Monday, February 1, 2016 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

How military was used to rig Fayose into office –Ekiti PDP Secretary

Nigeria imports N12.5trn refined fuel in 6 years

…says Jonathan spent $37m Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

ecretary of Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic

Fayose

Vol. 5 N0. 1297

Party, PDP, Dr. Temitope Aluko, yesterday opened a can of worms as he gave an insider’s account of how the military was used to rig the 2014 guberna-

torial election that gave victory to Governor Ayo Fayose. Aluko, who was Chief Returning Officer that

P. 5

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National Mirror Online @NationalMirror Monday, February 1, 2016 N150

Dasukigate: Crime against humanity, God –Okogie •Judiciary, my main headache in fight against corruption –Buhari N100m

N100m

N500m

Ayo Esan and Rotimi Fadeyi

H Peter Odili

Rashidi Ladoja

Attahiru Bafarawa

Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi

Jim Nwobodo

N260m

N100m

Tony Anenih

Ahmadu Ali

Bode George

N63m

N200m

N2.1 billion

Yerima Abdullahi N345m

Olu Falae N300m

Tanko Yakassai

Gen. Bello Sarkin Yaki

Raymond Dokpesi

Iyorchia Ayu

Bello Matawalle

is Eminence, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, has lampooned Nigeria’s treasury looters, saying they have committed heinous crime against humanity and God. The firebrand clergyman is disturbed by the mindboggling revelation that $2.1bn meant for arms purchase ended up in some private pockets, insisting that the looters, no matter how highly Continued on Page 2>>

Gunmen kidnap Dickson’s aide in Rivers P. 7

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Dasukigate: Crime against humanity, God –Okogie CONTINUED FROM Page 1

placed, should be guillotined if they are guilty. “The level of corruption as revealed through this arms deal is a huge embarrassment to the country “I think this is criminal before man and God. The money is alleged to have been provided for the purchase of arms. So dishonesty is involved which is wrong and for those gentlemen whose names have been mentioned, I think it should be looked into seriously. And after proper investigation, and they are found guilty, then of course the law should take its course,” he said. The clergyman who spoke to National Mirror in an exclusive interview admonishes President Muhammadu Buhari to jettison plea barging even as some of the smart alecs have confessed and started returning their loot. He said: “Returning the money they stole is not enough to atone for the death of several thousands of our soldiers and innocent Nigerians who lost their lives fighting against Boko Haram in the North East. “It is good that some of them have confessed and are returning what they stole. There are others that are saying they didn’t even know anything about it. “I don’t know how Mr. President is going to retrieve the money from them. So, like I said, number one, dishonesty is involved, secondly they raped the nation and so the law should take its course. “The consequence was that some of the soldiers died because there was no adequate equipment to fight the insurgents, so you can see the gravity of the offence. “That is why I am saying that all these looters should be properly investigated. In my own mind those that returned the money are the people I can classified as gentlemen. But they should not just be left off the hook like that, they should be punished probably for telling lies and stealing,” he added. Reacting to the alibi by the opposition party

L-R: Executive Director at Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Gambo Shuaibu; Nigeria’s Consular-General in Jedda, Ambassador Ahmed Umar; Vice President (operations) of IDB, Dr Mansur Mukhtar; Governors Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa; Nasiru el-Rufai of Kaduna; President of IDB, Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali; Governors Kashim Shettima of Borno State/leader of the delegation; Tanko Al-makura of Nassarawa and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano, after a developmental cooperation meeting between a delegation of the19-member Northern States Governors’ Forum and President of IDB at the bank’s headquarters in Jedda, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, yesterday. that most politicians so far arrested are from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which was the ruling party when the money was diverted, the Cardinal waves such vexatious noise aside with the back of his hand saying: “I am happy you said that most of the politicians so far arrested are from the PDP. “But what else do you expect them to say? They will look for a way to shield themselves off the hook. That is what is happening. Because when you catch a thief he will not just fold his hands and concur; he will fight back, even violently some times. “A bad thief will say I am not the only one. Those arrested felt by crying foul that the populace would sympathise with them because APC is now in government, that is why they are punishing the PDP. They want to show that the PDP is a thief. So they want to cover their own fault, they want to hide it. And I think it is not proper. “Again, it is left for Mr. President to investigate it. Whether it is APC or PDP that are involved, there should be the same punishment. He should not say because APC is in government, then all the APC members involved should be left off the hook. That is wrong. “The way I am seeing Mr. President fighting

the corruption problem I think if he wants to make a proper headway of it, he should fight from known to unknown. What I mean from known to unknown is that accountability should be there. “He must start from known, get his facts ready, then you start going to the unknown. But the way I am seeing it, he seems to be muddling everything together. “That is why the thing is not too successful. Like the $2.1bn arms deal, who are those involved. In the first place was $2.1bn actually given, you must know. Then from there, who authorised the $2.1bn to come out? These are the known. “Then from there you start going to the unknown, who are the people

that took the money? That is how I think he should go about the whole thing. “There should be accountability to the public, because we learnt that some money has been retrieved. Then you start going to the unknown, how do we get the money from these people?” Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia said the ongoing fight against corruption in Nigeria can only be effectively tackled with strong support of the judiciary. A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said Buhari spoke at a town hall meeting with Nigerians living in Ethiopia.

According to him, farreaching reforms of the judiciary remain a key priority for the present administration. “On the fight against corruption vis-à-vis the judiciary, Nigerians will be right to say that is my main headache for now. “If you reflect on what I went through for twelve years when I wanted to be the President, I attempted three times and on the fourth attempt through God and the use of technology, it was possible for Nigerians to elect an APC candidate as President. “In my first attempt in 2003, I ended up at the Supreme Court and for 13 months, I was in court. The second attempt in 2007, I was in court close to 20 months and in 2011, my third attempt, I was also

in court for nine months. “All these cases went up to the Supreme Court until the fourth time in 2015, when God agreed that I will be President of Nigeria,” the President said. The President assured members of the Nigerian community that with the support of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, he would continue to do his best to improve the nation’s judicial administration system. On urban development and infrastructure, Buhari said the Federal Government has ordered a review of several railway transport projects signed by the previous administration with the Chinese government. “The Chinese government was very generous to Nigeria on the projects Continued on Page 5>>

How military was used to rig Fayose into office –Ekiti PDP Secretary CONTINUED FROM Page 1

signed the results for the election, also disclosed how former President Goodluck Jonathan, gave Fayose $37m cash to prosecute the election. The party secretary, who made the disclosure in Abuja, stressed that he was forced to come forward with the revelations because Fayose betrayed him and derailed from the original plan they had for the development of the state.

Aluko had also testified in camera before the military panel that investigated the role of the military in the Ekiti election. Aluko, who said he was part of Fayose’s inner cycle during the election, alleged that Jonathan initially gave the governor a first tranche of $2m in March 2014 for the primary election. He noted that this cash was collected at the NNPC headquarters in

Abuja and was taken to Fayose’s private house, in Abuja before it was moved to Ekiti. “Immediately after the primary election, we collected another $35m from Jonathan on June 17, 2014. The money was brought to us by the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. “We all assembled at the front office of Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, owned by Fayose. There-

after, the cash was taken to a Bureau De Change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7bn,” Aluko added. He further alleged that Fayose received about N3bn cash from Sen. Buruji Kashamu in 2013 to revive the PDP in Ekiti State. The PDP scribe also gave account on how the military was used to win the election. Aluko said: “The forContinued on Page 5>>

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Good Health

Cure for Type-1 diabetes discovered! Franka Osakwe

n an amazing new discovery, scientists have been able to halt Type 1 diabetes for 6 months, bringing the cure a step closer. The research showed that implanting insulin-producing cells in the body could actually reverse the condition. With this discovery, hundreds of thousands of sufferers have been given hope. The breakthrough could signal the end of painful daily jabs for those with Type 1, the unpreventable autoimmune disease. During the research, experts were able to stop the body’s immune system from attacking its own insulin production by using human cells implanted into mice. Crucially, the researchers from US hospitals and other institutions including Harvard University, prevented the cells from being rejected by the body’s own auto-immune system. They are now in a race against time to replicate the results in people whose lives are blighted by the condition. Lead researcher and associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Daniel Anderson, said: “We are excited by these results and are working hard to advance this technology to the clinic.” The forward leap in understanding the treatable but as yet irreversible illness comes a year after experts discovered how to make huge quantities of insulinproducing cells. That research was led by Harvard professor Doug Melton, who has searched for a cure since his son was diagnosed with Type 1 as a baby. The human islet cells used in this latest experiment were generated from human stem cells developed by Professor Melton. After they were implanted in mice, the cells immediately began producing insulin in response to blood glucose levels and

New discovery may end daily insulin injections were able to maintain blood glucose within a healthy range for 174 days - the length of the study. In one test, alginate, a material originally derived from brown algae, was used to prevent the body triggering an immune response which can lead to the build-up of scar tissue and cells being rendered useless. Scientists created a library of almost 800 alginate derivatives and evaluated the immune response to each of them. This led them to focus on triazole-thiomorpholine dioxide (TMTD), which had a minimal immune response in mice and large animals. The researchers then implanted human islet cells encapsulated in TMTD in mice, which provided the success for the study. The findings are published in the journals Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology and were made possible with funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Julia Greenstein, vice president of discovery research, said: “Encapsulation therapies have the potential to be groundbreaking for people with Type 1 diabetes. These treatments aim to effectively establish long-term insulin independence and eliminate the daily burden of managing the disease for months, possibly years, at a time without the need for immune suppression. “JDRF is excited by these findings and we hope to see this research progress into human clinical trials and ultimately a potential new Type 1 diabetes therapy.” There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is when sufferers cannot produce insulin. Around 90 per cent have Type 2, which develops because they do not produce enough insulin or the insulin they produce doesn’t work properly. It is caused almost entirely by chronically unhealthy lifestyles and was once known as adult-onset diabetes but now commonly affects children.

Professor Alan Sinclair, director of Diabetes Frail, said: “These studies are incredibly exciting and may lead to large numbers of people, both young and old, being able to reduce their daily injectable insulin requirements and the need for intense blood sugar monitoring. “As beta cell encapsulation delivery mechanisms improve combined with more selective immune suppression, I can see Type 1 diabetes becoming largely a curable metabolic condition.” It means 25 per cent of the population has, or is prone to, an illness that can lead to blindness, amputations, heart and kidney disease, stroke and death. The dire statistics comes as specialists claim highly variable standards of care have placed sufferers at the mercy of a “postcode lottery”, with 24,000 dying early in Britain each year. Anna Morris, of Diabetes UK, said: “Transplanting insulin-producing islet cells into a person with Type 1 diabetes is a life-changing treatment for some, but transplant rejection is still a challenge. “This research highlights one potential way to hide the transplanted islet cells from the immune system, without the need for immunosuppressant drugs that can come with harmful side effects. “If successful, it could open exciting possibilities for people with Type 1 diabetes,” Jenny Hirst MBE, co-chairman of charity InDependent Diabetes Trust, said: “If this research can be translated into humans it would represent a significant breakthrough.” Meanwhile, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF ) report, states that Nigeria has the highest number of people with diabetes in Africa, with 3.9 million cases and 4.9 per cent national prevalence rate. The reports show that more than 80 per cent of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries and that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.

Did you Know?

Fibre-rich meals maintain lung health

diet high in fibrous foods may help maintain lung health, according to new research. Fibre has many benefits - it helps us maintain a healthy weight by making us feel fuller for longer, it helps maintain healthy bowel movements, it lowers cholesterol and can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Now, scientists have discovered it may also have a positive affect on lung health. Even when smoking, weight, socioeconomic status and other health factors were taken in to account, the research found lung health was better with those who consumed more fibrous foods. Of the people studied, almost 70 per cent of the high fibre consumers had normal lung function compared to just 50 per cent of the people who had diets low in fibre. Only 15 per cent of high fibre consumers had airway restriction compared with

30 per cent of those on a low-fibre diet. Leading researchers to believe sticking to a high-fibre diet helps promote good lung health. The researchers - from the University of Nebraska - looked in to data from almost 2000 people aged 40-70. They were asked to answer questions about diet, lifestyle and undertake a physical examination. The groups were split into people who ate 17.5g of fibre a day or more, and the lower group who ate less than 10.75g.

Excess iron damages the brain

esearchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing have discovered that excess iron damages neurons in the brain by impairing structures called lysosome which repair damage. This process has been proven to play a role in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases. As we get older, this rebuilding slows down and causes “garbage” to build up inside cells and creates toxic stress. Senior scientist Julie K Andersen said: “It’s recently been realised that one of the most important functions of the lysosome is to store iron in a place in the cell where it is not accessible to participate in toxic oxidative stressproducing reactions.

“Now we have demonstrated that a mutation in a lysosomal gene results in the toxic release of iron into the cell resulting in neuronal cell death.” She added: “This suggests that agerelated impairments in lysosomal function that impact the ability of neurons to maintain a healthy balance of iron are part of what underlies the presentation of PD in the general population.” Dr Andersen has a long-standing interest in the role of excess iron and Parkinson’s disease. In a previous study, she showed tying up excess iron with a metal chelator protected mice from the ravaging effects of the well-known Parkinson’s inducing toxin, MPTP.

Photo News

Monday, February 1, 2016

L-R: Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Adefemi Adeniran; Zonal Business Manager, Lagos North, Chioma Agogo; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; his wife, Folake, and Regional Operations Director, Airtel, Lagos Region, Oladokun Oye, during a courtesy visit to Prof. Soyinka over Telco’s Educational Product, Airtel Smart Trybe Junior, at his residence in Abeokuta at the weekend.

L-R: President, Coca-Cola Central East and West Africa, Mr. Kelvin Balogun;, Chairman, TGI Group, Mr. Cornelis Vink; Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Mr. Adeola Adetunji; Group President, Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group Mr. Nathan Kalumbu and CEO, TGI Group, Mr. Rahul Savara, at the announcement of Coca-Cola’s investment in Chi Limited in Lagos, at the weekend.

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Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel (right) with Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, during the funeral Service of the mother of Abia State Governor, the late Deaconess Bessie N. Ikpeazu, conducted by Seventh Day Adventist Church, Umuobiakwa Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

L-R: Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr. Adedeji Ajadi; Past President, Mr. Ariyo Olushekun; Acting President, Mr. Oluwaseyi Abe and President, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Madubuike, during a press conference on the state of the market in Lagos, at the weekend.

National News

$2.1bn arms deal: NLC backs suspects’ trial Femi Adeosun ABUJA

igeria Labour Congress, NLC, has come out to support the ongoing efforts to bring to book suspects in the mismanagement of $2.1 billion arms procurement funds. While urging the Federal Government to ensure that those involved are not only prosecuted, but made to refund the stolen money, the umbrella body for the Nigerian workers, demanded for a probe of contracts awarded for construction of roads in the country. These were contained a communiqué issued at the end of its national executive council meeting held in Lagos at the weekend and made available to journalists on Sunday. It lamented that the revelations arising from the armsgate underscored the

…urges probe of road contracts entrenchment of endemic corruption in the system. Ex-NSA, Sambo Dasuki, who is accused of superintending mismanagement of the fund, is currently being tried in court. Alleged beneficiaries of the funds include spokesperson of Nigeria’s largest opposition party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, and other leaders of political parties, are also linked to the scam, now popularly known as Dasukigate. NLC said: “Corruption is not just a national malaise that afflicts virtually every fabric of our national life, it has all but crippled the nation and accordingly requires a national action. Congress observes that the list of the corrupt as expressed in the $2.1 billion arms contract scandal underscores the extent of the rot in the system. Congress notes that this could just be

a tip of the iceberg. “Accordingly, Congress resolved that those on the list of $2.1 billion scandal should apologise to Nigerians for their shameful act. In spite of the fact that corruption is fighting back, government should explore all lawful means to ensure that the looted funds are recovered and the culprits prosecuted in accordance with the law. Congress also resolved that government should beam its searchlight on other sectors of the economy such as road contracts among others, with a view to recovering every kobo not accounted for.” While insisting that the congress would resist any attempt by governors to stop pay of the mandatory N18,000 minimum wage, NLC said it would mobilise workers to shut down Imo

State due to the various anti-workers tactics being employed by Governor Rochas Okorocha. Part of the communique regarding Imo State reads in part; “In line with the congress’ philosophy of an injury to one is an injury to all, Congress also resolved to mobilise to Imo State to shut it down as a response

to Governor Okorocha’s consistent anti-labour policies, impunity and retrenchment of workers, in spite of his promises to the leadership of the congress that he would not take such decisions. Congress also resolved to take a national action in respect of Imo if necessary. “Congress notes that Governor Okorocha has

raised a private militia which he has armed to the teeth and they are presently inflicting injuries on innocent workers. Congress considers this as illegal and resolved to make a report to the IGP, warning that in the event that Okorocha violates the law by unleashing the militia again on workers, there would be consequences.”

2016 budget is achievable, says Udoma

inister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, has assured that the 2016 budget was achievable in spite of falling oil price. This is contained in a statement issued by Director of Information in the ministry, Mr Charles Dafe, in Abuja yesterday. It said the minister stated this when a delegation from the African Develop-

ment Bank, ADB, visited the ministry. The statement said that ongoing reform targeted at diversifying the revenue base of the country would guarantee the achievement of the budget. “Our budget is achievable; we have ongoing reforms targeted at diversifying our revenue base away from single oil commodity economy. “Our Minister of State

for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is assiduously applying innovative financing in the oil sector to address any likely revenue gap from our projected oil revenue. “Plugging leakages through zero tolerance for corruption, application of sound public financial management and improved revenue collection system are reforms targeted at achieving the budget,” it said.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

How military was used to rig Fayose into office –Ekiti PDP Secretary CONTINUED FROM Page 2

mer President agreed with Fayose and summoned a security meeting at the Presidential Villa for the purpose of the election. “Those at the meeting were the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh; then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimmah; and former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. “Others included Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore, then Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan and Obanikoro. “At that meeting, the former President made it clear to the ex-Chief of Defence Staff that Fayose would stand for him (as Commander-In-Chief) in terms of providing security for the election.” Aluko alleged that Fayose, relying on Jonathan’s directive, approached the former Commander of the Army Brigade in Akure, Brig. Gen. Dikko to take charge of the election for the PDP, but he refused to cooperate and was replaced after a petition was filed against him. “But Gen. Dikko did not give us audience. He

stated bluntly that he would not be available for such operation. So, Fayose sponsored a petition against him, which led to his replacement with Brig. Gen. Aliyu Momoh who was amenable to our plans,” he said. Aluko alleged that 64 PDP stalwarts, who had knowledge of their local environment, were picked to help with information on opposition members. He said: “They gave detailed information regarding names and locations of opposition members in all the local governments, the various routes, areas of strength and weaknesses of the PDP in the 16 local governments. “Today, most of these 64 hatchet men are members of the Senate, House of Representatives, state House of Assembly, commissioners, local government chairmen, special advisers and the rest. “We went into the election with 1,040 recognised soldiers and another batch of 400 unrecognised soldiers brought from Enugu by Sen. Andy Uba. “In addition, we raised 44 special strike teams brought in Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and

Dasukigate: Crime against man, God, says Okogie CONTINUED FROM Page 2

signed with the previous government because they agreed to pay 85 per cent of the project. “But the Nigerian government was unable to meet up with its counterpart funding of 15 per cent, so the Chinese government was unable to make any impact on the project,” he said. The President said he has directed the ministers of transportation, finance, power, works and housing, to revisit the agreements and explore ways of re-approaching the Chinese government for assistance. He added that the Chinese had indicated interest to assist Nigeria on project financing through its Export-Import Bank Commenting on the

proposed N6.077trn 2016 budget submitted to the National Assembly, the President said for the first time in Nigeria, the budget would be largely financed from non-oil revenue. He identified the collapse of the international oil market and oil theft in the Niger Delta as main reasons for projecting more revenues to fund the budget from the non-oil sector. The President also said the proposed budget would focus on increasing efficiency and transparency in government operations and the blocking of leakages from revenue generating agencies. He added that the recovered assets of the country would also be used to reduce budget deficit.

Onitsha. We made special stickers for the vehicles that conveyed members of the strike team and black hand bands for each of them. “Each strike team was made up of 10 members headed by a soldier and comprising soldiers, policemen, DSS operatives and Civil Defence corps. They were detailed to attack and arrest prominent APC chieftains in all the local governments. “We set up anchorage, mainly residential houses, in every local government where the strike team members collected their welfare and other

allowances. “To encourage the strike team members, we gave them orders to share money and other valuables they could lay their hands on in the houses of APC chieftains they raided. “Then we set up detention camps, mainly in primary schools where most of the APC chieftains were detained. Others were detained in police stations where the DPOs were friendly with us. We let them off after the election was over. “A day to the election, we used the military to block all routes in the lo-

cal governments and prevented APC chieftains, including former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi from coming into Ekiti. “So we ensured that no APC chieftain was insight on election. We provided polling agents for the APC in most of the polling units so we had no problem getting them to sign election results in the units. “All these local and foreign observers that described the election free and fair only witnessed the voting exercise on election day without knowing what transpired

before the voting.” Explaining why he was coming up with the revelations, Aluko said: “Before the election, Fayose, Femi Bamishile and I jointly swore with the Holy Bible on a sharing formula after we must have won the election. We agreed that Fayose would be governor, Bamishile his deputy and I Chief of Staff. “But the moment he got into office, Fayose reneged on the agreement and left me in the lurch. “More worrisome is the fact that Fayose has derailed from the original Ekiti project we envisaged.”

Former Vice President and chieftain of APC, Atiku Abubakar (left) being received by Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Engr. Martin Babale and other state government officials and politicians on arrival at Yola International Airport, yesterday.

Nigeria imports N12.5trn refined fuel in 6 years Udeme Akpan

espite her position as one of the leading oil producing countries globally, Nigeria still imported over 102 billion litres of fuel valued at N12.5trn between 2010 and 2015. The latest statistics of petroleum products importation during the period published at the weekend by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, showed that 15,210,769,138.79 litres valued at N1, 509,249,109,146.98 were imported in 2010 while 20,769,136,929.23 litres worth N2, 708,332,274,080.16 were imported in 2011.

In 2012, 15,785,104,200.43 litres valued at N2, 185,233,506,282.57 were imported, while 17,559,845,693.70 liters valued at N2, 326,657,194,696.40 were imported in 2013. The NBS reported further that 18,991,394,235.35 litres valued at N2, 349,371,097,111.00 were imported in 2014. Between January and September, 2015, 14,058,338,283.41 litres worth N1, 450,903,216,653.37 were imported. Investigations showed that the situation has not shown any improvement mainly because of increased pipeline vandalism which has culminated in the closure of the four

refineries in the country. A few days ago, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had maintained that Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were shut down as a result of crude supply challenges arising from attacks on vital oil pipelines. It had noted in a statement that the plants were shut simultaneously after the Bonny - Okrika crude supply line to the Port Harcourt Refinery and the Escravos-Warri crude supply line to the Kaduna Refinery suffered breaches. Before the closure, the Port Harcourt Refinery was recording a daily PMS yield of over 4.1 million litres, while Kaduna Refin-

ery was posting 1.3 million litres. NNPC also confirmed later that the Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, WRPC, which was previously refining over 1.4 million litres of petrol per day was also shut because of pipeline vandalism. Group General, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, in a telephone interview explained that the Corporation would not embark on maintenance without a comprehensive report from security agencies, even as it continued to await the report o to determine the next line of action.

Monday, February 1, 2016

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E kaabo Welcome Sanu da Zuwa

Ogun State Welcomes Muhammadu Buhari GCFR Celebrating @ 40 Projects 40 President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Indeed, Ogun State has come of age since the initial baby steps of 1976. The pioneering and visionary leadership of thirteen past Governors and resourcefulness of the people have combined to position Ogun as a true frontier State in Nigeria. Today, Ogun State is making another quantum leap in the areas of: Education with 7 Model Schools Health - 2 Modern Hospitals Agriculture/Industrialization-5 Farm Projects; 5 Shopping Malls/Workshops Housing - 4 Housing Estates Infrastructural Development -10 Six-lane Roads; 7 Flyovers For this Landmark anniversary, Ogun State Government celebrates with the Inauguration of 40 Legacy Projects spread across its 3 senatorial districts.

His Excellency

Senator Ibikunle Amosun CON, FCA Governor, Ogun State

Muhammadu Buhari

GCFR President, Commander -in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Africa must silence its guns now —Buhari Rotimi Fadeyi ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said the vision of African Union, AU, to silence its guns and reduce preventable conflict-related deaths in the continent by 2020 must be achieved now. A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari spoke at the 26th AU sum-

mit. The president decried the use of scarce resources in Africa on armed conflicts rather than economic and social development of the continent. Buhari challenged fellow African leaders to engage decisively with the people and government of South Sudan and Burundi to bring the conflicts they face to a speedy end. He added that African leaders must also forge a united front to rid the con-

tinent of the scourge of terrorism and face together with determination the noble goals of Agenda 2063, as espoused by the AU. "We have all shed blood for Africa to be free, but the irony is that today we are now killing each other. "Rather than facing the developmental challenges confronting us, we are spending our scarce resources killing our children and inflicting unspeakable horrors and unimaginable hardship on our brothers

New look Oshodi, Lagos, after KAI officials' operation at the weekend.

Tola Akinmutimi

hairman, Heirs Holdings and Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu, has called on the United States Congress to pass the ‘Electrify Africa Act,’ stating that the passage into law would impact positively on current drives for improved socio-economic development of Africa. The bill, which would preserve and expand President Barack Obama’s Power Africa Initiative by codifying access to electricity as a U.S. foreign policy priority for Africa, has already been passed by the U.S. Senate and is expected to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Making the call during his speech at the Mariott Hotel in Washington, D.C; venue of the “Power Africa Summit” last Thursday, Elumelu commended Obama for working through the Power Africa Initiative to mobilise the private sector to invest

and sisters. "That is truly a tragedy and it must stop. Enough is Enough! "Within the framework of the African Union, we have to, as a matter of urgency, reach a consensus on how to silence the guns. Not by 2020, but now. Why must we wait? We must say ‘No’ to wars and conflicts on our continent,’’ the President said. Stressing Nigeria’s determination to wholly defeat terrorism and bring the Boko Haram war to an

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Elumelu urges US Congress to pass ‘Electrify Africa Act’ $43 billion in Africa’s power sector. According to him, Africa must win the energy challenge if it seeks to become an industrial power in the 21st century, noting that “power outages on the continent must spark power outrages, the kind of outrage that ignites the activist in us.” Elumelu’s Heirs Holdings, a propriety Investment company, through Transcorp Power Limited, has committed $2.5 billion to deliver 2,000 megawatts of electricity under the Power Africa Initiative. Already Transcorp Power is currently generating about 19% of Nigeria’s power needs with the target to increase capacity to 25% in the near future. The call in Washington DC, followed the joint letter to the U.S. Congress from Elumelu and president of

Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote, on behalf of the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), which they co-founded with other leaders in January 2015. The letter similarly urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives to act swiftly and pass this critical piece of legislation to scale up U.S. efforts to help provide Africans with access to electricity. In continuation of his advocacy for Africa, Elumelu also testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission on ‘The Future of the U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Relationship’ on the same day. Chaired by Ambassador Michael Froman, the US Trade Representative, the hearing is part of efforts by the U.S. government to put building blocks in place for the next phase in its economic relationship with Africa.

As a recognised African business and thought leader, Elumelu was invited to share ideas on how to enhance the U.S.-Africa trade and investment relationships beyond the preferential access to the U.S. market for Africa’s products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), to other tools like free trade agreements and investment treaties among others. Elumelu, at the hearing, said Africa does not need another trade agreement or preferential programme and called for a new trade paradigm in the trade and investment relationship with Africa. He proposed three approaches to achieving this; applying the principles of Africapitalism; focus on identifying and enabling specific value chains and promoting entrepreneurship.

end, Buhari said Nigeria would continue to partner other member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, and Republic of Benin through the Multinational Joint Task Force. He reaffirmed that Nigeria would soon fully redeem its pledge of $100 million to enhance the operations of the Task Force, having released the sum of $21 million to the task force last June. The President also used the occasion of his address to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment to the unity, peace and prosperity of the continent. "We, in Nigeria, have always been attached to the idea of African unity. "During the struggle to win freedom for our brothers and sisters in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, Nigeria was considered a front-line state, although we were not geographically on the frontline. "This was because we took to heart the words of President Ben Bella of Algeria that we all had to die a little for all our brothers and sisters on the continent," he said. Also, yesterday at the AU summit, Buhari said

his administration would continue to guarantee the economic rights of women by increasing budgetary allocation to projects run by Federal Government ministries, agencies and departments specifically targeted at improving the lives of women. The President stated that the Federal Government under his watch has demonstrated its commitment to the rights of women by appointing women of proven integrity to key within the cabinet. According to him, his administration has increased budgetary allocation of ministries that have direct bearing on the lives of women, particularly health and education, with greater emphasis on girl-child education. Buhari welcomed the AU’s decision to declare 2016 as “The Year of Human Rights in Africa with Special focus on the Rights of Women.” The President stated that Nigeria has amply demonstrated its commitment to issues relating to rights of women by upholding several human rights treaties and conventions specifically targeted at women.

Gunmen kidnap Dickson’s aide in Rivers Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

unmen yesterday kidnapped Special Adviser to Bayelsa State Governor on Aviation, Captain Henry Ungbuku (rtd). Ungbuku was abducted as he was about leaving the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Light House Parish, after service in Port Harcourt. It was gathered that the kidnappers of the governor’s aide had laid siege to the church located in Iwofe, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, as early as 8:50am, waiting for their victim to come out at the end of the service before abducting him. An eyewitness told our reporter that an unsuspecting Ungbuku, who emerged from the church some minutes after 10am, was stopped by the hoodlums as he drove out of the premises of the church.

His abductors were said to have asked him to open the door of his vehicle while one of them pointed a gun at him at the front of the vehicle. The gunmen, according to the source, drove their victim away to an unknown destination after forcing him into a waiting vehicle. According to the source, “They were about four, but we did not know whether there are others hanging around the premises of the church. “They forced him (Ungbuku) out of the car at gun point and took him away. “There was confusion around the premises of the church when the incident happened. The kidnappers were all armed and many people who saw the scene were all scared,” he said. But when contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, said he had not been briefed on the incident.

South West

ederal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said on Sunday that it recorded 118 road crashes and 37 deaths in Akwa Ibom in 2015. Sector Commander of the corps, Mrs Cecilia Alao, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Uyo. Alao said those who died in the crashes were 19 males, 17 females and a child, while 39 lives were lost in 2014.

helping hand these days is worth more than a thousand words of advice. A former governor of Nasarawa state and current Senator representing Nasarawa West, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu has offered Mr. Achilonu Nnaemeka Ignatius who hails from Ezinihitte Mbaise in Imo State a job as a computer analyst at his senate building office. The Senator upon seeing Mr. Achilonu recounted that he first met Achilonu when he was the governor of Nasarawa state and was impressed by Achilonu’s zeal and quest for education. According to Mr. Nnameka Achilonu, the Senator was the one that supported

She said, however, that 118 road crashes recorded in 2015 was slightly higher than the153 cases recorded the previous year. The sector commander also said 81 persons were injured during the year under review as against

ormer Ekiti State Governor, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, has said the incumbent Governor, Ayodele Fayose’s criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari is a ploy to escape justice. Adebayo, who spoke with National Mirror in an interview at the weekend, said Fayose was strategically building a shield for himself, such that when anti-graft agencies move against him, it would seem like victimisation rather than a just cause. The former governor, who governed Ekiti State between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of Alliance for Democracy, AD, expressed displeasure at Fayose’s manner of criticising the president, saying those who made the most noise were later found complicit

141 persons in 2014. She attributed the reduction to effective patrol and rigorous sensitisation campaign by the FRSC especially during festive periods. The sector commander said that the predominant risk factors to road crashes in the state were speed limit violation and dangerous overtaking.

