Thursday, july 9, 2015 (new) by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Senate orders CBN to recover illegal N30bn import waiver

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Foreign reserves rise to $31.89bn, apex bank defends forex policy

GEORGE OJIANDABOLAJI ADEBAYO

Saraki

Vol. 5 N0. 1152

enate President, Bukola Saraki yesterday mandated the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to recover the N30bn tax waivers allegedly granted some

Thursday, July 9, 2015

importers by the Federal Government. Speaking when he received the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

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Troops nab mastermind of Jos, Zaria blasts T

UBONG UKPONG, MARCUS FATUNMOLE AND INUSA NDAHI

309 teachers die in Borno, Zaria attacks

Twin suicide bombers kill 3, injure 5 in Maiduguri

he military, yesterday, announced the capture of a Boko Haram terrorists’ kingpin, who masterminded the coordinated bomb and gun

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Boko Haram offers to swap Chibok girls for detained members ...as Buhari flays Jonathan’s govt for delay in rescuing schoolgirls P.2

Representative of the ‘Chibok Girls’, Hawa Yusuf (left), after presenting a paper to President Muhammadu Buhari during his audience with the ‘BringBackOurGirls’ campaigners at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

NFF to unveil Oliseh as Eagles coach next week

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Bailout for states not from Jonathan’s savings –Presidency

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ABUAD: Pace-setter in Quality and Functional Education –Justice Yinka Ayoola AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI (ABUAD)

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

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Boko Haram offers to swap Chibok girls for detained members ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

oko Haram insurgents have offered to free the remaining 219 girls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April last year in exchange for their members in detention. More than 300 girls were abducted when the terrorists attacked the boarding school, but many of them have managed to escape. An activist, who did not want his name mentioned, said the offer by the sect is limited to the Chibok girls. “The new initiative reopens an offer made last year to the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to release the 219 students in exchange for 16 Boko Haram detainees,” the activist said. He said the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari offers “a clean slate” to bring the militants back to negotiations that had become poisoned by the different security agencies and their advice to former President Jonathan. It will be recalled that presidential adviser, Femi Adesina, on Saturday stated that the Buhari-led government “will not be averse” to talks with Boko Haram. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday flayed the administration of his predecessor for the delayed response to rescue the girls. Speaking when he met members of the BringBackOurGirls campaign at the Presidential Villa, Buhari said there was no way government can rationalise the incompetence in dealing with the issue of the abducted schoolgirls. In attendance at the meeting, which came 450 days after the abduction were Vice President, Yemi Oshinbajo, Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Bade, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant- General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin. Also at the event were National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase. Buhari said: “I don’t think, representing the government of Nigeria, we cannot rationalise the gov-

ernment’s incompetence in dealing with this issue. We only ask for your patience. “It’s unfortunate that the security and Federal Government’s conflicting reports initially presented the government and its agencies in a very bad light both nationally and internationally because the law enforcement agencies and the government were conflicting each other sometimes within hours or within weeks; that is not very impressive. “The delayed and late reaction by the former government and its agencies was very unfortunate as I said. And, I thank the leader of Chibok communi-

ty for the articulated priorities he has drawn about the welfare of the families of the communities and rehabilitation of infrastructure. I think government should provide this infrastructure as a matter of right. “I think you will agree that the present government takes the issue very seriously. Within a week of being sworn in, I visited Niger, Chad and would have visited Cameroon but for the invitation of the G7 to Germany,” he added. The President said he was very impressed with the leadership of the G7, stressing that the group is concerned about security in

Nigeria and the abduction of the Chibok girls. He stated that strategies and tactics have been drawn while a multinational task force has been put in place to fight the insurgents. The President said his government would do its best to restore the respect and honour of the country as well as its institutions. Speaking earlier, leader of the BringBackOurGirls campaigners and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, in making a 13-point demand, said the Federal Government should spare no resources in rescuing the 219 schoolgirls still in the captivity of the Boko

Haram sect. The group is also demanding an apology for the failure of government that led to the abduction as well as the failure of government to rescue the girls for over 400 days. It is also asking the Federal Government to immediately set up a Commission of Inquiry for Accountability on Abduction and Rescue of the girls. According to the group, the commission should be charged with the task of transparently investigating and reporting on the security lapses that caused the successful abduction and the operational leadership

failures that led to their long captivity in terrorist enclave. Also at the event, spokesman of Kibaku (Chibok) Area Development Association, KADA, Dauda Iliya, urged Buhari to visit the community within 100 days of his administration in order to have a first-hand view of the plight of the people and to restore their confidence in the government. While demanding the rescue of the abducted girls, Iliya also asked the government to address the welfare of the parents as well as the general welfare of the community.

LEFT: Former Governor Muritala Nyanko of Adamawa, at the Federal High Court, brought to court by EFCC in Abuja, yesterday. RIGHT: Former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo, at the Federal High Court, also brought by EFCC in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTOS: NAN

Senate orders CBN to recover illegal N30bn import waiver CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

other members of his management team, Saraki also expressed the Senate’s support for the decision of the apex bank to exclude importers of some items, particularly agricultural products, from the foreign exchange market. He said: “You brought to our notice, the issue of the waivers on taxes and duties, especially on rice, which is about N30bn that were granted to certain companies. This money must be paid back to the Federal Government. “We have told the governor of CBN as well; he should go and collaborate with the Nigerian Custom to ensure that this N30bn comes back to the government coffers, so that we will be seen to be doing things to make this policy successful.” Saraki observed however that no matter how good the

policy on import restriction may appear, if there are no checks on smuggling, it would come to nothing. “This policy on import substitution looks good, but if smuggling can still be going on the way it is now, this policy will not be successful,” he said. On the issue of fiscal discipline, the Senate president said the CBN must know those agencies of government that had in the past, not been sending money generated to the consolidated revenue purse. He urged the apex bank to play a key role in ensuring compliance with constitutional provision by ensuring that agencies stop such acts of impunity. He acknowledged that there had been slight increase in the amount in the foreign reserves due to fiscal discipline, stressing that, this must be sustained. Emefiele had earlier re-

vealed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s strong commitment to blocking all leakages in the nation’s economy, coupled with the vigilant management strategy of the bank, has resulted in the recovery of about $2bn. The amount, which has already been credited to the country’s foreign reserves, accrued between May 29, when President Buhari was sworn into office and July 7. Emefiele said: “Reflecting the sharp fall in oil prices and speculative foreign exchange activities, the external reserve declined from $37.3bn in June 2014 to $29.1bn at the end of June of 2015. “I am delighted to note that with the strong efforts of President Buhari, to block all leakages as well as the vigilant demand management strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, we have seen our foreign

exchange reserve begin a gradual recovery. “As at the 7th of July, 2015, the reserve stood at $31.89bn, a trend we find extremely gratifying.” He said CBN has continued to initiate measures to strengthen the economy and reposition the country for the next phase of growth and development. He added that notwithstanding the shocks the global economy has witnessed, the nation’s economy remains strong. “Let me reiterate that with inflation at single digit, exchange rate relatively stable and our reserves gradually rising from blocked leakages, our economic fundamentals remain strong. Going forward, the CBN will continue to be vigilant in the market to ensure that there is zero tolerance for speculators and rent seekers. “Nigeria’s foreign reserves remain our com-

mon wealth and we must all strive to work together to protect it and prevent speculators and rent seekers from plunging it. We will continue to find ways to rebuild our reserves and where possible accelerate efforts aimed at improving aggregate supply potentials of the economy. “In this effort, I strongly crave the support of the leadership of the Senate as we march towards achieving a more prosperous and self-sufficient Nigeria,” he said. According to him, the nation’s GDP increased by 6.2 per cent in 2014, but slowed to 3.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2015 down from 4.9 per cent before the last quarter of 2014. He added that headline inflation remained stable throughout the year, although it has crept up to the upper limit of 69 per cent, CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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L-R: Past President, Junior Chambers International Nigeria (JCIN), Olabisi Onabanjo University, Adeneye Odunayo; National Vice President, Area A 1, Kola Osinowo; JCIN 2016 Collegiate Vice Chairman, Ajibola Oyindamola; Chapter President, University of Lagos, Taiwo Oladele and Programme Coordinator, LAEP Africa , Asuquo Asuquo, during JCI Unilag and JCI Yabatech annual lecture in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

L-R: Executive Director, HR and Admin, Sifax Group Dr Phil Ofulue; representing CEO, Sifax Group, Mr Taiwo Afolabi; Chairman, Planning Committee, Nigeria Maritime Expo 2015 Prince Ayorinde Adedoyin; Manager, Oil and Gas, Sifax Group, Stella Damasus; Director, Major Henry Ajetunmobi, and General Manager, Sifax Offdock Services Ltd, Mr Oliver Omajuwa, during the Sifax Group CEO’s presentation at the 2015 Nigeria Maritime Expo in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Adeyanju Olowojoba

L-R: National Vice President, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Isaac Achem; Vice President, Obong Jonny Obong; President, Comrade Michael Alogba and National Deputy President, Comrade Kelvin Nwankwo, during the NUT workshop to commemorate the 8th National Founders’ Day of the union in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ghana, Mr. Adu Antwi; DirectorGeneral, SEC, Nigeria, Mr. Mounir Gwarzo; Secretary-General, SEC, Ghana, Mr. Mory Soumahoro and Commissioner, SEC, Nigeria, Mr. Zakawanu Garuba, during the inaugural meeting of West Africa Securities Regulators Association in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

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Bailout for states not from Jonathan’s savings –Presidency •Labour unions promise to monitor govs over fund disbursement

Rotimi Fadeyi and Olufemi Adeosun

he Presidency yesterday condemned attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to create controversy over the bailout, granted state governments by President Muhammadu Buhari to give relief to public sector workers. A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the Presidency also rejected the demand by the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan should be given some credit for “saving” the funds that were disbursed as part of the intervention package approved by Buhari. Adesina said Metuh’s claim that a significant amount of the funds came from savings accumulated in the Excess Crude Ac-

count, ECA, was false and deliberately intended to mislead the public. He reiterated that the funds approved by Buhari for sharing to the three tiers of government on Monday came entirely from dividends and taxes paid to the Federation Account by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company, NLNG, not from the ECA. The statement said: “The disbursed NLNG dividends and taxes were paid into the Federation Account in June this year and confirmed by the Central Bank’s statement to the Federal Government on July 7, 2015. “The funds cannot therefore be considered ‘savings’ by the Jonathan administration, which left office in May, 2015, as disingenuously claimed by Mr. Metuh. “Instead of being repeatedly impugned and

castigated by the PDP and its agents for honestly telling Nigerians that the nation’s treasury has been immensely depleted and its resources looted or squandered under previous administrations, President Buhari should be commended for the openness, transparency and accountability which he has now brought to the management of national funds. “It was in keeping with that disposition, that the President promptly disclosed the accrual of the NLNG dividends and taxes to the Federation Account at his recent meeting with state governors and approved the convening of a special session of the FAAC to share it. “As a state governor, who was present at the meeting remarked, under past administrations, the states never had the benefit of such disclosures.

“Mr. Metuh and others who now ungratefully see Monday’s disbursement of the NLNG proceeds as their ‘legitimate’ earnings and not a ‘bailout’ from the Federal Government may wish to tell Nigerians if such earnings were ever disclosed by the PDP Federal Government and paid to the states in the past. “The public may also wish to note that the Buhari Administration itself has never referred to the actions which it has taken to ease the current financial difficulties of states as a ‘bailout’.” Meanwhile, labour unions yesterday said the bailout funds would be closely monitored to prevent governors from mismanaging the money. Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in its reaction urged President Buhari to ensure that any governor that failed to utilize the fund for the purpose it was

meant for is prosecuted. NLC, in a statement by its General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said it would be counter-productive for any governor to mismanage the fund. “It is worth pointing out that it is one thing to disburse funds to the states; it is another thing to ensure that the funds are appropriately applied. “In light of this, we would wish to invite Mr. President to bring the full weight of his office to bear on the governors in order to ensure that the funds disbursed are applied as of priority to the payment of the full arrears of salaries and pensions owed workers and retirees,” the union said. Also commenting, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC charged labour unions at the states levels to monitor the bailout fund. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Chairman

of JNPSNC, Comrade Kiri Mohammed, urged union leaders to be more proactive in revealing corrupt practices in their offices as provided by the Freedom of Information Act. Kiri, who is also a deputy President of NLC, linked the inability of some states governors to pay their workers to misplacement of priority and reckless spending. He said: “Our members in the states must turn themselves into whistle blowers to reports every wrong doing in their places of work. All frivolous activities, inflation of contracts, ghost workers, diversion of money for different purposes other than what it is meant for, are all the reasons behind most states owing salaries. “We are also worried over what is happening in the courts. Virtually all cases brought to court over corruption are either being thrown out or discharged and acquainted.”

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Senate orders CBN to recover illegal N30bn import waiver CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

even as import prices inflation rose to 8.9 per cent. He said inflation rose gradually to eight per cent in December 2014 and nine percent by May, this year. Meanwhile, the CBN, yesterday, defended its policy disallowing importers of some 41 items from sourcing foreign exchange from the official foreign exchange windows, saying the new monetary measure was introduced in the interest of the country’s development. Making the clarification at the CBN-Private Sector Interactive Forum organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, in Lagos, the bank’s Director of Monetary Policy, Mr. Moses Tule, said it was unfortunate that information in the public domain about why the policy was adopted were largely misrepresented. He explained that the CBN was doing everything possible to ensure that the private sector created jobs in addition to the bank’s decision to protect the value of Nigerian currency, and urged the Organised Private Sector, OPS, to support the implementation of the policy. Tule, who maintained that the policy was in the interest of local production, said those items on the exclusion list could be produced locally.

Tule, who corroborated the CBN’s stance on the forex policy regime with statistical data, disclosed that the country spent $575m on the importation of wheat between January and May this year, and $374m on fish importation within the same period, thereby rendering local farmers either unproductive or recording huge losses on what they produced. He said the CBN did not ban importation of any product by the policy since it lacks power to do so. He said: “Between January and May, 2015, the country spent $575m on importation of wheat and the sum of $374 m on fish importation within the same period, despite the myriad of farmers we have in the country, who are able to produce more than what we can even consume locally. “I want the public to know that the CBN has not banned importation of any item on the list, the bank has no power to do so. What we are saying is that we don’t have enough foreign exchange to cater for those products that we can produce here in Nigeria.” In his remarks, LCCI president, Alhaji Remi Bello, said the introduction of the forex policy meant different things to different people, and that the exclusion of those 41 items had caused serious concern for

the OPS as the bank’s decision was not made clear to various stakeholders. Bello said the volatility of the exchange rate in the last couple of months remained a major concern in the business environment, saying the consequences have been profound, especially for companies with high foreign exchange exposure. Another grouse of the OPS about the forex policy is that it has restricted manufacturers from getting their raw materials, which will eventually bring about closure of many factories. They also argued that the CBN appeared to be less sensitive to increasing the

country’s foreign exchange by being silent on promotion of export, but rather had focused more on exclusion of some items from foreign exchange. Members of the OPS alleged that the bank did not engage them in consultation such as to allow them make clarification on the items on the list, and absence of time limit by which the concerned industry players and consumer would suffer the effect of the policy. A representative of OPS, Mr. George Colman, said there were some products on the list which are being used as raw materials by manufacturers but which

could not be sourced locally. Specifically, he mentioned steel wire, which he said needed to be defined for the banks to allow importers of such product access foreign exchange. Coleman also lamented that there was a seeming disconnection between CBN and the manufacturers such that the requirements of manufacturers could be properly presented to the Bank so as to guide it in monetary policy measures regarding the real sector. Coleman explained that about 5,000 jobs would be lost in the process of implementing the policy. He advised the CBN to re-

visit the policy and especially define those items on the exclusion list in order to differentiate between raw materials and finished product so that all similar products would not be banned from getting foreign exchange. Reacting to some of the points raised by the OPS, the director refuted allegations that the bank was not doing enough to support the real sector, pointing out that CBN has provided various intervention funds to support local production, while encouraging deposit money banks, DMBs, and other micro and development finance institutions to help manufacturing enterprises.

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adeshina (left) and Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, duing his visit to the State House in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Troops nab mastermind of Jos, Zaria blasts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

attacks on Jos, the Plateau State capital and Zaria in Kaduna State. A statement by the Army Headquarters, AHQ, in Abuja, through its Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, said the mastermind and two of his accomplices, who disguised in a trailer, were arrested by vigilant troops at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa, Gombe State. However, when contacted for the identity of the arrested suspects, Usman told our correspondent that it is being withheld for strategic security reasons. He said that releasing their data now, is dangerous and would hamper investigation and other ongoing security procedures. The suspects had on Sunday carried out coordinated bomb and gun attacks on

worshippers at Ýan Taya mosque, Dillimi Street, off Bauchi Road in Jos, where the holy month of Ramadan tafsir was holding. Also, Shagalinku Restaurant, along Bauchi Road, Jos, was attacked, leading to the death of over 48 persons, injuring several other persons and destruction of property. Similarly, the terrorists carried out another bomb attack on hapless workers undergoing verification exercise at the Sabon Gari Local Government Secretariat, Zaria, Kaduna State, on Tuesday, which resulted in the death of 26 people, including a two-year-old baby. Usman said: “Security cordon was established in the general areas especially along Bauchi, Gombe and the North eastern part of the country by troops of 3 Division and Special Task Force as well as the Department of

State Security Service. “This culminated in the successful arrest of the mastermind of the heinous terrorist acts and two of his accomplices at a checkpoint in Dadin Kowa, Gombe State. “The terrorist kingpin and his colleagues who disguised in a trailer, while trying to evade checks were fished out by troops of the Nigerian Army. “The arrested terrorists are currently being processed for further action and would soon face the full wrath of the law.” According to him, Nigerians should be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons, movements and facilities to security agencies. In Borno State, police yesterday said two suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers attacked the Sabon Gari village market in Damboa council area, and killed

three people. The police said the bombers, who also died, bringing the death toll to five, detonated the Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, strapped to their body at the market square on Tuesday at 11a.m. Five others, according to the police, were injured and taken to an undisclosed hospital in Biu. Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, during a telephone interview yesterday in Maiduguri said: “On Tuesday morning at about 11a.m, twin explosions occurred at the Sabon Gari market in Damboa council area of Borno State after two suspected suicide bombers sneaked into the village market square and detonated the explosives strapped to their bodies; and killed three persons. The suspects also died in the blasts, while five others sustained injuries. “The insurgents are at-

tacking soft targets like markets, motor parks and hospitals in the Sambisa Forest and its environs.” Sabon Gari was early this year attacked by the insurgents, with over 25 villagers killed, while many houses and shops were torched and food items and livestock carted away. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, yesterday disclosed that 309 teachers have died in insurgency-related attacks in the country. The union said 272 teachers had died in Borno State, following increasing insurgents’ attacks in the state. NUT also said it lost 37 members to Tuesday’s blast in Zaria, while undergoing the verification exercise declared by the state government. The union said 19,000 teachers had been displaced by the sect in Borno State. It also called on the Fed-

eral Government to increase teachers retirement age from the current 60 to 65 years, to help boost education at both primary and secondary school levels. Briefing newsmen in Abuja at an event marking its Founders Day, president of the union, Mr. Michael Olukoya, said though the government of President Muhammadu Buhari was making bold efforts to defeat the insurgents, its members are being killed, while many others have been displaced. Alogba said the figure excluded those slain in Yobe, Adamawa and other states. NUT expressed confidence in the administration of President Buhari to deal with insurgency in the country. While speaking on the Chibok girls, Alogba advised that the nation should keep hope alive.

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Tordue Salem and Ubong Ukpong

peaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, and his group yesterday rejected the nomination of Hon. Femi Gajabiamila (APC-Lagos), for the position of the House Leader. But the group in support of the former Minority Leader (Gbajabiamila), in a swift reaction said they were yet to reach an agreement with the Speaker on the matter. The APC leadership had on June 23, sent a letter to the Speaker, directing him to endorse Hon. Gbajabiamila as Leader of the House. Though the Dogara Support Group agreed yesterday to cede the position to the Hon. Gbajabiamila’s group, it insisted that conceding the House leadership to him would injure the principle of federal character.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

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Reps crisis: Dogara insists on federal character principle for House leadership Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, spokesman of the Dogara group, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin (Kano-APC), said the decision to ditch Gbajabiamila was taken at an earlier meeting with Sokoto State governor and the immediate past Speaker of the House, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, at the instance of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He described the APC’s letter conveying the nomination of Gbajabiamila to the House as illegal. The group which said the Speaker was constrained by a court order preventing it from reading that letter on the floor of the House, as well as the principle of

federal character and equity, said the letter was an arrangement between the party’s chairman, John Oyegun, and two governors. It disclosed that the letter did not follow approved procedures as it never enjoyed the approval of the National Working Committee, NWC or NEC of the party. Jibrin said the Dogara group was working in national interest by insisting that the six principal offices available to the party in the House should spread among the six geo-political zones of the country to allow for fair representation at decisionmaking level of the House, as against what the Gbajabiamila group and the party was trying to achieve - mere personal interest.

He said the decision to cede the position of House Leader to the Gbajabiamila’s group followed a heated argument and intervention by Tambuwal, during their meeting which was directed by the party’s NEC to settle the House’s problem amicably. Other than Gbajabiamila, Jibrin, who said the Dogara’s group has decided to have a member from his group as the House leader, indicated that it would be unfair and unjust to sit and watch Gbajabiamila become the House Leader, having already got the Deputy Speaker from the South West. Thus, he said it was their resolve that the North East and South West, would not have another principal offi-

A policeman struggling with supporters of Prophet Temitope Joshua, during the proceedings of coroner inquest into collapse of part of Synagogue Church of All Nations, at the Ikeja High Court in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

cer in the House, having got the positions of Speaker and Deputy respectively. The Dogara’s group said the remaining four positions of the House Leader, Deputy House Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip, must be equitably ceded to the South South, North Central, South East and North West respectively. Stressing that this is the limit to which they could concede, Jibrin said in the event the Gbajabiamila’s group does not accept its offer, the House should assert its rules to have the remaining principal officers elected. Stressing that his group is ready to fill candidates from the remaining zones for the election into the four positions, Jibrin challenged Gbajabiamila to come forward with his reported 174 members to elect him as the House Leader upon resumption on July 21. He indicated that Gbajabiamila was the issue in the whole crisis, stressing that the House would have no difficulties filling the remaining positions if the Gbajabiamila’s group accept the terms. “Whoever is nominated must not come from the South West and North East. This is our stand in line with the provision of equity and federal character,” he said. Jibrin said his group was magnanimous to cede the position in order to have peace return to the House so as to move on with legisla-

tive duties as the year is fast running out. But in a statement signed by Hon. Rufai Chachangi (Kaduna-APC) on behalf of the APC Loyalists Group, the pro-Gbajabiamila group of lawmakers, said the Tambuwal panel set up by the party to broker peace is yet to get back to them. It also claimed that it is yet enter into an agreement with the Dogara supporters on Gbajabiamila and others endorsed for leadership by the APC. It also insisted that the position of House Leader for Hon. Gbajabiamila is nonnegotiable. “We the 174 APC Loyalists group of the House are aware that there was a private discussion between Governor Aminu Tambuwal and President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening at the State House. Also, we are aware that Governor Tambuwal briefed the press that there would be a meeting between him and the Speaker Dogara’s group same day. “To the best of our knowledge, no counteroffer has been made to the APC Loyalists group after her first meeting with the Tambuwal peace committee wherein the APC Loyalists clearly stated that in line with party supremacy and the resolution reached at last APC NEC meeting, the position of the party on Gbajabiamila as the House Leader is non-negotiable,” it stated.

Money laundering: EFCC docks Ohakim, Nyako, son • Absence of judge stalls Lamido’s trial Abdulgafar Oladimeji KANO

conomic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday arraigned former Governors Ikedi Ohakim of (Imo) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), before a Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges bordering on corruption, abuse of office and money laundering. Nyako and his son, Abdul-Aziz, a serving senator, were docked before Justice E. Chukwu, on a 37-count

charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering. They were charged alongside Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba. They are alleged to have at various times between 2011 and 2013 used five companies – Blue Opal Nigeria limited, Serore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Towers Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited to siphon over N15 billion from Adamawa State coffers. The arraignment comes a

few days after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declined to restrain the EFCC from arresting Nyako to stand trial for money laundering offences. Nyako was arrested and quizzed by the anti-graft agency on June 1, shortly after he returned to the country from self-exile. He had gone on self-exile after he was declared wanted by the EFCC on February 4, 2015. They pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them. Following their plea,

counsel to EFCC, Aliyu Yusuf, asked the court for a date for commencement of trial, and the remand of the accused persons in prison custody. He also notified the court that one of its witnesses was in court. However, defence counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, urged the court for an adjournment in order to properly go through the charges, as it was served rather late by the prosecution. Yusuf, thereafter, requested that the accused persons be remanded in prison cus-

tody. This was however, opposed by the defence counsel, who told the court that while a bail application for the accused persons had been filed, it would be proper for the accused persons to be held in the EFCC custody. Justice Chukwu thereafter adjourned to July 10, 2015 for hearing on the bail application, and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in the EFCC custody. Similarly, Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has adjourned till tomorrow, July 9, hearing on the bail

application of Ohakim after he pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge of money laundering. He was however remanded in the EFCC custody. The accused, who was arrested by operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday, is being prosecuted, among other things, for making a cash payment to the tune of $2,290,000 (about N270,000,000), for the purchase of a property at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.

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Money laundering: NDLEA intercepts $2m in Lagos •Drug suspect collapses, dies at Abuja airport OLUSEGUN KOIKI

ational Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has intercepted $2,198,900 at Murtala Mohammed Airport Two, MMA2 in Lagos. This is as the agency disclosed that another drug suspect, Ndulue Emmanuel Obiefuna, had collapsed and died of cocaine ingestion at Nnamdi Azikiwe Inter-

national Airport, NAIA, Abuja. About 55 wraps of cocaine was later evacuated from his stomach. The NDLEA in a statement by its spokesman, Mitchel Ofoyeju, said its men seized the money on the grounds of suspected money laundering by the suspect, John Bamidele Ibiteye, 46, who was going to Abuja. Ibiteye, as at the time of filing this report, was still being investigated in connection with the

case. Ofoyeju stated that preliminary investigation conducted by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate of NDLEA revealed that Ibiteye’s action was in contravention of the money laundering prohibition Act 2011 as amended. On interrogation, Ibiteye allegedly confessed that the money belonged to one Dr. Martins Olufemi Thomas, a medical

practitioner in Lagos. He however stated that investigation conducted by the agency did not link the money to proceeds of narcotics, but stressed that with the massive insecurity challenge in the country, the agency could not afford to ignore suspicious movement of large amount of money. He added that the Chief Executive, NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, had directed that the suspect and the exhibit be transferred to the

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for further action. Also, a 32-year-old Lagos-based trader and suspected drug trafficker died of cocaine ingestion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja. The suspect identified as Emmanuel Obiefuna Ndulue collapsed at the departure hall and was taken to a nearby hospital. Ndulue was an intending passenger on an Ethiopian airline flight to China en route Addis Ababa on July 5. The NDLEA commander at Abuja Airport, Lawan Hamisu, said the suspect confessed to cocaine ingestion at the hospital. “The deceased collapsed at the departure hall and was being attended to by Port Health officials. The collapse triggered our suspicion and a narcotic officer was assigned to monitor

the development. “When the suspect’s condition stabilised at the hospital, he confessed to cocaine ingestion. At that point, the NDLEA took over the case from the Port Health Services. He later died while receiving treatment,” Hamisu stated. Interim investigation revealed that the deceased hailed from Anambra State. Until his demise, he was a trader living in Lagos. It was gathered that the deceased decided to abort his trip after collecting his boarding pass. This was due to complications arising from the cocaine he ingested. He collapsed immediately he notified the airline officials of his intention to cancel his trip. At the hospital, 55 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 1.20kg was evacuated from his stomach.

Fake doctor’s arrest exposes rot in civil service, MDAs MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA L-R: U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle; U.S Envoy/ Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Anthony Blinken; President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; U.S Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Paul Lolo, during the visit of the U.S. Envoy to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Buhari orders interventions to assist local industries ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

mid plans to reduce unemployment in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration will give full attention to the rapid revival of ailing and moribund textile, mining and agro-based industries. A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari spoke at an audience with a delegation of foreign investors at the Presidential Villa. At the event, Buhari declared that the creation of more jobs for unemployed youths was the key objective of his administration’s economic agenda, adding that it would be pursued with the greatest possible dedication.

“I recall with clarity that at some point, the textile industry in Nigeria was employing about 320,000 Nigerians. But today, the same industry employs less than 30,000 people and the factories operate below capacity or are completely closed. “I have promised Nigerians that jobs will be created as part of efforts to revive the economy and that promise will be fulfilled. We will move as fast as we can to resuscitate the textile and mining industries, and also improve production in our agricultural sector. “Now that we are trying to create jobs, we cannot allow industries and factories to close down. Instead, we should be making every effort to ensure that we re-open the closed ones and attract new ones to reduce unemployment,”

Buhari told the investors who are the proprietors of Olam Farms Nigeria Limited. The President assured the delegation led by Mr. Mukul Mathur, that his administration would encourage investments in agriculture and other sectors of the economy by creating a more favourable environment and enabling laws. Buhari said he had already ordered some immediate interventions to address current challenges faced by industrialists in the country after receiving briefings from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investment. “We will move very quickly to see what we can do to help you and other investors in the country so that you can help us to create jobs for our people,’’ the Presi-

dent told Mathur and his team. Mathur told the President that Olam Group of Companies was established in Nigeria in 1989, and currently employed about half a million Nigerians, directly and indirectly. He, however, added that the group was facing difficulties with the reversal of some government policies in 2010 and 2013, which could lead to the closure of some of its industries in the country.

Buhari

he arrest of a fake doctor in Federal Ministry of Health by the police through the effort of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, has unraveled massive rot in the nation’s Civil Service Commission, including ministries and agencies of government. Briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Linus Awute, said the accused, Martins Ugwu Okpe, who allegedly impersonated and used the credentials of his childhood friend, Dr George Davidson, was not employed directly by the ministry; but by the Federal Civil Service Commission. Awute said the commission, which employed the impostor in 2006, was the same who discovered in 2015 that he had presented fake documents. The accused has worked in the ministry for over nine years, and has earned all the entitle-

ment of a doctor since he started work in the ministry. He was placed on Grade Level 12 when he joined the ministry. Until his arrest, he was a Senior Medical Officer II, SGL13. He said efforts would be made to make him return all the monies he had earned from the Federal Government. Ugwu, among other things, had written petitions to various anticorruption agencies in the country, alleging the N9 billion Ebola fund released by former President Goodluck Jonathan was siphoned by top officials of the ministry. Police had picked up one of the officials following the allegations. But the accused will be charged to court for “offences of theft, impersonation of a Medical Doctor, dishonesty, forgery, breach of official trust, criminal intimidation and intentional insult with the aim of provoking breach of peace in the Health sector, thereby contravening sections of 288, 132, 122, 99, 398 and 399 of the penal code, respectively,” Awute said.

South West

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Lagos clamps down on street trading, beggars

agos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday directed the Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Other Special Offences to carry out full enforcement of the law restricting street trading in the metropolis. Ambode, in a statement signed by Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, expressed concern about the resurgence of street trading in major areas of the state, stressing that it not only constitutes environmental nuisance, but also poses security threat to citizens. He said there is an ex-

isting law in the state prohibiting street trading, and urged those interested in doing business to seek space in the various modern markets redeveloped by the state government to enhance business activities. “At the State Security Council Meeting on July 7, it was resolved that the act of street trading that has continued to hamper free flow of traffic on Lagos roads which further constitutes nuisance and security threat to lawabiding citizens, will no longer be tolerated. “Therefore, street traders and buyers will

henceforth be arrested and prosecuted. The Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences has been mandated to ensure the law of the state against street trading is enforced to the letter,” the governor said. He said that all security agencies have resolved to beef up security in the state so as to ensure that it remains safe for citizens and investors alike. He also urged residents not to encourage the trend by patronising them, saying in doing so, they indirectly aid and abet crime. Ambode also frowned at the prevalence of street

begging, saying that some unscrupulous persons hide under the guise of seeking alms to rob unsuspecting members of the public. To this end, he said efforts would be made to rid the state of street beggars and destitutes. “We’ve had security reports on the activities of persons who pose as beggars, especially in traffic, but their sole aim is to perpetrate evil. We are putting a search light on this trend and one way to do that is to ensure that we take preemptive measures to forestall this development,” he said.

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (middle) with group of local, international investors and banks during his meeting with the group at Lagos House in Ikeja, yesterday.

