Monday, june 1, 2015 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

LCCI demands economic blueprint from Buhari ABOLAJI ADEBAYO

agos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has charged the President Mu-

Bello

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hammadu Buhari-led administration to come up with a blueprint on revitalisation of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ailing economy, barely three days after the new government was formally inaugurated.

THE

BUSINESS SECTION

ICAO begins Nigerian airports' security audit today

The chamber made the demand in a statement issued yesterday by its president, Alhaji Remi Bello. He stated that the guideline was required at this

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EFCC nabs 6 CBN staff, 22 others over N8bn fraud ...burnt old newspapers as defaced naira notes

TOLA AKINMUTIMI AND OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

Suspects to appear in court tomorrow I

n what appeared a new combative approach in the war against fi-

nancial and economic crimes, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday confirmed the arrest and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

NUPENG recants, supports fuel subsidy removal P.2 ADVERT HOTLINES

For advert bookings and information, please contact: LAGOS 01-8446073, 08113947415 08113947419 08113947420 08113947422 ABUJA 08113947421 PORT HARCOURT 08113947418 OGBESE 08113947424

President Muhammadu Buhari (left) welcoming former President of Kosovo, Mr. Behgjet Pakolli, during a courtesy visit at his residence in Abuja, yesterday.

69 die, 15 buses destroyed as tanker burst into flames in Anambra

President appoints Adesina, Shehu as Three cops killed in clashes with oil theives spokesmen Boko Haram invades Yobe, Borno, injures 4 in market blast

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Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

EFCC nabs 6 CBN staff, 22 others over N8bn fraud CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

detention of six top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and 16 others from the deposit money banks, DMBs, over financial scams involving N8bn. Specifically, the antigraft agency said the suspects were arrested for stealing and putting into circulation N8bn defaced and mutilated naira notes meant for destruction. The commission’s Head of Media, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told National Mirror during a telephone chat while clarifying a statement issued earlier on the arrests that the suspects had been taken into custody preparatory to their arraignment tomorrow at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State. The names of the suspects as contained in the statement are Patience Okoro Eye (Abuja), Afolabi Olufemi (Lagos), Kolawole Babalola (Ibadan), Olaniran Muniru Adeola (Ibadan), Fatai Yusuf, Adekunle (Head, Security, CBN, (Ibadan) and Ilori Adekunle Sunday (Akure). The 22 suspects in the DMBs who colluded with the CBN officials to commit the fraud are officials drawn from Zenith Bank, First City Monument Bank, Wema Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, Skye Bank, Ecobank and Sterling Bank. According to the commission, the officials helped themselves with the mutilated N8bn cash and burned old newspaper in place of the defaced naira notes, thereby making a mockery of the CBN rule relating to such money. But they reportedly ran out of luck when one of the bank officials petitioned the commission on November 3, 2014, alleging that over N6,575, 549, 370.00 was cornered and discreetly recycled by top executives of the CBN at the Ibadan branch. “All the suspects who are currently in the custody of the EFCC are now ruing the day they literally allowed greed and craze for materialism to becloud their sense of judgment and responsibility, when they elected

to help themselves to tons of defaced Naira notes. “Instead of carrying out the statutory instruction to destroy the currency, they substituted it with newspapers neatly cut to Naira sizes and proceeded to recycle the defaced and mutilated currency. “The fraud is partly to blame for the failure of government monetary policy over the years as currency mop up exercis-

es by the apex bank failed to check the inflationary pressure on the economy,” EFCC said. The suspects, who were members of the Briquetting Panel, which handles the destruction of defaced notes from commercial banks, decided to play a fast one on the nation but ran into a hitch for the first time. Briquetting is disintegration and destruction

of counted and audited dirty notes. By this practice, depositor banks usually take mutilated notes to the CBN in exchange for fresh ones, equivalent of the amount deposited. But while carrying out the assignment, the team was alleged to have found one of the currency boxes filled with old newspapers rather than 20 bundles of N1,000 notes, thereby leading to the alarm that led to

the arrest of the suspects. “A similar case, according to investigation, had been discovered on September 22, 2014 when a box that was supposed to contain N500 notes to the tune of N5bn was filled with old newspapers. “Unlike in the past, this fraud could not be swept under the carpet, as a member of the Briquetting Panel from the Osogbo branch blew the lid on

the illicit deal. “In a statement, the informant stated that the exercise was designed to last between August 4 and 8, 2014. The 35-year-old, however, stated that she discovered a strange ‘sight’ while opening the third box on the second day of the exercise. It was a discovery that beat her ken. “She added that she confronted the other members CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, Pastor Dolapo (middle) with children after a worship service at the Villa Chapel in Abuja, yesterday.

NUPENG recants, supports fuel subsidy removal MESHACK IDEHEN

igeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, said it has reversed its initial position on the removal of subsidy on petroleum products. It said oil and gas workers are now in support of total removal of subsidy. According to NUPENG, petroleum subsidy funds should be channelled towards rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries and other infrastructural development.

President of NUPENG, Mr. Igwe Achese, told National Mirror that if government continues to fund the businesses of fuel marketers through subsidy and interest payments, fuel crisis in the country would continue unabated. The NUPENG boss advised the Federal Government to deregulate the oil and gas sector and reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products. He said: “It is only in this country that you see the government subsidis-

ing business for businessmen in terms of paying the interests on loans from banks. It is only in Nigeria you can find these things happening because government itself has failed to provide the necessary environment. “We must go back to the old days of doing business as far as the oil and gas sector is concerned. These are some of the issues being captured in the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. “Fuel crisis will continue unless our refineries are fixed, and those

managing the oil and gas sector have the consciousness of the leadership’s quest and do the needful.” Achese said the union would question the failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to provide fuel for Nigerians despite being the major oil importer. He pointed out that the country could not afford a situation where the highest importer of petroleum products and operator of the refineries is the NNPC. “Why should the NNPC be the highest importer of

petroleum? Why should the NNPC depots be empty of petroleum products? Why should the NNPC send Nigerian marketers to private depots to lift products? Why should the NNPC go into agreement with the depots to pay N3 to depot owners in form of tribute agreement,” he queried. The NUPENG boss also urged the Lagos State government to create access lanes for fuel tankers on the highways and trailer parks close to the depots, to avoid re-occurrence of gridlock.

Buhari appoints Adesina, Shehu as spokesmen

urrent President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, and Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspapers, Mr. Femi Adesina, was yesterday

appointed Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) by President Muhammadu Buhari. Also appointed as Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), was

Mallam Garba Shehu. The two were the first major appointments to be made by the new president. Garba Shehu, until his appointment was Direc-

tor, Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council. He had also served as president of NGE some years back. Also appointed by the

President was Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure as State Chief of Protocol, SCOP. Kazaure currently serves in Aso Rock Villa as Special Assistant (Presidential Matters).

new discovery has made it possible for you to find out first, before a doctor or a blood pressure monitor predicts your chances of having a stroke, heart attack or premature death. According to the discovery, all you need do is to shake hands with someone and your grip strength will predict, even better than a blood pressure monitor, whether you are at risk of a major illness or premature death. If your hand grip is weak that is a major sign that you are at risk of having a heart attack, stroke and other major illnesses, according to researchers at The Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario. The study published in The Lancet medical journal, showed that the greater the decline in grip strength, the higher the risk of illness. For the research, almost 140,000 people aged between 35 and 70 across 17 countries were assessed for an average of four years. Grip strength was measured using a handheld device that scores hand and forearm muscle strength. The findings showed that every 5kg decline in grip strength was linked with a 17 per cent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease or from causes other than problem with the circulation. The links persisted even after taking into account factors such as age, physical activity level, tobacco and alcohol use. “Grip strength is a stronger predictor of all-cause cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure,” the study says. According to the lead author, Dr Darryl Leong, grip strength could be an easy and inexpensive test to assess an individual’s risk of death and cardiovascular disease. The research also linked poor grip strength with higher death rates in people already living with heart attack, stroke or cancer, suggesting that muscle strength could predict the risk of death in people who already have major illness. This link, between grip strength and life expectancy was observed not only in the elderly, but also in middle-aged and young people. “Loss of grip strength could also be an early warning for an accelerated ageing process,” university professors, Avan Aihie Sayer and Professor Thomas Kirkwood say. For those already living with heart attacks,

Good Health Poor hand grip signals risk of heart attack, stroke …treatment for heart failure underway, says researchers

finding a treatment that will prevent heart failure will be the best bet. The good news is that scientists at Oxford University and University College London have just discovered how the heart can repair itself naturally after a heart attack. The scientists have been able to work out how to speed-up and enhance this natural process through the use of a protein, which they hope will pave the way for new drugs. They believe the discovery could help millions around the world living with heart failure, a condition whereby their heart has been severely weakened, for which there is currently no cure. A heart failure is usually caused by a heart attack and occurs when the heart gradually becomes too weak to pump blood around the body. Sadly, three quarters of patients die within five years of being diagnosed as there are very few treatments or procedures which can

DID YOU KNOW?

Green tea helps fight teeth, gum disease

esearchers found that routine intake of green tea may help prevent teeth and gum diseases. The study recently published in the Journal of Periodontology, analyzed the periodontal health of 940 men, and found that those who regularly drank green tea had superior periodontal health than subjects that consumed less green tea. Male participants aged 49 through 59 were examined on three indicators of periodontal disease: periodontal pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL) of gum tissue, and bleeding on probing (BOP) of the gum tissue. Researchers observed that for every one

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, June 1, 2015

cup of green tea consumed per day, there was a decrease in all three indicators, therefore signifying a lower instance of periodontal disease in those subjects who regularly drank green tea.

halt the damage. But the scientists have discovered in laboratory experiments that the heart begins to heal itself naturally following a heart attack and grows new lymphatic vessels. These new vessels transport dead cells and bacteria away and are crucial to the repair process. Also, the scientists discovered that the healing process could be sped up by adding a protein called VEG FC. They now hope to develop a treatment which works by triggering the heart to heal itself, then encouraging the repair process through the use of the protein. “We have shown, given the right stimulus after a heart attack, there is a significant response from the lymphatic system which enhances the heart’s healing process and limits the damage left behind. This significantly improves the pump-

ing function of the heart”, says Professor Paul Riley, of Oxford University. Dr Linda Klotz of University College London, describes the finding as a new step in regenerative medicine saying it has unlocked the potential for organs to heal themselves following a traumatic event like a heart attack. Also, Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the Britis.h Heart Foundation, says the research has shed new light on how lymphatic vessels develop and shows, for the first time, they could play a significant role in the heart’s response to injury after a heart attack. The numbers of patients with heart failure has increased over the years. The condition causes breathlessness, fatigue and also increases the risk of stroke, blood clots and further heart attacks as the heart is unable to pump blood around the body at the necessary pressure.

Oily fish diet can boost brain function

ily fish such as salmon, rich in omega-3s, an essential fatty acid can help boost brain growth and development says a new study. The study, by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, highlighted the crucial role of these fats in human brain growth and function. It also demonstrated how a deficiency in such omega-3s impaired brain development in humans. The research carried out on people suffering from genetic mutations in their brains found they were unable to absorb a special type of fat called lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), composed of essential fatty acids like omega-3 from the blood. As a result they suffered from smaller brains which could result in fatalities or cause intellectual disabilities, loss of limb control and loss of speech.

“Our work confirms the essential role of LPCs in brain development and function in humans, and indicates that brain uptake of LPCs during foetal development and in adult life is important. “Now we are studying the functions of LPCs in the brain, and the implications for application are very exciting.

Photo News

Monday, June 1, 2015

L-R: Senior Pastor, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Hope Hall, Pastor Supo Oluwasakin; winner, God’s Children Great Talent (GCGT) season 4, Great Egere; winner, GCGT season 5, Olurunsuyi Praise Oluwakemi and co-winner, GCGT Season 4, Samuel Ekeh, during the grand finale of RCCG Apapa Family GCGT season 5 in Lagos, on Saturday.

L-R: Head of Sales, Oando Marketing Plc, Mr. Babafemi Olabiyi; Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Abayomi Awobokun; Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Olaposi Williams and Sales Regional Manager, Mrs. Gaji Taiwo, when Awobokun led senior management officials of the company on traffic control at one of their filling stations in Lekki area of Lagos, at the weekend.

National News Olusegun Koiki

nternational Civil Aviation Authority, ICAO, will today commence security audit of major Nigerian airports and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. The audit exercise is expected to last nine days; June 1 to 9, 2015, and would cover the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Ikeja, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAA, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, and many others. The security audit would commence in Lagos, while other airports would be audited in the next one week. A source close to NCAA confided in our correspondent that the technical team of ICAO arrived in Nigeria over the weekend, while the industry regulator was said to be ready for the audit as several efforts have been made to ensure Nigeria succeeded during the exercise. The last security audit in

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

L-R: President of newly inaugurated Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society of Nigeria (Nasfat), Ilofa, Alhaji Sulyman Salami; Chief Missioner, Alhaji Jamiu Ibrahim and state Chairman of Nasfat, Alhaji Abdullahi Alaya, during the inauguration in Ilofa, Kwara State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: Son, Akune Chike John Erokwu; new Ojiudo-Enema, Chief Akunwafor Obiora Michael Erokwu; his wife, Amalunweze Obiageli and daughter, Obianuju, during traditional title conferment on Chief Erokwu by Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, in Onitsha, at the weekend.

ICAO begins Nigerian airports’ security audit today the sector was in November 2006 when ICAO said Nigeria scored over 90 per cent performance. General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, in a statement confirmed arrival of ICAO team in Nigeria. Ndubuoke stated that the team comprising four members was expected to look at the regulatory framework and the National Civil Aviation Security System, training of Aviation Security, AVSEC, personnel, quality control functions and airport operations. Others are aircraft and In-flight security, passenger and baggage security, cargo, catering and mail security, response to acts of unlawful interference and security aspects of facilitation. Ndubuoke gave names of the team as Karen Zadoyan, Steven Neu, Nuno Miguel Silva Ferreira Fortes and

Wendy Mueller. He added: “In our preparations, adjustments have been made in some areas. These are response to ICAO’s compliance checklist, state aviation security activity questionnaire, state Corrective Action Plan, CAP, and review of all relevant NCAA aviation security documentation, which includes the National Civil Aviation Security Programme. “Others are National

Civil Security Training Programme, National Civil Aviation Security Quality Control Programme and Scheduled Inspections, Surveys and Audits of Airports nationwide.” Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, recently restated readiness of the agency to scale the audit. The agency also said all the processes to ensure success in the Universal Safety Oversight Audit

Programme, USOAP, in November later this year were being followed to the letter. According to Usman, NCAA was fully prepared towards the ICAO safety audit, stressing that all the processes to be followed by the regulatory body were judiciously followed to ensure a successful outing. He mentioned some of the processes to include manpower, assigning of responsibilities and equipment within all concerned

airports. “Whatever we need would be made available and this time around, we want to make sure we perform higher than we performed in the past,” he said. The objective of USOAP, Usman stressed, was to promote global aviation safety, adding that ICAO does this by auditing the contracting states on a regular basis to determine the states’ capability for safety oversight.

NULGE commends Buhari on pledge to tackle LG issues

ational Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for pledging to tackle issues affecting smooth operations of local governments head-on. President of the union, Mr. Ibrahim Khaleel, who

is also a member of 2015 CONFAB, made this commendation in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday. Khaleel said: “I like every bit of the speech; it was encouraging, assuring and inspirational. Mr President was kind to every Nigerian. “I am particularly hap-

py on his determination to institute a strong intergovernmental platform for each tier of government to operate within limits. “And his willingness to confront the issues in local government head-on is a welcome development.” Khaleel said Buhari’s declaration to be for every-

one and for nobody was a clear testimony that he would run a people’s government of justice and fairness. He also said the President’s pledge to ensure a responsible and accountable governance at all levels must be his watchwords.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Monday, June 1, 2015

69 die, 15 buses destroyed as tanker burst into flames CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

t was a sad day for residents of Onitsha, commercial centre of Anambra State, yesterday as a tanker loaded with fuel, had a brake failure and crashed at the Upper Iweka, killing over 69 persons. The tanker, on its way to Asaba in Delta State also destroyed about 15 buses loading at nearby Asaba motor park, as well as three motorcycles. The figure was confirmed by officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, NRCS, who were the first to arrive at the scene of the incident. NRCS Chairman, Prof Peter Emeka Kathy, said: “We have 6 9 burnt to dead persons as at now, there are other 30 casualties, a casualty is a living person, a dead person is no longer

a casualty, so 69 persons are dead, and they have been evacuated to various mortuaries in Onitsha, from Toronto to St Charles Boromeo mortuaries and other town.” National Mirror learnt that among the dead were a pregnant woman and some kids, who were burnt beyond recognition. Also consumed by the raging inferno, according to eyewitnesses, were newspaper free readers, who had converged at a nearby newsstand. It was gathered that the accident occurred around 3p.m, when the driver of the tanker, allegedly had a brake failure and lost control This led to the tanker falling down and spreading its entire content on the long stretch of the road, close to the Asaba Park, and as the fuel spread, many vehicles

caught fire, killing the occupants. A source who spoke on the accident, said the driver of the tanker, the conductor as well as many occupants of vehicles caught in the ensuing inferno got burnt. An eyewitness said: “The tanker had brake failure, tumbled and offloaded its contents on the road and got many buses and their occupants burnt.” Another eyewitness,

Victor Ugwummadu, said the tanker caught fire 10 minutes after it rammed into a building. The state governor, Willy Obiano, has visited the scene. The state Police Commissioner, Hosea Karma, also led a team of his men to the scene along with the officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC. The charred remains of the victims were being evacuated late into the

evening yesterday. The bodies, it was learnt were taken to a nearby Toronto Hospital at Upper Iweka. Karma, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, described it as a tragedy and unfortunate. The police boss however said the tanker was coming from the Oguta road end of Onitsha and trying to link up with Owerri road when it lost control and fell on top of a nearby building and caught fire.

He said the inferno that ensued consumed 12 buses and that all the passengers in the buses were burnt beyond recognition. The commissioner also said that other victims of the inferno had been rushed to an hospital. The state Commissioner for Transport, Chief Chuma Mbonu, in his own account put the number of vehicles involved at 14, but could not provide the number of the dead.

EFCC nabs 6 CBN staff, 22 others over N8bn fraud CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

of the panel, including Eye, Head, Briquetting Panel; Treasury Assistant; Coordinator and Head, Security, CBN, Ibadan, who all assured her that they would look into it. “But she later found out that it was all a ruse. She said she later found out that Eye did not only maintain sealed lips over the matter but also omitted it from her report. “A five-count charge awaits the suspects as they prepare to face the wrath of the law,” the EFCC added. It would be recalled that early last month, the commission had restated its commitment to pursue the war against financial and economic crimes with renewed vigour. EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, who described the establishment of the commission in 2003 as one of the major steps towards the rebirth of the nation, said the war against corruption and other economic crimes by the commission contributed to the de-listing of Nigeria from the FATF blacklist of Non-Cooperative Countries and Ter-

ritories (NCCTs). Represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah, at the Induction Certificate Course for newly elected legislators, organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies, NILS, in Abuja, Lamorde highlighted the commission’s achievements to include “robust enforcement of economic and financial crimes, anti-money laundering law, routing of notorious ‘419’ and engendering renewed inflow of foreign direct investments.” While stating that the EFCC’s mandate is not limited or influenced by tribe, creed, status or affiliations, the anti-graft chief explained that the commission had been actualising its mandate of nation-building through a number of activities, including enforcement, receipt of complaints, investigation, prevention, enlightenment, advocacy and training. He noted that as an anti-graft agency, the commission had also ensured restitution for victims of economic and financial crimes, locally and internationally.

L-R: Former Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and wife of former governor, Mrs. Emmanuella Fashola dancing during an inaugural dinner in honour of Governor Ambode in Lagos, at the weekend.

LCCI demands economic blueprint from Buhari CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

critical time to define the policy directions of the new administration, as members of the organised private sector, OPS, would be waiting for its release to enhance their strategic planning, investment decisions and investors’ confidence. Bello stated: “At this time, the private sector eagerly awaits President Buhari’s economic blueprint that would define the policy directions of his administration. “This is important for policy clarity, strategic planning, investment decisions and investors’ confidence. “Major business decisions have been put on hold over the past six months because of the political risk associated with a transition regime. The first half of the year was characterised by profound uncertainty which slowed down the momentum of economic activi-

ties in the country. “This new political dispensation offers a great opportunity to bring about the desired change in all facets of our national life - the economy, social sector, quality of life, value orientation and governance quality. “We acknowledge the tremendous goodwill that the new administration currently enjoys and urge the regime to take full advantage of this goodwill to immediately commence the charting of a new course for the country and the economy. Four years is a very short time and the clock is already ticking!” The LCCI boss declared that in the next couple of days, the private sector would like to see the unveiling of the blueprint, especially in various economic aspects such as oil and gas sector reform, the nature of intervention in the power sector, current regime of

investment incentives, monetary policy thrust focusing on exchange rate management, inflation, interest rate and current tightening mode of monetary policy. According to him, the Chamber also will like to see a clear roadmap for other aspects such as automotive policy and its sustainability, trade policy covering tariffs, import prohibitions, waivers etc., tax policy, debt management, structure of the 2015 Federal Government budget, privatisation of development finance institutions, and the Common External Tariff, CET, recently adopted by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. Other areas Bello stated his group would like government to release guiding direction are, sectoral policies - to drive growth and economic diversification; key initiatives - to

reduce the cost of doing business; and the status of legacy debts and contractual obligations, contractor arrears, outstanding subsidy payments, salary arrears, legacy projects, and port reforms. He stated further that clarity in respect of the above was very crucial to the economic restructuring now, adding that the momentum of economic activities need to be rebuilt in earnest. Meanwhile, the LCCI has congratulated the new government and extended its best wishes to it and all Nigerians for good governance, better expenditure quality, constructive spending priorities, transparency in the governance process, enhanced security of life and property, investment friendly policies, promotion of democratic ideals and the primacy of the rule of law.

News

Inusa Ndahi DAMATURU

uspected Boko Haram gunmen in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles laden with Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, and petrol-bombs early yesterday attacked Fika and Ngalda towns of Yobe State, torching several public buildings, telecom masts, houses and shops, and fled into Sambisa Forest. The insurgents, according to a resident, Mainasara Ali, looted several shops and barns of grains, before setting them ablaze. Fika and Ngalda are farming and herding communities, and 155 kilometres and 176 kilometres southwest of Damaturu, the state capital. He said the insurgents chanted ‘Allah is great’ in Arabic, before torching public buildings, including the council secretariat complex, Local Education Authority offices, lodge and Magistrate’s Court complex. He said most of the houses and shops of local officials residing in Fika town and other places were also burnt to ashes. Another resident, Ali Fika, also said: “Boko Haram insurgents on Saturday evening also attacked Ngalda town of Fika Local Government Area at midnight; and razed the Council Secretariat, High Court complex before looting shops and barns. “Other public buildings razed were Local Education Authority, LEA, Government Lodge and a host of other government infrastructural facilities and health centres.” He said the insurgents before embarking on massive destruction, engaged soldiers at a military post and fled towards Ngalda to attack Fika by 8pm yesterday. National Mirror also learnt that several vehicles and motorcycles were set ablaze during the two-hour attack, as residents fled the town into adjourning hill and farmlands for safety. Chairman of Fika local council, Baba Abare, who confirmed the incident, said: “The militants came to the two towns shooting sporadically to scare people away, so as to have ample opportunity to loot.”

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Boko Haram invades Yobe, Borno …injures 4 in market blast He said they targeted shops in order to loot several food items including beverages, adding that no life was however lost during the assault. Police commissioner Markus Danladi, who declined comment on the violence, said the Military Joint Task Force, JTF, is the only body authorised to speak on such matter. Fika and Ngalda communities have suffered several attacks by Boko Haram since its inception and share common border with Gujba and Gulani council areas captured by the militant group but liberated few months back by security forces. Confirming yesterday’s attacks, the Yobe Police Command said there were no casualties from the multiple attacks on Fika and Ngalda. The command however said: “Any moment from now or first thing Monday morning, our Divisional Police Officer will send in his report. Then can you be briefed on yesterday’s insurgency in the two affected towns of Fika and Ngalda.” Similarly, in Borno State, suspected Boko Haram terrorists planted Improvised Explosives at Gambouru market in Maiduguri, which exploded Sunday afternoon, injuring four people, while others scampered for safety into various directions along Kashim Ibrahim Way. Eyewitnesses said after planting the explosives in the market, the suspect detonated them around 1.30pm yesterday, the peak of market hours. Another source said, “The bomb that exploded was buried in a heap of sacks at a spot where charcoal merchants have their stalls. “The explosion did not kill anyone but injured four persons, including someone that had his arm completely ripped off by the blast,” said a trader who did not want his name mentioned for security reason. “The suspect could have planted this explosive device last night, when the curfew was extended to 10pm instead

•Ndume, others hail military high command’s relocation

of 7pm to celebrate Democracy Day in Maiduguri metropolis. Also, we suspect that the suicide bomber that blew himself at the market mosque of Adam Kolo might have collaborated with the suspected bomber of Gambouru market that injured four traders and passersby,” said Gambo Isa, a shop owner. He said as he was attending to customers in the afternoon, a loud explosion went off in the market, making the people to scamper for safety in various directions. “The rescue team of Nigerian Red Cross and other rescue volunteers evacuated the injured ones to the hospital for treatment,” said Isa. The military and police

have already condoned off the market to prevent further attacks and looting of stalls and shops by miscreants. The market has witnessed series of deadly attacks by insurgents of suicide attacks, shootings and bombings in the last three years. Yesterday’s market blast occurred barely 24 hours after a suicide bomber sneaked into the Adam Kolo Mosque near the Maiduguri Monday Market, during the afternoon prayers and killed 26 worshippers while injuring 28 others last Saturday. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ndume, senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, yesterday commended

President Muhammadu Buhari for directing the military high command to relocate to Maiduguri and concentrate on the fight against insurgents. He said in Maiduguri that the move “is a right step in the right direction.” “For people like us that have been in the fore-front seeking solutions to the problem of insurgency, it is a heartwarming development. “We have been anticipating that immediately he (Buhari) takes over, he will do something drastic and effective, in making sure insurgency ends,’’ Ndume said. “With the new directives, we are hoping that insurgency in Borno and other states will end

sooner or later. “With the good intention of the president, we are very optimistic that this madness will end soonest,” he said. A legal practitioner and former chairman of the Biu branch of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Jubrin Gunda, spoke in similar manner. “The action is highly commendable. If the military high command moves to Borno, there will be no room for excuses or failure like we witnessed in the past,” he said. Gunda, who is also the Legal Adviser of a local vigilante group known as Civilian JTF, doubted that the military would take long to wipe out the insurgents.

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti (right) and Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Tom Amolo, during the 67th Independence Day anniversary of the State of Israel in Abuja, recently. PHOTO: NAN

UNFPA boosts Nigeria’s reproductive health programmes with $75m

nited Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, said it has earmarked $75m to boost reproductive health services and data generation in Nigeria. Executive Director, UNFPA, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja yesterday. He explained that the amount covers value of the seventh UNFPA Country Programme between 2014

and 2017 in Nigeria. However, he said the figure budgeted would be sourced from the core funding of $29.2m, while the noncore source would contribute $45.8m. He said UNFPA has been in Nigeria since inception in 1969, participating in numerous activities in the country. The executive director said UNFPA also collaborates with government to conduct census, the data generated assist government in projections and

planning. He said currently, the Fund was discussing with the National Population Commission, NPC, on the 2016 national headcount. Osotimehin added that the greatest cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria was the one that happen to young girls, which constitutes between 30 and 40 per cent of the burden. He said the Fund ensures that women, who want to space their birth and have the number of children they

want, have access to these services. He said in recent years with insurgency, the Fund worked in the North East to provide assistance in capacity building to government and civil society organisations on issues of the communities. Osotimehin said UNFPA is into partnership with four UN agencies to support the Safe School Initiative, adding that the fund provides psycho-social support, counseling and girl-child education.

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Monday, June 1, 2015

South West

Monday, June 1, 2015

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Empower private sector for national development, Buhari told

hief Imam of Lagos State House of Assembly, Abdulahakeem Abdullateef, yesterday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to empower the private sector in order to develop untapped areas of the economy. Abdullateef gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos. He also said the new government needed to tackle insecurity, corruption and unemployment to succeed. “Government should empower private sector to invest in subsectors such as gas, iron and steel. “If we can refine oil here, we would be saving the cost of bringing in fuel from abroad. “In fact, if we refine, we can begin to export and that would positively affect the currency since they would not need more naira to purchase.’’ Abdullateef said in spite of the country’s enormous wealth, it was yet to reflect

on the living standards of its citizens. He said government should create an enabling environment for businesses to strive, adding, “doing business in neighbouring countries is far cheaper than in Nigeria.’’ The cleric further advised government to explore opportunities in agriculture, gas industry, as well as iron and steel. He said: “You cannot address security without addressing unemployment because many Nigerians are willing to work. “There should be an all-inclusive approach to employment in the country. “We are blessed; we have great weather, fertile agricultural land to explore agriculture, especially mechanised farming.’’ The cleric commended the President for his promise to allow various arms of government operate on their own, and urged him not to be biased in the fight against corruption.

NIPR lauds NAMA’s professionalism

igerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, has applauded Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, for the agency’s high-level professionalism and capacity in service delivery. NIPR President, Dr Rotimi Oladele, gave the commendation yesterday when he led a delegation of the institute on a courtesy visit to NAMA’s headquarters in Lagos. Oladele noted the changes taking place in NAMA in terms of acquisition and deployment of hi-tech navigational infrastructure and development of human capital. According to him, this development was indicative of a focused and dynamic leadership determined to drive the agency as a leading air navigation service provider. He appealed to the Federal Government to give NAMA 100 per cent support in terms of funding of capital projects and training of manpower.

According to him, this is to enable the agency deliver on its strategic mandate of managing security of the nation’s airspace. Oladele, while commending NAMA for its succession structure, solicited more synergy and team spirit among various departments in the agency.

L-R: Acting General Secretary of Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress, Peter Orere; Acting Deputy General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Dele Ojo; President of NUTGTWN, Comrade Dele Hunsu; Guest Lecturer, Prof. Anthony Asiwaju and representative of Comrade Sunday Ajaero, Comrade Musa Danjuma, during a symposium marking the 2015 African Liberation Day in Benin, at the weekend. PHOTO: SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

Ekiti govt, APC lawmakers disagree over pay Abiodun Nejo ADO-EKITI

ll Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers in Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday engaged in war of words with the state government over payment of their salaries and entitlements. While APC lawmakers said they had not been paid outstanding salaries and allowances, the state government said it paid them since Wednesday. The lawmakers said during a meeting with Governor Ayodele Fayose last week, that they rejected plea by the governor to receive the outstanding salaries and entitlements and forgo resuming du-

ties, but insisted on return to status quo in the House of Assembly as at November 11 last year. In a statement in AdoEkiti, Ekiti State capital, yesterday, Mr Wole Olujobi, spokesman for embattled Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, said they were shocked at media report that they had been paid. Olujobi, who wondered how they could be paid when the governor had allegedly placed embargo on their accounts, stated: “In fact, as at Saturday night, the alerts we received from our bank were deficit alerts. “Let us even agree without conceding that we were paid our lawful entitlements, what favour does the governor do to us by that after illegally

Church holds special prayer for Buhari, Osinbajo

embers of Christ Apostolic Miracle Church, Ikole, Ekiti State, yesterday organised a special prayer session for the new administration to succeed in its efforts at transforming the country. The three-hour prayer for President Muhammadu Buhari and VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo was anchored by Pastor Olusola Adewumi. Adewumi enjoined Nigerians to pray for both leaders and the entire nation “because prayer

is the only weapon to achieve success. “This has become imperative because prayer remains the only spiritual weapon that can enhance the needed change Nigerians clamour for. “The tasks before the new government are enormous and require the support of all Nigerians through prayers and obedience to the nation’s law. “Let us abide by the constitution, be our brother’s keepers, be hard working at our places of work and pay our taxes when due.’’ Adewunmi said the na-

tion had been plagued by problems, but prayer was the only solution to solve the problems. He added: “It is the responsibility of all who love the nation to pray for the new government to succeed.’’ The cleric called on government to do its best for the nation, saying history would judge whatever they do. The congregation also called upon God to give the new leadership divine wisdom and understanding to direct the affairs of the nation.

cutting short our tenure by seven months and putting us in harrowing inconveniences in addition to his brazen rape on the Constitution of Nigeria? “Must payment of our legal entitlements prevent us from defending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which we swore to protect?” But the government described as falsehood and dishonesty the claim by APC lawmakers that they had not been paid their entitlements. The government in a statement by Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo, said the lawmakers duly acknowledged receipt of cheques for payments last Wednesday through his office. The government, while reacting to Olujobi’s statement, said: “The payment was made in cheques because the lawmakers pleaded that their accounts should not be credited directly to avoid the banks deducting the loans they taken. “Saying they have not been paid is quite unfortunate and unbecoming of honourable members of the House of Assembly, and this is sad. “We will keep our fingers crossed and would caution the lawmakers to adhere strictly to the spirit of the agreements at the Akure meeting. “Governor Fayose’s good gesture, aimed at ensuring peace in the state, should not be abused,”

the statement added. Meanwhile, the Ekiti Democratic Coalition, EDC at the weekend hailed the security agencies, especially the police for ensuring adequate security within and around the Ekiti Assembly complex. It said the House of Assembly must be secured till the end of this week when the tenure of the present lawmakers would end. The group said: “Since two individuals are laying claim to the Speakership of the House of Assembly and there is a subsisting court order that status quo ante belum as at April 23, 2015 be maintained, the most sensible thing to do in the circumstance is for the House to be sealed up as done by the police, to prevent breakdown of law and order.” In a communiqué signed by its convener, Boladale Adeniyi, the EDC stated that those putting pressure on the APC lawmakers to invade the state with thugs today to impeach the state governor were only interested in plunging the state into chaos. According to the group, since the court case involving the 26 lawmakers, the Clerk and police will come up on June 4, and the order of the court that status quo be maintained subsists, it was sure the police, being party to the suit, would not allow any of the affected parties to come close to the Assembly complex.”

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South West 9

Monday, June 1, 2015

Law teachers hold national conference T

he 48th annual national conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) holds at the

Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, from May 31 to June 5, 2015. Theme of the conference is ‘Mainstreaming

Interdisciplinary Approach to Legal Education: Imperatives for Nigeria’s Development.’ The conference, which

is the first to hold in a private university, will be attended by delegates from all universities and the Nigerian Law School.

Participants from the United Kingdom, Canada and South Africa as well as chief justice of Nigeria, executive secretary

of the National Universities Commission, judges, Senior Advocates of Nigeria are also expected to attend.

Ondo election tribunal set for pre-hearing session Ojo Oyewamide AKURE

ational and House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Ondo State will resume sitting this week to hear petitions filed before it. The tribunal has already fixed Wednesday and Thursday for commencement of pre-hearing session, ‎during which it will hear applications by all parties. The dates were fixed after respondents to petitions before the tribunal filled their replies. One of the counsels to the All Progressives Congress, APC, Charles Titiloye, confirmed to National Mirror that pre-hearing notices had been issued by the tribunal’s secretary. Titiloye disclosed that the APC and two of its candidates in the last House of Assembly election had applied before

the panel for an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow them inspect electoral materials used to conduct the poll. The two candidates are Gbenga Edema, representing Ilaje Constituency II, and Festus Aregbesola of Akure South Constituency I. The INEC materials they are seeking include voter registers, result sheets, copies of computer printouts of records of the accreditation carried out by card reader machines and other documents used to conduct the election. They intend to make out copies of the certified true copies of the materials and tender them during the hearing of their petitions at the tribunal. The application filed by Titiloye is due for hearing at the pre-hearing session on Thursday.

Ambode promises Lagosians better living standards

uhari’ll stamp out corruption, indiscipline, says Sagay Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), a constitutional lawyer, has said he was confident President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would stamp out the systemic corruption and indiscipline in the country. Sagay told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos yesterday that the present socio-economic woes facing the country were direct consequences of indiscipline and corruption by past governments. He said it was unfortunate that, as an oil-producing nation, the country was still experiencing scarcity of petrol. Sagay cited the current energy crisis confronting the nation due to scarcity of petroleum products, stressing that such woes

must be stamped out. He said the new administration should ensure urgent resuscitation of all the moribund refineries in the country so that adequate crude oil could be refined locally. “We must refine all our petroleum products within the country. We must stop the importation of petroleum products. It is criminal for the country to purchase petroleum products from non-oilproducing countries,” Sagay said. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the country has all it takes to end the ongoing epileptic power supply which has further impoverished its citizens. He advised government to allow communities to organise their own power supply systems and become independent of the national grid.

L-R: Senator-elect representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Prince Lanre Tejuoso; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Governor Ibikunle Amosun; his wife, Olufunso; Speaker, House of Assembly, Hon. Ishola Adekunbi and his wife, Atinuke, during the governor’s second term inauguration party for indigenes at the grassroots in the Governor’s Office Lawn, on Saturday.

Buhari’ll stamp out corruption, indiscipline, says Sagay

rof. Itse Sagay (SAN), a constitutional lawyer, has said he was confident President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would stamp out the systemic corruption and indiscipline in the country. Sagay told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos yesterday that the present socio-economic woes facing the country were direct consequences of indiscipline and corruption by past governments. He said it was unfortu-

nate that, as an oil-producing nation, the country was still experiencing scarcity of petrol. Sagay cited the current energy crisis confronting the nation due to scarcity of petroleum products, stressing that such woes must be stamped out. He said the new administration should ensure urgent resuscitation of all the moribund refineries in the country so that adequate crude oil could be refined locally.

“We must refine all our petroleum products within the country. We must stop the importation of petroleum products. It is criminal for the country to purchase petroleum products from non-oil-producing countries,” Sagay said. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the country has all it takes to end the ongoing epileptic power supply which has further impoverished its citizens. He advised government

to allow communities to organise their own power supply systems and become independent of the national grid. Calling for the abolition of the national grid system, Sagay said government should not compel anybody to hook-on to it as it has not been performing optimally. Sagay noted that the independent power stations were already in use in some parts of Lagos State, and serving efficiently.