According to her, research has shown that about 53 per cent of road traffic crashes across the country is caused by over speeding. He said the command had continued to campaign seriously against speed limit violation and dangerous overtaking, in order to reduce the number of crashes on the

roads. Alao said the command would intensify its campaign this year to achieve further reduction in the rate of road crashes in the state. She said sensitization of the stakeholders in the transport industry had commenced, with a view to getting them ready for compliance with the rule

on installation of speed limiting device. The sector commander said that the application of the rule would commence on April 1. The sector commander appealed to stakeholders, including the state government, to collaborate with the command, to achieve its core mandate of zero road crashes in 2016.

him through secondary school and now that he has finished serving in Cross Rivers State where he was as a Corps member, he had come to see the Senator and also thank him for the kind gesture. In an emotion laden voice Mr Achilonu who’s father works as a plumber said “I feel very happy and glad, it’s a privilege to meet His Excellency. I have been trying my best to meet him because of protocol it was challenging, it wasn’t easy but today I thank God for finally seeing him’. May God bless him and reward him abundantly”. ‘You have been assisting the less privilege. I have nothing to say than to tell you that God will continue to bless you” Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.

Fayose’s opposition to Buhari, a ploy to evade justice –Adebayo Francis Suberu

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

A’Ibom FRSC records 118 auto crashes, 37 deaths

Former governor offers fresh graduate immediate employment. Olubunmi Omoogun

Monday, February 1, 2016

in the act of corruption. He cited the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, who he said was making a lot of noise before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, traced N400 million to his company’s account. Adebayo explained that it was eventually discovered that he “was complicit in the act of corruption. Many people who have been talking the most are people who were found later to have been involved in the act of corruption.’’ On Ekiti election rigging tape, the former governor said the last has not been heard of the June 21, 2014, governorship election, noting that the report of a panel of inquiry the Nigerian Army constituted to investigate the rigging tape could throw up fresh legal challenge.

L-R:All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant for Ondo State Dr. Michael Olusegun Abraham; former Chairman, Mobil Oil Producing, Chief Solomon Oladunni and former Chairman, Buhari campaign Organisation and Director-General, O Abraham Campaign Organisation, Prince Olu Adegboro, at the burial ceremony of the late Mrs. Racheal Ibidapo in Owo, at the weekend.

Osun’s cocoa initiative will sustain economy –Aregbesola Boladale Bamigbola Osogbo

sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has stated that with the new cocoa development initiative in the state, there would be fresh cash inflow, making the state’s economy prosperous. Aregbesola, while meeting with Cocoa Produce Merchants in the state at the Government House Banquet Hall in Osogbo, also stated that revenue from cocoa and other prominent farms produce in which Osun has comparative advantages, have great capacities to turn around the fortune of the state if pursued

with renewed vigour. The governor assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned to make the state great again, hence the recent investment and research into cocoa production and the focus on other areas of agriculture. He noted that for the state to start on a good footing at producing ‘Cocoa Omoluabi’, the state has enumerated and identified 60 million active cocoa trees in the state. He stated that the state has also gone further in the bid to boost cocoa production and agriculture with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with the International Institute of Tropical Agri-

culture, IITA, on the development of agriculture and production of massive food production as alternative to reliance on oil sector. The agreement, according to Aregbesola involved releasing of 204.39 hectares of land in Ago Owu Farm Settlement to IITA for the purposes of conducting research and setting up demonstration farms for best farming practices. The IITA will also carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication including cocoa as well as train the youths in the state in modern, commercial and profitable farming. Aregbesola stressed that in the bid to increase

its Internally Generated Revenue, the Osun government would establish commodity board that would be supervised directly by Office of the governor to ensure that Osun ranks among the best cocoa producers in Nigeria within the next two years. He further disclosed that Produce Tribunals would be set up across Osun with vehicles that will be transporting cocoa within the state. Earlier, Chairman of All Farmers Association of Osun, Chief Raheem Adeniji, stated that the association is ready to cooperate with the Osun government in her bid to revamp cocoa farming in the state.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Monday, February 1, 2016

Monarch advises FG on revenue drive through education Boladale Bamigbola Osogbo

s part of efforts to mitigate the harsh effects of oil price crash, the Federal Government has been advised to repackage university education by making it

more attractive to people and use it to generate more revenue for government. By investing in education and bringing it to the doorsteps of every interested Nigerian, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu 1,

Senator tasks Ondo govt on Akungba-Oka-Isua road Ojo Oyewamide Akure

enator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Professor Ajayi Boroffice, has called on Ondo State government to commence immediate rehabilitation of Akungba-Oka-Isua Akoko road. Boroffice, who was reacting to a recent autocrash that claimed several lives, said putting the road in good condition would forestall further loss of lives and properties. In a statement issued by his media aide, Kayode Adeniyi, the senator described the road as dangerous and deadly, saying its perpetual neglect by the government was unacceptable to the people. The statement said, “Senator Ajayi Boroffice is saddened about the unfortunate auto crash, which claimed many lives at the Oka-Isua Akoko

road recently. The murderous road has become a route where lives of commuters are cut short on weekly basis. “The road is dangerous and deadly. Obviously, these are avoidable and needless deaths. The perpetual neglect of the road by the government is unacceptable to the people. “Hence, I call on the Ondo State Government to commence immediate rehabilitation of the Akungba-Oka Akoko-Isua road. “Senator Boroffice extends heartfelt condolences to the families of victims of the unfortunate auto crash and the people of the affected communities,” the statement reads. Boroffice also decried the poor state of OwoIpele–Idoani–Isua federal road, calling on the Federal Government to declare national emergency on the road.

Ogun @ 40: Cleric tasks Amosun on agriculture, youths’ unemployment Femi Oyeweso Abeokuta

s preparations towards welcoming President Muhammadu Buhari for the 40th anniversary of the creation of Ogun State garnered momentum, former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Reverend Jasper Peter Akinola, yesterday charged government and people of the state to use the occasion to take stock of its achievement and further invest in agriculture to enable it address challenges of youths unemployment in the state. Akinola in his sermon delivered at the 40th anniversary thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral of St. Peters, Ake, Abeokuta, specifically tasked Governor Ibikunle Amosun to

look towards the direction of addressing youths unemployment through agricultural development in the future interest of the state. Primate Akinola, who noted that the state had already invested heavily in infrastructural development “at the detriment of agriculture and youth unemployment challenge,” also urged Amosun to follow the footsteps of the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in engaging the youths in things that would make them productive and useful to the society. The cleric said the attention given to infrastructure in the state ought to have been shared among other major sectors, admonishing that the state must generate adequate resources to cater for the needs of her people.

said more revenue will be earned by government. Speaking with newsmen in Iwo shortly after inspecting the site of state study centre of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, cited in the town, Oba Adewale said apart from the opportunity to earn more revenue, government will

also be fulfilling one of its main role of providing sound and affordable education for the citizens. Oluwo said he was taking full responsibility of providing basic infrastructures for the centre to enable it take off properly later in the month, because of his belief that elite citizenry will fast-

track his developmental plans for Iwo town. Speaking on the plans for the final round of inspection of the centre, the chairman of its Implementation Committee, Professor Wasiu Gbolagade, said the centre has been given 1, 000 students by the management of NOUN.

While expressing hope that many residents of Iwo and neighboring communities will make use the opportunity the presence of the study centre in the town presents and improve their education, Gbolagade added that influx of students to Iwo through the centre will aid its economic activities.

L-R: Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, University College Hospital (UCH), Dr Clement Okolo; Head of Department, Community Medicine, UCH, Dr Akindele Adebiyi, and Dr Hannah Dada-Adegbola, at the UCH-Wide Grand Round Symposium entitled: Facts, Myths and Misconceptions about Lassa Fever, in Ibadan, at the weekend. PHOTO:NAN

Most Lagos public schools lack essential amenities –Deputy Gov

Francis Suberu

agos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, has admitted that majority of public schools in the state lack essential amenities, underscoring the need for the state to make provisions for them. Adebule, who supervises the Ministry of Education with over N113billion budgetary allocation, representing 17 per cent of the 2016 budget; said all levels of education in the state would benefit from aggressive provision of classrooms, laboratories, furniture, and other required amenities for the schools to function properly. The deputy governor, who spoke during an interaction with journalists over the weekend, promised that public schools in the state would soon witness significant and measurable improvement in the quality of physical infrastructure and facili-

ties, adding that adequate spread would be ensured especially at the primary and secondary levels. According to her, the state government has adopted a new school building design for secondary schools in the state to be named “Ibile” School Building that is to address the exponential growth in population, which has put immense pressure on schools’ infrastructure, thereby creating a huge infrastructural gap. Adebule pointed out that the Ibile School Building is a multi-purpose building project that makes provision for 18 classrooms, Art room, Applied Technology room, Admin and Counselling office, Mechanical room, Physical Education room, Resource/Special Education room, Restrooms, Science Facilities & Laboratories, Teacher Preparation room, Dining and Home Economic Kitchen, Music room, Languages room, Lobby to showcase trophies and history of the school,

Library/Media Centre, Courtyards/Common Areas and Health Services room. At the primary school level, the deputy governor acknowledged the fact that the responsibility for infrastructure and personnel cost is vested in the Federal Government through the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, and local governments respectively, she reiterated that the state government is committed to ensuring that the gaps in the infrastructure development in primary education is filled by promptly contributing its own counterpart funding for development in the primary schools. While stressing that the process of recruiting 1,300 primary schools teachers into the school system is almost completed, she added that teachers’ professional training and skills development would also be intensified. In her words, the infrastructural needs of special education schools

would also be given priority attention in this fiscal year. The plan is to establish two special schools at Epe and Badagry to complement and improve the capacity of the five existing schools as well as achieve spread and cater for the ever increasing number of special need students. She however, noted that government alone cannot address all the infrastructural needs in the state schools, hence the decision to strengthen and intensify the Adopt-a-School programme with a view to furthering the public-private-partnership (PPP) in improving infrastructure in public schools. Adebule averred that the state government recognises the impact of vocational and technical education in productivity and economic development of the state and as a result is committed to increase their numbers, review their curriculum and promote effective teaching.

South East

Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

UNIUYO communications dept to raise N70m for upgrade

rof. Nkereuwem Udoakah, Head, Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo (UNIYO), has appealed to the institution's alumni to help raise N70 million needed to improve facilities in the department. Udoakah made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar. He said the money would be used to expand the department's office space and classrooms. The don said the envisaged “communication house” if built, would pro-

vide conducive teaching and learning environment in the department. He also told NAN that the department would organise a fund raising event to raise the money. ``We expect our old students wherever they are, to contribute to the uplift of the department in their alma mata,” Udoakah said. The organisation reports that after the creation of additional states in the country in 1991, the Federal Government took over the former University of Cross River State founded in 1983, and renamed it University of Uyo.

Don’t quit fight against corruption, Centre urges Buhari

avannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental organisation, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to remain resolute in his administration’s fight against corruption. This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Executive Director of the centre, Dr Abdullahi Omaki. The statement said the call became necessary following the revelations on ``institutional rots’’ under the immediate past administration in the country. ``Savannah Centre believes the fight against corruption should remain unrelenting until the institutions of state are re-positioned to perform according to the laws establishing them,’’ it said. According to the centre, the allocation of national resources for political in-

terest at the expense of huge loss of lives and property is callous. It appealed to members of the National Assembly and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the fight against corruption, adding that the fight should be extended to the states and local governments. ``State governments, state Houses of Assembly and local governments should not be immune from critical evaluation, in the interest of justice in our nation,`` the statement stressed. It urged state governments to embark on projects that would benefit their people. It said, ‘‘Provision of rural electricity, potable water, health care centres and roads are much more impactful than the construction of airports embarked by several state governments.’’

L-R: Former Governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu; National Chairman, Independent Democrats (ID), Hon. Edozie Madu and wife of the late Chief Caleb Madu, Mrs Amoge Madu, during the burial service of Chief Caleb Madu at Owerre Ezukala, in Anambra State, at the weekend

Supreme Court didn't void my election, says Uba

awmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Andy Uba, says the January 29 judgment of the Supreme Court in respect of the political situation in Anambra did not void his election into the Senate as being speculated. This is contained in a statement he signed and made available on Sunday to News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja. The statement, however, urged his supporters to remain calm, law abiding and disregard the misrepresentation of the court's ruling. It said the Supreme Court ruling dealt primarily with leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state. The statement further explained that the spirit and

letter of the judgment were misrepresented as none of the National Assembly members from the state was a party to the suit, adding that their positions could not have been affected by the court ruling. “It should furthermore be noted that neither I, Senator Andy Uba in particular, nor other member of NASS from Anambra State, was ever mentioned in the body of the ruling. "This is not my first encounter with the Supreme Court. I have a history of subjecting myself to the ruling of the Supreme Court, however unpalatable they may be to my person. “Nigerians will recall that in 2007 when the Supreme Court, in its wisdom, ruled against me as the then governor of Anambra State,

that as a law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in spite of personal consequences to my person and people of Anambra State, I vacated office as ordered. "I, therefore, having been so advised by my lawyers and having gone through the contents of the ruling of the judgment, understand it to what the Supreme Court intended unequivocally to be a suit determining the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State and no other matter. "I will, therefore, enjoin my supporters, people of my constituency and all well-meaning Nigerians, to disregard previous misrepresentation of the informed ruling of the revered justices of the Supreme Court,"

the statement added. It would be recalled that Senator Stella Oduah had also in a statement on Friday in Abuja, described as ‘‘a misinterpretation'' media reports which quoted a Supreme Court judgment to have sacked her and other federal lawmakers from Anambra. In a statement issued by her press secretary Cynthia Ferdinand, the senator said the report in the media was misleading as the apex court did not order the withdrawal of her certificate of return. It would be recalled that a section of the media said the apex court had ordered the replacement of Oduah and other federal lawmakers from the state, stressing that their nomination to contest in the 2015 election was wrong.

NLC kicks against Okorocha’s concession policy

igeria Labour Congress, NLC, Imo chapter, has criticised the state government’s plan to concession some of its institutions, expressing fears that the policy would expose the people to serious danger. Chairman of NLC in the state, Mr Austin Chilakpu, expressed the workers’ fears in an interview on Sunday with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Owerri.

Governor Rochas Okorocha had on January 17 announced the sack of over 5,000 workers in 19 parastatal organisations, agencies and departments in the state, in line with the policy. But Chilakpu said, ‘‘Concessioning the primary health sector and the Imo State Agricultural Development Agency, ADP for instance, is one big mistake that will expose the entire Imo people to danger. ‘‘A lot of international

donor agencies funding healthcare and food security programmes in the state would withdraw their support immediately these government outfits get into private hands. ``If Imo State goes ahead with the so-called concession policy, it means that the state would be cut off from accessing funds from IFAD, for instance. “This international donor funds agriculture and polio eradication pro-

grammes in the country. ``I foresee a situation where cases of wild polio infection will re-surface in the state. “The matter is made worse when the health workers are sacked, and Lassa fever and bird flu are lurking around. The people will be endangered in the event of any outbreak.’’ The chairman told NAN that the leadership of NLC was not opposed to reduction in the number of

workforce of the state government, considering its dwindling resources. ``What NLC is kicking against is the faulty process because these workers are employed under the civil and public service rules. “The statute book engaging them spelt out the ways and manner they shall be hired or fired,” he added. Chilakpu said that already, the NLC had given seven days ultimatum to

the state government to reverse the decision. The NLC added that if the government failed to do that, labour would take the next step considered necessary. He advised the affected workers to continue to report for duty despite the reported molestation by some groups who claimed to have been authorised by government to take over the affected establishments.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South South

Monday, Febrnuary 1, 2016

Edo pays N2bn gratuities to pensioners E

do State government has paid a total of N2 billion gratuity to 539 pensioners from the 2010/2011 batch in the state, even as the workers got their salaries for January 2016. Payment of the pensioners’ gratuity was in fulfillment of the promise Governor Adams Oshiomhole made to defray the pension liability to retired workers. State’s Head of Service, Mrs. Gladys Idahor, who announced payment of the N2 billion gratuities, said those who got their pay alerts were those already screened and

have done their biometrics. She said those who have errors in their account details, some who didn’t turn up for screening and others whose records were incomplete, were yet to get their payment alerts. She explained that the next of kin of deceased staff were also yet to be paid, noting that another date will soon be announced for the screening of those who didn’t turn up in the first exercise and the next of kin of deceased staff who have the requisite letters of administration. According to Idahor, “one

hundred and seventy five pensioners from the 2010 batch and 364 from the 2011 batch who were successfully verified have been paid their gratuities. “The verification exercise and payment of gratuities will be a continuous exercise and a date will be announced soon for pensioners who retired in 2012 to come for their verification and immediate payments.” It will be recalled that Oshiomhole had told pensioners in the state that government is doing everything possible to fast-track the process, assuring that “this gratuity

will not be paid piecemeal, not that they will give you 40%, 50% and then you come back another day, No, this present gratuity will be paid in full at once.” He added: “One other decision I took on assumption of office was that I directed the Accountant-General of the state to ensure that those who have been cleared to receive their pension are paid the same day those who are working are paid, the day I receive my pay, that must be the same day those pensioners are paid”.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike (second right), inspecting work at the on-going construction of LNG Bridge in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Navy seizes 160 drums, 42,000 litres of stolen diesel Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

igerian Navy in Port Harcourt says it has handed over 10 suspected oil thieves and 42,000 litres of suspected stolen diesel to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, for prosecution. The products were stored in 160 drums and boats. The navy said it has also handed over a wooden boat containing 70,000 litres of crude oil to the NSCDC. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Captain Olusegun Soyemi, Executive Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Pathfinder, said the naval

operatives made the seizure following a recent raid. He said the raid was aimed at putting an end to colossal damage to the environment by activities of oil thieves, who were puncturing pipelines to obtain crude oil illegally. “Following intelligence tip-off on January 13, our patrol team raided Alakiri creek and impounded a wooden boat containing 20,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined diesel. “While interrogating two suspects arrested during the raid, they confessed to have sourced the product from the Ship Builders Yard situated in Port Harcourt.

“Based on this new information, we conducted a mop up operation on the facility and discovered 100 drums all loaded with products suspected to be illegally refined diesel. “We arrested five suspects at the scene and also seized two wooden boats, speed boat, and four tanker trucks waiting to lift products at the facility,” he said. Soyemi said the yard belonging to the Federal Government had been sealed off by naval operatives. The executive officer said troops on patrol of Abonema Warf waterways sighted and seized a speed boat drifting amid stream According to him, our pa-

trol team accosted the boat and discovered 4,500 litres of illegal refined diesel and arrested the boat captain. “Similarly, on January 24 naval troops at Arugbano close to Orubiri area in the state seized a wooden boat carrying 60 drums of stolen diesel and speed boat. “Two suspects who were transporting the products without clearance from the navy and other relevant government agencies were subsequently arrested. Soyemi said the mop up operation would continue until all illegal refineries and loading points were destroyed and sealed off, and their operators arrested and prosecuted.

Udom calls for strong tie between Akwa Ibom, Abia

kwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has called for stronger tiers between Akwa Ibom and Abia states in the development of infrastructure stating that the two states have a long history of relationship in trade, marriage and cultural affinity. Governor Emmanuel made the call at the funeral service of the mother of Abia State Governor, the late Deaconess Bessie N Ikpeazu at Umuobiakwa, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. The governor who was accompanied by Secretary to the State Government, Sir Ettekamba Umoren, and some members of the state Executive Council ,looked for greater collaboration and enduring peace between the neighbouring states stressing that implementation of issues of common interest would aid industrialisation policy of the present administration. While speaking of the late Madam Bessie as a beloved mother who injected her professional calling as a registered nurse to save lives, care for the family and the community, Governor Emmanuel called on the deceased family to be encouraged by the fact that their mother while alive, contributed to the well-being of the society and urged the family to be consoled by the legacies of service and love for humani-

ty which she has bequeathed to them. Also, the Deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu said the respective states of the Nigerian nation have a task of galvanizing resources for development especially in the area of road construction, agriculture and Industries to salvage the country from the prevailing economic recession. He commiserated with the Ikpeazu's family on the demise of their mother, saying this moment of grief has brought people of diverse political interest together and sued for unity between the various states of the federation. The Presiding Cleric, Pastor Adebayo Tayo who culled his sermon from Luke Chapter 2 Verse 25 and Psalms 23, admonished Christians to learn to understand the time set out by God for the achievement of goals in life and described every Christian as a personality on a mission to make manifest changes in their respective constituencies. Tayo reminded sympathisers that it was a task for all persons to live and depart in peace by endeavouring to see the glory and the salvation of God, adding that God would continue to maintain the position of a provider, comforter, protector and shepherd to those who believe in him. The funeral Service drew personalities from all walks of life.

Cleric sues for peace among Rivers politicians

Port Harcourt-based cleric, Pastor Eugene Ogu, has urged politicians in Rivers State to set aside their differences and embrace peace in the interest of the state. Ogu, who is Senior Pastor, Abundant Life Evangelical Mission, Port Harcourt, made the call on Sunday in his message at a thanksgiving by All Progressives Congress, APC, members in the church. He said the state needed peace for development and that people of the state required wisdom to make attaining the need possible. “Rivers needs peace and whatsoever is required of us to make sure peace reigns in this state, let us give it, because if development starts,

it is for the state,” he said. Ogu said it was the duty of the church to cry to God for peace to reign in the state. He prayed that God should do what He wished with masterminds of killing of innocent people before, during and after the 2015 general elections in the state, and allow lasting peace to prevail in the state. Speaking during the thanksgiving, APC’s governorship candidate in the election in the state, Dr Dakuku Peterside, thanked God for His mercies and kindness to him and the party. Peterside said that God did enough for the party and its members during the elections in the state for which it was imperative to appreciate Him.

North

Inusa Ndahi MAIDUGURI

hairman of Al-Hayah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, ACBAN, Alhaji Ibrahim Mafa, has said that 1, 637 herdsmen were killed in various attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State with the torching of many Fulani tents and hamlets. Ibrahim disclosed this to journalists on Sunday in Maiduguri, while lamenting the death toll of herdsmen in the six-year Boko Haram insurgency in Sambisa Forest and northern Borno State, comprising 10 council areas. He said since the emergence of Boko Haram in-

Monday, February 1, 2016

B'Haram kills 1, 637 herdsmen, rustles 200,773 livestock in Borno —ACBAN Scores die in terrorists’ attacks in Dalori

surgency, the cattle breeders association had lost over a million livestock to the terrorists that operate and attack in the forest and northern parts of Borno State. This, he said, could have been used to ‘finance and sustain’ Boko Haram insurgency, despite the blocking of fuel and food supplies by the military. “We also lost about one million livestock, comprising

146,399 cows, 54, 374 goats and sheep, among others,” Mafa said. Mafa further disclosed that members of the association also lost 395, 605 sacks of grains to the terrorists. He however; commended the military for its efforts in fighting the terrorists, in spite of the difficult desert and forests terrains in the North East sub-region of the country.

He said: “We commend the soldiers for chasing out these Boko Haram terrorists from the forest and desert; and liberating many communities hitherto occupied by insurgents.” He however, alerted the military that the terrorists are still wrecking more havoc in “inaccessible and remote” communities using motorcycles and bicycles to attack people and other herdsmen.

L-R: Pro-Chancellor/Chairman, ABU Governing Council, Arch. Mohammed Dewu; 38th Convocation Lecturer/President, Chief Executive, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and Chancellor, ABU Zaria, His Majesty, Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Convocation Lecture, at the weekend.

Chidi Ugwu ABUJA

oing by schedule of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, the new approved tariffs for electricity consumers across the country will become effective today, Monday, February 1, 2016. The commission had earlier approved the new tariff with effect from February 2016, with specific directives to power distribution companies (DISCOs), to meter their consumers to ensure appropriate billing. The regulatory agency had announced the removal of fixed charges, saying consumers would now have to pay for “only what they consume”. “Although, the new tariff regime comes with an increase in energy charges, all electricity consumers (residential as well as commercial) will no longer pay fixed charges, so their total bills

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He said the terrorists have resorted to the use of motorcycles and bicycles to attack cattle breeders and snatch their livestock in remote communities that are yet to be accessible by troops in Sambisa Forest and Northern Borno State. He also added that some of these stolen livestock were being kept around Dikwa town, before they will be smuggled to other parts of the country for sale and continues with Boko Haram terrorists’ activities. “Some of the livestock are smuggled to the neighboring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroun Republic,” Mafa said. He however, appealed to the military to explore the possibilities of deploying more troops to remote communities to checkmate the Boko Haram attacks. “I am also appealing to the Federal and Borno State Governments to consider assisting the cattle breeders in their rehabilitation and resettlement programme for victims of terrorism in the North East,” he said, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Kashim Shettima, should come to the aid of cattle breeders ame-

New electricity tariff takes effect today …DISCOs mandated on compulsory metering for all consumers

will depend on the electricity they actually consumed and may be reduced when they conserve electricity,” NERC said. “Consumers will no longer be spending money every month to pay for fixed charges even when they do not receive electricity in their homes and business. “The objective of the new tariff is to enable prudent consumers to save money on electricity bill as they can now control their consumption and not pay monthly fixed charges. “For instance, residential customer classification (R2) in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company will no longer pay N702.00 fixed charge every month. “Their energy charge will increase by N9.60. Also, residential customers (R2 customers) in Eko and Ikeja

electricity distribution areas will no longer pay N750. 00 fixed charges. They will be getting N10 and N8 increase respectively in their energy charges. “Similarly, the burden of N800.00 and N750.00 fixed charges would be lifted off the shoulders of Kaduna and Benin electricity consumers. “These consumers will see an increase of N11.05 and N9.26 respectively in their energy charges. “The new tariff is also good news for commercial consumers. For example, commercial customers’ classification C2 in Ibadan and Enugu, will no longer pay fixed charges of N17,010 and N22,141. “Their energy charge will increase by N12.08 and N13.35 respectively.” The Acting Chairman of NERC, Dr. Anthony Akah,

during a working visit to the Director General of National Orientation Agency,NOA, at the weekend, said the new tariffs will enable the power distribution, generation and transmission companies to acquire needed infrastructure, The NERC boss said the lack of cost-reflective tariffs had hindered the electricity companies from acquiring the necessary infrastructure, adding that with the new tariffs, they would not have any excuse for not delivering on agreements they entered into with the government. He said the Nigerian power sector reform must provide an appropriate pricing template, which had been lacking, leading to deficiency in revenues from power. This, he added, necessitated the new Multi-Year Tariff

Order to enable the generating, transmission and distribution companies to provide the needed infrastructure for higher generation and supply of electricity to meet the needs of consumers. Akah said under the new MYTO, all premises must be metered and consumers who subscribe to specific metering models must be supplied meters within 60 days after which they would not be disconnected or charged on estimation if a meter was not supplied. He also said that a Power Consumer Assistance Fund had been put in place to cater for the electricity needs of the less-privileged in the country, adding that the visit was part of the establishment of a coordinated approach to creating public awareness ahead of the February 1 implementation date of the new MYTO.

liorate their sufferings. “We appeal to government to help in rebuilding our torched tents and huts, as well as reactivation of our water-points destroyed by the insurgents, while attacking Fulani settlements and hamlets,” Mafa appealed. Meanwhile, Nigerian Army yesterday confirmed the killing of scores of people after suspected Boko Haram terrorists launched a night attack on Dalori village at the outskirt of Maiduguri. Colonel Mustapha Anka, the Media Coordinator of Operation Lafiya Dole Theater Command, stated this in a statement in Maiduguri. Anka said the attack was targeted at members of the local vigilance group, the Civilian JTF. ``It was a desperate reprisal attack on the strong, determined and committed members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, JTF, and innocent citizens. ``Suspected Boko Haram terrorists launched an attack on Dalori, through Yale from the rear of Dalori village.’’ The coordinator said the attackers came to the village in two Golf salon cars. ``The terrorists were believed to have arrived in two Golf salon cars and motorcycles before they started opening fire and burning houses. ``Their motive was to cause rancour and penetrate crowd with suicide bombers. ``Also, while people were running for their dear lives to Gomari Kerkeri village, three female suicide bombers attempted to make their way into the crowd, but were intercepted and subsequently blown up. ``During the incident, lives were lost while some people sustained injuries.’’ The terrorists also attempted to penetrate the Dalori IDP camp, but the attempt was resisted by the troop which resulted into detonation of Improvised Explosive Devise, IED, by suicide bombers. In his condolence visit to Dalori, the Theater Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-General Hassan Umaru, condoled with the District Head of Dalori, Alhaji Lawal Bashir and entire residents for the unfortunate incident.

Monday, February 1, 2016

His Eminence, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie is the Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on the ongoing probe of $2.1bn arm scam, President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption and the inability of states to pay their workers among other issues of national interest. Excerpts:

The consequence was that some of the soldiers died because there was no adequate equipment to fight the insurgents, so you can see the gravity of the offence That is what I am saying that all these should be properly investigated. In my own mind those that returned the money are the people I can classified as gentlemen. But they should not just be left off the hook like that , they should be slightly punished probably for telling lies . Most politicians that were arrested are from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which was the ruling party when the money was diverted but they are crying foul saying what the EFCC is doing is to decimate their leadership and membership. How do you see this position? I am happy you said that most of politicians that were involved are from the PDP.

Politics

Dasukigate, crime against Man, God –Okogie so on and so forth, even cocoa in the West. What have become of all these? Because of oil, all these have dried up or what, no. The money should be spent on agriculture too and the money should be distributed on various projects. You cannot just lump the money there and say Nigeria is owing the World Bank, then we have to pay back, no. That is not it, it should be channeled properly. There are a lot of things to be done in this country. The roads are bad, what we have on our roads are more than pot holes. Then the rainy season is coming again, so we need to do something on time. Buhari gave Fashola three portfolios and the three are important portfolios , Works , Housing and Power. These are important and the money recovered can be spent on these.

The $2.1bn which was meant to buy military equipment to fight insurgency by the last regime was allegedly diverted into private pockets and the investigation is ongoing. How do you see such situation? Any reasonable person will tell you that diversion of property not to talk of money should be looked into properly. This is because if I give you N10m to go and do something for me and I have categorically said go and build a house and you use my money for something else and you come back and tell stories , I think before man and God in the first place it is criminal. That is number one point, the money is alleged to have been provided for the purchase of arms. So dishonesty is involved which is wrong and for gentlemen of that caliber, I think it should be looked into seriously . And after proper investigation, and they are found guilty, then of course the law should take its course. Some of those who took the money have confessed and they are returning the money If they confessed, they are forgiven, provided they returned the amount of money that they took. There are others that are saying they didn’t even know anything about it, those ones I don’t know how Mr. President is going to retrieve that money from them. So like I said, number one, dishonesty is involved, secondly they raped the nation and so the law should take its course.