Ambode promises adequate protection for investments Francis Suberu

overnor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday assured both local and foreign investors in Lagos State of adequate protection for their investments; even as he called for more investments in order to create jobs for its teeming unemployed youths. Ambode, who spoke after a meeting with local and international investors as well as banks at Lagos House, Ikeja, said the government is committed to making Lagos

an investment hub of the country, adding that many investors had shown interest in various sectors of the state’s economy. The governor said his government would obey rule of law and ensure that investments are safe in Lagos. Leader of the investors’ team, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, told state house correspondents that they were encouraged by the governor’s assurances. He said many international and local investors, including international banks, JP Morgan, UPS had shown interest

in partnering the Lagos government, which he said would continue to yield good fruits. Similarly, Director of Julius Berger, Mutiu Sunmonu, commended Ambode on his bold ideas for Lagos, saying the interactive session they had with the governor had opened the way for further discussions to actualise some of the projects discussed during the meeting. Managing Director, Senior Country Officer for JP Morgan in Nigeria, Mr. Oluwatosin Adewuyi, said bold and

creative plans were discussed during the meeting, adding that creative ideas are required to take Lagos to the next level in the next decade.

Ambode

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Synagogue: Coroner urges prosecution of contractors, church Matthew Irinoye

he Coroner Court probing cause of the collapsed guest house belonging to Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, owned by Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, yesterday concluded its findings on the cause of the collapsed building that left about 116 people dead. The court presided over by Chief Magistrate Komolafe Oyetade, while giving its judgment, called for investigation of SCOAN church. It further canvassed detailed fitness test on all the structures within the premises of the church by the appropriate authorities. Oyetade also ordered that the structural engineers that monitored the construction of the collapsed building, Engineers Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun of Hardrock Construction Co, Ltd should be tried for criminal negligence by the relevant authority. It would be recalled that the Lagos government set up the coroner’s inquest under the state’s Coroner System Law Number 7 of 2007 to investigate the causes and circumstances that left about 166 people dead following the Synagogue building collapse of September 12, 2014, and bring its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities. The inquest, which began proceedings on October 13, 2014, had called a total 32 witnesses and tendered a total of 45 exhibits. The witnesses including Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State Ministry of Works, Surveyor- General of the state, the SCOAN building contractors, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, and Lagos State Ministry of Tourism. Others include National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Transport Management Authority. Other witnesses included Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, among others. Also called to testify was

General Overseer and founder of SCOAN, Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, who eventually did not show up. The SCOAN founder challenged the jurisdiction of the coroner’s court, when he filed an application dated November 11, 2014, designated ID/188MJR/2014, before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos High Court, seeking a judicial review of the coroner’s inquest into the collapsed building. Joshua had equally prayed the court to issue a declaration that the coroner had exceeded the jurisdiction of a coroner’s court by delving into areas that were beyond its scope. Though Justice Okunnu threw out the application, Joshua lodged an appeal at the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal. While giving the summary of his findings, Oyetade pointed out that it would be erroneous for the coroner court to rely only on the evidence of the medical experts. He urged the consideration of evidence by other experts for the issue to be properly adjudicated. He said, “Structural failure was the combination of designs and detailing errors caused the building to collapse. “The death of victims of the collapsed building was consistent with blunt force trauma that would normally be sustained from a collapsed building. “Most of the victims sustained various injuries ranging from haemorrhage, loss of limbs, crushed bones, multiple rib fractures, perforation of the lungs, destruction of left tibia vessels, strangulation and chest wounds. “According to the Lagos State Chief Pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, who said that autopsy conducted on the bodies revealed that the victims died as a result of crush injuries also known as traumatic rhabdomyolysis. “Some of the bodies were at the decomposing stage and mutilated, severely crushed, suffered multiple injuries, fractured bones, fractured limbs as well as skull injuries. “The time of death for all the victims was 12.30 hrs. Six of the victims are yet to be identified out of 50 males, 56 females including a six-yearold child.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

INSIDE INSIDE

Philip donates multi-million naira equipment to Oniyanrin PHC >4 >47

‘We are apprehensive of rainy season’ >48

Broad Street Diary

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Onikan Stadium

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

85-year–old Onikan Stadium still living to its bidding

he oldest stadium in Nigeria is located on the Lagos Island. Onikan Stadium, which presently serves as home ground for two football clubs, City of David (COD) United and Stationery Stores, was built in 1930. Both clubs play in the Nigeria National League (the second division of Nigeria league). The stadium, which was originally known as King George V Stadium and later Lagos City Stadium, is now known as Onikan Stadium. According to an ex-international, Joe Erico (aka Jogo Bonito), Onikan Stadium witnessed great matches like the FA Cup, league games and was the home stadium of Lagos teams most notably Stationery Stores, First Bank and Julius defunct Berger FC. “It is the oldest stadium in Nigeria with a capacity of not less than 6,000 people. If I can recall correctly, the original stadium was built in 1930 and six years

later named after King George V. Between 1963 and 1973, it became known as the Lagos City Stadium,” Erico reminisced. The present Onikan Stadium was renovated and reopened for football and cultural activities in the 1980s. In March 2008, the stadium was banned for use for the rest of the season by the Nigeria Football League when a pitch invasion injured many members of the Warri Wolves after a scoreless draw with First Bank. Erico recalls that Stationery Stores FC held the ace at Onikan and drew fans to football matches involving it than any other club side had ever done. And the team has assumed such stature several years after it went into limbo. “Out of the two clubs that play their home games at the Onikan Stadium now, Stationery Stores have brought the ever-busy Lagos fans out of their homes again to see beau-

tiful soccer. Since the Flaming Flamingoes (as Stores FC is fondly called by fans) came back to League Football in Nigeria, every Stores home game at the Onikan Stadium has turned to a carnival of some sort. The Onikan Stadium also hosts the office of the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA). Speaking further on the small edifice that attracted football lovers from all walks of life, Erico maintains that there isn’t much on offer within the stadium. “At the back of the covered stand few vendors now sell candies, soft drinks in plastic bottles and some pastries. You have options to fill yourself outside of the stadium. Just a walk away from the stadium, there are restaurants that offer local dishes for between N500-N1000 ($5-$10).” He reiterates that the comeback of Stationery Stores has brought renewed life to Onikan

Stadium. “The Lagos club nicknamed ‘Adebajo Babes’ or ‘Flaming Flamingoes’ has a massive support from the grassroots level. Before the darling team of Lagos came back to league football in Nigeria, COD United FC just couldn’t command the presence of encouraging fans at the stadium. Although they are a new club, the “White Lions” tried to always make the Onikan Water Front lively. A few hours to kick-off, the DJ entertains the fans with good music while fans keep their tickets for the raffle draws which might earn them some good prizes if the ticket numbers were picked.” No doubt, with Stationery Stores back, Onikan Stadium has become a beehive of activities with fans wearing the colour of the Flaming Flamingoes during home games with everyone proudly flashing their white handkerchief. The energy level in the stands is a beautiful thing

to watch. For first timers, it will be better for you to get into the stadium early if you want to sit in the covered stand. “Stationery Stores FC fans are a delight to watch”, Erico continued. “It’s more than just supporting a club and that shows in their attitude. When the supporters of Stores visit any match venue, they do so in high spirits. They play their part effectively to see their team, so that Stationery Stores FC may conquer any opposition. They make sure their presence intimidates the home or visiting fans as the case may be. They come in large numbers chanting ‘Up Flaming, Up Stores, Iyonio,’ and their signature is the white handkerchief. It’s tied around the hand or neck. They keep booing the opponent and cheer their team at every touch throughout the match,” Erico stated.

– PAUL EREWUBA

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Workers tasked to monitor Ajimobi on bailout funds Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

n o n - g ove r n m e n tal organisation, Change Agent Movement, yesterday called on workers’ unions in Oyo State and anti-corruption agencies to monitor the bailout fund that accrued to the state so that it is used for the right purpose. The group, in a statement signed by its chairman and secretary, Abolaji Adeosun and Malik Adehun, respectively, said Governor Abiola Ajimobi should not be allowed to use the funds for other or personal purposes except the workers’ salaries for which it was meant. According to the group, the governor’s penchant for mismanagement of funds should be checked so that the state would not be plundered into further financial crisis, adding that “Oyo State would not have been in this mess if not for the over-bloated contracts awarded by the Ajimobi administration.” The group added that the Senate president, Bukola Saraki’s statement that the governors’ corrupt practices affected their inability to pay workers may not be far from the truth if the economy of the states and financial activities are perused. The statement reads in

South West

Thursday, July 9, 2015

part: “Governor Ajimobi’s decision to run a one-man show is a great cause for concern. We believe that he is deliberately grounding the economy of the state so that he will have the opportunity to enrich himself and allow the state to suffer. “We wish to remind all that the governor publicly declared his assets in 2011 immediately he assumed office as the number one citizen in Oyo State but it is sad to note that the same man has not deemed it fit to do so 40 days after his inauguration for a second term. “No amount of hiding under the banner can conceal the wealth and riches the governor got through contract inflation during his first term in office. It will be in his own interests to put a stop to all the mismanagement as Nigerians are ready to support the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari in order to save Nigeria from further economic mess. “We call on Oyo State’s Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, and all other workers’ unions to monitor closely the amount given to the state from the bailout fund so that it won’t be diverted.

Aregbesola not financially reckless —ALGON Boladale Bamigbola OSOGBO

ssociation of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Osun State chapter, yesterday absolved Governor Rauf Aregbesola of any act of financial recklessness. The body also scored Aregbesola high in the management of the state’s resources, describing him as prudent and transparent. The state’s ALGON chairman, Prince Soji Ajayi, while addressing members of the Muragiri Group, a political association in Ikire, the headquarters of Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, commended the workers for their persever-

ance and understanding in the face of the financial crisis rocking the state. Ajayi who explained that the inability of the state government to pay its workers’ salaries should not be blamed on the alleged misappropriation of the state’s resources by Aregbesola, averred that doing so “is mischievous and sinful.” He appealed to government workers in the state to suspend their strike, adding that it is unfortunate that they are passing through hard times at a moment they needed to be financially buoyant. “We want to appeal to the workers both at the state and local government levels to please suspend their

strike. We sympathise with them and I must say that we feel their pains too. It is unfortunate that we all find ourselves in this situation. But things will soon be okay. “The financial crisis we are witnessing in Osun State is not the doing of Aregbesola; in fact, it is not limited to our state. Twentythree states in Nigerian are also witnessing the same financial quagmire; while 18 owe between three and eight months’ salaries. “It is sinful and mischievous for anyone to say that the financial challenge of the state of Osun is as a result of the financial recklessness of the governor. With all modesty, the accru-

able resources of the state have been judiciously and prudently managed by the governor. “The resources of the state have been used on people-centered development by Aregbesola and the massive developmental projects in the nooks and crannies of the state are proportionate to the actual funds available to the state. Aregbesola is prudent and transparent on the finance of the state,” Ajayi said. He expressed optimism that in a matter of time, Osun State would weather the storm of the financial crisis and the governor would be seen as doing his best to meet the needs of the people.

Fire kills 38, destroys N10bn properties in Lagos Francis Suberu

n six months, fire incidents in different parts of Lagos metropolis have taken the lives of about 38 people, just as properties worth over N10 billion have been destroyed. According to a report issued yesterday by the Lagos State Fire Service and signed by the Director of the State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, it was gathered that despite the fact that the first half of the year normally falls on wet season, the state recorded an unusually high incidence of fire outbreak. The report had it that between January 2015 and June 2015, there were 834 fire calls out of which 40 people were rescued alive and 38 others recovered dead. The report also had it that about N60 billion properties were saved, while N10.09 billion properties were consumed

by fire. Fadipe who signed the report said the state fire service was surprised at the high number of emergency calls received within the period under review, noting that majority of the incidences are caused by human errors. He said 399 emergency calls were effectively responded to by the state fire service. The fire director urges members of the public to remember that there is no small fire, adding that every outbreak of fire is followed by destruction to properties and sometimes lives are threatened or lost. Fadipe said: “The state government places high premium on the safety of lives and properties of the citizenry; therefore, the non-challant attitude of the public to the safety of their lives and properties is of great concern to the Fire Service.

Head Teacher, Air Force Primary School, Ibadan, Mr. Olaniyi Oluwafemi (5th left), Commandant, Air Force Detached in Ibadan, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya (5th right) and Air Force Base Education Officer, Flight Lt. Awwal Danlanmi (3rd right) and others, cutting the Silver Jubilee cake of the Nigeria Air Force Primary School in Ibadan, yesterday.

Patience Ogbo

igeria Immigration Service, NIS, Lagos State Command, yesterday said preventive measures are being taken to address the influx of irregular immigrants which pose security risk to the country. Part of the measures being adopted by the command is its collaboration with transporters plying international routes to check the influx of irregular immigrants. Consequently, NIS Comptroller, Lagos State Command, Mrs. Justina Aladi Ahmadu, held a meeting yes-

Immigration, transporters synergise to stop illegal immigrants terday with representatives of transport companies in the state to seek their cooperation. Mrs. Ahmadu, while speaking during the meeting which had in attendance representatives of ABC, Chisco and the Young Shall Grow Motors, among others, urged the transporters to ensure that their passengers have valid travel documents before boarding their vehicles. She said: “The Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, as part of

measures to check insecurity in the country and stop irregular immigrants, is synergising with the transporters, especially those who ply international routes to always ensure that their passengers have valid travel documents. “The NIS is not against anyone coming into the country but such immigrants must be regularised. They should have valid travel documents; they should come in through authorised routes and their passports

must be endorsed to indicate that they came in through authorised routes.” Mrs. Ahmadu also solicits the cooperation of Nigerians in tackling irregular immigrants. She said: “Security is everybody’s business. We are craving the indulgence of Nigerians to cooperate with immigration officers in the course of carrying out their lawful duties with respect to the raid of irregular immigrants. Any obstruction is unlawful.”

South East

Thursday, July 9, 2015

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Court orders govt to pay salaries of dissolved ISIEC members CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

L-R: Leader of the delegation, Prof. Jerry Gana; Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu; his Deputy, Hon. Udeh Okochukwu and Prof. Felix Anyaegbulam, during a visit by the management of Brainfine Tek Plasma Power Ltd in Umuahia, yesterday.

Ghost workers, schools discovered in Ebonyi

ALIUNA GODWIN ABAKALIKI

ghost 20 bout schools with hundreds of ghost workers were yesterday discovered in the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State. The governor made this known during the swearing-in of the chairmen of Christian/ Moslem Pilgrim Boards and Auditor General of the state held at the Akanu-Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki. The governor charged to them to shun corruption as well as to continue to pray for the progress and development of the

state. Those sworn-in include; George Ndukwe Ukpai, Auditor General of LG, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, Chairman of Ebonyi State Pilgrim Welfare Board and Abais Egwu, Ebonyi Moslem Pilgrim Board. Governor Dave Umahi reiterated his commitment to expose some stakeholders and principals in schools who use the process to siphon government funds, adding that his administration will not tolerate corruption. The governor ordered the Commissioner for Professor Education, John Ekeh among others, to verify the status of all

schools in the state and also prevents the process which allows huge sum of money to be paid to ghost workers. He said: “I was told by a civil servant that there are some schools that are not in existence, some at Ikwo, Ishielu, Ezza North, Ohaozara and in Onicha local government areas and this is a serious matter that we must tackle. exfurther Umahi pressed dismay over the alleged corrupt practices among civil servants in the local governments just as he said some Head of Personnel Management’s, HPM, Treasurers and head of departments of works connived with former care-

taker council chairmen across the 13 local government areas of the state to loot billions of naira in their areas. Umahi also ordered the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr Denis Ekuma Nkama, to immediately pay workers’ salaries, saying no political office holders should receive salary until all civil servants are paid. Earlier in a remark, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Nwankwagu Augustine, said the governor has the right under the state law to appoint as well sack members of the board and commission who err.

B’Haram detainees: Imo traders to protest relocation to S’East CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

ension is building up in Imo State over Federal Government decision to detain Boko Haram prisoners in Ekwulobia in Anambra State as traders in all the markets in Owerri, the state capital plan to protest the relocation. South East governors on Sunday met in Owerri to demand the relocation of the detained insurgents.

The issue was a subject of discussion in major markets in Imo State yesterday particularly Ekeukwu Owerre market as the traders were seen in group discussing the issue. National Mirror learnt that the traders have concluded plans to stage a protest against the relocation of the prisoners to Anambra State today (Thursday). According to sources the traders are expressing fear that the South East may be the next target of

suicide bombers. Some of the traders interviewed said that there is no adequate security in most of the prisons in the country, adding that any jailbreak could spell disaster to the people in the zone. “We don’t want the move made by the Federal Government to bring the suspects to the South East even though we know that where they are being detained is a federal prison, but most of our prisons lack adequate protection,”

Chidi Nwosu stated. He added that the traders have been directed to close shops on Thursday and assemble at Okigwe roundabout where they intend to register their displeasure over the relocation. “We are prepared to fight the course with the last drop of our blood to ensure that the prisoners are relocated to other zones in the country where adequate security can be provided,” he added.

ational Industrial Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State has ordered Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, to pay the salaries, allowances and other entitlements due to the dissolved members of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission, ISIEC, relieved of the positions three years ago. According to the judgment delivered by Justice O.Y. Anuwe who granted two out of the seven reliefs sought by the claimants. The court ordered the state government to pay the salaries and allowances due to the plaintiffs from the months of June 2012 to February 2015. The plaintiffs are; Chief Paul Ogujifor, Chief Kevin Agbaegbu, Nze Louis Onwunali and Pastor Philip Onyelankea Onyenwoke. The court also affirmed

that the removal of the claimants from their appointments as members of ISIEC in May 2012 was unconstitutional, null and void. “The removal of the claimants from their appointments as members of the 3rd defendant (ISIEC) in May 2012 is hereby declared unconstitutional, null and void. As a consequence, the court ordered the defendants to calculate and pay to the claimants their salaries and allowances from June 2012 to February 2015. The court also held that the sums due to the claimants be paid to them within one month from the date of the judgment, adding that failure to pay within the period, the sums shall attract 10 per cent interest per annum until it is paid. A cost of N200,000 was awarded in favour of the claimants against the government.

Group lauds South East govs over economic center

group, Ndigbo Unity Forum, NUF, has commended governors in the South-East for supporting the establishment of an economic center within the zone. The commendation is contained in a statement in released in Onitsha on Wednesday and signed by its President, Augustine Chukwudum and the Secretary, Mr Chinedu Onyebuchi. ``We laud the South-East Governors Forum for planning to set-up a committee that will be chaired by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to see to the realisation of an economic center in the South-East.

``The forum agreed to tackle the issue of insecurity in the South-East which is a major impediment to the growth of trade and commerce in the zone,’’ it said. The statement also commended the governors for denouncing one Nnamdi Kanu’s ``Radio Biafra.’’ ``The Ndigbo Unity Forum is in support of the governors denouncing the spreading of hate by Mr. Nnamdi Kanu through a radio frequency,’’ it said. NAN reports that the last meeting of the South-East Governors’ Forum dwelled so much on economic integration and infrastructural development in the zone.

Businessman jailed 15 years for drug trafficking WALE IGBINTADE

Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday sentenced a businessman, Mr. Egbutiegbo Aloysius to 15 years imprisonment for trading in hard drugs. Justice Mohammed Idris in his judgment stated that he has no mercy for people that import and export hard drugs in and out of the country’’. The convict was arrested by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, on June 12, 2014,

with 19.80 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, popularly called marijuana, which he allegedly intended to export to China. He was charged and arraigned before Justice Idris on one count charge of unauthorised and unlawful dealing in hard drug, the offence is said to be contrary to section 11(a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30 laws of the federation, 2004. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge, and admitted to bail, but unable to meet the bail conditions. At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the convict changed his plea, and pleaded guilty to the one count charge.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Zakari’s appointment as INEC boss stirring the hornets’ nest

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Ekweremadu, APC and the ICC meeting Olatunde Odunyemi

he emergence of the leadership of the current National Assembly in Nigeria has thrown up many issues which will generate a heated debate for a long time. The June 9 inauguration of the eighth National Assembly and the drama attending the election of the Senate President, Speaker and their deputies have been followed with intrigues and political calculations, which deserve that not only books be written about the event of that day and what happened before and after, but also requires scholars of political science and Nigerian political developments and government to further interrogate and document what happened for posterity. While so much has been written and many explanations given by the actors and their supporters on the leadership crisis, one has noticed how the issue of the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, representing Enugu State and a member of the minority party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Deputy Senate President, has equally assumed a life of its own. It is being presented that the Ekweremadu issue is what President Muhammadu Buhari could not live with in the entire National Assembly leadership crisis. Those who are sponsoring this narrative said the President and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, would not forgive the senators from the ruling party who participated in the June 9 election on the floor of the Senate. However, it appears that those who accuse the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and other senators who participated in that election of selling out to PDP and betraying the position of the party have refused to answer one particular question: Why were majority of APC senators not in the Senate chambers that morning? The follow up question is: Were the APC senators not aware that President Muhammadu Buhari had exercised his legal powers by communicating to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, that the Senate should be inaugurated by 10am on June 9? Also, one can ask why over 50 APC senators, who were to take their oath of office that day, chose to gather at the International Conference Centre, ICC, some kilometers away from the National Assembly complex, instead of inside the Senate chambers? It is also pertinent to raise the question of who convened the ICC meeting and made it to coincide with the time the Senate was to be inaugurated and what was the motive, the motivation and objective of the convener? If one was to be a researcher or an academic, these will be research questions. Providing answers to these questions will help in realising the research objectives. The dominant narrative earlier referred to had stated that the ICC meeting was convened by President Buhari for all APC senators and House of Representatives members. However, subjecting this claim to further scrutiny showed that it stands fact on the head. It is on record that President Buhari has not disclaimed the fact that he sent a proclamation order to the Clerk of National Assembly for the inauguration to commence by 10 am on the appointed day. That order was at no time withdrawn. The President flew into the country from Germany about 6am that morning. How will he fix a meeting for 9am with the awareness of another constitutionally backed gathering

Ekweremadu

fixed for an hour later with his expected audience being the main actors in the second meeting? Also, up till today, nobody has admitted that there was any formal invitation for the President’s meeting. It was said that the invite was an SMS. The President convened a crucial meeting by SMS? Who also ordered the National Assembly gate closed early that morning of June 9, using the name of the President, until the IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase, sought clarification from Buhari who then denied ever giving such? Again, as at 10.05 am when the election in the Senate chambers commenced that day, President Buhari, a man known as a stickler for promptness had not arrived at the ICC where he supposedly fixed a meeting for 9am. That also appeared strange. One is therefore compelled to look beyond the dominant narrative to find a more plausible explanation. It is obvious Buhari did not convene the meeting in ICC, otherwise it will be a contradiction. That is why he did not attend it. Those who convened the meeting, using Buhari’s name must be the ones behind the illegal order that the National Assembly gate be shut in the morning of June 9 to deny entry to even the then legislators-elect. The plan was to get all the senators and members of the House of Representatives to the ICC and whether Bu-

President Buhari and all Nigerians should look in the direction of those who convened a subterfuge meeting in

ICC to distract

the senators from performing their first official duty

hari attended or not, they were to use his name to cajole, coerce and intimidate the National Assembly members to go into the chambers and elect Ahmed Lawan, George Akume, Femi Gbajabiamila and M T Monguno as Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, without question. Those behind the meeting had also schemed to ensure that if Saraki attended that meeting, they were to tactically exclude him, using the name of Buhari, to an extent that he would not attend the plenary when the election would be held. Unfortunately, a member of that group got too loquacious and let the cat out of the bag, inadvertently though. What those who wove this plot did not reckon with was that the Saraki group had taken some precautions. They also did not fathom the capacity of PDP with 49 members against APC’s 59. Again, the untidy arrangements made by the plotters also did them in. For example, why did they not get the President to change the proclamation he earlier sent to the Clerk? Why did they not keep a few of their men in the chambers to monitor events? Why did they not get the President to keep to time and finish the ICC meeting by 9.30am so that the members could get to the National Assembly complex just on time for the commencement of business in the chambers by 10am? Why did the ICC meeting not hold in the night with the President addressing his lawmakers as he arrived from Germany? Many unanswered questions! So, if one is to join the blame game, the people to blame for the emergence of Ekweremadu, the PDP man as Deputy Senate President, are those who kept the Senators away from the chambers for a partisan meeting at the time they should be working as legislators. Let us blame the schemers who have been out-schemed for all these crises. Let us also blame the discerning lawmakers who did not see beyond the manipulations they were subjected to. The APC should be grateful that PDP senators did not get too ambitious. They could have taken the Senate Presidency because at the time that Saraki was elected un-opposed, only about 25 or half of the full capacity of APC members were on the floor of the Senate as against PDP’s 49. When the nomination for the top post was called by the Clerk, if the PDP had nominated one of their own, he would have won. The PDP only displayed their sophistication at the game by averting the noise that would have heralded such a big gamble. They then went for the next available office, that of the Deputy Senate President, DSP. It should be recalled that at the time the Clerk called for nominations for the office of DSP, Saraki and other APC senators did not just leave the post for the PDP. They presented their own candidate, Ali Ndume, who got the votes of all the 25 APC senators present at that time. So, why are we blaming Saraki and his supporters for the enthronement of the PDP man, Ekweremadu, as DSP? President Buhari and all Nigerians should look in the direction of those who convened a subterfuge meeting in ICC to distract the senators from performing their first official duty. Now, everybody should either live with the reality of an Ekweremadu as DSP or APC senators should plot Ekweremadu’s impeachment. The latter option look far-fetched as there is need for a two-third majority to impeach the SP or DSP. And PDP has 49 senators as against APC’s 59. Two-third of the 109-member senate is 73. Shikena! •Odunyemi wrote in from Festac, Lagos.

Politics

he Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has come a long way in overseeing the nation’s electoral process. However, this has often come with a plethora of challenges. Aside from internal challenges, the activities of partisan interests have often caused a lot of problems for the electoral umpire. From having to jump from one tribunal and courts to another, the commission has had to respond to many allegations of bias from many quarters. The appointment of Mrs Amina Bala Zakari as INEC acting chairperson has generated a lot of concerns. While the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and a larger section of the womenfolk feel it is justified, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and some pundits have faulted it. There are concerns over her manner of emergence, just hours after the outgone chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega had handed over to Ambassador Muhammad Wali. Jega had stated that having written a reminder to the President, he was asked to hand over to any of the national commissioners at INEC. The question many are asking is why would the President direct Jega to so do, only to reverse himself just hours later?

Who is Amina Zakari? Zakari, a pharmacist by profession, hails from Jigawa State. She completed her secondary education at the prestigious Queens College, Yaba, Lagos. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science, B.sc, degree in Pharmacy with Second Class Upper and as Best Graduating Student, in 1980 from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She was in 2006 appointed as Secretary, Social Development Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA. At the same time, she acted as Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat. Before then, in 2004, she had headed the Health and Human Services Secretariat. She had also worked in Afri-Projects Consortium.

Zakari vows to correct Jega’s mistakes While the debate over her appointment ensued, the defiant Zakari said she would work on areas where INEC erred or failed under former chairman, Jega. Speaking during the handing over ceremony at the INEC headquarters, Zakari said INEC under her would continue working towards the improvement of the country’s electoral process. She said INEC would build on its success under Jega, adding that new methods would be discussed to move the commission forward. She said: “I accept this with humility and an added dedication to serve. We hope to see the continued improvement of the electoral processes in the country.”

Zakari’s past puts question to the appointment Shortly after her announcement as new INEC boss, the PDP immediately picked holes in the appointment alleging that a strong relationship had existed between Zakari and President Muhammad Buhari as well as Kaduna State Governor Nasiru el-Rufai and as such it would continue to demand for her removal. It said it was privy to the fact that “Mrs. Zakari has a strong relationship with President Buhari and Governor el-Rufai and that her appointment, if it stands will mean an end to INEC independency, even as it alleged that a plot was on the burner between Zakari and the ruling APC to post Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, of its choice to Kogi and Bayelsa states ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in those states. The PDP also alerted of moves to use the period of Mrs. Zakari’s stay as head of the commission to tinker with electoral personnel and materials for the two states in favour of the APC. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement said “President Buhari, in appointing Mrs. Zakari, failed to take into cognizance the moral call to detach himself from the operation of the electoral body thereby completely eroding the independence of INEC. He pointed out that the issue at stake is not Mrs. Zakari’s competence or performance in office, but the

Thursday, July 9, 2015

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Zakari’s appointment as INEC fact of nepotism and her closeness to the President and some key APC leaders, which calls into question the independence of the electoral body under her. PDP said: “We want Nigerians to know that with this appointment, INEC has been stripped of its independence and can no longer command the confidence and respect of the citizens and all other critical stakeholders in the nation’s electoral process. “We however find it astonishing, discouraging and disheartening that the spokesperson of the President will address Nigerians and lie to the entire citizenry that Mrs. Zakari never had any relationship with the President or any APC governor in the North-West. This is the height of deception coming from the respected office of the President of our dear country. We ask, is the spokesperson of the President, oblivious of the public fact that INEC acting chairman was once a staff of Afri-Project Consortium, a company well associated with the President? “Is he by any means feigning ignorance of the fact that Mrs. Zakari also worked in the past as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Social Development and later, that of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Federal Capital Development Authority, then under a current APC governor of the Northwest? “How much of Mrs. Zakari’s roles in the last general elections does the spokesperson of the President, who has just been appointed, know to warrant his brazen defence? “Whilst the PDP might not be opposed to Mrs. Zakari becoming one out of the numerous national electoral commissioners to be so appointed, we completely reject her being an executive chairman who takes major decisions in an independent electoral commission while having a strong relationship with the President and a prominent APC Northwest governor. Indeed, never in the history of Nigeria has there been an executive chairman of the electoral body with such strong relationship with the President of the country.” Insisting on Zakari’s removal, PDP said having in the last 16 years reformed the nation’s electoral system to an enviable status being commended by the international community, it cannot sit back and watch too early in the day, its gradual destruction by partisan interest. Urging Nigerians, especially key stakeholders in the democratic process “to rise above sectional, religious, gender and partisan biases and put the independence of INEC, the credibility of the electoral process and the overall interest of the nation above every other consideration in their comments and views on the appointment,” it stressed that as long as Zakari remains in office, it would not recognise the electoral umpire as INEC, but as the National Electoral Commission, NEC.

Presidency’s defence of Zakari’s appointment While defending the appointment of Zakari as the new INEC acting chairman, the Presidency said the appointment followed due process and therefore was in order. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said President Buhari did not overrule Jega in the appointment of his successor, adding that Jega’s purported handing over to another commissioner cannot be construed as an “appointment,” because only the President has the constitutional authority, which he exercised to appoint Zakari as INEC acting chairman. He further stated that Zakari’s appointment was based entirely on merit, her vast experience in the internal operations of INEC and the President’s commitment to affirmative action in support of gender equality. Adesina explained that apart from being fully qualified for the position, Zakari was the only woman among the six commissioners considered.

The appointment of Amina Bala Zakari as acting Commission, INEC, has raised a lot of concern ROTIMI FADEYI, OMEIZA AJAYI and UBONG U

Zakari

According to Adesina, Zakari was in charge of the internal operations of INEC, stressing that Jega was more involved in the external workings of the commission and the public. He said: “Due process was certainly followed in Mrs. Zakari’s appointment. Metuh’s spurious claims of her appointment having been influenced by ‘personal relationship with the Presidency’ and a governor in the North-West ‘to pave the way for the APC’ at election tribunals should be disregarded by the public.”

Reactions of other opposition parties Reacting to PDP’s position on Zakari’s appointment, 13 political parties under the aegis of Coalition of Progressive Political Parties, CPPP, through its chairman, who doubles as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement, Mallam Bashir Ibrahim, decried “the dangerous precedent, whereby a political party is trying to decide for the country who becomes the INEC chairman,” a function which, he said is constitutionally reserved for the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Assembly. CPPP warned that “any interference by political parties

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boss stirring the hornets’ nest

g chairman of the Independent National Electoral ns among many. OBIORA IFOH, GEORGE OJI, UKPONG examine the development.

National elections are over and tribunals are already sitting, but for the North and APC, it is not yet over. Thus, it would be unwise to appoint someone who would not represent their interests adequately. The North would want to retain power in 2019, the APC too, and would want to win more states in the staggered elections and also recover some states and National Assembly seats from the PDP through the tribunals and regular courts. Already, this was demonstrated as the tribunals in Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Taraba states have been moved to Abuja amid objections and outbursts. Zakari is said to be privy to so much information and would be effective in collecting evidences to help the APC and the North in their agenda at the tribunals.

Fear of the Bayelsa/Kogi polls There are concerns by the PDP that the ruling APC would want the new INEC boss, Zakari, to manipulate the coming gubernatorial elections in both Kogi and Bayelsa states to its advantage. In fact, PDP seems to be dead sure that APC is bent on taking over the two states, which incidentally are currently governed by PDP governors. Bayelsa and Kogi states gubernatorial elections have been slated for November and December respectively. PDP is alleging that as a result of Zakari’s closeness to both the President and other APC stalwarts, her tenure is likely to be extended till six months to enable her conclude the job of delivering the two states to the APC. How that presumption would play out is yet to be seen, particularly given that all eyes would be focused on the elections in the two states. This is because, past experience had shown that when elections are held singly, the degree of election manipulation is reduced to very minimal level because of the attention of election monitors and other electoral stakeholders.