Dwindling enrolment: EKSU alumni blame crises Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

lumni Association of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, has expressed worry over incessant crises in the ivory tower, saying they were embarrassing to its members. The association’s national president, Dr. Matthew Ayeni, lamented that the institution was facing a lot of challenges, resulting in frequent industrial actions by its workers, lecturers inclusive.

Ayeni, who apparently was reacting to the industrial action embarked on last Thursday by the three non-academic labour unions in the university, lamented that due to incessant strikes, students’ enrollment in the university has dropped sharply. In a statement in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, the alumni president said: “Parents and guardians are particularly unhappy about the unnecessarilyprolonged years their children spend in the school due to effects of strikes. “Strike upon strike is

seriously damaging the reputation of the university and members of the alumni are very sad about this. Today, it is students’ crisis; tomorrow it is academic staff union, next tomorrow, it is nonacademic staff unions,” it lamented. Although, the association acknowledged the financial challenges of the state government, it urged Governor Ayodele Fayose to come to the institution’s aid by addressing the problem of under-funding. It said: “The university needs to be well-funded,

especially in payment of salaries and allowances of workers. This will put a stop to workers’ incessant strikes.” The association further called on the state government to address the payment of the three months’ salary owed the staff. It also called for the composition of a new governing council for the institution, saying that “constituting the council of the university will undoubtedly reduce the burden and pressure mounted on the governor by the university workers.”

South East

Chris Njoku OWERRI

eader of Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Raphael Uwazuruike, said over the weekend that the last presidential election in the country was a replay of Nigeria-Biafra civil war, and a calculated attempt to keep Ndigbo out of the scheme of things in the country. Also, leader of Ijaw Youth Council, Asari Dokubo, criticised the National Conference organised by the Federal Government, insisting that the exercise did not represent the views of the Niger Delta, which is yearning for a referendum. The MASSOB leader,

Monday, June 1, 2015

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Biafra day celebration: Uwazuruike condemns 2015 presidential poll

who spoke at a ceremony marking the 2015 Biafra Day celebration at Ojukwu Memorial Library in Owerri, Imo State, noted that the presidential election not only followed the pattern of the Biafra-Nigeria civil war, but equally highlighted that the war had not ended. “It was a war between the former Eastern Region (Biafra) and Nigeria, and the outcome of that election justified our resolve for self-determination,” he said. He paid glowing tribute to the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu for mid-wifing the Biafra project, which he

said had formed the outlook of the Igbo over the years, but regretted that Ndigbo had continued to suffer massacre, deprivation and marginalisation in the nation’s scheme of things. Meanwhile, the IYC and former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, has told why he rejected the amnesty granted to exNiger Delta militants by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, saying it was meant to allow oil from the Niger Delta flow to the North.

Dokubo, who said this during the 2015 MASSOB Day celebration in Owerri, also criticised the recent National Conference, insisting that the exercise did not represent the views of the Niger Delta region that is yearning for a referendum. “It only represented the views of the rest of the country. Let us be allowed to have a referendum. We have the right to hold a referendum on where we want to go,” he said. The Ijaw youth leader described MASSOB and

his group as partners in progress, who are moving in the same direction to arrive at a common destination as one people and one nation. While faulting the just concluded general election in the country, Dokubo decried the pace of growth and development of the nation over the years, adding that there should be massive infrastructural provision to stimulate the economy with conscious effort to bring about industrial growth and job creation.

Dokubo, who claimed to have visited over 70 countries in the world, regretted that Nigeria is one of the least developed nations on earth, and bereft of basic necessities of life as a result of inept leadership. He advised the nation’s leaders to always listen to the yearnings and aspirations of all aggrieved component parts in order to avert frequent violence, saying “those who make change impossible make violence inevitable.”

Beware of sycophants, ex-gov warns Umahi Aliuna Godwin ABAKALIKI

he immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi, has advised incumbent Governor, Engr Dave Umahi, to beware of sycophants, just as he regretted that his administration was marred by activities of sycophants, who deceived him to take some wrong policies that affected people of the state. Elechi stated this at the weekend while addressing journalists at his home town in Echi-Alike community, Ikwo Local Government Area of the state. He said his successor will do well in office if he avoids being misled by sycophants. He urged the new governor to cautiously analyse every advice given him by those who may claim to be his friends and supporters. “My successor, Umahi, should give people the freedom to agree or disagree with him, to say their mind without pretending, otherwise sycophants will deceive him and it is not good. He should be forthright with the people and analyse every advice and make sure he is not misled by sycophants because there are many out there.” The former governor noted that he could not have avoided the handover ceremony at Abakaliki Town-

ship Stadium at the weekend despite being warned in some quarters not to attend the event to avoid being booed. “Booing is part of democratic right of the people. They are free to hold any opinion and express it within the limits of the law. “I am not the only person who has been booed, it depends on how you react, how you take it. My conscience, which represents the voice of God in me, cannot be shaken by human activities or by intrigues because I remain steadfast to the dictate of my conscience, believing that God is the Protector of everybody. If they boo me, so be it because I have done nothing shameful to be booed.” Elechi noted that he did not borrow foolishly during his tenure as governor, adding that by July ending the N16 billion he borrowed from the capital market would be liquidated.

Umahi

L-R: Director, Catholic Women Organisation, Nnewi Diocese, Lady Uzoma Ilika; newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ilika; wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano and father of the groom, Sir Osita Ilika, during a wedding at Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, Nnewi, on Saturday.

Anambra CJ begins prison decongestion in Onitsha Charles Okeke AWKA

nambra State Chief Judge, Peter N.C. Umeadi, will today commence decongestion of the three prisons in the state with a visit to Onitsha prison, where a special court session would be held in order to grant bail to some deserving inmates. The chief judge’s visit to Onitsha prison will be followed by similar visits to Aguata prison on June 3 and Awka prison on June 5. Chief Registrar of the state’s High Court, Mrs N.D. Ezeani, earlier at a press briefing in Awka,

said the chief judge during the course of his visits to the three prisons, will handle cases of special inmates like the very sick and the aged, juvenile cases and those who have overstayed in prison while awaiting trial, among other special cases, each of which would be treated on merit. Ezeani informed relatives of the inmates to bring their lawyers, who would appear to seek freedom for their clients on each of the days the special court session would hold. She urged relatives of those being detained in Awka, Onitsha and Aguata prisons to ensure their lawyers appear on these

days to argue for bail for them during the court sessions, which the chief judge would conduct in the premises of the three prisons under reference. While giving details on how the judge’s prison visits would be conducted beginning on June 1, the chief registrar noted that Justice Umeadi would in the exercise of the powers vested on him as Chief Judge of the state engage in a goal delivery exercise. She urged members of the legal profession in particular and the public in general to note that the court sessions at each of the three prisons to be visited by the

Chief Judge will begin by 10 a.m each day. Ezeani expressed joy that the latest strike of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, Anambra State branch, which could have hampered the chief Judge’s 2015 prison visits had been called off.

Obiano

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South South

Monday, June 1, 2015

Okowa suspends recruitment into civil service

…appoints new SSG, promises accountable, transparent govt Theophilus Onojeghen and Amour Udemude

ollowing massive fraud that rocked the recent civil service recruitment exercise in Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has suspended the exercise, saying it was marred by sharp practices and irregularities. A statement issued by Head of Service, Mr Patrick Origho, on behalf of the governor, said government suspended the ongoing recruitment exercise due to flawed process that could not be adjudged to be credible. It would be recalled that the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Emman-

uel Uduaghan, had a couple of weeks ago suspended chairman and member of the state Civil Service Commission as well as set up a probe panel to investigate allegations of sale of job slots and fraud that rocked the commission during the recruitment exercise. Okowa in the statement said: “It is public knowledge that the process was fraught with sharp practices, ranging from abuse of office to sale of job slots and therefore, cannot by any stretch of imagination be adjudged credible. “No flawed process produces a credible exercise,” adding, “this abysmal handling of the exercise culminated in the suspension of chairman and members of the commission and the setting up of an Adminis-

trative Panel to review the recruitment process.” He appealed to Deltans for support and understanding on the suspension of the exercise, assuring that action will be taken to study the report of the Administrative Panel at the appropriate time with a view to strengthening the Delta State Civil Service Commission and ensure transparent recruitment process”. By this suspension, all persons who have been given ‘the sold appointment letters’ are expected to vacate wherever they have been posted to, until the panel of inquiry set up to look into the exercise submits its findings. This is the first major and official decision Okowa had taken since he assumed office as the state governor on

Friday. Meanwhile, in line with his electioneering promises, Okowa has assured that his government will be built on equitable accountability and transparency. The governor who stated this yesterday during thanksgiving service in his honour held at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Asaba, stressed that his administration will be just and objective in dealing with the activities of the state. He, however, said that henceforth, nobody should stand up for him while in church. In his sermon, the Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, charged Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to pray for the spirit

L-R: Wife of former Akwa Ibom State governor, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio; her husband, Chief Godswill Akpabio; Governor Udom Emmanuel and his wife, Martha, during inter-denominational thanksgiving service to dedicate the new administration to God at Ibom Hall Grounds in Uyo.

to discern between good and evil even as he admonished him to unite all Deltans. In another development, Okowa has appointed the former deputy speaker of the Delta State House Assembly, Festus Ovie Agas, as the new Secretary to the Delta State Government, SSG. Agas, a former Director General of the Direct La-

bour Agency, DLA, hail from Ughelli north. The governor announced the appointment yesterday at a reception organised in his honour, shortly after a thanksgiving service held at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Asaba. According to Okowa, the appointment takes immediate effect.

My govt’ll comprise politicians, technocrats —Wike Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that his government would comprise technocrats and politicians with strategic aim of developing the state. Wike, during a post inauguration thanksgiving service at the Salvation Ministries Church in Port Harcourt on Sunday, said the move to revive the state will actively involve all stakeholders in the state. The governor was responding to a request by General Overseer of Salvation Ministry, Pastor David Ibiyomie, who asked that the incoming government be made up of technocrats. He said: “I will not abandon politicians. My administration will be made up of politicians and qualified technocrats. The administration will be geared towards developing Rivers State.

“God will not allow us to fail. We will bring men and women with capacity to work for the state.” He added: “I am from Rivers State and I believe in Rivers State, the deputy governor and I will work in the overall interest of the state.” Earlier, Pastor David Ibiyomie commended the governor for putting God first by organising a thanksgiving service for his victory. He said a government built on God can never fail. He advised the governor to run a people-centred government to revive the state. He, however, warned the governor against trying to please everyone, as that is a recipe for failure. The thanksgiving service was attended by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, former governor of Rivers State, Celestine Omehia, deputy governor, Dr Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo and key stake holders of the state.

IYC faults Buhari’s inaugural speech on Amnesty Osahon Julius YENAGOA

Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, umbrella body of Ijaw youths worldwide, at the weekend faulted the inaugural speech of President Muhammadu Buhari over the December deadline set for termination of the Presidential Amnesty programme for ex-militants in the Niger Delta. They said the decision may question the sincerity of the present administration, adding that though the Niger Delta people ex-

pected the programme to have a terminal date, but they also expected decision by the president to terminate the programme to include a laid out plan to clean-up the Niger Delta environment, implement the UNEP report on Ogoni and tackle the menace of oil theft in the region. The IYC in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Eric Omare, said the it appreciates the fact that the amnesty programme cannot continue forever and therefore must have a terminal date. “However, the questions on the

lips of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region are: what would happen to those who have not been trained as at December 2015 and those still undergoing training or have not completed their training? “The termination of the programme would throw up challenges for beneficiaries of the programme, who are still undergoing training and are at different level of their training. The IYC expects the Federal Government to address the fear of these classes of ex-agitators, who are in dif-

ferent parts of the world and are worried that their trainings may be affected if the programme is terminated by December, 2015. “The case of a substantial number of ex-militants, who have not been trained, is even more worrisome. The IYC calls on the Federal Government to address these challenges before the programme is terminated. On streamlining projects and programmes in the Niger Delta region to make them more effective, the IYC would support any patriotic step of the Federal Government to strengthen

institutions responsible for the development of the Niger Delta region in order to rapidly develop the region.” “However, we wish to advise that any effort towards restructuring developmental institutions and projects should have the input of the people of the region at the heart of the process. The people of the Niger Delta must be the ones to decide the shape of developmental institutions in the region. “The IYC had expected President Buhari to address issues such as cleaning up of the Niger Delta

environment, implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoni, tackling the menace of oil theft which has greatly contributed to environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region which he promised to tackle during the presidential campaigns in his inaugural address.” “We are disappointed that President Buhari failed to address these key issues which are dear to the Niger Delta in his inaugural speech and thereby raising questions as to his sincerity to fulfill his promises to the Niger Delta people.”

North

Monday, June 1, 2015

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Senate presidency: Northern minority groups back Lawan/Akume ticket N orthern ethnic minority politicians and intelligentsias have called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, senators-elect to pick Senator Ahmad Lawan for the Senate presidency. The group met in Kaduna at the weekend and threw its weight behind Lawan and Senator George Akume, the two being from the minority ethnic groups in the North. The group also called on the APC to support the Lawan|Akume joint ticket. During its meeting, it considered the fate of the minority groups in the North under the new APC administration. It urged the party to take cognisance of the contributions of the minorities in the three geo-political zones of the North in the electoral successes recorded at the national and state elections and “reward us by conceding the Senate presidency slot to Senators Lawan/Akume. The group added: “It has become incumbent on the new administration, the party in power and all senators-elect to support Lawan from the Bade minority ethnic group of the North East state of Yobe to become Senate President and George Akume of the Tiv minority tribe of the North Central state of Benue to be deputy Senate president. “The Lawan/Akume minority ticket for the Senate presidency race should be considered along the line of APC presidential ticket

of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), which represents the majority tribes of the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba, respectively. “Putting sentiments aside, and going by extant rules of the Senate, the ticket, by every right, should not be challenged by senatorselect, since Lawan would be the highest ranking APC senator in the 8th Assembly followed by George Akume, who is going to be a third term senator. “All APC senators-elect, particularly those of the northern ethnic minorities should assists us to actualise the Lawan/Akume ticket so that the northern ethnic minorities will be carried along and compensated for the overwhelming votes they gave the APC in the 2015 elections,” the group said. It noted that if the Senate presidency eludes the northern minority nationalities, the APC may not get their support in 2019. They said the governing party should not forget that the last presidential election was about the first time in the nation’s political history that the Hausa/Fulani, the Yoruba and the northern ethnic minorities came together politically, adding that “we therefore need to sustain this excellent political alliance rather than destroy it through lack of equity and mutual respect for one another.” The group contended that the electoral success of the APC came about

Nurses, midwives suspend strike in Katsina

ational Association of Nurses and Midwives has suspended its two-week-old strike in Katsina State. This was contained in a statement signed by its chairman, Alhaji Rabe Mamman, and secretary, Garba Dankulu, in Katsina yesterday. It would be recalled that the association embarked on the strike to force government to reverse the appointment of a medical doctor as chairman of the governing board of the Colleges of

Nurses and Midwives. In the statement, the association said the decision was reached at a meeting with Governor Aminu Masari, who promised to look into their grievance. The association has therefore, directed all its members to resume normal duties in their respective places of primary assignment. The association promised to continue to fight for the rights of its members and urged them to discharge their duties effectively.

through the collaborative efforts of three political blocks of the Hausa/ Fulani, the Yoruba and the northern ethnic minorities, adding that the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba blocks had been compensated with the

posts of the President and Vice President respectively, with the likelihood of another Yoruba man, Femi Gbajabiamila becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Members of the group

said they had mandated a powerful sub-committee to prevail on President Buhari, APC national leaders, especially Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as well as the national chairman

of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun for their request for the “minority ticket to be supported because an ethnic majority may end up being represented in numbers 2,3 and 4 political offices at the centre.”

L-R: Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo; his deputy, Mr. Charles Iliya and state PDP Chairman, Mr. Baba-Sabulu Shaibu, during a dinner in Gombe, at the weekend.

Illegal detention: Bizman begins committal proceedings against Defence Minister, AGF GBENGA OGUNBUFUNMI

Nigerian businessman, Alhaji Bukar Yaganani, has commenced committal proceeding against Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister for Defence, for alleged disobedience to the order of a Federal High Court, Maiduguri, directing them to release him from detention. The circumstances leading to the committal proceeding started sometime in 2014, when a legal practitioner, Barrister Adamu Muhammed, filed a fundamental right enforcement suit before a Federal High Court, Maiduguri, on behalf of Alhaji Bukar Yaganani, for alleged illegal detention. In an affidavit sworn to by the applicant’s cousin, Alhaji Yaganani, the applicant alleged that on Saturday, January 19, 2014, at about 2:30pm, a team of about 30 soldiers stormed his residence, ordering all members of his house-

hold to assemble outside, seized their telephone sets and threatened them with military rifles. The plaintiff added that he was then arrested and detained at Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, without any reason given and had since been denied access to his medical doctor, family members and legal practitioner. However, Minister of Defence, in his response to the suit, said the military authority had gone through its records and

archives and that no such operation was authorised or carried out by officers or agents of the ministry. While ruling on the applicant’s suit, presiding judge, Justice M. T. Salihu, said he did not believe the defendants’ averment and that the applicant in his affidavit failed to supply particulars of the men and officers that invaded his home, saying if indeed his home was invaded, his description was vague, speculative and unknown to law.

Justice Salihu, said the averment of the applicant, which stated that more than 30 soldiers burst into his premises is a credible evidence before the court and that on the contrary, it is the affidavit of the respondents that is not credible as it failed to exhibit evidence of the record they went through, which reveals to them that men and officers of the Ministry of Defence did not carry out the said operation so as to equip the court to believe the defendants.

Gunmen kidnap Kogi commissioner WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

uspected gunmen have again kidnapped Commissioner for Land and Survey in Kogi State, Stephen Mayaki. National Mirror learnt that Mayaki was trailed to his farm where he was kidnapped at gunpoint yesterday morning in Osara community, Adavi Local Government Area

of Kogi State. Sources hinted that the suspected gunmen, numbering about five in a Prado Jeep, had traced the commissioner to his farm and kidnapped him there. “The commissioner was in the farm when the gunmen emerged from the bush and took him away to an unknown destination. He added that the motive of the kidnappers was yet to be ascertained, as they were yet to contact

family members for ransom, while the incident has been reported to the police. When contacted, Kogi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Collins Adebayo, confirmed the kidnap of the commissioner. He explained that the command has been informed of the development but could not give detail as at the time of filing this report.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Strong political alliance, strategic thinking and APC mandate

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Suspected political thugs attack party chieftain in Osun Boladale Bamigbola OSOGBO

ragedy was narrowly averted at the weekend in Ilesa, Osun State, when some suspected political thugs attacked one Pa Emmanuel Bejide, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in his residence at Gburu arean of the town. Giving account of the incident during a telephone chat yesterday, Bejide, who, after the attack, was left with broken arm and head injuries, said he was in his

house, watching some programmes of President Buhari’s inauguration, when he heard noise from his dog and quickly rushed out. He said seven heavily armed men immediately pounced on him, and started beating him with iron rod and other dangerous objects. Bejide added that his attackers when beating him, said he should have followed former President Jonathan to Bayelsa, adding that “at that point, I started begging them to leave me alone. I was still in my night

dress because it was early in the morning. “When I realised they meant business, I begged them to follow me to a friend called Alowonle, who is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and have a shop near my house, and they agreed. “I was very fortunate, we met Alowonle in his shop and he recognised those boys and started begging them also. They insisted that I must be killed, because I am in the opposition party. But Alowonle, when he realised those boys

would carry out that treat, immediately called the Ijamo Police Station and they responded immediately.” However, before the policemen could arrive the scene, Bejide, who is the PDP chairman for Ward 8, Ilesa East Local Government Area, had been injured by the attackers. Meanwhile, party leaders in Ijesaland have been commenting on the incident, condemning any form of violent attack under whatever guise. PDP senatorial candidate for Osun Central in last Na-

tional Assembly poll, Chief Francis Fadahunshi, in a statement he personally signed, and made available to newsmen in Osogbo, urged Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other APC leaders in the area to prevail on members of the party to stop attack on members of other parties. He said: “All of us cannot belong to one party and as such, being in opposing parties should not make people enemies. The party in government must ensure security of every one of us is guaranteed.”

Speaking in similar vein, an APC chieftain from Ilesa East council area, who simply identified himself as Johnson Ojo, said those that carried out the attack should be apprehended and dealt with according to the law. He said: “APC has not commissioned any thug to be attacking members of opposition party and our governor, Ogbeni Aregbesola is peace loving and will never tolerate act of hooliganism, so anyone disturbing the public peace should be arrested and prosecuted.”

Speakership: Group backs Dogara ambition Ezekiel Titus BAUCHI

s the battle for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives continues, a group under the auspices of the Advocates for Justice and Good Governance, AJGG, has threw its weight behind the aspiration of Hon Yakubu Dogara. A press statement jointly signed by AJGG chairman and secretary, Yakubu Chiroma and Mohammed Auwal, respectively and made available to newsmen in Bauchi at the weekend, said Hon Dogara stands out to as the most eligible and competent aspirant to occupy the position of speakership of the lower chamber of the National Assembly. Outlining the qualities that stand Hon Dogara out from among the other remaining contestants, AJGG said: “Hon Dogara has all the required qualifications and experience to lead the House to the pinnacle of success and greatness. “We resolved to support Hon Dogara’s speakership bid as a reward for his immense contribution to the democratic process and the development of entire Bauchi State in particular and Nigeria in general.” AJGG noted that it would be inconceivable and a great disservice to the nation if

the lawmaker representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa federal constituency is not elected as Speaker of the House. It added: “Dogara is not new in the House; he has been a member since 2007, chaired notable committees and sponsored so many bills prominent among which was the one on the indiscriminate granting of waivers, the corporate manslaughter and the data protection bills.” Stressing that “in this era of change, we need a new generation of young and vibrant men with prerequisite educational background and experience to lead,” AJGG in the statement explained: “Hon Dogara possessed such noble an active and influential insider knowledge on the workings of the system, therefore leading the House and giving it the required and effective leadership will not pose any difficulty.” The group therefore called on leaders in the North East geo-political zone to give Hon Dogara all the necessary support, stressing that those responsible should not commit act of injustice by not putting things in proper perspective, saying that Hon Yakubu remains the best choice for the speakership of the House of Representatives in the 8th National Assembly.

L-R: Public Relations Officer, Yoruba Youth Initiative, Majekodunmi Olubusayo; President, Dada O. Ololade and Secretary, Fashoranti Olayemi, during a news conference for the endorsement of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and Hon. Saka Fafunmi as the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly in Lagos at the weekend.

Group supports Ekiti Assembly’s closure by security agencies Robert Awokuse

kiti Democratic Coalition, EDC, has hailed security agencies, especially the police, in Ekiti State for sealing up the state House of Assembly and ensuring adequate security within and around the Assembly Complex. EDC convener, Comrade Boladale Adeniyi, yesterday made this known in a communiqué made available to journalists, saying that those putting pressure on the All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers to invade the state with thugs

today to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose were only interested in plunging the state into chaos. He said: “We visited the House of Assembly on Saturday and we were very impressed with the presence of armed policemen in and around the House of Assembly Complex. We are also aware that those urging the APC lawmakers to invade the state on Monday were turned down by the military when they tried to lure the Army into the evil project of impeaching Governor Fayose.” Saying the action of the police and other security agents means that the As-

sembly would be secured till the expiration of the tenure of the present lawmakers; Comrade Adeniyi thanked the people of Ekiti State for voting Governor Fayose against all odd and praised their determination to protect their mandate. In another development, reacting to the court order on the Assembly speakership tussle that has traumatised the House since the controversial impeachment of Dr. Adewale Omirin, which saw the emergence of the present Speaker Hon. Dele Olugbemi, the group said, “Since the two individuals are laying claim to the speakership of the House

of Assembly and there is a subsisting court order that status quo ante belum as at April 23, be maintained, the most sensible thing to do in the circumstance is for the House to be sealed up as done by the police so as to prevent breakdown of law and order.” Adeniyi added that since the court case involving the 26 lawmakers, the Clerk and the Police will come up on June 4, and the order of the court that status quo be maintained still subsists, he was sure that the police, as a party to the suit, will not allow any of the parties to come close to the House of Assembly Complex.

Politics

o Prof Siyan Oyeweso of the Department of History and Strategic Studies of Osun State University, “there can be no doubt that the emergence of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the dominant party after the March 28 Presidential election is a product of a well crafted political alliance and the strategies adopted by the leaders of the party. “The determination of President Muhammadu Buhari is also worthy of note. Without the alliance of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, there is no way Buhari would have defeated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.” The don argued further that as President Buhari took the mantle of leadership, the historical thing to take note of is the fact that it is the first time an incumbent president will be defeated in an election which local and foreign observers have described as free and fair. His words: “Indeed, we can say that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and President Buhari have made history. Jonathan is the first Nigerian leader to concede defeat and bow to the will of the electorates. President Buhari is the first former Nigerian military head of state to contest presidential elections and lost in 2003, 2007, 2011 and eventually won in 2015. “The whole scenario is a product of strategic thinking of the political gladiators in the defunct CAN, led by a politically astute man who is no other than former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”. Prof Oyeweso added that another significant thing about the merger of the four opposition parties is the fact that the North-West got involved in an effective political alliance with the SouthWest for the first time since the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorate in 1914. To those who are conversant with the political history of Nigeria, that observation is very valid. The North-West always has the highest voter turn-out in all national elections since independence in 1960. Western Nigeria usually has the second most effective voter turnout. It is no wonder that the emergence of President Buhari is almost a foregone conclusion as long as he could get significant support from the South-West. The results of all the presidential elections since 1999 till date show clearly that wherever the South-West pitches its tent, that is where political power will eventually be. In 2003, the leaders of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, decided to support for-

as Buhari takes over, Nigerians expect change in all aspects of our national life.

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Strong political alliance, strategic thinking and APC mandate WALE AJAO examines the first merger of the opposition parties to form All Progressives Congress, APC, in the history of Nigeria’s political alliance.

Odigie-Oyegun

Tinubu

mer President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was seeking re-election. Along with the votes PDP got from the North and the minority areas of the South, the votes from the South-West gave former President Obasanjo the upper hand in the 2003 presidential election. Buhari lost the election in 2007 and 2011 because he could not get significant support from the South-West. The result of the 2015 presidential election is a pointer to the efficacy of the political alliance forged by the four parties that became the APC. For example, in 2011 under the defunct CPC, Buhari got almost 10 million votes from the North alone. But with little or no support from the South-West, he lost. In 2015, Buhari got a total 15,424,921 votes. Out of that figure 2,312,862 votes came from the core South-West states. The South-West votes also made it easier for the APC to get the required twothirds of votes in more than 24 of the 36 states of the federation, in fulfillment of the constitutional requirement for election. Critical observers will recollect that from the beginning, many people thought that Tinubu’s personal ambition will make it impossible for the alliance to work. It was presumed that Tinubu would want to become the President and would not want to concede the post to Buhari. At another point it was speculated that Tinubu will be vice-presidential candidate to Buhari, which will mean that a Muslim-Muslim ticket will be presented to the electorate. Since February 7, 2013 when it was reported that the alliance had been successfully consummated, all sorts of reasons why it would fail had been adduced. The alliance, however, surmounted all obstacles on its way. When the APC held its national convention last year and successfully elected important officers like its National Chairman, in Odigie Oyegun, National Publicity Secretary in Lai Mohammed and there was no rancour and acrimony, discerning observers already knew that

the party was set to give the ruling PDP a very keen competition. By the time APC held its presidential primaries in Lagos in January this year; critics went to town with the theory that the party will break up due to the inevitable disagreement about who will be the flag bearer. Again, strategic thinking and deft political manoeuvres made the primaries a hitch-free exercise. Buhari emerged in a primary election adjudged to be transparent, free and fair. The APC was thus poised for its inevitable victory. And as the campaigns went on, the party kept on emphasising the need for change. The party raised issues about the widespread corruption that had plagued governance since the PDP took over power in 1999. According to Professor Saraffideen Tella of the Economics Department of Ogun State University, “the mantra of change which the APC kept hammering on, the constant emphasis laid on the need to eradicate corruption and the political antecedents of Buhari as a leader who will not tolerate corruption all worked together to bring APC into popular acceptance while the campaigns were going on” Professor Tella added that “while the APC was focusing on issues and was strategising by gaining the support of critical social groups like workers, students and youths and the ordinary people, the middle class and the intelligentsia, the PDP was seeking the support of traditional rulers and pastors.” He also observed that “even before the elections were postponed for about six weeks, it was already clear that the APC was coasting home to victory”. On the issue of hate campaign and the controversies that followed it, Senge Rahman, a legal practitioner, told National Mirror that “it was clear that the hate campaigns worked in favour of Buhari as it enraged the electorates against the PDP. Those who thought Nigerians will reject Buhari because of old age, or alleged lack of certificate clearly misfired. The fact is that people

were clearly fed up with the poor performance of the Jonathan administration”. While trying to underscore the significance of the alliance that produced the APC, and its place in history, Professor Oyeweso noted that all alliances formed to capture power at the centre from 1960 till date have all failed. The APC alliance is the first to succeed in capturing power. The don mentioned the situation during the 1964 federal election, “when the defunct United Progressive Grand Alliance, UPGA, contested against the defunct Nigerian National Alliance, NNA. The NNA was in power at the centre while UPGA was the opposition. UPGA was made of defunct Action Group, AG, led by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, defunct Northern Elements Progressives Union, NEPU led by late Mallam Aminu Kano and the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, NCNC, led by late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe; while the NNA was made up of the ruling defunct Northern Peoples Congress, NPC, which had produced the first prime minister since it had been in power after the 1959 federal election. Also, a part of the NNA was the Nigeria National Democratic Party, NNDP, formed by late Samuel Ladoke Akintola, after the fall out with his political leader, late Chief Awolowo after the AG crisis of 1962. The 1964 federal election was controversial and was massively rigged in favour of the ruling NNA. But the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the Western region election of 1965. Everybody expected UPGA to win but results announced on local radio gave victory to Akintola’s NNA. Then pandemonium was let loose and on January 15 1966, the military seized power. The same experience repeated itself during the second republic. According to the don, the alliance between the defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN, led by former President Shehu Shagari and Nigerian Peoples Party, NPP, led by late Dr. Azikwe collapsed even before the 1979 elections were held. Oyeweso said: “It was clear that right from the first republic till date, political alliances often do not work due to too many centrifugal forces like ethnic and religious politics.” APC is therefore the first successful alliance in the political history of this country. On the mandate of the APC, Professor Tella believes that the party will deliver. Since President Buhari is an experienced leader who has integrity. His words: “One can safely say that Buhari will make a difference given his antecedents.’’ And as Buhari takes over, Nigerians expect change in all aspects of our national life.

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Monday, June 1, 2015

For Lady Chukwuma, a quintessence leader @ 63 JULIUS ELUSAKIN

miable woman would be my simple response if asked to describe the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation before March 3rd, 2014. But if asked now, without hesitation, I would add ‘meticulous’ and ‘conscientious’ to her attributes. Well, some may refer to her as a transformational leader and silent achiever; definitely it would be a perfect description. Most of the chief executives of Energy Group often refer to her as our one and only Lady Chukwuma. The very day I resumed, after greeting her, I patiently waited for response. Madam told me politely, please sit down. She had a chat with me briefly and asked the Head, Admin to take me round the offices. There I knew this is one of the few CEOs that Jim Collins mentioned in book, ‘Good to Great’ as a level five leader. The leaders in this class paradoxically blend humility with professionalism, which is a rear quality. Bravados are often associated with successful CEOs – the character trait that has sent many of “too big to fail” companies to oblivion. Lady Isioma Chukwuma is one of the people in the mold of Darwin Smith of Kimberly Clerk. Lady Chukwuma was born on 6th June, 1952 into the family of Pa Michael

Okolie, an astute banker from Asaba, Delta State. Last year when we went for the burial of her father at Asaba, I discovered while reading through the Grand Pa’s biography where my MD actually inherited the attention to details at work. Without missing words, this quality has greatly contributed to her success in various leadership positions she has held. Lady Isioma Chukwuma is a 1978 Second Class Upper Division graduate of French of the University of Ibadan. As destiny would have it, her first job was with Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation. Shortly after joining Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation on 2nd January, 1980, she was motivated to enroll for professional certification in insurance, a core condition for promotion in the Corporation. She put in for the professional course and completed it within three years and became an associate member of the Institute. To brighten her chances in her chosen career, she put in for the Public Administration post graduate programme of the University of Lagos and bagged Masters Degree in 1985. In her career enhancement pursuits, she gave her best not only to the growth of her company but was also committed to the growth of insurance industry in Nigeria. This and other reasons made the management of the company to nominate her as its Office Representative at Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria

THE THREE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES EXPECTED FROM A SUCCESSFUL

CEO - INTEGRITY, INTELLIGENCE AND INNOVATION – ARE

FOUND ABUNDANTLY IN HER (CIIN). This opportunity and her commitment were catalyst to her great feat in the industry, where she is currently the Deputy President of CIIN. Prior to this appointment, she had served the Institute as chairman of the Offices Representative Committee, chairman of the Mandatory Continuous Professional Development Committee, member, Activities Committee, and Treasurer of the CIIN. She has equally served as President, Professional Insurance Ladies Association (PILA) between 2001 and 2003. In her current status as Deputy President of the Governing Council of CIIN, Lady Isioma Chukwuma doubles as chairman, Accreditation Committee and member, Education Committee of the Institute. Notwithstanding the enormity of her responsibilities, which require frequent travelling locally and internationally, Lady Isioma Chukwuma has been able to strike the balance between her com-

Do you suffer from martyr complex? SANDRA AKUOMA

artyr complex (MC) is a flawed personality trait. People with MC tend to go out of their way to help others, see themselves as helpers, consider it their moral obligation to put others first before themselves, and view self-sacrifice as a duty. Normally it is okay to be helpful to others, the problem is that those with MC, tend to do it at their own detriment, and in the process they may even harm themselves to the point where they are not even being helpful to others anymore. These people are always unhappy and unfulfilled because they deny their own needs for the sake of others. They view life as a struggle, and themselves as a bastion of righteousness in an ungrateful world. The martyr is one who employs selfsacrifice and victimization as a way of avoiding to take responsibility for this/ her life. Such persons are prepared, however, to take responsibility for everyone else’s life. Women in general and mothers more than fathers, tend to suffer from this complex. Mothers, by nature, are givers. They will put their children’s needs before their own and this behaviour often extends to husbands, parents and friends. It is NOT a martyr complex when you are generous with both time and material possessions, but when this type of behaviour is dependent on constant validation and verbalized appreciation it is

MARTYRS ARE PEOPLE WHO LET OTHERS KNOW HOW UNFAIRLY THEY ARE BEING TREATED, BUT CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN THIS UNFAIR POSITION perceived as a martyr complex. Martyr complex often goes hand in hand with a deeply ingrained need to please others (people pleasers) I will clearly differentiate the difference between an innocent victim and someone that has martyr complex so we do not get confused between the two as there is often an overlap. Unfair treatment Martyrs are people who let others know how unfairly they are being treated, but choose to remain in this unfair position. Victims are people who let others know they have been treated unfairly; they have the chance to leave or change the situation in which they have been victimized, but these victims often suffer silently for long periods of time before they are able to verbalize the unfairness of their life situations. Enabling bad situations Martyrs often knowingly continue to enable or set up situations in which their rights are violated or ignored. This “setting up” is like a prediction or prophecy of failure into which, consciously or unconsciously, the martyrs play, fulfilling

the prophecy. Victims often unknowingly set themselves up for continued abuse and violation of their rights. They are often confused and bewildered as to why this occurs. They lack insight into the actions that bring on this abuse. Always want sympathy Martyrs often seek sympathy for their plight. They seek support, advice and help from others. Yet they seem stuck in their current course of action and seem to be unable to resolve it. Victims frequently never seek help. They are often frustrated and lost as to what needs to be done to get them out of their current situation. Once victims have been offered help and make a conscious choice to remain stuck in their situation, they become martyrs. Obliged to remain in misery Martyrs often believe it is their obligation to remain in their position in life. They would feel guilty if they let go of the current situation. They fear taking the risk to change the situation. They are apparently comfortable, habituated or submissive to the situation and believe a change would be worse for them and for the others in their lives. Victims often want a change and are desperate for a solution to their situation. As soon as a victim gives in to a situation, choosing not to resolve or correct it, they become martyrs. The saying, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem,” applies to the martyr’s state in life. Stereotypical and habitual complainers

mitment to her family, her corporation where she is Managing Director/CEO and the Institute. Her doggedness and innovative thinking were salient ingredients for the success recorded at the Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation after it was privatized and she made the Managing Director. The three essential qualities expected from a successful CEO - Integrity, Intelligence and Innovation – are found abundantly in her. It is equally worth saying that Lady Chukwuma is a God fearing woman and committed Anglican decorated with the title “Lady”. She was the immediate past President, Ladies Progressive Society of All Saints Anglican Church, Yaba, Lagos. Lady Isy, as she is fondly called by her friends in the industry, enjoys the support and respect of her colleagues, the loyalty of her staff, and more importantly the love of her family. It is our prayer at Nigeria Re that God Almighty will continue to protect you, grant you the wisdom to continuously excel in this life. May you never lack favor, divine direction and sound health; your strength shall never fail you in Jesus name. I wish you a long life and many prosperous years ahead. And congratulation in advance Ma, as we earnestly await your investiture come 11th August, 2015, as the 47th President and Chairman of the CIIN Council by the grace of God. Elusakin is Head, Research and Development, Nigerian Reinsurance, Lagos.