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Okogie

But what else do you expect them to say, they will look for a way to shield themselves off the hook. That is what is happening. Because you sent a thief to catch a thief and a good thief will not mention his brother’s thief. A bad thief will say I am not the only one, that is what is happening here. They felt by crying foul that the populace would say it is true and that it is because the APC is now in government, that is why they are punishing the PDP , they want to show that the PDP is a thief. So they want to cover their own fault, they want to hide it. And I think it is not proper. Again it is left for Mr. President to investigate it. Whether it is APC or PDP that are involved, there should be the same punishment . He should not say because APC is in government, then all the APC members involved should be left off the hook. That is wrong. How do you see the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption in the country? The way I am seeing Mr. President fighting the corruption problem I think if he wants to make a proper headway of it, he should fight from known to unknown. What

I mean from known to unknown is that accountability should be there. He must start from known, get his facts ready, then you start going to the unknown. But the way I am seeing it, he seems to be muddling everything together. That is why the thing is not too successful. Like the $2.1bn arms deal, who are those involved. In the first place was $2.1bn actually given, you must know. Then from there, who authorized the $2.1bn to come out? These are the known. Then from there you start going to the unknown, who are the people that took the money? That is how I think he should go about the whole thing. There should be accountability to the public, because we learnt that some money has been retrieved. Then you start going to the unknown, how do we get the money from these people? What do you want the recovered money to be spent on? There are so many things they can do in the country today. Look at Fashola’s portfolio. He has three portfolios. Look at our roads, they are not good. Refineries are bad, agriculture, people want to eat. This country in those days when we were young, we had groundnut pyramid, cotton pyramid and

Are you saying the three portfolios are too much for Fashola alone to handle? Many were of the opinion too when he was appointed. I will be very very slow to say it is too much for Fashola . When you watch the screening of the Ministers at the Senate, all that were there when Fashola came up were just like students and Fashola was like a lecturer. I think I was not surprised that he was given three portfolios . What happened was that the way he explained those things showed that he is capable of handling those areas. He was not only mentioning that we need this and that, like all others were doing but he mentioned and explained how to get there. He knew his onions but others were not. I agree with those who said the three portfolios are too big for one person but who else do you give them to among those who went for the screening? There were some of them who used mouth but they can’t do anything. There are others who the audience favoured when they shouted take a bow, take a bow and go. Since you said you watched the screening, were you impressed by the performance of the senators during the exercise? As far as I am concerned those who were screened were not quizzed properly, very few senators did their jobs. Others were just onlookers, I won’t say majority but others were just onlookers. But you can see few of them who got up with their laptops and were reeling out questions, those are the ones who really listened. You watched them in America, it is a serious exercise, not the kind of thing we witnessed here. But it is a step forward for our country, I must tell you. It is a step forward in our development. Buhari is on his seven months in office. How do you see his approach to governance? CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Politics

Monday, February 1, 2016

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Dasukigate, crime against Man, God –Okogie CONTINUED FROM PAGE13 Having watched President Buhari’s government intensely for the past seven months, it is imperative that I make my own observations and fears known so that I can contribute to the positive change that we all hope for and that is what we are looking for . In the last seven months, when he first started there seemed to be sincerity of purpose in the tenet of President Buhari but then follow a snail paced which nobody could understand why and disordered methodology in governance, his apparent disdain for judicial authority and decisions, a lost today found tomorrow 2016 budget debacle and a rudderless and confused Central Bank with an unclear monetary policy strategy (inevitably increasing the economic uncertainties being faced by Nigerians) have set alarm bells ringing in my mind and in the minds of many discerning Nigerians. Where are we going? Is this man saying he is the only one? There are three of them: the DSS, himself and the EFCC ruling the country. So, one start wondering what is happening to us in Nigeria. In short, that is the way I have seen it . He started well, then after that, all we heard now is corruption, corruption. Corruption is not the only issue in the country. People are angry, people are hungry, looking for food. There are other things that are going on. This action of chasing looters is like somebody stole something from my house and I left the other properties and start chasing the man, what of if they are a clique . It took him long time to appoint ministers, that are part of what we are talking about. Why don’t you get your house set before you moved in? Are you saying he was not fully prepared for governance when he assumed the presidency? I wouldn’t say that. That is not right, I reject that. You know he had been there before. All the more he should know what to do. Probably he thought I have been there before I can do it myself but he is no more a soldier. Then how will you advise him? First, he has got the ministers, he should not go in and pock-nose into what they are doing. Occasionally yes, but not every time. A good father will watch the children. Let me see the way they move. Then if they are not moving well, there are others you can tell to go and correct them. That is why he has a lot of people around him. Many states are unable to pay their workers and some of them are even saying that they cannot pay the N18,000 minimum wage. How do you see the situation in the country? It is absurd that the same government that is unable to pay N18,000 minimum wage per month to the lowest grade of labour can afford to pay N1.8m per month to anyone in the economy . Why must tax payers’ money be used to feed Mr. President and his family . Why must tax payers’ money be used to buy brand new exotic vehicles for the legislatures, judges, ministers and governors when they are heavily paid? These people have money why are you adding to it. Why don’t they use loan finance and mortgage finance to buy their cars and houses? If another set comes in, they will buy them another set of cars and houses. We have to stop this and people are hungry. This is also a form of looting and it is the cause of grounding the economy and calling in IMF spindoctor all the time. This to me is what is happening. Do you support those who called for the merger of the states into regions that we have during the First Republic to avoid waste? I don’t support that. I don’t think that will help. Some people are even calling for the creation of more states but where is the money? If you merge the states there is going to be backwardness, because those states that are doing well and those that are not doing well you grouped them together, they will draw them back. The price of crude oil continues to fall on daily basis and oil is the soul of our economy. How do you think we can get out of this problem? Nigeria is an agricultural country but what has hap-

be misused by politicians I don’t seem to agree to that, the fear is there, yes. But any LASTMA official that wants to keep his job will try as much as possible to be honest. This is because they trained them. Let each state has its own police that is my own. If you want your house not to be burgled nowadays you need to get one or two of the vigilantes because at night it is a free for all, if I may use that word.

Okogie

pened to our agriculture? Before, I told you about groundnut pyramids and so on. But because we want quick money, there is oil and we abandoned agriculture. That is what is happening. We have tin, we have cocoa, we have so many things that we can fall on. Now is the time for us to go back to those things we were doing before. And I am personally happy that this thing is happening to Nigeria. God has been so kind to us and God has a way of calling us to order. This is number one way. God bless us with oil during the General Yakubu Gowon’s time. Everybody was happy, look at Ghana today, have they started using their oil. They are learning. The insecurity situation in the country is alarming, in the Southern part we have armed robbery , kidnapping and in the northern part there is the Boko Haram insurgency . Some people said that state police is one solution to these problems. What is your view on this? In Lagos you hardly see the Nigerian policemen on the roads now what you see are local police like LASTMA officials which control the traffic. And they are effective. What is wrong with the state police? I am just asking, I don’t know. Why are they afraid of state police? I think the fear by some people is that the state police may

There is one incident that happened during the tail end of Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. A plane was caught and impounded by South Africa authorities because the plane was said to have carried a lot of money and Nigerian officials explained that the huge sum was to purchase arms for the country . The plane was discovered to belong to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor who was and still is the CAN president. How will you react to such incident involving a man of God? The whole problem was created by the government. What is the government concern about licensing churches. That is where the whole problem starts. They say give to Caesar what is Caesars’ and unto God what is God. The Christian body has a large body they called Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN . The Muslims have their own. For instance you want to start a church what business does the Corporate Affairs Commission , CAC has to license the church . What business are we doing or we are going to make, that you are licensing us. We told you we want to serve God, you are telling me I must come for license before doing that . Then what is the use of CAN and the parallel body among Muslims. So once these people get their license from the government through the CAC of course they can do anything. And that is why there are so many of them in the country today. On Saturdays some stores are cleared because they want to use the place for church. And what kind of gospel are they preaching? Prosperity , you must dance, you must pray against your enemies. God, let me see the end of my enemies , how will God hear that prayer because God is a just father . If you are praying for your brother’s downfall, don’t forget that that your brother is a child of God just like you are a child of God. How do you then want God to be unfair? So if the CAC asked him what do you want to use the airplane for. If he says for private, they should have asked which private. Is it for business, you have to declare what it is for. But do you blame the man ,he can use it for anything since it has been licensed by the government . You are now saying because he is a man of God , is it when he is at fault now that you know he is a man of God. When he came to you for license why don’t you asked him that, but you are a man of God what do you want to license it for? So these things are not done, when money changes hands anything happen in our dear country Nigeria.

Oyo lawmaker calls for immortalisation of Ladoke Akintola Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji has called on the Federal Government to further immortalise a one time Premier of the defunct Western region, Late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. The lawmaker while moving a motion titled, “Need to further immortalise the late Premier of Western Region, a former Aare Ona-Kakanfo of Yorubaland in Commemoration of the Golden Anniversary of his untimely demise” and co-sponsored

by Hon. Joshua Ojo, said Akintola was responsible for the establishment of the University College Hospital, UCH Ibadan as a Federal Minister in 1953. According to the member representing Ogbomoso North State Constituency, the late Premier who also played a major role in the establishment of Nigeria Airways in 1958 and laid the foundation of the Cocoa House, Premier Hotel as well as the establishment of University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), should be further immortalized in a bid to appreciate his legacies in the country. Oladeji maintained that such man of “politi-

cal colossus and enigma” deserve to be further immortalized such that the younger generations will be abreast of his laudable contributions to the development of the country. She also argued that Akintola was one of the three patriotic citizens of the country that moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence. The lawmaker further explained that Akintola was able to bring the Yoruba race into the political mainstream of Nigeria under the government of late Sir Tafawa Balewa. The lawmaker then urged the house to appeal to the Federal Government

through the Federal Ministry of Health to name a facility or major edifice at the UCH, Ibadan after the late Premier who died during the first military coup that took place on January 15th 1966. She also charged the house to appeal to the executive arm of the state government to name a major monument or infrastructure such as University of Ibadan to Secretariat to Queen Elizabeth Road junction after the late Premier. Oladeji further called for the upgrading of Akintola resting place at Ogbomoso to a museum that will have the status of an international tourist centre.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Nigeria’s unfolding dynamics of voters’ power OKECHUKWU EMEH

n the human system, nothing is permanent except change. It is also notable that those who only look to the past or the present are bound to miss the future. To be sure, the positive outcome of the recent general elections in Nigeria has given hope about a gradual paradigm shift by a high percentage of the electorate in the country with regard to determining who would lead them. This reassuring development was in stark contrast to what was observed in previous elections under the present democratic dispensation, when overbearing and self-serving politicians would arbitrarily decide how Nigerians would cast their ballots. Looking back, from the election of our immediate former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to the incumbent, General Muhammadu Buhari, one could discern the underlying trend of many voters’ preference for candidates rather than political parties that fielded them. This phenomenal development was only evident in 1993, when millions of Nigerians across our ethno-religious divides voted overwhelmingly for the late business mogul, Bashorun Moshood K. Abiola, in the annulled June 12 presidential poll of that year. However, as regards the current changing pattern of a large number of people voting on the basis of individuals rather than party in Nigeria, it could be recalled that during the election that pro-

duced Dr Jonathan as president in 2011, many of the electorate that voted for him were carried away by several exceptional circumstances that were shorn of captivating leadership attributes like vision, mission, pragmatism, dynamism, charisma and certain lofty values. One of the circumstances was his presumed humble beginnings, the fact of his coming from the economically, socially and politically marginalised oil-bearing Niger Delta region and his story of being “shoeless” while in school, which attracted “eyaa na one of us” kind of ordinary people’s way of expressing empathy in the country. There were also Jonathan’s superb academic credentials as capped by a doctorate degree. This is not to mention his stretch of luck, which catapulted him to somewhere assume to be the pinnacle of political position in Nigeria. All these circumstances, coupled with Jonathan’s salivating promise of fresh air in governance in the country and the envisaged transformation in different facets of our national life if elected, made millions of ordinary Nigerians to stake their votes for him, hoping that he would reciprocate by improving their living conditions. In any case, there are two key factors why the Nigerian electorate, who are increasingly becoming politically conscious, grabbed the opportunity offered by the presidential poll of March 28, 2015 to speak out in righteous indignation with their votes. One factor was the considerable difficulties the Jonathan regime was facing in making progress in salient areas of governance in almost

MANY NIGERIAN ELECTORATE ARE BECOMING MORE CONSCIOUS THAT ELECTING A WRONG CANDIDATE ON ACCOUNT OF ETHNIC OR RELIGIOUS APPEAL WOULD NOT AUGUR WELL FOR THEM six years of being in power like leadership accountability and efficiency, anticorruption war, economic revitalisation, provision of functional infrastructure and social services, poverty alleviation, creation of gainful employment and protection of lives and property amid the exacerbation of crime and violence in the country. The other factor was the proven inability of his government to tread on toes, no matter whose ox is gored, in order to ensure justice and protect the downtrodden, majority of whom voted for him in 2011 presidential election. As expected, the ultimate outcome was the electoral victory of Buhari, a forthright former head of state, who contested the election under the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is noteworthy that during his electioneering, he pledged to rescue Nigeria from the wreckage of bad governance and, in so doing, give its expectant people a befitting national

leadership with whom they would join hands to make a clean break from the retrogressive developments in our polity like official corruption, mismanagement, impunity, economic stagnation, decrepit amenities, mass poverty, acute unemployment (especially among youths), inequality of opportunities and insecurity. Stemming from the amazing outcome of our recent national elections, it is obvious that our electorate are gradually becoming so dynamic, sophisticated, vociferous and resolute in taking the political destiny of Nigeria in their hands by voting candidates who they see as tested, proven and trusted despite all kinds of pressure from desperate politicians. Understandably, this is because some of our voters are now aware that material inducements during an election, for example, would not be to their advantage in the long run, but to self-seeking politicians who are eager to go the whole hog in using such enticements to gain power and later mortgage their future through embezzlement of public fund. Furthermore, many Nigerian electorate are becoming more conscious that electing a wrong candidate on account of ethnic or religious appeal would not augur well for them in view of the repercussions of bad governance or poor political representation like abject poverty, joblessness, despondency and insecurity, which are no respecter of one’s communal background. To be continued Emeh Jr, an Abuja-based social researcher, wrote via okemehjr@yahoo. com and can be reached on 08036895746

Ambode and the gains of inclusive governance BILKIS BAKARE

ccording to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Lagos is the fastest growing city in the world. It currently has a population of over 21 million people. Although the state may be cosmopolitan in outlook, it also has its fair share of rural communities. Approximately 12 percent of the people of the state dwell in the suburbs, country sides and remote villages. It is, therefore, in an effort to ensure even and accelerated development in all parts of the state that the Ambode administration anchors its development drive on what it terms ‘all inclusive governance’, that is a government in which “no one or segment of the society, irrespective of colour, race, faith, status, ability or disability is left behind”. In order to properly synchronize his administration’s plan to constantly engage the public on various issues of governance, Governor Ambode created the Office of Civic Engagement, in the Deputy Governor’s Office. Through this, the citizens have been provided with a platform that could make reaching out to the government a seamless task. The Office serves dual purposes. One, it enables the people to make their needs known to the government. Two, it aids the government to ensure the execution of people-driven programmes. Thus, since it came on board last May, the Ambode administration has had extensive discussions with a variety of stakeholders on different sectors of the state. In doing this, the major goal of the administration is to fashion out tactical ways to establish methods of de-

THE AMBODE ADMINISTRATION HAS HAD EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS ON DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE STATE veloping fresh ideas that will assuage the sufferings of the people and advance the worth of social life and economic development. This was what informed some of the several stakeholders’ forums which it has held, especially with the aim of adopting and adapting some of the best practices in the advanced nation. This would enable the state to balance competitiveness with quality of life and institutionalized sustainability. The result is that there is now a renewed effort and commitment to further transform Lagos into an enviable model megacity. The Ambode administration has commenced the initiation and implementation of integrated policies, programmes and projects intended to improve the living standards of people living in the rural areas with the aim of reversing the rural- urban migration problem. These initiatives have the tendency to decongest high density areas and ultimately bring a reduction on the pressure on infrastructures in the metropolis. One of the strategies being evolved to

achieve this is that the Ambode administration has chosen to talk with the people at the grassroots rather than talking to them. This is evident in the first quarterly rendering of account of stewardship which was taken to the grassroots, precisely Abesan mini stadium in Alimosho Local Government Area. Unarguably, this is one of the ways of returning governance to the communities. And according to the Governor, the quarterly briefing which replaced the 100 days account of stewardship of the previous administration, is one of the platforms designed to enable the people effectively participate in governance. It is a forum that enables the people to rub minds on salient issues bordering on the overall improvement and development of the state. It is the conviction of the state government that the platform would afford the people at the grassroots the opportunity of becoming major players in governance. One major index of social change and development today is indeed rural development. No nation can boast of achieving development if a large percentage of its rural inhabitants is still wallowing in abject poverty, want and penury. Given the catalogue of challenges facing local government councils, it is imperative that while local government should remain as a third tier of government, it should be given more powers, resources and enabling environment for the development of localities. To address these challenges, the local government areas in Lagos State are now being empowered to carry out infrastructure development in their various communities. To take governance back to the grassroots, the Ambode administration has concluded plans

to commence the construction of 114 inner roads, estimated at a cost of N17.5 billion across the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state. This is designed to complement the massive road construction and rehabilitation going on in the state, which culminated in the repair of 300 roads in just seven months. The inner roads project, which would be completed within the next six months, will be executed to standard requirement with street lights, sidewalks and covered drains. Aside from making life better for the communities involved, these road constructions will also serve as sources of employment for the residents. It is instructive to emphasize that the handling of all issues concerning the construction of the roads is the exclusive preserve of the local councils in partnership with the Community Development Associations (CDAs). For Lagosians to fully exploit the prospect of the Ambode administration’s all inclusive approach to governance, they need to pay their taxes, among other and other obligations. Bakare is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

Editorial

Monday, February 1, 2016

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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 ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

Tompolo’s ‘appropriate time’

n a Wednesday about three weeks ago, the Federal High Court, Lagos, ordered Chief Government Oweize Ekpemopolo (a.k.a Tompolo) to appear before it in respect of criminal charges involving N34 billion fraud the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed against him. The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, issued the summons , January 12, 2016, in response to an ex-parte motion canvassed by EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo; and Tompolo was duly served, as the summons were affixed on a conspicuous part of his address at No. 1, Chief Agbanu DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State, as directed by the judge. Tompolo, however, treated the court summons with utter contempt. His failure to answer the court summons subsequently compelled Justice Buba to issue a warrant for the arrest of the purported ‘repentant’ Niger Delta militant and beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty granted restive Niger Delta militants by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. The EFCC arraigned Tompolo and nine others on a 40-count charge of alleged money laundering, conspiracy, stealing and diversion of public funds. Prominent among the accused persons are the immediate past Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi; Global

West Vessel Specialist Limited and Odimiri Electricals Limited, among others. As we speak, however, Tompolo is yet to honour the court summons. He had, instead, resorted to self-help and self defence; disputing the amount of money involved in the charges and absolving himself of involvement in recent, large scale pipe line vandalism by Niger Delta militants that coincided with the court summons and the arrest warrant issued on him by Justice Buba’s court. First to be blown up by multiple explosions were several oil and gas installations between Ikpokpo and Odidi flow stations, mainly in Gbaramatu Kingdom. Some hours later the Abiteye flow station and Sagara Chevron pipelines in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State were also blown up. Reports indicated that the attack on the oil and gas pipelines in Gbaramatu led to the shutdown of the Kaduna and Warri refineries by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Warri Refinery with 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity resumed production in November 2015, while the Kaduna facility producing 110,000 bpd commenced operations last December; amid the frustrating fuel scarcity that struck the country lately. Without doubt, putting the two refineries out of operation has sabotaged the fuel supply situation which the Federal

NO INDIVIDUAL, LET ALONE A SUSPECT THAT OUGHT TO

BE IN THE DOCK, SHOULD BE ACCORDED THE PRIVILEGE OF DESECRATING THE RULE OF LAW AND THE SANCTUARY OF JUSTICE IN THE LAND

Government has been battling in recent months to stabilise. Total daily loss to the country as a result of the damaged oil and gas facilities was put at N470.4 million, while repairs of the damaged pipelines would cost $609,137 or N120 million. When broken down, the huge damage to the oil and gas facilities reportedly led to a loss of 160mmsfcd of gas daily. At a cost of $2.50 per thousand scf, the estimated loss to the country on daily basis amounts to $400,000 (N78.8 million). The NNPC indicated that this grave loss does not include losses incurred daily from power generation installations that were also affected, amounting to $1.9 million (N391.6 million) daily. Still, public insinuations that the arraignment of Tompolo could have something to do with the vandalism have not pricked his mind enough to appear before the court and clear the smear

ON THIS DAY February 1, 2004 About 251 people were trampled to death and 244 others injured in a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia during the stoning of the devil ritual. The ritual is the most dangerous part of the pilgrimage because of the huge crowds, particularly as they cross the massive multi-layer Jamaraat Bridge that affords access to the pillars representing the devil. Stampede also occurs as surging crowds trek from one station to the other.

Letters tothe theEditor Editor Letters to

February 1, 2012 At least 72 people were killed and over 500 others injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams, Al-Masry and Al-Ahly, in the city of Port Said. The violence followed a 3–1 victory by El Masry. Fans used knives, swords, clubs, stones, bottles and fireworks as weapons. About 73 defendants, including nine police officers and two officials from Port Said’s Al-Masry club, were charged in the aftermath.

on his integrity. Latest reports credited to his media adviser and consultant, one Paul Bebenimibo, said he will appear in court ‘at the appropriate time’. “Tompolo has stated in several occasions that he will appear in court at the appropriate time, as his lawyers are working towards that. He has no reason to bomb pipelines because of his case with the EFCC; and he will never wage war against the Federal Government”, Bebenimibo stated. Such platitude, unfortunately, is not what the law demands. Though Tompolo remains innocent of any crime – in the eyes of the law – until he is formally arraigned and his alleged offences are proved beyond any reasonable doubt, he is, nonetheless, a fugitive before the law by virtue of the arrest warrant issued on him, which was consequent upon his contempt for the court summons of Justice Buba. It is a challenge for the Nigerian bar that Tompolo’s ‘lawyers’ are aiding and abetting his affront to the court summons, knowing full well that the law is no respecter of persons. The impunity demonstrated by Tompolo so far is not acceptable. The police should move fast and do the needful. No individual, let alone a suspect that ought to be in the dock, should be accorded the privilege of desecrating the rule of law and the sanctuary of justice in the land.

x February 1, 2013 The Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, was opened to the public. The Shard is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, which forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, it is currently the 87th tallest building in the world, the tallest building in the European Union and the fourth tallest building in Europe.

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Cover

Emefiele

Naira exchange rate stability:

Choices for Nigeria The fall in the price of crude oil, major source of revenue for the country in the international market, issues of infrastructure to boost domestic market and the preference for imported products tend to put pressure on the Naira, making the currency’s exchange management by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, a herculean tasks. Udo Onyeka in this report takes a look at the apex bank’s strategies to tackle the challenge.

he persistent weakness of the naira, occasioned by low oil price in the international market, according to many experts’ calls for devaluation of the nation’s currency, while the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has continued to opposed the idea. The price of crude oil, Nigeria’s major source of foreign exchange, has been selling for below $35 per barrel for a very long time. The naira took a further beating at the parallel market, trading at a historic of N305 against the dollar last week. Renaissance Capital, a London-based investment bank, had last month said in a re-

port the declining oil prices and the unwillingness of the CBN to devalue the naira amid constrained external reserves had continued to worsen the foreign exchange liquidity position of Nigerian banks. The naira had been devalued twice since the drop in global oil prices began, first in November 2014, when the central bank lowered the midpoint of the official peg by eight per cent to 168 per dollar. In February 2015, the CBN also scrapped its twice-weekly auctions at which the naira was sold at a subsidised rate, a move that resulted in an effective weakening in the exchange rate of the currency by about 15

per cent. The currency had lost 28 per cent of its value in the six months to February 2015 before the central bank fixed the exchange rate at N198 per dollar and tightened capital controls. Since then, the central bank has sought to prop up the naira with several measures, including stopping importers of around 41 items, restricting the use of local debit cards overseas; lowContinued on pg A4 UDO ONYEKA, EDITOR BUSINESS COURAGE udonyeka@gmail.com c

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Cover Continued from pg A3

Odukoya

Boyo

ous policy measures already initiated, including the regulation of the Bureau De Change (BDCs) that cut dollar supply to operators from $75,000 to $50,000 weekly. According to many experts devaluation of the naira seem to be a major step to take in rescuing the currency. But the CBN Governor has rejected the calls for the devaluation of the naira. As an alternative to a more flexible exchange rate, the CBN has introduced administrative measures that are intended to limit access to foreign exchange, as well as a ban on some 41 listed import items as a way of reducing the demand for foreign exchange. The CBN Governor has vowed to defend the naira at all costs against any devaluation, adding that it was a question of nationalism. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, IMF, have dismissed the CBN administrative measures aimed at import restriction as detrimental to the Nigerian economy. Meanwhile some experts have applauded the anti-naira devaluation stance. A renowned economist and newspaper columnist, Henry Boyo, and chief executive of Lagos-based Dunn Loren Merrifield Assets Management Company, Tola Odukoya, said anti devaluation stance of the current government shows Buhari’s team is reay to start work. In an interview with France 24, as part of his three-day official visit to Paris for talks with President François Hollande, on Wednesday, President Buhari maintained that further devaluation of the Naira would be avoided because the trend is not healthy for the economy. Buhari said: “The Naira has been devalued, it used to be around N160/$, and now, it is hovering around N200/$ and above, and I don’t think it is healthy for us to have the Naira devalued further.” He disclosed that the Federal Government had directed the

CBN to instead make modifications that would help to boost the economy. As he put it: “That’s why we are getting the Central Bank to make modifications in terms of making foreign exchange available to essential services, industries, spare parts, essential raw materials and so on. But things like tooth-picks and rice… Nigeria can produce enough of those. “We don’t need to give our hard currency on that, but those who insist of having tooth-pick from Europe or from China, instead of using Nigerian toothpick, they can go and source their foreign exchange.” The Naira, which was devalued in November to N168/$, has in less than a year, seen further devaluation to N197 on the official inter-bank market. With falling oil prices, investors fear that the currency may be further devalued to a point where it does not have to take so much defending the Naira. The CBN has imposed strict control on access to foreign exchange as it hoped to build up the Naira profile. In June 2015, it restricted access to foreign exchange for the import of 41 items ranging from rice and tooth-picks as stated by the president. Boyo said he was happy that the President. “The implication of devaluation of Naira is terribly horrendous; we will become very poor if we try it,” he said. Odukoya, however, lamented the absence of an economic team that would have best appreciated the scenario, adding that the CBN had been trying to manage the system.

‘

He thinks the decision by JP Morgan to delist Nigeria’s sovereign bonds from its Emerging Markets Global Bonds Index (EM-GBI) might really cause devaluation, just as “if rating agencies also downgrade us.” “The immediate impact of the JP Morgan issue is that the Nigerian fixed income market, which was a good supply of (US$) in the past, has witnessed an outflow of portfolio investors even before the JP Morgan issue. “The effect may not be as bad as they anticipate. The good thing I see is that the president has blocked a lot of leakages in government since he came in and this has helped in stabilising the Naira. “CBN has tried to manage the Naira further by taking some administrative steps on the forex window and this has appeared to stabilise domestic currency in the last few months,” he added. Continuing, Odukoya believes that at “the initial stage, things will be tough, I will expect the CBN and the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) to start a downward review of the basic policy rate such that the cost of borrowing and lending should have to reduce within the economy. In the short term, inflation will fly up and the Naira will depreciate and a lot of people will make a lot of noise. “Banks need to start to fund industries. Nigeria should be feeding Africa with products from here by now and we must do everything possible. When we look at the young population of the country, you will see that something drastic needs to be done to get them engaged.” Also Managing Director,

We don’t need to give our hard currency on that, but those who insist of having toothpick from Europe or from China, instead of using Nigerian tooth-pick, they can go and source their foreign exchange

‘

ering Automatic Teller Machine withdrawal limits; and barring Nigerians from depositing hard currencies into their domiciliary accounts. The ongoing volatility facing the Naira and related regulations remain the biggest challenges facing the various sectoral funding in Nigeria. The Naira value has been falling and many people are asking what the government is doing to arrest the trend. A Year ago, a dollar exchanged for around N150; now it is over N300. The CBN is facing a huge challenge as the naira continues to sink deeper and deeper against the dollar, crude oil prices and foreign exchange reserves were crumbling and foreign investors were leaving the country in droves. Even though some of these indicators are not directly under the CBN’s control, but the apex bank has taken strategic steps to ensure their implications do not distort his vision for the economy and the financial sector. The CBN under Godwin Emefiele seek to achieve monetary and price stability, maintain sufficient external reserves to safeguard the international value of the naira, promote sound financial system and provide financial advice to the Federal Government. It also craves for high standards of banking practice through its surveillance activities as well as the promotion of an efficient payment system. Therefore, the apex bank is instituting a broad spectrum of financial instruments to boost specific enterprise areas in agriculture, manufacturing, health, oil and gas as well as building a Secured Transaction and National Collateral Registry that improves access to information on borrowers and assist lenders to make good credit decisions. For the naira, there has been far reaching measures to curtail its slide. But Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil (currently above 80 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings) makes economic growth susceptible to oil price shocks, directly impacting on external reserves, creating negative effect that leads to capital flight, thus depreciating the naira. It was the need to stem it that prompted the CBN chief to look inwards in finding solutions to Nigeria’s currency and economic crises. To achieve exchange rate stability, he banned the sale of foreign exchange by banks to importers, stating that all imports involving electronics, finished products, information technology, generators, telecommunication equipment and invisible transactions would be funded from the interbank foreign exchange market only. The objective was to maintain stability in foreign exchange market and strengthen the vari-

Proshare Nigeria Limited, Femi Awoyemi, agrees that the Naira should not be devalued and that the President’s stance is in consonance with other economists and analysts who have already kicked against further devaluation of the Naira, at least for now. For the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, there is need for the President “to quickly put a body of economic advisers in place. The President needs to be properly briefed and guided on proper policy choices. Quality policy decisions are influenced by the context of the economic fundamentals. “It is the context that would shape the nature and character of policy. Exchange rate is a price. The supply and demand fundamentals are very crucial in the determination of any price. This is time-tested theory in economics. Exchange rate determination is more of an economic issue than political. “The current liquidity crisis in the foreign exchange market is a symptom of the structural defects in the economy – weak productivity, poor diversification, and uncompetitive real sector, high cost of fund, weak institutions, high import dependence, and avoidable money supply growth, among others. “Strengthening the exchange rate would therefore require the fixing of these constraints. The current regime of exchange controls would do more harm than good to the economy.” Also reacting, Marcel Chief Economist of Zenith Bank Plc, Marcel Okeke,agrees that the nation’s external reserves would be further depleted as the CBN moves to defend the Naira at all cost. According to him, since there is no end to the fall of oil price, the forex inflow would be further constrained, just as he expects an increase in the number of items excluded from the official forex market.BC

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News Customs brokerage practice: Group moves to curtail Lebanese, Indians Francis Ezem

he current domination of cargo clearing business at Nigeria’s airports, seaports and land borders might soon be a thing of the past as the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, presents to the National Assembly, a draft bill seeking to indigenise customs brokerage business in the country. Indigenous freight forwarders and customs brokerage agents had over the years been lamenting the domination of the business in the country by foreigners, especially indians, Chinese, Lebanese and even South Africans, which they argued promotes capital flight. National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto, who spoke at a forum organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria MARAN in Lagos, said the proposed legislation will prohibit foreigners from practising customs brokerage business in the country. “ It is not possible for a Nigerian customs brokers to the profession in Ghana or United States of America or Indian but in Nigeria, Lebanese and other foreign nationals are seen clearing goods at our ports.”, lamented. He however urged the National Assembly rise to the occasion and pass laws that will protect the interest of Nigerians including clearing agents and by so doing provide jobs for the youths and bridge the unemployment gap. It was also gathered that when passed into law, the new legislation will also not in any way clash or jeopardise interest of the Council For the Regulation of Freight Forwarding CRFFN Act 16 of 2007, which established the CRFFN. He however insisted that though the CRFFN Act needs to be reviewed to address the many inherent loopholes in it, the proposed law is not designed to achieve that. Operators have been speaking on the urgent need to control foreigners’ access to the Customs Processing Centre CPC in the name of clearing imports. National President of Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria ARFFN, Dr. Frank Ukor had recently urged the government to take urgent steps towards addressing this. He had argued that the economic and security implications of this might be so much on the nation. Meanwhile, in another development, Farinto also lamented the negative effects of Federal

(In the middle), Chairman & Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Clay Neff, exchanges the agreement of the sale of CNL’s interest in OMLs 52, 53 and 55 with Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Petroleum and representative of the Seplat Consortium comprising of Seplat, Amni and Belemaoil, Austin Avuru (third right), others are: (left to right) - General Counsel, Seplat Petroleum ; Stuart Connal, Chief Operating Officer, Seplat Petroleum, Mirian Kachikwu; Managing Director, Belemaoil, Nedo Osayande; Chief Financial Officer, Seplat Petroleum, Roger Brown and General Manager, External Affairs and Communications, Seplat Petroleum, Chioma Nwachukwu

Government’s policy, which restricts access to foreign exchange, which he, he nsists has affected imports as many customs brokers can no longer open Form ‘M’. He had argued that such policies are counterproductive, saying that the N1 trillion revenue target set by the Nigeria Customs Service for the 2016 fiscal year might be a ruse.