Jega’s exit as INEC boss in the appointment of INEC officials is tantamount to politicising the process and the commission itself, and is capable of creating dangerous schism in the commission and generating unnecessary tension in the country.” In a statement CPPP added: “INEC is an independent election management body which must be insulated from politics and irresponsible politicking. The power of and procedure for the appointment of INEC chairman is a constitutional matter and not subject of bargaining by political parties, especially those who are yet to come to terms with the fact that Nigeria is on a very strong change trajectory.”

Underlying motives of Zakari’s emergence Zakari’s emergence as successor to Jega has continued to throw up issues of alleged conclusion with a Northern agenda, said to have been commenced by her predecessor. As a federal commissioner in INEC, Zakari was alleged to have been very much instrumental to the successes recorded by the APC and Buhari as winners of the presidential and other elections. Accordingly, her appointment is allegedly not just a compensation for her roles, but also an empowerment to faithfully serve the interests of the ruling APC and the North.

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Politics

Thursday, July 9, 2015

When Jega, former INEC chairman was nominated to office on June 8, 2010, he was received by Nigerians with a high spirit and expectations following the grouses against his predecessor, Professor Maurice Iwu, who was alleged to have corrupted himself and repeatedly subverted electoral processes to the annoyance of the opposition parties, civil society groups and international community. However, upon his exit on June 31, 2015, Jega appeared to have earned the peoples accolades, having presided over two elections in 2011 and 2015, and delivering results which to a large extent was said to have represented the wishes of majority of Nigerians, even though some believe that he could have done better. In what looked like evenly distribution of power under his tenure, Jega, in 2011, conducted the presidential election, which former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, which had ruled since 1999 when the country returned to civil rule, won. This met the aspiration of majority of the people, who said they needed Jonathan, even though Buhari of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, challenged his victory. In 2015, Jega conducted another election, which gave the Presidency to the opposition under a new mega party, APC, that saw the emergence of its candidate, Buhari, as the President, which his predecessor and keen contender, Jonathan, had said he would not challenge, even though it was clear that the election and its processes could be better. While proponents of “change”, believed that the needful were done to experience change and save the country from collapse, some alleged that Jega had become highly compromised and got carried away by the Northern ambition to have Presidency returned to the North. Some believe that against his will, Jega had to programme the 2015 presidential election to ensure Northern victory, to save Nigeria from a major crisis, which made him vow that he couldn’t spend one more day in that office

after his tenure had expired, even though Buhari administration could have gladly asked him to continue. For Jega, it was better to leave now that the ovation was loudest, especially from those who clamoured for change from Jonathan to Buhari, because the same people would insult him if he was still in office and anything went wrong someday. In view of his acceptance, he left on a very high note, even though most of his activities are quite questionable and would be uncovered someday or left permanently to his conscience. While he worked in concert with the Federal Government after his appointment towards the 2011 elections, Jega was said to have taken the independence of INEC into his hands without recourse to the then presidency of Jonathan for consultations on anything, which the opposition lauded and feasted on to achieve its agenda. There were several allegations of meetings between him and APC chieftains as well as refuting the allegations that the APC hacked into INEC’s website and that it also did not clone voters cards as claimed by the Department of State Services, DSS. It is believed that towards the end of his tenure, Jega became very much anti-Jonathan administration and the PDP, which made proponents of change to allege that Jonathan was planning to sack him, but Jonathan said there was no basis and proved it by allowing him to do his wishes during the elections. Although he made efforts to be a neutral arbiter, Jega would have done better if he took time to address all issues that surrounded the Smart Card Readers, SCR; Permanent Voter Cards, PVC registration and distribution amongst others, which he was alleged to work to favour the North and APC controlled states. These left several other Nigerians with much suspicion over his purported independence, neutrality and fairness.

Way Forward for INEC Experience in the past has shown that the job of chairing INEC is one that has often elicited serious concerns. This is because of the enormity of the responsibilities expected of the office. It is believed that aside from the issue of integrity and honesty, because of the enormity and sensitive nature of the office, past presidents had favored persons with neutral political ambitions or interests to chair the commission. Perhaps it is as a result of the high expectations of the office that the 1999 Constitution specifies that any person to be appointed to that office must go through the screening of the Senate to ensure that the eventual chairman stands the test of time. Until now, past INEC chairmen had always been appointed from outside of the commission. The reason for this, according to political pundits, is to bring in completely new and neutral persons, who are insulated from the internal politics of the commission. Indeed, it is because of the sensitive and important nature of the office that the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Commission recommended that any person to be appointed as INEC chairman must not only be a person of high integrity, but one whose appointment must follow rigorous and painstaking process, to ensure that the best person emerges for the office. Given the importance of the office and the sensitive nature of elections in the country, analysts believe that the President cannot afford to play politics with the appointment of INEC chairman now. The general expectation by Nigerians is that Jega’s successor must be acceptable to all. It also pecked that in order to further consolidate on the gains of the 2015 general elections, the President must not hesitate to search for a credible and completely neutral person and forward same to the Senate for immediate screening and confirmation as substantive INEC chairman. In order to also assuage the fears of many Nigerians, the appointment of a substantive INEC chairman must be concluded before the coming Bayelsa and Kogi states polls. What that means is that, it is the new chairman that should conduct the coming elections. The elections in the two states, and indeed subsequent polls, must serve as test cases for the new INEC boss.

Politics

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Abiola-Costello unveils documentary on slain parents … Says they are worthy to be celebrated

Ayo Esan

aughter of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, yesterday unveiled a documentary that chronicled how her father and her mother, late Kudirat Abiola were assassinated in the struggle to reclaim the mandate of the election. The 75-minute documentary titled: ‘The Supreme Sacrifice’ was showed to selected media practitioners, human right activists and Nollywood stars at Abiola residence in Ikeja, Lagos, as part of the anniversary marking the 17th year of the death of the late business mogul. She said the documen-

tary will not be produced into compact disc now but will be available to students in schools and will be aired in public cinemas. Speaking at the occasion, Abiola-Costello said the documentary is about the spirit of June 12, saying her parents were worthy to be remembered. She said with the present democracy, Nigeria has the best chance of reclaiming her lost glory. She said President Muhammadu Buhari is interested in the fate of the Nigeria people, saying all Nigerians should not rest on their oars and should support the President to solve Nigeria’s problems. Costello-Abiola urged Nigerians to monitor people in government for them to do their best.

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PDP repositions for greater success in S’East Dennis Agbo ENUGU

ack of internal democracy, flagrant disregard for provisions of party constitution as well as non-functionality of Indepenedent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Smart Card Readers, SCRs, in Imo, Abia and Anambra states were yesterday identified as the major causes of the poor showing of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates in the last election. Leaders of the party including governors, members of the National and state Assemblies, National Vice Chairman, South-East,

Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), party state chairmen as well as some founding fathers expressed the views during the visit of the sub-committee of Election Review Committee, led by former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi to the South-East zone. Though, they acknowledged that the challenges had become monumental, the party leaders however resolved to put their differences behind with a view to ensuring that PDP is repackaged to be able to not only recapture Anambra and Imo states in particular in the next election, but to also possibly reclaim the nation’s presidency by 2019. In their presentations, governors of Enugu, Abia

and Ebonyi states, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Engr. Dave Umahi, who was represented by his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, expressed optimism that with proper synergy between the states in the zone, it would be possible for the party to reclaim the remaining two states. Ugwuanyi noted: “I like the slogan that is gradually taking over in the country that Nigerians will soon beg PDP to come back and I believe in that; it simply a matter of working together, putting our differences behind and ensuring that the right things are done.” He added that the committee should use the opportunity of its visit to the zone to properly examine all the

factors and circumstances that brought the party to its present state. Ikpeazu noted that the mishap of the last election should serve as a stepping stone for the renaissance of the PDP, noting that apart from upholding party discipline, the party should equally strive to ensure that it maintained supremacy at various levels. Umahi said the presence of Ebonyi contingents to the meeting in Enugu was a clear indication that they remained resolute, committed and unwavering in their support for the party, explaining however that the party would only reinvent its winning streak when the issue of indiscipline is seriously tackled.

PDP set to take over power in 2019 –Ihedioha Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

hairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, post-election review committee for South-West, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday in Ibadan assured party members and the public that the party is on the road to take over power and government back at the national level in 2019. He said this while briefing journalists at the commencement of a two-day sitting for the South West zone post election review, held at the zonal office of the party, in Ibadan. Ihedioha, accompanied by other members of the committee: Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa and Hon Uzor Azubuike, said PDP decided to investigate why it lost power to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last general elections, thus the setting up a committee to that effect. He said “It just appear to all of us that Nigeria is still largely a PDP country. In every ward, local government areas, states, zones and indeed in the

entire country, PDP remains the most popular party by our recording. “What has happened to us was that we made very costly mistakes. We took steps that we shouldn’t have taken. And those steps today are beginning to hunt us.” Ihedioha added that irrespective of the experience in the last election, “the party in its wisdom decided to take steps early enough, to set up this committee to review what happened in the election. That’s why it’s called post election review committee.”

L-R: Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, after a courtesy visit to the National Assembly by the CBN governor, yesterday.

APC support groups reject interim excos, demand election Obiora Ifoh ABUJA

oalition of All Progressives Congress, APC, support groups has rejected the activities

and continuation of interim executive put in place by the National Organising Secretary of the party, demanding that proper election should be held. Some of the support

groups, represented at a meeting held to prepare ground for proper election yesterday in Abuja, alleged that the present interim executives are planning to hickjack the fight for change

South-South politicians slam Oyegun’s critics Adeleke Adesanya

rked by the gamut of accusations heaped on Chief John OdigieOyegun over different crises rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, at the National Assembly, politicians and political office holders in the South-South geo-political zone have slammed critics of the APC National Chairman, saying that his leadership, which has berthed the party at glorious shore cannot

be bought, no matter the price. The call for Oyegun’s resignation drew fire from the South-South leaders, who described it as ridiculous and unfortunate. In a press statement issued in Port-Harcourt and signed by National Chairman of Politicians and Political Office Holders in the South-South, PPOHSS, Chief Julius Ikuru, the leaders said Oyegun has served the party well and needed to be commended by all well-meaning people in the country.

PPOHSS said: “All kinds of invectives have been hurled in the direction of Odigie-Oyegun. Politicians behind this wicked agenda want to remain relevant in the political terrain.” Praising Oyegun for playing politics with integrity and honour, PPOHSS said there was no basis asking him to resign, adding: “Odigie-Oyegun is an administrator of high repute, brilliance and excellence. He has dignity and integrity and he is a study in humility.” It also advised those

threatening APC leadership with fire and brimstone because of their narrow and private interests not to allow Nigeria waste another four years. It said: “Politicians must play politics not as a bellicose contest but as a sport which must produce a winner. They must set aside their differences and harness their energies to the task of development. “Odigie-Oyegun has elevated party leadership to new heights. He deserves national gratitude and should be celebrated.”

which some of them did not know how it started. Addressing the leaders and representatives of the support groups yesterday in Abuja, the convener and the President, Electorate for Good Governance, EGG, Comrade Muhammed Baba Mustapha, said all groups represented at the meeting believed in the philosophy of change even before the coming together of APC. He said: “We decided to come together as a body of all the support groups because we believed that individual groups cannot be talking to the party directly, we needed a common front which we talk to the party. Also speaking, President of Edo Arise Organization, Comrade Isaac Nsagbuefor, said they are the real support groups of APC who had worked hard and delivered but now demanding full recognition from the party leadership.

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Revisiting the question of Nigeria’s secularism CRITICAL STROKES

KAYODE

KETEFE

kketefe@nationalmirroronline.net 08032147720 (SMS only)

his writer has often heard it said by some starry-eyed political theorists and religion enthusiasts that Nigeria is not a secular state, but a multi-religious state. This view, which offends the conventional interpretation of the constitution, seems to be gaining grounds even among enlightened liberal thinkers, who are not enmeshed in religious biases. The oft-peddled justification for this latter-day rationalisation on our non-secularity is that the 1999 Constitution, like others before it, does not anywhere mention the word “secular” whereas the said constitution provides for freedom of religion. The proponents of the said construct would also point to religious apparatus by the authorities like Pilgrims Welfare Boards as mainstreaming of religious tenets by the officialdom. The state does not only plan and organise the pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem, but also subisidises the costs of and even completely sponsors some pilgrims. The declaration of numerous public holidays on

religious holy days by the government has also been cited as a formal recognition of religion in Nigeria. Furthermore, religious creeds are taught in our schools from kindergarten to the tertiary institutions. Is Nigeria then a non-secular republic? I think the starting point is to analyse the provision of the 1999 Constitution, which provides in its section 10, thus: “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” What is the meaning of this? Adoption of state religion translates into what I may call national spiritual mainstreaming, which is the formal and official integration of religious philosophies and tenets into all national policies. The Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary defines the word ‘secular’ as “not connected with spiritual and religious matter”, while ‘secularism’ is defined as “belief that religion should not be involved in the organisation of society, education etc”. So, a secular state is one in which government does not put official imprimatur on any religion but leave same to individuals’ prerogative. Religion is a way of life, which has stipulation on virtually every existentialist issue; it regulates human conducts from birth to death. For example, the name a person bears, the kind of food he may eat or not eat, the kind of person he can marry and even the rites that would be performed at his funeral, are clearly spelt out by each religion. Anybody that wants to see the difference between a secular and a religious state

NIGERIAN PEOPLE ARE RELIGIOUS, THAT IS SOCIOLOGICAL FACT, BUT IT IS A FACT WITH NO LEGAL IMPLICATION should look at happenings in some states in the North which adopted shari’ah jurisprudence where the governments forbid people to drink beer, arrests people who laze about during praying hours and slam stoning to death penalty on women who commit adultery. Compare that with what happens in other parts of Nigeria where secularism reigns - people do what they like; you may shun mosques and churches without any consequences, while nobody controls what you eat or wear. That is the secularism in action. Can anybody point to any country in the world that adopts state religion(s), where the peoples’ lives are not controlled almost to the minutest detail? In Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, adult male were mandated by law to grow beards or risked being arrest! I want to submit that having a multireligious society and a secular state is not self-contradictory. As a matter of fact, it is a nation that is blessed with diverse peoples, multiple layers of identities and religious diversity that often embrace secularity as state policy in

National Assembly crisis: The real issues JOE IGBOKWE

ince the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari administration on May 29, 2015, I have watched with a keen interest unfolding political developments in the country, especially the events at the National Assembly. I have witnessed the vicious attacks on APC leadership by those who lost out in the recent general elections and those who fed from the 16 years of PDP’s inept leadership. I have seen those who should know better attacking APC leadership claiming the party is not prepared for leadership. I have seen interlopers, intruders, supporters of any government in power and hangers on working so hard to fix themselves back into the system to continue the systematic pillaging of Nigeria. In all this, I thank God that we voted PDP out of power, even though I know that it is not over until it is over. Those who lost the elections have not gone home to rest; they are bitter, angry and they are cursing and abusing the drivers of this monumental change. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who led the team that showed PDP the way out has been the target of vicious attacks by these shameful losers. They call him names; they say he is greedy, they say he wants everything including the Presidency and other key positions for himself. But these people are wrong. The leader wants Nigeria to succeed. The

THOSE WHO LOST THE

ELECTIONS HAVE NOT GONE HOME TO REST; THEY ARE BITTER…AND ABUSING THE DRIVERS OF THIS MONUMENTAL CHANGE leader put everything in place, both human and material resources to push this change. The leader sacrificed time, energy and strength to push this change. Now, can a man be punished for doing good? Can a man be crucified for helping to change the way we think; the way we do things; the way we plan; the way we reason and the way we apply our common sense even though common sense is not common? Can we continue to rubbish our brightest and best because of groundless and unfounded petty jealousy? When has it become a crime to work so hard for your country in times of need? How can any reasonable person ask APC to go to sleep with the daylight robbery we saw at the National Assembly? How can APC allow common thieves in the house it has laboured to build for 16years because the enemies expect that we should keep quiet and look the other way? How can any decent man allow the open stealing we saw in the hallowed chamber of the Senate when 49 PDP senators purchased eight APC senators and closed the door against 51 APC senators

because the thieves want Dr Saraki as Senate President and Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President? Are the teeming supporters of APC throughout the country aware of the meaning of this political calculations and permutations by the defeated PDP? Do we know that APC has plans of what to do with Nigeria and the people it needs to drive the change? Do we know that one ugly person in the fold can pull down the whole house? They say a tree cannot make a forest, but one man who is not good can pull down an organization. A Senate President and a Deputy Senate President who are not keyed to the APC agenda to rebuild Nigeria may be a cog in the wheel of progress. Bible students should find out what happened to the people of Israel because of one ugly man called Achan. The same Bible tells us in Isaiah 65: 22 “They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” General Collins Powel, retired US army officer, says “Organization does not really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of management don’t matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.” The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your

order to entrench neutrality rather than exposing itself to explosive vagaries of religious multiplicity. That is the reason the framers of our constitution made the nation grundnorm to be secular. I have one theoretical question to put as an acid test to people who insist that our constitution is not secular. Suppose the Federal Government refuses to declare a holiday of any religion as a public holiday, is that actionable as a breach of constitution? Can the aggrieved adherents go to court to seek an order of mandamus to compel the government to make the declaration? No! That shows there is nothing in our constitution that mandates the government to observe any religious rites. What I have found out from my arguments with some learned friends on this matter is that people often take “secularism” to mean “irreligion”, that is lack of religion or total absence of religion. For example, in the communist USSR, religion is officially prohibited, that of course, is a different thing entirely from secularism. Nigeria’s constitution does not support any religion neither does it espouse irreligion. To that extent it is secular. Nigerian people are religious, that is sociological fact. But my position is that this is a fact with no legal implication. So my submission is that the Nigerian society is multi-religious. Ketefe may be followed on Twitter @ Ketesco

best today. A day’s planning is done in the morning. PDP has been shamelessly dancing and entertaining themselves because they think they are gaining some ground, and they are even thinking about 2019. This is a party that got itself nailed in the coffin through rampant and systematic impunity in every sector of our national life. Professor Itse Saggy says: They (PDP) have established a system of very low values, total lack of commitment to the country and have demonstrated utter disdain for the welfare of the Nigerian people”. And ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo: “Those criminals, crooks, persons of dubious character, the corrupt and corrupters and those whose track records are so blemished that no amount of white washing and propaganda and re-inventing of their personal profiles can cover up their dirty past must be prevented by all lawful means from corrupting, contaminating and compromising our democratic process”. Those who created yesterday’s pain do not control tomorrow’s potentials. Actions carry consequences! Igbokwe is Publicity Secretary, Lagos State chapter of APC 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

Thursday July 9, 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

Evils of forced, child marriage

he poisonous sides of forced, child or early marriage are beginning to emerge from fairly enlightened backgrounds. In a country where hundreds of thousands of women in some communities aged 18 years or above detest being forced into marriage, their counterparts far below that age (18 years), considered as the statutory age of maturity in Nigeria, are compulsorily paired with men as wives in other areas. Reports say girls at the tender age of between 12 and 14 years are already ripe for marriage in some parts of the country; and parents are too glad to part with the kids who are supposed to still be in school learning and acquiring skills to confront the challenges of life. The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, stated last weekend that forcing young girls into marriage and exposure of youths to information technology and social media were among the major root causes of youths becoming members of the Boko Haram insurgent group and similar social vices in the country. Speaking at the 10th Annual Ramadan Lecture organized by the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corpo-

ration of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna, Sanusi emphasized that a product of girl-child marriage enjoys no parental care; and, therefore, quickly finds interest in insurgent activities at youthful age. “… You know from taking her out of school and forcing her into marriage without education result to having a child from her who does not have a mother that can give the child proper training. That is a child that gets on drugs, Indian hemp or joins Boko Haram. All these things are connected. We have to face these challenges”, Sanusi said. He stated in addition that youths learn new ideologies fast from the internet and, after watching, they go to Iraqi and Syria to join Jihadist groups. Related to Sanusi’s contention would be the case of 14-year-old Wasila Tasi’u from Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State, who was arraigned in court last year for the murder of four men. She was accused of killing the 35-year-old man, Umaru Sani, she was forced to marry, alongside three of his friends, who allegedly ate the food she prepared and mixed with rat poison in April, 2014, barely a couple of days after her marriage to Umaru. According to the police, Tasi’u confessed to poisoning Sani and his guests at

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE

DAY THAT PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND ALL WHO BREACH CHILD MARRIAGE LAWS WOULD BE PENALIZED FOR THEIR CRIMES Unguwar Yansoro village, near Kano, because she was forced by her parents to marry a man she did not love. She was quoted as saying: “I have never enjoyed the opportunity of going to Islamic school or acquiring Western education. My father forced me into this mess by stubbornly forcing me into a relationship I was not prepared to live in”. Though 15-years-old this year, Tasi’u, who is still a minor in the eyes of the country’s 1999 Constitution (as altered), stood the risk of a death sentence had she been convicted. But just last month, the Gezawa High Court, near Kano, formally struck out the charge of culpable homicide brought against her and granted her freedom. Human rights activists, civil society organizations and concerned Nigerians not only celebrated the acquittal of Tasi’u, but used her travails to draw global attention to the failings of child

ON THIS DAY

July 9, 1900

July 9, 1999

Boxer Rebellion: The Governor of Shanxi province in North China ordered the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children. The Boxer Rebellion was a pro-nationalist movement by the ‘Righteous Harmony Society’ in China between 1898 and 1901, opposing foreign imperialism and Christianity. The uprising took place in response to foreign ‘spheres of influence’ in China.

The killing of a student by riot police in a night raid sparked six days of demonstrations and rioting throughout Iran, during which at least three other people were killed and more than 200 injured. The protests were before the 2009 Iranian election protests, the most widespread and violent in the country. The protests began on July 8 with peaceful demonstrations in Tehran against the closure of the reformist newspaper, Salam.

marriage, which still appears a compulsion, especially in many parts of northern Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution, in Section 29 (4) (a), recognises “full age” as the age of 18 years and above; while Section 29 (4) (b) says any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age. The Child’s Rights Act of 2003 likewise outlaws child marriage and betrothal. The Act rejects any marriage contracted by anyone less than 18 years; as well as parents, guardians or any other person betrothing a child to anyone. Indeed, forced, child or early marriages constitute grave dangers to the nation. But more worrisome, perhaps, is the fact that punishing infractions against the law that prohibits them has been an uphill task for both the police and the judiciary as a result of purported cultural, traditional and religious linkages. But the nation seems left with no locum, except confronting the hurting and destructive challenges by helping Nigerian youths to embrace Western and Islamic education and guiding them in the right direction. Besides, we are looking forward to the day that parents, guardians and all who gleefully breach child marriage laws would be penalized for their crimes.

July 9, 2011 South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. The Republic of South Sudan is a landlocked country in east-central Africa. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city. But the capital city is planned to be moved to the more centrally located Ramciel in the future. South Sudan is bordered by Ethiopia (east), Kenya (southeast), Uganda (south), the Democratic Republic of Congo (southwest), etc.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Education Today ICPC inaugurates anti-corruption unit at FCET 25

Crisis brews at King’s College as PTA falls apart Tunbosun Ogundare

ust six days after the students of King’s College, Lagos returned from a week-long midterm break on June 22 like their peers in other 103 unity colleges nationwide, some of their parents have stormed the Victoria Island annex of the college to protest the visiting day policy while also alleging the mismanagement of the association’s finances. Numbering about 30 under the name- “Concerned parents,” the group protested the cancellation of the monthly visiting day for June. The school had announced the cancellation on the premise that the visitation, scheduled for June 28, would no longer be necessary since the students had just returned from their homes six days earlier and also in view of fact that the students will soon be writing their promotional exam. The group, which came with placards bearing different messages about the alleged deplorable conditions of facilities in the 104-yearold college, especially toilet, water and power supply, also accused both the PTA chairman, Chief Emmanuel Oriakhi and the college’s principal, Otunba Oladele Olapeju of misappropriating the association’s funds. They claimed that based on the audited account of the association for the year ended February, 2014, the income and expenditure during the 2013 and 2014 academic years were N145, 045, 430 and N134, 062, 932 respectively with a balance of N10, 982, 498 while that of the year before it stood at N161, 410, 876 and N150, 595,012 in that order and with N10, 815,855 balance. Another issue raised was that the association claimed to have spent N59, 949,500 to pay salaries and wages within the same two years without clear information about who the beneficiaries were and for what purpose.

Olapeju

Nwosu

Oriakhi

“We also discovered that the association claimed to have spent N3, 376,100 as donation within the period to stakeholders without telling us the beneficiaries and why the money was given out,” said, Mr. Obisike Nwosu, the group’s spokesman at a press conference. That is not all. The group, also claimed that spending N25, 253,832 in two years on student’s laundry as well as N3, 549, 612 on sewage dislodge and repairs were too high for a school. On the award of contracts, they said “It is also sacrosanct to note that the PTA chairman and the school principal unilaterally award

contracts to their cronies without the consent and approval of the general meeting. “So, these, among others are what we considered suspicious and with the background that the chairman has been running the affairs of the association with impunity, we are convinced that there is gross mismanagement and misappropriation of funds in the association,” the group stressed. But both the principal, Otunba Oladele Olapeju and the PTA Chairman, Chief Emmanuel Oriakhi however debunked all the allegations, saying they were not true.

They noted that the ‘concerned parents’ were working for perceived ‘enemies’ not only to rubbish them but also to push them out of office untimely for their sponsors to come in. They said that was why they chose to hide under the cancellation of the visiting day which all the parents were duly informed of through the Short Messaging Service (SMS) before that day to stage a protest. The principal, who is due for retirement in about four months told National Mirror that aside from being a member of PTA, he as the principal, is supposed to be the sec-

When UI was shut over nonpayment of allowances 20

Expert advocates change in pharmacy curriculum

retary of the group, but he chose not to, to enable him have full concentration on his job and also not to interfere in the running of the association. While maintaining that he is no signatory to the PTA account and does not also get involved in the spending of its money, he acknowledged the fact that PTA is a saving grace to the college just like any other public schools in the country. When asked for the school’s financial responsibilities if PTA could shoulder so much, he said the work are enormous and bigger than what the school authority could do all alone more so that the government’s subvention to the college is grossly inadequate like other unity colleges nationwide. “If not for the support of PTA, the school might have been grounded and I must confess that parents are really doing their best to see that the college sustains its standards in all areas. CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Salaries: Kogi teachers asked to wait for more months 20

Education Today

Expert lists roles of library to academic research Saidat Alausa

ibrarian, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Dr. Mulikat Salaam, has observed that university libraries remain the pivot on which academic activities rest in achieving the ivory towers’ mandates of teaching, research and community development. Speaking at a two-day Information Literacy Training Workshop for postgraduate students of the university, Dr. Salaam said the workshop was necessary since serious research work usually began at the postgraduate school. And this according to her required the use of specialised information sources, noting that students, who were interested in going into academics, would gain tremendously from attending the workshop. The University Librarian, who was represented by a Principal librarian in the university, Dr. Fehintola Onifade, added that the workshop would help the postgraduate students to easily recognise when information was needed, how to navigate the computer and the library to locate credible sources of information and how to effectively use the skills gained. Mr. Oyintola Amusa, also a librarian spoke on “Literature Review and General Evaluation of Information Sources,” he however warned participants to be wary of plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty, but be focused, guard against being unnecessarily influenced by the views of earlier researchers, provide critical review of earlier studies, arrange reviewed materials in chronological order and have a good grasp of library procedures. Dean, Postgraduate School, Prof. Ololade Enikuomehin admonished participants to make good use of the opportunity by putting all that were required to pass and transfer the knowledge gained to their colleagues who are not part of the programme.

LASU students worried over prolonged academic calendar Quadri Babatunde

agos State University Students’ Union (LASUSU) has expressed worry over seven month prolonged academic calendar of the institution. Speaking at a press conference held at the university’s College of Medicine in Ikeja, LASUSU, president, Wasiu Adeyemi condemned the postponement of their examination by the management. The president, who said that the union received an official bulletin from the management on the postponement of the examination on July 3rd, said the university excuse was that some students have not been able to pay their school fees and register for examination. “We also condemns in strong words, the attitude of the state government towards the persistent issues on campus.” The unions at the conference have given the management 48 hours ultimatums to do the needful and ensure students are called for exam on or before today, Thursday, July, 9 2015.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

When UI was shut over non-payment of allowances Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

or three days Wednesday to Friday last week, all activities including academic, business and administrative were grounded at the nation’s premier institution, University of Ibadan, no thanks to the protest embarked upon by members of three unions in the university. The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Technologists (NAT) were protesting non-payment of what they termed “earned allowances”. As early as 7.30am on the first day, Wednesday, the three unions led by their leadership put all the four entrance gates into the premier university under lock and key and prevented movement into the university. The protest by the unions was anchored on what they called unfulfilled promise by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to pay the earned allowances to workers in the university. During the protest, the workers moved from one department and unit to another to stop their colleagues that do not join the protest from working and forcing them to join. And with the gates firmly locked, those who wanted to move in and out of the campus were stranded while traffic gridlock became the order of the day. Also, lecturers who wanted to teach their students were forced to trek long distances into the campus in an apparent move to meet up with their lecture while their cars were parked at the gates. The Chairman of the university chapter of NASU, Comrade Oluwasegun Arojo, while speaking with the National Mirror, said the unions have been on

the earned allowance issue since 2009 when it was paid last. According to him, the allowance is just one of the 13 components that all the unions in the university had an agreement with the institution’s authority to pay them, stating that while the amount involved may be much, the unions through the protest embarked upon are sending a message to the Federal Government through the leadership of the university. Arojo while maintaining that the three unions had the support of the university chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in principle, said ASUU members also benefitted when the university management paid part of the earned allowance to the workers in the institution. He added that the unions were aggrieved that the university management reneged on the agreement that the implementation of the earned allowance should start since 2013 despite the series of meetings the leadership of the unions had with the Council of the univer-

sity on the issue. However, the National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu, while speaking on the development, said the union is not involved in the protest as it was occasioned by what he termed misunderstanding and information gap. According to him, while the university wage bill stood at N904m monthly, the management said it received N932m and used the excess in paying promotion arrears of staff. Aremu similarly added that he was aware that the management had started making frantic efforts to raise more funds while at the same time engaging the unions in dialogue. But the protest was to take another dimension when the university chapter of ASUU kicked against the conduct of the unions as it affects its members with a call on the ViceChancellor of the university, Prof. Adewole to provide security for academic staff to carry out their duties. The union in a memo sent to the VC and signed

by its Chairman and Secretary, Prof. Segun Ajiboye and Dr. Deji Omole respectively, condemned what they called the harassment of academic staff by striking non-academic staff of the university during which lecturers was chased out of classrooms. While speaking with the National Mirror, Prof. Ajiboye, said as a body ASUU will never be against any union to fight for their right. According to him, the three unions have a right to protest to achieve their goal and freedom to prosecute their struggle, stating that in 2013 members of ASUU were on strike for six months to defend their right. He added that by raising objection during the protest by the three unions, ASUU was only trying to prevent the degeneration of the strike. While the protest has been suspended, the NASU leader disclosed that the leadership of the protesting three unions, have reached an agreement with the university management that it will start to pay the earned allowance from the end of July.

L-R: Director, Technology and Science Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Rosetta Isavwe; Principal\ Director, Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos, Rev. Chris Ugorji and his wife, Mrs. Ugorji during the prize-giving and graduating ceremonies of FSTC, last Saturday.

Salaries: Kogi teachers asked to wait for more months Wale Ibrahim LOKOJA

eachers in public primary and secondary schools in Kogi State may soon heave a sigh of relief as their outstanding salaries and allowances will be paid within the next two months. The Deputy Secretary in charge of school services, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Yakubu Gambo disclosed this in Lokoja last week while addressing teachers at the premises of the State Universal Basic Education Board. He explained that he was dispatched to Lokoja by SUBEB to

come and engage the state government and other stakeholders on the plight and welfare of teachers in primary and junior secondary schools in the state. The Deputy Director who stated that he had already met with all relevant agencies and individuals connected to payment of teachers salaries said that the unpleasant experience they have been subjected to over these years would soon become a history. He said the leadership of UBEC was shocked about the numerous reports of non-payment of their salaries and allowances, saying that it was the responsibility of the local governments to do that. Gambo commended the teachers for their peaceful conduct, urg-

ing them not to embark on any action that may jeopardize the ongoing efforts to quickly resolve their grievances. Earlier in his address, the state Chairman of the Basic Education Staff Association of Nigeria (BESAN), Mr. Yakubu Adomu urged the UBEC to prevail on the government to pay the November and December salaries of his members which have been remitted to its account by the Ministry of Local Government Affairs. He said while teachers in Ofu, Omala, Okene, Ajaokuta and Olamaboro local governments did not receive November, 2014 salaries, all teachers in the state were yet to receive

their December, 2014 salaries. He also said that teachers’ salaries from January till May this year were haphazardly implemented as some were not paid at all while some did not receive full salaries. He also raised the issues of non-payment of leave bonus to teachers for the past five years while government had also refused to provide cash backing for promotions of teachers within the same period. Adomu appealed to the UBEC to prevail on the state government to quickly look to the grievances to guarantee industrial peace in the sector, promising that the group will continue to conduct itself in a peaceful manner.