Martyrs have a story line which is stereotypical and habitual. They rarely change their tales of woe. One can meet them several years later and find them still suffering from the fate they were experiencing when you last talked to them. A person with a chief feature of martyrdom has a habit of complaining about endless problems and blaming those problems on anyone or anything but himself. It’s all the fault of his mother, his boss, his so-called friends, this society, the government; people in general, life itself. Victims experience their plight temporarily, get help and are more apt to get out of the situation. If after getting help and changing, victims experience the same problems later, they could be martyrs at that time. Food for thought This week spend time observing yourself and notice if you are being a martyr or a victim. Always ask yourself this question: Do I have a choice in this situation? Akuoma wrote from Lagos via sanlifepointers@hotmail.com and can be reached through 0181 558 3876 (SMS only) Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs. Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

Editorial

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

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

Incorrigible impunity of security operatives

igerian law enforcement agencies’ extreme penchant for trampling on the rights of citizens they are paid to protect and go unpunished in the end, is shocking. That was what popularised the 1986 ‘mad dog’ shame that pitched the late Chief MKO Abiola of the June 12, 1993 fame against the military. Last May 18, some reckless Nigeria Air Force (NAF) men at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, allegedly beat up a staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mohammed Shuaibu to a state of unconsciousness, for obstructing traffic at the terminal. According to reports, Shuaibu stood by his car parked at the airport and was waiting for a friend when two Air Force personnel attempted to remove the car’s number plate because he purportedly parked wrongly and had overstayed his welcome. Shuaibu reportedly pleaded and identified himself, though dressed in his FAAN uniform. But the NAF men ignored him and beat him to stupor. Unconscious, he was rushed to the nearby FAAN clinic, and later referred to the airport hospital because of the seriousness of the injuries he sustained. On November 3, 2008, on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Uzoma Okere, a young

lady, was driving home when she was similarly brutalised by bodyguards attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, who accused her of obstructing their boss convoy. Okere was not only beaten and stripped by the security men; they also dealt with a friend of hers she was commuting with. In addition, they beat up several staff of Price Water House Coopers, destroying the cameras some witnesses of the rascality used in filming the assault in the process. There was also the pathetic report in December 2013, of how soldiers on guard along Ughelli road, Delta State, killed an ‘okada’ rider on the Ughelli market bridge then under construction. The soldiers banned all forms of vehicular movements on the bridge, with the exception of motorcycles conveying school children, to enable smooth operations by Setraco workers constructing the bridge, which was a good initiative. But apparently ignorant of the ban, the okada rider carrying a female passenger passed the barricade erected by the soldiers and climbed the bridge. Midway on the bridge, a soldier asked him to turn back. The okada rider’s appeal that he should be permitted to pass, having gone that far, was met with horse-whip flogging. As the okada man alighted from his bike in confusion and tried to remove his

A STRONG INDICATION IS GIVEN THAT TRAINING ON CIVILIZED BEHAVIOUR AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE SECURITY AGENCIES IS NOT YIELDING THE DESIRED RESULTS

helmet, the protective head gear mistakenly hit the soldier’s hand, and the trigger-happy soldier cocked his rifle, threatening to shoot him. When the okada rider tried to stop him on sensing danger, another soldier nearby fired at him, aiming at his chest, but the bullet missed its target. This was followed by yet another shot, which tore the Okada rider’s head; and he died instantly. The rest is now history. Cases of such impunity in the land, which tarnishes the images and rubbishes the human rights’ records of not just the security agencies, but that of corporate Nigeria, are too numerous to catalogue here. It becomes worse when claims of extra-judicial killings by the police, especially, are added. Among the security agencies themselves, there is pervasive intolerance. In October 2005, irate Nigerian soldiers burned down Area ‘C’ police headquarters at Su-

ON THIS DAY June 1, 1980 Cable News Network (CNN), a United States-based cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner, commenced broadcasting. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the US. It has numerous affiliates, but primarily broadcasts from its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta, and studios in New York City, etc.

Letters tothe theEditor Editor Letters to

June 1, 2001 Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal, at a royal dinner, shot and killed several members of his family, including his father and mother, King Birendra of Nepal and Queen Aiswarya. He was mortally wounded by a self-inflicted gunshot to the side of his head and briefly reigned in a coma as King of Nepal from June 1 to June 4, 2001. Nepalese believe the massacre was the result of a conspiracy.

rulere, Lagos. The crisis claimed about three lives. Over 50 cars were either torched or destroyed, police armoury looted, alongside nearby shops, and hundreds of people rendered homeless, following a minor misunderstanding between the police and soldiers, for example. We shudder at the possible reasons that have made it so impossible for the officers and men of the nation’s armed forces to conduct themselves in deference to the rule of law and respect for the rights of others, even under democratic rule. The nation is on its 17th year of civil rule, but there appears no tangible sign of improvement, despite all platitudes to the contrary. A strong indication is given that training on civilized behaviour and respect for human rights in the security agencies is not yielding the desired results. Therefore, victims of security agencies’ unlawful assaults should be courageous enough to seek redress in court, while civil society organisations should remain eternally vigilant and report rights’ infractions to the world. The Federal Government, through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and related agencies, should inject more energy in redressing human rights abuses and protecting Nigerians from trigger happy security men, paid from state coffers to protect life and property, but who prefer the abuse of their sacred callings.

x June 1, 2014 A bombing at a football field in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria, killed at least 40 people and injured 19 others. The perpetrators of the attack were not clear, although media reports generally blamed Boko Haram. Mubi is located a few miles from the Nigeria–Cameroon border. It is one of the towns in three North East Nigerian states under a state of emergency for more than one year. The others are Borno and Yobe.

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Cover

Power Sector:

Recurring regimes of Against the backdrop of the near collapse of power system in the country, especially in recent times when most distribution companies are getting next to nothing from power generation entities to supply to consumers nationwide, Gbenga Odogun examines the failing saga and the deceit that appeared to have characterised power sector reforms and its implications for the overall well being of the country

harles works in a construction firm and he drives an old rickety car of 1973 model, he has not been investing much on the repair and general maintenance of the car over a period of 20 years that he has been driving the car, either due to financial constraints or sheer negligence on his part. Twenty years after, the car started exhibiting various problems. First, it was the fuel pump, which was fixed quickly, then the alternator which could no longer charge the battery. That too was fixed with significant chunk of Charles’ monthly income and finally the radiator became so dirty after gathering so much dusts that the engine is now overheating at regular intervals. Charles got stuck in traffic one day and the engine stopped working due to overheating, he called in a mechanic who checked it out and found that the gasket had packed up! He asked what it will cost him to fix it, and was told. On calculating the amount he will need to fix it and on the advice of the mechanic, he decided to sell the car to someone with more technical knowledge about how the car could be put to maxi-

mum use. He got a few offers and decided to sell it to the highest bidder who claimed to have all it takes to refurbish the car and put it back on the road. However, months after the purchase, the buyer could not put the car to use and came back to approach Charles for financial assistance in order to put the car to maximum use. The above scenario best illustrates the situation of Nigeria’s power sector which had been starved of investment funds over a very long period and now constitutes one of the major constraints to recent drives towards making Nigeria one of the most developed 20 economies globally within the next five years. The near collapse also pointed to the fact that the federal government needs to hands off the project if Nigerians would benefit from adequate power supply to meet our ever increasing electricity demands. This led to the dismantling of the now defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria and have its assets sold to private investors which were licensed to generate and distribute power to Nigerians. After almost 8 years of political maneuvering, the federal government finally

Afam Power Plant

surmoned the courage to license 10 generation companies and 10 distribution companies to take over the function of electricity generation and distribution in collaboration with their foreign technical partners. The companies involved are; Afam power plc Shiroro hydro power plc, Ughellin power plc, Kainji/Jebba power plant, Sapele power plant, Calabar power plant, Orji River power station and Ijora thermal power station. At the same time, another 10 distribution companies were licensed including Kaduna, Abuja, Jos, Kano, Yola, Enugu, Benin, Eko, Ikeja and Ibadan electricity Distribution companies. These companies officially took over the functions of Power Holding Company of

Nigeria on the 1st October 2013 with the understanding that the much needed investment and technical knowhow would be attracted to the industry to guarantee steady supply of electricity to the Nigerian Populace. However, 18 months after the privatization exercise, electricity supply has not only fell but also nearing total collapse as Distribution Companies charged with the responsibility of making supply available to Nigerians are either full of complains of not getting enough from the generation companies while the generation companies also hinged their failure to either poor gas supply due to vandalism or lack of adequate funding as not enough revenue is being generated to meet operational costs.

As at the time of going to the press, electricity generation have fallen drastically from 4500 mega watts before privatization to a paltry 1200 with some DISCOS recording 0 allocation from the National grid in the last 2 weeks. “As at Monday last week, allocation to Ikeja Electric has been 0MW as against 1,250MW required to satisfy our customers said Engineer Abiodun Ajifowobaje the Managing Director Of the company. Ajifowobaje said Ikeja Electric had since placed its staff on stringent schedules to ensure that customer issues are promptly addressed via its contact centre and walkin experience centers. “We on behalf of our customers, plead with the government and all stake-

holders to address all issues militating against the availability of power to save lives and boost economic prosperity in Nigeria. It is our hope that these issues are resolved so that we can continue to serve our customers without any inhibitions,” he added. The dire situation in the power sector was further laid bare with the fuel scarcity of the last 2 weeks where lack of electricity supply at the time when petroleum products were not also available brought the economy which had depended solely on genUDO ONYEKA, CO-ORDINATOR BUSINESS COURAGE udonyeka@gmail.com c

Global Media Mirror Limited

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reform failures

Chinedu Nebo, former Minister of Power

‘

The failing saga of this exercise has also called to question the transparency involved in the transfer of this all important national asset

have refused to provide pre-paid meters, preferring the extortionist “estimated bills.” This is most fraudulent. Last week, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, acknowledged that some private electricity power distribution firms that took over the privatized PHCN entity in 2013 had applied to the government to pull out of the deal, They include Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, Kano, Kaduna and eight other DISCOs who have all declared force majeure in their operations citing the lowering of tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, as reasons for pulling out. The failing saga of this exercise has also called to question the transparency involved in the transfer of this all important national asset. The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties,

Peterside

‘

erator to its knees. Last week when the nation experienced massive fluctuation of electricity, it was attributed to inadequate supply of gas to the various power plants in the country and the non-payment of gas fee by the new investors to Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. Also speaking, Dr. Jamili Gwamna, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Kano Distribution Company, said that the power allocated to his company has been below capacity and as such has reduced the DISCO’s revenue expectation. According to him, “Our power allocation has been low in recent times. How on earth will customers pay me and how will I pay money also? There has not been power and

when you threaten to disconnect consumers, they tell you to hurry up with the disconnection process.” As a matter of fact reports last week indicates that some Generations and Distribution Companies are already considering buy back arrangements with the bureau of public Enterprises BPE as they could not get the much needed funding required for efficient supply. “Most of the hastilyformed companies and consortia that emerged as preferred bidders for the GenCos and DisCos lack the financial, technical, human and managerial capacity to run power companies. Said “Group of concerned citizens. The group said research and consulting firm, Mckinsey & Company, estimates that Nigeria needs $350bn to provide uninterrupted power supply by 2030. How will these poorly capitalised Nigerian power firms mobilise such funds? Beyond that, electricity consumers are now made to buy equipment, including meters, transformers and wires, that credible distribution firms should ordinarily supply. Most of the DisCos are nothing but tariff collectors, adding virtually no value to the electricity distribution chain. They

Dikki

CNPP, described the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, as a total failure CNPP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, said that available records show “that one and half years after the Federal Government privatised the unbundled assets of the PHCN, the successor companies have not fared better, to say the least, service delivery has been epileptically poor.” Okechukwu said the privatization process, which facilitated the Distribution Companies, DISCOs and Generating Companies, GENCOs, ending up in wrong hands was very obvious. In the same vein Mr. Atedo Peterside, chairman Technical Committee of NCP, expressed bitterness at what he claimed was the” corruptly handing over of our commonwealth to companies which failed woefully in the Net Pres-

ent Value, NPV, threshold assessment of the Technical Committee” “To us in the CNPP, “the exercise which is being paraded as successful, was a colossal failure, because today we have less that 2000MW, the lowest electricity output in a decade; since the fraudulent winner companies were unable to meet the original intention of privatisation; which is the revamping of our electricity substructure.” CNPP expressed unhappiness that Peterside was vindicated, barely six months later, most of the companies were unable to pay up their bid price on schedule, and unable to fix the electricity infrastructure, hence came cap-in-hand begging for financial support and today arbitrarily increasing tariff out of the range approved by the Multi Year Tariff Order of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC. The conference was of the view that had Peterside been listened to and the impunity which governed the unbundling exercise stopped the issue of loaning or indeed dashing N230bn to DISCOs couldn’t have arisen. For by the time we finish borrowing money to revamp the companies and pay severance allowance

to PHCN staff, the whole money received as auction fee must have evaporated into thin air,” NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who spoke at an interactive session for delegates to the International Labour Organisation, ILO, conference in Geneva, Switzerland, also called for a probe of the $40bn so far spent on the power sector. He said it is unfortunate that in spite of the huge resources deployed in the power sector in the last few years, the country has remained in darkness. Though the new investors did not talk about funding, it was learnt that huge investment would be needed to put the GENCOS and DISCOS on track in order to meet the aspirations of Nigerian Recently, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, said that the electricity distribution companies handed over to private investors on November 1, would require about $1.8bn ,about N288bn as capital expenditure over the next five years to attain efficiency and meet the required capacity. The Director-General, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, also said the Discos would be required to spend a total of $357.7m within one year. BC

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News Experts task Buhari on high cost of governance By Udo Onyeka

inancial experts have called on the new government led by Muhammadu Buhari to reduce the high cost of governance as a way of reversing the dwindling fortunes of the nation’s economy. The experts who spoke at the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria held in Lagos, recently maintained that the Federal Government could not continue with the soaring cost of governance if it hoped to boost economy growth. President and Chairman of Council, CIBN, Mrs. Debola Osibogun advised the new government to cut down on the retinue of aides attached to heads of ministries, department and agencies. “The most important issue which the new federal government must address is the high cost of governance; I had pointed this to the former president, to which he acknowledged. “If you look at the number of special advisers and personal assistants, you will notice that they have rendered the bureaucrats who are in the ministries almost redundant and they get paid. They should allow them to do their jobs and reduce the number of people they bring when they get appointed.” Managing Director, Nigeria Deposits Insurance Corporation, NDIC, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim said he has confidence in the new administration and emphasised the need to diversify the economy. According to him, the government needs to intensify efforts aimed at strengthening the service industries, especially by making sure that the operating environment is friendly. “The new government should continue to do everything possible to diversify the economy, so that we can rely less on oil revenue, develop agriculture, solid minerals and the Small and Medium Scale

Osibogun

L-R: Olor’ogun Sonny Kuku, Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria; Jibril Aku, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria and Awardee Zik Prize Award 2014 for Professional Leadership; Dr Oba Otudeko, Chairman, Honeywell Group; Emmanuel Ikazoboh, Chairman, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide, chairman, Arik Air at the Zik Prize Award in Lagos

Enterprises, SMEs among others,” Ibrahim said. Also Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola, lamented over the high cost of doing business in the country. He said that even though it would not be an easy task for the new government to reduce the high cost of governance, but it would be a good thing to do.

Nigeria records N110.2bn decline in trade

he National Bureau of Statistics released the merchandise trade statistics for the first quarter of this year, noting that the country recorded a N110.2bn decline in trade from N4.98tn in December 2014 to N4.87tn at the end of March. The bureau, in a report, stated that despite a rise of N275.6bn in the value of exports against the level recorded in the preceding quarter, a decline of N385.8bn in the value of imports resulted in an overall decline in the value of merchandise trade. The report stated, “The total value of Nigeria’s merchandise trade at the end of quarter one 2015 stood at N4.875trn. From the preceding quarter’s value of N4.985trn, this was N110.2bn or 2.2 per cent less. The value of Nigeria’s imports stood at N1.645tn at the end of Q1 2015, a decrease of N385.8bn or 19 per cent from N2.03trn recorded in the preceding quarter. “Year-on-year, however, the value of the country’s imports increased by N99.8bn or 6.5 per cent from Q1 2014 value of

N1.545trn.” According to the report, the structure of Nigeria’s imports during the period under review was dominated by boilers, machinery and appliances, which accounted for 27.7 per cent of the total value of imports. Other commodities, which contributed considerably to the value of imports were, minerals products (13.1 per cent); base metals and articles of base metals (10.2 per cent); and vehicles, aircraft and associated parts (9.6 per cent). In terms of the country from where the products were imported from, the report stated, “Nigeria imported goods from China, United States, Belgium, The Netherlands and India, which respectively accounted for N387.5bn or 23.6 per cent; N133.8bn or 8.1 per cent; N118.7bn or 7.2 per cent; N108.7bn or 6.6 per cent; and N96.6bn or 5.9 per cent “By continent, the country consumed goods largely from Asia, with an import value of N708.2bn or 43 per cent of the quarterly total. Nigeria also imported goods valued at N458.4bn or 27.9 per cent of total imports from Europe and N252.2bn or 15.3 per cent of total imports from Asia.” In terms of exports, the report added that the country exported mainly mineral products, which accounted for N2.88tn or 89.2 per cent of total exports. The report stated that liquefied natural gas was the product with the second greatest export value after crude oil, with a value of N306.2bn. It added that Nigeria exported goods mainly to India, The Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Brazil at N436.6bn or 13.5 per cent; N319.6bn or 9.9 per cent; N263.4bn or 8.2 per cent; and N260bn or eight

per cent of the first quarter total, respectively.

Keller

Carmudi launches Nigeria’s first automotive whitepaper By Leonard Okachie

igeria’s fast and revolutionary solution for people looking to sell and buy cars online, Carmudi has launched Nigeria’s first automotive whitepaper. The report on ‘The Booming Automotive Industry in Emerging Markets’ provides a detailed look into the global state of automotive sales and how car purchasing behaviours have changed due to the drastic increase in internet and mobile penetration, rising GDP, and the emergence of a middle class. Addressing journalists in Lagos recently, the Managing Director Carmudi Nigeria, Christian Keller said the findings in the report are the results of quantitative surveys conducted online with both car buyers and car dealers, and indepth interviews with industry

influencers throughout Nigeria. On the state of global car sales, the reports says: “Global automotive sales for 2015 are expected to reach close to $89M, a 2.4 per cent growth from 2014. Emerging markets’ share of global sales will rise from 50 per cent in 2012 to 60 per cent by 2020, while their share of global profits is also set to rise by 10 per cent. When it comes to new cars, purchase intent is strongest in Asia, where 65 per cent of respondents say they will buy new cars in the next two years, compared with 7 per cent who plan to buy used cars.” “Globally, auto E-Commerce has grown at such a staggering rate that now as many as 80 per cent of new car customers and almost 100 per cent of used car customers begin their car shopping experience online. With internet and mobile penetration significantly growing in emerging markets, the rate of moving the car shopping experience online is beginning to mirror that of Western Markets. “In Nigeria, the biggest source of the new middle class in Africa, 83 per cent of car buyers report using the Internet to conduct research on a car before making a purchase.” The Carmudi study found that 30 per cent of car dealers in Nigeria reported an increase in car sales over the past 12 months due to the changing economic climate, while 50 per cent of car dealers surveyed reported a decrease. According to the findings, Nigeria’s auto industry remains relatively strong, but critical policy changes, like the National Automotive Industry Development Plan, have the potential to change the entire industry. The report also revealed that 83 per cent of Nigerian car buyers reported turning to the internet, blogs, forums, and social media when researching cars. The majority of car dealers responded that up to 80 per cent of their customers turn to the internet and social media for auto research, while the responses also proved that offline media, including newspaper classifieds and auto expos (under 10 per cent), are declining as a source for buyers.

Expert urges FG to use ICT to reduce cost of governance

hief Executive Officer of Teledom Group, Mr Emmanuel Ekuwem, has urged the Federal Government to use Information and Communications Technology, ICT, to reduce the cost of governance. Ekuwem, a former President

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of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria ,ATCON, told theNews Agency of Nigeria ,NAN, in Lagos that certain aspects of governance that were done manually should be automated. He said that automation would help to reduce the cost of governance in the country. According to him, automation of certain aspects of governance will ensure transparency, increase efficiency and productivity. He explained that if productivity were increased, there would even be need for more employment of manpower. ‘’Given the state where we are today in Nigeria, I will not advocate that Information Technology ,IT, should be used towards reducing the cost of manpower. ‘’It should not be used to send people back to the streets of the labour market,’’ Ekuwem said. He, however, said that even as the agitation for reduction in the cost of governance continued, there was the need to know the present cost of governance. The former ATCON president said there was the need to know what the country was incurring cost on and find a way of eliminating it, if necessary. ‘’If we are wasteful, we should cut off those areas of waste. If we are too reckless in spending, then we should be much more prudent in spending.

Ekuwem

AfDB expresses concern over Africa’s energy shortage

frican Development Bank, AfDB, has expressed concern that the continent’s energy deficit remains large in spite of remarkable achievements in continental development. The view is contained in the fifth edition of the bank’s Annual Development Effectiveness Review ,ADER, issued at its 50th Anniversary and Annual General Meeting in Abidjan. The publication, posted on

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governor to keep his campaign promises to the people.

Bello

L-R: Group Managing Director, Skye Bank PLC, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo; Vice Chairman, Tantalizers PLC, Mr. Olu Ayeni; Head Mistress, Vivian Fowler Memorial School, Mrs. Funke Fowler-Amba and the Managing Director, Spectra Industries Limited, Mr. Duro Kuteyi at the Skye Bank SME Business Seminar

the bank’s website, is part of a series produced by the bank’s Quality Assurance and Result’s Department. It states that 70 per cent of the bank’s indicators are on track. It provides an overview of Africa’s development achievements and trends, reviews the bank’s contribution to development results and looks at how well it manages its operations and own organisation. “While acknowledging that Africa is making gradual progress, the report notes that the continent’s energy deficit remains very large. The overall electrification rate increased from 38 per cent in 2005 to 42 per cent in 2013, even as populations grew at a faster rate. The Bank said average electricity consumption in edged up from 666 to 690 KWh/year, making, Africa is still far behind other developing regions. The review indicates that AfDB is contributing to the energy sector in Africa, an approach to supporting the energy sector has evolved over the years. ``The 1994 Energy Sector Policy concentrated primarily on institutional reforms and capacity development in the energy sector, with the goal of helping to unlock private investment. ``We helped to improve pricing policies, management practices and maintenance regimes,” it further states. The report states that after a few years, ``it became clear that p1rivate investment was not forthcoming, and therefore the bank decided to support its regional member countries by scaling up its investments in major infrastructure development. ``For the past two decades, some 12 per cent of AfDB

investments have gone into the energy sector. ``Most went towards building national generation capacity and distribution networks, with an emphasis on rural electrification to promote inclusive growth.’’ Since 2009, the bank has contributed to financing more than 1,900mw of new generation capacity and over 15,000 km of transmission lines, according to the review.

Ugwuanyi

Gov. Ugwuanyi warns citizens against tax evasion

he new Governor of Enugu State, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has warned the citizens and corporate entities against tax evasion, saying the act will no longer be tolerated. In his inaugural speech in Enugu on Friday, Ugwuanyi said that tax defaulters would not be counted as partners in the development of the state. The governor assured the people that every money paid as tax to the government would be used transparently to add value to the state.

He said the government would drive with full force investment promotion, agricultural sector renewal, provision of critical infrastructure, human capital development and skills acquisition. “We will deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen to make a living and create wealth, educate our children and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment. “Enugu State under us will pay special attention to rural development because majority of our people live in the rural areas. “We will equip and modernise Nsukka, a university town, to compete with other university towns in attracting technology and knowledgebased businesses. “It is important to know that the times we are in require some patience. With patience, faith and your full involvement in governance, we will surely get there,’’ he said. In his farewell speech, former Gov. Sullivan Chime thanked the people of the state for their support and cooperation throughout his tenure. Chime said his administration was able to achieve giant strides as a result of commitment. “As I am thanking you, I make this prayer to say that politics is over. We have gone beyond party and we have come to governance. “We must live to be good citizens and ambassadors of the state. Whoever you may be, do not deliberately go against the laws,’’ he said. In an interview, a classmate of the new governor at the Saint Theresa’s College, Nsukka ,Class of 1980, Mr Cyprian Okoro, appealed to the

LCCI seeks downstream oil sector deregulation

he Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has renewed the call for the deregulation of the oil and gas downstream sector. The Chamber says such decision is the surest way to provide an enduring solution to the recurring problem of petroleum product scarcity, corruption inherent in the subsidy regime, the collapse of refineries, lack of investment in the downstream sector, loss of jobs among others. According to the LCCI, options available to the new administration in this matter are very limited. The current regime of subsidy and governments direct involvement in the operations of oil and gas sector should be discontinued. Government needs to get out of the way, so that the sector and the economy as a whole can make progress. President of the Chamber, Remi Bello who gave the advise while reacting to the latest round of fuel scarcity stated that this will pave the way for the restoration of normalcy in the sector and attract private capital, boost investments and create jobs. Bello in a statement also charged the labour unions and the citizens to give the reform of the oil and gas sector a chance adding that the current model of managing the sector has done a colossal damage to the Nigerian economy. “It is in the overriding interest of the economy and the citizens to quickly deregulate the sector,” he maintained. The LCCI has expressed fear that the country could experience collapse of the economy except government urgently intervenes in the sectors woes. The chamber also notes with concern that the current unprecedented energy crisis facing the country has virtually crippled all critical sectors of the economy. BC

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Companies & Markets

OLX restates commitment to Nigeria’s e-commerce development By Leonard Okachie

ne of Nigeria’s leading online classified advertisement sites OLX, has restated commitment to the development of Nigeria’s e-commerce business through qualitative innovation geared towards impacting lives and the nation’s economy. “We at OLX are constantly innovating to ensure we deliver the best possible online trading experience in Nigeria. We believe in the Nigerian market and determined to see that the online marketplace thrives. We

are very passionate about the value we provide in connecting buyers to sellers and in promoting trade. For us, trust and safety are key factors to the success of e-commerce, which is why we are intensifying efforts by improving measures that will demonstrate safety and help build trust among Nigerians.” said Country Manager OLX Nigeria, Lola Masha. Brand Marketing Manager Fifemayo Aiyesimoju, added that OLX has partnered with MTN to provide MTN subscribers access to download the OLX APP free of data charges.

“We recently partnered with MTN on the APPtitude campaign to enable our users download the OLX app making it more convenient for buyers and sellers on our platform and we are seeing tremendous results”, he said. OLX is the world’s leading classifieds platform in emerging markets, both online and mobile, and is available in more than 40 countries and over 50 languages. The platform offers a free, fast and hyper-local way for people to buy, sell or exchange used goods and services simply by posting an ad. BC

Masha

Heritage Bank to emerge as leading tier-two bank - Akpobome By Udo Onyeka

eritage Bank’s unwavering commitment to a deliberate and focused growth strategy in the last two years has resulted in laying a strong foundation for the emergence of a bold and leading tiertwo banking institution that will be fully unfolded when the ongoing process of integrating Heritage Bank and the acquired Enterprise Bank is completed. According to the acting Managing Director of Enterprise Bank who is also an Executive Director of Heritage Bank, Mrs. Mary Akpobome, the integration of both banks will provide a leverage and competitiveness that are fundamental recipes for stronger profitability, strategic influence and systemic relevance. “As an institution commit-

Akpobome

ted to leading practices, we have engaged best-in-class strategy towards the realization of value enhancing combination. The integration process has been strategically delineated into four layers – Legal, Leadership,

Customer and Staff – with each mapping out clearly defined activities focused on achieving an integrated entity. Essentially, we are set to emerge as a bold and leading tier-two bank in record time, as we are confident of our deliberate and focused strategy for birthing an enduring institution out of the two entities we have currently”, Mrs. Akpobome said. She also assured staff of Enterprise Bank to entertain no fear of discrimination or mass sack as a result of the integration. “Our top line focus is to ensure that people’s jobs are preserved based on their value creating capability. A key element of our people resourcing and placement program is based on global standard type appraisal to determine how fit they are

for the combined entity. In the event that some of the staff are discovered to lack required competencies, we will have in place an appropriate program to deal with such occurrence. This assignment is being carried out by a set of reputable consulting firms as part of the ongoing integration program”, she revealed. While describing Heritage Bank as an entity committed to a culture of internal discipline, Akpobome noted that the acquisition of Enterprise Bank was a strategic move aimed at enhancing value delivery to stakeholders, adding that the outlook is fantastic. She said the integration is a growth platform for us. It comes with opportunities for wider market presence and reach as well as better balance sheet in terms of size, strength and quality. BC

Diamond Bank excites youths with innovative products

iamond Bank Plc has opened a window of money management opportunities that will encourage Nigerian youth to develop a healthy saving character and build prudent expenditure and investment profiles. This is as it recently introduced the Diamond Future and Cool Teens Accounts, two financial products specially designed to enable teenagers save with excitement and also help parents save for their children and easily meet their future financial needs. The Bank’s Head of Corporate Communication, Ayona Trimnell, stated that the reason for developing the products is basically to enable Nigerian youths belong to the banking community and know that they have a right to start early to chart a healthy financial course in life. “We want young people to know that Diamond Bank is not

just for adults, Diamond Bank is your bank too. We have worked hard to be the bank that understands the financial needs of parents and their children and to provide the right products and support to help them save to achieve their dreams,” she stated. According to statistics from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, NBS, 63 per cent of the country’s 168 million population are under 25 years and about 64.3 per cent of this huge population aged between 15-24 years do not have a bank account, leaving them with no secure and supportive way to save for future goals. Trimnell, said research conducted by Diamond Bank, in conjunction with Women’s World Banking, aimed at better understanding each client segment opened the door for the Bank to work to meet these needs with a

comprehensive offering of youth accounts specifically designed for each target segment. She explained that the Diamond Future Account is specifically designed for parents to save for their children while the Cool- Teens and S.W.A.G Accounts are for youths between the ages of 13 and 17 years and students in tertiary schools. “We want to challenge young people, from early teenagers to more mature students and corps members, to visualize the future and work with them to bring their aspirations to life. We are excited to offer account features that will truly engage young people, motivate them to share their goals with others and challenge them to save more through contests and competitions with other youth. Most importantly, we are providing young Nigerians the opportunity to practice managing their own finances through

Union Assurance re-brands, now Ensure Insurance

accounts that are for them, not their parents,” she stated. She explained that Diamond Future is a parent-controlled account for parents with children up to 18 years of age. The account partners with parents to help secure their children’s bright future with a target plan that breaks down their savings goals into manageable steps. With the target plan, parents set a fiveyear savings goal and determine a flexible savings plan that works for them. They decide how often and how much to deposit to prepare for elementary, secondary or tertiary education costs. Parents also receive an attractive 13-month bonus for each year that they stick to their savings plan— including accrued interest—and they can establish free standing order instructions such as automatic transfers between bank accounts, so they can be sure to achieve their goal. BC

o reflect its new ownership, Union Assurance Company Plc has now become Ensure Insurance Plc. A statement from the insurance company said the successful acquisition of the majority stake in the underwriting firm by Greenoaks Global Holdings Limited was responsible for the change in name. The company’s shareholders, had at its 1st Extraordinary General Meeting held in Lagos, gave their approval to change the name to reflect the firm’s new identity. It said part of the special business proposed at the meeting by the Chairman, Mr. Fola Adeola, was the amendment of the Memorandum and Article of Association of the company to reflect the change of name. The statement added that the company would subsequently file for the change in its corporate identity at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC and the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM. Greenoaks Global Holdings Limited is a London based investment firm focused on building market-leading insurance firms in emerging markets. Its team’s combined experience includes financial and professional service firms such as Goldman Sachs, D.E. Shaw, McKinsey & Company, AIG, and Swiss Re. It pointed out that, “Greenoaks focuses on driving value for its companies over the long-run, and intends to remain long-term owners and operators to drive extraordinary value creation for its stakeholders.” BC

Adeola

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Companies & Markets

IEI strives for greater stability, value creation

By Udo Onyeka

nternational Energy Insurance, IEI, plc says it is poised for repositioning to enable the company play leading role in the insurance industry, having all the potentials to do so. Interim managing director of the Company Peter Iren, who disclosed in a statement, said the intervention of NAICOM to dissolve former board of the Company is not to take over the company but an intervention to create neutrality towards ensuring peace and order. “The mandate of the interim board is to guide the company through this transition period, to greater stability for the next six months. The aim is to ensure that the company is professionally and ethically anchored on the tenets of international best practice in alignment with the code of good corporate governance.” IEI remains a going concern with the capacity to continue to fulfil every business obligations and still remains one of the best underwriting firms in Nigeria, Irene said. He said the company has some of the most competent hands in energy and general

Ahmad

business underwriting, and an innovative business drive, which it believes are core competences required to deliver value to policy holders and other stakeholders. The National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, had on May 18, 2015 inaugurated a new Interim Board to direct the affairs of International Energy Insurance plc, after the dissolution of the former board. The new board comprises Malam Muhammad Kabir Ahmad, former Director-General of the National Pension Commission, as the Chairman; others are Ms. Daisy Ekineh, former Commissioner of the Securities and Ex-

change Commission ,SEC, and Mrs. Bridget Ibiyemi, former acting Managing Director of Societe Bancaire Nigeria Limited ,now Unity Bank Plc and Perter Irene, interim managing director. The former Board, the Company noted was dissolved because of persistent unresolved differences which led to the removal of two former Directors from the Board, and the Directors are challenging the propriety of their removal in court. This unfortunate development polarized the Board and all efforts by NAICOM to amicably resolve the matter failed. This led to the consequent intervention of NAICOM to protect the company and the interest of policy holders and all stakeholders, the company stated. In the first quarter ended March 31, 2015, IEI generated a premium income of N1, 421,323,367.41 and paid out N474, 399,034.30, as claims. The Interim Management Board is optimistic that the short term stewardship in creating the needed stability will boost greater confidence of the insuring public, to continue to enjoy the unique service offerings of IEI. BC

UMBL set to merge with Spring Mortgage

nited Mortgage Bank Limited, UMBL, merger with Spring Mortgage Plc is already at an advanced stage and may be completed any time soon. This was made known by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, UMBL, Mr. Walter Akpani at a ‘court-ordered meeting’ with shareholders in Lagos recently. He said as soon as the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission endorse the merger, the new entity will be called United Mortgage Bank Plc. Akpani told the shareholders the merger would help the financial institution to meet the new capital requirement of the CBN. The CBN had directed Primary Mortgage Institutions to have a minimum capital base of N2.5bn to operate within a state, or N5bn to operate as national institutions. Highlighting some of the benefits of the merger, the UMBL boss said, “The Board of United Mortgage Limited and Spring Mortgage Plc have decided to pursue a merger because it will ensure that both firms meet the new capital requirement by the stipulated deadline. “Both companies believe that a merger provides a compelling

opportunity to also leverage the brands both firms have built while creating bigger firm that will be able to compete effectively within the PMI industry.” A voting exercise conducted by the shareholders showed that majority of them supported the proposed merger. Akpani subsequently thanked the shareholders and explained that the plan would be beneficial to customers, shareholders, employees and the mortgage sector at large. BC

Akpani

KIA partners Access Bank on low auto finance scheme

ia Motors Nigeria in its commitment to offer innovative financial solutions that help its customers own the car of their has partnered with Access bank to offer a flexible, hassle-free car finance scheme with attractive interest rates and loan tenure to make owning brand new Kia vehicles easy and convenient. More often than not, customers are presented with wide range of options for financing a car or securing an auto loan which makes it difficult to choose a tailor made scheme that perfectly fit their aspirations. However, Kia said this auto finance scheme is tailored to suit customers’ needs with manageable monthly repayments and is best suited for individuals, organisations, corporate bodies and institutions to avail a convenient and easy access to finance options making it easy to drive away their brand new Kia. Speaking at the launch of the finance scheme, Jacky Hathiramani, chief executive officer, Kia Motors Nigeria said, “our core competitive edge in the auto industry is the offering of best in class vehicles at an affordable price and we are delighted to partner with Access Bank to make owning the Kia range of vehicles affordable with flexible payment options. “This partnership represents another step forward in our strategy to ensure our customers have consistently available, transparent and competitive financing. Kia’s vehicles offer modern design and reliability at an affordable cost. And with our special auto finance scheme with Access Bank, it’s never been easier to take home your very own brand new Kia.” Victor Etuokwu, the executive director, Personal Banking Division, Access Bank, stressed

Hathiramani

that “the finance scheme is aimed at making all customers own a brand new car with ease and tailor made payment options. He further stated that “the joint promotion offers a subsidised insurance and registration fee, with improved access to auto loan to enable customers drive their dream car.” Sandeep Malhotra, chief Commercial officer, KIA Motors Nigeria, said: “The partnership provides the opportunity for customers to walk into any Kia showroom across the country and get an on spot finance solution. Our on-site financing service means that you have access to both the cars and the financing solution under same roof to make owning your Kia hassle-free.” KIA said the finance scheme has a flexible payment option for up to four year repayment tenure and a competitive equated monthly installment ,EMI as low as N44, 423. From its entry level cars like the Kia Picanto and the People’s Car, Kia Rio to its luxury sedan Kia Quoris, all KIA range of vehicles are covered in the finance scheme. Customers can have access to this scheme at over 20 Kia sales and service outlets in Nigeria and all Access Bank branches nationwide. BC

Sterling Bank donates books to celebrate children’s day

s part of its “enriching lives” initiatives and in fulfilment of its promise to make the 2015 Children’s Day most memorable, Sterling Bank last week donated two sets of books ‘Funds and My Little Money Book’ to the Lagos State Government for distribution to pupils and students of public schools in the state just as it announced its sponsorship of the Nigerian Bar Association’s conference on Business Law. The theme of the conference which will hold between June 7 and 9, in Lagos, is ‘Regulators as Catalysts for Economic Growth’. The first edition of the Books

were published in 2014 and distributed to public and private schools in Nigeria during the Financial Literacy Week. This year, the Bank published a revised version which was also distributed during the Financial Literacy Week and used by its team of volunteer staff to teach in selected schools in Lagos and Port Harcourt. It would be recalled that Sterling Bank was given an Award last year by the Lagos State Government for its support in the sector. Receiving the Books, a senior staff in the Ministry of Education commended the Bank for its continuous support towards the successful hosting of the Children’s Day event organized

by the state government and implored other financial institutions in the state to emulate the exemplary role of the Bank. Apart from the books donated, the Bank celebrated the Children’s Day with lucky pupils/students in their various schools in fulfilment of one of the features of its “I Can Save” product and promoted a social media campaign encouraging parents to post “selfies” taken with their children; following which followers/ fans were encouraged to vote and the top three posts were awarded prizes. A “selfie” is a photograph taken of oneself with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

The Bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Mr. Shina Atilola, in a statement explained that the Bank’s sponsorship of the NBA-SBL conference was in line with its strategic focus on value adding events especially those focused on education and learning. “At Sterling Bank, we are passionate about avenues that would add value for learning in all areas and that are why we are investing heavily in the area of education. To date, we have introduced a number of initiatives entailing publication of books and partnerships with other stakeholders to provide solutions to challenges in the sector. BC

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Global News

Alekperov

Russian energy giant sees oil prices flat

il prices aren’t going to crack $80 a barrel for the next three to seven years, says Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov. “Oil prices in the coming years are unlikely to exceed $75 to $80 for three to seven years,” Alekperov told Rossiya-24 news on Thursday after market hours. Lukoil is one of Russia’s biggest energy companies. Unlike Gazprom and Rosneft, it’s not a state owned enterprise. Oil prices under $80 might not be the end of the world for Russia, or Lukoil. For starters, the Russian government redid its federal budget to assume oil prices of $60 instead of $100. Like every other oil company, Lukoil will have to redo its capital expenditure based on the new reality of oil under $100 a barrel. The drop in oil has put a suicide squeeze on Lukoil, with fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2014 profit margins at -3.4 per cent Brent crude futures for three years out are already as high as $72. But nearby contracts are just $63, which puts it a tad over the Russian government’s new forecast. Russia’s economy is heavily influenced by oil. Over half of the country’s exports are derived from energy exports. If oil remains relatively flat for a longer period, this could light a firecracker under Russian policy makers to become more of a high tech, entrepreneurial economy rather than the commodity beast it is known for.