CBN supports NEXIM Bank with N350bn Udo Onyeka

he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, strengthened the operations of the NEXIM bank with the sum of N350bn. The banks managing director, Mr Robert Orya told the Senate committee on Banking, Currency and Financial Institutions that the fund is an intervention initiative to keep the bank alive. Orya who said the monies would be invested into Agriculture, solid minerals, transportation and hotel industry also called on other investors to do business with the bank to achieve its goals. He also told the committee that although he inherited a very unhealthy institution, he

Orya

has tried to carry out certain reforms in line with the mandate of the bank in other to achieve its goals. “We inherited a system that was not working, shareholders funds were depleted and the overall system was deteriorating. The problem was that the bank deviated from its core mandate and veered into oil and gas which moped up cash and rendered the bank in a bad shape”, the NEXIM managing director noted. The Chaiman of the committee, Senator Rafiu Adebayo assured that it would not hesitate to inject direction and light to ensure a stable financial system. Speaking during the interractive session with the management of NEXIM bank led by its MD, the committee chairman also emphasised the importance and strategic roles of banking panel of the Senate, adding that, “banking is important in our economic life and we need to keep our financial institutions safe. “We want to ensure that the engine of our national economy does not break down, we also need rapid changes in our economy and we must serve the best interest of Nigerians. We shall attempt to identify the problems affecting the sector and profeer solutions and we will not hesitate to inject diercrion and light to ensure a stable financial system”. The NEXIM boss also called on other investors to do business with the bank to achieve its goals. According to him, we inherited a system that was not working, shareholders’ funds were depleted and the overall system was deteriorating. “The problem was that the bank deviated from its core mandate and veered into oil and gas which moped up cash and rendered the bank in a bad shape, “said Orya.

FCMB boss emphasises Importance of compliance to sustainable banking

roup Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Limited, Mr. Ladi Balogun, has urged banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria to constantly adhere to compliance principles in line with global best practices. This, according to him, will enable the banking industry to remain sustainable and overcome the continued threats posed by money laundering, terrorists/terrorism financing and other challenges in the society. Declaring open the January 2016 general meeting of the Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria ,CCCOBIN, in Lagos, last weekend and hosted by the Bank, Balogun pointed out that maintaining a sound culture of compliance remains the primary foundation upon which any sustainable compliance effort and programme rests, adding that, “we must all build and sustain an organisational culture that promotes and supports compliance in the daily operations of our financial institutions’’. The FCMB CEO further noted that actions within the regulatory and law enforcement agencies have made it abundantly clear that Boards of Directors and officers of financial institutions need to take governance, risk and compliance responsibilities more seriously in order to avoid serious compliance and reputational issues from crystallizing. Mr. Balogun therefore urged CCCOBIN to focus more on critical corporate governance issues that are of

immense importance to the banking industry. The bank chief listed some of these areas to include; customer due diligence, suspicious transactions, excellent record keeping as well as whistles blowing. He added, ‘’to ensure that the business of banking is conducted in a responsible and transparent manner, it is imperative that we operate under full and complete compliance within all applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, and best practices’’. While commending financial institutions for adopting and implementing the sanctions screening services, as advised by the Central Bank of Nigeria, he stressed that, ‘’we must however remain vigilant and ensure that we do not violate sanctions directives as issued by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit ,NFIU and other relevant international bodies. It is important to avoid dealing with individuals and entities that are subject to local and international sanctions, especially in our cross-border transactions, transfers and trade’’.

Lagos target tourism industry to boost economy

he Lagos State Government on Saturday said that it would utilise the opportunities in the tourism sector to boost its Internal revenue. The Gov. of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, said this at the official inauguration of the redeveloped Apapa Amusement Park in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 40- year- old Amusement Park was shut down on March 17, 2012 by the state government for upgrading. Ambode, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Arts and Culture, Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, said that the park was now opened to the public. He said that there were plans to replicate such amusement parks in some other Local Government Areas of the State. ``Our plan is to see that we generate good income from the parks for Lagosians and visitors to enjoy themselves. `` The park provides pictureperfect moments and memories that last a lifetime; also an ideal place for family fun,’’ he said. Mr Folorunso Folarin-Coker, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture said the Apapa Amusement Park was the number one leisure spot in the city. ``The Park is the number one leisure spot for healthy family entertainment, recreation and relaxation in entire Lagos State.

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Ambode

``Families troop to this enclave to enjoy their free time with consequential bonding within the visiting household, `` he said. Folarin-Coker said that Gov. Ambode’s led administration would also use sports and entertainment sectors to stimulate the economy of the state. ``This administration is ready to create enabling environment and platforms for partnership with interested private sector organizations Earlier Mrs Olufunmilayo Balogun, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, commended Ambode for reopening the amusement park. `` The park will help to reposition the face of tourism in the state,’’ she said.

fabrics to favorably compete with foreign ones. The Chairman, Ginners Association of Nigeria in the state, Alhaji Sani Dahiru, blamed poor cotton production on the neglect of the agricultural sector and collapse of the textile industries. He said that out of the 15 ginneries operating in the state, only two offered skeletal services. Dahiru urged the government to provide trained agricultural extension workers to assist farmer to cotton famers meet the needs of the surviving mills. When contacted, the Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Musa Raji, said despite government’s efforts to encourage cotton farmers, there was no much progress. He said that the ministry, which was supplied improved seeds and fertilizer to the farmers, was always ready to offer professional advice to them. Similarly, the state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Umar Jibo, said the state government would provide ready markets to the cotton farmers and other stakeholders.

Industrialist commends Sterling Bank’s support to economic growth

Zamfara textile group renews call on foreign fabrics ban

amfara Textile industry on Sunday urged the Federal Government to ban import of foreign fabrics to revive the nation’s ailing textile mills. Alhaji Sani Muhammad, the Administrative Secretary of the mill, made the call while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria ,NAN, in Gusau. He said the importation of textile materials had led to the collapse of the nation’s textile sector. Muhammad lamented that Zamfara Textile Industry, established in 1965, had layed off over 2, 500 workers in 2004. ``It is unfortunate that the industry is not able to come back fully,’’ the manager said. He described plan by the government to improve power and fuel supply as a `welcome development’, adding that if the importation of textile goods were not stopped, surviving local mills would be operating at a loss. He said cotton farmers, who produced raw materials for the mills had moved to other crops with the collapse of the sector. He, therefore, urged the government to provide improved cotton seeds and modern textile machines for Nigerian

alarm over the nation’s economic outlook With the International Monetary Fund throwing its weight behind the Central Bank of Nigeria’s plan to shift policies supporting foreign exchange restrictions and devaluation. The Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN spread panic on last Tuesday when it released a communique hinting at long periods of harsh economic downturn following low receipts from oil revenue. As crude oil prices level at $30.05 per barrel and tight regulations clamp down on foreign exchange liquidity, analysts have expressed further concern over the CBN’s refusal to adjust the naira to reflect market rates in order for businesses to cut losses. Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Derivatives Company, Bismark Rewane, told Bloomberg that the “currency is being put under pressure and is misaligned. Ghana and South Africa have already moved to equilibrium but Nigeria has not really accepted that the currency is in disequilibrium” While stakeholders call for a free-float of the naira, players in the market sector have also highlighted the need for ease of access to sourcing foreign exchange to service international obligations.

Rewane

Businesses need forex to survive, says Jovago Isaiah Erhiawarien

or a dollar-denominated economy, access to foreign exchange is critical to personal and institutional financing especially in light of the prevailing economic realities in the country, Managing Director of Jovago Nigeria, Kushal Dutta, has said. Reacting to the recent development in the economy, he said that early performance indicators showed s that the trade sector is observing a sharp drop in cash-flow. According to Dutta, at the moment, investors are seeking instruments that can accommodate dollar receipts noting that “if the restrictions on FX trade continue and the value of the naira continues to spiral out of control, businesses will be faced with significant risk and engagements in offshore transactions will be limited.” Stakeholders had raised

he Chairman and Chief Executive of The Bazaar Limited, a growing player in the retail outlet and food chain business in Nigeria, Mr. Rajesh Mehta, has commended Sterling Bank Plc for its contribution to the economic growth of the country through the provision of adequate capital for its customers across the value chain in all the sectors of the economy. Mehta who made this remark at the opening of The Bazaar Retail Store outlet in Ogba at the weekend, indicated that the provision of capital and other advisory services by the Bank has boosted the growth of his business. “Sterling Bank is indeed a bank of choice. We have been banking with the Bank for the past 20 years. We started with one of its legacy institutionsMagnum Trust Bank and we have come this far because of the quality of banking services we enjoy from the Bank. Apart from the provision of capital, the advisory services provided by the Bank stand out in the industry and its staff are adequately trained to support the business growth of their

Yemi Adeola, MD, Sterling bank

customers”, he said. According to the Euromonitor International, a leading independent provider of strategic market research globally, Nigeria’s retail business has become more organized in recent years. The huge demand posed by the population of the country has made the country a hotbed for international retailers and investors. It is expected that this trend would be replicated across the various sectors of the economy. Corroborating the claims by the MD of Bazaar Limited, the Bank in a statement at the weekend assured that it will continue to support the growth of both new and existing businesses in various sectors of the economy. The Bank committed to doing this by providing adequate working capital which it described as the life blood and nerve centre of any business. “No business can run successfully without sufficient working capital”, the statement noted. In the area of financial advisory and capacity building for SMEs, the Bank stated that it is already equipping the operators in the MSME segment with the right skills to effectively manage their businesses for success. “Last year, we organised the first MSME Academy which was well attended by operators in this segment to equip them with the right skills and minds set to effectively manage their businesses for success. In response to the positive feedback and customers’ request, we are expanding the Academy to more locations across the country.”

HSBC online banking is ‘attacked’

SBC says it “successfully defended” an attack on its online banking system but services are disrupted on a key day for many people’s personal finances. The bank is apologising to customers trying to login to its online banking which, for many, is unavailable. It said it was working with the authorities to “pursue the criminals responsible”. The final Friday in January

is payday for lots of people and is also two days ahead of a key deadline for paying tax. Sunday is the last day for filing self-assessment tax forms online and is when millions of the self-employed and others settle their tax bill with HM Revenue and Customs ,HMRC. Late payments face a 3 per cent interest charge from HMRC, but the tax authority said there were many different payment options that could be used by the end of 31 January. “Where taxpayers need information from their HSBC account, and they are currently unable to access this they can include an estimate in their return in order to file by 31 January. They have 12 months from the date they file to amend this with the correct information,” a spokesman for HMRC said. HSBC said that no customer details had been compromised by the attack and that it was “working closely with law enforcement authorities to pursue the criminals responsible”. “HSBC internet banking came under a denial of service attack this morning, which affected personal banking websites in the UK,” said a spokesman for the bank. “HSBC has successfully defended against the attack, and customer transactions were not affected. We are working hard to restore services, and normal service is now being resumed. We apologise for any inconvenience this incident may have caused.” The service had not resumed for most customers by midafternoon and the bank confirmed it was still working on a complete fix. Distributed denial of service ,DDoS, attacks work by overloading websites or other online services with traffic. They have the power to knock whole sites offline. Victims of such attacks in the last month include the Irish National Lottery and the BBC. Banks are said to face these attacks on a daily basis, according to banking sources, and some of the High Street names have seen their websites affected. It is not the first time this month that HSBC customers have faced a suspension of the service. HSBC customers faced two days of problems with online banking at the start of January. The upheaval on that occasion was blamed on “a complex technical issue within our systems” by the bank. More significant payment failures last summer at HSBC were this week revealed to have been the result of a backlog caused by a mega-payment sent to BACS - the system that processes electronic payments in the UK - exceeding the £1bn limit placed on the system. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

A7 23

Companies & Markets

Oil price slump won’t impact adversely on our operations – LADOL boss Francis Ezem

he Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic Base LADOL, has said that the ongoing sharp decline in the the price of crude oil at the international market does not have any negative effect on the operations or activities of the company. Executive Director in charge of business development, Mr. Jide Jadesimi, who made this disclosure in an interview shortly after a presentation at the just concluded Offshore West Africa 2016 conference and exhibition, held in Lagos, spoke against the backdrop of speculations that the decline in the price of crude oil might negatively affect International Oil Companies IOCs, who are the major clients of the logistic base. The Executive Director, who represented the Managing Director, Dr. Amy Jadesimi, however said to the contrary, the price fall crisis rocking the global crude oil market has no negative impact on the company’s business in any way.

According to him, LADOL’s business model is built on flexibility and efficiency, which shield the company from any negative effects of such market fluctuations. He also insisted that whether the oil price goes high or not, it does not affect the company’s business model. “We are actually more attractive cost saving solutions to the bigger IOCs because it is same kind of efficient services we deliver when crude oil was over $100 per barrel that we also offer to them now that oil is below $30 per barrel”, said emphatically. This , according to him is because big IOCs want to do things differently, they want cost saving and efficiency, which we provide in addition to the environment that that the company has in its facility. It was gathered that these benefits include but not limited to the strategic location of the facility. He however said that all the company needed was to sustain

Jadesimi

the support and cooperation it got from the Federal Government through its regulators such as the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board NCDMB and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC, among others. He said specifically that the company has benefitted immensely from the enforcement of the Local Content policy. “We would not have achieved all that we have achieved today,

which is to build upon the initiative vision of the founder. We had to invest ahead of the market and we strongly believe in the current administration of President Muhammandu Buhari, which has set up a platform to industrialise Nigeria”, he also said. The Executive Director had while addressing the audience on the strategies for achieving effective Local Content, using LADOL as a case in point, he said that from a mere swamp in 2006, the company has been able to develop a world class one-stop oil and gas logistic facility. It was also gathered that the company has invested in excess of $600 million over the years on the facility, which is currently 60 per cent completed. The ED also said that the vision for the facility, which currently has the longest quay wall in the sub-region with a draft of 13.5 metres to accommodate larger vessels at provide a total of 5,000 direct and over 50,000 indirect jobs is to be a logistic hub in West Africa.BC

Ecobank to increase support to SMEs Udo Onyeka

cobank Nigeria has restated its commitment to be the leading Small and Medium Enterprises, SME, friendly and supporting bank in the country. Speaking at an event in Lagos recently, Head, SME and Value Chain Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Sunkanmi Olowo, said the various initiatives recently embarked upon by the bank are targeted at increasing funding and support to the SME subsector, stressing that, Ecobank having recognized SMEs as the engine room of the nation’s economic growth, would continue to step up support to the sub-sector.

Among various initiatives the bank had embarked on recently include:launching of SME Club, unveiling e-commerce online platform, MyMall,and training and providing financial support to some SMEs under the Ecobank New Venture Initiative’ (ENVI), among others. The Ecobank SME Club aims to provide preferential business Support and tailored products and services to its teeming customers across the country. The SME Club serves as a platform for adding value to SMEs through information mining, networking and capacity building. According to Sunkanmi, “The benefits of SME Club to customers are numerous. It offers

business/capacity development and technical assistance; provides business, accounting, tax, legal and other services and platforms; B2B linkage across Africa; access to market information, economic updates, exchange rate information; international markets and finance; online marketing/sales (24/7); active support from government backed organisations and quarterly working sessions led by experts.” Ecobank MyMall Nigeria is an online trading platform essentially for SME operators to sell and market their goods and services. The online marketplace, www.mymall. com.ng according to the bank, is

targeted at driving the growth of the SME sub sector in Nigeria. He explained that MyMall is indicative of the already successful Ecobank SME club which had significantly impacted a number of SMEs by providing expert guidance and tools to properly establish and succeed at running an SME. Also, Ecobank Nigeria i recently trained and extended financial grants worth millions of naira to five budding SMEs operators in the country. The ENVI, an innovative business training education programme, is collaboration between Ecobank SME Club and the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University. BC

Nasdaq, NSE partner to provide SMARTS market surveillance technology

asdaq and the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, have announced that NSE, which services the largest economy in Africa, will acquire Nasdaq’s SMARTS market surveillance platform to power their compliance program. According to a statement the technology will provide NSE with the surveillance expertise needed to grow and expand the market and equip the exchange with the surveillance tools necessary to monitor for market manipulation, including spoofing and layering. “NSE also uses Nasdaq’s XStream trading platform as its

Oscar Onyema, DG, NSE

trading engine”, it said. Commenting on the imple-

mentation, General Counsel and Head of Regulation at the NSE, Tinuade Awe said “this development affirms our continuous commitment to protecting investors by creating a fair and orderly market. As we introduce new asset classes to grow our market, the deployment of a robust, integrated and efficient solution to monitor the increasing complexity of trading activities is imperative. Regulatory and compliance issues continue to be a primary focus in our quest to become Africa’s foremost securities exchange and we are pleased to be leveraging Nasdaq’s global

leadership in the development of capital market surveillance systems.” “We are thrilled to partner with an innovative forward looking exchange such as NSE,” said Tony Sio, Head of SMARTS Market Surveillance, Nasdaq. “NSE has a tremendous growth potential and as the volumes and products expand the sophistication and impact of manipulative practices could also increase. By detecting activities such as spoofing and layering as soon as they occur, the exchange is signaling to the market how seriously it is in promoting a fair market. BC

377 cooperatives in Edo to benefit from CBN’s N143m fund

o fewer than 377 cooperative societies in Edo have been selected to benefit from the N143m Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund, MSMEDF, provided by the CBN. State Project Coordinator of Fadama 111, Mr Edward Izevbigie, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Benin. Izevbigie said that MSMEDF was initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to provide soft loans to micro, small and medium scale farmers in the country to achieve food security in the country. According to him, two categories of farmers have been shortlisted to benefit from the intervention fund. “Out of the number of cooperative societies selected for the programme, 122 have been shortlisted for direct funding under the first category. “A total of 255 cooperative societies shortlisted under the second category would undergo business development training to qualify them for accessing the loan,” he said. Izevbigie said the scheme decided to use Fadama 111 project structure to administer the fund to farmers at the grassroots. The coordinator said the money would be disbursed to the farmers based on the nature of their enterprises. He further said that the state was in the process of paying its counterpart fund in order to access additional financing for Fadama 111 project in the state. Izevbigie also said that the office was currently disbursing funds for ongoing Fadama 111projects in the state. BC

Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor

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Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

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Brand Watch

UAC Foods unveils Harrysong as new face of Gala Stories by David Audu

AC Foods Limited, producer of popular snack brand, Gala, has signed new brand ambassadors to reeve up connection with consumers and more market share for its flagship brand. The ambassadorship deal was signed recently with the ‘5 Star Music group’ and as part of the deal, Harrysong, one of the musicians under the group will be the new face of the brand while the other two musicians under the record label KCEE and Skiibii are also expected to promote the brand. Speaking during the unveiling and signing of the deal held at the company head office in Lagos recently, General Manager, Marketing, UAC Foods Limited, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba explained that the signing of the new brand ambassador is another way through which the company intends to engender a more robust brand affinity with the target consumers and to

further reaffirm the leadership positioning of Gala in the category. Mrs. Ihekwaba also noted that the deal is in line with the ‘Doing Good’ mantra of the UACN group. “As a brand from a socially responsible corporate organization, the ‘Naija Snack’ has chosen this endorsement deal as an opportunity to support the Nigerian Music industry, by promoting authentic Nigerian artistes. The numerous fans of Gala should gear up for exciting times as we go into the year 2016”, she said. She affirmed that for over 50 years, the brand ‘Gala’ has come to occupy a special place in the hearts of the Nigerian people, by supporting them on their journey to success. “At this time we feel it is important for the brand to identify with an ambassador, from the Nigerian Music industry, that represents the values of the Gala brand. This is an industry that has really come of age, ex-

celling to become a strong force in the continent and globally. Harrysong is a proof of this, he is a good fit for the image of the Gala brand’’ she said. Commenting on the rationale for choosing the brand ambassador, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba stated that Harrysong and the 5 Star Music Group represent the vibrant, entrepreneurial and indomitable spirit of Nigeria and Nigerians. “They are quite talented and innovative, as evidenced by their huge success and acceptance. Many of their musical efforts are anthems in Nigerian households. These qualities resonate with the Gala DNA and stand them out as ideal ambassadors for Gala’’. She further stressed that the brand association with the 5 Star Group will further differentiate Gala from the myriad of follower brands, and further expand the geographical footprint of the brand. On how well Ambassadors will portray the brand and connect with the target consumers, Mrs.

Ihekwaba

Ihekwaba noted that the brand ambassadors, especially Harrysong , will portray the Gala character, speak the language of our target audience. ‘’His musical flair and talent have endeared him to many. His much acclaimed song, ”Reggae Blues” aka ”Share the Gala”, is a hit by many standards and shows how well loved the brand is across the country’’ she said. BC

N5m up for grab in ‘God’s Children Great Talent Season 6’

od’s Children Great Talent, GCGT, a gospel talent development contest, has formally announced the commencement of Season 6 of the talent contest. The online registration has also opened. Speaking during the press briefing, Pastor Bimbo Ozomah who is a Trustee of GCGT and a member of the Organizing team said: “God’s Children’s Great talent is a credible platform provided to help identify early talents in children. These talents are then honed for the greater good of the child and the society.” Ms. Ozomah further said ‘‘GCGT has set up an academy focused on developing talents of the GCGT Alumni and other talents across the world”. This en-

sures that there is a structured system to support GCGT talents. Further highlighting the importance of the GCGT Academy, Bimbo Nwozuru, Executive Secretary GCGT, said “Children who have accessed the Academy have found it to be a great experience. In pursuit of excellence, we ensure that we recruit the best trainers for the young artists who come to us”. Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, Head of RCCG Apapa family, explained that the vision of the initiative is to engage children/ teens in a positive way, using their talents to glorify God and provide a credible platform for the celebration of talent in God’s children. In his words; “God’s children’s Great talent was

borne out of a desire to identify and nurture the diverse talents available in children across the Province and beyond”. GCGT has distinguished itself over the years as Africa’s leading youth talent competition, discovering, nurturing and producing young talents and stars in various fields of artistic expressions across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America. This year, ‘Season 6’ is opening its doors to children and young people aged 5-20 years all over Nigeria, with auditions being held in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. Aspiring contestants can register online for free at www.gcgt.org to audition and a chance to participate in the

competition. In past seasons, a variety of brands identified with and sponsored the project, including Cadbury Bournvita, Stanbic IBTC, AIRTEL, British Airways, Access Bank, Laterna Books, Ruff n Tumble and First Bank of Nigeria Plc. This year’s competition will be produced and televised in Nigeria and the UK with viewers being able to follow the journey of the contestants from audition to the grand finale, which will be happening at the EKO Hotel and Suites in May 2015. At the grand finale, the winner will walk away with a N5 million prize, including talent development packages and other attractive prizes. BC

Networks before he founded his first venture E-motion Advertising Limited, an out of home advertising company with assets in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Shagaya also served as the Africa leader for the search and internet advertising leader Google Inc. He is a graduate of George Washington University, Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. As the Board searches for a new CEO, Shola Adekoya will serve as interim CEO. Shola joined Konga as the Chief Fi-

nancial Officer, CFO, in July 2013 and currently holds the position of Chief Operating Officer, COO. Shola holds an MBA from Cranfield University and is a fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant, ACCA. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from London South Bank University.Sim Shagaya will bring on board as Chairman an extensive managerial and entrepreneurial experience and this appointment will see him drive the long term vision and strategy of Nigeria’s largest online mall. BC

Konga appoints new chairman

nline Shopping mall, Konga, has announced the appointment of Sim Shagaya as its Chairman, effective immediately. Shagaya, until his recent appointment is the founder and CEO of the company. He is also the founder and executive Chairman of DealDey Limited, also an online shopping mall. A release by the company stated that Shagaya has over 13 years’ experience in new media and investment banking and has worked with leaders such as Micro Strategy, Lucent Technologies and Real

Shagaya

Artee Group launches baby shop

n line with its commitment to offer quality products and shopping experience to its vast customers, Artee Group, in collaboration with Landmark Group from Dubai has launched a chain of fashion and lifestyle oriented stores in Port Harcourt Mall. The launch event which took place recently was witnessed by business executives and media persons. In his welcome address at the event, the Deputy Managing Director of Artee Group Mr Prakash Keswani expressed his pleasure at the successful launch of its three leading fashion brands – Babyshop, Splash and Lifestyle in Nigeria. This Combo store is one of its kind in Nigeria where the three brands are housed under a single roof. Each of these brands – Babyshop, Splash and Lifestyle has different product offerings and caters to a distinct consumer group. According to him, Babyshop caters to Mothers and to be Moms with fashion clothing, baby basic items, nursery items and toys. The brand houses Products which cater to 0 – 16 age group. Splash is a contemporary fashion apparels and accessories brand, focusing at the youth and the young at heart. The fashion clothing ranges from youth, smart casuals, formals as well as active wear and accessories. Anyone from the age of 18 onwards can fulfill their fashion clothing and accessories needs at Splash. Lifestyle offers all the luxury one may desire for their homes such as home decor and home furnishings, bath décor and accessories, home and office fragrances as well as gift items, teen accessories and SPA items to name a few. Lifestyle focuses on the modern day women and helps her set up the dream home. Artee Group also announced the launch of its loyalty program under the name of “Club Privilege” for Babyshop, Splash and Lifestyle customers in Nigeria. BC

Keswani

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Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

Yudala launches new mobile sales platform today Stories by Isaiah Erhiawarien

udala, Nigeria’s composite online and offline retail chain is offering for sale to over 500,000 units of mobile devices in its Mobile Monday, which it is offering today. The weekly mega sales promotion is positioned as the largest single day sales of mobile devices on the continent. According to Afam Anyika, Marketing Communications Manager, Yudala, “MobileMonday comes with a surprise in the mobile segment of our total products basket. Nigerians and corporate organisations will have the advantage of buying mobile phones, tablets, laptops, accessories and other consumables of different international brands in large quantities as over 500,000 units will be on sale everyMonday. He said that it is a platform for Yudala to express its confidence in the digital world and avail Nigerians the opportunity to buy at right prices saying that this corporate initiative from Yudala is meant “to stim-

Anyika

ulate transition from analogue to digital world and moving customers from 2G to 3G in order to enhance their communication profile and lifestyle as this century demands.” Anyika said that Yudala is partnering with many international OEMs on the project, stressing that the Mobile Monday will run throughout 2016 to compliment other lead products offerings by Yudala such as the Neighbour to Neighbour Mega Deals, Monthly Midday Madness Sales, Yu-jara, Nigeria’s single largest festive season sales promo, amongst

others being launched. “As an innovation-driven composite e-commerce company, we shall be rolling out more products which will certainly add value to Nigerians especially in this period of discomfort in terms of earning in the nation’s history. What is special about Yudala is that customers have a choice – you can buy and pay on delivery, you can pay online and collect from any Yudala Experience store near you. You can also walk into our store, pay and collect or where the product is not in store, you can pay and we deliver. No other company in Nigeria offers this e-commerce experience,” he said. Yudala about five months ago successfully entered the market with 24 hour delivery target. With several awards to her credit within its few months of existence, the company has become one to watch closely, said Anyika disclosing that the second quarter of the year will define the Yudala blueprint in the e-commerce landscape for the benefit of all Nigerians. BC

CWG designs low cost mobile financial services hub

new financial services platform that reduces investment on hardware or software while also offering advanced mobile financial services has been introduced into the country. The financial services hub, which was development by without making extensive investment in IT platform service provider, CWG Plc., supports various deployment models such as white labeling, co-branding and onsite deployment. Chief Executive Officer, CWG Plc., Mr. James Agada said that hub which is resident in CWG Plc’s data centre in Lagos, will allow the company to provide banks and Telcos, across Africa, with a platform that will enable them deliver improved mobile financial services to both banked and unbanked population. Launched in partnership withCIT Vericash, the launched a mobile financial services platform enables financial institutions offer quality services to their customers at a reduced cost. According to Adaga, any

Bank, Telco or mobile money operator can take advantage of the CWG Vericash Hub powers the U-mobile, a trail blazing mobile banking product recently launched by the United Bank for Africa. He said that the “CWG Vericash Hub supports wallet services, agency services, integration with payment cards (credit, debit, prepaid), bill payment, shopping services via mobile channels App, SMS and USSD.” He added that it features

Agada

a sophisticated transaction processing engine that is able to orchestrate transaction flow between multiple service providers, as well as feature that will enable banks to offer a large number of non-traditional services from insurance to ticketing. “In addition to these, the CWG Hub also benefits by being connected to the Vericash Network bringing additional cross border services in remittances and bill payment”, he said. BC

Technotalk

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

How to protect your E-Commerce site from Hackers

ackers are found of stealing credit card and other sensitive information from e-commerce sites. To reassure and protect your customers, it’s imperative to know how to protect your e-business and your sensitive customer data. However, here are some tips on how you can prevent fraud and keep your site safe. 1. Choose A Secure E-commerce Platform. Put your e-commerce site on a platform that uses a sophisticated object-orientated programming language. Make your administration panel inaccessible to attackers by making it available on your internal network and completely remove it from your public facing servers. In addition, use a platform that has a secondary authentication which authenticates users with your internal windows network. 2. Use Strong Passwords. While it is the responsibility of the retailer to keep customer information safe on the back-end, you can help customers by requiring a minimum number of characters and the use of symbols or numbers. Longer and more complex logins will make it harder for criminals to breach your site from the front-end. 3. Set Up System Alerts For Suspicious Activity. Set an alert notice for multiple and suspicious transactions coming through from the same IP address. Similarly, set up system alerts for multiple orders placed by the same person using different credit cards, phone numbers that are from markedly different areas than the billing address and orders where the recipient name is different than the card holder name.