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Education Today

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Cheers as Ado Poly rewards hardworking students

L-R: Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Dr. David Oyedepo; his wife, Pastor Faith Oyedepo and the convocation lecturer, Prof. Peter Okebukola during the university 10th convocation ceremony, recently.

Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

t was all cheers last week as the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti rewarded hard work as a means of propelling other students to excellence. The 44 beneficiaries of the Best Student Scholarship Award for the 2013/2014 session for National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) got cash reward and a certificate of merit. Rector of the institution, Dr Theresa Akande, said the award was “put in place to serve as incentive to motivate the student to pay the desired attention to their studies. It is awarded to the best students at ND 1 and HHD 1 levels at the end of the Second Semester examinations in each department during the matriculation ceremony every year.” While Adeola Margaret Macaulay of the Science Technology Department with 3.84 GPA and Esther Ojo of Marketing Department with 3.80 GPA led the pack of beneficiaries for ND, Sodiq Kunle Adeyinka of Elect/Elect Engineering (3.75 GPA) and Joy Oluwaseun Duyilemi of Accountancy Department (3.72 GPA) led the HND group. The rector bestowed the honours on the outstanding students during the matriculation for 2,376 full-time ND students and 1,552 full-time HND students for the 2014/2015 Academic Session. She told the fresh students: “This is to serve as motivation for you to strive towards excellence so that it will be your turn at next year’s matriculation ceremony.” Akande urged the students to avail themselves of the wide range of opportunities offered by their being in school, saying: “It is in the interest of your future to protect your name, create a life-long reputation and be a good ambassador of this institution.” She urged the fresh students to see their admission as “an opportunity to aim and attain higher academic laurels and equip yourself for a rewarding future as well as a challenge for you to live a morally upright life despite the pervading decay of the larger society.” The Rector assured the students that to ensure all round education to prepare them for the future, the institution had put in place specific programmes including entrepreneurship programme; work-study scheme; ICT/IT training; and sporting and relaxation facilities. The rector, who said the polytechnic would continue to strive within the limits of the resources at its disposal to meet the needs of the students by making the environment conducive for serious academic work, cautioned the students against willful damage to the infrastructures and equipment in the classrooms, hostels, laboratories and others. Akande expressed joy in “the new air of industrial peace and harmony prevailing in the institution. It is therefore in your interest to steer clear of all anti-social vices throughout your stay in the institution and make sure that you don’t do anything that will truncate the academic calendar as approved by the Academic Board.” She cautioned the students against engaging in acts capable of truncating their academic career midway.

Expert advocates change in pharmacy curriculum Saidat Alausa

ational Medicine Adviser, World Health Organisation, Abuja, Dr. Ogori Taylor has called for change in pharmacy curriculum to suit the modern day health delivery. She said this was necessary as the training of pharmacists in Nigeria universities is mainly focus on the delivery of pharmaceutical services to individual patients but the system in dealing with public health has its dynamics which the students must be taught as an undergraduate. Taylor made the disclosure while delivering the keynote address titled, “the role of pharmacist in the control of disease of public health,” at the annual general meeting and scientific symposium of the West African Postgraduate College of PharmaCONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

“So, since I am not privy to PTA account, how then could I misappropriate its funds? But what I can say now is that the so-called concerned parents are not only agents of confusion but have shallow knowledge of the running of PTA’s affairs and it is a pity that they go this way. But I think the PTA Chairman should be able to use this medium to enlighten them on the running of the association,” the principal said. When contacted, PTA’s Chairman, Chief Oriakhi also said the action of the factional group was done in bad faith to discredit his leadership and that of the college for their selfish ambitions. While exonerating the college’s principal from the running of the affairs of the association including spending of its funds, he also claimed that his own hands were cleaned. He noted that he was appointed into office just last year while the allegation of financial impropriety leveled against him by the group was referring to the period between 2011 and April 2014. He claimed that most of the factional group members are parents of JSS1 students who are not only new in the system but also do not have clear understanding of how the association is being run. And to this, the group confirmed that their children are only in the JJS arm at the school annex but are out for the entire students of the college. On the principal’s claim that PTA stands as the college backbone since government is incapacitated to meet most of the financial needs of the college, the chairman asked rhe-

cists in Lagos, last week. The ceremony was also to induct and present certificates to new fellows of the college. The WHO expert explained that undergraduates studying pharmacy are only trained to promote individualization of therapist without paying attention to public health delivery mechanism which over the years has been the bane of pharmacy profession. She therefore said if this trend is not stopped, the country would continue to produce pharmacists who may not be able to practice in the country but in developed country. “Our approach to agenda setting should be more strategic that what is currently on ground that is why pharmaceutical curricular in human resources is very important because our current graduates education suit the developed countries than our own health

Crisis brews ...

torically that how then could a fraction of a group who only became members in less than one year champion the cause of the entire group. “Such is the case of these so-called concerned parents. They are sponsored agents to unionise the association and cause division among members for their selfish interest,” he argued, adding that it was absurd that just 30 out of 6,000 current members of PTA could choose this ignoble way. Oriakhi noted that the last audited account of the association and the one before it that the group was referring to were both discussed and adopted by the whole house at the annual general meeting, adding that the concerned parents were not members of the association at those periods. He told National Mirror that due to inadequate teachers in the college for example, the association currently has 44 adhoc subject teachers in its payroll with the least receiving about N40, 000 monthly salaries. “There are about 50 other categories of workers including stewards and gardeners. So, we pay over N3 million as salaries and wages alone monthly to all of them. We are doing all these to ensure that academic and moral standards which the school has known for since inception are sustained and the records of past students are there as testimonies. By calculation, the amount would translate to about N36m yearly which is even higher than the quoted N59, 949,500 for two

care system which we need to stop before it is too late,” she reiterated. The president of the college, Mr. Wiltshire Johnson said the symposium was aimed at re-orientating the way health care services are delivered in West Africa with the pharmaceutical sector being the key to paradigm shift. “We must bring to focus new leadership tasks, indulge in policy and operational activities that are crucial to achieving our objective of greater relevance in achieving our mandate.” Congratulating the new fellows, he said people of West Africa need them more than ever before and the profession of pharmacy even more. A total of 161 fellows which cut across clinical, community pharmacy, drug production and quality assurance, public health, social and administrative pharmacy were in-

years by the concerned parents. While disclosing that the whole college had only two Mathematics teachers before additional five were employed by PTA, Oriakhi attributed the difference in the amount to such additional teachers hired after the report. On stakeholders’ bill, he said the money, among others, were being used as an endowment fund to sponsor category of awards to exemplary students and teachers during annual speech day and prize-giving ceremony in addition to the one organizes separately by the association. He said the idea was to reward excellence as well as encouraging healthy competition among target audience for the development of the school and education at large. On the alleged award of contracts to ‘cronies’ as claimed by the concerned parents, the chairman said awarding of contracts is usually a transparent exercise like every other activity of the association. He acknowledged that truly some of the concerned parents had approached the association for contracts on some of its ongoing projects like the ultra modern hall which has been on for over two years but were turned down simply because it is not logical to revoke contracts when the contractors were not found wanting. “So, for them to even mention contract awards as part of their grouse is a clear indication that they are only fighting for personal course and they should be ignored,” he said.

Education Today

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Corps members organise debate for students

Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam ElRufai (left) receiving souvenir from ViceChancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Vincent Ado Tenebe during his courtesy visit to the governor in Kaduna, last Thursday.

Kemi Busari

CORPS MEMBER, KADUNA

orps members serving in the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Kaduna State recently organise quiz, debate and game contest for students. The debate competition was between the Animal Health and Animal Production departments of the school with the topic; Animal Health more than Animal Production deserves more societal attention. Representatives of the Animal Health department argued ‘that good health is the most valuable gift God bequeathed to human and animals; therefore, it is far more important than production adding that without sound health, there can never be production. On the other hand, representatives of the Animal Production posited that under normal circumstance, with proper prevention, there is no need for health practitioners. “We produce and add to the economy of the country. With proper prevention, the health practitioners will be rendered useless.” The audience was thrown into greater excitement and roar of joy for the quiz competition between the Higher National Diploma 1 and 2. As the competitions unfold inside the hall, a scrabble contest was on-going at an open space outside the hall with enthused spectators waiting for the outcome. The scrabble contest was between Samuel Jonathan an HND 2 student representing the school team and Elaigwu Joseph for the NYSC team. At the end of the contest, Animal Production Department won the debate contest with 18 points as against 14 garnered by their health counterpart. For the quiz competition, HND 1 defeated HND 2 after a close tie while the school team defeated the NYSC team 356-103 in the scrabble competition. Lauding the corps members for the initiative, the college deputy provost, Mr. Muhammed Abdullahi enjoined the students not to forget what they have learnt in the competitions and charged departmental heads to see to it that such program is organised frequently. One of the six corps members, Aisha Ibrahim said that the idea behind the programme was to encourage public speaking, promote the spirit of sportsmanship and interaction among students and their lecturers. “We purposely made this our CDS project and thank God it was a success.” Other corps members are; Habiba Muhammad, Mamadelo Sola, Musa Suleiman, Aisha Muhammad, Aliyu Ibrahim, all of the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Kaduna State.

Olawumi

My vision for UI, by Pro-Chancellor Tunbosun Ogundare

he newly appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Ibadan, Dr. Umar Mustapha has reeled out his plan for the university, saying his administration’s overall interest is to ensure make UI not only a first choice for all Nigerians but also a world-class university. He made the disclosure during a meeting with the members of the council in Ibadan recently. He succeeded General Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd) in April. Mustapha, a mathematician, said he would take the university to the level where Nigerians who are concerned in becoming well-rounded graduates at first and other levels of degrees would not think of going

elsewhere other than UI for their studies. He also stated that efforts would be directed towards the transformation of the institution’s newly established School of Business to be one of the best in Africa as in the case of its Medicine, Forest Resources Management, Fisheries, Ecotourism, Mathematics, History and English programmes and so on. Expressing his belief in education as a life-long project, Mustapha in a press release by the university’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, said he would seek more harmonious working relationships between the academic and nonacademic staff and improving the teaching and learning environment on campus. Urging the university’s management to vigorously pursue implementation of polices that would improve the welfare of students, especially in terms of accommoda-

tion, feeding arrangements, transportation, medicare, spacing of lectures, among other welfare issues, Mustapha promised to assist the VC in a possible way towards the actualisation of the Mathematics Centre Project. He also emphasised the need for both lecturers and students to stay-off plagiarism which carries serious penalty which could bring the reputation of university to public disrepute. Calling for more collaboration between the university and other world-class universities, including Nigerian universities, especially in the areas of Economics, Business Studies, Medicine, Forest Resources Management, History, Fisheries Management and Aquaculture as well as Wildlife and Ecotourism, the new chairman urged various staff unions to work in unison so as to jointly move the university to another level.

Our experiences at Grace High School —Graduating students Quadri Babatunde

he graduating students of Grace High School, Gbagada, Lagos narrated the sweet memories of their stay in the school to journalists at the 17th graduation ceremony of the school last week. 52 students graduated and three of them got exceptional recognition. All of them were described as brilliant and well-behaved set by the principal, Mr. Donald Cilliers. Virtually all of them had different recollections of how they gained admission to the 21-yearold college. The valedictorian of the set is 18 years old Abimbola Oluwade. He is grateful to God for turning his situation around by granting admission to the school. He was previously at Obele Community High School, a public school in a Lagos suburb. He sat for the Deaconess Grace Bisola Oshinowo Indigent Students Scholarship Examination and got the award for the 2012/2013 set. “It is incredible for a student from a very indigent background like me to eventually find myself attending the same school with the children of the wealthy members of the society. Since I came here, I have enjoyed excellent facilities which were not available in the public school I attended before I came here. To even think that my parents are not

paying a kobo for all these, I’m really grateful to the school authorities and to God almighty”, Abimbola spoke with excitement to our correspondent. To register his presence in the school, Abimbola worked hard. He then became the best student in mathematics and won a bronze medal in Science Olympiad in SS1 in 2012. He also got 2nd position in the National (MAN) Mathematics Olympiad in SS3. On prize giving day, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014, he carted away so many awards including being the best student in SS1 and SS2. He also confirmed the excellent performance

by getting the highest number of awards in the 2014/2015 session. With enthusiasm and broad smiles, he told our correspondent “by the grace of God, I intend to become an Aerospace Engineer.” Another student, a 16- year- old Aina Olawademilade said “her experience has been memorable. I received quality tuition on a superb learning environment”. She is the academic star of the set. She joined Grace High School in 2009/2010 session, since then she has recorded academic success all the way. She eventually became the head girl of the set.

Some of the students entertaining guests during the graduation eremony

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Education Today

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Changing exam malpractice mindset

xamination malpractice is a corrupt practice that is directly associated with the process of teaching and learning and associated processes in the educational institutions. Examination malpractice mindset, is the state of the mind or system of thinking that believes that success in an examination can be achieved without knowledge of the subject matter. This mindset has become entrenched in the Nigerian nation because of a number of anomalies in the education system. These anomalies include unchecked corruption in the wider society, the quality of classroom teachers employed by the school proprietors, lack of enthusiasm of the students, poor learning environment, poor parental and guardian contribution to the normal academic development of their children and wards and greed for illegal remuneration by teachers. Other reasons include corruption on the part of examination administrators, including field officers of the various examination bodies, school proprietors and administrators and non implementation of the various penalties for defaulters. This mindset has resulted in a state of impunity in examination malpractice with many innocent candidates being forced to participate by unscrupulous school administrators. In the public examinations conducted at the primary and secondary school levels, the process has become so endemic that in some schools; only those who pay the additional malpractice fees are allowed to write the examinations for which they have been legitimately enrolled without molestation. At the tertiary education level, the reverse is literarily the case; most examinations are usually fairly well conducted. The mad rush to “sort”, the process of giving cash or kind for an undeserved pass grade usually begins after the examinations are written. Whether initiated by the examiner or the candidate, it often does not respect persons. Many a time, both willing and unwilling students and lecturers are targeted in this type of corrupt practice by greedy lecturers and desperate students. Even very senior academic staff members totally unconnected with the course in question are

The impact of the unmitigated examination malpractice on the socioeconomic life of the nation is a source of great concern. targeted and recruited to use their positions of seniority and influence to “beg” for the award of pass grades to students whose level of understanding is hardly better than those of motor park touts! The impact of the unmitigated examination malpractice on the socioeconomic life of the nation is a source of great concern and unless this negative mindset is changed, the entire nation will continue to grapple with the negative impacts of this devastating scourge. Reversing this mindset would require we apply all the armamentaria at our disposal to convince the general populace that examination malpractice is not beneficial. Up till this moment, it has not been possible to convince anyone that examination malpractice indeed is not beneficial in the face of observations to the contrary. Beneficiaries pass through the entire spectrum of educational institutions from the kindergarten to the university; obtain a university degree or similar qualifications, secure appointments with government establishments without being able to read the contents of their age declaration certificate.

Or what message have we conveyed these many years when we parade impersonators popularly known as “mercenaries” on the televisions and thereafter allow him or her to go scot free? What about a privately or publicly owned secondary school with a total capacity of only 300 students in both the junior and senior arms, but enrol over 500 candidates for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination alone? Is it possible that we are totally oblivious of the incongruity of the situation or that we feign ignorance of the existence of such institutions? Reversing this negative mindset would require that every category of offender in this ignoble examination malpractice theatre be brought to justice rapidly in accordance with existing laws. It may be necessary to appoint a special prosecutor to handle cases of examination malpractice in order to fast tract the process and bring it to completion in the shortest possible time. This will be the initial first step in changing the entrenched mindset of Nigerian. A second and more fundamental step towards reversing this solidified mindset is boosting the self esteem of the students through improved teaching and learning environment. This would include training and hiring more qualified teachers for the primary and junior secondary schools, and ensuring improved performance of the teachers through regular supervisory activity by officials of the ministry of education. The hiring process should include a written interview which would incorporate components of the curriculum of the grade levels with whom they will be engaged. Parental engagement could be strengthened through regular Parent and Teachers interactions which should be integrated into the school calendar. Above all, a total abolition of all fees in the primary and secondary school levels, including the public examinations such as the First School Leaving Certificate, the Junior Secondary School Certificate and the Senior School Certificate Examinations would seal all avenues for extortion by the public school administrators. The War Against Corruption would not be won as long as examination malpractice continues to threaten our fatherland!

Evergreen Royal School celebrates Nigeria’s heroes and heroines

vergreen Royal Private School, Onike Yaba, Lagos recently has its first inaugural Open house programme themed ‘Heroes and Heroines of our Times.’

Year 3 pupils during the celebration.

Year 2 pupils cutting cake during the event.

The event gave the students the opportunity to know more about Nigerian heroes and heroines who had one way or the other made their impact in the development of the country.

Activities during the programme included labeling of a photo gallery in each class and cutting of cake. The event was captured in pictures

One of the heroes being celebrated, late Bashorun Moshood Abiola in a banner with pupils of year one

Students also at the event

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Edited by: Saidat Alausa saidat_alausa@yahoo.com 08027633686

FUNAAB students bag scholarships

s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo), has awarded scholarships to two students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, Ogun State. The scholarship scheme is for students of the company’s host community, who have secured admission into higher institutions during the 2014/2015 Academic Session. Beneficiaries include, Timothy Idowu, 200-level student of the Department of Animal Physiology, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM) and Olalekan Fatusi, another 200-level student in the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies, College of Management Sciences (COLMAS). Each student would get a sum of N105, 210 that would be used for the payment of school fees, boarding fees and other related expenses. The donor, WAPCo, owns and operates the West African Gas Pipeline System, with a mandate to transport natural gas from Nigeria to customers in Benin, Togo and Ghana.

CALEB CUASA holds week Quadri Babatunde,

400L, MASS COMM., KWASU, MALETE

aleb University Architecture Students’ Association (CUASA), Imota, Lagos State recently had its annual departmental week programme. It was indeed exciting moment for the students, who described the programme as educative and entertaining. As a tradition, the week was started with a design competition among the students following by a lecture, symposium and exhibition of their creative works. In his lecture, titled: ‘’Succeeding in today’s economy,’’ the guest lecturer, who is also the Dean, College of Social and Management Science of the university, Nosa Owens-Ibie educated the students on what they could do to ride on their challenges to become somebody in their chosen fields. As part of the activities during the event, the students also visited Lagos Architects Forum (LAF) and held the dinner and award night before rounding it off with thanksgiving service at the university’s chapel.

A cross section of new Fellows, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists during their induction and award of certificates at the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Symposium of the college, last week.

ICPC inaugurates anti-corruption unit at FCET Emeka Chukwuemeka ULI

n a bid in fighting corruption in the various institutions and Nigeria at large, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has inaugurated the AntiCorruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) and Students AntiCorruption Vanguard (SAV) of the Federal College of Education, (Technical) Umunze, Anambra state. Enlightening, staff and students of the college on duties of

ICPC, Mr. Udonsi Arua, Head ICPC Enugu zonal office enjoined ACTU and SAV members to be model of probity, dedicated and painstaking in discharge of their duties. He informed the participants on the ICPC Act, the previous attempts at combating corruption and expatiated on the role and status of ACTU. His words, “for us to get the society right, we have to start from the top, to the middle and finally the list, that is the only way to combat corruption in Nigeria.” Earlier in his welcome address, the Provost of the college, Prof.

‘Yomi Ayeleso

300L BUS. ADMIN AAUA

dekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, AAUA,Ondo State, has disowned the publication in the social media, that the institution has advertised its Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Principal Assistant Registrar in charge of Admissions, Mr. Tajudeen Salami, cleared the air last week while speaking with Campus News, saying the advertisement was false and fraudulent. Mr. Salami said, “We are aware that some unscrupulous elements have been posting information on social media, indicating that the university has advertised its 2015/2016 Post UTME.In actual fact, we have not advertised. “As at yesterday when the committee on Post- UTME met, we had not taken decision on what the cut-off mark would be not to talk of asking candidates to apply. The registrar also said that the university does not advertise on social media adding that the University advertises on the university website, print and electronic media. “We would like to advise the general public to dis-

Josephat Ogbuagu, expressed optimism that the inauguration and sensitisation will bring a positive change in the College and Nigeria at large. He further commended the ICPC officials for what he described as their untiring efforts in maintaining a corruption free Nigeria. According to the Provost, ACTU started in the College in 2006 and had since then been functioning effectively. He said the tenure of the first batch of the nominees ended in 2004 and a new committee was constituted hence the inauguration ceremony was conducted to offi-

cially put the committee to work. He reminded the newly inaugurated ACTU members the functions of the unit which he noted as enlightening the entire college community and creates awareness for the populace to stay away from and shun corruption and all its practices. Responding on behalf of the new ACTU committee, Chairman ACTU, Dr. Chuks Ugwuogo thanked the management and the College community for finding them worthy of serving the College. “We will be fair and truth in discharging of our duties.”

AAUA disowns social media advertisement on Post UTME

regard such advert on social media it did not emanate from the university.” He therefore advised candidates and the general public to be wary of fraudsters. Mr. Salami said Post-UTME advert would be

placed at the appropriate time. It would be recalled that last week, a purported statement went viral on social media that the 2015/2016 Post-UTME has been released.

L-R: Team Leader, Nigeria, West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) for root and tuber crops, DR. Angela Eni,(middle front row), a participant, Permanent Secretary, Ekiti State, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Ebenezer Abegunde; Regional Coordinator, WAVE project, Dr. Justin Pita; during the launch of WAVE at Covenant University, recently.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Edited by: Saidat Alausa saidat_alausa@yahoo.com 08027633686

MDCN accreditation team visits EKSU Saidat Alausa

he accreditation team of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has concluded its visit to the College of Medicine, Ekiti State University, EKSU, Ekiti State. The visit was to verify and conclude its findings based on the earlier outing in January. After touring all facilities including laboratories and assessment of lecturers, the team led by a Professor of Surgery from the University of Jos, Prof. Dakum commended the university on the significant improvement which took place within the two visiting periods. Prof. Dakum specifically commended the funding of the Biochemistry Laboratory which has been greatly stocked with necessary equipment.

He expressed satisfaction with the overall preparation of EKSU’s College of Medicine, adding that the accreditation team would present its findings to the Medical and Dental Council education committee for final decision. Earlier, the Provost of the college, Prof. Mathew Araoye thanked the team for their thoroughness and constructive suggestions. He said the college required enormous financial resources, adding that the Vice-Chancellor and the management had shown spirited commitment to the development of the college. In his remark, the VC, Prof. Oladipo Aina, represented by his deputy in charge of Academic, Prof. Ibiyinka Ogunlade said the college was a collective project of Ekiti people who he said longed for the accreditation.

…as university gets governing council

he visitor to the university and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose has approved the constitution of the Ekiti State University Governing Council with the appointment of the former Federal Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, as the Chairman and Pro –Chancellor

of the institution. According to the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dupe Alade, other members are Pastor Rufus Teniola, Chief Afolabi Ojuawo, Mrs. Abiola Yesufu, Mrs. Titi Olukemi Adeyemo and Chief Idowu Odeyemi. The appointments take immediate effect.

YABATECH student wins Miss Palmchat contest Quadri Babatunde

400L MASS COMM, KWASU

student of Yaba College of Technology, Miss Monah Chime was last week crown Miss Palmchat. The beauty pageantry which was a six month online campaign program was hosted by the fastest growing instant messaging App, Palm chat. Speaking with the Campus News at the event, Marketing and Business development director, Afmobi Limited, Mr. Mounirboukali, elucidate that Miss Palmchat was initiated for young ladies in order to raise role models that will impact on the society positively.

The campaign enjoyed a lot of publicity on both mainstream and social media as Monah fans follow her with about 1,873,510 votes which enable her to come out in the first round of the competition to beat her counterpart a student of Nigeria Open University, Miss Uzondu Uba.

Miss Chime

Excitement as ABSU students elect leaders

Students of ABSU voting during the election. (Inset) One of the candidates jubilating for declaring him winner.

Uchechukwu Amanze and Favour Nnadi

100L, MED AND SURG AND 300L, MED. LAB SC., ABSU.

onths after delay of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election at the Abia State University, Uturu, students went to the poll last Tuesday to elect their leaders who will pilot the affairs of the union for the 2014/2015 academic session. The delay in the election caused uproar as students accused the incumbent president of been the mastermind of the delay. Contestants for various positions were most hit by the delay. This is because they ran out of funds to campaign further. A day before the election, an oration was held for the contestants to reel out their manifestos to the electorates. The oration which was held at the school auditorium was turned into

a rally of sort, as supporters were at intervals given the chance to campaign for their candidates. Contestants who spoke eloquently were cheered while those who gabbled were booed, especially by opposition supporters. On the day of the election, security within the school premises was tight. The election was scheduled to hold at New Examination Hall, but the massive turn out of students made the electoral team, led by student affairs’ officer Elder Emma Nwoke, to change the venue to the school pavilion. At 10am, accreditation of electorates started. The prerequisite for voting was 2013/2014 session or 2014/2015 session school fees receipt. Voting kicked off at about 12pm and ended by 3pm. Counting of votes followed immediately. After the counting, Dean of Student Affairs, Mr. Samuel Uzoanya, declared the results in front of the administration block. Uzoanya urged the elected Union

leaders to be good ambassadors of the school. Ugochukwu Majesty Chukwuemeka, a 500 Level Law student emerged the president, defeating three other candidates. He polled total votes of 1,160. The other three contestants; Godwin Nwankwere, Fredric Israel and Christian Otutu polled, 475, 293 and 215 votes respectively. Princess Chukwuemeka emerged as the Vice-President unopposed. Others elected include, Felix Onyekwere, Secretary General, Oluchi Ujoh, Assistant Secretary General, Ireland Adaobi, Director of Socials, Ndu Rock Okeke, Director of welfare, Chimezie Ezemdi Zionel, Public Relation Officer, Uchenna Reuben,Treasurer, Ozioma Eluwa Director of Sports, Alugo Victor, Financial Secretary Amaka Kelechi, Director of Transport and light Onyekachi, emerged as the Director of health.

UNILORIN students attend Africa’s entrepreneur retreat Abdul Ganiy Shehu UNILORIN

wo students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Abdulazeez Muh’d Bashir, and Babaita Habeeb of 200 Level Law and Business administration

respectively represented the school at the just concluded retreat organised by Network for African Students Entrepreneurs (NASE) held at Kaduna State University, recently. Participants at the retreat were drawn from over a hundred universities across the

continent. The retreat themed; “Managing effective students entrepreneurship network across Africa” was an avenue to encourage and network young-students entrepreneur especially now that unemployment rate in

Students during a press conference by the Lagos State University Students’ Union to protest the prolonged academic calendar of the Institution in Lagos, on Tuesday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

the country is high. NASE is a non-profit organisation for students and recent graduates of tertiary institutions that seek to create support for Graduate and Student Entrepreneurs across Africa and the Diaspora. Meanwhile, a graduating student of the department of History and International Relations, Abdulkareem Abdul Hakeem emerged second in the highly competitive 2015 Essay contest organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC. In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President of UNILORIN-SU on Media and Publicity, Olaleye Nurudeen, the President congratulated the duo of Abdulazeez and Babaita on their good representation at the retreat.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

HE NATION ON SUNDAY of June 21, 2015, welcomes us today: “In this report, our correspondent in Yenagoa…writes about oil spill in some communities and how the people are demanding for action from the oil firm responsible.” News Review: delete ‘for’ in the interest of Bayelsans. Next is the COMMENT: “In the South-west, the two factions of the OPC contested amongst themselves (contested between each other) which of them deserved to gain the contract.” “…a high school boy was kidnapped last Tuesday morning, but rescued by security men (security guard) acting on tip-off (a tip-off).” “Why Lagos Assembly leadership election was rancour free (rancour-free)—Majority Leader” THE GUARDIAN opinion pages of June 16 take over the deconstruction of the English language with four errors: “A wiser President Buhari will seek to track where the crooks have stashed away their loots, whether at home or abroad.” ‘Loot’ is uncountable. “…scrap all those policies and practices that have (had) hitherto not worked to solve Nigeria’s problems….” “Odigie-Oyegun said the election is (was) one of the challenges the party had to face….” Education Review: “…have helped to allay their fears (fear) about Islamic religion” “Happy World Milk Day from your calcium fortified (calcium-fortified) Loya Milk” “On number (a number) of issues….” National Mirror of June 4 takes over the baton from the preceding medium: “Ambode reads riot act (the riot act) to LASTMA, KAI, VIO” “…because that is (was) where I proposed to my late wife.” The next three faults are from a full-page advertisement by Diamond, Your Bank, published in DAILY SUN of June 22: “The Central Bank of Nigeria, (needless comma) CBN has recently (yank off ‘has’) directed all banks in Nigeria to periodically publish….” “Failing the above, the Bank will be constrained to,

Marcus Fatunmole ABUJA

n education-facilitating agency, More Education Services, has pledged to offer Nigerians wishing to study abroad assistance that will make their study period memorable. This is even as the agency expressed displeasure with challenges faced by Nigerians who desire to study outside Africa. Executive Director of the Abuja-based agency, Protsenko Olena, told National Mirror in Abuja recently that the institution would ensure the dreams of all Nigerians wishing to study in Europe are fulfilled. According to her, More Education Services have direct contract with many universities in Europe, especially in countries such as Ukraine, Canada, Latvia and Czech Republic. She said the agency “serves as a resource and advising centre that provides informational and advising assistance to individuals and

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Weekly news review

amongst (among: language currency) other measures….” “No room for looting in Buhari (Buhari’s) govt, says Adesina” “So, we want to take our destiny in our (our own) hands. We are the architect (architects) of our own future. We want to win election (an election or elections) in this state and I cannot see reason why we cannot win.” Use either ‘reason’ or ‘why’—do not mind some dictionaries and English language pamphlets that condone the faux pas. “My very good friend and brother, Ike Ekweremadu, misfired when he said he has (had) got the share of the South East.” “NWF begins All Africa (All-Africa) Games build up (buildup)” “Promasidor assures on NYSC female volleyball tourney” Who did the sponsor assure specifically?