Even though Greece was not on the official agenda of the three-day meeting in Dresden, it was a key topic as time runs out for Athens to reach a deal with its international creditors to unlock 7.2. billion euros ($7.9 billion) in bailout cash. “All parties need to move,” US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told reporters after the meeting wrapped up Friday. “There needs to be some flexibility on the part of the institutions,” namely the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission, Lew said. The three lenders are demanding that the Greek government push through economic reforms in return for bailout funds. “Greece needs to make very tough decisions,” the US finance chief continued, but “one won’t happen without the other.” “Everyone agrees that resolving this without crisis would be in the interest of everyone and the global economy,” he said. Representatives of the key actors in the Greek negotiations -- IMF chief Christine Lagarde, ECB president Mario Draghi and the EU’s commissioner for economic and monetary affairs Pierre Moscovic -all attended the Dresden talks, held to prepare for a wider summit of G7 leaders starting June 7. Lagarde had caused a flurry the day before by saying in a newspaper interview that a socalled “Grexit” -- or Greek exit from the eurozone -- was “a potential.” But French Finance Minister Michel Sapin insisted: “There is no Grexit scenario.” There had been “progress” in the negotiations, but “results are still insufficient so far,” Sapin said. The meeting’s host, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, also sought to play down assertions by Athens that Greece is on the verge of reaching a deal with its creditors. “The positive reports out of Athens don’t fully reflect the state of talks,” Schaeuble said. The Greek government has

Europe pressed to resolve Greek crisis at G7 finance meeting

Intel close to deal to buy Altera for $16bn

ntel Corp (INTC.O) has resumed negotiations to buy smaller chip maker Altera Corp (ALTR.O) and is close to a $16 billion acquisition agreement, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The price for Altera could be as much as $54 per share, a 15 per cent premium over its Thursday closing price of $46.97. That would value Altera at more than $16 billion, according to one of the people. Altera shares were up 4.2 per cent at $48.96 during Friday morning trading in New York. The deal could be reached in the coming days, the sources said, cautioning that no agreement was certain and asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Intel and Altera did not respond to requests for comment. In April, Altera rejected an unsolicited $54 per share offer from Intel following months of negotiations, sources told Reuters at the time. Earlier this year, Intel signed a standstill agreement with Altera that expires on June 1, giving the world’s largest chipmaker the option to launch a hostile bid after that, Reuters reported in April. Avago Technologies Ltd (AVGO.O) agreed on Thursday to buy Broadcom Corp (BRCM.O) for $37 billion, in the largest merger of chipmakers ever.

US consumer sentiment drops in May

he United States and Japan have pressed Europe to resolve Greece’s debt crisis and avoid rattling the eurozone and the global economy, as Athens’ troubles dominated talks of the Group of Seven finance ministers on Friday.

sent mixed signals about how close the two sides are to a deal. On the one hand it has suggested that an agreement could be reached by Sunday. But Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told VimaFM radio on Friday that while a deal was close, under a February agreement “the country’s aid programme was prolonged until June 30, thus that is the date by which we need to arrive at a deal.” If Varoufakis sees the end of June as the ultimate deadline for a deal, this would offer Athens and its creditors a longer timeframe to conclude their talks than next week, when Greek officials have said they may not have enough money to make a repayment to the IMF.

Varoufakis

weak U.S. economy pulled down consumer sentiment in May. The University of Michigan says its index of consumer sen-

timent dropped to 90.7 from 95.9 in April. The May reading was the lowest since November. Consumers of all ages and income levels were gloomier this month. And they were less confident both about current economic conditions and the future. But Richard Curtin, chief economist of the surveys, noted that the index has averaged 94.6 the first five months of 2015, highest since 2004. On Tuesday, the Conference Board, a business group, reported that its measure of consumer spirits showed modest improvement in May. Its consumer confidence index rose to 95.4 from 94.3 in April. The Conference Board credited an improved job market: Employers added a healthy 223,000 jobs in March, up from an unimpressive 85,000 in March. And unemployment tumbled to 5.4 percent last month, lowest since May 2008. Still, consumers have reasons to be cautious about the economy and their own financial wellbeing. The Commerce Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy fell at a 0.7 percent annual pace the first three months of the year, hurt by severe winter weather and a widening trade deficit. And gasoline prices have been rising after hitting a low of $2.03 a gallon in late January. Prices at the pump are up to $2.74 a gallon from $2.56 a gallon a month ago, according to AAA. The Michigan index still stands well above May 2014’s 81.9. Despite the May dip, most economists say consumers’ mood remains consistent with healthy spending.

Nagamine

Japan’s Skymark submits bankruptcy plan despite creditor opposition

apan’s failed budget carrier Skymark Airlines Inc submitted a restructuring plan for court approval on Friday despite opposition from the two main creditors owed about twothirds of its roughly 300 billion yen ($2.4 billion) debt.

Skymark plans to enter discussions with creditors to seek to convince them to accept the restructuring plan, a lawyer for the airline told reporters at a news conference in the capital on Friday. The plan, submitted to Tokyo District Court, calls for major creditors to forgive 95 per cent of Skymark’s debt. The two biggest creditors, European jet maker Airbus Group (AIR.PA) and aircraft leasing company Intrepid Aviation Ltd (INTR.N), have both threatened to block Japan’s biggest airline, ANA Holdings (9202.T), from buying a 16.5 per cent stake in Skymark, a feature of the restructuring plan. “We will make utmost efforts through discussions” with Airbus and other creditors to secure acceptance for the revival plan, said Skymark lawyer Takeo Nakahara. Airbus is opposing ANA’s participation in a bid to persuade ANA to buy a number of Airbus jets, people familiar with the matter told Reuters this week. Skymark ran into financial trouble after embarking on an ambitious expansion programme that included plans to fly A380 superjumbos on overseas routes. Unable to keep up with payments for the jets, Skymark opted for bankruptcy in January after Airbus scrapped the sale and demanded a $710 million cancellation fee. ANA senior executive Toyoyuki Nagamine said on Friday the airline would not buy aircraft as a means to support Skymark. Appearing at the Skymark news conference, he said ANA believes it will maintain long-established friendly relations with Airbus. An official at Airbus’ office in Tokyo said no one was available to comment. Intrepid’s claims on Skymark total 115 billion yen and Airbus’s 88 billion yen, the Skymark lawyer said. Skymark has until July, when creditors are slated to meet to discuss revival plans, to persuade Airbus and Intrepid to drop their opposition to ANA’s participation. Intrepid declined to comment. By gaining a stake in Skymark, ANA would win access to more valuable landing rights at Tokyo’s crowded Haneda airport. ANA already controls more than half of the landing slots at the capital’s downtown airport, and adding more would bolster its lead over rival Japan Airlines Co (9201.T). Under Skymark’s plan, a fund formed by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (8316.T) and the Development Bank of Japan would take a combined 33.4 per cent stake, while private equity firm Integral Corp maintains its 50.1 per cent stake. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

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Brand Watch

Jumia, MTN partnership to boost online sales Stories by David Audu

n order to promote mobile penetration in Nigeria, JUMIA Nigeria Ltd in partnership with MTN Nigeria have launched week-long mobile device sales price reduction tagged the “Mobile Week Megathon”. Managing Director, Jumia Nigeria, Jonathan Doerr, said the event will feature price slash on mobile phone and will starting from the midnight of June 1. Also speaking on the event, Chief Executive Officer of JUMIA, Mr. Jeremy Doutte explained that based on a survey which showed that online retail activities in Nigeria via mobile

devices was as high as 85 per cent, JUMIA in collaboration with MTN was launching the week of sales to encourage Nigerian to buy smartphones. MTN General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Richard Iweanoge corroborated stating that “as a brand, Jumia has the ideas we have always dreamed of and the Mobile Week Megathon is one of such. This is a strategic partnership and we are supporting initiative to promote mobile penetration in Nigeria”. He listed out benefits for JUMIA’s customers who make purchases during the week to include free 3GB data for a month, a free SIM card and free music streaming from the MTN

LASACO spends N400m on electronic billboards

n its bid to redefine outdoor advertising business in Nigeria, Lasaco Properties and Investment Limited, a subsidiary of Lasaco Assurance Group, has invested about N400million in a partnership with Media View Ltd to deliver 0ne of the largest digital LED electronic billboard in West Africa. Located on the at Iyana Oworo area (popularly called ‘Oko Cole’) hilltop of Lagos overlooking Third Mainland Bridge belongs to Media View Ltd, a major player in the outdoor advertising business in Nigeria Speaking at the inauguration of the board last week, the Group Managing Director, Lasaco Assurance Plc, Mr. Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, explained that Lasaco Group is always ready to partner with any organization on viable projects and businesses that can to add value to the nation’s economy, describing the project as a landmark in the insurance industry. He stated that Lasaco Group through its property arm, Lasaco Properties Ltd, invested in the project because of its viability and its uniqueness in redefining the concept of advertising in the country. Explaining further on the motivation to invest in the project, Mr. he said that location of the site as well as the tract record of the site owner, particularly based on previous and similar dealing which proved fruitful for both parties, boosted the confidence to be committed to the project. Ladipo-Ajayi stated that Lasaco Group is “proud to be part of this project, and we are sure that it will be well received by the advertising world including Outdoor Advertising Associa-

tion of Nigeria, OAAN, because it is an achievement for them. This partnership will also give a boost to our line of business which is insurance”. The partner, Managing Director of Media View Ltd, Mr. Tunde Adedoyin, commended Lasaco Properties Ltd for its boldness in identifying with the dream of delivering the largest outdoor advertising electronic billboard in West Africa. He said the investment was driven by Lasaco Properties Ltd’s passion to ensure businesses and brands are better projected through modern outdoor collaterals to enhance quick connection with target audience thus leading to good market success. The inauguration ceremony was witnessed by the Lasaco Group Managing Director, Mr. Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, Executive Director, Lasaco Assurance Plc, Mr. Biodun Dosunmu, Managing Director, Lasaco Properties Ltd, Mr. Olumide Jaiyeola, Managing Director, Media View Ltd, , Mr. Tunde Adedoyin and top advertising executives BC

Ladipo-Ajayi

Music+ app also for a month upon activating the device. The mobile phone discount week will have some of the world’s leading phone brands suchas LG, Samsung, Lenovo and Apple on sale. Managing Director, Marketing, for JUMIA, Jonathan Doerr, also unveiled the TV commercial for the Mobile Week Megathon and the seven Gold Partners, each of whom have a special day during the week. Spokesmen for the individual partners took turns to reveal their “Hero Deals”. The Hero Deal is a special device discount on each day assigned to a Gold Partner. The Gold Partners, their special dates and their Hero Deals are as follows:

Doerr

To fulfill this mega sale, Jumia has collaborated with top seven mobile brands including Innjoo, Infinix, Tecno, Samsung, Apple, Lenovo and LG who will be “gold” partners. Jumia, in partnership with these brands, will be offering its customers ‘Hero’ deals with new deals to be revealed every day of the week. Partners in the Silver category include Wiko, Blackberry, Archos, FLY, Huawei, iMose, Itel and Oraimo amongst several others. It was also disclosed that on every purchase made during the Mobile week, customers will be offered a free MTN SIM card, a free 3GB data and free music stream for the next month. BC

SME key to economic growth – Skye Bank boss

roup Managing Director, Skye Bank, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, has emphasised the place of Small and Medium Enterprises in national development, saying they are major contributors to employment in Nigeria and other coun-

Oguntayo

tries worldwide. He made the statement at the Bank’s Lagos edition of its seminar for business owners in the SME sector. Oguntayo stressed that Skye Bank was focused on facilitating knowledge sharing and offer banking solutions that will help businesses. “There is no way for multinationals to employ all the teeming young people who are seeking employment, therefore, the role of SME’s in employment cannot be over emphasized.” Keynote Speaker, and Vice Chairman of Tantalizers, Mr. Folu Ayeni, shared his success story on the rapid growth of Tantalizers from a small living room venture to a large scale business with 53 outlets nationwide Ayeni recalled how Skye Bank provided the initial N2.5

million seed capital that was used to start the business. He charged the participants to come up with bright, profitable business ideas, and package the ideas properly, saying: ‘If no one is listening to your ideas, go to Skye Bank.” Contributing to Mr. Ayeni’s statement, Mrs. Funke FowlerAmba, urged the participants to get training on their vision in order to make it a reality. The SME initiative is part of the Skye Bank’s contribution towards encouraging small businesses, thus developing the Small and Medium Enterprise, SME, sector of the Nigerian economy. The event, which took place at NECA Hall, Alausa, Ikeja, had over 200 entrepreneurs in attendance. BC

Firm reiterates commitment to business ethics

uinness Nigeria Plc. has restated the need for the company, employees and stakeholders to embrace transparent, ethical and responsible business operations in Nigeria. Guinness made the declaration at the 5th edition of its Pathway of Pride, an annual event organized by the company as part of its compliance and ethics interventions to drive awareness of the company’s code of business conduct and other embedded values. Chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc., Mr. Babatunde Savage said the event was appropriately tagged in order to remind the organisation’s employees of the values and operations of the company. He said Guinness believe in transparency and integrity and in allowing freedom for our workers, so that, they will always exhibit right attitude and do the right thing.

“We have worked hard over the years to earn the trust of our stakeholders and we will continue to live with values that make Guinness Nigeria different from other companies”, he added. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Guinness Nigeria Plc. Mr. John O’Keeffe observed the correlation between a company’s operations and respect garnered from the company’s stakeholders. He said, ‘’transparency in business dealings coupled with integrity and responsibility both in external and internal procedures create a solid foundation for the future. We will continue to deliver on our promises to partners, employees, suppliers and our community.” The purpose of Pathway of Pride is to help all employees understand the “Why” rather than just emphasising the “What” of compliance”. This year’s edition

Savage

was themed ‘Trusted. Respected. Celebrated. The idea behind the theme of the event was to make a connection between the company’s purpose, values and performance ambitions through the message that trust and respect are essential elements in performance delivery, and which will ultimately result in the company being distinguished and celebrated. BC

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Energy Review

Discos roll out smart meters for improved billing As the electricity distribution companies, Discos, are set to roll out the smart meters to replace the old billing system, Gbenga Odogun examines the prospects of the new system in the drive towards accurate billing system in the country.

ven before the privatisation of the power sector, estimated billing system had been the method adopted by the defunct of the Power Holding Company or Nigeria, PHCN, for assessing electricity consumers nationwide. Simply defined, estimated billing system is a system of using the once calculated bill as a yardstick for determining the next bill due to inability to read the meters on a continuous basis for one reason or the other, ranging from lack of personnel or even absence of the metering facilities to be read. The result of this approach in electricity billing was usually characterised by discrepancies and disagreements from customers, who felt cheated, particularly when they were made to pay even when there was no supply of electricity sometimes for upwards of a whole month or more! Even the introduction of prepaid meter could not address the problem of disproportionate billing of customers as they were also made to pay fixed charges even when there was no electricity distributed to them.

Smart meters

Ajifowobaje

So, after the privatisation, one of the major concerns of the DISCos was to address the issue of disproportionate billing of both the prepaid metering system and the estimated billing system. This concern led to the introduction of smart meter schedule to roll out next

month currently being introduced across the Distribution companies, including Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company “Aside accurate consump-

tion information, the advanced metering system is capable of collecting other data such as power outage, restoration alerts and meter tampering data to detect theft of energy”, said Engineer Abiodun Ajifowobaje, Managing Director/ Chief Executive of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company. The newly introduced smart meter, he said was being done in partnership with six indigenous prepaid meter manufacturing companies for an effective meter procurement and installation. The companies are MOMAS System Nigeria, MOJEC Group of Companies, Chemo-technics, MBH Power, Unistar Hi-tech System and First Global Excel Resources Speaking at the unveiling of the project last week in Lagos the managing director said that Ikeja Electric Distribution Company, IKEDC, has bought

about 276,084 smart meters for $ 106 million (about N21.09 billion) for its residential, commercial and industrial customers adding that the meters will be deployed in phases in a pilot scheme which begins in June with a pilot scheme in areas such as Abule-Egba, Akowonjo, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Oshodi and Shomolu, beginning with 2000 customers. According to him, the success of the pilot scheme would determine how fast the implementation would be adding that, the roll out represents a remarkable step in the company’s quest for redefining service delivery in the sector.” The metering programme tagged: “Ikeja Electric’s Advanced Meter Infrastructure, AMI”, is a state-of-the-art technology that enables utilities to read, disconnect and connect meters remotely” it will also detect individual customer outages quickly using a wireless communications network while also eradicating estimation through improved billing as customers would be able to track usage and eliminate wastage. Engineer Ajifowobaje however noted that the scheme had not overridden the Multi-Year Tariff Order, MYTO, introduced in June 2012. Similarly, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company said a total of 360,000 meters was being rolled out for installation under the initiative within the next three years adding that the management of EKDC has evolved a well laid out capacity building plan for all staff to fit into the new order of optimal service delivery and customer satisfaction. BC

US to boost Nigeria power supply

he United States of American has announced plans to embark on a new energy innovation to boost energy supply in Nigeria. The innovation tagged” Beyond the Grid” will also extend to five other African countries. The US Secretary for Energy, Ernest Moniz who spoke last week at the US-Africa Energy Ministerial conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said that the project would target more than 240 million people that were living without electricity in rural and semi-urban communities across the six countries.

The theme of the conference is Power Africa beyond the Grid: Increasing Access through Small-Scale Energy Solution. “Beyond the Grid’ will establish small-scale power projects as part of President Barrack Obama’s Power Africa initiative announced in South Africa during his visit in June 2013”.Moniz said adding that the project is expected to provide power to communities and help in meeting the target of the Power Africa initiative within five years. The initiative by the U.S Government will involve the private sector, World Bank

and African Development Bank, to generate additional 10 000 MW of electricity in Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Liberia, Ghana and Tanzania. It is also expected to attract $1bn in investment and connect 20 million households and commercial entities. Moniz said, “Over five year period, ‘Beyond the Grid’ will partner with over 27 investors and practitioners that have committed themselves to invest over $1bn into off-grid and small-scale solutions to this underserved market. “These private sector commitment will be significant in helping Power Africa meet and

Moniz

exceed its objective to provide access to 20 million new con-

nections for households and commercial entities.’’ He said the initiative would unlock investment and growth for off-grid and small-scale energy solution, adding that the ‘Power Africa’ had already supported 20 small-scale energy projects. “Beyond the Grid will expand this significantly, facilitating $500m in new private sector investments to blend with donor and private capital,’’ Moniz said. Nigeria’s former Minister of Power and Energy Development, Prof Chinedu Nebo was among the participants at the two-day conference. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

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Smartphone growth slow, as more devices enter Nigeria By Isaiah Erhiawarien

atest development have revealed an upsurge of smartphones and tablet devices across the globe, with Nigeria playing a leading role in the shipment increase as International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker indicated. Of recently, investigation showed that there has been an increase of different types of smartphones and tablets into Nigeria, with European mobile phone makers struggling outrun tradition leaders from China and South Korea. Early this year, the mobile phone makers from Europe, Lenovo and Archos launched their devices, which include smartphones, tablets and accessories into the Nigerian market. According to the Executive Director of Mobile Business Group at Lenovo, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Shashank Sharma, the huge shipment of devices to Nigeria is because it is a vital focus for most organisation. He said: “Nigeria is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. With about 30 per cent smartphone penetration, the country represents huge growth potential for Lenovo.” He added that in the past one year, Lenovo has made strong progress with its Nigerian consumers saying that Lenovo considers the region as a principal destination for investment. He said, “we continue to record robust growth in sales. Sustaining a solid in-country presence is very important to us from both social and economic standpoints. We will continue to expand our business and invest heavily in this market.” IDC revealed that new mobile phone forecast from the smartphone shipments are expected to grow 11.3 percent in 2015, which is down from 27.6 percent in 2014. This is on par with IDC’s previous smartphone forecast of 11.8 percent growth in 2015. While overall smartphone growth will continue to slow, many markets will experience robust growth in 2015 and

Smartphones

beyond, and worldwide shipment volumes are forecast to reach 1.9 billion units annually by 2019. The IDC report stated it expects 2015 to bring two notable milestones. First, IDC projects this to be the first year in which China’s smartphone growth, forecast to be 2.5 percent in 2015, will be slower than the worldwide market. Second, and somewhat related to the China forecast, Android smartphone growth is also expected to be slower than the worldwide market at 8.5 percent in 2015. IDC predicted that both trends will persist throughout the forecast period, which now goes to 2019. Program Director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Ryan Reith, said: “Smartphone volume still has a lot of opportunity in the years to come, but two fundamental segments driving recent years’ growth are starting to slow.” According to him, smartphone shipments in China actually declined year over year in the first quarter of 2015, showing that the largest market in the world has reached a level of maturity where rapid growth will be harder to achieve adding that “this has implications for Android because China has been a critical market for Android smartphone shipments in

Sharma

recent years, accounting for 36 percent of total volume in 2014. As Chinese OEMs shift their focus from the domestic market to the next highgrowth markets, they will face a number of challenges, including competition from ‘local’ brands.” The report said that Apple faced a similar situation in 2012-2014, when its yearover-year growth rates were slightly below the worldwide market but that its recent shift in product line to bigger screen models with a broader country reach has had an immediate impact on volumes. IDC said that it expects iOS smartphones to grow 23.0 percent in 2015 and remain above worldwide market

growth rates throughout the forecast. “There’s no question that a large chunk of Apple’s installed base is still using older models (pre-iPhone 6/6+), which leaves continued growth opportunity in the second half of 2015 and beyond,” noted Reith. “In addition, IDC believes a sizable portion of the Android installed base were those who migrated over to the platform from iOS with the desire for a larger screen smartphone. This is an opportunity Apple is no question focusing on. However, the price difference between Android/iOS devices in many markets will remain a significant hurdle for Apple.” Similarly, IDC said that

the worldwide shipments of tablets and 2-in-1 devices are forecast to reach 221.8 million units in 2015, a decline of -3.8 percent from 2014. The new outlook follows two consecutive quarters of declining sales and represents a modest downward revision from the previous forecast of 234.5 million units and 2.1 percent year-over-year growth in 2015. While IDC expects overall sales to decline in 2015, some segments of the product category are poised to experience strong growth. Research Director, Tablets at IDC, Jean Philippe Bouchard said that IDC sees cellularcapable tablets and 2-in-1 devices experience important growth in certain parts of the world and “we think this represents a huge opportunity for the entire tablet ecosystem.” He said, “Those cellularconnected devices fill multiple needs for vendors and carriers around the world; they offer a quick solution to price and margin erosion, and when compared to smartphones, they offer a less expensive way for carriers to increase their subscriber base.” Cellular-capable tablets and 2-in-1 devices still represent a small portion of the entire market but is expected to grow in 2015 and beyond. IDC forecasts that this segment will grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6 percent compared to Wi-Fi-only devices, which will experience a negative five-year CAGR of -0.4 percent. Reith said that a transition around size of the displays has also begun to take its course, with the share of small-screen tablets expected to drop from 64 percent of the market in 2014 to 58 percent in 2015, and declining to just under 50 percent by 2019. He said it illustrates the direct impact phablets are having on the market, as users with larger screen smartphones have tended to have less need for a tablet with a screen size comparable to their smartphone saying that this also has some impact on overall average selling prices (ASPs) as larger screen devices tend to cost more. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

NCC, NITDA, ISOC backs dialogue on IPv6, IG4D T

range has call for applications for the 5th edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize, aimed at encouraging innovative startup projects which help to accelerate development on the African continent. The prize will recognise three projects with grants of 10,000, 15,000 and 25,000 euros, along with six months of support from Orange experts. The first prize will also be offered a patent registration in the country of the project’s deployment. Internet users are also invited to vote online for their favourite project on Orange’s entertainment portal in Africa, StarAfrica.com. The winner of the “Favourite Project” will have its project submitted directly to the jury along with the other project finalists. The Orange African Social Venture Prize showcases entrepreneurs offering innovative products or services that meet the needs of Africans in fields such as health, agriculture, education, energy, industry or trade. Over the past four years, 2,000 projects have been submitted for the Orange African Social Venture Prize, reflecting the dynamism of African entrepreneurs and the potential of the telecommunications

(ozueesther@nationalmirroronline.net) 08059234648 (sms only)

logging is a rather good social medium to satisfy one’s communication passion and also generating some income. Writing about something or more precisely guiding and educating people via blogging is gradually becoming popular that some are seeing it as a source of business. But then, like other income-generating ventures, blogging is also a demanding and tedious task which needs intense commitment. Thanks to technology that we have digital assistance. However, here are Android Apps which are free for use to facilitate your blogging. Nweke

Communication Technology, Dr. Tunji Olaopa would be accompanied by Director-General of NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack and Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah in declaring the event officially open in the morning of the first day. While Jack is also expected to present position paper on NITDA’s intervention on regulation of ICT hardware in the country and day one theme, the EVC of NCC would lead

discussions alongside the President of ISOC Nigeria, Chief Engineer, Gladomenico Massari to x-ray the theme for day two alongside Mr. Muhammed Rudman. She called on corporate industry players to take advantage of this event to engage stakeholder, especially the community-based organisations, youths, students and women, whose number as far as the usage of Internet is concerned. BC

Orange launches 2015 African Social Venture Prize

with Esther Ozue

Android blogging apps every blogger must have

By Isaiah Erhiawarien he Nigerian Communications Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA and the Nigeria’s chapter of the Internet Society, ISOC, have given their support for the 2015 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development and Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable among others. Confirming this in Lagos, the Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke said that the theme of this year promises to be both exciting and educative, explaining that Day One of the event would dwell on “Net Neutrality and Nigerian Internet Users,” while Day Two which is the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable hosted in commemoration of the World IPV6 Day 2015 comes with the theme: Taking Advantage of Broadband for IPV6 Penetration. According to her, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of

Technotalk

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sector in Africa. Operating in 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East, Orange serves more than 100 million customers in the region. Given the positive impact that digital services have on peoples’ daily lives, this presence means that the Group plays a major role in Africa’s economy and future development. As a result, one of Orange’s main priorities is to improve connectivity, particularly in rural areas, and to introduce value-adding mobile services. The Group also supports entrepreneurs by offering a variety of support programmes, both to entrepreneurs seeking to create their own company and to mature start-ups. To achieve this, Orange is sharing its experience and know-how by offering access to its networks and plat-

forms, and by facilitating the creation of new services by making available its Application Programming Interface (API) catalogue. In addition, the Group has created special mechanisms for acceleration or incubation such as the Orange Fab programme in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as supporting structures for financing and management. Since 2010, Orange is a partner of the CTIC Dakar incubator, a reference in Western Africa. In April 2014, the CIPME Niger incubator, which was initiated by Orange, opened its doors to start-ups in the fields of renewable energy and the environment. Any entrepreneur (aged 21 or over) or legal entity that has been in existence for fewer than three years may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality. Submitted projects must be designed to be deployed in at least one of the 17 African countries in which Orange operates and must use information and communications technology in an innovative way to help improve the living conditions of the populations in these countries. Applications are accepted from 21 May to 18 September 2015 on Orange’s pan-African web portal, www.starafrica.com. BC

Buffer: Buffer is designed to facilitate the use of social media. Different social media accounts can be accessed and managed via intuitive interface of Buffer. It is not just limited to facilitate social media accounts access but allows full flexibility for scheduling the posts as well for as regularly as one could wish from time to time. Press: Press is an RSS client with unparalleled synchronizing capability. Press is gaining popularity due to its synchronization power and simple design. You must give it a try to retain your reader and updating them about you latest posts. Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a wonderful tool to track the number of visitors or traffic falling on your blog every day. It’s an easy to understand navigation, real time statistics and graphical representation which make it easy to understand traffic behavior and planning accordingly ahead. The app also accepts verbal commands. Blogaway: Blogaway is an app to manage comments made by others on your posts. You do not need to sit in chair whole day long and switching from one blog to another. Blogaway brings all those threads to just one spot. You can approve, suspend, delete or can perform any task regarding comments on your blog. Simplenote: Simple note is an android app intended to store and manage notes on the go. Ideas flash in mind and goes off. It is not practice to remember them all or putting them in a sequence. Here comes the simple note. It helps not only to store notes but to share as well. We can easily synchronize these notes with other devices as well. Pocket: A good blogger also keeps track on the other blogs or related blogs as well. You might come across ideas you would like to write about and be running out of time to read the other blog post instantly, pocket app makes it easier by helping you to store articles of your interest, its associated photos and videos of which you can read later even when you are offline. Article Rewriter: This is a fabulous app used to re-write articles. It takes existing content and write with alternative words. It might seem a bit contradictory that article spinning is being encouraged but It helps you generate ideas, and to enrich your vocabulary. You will be amazed by the reference you will get using the app. Plagiarism Checker: What really entices a reader is content more exactly the unique and valuable content. Plagiarism Checker app allows you to know the uniqueness of your content. Even if you awards content writing task to someone else this app quickly checks, weather the work is a copypaste or a research work. Creative Blogging: Creative blogging is not a tool like app to facilitate the management of your blogs but it is a handy guide. It demonstrates clear in instructions what you might like to follow or come back to refresh your knowledge and take references. Overall as reflected above, blogging is a veritable social media tool that can help individuals, co-operate entities and even government to explore the communication channel availed by the internet, global communication highways, to popularize their agenda and attract attention to their overall needs and objectives. BC

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Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

Abiodun Shobanjo:

Emperor of

Nigeria’s Adlandd He retired from active practice eleven years ago after about four decades in the advertising industry but today, his awesome shadow still lurks around. Yet, this is one man who never set out to be an advertising professional in the first instance. This is the story of Abiodun Olusina Shobanjo, Nigeria’s advertising Czar who bestrides the landscape like a colossus, leaving on his trails, impressionable records of industry, resilience, a steely can-do spirit and a ‘must win’ disposition. By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

t is most unlikely that students of advertising or marketing communication would find any academic literature on him in any Nigerian higher institutions. But the enigmatic Abiodun Olusina Shobanjo is a phenomenon, who most marketing communications practitioners and scholars have come to admit as ‘father of modern day advertising’ in Nigeria. Aggressive, daring in conduct, deep in content and methodic in approach, Shobanjo remains one of the most decorated admen in the country today. Born 67 years ago to the family of late Pa Joseph Sobowale Shobanjo, an itinerant railway worker, Shobanjo’s father wanted him to read law but his father’s death at 49, when he was only 13 years changed his career curve. However, propelled by a strong conviction and an inner sense of personal mission to make a difference in a world populated by mediocres, Shobanjo opted for a career in the broadcast industry shortly after completing his Secondary education at Odogbolu Grammar School, Odogbolu, Ogun State, a decision which today, has virtually placed the marketing communication sector under his feet. Starting off in 1964 from then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) under the tutelage of Dr. Christopher Kolade, one

of Nigeria’s highly revered corporate icon and former Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shobanjo rose from studio manager to become a programme producer. Seven years after joining the NBC, her saw the need to move into something else but the movement turned out to be merely cyclical. From broadcasting, the youthful Shobanjo switched over briefly to public relations and later, advertising practice, the switch he admitted was only “circumstantial.” His decision to go into advertising happened on the spur of the moment when he met two expatriates and a Nigerian who hwere at the NBC studios to record a commercial on cube sugar. A highly inquisitive fellow, Shobanjo became very curious with the presence of the trio. He made enquiries about the guests’ assignment and later found out that they worked with Grant Advertising, an American company in Nigeria. That was the beginning of what today, has turned out to be a story of highly successful and professionally respected practice in advertising, spanning over four decades. At that time, there had been quite a lot of Shobanjo’s senior colleagues who had moved from broadcasting to advertising, from who he had picked an idea of how advertising works. Gradually but systematically, his interest and attention began to shift towards advertising and when Grant Advertising offered him a job after

strings of examinations and interviews, he wasted no time in grabbing it even with a lesser pay packet. That was even, in difference to his uncle, (whom he was living with after his father’s death) who had initially resisted, wondering why he would want to quit a government job, then considered the best and chose to work in a private enterprise. Unknown to Shobanjo, his uncle and some of his colleagues that queried his decision then, that singular move was to later become a major turning point in his life. When he joined Grants, Shobanjo was assigned to handle PR for all the company’s clients because, according to his own account, while at NBC, he was prepared himself for for a career in public relations. But as it turned out,

Shobanjo

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his PR stint at Grants did not last more than two weeks. For him, public relations, as it was practised then did not provided him sufficient creative ideas and opportunities he craved for. He made up his mind to shift to advertising. Courageous and daring, Shobanjo approached the management and asked to be moved to core advertising. His request was granted and that was how he started. The rest is history. From the lowly position of an account executive trainee in 1971, Shobanjo moved in a dizzying pace to become deputy managing director of the third largest advertising company in the country. He was 34 year old then and had just five years of advertising practice in a multinational. In fact, he would have become the managing director if he had remained with the company. At a time when advertising practice was largely dominated by multinational and foreignlinked agencies with their expatriate managers, Shobanjo’s meteoric feat remains an industry milestone, the record which nobody, dead or alive has broken. For any young, upwardly mobile executive, the offer to become the company’s managing director proposed by its then chairman, late chief Adeyemi Lawson would have proved too good to be resisted. But that was candid Shobanjo. To him, his calling then was more than being contented with the position of chief executive of a number three advert agency that was not hungry to get to the top when it could easily have done so. Though the agency’s multinational heritage ensured good business for it almost effortlessly, the youthful Shobanjo was obviously bored by such staid corporate philosophy and opted to leave. And so, he did in 1979. But Shobanjo did not walk out of Grants Advertising alone. Several of his junior colleagues including Jimi Awosika, now the MD of Insight Communications, Sesan Ogunro of Eminent Continued d on o pg A14

Business Courage

Advertising, Richard Ibe and the late Johnson Adebayo moved with him and by January 2, 1980, Insight Communications was born. By his own account, Insight came from zero base with no account, no client except the International correspondence school with a yearly billing of about N50, 000 that he left Grants with. With the establishment of Insight Communications, Shobanjo and his team of corporate adventurers were faced with funding challenge. They were brimming with creative ideas, but were acutely short on funding or even plans on how to get funded. A moment of desperate search for investors ensued, but those they approached dismissed their proposition as unprofitable. However, a friend, Tony Amadi, pledged his house as collateral to enable Shobanjo raise N60,000 loan. Even when it was obvious that the Shobanjo’s team had virtually nothing, they held assiduously to their self belief and the can-do attitude. “I knew that if we went out there, it would only be a question of time before we started attracting clients. Why, I knew I had some of the smartest young guys with me, I also knew that my God was in support of the mission, don’t ask me why, but somehow I knew that God is always in support of anything that is good,” he stated in a recent interview. For Shobanjo, the mission was very straightforward: “go there and do this thing like no other person has done it before. Anything you do, if you do it like the guys next door, you are not going to make any difference, but if you do it differently, chances are that, you are going to succeed.” From day one, Shobanjo and his team made the commitment to do things differently. Nobody gave them chance of survival but today, they did not only did it differently, they also did it in a very big way too. At the time Insight started, it was fashionable to start advertising agencies from boys’ quarters or a flat, but he didn’t do that. Rather, he took a whole building even though he knew he wouldn’t need some of the rooms, but “I wanted to communicate something; that I was in serious business and that I wanted to play in the big league.” Indeed, Insight started differently. Its coming reignited the industry which was then largely laid back due to lack of strong competition. It created incredible concepts, passion and forged partnerships with those it worked for. Insight then literarily became an extension of those clients it worked for. As time went by, clients found the creative edge offered by Insight irresistible and they virtually came begging. In those early days, one of the accounts that gave Insight breakthrough was Nigerian Mineral Water Industries Limited,

Shobanjo

makers of Goldspot, Limca and Parley Soda. We launched them in this market and that was in the early 80s. That was at the time the Indian owners of the franchise came into partnership with some Nigerians. Insight pitched for the business and won. Just before this, Insight had also beaten 13 other agencies to clinch the Cocoa industries account. As at the time Insight won the Cocoa Industries account, the company had never been in fast moving consumer goods, they were selling commodities like cocoa cake. Insight started with cocoa beans, it evolved the name of the brand called Vitalo, it handled the packaging and even distribution. And in no distant time, Vitalo became a force to be reckoned with. At that moment, Nestle Foods, makers of Milo became uncomfortable and decided to reach out to Insight, offering them to drop a lesser known Vitalo and handle a bigger brand, Milo. At a point, most clients became dissatisfied with services offered by other agencies, including Grants and had to move most of their accounts to Insight. However, pitching and winning accounts were not bed of roses for Insight. In fact, it took the agency 19 years of persistency for it to break into Nigerian Breweries and today, the brewing giant has remained Insight’s biggest client. Today, thirty one years after it came into being, Insight has virtually transformed and redefined advertising practice and management in Nigeria just as the Saatchi Brothers did in Britain and the global level. Insight has not only become the No.1 advertising agency for many years in terms