4. Layer Your Security. One of the best ways to keep your business safe from cyber criminals is layering your security. Start with firewalls, an essential aspect in stopping attackers before they can breach your network and gain access to your critical information, add extra layers of security to the website and applications such as contact forms, login boxes and search queries. These measures will ensure that your e-commerce environment is protected from application-level attacks like SQL (Structured Query Language) injections and cross-site scripting (XSS). 5. Provide Security Training To Employees. Employees need to know they should never email or text sensitive data or reveal private customer information in chat sessions as none of these communication methods is secure. Employees also need to be educated on the laws and policies that affect customer data and be trained on the actions required to keep it safe. Use strict written protocols and policies to reinforce and encourage employees to adhere to mandated security practices. 6. Monitor Your Site Regularly. Always have a real-time analytics tool. It’s the real-world equivalent of installing security cameras in your shop. Tools like woopra or clicky allow you to observe how visitors are navigating and interacting with your website in real time, allowing you to detect fraudulent or suspicious behavior. You can receive alerts on your phone when there is suspicious activity, allowing you to act quickly and prevent suspicious behavior from causing harm. Also, make sure whoever is hosting your e-commerce site regularly monitors your server for malware, viruses and other harmful software, Ask your current or potential Web host if they have a plan that includes at least daily scanning, detection and removal of malware and viruses on the website. In conclusion, fraud does happen but most credit card companies offer fraud management and charge back management services. To make sure your site is properly protected; back it up regularly to prevent loss of valuable information in the instance of power outage, hard drive failure or even a virus. Make sure you or whoever is hosting your site is backing it up BC BC and has a disaster recovery plan. BC

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Business Courage

Bola Shagaya:

Business Amazon with dexterous touch Hajia Bola Shagaya stepped pped up her life from a bank clerk to owning business usiness investment stakes in major sectors off the Nigerian economy and in other parts rts of the world valued at several billions Naira.

ajia Bola Shagaya, MON, was born on the 10th of October, 1959. She hails from Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria but resides and runs her businesses in Lagos. Growing up in a male dominated Muslim community ought to have caged her freedom, but she was able to find a way out to become one of the most respected business women in the world recognized by the Forbes Magazine. She started her career in the audit department of the Central Bank of Nigeria before sticking out her neck into private commercial business in 1983. Bola Shagayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business experience began when she ventured into the importation

and distribution of photographic materials, namely, roll papers, films and chemicals under the trading name, Bolmus International, Nigeria limited. Having done this for some time, her business initiative must have possibly informed her to step up her business to the next level, this she did by introducing the Konica brand of photographic materials into the Nigerian market as well as the West African coast when the opportunity to represent the company in Nigeria was offered her. However, in 1997, she registered Fotofair, Nigeria limited. Few weeks after, she opened a photo laboratory service unit on Ozumba Mbadiwe

Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

road, Victoria Island, Lagos using 100 percent Japanese technology under the Konica brand name. Today, Fotofair Nigeria Limited has over thirty photo laboratories located in different parts of the country and evidently one of the largest photo laboratory companies in Nigeria. Hajia Bola Shagaya is also the Managing Director of Practoil Limited, one of the largest importers and distributors of base oil in Nigeria which has been meeting the needs of the local lubricant blending plants. Practoil is presently building its own state – of – the – art lubricating plant at Kirikiri, Lagos state, which will produce multigrade oils and lubricants to satisfy the needs of Nigerians and those of the West Africa. She has now also taken steps into the real estate sector by building hundreds of town houses which rent areas per year is said to be in the range of $180,000 per flat per year. Owning properties in Europe and America, she has become one of the biggest players in the lucrative property market around the world. Her business empire, which also includes a huge investment in prime real estate, spans across major cities in the country and has over three hundred employees. She said to have large investments in the real estate sector in Nigeria, the US and in Europe. Revenues from this area are said to form the lubricating oil for the further expansion of her business empire. Certainly, nobody gave her the chance but sheer determination, courage and self propelled drive to succeed must have played some major parts in the life of Hajia Bola Shagaya, who has turned around her life to become a business Amazon combining both beauty and brain to get to the lofty height in the sectors she operates in. Nothing was capable of holding her back from achieving her dream. She is considered to be firm, thorough, resilient and focused when she sets out to get things done. Business Amazon, Bola Shagaya had her second-

Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

ary school education at the Queens School, Ilorin, Kwara State. Her tertiary education was at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and at the Armstrong College in California, where she studied economics and accountancy. She has also attended a number of local and international seminars and workshops, including Harvard Business School in her efforts to always keep abreast of the latest techniques in business management. Her business empire, which also includes a huge investment in prime real estate, spans across major cities in the country and has over three hundred employees. She’s said to have large investments in the real estate sector in Nigeria, the US and in Europe. Revenues from this area are said to form the lubricating oil for the further expansion of her business empire. Certainly, nobody gave her the chance but sheer determination, courage and self propelled drive to succeed must have played some major parts in the life of Hajia Bola Shagaya, who has turned around her life to become a business Amazon combining both beauty and brain to get to the lofty height in the sectors she operates in. Nothing was capable of holding her back from

‘

Her business empire, which also includes a huge investment in prime real estate, spans across major cities in the country and has over three hundred employees

‘

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achieving her dream. She is considered to be firm, thorough, resilient and focused when she sets out to get things done. Business Amazon, Bola Shagaya had her secondary school education at the Queens School, Ilorin, Kwara State. her tertiary education at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and at the Armstrong College in California, where she studied economics and accountancy. She has also attended a number of local and international seminars and workshops, including Harvard Business School in her efforts to always keep abreast of the latest techniques in business management. Bola Shagaya was on the board of Intercity Bank for over 8 years. While on the board of the bank, (now Unity Bank Plc), she served

in different capacities on various board committees including the position of Chairman of the bank’s establishment committee and Chairman, Audit committee just to mention a few. In addition, Hajiya Bola Shagaya was a member of the audit and credit committees of the board of Unity Bank plc. She was the head of the department that oversaw importation and export of cash crops. She is also a member of the recently inaugurated Nepad Business Group – Nigeria. Her immense love for fashion was recognised when the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, FADAN, capped her as the body’s patron. She is a fashion and art enthusiast who supports and encourages the fashion and art industry. She is also a sports lov-

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er, especially Polo. She has consistently supported polo tournaments over the years in Nigeria. In recognition of her outstanding virtues and in appreciation of her services to the country however, on the 22nd of july 2010, she was awarded by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR), with the title of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) Although, not a politician, Bola Shagaya has maintained links with important figures in various administrations up to the President. Recently, she was one of the 100 business personalities in Nigeria recognized by the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration as one of the events lined up for the Centenary Celebration by the Federal Government of Nigeia. She currently sits on the board of the National Economic Partnership for Africa Development, NEPAD, a Nigerian business group. With over 24 years of active local and international business experience in her kitty, she nevertheless craves for more knowledge to further improve on her business outlook by participating in many local and international seminars and workshops, including the Harvard Business School just to keep abreast of the developments in management techniques. Bola Shagaya’s companies, have also been getting rewarded for outstanding performances in the their various business sectors. The Pract Oil Ltd was one of eleven organisations, drawn from all sectors of the economy that were conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit Award. Some of the other organizations that got the award are Newstar Metal International Ltd., Eternit Ltd. Sapele, Jukel Nigeria Ltd., Enugu, Yammfy Farms Nigeria Ltd., Ilemona, Kwara State, Acreage Integrated Food Company Ltd., Lagos; URS-Group of Companies, Hedgeworth Group, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Technology Incubation Centre, Warri and Overland Airways Ltd. BC

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Business Courage

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, February 1, 2016

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs 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.

e-mail: olusegunmamora@gmail.com

research was conducted many years ago to know why some people rise faster in organisations while others are stuck at a particular position for a long time. It was discovered that those who use words such as: ‘We’ and ‘Our’ to refer to the company they work with, make progress than those who use words such as: ‘They’ and ‘Their’. This is because the first group of people had bought into the vision of the organisation, they do the work as if they own it while the other group believe they have nothing at stake. I found this from Sam Adeyemi’s note and I agree totally. This also goes to prove that business owners who started business with vision to solve social problems, pull many out of poverty, and believe strongly in their nation economic growth using words such as “Our people” and “Our economy” will often find it easier to expand business services and get better result in that economy than those who only use the word “My business” and “Their government”. This is interesting. The entrepreneurs that are not getting better result regularly may not be aware of the reason for this. In the same way individual who is not making head way in office promotion may not be aware of this too. If they knew better, they would have done better. That is why knowledge is power. Today that ignorance end and better attitude find expression in you. I want our communities to be turned to cities and that is my calling. The import of this is that you have to succeed in every area of your life, especially in your business expansion and I believe that this year, you will expand to the right and break forth to the left, be released from all form of limitation and enlarge your business territory beyond your wildest imagination. My responsibility is to advise on how business expansion can be your reality. Here in this week edition we have made available to you a core of the points I have learnt from fast rising and expanding entrepreneurs in all forms of economy. It is called leader’s visionary in-

fluence. “Influence happens” Influence simply means persuading people to go in a convincing direction. There are many business owners who obviously influence their team into action and often not in a deliberate manner. Usually it is a case of bad influence. Let me site an example: A friend of mine worked as a business consultant and had an assign-

Lead and expand business result

‘

Maybe your business vision is to have your product in the hand of at least one person in every family in the world by 2020. Then your attitude towards your workers and family must be in such a way that the family members respect you

ment to revive a bleeding company located in Sango, Otta,

Lagos and Ogun state boundary, south western Nigeria. His finding was that, although this fruit drink producing company had a great product but the entrepreneur had a bad influence on the workers. The entrepreneur, often, would cart away and give out finished products to families and friends who have weekend parties. He did that on many occasions without accountability. He was enjoying his growing popularity among his friends and family. In a short time the senior staff members that saw this gap joined him and were moving products without accountability. These acts trickle down from the top down to the men at the gate who joined this band wagon of non accountability. Over the years the business shrank and had to lay off workers. This reminds me of Mr. Matthew expression that “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Motivational Business Quotes

like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – Donald Trump Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that’s exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it’s about trading: buying and selling. – Anita Roddick To waken interest and kindle enthusiasm is the sure way to teach easily and successfully. – Tryon Edwards Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates Success is often achieved by those who

‘

BUSINESS

don’t know that failure is inevitable. – Coco Chanel The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time. – Henry Ford The good or ill of a man lies within his own will. – Epictetus I have known not a few men who, after reaching the summits of business success, found themselves miserable on attaining retirement age. They were so exclusively engrossed in their day to day affairs that they had no time for friend making. – B.C. Forbes BC

“But it demand vision” Dear friends, leading and influencing people demand vision to be effective. Visionary influence builds and does not destroy. It takes vision for efficient business result. Without a vision people go astray in business organisation and disorganise business process that nose dive business performances. “Where there is no vision, the people expire: but he that keeps the law, happy is he” -King Solomon David So what is vision? Vision is simply an imaginative words or picture of a preferable business results and future that compelled leaders to speaks and act in such direction consistently. There is what is called “The law of Vision” which is a universal guide. The law of vision simple says that what you see is what you get. Whatever you see in your imagination today is what you get tomorrow. “Visionary influence is leader’s tool” To have a good business result and experience expansion requires first-thing-first approach and which is leading by visionary influence. Visionary influence will mean to deliberately communicate both verbally and none verbally a preferable business future and the required attitude towards business activities. For example: Maybe your business vision is to have your product in the hand of at least one person in every family in the world by 2020. Then your attitude towards your workers and family must be in such a way that the family members respect you. Why? You need good word of mouth marketing spread among family members and it starts with your workers family. Finally, I will encourage you to lead for expansion. This will mean that your strategic leadership result is business expansion. It starts with purposeful influence on your associate, suppliers, consultants, workers and community residents through your compelling vision. I believe that your best result in business will happen in this year irrespective of the economic situation. At least that is what I see. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

A13 29

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

The Brick

Master

ike many in his mould, Ifeanyi Williams Okeke had a dream to attain success in life. Having come from a relatively comfortable family background, he worked towards ensuring that his dreams become a reality. After the completion of his tertiary education at the Anambra State Polytechnic, he worked briefly with Universal Services Limited and Helena Investment Limited, major players in the oil and gas and building construction sectors in the country. However, feeling unsatisfied with his status few years after, Okeke chose to seek greener pastures outside the country. He sojourned and moved from one country to another until he finally settled in South Africa due to what he termed the stable economy and the political will of that country’s government to industrialise. Focused and determined about what he set out to achieve, his dedication, hard work and luck opened the door of success for him in his new found home in Johannesburg, South Africa, becoming the Managing Director of Brown & Brown Trading CC. Johannesburg, South Africa. With professionalism, innovation and commitment to meeting the needs of his clients, he grew his business and in no distant time, he did not only make head way in South Africa, he also extended his operational scope to Ghana, where he was a member of the management team that executed the Waste Management Project in Kumasi, Ghana. However, while in South Africa, Okeke never lost touch of events in his native country and with the return of democracy and the government’s campaign to industrialise coupled with the call for Nigerians in the Diaspora to return home, Okeke heeded the clarion call in 2009. His in-

terest, at that time, he said, was to help actualise the mass housing drive of the present administration. “The desire to come back and help grow my country, especially in alleviating poverty and unemployment among the teeming youths was always in my heart, so it was not a difficult decision to return and moreover, the present government has shown the resolve to stabilise the economy,” Okeke said in an interview with Business Courage. On his return, the savvy entrepreneur established Ifek Brown Limited with the vision to be a leading multinational company renowned for setting standards in service delivery and customer relations. According to him, his mission was to provide clients with the most professional services, creating an enabling environment for employees and stakeholders to excel and also give back to the society. All these, he said, were hinged on the core values of professionalism, customer services, commitment, innovation, profitability and accountability. Okeke’s Ifek Brown specialises in construction, real estate and building equipment. It also parades experts in landscaping, property development, swimming pools and fountain design, installation and maintenance with the implementation of functional, durable systems using the latest technologies and high quality materials. As a way of making impactful contributions to the mass housing scheme, Okeke through his company entered into partnership with The Brick Machines Company, a South African sole manufacturer of the Agram range of brick manufacturing plants and a leader in the brick manufacturing industry for over 10 years. Today, Ifek Brown has the sole dealership of the prod-

Okeke

ucts in Nigeria. He told Business Courage that the machine is one of its kinds and that only one company in Nigeria manufactured two of the ranges available. “The machines fabricate the best of bricks in mass; the smallest of the machine is the E12 electric brick making machine, an egglaying type machines. It can compact the aggregate either manually or through vibration, depending on which option the client requires.” The E12 egg-laying type brick making machine, according to him, produces an excellent quality brick, block and paver, most popular in rural areas where electricity and fuel are not easily available, as it can easily be supplied with either a diesel engine or generator. The machine is capable of producing five hundred nine inch cavity blocks per day, one thousand six inch cavity block a day and one thousand and five hundred 4.5 inch cavity block in a day. It also boast of the capacity to produce two thousand maxi brick (290 by 140 by 90) per day, six thousand stock brick (220 by 105 by 73) a day, three thousand straight pavers per day and three thousand interlock pavers by day. “All these production capacity are calculated at nine

‘

The desire to come back and help grow my country, especially in alleviating poverty and unemployment among the teeming youths was always in my heart, so it was not a difficult decision to return

‘

Ifeanyi Williams Okeke is one of the many Nigerians with strong desire to excel despite all odds. In search of greener pastures, he traversed several foreign lands but finally settled down in the rainbow country, South Africa. Despite the many challenges he encountered, Okeke diligently held on to his dream and today, back home in Nigeria, his doggedness and determination has birthed Ifek Brown Limited, a group of companies with interest in construction and maintenance of swimming pools, real estate, property development among others. He has also won the sole dealership of Agram bricks making machines in Nigeria

hour shifts and can be operated by one unskilled labourer to get this result,” he said. Other range of the machines include Agram E36 egg-laying type brick, block and paver making machine with a 1.5kw high frequency vibrator plus main and pre-vibration times (manual control). Electrical single phase, three phases, petrol and diesel vibrator operation, he said are also available, as well as electric drive and electric de-moulding modules. Okeke told Business Courage that the interchangeable mould boxes and tampers are precision guided. Its production capacity is almost thrice that of E12. “There is also the E48 egg-laying type brick, block and paver making machine with a 2.2kw high frequency vibrator plus main and pre-vibration times (settings) with a production capacity of one thousand and nine hundred nine inch cavity block, two thousand and nine hundred six inch cavity block, three thousand and eight hundred 4.5 inch cavity block, five thousand maxi brick, twenty thousand stock brick, six thousand and five hundred straight paver and five thousand interlock paver all in a day.” Other variants, he said include the S12 electric brick making machine, Agram S18 and S33A static-electric type brick, block and paver making machine which have the capacity of fabricating five hundred, three thousand and four thousand nine-inch cavity block per day respectively. He argued that with the mass production of bricks, there will be a drop in the cost of housing thereby ensuring affordable homes for Nigerians and fulfilling the mass housing project of the Federal government. “I looked at the present housing problem in Nigeria and thought of a machine that will make it

affordable and cheaper to fabricate blocks. The machine can be used anywhere with or without electricity, so you can use it in the rural areas. Mass production of blocks will bring down the cost of blocks and housing. We are also into modular buildings, though, it is a bit new in Nigeria but it is already used by one of the churches to build an estate for its members,” he said. Mindful of the fact that most Nigerians might be unable to finance the purchase of the machine, with the least said to be about N3.5 million, Okeke said that his company its banker, Diamond Bank has offered to finance 70 per cent of the entire cost, leaving customers with a deposit of 30 per cent, with a two year payment plan with the bank. He dispels fear of maintenance and service parts of the machines, stressing that, “the machines hardly give problem and we have trained staff readily available to attend to any problem that might arise. The equipment also comes with a one year warranty and service part will be supplied within forty eight hours”. His strong will to also contribute to the economic development in the country has led him to team up with others in championing a workshop and seminar to address the issue of mass houses in Nigeria. “The seminar is geared towards throwing light on the manufacturing of building blocks and paving stones as a sustainable solution to the creation of jobs for the youths as well as mass housing in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. We intend to engage the youths in building these houses by training them and turning them to employer of labour and also provide houses in the six geopolitical zones of the country at subsidized cost.” Okeke admits that there are always challenges in any business endeavour, especially his own chosen path which involves large capital to invest in but said that he is confident that he will weather the challenges. “I have weathered a lot of storm and willing to help out. I have no fear that this will be a success and I must confess that I am impressed by the reactions of Nigerians since I started the business,” he added. He however frowned at what he called “shallow interior” decoration of most mansions in the country, pointing to the fact that Nigerians build good houses but the facilities that make up the interior such as swimming pool, garden among others are poorly handled. “A family dream of owning a backyard environment should be a pleasant experience, unencumbered by the worries of its technical details, design limitations, construction standards or its expected lifespan for repair or replacement,” he said. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Commerce & Industry

MAN urges NCS to fix cargo clearance glitches H

Honda profit misses estimates as Takata air bag recalls mount

…comply with due process – NCS

Apapa port

Stories by Abolaji Adebayo

he President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs, has called for cooperation of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, on the issues that have been hampering the manufacturing sector and which orchestrated the sluggish development of the sector. Speaking at the MAN Head Office in Lagos, Jacobs sought the intervention of the Nigeria Customs service in addressing lingering issues relating to the review of the Export Expansion Grant, EEG, and the non-utilisation of the Negotiable duty Credit Certificates, NDCC. He urged the NCS to also address the issue of arbitrary upliftment of Free on Board, FOB, value, freight and insurance, smuggling of fake and counterfeit products into the country as it continues to threaten existence of local products, as well as late response to queries raised by MAN members on issues being handled by the authorities of the NCS. He expressed the need for the federal government through NCS to, as a matter of urgency, address the issues, adding that many processing firms were being affected due to lack of confidence in government’s agenda in boosting non-oil export. He noted that many issues

Jacobs

have been handled through the Association’s advocacy service, the formation of the MANCustoms forum as well as the MAN-Customs Conflict Resolution Committee set up to address issues surrounding the challenges emanating from the implementation of Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, PAAR, and other port-related issues. He dsiclosed that the association has improved the implementation processes of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) implementation processes in conjunction with the Nigeria Customs Service. He added that this led to the profiling of MAN members for special clearance and admis-

sion into the Fast-Track system; the setting up of a Conflict Resolution Committee made up of the Nigeria Customs and MAN officials to sort out and resolve any issue arising from the PAAR for those that had queries or who were not satisfied with the valuation of their imports. According to him, the association has resolved the problem of high charges arising from arbitrary upliftment of the values of members’ imports, the issue currently being addressed by the Nigeria Customs Service on individual company basis. However, Jacobs disclosed that there were some issues that were beyond the mandate

of the forum, which has to be addressed directly from the NCS Headquarters. He therefore urged the Comptroller General to pay special attention to activities of smugglers and fakers, who utilized the nation’s seaport without fear. He further advised the NCS to decentralise the complaints unit to the six geopolitical zones of the country, and also clarify the yardstick used by the NCS to determine the FOB value, freight and insurance to the manufacturers. He added that the slow pace of cargo clearing even for members on fast-track has to be addressed. Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), who expressed commitment towards addressing the issues raised by the manufacturers, noted that NCS had started familiarizing with activities of Man and its members. He however urged manufacturers to comply with the due process initiated by the federal government through various agencies on the maritime value chain in order to further strengthen the existing cordial relationships between NCS and other stakeholders. He said that NCS was principally an enforcer of laws relating to tariff and issues affecting stakeholders. BC

onda Motor Co., the biggest customer for troubled air-bag supplier Takata Corp., reported profit that missed analyst estimates as costly recalls to replace the devices expand. The automaker posted net income of 124.2 billion yen ($1 billion) in the quarter through December, according to a company statement. That compares with the 149.3 billion yen average of eight analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company maintained its forecast for profit to rise to 525 billion yen for the fiscal year ending in March. Honda calling back more than 20 million vehicles to fix Takatamade air bags has distracted from the company’s business results, with recalls expanding further this month. The carmaker is shouldering costs as investigators determine the root cause behind a defect linked to 10 deaths in its vehicles. Takata’s devices have ruptured and injured about 100 more motorists in the U.S. alone, increasing Honda’s quality-related expenses. “Although there are signs of improvement in earnings, the uncertainty over the quality issue cannot be wiped out,” Takaki Nakanishi, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC, wrote in a report this month. “Future prospects of Takata-related costs remain unclear.” Honda, which owns 1.2 percent of Takata, was among automakers that met with the supplier today to discuss the state of its business. Representatives for the companies declined to discuss details, including whether President Shigehisa Takada is preparing to resign. Takata, Honda and a consortium of automakers in the U.S. including Toyota Motor Corp. are backing the investigations into the root cause of the air bag ruptures. Those efforts will determine how much Takata will contribute to paying recalls that have already cost automakers 600 billion yen to 700 billion yen, a person familiar with the matter said earlier this week. Automakers will be more receptive to supporting Takata if management takes responsibility for the recalls and resigns, people familiar with the matter have said, asking not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. Frustrations have risen as automakers approach the eightyear mark since Honda began recalling vehicles to replace Takata air bag in 2008. The crisis spread this week, with the supplier reporting an 11th death involving its inflators. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, February 1, 2016

A15 31

Stock market last week Equities turnover of 1.133 billion shares worth N9.463bn in 16,680 deals were traded this week by investors on the floor of the Exchange in contrast to a total of 2.177 billion shares valued at N10.753bn that exchanged hands last week in 21,471 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 954.328 million shares valued at N5.533bn traded in 9,797 deals; thus contributing 84.23 per cent and 58.47 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates Industry followed with 71.954 million shares worth N248.280m in 926 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 41.964 million shares worth N2.180bn in 2,999 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – Zenith International Bank Plc,United Bank for Africa Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.(measured by volume) accounted for 429.024 million shares worth N4.278bn in 4,658 deals, contributing 37.87 per cent and 45.21 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. ETPs: Also traded during the

NASD OTC REPORT

NSE trading hall

week were a total of 183,064 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N1.552m executed in 34 deals, compared with a total of 33,808 units valued at N437,210.58 transacted last week in 33 deals. Bonds: A total of 120,100 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N142.951m were traded in 5 deals, compared with a total of 1,000 units valued at N1.157m transacted last week in 4 deals. Index Movement: The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalization appreciated by 0.38 per cent to close the week at 23,916.15 and N8.225trn respectively. Similarly, all other Indices finished higher during the week,

NASD OTC MARKET REPORT

with the exception of the NSE Insurance Index, NSE Consumer Goods Index and NSE Industrial Goods Index that declined by -1.60 per cent,-0.44 per cent and -1.47 per cent respectively, while NSE ASeM Index closed flat. Summary of Price Changes: Thirty-eight (38) equities appreciated in price during the week, higher than thirty-three (33) equities of the previous week. Twenty-nine (29) equities depreciated in price, lower than thirty-two (32) equties of the previous week, while one hundred and twenty-three (123) equities remained unchanged, lower than one hundred and twentyfive (125) equities recorded in the previous week. BC

WEEK 4

1 OUTSTANDING OFFERS AND BIDS ON NASD OTC Outstanding deals for January, 2016. Security SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC SD ARM LIFE PLC SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC SD BGL PLC SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC

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

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

Offer Date 29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16

Bids

Volume offered Last Offer Price 401,700 0.35 491,980 2.16 26,146 67.44 3,000 6.07 175,078 126.00

SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC

Consumer Services

0.50

SD FREE RANGE FARMS PLC

Consumer Goods

1.00

SD FUMMAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES PLC SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC SD NIGERIA MORTGAGE REFINANCE COMPANY PLC

Consumer Goods Industrials Financials Financials Financials Oil & Gas Financials

29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16 -

1,295,500 153,810 -

SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC SD RESOURCERY PLC SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC

Financials Technology Industrials Financials Technology Financials Consumer Goods

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.00 10.00 1.00 0.50

29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16 29-Jan-16

999,500 933,100 242,440 -

RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC TP VITAL PRODUCTS PLC

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.00 0.50

2 DEMATERIALISATION AND CUMULATIVE TRADE IN OTC SECURITIES 29-Jan-16 Security SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC SD ARM LIFE PLC SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC SD BGL PLC SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC SD FREE RANGE FARMS PLC SD FUMMAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES PLC SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PLC SD NIGERIA MORTGAGE REFINANCE COMPANY PLC SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC SD RESOURCERY PLC SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC TP VITAL PRODUCTS PLC

Market Indicators for Week Ended 29-01-16 All-Share Index 23,916.15 points Market Capitalization 8,233,822,345,463.72

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

Introduced by Meristem Securities Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited Mega Equity Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited Nigerian Int. Securities Ltd UBA Stockbroking Firm Greenwich Securities Limited Anchoria Investment & Securities Limited Capital Bancorp Plc Stanbic IBTC stockbrokers limited CSL Stockbroking Limited Integrated Trust & Investment Limited Icon Stockbrokers Limited Sterling Capital Market Limited Greenwich Securities Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited FCSL Asset Management Co. Limited Cordros Capital Plc APT Securities & Fund Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited APT Securities & Fund Limited Primera Africa Securities Limited Signet Investment and Securities Limited Prominent Securities Limited CSL Stockbroking Limited

Company Registrars CardinalStone Registrars Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc African Prudential Registrars Plc African Prudential Registrars Plc Unity Registrars Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc African Prudential Registrars Plc Nnenna Ejekam Associates First Registrars Limited Meristem Registrars Limited Meristem Registrars Limited PAC Registrars Limited Meristem Registrars Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc GTL Registrars Limited African Prudential Registrars Plc United Securities Limited Meristem Registrars Limited First Registrars Limited EDC Registrars Limited Mainstreet Bank Registrars Limited PAC Registrars Limited PAC Registrars Limited United Securities Limited Centurion Registrars Limited

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

Bid Price 5.56 -

0.47 127.30 0.72

0.11 -

0.48 0.69 -

Volume Bidded Last Bid Date 387,638 29-Jan-16 -

1,000,000 -

29-Jan-16 -

TRADE INFORMATION (JAN 2016) DEMATERIALISATION INFORMATION Total Share Capital Volume % DEALS VOLUME '000 Dematerialised Dematerialised 66,110,146 2,000,000,000 3.31% 7 37,600 606,000,000 5,785,673,000 10.47% 29,485,023 1,900,000,000 1.55% 2 200 62,355,499 1,249,000,000 4.99% 13 298,533 9,627,657,533 12,000,000,000 80.23% 2,677,930 196,875,000 1.36% 757,781,149 5,000,000,000 15.16% 84 16,350,272 6,753,333,334 0.00% 185,417,588 976,335,936 18.99% 86 1,365,645 107,211,770 5,650,000,000 1.90% 2 1,100 193,846 519,999,631 0.04% 69,369,303 1,200,000,000 5.78% 567,787,595 4,257,668,000 13.34% 3 92,100 252,655,056 1,170,324,536 21.59% 1,021,968,270 14,231,238,000 7.18% 5 40,369,500 315,227,809 11,829,700,000 2.66% 20,297,886 181,408,000 11.19% 9 491,110 125,000,000 1,762,500,000 7.09% 210,521,244 2,875,595,000 7.32% 1 400 520,000,000 2,576,686,039 20.18% 1 100 1,726,264,230 0.00% 7,138,199,210 0.00% 1,539,042,000 2,705,378,000 56.89% 118,258,505 10,945,334,000 1.08% 3 400 1,823,084,076 0.00% 106,454,595,992 16,205,018,152 15.22% 216 59,006,960