FEEDBACK WRONG: She has taken driver’s seat as the Managing Director of the company. Right: She has taken the driving seat as the Managing Director of the company. – 305 ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH In Nigeria (Page 4) by Femi Owa. The writer lied. As Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said in his book entitled “MY COMMAND”, “It is either the teacher is not qualified or he is incompetent”. This teacher is not qualified. The situation is indeed dire but it is also a time that calls for quick – minded leaders especially governors in the “driving” (driver’s) seats of states – THE NATION EDITORIAL, June 11, 2015. Special note on usage: “In the driver’s seat”, meaning “in control”, is a formal (fixed) idiom. It cannot be changed to “in the driving seat”! Examples: While the General Manager is on holiday, his assistant will be in the driver’s seat. She is in the driver’s seat as the Managing Director of the company. The governors in the driver’s seats must do

something differently in their states this time round. I repeat, nobody has any licence – poetic, literary, journalistic or editorial – to change, restructure, alter or rearrange a formal (fixed) idiom! My brother, keep the flag flying! (BAYO OGUNTUNASE/08056180046) I must profusely thank Dr.S.C. Chuta (08038094832) of the University of Nigeria Nsukka for his enduring words and counsel. His biblical references are quite apt in the circumstance and apposite to my resolution over the forgiveness of former govern of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji. I accept the ecumenical injunctions and your advice on grounds of my spiritual beliefs and reconsideration of the gory abduction incident. In addition: “Ebere, my brother, please forgive and forget for God will surely bless you the more.” (Dr. Benny Davids/08163136985) I declare that I have forgiven T. A. and wish him well. I appreciate all those who intervened, one way or another. Let me also plead with the publisher of The Sun and former governor of Abia State (1999-2007), Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, a devout Catholic, to forgive his successor in office in the spirit of the foregoing espousals. I extend the same call to all colleagues of mine in The Sun to let bygones be bygones. As someone rightly pointed out, The Sun has grown bigger than just Abia State. “It has evolved a nationalistic outlook and should reflect that instead of your columnists’ obsession with good riddance.” We must move on with our lives and extricate ourselves from the burden of angst against controversial Senator Orji. Continual and indeterminable grouse about T. A. can only endanger our essence of existence. I have decided to drop this load of otiose animosities involving all those I bear grudges against henceforth. I am obligated to forgive T. A. for reasons adduced above. After all, the Almighty Father says that vengeance is His. (From this columnist and contributors)

Firm promises hitch-free study experience for Nigerians in Europe

organizations regarding opportunities to study in Europe.” While noting that the agency could be reached via pro@more.edu.com , she added: “We recruit students who have interest, especially those who have just finished their SSS 3 and those out of school, that want to study abroad, we recruit them and find schools for them. We secure admission for them…

“We have direct contact and contract with these schools. We have representatives there. We have our partners in Canada to help these students when they get there, from their first year to final year. The students pay their school fees and charges for our services, all of which are already packaged for them. “Most of these schools, especially like in Czech Republic, give opportunity to study

free, if you will be studying in Czech language. But, to study Czech language, you need to pay for the language course. They will train you on what you want to specialize in. If you want to do Engineering, they are going to teach you in terms related to Engineering so that at the end of the day, you will not find it difficult,” According to her, the programme has recruited about

20 students in two months that it officially kicked off in Abuja. “Studying in the countries we are working with is very interesting. It is a good opportunities. When you study there, you are not going to stay out of school because of strike and kind of things such as challenges with lecturers and the likes. All the schools we handle have very conducive atmosphere for learn-

ing. “Once you get admission, immediately they fix you. If it is four years, immediately they fix you, and within the four years, you will finish your programme. There is no extra year. You will be happy with the mode of teaching, and meet with people from different cultures. She said the agency assist students who seek post graduate programmes too in Europe

UNILAG alumni honour ex-VC Robert Awokuse

A L-R: Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo; State chairman, League of Muslim School Proprietors (LEAMSP), Alhaji Abdulwahid Obalakun; President, Alhaji Taiwo Tijani; and Chairman on the occasion and Proprietor of Waslat School, Lagos Island, Alhaji Wasiu Adunmadeyin during the 10th LEAMSP’s summit in Lagos last week.

lumni Association, University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka held its 3rd annual memorial lecture in honour of former Vice-Chancellor, late Prof Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, last week. The event which was held at the university had in attendance members of the alumni group who came from far and near. Also present at

the occasion was the ViceChancellor of the university Prof Rahamon Bello. Delivering a lecture on ‘A Banner without Stain’ which was the theme of the event, the Speaker Prof. Akin Oyebade, a Professor of Law and former vice-chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State charged the school alumni to maintain the worthy legacy of the institution which at different quarters has received national and international recognitions.

Business Thursday, July 9, 2015

Labour opposes ceding of Unity schools to states

Source code theft threatens nation’s software industry

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Number one challenge in Nigeria’s Pay TV industry is lack of 35 regulation’

NDIC pays N9.6bn to liquidated banks, MFBs’ depositors in 2014 UDO ONYEKA

he Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation on Tuesday disclosed that that in 2014 a total sum of N6.832 billion was paid to to 529,046 insured depositors of the closed 48 Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, as at 31st December, 2014, up from the N6.824 billion paid to 528,277 insured depositors in the preceding year The Corporation which revealed this in its 2014 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, stated that 80,178 verified insured depositors of closed Micro Finance Banks, MFBs, through the Agent Banks also received cumulative payment of N2.772 billion last financial year as against N2.524 billion paid to 75,571 verified depositors in 2013. It also stated that the insured depositors in closed Primary Mortgage Banks; PMBs received a cumulative payment of N2.02 million during the year under review. The corporations statement also indicated that the CBN revoked the licences of 84 MFBs, which increased the number of MFBs in-liquidation increased from 103 in 2013 to 187 in 2014, add-

...says CBN revokes 84 MFB licences ing that it had since commenced the liquidation activities of the 84 MFBs recently closed and the liquidation activities of the 103 MFBs whose licences were revoked by CBN in September 2010. Meanwhile NDIC said its total operating income increased by

28.73 per cent from N66.94bn as at 31st December, 2013 to N86.17bn as at 31st December, 2014. Its total operating expenses also increased by 22.77 per cent from N24.73bn as at 31st December, 2013 to N30.36bn as at 31st December, 2014.

Also the net surplus of operating income over operating expenses for 2014 and deposit insurance fund stood at N138.81bn as against N114.18bn in 2013, after remittance of N15.38bn to the FGN Consolidated Revenue Fund Account.

he Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa, UBA, Mr. Philips Oduoza, on Monday disclosed that 2.7 million customers had completed the Bank Verification Number, BVN, registration in the bank so far. According to him, the process is aided by a system whereby holders of BVN from other banks can send their 11 digit numbers seamlessly on their mobile phones through *919*6H without visiting the banking hall. Oduoza disclosed that on a daily basis, no fewer than 100,000

AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Med-View Airline Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00. Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50. Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00. Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

Dana Air

L-R: Special Guest of Honour, Nigeria Marital Expo (NIMAREX) 2015, Admiral S.O Afolayan (Rtd); Member, NIMAREX, Chief (Dr.) Isaac M. Jolapamo; Chairman of NIMAREX, Barrister Margaret Orakwusi and Executive Director, Business Development, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri at the NIMAREX 2015 exhibition in Lagos, yesterday.

BVN registration: UBA registers 2.7m customers JOHNSON OKANLAWON

customers enrolled for the BVN, which he said would further safeguard their accounts. He explained that on completion of the exercise in the country, it would revolutionalise the banking industry, stressing that the whole idea of the exercise was to have a unique identification for each customer and enable them to enjoy several facilities including internet services, foreign exchange and others in the system. He said, “BVN will enable our customers to enjoy credit facilities while consumer lending will increase. Once a customer enrolls in a bank, the BVN captures your biometric features. Once you do it in a bank, you don’t have to do it

again somewhere else. The only thing you have to do is just to send the numbers to other banks where you have accounts with.” On the new system of registration, Oduoza explained that the new system was developed by the ICT department of the bank, saying that the system could be done through their mobile phones with instant response. He maintained that rather than queue up at the banking halls for the BVN enrollment, such could be done at home or anywhere while also pointing out that the BVN applied to every customer including children, stressing that one of the major challenges facing the scheme at

the moment was how to register Nigerians and other customers in the diaspora. “One of the challenges we are facing right now is to capture Nigerians that are not in the country and those who are signatories to accounts. The banking industry is working with a solution to deal with those people. “There is also a need to harmonise names of those who have two or more names. The names must be consistent with the account holder and the BVN number. We want to provide proper banking solution to our customers and the BVN will lead to improved economy,” he said.

Abuja-Lagos 9am, 1pm, 5.28pm daily Lagos-Abuja 7am, 11am, 1.23pm,3.30pm daily Lagos-PH: 7.20AM, Ph-Abuja9.54am, Abuja-ph: 3.30pm and Ph-Lagos: 5.28pm daily Lagos-Uyo: 9.20am, Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am, Abuja-Uyo 1.05pm, Uyo-Lagos: 3pm daily Weekends Lagos-Abuja: 7.02am, 9am, 3.30pm Abuja-Lagos: 9am, 2.20pm and 5.28pm Lagos -Phc: 11.07am Phc-Lagos: 1.05pm Phc-Abuja: 12.51pm Abuja-Phc: 10.50am Lagos-Uyo: 9.18am Uyo-LOS -3.03pm Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am Abuja-Uyo: 1.05pm

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

Business News

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stakeholders fault NCC on draft interception, licensing regulations REGINA OTOKPA

takeholders in the telecommunications industry have disagreed with the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC on its planned introduction of lawful interception and licensing regulations in the country. They argued that even though, the Commission was empowered in its Act to make regulations, such must pass though the legislative procedure to invalidate the existing laws in the constitution. This position was canvassed at the public inquiries on the draft Lawful Interception of Communications (LI) Regulations and Licensing Regulations organized by the NCC yesterday in Abuja. The draft LI Regulations aims to provide a legal and regulatory framework for the lawful interception of communications in Nigeria as well as the collection and disclosure of intercepted communications. It was also expected to specify the nature and type of communications to be intercepted, penalties for non-compliance and measures to safeguard the privacy of citizens as contained and guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution. In his address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said the

forum was part of the Communication’s rule-making process which aimed at ensuring wide consultation in the enactment of regulations for the industry. He noted that this process became crucial in ensuring that the opinions and contributions of stakeholders were considered in developing a sound regulatory framework for the telecommunications industry. According to him, these regulations were expected to complement the Act and the respective Licenses issued by the Commission and will state the obligations

of law enforcement agencies and operators in connection with the interception of communications. Similarly, the draft Licensing Regulation are intended to provide a regulatory framework for effective and efficient licensing processes and procedures in the communications industry, including the operation of communications systems, facilities and services. Reacting, Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Ghenga Sesan, who commended the initiative to usher in new regulations into the system disagreed

on the procedure being adopted by the Commission in achieving its aim. According to him, the effort would amount to nothing if the Commission fails to subject the draft for a legislative scrutiny for itto become law since they were secondary legislations to the existing laws. ‘‘I think it is a great idea that NCC called this meeting. One of the things stated here is that what NCC is introducing is a regulation, which is a secondary regulation. Definitely, it cannot come against the constitution.

L-R: Senior Vice President, Viacom Africa, Alex Okosi; Senior Brand Manager, Premium, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, Adebola Williams and Head of MTVBase, Timo Horwood, during the Road To MAMAs 2015 event in Lagos, yesterday.

NUPENG condemns attacks on worship centres MESHACK IDEHEN

he Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has condemned the new wave of killings and wanton destruction being perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North Eastern part of the country. Specifically, the union condemned last weekend attack on the Redeemed Christian Church in Potiskum, where the pastor and six worshippers were killed

as well as the killings of over 100 innocent souls in Zamfara and Plateau States by the insurgents. NUPENG’s President, Mr Igwe Achese, called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to launch a new offensive to dislodge the insurgents from their various camps scattered around the Sambisia forest. He also conveyed the union’s sympathy to the families of the deceased and wants the Federal Government to allow the people of the North East feel the movement of the Army High Com-

mand to Maiduguri. “The union calls for more funding, use of sophisticated weapons and modern scientific methods in tracking the insurgents and their sponsors. The union wants the Federal Government to block the sources of their financial transactions, fuel supplies, logistics to forestall further onslaught. “The union believes that efforts must be made to reorganise our Armed Forces to make them fit to face the guerrilla warfare, through adequate training, increase in payment of hazard al-

lowances”, Achese added. He noted that the recent resurgence of the Boko Haram insurgents could be nipped in the bud with the co-operation of our neighbours in Chad, Cameroun, Niger and Chad. Achese advised the government to also devise a medium and long term plan of a kind of marshal plan of action to rejuvenate economic activities in the area, create jobs for the restless youths and provide basic education to millions of them that are idle.

Fidelity Bank forecasts N23.5bn pre-tax profit for 2015 JOHNSON OKANLAWON

idelity Bank expects pretax profit this year to reach N23.5 billion from N16.5 billion a year ago, the mid-tier lender said in a prospectus which it used to raise a N30 billion bond. It also expects loan growth to hover between 15-20 per cent from 2013-2015, driven by existing and new facilities made to power, agriculture, oil and gas sectors. The bank had declared a profit after tax of N4.003billion for the first quarter of 2015, a 5.6 per cent increase on the N3.790billion it posted as profit for the same period of 2014. In a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange recently, the lender reported a 12.5 per cent rise in gross earnings year-onyear. Its gross earnings rose from N30.956billion in Q1 2014 to N34.829billion in the review period. Also up were its profit before tax, which edged up by 5.6 per cent to N4.710billion from N4.459billion, and earnings per share that jumped by 5.8 per cent from 52 kobo to 55 kobo. Total assets for the bank rose by 14.7 per cent year-on-year from N1.043trillion to N1.196trillion. Analysts at FBN Capital Research in their review of the results noted that if lender’s positive N956million result on the other comprehensive income line was included it would amount to a profit after tax growth of 27 per cent year-on-year. Excluding the figure, they noted that profit after tax was up by just six per cent year-on-year with the profit before tax growing at the same rate. In terms of the contributions of the different revenue lines, they said, “Non-interest income was the standout performer, with a strong 65 per cent y/y growth to N7.7billion. We suspect that trading gains probably drove the strong non-interest income result since fees and commissions grew slower (+11 per cent y/y) than the total.

Air Force to partner airlines on airport security OLUSEGUN KOIKI

he Nigerian Air Force has promised to collaborate with airlines operating in the country on ways of improving security in the various airports nationwide. The new airport commandant,

Grp. Captain Idi Sani, disclosed this when he visited Arik Air management on a courtesy visit in Lagos. Sani said the visit was conceived as part of proactive measures to engage the operating environment on ways the Air Force could assist to close existing gaps in security at airports nationwide.

He said security was a collective responsibility that required the input of all stakeholders. Sani also called on Arik Air management to invite the Force any time there was an issue that required their intervention. The airport commandant said on assumption of office, he thought it wise to pay a working

visit to Arik Air to have firsthand information about their operations. In his remarks, Arik Air Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, commended the airport commandant for his visit, being the first time senior personnel of Nigerian Air Force was visiting the airline to seek ways of partnership.

Ndulue said there was need to manage security very well around the airports with close collaboration with the military. He said, “This is a good relationship between Arik Air and the Nigerian Air Force. The decision to visit Arik Air by the new Air Force commandant is very innovative.’’

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Thursday, July 9, 2015

NAMA parleys ASECNA, GCAA on air safety OLUSEGUN KOIKI

n order to further enhance safety of air navigation within the Advanced Flight Instructor, AFI, region, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, has hosted a two-day tripartite cooperation meeting with Ghana Civil Aviation Author-

ity, GCAA, and Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar, ASECNA, in Lagos. The Ag. General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA, Mrs. Olajumoke Adetona, stated that the purpose of the meeting was to ensure safe, effective and efficient management of traffic across their common borders within the African airspace, adding that vi-

tal resolutions that would aid in the management of traffic in the upper airspace within the three states were also reached. She stated that further discussions on the management of traffic in the oceanic airspace were expected to continue at a later meeting slated to hold between July 13th and 15th in Dakar, Senegal to be presided by the Inter-

national Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO. Meanwhile, NAMA stated that in line with the present management’s track record of prioritising safety, power systems at the headquarters, its engineering room had been upgraded and relocated to a new power house detached from the main administrative building.

Labour opposes ceding of Unity schools to states MESHACK IDEHEN

ublic servants under the auspices of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has expressed its concern over subtle campaigns by hired analysts urging the present administration to transfer the 104 Federal Unity Colleges to the state governments. Advising President Muhammadu Buhari to reject such a policy, the National President of the association, Mr Bobboi Kaigama and Secretary-General, Mr Alade Bashir, stated that those making such moves were not interested

in the desires of ordinary Nigerians who voted the administration into office The ASCSN stated: “The Union is worried that now that we have a new government in place, some Nigerians under the guise of discussing the issue of devolution of power in the country are clamouring for the transfer of Unity Colleges to State Governments. “The question to ask is what devolution of power has got to do with ownership of Unity Colleges when education is in the concurrent list of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “What manner of a country do

we want to run when we engage in the habit of approbating and reprobating on sensitive national issues? Moving forward and backward will not help anybody. Let us take all our institutions as given and service them on a regular basis for the benefit of mankind. You build toll gate today, demolish them tomorrow only for you to come back later and start toying with the idea of rebuilding them. “We need to get serious for once and move the country forward. The idea of selling our national assets and heritage is only being driven by selfish motive and interest. It is not the way to

go,” the union explained. ASCSN recalled that in 2005 when the then Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, acting on official directive, mooted the idea millions of Nigerians overwhelmingly opposed the move while the union carried out 7-week strike throughout the Federation to forestall the plan. “Besides, how can anyone in his or her right senses be advising the Federal Government to hand over the 104 Federal Unity Colleges to State Governments that cannot pay salaries to their workers and whose primary and secondary schools are in shamble,” the union queried.

According to the project supervisor, Engr. Atiku Abubakar, the project was borne out of the need to enhance safety, ensure ease of maintenance of electrical equipment and also improve stability of electricity supply within the headquarters complex. Also, the Mechanical/Electrical Engineering School, Abeokuta, Ogun State last recently graduated its 21st batch of Chief Driver Mechanics/Chief Plant Operators in Federal and State ministries, parastatals and agencies. Adetona in the statement stated that the school was founded in 1908 as a technical institution and currently run by the Federal Ministry of Works aims at enriching the practical and theoretical knowledge of participants required for their elevation from Chief Driver Mechanics/Chief Plant Operators (GL07) to Works Superintendent (Mechanical Plant and vehicle). The six months training would also equip them with necessary skills needed in identifying problems as well as effectively managing and maintaining government vehicles, construction plants and equipment. A total of seven NAMA staff made the list of 97 participants.

CBN reschedules Monetary Policy Committee’s Meeting

he Central Bank of Nigeria yesterday shifted the 245th meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee from July 20-21 to July 23-24th in anticipation that the end of the Ramadan may fall about July 17, while public holidays may be between the period 20th and 21st July. A statement by the apex bank’s Secretary of the Committee and Director, Monetary Policy Department, Moses Kpughur Tule, indicated that the Governor and Chairman of the Committee,

Godwin Emefiele, had approved the postponement. Tule stated: “To enable all stakeholders concentrate on the Eid marking the end of fasting and the expected public holidays, the Chairman has directed that the 245th Meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee shall hold on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th July,2015. “The Bank regrets any inconvenience this change in date may cause. All stakeholders are kindly advised to note the change in date, please”.

L-R: Actor, Basorge Tariah jnr.; Regional Director, West Africa, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu; actress, Kate Henshaw and Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, during the launch of new comedy, Do Good, on Africa Magic, in Lagos, recently. PHOTO: ABIOLA ABDULHAMMED

Goldman Sachs says there’s Horizon Pharma offers $3bn to Buy Depomed No China stock bubble

hina’s biggest stock-market rout since 1992 has done nothing to erode the bullish outlook of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Kinger Lau, the bank’s China strategist in Hong Kong, predicts the large-cap CSI 300 Index will rally 27 percent over the next 12 months as government support measures boost investor confidence and monetary easing spurs economic growth. Leveraged positions aren’t big enough to trigger a market collapse, Lau

says, and valuations have room to climb. Goldman Sachs is sticking with its optimistic forecast in the face of record foreign outflows, the biggest-ever selloff by Chinese margin traders and a chorus of bubble warnings from international peers. The call hinges on the success of unprecedented government efforts to revive confidence among individual investors who watched equity values tumble by $3.2 trillion over the past three weeks.

orizon Pharma Plc, a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for rare diseases, made an unsolicited bid to buy Depomed Inc. for $3 billion, including debt, after earlier attempts to make a deal were rejected. Horizon is offering $29.25 per Depomed share in a stock transaction, 42 percent more than Depomed’s closing price on Monday, the Deerfield, Illinois-based company said in a statement Tuesday. The equity value of the deal is about $1.8 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Depomed said in a statement Tuesday that it had already rejected a nearly identical offer made last month. Depomed’s board “unanimously determined that it was not in the best interests of Depomed or its shareholders to pursue the prior proposal,” the company said in the statement, adding that Horizon’s offer was barely higher than Depomed’s previous 52-week high of $27.65 in April. Horizon in March began trying to start talks with Depomed’s management and board, which “refused to engage in discussions

with us and rejected our proposal,” Horizon Chief Executive Officer Timothy Walbert said in the statement. Horizon is trying to grow through deals. Last year the company moved its legal address to Dublin, though kept its operations in Illinois, which cut its U.S. tax bill through what’s known as a tax inversion. It made the address switch using the September 2014 acquisition of Irish-incorporated Vidara Therapeutics International Ltd. for $660 million, then followed up in May with a $866 million deal for Hyperion Therapeutics Inc.

Taxation

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Requirements and Steps for Electronic-Filing of Tax Returns

he Taxpayer must have registered and obtained TIN before accessing the e- filing platform. • A duly completed access form obtainable from the FIRS site or the Tax Office where the taxpayer affairs are handled must be completed and submitted. • The access creation takes cognisance of the type of access rights given to User by the Chief Executive Officer [CEO] or Managing Director [MD] or Principal Officer of the Company. The User’s credentials/profile in this case would have been spelt out on the access form that was completed by the CEO/MD or Principal Officer of the Company. The User may include an employee and or a Tax Consultant. • The access right delegated to the User may be withdrawn through notification to the Tax Office by the CEO/MD or Principal Officer of the Company. • Upon submission of the access form, the assigned officer of the Taxpayer Service Unit in the Tax Office creates the User using the User’s profile stated on the access form. • The details on the access form is used to generate User ID[i.e. Username and Password] • It is required that the Password is instantly changed upon first log in. • The information given in the access form will determine which of the access rights the user is entitled to. These include View only Declare (i.e file returns) TIN Validation Submission and upload of supporting documents (tax and non-tax related) TCC Validation • It requires access to internet gateways such as; internet explorer not below 10, google chrome or any fire fox etc.

Steps to filing tax returns 1.Download the e-filing access application form from http://www.firs.gov.ng/ Tax-Management/Pages/ITAS-e-FilingPlatform.aspx 2. Complete the form and indicate your desired access right. 3. Return completed form to the FIRS office where your tax matters are treated. 4. Obtain your username and password from the tax office having used the information on your form to generate it. 5. log on to e-filing platform either from the FIRS site stated above or through the addresshttps://efiling.firs.gov.ng. 6. Change your password upon initial log in. 7. Upon successful log in, you are positioned on the e-filing page to file any declarations/returns which need to be filed. 8. To start your declaration, click on the “View all declarations to be filed” hyperlink or on the “Taxpayer Service” tab to select the tax types you want to file and double

Ogungbesan

click on the plus (+) sign. 9. Click on the “File now” hyperlink. 10.On the tax return form displayed, identify relevant line details to complete or schedule to upload. 11. Enter the amounts for the required form lines in the filing currency previously authorized for the tax account for which you are filing or you can upload csv filefor both the formlines and/or schedule. The upload from csv file is explained in note 1 after step 18 below. 12. Click on the “Submit declaration” button. 13. Verify and ensure that the amounts entered are correct,if not click “back” to go back and make corrections. 14 Click on “Yes” for the returns to be submitted. 15 Click on “End Declaration Process” hyperlink. 16. View Filed declaration page which gives you a summary of your declaration; the document number is displayed at the top right hand corner. 17. Copy the document number which is required at the bank to settle the tax liabilityor you print the submitted declaration by clicking the print button for you to see the filed declaration with document number on it. 18. Contact itas.change@firs.gov. ng; itasproject@firs.gov.ng; 08115900301; 08115900021 for further enquiries. Note: A. CSV configuration for shedule upload in SIGTAS and E-filing The schedule prepared in excel file must be saved in CSV file • The CSV - Comma Separated Value is used to import information or data in excel to the system. • Before saving any excel file for CSV upload, the computer system must be in decimal separator configuration. • To configure a system to decimal separator, you click file at the menu bar, click on options and select advance on the second screen.

• Check the decimal separator box and enter a comma ( , ). The system is now on decimal sepeaator. This is done only once for a system • There and then you save the excel with csv dos[disc operating system], comma delimited and others excluding Macintosh. This is the only csv version that does not work with SIGTAS. • The CSV can work with or without labels. If it is with labels, it means information to be uploaded must have headings at first column and first row, but where labels are not checked in, it will exclude the first row and first column that carry the headings. B. System requirements for e-filing • Internet Explorer not below 10 • Google Chrome and • Any Fire Fox C. Truncated declaration process This may be caused either by network/ power failure, session time out or the e-filer who may discontinue the declaration process to seek further clarification or gather additional information. In either case, the e-filer can relog-in and continue from where he/she stopped by clicking on “in progress” and complete the declaration. Taxes that can be filed using e-filing Platform for now • Petroleum Profit Tax • Education Tax • Companies Income Tax • Value Added Tax • National Information Technology Levy • Capital Gains Tax

Documentations required when making e-filing Beside system requirements earlier mentioned, the following documents are required when conducting e-filing: • Relevant Tax Returns

• Relevant Excel Schedules saved in appropriate CSV file

Benefits of e-filing E-filing platform provides the following benefits: • Self-service Platform using a personal computer, laptop, tablet or any device with a connection to the internet, from the comfort of your home, work or any place that is convenient to you. • It saves your time and money as the returns are filed online. You do not need to produce hardcopy returns and transport yourself to tax office to submit tax returns. • Promotes voluntary compliance due to its convenience. • Keep your information secure and confidential. The e-filing environment is secured and safe with your User ID and password, ITAS/SIGTAS platform will ensure that your tax information will be safe and confidential. • The system takes all submissions by taxpayers as self assessment • The system does the calculation at back-end for you. The Declaration [Tax Return] Forms are system driven, that is the formlines are linked to back-end computation and helps taxpayers to avoid common errors like using wrong rates and committing arithmetical mistakes. • Promotes transparency and boost taxpayer confidence and trust in the system • Saves taxpayer the rigours of going to tax office to confirm TIN and apply for TCC • Taxpayer can update her profiles without going to tax office to do so • Taxpayer can use message centre to make enquiries and receive instant reply for tax office • Tax account balance can easily be queried from the e-filing environment before taxpayer applies for Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC).

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Info Tech

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Source code theft threatens nation’s software industry The nation’s software industry has over the years been bedeviled with teething problems such as piracy and unbridled importation and patronage of foreign software. However, investigation revealed that source code theft may soon be the latest burden investors and professional s in the industry may have to contend with as quacks have identified this area as major source of cheap money. Writes ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN .

he growing trend of software piracy in the country has for long be a subject of concern for regulatory agencies, investors and professionals in the industry based on the damaging impact on their investments and the economy generally. However, investigation by the National Mirror indicated that despite sundry efforts to deal with the patristic monster of piracy in the industry, the problem is still prevalent as less than 50 per cent of software in the economy is believed to be purchased from developers or their authorized vendors. Even as stakeholders, including the governments, are determined to sanitise the market, a new dimension has been added by pirates and their other ICT fraudsters to the war with the latest but gradually booming source code theft menace. Although not yet popular in the industry, our investigations showed that some notable software developers in the country are currently having involved in a running battle against source code thieves, with one of them alleging the theft of his code by another professional colleague. Indeed, it was gathered that the software developer, whose software is believed to have a strong share of the nation’s software market, may run into further losses following an alleged stealing of his source code by somebody he trusted. According to a computer programmer and founder of Compucat System, Emmanuel Okitiakpe, the source code is the brain behind every software released by a developer into the market noting that without the source code, the developer is no longer in business. He explained that software is usually written in a kind of computer instruc-

Pirated softwares

tions or programme before it can be referred to as software saying that before such programme is written, it is first analysed to solve a particular problem. Okitiape clarified further that it is after such programme had been carefully written that it is given to the computer, and it is that state that it becomes software saying that after that the developer can then begin the process of debugging the software using the source code. Corroborating the importance of the source code as stated by Okitiakpe, the President of Programos Software Group Limited, Emmanuel Amos said that if at that point the source code is stolen or copied by another person the investment made by the original owner of the software nullified noting that in such situation the one who stolen the source code may just be using it do another business. Amos explained that it is a little easy for the original developer to start all over if the source code is merely copied, since it is possible for him to start rewriting the programme for the software saying that

if the source code is stolen without the a copy, the developer is invariably left naked. He further described the source code as an asset to the developer by which he uses to maintain a relationship with those clients that are using his software stressing that any lost of that means that the developer is out of business since he will not be able to improve further on the product. Investigations reflected that although source code theft was not as common as that of software piracy yet the damage it is capable of doing to the investments of a developer can be substantial. The Programos boss pointed out that sharing income may be lesser to bear noting that more precarious is a situation where the owner of the source code does not known that it has been be stolen, since such crime is usually committed by a trusted person. He said that the financial implication is that the trade security of someone has been taken away from the person thereby making it impossible for the individual

THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATION IS THAT THE TRADE SECURITY OF SOMEONE HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THE PERSON THEREBY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TO DO MAINTENANCE WORK ON THE

SOFTWARE, WHICH IS AN ADDITIONAL INCOME FOR THE DEVELOPER OF THE SOFTWARE BESIDES ACTUAL COST OF THE SALE FOR THE SOFTWARE

to do maintenance work on the software, which is an additional income for the developer of the software besides actual cost of the sale for the software. He disclosed that due to the technical nature of software piracy the Nigerian Copyright Commission is founding difficult handling it adding that the stealing of source code is even more complex since it is a near abstract product. Amos called on the Federal Government to set up a Software Copyright Commission that will be made up of experts in the field of programming stressing that the practitioners are in a better position to understand the gravity of source code theft. He said further that the lost of source code could also affect other staff working in the company whose source code for a particular software has been stole. According to Business Software Alliance’s (BSA) latest findings, an increase in the use of genuine software by one percent contributes $73 billion to the global economy while pirated software contributes $20 billion. On the economic losses, the International Data Company, IDC dislcosed that consumers globally will spend 1.5 billion hours and $22 billion identifying and recovering from the impact of malware, which arises from the use of pirated software. The IDC further said in his latest report that businesses all over the world will be spending $114 billion to deal with the effects of malware-induced cyber-attacks.

Info Tech

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Tech Box Microsoft introduces Surface Pro 3 to retail products

Nigeria’s mobile phone sales worth N4.4bn monthly STORIES: ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

he amount of mobile phones sold monthly in Nigeria has been estimated at about $20 million, while the country is also described to be very environmentally friendly to most devices that are imported in the country. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of BLU Nigeria, the sole distributor of a US-based BLU mobile phones, Mr. Stephen Fevrier, disclosed that the entry into the already saturated Nigerian mobile phone market was to bring something different to mobile phone users in the country. According to him, though some of the world’s leading mobile phone brands are already in the Nigerian market, BLU’s unique design, quality and affordable price give it an edge over the other brands. “If you look at most of the

icrosoft has introduced a new Surface Pro 3 to its retail lineup that’s tailor-made for people who want a little extra power at a middle-of-the-road price point. The new Surface Pro 3 has a 1.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It has an existing model with a 1.9GHz dual-core i5 chip, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Previously, the Core i7 CPU appeared only in the two most expensive Surface Pro 3 models, which Microsoft is still selling. People who want more storage will have to pay more for a tablet with 256GB of storage, or for one with 512GB of storage. That new tablet seems targeted at users who would gladly trade storage capacity for the added power of a Core i7 over, which runs at a slower frequency than the Core i5 but can “Turbo Boost” to 3.3GHz, compared to the i5’s 2.9GHz boost. The Core i7 also features Intel’s HD 5000 integrated graphics processor, which

provides better graphics than the HD 4400 built into the Core i5. Still, people who buy the more powerful tablet may not see all the performance they’re expecting, because the Surface Pro 3 throttles its CPU if the tablet gets too hot. Under sustained heavy load, the Surface Pro 3 (like its predecessors) dials back the processor performance, which compromises its use as a high-performance laptop. The new tablet comes at a time of opportunity for the Surface Pro line. Windows 10’s launch is coming this month, and one of the marquee features of Microsoft’s new operating system is the ability to switch between a desktop and tablet mode for convertible devices like the Surface Pro. That may drive increased sales of Microsoft’s professional-grade tablet. It also raises some questions about the future of the Surface Pro line. Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 over a year ago and has yet to announce plans for its next big update.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

specs, you can compare the phone to Samsung and Apple, and not with these other phones that litter the market in Nigeria. There are three major selling points of the BLU phone and they are design, quality and affordable price. There is a phone for everybody in BLU mobile,” he said. He said BLU mobile phone has long lasting battery life of over 72 hours of heavy usage, after about two hours of charge adding that other features include upgradable operating system (OS), which gives its users the ability to upgrade its operating system as new version OS is released. He pointed out that the phones also had dual SIM ports, water resistance features, camera, television and radio, with one year warranty that covers factory errors. Fevrier noted that though the product is barely a year in the Nigerian mobile phone market, it has recorded tremendous suc-

cess especially in the low and high-end categories adding that its popularity is more with the feature phones. He said that BLU is not unmindful of the fact that it is competing in a market already dominated by some notable big brands but expressed the belief that with the quality of product it has brought into the Nigerian market, it will not be long it takes over the Nigerian mobile phone market. “We are pretty much aware of the quality of product that we have. You know we have some strong brands too that we are competing against. For that reason, we needed to put our house in order first so as to compete well. “Once we are done with putting our house in order, we shall commence serious campaigns in form of road shows and media campaigns.’’

L-R: Head Corporate Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Koye Sowemimo, Overall Best Graduating Student, Samsung Engineering Academy Class of 2014, Sunday Oyelami, Head, Lagos Eko Secondary School Education Project, Mrs Folasade Fasehun and Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim at the Samsung Engineering Academy graduation ceremony.