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Monday, June 1, 2015

of billing and creative output, Shobanjo, its founder, as stated in the book, “Nigeria’s marketing memoirs,” has become an emperor in Nigeria’s Adland, building a media empire, diversifying into synergistic companies such as media buying and media planning company, an outdoor advertising agency, a Public Relations company as well as a security guard company to protect the corporate assets and personnel of all the companies under the umbrella of the holding company, Troyka Holdings. Today, what started off as Insight and later Insight Grey after affiliating with a foreign firm has now become a conglomerate, operating under Troyka, an investment holding company comprising InsightGrey, The Quadrant Company (Public Relations consultancy), Optimum Exposures (Nigeria’s leading out-of-home advertising company), All Seasons Mediacom and Media Perspectives (media independents), Azzagai (a through-the-line agency) and Halogen Security (asset protection and resource management). In all, Shobanjo’s group employs well above 10, 000 people. However, of all the companies under his group, only Halogen

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has no direct bearing with his chosen career, yet, the company remain the largest employer of labour in his group. Incorporated in July 1992 as a Private Limited Liability Company, the establishment of a security firm was Shobanjo’s way of responding to what would have turned to become a serious personal tragedy. Sometimes in the mid-90s, he had played host to some armed men who stormed his house in the dead of the night, shooting sporadically on a mission that can not readily be decipher. That was the time when his total dominance of the marketing communication industry, with his diversified companies commanding about 50 per cent of the industry’s total marketing share, had not exactly endeared him to many. After warding off the marauders, courtesy of his own fire power and timely police intervention, he felt the compelling need to have a security arm, thus the birth of Halogen. Today, like its peers in the Troyka clan, Halogen is revolutionising security services and it is today, the leading provider of asset protection and resource management services to every sector in Nigeria. Shobanjo’s management and business philosophy is legendary. He has a participatory approach to management build around four essential elements of professionalism, honour, integrity and passion. His business style has favoured a mentoring ambience which has spawned protégés who are leading lights of the advertising and marketing communications industry in Nigeria. Today, the top 10 CEOs of the top 10 advertising and marketing communications outfits in Nigeria are proud alumni of what admirers love to refer to as the “Insight University.” Sometimes, Shobanjo prefers to play the under-dog. As a man in the service industry, he believes he should never put himself in a position where he would seem to compete for limelight with clients who pay his bills. The man in the service industry, he says should constantly play the underdog, otherwise “those that give you business would see you as a competitor who has already made it and no longer needs business, lest you outshine them.” Many of his contemporaries see him as a fiercely ambitious person, to whom winning is

His business style has favoured a mentoring ambience which has spawned protégés who are leading lights of the advertising and marketing communications industry in Nigeria

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not just everything but the only thing. Those who spoke about him hold him in serious awe. To some, he is a Mafia, a hardened survivalist, fighter and strategist who by application of both unorthodox tactics and sheer competitive bravura often muscle out competition to win pitches for lucrative accounts. In fact, a chief executive of an advertising agency who spoke in confidence with Business Courage last week says as much as Shobanjo has contributed towards the growth of advertising in Nigeria, bulk of the rots presently experienced in the industry are also traceable to him. “His winner takes all spirit and winning at all cost disposition has put the industry in such a bad shape such that young players have no choice than to follow the train,” he said. The source said that though Shobanjo has moved to the background, leaving Awosika his alter ego to run the show, “his dreadful image still lurks menacingly around.” Variously, Shobanjo has been accused of deliberately undermining the industry by wilfully flouting rules. At a time he ventured into outdoor advertising through Klensight and later Optimum Outdoor, operators were not allowed to run above the line and below the line agencies together. But then, Shobanjo had then justified his action, claiming that he had to float an outdoor firm when most of its important clients threatened to take their entire businesses if the outdoor advertising side was not improved. Shobanjo, a father of five beliefs it’s not good to ride ones’ parents back to achieve success. Unlike most entrepreneurs and businessmen who rode on their family crest to fame and stardom, he really had nothing to lean on. And he actually is recommending it to his children. Born on December 24, 1944 in Jabba, Kwara State where his father worked with Nigerian Railway Corporation, Shobanjo attended St. George’s Primary School, Zaria, thereafter returned to Odogbolu his home town for his secondary education. He also attended College of the Institute of Marketing, Cookham, Maidenhead, England, where he obtained the College’s certificate in Marketing. In 1988, he co-founded the Council of Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria and later presided over the association. A fellow of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and Commonwealth Journalist Association, Shobanjo also a Member of the British Institute of Public Relations and a Chartered Member of the British Institute of Marketing. He had also participated as a mentor in the BankPHP sponsored Apprenticeship Africa, a television show and ‘Real Talk’, MTV’s seminar and executive discussion on Youth Marketing BC

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Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

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ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

Startup business improvement strategy

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

his week edition is all about the most important matters for new startups. For startup entrepreneur, providing value is critical for the market she aims to serve. That value needs to be instantly understood and the quicker your customer understands the value, the more the entrepreneur has achieved product-market fit. A quick product-market fits example is Charis flavour plantain chips. A plantain chips production processes that considers young people who cares about their dentations, natural sweetness, very flat chips that is crunchy, and with flavours makes it a market fit for a large market of young consumers who are in the age bracket that ranges from 25 to 34 years old. A recent survey we conducted for the company showed that 50 per cent of the people within the age bracket 25 to 34 ate and preferred a pepper spies plantain chips while other 50 per cent of young people within same age bracket desire various flavours of plantain chips. Charis flavours had since made this a reality in product-market fit. The fact is that startup improvement strategy involves other factors for the successful product-market fits. It requires strategic improvement concept of team, product, and market opportunity strategy. The question is how well are you indicating this improvement concept in your startup? These are the few ways to indicate enthusiasm for improvement. First: Improve on current needs of your customers. Conduct market survey as Charis flavours chips did for

plantain chips consumers in Lagos south west Nigeria. Spend time learning about your target market and try to understand fundamental problems facing your customers. It will enable you to better relate to them and therefore supply them with a solution to their problem. Achieve minimum viable product (MVP.) This refers to the most pared down version of a product that can be released with the intent of measuring interest. Charis flavours minimim viable product is pepper flavour overripe crispy plantain chips. Narrowing your scope down to one core feature is difficult, but necessary. To determine which feature you should focus on, study your customers, analyse trends in the industry and examine why your competitors are having business problems. Improve credibility. The most effective way to build credibility is to relate to your customers. Why and how will your product or service help them? Most products and services are born of necessity by the creator,

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Lastly, make your startup attractive to both investors and consumers by improving on your products, building a good team and maximising market opportunities. I strongly believe your startup will develop and deliver excellent values

share your story in marketing. Second: Improve on team strategy Although, one of the big decisions for any new startup is the selection of a team. Team development is important for any startup. Whether you need just one business executive or you need a team of production executives, there is one important thing to consider and that is experience. What kind of experience does the team members bring? Experience usually means more pay, but it also helps to reduce mistakes and increases your chance that the startup will grow. In addition, you will likely spend less time and energy having to supervise.

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BUSINESS

A team for your startup is an essential decision and should not be taken lightly. Develop a team that executes in a complementary way to your startup ideas. Build a team that has a bigger purpose other than to just make personal money or there for monthly salary. Build a team of people that is investing in personal development and sharing knowledge among one another. You should find a team that works for you. Third: Maximise market opportunity “A few years ago a European leader in the consumer electronics industry was looking for new growth opportunities. Its marketing budget was mainly focused on affluent people who liked being early adopters. Un-

Motivational Business Quotes

hatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches. – Napoleon Hill

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin Industry is the soul of business and the keystone of prosperity. – Charles Dickens I don’t pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages. – Robert Bosch People are definitely a company’s great-

est asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps. – Mary Kay Ash In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards. – Donald Trump In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. – Harold Geneen To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart. – Thomas Watson, Sr. BC

surprisingly, its competitors were targeting the same segment, using the traditional tools of fidelity cards ad rice promotions, with the inevitable result that everyone’s profit margins suffered. So the company decided to do something different. It refocused management attention and resources on housewives. These were not typically regarded as sophisticated series, but they did spend a lot of time at home with access to consumer electronics such as DVD players and music centers. To attract these buyers, the company invested in education. They spent money on providing more in-store information, education and in offering 24-hour post sale technical support and customer service. The change paid off handsomely with an increase of nearly 60% of the new target segment revenues.”- Harvard Business Review Dear entrepreneur, there are many problems that are yet to be solved in your industry. It is either business processes problem, products problems and services problems. The fact is that these are market opportunity for your startup. When I met Maureen who is the CEO of Charis Flavours, I realised that her marginal market opportunity is in tiny thickness of plantain chips. That has a large market for consumers who did not want to put pressure on their dentations while eating plantain chips. Lastly, make your startup attractive to both investors and consumers by improving on your products, building a good team and maximising market opportunities. I strongly believe your startup will develop and deliver excellent values. You need to keep focus and be courageous. Cheers! BC

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Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ThebuddingEntrepreneurs

Trading wig for scissors and tape She read law, but clearly, her passion was somewhere else. Nine months into professional practice as a lawyer, she switched her career into a rather uncommon field. Abandoning gown and wig and instead opted to be a tailor. In less than five years, the tailoring business she started with $1,000 has not only catapulted her into global relevance, she is seen as one of the leading women entrepreneurs in the country. This is the story of how Temituokpe Esisi rode on the crest of tailoring to attain global relevance

hen she started out sometimes in 2005, Temituokpe Esisi never imagined that what she was dabbling into would earn her so much fame and fortune. To her, dumping a law practice after five gruelling academic years and nine months of active service for tailoring was a mere fulfilment of a burning passion. Sew knew what she was doing and was not prepared to get distracted despite open condemnation by friends and some close relatives. As a teenager, Esisi was said to have deep passion for creative works and always sought opportunities to express her creativity. She made dolls and other toys, selling it to her friends and getting money out of it to run her shores. While in the university, she baked cakes and made valentine fabric flowers which she sold to other students, from where she made enough money that enabled her lived a comfortable life on campus. After her mandatory oneyear Law School Programme, Esisi only practiced law for nine months but then, it was that first job that provided the opportunity to fully express her passion. The law firm she joined was starting a new office in Lagos and as the pioneer staff, the job of setting up the office - furniture, office design and layout, partitioning, painting, etc. fell on her. She thoroughly enjoyed the work so much so that when the real business of law commenced, she discovered that she actually had more fun setting up the office than handling clients’ briefs. So, nine months after, she resigned to pursue her passion, tailoring. That was in 2005, when she started off her own entrepreneurial endeavour called Tuopsy’s Enterprises from her residence and with a $1,000 seed money from an angel investor whom she recalled said,” ‘Let’s see what you do with this.’ Tuopsy Enterprises started out with one staff but within a short time, the business began to grow through word-of-mouth

referrals and patronages from friends and relations. She added a couple of more machines. However, despite her undying entrepreneurial spirit, Esisi almost shutdown the business in 2008, barely three years after takeoff as contrary to her expectations, the infrastructural and resource hitches that confronted her was rather too daunting for her to cope with. The astronomical power charges, the bloated lending rates from the banks all ensured that the business wasn’t anywhere near gratifying, as the efforts she and her team put into the enterprise. She was working her fingers off but the money just wouldn’t come. “I ran this business for three years solely on passion and creativity, but I didn’t make any money. I was ready to throw the towel in,” she recalled. Luckily for her, it was at that trying time that Goldman Sachs introduced the 10,000 Women Entrepreneurial programme in Nigeria. She opted for it to get some direction to take her business through and after the training at the Entrepreneurial Development Centre of the Lagos Business School (LBS), Lagos, Esisi was able to re-organise, restructure and review her business, infusing a new power and energy into Tuopsy’s Enterprises. At the programme, she was introduced to the concepts of business strategy, strategic business plans, target marketing, etc, and participated in business simulation classes. “This was a transformational experience for me, because prior to this, I knew the technical aspects of what I was doing, but was yet to fully appreciate the depth and breadth of the business side,” she said. “The first couple of weeks in class, I realized I had been doing everything wrong,” Esisi says. Through an online mentoring programme, Esisi was matched with a Goldman Sachs employee, Chief Operating Officer for the Securities division of Goldman Sachs, Michelle Pinggera, who guided her through her coursework.

Esisi

Over the course of four months, she excelled in her coursework, gaining the financial and leadership skills to enhance her business, and eventually completing a certificate in entrepreneurial management. She admitted that it was after the Goldman Sachs programme that

she realized she was more than a tailor. “I was in the fashion business; because there were opportunities in my business that I was not focusing on such as purchasing, production, design, marketing, exports, etc.” A year after in 2009, Esisi began to take his tailoring pro-

fession to the global stage, as she along with some of the most famous, powerful and influential women in the world, including Hillary Clinton, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and a galaxy of other celebrities, received the coveted Vital Voices Entrepreneurship Award in Washington DC in 2009. That clearly marked a turning point in the life of the lawyer who traded her wig for the scissors and tape of a tailor. Today, Esisi has emerged as one of Africa’s success stories in women enterprise through her Tuopsy Enterprises and she is presently a mentor to the new breed of women entrepreneurs in the programme. However, though Esisi holds her current status to the former exposure she received through the Goldman Sach’s Entrepreneurial Development Scholarship programme, the real success factors appear to be her own inner driving force; her perseverance, commitment vision and passion. Besides, from the time she started selling cakes while in the university, Esisi adopted the culture of treating her customers like gold. “Over time, as I needed to employ staff, I realized it was important to treat my employees just as if they were customers – because they are the face of my business. If the internal customer is not happy, the external one

Management Principles

Creating exponential growth via effective Enterprise Risk Management By Michael Evans

eing an entrepreneur means taking big risks. But not all risks are equal — some risks are inefficient and annoying such as the loss of a key employee, while others can be catastrophic, such as a recession. Risk management is often the overlooked part of strategy, particularly for smaller companies who focus on growth but do not consider the effect of “worse case” scenarios such as the loss of their largest client, product liability or just plain bad decisions. Many CEOs believe that Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is an unnecessary expense that does not promote sales or growth but in fact can impede the growth of a private company. As a result, many private companies find that they did not anticipate the risks associated with a formerly fast growing company. Smart entrepreneurs who anticipate and manage risks effectively create an advantage over less sophisticated competitors. Enterprise Risk Management: ERM typically involves identifying particular events relevant to the company’s goals across all activities of the company. The ERM process assesses those risks as to their probability of occurrence. It determines the magnitude of the potential loss (in terms of dollars, market share loss or cost to remediate), setting a response strategy, and then monitoring progress. “Enterprising” Risk Management: Many large companies and industries have used risk management programs to grow market share. Some companies have actually deliberately built the growth of their business around a risk management process. Examples include: • Customer loss is generally a significant risk for most businesses. Nordstrom’s established a customer-centric reputation by establishing a policy that allows a customer to return virtually anything if the customer is not satisfied. The result: significant growth in sales and loyal customers. • Reputation risk is a tangent of customer loss, as the perception of low quality will lead to customer loss. The creation of employee led quality circles in the automobile industry helped produce a transformation of the industry’s quality reputation. • Cost control is generally not associated with risk management. But consider what the ultimate

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ThebuddingEntrepreneurs Personal Finance Tactics that can discourage employee theft

Esisi receiving award

won’t be either” she said. Here are seven ways, according to Esisi on how to treat employees with the same respect, patience, and importance you give to customers: Speak their language: Coming from my background as a lawyer, I had trouble communicating with my employees when I launched a fashion-design company in Nigeria. The employees were skilled but uneducated; it was as though I spoke in a different dialect. It’s easy for an entrepreneur to be cocky and think because you had the big dream to set up your business you had to be served, but I realized it was up to me, not the employees, to find ways to communicate effectively. Because many of them didn’t read or write, I found that drawing diagrams on the

clothing patterns was a really effective way to give them instructions. Provide education: While I came down to the employees’ level originally, I needed to raise them up in the long run. I engaged a tutor a few days a week to help my employees develop their language skills. Ongoing employee training is essential. However, the training should never be simply about giving workers education, but about providing them with skills that directly help the business. Express your expectations: I had a friend who was going to dismiss her housekeeper because she didn’t meet her standards of cleanliness. But I realized my friend hadn’t bothered to explain her expectations to the housekeeper.

cost would have been to McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, if they had not removed Tylenol from stores immediately after the famous tampering episode in the early 1980s. Four “Enterprising” Risk Management Strategies: Consider that a company and the competition face similar risks. Now consider that many companies view ERM as a cost and not as an opportunity for competitive advantage. At best only one half of a company’s competitors are doing anything at all. Next, consider addressing enterprise risks as a key part of the company’s growth strategy. *Product quality – Incorporate new product quality control procedures and promote those enhancements to customers. Alternatively, extend the return/warranty policy for the company’s product. Both strategies will increase sales. * Employee safety – an obvious but overlooked ERM strategy. No employee wants to work in an unsafe work environment and no reasonable customer wants an employee to do so. Create a safer work environment for employees and promote that to new employee recruits and to customers. The result will be improved hiring and increased sales. * Capital and cash flow – always have a backup plan for unexpected cash flow needs or if the company’s source of capital goes away. Consider making available financing to customers to fund purchases so that the company gets paid on delivery, thereby eliminating slow or “no pay” customers. Sales will increase. * Supply chain – loyalty to long time suppliers is commendable, but risky. If the supplier has a strike, cash flow problems or worse, company production and sales may be affected. Contract with more than one supplier and have a backup. Creating competition will cut supply costs, which might result in a reduction in company sales prices and thus, increase sales. The motto for CEOs of fast growing companies should be “hope for the best, expect the worse and you will never be disappointed.” Essentially, be prepared for the inevitable remote risk that suddenly happens. Prepare a risk management plan, monitor each significant risk and consider how to turn risk management into a component of your growth strategy. Michael Evans is the Managing Director of the San Francisco office of Newport Board Group BC

Once she did, the housekeeper became more effective in her duties. The same concept is true in my business. It’s pointless to be critical of your employees’ performance until you clearly delineate what you expect of them, because their standards may be different. Create room for interaction: People are often afraid to ask questions because they think it reflects badly on them. I made it clear to my employees that it was okay to ask for clarification. I had an open-door policy. When employees saw they could ask questions without retribution or punishment, they came to me with more questions, and became better, more productive workers. Define clear structure: Here in Nigeria, tailors typically work by a process called “freehand cutting,” where they cut into the material without using a pattern. For my business to succeed, however, I needed a systematized approach that produced a uniform product. When I hired new employees, I found they adjusted to my system when I put forward our organizational structure and operating procedures and explained everything upfront. People will adapt quickly to new concepts if you guide them and clearly show the reasons behind it. Identify areas of Strength: In a creative business like fashion, I had to carefully match my employees’ skills with the needs of my business. Some employees are better with detailed work, so I had them produce clothing where that is important. Others take pride in turning out work faster, so I assigned them to tasks where speed is more important than exactitude. The key is to find what people do well, so you can give them duties that allow them to succeed. Show appreciation: When I saw that some customers asked for clothing made by a specific employee, I realize what an important part of the company my workers were. In a service business, there’s nothing between your staff and your customers – so you need to regard them both as vital to your success. BC

s employers, most of us trust our employees. However, as much as we wish it wasn’t the case, employee theft is a fairly common occurrence. In fact, it is estimated that businesses lose an average of five per cent of their annual revenue due to employee theft. Some employees may embezzle money from the register; others may attempt to overcharge random customers. In addition, some employees are dishonest about their mileage and travel expense, another example of theft in the workplace. The good news is that there are a number of practices business owners can implement to discourage theft. Read on to learn six effective tactics to stop sticky-fingered staffers! Employee background checks: One of the key things that you, as a business owner, can do to prevent employee theft is to hire responsible employees. For that reason, you should consider implementing a system for performing background checks on every potential employee. Employee background are especially important for companies whose employees will be handling high-value merchandise or have access to company financial records or accounts. Segregate employee duties: Since opportunity is one of the primary factors of theft, you can deter it in the workplace by assigning different tasks to your employees. For example, the employee who checks the mail should not be the same person who is collecting payments from customers. The person who reconciles the bank statements should not be the same person who writes the cheques to vendors and so one. Establish a Code of Ethics and Conduct: Every company should have a set of ethics and conduct. The code of ethics and conduct should be documented and covered extensively during employee orientation. They should also be a signed copy in every employee’s file. There are a number of websites that have templates for codes of conduct. Every year, the code of conduct should be revisited. You may need to add new material to it. Having a set of ethics will help employees understand exactly what is expected of them. Get on top of your inventory: If you are unable to have an accurate account of what you have in stock versus what you have on the shelves, it will be really challenging to prevent losses. Fortunately, the integrated inventory capabilities of point of sale technology from brands like Intuit and Stitch Labs can easily provide you with total control of your inventory without the need to have employees devote time to counting it physically. That way, you’ll be notified immediately if something turns up missing. Establish good relationship with employees: A large majority of employees that engage in workplace theft say it is because they “feel like they are overworked and under-appreciated.” This is why you should always strive to establish a good relationship with your employees. Engage your employees with a one-on-one meeting and encourage them to come see you at any time to talk to you about any issues that they may be having. Furthermore, you should also encourage your employees to use their vacation time. Recognize the signs of employee theft: In many cases, there are detectable signs of employee theft if you know what to look for. Employees who prefer to stay late and work unsupervised or take their work home may be possible suspects, especially if they are also overprotective about their work space. In addition, unexplained debt and disappearing financial records are also signs to look out for. BC

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Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

oing by opinion of most auto analysts, after many years, Audi is getting it right. In 2009, the four-ringed brand’s engineering team began to work on the second-generation Q7 SUV. And even then, the original was already four years old. There are valid reasons why it took Audi six years to get the successor to market. During that period, Audi switched its development chief twice, and in both cases, the car was thoroughly re-examined. Moreover, the new 2016 Audi Q7 is the pilot vehicle for the second-generation MLB architecture, which is very important for the VW Group—it serves as the basis for many future models from Audi, VW, Bentley, and Porsche. “The new Q7 needs to make a clean production launch,” says R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg. And there is another explanation: With more than 500,000 units sold worldwide, the previous model has been so successful that Audi was in no big hurry to replace it. Given that success, the second-generation Q7 doesn’t need to convey a false sense of modesty, and it doesn’t. The new version is one of the more aggressive-looking SUVs on the

road. On paper, it’s a bit smaller than the previous model— and in fact, it has lost a couple of inches. But that is more than offset by its ostentatious new grille and its boxy fenders, which are supposed to allude to Audi’s legendary Quattro coupe. The silver decorative trim on the lower flanks fails to cut the visual bulk, and, as before, the Q7 looks best with its optional extralarge 20- or 21inch wheels. Judging from the appearance, it’s hard to believe that more than 700 pounds have been cut out—per Audi—in the transition from old Q7 to new. Whatever the real-world weight loss manages to be, the sveltening is the result of changing from the previous model’s off-road-centric platform to one shared with actual passenger cars. The new axles alone are said to shave a whop-

ping 148 pounds, and the body makes liberal use of aluminum. You can read more about the weight-saving measures here. The lighter Q7 is more efficient, and its drinking habits have become far more socially acceptable. The U.S. market gets a 3.0-liter TDI with 272 horsepower, as well as a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 with 333 horsepower. Both engines have their strong points. Once the diesel has moved beyond its initial turbo lag and reached 1500 rpm or higher, it rides a massive, 443-lb-ft wave of torque. Yet the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic helps mitigate any low-end dawdling with its adept gear selection. The diesel’s soundtrack is muted, and it delivers its power with a subdued growl. Zero to 60 mph comes up in about six seconds, and the European model tops out at 145 mph. Figure on achieving

something like 32 mpg on the highway, too. Fuel consumption is the main disadvantage of the supercharged V-6; we figure it’s going to manage EPA figures of maybe 18 mpg in the city and 27 highway. Those numbers work fine for the U.S., though,

where such economy isn’t actually so bad and gas is far cheaper than in Europe. The gasoline V-6 offers lightning-quick responses over a much wider rev band than the diesel. With this engine, the Q7 invites its driver to hustle down the nearest windy road.

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Behind d Wheels This page is open to sponsorship

Autocare Choosing between a Muscle car and a Sports Car: Engine, Torque, and Price

uscle car vs. sports car--they often are lumped together, but in fact are different. Most members of the population use sports car and muscle car somewhat interchangeably, but they are in fact different vehicles entirely. To figure out which one would work best for you, read the guide below, comparing muscle cars and sports cars.

Engines: powerful vs. quick One of the biggest differences between a sports car and a muscle car is the engine. Muscle cars have big, powerful V-8s or better that give them the “muscle” in their name. Sports cars, on the other hand, have smaller engines that might still be powerful, but often because they are accompanied by forced induction. In short, muscle car engines are powerful and sports car engines are quick.

Yes, the new Q7 likes curves. Our test example was equipped with the adaptive air suspension, and we can confirm that it isn’t just comfortable, but also that it can deliver a distinctly sporty driving character. Soft and comfy in Efficiency, Comfort, and Auto modes, it shows its playful side in the clearly delineated Dynamic mode. And the Q7 gets even better with the optional four-wheel-steering system, which improves stability at highway speeds while reducing the turning circle in the city. All-wheel drive is standard; the default torque split is slightly rear-biased at 40:60, but it can shift to as much as 70 percent up front or 85 percent to the rear. Two off-road modes help the Q7 go far beyond the beaten track, and ground clearance can be raised to 9.6 inches. There’s no lowrange transfer case, however. From the driver’s seat, the

Q7 emerges as the design leader. The interior is so contemporary, functional, and aesthetically pleasing that it may set the new class benchmark. We love the design and feel of the TFT instrument cluster, which corresponds to similar systems in the new TT and R8, especially since it’s augmented with a traditional screen in the dash. The user interface is intuitive and quick, although the cluster screen provides you with so much information and functionality, it’s hard not to worry about it being somewhat of a distraction. Driver and passengers enjoy plenty of comfort and space, and even the optional third-row seats are sufficiently spacious, although ingress and egress to the wayback is a hassle. Incidentally, the Q7 is so quiet that the stereo systems truly shine. We found the Bose sound package to be more than sufficient, enough so that we’d

skip the far more expensive Bang & Olufsen system. The Q7 comes with a plethora of electronic nannies, sensors, and technologies, which can be interpreted as a major step toward autonomous driving. They include brake-based torque vectoring; Traffic Jam Assist, which can essentially drive the Q7 on the highway at speeds of up to 40 mph; a trailering assistant that will back up and steer the trailer for you; and the latest versions of things like lane-departure warning and assist, blind-spot monitoring, auto braking, and adaptive cruise control. Further, Audi says the Q7 soon will add the ability to steer around obstacles in the road and brake the car if you make a left turn that will result in a collision with oncoming traffic. (Volvo also will offer the latter tech on its new XC90.) There’s also an efficiency assistant that keeps telling you to drive with a lighter right foot. We rarely complied with its wishes. While the Q7 has taken a big step forward, things are about to get very crowded at the top of the SUV segment, with the upcoming entries from Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and even Mercedes-Maybach. To stay in that highly profitable game— and to retain the owners of the previous V-8 and V-12 TDI versions—Audi will launch a V-8 TDI, a V-8 turbo gasoline engine, and possibly even a W-12 turbo gasoline engine. Before that, however, we’ll see a plugin-hybrid e-tron model. BC

Bodies: bold vs. sleek Muscle cars are associated with bold curves that just make the cars look like their power is trying to bulge out of the seams. Sports cars aren’t quite so rippling. Instead, sports cars are usually made up of sleek likes that aren’t as muscle-like as their powerful counterparts. Torque: pull vs. steady The power of the massive muscle car engines yields much higher torque than the small engines in sports cars. While sports cars may still be fast off the line,that is because of their quick engines, not their torque pull. It is this torque that will drive a muscle car well in the lead if you are looking at a straight line race. Most muscle cars actually have more rear wheel torque than they have rear wheel horsepower, making for quite a force on the strip. Handling: light vs. heavy For the most part, sports cars were made to excel around the corners, which is not a great place for most muscle cars. If you are looking for something that will whip around at whim, you’ll need to look for the light, airy quality of a sports car. There are of course muscle cars with superior handling, but that was not what they were made for. They were meant to dig and drive. Potential: inherent vs. boost The power potential is far better with muscle cars because they have bigger engines. If you want something naturally aspirated, you will do better with a muscle car than you will with a sports car. Most sports cars already have a supercharger or turbo on them to give them an extra push. If you invest in the same option for a muscle car, the former would quickly lose to the latter. The fact is that if you want to actually build a car, you have to choose muscle over sports. Price The price difference between sports cars and muscle cars all depends on the make and model. Comparable versions of both, however, usually end up with a higher price tag on the muscle car, just because of the engine. Thus if you are on a budget, you may want to stick with a sports car until you can afford a muscle car.

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REGULATORS

NAICOM considers 10 firms for micro-insurance licence F ollowing the release of guidelines on micro insurance by the industry regulator, the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, ten companies have indicated serious intention to obtain licences to pursue the initiative. This development was confirmed by the Deputy Director Authorisation and Policy, NAICOM, Mr. Leo Akah. Micro-insurance policies, according to the commission, covers little risks and therefore, exclude special risks like motor insurance ,except tricycles and motorcycles, professional indemnity and other pecuniary risks with sums insured higher than N1m. The commission also clarified that all third party liability risks with sums assured above N1m are excluded from the micro-insurance business.

Fola Daniel, NAICOM boss

Akah told our correspondent that the commission had concluded plans to commence what he described as staged approval for those that have applied. He said unlike in the past when approvals were granted on a one-off basis, the current process would be thorough to

ensure that only ‘fit and proper persons’ get the micro-insurance licence. He explained that the inability of some of the companies that applied for the micro insurance license to develop products that would meet the requirements of the policy was a major for the delay in getting approval. Akah said for any company to get approval, its products must be simple, affordable and valuable. He added that it was ironic that most people who applied for licence still saw micro-insurance from the point of view of conventional insurance adding that the commission would ensure that all the strict guidelines in the policy would be complied with before approvals. He said, “We have a list of the requirements for register-

ing either as full-fledged or as a window operation and the commission will within the first few weeks in the month of April be releasing the stages of approval to the general public. “We have many applications and where the problems lie is the products, because being a new line of business, most people are still looking at micro insurance with the eye of a conventional insurance. “Every micro insurance product must be simple, valuable and affordable in nature. And not until we see and are convinced, any product that is being presented and does not meet these requirements, we would be reluctant to approve their products. “As I speak to you, nobody has been registered to carry out micro-insurance business in Nigeria. We have 10 applica-

tions and we will be meeting with the promoters to know who they are, and we want to know whether they are fit and proper persons. This process is not going to be a one-off thing.” Meanwhile, the President of the Micro-insurance Centre, London, Mr Michael McCord, has said Nigeria can gain from other countries’ experiences on micro-insurance through research and development. He said, “Micro-insurance is an important tool for sustainable development in Nigeria. It is a huge potential business because there are about 100 million potential clients in Nigeria.” McCord lamented that most insurers operating in the country have not discovered the business side of micro-insurance, noting that there was still need for capacity development. BC

Nigeria hosts ARSO Forum to boost inter-African trade

he prime objective of the ARSO Presidents Forum slated for Abuja June 22 -24, 2015 is to remove the restrictions to trade between African countries placed by the differences in the standards governing trade in the different countries. The director general of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and president of the African Organisation for standardisation, ARSO, Dr Joseph Ikem Odumodu said this while speaking to newsmen in his office in Abuja. He said: “Every organism prospers by utilizing the material which every part supplies. But hardly does Africa draw strength from the trade the different countries in the continent engage in because, separated by standards, the countries hardly trade among themselves. Now, ARSO President’s Forum Abuja 2015 is bringing fifty-five heads of national standards bodies ,NSB, in Africa together to open the gates of harmonization of standards and let goods and services flow smoothly across the continent.” Emphasizing the trade facilitation bias of the event, Dr Odumodu said that industrialists will sit together with the fifty-five national standards bodies CEOs at a roundtable to share insights and challenges as standardisation stakeholders. According to the Africa number one standards chief, “sitting at a roundtable with the fifty-five NSB CEOs is a rare opportunity for entrepreneurs to expand their business to other African countries.” He continued: “By participating in the ARSO president’s Forum, companies are automatically

at the gates of fifty-five African countries and are a step to the 1.1 billion consumers in the continent. Imagine when they now establish relationships with the NSB CEOs.” Dr Odumodu explained that “the NSB CEOs are high-level decision makers for their countries’ trade policy and standards implementation.” Still on the trade connection of the Forum, the ARSO president said that a trade fair tagged Made in Africa Expo will run for the three days of the event alongside the other activities of the event. He said that “the fair is open to any product whether certified or not because the emphasis is on showcasing

the potentials of all SMEs and cottage industries and projecting made in Nigeria products to the nations of Africa.” He added that ten of the best exhibiting SMEs would be selected by a distinguished international panel to compete in the Made in Africa Products Fair to be held in Egypt later in the year. He further said that ten of the best exhibiting SMEs would be considered for free certification. Clarifying on the programme of the ARSO Presidents Forum, Dr Odumodu said that the forum features African Day of Standardisation seminar in addition to the CEOs Roundtable and the Made in Africa Expo. The theme of the seminar this

year is “the Role of Standards in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Africa.” Participants expected at the forum include manufacturers, service providers, medium and small scale enterprises, investors and representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies. The International Conference Centre, Abuja is the venue of the Forum. The ARSO Presidents Forum is the aftermath of the 20th ARSO General Assembly endorsement of a proposal for the ARSO President to convene a special forum of NSB chief executives and engage them

Odumodu

on ARSO standardisation programmes to make Africa one market. The ARSO 20th Assembly took place in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2014. BC

CBN, banks to share interest on loans granted to farmers

he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN said that it would henceforth share with banks, interest earnings on loans granted to farmers under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme, CACS. This was announced in an amendment to the guidelines for the, CACS in a circular titled, “Amendment to Pricing of Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme, CACS and guidelines”. Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Mr. Kelvin Amugo, stated in circular “Commercial agriculture credit scheme, CACS, introduced in April 2010, has elicited tremendous interest from the Nigerian public. As part of efforts to sustain the public interest and enhance its operations to meet expectations, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has revised CACS Guidelines. The revision, which affects section 8.0 and 17.0 (b)

(IV) of the revised guidelines, provides as follows; Payment of interest on CACS facilities shall not exceed 9.0 per cent, inclusive of all charges. These charges shall be shared in ratio of 7 percent to the participating bank and 2 per cent to the CBN:

Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor

“Section 8.0 subsection (ii) of the CACS Guidelines has been amended accordingly to reflect the revised interest sharing ratio. The revised fee sharing formula shall take effect from the date of the revised guidelines; “Funds shall be released to participating banks at 2. Per cent interest rate after a confirmation of its intent/readiness to disburse the funds- Section 17.0 (b) (iv) of the extant revised Guidelines. Participating banks and the banking public are enjoined to note that the revised Guidelines dated April 29, 2015 supersede the previous ones. For further information, kindly contact the Director, Development Finance Department, Central

Bank of Nigeria, Abuja,” the circular said. The CACS is financed from the proceeds of the N200bn, seven year bond raised by the Debt Management Office, DMO. The fund made available to the participating bank(s) to finance commercial agricultural enterprises. In addition, each State Government could borrow up to N1.0bn for on-lending to farmers’ cooperative societies and other areas of agricultural development provided such initiatives/interventions are line with the objectives of CACS. According to the CBN Economic report for February, “At end-February 2015, the total amount released by the CBN under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CACS, to the participating banks for disbursement stood at N272.36bn for three hundred and fifty one (351) projects/promoters.” BC

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Stock market last week

40.24 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Services Industry followed with a turnover of 84.137 million shares worth N120.575 million in 497 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with 76.868 million shares worth N9.362 billion in 2,899 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – United Bank for Africa Plc., West African Provincial Insurance Plc. and Access Bank Plc., (measured by volume) accounted for 904.390 million shares worth N3.345 billion in 1,705 deals, contributing 50.27 per cent and 15.13 per cent to the total equity turnover volume

ast week, it was a four-day trading affair as the Federal Government declared Friday 29th May, 2015 as Public Holiday to commemorate “Democracy day”. A turnover of 1.799 billion shares worth N22.105 billion in 17,337 deals were traded by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 2.943 billion shares valued at N16.045 billion that exchanged hands previous week in 21,306 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.546 billion shares valued at N8.895 billion traded in 10,394 deals; thus contributing 85.93 per cent and

NSE trading hall

NASD OTC REPORT

NASD OTC MARKET REPORT

and value respectively. ETPs: Also traded during the week were a total of 3,474 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N1.003 million executed in 19 deals compared with a total of 25,211 units valued at N990,777.65 transacted the previous week in 23 deals. Retail Bonds: A total of 64,465 units of Federal Government and State Bonds valued at N69.372 million were traded last week in seven deals compared with a total of 10,333 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N11.795 million traded in two deals in the previous week. Index Movement: The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalization appreciated by 0.11 per cent and 0.12 per cent to close on Friday at 34,310.37 and N11.659 trillion respectively. Similarly, four indices finished higher during the week, including the NSE ASeM index, while four others finished lower. Summary Of Price Changes Thirty-eight equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than 39 equities of the preceding week. Thirty-one equities depreciated in price, lower than 32 equities of the preceding week, while 124 equities remained unchanged, higher than 122 equities recorded in the preceding week. BC

WEEK 22

1 OUTSTANDING OFFERS AND BIDS ON NASD OTC Outstanding deals since March, 2015. Security Industry SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC Oil & Gas SD ARM LIFE PLC Financials SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC Financials SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC Financials SD BGL PLC Financials SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC Industrials SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC Financials SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC Consumer Goods SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC Consumer Goods SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC Consumer Services SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC Industrials SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC Financials SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC Financials SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC Financials SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PL Oil & Gas SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC SD RESOURCERY PLC SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC

RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC

Financials Technology Industrials Financials Technology Financials

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

Last Offer Date 19-May-15 20-May-15 21-May-15 16-Apr-15 27-Apr-15 12-May-15 14-May-15 14-May-15 24-Apr-15 21-May-15 18-Mar-15 18-May-15

Bids

Volume offered Last Offer Price Last Bid Price 429,800 1.93 2.40 212,500 5.20 4.42 276,396 291.00 275.00 1,550,000.00 0.60 0.51 234,166 0.86 753,550 0.25 50,000.00 0.85 16,000 255.00 1,261,000.00 1.28 1.10 44,978,780 0.62 386,800 2.18 265,000.00 1.38 -

2 DEMATERIALISATION AND CUMULATIVE TRADE IN OTC SECURITIES 28-May-15

Security Industry SD ACORN PETROLEUM PLC Oil and Gas SD ARM LIFE PLC Financials SD ARM PROPERTIES PLC Financials SD AFRILAND PROPERTIES PLC Financials SD BGL PLC Financials SD CAPPA AND D'ALBERTO PLC Industrial SD CENTRAL SECURITIES CLEARING SYSTEM PLC Financials SD DUFIL PRIMA FOODS PLC Consumer Goods SD FRIESLAND CAMPINA WAMCO NIGERIA PLC Consumer Goods SD FOOD CONCEPTS PLC Consumer Services SD GEO-FLUIDS PLC Industrial SD GOLDEN CAPITAL PLC Financials SD INDUSTRIAL & GENERAL INSURANCE PLC Financials SD JAIZ INTERNATIONAL PLC Financials SD NIGER DELTA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION PL Oil and Gas SD PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT COMPANY PLC Financials SD RESOURCERY PLC Technology SD RIGGS VENTURES WEST AFRICA PLC Industrial SD SPRING MORTGAGE PLC Financials SD SWAP TECHNOLOGIES AND TELECOMMS PLC Technology RUSTRUSTBOND MORTGAGE BANK PLC Financials

Market Indicators for Week Ended 29-05-15 All-Share Index 35,459.70 points Market Capitalization 11,667,399,123,208.48

Volume Bidded Last Bid Date 1,212,500 21-May-15 1,000,000 15-May-15 6,000 21-May-15 200 14-May-15 14-May-15 200 -

TRADE INFORMATION (JAN 2015-TILL DATE)

DEMATERIALISATION INFORMATION

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

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

Total Share Capital Volume % '000 Dematerialised Dematerialised 2,000,000,000 5,785,673,000 1,900,000,000 1,249,000,000 12,000,000,000 196,875,000 5,000,000,000 6,753,333,334 976,335,936 5,650,000,000 4,257,668,000 1,170,324,536 14,231,238,000 4,014,429,720 181,408,000 2,875,595,000 2,576,686,039 880,394,000 7,138,199,210 2,705,378,000 10,945,334,000

39,997,346 6,000,000 10,513,835 72,428,500 407 38,212,855 166,991,446 82,817,426 548,946,441 64,987,688 909,102,121 1,201,500 3,570,100 42,656,878 515,900,000 14,750,000 73,554,205

92,487,871,775 2,591,630,748

2.00% 0.10% 0.00% 0.84% 0.60% 0.00% 0.76% 0.00% 17.10% 1.47% 12.89% 5.55% 6.39% 0.03% 1.97% 1.48% 20.02% 0.00% 0.00% 0.55% 0.67% 2.80%

DEALS 9 5 5 1 41 212 40 9 13 4 2 4 10 10 374

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

VOLUME 9,400

VALUE (₦) 22,974.00

118,417 271,718.25 6,300 18,900.00 303 30,300.00 12,415,160 58,422,832.00 3,570,984 1,089,331,948.13 5,035,850 2,626,883.00 10,787,538 16,065,347.62 108,910,200 109,992,853.00 500 425.00 66,000 8,250,000.00 1,400 2,056.00 112,000 109,796.00 12,050 27,955.50 141,346,264 1,454,904,877.50

A22 38

Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sterling Bank: Non-interest income drives earnings

By Udo Onyeka

out to raise $400m divided into three classes. Class ‘a,’ was the Rights Issue, which was concluded in December 2013. Class ‘b,’ was the Private Placement of about N18bn, while class ‘c’ involved Tier II capital. The bank use about $120m to upgrade IT infrastructure and enhance delivery channels, including the roll out of agency banking models to drive financial inclusion.

terling Bank, a leading second tier bank, reported a PAT of N3.9bn in first quarter 2015, showing an increase of 25 per cent from the N3.1bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2014. The bank’s PBT rose by 14.1 per cent from the N3.5bn to N4.0bn, as its non-interest income grew by 31.9 per cent from N6.1bn to N8bn. According to the bank the growth in non-interest income was driven by a 51 per cent growth in fees and commission, which rose to N5bn. The bank’s net operating income edged up by 6.1 per cent from N15.3bn to N16.2bn on the back of a growth in noninterest income and a 10.4 per cent reduction in impairment charges. Net loans and advances also increased by 5.7 per cent from N371.2bn to N392.4.0bn due to the lender’s selective approach to asset creation. In the same vein shareholders’ funds increased marginally by 4.3 per cent from N84.7bn to N88.4bn due to profit accretion, while the total assets, excluding contingent liabilities, advanced by 2.1 per cent from N824.5bn to N841.9bn. A statement from the bank following the release of the results said that the first quarter performance demonstrated the lender’s ability to sustain its growth despite industry headwinds. According to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank, Yemi Adeola, in spite of industry headwinds, the bank was able to sustain growth. , “Our first quarter performance was in line with expectations, having recorded a 25 per cent growth in bottom-line earnings. This was driven by non-interest income, which rose by 32 per cent to N8bn on the back of a 51 per cent increase in fees and commission. “We recorded a marginal increase in operating expenses, which was slower than the growth in net operating income resulting in a 14 per cent improvement in profit before tax. Overall, the bank achieved a 19 per cent pre-tax return on average equity annualised,” he said. During the period under review the Bank boss said the lender achieved a return on average assets of two per cent by prioritising efficiency in the management of its balance sheet in response to a difficult operating environment. “Loan growth will remain steady and disciplined. We are very optimistic that our earnings growth momentum will be sustained in the remaining

Adeola

quarters of the year,” Adeola said also. 2014 full year The bank’s 2014 full year results show Gross Earnings rose 13 per cent to N103bn compared to N91.1bn a year earlier. Net interest income also rose 20 per cent to N43bn for the period under review.Pre-tax profits rose 15.4 per cent to N10.7bn compared to N9.3bn reported in 2013. Profit after tax on the other hand rose 8.8 per cent to N9bn, 2013: N8.2bn. Despite the increase in profits earnings per share dropped 19 per cent to 42kobo compared to 52kobo a year earlier. The drop in earnings per share reflects the increase in shareholding for 2014 compared to 2013. The bank’s cost of funds dropped to 5.3 per cent from 6.1 per cent declared in 2013. Similarly, the non-interest income grew by 18.3 per cent to N25.7bn against N21.8bn in 2013. Its operating expenses increased by 26.5 per cent to N50.6bn in 2014 as against N40bn declared in 2013, a development attributed the increase to the ongoing investments in branch refits and expansion and rollout of alternative channels as well as regulation-induced cost. The report indicated that net loans and advances increased by 15.4 per cent to N371.2bn during the period under review compared with N321.7bn in 2013. Its total assets stood at N824.5bn compared with N707.8bn, representing an increase of 16.5 per cent. Even though many experts said 2014 was a tough year, the bank was able to pull a strong

Ighodalo

performance. Adeola, said the bank’s performance showed the strength of its resilient growth model and ability to continue to deliver value for all stakeholders. According to him 2014 was a difficult year for the banking industry following multiple challenges arising from a weaker macroeconomic environment and various regulatory policies that impacted on the margins of banks. “Despite these pressures, we achieved double-digit earnings growth in line with our medium-term strategic objectives,” he said. He attributed the performance to the commitment of the entire team to the bank’s corporate goals and business model. He said that the bank in 2014 initiated the upgrade of its technology infrastructure and the re-engineering, centralisation and automation of processes to improve customers’ service. “In recognition of the critical role that human capital plays in successfully driving strategy and its execution, it also continued to invest substantially in employee training. “Talent retention and the creation of an environment that fosters continuous learning and development”, he added. Business Strategy Sterling Bank has continued to sustain its position as a bank of reference among its peers in the industry, through continues expansion of operational base by opening additional branches to ensure that quality products and services are delivered to the doorsteps of our customers. It also seeks to improve on its IT infrastructure

to ensure quality delivery of service 24/7, increase our ATMs at branches, established ATM Galleries across the country and develop new products to cater for all members of the banking public including the unbanked in the society. One of such areas the bank wants to greatly explore is the agric sector. It has restated its commitment to the strategic growth of the sector by increasing the proportion of loans allocated to it from the total loans earmarked for disbursement to various sectors of the economy from five percent 10 percent in 2015.The bank will also be willing to partner with major stakeholders, both private and government in the sector to ensure that farmers begin to see agriculture more as a business. Speaking at the 2015 Conference organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA in collaboration with the International Association of Research Scholars & Fellows, IARSAF, the Bank’s Group Head, Agric Finance, Mrs. Bukola Awosanya stated that the five percent allocated to the sector in 2014 was fully disbursed to the various sub sectors across the value chain for the financing of various projects nationwide. Having continued on its goals and aspirations, as it is currently operating within its five-year medium-term plan with clear objectives measured against key performances indications. The bank has also set forth long-term aspirations consistent with the mediumterm goals. For instance, the bank has completed its capital raising exercise, which was premeditated as far back as 2012 when it set

Outlook According to Adeola, the bank is on a sound financial footing, given its stronger capital position, asset quality and dedicated workforce to advance growth plans. “We have revamped our service architecture to enhance the service experience, established the office of the Chief Risk Officer in line with the Basel 11 requirements, in addition to several other measures to strengthen our workforce. Chairman of the Bank, Asue Ighodalo, said the blurring business outlook present an opportunity for the bank to navigate own growth by innovative means. “The bank at its last board strategy retreat unwaveringly committed to supporting management in promoting innovation across the institution”, he said. Background Sterling Bank Plc originally incorporated in 1960 as Nigeria Acceptances Limited (NAL). The bank was licensed as Nigeria’s first merchant bank in 1969. Consequent to the indigenisation decree of 1972, the bank became fully government owned and was managed in partnership with Grindlays Bank Limited, Continental International Finance Company Illinois and American Express Bank Limited between 1974 and 1992. In 1992, the bank was partly privatized and listed as a public company on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. In January 2006, as part of the consolidation of the Nigerian banking industry, NAL Bank completed a merger with four other Nigerian Banks namely Magnum Trust Bank, NBM Bank, Trust Bank of Africa and Indo-Nigeria Merchant Bank (INMB) and adopted the Sterling Bank name. The merged entities were successfully integrated and have operated as a consolidated group ever since. In line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s repeal of universal banking, Sterling Bank now operates as a national commercial bank, disposing of holdings in subsidiaries and affiliate companies. In mid-2011, Sterling Bank Plc acquired the franchise of the erstwhile Equatorial Trust Bank. BC

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

A23 39

STOCKWATCH Stock Exchange weekly equities summary as at Friday, May 29, 2015 SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 0.50 9,140 OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. 29.50 261,540 PRESCO PLC 35.20 107,996 Fishing/Hunting/Trapping ELLAH LAKES PLC. 4.26 70 Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. 2.42 1,249,104 CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. 1.54 100,150 CHELLARAMS PLC. 3.95 300 JOHN HOLT PLC. 0.94 17,558 SCOA NIG PLC 4.44 512 TRANSNATIONAL CORP. OF NIG.PLC 3.10 6,693,406 U A C N PLC. 41.20 2,658,148 CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Construction ARBICO PLC. 5.30 375 CAPPA & D’ALBERTO PLC. NT 3 Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. 0.94 807,550 G CAPPA PLC 14.46 217 Non--Building/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. 52.70 27,437 ROADS NIG PLC. 6.29 1,832 Real Estate Development PINNACLE POINT GROUP PLC NT NT UACN PROPERTY DEV 10.10 324,368 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) SKYE SHELTER FUND PLC 100.00 93 UNION HOMES REAL ESTATE INV 45.22 100 UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST10.00 6,350 CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 0.50 5,016 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. 6.75 54,992 GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. 0.93 8,132 GUINNESS NIG PLC 163.00 28,374 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. 20.00 172,515 JOS INT. BREWERIES PLC. 1.92 50,000 NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. 150.00 1,808,302 PREMIER BREWERIES PLC 3.26 513,550 Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. 178.00 24,150 Food Products BIG TREAT PLC NT NT DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 4.12 224,970 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 6.51 1,588,435 FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. 36.20 187,271 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 3.72 952,850 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC 0.50 53,816 N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. 18.05 159,011 NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC 8.00 2,835,920 P S MANDRIDES & CO PLC. 5.35 2.08 124,000 U T C NIG. PLC. 0.50 50 UNION DICON SALT PLC. 11.84 100 Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. 40.00 5,725 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. 850.00 390,319 Household Durables BETA GLASS CO PLC. NT 25,333 NIGERIAN ENAMELWARE PLC. 31.82 100 VITAFOAM NIG PLC. 5.39 187,845 VONO PRODUCTS PLC. 1.69 15,000 Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. 29.18 156,973 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. 45.00 119,119 Textiles/Apparel UNITED NIG. TEXTILES PLC. NT NT FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. 6.23 20,610,779 DIAMOND BANK PLC 4.45 1,358,484 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INC. 21.53 5,746,153 FIDELITY BANK PLC 1.93 4,669,271 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC. NT NT GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. 28.95 11,491,149 INTERCONTINENTAL BANK 13.50 SKYE BANK PLC 2.75 5,074,965 STERLING BANK PLC. 2.11 2,601,379 U B A PLC 5.40 11,173,106 UNION BANK NIG.PLC. 10.12 1,469,943 UNITY BANK PLC 2.86 359,359 WEMA BANK PLC. 0.96 1,128,531 ZENITH BANK PLC 21.44 9,778,427 Insurance Carriers, Brokers & Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INS. COY. PLC 0.50 200 AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 1.00 1,627,718 CONFIDENCE INSURANCE PLC NT NT CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INS. PLC 0.50 9,140 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 1.06 1,882,960 CORNERSTONE INS. COY. PLC. 0.50 62,000 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC NT 9,054,578 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 4,754 GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 0.53 NT GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC 0.50 42,003 GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 165,731 INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INS. PLC NT NT INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INS. PLC 0.53 698,304 INVESTMENT AND ALLIED ARN. 0.5 NT LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 14,710 LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. 0.50 100 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 220 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC 3.00 23,600 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. 0.50 1,319,465 N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. 0.81 10,579,013 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. 0.50 52,100 OASIS INSURANCE PLC NT 1,654,611 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. 0.50 27,973 REGENCY ALLIANCE INS. COY PLC 0.50 5,028 SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 0.50 100 STANDARD TRUSTASSURANCE PLC 0.50 1,650 STANDARD ALLIANCE INS. PLC. 0.50 161,547,689 UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 0.50 25,000 UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC 0.50 200 UNIVERSAL INS. COMPANY PLC 0.50 518,140 WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 0.54 1,368,084 Micro Finance Banks FORTIS MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 5.42 10,000,000 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC 1.35 584,766 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers &Services ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC 1.25 500 ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 0.50 500 INFINITY TRUST MORTGAGE BANK PLC 1.42 500 RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC 0.50 220,000 UNION HOMES SAVINGS&LOANS PLC 6.4 4,570 Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS 3.1 313,164 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INS. PLC 4.00 369,250 CRUSADER ( NIG) PLC. NT 500 DEAP CAPITAL MGT & TRUST PLC 0.67 5,000 FBN HOLDINGS PLC 9.38 8,812,914 FCMB GROUP PLC 3.09 27045923 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. 0.50 1,050,953 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC 29.90 3,807,836 SIM CAPITAL ALLIANCE VALUE FUND 103.24 465 NIGERIA ENERGY SECTOR FUND 552.20 100 UBA CAPITAL PLC 1.50 1,926,013 HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers EKOCORP PLC. 3.72 170 UNION DIAGNOSTIC &CLINICAL PLC 0.50 40,000 Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. 1.82 100 Pharmaceuticals

NOTE NT=Not Traded on 29-05-15

52 WK HIGH

QUANTITY

52 WK LOW

0.64 107.81 41.14

0.50 20.92 8.24

4.26 7.18

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

N/A -2.51 14.70

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

0.10 2.29 7.55

0.50 30.26 30.69

4.26

60,000,000

0.00

N/A

4.26

0.68

1,199,549,736

0.07

0.00

2.42

2.08 6.43 5.89

0.71 4.15 1.07

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

0.11 0.16 1.09

0.00 N/A N/A

5.89 71.10

0.50 28.00

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

0.09 4.38

N/A N/A

1.54 3.95 0.90 4.44 3.07 41.20

26.00 95.49

5.05 95.49

148,500,000 196,876,000

0.33 4.50

N/A N/A

5.30 NT

2.66 14.46

0.72 14.46

920,573,765 125,000,000

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

0.85 14.46

83.75 10.60

19.86 6.61

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

6.74 1.69

1.35 N/A

52.00 6.29

7.28 20.90

7.28 8.82

1,375,000,000

0.00 2.20

N/A 0.00

NT 10.10

100.00 50.00 10.50

100.00 50.00 0.00

20,000,000 250,019,781

5.82 0.19

N/A N/A

100.00 45.22 10.00

0.50

4,772,528,415

0.00

N/A

0.50

19.48 0.68 297.41 30.00 9.09 179.40 0.97

3.13 0.68 209.10 5.34 0.81 91.10 0.93

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

0.00 0.00 8.66 0.63 0.00 5.03 0.00

N/A N/A 4.68 N/A N/A -2.14 N/A

6.78 0.93 155.72 20.00 1.92 153.28 3.43

75.90

38.12

640,590,362

4.46

N/A

178.00

0.50 10.68 12.85 109.24 4.11 1.21 29.70 14.00 5.94 0.93 13.31

0.50 3.85 3.26 50.00 1.83 0.50 17.51 3.65 5.35 0.50 4.22

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

0.00 0.00 0.81 3.38 0.34 0.00 0.00 1.05 0.08 1.13 0.00

N/A 1.23 1.56 3.43 3.33 N/A N/A -0.62 N/A 0.00 N/A

NT 4.07 6.41 35.00 3.60 0.50 18.05 8.05 5.35 0.50 11.84

64.53 1250.00

8.33 400.00

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

1.57 28.34

0.25 -3.52

39.90 881.00

15.58 36.19 5.54 2.88

10.03 32.27 2.91 0.57

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

3.90 13.92 0.71 0.00

N/A N/A 8.89 N/A

NT 31.82 4.95 1.22

56.00 76.00

21.02 27.60

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

1.34 1.42

1.81 0.00

28.66 45.00

0.97

0.57

843,284,027

0.00

N/A

12.39 7.85 17.51 3.47 8.30 29.99

4.70 1.92 9.90 1.13 3.04 13.02

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

1.61 1.71 3.67 0.68 0.60 3.08

-0.95 -0.89 -0.78 1.58 #VALUE! -0.52

7.05 3.05 9.60 15.30 1.16 1.88 27.40

2.65 0.80 1.64 2.34 0.50 0.50 11.96

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

0.97 0.63 1.70 0.44 0.18 0.00 3.30

7.00 -0.94 -48.57 -3.62 0.00 0.00 -3.64

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

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

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

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

N/A 0.00 N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 0.00 N/A N/A N/A 0.00 0.00 N/A -7.95 N/A N/A 0.00 N/A 0.00

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.55

0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

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

0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.07

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

6.60 1.22

0.00 0.72

1.65 0.50

1.37 0.50

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

0.03 0.02

N/A N/A

0.50 0.99

0.50 0.50

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

0.30 0.00

N/A N/A

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

0.00 0.15 2.45 1.23 0.13 1.53

2.1

0.5

0.61 2.02 21.50 5.70 1.33 20.72 103.24

0.50 2.02 8.57 2.90 0.50 10.64 98.33

1.70

0.00

N/A=Not Avialable @

1.18 0.19

0.50 1.00 NT 0.50 1.00 0.50 NT 0.50 0.53 0.50 0.50 NT 0.53 0.5 0.50 0.50 0.50 3.00 0.50 0.88 0.50 NT 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.53 5.42 1.28

0.63

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

6.29 4.49 21.70 1.90 NT 29.10 13.50 2.57 2.13 10.50 10.50 2.36 0.96 22.25

N/A N/A 2.51 N/A -0.33

0.29

1.25 0.50 1.42 0.50 6.4 3.03 4.00 NT 0.67 9.15 3.14 0.50 30.00 103.24 552.20 1.49

5.05 0.50

4.32 0.50

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

0.13 0.00

N/A N/A

3.72 0.50

10.54

7.39

152,178,750

0.00

N/A

1.82

SECURITY

PRICE (=N=)

EVANS MEDICAL PLC. 1.80 FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 3.58 GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER PLC 44.00 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 1.62 NEIMETH INT PHARM PLC 1.20 NIGERIA-GERMAN CHEMICALS PLC. 6.32 PHARMA-DEKO PLC. 2.23 ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SLN PLC 0.50 Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC 0.50 Electronic Communications Services MTECH COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.91 IT Services COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC 4 NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. 11.02 TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. 1.69 Processing Systems CHAMS PLC 0.50 E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC 3.39 Telecommunications Services IHS NT HIS NIGERIA PLC 2 NT HIS NIGERIA PLC 1 NT MTI PLC 0.5 INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. 2.72 ASHAKA CEM PLC 21.50 BERGER PAINTS PLC 10.00 CAP PLC 41.50 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC 10.32 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 180.00 DN MEYER PLC. 0.83 FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC 0.50 IPWA PLC 0.50 PREMIER PAINTS 10.93 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC. 98.00 PAINTS & COATINGS MANFACT.PLC 1.33 PORTLAND PAINTS & PRDT NIG. PLC 3.64 Electronic and Electrical Products AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC 2.09 CUTIX PLC. 1.73 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. 0.50 Packaging/Containers ABPLAST PRODUCTS PLC. NT AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS 1.52 BETA GLASS CO PLC. 39.97 GREIF NIGERIA PLC 11.48 NIG. BAGS MANFACT. COY PLC NT POLY PRODUCTS (NIG) PLC. NT W A GLASS IND. PLC. 0.63 Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC 7.46 NIG SEW MACH. MAN. CO PLC. 0.15 STOKVIS NIG PLC. 0.14 NATURAL RESOURCES Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. 5.11 Metals ALUMACO PLC 7.75 ALUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC. 10.43 MINING SERVICES MULTIVERSE PLC 0.50 Paper/Forest Products HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC. NT THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. 0.73 OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SER. PLC 0.50 Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC 18.90 Petroleum &Petroleum Products Distributors BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 0.5 CONOIL PLC 41.00 ETERNA PLC. 2.75 FORTE OIL PLC. 176.00 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. 146.80 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. 50.54 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. 174.00 Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVT. CO, LTD. 338.00 SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC 0.50 Apparel Retailers LENNARDS (NIG) PLC. 3.15 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. 0.79 Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 5.35 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. 1.20 Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. 0.70 Hospitality TANTALIZERS PLC 0.50 Hotels/Lodging CAPITAL HOTEL 4.07 IKEJA HOTEL PLC 3.90 TOURIST COY NIG PLC 3.51 TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC 9.63 Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.50 Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS 1 LEARN AFRICA PLC 1.15 STUDIO PRESS (NIG) PLC. 2.30 UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. 6.05 Road Transportation ABC TRANSPORT PLCPLC 0.56 Specialty INTERLINKED TECHNOLOGIES PLC 4.43 SECURE ELECTRONIC TECH.PLC 0.5 Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 2.34 NIG. AVIATION HANDLING COY PLC 6.38 SUPPORT AND LOGISTICS CAVERTON OFFSHORE GROUP PLC 3.6 ASeM CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Property Management SMART PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC NT CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC NT OIL AND GAS CAPITAL OIL PLC NT NAVITUS ENERGY PLC NT Personal/Household Products ROKANA INDUSTRIES PLC. NT HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals AFRIK PHARMACEUTICALS PLC. NT INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products NT ADSWITCH PLC. NT NATURAL RESOURCES Metals W.A. ALUM. PRODUCTS PLC. NT Food/Drug Retailers and Wholesalers NT JULI PLC. NT ETF’s Sector ETF LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NT NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND NT VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF NT

QUANTITY

52 WK HIGH

52 WK LOW

SHARES OUTSTANDING

EPS

MOV. (%)

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

4.80 2.50 69.00 3.38 1.76 8.59 3.50

0.50 0.61 18.97 1.23 0.58 7.36 1.83

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

0.58 0.24 3.07 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.00

-0.55 -0.28 0.00 -12.90 0.00 N/A N/A

1.81 3.59 44.00 1.86 1.20 6.32 2.23

37,000

0.96

0.50

2,960,000,000

0.11

0.00

0.50

100

0.50

2,941,789,472

0.00

N/A

0.50

0.91

4,966,666,668

0.00

N/A

0.91

400 100 5,460

18.70 2.94

13.12 2.07

108,000,000 492,825,600

0.00 0.03

N/A N/A

4 11.02 1.69

27,420 1,080

0.50 4.97

0.50 3.13

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

0.04 0.04

N/A N/A

0.50 3.39 NT NT NT 0.5

100

0.50

4,893,594,400

0.00

N/A

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

2.86 29.98 12.20 67.50 12.99 210.01 3.54 0.75 1.34

2.86 8.01 6.82 13.78 4.00 102.00 0.50 0.50 0.50

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

0.07 0.80 0.91 1.66 1.12 5.77 0.06 0.00 0.00

N/A 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.71 1.18 N/A N/A N/A

110.00 2.41 7.22

39.80 0.50 2.27

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

6.83 0.36 0.43

2.00 N/A N/A

2.72 21.50 10.00 41.50 10.50 177.90 0.83 0.50 0.50 10.93 96.08 1.33 3.47

100 220,132 100

2.00 2.39 0.73

2.00 1.20 0.50

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

0.05 0.19 0.00

N/A 9.49 N/A

2.09 1.58 0.50

NT 561 1,361 100 NT NT NT

3.98 5.94 13.18 13.28 3.60 1.86 0.63

3.98 1.71 9.04 12.68 1.60 1.05 0.63

N/A N/A

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

0.00 0.00 3.23 0.90 0.24 0.22 0.00

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

NT 1.52 36.40 11.48 NT NT 0.63

100 200 NT

8.69

8.26

265,409,280

0.00

N/A

0.14

2,918,000

0.00

N/A

25,000,000 683,974,528

7.46 0.15 0.14

10,000

9.35

5.68

393,120,000

0.76

0.00

5.11

320 100

7.75 12.39

7.75 10.55

75,600,000 100,000,000

0.00 0.24

N/A N/A

7.75 10.43

100

0.50

4,058,989,226

0.01

N/A

0.50

NT 4,050

3.22 1.38

3.22 0.67

50,000,000 220,000,000

0.04 0.00

N/A N/A

NT 0.73

1,408,720

1.02

0.50

6,262,701,716

0.00

0.50

4,924,248

24.80

9.32

2,262,711,568

1.24

6.72

17.71

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

76.00 4.87 115.64 146.00 59.00 190.01

16.96 1.32 7.73 106.00 16.20 118.75

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

2.69 0.61 1.43 9.93 1.04 12.91

-2.17 -1.79 -1.01 -4.68 N/A 17.54

0.5 41.91 2.80 177.80 154.00 50.54 148.03

306,355

28,677,671

200

0.72

0.50

100

3.48

209,933

2.45

1.00

2,572,000 3,000

5.10 3.45

2.19 0.73

4,035,497,307

350.00

0.00

N/A

0.50 3.15

980,294,400

0.00

-1.25

0.80

589,496,310 198,819,763

0.52 0.00

11.46 N/A

4.80 1.15

4,059,547

1.64

0.85

865,808,912

0.00

N/A

0.69

1,500

0.75

0.50

3,211,627,907

0.00

N/A

0.50

100 599,750 1,000 2,800

1.72 3.88 10.00

0.64 3.51 10.00

2,078,796,396

0.00

4.07 3.90 3.51 9.63

1,000

0.51

0.50

8,000,000,000

0.43

N/A

0.50

16500 224,498 20 20,800

3.09 2.78 5.77

1.39 2.52 3.00

771,450,000 425,641,111

0.00 0.00 0.61

N/A N/A 0.83

1 1.15 2.30 6.00

955,140

1.29

0.50

1,507,000,000

0.21

N/A

0.60

6 40,000,700

5.15 1.88

4.90 0.80

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

0.00 0.00

N/A N/A

4.66 0.5

111,000 246,274

5.90 8.81

1.27 5.08

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

0.50 0.43

N/A 4.93

2.45 6.08

189044

3.51

1.43

1.04

45,000,000

0.12

N/A

100

2.26

1.02

201,885,335

0.00

N/A

100000 1000

NT NT

0.60

30,000,000

0.00

N/A

0.50

24,898,850

0.00

N/A

NT NT

1.88

1.63

125,005,250

0.00

N/A

NT NT

NT NT 1,000

0.50

6,650,000

0.00

N/A

3.05

2.76

194,700,000

0.00

N/A

2,706

2,003

41 10

#VALUE! 49467

NT NT NT

A24 40

Business Courage

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Law & Justice nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com

‘’A prosecution for purely speculative purposes is odious and oppressive and should not be tolerated by any civilized system of law’’

Justice George Oguntade, Retired Justice of Supreme Court xx

Separating office of AGF from minister of Justice will lead 42 to rivalry

Jega, INEC Chairman

Alegeh, SAN

Electoral Offenders: We’re ready to assist INEC –NBA More than 30 days after the general elections were concluded in the country, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has offered its services to help prosecute electoral offenders even as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it lacked funds and manpower to try them. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary reports.

Awwal Ibrahim’s thorny path to regaining Suleja emirate 45

Convicts can’t be hanged secretly –India S’Court 46

he Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressed its readiness to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute electoral offenders arrested or indicted during the last general elections in the country. President of the NBA, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN), who disclosed this at the monthly chat with Judiciary Editors in Lagos said, we have offered our services to INEC and told the commission of our preparedness to help prosecute electoral offenders. So far, INEC has not been able to give us a list of names of alleged offenders to work on.’’ The NBA applauded INEC for its success in organising a relatively free and fair election, and commended ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat and in the process helped douse tension. He further congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, for their victory at the poll and inauguration. Alegeh spoke just as the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) called for immediate

’WE HAVE OFFERED OUR SERVICES TO INEC AND TOLD THE COMMISSION OF OUR PREPAREDNESS TO HELP PROSECUTE ELECTORAL OFFENDERS. SO FAR, INEC HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US A LIST OF NAMES OF ALLEGED OFFENDERS TO WORK ON prosecution of electoral offenders during the governorship and House of Assembly elections last April. CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, said, ‘’There is urgent need for investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders by the authorities. According to her, ‘’ As the governorship and Houses of Assembly elections are being concluded, there are mixed feelings regarding the elections. While the elections witnessed a low turn-out compared to the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the overall organisation of the election improved considerably.’’ Idayat Hassan observed that “on the whole, the electoral pro-

cess went well, showing broad compliance with electoral regulations. In most areas, electoral officials and materials arrived polling units on time and the voting environment was generally well laid-out with supporting infrastructure.” Most CDD election observers reported that security and party agents were present at most polling units without being intrusive. “Their conduct during the exercise was generally evaluated as mature and professional. Voters also maintained orderliness across the country,” she added. Despite the obvious improvement, there were serious concerns about voter apathy during the elections as manifested in low voter turn-out. CDD observed that several factors were responsible

for the low voter turn-out. According to CDD Director, these include “the tense electoral environment across the country; pre-election violence; false assumption that the desired ‘change’ has been attained with the outcome of the federal elections and will therefore automatically engender solutions to the problems of governance at the state level, as some of the factors.” She, however, raised concerns about the conduct of politicians and political parties. “The high level of reported cases of hijacking of election materials and confrontations between politicians and their party supporters led to disruption of the election process in many areas,” she added. For example, in a recent report titled “Matters arising from the Voting Phase during the Nigeria 2015 Governorship and House of Assembly Elections” CDD documented many cases of electoral violence perpetrated by politicians and their supporters. CDD Director highlighted the fact that the situation in Rivers CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

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Separating office of AGF from Olu Daramola (SAN) was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1993. After a brief stint with Tayo Oyetibo & Co., he joined Afe Babalola & Co. in November 1994.He specialises in general litigation, Company and Commercial Law, including Maritime Law, Intellectual Property, Banking, Taxation and Aviation. He holds a Masters Degree in Law from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the Chatered Institute of Taxation, Nigeria. He was admitted into the inner bar in 2008. He is the deputy head of chambers and is of the Lagos office of the Law Firm.

sources. It is high time we began to merge some offices to reduce cost of governance.

The presidency and the National Assembly are currently before the Supreme Court over the fourth alteration of the 1999 constitution. What is your take on the issue? It is clear from the constitution that power is shared by the three arms of government. It is not open to debate that the president has veto power and that the national assembly can override the veto. The law making process involves the National Assembly passing a bill. The bill is forwarded to the President for his assent so that it can become law. The president may decide to veto the bill but the national assembly can override the veto and pass the bill into law without presidential assent. To me, it is not an issue that should have been taken to court in the first place. It is not proper for the Government to go to court and seek to prevent the National Assembly from exercising a power given to it by the Constitution. But since the matter is in court all we can do is to wait for the outcome. One of the issues in the contentious amendment is the separation of the offices of the Attorney- General from the office of Minister and Commissioner for Justice. Do you think the office should be separated? To me separating the office of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney General will not change anything. It does not make any of them to be more effective. On the contrary, rivalry can develop between the two officers as to their respective functions and powers. What is important is to appoint a credible lawyer as the Minister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral. If we have two people who are not credible occupying the two offices, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see how they can make any difference. Meanwhile, the country would be saddled with maintaining the two of them when no effective services are being rendered. The problem with us in this country is that we run away from addressing the real issues. We look for ways to avoid confronting a problem headlong. For instance, many people without thinking will tell you that it is the immunity clause that is responsible for the pervasive corruption in Nigeria. This is a laughable proposition. If immunity clause is responsible for corruption, how may ex-governors have been jailed or effectively tried since they left office? All those public officials whose terms expired, how many of them are in jail? Mind you, the only persons who are entitled to immunity from prosecution

The Chief Justice of Nigeria recently lamented that there are too many fake lawyers in the system. Do you share his view? It is unfortunate, there is no profession in Nigeria including the medical profession that deals with human life, where you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have fake practitioners. In England, you cannot hear of fake lawyers because proper records of practitioners are accessible to the public. Until we begin to keep proper records, the issue of fake practitioners will continue to plague the system. I am aware that NBA is presently addressing the issue by trying to establish a data base for all lawyers enrolled to practice in the country. They are also working on Stamps and Seals. The Supreme Court should create on its portal a section where members of the public can access the name of all lawyers in the country. If this is done, it will be difficult for fake practitioners to have easy ride on the system. What is your advice for the new administration on improving the judicial sector? First and foremost, the government must ensure that judicial officers are well paid. This will attract the best legal minds in the country to the Bench. Secondly, the president must appoint credible lawyers to the Federal courts as judges. He has the power to appoint Judges on the advice of the National Judicial Council. He must use this power effectively and ensure that only credible persons are allowed to mount the judicial saddle. Daramola

I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT THE PRESIDENT OF AMERICA, THE CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY OR BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TRAVELLED TO ANOTHER COUNTRY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. BUT HERE, NIGERIAN PUBLIC OFFICIALS TAKE IT AS A PRIDE AND STATUS SYMBOL under the constitution are the president, vice-president, governor and deputy governor. None of them signs government cheques. If a governor perpetrates fraud through his commissioners and accountant-general why are the law enforcement agencies not going after the officers? After all, they are not covered by the immunity granted to the governors.