VALUE (₦) 13,535.00 432.00 724,511.60 93,730,379.09 176,310,388.16 825.00 47,897.00 4,840,645.00 50,957,190.70 328.00 48.00 276.00 326,626,455.55

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Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

2016 Ford Explorer debuts in Sub-Saharan Africa with enhanced Smart Technology

Adejuwon Osunnuyi

or SUV lovers, the 2016 Ford Explorer is now available in left-hand drive markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, bringing more smart technologies, improved performance and efficiency, as well as greater all-round capabilities to this popular model. For 2016, the Ford Explorer receives a variety of changes and updates. These include refreshed exterior styling, minor interior revisions, updated safety features, revised suspension tuning and a new top-end trim level (the Platinum). There is also a new engine option, a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder that replaces the previous, less powerful 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder. The old four-cylinder couldn’t be paired with all-wheel drive, but the 2.3 can be. As America’s top-selling sports utility vehicle (SUV) for the past 25 years – with more than 7 million sold in the United States alone – the Explorer has a formidable reputation that will reach even greater heights in its updated form. “The Ford Explorer helped define how the world thinks about SUVs,” said Rob Johnston, Regional Manager Sales and Marketing, Ford Customer Services Division for Sub-Saharan Africa. “It is the centrepiece of Ford’s global utility vehicle line-up because it delivers an ideal combination of form and function.” Introduced in 1990 as a 1991 model in the US, Explorer fea-

tured generous interior space customers were looking for, and was engineered specifically for people seeking adventure for their families and a way to express their individuality. For a quarter century, Explorer has reigned as one of America’s best-selling SUVs. Ford Explorer is built in North America at Chicago Assembly Plant, as well as in Venezuela and Russia, and is sold in markets across the globe. “Customers love Explorer, and they expect it to continue to lead the way in innovation, performance and fun,” said Arie Groeneveld, chief engineer for the new Explorer. “That’s the challenge we embraced when we set out to build the best SUV in the world.” With the latest Explorer, customers will get even more capability, thanks to the introduction of two all-new EcoBoost engines for the 2016 models,

delivering unrivalled performance matched to outstanding fuel efficiency. “The new Explorer isn’t giving up its reputation as a leader in highway fuel efficiency – which is especially key for customers who want a vehicle that is also a capable trail warrior,” said Groeneveld. Also the Explorer’s intelligent four-wheel drive with Terrain Management System™ reassesses conditions about 20 times faster than the blink of an eye – providing precise handling and traction. What’s New for 2016 Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options The 2016 Ford Explorer is a large three-row crossover SUV available in five trim levels: base, XLT, Limited, Sport and Platinum. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic

LED headlights, LED taillights, rear privacy glass, roof rails, a rearview camera, cruise control, air-conditioning, rear climate controls, a 60/40-split secondrow seat, 50/50-split third-row seat, a six-way power driver seat (manual recline), a tiltand-telescoping steering wheel, a 4.2-inch display screen, Sync (Ford’s voice-activated phone/ entertainment interface), Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and USB/auxiliary audio inputs. The XLT adds upgraded brakes, body-color door handles, foglights, heated exterior mirrors, rear parking sensors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a keyless entry code pad and push-button ignition, an eight-way power driver seat, a six-way power front passenger seat and satellite radio. For the XLT, the Equipment Group 201A package adds du-

al-zone automatic climate control, remote start, a nine-speaker sound system and the Driver Connect package that includes an auto-dimming rearview mirror, an 8-inch touchscreen display (MyFord Touch), configurable gauge cluster displays, an SD card reader and upgraded Sync functionality. The 202A package includes all of the 201A equipment plus leather upholstery, heated front seats and front parking sensors. The Limited gets the XLT 202A’s equipment, plus 20inch wheels, chrome exterior trim, a front-view camera, a hands-free power liftgate, driver memory settings, poweradjustable pedals, ventilated front seats, heated secondrow seats, a power-folding third-row seat, an eight-way power passenger seat, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a 110-volt power outlet, a navigation system and a 12-speaker Sony sound system with HD radio. The Explorer Sport is equipped similarly to the Limited, but some of the Limited’s standard features are optional here. You get different 20-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension and unique interior and exterior trim details. The Sport’s 401A package adds the power-folding mirrors, frontview camera, hands-free power liftgate, 110-volt outlet, driver memory settings, power-adjustable pedals, a navigation system, ventilated front seats, a power-adjustable and heated steering wheel and the blindspot monitoring and rear crosstraffic alert safety features. The adaptive cruise control is again optional. Powertrains and Performance Standard on the Base, XLT and Limited trim levels is a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. With this engine, you have your choice of standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. The latter gets hill-descent control, hill-start assist and Ford’s Terrain Management System, which is a selectable four-mode system that optimizes traction electronically for different conditions. According to the EPA, a frontdrive 2016 Explorer with the V6 will deliver 20 mpg combined (17 city/24 highway). With all-wheel drive, the V6 drops slightly to 19 mpg combined (16/23). In Edmunds testing, an AWD Explorer Limited with the base V6 went from zero to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. BC

Monday, February 1, 2016

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Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

The judiciary had witnessed a lot of confusion regarding the proper application of the principle of judicial precedent-

Justice Dahiru Musdapher, former Chief Justice of Nigeria. xx

Justice minister should not intimidate judges —Adegboruwa 34

NBA President, Augustine Alegeh

AGF, Abubakar Malami, SAN

Professional fees: Ajayi, Layonu, others differ over source How Tarka was imprisoned, regained freedom 37

Son kills mother in self-defence over anger 38

The issue of professional fees being paid some lawyers by their clients from ‘questionable’ sources has generated heated debate among senior members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). WALE IGBINTADE highlights the divergent views of some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) on the issue.

ne of the issues that have continued to attract attention from stakeholders in the legal profession is the need for legal practitioners to abide with the professional ethics. Like other notable professions, the legal profession has its code of conduct, which regulates and controls the affairs of its members. The Rules of Professional Conduct in the Legal Profession in Nigerian highlights the standards of professional conduct expected of lawyers in their relationship with the public, the legal system, and the legal profession. According to the Rules, legal practitioners are expected to maintain highest standards of professional conduct, etiquette and discipline in the discharging their professional duties. Specifically, Rule 44 (a) says ‘’in fixing fees, a lawyer should avoid charges which overestimate his advice and services, as

It’s unprofessional for anyone to aid crime or launder money. However, every person is presumed innocent till proved guilt. A professional should conduct due diligence

before engaging any client. In this way, one can mitigate the risk of enjoying the proceeds of crime.

well as those which under value them. A client’s ability to pay cannot justify a charge in excess of the value of the service, though his poverty may require a less charge or even none at all. The reasonable requests of brother lawyers, and of their widows and orphans without ample means, should receive special and kindly consideration. However, Rule 44 (d) says that in fixing fees it should never be forgotten that the profession is a branch of the administration of justice and not a merely money

getting trade. In recent times, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has filed several charges in court against alleged corrupt public officials as well as private individuals. The people involved have engaged lawyers to defend themselves in court. For those who could not afford a lawyer, the government is expected to appoint one or pay the defendant’s legal expenses. However, what happens if it is discovered that a lawyer’s professional fee was paid from proceeds

of crime and how could a lawyer guide against this. It is on record that, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on many occasions accused lawyers of stalling corruption cases in court and assisting accused persons under investigations to evade the full wrath of the law. Is it required for a lawyer to demand from his client the source of the money he wants to pay as professional fee? Commenting on the issue, a CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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Monday, February 1, 2016

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Justice Minister should not intimidate Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is one of the products of the late fiery lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi. In this interview with WALE IGBINTADE, he speaks on the ongoing fight against corruption, the rule of law and condition of service for judicial officers, among others. Excerpts: Recently, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami said Judges who are corrupt would be investigated, prosecuted and jailed. What is your view? It was quite very unfortunate for the AGF to have made such a statement. When I heard it, I knew where it was coming from. It was a statement from Aso Rock and it was targeted at intimidating the Judges. It was a statement made to send fear to the minds of the Judges having granted bail to those facing anti-corruption charges and it worked. This is because after that statement you saw the conditions of bail for Olisa Metuh. Government did that by trying to use the AGF to send fear into the minds of the Judges. You don’t need a statement that you will send corrupt judges to prison, there is already a procedure laid down. I know how many Judges have been sacked in the past one year based on anti- corruption cases. The one involving Rivers State, the one involving Kano State, everyday Judges are under trial, they are being monitored by the National Judicial Council, you don’t need to intimidate them. The Judiciary is not the appendage of the executive. The constitution in Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 has laid it clearly that there is separation of powers and so it is uncalled for, for the Attorney- General who is the official head and leader of the Bar to come and be pointing hands in the face of the Judges to threaten them and I was expecting the NBA to rise up on behalf of Judges. I was expecting the NBA to speak up on behalf of lawyers who are being arraigned in court for anti- corruption charges and kept in handcuffs, senior members of the Bar. I expected the NBA to have raised a voice on behalf of Judges. I think the AGF should apologise to the Judges and if any Judge is caught in corruption, we could hardly find any Judge in corruption alone, the lawyers must be involved, the litigants must be involved, a politician must be involved and a high- ranking person must be involved. Market women don’t bribe Judges, salary earners don’t bribe Judges, it must be high- profile people and so you don’t isolate Judges to say they are the ones to be sent to jail. How do the government curb corruption in the judiciary? I don’t support any Judge who is corrupt. For goodness sake, if anybody is caught who is corrupt, he should be dealt with according to the law. They don’t need a blanket fear because if you look at the life of Judges, they are working hard, tirelessly everyday against all circumstances. Look at the Judge who will sit about 9 am till about 2 pm not rising and when he rises from there after taken evidence in long hands, he goes back to research, and he has no single assistance. I think the Attorney-General has not done well to Judges to try to throw fear to them just because you want to please those who appointed you into governance, that is very unfair and I respect the Attorney-General, he is somebody I have known from long time. I think he should continue to earn his reputa-

Adegboruwa

It is uncalled for, for the AttorneyGeneral, who is the official head and leader of the Bar, to come and be pointing hands in the face of the

Judges to threaten them

tion the way that we have known him, not to bend to the dictates of the politicians. Judges and lawyers should have a rapport that will promote the independence of the judiciary. Few weeks ago you unexpectedly withdrew the suit you filed against the Federal Government over continued incarceration of Olisa Metuh. What informed that decision? In the course of the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, we enjoyed thoroughly the role played by Alhaji Lai Mohammed on behalf of all opposition groups. It was a sweet thing every day to hear how he held the government accountable for all Nigerians. We

expected that after the inauguration of the APC led regime on May 29, 2015, we will be hearing another side of the sweet story also and in a way I felt Chief Olisa Metuh has played that role. To that extent, when he was accused of being involved in corruption, we thought that if he has committed an offence of course; let him be charged to court. He was arrested on January 5, I waited January 6, 7, 8 nothing was happening. I then said we cannot allow this, if there is a case against him, let him be charged to court so I checked through the constitution and I saw that the fundamental rights application rules that we have entitle an activist, journalist, NBA, NUJ, anybody

who has a record of activism to take up human right cases on behalf of others. I then on my own approached the court to enforce his fundamental rights. I didn’t have the idea to shield him from any corruption charge he might deserve. I filed the case on Monday, January 11 and immediately I started receiving calls unofficially from some EFCC colleagues saying they are going to arraign Metuh in court. I said no, unless I see charge preferred against him there is nothing I can do. Eventually, counsel to Olisa Metuh called me that they have filed an application to enforce his fundamental rights but, the matter has not been assigned. Thereafter, I then got a call from the lawyer assuring me that he was going to be arraigned on that Thursday. I didn’t want to give the impression that I was trying to tie the hands of the EFCC and the Federal Government from prosecuting Olisa Metuh for any corruption charges. I immediately approached the court to discontinue the case because the feeler I was getting from the EFCC is that the case may be a hindrance in prosecution of Olisa Metuh in court. My case was purely a fundamental rights case to chal-

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Monday, February 1, 2016

judges —Adegboruwa

lenge his illegal detention whereby government was saying until he refunds money, he will not be released. I could not accept that, we have been in this battle a long time to preserve people’s liberty, right from military rule. We challenged Decree Two under General Sani Abacha, under Babangida and any other detention of people without trial. So, I wasn’t facing any threat at all whether threat to life, threat of arrest or any sanction, not a single threat and I don’t hope to face any in democratic regime. You raised an alarm that Judges are being humiliated by the present administration. Could you please shed more light on this? What prompted me to defend the judiciary and the Judges was the statement of the President made during his presidential media chat that those who were granted bail by the court would not be released because of the fear that they will jump bail. Indirectly pointed fingers on the face of the judiciary because under section 287 of the constitution everybody exercising judicial, legislative and executive powers in this country including the President must obey the order of the High Court, the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and there is no exception. So, when the President stands up as a role model to say notwithstanding any order that may be granted by the court, I will not obey it if, I fear that the person who is released will jump bail. That is an executive irresponsibility with all due respect to Mr. President. If we don’t rise up, it will begin to send fear into the minds of Judges such that even ordinary people who are arraigned for simple offences may not be granted bail or they make it so difficult to grant bail as it happened in Olisa Metuh’s case. Eventually, when he was asked to deposit exactly the amount of money he was charged which shows the Judges are already reflecting and acting upon the dictates of the President. In that regard, it was not the business of the President to be dictating to the judiciary. If he has any problem with the order granting bail, he will, through the office of the AGF makes his complain known to the judiciary. How does this affect people’s confidence in the judiciary system? If a President stands up during the presidential media chat to point his hands in the face of the judiciary, people will begin to lose confidence. Besides, policemen in barracks,

DSS officers will begin to get themselves worked up to say we are in a lawless society now. I can arrest you and keep you. I heard what the President said that even if the court grants you bail we will not release you. So, it begin to lead to trampling on people’s rights, it begins to generate to people having quarrels with their girlfriends, landlords and tenants problem and they begin to use law enforcement agents to keep people in custody without trial and that will not be good for a democracy. My defence of the judiciary is to ensure we get to a stage whereby once a court has made an order, you find a way to ensure that either you obey that order or file an application to challenge it thereafter. You can make any other explanation but, not through media chat otherwise, it will go down to the lower society and they will be using the President as an example. As a matter of fact, the president is a hero, I followed him and the Vice- President, they are my role model but, we must teach them aright, they must not hear the voice of only those close to them otherwise, they will be misadvised. I made that statement because of what the president said during the media chat and I know Judges don’t have voice. The Bar is the unofficial spokesperson of the Bench. Despite the existence of fast track procedure introduced to speed-up hearing of cases in Lagos courts, cases are still being delayed. What do you think is responsible for this? If you go to the court today, an average High Court Judge in Lagos State has 20 outstanding judgments. When we finished our cases and adopt our arguments in court now we don’t wait for judgment. The Judge will tell you I can’t give you a date for judgment because I have 20 outstanding judgments to write. So, we just go to court and keep on readopting our written addresses. The courts are congested in Lagos State there are Judges who are driving themselves. Some Judges in Lagos have not received their December salary. Many of them don’t have functional vehicles. I have attended a court where the Judge told me he had to drop his car on Ikorodu road and entered ‘Okada’ to attend a case because of its urgency, it doesn’t speak well. If you compare a Judge with a Minister, you will see how many aides a Minister has, same as a Senator. There is a neglect of the judiciary and so, we cannot continue to accuse them of corruption when we have not done

Law & Justice

Adegboruwa

There is a neglect of the judiciary and so, we cannot continue to accuse them of corruption when we have not done our own duty to ensure that the rule of law prevails in this country. our own duty to ensure that the rule of law prevail in this country. Do you support the establishment of special courts to handle corruption cases as proposed by some of your colleagues? It is a waste of time to be advocating for creation of special courts to handle corruption cases. It will isolate some Judges for undue attention and attack. Secondly, when there is a general rot in the system, you don’t pick an aspect of it selectively and hope to settle that and leave the rot. Politicians tried this, instead of looking for a way to be funding the judiciary, they took away their cases and amended the constitution saying any matter relating to election petition and public office holder, you must conclude it in 180 days, right from the tribunal to the Supreme Court, it has boomerang. What is happening now is that Judges don’t read any longer. They don’t even look at the evidence because they are working with time to satisfy what you asked them to do and once you start from the election petition tribunal all the witnesses you are calling will have statements. Look at the volume of papers of an election petition on my table for only one office, how do you expect in a place like Rivers State where all the House of Assembly members election were challenged, all the National Assembly members including the governor and only three men in a panel. So, they just come and read judgments, you don’t get any serious solution to isolate corruption cases away from the rot in the judiciary, we won’t get any solution. If you do that, are you going to set up a special Court of Appeal? Are you going to set up special Supreme Court? In the Court of Appeal, Lagos division I have a case which is

up to nine years there. Briefs have been filed and I cannot blame the Justices. They only have few panels; cases from the Federal High Court will go there, State High Court will go there, National Industrial Court will go there, Customary Court will go there, Election Tribunal will go there, Special Tribunal for Security and Exchange Commission will go there, all manners of appeals from various courts will go there. So, they became overwhelmed and for a whole month for instance, they may not be able to sit because they have accumulation of judgments to deliver. We are only deceiving ourselves to be advocating for special courts for corruption cases. If we deal with corruption and solve it, kidnapping will arise so are will going to have special courts to prosecute kidnappers and terrorists? We can’t solve societal problem by isolating a particular problem on the top burner, solving it and then leave the rest. A state like Lagos shouldn’t have less than 200 Judges sitting in various local government councils. We have seen from the case of Senator Bukola Saraki that if we have enough Judges, we can finish an appeal in one month. The case of Saraki started from the Code of Conduct Tribunal to the Court of Appeal up to the Supreme Court in less than one month and they have given a date in February latest by March we will get judgment. In less than six months. Whereas I have a pending appeal since 1996 at the Court of Appeal, I have a pending appeal since 2003 at the Supreme Court. So, if you pump more money to the judiciary, appoint more Judges and elevate the welfare of Judges, administration of justice would move faster.

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‘Relationship between lawyer, client privileged’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 legal practitioner, Dr. Konyinsola Ajayi, SAN said ‘’It’s unprofessional for anyone to aid crime or launder money. However every person is presumed innocent till proved guilt. Thus every accused is entitled to a lawyer. Further, a professional should conduct due diligence before engaging any client. In this way one can mitigate the risk of enjoying the proceeds of crime. However in his view, Dr. Abiodun Layonu, SAN says ‘’you are not asking this seriously. Just as a doctor may earn his fees for saving lives regardless of the source so also a lawyer may earn his fees for legitimate conduct of defence of any person charged with any offence or crime even as heinous as murder or terrorism or mass murder. There are countries where even when assets are frozen, the court makes orders for lawyers’ fees to be paid from such accounts for the reasonable defence of the accused persons. Even where funds are not available the state shall appoint and pay for lawyers to defend’’. Mr. Olu Daramola (SAN) argued that the accused is entitled to his day in court. He said ‘’constitutionally he is presumed innocent until his guilt is pronounced by the court. The accused is entitled to the lawyer of his choice. The rule of professional ethics enjoins a lawyer not to decline a brief on the ground that he does not believe in the cause of the client. He like other professionals is entitled to be paid for his services. It is not the duty of the lawyer to prejudge his client. The ultimate decision is that of the court. The burden of proof is on the prosecution. What is wrong is for a lawyer to descend into the arena of the conflict and fabricate evidence to pervert the cause of justice. As a minister in the cause of justice, a lawyer must not employ fraudulent tactics to se-

Dr. Ajayi, SAN

Dr. Layonu, SAN

It will be difficult to ask an Attorney representing a person accused of crime to refund the money paid because the source of the fund is questionable or because it is the proceeds of crime.

cure acquittal at all cost. Whilst a lawyer is entitled to be paid for his services, he cannot be paid from a fund adjudged by court to be proceeds of crime. Also, Paul Ananaba, SAN stated that a lawyer who has done his work is entitled to his professional fees. According to him, ‘’a lawyer has no business whether the client stole money or not. It is for the client to determine where he will get money to pay his lawyer. The lawyer is not required to investigate the crime committed by his client that is not the duty of a lawyer’’. Mr. Wale Adesokan said ‘’running a legal practice is offering service; hence a Lawyer is not required to find out the

source from where he is being paid. Even if a client comes up and say ‘’I have been charged for killing or for a crime’’. It is not for a lawyer to find out where the money came from. Adesokan however noted that ‘’if a client tells his lawyer that the money he wants pay as a professional fee, is part of the money of crime, a lawyer is not suppose to accept it. ‘’ In fact, if a client tells you that the money he wants to pay as professional fee is stolen money, the lawyer is not supposed to accept it. It is like receiving stolen property. However, if he did not disclose the source of the money, our pro-

Job seeker

Bar

Jokes

Sit by my bedside

A person is in the hospital and asked his doctor how much time does he have left to live. The doctor did not want to lie so he told him that he wouldn’t make it through the night. So the person called for his lawyer and asked him to come and sit by his bed. Right before the person dies, the lawyer asked him why did he want him next to him. The dying person replied, “When Jesus died, he had a thief next to him and I want to go the same way.”

Express law degree

Ananaba, SAN

An old man was critically ill. Feeling that death was near, he called his lawyer. “I want to become a lawyer. How much is it or the express degree you told me about?” “It’s $50,000,” the lawyer said. “But why? You’ll be dead soon, why do you want to become a lawyer?” “That’s my business! Get me the course!” Four days later, the old man got his law degree. His lawyer was at his bedside, making sure his bill would be paid. Suddenly the old man was racked with fits of coughing and it was clear that this would be the end. Still curious, the lawyer leaned over and said, “please, before it’s too late, tell me why you wanted to get a law degree so badly before you died?” In a faint whisper, as he breathed his last, the old man said, “One less lawyer . . .”

A persistent job-seeker once appeared before the President and demanded an appointment to a judgeship. He was informed that there were no vacancies. The next day, while walking along the river, he saw a drowned man being pulled out, and recognized him as a federal judge. He ran back to the Government House and demanded the position. “Sorry,” said the President, “but the lawyer who saw that judge fall in beat you here by a good five minutes.”

My damaged BMW

A lawyer returns to his parked BMW to find the headlights broken and considerable damage. There’s no sign of the offending vehicle but he’s relieved to see that there’s a note stuck under the windshield wiper. “Sorry. I just backed into your Beemer. The witnesses who saw the accident are nodding and smiling at me because they think I’m leaving my name, address and other particulars. But I’m not.”

Verdict of guilty

A defendant was on trial for murder. There was very strong evidence indicating guilt, but no corpse had been found. In the defence’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, decided to try a trick. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom!” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked, eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally, the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I therefore put it to you that there is reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.” With that, the jury retired to deliberate. Culled from Lawyers jokes.com

fessional ethics do not say we should start demanding where the money comes from. In his view, the Executive Director of a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation, Access to Justice, Joseph Otteh explained that ‘’the relationship between a client and his attorney is privileged, so there is something more exclusive and extraordinary between the parties in that relationship. It will be difficult to ask an Attorney representing a person accused of crime to refund the money paid because the source of the funds are questionable or because they are proceeds of crime’’. ‘’The legal services being offered are entitled to be paid for, and it is a constitutional right of an accused to have legal representation when accused of a crime. So when you view this in this constitutional and professional context, you see that provision of legal services to an accused person would be protected against a claim that the funds used in the exercise of that right represent the proceeds of crime’’.

LEGAL TIPS Remedies of patients against health care providers

There are two primary types of potential civil actions against health care providers for injuries resulting from health care: *Lack of informed consent, and *Violation of the standard of care. 1. Informed Consent. Before a health care provider delivers care, ethical and legal standards require that the patient provide informed consent. Information that must be conveyed to and consented to by the patient includes: the treatment’s nature and character and anticipated results, alternative treatments (including non-treatment), and the potential risks and benefits of treatment and alternatives. The information must be presented in a form that the patient can comprehend (i.e., in a language and at a level which

Bar

the patient can understand) and that the consent must be voluntary given. An injured patient may bring an informed consent action against a provider who fails to obtain the patient’s informed consent in accordance with the law. From a clinical ethics perspective, informed consent is a communication process, and should not simply be treated as a required form for the patient’s signature. Similarly, the legal concept of informed consent refers to a state of mind, i.e., understanding the information provided to make an informed choice. Health care facilities and providers use consent forms to document the communication process. Written by Francis Famoroti, Judiciary Editor. We welcome feedback and reactions from readers via our e-mail: nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com or franfamoroti@yahoo.com

Jokes

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Monday, February 1, 2016

How Tarka was imprisoned, regained freedom FAMOUS CASES

he late Joseph Tarka was a Second Republic politician. He hailed from Benue State and was a Former Minister for Transport and then Communications under General Yakubu Gowon. He was one of the founding members of a political organisation, United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), dedicated to the protection of advocate for the country’s Middle Belt. Tarka was known to have exerted considerable influence in the Middle Belt and he advocated for a separate region for area from the Northern part of the country. His uncompromising stance made him and some of his supporters to kick against the Sardauna of Sokoto-led Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC). Tarka was elected to a seat in the Federal House of Representative in 1954 on a non-party basis, at age 22. In 1957, he emerged as president of the UMBC, which formed an alliance with the Action Group, the dominant South West party. Tarka was re-elected in 1959. His reelection saw him as the first Tiv legislator to be re-elected for a second term. It was believed that he attained this feat in part due to his charisma, his father’s reputation and the goodwill he received from the Tiv Progressive Union. He was arrested in 1962 on charges of treasonable felony with some other Action Group leaders, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. His style of politicking in December 1964 led to his arrest for allegedly abusing the Sardauna. He was also accused of inciting one Mallam Bala Amma to beat up the leader of NPC in Makurdi zone. According to a Daily Times publication, the Headlines in its No 233 September 1992 edition, Tarka was said to have been arrested in Gboko for the alleged offence. He was subsequently arraigned before the Gboko Magistrate’s Court and tried. During the hearing of the case, the prosecution witness, Mallam Bala told the court that Tarka abused the Sardauna on the day of the incident and asked a man to assault him in a market place. Cross-examined by the defence, Bala said he did not conspire with anyone to implicate Tarka and thereby rendered him incapable of campaign for the 1964 December elections. In his judgement, the Magistrate, Mallam Umar Ibrahim, ruled that there was sufficient evidence to establish that Tarka committed the offence. The magistrate sentenced Tarka to four months imprisonment without an option of fine. Tarka appealed against the verdict and pleaded to be granted bail. The court refused his plea and clamped him to Kaduna prison.

Joseph Sarwuan Tarka was a senator in the National Assembly between 1979 and 1980. About 52 years ago, he was convicted for abusing the revered Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in the first republic. Tarka later served as a Federal Commissioner in Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s cabinet and he eventually resigned over scandalous allegation of corruption. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary reports.

The late Tarka

Gowon

As Minister of Communications, Tarka was forced to resign in 1974 after an allegation of corruption was levelled against him, which were made public and backed by a sworn affidavit. Tarka eventually regained his freedom and remained a strong force to reckon with in Middle Belt comprising the present day Benue and Plateau States. After General Yakubu Gowon took over the reign of leadership as the Head of State in August 1966, Tarka was appointed the Federal Commissioner of Transport and later of Communications. As Minister of Communications, he was forced to resign in 1974 after an allegation of corruption was levelled against him, which were made public and backed by a sworn affidavit. Though, there was no government sanction or official inquiry to the allegations, at the time, Tarka remained the first but one of the earliest federal ministers to resign over allegations of corruption. The allegation of corruption was widely acclaimed to have been made by his fellowTiv , Godwin Daboh. Daboh’s action was allegedly instigated by other prominent

elements in the region. This was the period when the catch phrase in some of the leading national dallies in the mid -70s was “If you Tarka me, I will Daboh’’. After leaving office, Tarka entered private business and was quite successful sometimes acting as a representative of foreign business concerns. In the lead-up to restoration of democracy with the Nigerian Second Republic, Tarka aligned with northern politicians to form the National Party of Nigeria, on which platform he unsuccessfully competed in the Presidential elections. Born on July 10, 1932 in Gboko, his father was a village teacher and administrator. After his elementary, middle school and teacher training course in Bauchi, he also became a teacher in his home town. Tarka then worked as a science and rural science teacher in Katsina Ala and for the Tiv Native Authority. Be-

The late Sir Ahmadu Bello fore taking a purge into politics, he was involved in the establishment of the teachers union in Middle Belt. He was elected Senator for Benue East in 1979, and was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriation, a position he held till his death on March 30, 1980 at the age of 48.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

A ICC to investigate 2008 Georgia-Russia war

nternational Criminal Court judges ordered an investigation of alleged crimes committed during the 2008 GeorgianRussian over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia the court’s first investigation outside Africa. According to the Reuters, the five-day war saw Russia strengthen its grip over largely pro-Russian South Ossetia, which had effectively been beyond Tbilisi’s control since 1990. Russian troops pushed through South Ossetia deep into Georgia before withdrawing. In a statement, judges said there was reason to believe crimes against humanity, including murder and the driving of Georgians from their homes, had been committed during the conflict, as well as war crimes including attacks on peacekeepers by Russian-backed South Ossetian and by Georgian forces. The ICC, which has handed down just two convictions, of little-known Congolese warlords, has been criticised for bringing investigations only in Africa since being set up 13 years ago. Last October, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked to open an investigation after finding that up to 113 ethnic Georgian civilans had been killed and 18,500 driven from their homes as part of a “forcible displacement campaign” run by the authorities in mainly Russianspeaking South Ossetia.

he Supreme Court offered a chance for freedom to hundreds of convicted murderers given mandatory sentences of life without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles. According to BBC News, the justices ruled 6-3 that child killers locked away for life as long as half century ago deserve the same consideration as those under 18 who commit murders today. The court ruled in 2012 that mandatory life sentences for juveniles violated the Constitution. The decision means that as many as 1,500 prisoners, some convicted when they were as young as 13, can seek

RUSSIA

Ms. Bensouda, ICC Prosecutor Investigators will investigate allegations of crimes committed betweeen July 1 and October 10, 2008, covering periods either side of the five-day August war. Opposing Georgian and South Ossetian forces appeared to have killed 12 peacekeepers, both Russian and Georgian, while Georgian forces had attacked a medical facility, Bensouda said. The investigation pits Russia, a non-member of the ICC, against a strongly European-backed court at a time when east-west tensions are running high following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in Syria last year. The Hague-based ICC is already considering whether to open an investigation into crimes committed in Ukraine, another West-leaning former Soviet republic which is fighting Moscowbacked separatists in the east of the country.

n Adelaide student accused of killing his mother has told a court he fought back in selfdefence after she got angry that he was not practising piano. According to ABC News, accused man Wei Li said his mother demanded he reach professional pianist standard. He said a beating resulted if his school report card was not straight A. Wei Li, also known as Daniel, told a jury in Adelaide his mother “just came at me out of nowhere” in March 2011 at the family’s Burnside home. Li, 22, said his mother Emma Mae Tian, 41, yelled and screamed because he did not want to do piano practice. He said his mother had something in her hand and he was unable to reason with her. “I think she wanted to kill me, I had to fight back, I had to stop her,” he told the court. The law student said he was unable to remember anything beyond that point.