Airtel unveils SmartROAM

irtel Nigeria, has launched a new roaming service that will enable Airtel customers receive unlimited free incoming calls when roaming in five major countries across five Continents. With the introduction of this service tagged SmartROAM, Airtel customers travelling to the United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will be able to receive calls for free when they roam on preferred partner networks in these countries. Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Maurice Newa, explained that the strategic focus for the new roaming service is to ensure a convenient and seamless communication experience for customers when

they travel abroad. According to him, Airtel has strategically picked these five locations because of the significant footfall of Nigerians to the locations; a good number of Nigerians miss important calls while abroad, but with the SmartROAM service, roaming has been made simpler and affordable such that our customers’ lineswill always stay on, while they are abroad. He said: “We are always committed to delivering exceptional experience to our customers and the thrust of this initiative is to bring easy and affordable roaming toour customers who travel to any of these five countries”. Newa further explained that the service is currently available when roaming on the following networks: Zain in Saudi Arabia;

Cell C and Vodacom in South Africa; Orange and Vodafone in the UK, AT&T in USA and Etisalat in the UAE, adding that more networks will be included in the nearest future. To activate the SmartROAM service, a customer simply needs to recharge with a minimum of N5,000 within a calendar month and he/she can enjoy free incoming calls valid for 30 days on the above listed networks/destinations. Newa also pointed out that “the uniqueness of this product is that it does not require any deposits or subscription fees. The customer can utilize his/her recharge of N5,000 or more to make calls, chat, browse or text, within Nigeria and abroad, while still enjoying the free incoming calls benefit.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Info Tech

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Government Technology

70,000 IT personnel needed to tackle skill shortage STORIES: ISAIAH ERHIAWARIEN

or the country to effectively tackle its current IT skill challenges, about 70, 000 personnel must be added to the nation’s IT workforce. Cisco Nigeria gave the projection at the end the Cisco Networking Academy held at the

University of Lagos, noting that tertiary institutions are not producing enough ICT graduates to meet this demand. General Manager, Cisco, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mr. Dare Ogunlade said in a remark during the training that governments urgently need to deploy policy and training programmes to help solve the world’s

Glo signs on new brand ambassador

tandup comic, Bovi Ugboma has confirmed signing a multi-million naira deal with Information and Communications Technology solutions provider, Globacom. The professional comic and actor who had initially kept mute while speculative reports were flying around on the social media last week, decided to post a picture of himself signing the Globacom contract on his Instagram handle over the weekend. In the picture he posted on Instagram, Bovi was seen signing a document in front of Globacom banners. Under the picture he wrote: “Me, dotted lines and my lawyer’s right hand @zinougboma. My lines have gone hulk.” Already, his colleagues and fans have started felicitating with

him. A fellow Globacom ambassador and one of Nigeria’s best comics, Bright Okpocha popularly called Basketmouth posted on his Instagram handle: “Double Impact!! A man who bought a 2015 brand new house in Lekki..... and gets endorsed by Globacom 48hrs after....Congratulations bro @officialbovi”. Other celebrities who have confirmed being signed on as new ambassadors of the fastest growing telecom network include Odunlade Adekola, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Hadizah Blell (Di’ja) and megastar, Ayodeji Balogun (Wizkid). Others who are believed to have also signed a contract but are yet to confirm it include Ayo Makun, popularly called AY, Patience Ozokwor, popularly called Mama G.

fastest-growing gap in networking professionals. He stated the demand for Internet Technical Professionals is increasing in proportion to the demand for connectivity adding that the global shortage of skilled IP networking professionals will be at least 1.2 million people in 2015, according to INSEAD Business School’s Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2014 co-authored by Cisco. The industry expert disclosed that the latest Cisco Visual Networking Index, Global Mobile

Data Traffic Forecast for 2014-2019 revealed that mobile data traffic is expected to grow 11-fold over the next five years in Nigeria, which is a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63 percent - two times faster than expected fixed IP traffic growth. He explained that it highlights that connectivity is accelerating at a fast pace in the country therefore creating a growing need for skilled ICT professionals stressing that the lack of young ICT professionals is not limited to just Nigeria.

He said that increased connectivity, the Internet of Everything, rising digitisation of all business activity, globalisation of trade and travel, and economic growth globally has created the same problem in a number of countries globally. Ogunlade said: “Specific programmes and targeted policies are needed to expand the total pool of qualified people in Nigeria, as well as globally. More effort is particularly needed to expand the pool of qualified networking talent by increasing the number of new Networking employees.”

L-R: Group Chief Information Officer, Standard Bank Plc, Mr. Klaas Kruger, Chief Information Officer, Stanbic IBTC, Mrs. Ruby Onwudiwe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CWG Plc Mr. Austin Okere and Executive Director, Business support, Stanbic IBTCMr. Wole Adeniyi at the corporate head office of CWG Plc, in Lagos.

Financial Technology

Nigerian businesses need technology to survive, says expert

ewlett Packard (HP) has said that Nigeria was not exempted from the growing trend whereby organisations are keying into the potentials of technology to improve their business. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technol-

ogy, Lagos State, Mrs. Nike Animashaun, who made the remark at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Hewlett Packard Technology Tour said businesses around the world are using advanced technology to reduce the cost of doing business while also churning out high scale produc-

tivity that redefines economies globally. Animashaun said as a responsible government, Lagos State is aware that with information technology, business transactions have become seamless globally, reducing physical presence and creating breath.

According to her, the Lagos State Government is excited to be part of the HP Technology Tour 2015, noting that the magnitude has the capacity to boost Nigeria’s ICT sector and enhance greater technological advancements through extensive brainstorming on pertinent is-

BBC Trust accepts cost for over-75s TV licences

ritish Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, Trust chairman, Rona Fairhead, has said she “accepts” the surprise announcement by culture secretary, John Whittingdale, on Tuesday that the government will stop subsidising the over 75s TV licence fee, but has questioned the process that led to the major overhaul. She said BBC has agreed to pay the £650 million annual cost of providing free TV licences for the over-75s in return for a “number of significant mitiga-

tions” and the survival of the licence fee funding mechanism for at least the next five years. John Whittingdale, the culture secretary, also confirmed in the House of Commons that by taking on the additional cost, the TV licence fee, currently £145.50, will be allowed to rise in line with inflation as measured by the consumer prices index. The government has confirmed the first impact of taking on the cost of free licence fees for over-75s will be felt by

the BBC in 2018/19, when it will amount to £250m. The stateowned broadcaster’s financial commitment will nearly double to £450m the following year, and rise to £750m by 2020/21. The government will also reduce the BBC’s broadband costs to £80m in 2017/18, £20m in 2018/19, £10m in 2019/20 down to zero in 2020/2. In an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and Whittingdale, Fairhead stressed she wanted to set out the Trust’s position

as clearly as possible, “given the speed at which discussions were concluded”. She stated: “We accept this decision is a legitimate one for the government to take, although we cannot endorse the process by which it has been reached. “Clearly, beyond the current Charter period it is for the government to determine both its policy on the over-75s concession and how that is funded. We could not, ultimately, obstruct any decision that you made.’’

sues within the IT industry. She said that growing with businesses globally, HP recognized the potential of Information Technology and have consistently re-innovate to ensure its customers are not left behind, especially businesses who dare to survive the very challenging global economic terrain. Commercial Director, Middle East and Mediterranean Africa, HP, David Rozzio said that the HP Technology Tour was conducted across the globe to bring HP customers closer to the latest in information technology. He said that the technology tour was meant to provide Nigerian businesses and IT professionals the opportunity to tap into the latest technology; and improve the performance and overall profitability of businesses while also guaranteeing security of business intelligence.

Global News

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Oil sinks again, U.S. crude down 2 percent amid investor flight

.S. crude tumbled about two per cent on Tuesday, sinking for a second straight day as investors fled to safe havens on worries about a near-bankrupt Greece and China’s stock market losses and as technical selling threatened to push oil into a bear market. Iran’s determination to seal a nuclear deal with global powers to bring more of its crude to an oversupplied market and the restart of a key oil terminal in Libya also weighed on oil prices. Investors fled to the relative safety of the dollar and U.S. bonds as Greek banks ran down to their last few days of cash after its people rejected international bailout while Chinese equities extended their haemorrhage, ignoring a slew of a slew of support measures from Beijing. The dollar hit a five-week high, weakening demand for dolllar-denonimated commodities from users of other currencies. “The U.S. dollar and Treasuries are what people are buying right now,” said David Thomson, executive vice-president at Powerhouse, an energy-specialized commodities broker in Washington. U.S. crude was down $1.15, or 2.2

Oil rig

per cent, at $51.38 a barrel by 11:25 a.m. EDT (1525 GMT), after falling almost $2 at the session low. U.S. crude has lost almost 10 per cent since Thursday’s close for the sharpest two-day fall since 2011. It is teetering toward a bear market technically, having lost almost 20 per cent from a high above $62 just a month ago. More downside momentum could push it to test the sixyear low of $42.03 set in mid-March, technical analysts said. Brent crude LCOc1 fell 93 cents, or 1.6 per cent, to $55.61. “There has been a lot of money

looking to pile into the short-side, and there have been an accumulation of different triggers to cue that over a short time. Some were looking at Iran; for some it is macro spill overs from Greece or China; for others it’s a pure dollar play, and for others the rise in U.S. rig counts,” said Paul Horsnell, head of commodities at Standard Chartered in London. “None of those work in isolation, but put them all together in a short period and they’ll do it. And after that, the technicals kick in to give a further push down.”

Gartner cuts worldwide device shipment

esearch firm Gartner Inc said worldwide shipment of devices such as PCs, tablets and smartphones is expected to grow by 1.5 per cent to 2.5 billion units this year, slower than the 2.8 per cent it forecast earlier. The cut in growth forecast is mainly due to the slowdown in

PC purchases in western Europe, Russia and Japan as a stronger dollar pushed up prices, Gartner said on Tuesday. Up to Monday’s close, the dollar had risen about 6.7 per cent this year against a basket of major currencies. Gartner also said it did not

expect the global PC market to recover until 2016. Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc cut its second-quarter revenue estimate on Monday to below the average analyst estimate, saying demand for personal computers was weaker-thanexpected.

Google begins testing self-driving prototype cars

oogle Inc has begun testing its self-driving cars in Austin, Texas, expanding efforts to gather information on how the prototypes interact with traffic, road conditions and people, the company said early Tuesday. Google has been testing selfdriving prototypes since 2009,

Self-driving car

mainly around its Silicon Valley headquarters in Mountain View, California. Google is sending a second specially equipped Lexus RX450h prototype this week to Austin. Last month, the company began testing tiny, bubble-shaped self-driving prototype vehicles of its own design on public roads

around Mountain View. Google and other automotive manufacturers and suppliers have said the technology to build self-driving cars should be ready by 2020. Google executives have said the company does not want to build its own self-driving cars, but would prefer to find a development and production partner. But most major multinational automakers are developing their own so-called automated vehicles that are designed to control major functions such as steering, brakes and throttle without human effort. The Google self-driving cars have humans on board who can assume manual control of the vehicles if necessary. A Google press release on Tuesday quoted the Texas Department of Transportation as saying “we welcome and support Google’s autonomous vehicle test” in Austin.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Libor trader tells court managers knew what he was doing

trader accused of manipulating the Libor rate has told a court that senior managers knew what he was doing. Tom Hayes is the first trader to be tried by a jury for his part in the manipulation of the key interest rate. “I acted with complete transparency... My managers knew, my manager’s manager knew. In some cases the CEO [chief executive] was aware of it,” he said. The former UBS and Citigroup trader denies eight counts of conspiracy to defraud over the period 2006-2010. Mr Hayes denied that what he was doing was “clandestine” and said that he made no attempts to “cover his tracks”. The 35-year-old said that he did not believe that at the time that what he was doing as a Libor trader was “wrong”. He said he was motivated by his determination to make as much money as possible for his bank. “Greed was the wrong word,

hunger is a better word. “I was hungry to do the best job I could do - because of the performance metric, because that is how you are judged,” he told the jury at Southwark Crown Court. Mr Hayes also said that others bankers at UBS seemed to be fixing the Libor rate for commercial gain before he arrived at the bank. He said that a group of senior managers at UBS discussed manipulating the Libor rate and that “nobody batted an eye lid”.

Hayes

Tech giant Samsung’s earnings guidance to miss forecasts

he South Korean company forecast that its operating profit from April to June is likely to fall four per cent from a year ago to 6.9tn won ($6.13bn; £3.9bn), lower than forecasts of 7.2tn won. Its sales also fell eight per cent to 48tn won, below expectations of 53tn won. The company is struggling to see growth in a saturated smartphone market. The launch of its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, has been plagued with supply shortage issues, affecting its sales in the quarter, say analysts. But Samsung has said that it has resolved the supply issue and expects the combined sales for the flatscreen and curved screen S6 models to hit a new sales record for the firm. The earnings are expected to be

Smartphone

the company’s highest quarterly profit since the same period last year. Samsung has been facing stiff competition for its smartphones with US rival Apple at the top end and cheaper Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi at the bottom end. Andrew Milroy, tech analyst at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said while Samsung had come out with innovative features such as curved edges on smartphones, the market was catching up with them. “Some of the other innovations they’ve had - the big screens - other manufacturers have caught with that,” he told the BBC. “The larger screens was their biggest competitive differential in some of their models.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Brands & Marketing

‘Number one challenge in Nigeria’s Pay TV industry is lack of regulation’ Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of African Cable Television, ACTV, Mr. Godfrey Orkeh, in this interview with DAVID AUDU, speaks on the need for government to create enabling environment for other operators to thrive in the pay TV industry. Talking about innovation in the Pay TV industry, how do you create valuable content? There are two types of content we buy in the industry, you either develop the raw content or you buy the linear content. The linear content is already a channel that someone has put together. The linear channel is a ready-made content; they determine the schedule like the BBC, the content there is controlled by the BBC. The other aspect, which is the raw content, is for us to buy the materials and put them together.

per cent tamper proof, but what we have done is to reduce it to the barest minimum and make hacking as difficult and challenging as it could be to deter them. Do you have the capacity to satisfy your customers? We have the capacity. The technology does not require physical presence everywhere; we only need one physical presence to deliver the service. What we have done is to partner with dealers who make commitment by keeping data in the regions, installers and retailers. We have been recruiting nationwide; we are creating jobs and adding value to our customers. We cover the whole country and beyond in terms of the capability to receive our signals, so any customers anywhere in Nigeria can receive our signals.

How much does a content cost? It varies depending on the content; some are more expensive than others because they have so much clout like the Discovery Channel. Content price varies from $1 to $100,000; there is no fixed price for content, depending on how desperate the owner wants to sell and how desperate the buyer is. Who are your target audience? Our offer is an all-inclusive, addressed to all the demographic of our customer base, because we are pushing innovation and making it available at a very convenient price, we are actually addressing all our customers. This is different from the tradition which is a trend in the industry; we are targeting every member of the demographic groups in Nigeria, the high income earners to the middle income earners and to the lower earners. Looking at our subscription packages they are structured in that way, we will deliver across all of demographics. Our objective at the initial stage was targeted to the middle class but our experience has shown that the upper class and lower classes are also interested in our service. If you have to make a head way in this industry and penetrate the market, how do you intend to achieve this? Before we came into the market we knew there was a monopolistic tendency in the existing structure in the legislature of Nigeria that allows a dominant player to take advantage of the environment. There was no pay TV offering PVR for the middle class and for you to get decoder with PVR you have to cough out about N70, 000 but we are saying with N15, 000 you can have a PVR. In content wise there was a lot of exclusivity which is going to be difficult for one person to break. Beyond this, we will develop the market for our self, develop a niche for our self because right now the tendency is also thriving in the industry, Nigeria with a population of about 170 million, 26 million households with television, but the market is so huge. There is still a huge market that is not being addressed; we are here to capture that niche market and grow it. How do you want to address the attitude of Nigerians who believe in foreign products than local

Orkeh

WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS TO REDUCE IT TO THE BAREST MINIMUM AND MAKE HACKING AS DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING AS IT COULD BE TO DETER THEM. NIGERIANS MINDSET IS CHANGING TO LOCAL CONTENT products, your organization looks like a Nigeria company? Looking at the entertainment industry now, without Nigeria music, the party will not rock unlike what we had in the seventies and nineties. There is a shift and 40 to 50 per cent of Nigeria adults now watch Nigerian content. Can you believe that Channel TV after CNN in Nigeria has one of the highest rating and it is a Nigerian channel just because people are connected to the station, we belief the mindset is changing. What measures have you put in place to prevent piracy and secure your platform? The issue we have regarding hackers, the solution we chose is that we are the first paid TV platform in Nigeria that is card-less. We have put away that element that can encourage hacking. Also the software we use is an active anti-virus, it actively monitors any form of tampering and we deal with it accordingly. We are not saying our platform is 100

What are the challenges you are faced with in the area of legislation? The number one challenge in the industry is that there is no regulation. We know the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, is doing its best, but there is no act of law that backs it up to penalize. Before the last government handed over there was a bill that was being pushed, anti-competition bill like what we find in Europe that nobody can own 100 per cent of an industry. If you grow beyond a particular size, for instance, when Microsoft, Google grew beyond a certain size, they were stopped to allow room for other players. There is no such law right now in Nigeria, so it is a big barrier; it is only legislature that can change that. The other challenge that is affecting our business is foreign exchange (forex). About 80 per cent of what we buy is international content: CNN, BBC, Aljazeera, and we buy them in dollars. Apart from these, other challenges can be dealt with. However, as more players become part of the ecosystem of buying and distributing, the market will grow and there will be several players that will get access and customers will have more options to choose from. It is a good thing that such facility is not limited because it will enable Nigerians to benefit by having more options. This is good for the economy and the customers. What are your plans for the nearest future in terms of innovation and growth? Before the end of the year, we will be releasing one of our most innovative products into the market to change the entertainment world; we will be doing more of local content, funding local content and building local capacity and platforms for game shows to drive the industry. Nigeria is ripe to have its own movies that can compete anywhere in the world just like what we have in the music industry today. We see ourselves meeting all the expectations of all Nigerians, in an affordable and consistent manner.

Brands & Marketing

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Nigeria’s PR practitioners facing hard times – Ehiguese DAVID AUDU

resident of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, PRCAN, Mr John Ehiguese, has described the activities of some public relations practitioners and agencies as survival strategies to stay afloat. He gave this view against the background of the dearth of specialised agencies in the country. He said: “What we tend to have in this environment is full service PR firms who do just about anything from event management, media relations, sponsorship to people who gamble in a broad range of PR services and that’s like a survival strategy. “I don’t think we have gotten to a level yet where we can bring out specialist PR firms. They are a couple of

them that are emerging but I don’t think the mainstream can actually begin to look at that as a strategy right now. So, what we have is everybody doing a bit of everything just to survive. “Anything that comes you won’t turn it down, you just have to keep going until you identify a critical mass of clients in a particular sector, then you can say I want to become a specialist technology PR firm or a specialist CSR firm and so on but I don’t think right now that proposition is entirely viable. Ehiguese said that the engagement of public relations consultancy agencies in a wide range of PR services as a means of survival coupled with the narrow, one-dimensional nature of the market environment where the agencies operate are some of the reasons why there is a dearth of specialist PR agencies in Nigeria

presently.. According to him, one of the factors that can lead to the immediate and robust escalation of specialist PR agencies is the identification of a huge number of clients who operate in a particular sector and desire such expert services. “The market is not yet big enough and deep enough to have specialist PR firms. As time goes by, as the market matures and becomes more developed, we are likely to have specialist PR consultancies.” The PRCAN boss, who is also the Managing Director of Mediacraft Associate, also noted that public relations practice has not reached the desirable heights envisaged by practitioners partly due to shortage of impulse by clients to demand their agencies to do something extraordinaire, warning his colleagues to step up their game or be caught off guard.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Airtel appoints Owolabi HR Director

elecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has announced the appointment of Gbemiga Owolabi as it human resources director. According to the company, Speaking on the new appointments, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said that the appointment, which takes immediate effect, aligns with its core philosophy of empowering and creating opportunities for talented professionals in line with its aspirations of becoming the employer of first choice in Nigeria. Owolabi has over 20 years’ experience spanning international HR, talent management, employee engagement, capability development and HR operations. He has worked in Nigeria, United Kingdom and East Africa, starting his career with Lennards Nigeria Plc in 1990 as HR Manager and subsequently joined Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) in 1994

as HR Manager, where he managed HR in the largest Coca-Cola manufacturing plant in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the company also announced the appointments of Sina Adegoke and Col. Awadhesh Kumar Kalia as regional operations director, West Region and Chief Technical Officer, respectively. Adegoke, has over 19 years of Sales Management and Leadership experience across the Telecommunications, Finance, FMCG and Pharmaceutical industries. Prior to his appointment, he worked at Etisalat Nigeria as the Head of Region (South West) between 2013 and 2015. He has also held various leadership positions in Coca-Cola and May & Baker Plc. Awadhesh, a retired Military Colonel was Chief Technical Officer for Airtel Nigeria from September 2010 to January 2014. As Chief Technical Officer, he will be responsible for the delivery of network pillars to support Airtel’s achievement of business objectives, and will provide overall leadership of Networks in Nigeria.

Actis exits Mouka, Abraaj acquires stake DAVID AUDU

Consumers raising glasses to cheer the entrance of Star Triple X into the beer market at the launch in Enugu recently.

CSR, sustainability focus of NIPR public lecture DAVID AUDU

ormer Managing Director of Promasidor Plc., Chief Keith Richards, has been listed to deliver the keynote address at this year’s Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Lagos State chapter this month’s public lecture entitled: Corporate Social Responsibility: Prospects & Challenges in a Growing Economy. Chairman of the chapter, Joseph Okonmah, said, “the theme was inspired by the desire to focus on the impact of CSR on national development; to inspire more corporate organisations to embrace sustainable development; stimulate more investment in CSR projects; and educate government to champion the cause of sustainable CSR in Nigeria

through appropriate legislation”. Okonmah stressed that the annual lecture which has evolved into a strategic and resourceful event and is now recognized as a very important forum in Nigeria due to its focus on pertinent national and corporate issues such as corporate governance, leadership, resource management, national reputation and good governance, among others is part of activities to mark the 26th AGM of the body. The event will feature other speakers such as the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, RT. Hon Mudashiru Obasa as Special Guest of Honour, Managing Director, Tru Contact, a CSR monitoring organisation and assessor, Ken Egbas and Chief Executive Officer, XLR8 Limited, a Public Relations agency, Calixthus Okoruwa as well as other discussants.

Commenting on the sponsorship, the Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, Mr. Israel Opayemi, said that his company was motivated by the theme of the event. ‘‘In recent time, corporate social responsibility has become a subject of debate among stakeholders in the Nigeria corporate environment. As a result, any company that is worth its salt will want to support initiatives that are aimed to institutionalize the practice’’ he said. The PR event will climax with a special Gala Awards Dinner, a Black Tie evening. Highlight of the black tie event, according to the organisers include the presentation of awards to some “corporate bodies whose extraordinary acts of giving, sharing and loving has made a demonstrable difference in host communities or in the lives of specific persons”.

ctis, a pan-emerging markets investor, confirms it has sold its majority shareholding investment in Mouka Limited, the Nigerian mattress maker, to Abraaj, a private equity investor. Mouka manufactures foam spring mattresses, polyurethane blocks, pillows and furniture for consumers in West Africa. Actis invested Mouka in 2007 and since then it has expanded the company equity and operations across Nigeria. Through Actis investment, Mouka built manufacturing facilities; expanded production and distribution

lines; brought in a first-rate board and institutionalised the organisation, helping Mouka evolve from a family owned business into a sustainable, successful corporation. Speaking on the exit, John Opubor, Director in Actis Nigerian office, said: “Favourable demographics are driving growth and a positive consumer environment in Nigeria — the country boasts a large and fast-growing population, high GDP per capita growth, rising urbanisation levels, and an expanding middle class. “We saw an opportunity to help Mouka capitalise on this trend and have been pleased with the growth we’ve been able to help the company achieve”, Opubor added.

Facebook tests new pricing in video views

acebook is now offering a new video ad pricing structure, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Now, advertisers only have to pay for video ads that have been viewed for at least 10 seconds. Previously, Facebook charged advertisers on a cost-per-impression basis, which required paying for an ad the minute it appeared in a user’s News Feed. Many marketers were unhappy with this fee structure, since videos in the News Feed autoplay without sound, advertisers questioned whether their ads were being truly being viewed and absorbed. Facebook rolled out this new pricing option to address those concerns, The New York Times said. “We want to give marketers more flexibility,” Elisabeth Diana, a Facebook spokeswoman, told the Times. “We heard the frustration, but we’ve been work-

ing on this for a while.” According to Adweek, though, the global test is only being run with big-brand marketers who use the company’s Power Editor and API tools to manage campaigns. The ads are being sold through an electronic auction, so that means that advertisers may end up paying more for the ads. Facebook may be trying out this new fee structure, but a Facebook spokeswoman told the Journal that the company still believes that its ads provide value the instant they are displayed. She added that the social network is only providing this option after receiving feedback from advertising partners. “We don’t believe it’s the best option in terms of capturing the best value and brand objectives marketers care about, but we want to give them control and choice over how they buy,” the spokeswoman told the Journal.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Brands & Marketing

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Street Toolz, DMI partner on digital training DAVID AUDU

agos based digital startups, Street Toolz, has announced a partnership with a digital training organization, Digital Marketing Institute, DMI, of the United Kingdom to bring the requisite digital marketing courses to Nigeria. Chief Operating Officer, Semira Mahmud, said they were proud to announce the collaboration between the two organisations. The centre is expected to operate from their Digital Shed office in Lagos and will be known as Street Toolz Digital Centre (SDC). On his part, Ian Dodson, Founder and President of the Digital Marketing Institute said, “Street Toolz, with its knowledge of the industry and the numerous subject matter experts was a prime candidate for Digital Marketing Institute’s partnership”. Street Toolz has set out on a mission of educating Nigeria in the skill of digital marketing and we wish them every success in their endeavours.” The DMI, headquartered in Ireland is the global standard in digital

marketing certification, with more than 65 partners around the world delivering broad and quality programmes. The partnership was signed in April and Dodson says it was long overdue, as Africa, especially Nigeria will be the next frontier that will witness a digital transformation and DMI, the global certification standard in digital marketing wanted to be at the vanguard of this growth. And in bringing this set of trainings, which includes the muchvaunted Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (PDDM); the Postgraduate Diploma and the Masters degree in the same course, DMI and Street Toolz is trying to prepare the next generation for the business opportunities that are continually opening up on the continent. Street Toolz will also offer short courses like Social Media Marketing, Digital Budgeting, Digital Strategy and Marketing, Mobile Marketing, etc. The COO of Street Toolz, Semira Mahmud added that marketing communication agency practitioners, marketing professionals, graduates, startups, students and those that want to change or upgrade their careers should use

these courses as tools to achieve their dreams. Nigeria has people with the requisite skills to make the digital place their playground but to be successful and maintain the cutting edge they need quality training and proper equipping. “Digital is no longer the future. Digital is now, Mahmud added. “Marketing and branding executives need to evolve to stay relevant. Our mission is empower marketing professionals in Nigeria and Africa with the skills to do this.” ‘If you want to future-proof your career, then you need a digital marketing training and certification that will set you apart,” she added. The first set of trainings, a Digital Marketing Masterclass for Journalist was conducted at Digital Centre in Lagos in which journalists from all over the country, including the President, Brand Journalist Association of Nigeria, Mr. Goddie Ofose. Ofose pointed out that there was no way brand journalists or anyone for that matter will be able to thrive successfully in the coming days without a thorough knowledge of Digital Marketing.

BRAND talk with Michael Umogun

Tel: 08023117969/08031100462 Email: michael.umogun@millwardbrown.com

How do I use print advertising effectively?

rint advertising can be very effective and it can work more efficiently than TV, and incorporating print into your media mix can contribute to media-multiplier effects. But there are several differences between print and TV advertising. Print media needs to actively grab attention, so ads in low-interest categories need creativity to draw the reader in. Unlike TV, print advertising wears out rapidly, so long running campaigns need multiple executions to minimise this effect. And because of the way magazines are read over time and sometimes passed on, magazine ad exposure builds gradually over time. This is an important issue for both media and planning evaluation. Magazine advertising has been proven to be cost effective as on average, magazine executions generate visibility as efficiently as TV. The average Awareness Index (our measure of the branded memorability

of an ad) is the same for TV and for print. And because print exposures cost considerably less than TV, magazine advertising can be much more cost effective on an exposure-for-exposure basis. A Millward Brown study done in the US for the Magazine Publishers of America across 113 brands confirmed that, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, magazines deliver higher advertising awareness than television. It also provided evidence of the media multiplier effect that can be achieved by using television and print. The analysis looked at sales over a threeyear time frame and correlated purchase intent with media awareness. Sixty-one percent of brands showed a statistically significant relationship.. So what does a good print ad do? We’ll discuss this next week and of course, you’re always welcome to get in touch if you have any questions at :Michael.Umogun@millwardbrown.com.

Future acquires Net Communities

F L- R: Category Head, Juice, Nectar and Still Drinks, Chi Limited, Mr Amitabha Das; prize winner, Obi Olivia; Prize winner, Samuel Chika Nwaokoro; prize winner, Shotonwa Samson and Sales Director, Chi Limited, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, at the prize presentation ceremony for Chi Happy Hour Burst of Refreshment Social Media campaign in Lagos recently.

Star launches triple X herbal beer DAVID AUDU

tar lager, a beer brand on the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, recently unveiled a new brand extension, Star Triple X considered as Nigeria’s first beer with extra benefits, The beer was formally unveiled to the public at Enugu, in a launch was dedicated to connect with the new brand. Senior Brand Manager, Star Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr. Chidike

Oluaoha, explained that the new beer was in response to consumer demand for something new. “We are a consumer inspired brand and at any point in time we go the extra mile to ensure that we provide satisfaction to our consumers. “The Triple X in the name stands for Extra Smooth, Extra Strong and Extra African Herbs. We know that Nigeria is big on herbs. Nigerians believe that herbs have medicinal and health benefits. So we decided to come up

with a proposition that will encapsulate the extras that our esteemed consumers want.” Explaining further the extra benefits of the new Star Triple X, Oluaoha said that the product was made from 100 per cent barley makes it extra smooth, while its 5.5 per cent alcoholic volume makes it extra strong. He added that 14 African herbs were selected for the production of the Star Triple X, thus affirming the beer’s status as the first of its kind in Africa.

uture, the consolidating international media group, has acquired Net Communities, the online publisher and technology ad network Future will become the UK’s leading technology media publisher and a doubling of its monthly UK audience with the tech and games markets. Future’s online portfolio, which includes techradar, T3 and Gizmodo UK, has a UK online audience of eight million monthly users. Net Communities has ten million monthly users across its sites, including Vox Media, Purch and Digital Trends. Zillah Byng-Maddick, the chief executive of Future, said this acquisition of Net Communities is a strategic opportunity to leverage the synergies and specialism between the two businesses. “Future has a strong track record in the tech sector connecting audiences with technology and lifestyle brands. “Our combined audience reach will now ensure we are

able to unlock the best commercial deals in the UK market place.” Future’s portfolio of special interest titles includes T3, Total Film, Mollie Makes and Xbox: The Official Magazine. Online, the group claims a global reach of more than 57 million monthly unique users, from sites including techradar.com, gamesradar.com, bikeradar.com and musicradar.com. Andy Evans, the founder and chief executive of Net Communities, said: “There has been a long-standing mutual admiration between Net Communities and Future, so this opportunity was an obvious fit for both businesses. “As a result, this acquisition came together very naturally enabling Future to deliver exceptional market reach across some of the most admired web properties consumer and B2B technology. “The Net Communities team and I are very excited about the opportunities that can be created as we move forward in unison.”

Insight

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Lagos communities yearning for

hen the former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, launched the Lagos Mega City Project in 2012, residents thought by the end of Fashola’s tenure, Lagos would have become a Mecca of sorts. Regrettably, Fashola’s eight years administration has ended with little or nothing to show for the government’s mega city plan for the state. One of the benefits the project is programmed to achieve is rapid infrastructure development which involves building modern schools, hospitals and construction of motorable roads, with light rail to aid commerce and free movement of goods and commuters. Indeed, it is an ambitious urban renewal The project is expected, to majorly transform Lagos from an urban-slum state to cities like Dubai, Hong Kong and Paris into which the residents would be the better for it. However, National Mirror investigation shows that as it stands the Mega City project can be called a white elephant project, especially as several communities in the state have no sign of government presence, not to talk of benefiting from a mega city plan. These communities with over three million people, according to the residents, lack basic government owned infrastructure like new markets, police stations, pipe-borne water, passable roads, health centres and quality public schools among other amenities. The Ifesowapo Arojokun community along the Badagry Expressway is one of such communities where residents have resorted to self-help projects to keep their environment together and running. The residents informed our correspondent that they contribute money to the Community Development Association (CDA) purse to foot the bills of self-help projects like fixing of potholes-filled roads due to government’s failure to provide basic amenities despite their repeated appeals to the necessary agencies and authorities. It was discovered that streets in Ifesowapo-Arojokun community badly affected by flooding and barely passable include Adebola Adegbehin, Bakare Adala and Raaki Sadudeen Street. Residents said they have sand-filled these streets repeatedly but their efforts have not yielded any results to ameliorate their plight. The traditional ruler (Baale) of the community, Chief Matthew Saturday Adegbega, who celebrated his one-year coronation anniversary recently, said he is a sad man because of the poor state of his community. He said, “The suffering and pain have become unbearable, as our roads are bad. We don’t have any government school or hospital in this community. We have the worst deplorable roads in this state which we have been battling with by sand-filling. We have done a lot to address the bad roads as residents contributed their widow’s mite to our Community Development Association but there is an extent we can carry out some projects be-

The Lagos State Government has an ambitious urban renewal programme tagged “Lagos Mega City Project” aimed at developing various parts of the state into modern commercial and residential areas. But PATIENCE OGBO reports that several communities that lack basic amenities think that the government and its agencies are deliberately cutting them off from the scheme of things.