The immunity granted to the governor is only for the period when he is in the office and there is no limitation of time in prosecution of crime. Separating the offices of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney-General will only lead to duplication of offices which create more financial burden for the government. It is not the way to go with our dwindling re-

How best can the government address the issue of in the country? The main reason why the electorates voted massively for Buhari was because he was seen as a man of integrity who would deploy all necessary arsenals to fight corruption and restore the integrity of the country. He cannot afford not to deliver on the promise. Happily, he has an eminent lawyer who is well respected for his integrity as a deputy. The war against corruption must be fought centrally from the presidency to the local government. There are many States where no single official has been prosecuted by the State Governments since 1999. Does that mean we do not have corrupt people in the State? The anti-corruption agencies must scrutinise budget implementation at all levels of government to see areas where contracts are inflated or not executed at all. Several means have been devised to

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Law & Justice

Monday, June 1, 2015

minister of Justice will lead to rivalry steal public funds and make stealing look legitimate. Many government officials use companies where they have interests as consultants to perform the very tasks they were elected to perform. Security vote is another means through which public officials steal public funds. As a first step, all public officials must be made to do open declaration of assets. Jonathan lost the moral battle against corruption when he refused to follow his predecessor in declaring his assets publicly. Many states made laws where they awarded jumbo terminal benefits for some selected officials which include annual overseas medical check-up and treatments. This is another area of corruption because such laws guarantee a permanent life of obscene luxury for political office holders while the people continue to wallow in misery and poverty. What is the morality of allowing a president or a governor who cannot build functional hospitals for his people to be given the privilege of overseas treatment even when he has left office? I have never heard that the president of America, the chancellor of Germany or British Prime Minister travelled to another country for medical treatment but here, Nigerian public officials take it as a pride and status symbol. To sustain the confidence of the Nigerian people, the new government must depart from the ungodly and sadistic trend of spending the bulk of the nation’s resources only to secure comfort for the tiny minority of politicians in public office. President Buhari must resist pressure to use political appointments to compensate those who worked for his success at the polls. He must appoint credible persons who can help him lift Nigeria to the first world. This is his chance and he must utilise it so that history can remember him for good. With the resources we have in this country, there is no basis for mass poverty and suffering. He must ensure that only those who want to serve are in government and not the political merchants who have held the country down by their greed and callousness. How do you see the cost of governance in the country? The cost of running government must be reduced drastically to discourage profiteers from seeking public office. There is no reason why a senator should earn more than a professor in a university. It is only in Nigeria that all categories of political office holders can be clamouring for life pension. If his anti-corruption crusade succeeds, he will have enough money to provide infrastructure across the country. In fact, his economic and political programmes will only succeed to the extent of his success in the anti-corruption crusade. For me, he has started well by refusing to be drawn into the controversy of selecting or nominating leaders of the National Assembly. It is not the business of the president to nominate or even advise the National Assembly on who should be their leader. The due process office must work to prevent fraud in the conduct of government business and not

function as a clearing house of corruption. He must devise a way of watching the watchers. The anti-corruption officials must be strictly monitored in the discharge of their duties and must not be allowed to operate as loose cannons. The cleaning exercise must start with the law enforcement agencies or else no tangible result will be achieved. Recently, a bill on Violence Against Person’ Prohibition that had spent almost 12 years in the National Assembly had just been passed. How will you react to this? All these issues are already in the criminal code, so also are issues relating to corruption. There is nothing in the EFCC Act that is not covered by the criminal code. It has always been the law that violence is unlawful, so I do not see any new thing the law is bringing on the table. Rather than enforce existing laws, we keep on making new laws in the vain hope that the new laws without more will prevent the problems we are seeking to address. It does not work that way. No matter how good a law is, unless it is properly enforced, nothing will change in the society. The point is that we like multiplying things and all these will not change anything. All that need to be done is to amend the criminal code to bring it up to date and not creating new laws to address issues already covered by the law. Recently, eight drug offenders were executed in Indonesia. What is your position on death sentence? Personally, as a pacifist, I don’t subscribe to death sentence for any crime but in saying that, we must not lose sight of the damage being done to the society by drugs. Drug pushing constitutes a serious risk to the health of any society and any responsible government cannot fold its arms and allow the illicit to continue unchecked. When Buhari executed three drug pushers in 1984 most drug pushers avoided Nigeria because they knew that the implication of being caught was death sentence. If you are issued visa to some of the countries that retain death sentence for drug pushing, it would be clearly spelt out in a booklet given to you that the offence attracts capital punishment. A person who knows the implication of taking drugs to some countries but decides to take the risk can only blame himself. It is tragic that most people become wiser after the event. It is no use claiming that you have become born again Christian after you have been sentenced to death. Many countries will not grant pardon on that basis. The proper thing is to avoid any conduct for which you may go to prison or be made to face capital punishment. The multiplying effect of crime are so much that one may not blame countries who still execute criminals for certain offences, after all, you are aware of what the law says. It is said that justice delayed is justice denied and lawyers are being blamed for the delay of cases in court, what do you think is the cause and how can it be addressed?

TO SUSTAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE, THE NEW GOVERNMENT MUST DEPART FROM THE UNGODLY AND SADISTIC TREND OF SPENDING THE BULK OF THE NATION’S RESOURCES ONLY TO SECURE COMFORT FOR THE TINY MINORITY OF POLITICIANS IN PUBLIC OFFICE It is true that some lawyers deliberately delay the hearing of their cases either to gain time for their clients or frustrate the Claimant. Somebody is not sick and you procure documents indicating that the person is ill. The court may have no option than to adjourn the matter. Some lawyers file frivolous applications and when the prayer is refused, he rushes to file an appeal and motion for stay of proceedings. Some judges do not sit on time and will readily grant an application for adjournment even when no tenable reason is offered for the application. All these contribute to delay in the administration of justice. Some of these issues are already being addressed but we can do more to sustain the confidence of the people in the administration of justice. Granting stay of proceedings on ground of Interlocutory appeals should be discouraged. Where an objection is raised in a case where affidavit is used, the objection should be heard with the substan-

tive matter. The bench and the bar must corporate to ensure speedy and effective administration of justice. What advice do you have for young wigs? The advice I will give to upcoming lawyers is what I will give to anybody who want to succeed in life. Nobody can succeed in anything except he is disciplined, focused and committed. You must have passion for what you are doing. The passion sustains you when you are facing daunting challenges. I am sure you are a practising journalist not because you are paid fat salary but because you have passion for the profession. When you are passionate about something, you will readily do it even for free. A young lawyer must serve pupillage so as to acquire useful experience before establishing his own firm. There is no profession where there are no challenges; it is the passion that will keep you going. Don’t put money first, it will come later.

Law & Justice

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 state was particularly disturbing. “Besides reports of killings, there were also cases of arson, attacks on INEC officials and hijacking of electoral materials.” She added. CDD noted the complicity of security agents in cases of electoral fraud and violence in several states, particularly Rivers state, where active connivance of security agents were recorded in the commission of electoral violence. The CDD boss said “There is urgent need for the investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders by the authorities; a further need to ensure the non-partisanship of security agencies policing elections; and an improved management of the conduct of elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission.” The CDD, an organization that has been observing the 2015 general elections, deployed observers in 21 states of the federation to monitor the elections and file in reports to the CDD Analysis Centre based in Abuja. Last April, the Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase has vowed to prosecute electoral offenders, to curb the spate of violence during elections in the country. Arase, who formally took over the mantle from the ex –IGP, Mr. Suleiman Abba, at a handover ceremony in Abuja, vowed that it would not be business as usual as all senior officers would be held accountable for their actions. In November 2012, the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, had in Abuja said the commission could not successfully prosecute electoral offenders because it lacked adequate funds and manpower. The commission boss explained that during the course of various elections across Nigeria, INEC apprehended about 870,000 electoral offenders. Only 200 of these, 0.02 per cent, have been successfully prosecuted. One of the thousands of electoral offenders yet to be prosecuted was said to be

Monday, June 1, 2015

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‘INEC has no fiat to prosecute electoral offenders’

Farounbi

Fatoki

INEC IS A PARASTATAL OF THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF JUSTICE. THERE ARE RULES FOR ENGAGEMENT OF EXTERNAL LEGAL SERVICES. IF INEC LACKS MANPOWER, THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IS NOT SHORT-STAFFED a senator from Bayelsa State in the last administration whom the commission said it caught with ballot boxes and thumb-printed ballot papers during elections. Jega was quoted as saying prosecuting has been “a big problem” because of paucity of funds and manpower. “In actual fact some of those apprehended have been prosecuted and convicted but the number is just too small compared to those remaining,” he added. He said one of those convicted was “a youth corper was also prosecuted and sentenced in Ondo for electoral manipulation.” He said if INEC was saddled with the responsibility of prosecuting electoral offenders its major mandate would suffer because the quantum of offenders would be

too much for the commission. Speaking on the issue, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch, Mr. Yinka Farounbi, said ‘’the probono services setup by the NBA is not only meant to prosecute electoral offenders but also to render assistant to those who cannot afford legal fee to lawyers’’. According to him, there are many ways to compel the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) to take advantage of the assistance offered by the Association adding that, NBA will not relent on their oars in making sure that sanity returns to the country. In his reaction, a Lagos based human right activist, Mr. Adewale Ojo, said NBA should be commended for setting up a pro

bono committee to prosecute electoral offenders. He however noted that the reason why INEC has not responded to NBA could be due to communication gaps between the two parties. According to Ojo, ‘’INEC has no fiat to prosecute the electoral offenders under the existing law. It can only make arrest and handover offenders to the Nigerian Police for prosecution. The law does not allow INEC to prosecute any offender. I think what the body should have done is to handover any electoral offender to police for the prosecution”. In his view, former secretary, NBA, Lagos branch, Mr. Seth Amaefule said ‘’the claimed efforts of the NBA was in my humble opinion and invitation to treat which could not have specified the terms of the proposed assistance. It would require INEC to first compile such cases and also do some in-house strength auditing to determine if it requires any assistance and on what terms. Thereafter it may express interest in the NBA proposal. INEC is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Justice. There are rules for engagement of external legal services. If INEC lacks manpower the ministry of Justice is not shortstaffed’’. In his own contribution, a Lagos based lawyer Mr. Segun Fatoki, observed that INEC has not demonstrated seriousness about the prosecution of election offenders adding that the body is just pretending to do so. He said “going by the excuses given by the INEC, one will know that INEC is seriously supporting electoral offenders and they are not ready to prosecute any offender. There is no compulsion not to answer the committee set-up by the NBA to render pro bono services but I think that INEC is not serious about the prosecution of the electoral offenders”.

Mukhtar: Historic lady of the Bench Judicature FRANCIS FAMOROTI HEAD, JUDICIARY

ustice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar is a retired Supreme Court jurist acclaimed for her attainment of many firsts in the country. She is the first female lawyer from Northern Nigeria, first female judge of the High Court in Kano State judiciary, the first female justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, the first female justice -ever to sit on the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria. In 2000, when she served in the Court of Appeal, Muhktar ranked third in seniority behind Musdapher and the President of the Court of Appeal. She was sworn in as the 13th indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan July 16, 2012.

Seen as an introvert and a true picture of what a modern judge should be, Justice Mukhtar exhibited part of her attributes when, alongside Justices George Oguntade and Walter Onnoghen, almost voided the outcome of the 2007 election that brought the late President Musa Yar’Adua and now President Jonathan to power. While the quartet of Justices Kutigi, Katsina-Alu, Niki Tobi and Dahiru Musdapher dismissed the appeal by then presidential candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples’ Party (ANPP), Justices Mukhtar, Oguntade and Onnoghen held a dissenting view. They maintained that the allegation of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2006 was proved by the petitioner. When she came on board on the Apex Court bench, Mukhtar was described variously by many people as being a”liberal, highly principled, calm, and with an aversion to acts inimical to due process and the course of justice”. Justice Mukhtar, who hails from Kano State, was born on November 20, 1944. She attended St. George Primary School, Zaria

and St. Bartholomew’s School, Wusasa, Zaria, Kaduna State. She attended the Rossholme School for Girls, East Brent, Somerset, England; Reading Technical College, Reading, Berkshire, England and Gibson and Weldon College of Law, England. Justice Mukhtar was called to the English Bar in November, 1966 and to the Nigerian Bar in 1967. She began her career as Pupil State Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Northern Nigeria, 1967, Office of the Legal Draftsman, Interim Common Services Agency, Magistrate Grade I, North Eastern State Government, 1971, Chief Registrar, Kano State Government Judiciary, 1973, Judge of the High Court of Kano State, 1977-1987, Justice of the Court of Appeal, 1987-1993, during which she served in the Ibadan division of the court. Mukhtar is a life member of the International Association of Women Lawyers, and she was conferred the Nigerian National Honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Justice Mukhtar eventually retired from the Supreme Court and office of the CJN in November 2014.

Former CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar

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Law & Justice

Monday, June 1, 2015

Awwal Ibrahim’s thorny path to regaining Suleja emirate FAMOUS CASES

Alhaji Mohammed Awwal Ibrahim is the eighth Emir of Zazzau-Suleja in Niger State. Ibrahim, a former Second Republic Governor of Niger State became the Emir in 1993 but he was deposed in 1994 by Gen. Sani Abacha’s administration. He subsequently fought series of legal battles to regain the emirate. FRANCIS FAMOROTI, Head, Judiciary writes.

wwal Ibrahim was a second republic politician who served as first civilian governor of Niger State from October 1979 to December 1983. He was elected on the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) platform. About 10 years later, he was named the Emir of Zazzau-Suleja in Niger State. His ascension to the throne resulted in rioting and destruction of property by opponents. He was subsequently deposed on May 10, 1994 by General Sani Abacha administration. The Suleja Emirate is a Hausa emirate established in the early 19th century, formerly called Abuja, in what is now Niger State. In 1976, a large part of the emirate plus territory from other states became the Federal Capital Territory, centered on the new city of Abuja. The emirate was renamed Suleja, based on the renamed town of Suleja which remained in Niger State. Ibrahim became the Emir or Sarki, of Suleja in 1993. As said earlier, his ascension was marred by violence and arson. This led to his deposition in May 1994 by the Abacha administration. In fact, when he was the Niger State governor, there were attempts to impeach him from office. He was eventually forced out of office after the coup that brought Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to power. A military tribunal set up by the Buhari government convicted him of abuse of power and corruption in 1984. In 1986, he was barred for life from holding public office or participating in partisan politics. On his feelings and reactions when the military junta struck on December 31, 1983, thereby truncating his mandate as then elected governor of Niger state, the 73 year- old monarch in an on-line interview responded, “it was a tragic moment for me but it set me on path to acquire some experiences in life which I wouldn’t have acquired. As usual, I accepted my fate and I prayed that the action of throwing us out of the government would be a better thing for the country. So, I resigned to my fate like I said. Alhamdulillahi, I always recall with some nostalgia my experiences in various Nigerian prisons that I was locked for a period of three years and two months. I don’t pray for any political leader in this country to go through such experience”. Ibrahim became the Emir in 1993 and was deposed the following year. After the return to democracy, Ibrahim was restored to his title of Emir of Suleja on January 17, 2000. His restoration again caused a series of violent clashes, forcing the government to call in anti-riot troopers and impose a 20-hour curfew. Twenty one people were reportedly arrested over the incident.

Awwal Ibrahim

In September 2001, Ibrahim was awarded the title of Commander of the Niger. In 2010, he was chairman of the Niger State government’s Committee on Reformation of Almajiri. The Almajiri are itinerant students of the Quran who depend on alms to survive. Reflecting on the unfortunate development surrounding his deposition about 21 years ago, the Emir in an on-line media interview said he fought a legal battle for some years which resulted in a Supreme Court judgement that reinstated him as the validly appointed emir. Ibrahim was quoted as saying that the judgement was however defied until year 2000 when the then Niger State governor, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure restored him to the throne of Zazzau Suleja Emirate. On his travails in the hands of late Gen. Abacha, who unceremoniously deposed him, the Emir took it in philosophical calmness, believing, “I am not too sure whether it was Gen. Sani Abacha that deposed me. Because Gen. Abacha was the head of state and probably you think he was responsible for my deposition. But I am sure that the Military Governor of my state at that time must have taken note of the crises going on and perhaps he listened to his advisers and eventually took the decision. But if you remember, before then, there was a court case. Let’s look at it from a proper perspective: initially when I was appointed, my cousin and some kingmakers challenged my appointment in the court of law. “During that time, of course, we have to be law-abiding and at the end, I lost the case but given the Nigeria’s legal system, I appealed the judgement of the lower

Abacha

I AM CONCERNED THAT THE TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION DOES NOT EARN THE KIND OF RESPECT AND APPRECIATION IT DESERVES FROM THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP court. At the Appeal Court, I won partially and we went to the Supreme Court, which is the apex court. The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, established my appointment legally. “While we were waiting for the execution of the judgement, the then military governor defied the judgement of the Supreme Court. He even banished me supposedly to a remote area of Niger State around Rijau. I was to start a new life altogether. I have a house in Kaduna, so I stayed there”. On his regrets on the throne, 20 years after, the Emir said “well, as humans, we are bound to make mistakes but what do you do when you realised that? You have to regret certain actions. No human being is perfect. I cannot say I am blameless. I have my shortcomings and I take to correction whenever my attention is drawn to a wrong decision.’’ Today, Ibrahim is concerned with the growing lack of respect for the traditional institutions in the country. He lamented that “I am concerned that the traditional institution does not earn

the kind of respect and appreciation it deserves from the political leadership. We are only being utilized as fire brigades.” Speaking during activities marking his two decades on the throne last year, the monarch also bemoaned the colossal neglect of his domain and his people by the Federal Government in spite of the great sacrifices by his people made by ceding significant portion of their land to the FCT. For an emir who was a one-time public servant and also involved in the establishment of the FCT in Abuja, he said, he was aware that the compensation due to some people who were resettled from Abuja was yet reach them adding that however that the Niger State was doing its best to ensure the Federal Government adequately compensate the people. Historically, the current Suleja emirate originally included four small Koro chiefdoms that paid tribute to the Hausa Zazzau Emirate. After warriors of the Fulani jihad (holy war) captured Zaria, Zazzau’s capital, 137 miles (220 km) northnortheast about 1804, Muhammadu Makau, Sarki (king) of Zazzau, led many of the Hausa nobility to the Koro town of Zuba. Abu Ja (Jatau), his brother and successor as Sarkin Zazzau, founded Abuja town in 1828, began construction of its wall a year later, and proclaimed himself the first Sarki of Abuja, while retaining the title Sarkin Zazzau’. After withstanding Zaria attacks, the Abuja emirate remained an independent Hausa refuge. Trade with the Fulani emirates of Bida (to the west) and Zaria began in Emir Abu Kwaka’s reign (1851– 77).

Law & Justice

Unlawful gunshot: Court awards N100m damages against Nigerian Navy, 4 others WALE IGBINTADE

Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Navy, Chief of Naval Staff, and three others to pay N100 million as damages to an operation manager with Yusmed Oil and Gas Company, Atom Zaga, who was shot by naval personnel, Ikhifa Joven . Zaga had in a motion on notice for enforcement of his fundamental human rights brought pursuant order 2 rule 1 of the fundamental human rights enforcement procedure rule 2009, filed by his lawyer, David Sarauta, demanded for N200 million being aggravated and exemplary damages. Other respondents in the suit are the flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Commanding Officer, Nigerian Naval Beecroft, Naval Base, and a naval officer, Ikhifa Joven. The applicant had stated that on February, 20012 at about 4: pm, a customer called him on phone and requested for a sample of Kerosene product from his company for laboratory analysis to enable him buy in large quantity. He said while he was rushing to the deport at Capital Oil and Gas Limited to obtain sample of the product he noticed Tanker Drivers protesting against the action of Naval personnel who allegedly broke the windscreen of a lorry. He averred that while passing the through the crowd to gain access to Capital Oil, he heard gunshots and suddenly saw himself on the floor in pool of blood as the second shot fired by the naval personnel was directed at him. He further stated that the naval personnel that shot him came to his rescue but when he discovered that he was losing much blood he horridly abandoned him and ran away. Each of the respondents was served with originating process but they opted not to defend themselves. Delivering judgment, Justice Ibrahim Idris held that ‘’the respondent has a duty in law to controvert the facts contained in the supporting affidavit and having failed to do so, the facts contained

therein are taken and regarded as established. The facts appear reasonable and sufficient to sustain the reliefs sought by the applicants’’ Justice Ibrahim further declared the actions of the respondent unlawful adding that every resident in Nigeria had the right to go about his or her lawful business unmolested and unhampered by anyone including security agencies. Consequently, the court declared the unlawful gunshot by Ikhifa Ehis Joven which resulted to serious injuries to the applicant as reckless, callous, illegal, and unprofessional and an infringement of his fundamental right to life. The applicant had prayed the court for a declaration that the unlawful gun shot on him by the 4th respondent (unknown naval personnel) has reduced him to a condition of disability. He stated that the Divisional Police officer in charge of Trinity Police Division visited the scene of the incident and rushed him to Faleti Medical Centre. The applicant further added that he paid his medical bills without assistance from anybody and was discharged on February 16, 2012. He stated that when he was discharged from the hospital he could not go to specialist hospital for further treatment for his broken fractures as he could not afford the bill. He added that the injury he sustained from the gun shot has confined him to sick bed from February till date adding that the respondents have refused to take care of him.

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Monday, June 1, 2015

Convicts can’t be hanged secretly –India S’Court NEW DELHI

ondemned prisoners also have a right to dignity, the Supreme Court has said, holding that execution of death sentence cannot be carried out in an arbitrary, hurried and secret manner without allowing death row convicts to exhaust all legal remedies and meet family members. Report by ABC says that the court’s observations assume significance in the context of the hue and cry raised by human rights activists after Parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru, was hanged in the capital’s Tihar jail in 2013 even before his family members could get intimation. The bench said, “We find that death warrant was signed by the session’s judge in haste without waiting for convict to exhaust all legal remedies.” The court pointed out that the

condemned prisoners can file review petition before the Supreme Court and can also seek mercy from the President or Governor for commuting their sentence. While quashing the execution warrants of a young woman and her lover, convicted for killing seven members of her family including a 10-month-old baby in Uttar Pradesh in 2008, the court held that “Right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution does not end with the confirmation of the death sentence. Even in cases of death row convicts, their right to dignity must be protected,” Referring to the Allahabad HC order on procedure to be followed for execution of death sentence, the court said the principles of natural justice must be followed and sufficient notice given to the convict before the issuance of death warrant to enable him/her to pursue legal recourse and have a final meeting with family members before execution.

India Prime Minister, Narendra Modi

In cases where a convict is not in a position to get legal assistance, legal aid must be provided, it said. The bench expressed surprised on the “unwarranted” haste with which the Amroha court issued execution warrants, just six days after the Supreme Court awarded death sentence to the couple on May 15 for wiping out the woman’s entire family— parents, two brothers, sister-in-law and two minors - to remove opposition to their affair and also grab family property.

US S’Court to redefine ‘one-person, one-vote’ principle WASHINGTON

he US Supreme Court has agreed to define what it meant by “one person, one vote” a half century ago. A BBC report says the justices will consider a challenge brought by two rural voters in Texas, who claim their state Senate ballots carry less weight than those cast in urban areas with large numbers of non-citizens ineligible to vote. Under the current system in nearly all states, state legislative districts are drawn with roughly equal populations. The standard dates back to decisions made by the Supreme Court in the early 1960s. If the justices change the standard from total population to legal voters,

illegal and some legal immigrants would not be counted, along with children and most prisoners who have committed felonies. That would equalize the power of each vote but result in districts of unequal population. It also would make it harder for Hispanics in ethnic areas to elect the candidate of their choice, because their voting strength would decline, or the districts would be less compact and subject to legal challenge. That could help Republicans in rural areas and hurt Democrats in cities. States and localities most likely to feel the effect of any change include Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and the New York metropolitan area. While only state legislative districts would be affected, a separate challenge could be filed to

change the way congressional districts are drawn. In the Texas case, Sue Evenwel’s mostly rural district has about 584,000 citizens eligible to vote, while a neighboring urban district has only 372,000. As a result, voters in the urban district have more sway to influence the outcome. A federal district court in Texas ruled that the state Legislature’s use of total population could not be appealed. But as far back as 2001, at least one justice, Clarence Thomas, had said the issue should be reviewed by the Supreme Court. “The one-person, one-vote principle, by its terms, entitles voters to an equal vote,” the challengers said. “Unless the districting process no longer protects that right, the judgment below cannot stand.”

I received a congratulatory handshake from my boss –Jimilehin

was called to the Nigerian bar on Friday, July 1977 and on Saturday we were asked to go to the Supreme Court to enroll before we could become solicitors and advocates.

My first solo appearance was before Justice Candide Johnson. I had prepared very well by studying the case file. I never knew that my boss had sent the office clerk to watch my performance in court. I got to court very early only to see that the court room was filled up because there was a case of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. There were many senior members of the Bar like of late Gani Fawehinmi

and Chief Kehinde Sofola SAN, present in court and my case was the first on the list. I stood up and by the time I finished my submissions, I thanked God that I belong to the legal profession. The counsel representing the other party could not object to my submissions. When I got back to the office I received a congratulatory handshake from my boss for the good performance.

Dapo Jimilehin

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Law & Justice

Monday, June 1, 2015

Issues in legal equality, federal character principle CONTINUED FROM LASTWEEK

n applying the literal rule in interpreting this provision it would seem that the provision was put in place to as a pre-emptive provision against any form of domination by any group of people in Nigeria. However, the essence of affirmative action is curative and not pre-emptive; such that it is applied in situations where there has been subjugation of another ethnic group within a nation or in cases of gross racial or class discrimination. The purport of the principle is to ensure even development among all classes of citizens in state, after incidence of ethnically subjugation or gross racial discrimination. The provision is not intended to be a lifelong, but temporary has it loses value as soon as that par development has been achieved. The principle of affirmative action was never designed to encourage mediocrity has it is been witnessed in Nigeria today at all levels of the society. The composition of public parastatals, appointment into public offices, award of scholarships and even admission into public institutions is now based on the federal character or the quota system. In handing down employment to citizens, people are considered by their state of origin at the federal level or their local tribe at the state level; the federal ministers must be appointed on the basis of state representation Sec. 143(7) CFRN 1999 3rd alteration; award of scholarship is based on geopolitical zones of the applying scholars; while admission into universities is now classified into merit, catchment area, educational disadvantaged states. These are few areas where the federal character is manifestly obvious and causing more attendant problems than

THE COMPOSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION OR ANY OF ITS AGENCIES AND THE CONDUCT OF ITS AFFAIRS SHALL BE CARRIED OUT IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF

NIGERIA AND PROMOTE NATIONAL UNITY, AND ALSO TO COMMAND

NATIONAL LOYALTY, THEREBY ENSURING THAT ALL DECISIONS ARE BASED STRICTLY

ON MERIT, IN FAIRNESS AND IN A TRANSPARENT PROCEDURE BY THE GOVERNMENT OR IN ANY OF ITS AGENCIES

the intended national integration. These various forms of affirmative actions are against the provision of Sec. 15(3) CFRN 1999 3rd alteration which declares: “accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties

Bar

Jokes Keep that a secret After many years of hard work, Joe rewarded himself with a long, luxurious stay at an exclusive Carribean resort. While relaxing on the beach, he was surprised to see a former high school classmate who he hadn’t seen since they graduated. His old friend had been something of a “burnout” in high school, and this was the last place Joe expected to see him. Joe approached the man, and seized his hand. “Pete, it’s Joe. From high school. It’s sure been a long time. You look great! You must really be doing okay for yourself.” “I am,” whispered Pete. “I am a partner with a very successful law firm. But don’t tell mother. She got the idea that I was a drug dealer back when I was in high school, and she would be terribly disappointed if she figured out how I really make my money.”

Why God Created Lawyers

shall be prohibited.” This provision is in tandem with the age-long tradition of legal equality where there is no basis for any sort of subjugation and discrimination. It is obvious that sec. 14(3) and sec. 15(3) CFRN 1999 3rd alteration are in contravention of each other; sec. 14(3)CFRN 1999 3rd alteration promotes the principles of affirmative action and the resultant effect is the federal character that has led to high level of mediocrity, bribery, corruption and national disintegration.; on the other hand, sec. 15(3)CFRN 1999 3rd alteration provides for legal equality, a merit based decision-making devoid of all forms of discrimination and extrinsic factors. Any nation that is serious about her national development must as of necessity arise above mediocrity and ensure that decisions are merit based and not on some frivolous classifications. There has been no incidence in Nigeria that warrants the inclusion of sec. 14(3) into the constitution of Nigeria, no ethnic group has suffered such level of gross discrimination and subjugation that warrants the provision of the federal character into the constitution of Nigeria. In the twenty-first century, this principle of affirmative action is fast becoming obsolete and countries are committing themselves to a merit system that promotes equality and national development. Therefore if Nigeria must make progress the federal character provisions must be expunged from the constitution, the federal character philosophy must give way and all decisions must be based on merit and consideration of national development. Sec. 15 (3) CFRN 1999 3rd alteration could read as follows: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or

Satan was complaining bitterly to God, “You made the world so that it was not fair, and you made it so that most people would have to struggle every day, fight against their innate wishes and desires, and deal with all sorts of losses, grief, disasters, and catastrophes. Yet, people worship and adore you. People fight, get arrested, and cheat each other, and I get blamed, even when it is not my fault. Sure, I’m evil, but give me a break. Can’t you do something to make them stop blaming me?” And so God created lawyers.

Witness testimony A witness to an automobile accident was testifying. The following exchange took place between the lawyer and the witness: The lawyer: “Did you actually see the accident?” The witness: “Yes, sir.” The lawyer: “How far away were you when the accident happened?” The witness: “Thirty-one feet, six and one quarter inches.” The lawyer (thinking he’d trap the witness): “Well, sir, will you tell the jury how you knew it was exactly that distance?” The witness: “Because when the accident happened I took out a tape and measured it. I knew some stupid lawyers would ask me that question.”

any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the diversity of Nigeria and promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that all decisions are based strictly on merit, in fairness and in a transparent procedure by the government or in any of its agencies.” The constitution must also ensure that the provision can be enforced in the court and not just an administrative provision. If Sec. 15 (3) CFRN 1999 3rd alteration is amended to promote a merit based system that is subjected in fairness and transparency, then Nigeria would be on the path to addressing issues that has held her bound in penury, disorderliness and wanton corruption. The spirit of sec. 14(3)CFRN 1999 3rd alteration, which is currently dead would also comeback alive with a new zeal that promotes national development and integration. Citizens would definitely perform better and believe in prowess more than in their social connection. An equal platform would have been created for all strata of the country to achieve their dreams and contribute to national development. The agelong principle of legal equality would be entrenched not just in words but also in deeds. This principle of legal equality has no doubt paid off in first world countries, that are now severing paths with affirmative actions that tend to hold down their national development. Nigeria must follow suit; Nigeria must wake up to this reality in order to journey into the economic development and national prosperity. CONCLUDED Akinpelu, a Lawyer writes from Lagos.

LEGAL TIPS Customary law marriage and the bride price system

ustomary law marriage comprises marriages under various customary practices in existence in Nigeria, and Islamic law. *The common characteristic of customary law marriages is the ability of the men to marry as many wives as possible. *Under the Islamic law, a man is allowed to marry as many wives provided he has the capacity to take care of them. *Yet another characteristic of customary law marriage, for instance, among the

Igbo people and the Muslims of Northern Nigeria, is the fact that neither infancy nor old age is a barier to marriage. *Consent of the bride’s parents and not that of the man, is an important prerequisite in customary law marriage. *This is because the bride-price is paid to the woman’s parents. However, the brideprice today is basically a commercial transaction in some communities. *In some communities fixed amounts exist to be paid on the bride, in others

amounts vary with professional qualification or income capacities of the woman. *It is also the practice nowadays among some families in the South- West to return the bride-price paid on their daughters. *The rationale for this is that their daughters are not objects of trade, but precious gifts that should be well-cared for by the groom’s families. Written by Francis Famoroti, Head, Judiciary. We welcome feedback and reactions from readers via our email: nationalmirrorlaw@yahoo.com.

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Monday, June 1, 2015

Community Mirror

I believe that everybody that is calling for probe must also ensure that the probe is extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise it will be witch-hunting. If we are sincere it is not only the Jonathan administration that should be probed.

Fmr. President – Goodluck Jonathan

Kingmakers uphold selection of Ikere-Ekiti monarch-elect Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

ingmakers in Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, have upheld the selection of Prince Samuel Adejimi Adu as Oba-elect for the ancient town, saying it followed due process as stipulated by the extant laws on chieftancy matters in the state. Eleven of the 14 kingmakers in the community said their decision followed the fact that the monarch-elect had all the necessary qualifications for the throne, especially being a member of a rul-

ing family. Head of the kingmakers, the Sao of Ikere Ekiti, Chief James Omotosho, flanked by 10 other kingmakers, said yesterday that the selection exercise was carried out through consultation of the ifa oracle and voting in the presence of two representatives of each of the royal houses and a government representative. Omotosho, who said that the appointment of an Oba was a sacred matter, faulted newspapers reports which claimed that the 14 kingmakers who presided over the screening exercise that produced Adu were not the authentic kingmakers, adding that such was a design to cause a breach of the peace in the community. It would be recalled that the

kingmakers and the Ruling Houses are at loggerheads over the selection of the occupant for the throne of the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti made vacant by the death of Oba Samuel Adegboye. While the Ruling Houses are calling for a fresh selection process, saying Adu was not a prince and as well would not enjoy the support of Ikere Ekiti people especially that he was being foisted on them, the kingmakers said he belonged to Agirlala Ogbenuote Ruling House and as well emerged the popular choice having scored 11 out of their 14 votes. Omotoso queried: “What do they actually want? The ifa oracle was consulted in the presence of everyone. Out of the six contestants shortlisted, Adu’s ‘ifa’ was

A man searching for fuel at Ife, Osun State. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Mile 12 market re-elects exco for another term Adesanya Adeleke

hairman of Arewa Perishable Food Stuff Market Association, Mile 12 market, Alhaji Haruna Muhammed, and his executive members have been reelected by the traders to steer the ship of the market for another four years. The incumbent chairman, Haruna Mohammed defeated his opponent, Alhaji Tsoh Babangida, in a keen contest with 104 to 15 votes. The candidates for the office of vice chairman, general secretary, assistant general secretary, treasurer, financial secretary, welfare secretary, auditor and the public relations officer were all unopposed.

According to the reelected chairman, “my team and I are going to consolidate on our past track record which made the traders to reelect us back into office. “The mile 12 market belongs to everybody, whether you are Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ibibio, Fulani and even foreigner we are all one. Because immediately individuals step into the market to trader we all had become one family. “You can see that immediately I was announced the winner of the election every traders came in their thousands to celebrate with me even the Igbo’s were not left out just to tell you that we are one big family in unity,” he stated. The re-elected Financial Secretary of the market, Alhaji Shehu Usman who described the election as free and fair one, noted

that since market was relocated from the old place to the present place over fourty years ago we have not had it so good in conducting elections. With the small community like mile 12 market and we were able to conduct such election without any raucous it shows that we are had come of age as a traders. The defeated candidate for the chairmanship post Mr. Tsoh Babangida commended the electoral officers and the various delegates who out of their tight schedule came out to vote. Babangida said, “I only came out to contribute my best on how to move the market forward from where the previous chairmen had stopped. But with the outcome of the election I believe there is no victor no vanquished among us,” he said.

the best. To fulfill all righteousness, we went into voting, he got 11 votes while Prince Oyebanji Olajuyin had three, others had no vote. If we are not authentic how come they subjected themselves to be screened by us? He queried.

The kingmakers, who described Governor Ayodele Fayose as a lover of the town, urged the government to announce the result of the screening exercise presented to it in the interest of peace.

Group harps on need to build on success of 2015 polls Dare Akogun

xecutive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center, WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode, has said that though the 2015 general elections were acknowledged by the international community as most credible, she however noted that reactions still trailed the exercise. Akiyode was speaking during an interactive session at a town hall meeting for stakeholders on the 2015 general elections community response and post 2015 elections organized by her group in conjunction with the European Union and IFES in Lagos recently. She noted that the workshop was part of the series of intervention by WARDC with the support of IFES and the EU, to engage stakeholders on elections in Nigeria, stressing that WARDC is the leading organisation working on the IFES/EUMOVE project on

the Southwest. Recalling that since November last year, WARDC has been organizing several events to ensure peaceful elections in Nigeria, she stated that today’s event is to speak to critical stakeholders particularly political parties’ leaders , community leaders, religious organization and traditional leaders, women and PWC on how to ensure violence free elections in the coming period. Citing Lagos State which she noted there are instances where reactions from opposition has lead to court cases, she maintained that given the historical antecedents of Lagos State and South-West zone of Nigeria in general, it has become necessary that urgent precautionary measures be taken to prevent further outbreak of electoral violence in the post election period in the region. “Considering the fact that Lagos is noted for its high political consciousness there is no doubt that the post election period may pose a major challenge for stable sustainable development in the state” she stated.

Area ‘M’ PCRC inaugurates anniversary committee members

n its desire to make sure the 2015 anniversary /award ceremony of the association turns out uniquely, the Area M Command of the Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, has inaugurated a 10-man committee whose mandate is to ensure a successful outing. Speaking at the inauguration, Chairman of PCRC Area M Command, Prince (Dr) Michael Oyeniyi charged the members to be good ambassadors of the association, noting that their choice was informed by their dedication to duties, forthrightness and integrity, advising that they should live up to expectation. “We are optimistic that you will live up to your billings. We all expect nothing short of doing our noble body proud because we are sure and confident that you will

not fail us, so hold your heads high and be worthy achievers,” he stated. In his contribution, Dr. Francis Oladun the patron of the association cautioned the committee members to at all times be conscious of the fact that to whom much is given, much is equally expected. Members of the Committee are Alhaji Oyewo Lamidi (Chairman), Prince Dr Ishola Alade(Secretary) Alhaji Sura, and Prince Kola Olofinjians. Others are Prince Kayode Daramola, Hon Adesina Ademola, Mr. Ajayi Femi, Chief Ajakaiye the Oba-elect of Onipeteri, Robert Akpan and Matthew Aramunde of Crime World Magazine and People’s Daily Newspaper respectively.

Monday, June 1, 2015

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World News

“I think the only way to move that is through direct negotiations. Unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority has moved away from these negotiations”

US Vice President Biden’s son dies of brain cancer

–ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

African leaders urge Burundi to postpone elections Paul Arhewe

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

frican leaders met in Tanzania yesterday to discuss a political crisis in Burundi triggered by the president’s plan to run for a third term called for the postponement of elections by at least a month and a half. Protests erupted in Burundi in late April in response to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for another term in June 26 polls, a move critics say violates the constitution. The heads of state of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, which together with Burundi and Rwanda form the East African Community (EAC) common market, attended the summit. They were joined by South African President Jacob Zuma. “The summit called for a longer postponement of elections in Burundi for a period not less than one and a half months,” said Richard Sezibera, the secretary general of the EAC. The leaders had previously called for the vote to be postponed, to create the right conditions for voting, but to be held

Refugees from Burundi sail on a boat to reach MV Liemba, a ship freighted by the United Nations at Kagunga shores of Lake Tanganyika near Kigoma in Tanzania.

within Nkurunziza’s current mandate that ends in August. Nkurunziza, who faced a coup attempt while in Dar es Salaam for the first summit on May 13, did not attend the meeting. He was represented by the country’s foreign minister, Alain Aime Nyamitwe. Rwanda also sent a minister rather than the head of state, a Tanzanian foreign ministry official said.

The summit also called for the urgent disarmament of all youth factions allied to political parties in Burundi. Nkurunziza’s ruling CNDDFDD party’s youthwing, the socalled Imbonerakure, has been accused of carrying out some of the violence that has rocked Burundi for weeks. “The leaders have been trying to navigate our way so we can help the people of Burundi

to land safely under the current circumstances,” Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete told a news conference after the summit. Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term unleashed Burundi’s worst political crisis since an ethnically-driven civil war ended in 2005. The president’s supporters say a constitutional court ruling allows him to run again.