Son kills mother in self-defence over anger AUSTRALIA

The court was told previously Mrs. Tian was attacked with a metal pole, was strangled and suffered more than 50 injuries. Her body was found days after the attack, wrapped in blood-soaked sheets on a lounge room floor. Li said he wrapped the body “out of respect” and “nothing after that point was rational”. He told the court that his mother had wanted him to reach professional standard on the piano. He said “I started playing the piano when I was about three years old,” “My mother very much emphasised my piano training.” The former Prince Alfred College student said his mother had never been satisfied with his marks. “If I don’t get a straight A

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott in a school report that would result in a beating,” he said. It got so bad that she started beating me on a daily basis. He spoke of a time when they had been very close. “Our relationship in the beginning was good, there was a very gradual transition and it got so bad that she started beating me on a daily

basis.” Li’s father was in China on business at the time his wife died and the son bought a flight to Melbourne, then later travelled to China, where authorities located him about three years later. The court was told Li had used his laptop computer about the time his mother died to find a video about tying knots. He also did online searches about stabbing, avoiding police and mobile phone tracking. Li told the court he had thought about suicide since he was 12 and researched ways to die. “I’ve been obsessed with suicide for a long time,” he said. The accused man denied he intended to murder his mother as she meant everything to him.

Woman, 27, convicted to impersonation

woman has been taken to court for impersonating her sister after she went to deliver an illegitimate child that she had conceived following an affair. According to BBC News the 27-year-old woman, Sharjah, from Comoros Islands, visited the hospital to give birth to a child that resulted from an out-of-wedlock relationship. She impersonated her sister and forged the emergency’s admission papers in August. Prosecutors accused the woman of forging the admission papers and using

DUBAI

Prime Minister, UAE, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al_Maktoum them. The defendant, a mother of five children, pleaded guilty when she appeared

before the Dubai Court. “Yes, I did,” the defendant told presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi as she held her newborn in her arms in court. Earlier, the Dubai Misdemeanours Court jailed the woman for two months for having sex with a man identified as Z. She was also handed a deportation order by the misdemeanours court. The defendant told the prosecutors that her husband kicked her out of the house because she had mar-

S’Court gives reprieve for jailed juvenile reduced sentences or apply for parole. States retain the right to uphold life sentences, but they no longer can be mandatory. Most of those affected are consolidated in a few states notably Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. They are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for crimes some of them committed decades ago when they were teenagers. “Allowing those offenders to be considered for parole ensures that juveniles whose crimes reflected only transient immaturity and who have since matured

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will not be forced to serve a disproportionate sentence in violation of the Eighth Amendment,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court’s 6-3 majority. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s liberal bloc. Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. Scalia said the decision, while preserving states’ ability to declare a prisoner “incorrigible” and deserving of his sentence, was “a devious way of eliminating life without parole for juvenile offenders.” The case focused on

WASHINGTON

US President Barack Obama 69-year-old Henry Montgomery, who murdered a deputy sheriff in Louisiana in 1963 while playing hooky from school. He was 17 at the time and was sentenced to death before having his

fate reduced to life without parole in 1970. After being sent to the state penitentiary at Angola, one of the most dangerous in the country, Montgomery helped start a boxing team, worked in the silkscreen department and counseled other inmates. “Henry Montgomery has spent each day of the past 46 years knowing he was condemned to die in prison,” Kennedy said. While the state still can attempt to show that he deserves that fate, Kennedy added, “prisoners like Montgomery must be given the opportunity to show their crime did not reflect irreparable corruption.

ital disputes with him. “My husband abandoned me and forced me out of the house in 2011, he was also jailed. During his time in prison I met someone believed to be an Emirati, named Z. The first two months we were friends and then our relationship developed into a love affair. We had consensual and unmarried sex several times in Dubai. we later fought and broke up and then I discovered that I was pregnant,” she told prosecutors. The Filipina nurse who registered the defendant said: “The woman came to the hospital and she was in labour. When I asked her for her identification papers, she claimed that she did not have any papers. Therefore I had to register the name that she told me. When I asked her if her husband was present with her, she claimed to me that she had a file in the hospital and that she could fill in the application by herself. At the time when she was being admitted to hospital, she alleged that she did not have her health card or Emirates ID thereafter when we checked the contact number that she had provided to us in the system, we discovered that she was another person.”

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Law & Justice

Monday, February 1, 2016

Issues in TI’s allegations against Nigerian soldiers Elias Offor

statement that was made by the Chief of Defence Staff that infractions in the venues of war are normal in answer to questions posed by a group regarding a recent report by the Transparency International on violations recorded in the said war against Boko Haram terrorists, reported in Daily Trust June 17, 2015, shows lack of understanding of the laws of war and as such did not take into consideration the good image the military and the country ought to present to the international community in order to attract more supports in the war against terrorism especially now that the terror group’s apparent alignment with other more sophisticated terror organizations is getting more pronounced. One would expect answers that outlined legal justifications for the said infractions considering the modes of operation being used and atrocities already committed by the Boko Haram terrorists. Other Nigerians have also reacted to the report by AI in different ways. It was said that war is no tea party, that Nigerian soldiers are trained mainly in conventional warfare rather than guerrilla warfare- the Boko Haram type where all sort of perfidious tactics are employed by the terrorists. It has equally been said that the stronger countries have committed far more atrocities in the theatres of war and that the AI report is propagandist and aimed at moralizing the terrorists and demoralizing the military. Also that same AI condemned the killing of the founder of the Boko Haram sect without condemning the untold atrocities committed by the group. These reactions are quite expected especially with the horrendous terror of unimaginable magnitude unleashed on innocent Nigerians by this group. But does this justify the violations of some inherent rules of war (if there were such violations) especially considering the protection accorded to innocent civilians by law? Little wonder the president has set up a committee to investigate the embattled AI’s allegations to provide a balanced and justifiable viewpoint. To do a neat job of international standard, the committee saddled with the responsibility of investigating the AI’s report should check mainly the International Humanitarian Law principles of Distinction and Proportionality. I refuse to comment on issues of torture and extrajudicial execution in order not to module up the context of this treatise. Jus In Bello, a Latin phrase meaning the laws of war shows that there are normative guidelines on the conduct of hostilities, be it civil war, world war, or the anti terror war which Nigeria is presently grappling with, whether the dissident groups are keeping to same rules or in absolute violation of them. And now that it has been widely accepted in different quarters that Nigeria is at war with Boko Haram, a non international armed conflict at that, International Humanitarian Law reasonably holds sway. On Distinction, Article 8(2)(e)(i) of the Statute of the International Criminal Court states that “intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities” constitutes a war crime in non-international armed conflicts. Provocative attacks or reprisals, which become widely indiscriminate in an attempt to douse a tension created after a particular terrorist attack, are highly suspect in anti terror operations. In such circumstances, soldiers are always overzealous and most often direct attacks on civilian population. This is one area that has to be strictly scrutinized. Same with directing an air campaign towards a civilian settlement after a non thorough

Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen. Tukur Buratai

the committee saddled with the responsibility of investigating the

AI’s

report should check mainly the International

Humanitarian Law principles of Distinction and Proportionality. intelligence report and tactics that factor in degree of collateral damage expected. Distinguishing the civilians from the terrorists and those taking part in hostilities is key under the international law of armed conflict. Any civilian that attacks the soldiers, delivers to or receives ammunitions, supplies food, money or fuel, gathers information and carryout other supports for the Boko Haram groups is taking part in hostilities and therefore stripped of the protection accorded civilians under the International Humanitarian Law. However, the degree of duty put on the Nigerian soldiers by the law has been apparently whittled down by different perfidious activities normally employed by the Boko Haram terrorists. There are, most of the time, no insignia identifying a person as a member of Boko Haram and neither do the members often carry their arms in the open to show that they are combatants. There are also reported cases of the Boko Haram making use of civilian shields in combats with the Nigerian soldiers. This has greatly aided their maneuvers against the soldiers who are often taken unawares in suicide bombing and heavy artillery operations resulting in casualties of great magnitude. Yet it still behooves the soldiers to factor in the degree of collateral damage in line with the dictates of the international law when engaging the

CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed Boko Haram targets. Both Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the ICC bemoan attacks that do not put proportionality into consideration. According to Article 8(2)(b)(iv) of the 1998 ICC Statute, the following constitutes a war crime in international armed conflicts: Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects … which would be clearly excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military advantage anticipated. From this provision, it is clear that if such attack on a target does not cause excessive loss of life or injury or both to the civilian objects in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage sought, it will be reasonably justified. The issue of the use of civilian shield otherwise known as counter targeting has received wide attention in this regard. The question as to whether the use of civilian shield by the Boko Haram group relieves the Nigerian soldiers from considering the shield in the proportionality tests depends on whether the shields are voluntary or involuntary. While it is a herculean task and unrealistically so in making such calculation in ideal war situation, it is critically germane that most of the civilian shields to Boko Haram fighters are involuntary in which case the civilians retain their protected status warranting that this be factored in the proportionality test and should cause a change of tactics. Another factor that contribute to collateral damage and incidental injury that fail the proportionality test are inadequate or incorrect knowledge about the target, faulty analysis of anticipated civilian casualty, inability to measure the degree of force to be applied to ensure that necessary force is only used and repeating attack without finding out if such is necessary. While we commend the doggedness of our soldiers in the war against Boko Haram considering the carnage committed against the country by this evil group, the law of armed conflict should be reasonably employed especially for the protection of the civilian non combatants. Offor, a Lawyer writes from Abuja.

Monday, February 1, 2016

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Community Mirror I am calling on all APC members to accept this judgement and join me, so that we can work together for the socio-economic development of our dear state. – Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku

RRS nabs two-man gang traffic robbers Dare Akogun

peratives of Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command over the weekend apprehended a two-man gang traffic robbery suspects, who rob motorists on Lekki-Ajah Expressway of their valuables whenever there is traffic hold-up. The suspects, Biodun Omoyeni, 22, from Ibadan, Oyo State, explained that what his two-man traffic robbery gang do was to distract the driver that the tyre of his car was flat, while the other member of the gang pick up valuables from the other side of the driver’s seat. Omoyeni explained that through this method, his gang had stolen more than 19 phones and three laptops in four robbery operations in Lekki-Ajah traffic hold-up. He was arrested by operatives of the RRS, who disguised as passersby when they were told by motorists of activities of the gang in Lekki-Ajah Expressway traffic. Omoyeni noted that his partner and gang leader, Rasaq, 24, still at large, trained him and four other boys on how to steal mobile phones and valuables in traffic and motorbikes in Mushin. He added, “Rasaq is a meat seller at Sabo, Ikorodu. He is homeless and we have been to four operations together. We stole up to 19 phones in those operations. We always operate in Ajah. We meet in Mushin and Ojuelegba whenever we want to operate before heading for Lekki and Ajah for operations. We do conductor job for commercial buses and we use that to monitor traffic till 7pm to 7:30pm when it has built up before we start operation. Once there is traffic, we strategise and start operation. One of us from the driver’s side tells the motorist that his tyre has been punctured, while the other through the window takes the phones, money, wallets, pad and other valuables from the other side of the driver.” The suspect, with several scars and stitches on his face said, “The wound in my face are as a result of street fighting. I was rejected in 4 hospitals two

Members of Agege Patriots (a non-governmental organisation) cleaning up the Iyana Orile-Agege area of Lagos State during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state, last Saturday. years ago before I was admitted in UCH, Ibadan, where the wounds were stitched. I am not an armed robber. It was Rasaq that introduced me to all this. It is all because we are normally together all the time. I was a tyre seller in Ibadan before I decided to follow a friend to Lagos for a greener pasture.”

One of the robbery victims, Paul Eugene, a music instructor, whose phones were found with Omoyeni and returned to him yesterday, thanked the RRS for recovering his phones in less than three hours after being robbed in traffic. Eugene stated that one of the suspects distracted him from fo-

cusing on his driving by saying that his rear tyre was flat, but on checking it, he noticed nothing, but he observed other motorists rolling up their glasses in traffic. ‘I didn’t know Omoyeni from the other side of my car had taken my phones and some money. I was still in the car when a fellow motorist told me they had stolen

my phones,” he said. “I was surprised two hours after the incident to see a neighbour knocking at my door that the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) called that I should come and pick up my phones and that the suspects have been arrested,” he added Meanwhile, operative of the RRS has arrested one Oladeinde Oresegun for buying stolen phones from Biodun Omoyeni. Oresegun said he sells fairly used materials at Idi-Oro, Mushin, Lagos. He added that he had only bought four phones from Omoyeni, stressing that he didn’t know he was a traffic robber. He stated that the phones he bought from him last included a Nokia Lumia at N2,500 and a Techno iPad at N3,500. He pleaded for leniency. The suspect along with the buyer have been transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) HQ in Ikeja. Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus, confirmed the arrest, stating that there would be no reprieve for criminals in Lagos State.

Ambode donates 500KVA transformers to communities Francis Suberu

agos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Saturday donated a 500KVA transformer to residents of Palmgroove Estate in Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area, as part of t ongoing ‘Light Up Lagos’ initiative. The governor also donated transformers to two communities in Alapere and Ijegun, respectively, to boost electricity supply in their localities. Governor Ambode, who was represented at the handover ceremony by Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wale Oluwo, had read about the plight of the residents via a newspaper publication in which they appealed to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to come to their aid to replace their aging transformers.

The transformer at Palmgroove Estate, according to the residents, was installed in 1958 and had become problematic in the last ten years, causing it to develop fault on a weekly basis. Oluwo in his remarks said Governor Ambode was of the view that if the electricity distribution companies were not making the right investment, the people would wallow in darkness, hence, his administration was poised to alleviate the suffering of Lagosians. He recalled the setting up of a committee under the Governor’s office, which included the electricity generation companies, distribution companies, gas suppliers and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, saying the intention of the committee was to intervene as far as possible so as to ensure the people have access to electricity. He said, “This is part of the Light Up Lagos Project. I want

the people of Lagos to understand that the project is not all about streetlights alone. In fact, streetlight is a small component of the project. The intention of Light Up Lagos is to continue to intervene both in distribution area, the gas and so on in a way to facilitate the overall equation of delivering power to our people and that is what this is all about. He therefore, encouraged residents to continue to engage government via the official channels and other channels such as the social media, print media and electronic media, assuring that the Ambode administration, being a peopleoriented government, would always intervene as fast as possible. Responding, President of Palmgroove Estate Residents Association, Captain Jide George, said the prompt manner with which the governor responded to their plight was

worthy of emulation by other leaders, saying it was an eloquent testimony of leadership by example. “This is very much unprecedented. I never believed that such a thing could happen where you will just put something in the papers and the governor will respond to it expeditiously. We are ready to support the efforts of the governor. All of us are behind him and we want to say thank you to the governor,” George said. Two other senior residents of the estate, Dr. Ladi Awosika and Mr. Akintunde Adeyinka, said the remarkable way the Governor responded to their plight was a confirmation of the fact that Lagos State is in safe hands. “This is a very good development for the people of Lagos State and a very good example for other governors to emulate,” Awosika and Adeyinka said.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

World News We are deeply committed to our partnership with Cambodia and with all the members of ASEAN on a regional and global basis. –US SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN KERRY

Syria conflict: Dozens killed in Damascus AFOLABI GAMBARI

WITH AGENCY REPORT

t least 45 people lost their lives yesterday in blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of the Syrian capital Damascus, state media said, as the Islamic State group said on social media it had carried out the attack. The shrine, which is highly revered by Shia Muslims, had been targeted before, most recently in February last year. The attack happened as the government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva in a bid to start talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict. While both sides are in Geneva, the talks have yet to begin, the main opposition group said the Syrian government must first meet key humanitarian demands. US Secretary of State, John Kerry, urged both sides to seize the opportunity to end the

Armed personnel and civilians at the Damascus blasts site yesterday bloodshed. “There is no military solution to the spiralling crisis which can engulf the region if the tentative UN-sponsored negotiations fail as previous at-

tempts have,” Kerry warned. Yesterday’s attacks were carried out by two suicide bombers, but some witnesses spoke of three blasts. Reports said Shia fighters

from around the region have joined the conflict in Syria on the grounds that they wish to protect the shrine from the civil war. The Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah has cited it as a key reason that it chose to fight on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, he adds. More than 250, 000 people have died and 11 million have fled their homes in almost five years of civil war in Syria. The violence has also been the biggest driver behind Europe’s migration crisis. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Kimoon, has called on all sides to put the interests of Syrians above their own. “Children and women in particular have borne the brunt of this fighting and it is time now to see the end of the fighting and other human rights abuses that have dominated the war,” Ki-moon said.

‘Thousands migrant children missing’

ore than 10, 000 migrant children may have disappeared after arriving in Europe over the past two years, the European Union’s Police Intelligence unit said yesterday. Europol said thousands of vulnerable minors had vanished after registering with state authorities, warning of children and young people being forced into sexual exploitation and slavery by criminal gangs. “It’s not unreasonable to say that we are looking at 10, 000plus children,” Europol’s chief of staff said. “Not all of them will be criminally exploited; some might have been passed on to family members. We just don’t know where they are, what they are doing or whom they are with.” Officials in Italy warned in May 2015 that almost 5, 000 children had disappeared from asylum reception centres since the previous summer. There are fears unaccompanied children and young people may be dragged into sex work, slavery and other illegal activity. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesman, Leonard Doyle, said the figure was shocking but not sur-

prising. “Let’s hope now the EU puts the resources into finding these children, helping them and reuniting these children with their families,” Doyle said. On Saturday, at least 39 migrants, including several chil-

dren, drowned trying to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece. The IOM said on Friday that 244 migrants had drowned in the Mediterranean so far this year, out of 55, 568 arrivals.

Ban Ki-Moon

Amnesty detects Burundi ‘mass graves’

ights group Amnesty says it has found five possible mass graves near Burundi’s capital, where security forces are accused of killing scores of people in December. Violence in the country began last April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third term. At least 439 people have

Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza

died and 240, 000 have fled abroad, according to the United Nations, amidst reports that African Union (AU) leaders would discuss the Burundi crisis at a summit in Ethiopia. Amnesty said satellite images showed disturbed earth at sites in the Buringa area on the edge of the capital Bujumbura that were consistent with witness reports. “These images suggest a deliberate effort by the authorities to cover up the extent of the killings by their security forces and to prevent the full truth from coming out,” Amnesty’s Regional Director for East Africa, Muthoni Wanyeki, said. At least 87 people were killed in December’s crackdown, which came after military bases were attacked by

gunmen, but the UN said the true number may be much higher, stressing that it was also analysing satellite images to investigate reports of at least nine mass graves, including one in a military camp said to contain more than 100 bodies. Meanwhile, authorities have released two foreign journalists arrested on Thursday in the capital Bujumbura. French journalist JeanPhilippe Remy, Africa Bureau Chief for French daily Le Monde, and British photojournalist Phil Moore were released earlier, and have had their media accreditation revoked. The two were detained, along with 15 Burundians, in a raid by police in the capital Bujumbura on Thursday.

WORLD BULLETIN

Downed jet: Russian envoy gets summon Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to protest and condemn what it called a violation of airspace by a Russian warplane. The Foreign Ministry said the Russian SU-34 fighter was warned by Turkish air radar units, in both English and Russian, before it crossed into Turkish airspace from Syria on Friday. The statement went on to warn that violations “could lead to serious consequences.” The Russian Defense Ministry denied that it violated Turkish airspace and called Ankara’s allegations “unfounded propaganda.’ “There were no violations of Turkish airspace by planes of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the ministry said on Facebook. The ministry said that the nationality of an aircraft cannot be established on radar.

Russia factory fire kills migrants Twelve people, including three children, have died in a huge fire at a textile factory in the east of the Russian capital Moscow, officials said yesterday. The blaze engulfed some 3, 000 sq metres (33, 000 sq ft) of the building and took more than five hours to put out. Russia’s Child Rights Commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, said the victims were migrant workers who had been living and working in the building. “Of the three children who died, one was a small baby,” he said. State investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze, which broke out on Saturday evening, and said arson has not been ruled out. Some reports however said the workers were from Central Asia.

Poachers kill British pilot A British helicopter pilot, Roger Gower, has been shot dead by elephant poachers in Tanzania, the conservation charity for which he was working has said. The Friedkin Conservation Fund said yesterday that Gower had tracked poachers on Friday in the Maswa Game Reserve when they fired on his helicopter. One of his colleagues said he had been shot as he flew near the carcass of one of three elephants killed by poachers. Friedkin Conservation Fund’s official, Pratik Patel, said Gower had approached the last of three elephants killed by poachers when he was shot. Tanzanian MP, Lazaro Nyalandu, a former minister for natural resources and tourism, said in a tweet that the incident had happened in the Maswa Game Reserve, which borders the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania.

North

Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NTI trains 1,000 for NCE in Katsina JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

L-R: FCT Minister, Musa Bello; Minister of Environment, Hajiya Aminna Mohamed and Chairman of Kuje Traders Association, Alhaji Yunusa Isa, addressing traders during the inauguration of Household and Community Sanitation Exercise in FCT, at the weekend.

FG tasked on flour price hike

JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

ederal Government has been called upon to come up with measures to address rising price of flour and related ingredients used in making bread. Katsina State chapter chairman of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Abdulkadir Abdullahi, made the call yesterday. This is even as some consumers have lamented recent increase in the prices of loaves of bread in the state.

A cross-section of consumers, who spoke on the issue yesterday, said they were not getting value for their money. They said while prices of bread had gone up, the quality remained the same. Prices of bread had gone up in the state by as much as 10 to 25 per cent, depending on the size. But Abdullahi, in a chat with National Mirror, called on consumers to endure as necessary effort was on to ensure they receive quality products for their money. He said that address-

ing rising price of flour is necessary to avoid redundancy and possible mass retrenchment of bakery workers. The chairman lamented that bakery owners were now finding it difficult to operate due to high price of flour and other related ingredients for making bread. He lamented that the daily increase of market prices for bakeryrelated items was affecting the association, and could force closure of bakeries in many states of the country if not addressed.

“We are faced with serious operational challenges due to high cost of materials; if not addressed, the situation could force many of our members to close their bakeries. “We appeal to the federal government to come to our aid to save possible mass sack of those working in bakeries,” he added. Abdullahi however commended members of the association for commitment to continue operating and ensure payment of salaries for workers.

ASUU threatens to shut down Nasarawa varsity IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

cademic Staff Union of Nasarawa State University, ASUU, has threatened to shut down the institution in the next two weeks if the state government and management of the university fail to heed their demands. The threat comes few days after workers on the payroll of Nasarawa State government commenced indefinite strike due to inability of the government to meet any of the 21 demands organised labour tabled before it. The university’s ASUU chairman, Dr. Theophilus

Daniel Lagi, issued the threat in a chat with journalists in Keffi, disclosing that some of the issues for redress include promotion, high tax deduction and Earn Academic Allowance, EAA. He equally lamented the poor funding of the university by the state government, adding that most of the infrastructures and ongoing projects in the institution were being carried out by the Federal Government through its agencies. He said some of the issues ASUU raised have been lingering since 2009 after the union’s six months strike over funding of the university and

basic remuneration of lecturers, which the state government has refused to honour. On the EAA, the ASUU chairman said the amount was tabulated in such a way that the university could comfortably pay over a period of time, but quickly added: “Each time the university makes attempt to pay the money, it gives crumbs to us and we feel if the management cannot respect simple agreement between it and the union, we are ready to take it up with them.” The ASUU chairman, who could not give the accumulated amount the university owes them

said, “Out of 100 %, they were able to pay us only 30 %. So we are expecting 70 % even as 15% to 20 % is being deducted monthly by the university as tax from each lecturer.” Lagi therefore lamented that the university, which used to attract the crème of lecturers over the years, now had them running away because of high taxation rate.

Al-Makura

ational Teachers Institute, NTI, has commenced training of 1,000 post-secondary school students in Katsina State to prepare them to acquire the National Certificate of Education, NCE. The NTI programme is being carried out in collaboration with the state government. State NTI coordinator, Bishir Yashe, yesterday said seven centres were established for the training programme. Yashe said the centres are located in Baure, Daura, Bakori, Kaita, Dutsinma, Katsina, Funtua, Kankara, and Kurfi council areas. He said the selected

post-secondary school students would be trained under a pilot teachers programme, adding that the institute had conducted similar training for 1,070 post secondary students in 2015. He said the institute had introduced a weekly interactive session with teachers for delivery of quality education in primary schools. He said the institute would soon commence degree programmes on education at one of its centres at Yusuf Bala Usman College of Legal and Remedial Studies, Daura. He said the programme, which would commence this year, is to assist people from Daura zone to benefit from activities of the institute.

IDB pledges support for northern Nigeria reconstruction

slamic Development Bank, IDB, will develop a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Northern Nigeria, the bank’s President, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, has said. Ali stated this in Jeddah, IDB headquarters, when he received a highlevel delegation of five governors from Northern Nigeria Governors Forum, NGSGF. The delegation led by Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, includes Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Nasir Ahmad elRufa’i of Kaduna State, Umar Tanko Al-Makura of Nassarawa State and Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State. “We will work together to come up with a comprehensive and constructive plan to support northern Nigeria,” Ali said. “We will start with education, particularly bilingual education, and other areas such as job creation. Before you leave Jeddah, I would like to have a list of your priority areas, from education, power to agriculture and so on,” he added. Leader of the delegation, Governor Shettima of Borno, stated that in

Nigeria, “poverty wears a northern face,” adding that the purpose of their visit to IDB was to explore credible avenues to enhance developmental activities. Shettima told the president of IDB that the region is suffering from joblessness, low access to education and healthcare facilities despite the abundant resources in the region. “It is a giant with feet of clay,” he lamented. Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, told the IDB president that the Northeastern region requires urgent intervention in education, electricity supply and poverty reduction, as according to him, a major cause for the insurgency is poverty. Vice President (Operations) of IDB, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, told the delegation that the organisation will do its best to look into various areas of intervention, particularly the development of infrastructure which is a key priority in the bank’s 10year development strategy. He therefore thanked the delegation for visiting IDB, and believed that the visit would help forge a stronger partnership that will assist in mobilising resources for the development of the region.

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CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Hassan Musilimot Motolani now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Eleha Musilimot Tolani All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

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CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This to confirm that i am one and same person bearing KUNGTAI PAUL MAVENG and CALEB PAUL DERTEP as obtainable in some of my document. banks and general public should please take note.

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CONFIRMATION OF NAME Awa blessing odum. This is to confirm that I formerly known and addressed as Mrs Chris -Mathew blessing odum now wish to be known and addressed Miss Awa Blessing Odum. All former documents still remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as OLUKANMI RUTH ABOSEDE now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWADARE RUTH ABOSEDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as MISS OKESHINA OKESHOLA ABOSEDE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. JOSEPHOLUWASHOLA ELIZABETH ABOSEDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

I, formerly known and addressed as EZEKIEL LINDA. now wish to be known and addressed as OLOGUNAGBA LINDA. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as UDOKA LEO BEAUTY CHIAMAKA, now wish to be known and addressed as UDOKA ABIGAIL NDIDIAMAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MISS. OGUNLEYE BILIKISU BOLANLE. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. BABATUNDE BILIKISU. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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Formerly known and addressed as BETTY ODEYEMI ATUSERI, BETTY ATUSERI, now wish to be known and addressed as ODEYEMI BETTY. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME AGUODILI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AGUODILI ETHEL CHINYERE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZE ETHEL CHINYERE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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ADDITION OF NAME

That I was formerly known and addressed as ANDREW TAUSHEP that I now wish to add ZINGDUL to my former name that I now wish to be known, called and addressed as ANDREW ZINGDUL TAUSHEP. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public should please take note.

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IBOI:formerly known and addressed as MISS IBOI ITOHAN FAITH,now wish to be known and addressed as MRS SADANGOJI ITOHAN FAITH.All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

EZEIBEKWE: formerly known and addressed as MISS EZEIBEKWE IFECHUKWU PASCHALINE, now wish to be known addressed as MRS EZEOKOBE IFECHUKWU PASCHALINE.All former documents remain valid.General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Mr KEHINDE ADIGUN SALAU, now wish to be known and addressed as BURAIMO SALAU. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Michael Anyiam, now wish to be known and addressed as Michael Archibong Godwin. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Obasi Loveth Ifunaya, now wish to be known and addressed as Nwikpe Loveth Ifunaya. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Mr Felix Aghedo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr Felix Ebose Eluebhose. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as MR, APETI SUNDAY, now wish to be known and addressed as MR, PETER SUNDAY ODEH. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Salawu Taophyc Oladimeji, now wish to be known and addressed as Salahu Taophyc Oladimeji. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as BOLA MOHAMMED, now wish to be known and addressed as BOLA BALOGON. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, ECO Bank and general public should take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to certified that Faseru Oyebukola a Beniya is the same one person as Faseru Oyebukola Benita, that henceforth wish to be known and called as Faseru Oyebukola Benita. All former documents remain valid, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public should please take note

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Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojuola Olufunke Yewande now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adeeko Olufunke Yewande. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

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Formerly known and called as Miss Oredola Idiat Iyabo now wish to be addressed and called as Mrs Badrudeen Idiat Iyabo. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE RENUNCIATION OF MEMBERSHIP OF SECRET CULT. This is to inform the general public that I,MR.TAIWO AGHAYERE a resident of No.41,Aruosa street ,off 1st East Circular Road,Benin city,Edo state.That I was a member of BLACK AXE SECRET CULT. I now which to renounce my membership of BLACK AXE SECRET CULT with immediate effect.That authority to whom it may concern and the general public should please take note. SIGNED TAIWO AGHAYERE.

OWOBU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OWOBU CHRISTABELL EDEGHONGHON, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ANYEMERE CHRISTABELL EDEGHONGHON. All former documents remain valid. St. Francis College Ubiaja, Ambrose Ali University, NYSC and general public should please take note.

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AKINMOLAYAN: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS DEBORAH IBUKUNOLUWA AKINMOLAYAN, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS. DEBORAH KAYODE ADELANA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I MRS FALADE MODUPE ALICE am the same person as MRS FALADE DUPE FUNKE and FALADE DUPE FOLAKE ,Henceforth , i want to be knwn and addressed as MRS FALADE MODUPE ALICE, all formal documents remain valid, ECO BANK PLC and general public take note,

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Formerly known and addressed as Aguwa Anan Juliet, now wish to be known and addressed as Adeleke Anan Juliet. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Oluwafunsho Omolola Ogunmayin, now wish to be known and addressed as Bolanle Gbemisola Ogunmayin. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Azeezat Onigemo Oluwaseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Azeezat Onigemo - Balogun. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Mudat Ayinke Balogun now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwatosin Ayinke Olaseni. All former documents remain valid. Wema bank and General public take note

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Formerly known, called and addressed as JAJI BILIKIS ADEDAMOLA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OGUNDAIRO BILIKIS ADEDAMOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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I formerly known as SAAMI BELLO OLABISI BILIKIS now wish to be known and addressed as BELLO BILIKIS OLABISI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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Awa blessing odum. This is to confirm that I formerly known and addressed as Mrs Chris -Mathew Blessing Odum now wish to be known and addressed Miss Awa Blessing Odum. All former documents still remain valid. Authorities concerned and the general public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as MISS ORAZULIKE UKAMAKA GERALDINE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NEBEIFE UKAMAKA GERALDINE. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Miss Raheem Adebukola Simiat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esomojumi Adebukola simiat. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as Mr. OKECHUKWU AUSTIN OTUONYE now wishes to be known and addressed as Mr. OTUONYE AUGUSTOS OKECHUKWU AUSTIN. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to certified that Semiu Deborah O. and Muraina Deborah Odun is the same one person as Semiu Deborah Omolola, that henceforth wish to be called and addressed as Semiu Deborah Omolola. All former documents remain valid, Local Government Service Commission, Banks and general public should please take note

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Formerly addressed and known as Miss Oni Funmilayo Ayodele now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs Olowoyeye Funmilayo Phebean. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ibikunle Grace Bolaji now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs Ayeni Grace Bolaji. All former document remain valid, general public should please take note.

