our military leader (1983-1985) launched a similar drive, when he caused the promulgation of Decree 4 (the Protection Against False Accusations Decree 4) in 1984. Section 1 of the Decree provided that “Any person who publishes in any form, whether written or otherwise, any message, rumour, report or statement…which is false in any material particular or which brings or is calculated to bring the Federal Military Government or the government of a state or public officer to ridicule or disrepute, shall be guilty of an offense

THOSE WHO BELIEVE THEY COULD COW

NIGERIANS HAVE LIVED TO REGRET THEIR ACTIONS under this Decree”. The law further stated that offending journalists and publishers would be tried by a military tribunal, whose ruling would be final and non-appealable in any of our courts, and those found guilty would be fined a minimum of N10, 000 or two years imprisonment. The Guardian duo of Messrs Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were the first victims. Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, a lawyer and sponsor of the bill, must have got Decree Number 4 from the archive, dusted it up and reworked it and then he sold the dummy that it would meet our senators’ audacious desires to frighten Nigerians from discussing their hidden past and current actions that may be inimical to our wellbeing. What our senators fail to realize is that Buhari made his attempt under a military dictatorship that does not pretend to be unanswerable to the people it governs. Thank God, Nigeria is a full blown constitutional democracy. We shall see how our senators can get away with this, especially with Mr. President leading the opposition! I have asked myself the motive behind the current drive being spearheaded bythe

Kebbi State-born Senator Na’Allah, who is Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate. I am equally curious why the drive enjoys such solid support in the Senate to the extent it has passed through the second reading. I do know that fear is a motivation for leaders’ wrong actions. And fear also fuels persecution complex. Public service under a liberal democracy is about openness, both in the scrutiny of actions of public servants, including political officeholders, and in inquiries into their lives, private and public. You will admit there is a tinge of insecurity around public servants who have a hideous past and/or are prone to wrong and unwholesome conducts. Such possibilities abound in Nigeria! The country’s democracy might have been deepened by the Freedom of Information Act and strengthened by the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression, press freedom and robust social media usage. This thriving liberalism is a threat to men of power, who have a lot of skeletons and cobwebs in their cupboards. This perhaps, explains the battle plan of our distinguished senators, some of who are known to be under the yoke of siege mentality. Theoretically, a nation’s Senate ought to consist of its most distinguished characters because, according to James Madison, one of the founding father of America, the institution’s proceedings would need “coolness” and superior “wisdom” to remain focus. Nigeria’s most daunting challenge since May 29, 1999 is in not having a Senate that lives up to its name. A popular maxim says “Clear conscience fears no accusation”. Another well known aphorism is that “Only the guilty are afraid”. The strong erroneously think they can regulate people’s conduct through threat or arm twisting. Those who believe they could cow Nigerians have lived to regret their actions. Let our new men of power be told that Nigerians have conquered fear. The current drive is nothing but an exercise in futility.

Sport Extra

Donaldson wins Thailand Golf Championship

amie Donaldson shot a final-round seven under 65 to win the Thailand Golf Championship by three strokes. The Welshman, 40, started the day two shots

behind overnight leader Clement Sordet but nine birdies and two bogeys sealed his first win of 2015. Frenchman Sordet (70) and England’s Lee West-

wood (67) finished joint second. Donaldson and Westwood’s efforts mean they have returned to the world’s top 50 to qualify for the 2016 Open and Mas-

ters. Sordet also qualified for the Open, along with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, who finished sixth. The win for Donaldson

was his first since claiming the Czech Masters in August last year. Spain’s Sergio Garcia shot a two-under 70 to finish fourth alongside South Korean An Byeong-hun.

Jamie Emenike

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