ISIS militants seize Libya’s airport I slamic State militants in Libya say they have seized the airport in the city of Sirte, as the group continues to make advances in the country. The news was announced by the group and by a Libyan militia that withdrew from the coastal city’s airport on Thursday. Most of Sirte, former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown, fell to IS last week. In a statement, the group said it had also seized the Great Man Made River water project. The irrigation project, the world’s largest, supplies fresh water to Libyan cities and was also the base for the opposition Battalion 166, which has now

fled. The battalion, and other Islamist militias, run the capital, Tripoli, although their government is not recognised by the international community. The al-Ghardabiya airport also housed an airbase, that was seized by militias after being bombed by Nato forces during the battle to oust Gaddafi in 2011. Since the former leader’s death in Sirte in October that year, Libya has descended into chaos, with various militias fighting for power. The internationally-recognised government has been forced to leave Tripoli. In the last seven months, IS has set up checkpoints and es-

WORLD BULLETIN

5,000 migrants rescued in Mediterranean More than 5,000 migrants have been rescued in the Mediterranean since Friday, according to Frontex, the European Union’s border agency. The rescue mission, which started Friday, focused on a group of Libyan migrants travelling aboard 25 boats, said Frontex, adding that five other operations were in place to rescue another 500 migrants. According to the agency, rescuers discovered 17 bodies during the operation, confirming the toll given by the Italian coastguard. British, Maltese, Belgian and Italian ships took part in the operation, along with Icelandic and Finnish planes. Since the beginning of the year, more than 45,000 illegal migrants have arrived in Italy. According to the International Organization for Migration, around 1,770 men, women and children have died or disappeared making the perilous journey.

Ombudswoman faults Zuma exoneration in spending scandal The South African public official who led a probe into allegations that President Jacob Zuma spent millions of public money upgrading his home yesterday blasted a report clearing the embattled leader of any wrongdoing. Zuma was last week exonerated by the police minister over the longrunning scandal and will not have to repay any of the $24 million spent on improvements at his rural homestead, which included a swimming pool, an amphitheatre and a cattle enclosure.

Congo to allow some foreign adoptions despite ban

Fighters from Islamist militia

tablished a presence in cities across Libya, starting with the port of Derna - the first city outside Iraq and Syria to fall to the militant group. In January, an IS-affiliated group bombed the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, killing 10 people. In February and April, vid-

eos were released showing IS militants in Libya killing two groups of mainly Egyptian and Ethiopian Christians. Air strikes against IS positions have been conducted by the Egyptian air force and by Libya’s internationally-recognised government.

Congo plans to allow 71 children whose adoptions were interrupted by a 2013 suspension to join families in the U.S. and four other countries next week, an official told The Associated Press. In December 2013, Congo announced a suspension on foreign adoptions, citing reports that children had been mistreated or abandoned by their adoptive families while others had been “sold to homosexuals.” The move prompted a pressure campaign from hundreds of frustrated American families who were in the process of arranging adoptions from Congo. As of last year, 148 Congolese children had been legally adopted by U.S. families and given U.S. visas but were waiting for exit permits to leave the country, according to a letter to President Barack Obama signed by 167 members of Congress.

World News

WORLD BULLETIN

US police kill more than two people in one day –Report Data collected by the Washington Post newspaper suggests that the number of people shot by US police is twice as high as official figures claim. The paper said that during the first five months of this year, 385 people - more than two a day were killed. The number of black people was disproportionately high among the victims, especially unarmed ones. Official statistics rely on selfreported figures from law enforcement agencies. They suggest about 400 people have been killed each year since 2008. The US has seen a number of controversial cases where unarmed black people have been killed by white police officers. Police are allowed to use deadly force when they fear for their lives or the lives of others, however there is currently no reliable way of tracking police shooting deaths. Instead, the government relies on self-reported figures from the nation’s 17,000 law enforcement agencies. The figures exclude killings deemed not to have been justified. The Washington Post says it logged every fatal shooting in 2015 by police in the line of duty using interviews, police reports, local media reports and other sources. It found a homicide rate of almost 2.6 per day so far this year - more than double the average 1.1 deaths per day reported in FBI records over the past decade.

‘Six powers agree way to restore UN sanctions in push for Iran deal’ Six world powers have agreed on a way to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal, clearing a major obstacle to an accord ahead of a June 30 deadline, Western officials told Reuters. The new understanding on a U.N. sanctions “snapback” among the six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China brings them closer to a possible deal with Iran, though other hurdles remain, including ensuring United Nations access to Iranian military sites. The six powers and Iran struck an interim agreement on April 2 ahead of a possible final deal that would aim to block an Iranian path to a nuclear bomb in exchange for lifting sanctions. But the timing of sanctions relief, access and verification of compliance and a mechanism for restoring sanctions if Iran broke its commitments were among the most difficult topics left for further negotiations.

Monday, June 1, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

US Vice President Biden’s son dies of brain cancer

eau Biden, who followed his father, Vice President Joe Biden, into politics and was twice elected attorney general of Delaware, died Saturday of brain cancer less than two years after he was diagnosed. Beau Biden was 46. The younger Biden, who suffered a series of health problems in recent years, was hospitalized this month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Washington for then-undisclosed reasons. He suffered a mild stroke in 2010 and three years later underwent surgery at a Texas cancer centre to remove what was describe as a small lesion. He announced last year that he would not seek a third term as attorney general and planned to run for governor in 2016. “It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life,” the vice president said late Saturday in announcing the death of his second child. An infant daughter was killed in a car accident more than four decades ago.

Attorney General Beau Biden and Vice President, Senator Joe Biden

“The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us — especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children,” he said. President Barack Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, were grieving alongside the Biden family. “Michelle and I humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on

Earth,” Obama said in a separate statement. The vice president said his son had dedicated his life to serving others during stints as a lawyer, a major in the Delaware National Guard and as state attorney general. Beau Biden served a yearlong deployment in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star. He most recently was with the Wilmington, Delaware, law firm Grant & Eisenhofer, where he focused on securities litigation and

Kerry breaks leg in bicycle crash, ends overseas trip early

.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday after striking a curb, and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group. Kerry was in stable condition and in good spirits as he prepared to return to Boston for further treatment with the doctor who previously operated on his hip, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said. He said X-rays at a Swiss hospital con-

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

firmed that Kerry fractured his right femur. “The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement. Kerry, 71, was taken by helicopter to Geneva’s main medical centre, HUG, after hitting a curb with his bike near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometres southeast of the Swiss border. Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time and provided him

immediate attention. They quickly decided to order the 10-minutelong helicopter transport. The Dauphine Libere, a local newspaper, said Kerry fell near the beginning of his ride to the famed mountain pass called the Col de la Colombiere, which has been a route for the Tour de France more than a dozen times. Right around the time of his fall, a Twitter feed about local driving conditions warned of the danger due to gravel along the pass. But U.S. officials said there was no gravel on the road where the accident occurred. According to the newspaper, some Haute Savoie officials were with Kerry at the time, including the head of the region. Kerry’s regular plane was returning to the United States carrying much of his staff and reporters who accompanied on the trip. The secretary of state planned to fly back late Sunday aboard a plane with special medical equipment “to ensure he remains comfortable and stable throughout the flight,” Kirby said. “Its use is nothing more than a prudent medical step on the advice of physicians.”

whistleblower cases. “More than his professional accomplishments, Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son and brother,” said Joe Biden, who was at his son’s side at the time of his death, along with the rest of the Biden family. “His absolute honour made him a role model for our family. Beau embodied my father’s saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did.”

Schools re-open in Nepal after quake

housands of schools damaged during April’s devastating earthquake in Nepal have begun to re-open. More than 25,000 classrooms in some 8,000 schools were destroyed in the 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks, and more than 8,000 people died. Many have only been rebuilt on a temporary basis using materials such as bamboo, wood and tarpaulin. Classes will initially focus on group activities to help children recover from the trauma of the disaster. Earlier this week, the United Nations said that one month on from the quake, the world needed to provide more food and shelter for those left homeless. Meanwhile, the Nepalese government - which has been criticised for being slow to respond - has called for more direct aid funding. The government closed all schools in the Kathmandu region for the month of May, amid continuing aftershocks in the aftermath of the 25 April tremor.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Monday, June 1, 2015

Road crashes: Kogi to establish trauma centre WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

orried by high road crashes along LokojaOkene highway, Kogi State government has said it will soon establish a trauma centre near the highway. Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, disclosed this at the weekend while receiving Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr. Charles Abochi, at his office in Lokoja. Awoniyi, who described Kogi State as a gate-way state with 85 per cent of the traffic being transient, stated that the government was working towards converting the SURE-P hospital in Osara into a mini-trauma centre to cater for victims of accidents along the stretch of Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road. He said vehicles from 26 states in Nigeria criss-

cross the state on daily basis, adding that the situation was responsible for the high rate of road crashes on the highway, while lawlessness and bad habits of some motorists are other factors responsible for the increasing number of crashes on the nation’s roads. He, however, expressed optimism that the new sector commander would bring his wealth of experience to bear in reducing road crashes in the state. He commended the FRSC for being partner in the development of Kogi State under Captain Idris Wada, noting that government will continue to support the command and its efforts to reduce road crashes and sanitise the process of vehicle and drivers’ licensing in the state. The deputy governor described as worrisome the non-availability of data bank on automated

Council chair slumps, dies in Nasarawa IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

aru Local Government Chairman in Nasarawa State, Godwin Chindo, last Saturday slumped and died in his office. The late local government boss was reported to have slumped and died Karu Local Government Area secretariat. Our correspondent gathered that the late Chindo was in the office to pick up some documents preparatory to commissioning a school building donated by Venezuelan government to Jan- Kan-

wa community of Karu Local Government Area. It was further learnt that the deceased was billed to receive the Venezuelan Vice President, Jorge Arreaza, and Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Silas Agara, for the commissioning ceremony. A relation to the deceased, Amos Auta, however, said the late Chindo left home healthy only for them to receive the shocking news of his death. He said the late chairman died before he could be rushed to hospital and his corpse deposited at Aso Clinic where he was confirmed dead.

vehicle plate numbers and vehicle licence, commending the sector commander for the initiative to establish a reliable data bank and three other licensing offices in Anyigba, Kabba and Okene. He added that these measures would not only improve the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR,

of the state, but will also save motorists the rigour of coming to Lokoja to register their vehicles and obtain drivers’ licences. Earlier, Charles Abochi described the rate of crashes between Okene and Abaji as alarming. He disclosed that an average of two road crashes were recorded daily on the

LOKOJA

t least, three police officers and a tanker driver, whose identity were yet to be ascertained, have been shot dead by suspected illegal oil bunkerers. The incident occurred at Oguda area in Okene Local Government Area,

a border town between Kogi and Edo states known to be a notorious haven for oil thieves, who are in the habit of stealing petroleum products from NNPC pipelines. A source, however, hinted that though no one could really ascertained what led to the killing of the policemen, but told National Mirror that the policemen may

and Okene will curb incidences of fake drivers’ license as well as streamlining of the procurement of vehicle plate numbers. He assured that these would also help to rid the society of fake drivers’ licenses that have now become a challenge to law enforcement agencies.

Choristers of Church of Christ In Nations Local Church Council, Kagadama, performing at the 2015 General Church Council Choir Week in Yelwa, Bauchi State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Niger to downsize workforce PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

iger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, said his administration will embark on reforming, restructuring and downsizing the civil service to cope with the pace of his administration for effective and efficient service delivery to people of the state. Delivering his inaugural address at Bako Kontagora Stadium, Minna, Bello said

his government inherited a bloated, disillusioned, unproductive and least paid civil service in the country, just as bulk of the states’ earning were spent on paying workers. “In the last eight years in particular, the effectiveness of the service had been compromised for purely narrow political interest to the extent that we are inheriting a bloated, disillusioned, unproductive and least paid civil service in the country. “Accordingly, the civil

3 cops killed in clashes with oil thieves WALE IBRAHIM

road and attributed it to over-speeding and wrongful overtaking, especially on the uncompleted portion of the Lokoja–Abuja highway. Abochi, who commended the state government for its developmental strides, explained that the establishment of licensing offices at Anyigba, Kabba

have engaged bunkerers in a gun battle, who were carrying illegal oil in the area at the time of the incident. The source stated that there were sporadic gunshots from that direction where bunkering activities normally take place, adding that people only saw the bodies hours after the gunshots subsided

Commissioner of Police, Samuel Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, who confirmed the incident, said it was not really clear how it happened, but it was suspected to be the handiwork of illegal oil bunkerers. He, however, solicited for useful information that would enable the police apprehend the culprits.

service will be reformed and restructured to enable it cope with the pace of the new administration and the demand for effective and efficient delivery of service to Nigerlites. “Additionally, we intend to downsize government by rationalising existing

ministries, departments and parastatals to conserve funds for capital projects.” Lamenting the dwindling resources and heavy debt burden the new administration is inheriting, the governor told the people to be ready to make sacrifices and a positive attitudinal change to realise the dream of a new Niger State.

Benue owes N9.5bn –Ortom HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

enue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, says the debt profile left by the immediate past governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam, stands at N9.5bn. Ortom made the revelation yesterday at a church service organised in his honour by the Redeem Christian Church of God in Makurdi, the state capital. He explained that the indebtedness includes loans taken from commercial banks and bonds received over the years, which had accumulated to this unimaginary proportion. On pre-inauguration

ceremony during presentation of handover notes, his predecessor stated that he left behind a debt profile of N9.2 billion thereby contradicting the discovery made so far. Ortom further outlined his readiness to end the Fulani versus natives’ prolonged crisis with a view to ensuring restoration of permanent peace among the communities. Others include guaranteeing of lives and properties of the citizenry with a view to enabling the people sleep with their two eyes closed, adding that for quite sometime the state has been embroiled in many challenges threatening its peaceful coexistence.

News

Monday, June 1, 2015

Young Nigerian CEOs to converge on Abuja

hairman, Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, NYPF, Mr. Moses Siasia, said no fewer than 1,000 Nigerian young Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, would converge on Abuja from August 3 to 4 for a conference and exhibition. Siasia, who is convener of the conference, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja yesterday. He said young Nigerian entrepreneurs and business owners resident in Nigeria and in the Diaspora would participate in the event. According to him, the conference with the theme “Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Building Economic Leaders for Tomorrow,” will be held at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre.

“It will, among other things, afford young entrepreneurs in Nigeria the opportunity to exchange ideas with their peers from other parts of the world. “It will challenge and empower entrepreneurship mentality among its participants; and thus enable them to create an economic revolution in Nigeria, or any part of Africa where their businesses are located. “The conference will focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and its impact on the Nigerian and global economy. “It is also expected to provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to reflect on economic progress and prospects for strengthening business-to-business linkages across Africa,” he said.

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IPMAN leadership: Okoronkwo exco threatens ex-Labour minister ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA

egal tussle over leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, IPMAN, has assumed a new dimension as the Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo-led Executive Committee, at the weekend, threatened to sue former Minister of Labour, Joel Ikenya, over a purported letter by him recognising Chief Obasi Lawson as leader of the body, when a lawsuit on leadership of the association was still pending. Lead counsel to Chief Okoronkwo exco, Mr. Rickey Tarfa, SAN, in a

letter to former labour minister wondered when the executive arm of government began to perform judicial function. He warned the minister to stay off the leadership row and allow the judiciary to hear and determine the case according to the law. The former minister had written a letter announcing Lawson as IPMAN’s national president, while a lawsuit on the subject-matter was pending. But Chief Okoronkwo described the letter as patent falsehood, executive judgment and contempt of court. In a letter dated 26th

May, 2015, addressed to Minister of Labour and Productivity, Tarfa said: “It is trite to state that the committee allegedly set up by President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria never deliberated on the said crisis, as claimed by the former minister’s letter, which purported to convey that the president had endorsed Chief Obasi Lawson as IPMAN’s national president.” He added also that where a Court of Appeal is seized of a matter, a party, court or establishment should desist from carrying out any act that will foist a situation of hopelessness on the court.

Meanwhile, Chief Okoronkwo’s faction of IPMAN said at the weekend that the association had expelled Chief Lawson for allegedly engaging in practices against the constitution of the association. Okoronkwo told newsmen in Abuja that Lawson was expelled because of his anti-IPMAN activities. IPMAN, he said is a duly registered association of corporate organisations who work together for common purpose of promoting a stress-free access of Nigerians to petroleum products in every part of the country.

Cleric urges support for new government

ev. David Yako of ECWA Goodness Church, Action Area 2, Kuje, yesterday urged Nigerians to support the new government at the centre for national development. Yako gave the advice in Kuje in his sermon: ‘Wake up’, to mark the last Sunday Service of May 2015. He called on the congregation and all Nigerians to support the new government by eschewing corruption. He also urged Nigerians to forgive one another so as to receive God’s divine fulfilment and spiritual growth. Yako said: “When you forgive your neighbour, God will intervene in whatever situation you are facing in life.

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Formerly known and addressed as Miss Amosu Catherine Maume, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ismail Catherine Maume. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public take note

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“Love, peace and forgiveness are requirements to attract God’s divine presence to intervene in whatever problem we encounter.” He read from the book of Revelation chapter 3 verses 2-10 to encourage the congregation to cloth themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentility and patience in order to receive divine blessings. “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.”

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OKOLO: I formerly known and addressed as Miss Theodora Okolo, now wish to be known and address as Mrs Agbomwanre Theodora Asemota. All former documents remain valid. NIMR, APIN, OOU & General public to take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Omolara Taofeekat Adebisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Omolara Taofeekat Aderibigbe. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General Public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Balogun Atinuke Rukayat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oyatayo Atinuke Rukayat. All former documents remain valid.General public take note

Head of Gombe Operations Office, National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Saidu Mini (left) presenting relief materials to internally displaced people in Donga, Taraba State, at the weeekend. PHOTO: NAN

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Jegede Oluwatoyin Abosede, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adedokun Oluwatoyin Abosede Esther. All documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Louisa Fowoyo, now wish to be known and addressed as Louisa Aiyeyika. All former documents remain valid. General public should

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Olawale Felicia Bola, now wish to be known and called as Mrs Adeoye Felicia Bola. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Tolulope Oluwayemisi Ogundele, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Tolulope Oluwayemisi Osisanya. All former documents remain valid.Access Bank, GTBank, Diamond bank and General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Olumade Funmilayo Omolayo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Allison Funmilayo Omolayo. All former document remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

BALOGUN: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Balogun Oluwatobiloba Maryam, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Eshiet Maryam. All former documents remain valid. General public pls take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ige Oluwatosin Olufisayo, now wish to be called and addressed as Mrs Ayinde Oluwatosin Olufisayo. All former documents remain valid, general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Owode Adebimpe Rashidat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Balogun Adebimpe Rashidat. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Sokoya Esther Abidemi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adeoniye Esther Abidemi. All former document remain valid NYSC and general public take note .

CHANGE OF NAME

OKEKE: Formerly known and addressed as Miss Stephanie Nwaneka Okeke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Stephanie Nwaneka Inyang. All former documents remain valid. General public pls take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Omeike Harriet Emegha, now wish to be known and addressed as Omotayo Harriet Emegha. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunbadeniyi Caroline Olubunmi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs SamAkpologun Caroline Olubunmi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Muhammed Ladidi Musa and Ameh Ladi M. now wish to be known and addressed as Ladi Joseph Egwuda. All former documents remain valid general public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

OTOROGU: I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Otorogu Chimuanya Mary, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ishiodu Chimuanya Mary. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Nig. Plc, and general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed as Miss Sulamon Muyinatu Abosede, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Willie Muyinatu Abosede. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Formerly known and addressed Anthonia Nneji Abutu, now wish to be known and addressed as Anthonia Philomina Akor. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

Monday, June 1, 2015

I have no idea whatsoever whether any Premier League club has made a move for me ahead next season

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Nigerian sports can attain greatness –Oshodi

–PSG STRIKER, ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC

Super Falcons celebrating a goal in a previous match

Canada 2015:

‘Falcons will be toughened before kick-off’ Eagles Everest Onyewuchi

uper Falcons coach, Edwin Okon, says he will continue to toughen his team until the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks-off in Edmonton, Canada on June 6. Okon said this at the weekend after his girls walloped Woodbridge FC 9-0 at the Woodbridge Soccer Centre in Toronto. The test match, which was the second friendly of the team during the tour, kicked off 6:30pm (Canadian time) on a very chilly Saturday, with Falcons dominating play from start to finish. Though the Woodbridge ladies made one or two incursions into Falcons’ goal area, they were no match for the African Champions who continued their scintillating form ahead of the World Cup and took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala doubled the lead in the 38th minute. A statement from the NFF said the second half witnessed seven goals as Perpetua Nkwocha opened the floodgates of goals as early as the fifth min-

ute, with Ordega scoring a hat-trick and Dike’s brace completing the rout. Speaking after the match, Coach of the team, Edwin Okon, said he was much more delighted with his girls’ style of play than the score line. “It was a very good game today. Though we won by a massive margin, I was very impressed with the team’s coordination in all departments. This does not mean we won’t still correct a few lapses here and there but I can see the team preparing well for the tournament proper. “I’m glad we scored many goals because we need a strong firepower upfront to achieve our dream which is to lift the trophy of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We will continue to work hard until we achieve this,” Okon concluded. Falcons observed yesterday as rest day as training resumes today. This is Nigeria’s seventh appearance in the tournament, having qualified for each previous edition of the competition Nigeria’s best performance was at USA 1999 when the Falcons were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Brazil after finishing second in their group.

mourn Emenike’s father

Emenike

uper Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, his assistants, back-room staff and players have consoled striker Emmanuel Emenike over the death of his father, Pa Felix Emenike Ndukwu. Keshi said yesterday that the entire team feels Emmanuel Emenike’s loss at this moment in time and would want

him to be strong for his family. “I can imagine what Emma is going through at the moment, the pain and the sense of loss that comes with losing someone as close and dear as one’s father,” Keshi said. “On behalf of every member of the Super Eagles, including the coaches, back -room staff and the players currently in camp here in Abuja, I want to console him and ask him to be strong for those Pa Emenike Ndukwu has left behind. We ask God to also strengthen him and comfort him,” Keshi added. Although not called up for the June 13 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Chad in Kaduna, Turkeybased Emmanuel Emenike has been a key figure in the Super Eagles since breaking into the team in 2011

Sports

Monday, June 1, 2015

Results

TODAY’S MATCHES Nigeria

vs Brazil

Germany

vs Fiji

N’Korea

vs Hungary

Uzberkistan vs Honduras

Portugal

Senegal

Uruguay

Serbia

Qatar

Colombia

Mexico

Mali

N’Zealand

Ukaraine

Argentina

Panama

Ghana

Austria

USA

Myanmar

Flying Eagles Coach, Manu Garba

New Zealand 2015...

Glo to Flying Eagles: Time to make Africa proud

ational telecommunications operator, Globacom, has tasked the Flying Eagles to make Nigeria and Africa proud at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup which kicked off in New Zealand on Saturday. Nigeria has taken on Brazil in the opening Group E game and will play against North Korea on June 4 before concluding the group matches with Hungary on June 7. “We have followed the Flying Eagles’ preparation for the World Cup so far and are convinced that the team will live up

to the expectation of millions of Nigerians in the tournament,” Globacom said in a statement in Lagos yesterday, urging the team to work hard and win the trophy in order to surpass the silver medals won by their counterparts in 1989 and 2005 in Saudi Arabia and Holland respectively. “We believe that the team has quality players in its squad and the fact that they have been playing together from their Golden Eaglets days will help the team to conquer all oppositions. Their preparation outside the country which has been without distraction will also help the

boys to concentrate and excel,” the statement said. “This looks like the best opportunity for Nigeria to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup and this is the best squad to break that jinx and make it a befitting welcome gift for the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. “We therefore call on all Nigerians to continue to pray for the team to succeed.” Globacom is the official telecommunications partner of the Nigeria Football Federation and the major sponsor of the Nigerian national teams.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

AFN plans three Golden League meets

etermined to ensure that home based athletes are in top shape before the Warri Relays and CAA Super Grand Prix slated for July 24, and the AFN/CRS All Nigeria Athletics Championships slated for July 30 to August 1 in Calabar, Cross River State, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has lined up three Golden League meets between now and July. AFN Spokesman, Olukayode Thomas, said yesterday that the meets have been scheduled for June 11, June 24 and July 11 in Onitsha, Kaduna and Ilorin respectively. “We want the3 athletes to be in top shape for the international relay and All Nigeria Championships which will serve as trial for the Beijing 2015 IAAF World Championships and the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo,” Thomas said. The AFN, which commended the National Sports Commission for supporting its bid to organize a standard meet for the home based athletes, also urged the athletes to engage in self-development instead of waiting on the federation.

AFN boss, Ogba

NPL: LMC tasks govt on facilities Paul Erewuba

he League Management Company (LMC) has advised governments at all levels to invest in football through the league by upgrading existing stadium facilities to standards that meet modern requirement. Chairman of the LMC, Mallam Shehu Dikko, who made the call in Lagos, said the football industry could generate huge jobs with a properly articulated policy to support the business aspects of the sport. “Football has sustained so many other industries where it has been properly harnessed such as in the United Kingdom,” Dikko said. “Governments just need to provide infrastructure and upgrade existing stadiums to meet standards for broadcast, good play, leisure and business,” the LMC chief added. “We think it is important to show domestic credentials of supporting sports before going abroad and some of the wealthy foreigners investing in English football already had a tradition of supporting sports in their home countries. “We are not saying that they should

Supporters of Mali at the match venue yesterday

Mali raises Africa’s hope Y LMC Chairman, Dikko

not make profitable business choices but we are saying that they are making money from Nigerians and should use part of the money to support our domestic passion.”

oung Eagles of Mali became the first African team to pick up a win in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand 2015 yesterday. Second half goals, two minutes apart in the last quarter of the game, from Adama Traore and Dieudonne Gbakle, handed the Malians a 2-0 win over Mexico at Otago Stadium in Dunedin. The game however saw three players sent off as Hamidou Maiga (Mali), Dieogo Gama and Oscar Bernal (both Mexican) got the marching orders in the second half.

Mali tops Group D on goal difference after Uruguay also beat Serbia 1-0 yesterday through a goal from Gaston Pereiro also at the Otago Stadium in Dunedin. Group C saw both Colombia and Portugal pick up three points with wins over Qatar and Senegal respectively after both games were played at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. Joao Rodriguez scored the only goal of the game to hand Colombia their first win of the competition while goals from Portgual’s Gelson Martins, Andre Silva and Nunu handed Senegal a 3-0 defeat.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Cricket boss unfolds plans

resident of Nigerian Cricket Federation (NCF), Engineer Emeka Onyeama, has pledged to change the face of Nigerian cricket during his tenure at the helm. Onyeama, who gave the pledge at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval where Ibeju Lekki Cricket Club defeated the defending champion Foundation Cricket Club 1 by 81 runs last weekend, said his board’s resolve had resulted in the construction of two international standard cricket pitches at the National Stadium, Abuja to boost Nigeria’s chances of securing hosting rights for the 2016 Cricket World Cup with the support of NCF’s new sponsors, Montage Cable TV. “We will move to Lagos in the next few months to construct another international standard cricket pitch,” Onyeama, who is also Chairman of Abuja Cricket Club, assured. According the cricket federation boss, the Club Cricket Committee League headed by Mr. Femi Solebo has done a wonderful job despite the financial constraints encountered during the

regular season. He, however, debunked allegation that he has administered unilaterally since assumption of office. “It will be against the constitution to run a one-man show,” Onyeama said, stressing, “We adhere to the International Cricket Council rule that stipulates that a federation must have a General Manager and at the moment, we have Mr. Joseph Esua in that capacity.”

Cricketers strategizing on the oval

Lagos SWAN greets Ambode

he Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Lagos Chapter, has congratulated Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on his assumption of office as the Governor of Lagos State and, by extension, the Grand Patron of Lagos SWAN. A statement by the SWAN Secretary, Emma Njoku, quoted the Chairman of the association, Fred Edoreh, as expressing confidence in Ambode to deliver on his campaign promises to ensure

Governor Ambode

that Lagos remained the Centre of Excellence. “I am very optimistic that he will deliver on his campaign promises to make Lagos State continually comfortable, safe and enjoyable for all Lagosians,” the statement said. Edoreh urged Lagosians to support and cooperate with the government in all its policies and programmes, stressing, “The attainment of a steadily progressive Lagos entails all hands being on deck with a great sense of civic responsibility and patriotism.” Lagos SWAN also commended the immediate past governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, saying he would be remembered and appreciated as an innovator and social builder. “The Lagos SWAN shall in due course confer the title of Grand Patron of the association on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode,” Edoreh disclosed.

Bishop Howells shines in baseball Ifeanyi Eduzor

ishop Howells Memorial Grammar School at the weekend defeated IgboOwu Secondary School Mushin by 6 runs to 5 to win the Lagos All Secondary Schools U-14 Baseball championship held at the Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School ground, Iponri as Onitola Secondary School defeated Festac Second-

Sports

Monday, June 1, 2015

ary School 4-0 to win the third position. In the girls Softball event, Uncle Bayus College Ikorodu beat Bishop Howells Memorial Grammer School by 10 runs to 6 to emerge victorious while Effortswill Academy Ejigbo trashed Ideal Girls Senior High School Surulere 18-2 to claim the third position in the Softball event from among the schools that took part in the exercise.

Nigerian sports can attain greatness –Oshodi How would you describe your tenure as Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development? It has been a tremendous adventure and a great privilege. Of course, I have been involved in Lagos State sports long before I became a commissioner. But to serve at the helm of sports in this great state is a special responsibility and opportunity, one which I thoroughly enjoyed. Was there any time you felt like quitting? I suppose such thoughts may cross your mind when things aren’t going the way you want them to but I was brought up with the knowledge that quitting does not solve problems. I worked with a great team in Lagos, many of whom we had worked together in different capacities over the years. It was hard at times but overall, I think the team did extremely well. What would you be remembered for as commissioner? I will leave that to posterity. The people of Lagos are very discerning and perceptive. They will be the judge of that. A lot of people talk about the innovations we brought in across the spectrum of sports but for me, personally, if I was to touch upon anything I think it was the wonderful engagement I had with our athletes especially the secondary school athletes whom we made the centre of our vision. How do think the new government at the centre should address sports development in Nigeria? That’s a very timely question! But let me also say that there has not been a time that sports policy that could make Nigeria great isn’t on the ground. Rather, implementing the policy effectively has always been the challenge. Nonetheless, I strongly believe that the incoming central government can revisit the policy. With all sense of modesty, I think the success that we have achieved in Lagos over the last eight years especially can be used as template for take-off. To what extent do you think other states can learn from your legacy in Lagos? The support we received from the Governor, my colleagues in the Executive Council and the international and national federations across these sports was wonderful. The Classics brought together a wide range of government and private sector officials to work together and the results we achieved were fantastic.

Former Lawgos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Mr. Wahid Enitan Oshodi tells AFOLABI GAMBARI of the challenges of his tenure as well as the prospects for Nigerian sports as a new government settles down at the centre

Oshodi

What are those things you think could have been achieved that weren’t? There is still so much to do if we are to dine at the top table of world sports. We need to ensure that the processes we have created for the development of athletes must be consistent and sustainable. We must work to develop strong teams in each sport and must develop school sports to enable us produce a constant stream of athletes. What has been your drive to success? Basically it is the will to excel, to attain the standard of the world’s best. In my work as a lawyer and an engineer, that has always been my driving goal; to be the best that one is able to be. How did you turn Lagos to “Mecca of sports”? Hardwork and a fantastic team made up of experienced sports administrators like Prince Wale Oladunjoye, Mr. Fatayi-Williams, Dr. Kweku Tandoh and many young sports officers and so many others in and out of government. The support of my colleagues in

the various ministries was overwhelming and of course the Governor’s well known support for sports aided me a lot. What would you say of the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival as the best organised in recent years? A lot of planning and hard work are involved. Team work was also a vital aspect of it. Another factor which is not spoken of much was the determination of Her Excellency, the Deputy Governor, who was a very determined woman who always wanted the best for everyone. How do you think sports can contribute to the country’s revenue? Sports is commercially viable but we are still some ways off from achieving this. All you have to do is focus on the commercial success that the football leagues in Europe are, the NBA and many such others. We just need to put the right foundations in place by engaging the private sector constructively. We have the capacity in this country and hopefully we can get them working in the places that matter.

Orobo, Ajayi win Police prizes Ifeanyi Eduzor

en and women of the Nigerian Police Force drawn from across the country participated at the Nigerian Police Taekwondo trials held at the Police Sports Centre, Ikeja Lagos with Inspector Ernest Orobo emerging as the best male fighter while Omobobola Ajayi won the best female fighter award. Chairperson of the Nigerian Po-

lice Taekwondo Association, Deputy Superintendent of Police Stella Ebikefe, commended participants and stakeholders at the event. Ebikefe charged the athletes not to rest on their oars ahead of their bid to conquer the Koreans and Americans. Meanwhile, Francis Omoba defeated Life Nyong to win the Men’s light weight category while Friday Felix beat Femi Olawunmi to emerge champion of the Men’s featherweight class.

WORLD RECORD Pogo stick jumping - fastest mile Fastest mile fireman’s carry

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1124 Monday, June 1, 2015

The fastest mile jumping on a pogo stick is 9 min 56 sec and w a s a c h i eve d b y F r e d G r z y b o w s k i ( U S A ) i n Wo o s t e r, O h i o , U S A , o n 4 N ove m b e r 2 0 1 4 .

Conversation with an anarchist T he title of this piece flowed from a deep introspection on what I call the huge transition crisis that enveloped the Nigerian state for the better part of last month as Nigerians waited the enthronement of Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari as their new president. It was a crisis of monstrous proportions that saw the entire nation grounded by acute shortages of power and fuel following the withdrawal of services by critical players that have responsibilities for the necessary inputs that would make the energy products available. For inexplicable reasons, out gone President Goodluck Jonathan watched on while Nigerians groaned, and only reluctantly and belatedly make the needed move that arrested the palpable drift of the nation. Having adopted the title as more apt for my thoughts, I played safe by surfing the Internet in the chance that any past intel-

HeartBeat Callistus Oke

Callistusoke@nationalmirroronline.net 08054103275 (SMS ONLY) anthonykila@mail.com lectual works could bear the same title. I was stunned to discover that it is the same title of a book first published as a pamphlet in January 2012 by the International Bolshevik Tendency to extol issues central to Anarchism and Marxism, as well interrogating some other issues posed by workers democracy and the roles of revolutionary leaders in the workers movement. This way, I concede that the title of this piece you are reading is not original to me! Someone, by way of reaction to my piece titled, ‘The change pursuits that could matter’, which appeared on this page on May 25, agonized that we Nigerians still have faith in our governments at the three levels, concluding that Nigeria will have no meaningful progress until we abolished the institution of government! Naturally, you will expect me to ask him how the Nigerian state would be ordered in the absence of government. Hear his riposte: Anarchist: Tell me editor, what meaningful role governments have played in the affairs of Nigeria since 1960? Please, go and read the anti-corruption speech of the late Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, the leader of the first military putsch in the country, and the speech of the then Brigadier Sani Abacha, the man that announced the ousting of Second Republic President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983. Their reasons for terminating those two civilian governments bordered on corruption and profligacy. We have had uninterrupted 16 years of democratic governance defined each year by

WHAT MEANINGFUL ROLE GOVERNMENTS HAVE PLAYED IN THE

AFFAIRS OF NIGERIA SINCE 1960?

staggering multi-trillion naira budget by the three tiers of government. How has this affected the objective material position of Nigerians? Governments exist for the interest of those in government, which is why they have robust cheeks, live in affluence and shuttle between Abuja and London, Dubai or New York City. He punctuated his political homily with what he said Nigerians went through in the last one month. Anarchist: Editor, I expected forceful reactions from the NLC, students and other members of the civil society. You will not get such reaction because most of them have compromised. I asked for his name, which he declined to give. However, I researched to have the two speeches he mentioned. Below are excerpts. “Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 per cent; those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so that they can remain in office as ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country

look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds. I leave you with a message of good wishes and ask for your support at all times, so that our land, watered by the Niger and Benue, between the sandy wastes and gulf of guinea, washed in salt by the mighty Atlantic, shall not detract Nigeria from gaining sway in any great aspect of international endeavour.” – Nzeogwu And that of Abacha “You are all living witnesses to the great economic predicament and uncertainty, which an inept and corrupt leadership has imposed on our beloved nation for the past four years. I am referring to the harsh, intolerable conditions under which we are now living. Our economy has been hopelessly mismanaged; we have become a debtor and beggar nation…Our educational system is deteriorating at alarming rate. Unemployment figures including the undergraduates have reached embarrassing and unacceptable proportions. In some states, workers are being owed salary arrears of eight to twelve months and in others there are threats of salary cuts. Yet our leaders revel in squandermania, corruption and indiscipline, and continue to proliferate public appointments in complete disregard of our stark economic realities”. Nzeogwu made his speech 49 years ago, while Abacha made his 32 years ago. The revelries at all the levels of government they both underlined have remained unabated. My anonymous speaker might be an anarchist or not, he has demonstrated profound insight into the ways of the leaders that parade the corridors of power in the country. But since we have the like of Messrs Peter Obi, Adams Oshiomhole, Babatunde Fashola and Rauf Aregbesola, accomplished leaders in the own right, all hope is not lost.

Sport Extra

Contract: ‘Benitez sure to land Madrid job’

eports yesterday suggested strongly that outgoing Napoli Coach, Rafael Benitez, will be appointed new Real Madrid coach after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked last week.

Madrid’sVicePresident,Eduardo Fernandez, gave support to the reports when he said: “Just asJoseMourinhowascoachtwo years ago, Rafael Benitez will be coach thisweek.” Spaniard Benitez, 55, led

Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005 and won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2013 before joining Serie A club Napoli, where he won the Coppa Italia in 2014. He also won two La Liga

titles and the UEFA Cup with Valencia between 2001 and 2004, and coached Madrid’s reserve side from 1993 to 1995. There are fears, however, that the arrival of Benitez could spark the departure of

high profile players in the Madrid squad, no thanks to the gaffer’s philosophy of a somewhat dislike for a preponderance of big name players in his team, thereby altering Madrid’s galactic status.

Benitez

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