This is what Ejigbo roads look like

AS IT STANDS THE MEGA CITY PROJECT CAN BE CALLED A WHITE ELEPHANT PROJECT, ESPECIALLY AS SEVERAL COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE HAVE NO SIGN OF GOVERNMENT

PRESENCE, NOT TO TALK OF BENEFITING FROM A MEGA CITY PLAN

cause they are too expensive for residents to bear the costs. “We have spent so much to sand-fill the roads every year running into millions of naira; we brought electricity to the community from our purse. We need government infrastructure like health care centres, schools and motorable roads. I am using this medium to call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to come to our rescue. We voted massively for the APC during the last elections because we want change in our community and now that they are in power, they should not abandon us. We want to experience the change they are preaching as these projects when carried out, will not only ameliorate our sufferings, but will also bring development to the community as well as create employment opportunities for our teeming youth.”

Other residents who spoke with our correspondent, also narrated their plight and appealed to the state government to urgently come to their rescue. Prince Ade Adetaramin, the proprietor of Adesola Creative School said the poor state of the community is hindering development. “When I moved to this community, I discovered that there was no school, not even a government primary school was here and the children were roaming about. I decided to start a school for the children. The adults also need to go to school but there is no school for them. I have spent millions of naira to sand-fill the roads and assisted the community projects, but we need government to come to our aid. On my part, I single-handily brought electricity to the community and constructed a bridge linking our community with other communities.

“I am also the one who is providing security for the community as there is no police station and this has resulted in increased crime rate. Recently, we have had growing incidences of rape, kidnappings in broad day light and the cultists and violent criminals are terrorising people as the police are far away. This is the right time the government should come to our aid. As it is, the electricity transformer we bought is not enough for the entire community and we need government to provide another one so that this community can develop,” Prince Adetaramin lamented. A mother of three, Kafaya Jimoh, revealed that she almost lost her pregnancy due to the bad roads and lack of trained medical personnel in her community. “I have been relying on traditional methods to give birth to my children as there are no government hospitals in the community. I almost lost my pregnancy as I was stuck in the mud one fateful rainy day because the roads were flooded. I am appealing to government to build hospital for our community and give us maternity centres for our women to give birth safely. They should help us fix our bad roads because they have become impassable,” Jimoh said. The chairman of Ifesowapo Arojokun CDA, Elder Joseph Sunday Adeoye, said children from the community are trekking long distances to other communities to attend school and this is telling on their education.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Insight

Thursday, July 9, 2015

slice of mega city status

Governor Ambode Ifesowapo-Arojokun bad road

THERE ARE NO PASSABLE ROADS IN

EJIGBO, WITH MANY RESIDENTS LAMENTING IN HUSH TONES OF THE ALLEGED COMPLICITY OF THE TRADITIONAL RULER

OF THE COMMUNITY,

OJON OF EJIGBO LAND, THE

IN THE CRIMINAL UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE AREA

“Our children are trekking long distance to Oko-Ofo and Ibiye communities to attend school, which is several kilometres from here. Imagine young children trekking such distance to school daily. The bad road has jerked up cost of transportation. The transporters used to convey passengers from Checkpoint bus-stop to Baale street for N50, now it is between N150 and N200 because of the bad roads. Many of the tricycle riders who usually ply the community have moved to other areas because of the bad roads.” Another community that feels neglected and abandoned is Ejigbo, a neighbourhood straddling between Okota and Ikotun areas. Ejigbo was carved out of the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government and has its own LCDA. But even with two veteran journalists as Chairman of the LCDA – the late Deacon Ayo Ositelu and recently, Kehinde Bamigbetan - residents neither see, nor feel impact of the LCDA. There are no passable roads in Ejigbo, with many residents lamenting in hush tones of the alleged complicity of

Baale Matthew Adegbega of IfesowapoArojokun

the traditional ruler of the community, the Ojon of Ejigbo Land, in the criminal underdevelopment of the area. Remedial drainage and road construction works being undertaken by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation on the Egbe Road has been abandoned at Iyana Ejigbo since 2014, thereby causing untold hardship to residents and commuters. Just as residents in Ifesowapo-Arojukun and Ejigbo communities are appealing to the state government to come to their rescue, the Otto- Ilogbo Extention Community in Ebutte-Metta West on Lagos Mainland Local Government is also crying for help The community which has approximately 15,000 residents, has been in existence for about 20 years with no government school, health centres, among other amenities like water, and sanitary provisions. In trying to function like a fullfledged community and get the presence of government, the Otto /Ilogbo community registered with the Lagos State Ministry of Rural Development in 2008, hence, the community was named Ifesowapo Community Development Association .

Chairman of the CDA, Rashidi Lamidi, while congratulating the APC-led Ambode government for their victory at the 2015 polls, is also appealing to the government not to abandon the residents. Lamidi said, “This community has come under several attacks from criminals and land grabbers. Sadly, despite our efforts to make this community a fullfledged one, government has refused to reckon with us. While the community is striving to rise on its own arsonists are causing fire outbreaks and because this community is constructed with woods, the fires have been very devastating leading to loss of property worth millions of naira . The residents have also suffered from the rampaging hoodlums, who brazenly manhandle anyone because there is no police presence. There is no school, drainage, potable water, health care centres and good toilet facilities among other social infrastructure. We are appealing to government to come to our aid as we have been contributing our widow’s mite to provide the little amenities we have despite the fact that the people in this community are poor.” A resident of the community, John Nwobodo, said though he is from the eastern part of the country, Otto-Ilogbo community has become a home for him and other non-indigenes and would want government to give the residents the basic necessities of life. “I have been living in this community with my family for more than 10 years and the other residents are kind to us. They do not discriminate against us. Our problem is basic amenities, like schools, hospitals and others. We need government to come to the aid of this community urgently as this place is home to all Nigerians,” Nwobodo said. Secretary of the CDA, Agbodemu Musbau, who was the chairman of the community for many years said he founded the Otto-Ilogbo community to ameliorate the sufferings the poor residents face in securing accommodation in Lagos. Musbau who is also the Founder and Chairman of a non-governmental organisation, Rural and Urban Development Initiative (RUDI), said he also came up with the Young Leaders Academy for

children in the community as there was no government school to educate more than 3000 children in the community. “We are asking the government for development. Let them provide a minihealth centre, water and toilets. We don’t want to lag behind. We want development, but the government must come in. On our part, I started the Young Leaders Academy because I noticed that children were roaming about as there is no government school. But now, with as little as N200, these children can go to school. I also pay the teachers from my purse so that education will not hinder our children in life. With this, we are catching them young from becoming criminals and gangsters. Government is complaining about the high rate of crimes but when majority of the children cannot go to school, they will become illiterates and ready tools for criminal gangs. I do not want our community to be a breeding ground for these elements. I don’t want our children to feel inferior to the children of the rich. That is why I sacrifice to bring education and even computer knowledge to the people. This is what the government should do, but they are not concerned about the poor,” Musbau said regrettably. A medical doctor with the Star Clinic at Ebute –Metta, Dr. Adeolu Olusodo, who is also the Founder of The Society For Love and Social Justice, a non- profit organisation, disclosed that his organisation has been collaborating with the OttoIlogbo community to provide free medical treatment for the people. “The NGO was established in October 2013, but I have been a frequent doctor at the Otto-Ilogbo Community to provide free health care especially for women and children. This is because I noticed that there is no government health centre to cater for the health needs of the people. This is my way of contributing to the betterment of the society like our motto says “ Healing the world” which is based on a Jewish concept called Tikun Olam, meaning correcting or repairing the world. “The concept is about love and social justice. Last year, 56 elderly persons were given free drugs and treatment for diabetics, hypertension, high blood pressure and other ailments while 128 elderly persons registered under the free medical scheme of the NGO. We provide ultra-poor family support programme, non-interest loan for small businesses, personalised support for the needy and oppressed, sponsoring of the young leaders academy at Otto/Ilogbo slum among other supports we give to people,” Dr. Olusodo said. A 60-year-old woman, Mrs. Ruth Umoren, also appeal to the state government for basic amenities. “I am a diabetic patient but I have been receiving free medical treatment from this NGO any time they come to our community. I also enjoy their event where they bring elderly persons together to eat and have fun. Government cannot leave us to suffer. We are appealing for government facilities as private ones are expensive.”

Cocktail

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Oddities

Sex on a Florida beach leads to two-and-a-half years prison time

man convicted of having sex on a public beach in Florida in front of a child was sentenced on Monday to 2-1/2 years in prison, a state prosecutor said. Jose Caballero, 40, was arrested in Bradenton Beach in west central Florida last July after other beachgoers complained that he was fondling and starting to have sexual intercourse with a

woman on the beach in the middle of the afternoon. A 4-year-old child saw the activity, which was videotaped by a witness, a police report said. When her mother asked him to stop, Caballero responded confrontationally, which factored into the sentence requested, said Assistant State Attorney Anthony Dafonseca. “His judgment was pretty poor,” Dafonseca said.

A 78-year-old German man somehow hid a 44-tonne tank in his basement

e don’t know how this 78-yearold man hid a 44-tonne World War II-era Panther tank in his basement. What we do know is that police in Heikendorf, northern Germany, found it along with a torpedo and an anti-aircraft gun

and it took 20 soldiers nine hours to get them all out. Police were acting on a tip-off when they raided the man’s home. Given the man was 78 years old, officers must have been wondering how he’d kept the

Bolivian gourmet eatery creates quinoa communion wafers for pope

Bolivian avant-garde restaurant hopes this week to serve a wellknown non-paying customer and receive a holy seal of approval for its new creation: a quinoa-based communion wafer. Chefs at the restaurant, Gustu, in La Paz expect Pope Francis to receive the wafer during his visit to the Andean country later this week, the second leg in the Argentine pontiff’s three-nation “homecoming” tour of South America. The idea came from a

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

group of quinoa producers. The restaurant’s chefs said the wafers have been delivered to the government to give to the pope. “I’m quite nervous about what he will think,” said Monica Marquez, the restaurant’s 25-year-old pastry chef with a small tattoo of the Christian cross behind her ear. Gustu is the brainchild of Danish chef Claus Meyer, widely known for his restaurant Noma in Copenhagen which is ranked third in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

list. On the menu is Llama tartare and trout from the water of Lake Titicaca served with llullucha, a South American seaweed. The restaurant opened in 2013 to wide acclaim. Unlike neighboring Argentina and Peru, Bolivia is not especially known for haute cuisine. With Gustu, Meyer sought to reinvent the country’s culinary traditions and take them global. On its menu are Bolivia’s little known wines and liquors grown at high altitude in the Andean highlands.

44-tonne tank

tank secret for so long. And it turned out he hadn’t. In fact, the man and his machine of death was something of an injoke in the town. Even the mayor was in on it. ‘He was chugging

around in that thing during the snow catastrophe in 1978,’ Alexander Orth told local media. ‘Some people like steam trains, others like tanks.’

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Market Capitalisation dips N119bn Johnson Okanlawon

quity trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday closed negative with investors value dipping by N119 billion due to profit taking. The market capitalisation dropped by 1.08 per cent to close at N10.934 trillion compared with N11.053 trillion posted on Tuesday. Also, the All-Share Index lost 348.53 points or 1.08 per cent to close at

32,031.73 against 32,380.26 achieved on Tuesday due to huge losses recorded by some highly capitalised equity. Dangote Cement recorded the highest price lost to lead the losers’ chart, shedding N4 to close at N168 per share. Forte Oil followed with N3.03k to close at N194.98, while 7UP lost N2.40 to close at N191.60 per share. Betaglass dropped 18k to close at N34.20 and Seplat depreciated by 13k to close at N335 per share.

On the other hand, Ashaka Cement led the gainers’ table, growing by N1.05 to close at N22.15 per share. UAC Property trailed with 20k to close at N10.40, while Custodian and Allied Insurance gained 19k to close at N4.09 per share. Ikeja Hotel increased by 18k to close at N3.83, while Vitafoam grew by 13k to close at N5.88 per share. Zenith Bank emerged the most traded equity, trading 48.39 million shares worth N920.39 mil-

West African regulators integrate for better markets

apital market regulators in the West African sub region have agreed to come together to establish a mutually acceptable basis for cooperation and consultations to foster market integration in the region. The Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mounir Gwarzo said this while briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday after the inaugural meeting of West Africa Securities Regulators Association, WASRA, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the member countries. Gwarzo said that the collaboration has become necessary given the important role capital markets play in the economies of the various countries. He said, “For quite a while we have been thinking of how the regulators can come together to form an association so that we

can support the integration of the capital market within the West African Region. You are aware of the existence of West African Capital Markets Integration Council, WACMIC, whose aims and objectives are to see a means of bringing the capital markets within the West African region together. “What we have not had is a close collaboration and close interface within the Commissions so that they can also support the good work that WACMIC is doing. Even in International Organisation of Securities Commissions, IOSCO, one of the objectives they have set out is integration within the member countries. Already the East African countries have one, the Middle East have their own associations and are doing quite well, hence the need for us to set up own regional body”. He explained that one of the key issues in the MoU

is the issue of sharing of information which is very key given the fact that the market is information driven adding that once regulators do not have an opportunity to share information it means they cannot police the market. “Another thing we highlighted is the setting up of committees we have three sub technical committees. One will look at the legal and regulatory framework because in our various jurisdictions we all have our various laws and our own rules and regulations, so we look at how we can harmonise the commonalities in these our rules and regulations. We have a committee that will look at that. “We also have a committee that will look at risk management. One of the issues we have in this market is the issue of risk management and that is why we try and harmonise our module on how we police the market, how we monitor what

European stocks rebound as banks, pharma shares rise

uropean stocks rebounded on Wednesday, lifted by a rise in heavyweight financial and pharmaceutical shares, while politicians gave Greece more time for a deal to avoid having to leave the euro. The European rally contrasted with falls on Chinese and U.S. stock markets, with the New York market further impacted by problems at the NYSE. Banks and pharmaceuti-

cals added the most points to European stock markets. Barclays rose 2 percent as investors welcomed the bank’s decision to dump its chief executive, while pharma group Novartis gained 2.1 percent after a regulatory boost for a product. Telecom Italia also rose 4.5 percent after media group Vivendi did not rule out raising its stake in Telecom Italia, but European car stocks lost around 7 billion euros in combined stock market value after weak Chinese sales data.

The euro zone’s Euro STOXX 50 index, which fell 4 percent in the last two sessions, rose 1 percent. Germany’s DAX advanced 0.7 percent, Spain’s IBEX gained 0.8 percent and Italy’s FTSE MIB rose 2.6 percent. European shares dropped at the start of the week after Greek voters rejected austerity measures imposed as part of a bailout programme. A stock market sell-off in China has put further pressure on markets.

lion. Access Bank came second accounting for 22.21 million shares valued N119.39 million, while FCMB Group sold 17.13 million shares worth N50.91 million. UBA sold 12.64 million shares valued N51.56 million and Beco Petroleum exchanged 9.89 million shares worth N4.94 million. In all, investors staked N2.92 billion on 193.97 million shares traded in 3,328 deals.

Source: NSE

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

N196.95 Market indicators All-Share Index 32,739.11 points Market capitalisation 11.21trn

Stock Updates goes on in the market in a bid to make them better. “We also have a committee on market development and it will look at issues to do with new products and issues to do with how the market is going to be integrated. Those three committees will begin to work and we agreed that each of the jurisdictions will look at members that will be in those committees and begin to move from there” he added. The Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission of Ghana, Dr. Adu Antwi said the association will strive to ensure that what WACMIC is doing will become a success since the regulators are the people that interface with government on policies. Antwi said he is happy to note that regulators in the sub region are on course and believes that the association will achieve the objectives of ECOWAS to ensure that the states are integrated. Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

Crude oil price

$58.96

GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

30.45

31.97

1.52

4.99

PORTPAINT

4.45

4.67

0.22

4.94

ACADEMY

0.87

0.91

0.04

4.60

VONO

1.09

1.14

0.05

4.59

NASCON

7.69

8.00

0.31

4.03

AFRIPRUD

2.70

2.78

0.08

2.96

NEM

0.72

0.74

0.02

2.78

CCNN

10.71

11.00

0.29

2.71

FBNH

7.80

8.00

0.20

2.56

AIICO

0.92

0.94

0.02

2.17

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

TRANSCOHOT

8.70

7.86

-0.84

-9.66

REDSTAREX

5.00

4.75

-0.25

-5.00

CHAMPION

6.25

5.94

-0.31

-4.96

FIDSON

3.50

3.33

-0.17

-4.86

AGLEVENT

1.47

1.40

-0.07

-4.76

NEIMETH

1.28

1.22

-0.06

-4.69

FIDELITYBK

1.74

1.66

-0.08

-4.60

MANSARD

2.83

2.70

-0.13

-4.59

GUINNESS

160.28

153.00

-7.28

-4.54

CUTIX

1.57

1.50

-0.07

-4.46

FGN Bonds

Offer

Bid

Description

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

13.05 16-AUG-2016

1.11

98.63

14.39

98.78

14.24

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.80

100.41

14.79

100.56

14.69

16.00 29-JUN-2019

3.98

102.83

15.03

103.13

14.92

15.54 13-FEB-2020

4.60

101.68

15.01

101.98

14.92

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.56

105.52

15.03

105.82

14.96

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.68

96.15

14.99

96.45

14.93

Closing Market Prices of July 8, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

01-Oct-15

12.75

13.14

WAUA

270

USD

197

07-Jan-16

12.58

13.42

EURO

214

02-Jun-16

12.71

14.36

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

Tenor

Rate (%)

SWISS FRANC

202

O/N

3.7917

POUNDS STERLING

293

13.0302

15.0648

SDR

273

15.6948

NIBOR

The Fixings of July 8, 2015

Capital Market

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stock exchange daily equities summary Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015

Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051

Daily Summary (Bonds)

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051

Activity Summary on Board DEBT Federal Bond Name 14.20% FGN MAR 2024 Federal Totals

Symbol FG112024S1

Equities as at July 8, 2015

No. of Deals 1 1

DEBT Board Totals Bond Activity Totals

1st Tier Securities Sector

Company name

Current Price 100.00

Quantity Traded 500 500

Value Traded 521,994.07 521,994.07

500

521,994.07

500

521,994.07

Daily Summary (Equities)

No Of Deals

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded

Value of Shares(N)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 Crop Production Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK PLC.EQTY Activity SummaryFEEDS on Board

Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals CONGLOMERATES AGRICULTURE Totals Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015

Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

No. of Deals 2 16 5 23

Current Price 0.50 28.99 35.00

Quantity Traded 100,000 241,930 80,500 422,430

Value Traded 50,000.00 6,940,373.31 2,817,781.09 9,808,154.40

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 29 29

Current Price 2.30

Quantity Traded 2,713,410 2,713,410

Value Traded 6,621,639.70 6,621,639.70

Symbol AGLEVENT TRANSCORP UACN

52 No. of Deals 3 102 56 161

Current Price 1.40 2.73 42.50

3,135,840 Quantity Traded 121,000 6,278,447 433,913 6,833,360 Page

16,429,794.10 Value Traded 169,400.00 16,905,971.73 18,477,558.93 35,552,930.66 15 1 of

Daily Summary (Equities)

161

6,833,360

35,552,930.66

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 0.75

Quantity Traded 158,960 158,960

Value Traded 120,404.63 120,404.63

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 13 13

Current Price 48.50

Quantity Traded 6,877 6,877

Value Traded 324,074.48 324,074.48

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 25 25

Current Price 10.20

Quantity Traded 237,670 237,670

Value Traded 2,444,422.31 2,444,422.31

403,507

2,888,901.42

Quantity Traded Quantity233,082 Traded

Value Traded 116,541.00 Value Traded

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Symbol DUNLOP Symbol

No. of Deals 1 No. of Deals

Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. PREMIER BREWERIES PLC Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015

DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. FoodSummary Products Totals Activity on Board EQTY Food Products--Diversified CONSUMER GOODS CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Totals Published by TheProducts--Diversified Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Current Price 0.50 Current Price

233,082

116,541.00

Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB PREMBREW

No. of Deals 13 51 9 79 1 153

Current Price 5.94 153.00 19.50 145.05 3.26

Page Quantity Traded 288,500 166,394 203,403 861,217 2,000 1,521,514

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 17 17

Current Price 183.00

Quantity Traded 40,371 40,371

Value Traded 7,362,744.37 7,362,744.37

No. of Deals 28 29 43 13 (Equities) 29 1 143

Current Price 3.80 6.66 33.50 3.50 8.00 18.05

Quantity Traded 131,438 586,398 135,157 196,174 1,584,658 20 2,633,845

Value Traded 503,966.82 3,930,261.55 4,510,678.95 685,358.64 12,665,318.60 343.00 22,295,927.56

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR Daily Summary NASCON NNFM

Symbol CADBURY Symbol NESTLE

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

2Value Traded of 15 1,720,680.00 25,750,199.12 3,963,462.00 126,506,267.70 6,200.00 157,946,808.82

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

17 No. of Deals 27 44

35.05 Current Price 850.00

55,039 Quantity Traded 31,102 Page 86,141

Value Traded 1,840,921.90 Value Traded 26,467,076.55 15 3 of 28,307,998.45

No. of Deals 31 5 36

Current Price 5.55 1.14

Quantity Traded 940,935 151,000 1,091,935

Value Traded 5,167,041.50 167,540.00 5,334,581.50

No. of Deals 33 23 56

Current Price 31.97 43.50

Quantity Traded 317,506 197,300 514,806

Value Traded 9,954,386.37 8,467,415.24 18,421,801.61

6,121,694

239,786,403.31

Quantity Traded 46,681,830 16,376,255 712,065 4,475,074 7,486,763 1,749,504 1,942,698 7,662,916 Quantity Traded

Value Traded 250,581,210.50 65,744,450.30 15,638,997.37 7,434,931.84 201,778,269.13 4,020,716.07 3,918,921.25 36,573,433.92 Value Traded

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

450

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015

FINANCIAL SERVICES Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 DIAMOND BANK PLC Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. FINANCIAL SERVICES UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC Banking

Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNION BANK NIG.PLC.

UNITY BANKStock PLC Exchange © Published by The Nigerian FINANCIAL SERVICES WEMA BANK PLC. Banking

ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals

Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 216 DIAMONDBNK 24 ETISummary (Equities) 63 Daily FIDELITYBK 60 GUARANTY 242 SKYEBANK 44 Daily Summary (Equities) STERLNBANK 109 UBA 110 Symbol No. of Deals UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK Symbol

ZENITHBANK

Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Symbol AIICO INSURANCE PLC. AIICO CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONTINSURE CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. CORNERST EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC. EQUITYASUR GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. GUINEAINS CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC HMARKINS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC INTENEGINS LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LASACO LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LAWUNION LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC LINKASSURE Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MANSARD Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. MBENEFIT N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NEM NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. NIGERINS PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE Daily Summary SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC SOVRENINS STANDARD TRUST ASSURANCE PLC STACO Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC UNIVINSURE Published byWAPIC The Nigerian Stock Exchange © INSURANCE PLC WAPIC FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Micro-Finance Banks Symbol NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 UBA CAPITAL PLC Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Other Financial Institutions Totals

No. of Deals 15 5 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 13 4 24 1 2 (Equities) 1 1 1 7 87 No. of Deals

NPFMCRFBK

1 1

Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC

Current Price 1.05

16,878,199 114,626,550 Quantity Traded 10,032,674 61,436 10,600 347,900 295,217 702,897 63,420 229,356 100 45,000 844,200 302,100 2,599,889 10,000 2,600 100 1,000 310,904 Page 2,730,100 18,589,493 Quantity Traded 18,000 18,000 Page

1,283,522.29 424,482,760.93 of 15 641,603.98 Value Traded

327,099,748.61 939,198,566.19 Value Traded 9,526,361.46 62,664.72 5,300.00 173,950.00 147,608.50 351,448.50 31,710.00 114,678.00 50.00 22,960.00 2,315,189.62 151,050.00 1,866,459.02 5,000.00 1,300.00 50.00 500.00 155,452.00 15 51,365,050.00 of 16,296,781.82 Value Traded 6

19,260.00 19,260.00 of 15

No. of Deals 2 2 4

Current Price 0.50 5.78

Quantity Traded 534,643 13,594 548,237

Value Traded 267,321.50 74,767.00 342,088.50

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 39 22 354 54 3 64 38 574

Current Price 2.78 4.07 8.00 2.98 0.50 25.00 1.41

Quantity Traded 598,382 1,330,000 10,164,033 9,196,572 21,000 4,828,137 377,824 26,515,948

Value Traded 1,648,750.61 5,507,758.20 79,071,041.07 27,209,407.50 10,500.00 120,697,419.74 530,397.02 234,675,274.14

160,298,228

1,190,531,970.65

1,892

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH Symbol MAYBAKER NEIMETH

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Current Price 0.94 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.70 0.50 0.74 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

138,848 Page 9,837,043 685,355 Quantity Traded

Symbol ASOSAVINGS UNHOMES

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals Activity Summary on Board EVANS MEDICAL PLC. EQTY FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC HEALTHCARE GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. Pharmaceuticals MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange PHARMACEUTICALS © NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals

Current Price 5.29 4.19 22.00 1.66 26.95 2.29 2.05 4.77 Current Price

45 9.31 61 2.46 18 0.94 No. of Deals Current Price 234 19.45 1,226

Micro-Finance BanksExchange Totals © Published by The Nigerian Stock Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY HEALTHCARE

1st TierPharmaceuticals Securities MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC.

Sector

NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PLC Company name PHARMACEUTICALS Pharmaceuticals Totals

Symbol MAYBAKER NEIMETH No Of

Deals

No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded 8 1.50 134,800 19 1.22 487,443 Quotation(N) Quantity Traded 48 1,204,234

HEALTHCARE Totals Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto CONSUMER GOODS Parts DN TYRE & RUBBER Automobiles/Auto PartsPLC

Daily Summary (Equities)

No. of Deals 5 4 12 No. of Deals 8 19 48

Current Price 1.10 3.33 44.00 Current Price 1.50 1.22

Quantity Traded 177,575 120,000 284,416 Quantity Traded 134,800 Page 487,443 1,204,234

Value Traded 195,332.50 399,617.00 12,514,366.80 Value Traded 202,368.00 7 of 15 596,020.46 13,907,704.76

1,204,234

13,907,704.76

Symbol COURTVILLE

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 50.00 50.00

Symbol OMATEK

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100

Value Traded 50.00

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 Computers and Peripherals Totals Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 IT Services Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP PLC IT Services Totals Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY Processing Systems Totals

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Daily Summary as of and 02/07/2015 Electronic Electrical Products Totals Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC Activity on Board EQTY ToolsSummary and Machinery Totals NATURAL RESOURCES INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals Chemicals B.O.C. GASES PLC. Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Chemicals Totals

1,204,234

13,907,704.76

Symbol COURTVILLE

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 50.00 50.00

Symbol OMATEK

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 50.00 50.00

Symbol CWG

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 3.98

Quantity Traded 500 500

Value Traded 1,895.00 1,895.00

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 50.00 50.00

800 Quantity Traded 198,015 Quantity Traded 50 Page 38,794 421,322 350,500 1,291 525 60,000 99,781 1,170,278

2,045.00 Value Traded 4,406,273.00 Value Traded 534.00 15 8 of 1,440,236.12 4,668,843.72 60,598,925.50 981.16 262.50 280,200.00 10,163,129.40 81,559,385.40

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol

Daily Summary (Equities) CHAMS

Activity Summary on Board EQTY INDUSTRIAL GOODS

ICT Totals Building Materials INDUSTRIAL GOODS ASHAKA CEM PLC Building Materials BERGER PAINTS PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. IPWA PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Value Traded 202,368.00 Value 596,020.46 of Shares(N) 13,907,704.76

5 No. of Deals 15 No. of Deals 1 27 24 33 1 1 1 35 138

Symbol ASHAKACEM Symbol BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM DNMEYER IPWA PORTPAINT WAPCO

Current Price 22.50 Current Price 11.24 41.00 11.00 172.50 0.76 0.50 4.67 103.00

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 1.50

Quantity Traded 258,476 258,476

Value Traded 388,515.00 388,515.00

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 36.00

Quantity Traded 2,826 2,826

Value Traded 103,174.80 103,174.80

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 7.46

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 709.00 709.00

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol NIGROPES

146 No. of Deals 1 1

Symbol BOCGAS

Current Price 4.86

1,431,680 Quantity Traded 100 Page 100

82,051,784.20 Value Traded 483.00 9 of 483.00 15 15 10 of Value Traded 1,474.00 1,474.00

Symbol ALUMACO

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 7.75

Page Quantity Traded 200 200

Mining Services MULTIVERSE PLC Mining Services Totals

Symbol MULTIVERSE

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 315,000 315,000

Value Traded 157,500.00 157,500.00

Paper/Forest Products THOMAS WYATT NIG. PLC. Paper/Forest Products Totals

Symbol THOMASWY

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.67

Quantity Traded 300 300

Value Traded 192.00 192.00

315,600

159,649.00

Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 NATURAL RESOURCES Totals Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals Integrated Oil and Gas Services Activity Summary on Board EQTY

OANDO PLC OILIntegrated AND GASOil and Gas Services Totals Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 30,746 30,746

Value Traded 15,373.00 15,373.00

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 182 182

Current Price 15.70

Quantity Traded 3,060,811 3,060,811

Value Traded 47,806,944.76 47,806,944.76

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 6 19 65 15 4 1 110

Current Price 40.85 2.45 189.97 150.00 50.54 165.00

Quantity Traded 3,792 Page 243,100 344,366 17,944 5,805 191 615,198

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 36 36

Current Price 343.00

Quantity Traded 189,986 189,986

Value Traded 65,316,045.02 65,316,045.02

3,896,741

180,681,341.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

OIL AND GAS Totals Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 Printed 02/07/2015 SERVICES 14:47:51.051 Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. SERVICES Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals Printing/Publishing Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 ACADEMY PRESS PLC. Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals RoadasTransportation Daily Summary of 02/07/2015 ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Activity Summary on Board EQTY Road Transportation Totals SERVICES Transport-Related Services Support andSERVICES Logistics AND LOGISTICS PLC AIRLINE Support and Logistics NIGERIAN AVIATIONTotals HANDLING COMPANY PLC

333

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.77

Quantity Traded 19,806 19,806

Value Traded 14,690.76 14,690.76

No. of Deals 9 5 14 No. of Deals 23 23

Current Price 4.75 1.27

Quantity Traded 176,430 33,158 209,588 Quantity Traded 1,121,498 1,121,498

Value Traded 841,304.50 40,121.18 881,425.68 Value Traded 590,430.96 590,430.96

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR Symbol CILEASING

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 6 1 9 16

Current Price 0.91 1.26 6.03

Quantity Traded 119,449 10,000 123,736 253,185

Value Traded 109,476.55 12,500.00 714,482.00 836,458.55

Current Price 0.51

Quantity Traded 907,569 907,569

Value Traded 458,434.08 458,434.08

No. of Deals Current Price No. of Deals5 Current Price 2.08 6 24 5.00

Quantity Traded Quantity Traded 60,900 11,246 431,622

Value Traded Value Traded 124,832.00 34,818.62 2,160,694.90

492,522 3,092,516

2,285,526.90 5,711,501.27

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 16 16

Symbol Symbol

AIRSERVICE Daily Summary (Equities) NAHCO

29 114

Daily Summary

Symbol CAVERTON Symbol

No. of Deals Current Price 6 3.42 No. of 3,256 Deals Current Price (Equities) 6

CONSUMER EQTY Board GOODS Totals Food Products Daily Summary as of 02/07/2015 MCNICHOLS PLC Printed 02/07/2015 14:47:51.051 Food Products Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

114

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

Symbol MCNICHOLS

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

ETP Activity Totals

12 of 15 Value Traded 380.00 609,335.72 609,715.72

Current Price 3.65 7.86

Transport-Related Services Totals

Equity Activity Totals ETF Board Totals

Page Quantity Traded 100 77,002 77,102

No. of Deals 1 4 5

Support and Logistics SERVICES CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC EQTY Board Totals Support and Logistics Support and Logistics Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © SERVICES Totals

Current Price 0.52

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL TRANSCOHOT

SERVICES Totals on Board EQTY Activity Summary

CONSUMER GOODS Totals CONSUMER GOODS Food Products ASeM Board Totals MCNICHOLS PLC Exchange Traded Fund Food Products Totals Equity Activity Totals Name CONSUMER GOODS TotalsETF LOTUS HALAL EQUITY NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN ASeM Board Totals30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Value Traded 147,739.42 15 of 570,604.56 63,856,806.12 2,658,796.61 278,756.10 30,275.41 67,542,978.22

3,256

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.50

Quantity Traded Value Traded 11,246 34,818.62 186,734,200 1,767,704,025.37 Quantity Traded Value Traded 11,246 34,818.62 Page 13 of 15 3,092,516 5,711,501.27

186,734,200

1,767,704,025.37

100

155.00

Quantity Traded 100 100

Value Traded 155.00 155.00

Symbol Daily Summary MCNICHOLS

No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded (ETP) 100 1 155.00 1 1.50 100 155.00 1 100 155.00 3,257 186,734,300 1,767,704,180.37 Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Quantity Traded Value Traded 1 2 100 11 155.00 LOTUSHAL15 10.73 117.23 NEWGOLD 1 2,230.00 50 111,500.00 VETGRIF30 1 14.98 10 149.80 100 1 155.00 4 71 111,767.03

3,257

4 4

186,734,300

Page

1,767,704,180.37 111,767.03 15 14 of

Page

111,767.03

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Young & Next Generation

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Parents urged to build godly foundation for children Stories By Leonard Okachie

orried by the prevalence of moral decadence in the society, parents have been urged to build good foundation for their children based on the teachings of God. Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa made the call on Tuesday at the birthday and thanksgiving ceremony of Mrs. Amaechi Mrakpor, a member representing Aniocha/Oshimili constituency in the Federal House of Representatives. The event which took place at Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta was also used to dedicate King Jesus & I Ministry’s Covenant Alter of Testimony built by Mrakpor. The governor said that instilling in the children the fear of God would make the future generations desist from engaging in actions inimical to the society. He said “as parents, let us learn to build a good foundation for our children, foundation based on the teachings of God, foundation that will last forever. “The only way to build a lasting peace is for our parents to return to God and with that, we build a better future for our family, Delta and for Nigeria.’’ Okowa said building an altar for God was a very good thing, adding that it would position the individuals to serve God. He added that the altar would constantly remind the people of their responsibilities to God and to the people. In his contribution, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, congratulated Mrakpor and urged politicians to make the society a better place by being Godly in their activities. Dogara, who was Special Guest at the occasion, said Nigeria would be a better country if people intensified efforts to pray for the leaders. He said “if Delta is to be exalted, if Nigeria is to be exalted, it will be on account of prayers. If you pray for your governor and national leaders for righteousness to reign in the affairs of the state and the nation, it will reflect on the citizens. “We need proper moral upbringing of our children, this is because these are uncommon times and when we hear of the uncommon happenings, our hearts will begin to fail us. “All we need is prayer and that is why covenant alter like this one is very necessary in the

life of the nation.’’ Arch-Bishop, God-Do-Well Avwomakpa, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said it was necessary to teach children the words of God to discourage them from evil ways. Avwomakpa, who delivered a sermon, said ``if as parents, we do not teach the children, they may not know what angers God.’’ Mrakpor, however, appreciated all who attended the ceremony, saying that the triple celebrations were borne out of the need to celebrate God’s goodness to her, members of her family and her constituency. In a related development, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other related Offences (NAPTIP), has warned parents against engaging their children in various forms of domestic servitude. The agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Orakwe Arinze said in Abuja that such actions constitute violation of the fundamental rights of children. “It is the right of every child to be given quality education and good care,’’ he said, adding that if children must be given out, it should be to relatives who can give them parental care. He explained that using children as domestic servants was one of the antics used by human traffickers to lure their victims into human trafficking. Arinze urged parents to engage their children and wards

Children having fun at the Nationaal Theartre, Lagos.

in constructive activities that would improve their lot. He said that the desire to get rich quick was the reason why some Nigerians easily fall prey to human traffickers. Arinze said: “Nigerians should be watchful about the antics of human traffickers. ``Parents and guardians must ensure that their children and wards do not fall into the hands of traffickers by engaging them in constructive activities.Parents should desist from giving out their children for various forms of domestic servitude. “A lot of traffickers approach parents with the assurance to

assist them train their children or wards to the highest academic level. “In the long run they end up using the children to make money by using them as domestic servants, for prostitution among

others. “If these children must stay under the guidance of people who are not their parents due to economic hardship, it should be with relatives where they can get parental care.’’