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Formerly Nelson Oritseneye Omajuwa now wish to be addressed as Caleb Oritseneye Omajuwa.All former documents remain valid,general public take note.

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OLUWADARE: I FORMERLY KNOWN AS OLUWADARE AJEWOLE. NOW WISHED TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS DAMILARE AJEWOLE. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

OKOLI: I, formerly known and addressed as OKOLI UJUNWA ANNASTHESIA, now wish to be known and addressed as OKOLI OBIANUJU ANNASTHESIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OKAFOR: I, formerly known and addressed as OKAFOR ANGEL CHINELO, now wish to be known and addressed as OKAFOR CHINELO THEODORA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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I formerly known as Miss Popoola Yinka Florence now wish to be known & addressed as Mrs Ajayi Yinka Florence . All former document remain valid. Lautech Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso & General Public should please take note

I, formerly known and addressed as ABIJO EMMANUEL E. now wish to be known and addressed as ABIJO EMMANUEL TUNDE. All former documents remain valid; management of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, general public should please take note.

ILOANUSI:I, formerly known and addressed as ILOANUSI OBUM, now wish to be known and addressed as ILOANUSI OBUMNAEME INNOCENT. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OMEJE: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OMEJE JOY UKAMAKA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ANI JOY UKAMAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. ABIMOLA: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ABIMOLA MADINA FOLAKE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS CHRIS BROWN MADINA FOLAKE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnajiofor Obioma Angela, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. OKONKWO Obioma Angela. All former documents still remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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UDO-NJOKU: I, formerly known and addressed as MRS UDO-NJOKU GRACE NGOZI, now wish to be known and addressed as MISS NJOKU GRACE NGOZI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NZERIAKU:I, formerly known and addressed as JOY EZE NZERIAKU, now wish to be known and addressed as EZE JOY CHINEMEOGO. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public should please take note.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Bombata Funmilola Oluwatosin now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Hassan Funmilola Oluwatosin. All former document remain valid, general public should please take note.

This is to certified that ADAKOLE IDOKO is the same person as ADEKUNLE IDOKO, that henceforth i wish to be known and addressed as ADEKUNLE IDOKO. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, UBA Plc and general public take note.

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EGBUZU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ROSEMARY CHINYERE EGBUZU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ROSEMARY CHINYERE EZE. All former documents remain valid. IMT, NYSC and general public should please take note.

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AGU: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AGU NDIDI CHARITY, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UDICHI-ILOKA NDIDI CHARITY. All former documents remain valid. Enugu State Judiciary and general public should please take note.

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ALIOZORANIGBO: I, formerly known and addressed as ALIOZORANIGBO CHINYERE VIOLET, now wish to be known, called and addressed as NWAONYE CHINYERE VIOLET. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnajiofor Obioma Angela now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. OKONKWO Obioma Angela. All former documents still remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. GRACE EZEH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. GRACE OGONNA OKAFOR. All former documents remain valid. NYSC Directorate and General public should please take note.

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JENNIFER: I FORMERLY JENNIFER OGBONNA CHIOMA. NOW WISHED TO BE ADDRESSED AS OGBONNA CHIOMA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. U.B.A. PLC., ACCESS BANK AND GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

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ORJI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ORJI UKAMAKA JULIANA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UGWU UKAMAKA JULIANA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public should please take note.

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ERUKA: I, formerly known and addressed as JULIET EZINNE ERUKA, now wish to be known and addressed as COMFORT EZINNE ORJI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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ANUSIEM: I, formerly known and addressed as ANUSIEM OBI OPARAKU, now wish to be known and addressed as ANUSIEM OBINNA OPARAKU. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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OGUNDIPE: I, formerly known and addressed as OGUNDIPE ABIOLA VICTORIA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OPEAGBE ABIOLA VICTORIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME Fomerly known and addressed as Peter Adebayo Segun, now wish to be known and addressed as Adebayo Peter Boyon. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as EMMANUEL FREDERICK or EMMANUEL FREDEMEH, now wish to be known and addressed as EMMANUEL ETIM OKON. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note

Formerly known and addressed as JUDE MADUEKE KENECHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as MR JUDE KENECHUKWU NEBEIFE. . All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as SAVIAII KWAAKU AWEGAKPUI, now wish to be known and addressed as MATHEW SAVIOUR. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Gafar Adebimpe Oluwafunmilola now wish to be known and addressed as Luke Adebimpe Oluwafunmilola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

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Formerly known and addressed as Omotayo Samuel Afolorunsho now wish to be known and addressed as Samuel Adewale Ogunnubi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

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FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OGOLA OLABISI PATIENCE NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OYENUSI-OGOLA OLABISI PATEINCE. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE

OLUKA: I, formerly known and addressed as OLUKA NNAMDI ROWLAND, now wish to be known, called and addressed as PATRICK NNAMDI ROWLAND. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known as Taiwo Omolola Dorcas now wants to be addressed as Joseph Omolola Dorcas. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

OLUSOGA: I, formerly known and addressed as OLUSOGA AYOKA SEYI, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OSHIN AYOKA SEYI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as DANIEL OJO MALLAH now wish to be known and addressed as ANANWUREYI OJO. All former documents remain valid, general public should take note

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I formerly known and addressed as Miss WASIU JEMILAT ARIYO now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs WALIYILAHI JEMILAT AYOMO. All former documents remain valid, general public should take note.

Monday, February 1, 2016

buja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, said it would start free installation of prepaid meters pilot scheme in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in February. Executive Director of the company’s Regulatory and Stakeholders Relations, Mr. Abimbola Odubiyi, said this yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja. According to him, AEDC in 2015 installed 5,000 free prepaid meters to customers in Minna, Niger State and would in February 2016, commence another installation of 1,250 free prepaid meters to customers in the FCT. CHANGE OF NAME

GLORY: FORMERLY known and addressed as GLORY DAVID NOW wish to be known and addressed as GLORY ENANEMU. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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AEDC to commence free installation of prepaid meters in FCT He said the installations were pilot schemes and the contractors that handled the Minna project were given 5,000 meters but that of FCT would be given 1,250 meters. Odubiyi said the meters would be used as a test-case so as to ascertain the efficiency of the projects. He explained that the new energy tariff that would come into effect on Feb.1 would last for 10 years, noting that during the years, it was expected that energy tariffs must come down and the sector CHANGE OF NAME

RAPHAEL: FORMERLY known and addressed as KWAKA’AKIPO BITRUS RAPHAEL NOW wish to be known and addressed as BITRUS RAPHAEL PIYATO. All former documents remain valid. FIRST BANK and General public should please take note.

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C ‎ HARITY: FORMERLY known and addressed as ADEGBE ELEOJO CHARITY NOW wish to be known and addressed as AKOH ELEOJO CHARITY. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Christiana Orezimena Egbuwoku‎ now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Christiana Orezimena Charles - Edo. All former documents remain valid general public take note

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as Miss Olukoya Busayo Moriyike now which to be known and addressed as Mrs Olusan Busayo Moriyike . all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Omonkhegbe Kenneth now which to be known and addressed as Aluebhose Kenneth all former documents remain valid Ambrose Alli university Ekpoma and general public take note.

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CONFIRMATION OF NAME

We, formerly known and addressed as John Oseyemi Fagbemi, Olufunke Bolatito Fagbemi, Oluwafoyinsayemi Faith Fagbemi and Oluwafikunayomi Elijah Favour Fagbemi now wish to be known and addressed as John Oseyemi Jesugbemi, Olufunke Bolatito Jesugbemi, Oluwafoyinsayemi Faith Jesugbemi and Oluwafikunayomi Elijah Favour Jesugbemi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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OLUWOLE: This is to confirm that OLUWOLE OLUWAPELUMI ABIMBOLA and OSUNGBURE OLUWAPELUMI ABIMBOLA refer to one and same person.Henceforth wish to be known and addressed as OSUNGBURE OLUWAPELUMI ABIMBOLA. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank, First Bank and general public take note.

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BRAMAH: Formerly known and addressed as BRAMAH RABIU now wish to be known and addressed as OBI PETER All former documents remain valid. Gen public pls take note. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

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MBACHU: Formerly known and addressed as MBACHU IFEANYICHUKWU MARY now wish to be known and addressed as OMENOGOR IFEANYICHUKWU MARY.. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

PUBLIC NOTICE

The General public is hereby notified that the above mentioned foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990. 2. Christiana. Charles - Secretary 4. Frank Odhegba - Member

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1 Advocacy & support for rural dwellers and development 2. To promote agriculture, advocacy towards climate change, water and sanitation

3. Youth and women empowerment and girl education 4. To promote free medical fair / outreach support for humanitarian emergencies / disaster, livelihood and poverty alleviation

5. Advocacy and support for disabilities, internally displaced persons, orphans, widows and the vulnerable. 6. Advocacy against drug and crime, and to encourage enterpreneurship 7. To organise conferences, workshop seminars and awards 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 : Frank Odhegba 07068135634 Solicitor

stabilised. He listed the installation of 400 brand new transformers, building of new customers care centres in Abuja, new billing centres, vending centres and improve-

ment in staff welfare as some of the achievements of AEDC since it joined the energy sector in 2003. According to him, there has been great improvement in power in the FCT and

across the country since the privatisation of the power sector in 2013. He then urged customers of AEDC to always pay their energy bills when due so that

the company could serve them better. He cautioned against vandalism of installations so as not to jeopardise the nation’s energy sector.

Sokoto State govt earmarks N500m for purchase, repairs of fire fighting vehicles

okoto State Government said it has earmarked N500m for the purchase of six new ultramodern fire fighting machines to tackle the issue of fire outbreaks in the state. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Alhaji Isa Achida, made the disclosure at a news conference in Sokoto yesterday. Achida, who was commenting on plans by the state government to stem the tide of frequent fire disasters resulting in loss of lives and property

across the state, said part of the money, which was in the 2016 budget, would be used to repair six existing fire fighting machines. According to him, the state’s Fire Service Department currently has only six fire fighting vehicles, out of which only three are fully operational. “The remaining three are only providing skeletal services, and this informed the plan to buy new ones, as well as repair the bad ones. “Both the new fire

CHANGE OF NAME Formerly known and addressed as MISS. KADIRI ELIZABETH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. AGURI ELIZABETH. All former documents remain valid. UBA/First Bank of NIG Plc should take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Ikeke Thomas Edanomhe to Omokhekha Marcos Edanomhe. All former documents( certificate ) remain valid. Zenith,Skye bank & general public please to take note.

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DOROTHY: FORMERLY known and addressed as DOROTHY MATTHEW NOW wish to be known and addressed as DOROTHY PIYATO NAGOPWA All former documents remain valid. FIRST BANK PLC and General public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as MISS. RAJI ABIMBOLA MODINAT‎, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. EBITI ABIMBOLA MODINAT‎. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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RURAL SUPPORT FOUNDATION THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Charles Edo - Chairman 3. Benjamin Umuteme - Member

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OLUCHUKWU: FORMERLY known and addressed as OLUCHUKWU OFORDUEME NOW wish to be known and addressed as OLUCHUKWU EDEH . All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as BAMGBOLA BUKOLA COMFORT‎, now wish to be known and addressed as OLATUNDE RUTH FEYINTOLA‎. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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fighting vehicles to be bought and the existing ones to be rehabilitated will be fully equipped with modern gadgets. “We are also planning to partner with the Ministry for Local Governments to make effective use of the existing fire fighting vehicles in the 23 local government areas of the state,” Achida added. The commissioner further said that the state government planned to establish eight new fire stations in Sokoto city to augCONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Onyenobi Monica Ugochi Kelechi is the same person as onyenobi monica kelechi, onyenobi stephanie Ugochi, onyenobi kelechi monica, onyenobi ugochi kelechi,now to be known as onyenobi monica ugochi kelechi. All former documents remain valid.Access, Fidelity, GTB, Keystone Bank please take note.

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NKECHI : FORMERLY known and addressed as AKOBUNDU NKECHI LYNDA NOW wish to be known and addressed as OKORIE NKECHI FAVOUR. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and General public should please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as OLAYINKA ISA AREMU, now wish to be known and addressed as LAWAL OLAYINKA ISA. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Formerly known and addressed as Onaeko Olaronke Abolaji now which to be known and addressed as Ademola Olaronke Abolaji all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as miss Akinseyimi Beatrice Janet now which to be known and addressed as mrs Fadayisi Beatrice Janet .All former documents remain valid and general public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Chukwu Comfort Chioma now which to be known and addressed as Mrs Anih Comfort Chioma, all former documents remain valid and general public take note.

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CHANGE OF NAME TOBIAS: Formerly known and addressed as Tobias Anaele Alaribe now wish to be known and addressed as Tobias Ekeh Alaribe. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

ISAIAH: Formerly known and addressed as Isaiah Andrew Salomi Helen now wish to be known and addressed as Akpan Salomi Helen. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OLADELE: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladele Oluwatayo Olajumoke now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Selesi Oluwatayo Olajumoke.. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CORRECTION OF NAME

This is to inform the general public and authorities concerned that my name was wrongly written as MESSI URAMA in banking documentation and correct name is ONYEKA URAMA. All former documents remain valid. ECOBank, GTBank Plc and general public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

This is to inform the general public and authorities concerned that my name was wrongly written as REMI MICHEAL in banking documentation and correct name is PATIENCE IMEM MICHEAL. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as VICTORIA IYABODE ADELEKE Now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS VICTORIA IYABODE OBASA All documents and certificates bearing my former names remain valid. General public and relevant authorities should please take note

ment the eight existing ones. He added that three additional hydrants for water collection would be established by the state government this year. “The hydrants will be provided with adequate boreholes, reservoirs and other required accessories to ensure availability of water during fire incidents. “The state government also plans to establish a training centre for its firemen to enhance their productivity,” he added. CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Ekemezie Elizabeth Ifeoma, now wish to be known and addressed as Ebenebe Elizabeth Ifeoma. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Ohiro Ediri, now wish to be known and addressed as Ohiro Esther Patience. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

HALIMA: FORMERLY known and addressed as HALIMA MUSA NOW wish to be known and addressed as HALIMA MUSA ABDULLAHI . All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as miss Adegbesan Adetutu Ganiyat now which to be known and addressed as Mrs Sotikare Adetutu Ganiyat all former documents remain valid NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly Miss Toyinbo Oluwatosin Rebecca now which to be known and addressed as Mrs Sanni Oluwatosin Rebecca. All former documents remain valid. General public to please note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OSEREI: Formerly known and addressed as Oserei Rose Omoh now wish to be known and addressed as Igbolaju Rose Omoh. All former documents remain valid. Gen public pls take note. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Monday, February 1, 2016

–REAL MADRID MANAGER: ZINEDINE ZIDANE

M Super Eagles

Egypt plot Eagles fall T

Sport

CHAN: Mali shock favourites Tunisia

Oliseh

he Pharoah’s of Egypt has concluded plans to ensure the Super Eagles led by Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh do not smell next year’s African Nations Cup slated for Garbon. Egyptian coach, Hector Cuper revealed that he knows his lineup that will face Nigeria in March when both sides meet in a crucial 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Cuper revealed this to the Egyptian Football Association official

Djokovic crushes Murray in final to win sixth Australian Open title 47

I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet

Mercy Jacob

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

website after the Pharaohs finished their two friendly games against Jordan and Libya last week. Jordan beat Egypt 1-0 in the first test game before the Pharaohs rallied back to beat Libya 2-0 in the following game which Cuper used to test a wholly local based side. The Argentine coach said that he has seen a couple of players that will join up with the foreign-based players to be invited to the game against the Super Eagles “We gained a lot from the camp. We played two games and managed to know everything about the old

and new players,” Cuper told efa. com.eg “32 players have been called up to the camp. Some players proved to deserve the call up while others were below the needed level. We may call up more players I have already decided on the lineup which will face Nigeria,” Cuper added. Egypt top Group G of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with six points. Nigeria is second, two points behind Egypt while Tanzania is third and Chad sits bottom of the group.

ali overcame in-form Tunisia 2-1 in a very entertaining quarterfinal game at Kigali Regional Stadium in Nyamiramboto to book a place in the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan 2016) semifinals. Mohammed Ali Monser got to the end of a brilliant pass from Saad Bguir in the penalty box to slot home the opener in the 14th minute to give Hatem Missaoui’s side the lead. Mali immediately sought to equalise when Abdoulaye Diarra found his way into the box but Tunisian goalkeeper Rami Jeridi dived to the right to save his shot. Abdoul Toure then fumbled the ball in front of goal in the 16th minute as the Tunisian defence cleared easily to build up for a counterattack on the other end of the pitch. Eight minutes later, Coulibaly Mamadou squandered an opportunity to equalise for Mali when his low shot went inches off target in the 24th minute. Tunisia mounted pressure on Mali when Ali Maaloul got to the end of a good pass from Ahmed Akaichi but Di-

arra Djigui came to the rescue. With one minute to go to the half-time break Malian coach Djibril Drame introduced forward Kouame N’guessan for midfielder Abdoul Traore as the Eagles sought an equaliser. In the second half, Mali were wasteful with freekicks but got back into the game after referee Hamada El Moussa Nampiandraza awarded them a penalty when Tunisian defender Zied Boughattas handled the ball in the penalty box. Aliou Dieng converted from the spot when he sent his powerful shot into the left corner past Jeridi who had dived to the right direction in the 70th minute. Mali dominated possession and attacked Tunisia who instead sat back to defend as talisman Saad Bguir had been replaced for Hichem Essifi. Diarra got to the end of a brilliant pass to slot home the winner in the 80th minute as Mali eliminated Tunisia to proceed to the last four. Mali will face Ivory Coast in the semifinals on February 4 at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

Sports

Monday, February 1, 2016

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Djokovic

crushes Murray in final to win sixth Australian Open title W orld number one Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win his sixth Australian Open title and condemn the Briton to a fifth final defeat. The Serb, 28, won 6-1 7-5 7-6 (7-3) to claim his sixth Melbourne title, tying the

Murray looks down

record of Australia’s Roy Emerson. Djokovic also draws level with tennis greats Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on 11 Grand Slam titles. Second seed Murray, 28, has now lost all five Australian Open finals he has played, four of them against Djokovic. The Scot becomes only the second man - behind his former coach Ivan Lendl at the US Open - to lose five finals at the same Grand Slam since the open era began in 1968. He was expected to head straight to the airport after the final to return to London and his wife Kim, who is due to give birth to their first child in the next two weeks. Djokovic has now won four of the past five major tournaments, including three in a row, and will try to complete his career Grand Slam with a first French Open title in June.

Djokovic

Oscar hits hat-trick in Blues Romp O

scar scored a hat-trick and Eden Hazard found the back of the net for the first time this season as Chelsea thumped MK Dons 5-1 and eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup. The Blues crashed out to League One Bradford City at the same stage last season, but a repeat never seemed to be o n

Oscar

the cards at the home of Karl Robinson’s Championship strugglers. Oscar had passed up two gilt-edged chances before Diego Costa was presented with possession by Dons defender Kyle McFadzean to tee him

up for the opener. A deflected strike from Mark Potter gave the Dons a scarcely deserved equaliser, but there were two more crisp finishes from their tormentor-in-chief to wrap up a treble inside 44 minutes. Reigning PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year Hazard had remarkably failed to find the net in 28 Chelsea appearances this term, but won and converted a penalty to end his slump after half-time and laid on substitute Bertrand Traore to complete the scoring. Costa has scored six times in as many outings for boss Guus Hiddink and the striker should have prolonged that purple patch in the second minute when Oscar squared, but David Martin pulled off a stunning reaction save. Oscar twice shot tamely wide when picked out by Hazard inside the area, either side of saving with his boot from Branislav Ivanovic.

Rooney defends Van Gaal M

anchester United’s players are responsible for their indifferent form this season, and not embattled manager Louis van Gaal, according to captain Wayne Rooney. Van Gaal’s position has come under scrutiny after a return of four wins from 14 games that has seen United sink to fifth place in the Premier League table and fall out of the Champions League. But Rooney says that he and his teammates must take their share of responsibility for United’s struggles as well. “It’s unfair to say it’s down to the manager – we’re on the pitch,” he said, in comments published by British newspapers on Sunday. “So the players have to take a lot of responsibility for performances and results. We have to stand up and take criticism when it’s there. We want to win, of course we always want to win, and

we’re trying. “Even when you’re giving 100 percent, it doesn’t always come off and thankfully it did in our last match.” Rooney was speaking after United’s 3-1 win at second-tier Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, in which he opened the scoring with a fine, curling shot that took his tally to six goals in six games. The 30-year-old is now just six goals short of Bobby Charlton’s United scoring record of 249, which has stood since 1983, and he admits that he is hoping to surpass the milestone before the season is out.

Rooney

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Monday, February 1, 2016

NFF makes admin reshuffle

... as Women Teams get new secretaries

igeria Football Federation, NFF, has appointed a new secretary for the country’s senior women team, Super Falcons in a minor reshuffle of positions in the Nigeria Football Federation, Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has appointed a new secretary for the country’s senior women team, Super Falcons in a minor reshuffle of positions in the Nigeria Football Federation, Completesportsnigeria.com reports. In the changes made, former Falconets secretary Mrs Faith Anuge takes over as Super Falcons Secretary from long serving secretary Ruth David who moves up as Head of Women Football Unit

The NFF’s changes saw former secretary of national under-17 women team -Flamingoes, Dupe Sabi, move up as the secretary of the Under-20 women team Falconets with Mary taking over from her. In other changes, Ayo Rahman was appointed the Secretary of the Nigeria Women League, with Emmanuel Adesanya recalled to the secretariat of the NFF to take charge of the Federation Cup from Ruth David. General secretary of the NFF, Dr. Sanusi Mohammed said the changes were made for improved service delivery, adding that more changes will follow when necessary. CSKA Moscow insist Nige-

ria’s Ahmed Musa is staying put The Russian club turned down a fourth bid from Leicester City of $26.5m (£18.7m) for the Nigerian forward last week, which was an improvement on the original offer of $21.6m (£15.1m). The 23-year-old was believed to be open to a move to the Premier League leaders. However, CSKA, who are top of the Russian league, want the forward to stay until at least the summer. Musa had also attracted the attention of other top English Premier League teams and has a $32.5m (£22.8m) buyout clause in his contract, which runs until 2019.

Pinnick

Giwa striker joins Norwegian club

iwa FC striker Ibrahim Shuaibu has signed a-three-yeardeal with Norwegian top flight club FK Haugesund, the club have announced. He has now joined Nigeria international Williams Troost Ekong at the club.

The Aminchi Football Academy (now GBS) product signed the dotted lines in Spain on Saturday after he impressed the team officials at a training camp, scoring a hat-trick against Stord. He was watched in Jos by

the club’s officials, Jonstein Grindhung and Kolbjon Fosen, last December and invited over alongside a defender, Anthony Izuchukwu. Shuaibu has played for Wikki Tourists and Giwa FC. He scored 12 goals last season for Giwa FC.

CHAN Eagles skipper denies Enyimba, set for Turkey Aguero celebrate with iheanacho

Iheanacho bids City time

igerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho does not believe he is a long-term replacement yet for Sergio Aguero at Manchester City. Iheanacho was magnificent on Saturday as he powered home a hat-trick in City’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa in a fourth round game in the FA Cup. Aguero was an unused substitute at Villa Park on Saturday and watched as the Nigerian starlet netted on four, 24 and 74 minutes before supplying Raheem Sterling with an assist for City’s fourth on 76 minutes. “I am happy to play together with Sergio and hope I can do it for many years more at City,” Iheanacho said. He added that he will not “be kicking” the Argentine forward out of the club following

his impressive display at Villa Park. “I won’t say I will be kicking him out of the team. He is a great player, so I don’t think that will happen. “I won’t be kicking Sergio Aguero out of the team just yet. “I am happy to play together with Sergio and hope I can do it for many more years at City.” Iheanacho did not produce any outlandish celebrations after any of his three strikes and he took the time to explain why. “I don’t celebrate too much because I think you have to focus on the game, to concentrate and work hard so you can get more goals in the game,” he said. Iheanacho has scored eight goals for City in all competitions this season.

HAN Eagles skipper Chima Akas has denied claims by Nigeria champions Enyimba he has signed for them ahead of the new season, while disclosing further he is close to finalising a move to Turkey. Enyimba have announced they have signed the leftback. But Akas himself said this is not true.

“Yes, I discussed on phone with a top Enyimba official, who I then directed to my manager. But I have not signed any document with Enyimba,” said the player. “I was therefore surprised to read that I have signed for Enyimba.” Akas has also negotiated personal terms with another premier league club, Sun-

shine Stars, but he has also not formally committed to the Akure club. “My target is to play in Turkey and I hope to be able to do so shortly,” he said. Last season, he played for Sharks. He is a player of Active Academy of Ibadan, who have an agreement with Shooting Stars.

Musa staying put –CSKA

Musa

he Russian club turned down a fourth bid from Leicester City of $26.5m (£18.7m) for the Nigerian forward last week, which was an improvement on the original offer of $21.6m (£15.1m). The 23-year-old was believed to be open to a move to the Premier League leaders. However, CSKA, who are top of the Russian league, want the forward to stay until at least the summer. Musa had also attracted the attention of other top English Premier League teams and has a $32.5m (£22.8m) buyout clause in his contract, which runs until 2019.

WORLD RECORD

Most pierced man Vol. 05 No. 1297 Monday, February 1, 2016

N150

The most pierced man is Rolf Buchholz, from Dortmund, Germany, who had 453 piercings, including 158 around his lips, as of August 5 2010.

Our rule of ‘lawniks’: Patriots or opportunists

or informed Nigerians, the topical conversation in the public domain is centred on the imperative or therwise of unfettered reign of the rule of law in the country. The proponents I call rule of ‘lawniks’. On the other side of the debate are those who hunger for a politicized and radicalized justice administration system for Nigeria to be saved from imminent death. The conversation is a product of the fallout from President Muhammadu Buhari’s prosecution of his anti-corruption war. This narrative is my contribution to the conversation. First permit me to establish my conceptual framework; I feel it only proper to set the tone for my contribution. The build up to the 2015 general elections, specifically the presidential elections, threw up two probable scenarios: a vote for continuity or a vote for change. The then incumbent

HeartBeat Callistus Oke

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY) anthonykila@mail.com President Goodluck Jonathan represented the former, while General Muhammadu Buhari symbolized the latter. The electioneering that followed saw the crystallization of Buhari’s agenda, which would form the basis of his social contract with Nigerians if elected as president. A core component of that contract is a promise to fight corruption. Of course, there was the unspoken fact that a vote for Jonathan would mean, for Nigerians, the retention of the status quo ante. On March 28, 2015, Nigerians decided. The outcome was overwhelming preference for change. So, simply put, Nigerians gave President Buhari the mandate to executive his change agenda. The ongoing anti-corruption war tops the dos list. Like I have written in the past, a social crusade in the form of anti-corruption war is a revolution. Like any real war, this one, though devoid of the deployment of guns, it must claim victims. By this very fact, therefore, the war will throw up its antitheses – resistance, counteroffensives, and of course, revisionism. The tone of the conversation has been acerbic. Available media and cyber space has been dominated by variegated positions on the issue. One fact stands out in the colorations given to and perspectives developed on the theme by the opponents of the anti-corruption war: shifting of value judgement. Discernibly, the social payoff of positions taken rather than altruism dictates what they have been say-

THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF OUR RULE OF LAW HAS BEEN ERODED BY RAMPANT CORRUPTION ing and how they have said it. Without sounding impetuous, I think the issue should be coloured more by altruism than other mundane considerations. It should be proper to articulate a perspective that would give vent to the future Nigeria we want. First, a peep into pre-May 29, 2015 Nigeria. Political hedonism was the national ideology. Under such social milieu, the culture of merry go round was prevalent. The rule of law was in full reign. For this reason, all manners of malfeasances held sway, which was why endemic corruption was a pop culture. For the larger society, what to expect is predictable. Nigeria manifested the symptom of a failing state: weak state institutions; inefficient governments at all levels; poor social service delivery; rampant capital flight; prevalence of insecurity and criminalities; pervasive corruption’ reign of political strongmen and impunities; election rigging; justice for sale. The list is endless. That was the Nigeria inherited by President Buhari. He staked his honour and integrity during the build up to the

March 28, 2015 presidential election. Nigerians keyed into his vision of a new Nigeria and voted for him. It is imperative, therefore, he delivers on his campaign promises. That is the crux of the matter. The question we need to ask ourselves is if a revolution is possible without a disruption of the existing socio-political order. The opponents of the anti-corruption are latching o56n the rule of law. Yes, the rule of law is good, especially in our democratic environment. It is also a fact that law is a means to an end and not an end itself. If I have to choose between a strong state that is able to rein in impunity of all forms and a weak state, where the rule of law thrives alongside impunity of every imaginable form, I will choose the former. This is what existentialism is all about. The United States, the archetype of liberal democracy, was faced with such existential choice in the post 9/11 era, after international terrorism exploited her liberal values to go for her jugular and in the process undermined her security. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp established in January 2002 by the George Walker Bush administration was a response to such exigency. The detention camp served to accommodate “extraordinarily dangerous people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes”. Say, between corruption and terrorism which is a lesser evil? I personally see corruption on the same scale as socioeconomic terrorism. As a matter of fact, corruption is more cancerous because it goes deeper to the social fabrics in its destructibility. The scars of the First Republic corruption are still with us. All others since 1966 leave their telltales. If it has becomes imperative to reinvent our legal system to address it, so be it. The philosophical foundation of our rule of law has been eroded by rampant corruption. Those involved, are enemies of the state; they do not deserve to be protected by the rule of law.

Sport Extra

Martinez injury deepens Bayern’s crisis

ayern Munich’s injury crisis in defence looks to have worsened with Javi Martinez reportedly ruled out of Sunday’s Bundesliga match against Hoffen-

heim and set to miss the coming weeks. Both magazine Kicker and German daily Bild claim Martinez “will be out for weeks” having injured his left

knee, the same joint in which he tore the cruciate ligament in August 2014. It would make him the 15th Bayern player to have picked up an injury this

season. With Germany defender Jerome Boateng already missing with a groin injury, it means Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has just one fully-fit cen-

tre-back in Holger Badstuber. Medhi Benatia is on his way back from injury, while wing-back Rafinha is recovering from a bruised knee.

Martinez Emenike

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