NYSC warns against rejection of corps members

ational Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has cautioned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) as well as other organisations against rejecting corps members posted for primary assignment. This is contained in a statement issued by the NYSC’s Director of Press, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, on Tuesday in Abuja. The statement said corps members were posted based on their disciplines and within the limits imposed by the current NYSC posting policy. It said their rejection by organisations had always resulted in some of them roaming the streets in search of places of service. The statement said that such practice was at variance with the ideals of the founding fathers of the scheme and should therefore be discouraged by all

well-meaning Nigerians. It said that employers should take cognisance of corps members’ willingness to answer the clarion call to participate in the national service out of patrio-

tism. It added that they had always looked forward to render services for the progress of their fatherland. According to the statement, all

Corps members cheering during a closing ceremony of orientation course.

stakeholders including employers are requested to always give all corps members the necessary support by accepting them whenever posted for primary assignment.

Young & Next Generation

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

‘Youths are indispensable change agents’ Leonard Okachie

enior lecturer at the Department of African Languages, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Dr. Biodun Ogunwale has described youths as indispensable change agents. Ogunwale, who said at Ede, Osun State, stated that the only way a nation could grow without hindrance was to breed and have productive youths. Development, according to him, is determined by the quality of individuals that constitute a nation, most especially the vibrant segment which is the youths. He maintained: “The youth, who is vibrant, is always in a better position to

make a change. That is where the question of culture and values come to play. “There is no way the young minds will be productive without instilling a clearcut culture and values that will guide them. “A good value system in a cultured environment brings about reliable, productive and patriotic youths who are completely equipped to change their nation for the better. “The dangerous trend in our society today is the erosion of our culture and value system, which is making the future look bleak.’’ He stressed the need for the nation to go back to the drawing board ``to see how we can make the youths to be responsible and make remarkable change as patri-

otic citizens.’’ In the same vein, a human rights activist, Mr. Akinola Saburi, attributed the socio-economic problem in the country to failure on the part of the decisionmakers to carry along the youths. According to him, successive governments in Nigeria did not do enough to empower the youths and give them a sense of belonging that will make them patriotic and nationalistic. Akinola added that the continuous neglect of the youths had made many youths to take solace in different social vices. He, therefore, called for policies that would protect and promote the superior interests of the youths for better tomorrow. Meanwhile, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Ekiti has charged youths to embrace its Community Based Training Scheme. The state Coordinator of the Directorate, Mrs. Adeola Shafaru, gave the charge during the official flag off of the programme in Ilawe-Ekiti.

She said the programme was organised to equip them with specialised skills that would make them marketable, self reliant and be employers of labour. According to her, the beneficiaries will be trained in five various fields, such as bead- making, soap making, campala making, event management and fashion designing. She noted that the beneficiaries would be resettled with starter packs in cash and other material in form of loan after the completion of the training. The NDE boss advised the beneficiaries to pay attention to their master trainers to enable them acquire the best knowledge. In his address, Oba Adebanji Ajibade of Alawe, thanked the management of the directorate for bringing the training programme to his community. He advised the beneficiaries to be devoted, committed and hard working while they engage in the training. The monarch promised to support the directorate for the success of the programme in his town.

Science for Kids

Why is the sky blue? We see a blue sky, because of the way the atmosphere interacts with sunlight. White light, including sunlight, is made up of many different colors of light, each with its own corresponding wavelength. Several different things can happen when this light encounters matter.

Youths at Immigration test in Abuja

Childhood psychological abuse as harmful as sexual, physical abuse –Study

hildren who are emotionally abused and neglected face similar and sometimes worse mental health problems as children who are physically or sexually abused, yet psychological abuse is rarely addressed in prevention programs or in treating victims, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. “Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health and social service training,” said study lead author Joseph Spinazzola, PhD, of The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts. The article appears in a special online issue of the APA journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Researchers used the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set to analyze data from 5,616 youths with lifetime histories of one or more of three types of abuse: psychological maltreatment (emotional abuse or emotional neglect), physical abuse and sexual abuse. The majority (62 percent) had a history of psychological maltreatment, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all

the cases were exclusively psychological maltreatment, which the study defined as care-giver inflicted bullying, terrorizing, coercive control, severe insults, debasement, threats, overwhelming demands, shunning and/or isolation. Children who had been psychologically abused suffered from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, symptoms of posttraumatic stress and suicidality at the same rate and, in some cases, at a greater rate than children who were physically or sexually abused. Among the three types of abuse, psychological maltreatment was most strongly associated with depression, general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, attachment problems and substance abuse. Psychological maltreatment that occurred alongside physical or sexual abuse was associated with significantly more severe and far-ranging negative outcomes than when children were sexually and physically abused and not psychologically abused, the study found. Moreover, sexual and physical abuse had to occur at the same time to have the same effect as psychological abuse alone on behavioral issues at school, attachment problems and self-injurious behaviors, the research found.

“Child protective service case workers may have a harder time recognizing and substantiating emotional neglect and abuse because there are no physical wounds,” said Spinazzola. “Also, psychological abuse isn’t considered a serious social taboo like physical and sexual child abuse. We need public awareness initiatives to help people understand just how harmful psychological maltreatment is for children and adolescents.” Nearly 3 million U.S. children experience some form of maltreatment annually, predominantly by a parent, family member or other adult caregiver, according to the U.S. Children’s Bureau. The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2012 identified psychological maltreatment as “the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect.” For the current study, the sample was 42 percent boys and was 38 percent white; 21 percent African-American; 30 percent Hispanic; 7 percent other; and 4 percent unknown. The data were collected between 2004 and 2010 with the average age of the children at the beginning of the collection between 10 and 12 years. Source: American Psychological Association (APA)

Blue sky

For instance, if sunlight passes through a transparent material, such as water, those light waves will refract, or bend, because light changes speed as it travels from one medium (air) to another (water). Prisms break up white light into its constituent colours, because different wavelengths of light refract at different angles — the colours travel at different speeds — as they pass through the prism. Alternatively, some objects, such as mirrors, reflect light in a single direction. Other objects can cause light to scatter in many directions. The blueness of the sky is the result of a particular type of scattering called Rayleigh scattering, which refers to the selective scattering of light off of particles that are no bigger than one-tenth the wavelength of the light. Importantly, Rayleigh scattering is heavily dependent on the wavelength of light, with lower wavelength light being scattered most. In the lower atmosphere, tiny oxygen and nitrogen molecules scatter short-wavelength light, such blue and violet light, to a far greater degree than than long-wavelength light, such as red and yellow. In fact, the scattering of 400-nanometer light (violet) is 9.4 times greater than the scattering of 700-nm light (red). Though the atmospheric particles scatter violet more than blue (450-nm light), the sky appears blue, because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light and because some of the violet light is absorbed in the upper atmosphere. During sunrise or sunset, the sun’s light has to pass through more of the atmosphere to reach your eyes. Even more of the blue and violet light gets scattered, allowing the reds and yellows to shine through. Source: Livescience

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Media

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Expert calls for robust health, insurance correspondents Stories by LEONARD OKACHIE

anaging Director of one of Nigeria’s foremost insurance companies, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr. Wale Onaolapo has called for a very robust human resource base of health and insurance correspondents in the print and electronic media, who can objectively research, investigate and analyse the sectors critically. He said that this is necessary for the benefits of the general public in terms of investment and other stakeholding opportunities as the case may be. Onaolapo stated this at the 2015 Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) workshop for insurance journalists held at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. The insurance expert noted that the of role of the media in providing constructive intervention in these two critical sectors cannot be undermined in whatever regard, adding that the country is face with issues of governance, health, wealth creation and wealth sustainability all rolled into one, which is development. He said: “The pivotal thrust for this initiative demands that events occurring in both the health and insurance sectors in the country must be reported from the point of view of an informed and unbiased media community and this is where your role as the watchdog in the society comes to play. “The role of the media in every sphere of our human endeavor is very critical, hence, the need to have a very robust worldview of the happenings around your environment and the application of those experiences in your day-to-day reportorial must be supported with adequate training and retraining which in my own view, is the key success factor for anyone that wants to excel in whatever career path that has been chosen. “The question is how prepared is the media in addressing the task set before it particularly as it concerns health and insurance reportage in the country. As an avid insurance practitioner and one with a journalistic background, I have been undoubtedly committed to the promotion of the positive ideals that the insurance industry represents in driving the growth of the Nigerian economy both internally and externally at our organizational level. “It is in my own considered opinion that there are out there, some stakeholders in the health sector that are so passionate just as I am with insurance, about uplifting the standards of our health facilities in meeting up with global standards. Your contributions in bringing into public glare such promoters of these initiatives will go a long way in shaping

Journalists at a training workshop.

the developmental path of the country both now and in the future.” Onaolapo maintained that the theme of the workshop, ‘Widening the pools of Excellence‘ couldn’t have been more apt than this, considering the fact that, there are still some huge skill gaps to be filled if the health and insurance sectors is to transcend beyond what it is at the moment in the country. He reiterated that as change catalysts, a lot is expected from their constituency, saying that he would want to believe that they were well positioned for the assignment ahead. Onaolapo claimed that the insurance industry in Nigeria is capable of generating positive patronage from the insuring public through the activities of the media, adding that same could be said of the

health sector as well with better upgrade in facilities. He insisted that the media is very critical to the promotion of enlightenment, knowledge and sustenance of any identified initiative in the process of nation building, stressing, “The responsibility of the media in this regard is quite phenomenal and must be carried out with astute professionalism which does not happen fortuitously but with constant updating of your knowledge base through fora like this and other training platforms. “I must however commend the efforts of all of you in the reporting of your beats just as I will equally charge you not to relent in helping to build upon the desired growth that both sectors deserve in pushing the frontiers higher.”

The seasoned professional insisted that a lot of research, investigation and balance in reporting is required to enhance the quality of work that is being churned out to the general public in engendering credibility and growth for both the health and insurance sectors in the country. He urged them to acquire more knowledge in enhancing and sharpening their skills so as to make them better writers/ reporters. “We must move away from the level of assumptions to that of informed opinion based on facts and probity. There must be a synergy of ideas at all levels in widening the pools of excellence so that the education and awareness on issues bordering on these sectors can be robust and holistic”, he advised.

NUJ election: Odusile promises better deals for journalists Sekinah L awal

presidential candidate in the forthcoming Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) delegates’ conference/2015 election, Mr. Waheed Odusile, has promised better deals for journalists if elected. Odusile made the promise while speaking with Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Lagos Chapter, during their monthly congress at the weekend. Odusile said Nigerian journalists require constant training and better welfare packages. “There is need to have people who are properly trained. We will set a minimum standard of qualification for members. With this, the issue of quackery will be reduced,’’ he said. Odusile, who is the Managing Editor of the Nation Newspapers, said he would champion a better salary structure for journalists while ensuring that the bill seeking media salary structure in the National Assembly is revisited and passed.

He also promised to establish a radio station to generate additional revenue for the union and serve as a training ground for journalists. Meanwhile, Lagos NAWOJ has condemned non-payment of journalists by some Media Houses and urged the Federal Government to do something about the situation urgently. This appeal was contained in a communiqué signed by Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu and Uche Akwuobi, Chairman and Secretary respectively. NAWOJ also called on the Federal Government to be more alive to its responsibility on the safety and security of the citizenry while enjoining journalists, especially female journalists, to be more professional and responsible in their comments on social media platforms. “We need to be more cautious about our health, especially regarding Ebola, as new cases have re-emerged in neighbouring countries. The body also felicitated with all Muslim members on the holy month of Ramadan urg-

ing them to use the period to also pray for the nation. Lagos NAWOJ unanimously adopted and endorsed Mr. Odusile for President in the forthcoming NUJ elections, tagged ABUJA 2015, at the congress.

NUJ National President, Malam Mohammed Garba

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, July 9, 2015

NAN partners UNESCO to educate Nigerian women

ews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is partnering with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to educate 60, 000 Nigerian women through elearning. UNESCO Programme Specialist on Education, Rokhaya Diawara said this when a delegation from the organisation paid a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of NAN, Mr. Ima Niboro. Diawara said the organisation was set to reach these women using television to broadcast because of its impact on the society. She said that NAN was most appropriate to work with because of its wide reach. Subject areas to be covered are: Basic Science, Mathematics and Computer. According to her, the organisation has employed the services of experts from Dakar, Senegal, to help in the implementation of the programme. She also said that the programme had been implemented in Senegal where it recorded huge success. Niboro, in his response, commended

UNESCO for its giant strides in ensuring education for women in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Represented by the Executive Director of Marketing, NAN, Mr. Isaac Ighure, Niboro said an uneducated person was a liability to the whole world. “It is always good to educate women because of their influence in the society. It is sad to neglect the education of the girl child, so, we should do whatever is to be done now to bring them at par with the boys. I know that with the support of the politicians this mission is achievable,’’ he said. The managing director said the three subjects were good because Nigeria was in a hurry to develop technologically and that the partnership would help Nigeria reach a stage of self reliance. He commended UNESCO for choosing to partner with NAN, saying it had a wider outreach, especially with the introduction of the NAN Television that kicked off recently. He appealed to the organisation to look for a means of reaching the male child in the future

UNESCO signs MoU with NAN in Abuja.

NUJ urges restoration of military checkpoints in Kogi

ogi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari to restore military check points on highways in the state.

This call is contained in statement issued by the council in Lokoja on Tuesday. It said the increasing wave of kidnapping

and armed robbery on major highways in the state had made this inevitable. It stressed that armed robbery on OkeneLokoja, Lokoja-Abuja and Lokoja-Ajaokuta -Ayingba highways had not only become alarming but worrisome. It cited the death of 12 persons in an accident that occurred on July 6 on Okene-Lokoja road due to a barricade mounted by armed

robbers as an example. According to the statement signed by the Secretary of the council, Mr. Momoh Jimoh, kidnapping and armed robbery reached a worrisome level shortly after the withdrawal of the military check points. “The impunity with which armed robbers operate on the roads show that the police alone cannot effectively provide security on

the highways. ``We, therefore, call on Mr. President to urgently restore the military check points to enable the populace to sleep with their two eyes closed”, the statement said. It also urged police in the state to redouble their efforts in preventing crime, saying that checking of vehicle particulars should not be their main pre-occupation now.

Media Abroad

Turkey restricts Facebook in 3 Mexican journalists schools –Report assassinated in week

edia rights groups are calling on Mexican authorities to thoroughly investigate the recent murders of three journalists in one week in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz and Guanajuato.

urkey has restricted students from posting pictures and opinions about school life on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, local media said on Thursday. The changes, put forward by the Education Ministry, took effect after being published in the Official Gazette on 1 July, Dogan news agency said. Students have been barred from sharing pictures and footage from inside the school without the consent of their teacher, and prohibited from insulting classmates or staff. Violators will face disciplinary action including possible expulsion. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been repeatedly criticised over curbs on social media. Turkey’s parliament in April approved legislation to tighten control over the Internet by allowing the government to block websites without prior judicial authorisation. The government blocked Twitter and YouTube in March 2014 after they were used to spread a torrent of audio recordings implicating Erdogan -- then premier

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey

-- and his inner circle in an alleged corruption scandal. AKP, which has also been accused of Islamising the education system, lost its overall majority for the first time in 13 years in a parliamentary election on 7 June.

“We are appalled by all these murders of journalists in Mexico,” said Lucie Morillon, Reporters Without Borders program director. “Three deaths in a week — when will the violence stop?” Morillon called on authorities in the three states “to ensure that impartial, independent and thorough investigations are carried out and that those responsible for these despicable crimes are arrested.” On Thursday, journalist Filadelfo Sanchez Sarmiento was gunned down by two men as he was leaving radio station La Favorita in Maiahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz in southern Oaxaca state. Reporters Without Borders said Sanchez Sarmiento had received death threats. “Mexican authorities must thoroughly investigate this killing and establish a motive, including any possible connection of journalism and bring those responsible to justice,” said Carlos Lauria, Committee to Protect Journalists senior Americas program coordinator. “This crime must not become one of the dozens of unsolved journalist murders in Mexico, which has one of the worst impunity rates in the

world,” Lauria said. Elsewhere Thursday, Reporters Without Borders says the body of Juan Mendoza Delgado, a local news website editor in Medellin de Bravo, in the eastern state of Veracruz, was found in a morgue, a day after he was reported missing. The media group says Mendoza Delgado was reported to have been run over by a car. Days before Mendoza Delgado’s death, Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte had warned journalists to “behave themselves” and had accused them of being linked to organized crime. In the central state of Guanajuato on June 26, the body of Gerardo Nieto Alvarez, the editor of El Tabano, a local newspaper was found in Comonfort with a neck wound. Reporters Without Borders reports the prosecutor in charge of investigating Nieto Alvarez’s death immediately ruled out any possibility of a link with his journalism. However, the journalist’s family told the rights group that they are convinced he was killed because of his work. Nieto Alvarez’s son told the media rights group, “My father’s laptop has disappeared. It contained all the information he was going to publish. The prosecutor has not said anything about that.” Three other journalists have been killed so far this year in Mexico. Source: Reporters Without Borders

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

B Shoppers’ S

Guide

omen in Iru, LCDA, Victoria Island, Lagos can now enjoy quality maternal health care following Philip Healthcare, West Africa’s transformation of Oniyanrin Primary Healthcare Centre PHC. The PHC is the largest amongst three primary healthcare centres in the district; Oniru PHC and TakwaBay Island PHC. Broad Street Diary, BSD, can authoritatively report that the mother and child care facilities of the PHC now wears an ultra-modern look. The refurbishment includes an ultra-mobile ultrasound equipment, beautification of streets and PHC surroundings, health workers training, Free health screening, toilets, donation of furniture such as tables, chairs, beds, and cabinet. In addition, the donor, Philips, has been taken care of the problem of frequent power outage with the installation of an innovative solar powered lighting system which will now provide save and un-

Broad Street Diary

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Philip donates multi-million naira equipment to Oniyanrin PHC interrupted power to the PHC and surrounding environment. The facilities in the labour, paediatric and newborn wards have also been redesigned to support the well-being and save delivery of expectant mothers and their new born babies. The health centre, located in Iru LCDA, Victoria Island, Lagos, has a very high patient in-flow with an average of 3000-4000 out patients per month, as well as 30-40 follow up appointments per week. In fact, the PHC records an average of 20 births per month. Commenting on the refurbished centre, the Medical Officer Public Health and Primary Health Centre Department, Dr. Wale Akeredolu, said the project will have a very big impact on the district. “Community healthcare centres are generally underfunded and sparsely equipped with technology. Our healthcare is not different in this regard, and in particular, our mother and child care facilities have been under enor-

A typical hospital room mous pressure in recent years. We are delighted to collaborate with Philips as this project will breathe new life into our healthcare centre centre and enable us to improve care for our patients”, he said. Speaking at the inauguration of the refurbished

facilities, General Manager, Philips Healthcare, West Africa, Robin Armstrong, explains that the project formed part of Philips’ annual Pan-African Cape Town to Cairo road show that kicked off on 11th May 2015, in Cape Town. He said Nige-

ria is the fourth stop on a journey covering 12,000 kilometres across 11 cities and eight countries over a period of four and half months. “This project will hopefully ease the burden for the healthcare workers in the district, and in time

save many lives. Most expectant mothers visiting this facility can now have access to care which will help to keep them and their babies healthy”, he added.

–Franka Osakwe

Ramadan: Traders lament low patronage

s the month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar continues when faithful of the Islamic religion observe the compulsory 30 days fasting, Broad Street Diary, BSD, was

in the major markets on Broad Street, Lagos to know the effects of the Ramadan on trading. Many of the traders who spoke with BSD lamented that sales has been very low since the

Fruits sellers at Balogun market

fasting began 22 days ago. A trader at the popular Apogbon market who sells wine, Mrs. Iyabo Abdul, told BSD that sales has been very low due to the fasting, add-

ing that this time of the year was always like that for them, as many people that are supposed to buy wine always stay away from alcohol during Ramadan. But she however, said

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

that sales had been low before Ramadan. Another trader, Mrs Chinyere Obi said that the low sale cannot be fully attributed to the Ramadan fasting. “We can’t really say is the Ramadan fasting, because we have been having low patronage prior to this time. “That’s why we are saying government should do something fast concerning the economy because business owners are at the receiving end.” For Mr. Ibrahim Opeoluwa, many things could be said to have caused low sales, but the major cause of the low sales at this period can be attributed to the Ramadan fast. Opeoluwa, who deals in shoes and leather at the Mandilas Stores, said the price of goods had gone up which made people not wanting to come to the market, “Ramadan is just one of the factors. But the situation was not the same at Moshalashi Jimoh

where traders sell Muslim clothes and accessories. One of the traders at the market, Alhaja Fatimo Adetunji, said sales have gone up since Ramadan started. “Our sales have gone up because this is the time people buy clothes like Jalamia, rosary, Holy Quran and veils among others.” However, Mrs. Janet Josephine, who sells beverages and other items, told BSD that unlike last year when sales improved due to Ramadan, this year was different, as people are not really coming out to shop. “Our sales usually goes up at this time of the year, because people usually gives out beverages and other items as gifts to Muslims during the Ramadan, but this year was different, may be due to the country’s economy that is not really in shape at the moment,” she explained.

-Saidat Alausa

Broad Street Diary

Flood on Broad Street

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

‘We are apprehensive of rainy season’ T

he rain season is here, but traders at Balogun, Apongbon, and Broad Street, Lagos are worried that this would be a very difficult period for businesses as the rain would disturb both sellers and shoppers. Apart from drenching would-be shoppers and traders the rain season is always accompanied by flood which hampers movement in and out of the market as people always find it difficult to wade through the flooded streets and market. The season is also accompanied by traffic jam on major roads within the state while vehicles on inter-state roads are prone to accident due to the slippery nature of the roads, thereby restricting movement in and out of the market. Street traders in particular said they were the most hit by the raining season as to them ‘’it means no more sales until the rain is over.’’ Many of the street traders and hawkers that spoke with Broad Street Diary BSD said they wish the rain season will not come. Sanni, a street trader who deals in electronic items on Broad Street told BSD that any time it rains; street traders and hawkers will have to cover or pack their wares until the rain stops. “Once it starts raining, we have to stop selling until the rain stops. We have to cover our wares with nylon and wait for the rain to stop, if it doesn’t stop on time, then we pack our wares and close for the day,” Sanni said. But the street hawkers are not the only ones that distaste the rain season, shops owners say business also

gets dull when it rains. A shop owner who sells clothes on Broad Street, Mr. John told BSD that rain prevents customers from coming into the market as much as they should. “If it rains, sales are dull, as movement is restricted, so customers do not come as they should. But rain is a good thing and one cannot wish it away,” he said. Another trader, Mrs. Kate, who sells

fabrics says rain do not really affect her market except that it makes her shop crowded. “Some people who come in to shop will not leave after doing their shopping because it is raining. Others will come in to get shelter and pretended to be interested in the market,” she said. But despite the challenges posed by the rain season, traders said they are happy to be doing business at Broad

Street. “I have been selling wares at Broad Street for four years now and I have been able to make money to take care of my children. The business district is peaceful except for the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Task Force with their occasional disturbances,” says Amaka, a street trader who hawk foot wares and other leather materials.

–Franka Osakwe

Broad Street and its transformation A s the saying goes, change is the constant thing in life. The same can be said of the transformation of the Lagos Business District which comprises the Broad Street, Balogun, Marina, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Idumota among others which has witnessed a massive transformation in the past 65 years. This was attested to by some of those who have seen it all, or witnessed part of its development. Speaking to a resident recently on how far the business district has transformed, Mrs Folashade Carew was full of fun, as she reminiscence of what it was in the fifties and what it is now. Carew who told BSD that she had her education and got married on the Lagos Island was full of life at sixty when Broad Street Diary visited her in her home as she took our reporter down the memory lane. She told Broad Street Diary that security on the Island especially on Cole Street where she was born and grew up and Oke Olowogbowo Street where she lived after her marriage was very tight in those days. ‘’Yes, then when I and my age mates were

growing up, we can easily sign out strange faces around and whenever there is incident of stealing or robbery which are very rare, it was easier to bring out those behind it, she said. Carew said the influx of people from different places and different cultures were responsible for turning the once relatively peaceful atmosphere in Lagos Island to what it is today, where people steal, commits several atrocities and still get away with it ‘’it was not like that in the past.’’ She added that education on the Island was in proper shape when she was growing up as people outside Lagos Island bring their children here. Some of the best schools around then according to her were Olowogbowo Primary School, Ansarudeen, St Joseph, Almaddiyah among others. ‘’Education at that time was very good on the Island, if you see anyone that grew up here then, you can hear them speak good English, not like nowadays that many of the indigenes who are young are not ready to go to school, she disclosed. On the markets on the Island, Madam Carew said, Oke -Arin was the most popu-

lar market then, as traders do business four times a week in the market. “Oke-Arin was the most popular market then, as a trader, I was able to send my children to private school and live comfortably with my family.” But now, she said things have changed the prices for shop rent is on the high side and turnover from sales is very low. “That was why I left the shop I was using and now do my trading at home.’’ Recount with smiles on her face, she said that as a child, she was able to play with her age mates at the different recreation centres around. “But it is sad that those recreation centres have now turned to commercial areas and children growing up now on the Island don’t have such opportunity anymore. Carew called on the government especially the Lagos Island Local Government to do something by looking into the area of recreational facilities, she added that children around needs recreation centres where they can play, have fun and develop their talents, especially during festive period.

–Saidat Alausa

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South South

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Oshiomhole advocates stiffer punishment for rape Sebastine Ebhuomhan BENIN

overnor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has advocated stiffer penalties for rape, pedophilia and other forms of child abuses in order to serve as appropriate deterrence. The governor also urged the people of the state to stop giving alms to child-beggars so as to discourage the antisocial trend of using children as beggars. Speaking with the members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, in Edo State, whose chairman, Mrs. Stella Ojemen, led the organisation on a courtesy visit on Tuesday at the Government House in Benin City, Oshiomhole said: “Edo State government appreciates that you are addressing some of the challenges that government ought to have addressed like ensuring that we all mount campaigns against rape and defilement as well as ensure that when people have carried out these heinous crimes, they are properly arrested and diligently prosecuted with a view to sending them to prison. “We have discussed this, time and again, at our executive council meetings and at a point, we asked the attorney-general to review the laws such that the number

of years a convict gets will be commensurate with the severe nature of rape and defilement.” The Governor continued: “We are concerned. We have a feeling that the number of reported cases are on the increase. We also know that because of the nature of our environment, there will be several others that may not even be reported at all. “When you look at the sheer number of rape cases that are recorded, it is clear that across the country, both rape and defilement cases are increasing and therefore call for tougher measures on the part of those strengthening the law to provide for stiffer and harsher punishments than what currently obtains; they should also ensure that the few cases reported are properly prosecuted with a view to securing conviction. “Consistent with our commitment in this area, I would advise that whenever you have such cases, when you are likely to have much more information than even the Ministry of Justice or police, and there might be cases where efforts are made to cover up cases reported in some quarters, you are an NGO and might wish to open up such cases. So, I will advise you to liaise effectively with the attorney-general and also encourage the local government chapters to ensure that all cases are reported.”

Era of intimidation, oppression by PDP over in Bayelsa —APC leader Osahon Julius YENAGOA

A candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the March 28 Bayelsa Central Senatorial District election, Preye Aganaba, has posited that the era of intimidation and oppression of critics and members of the opposition in the state by the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is over. He said the APC is ready to liberate the state from 16 years of misrule. Aganaba said he has resolved to support the APC in the quest to restore good governance and ‘change’ in the state by 2016. The APC flag bearer in the National Assembly election, who disclosed this during a ‘thank you’ and sensi-

tisation tour of 16 wards in Kolokuma-Opokuma and Yenagoa local government areas of Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, called on the national leadership of the APC to support the oppressed people of Bayelsa State and strengthen grassroots political structures of the party in the state. According to Aganaba, the wards and local government structures of a political party such as the APC would play a vital role in winning popular support and mandate. “Let me call on the APC ward executives to wake up to the realisation that they are now grassroots leaders of Nigeria’s new governing party and should start reflecting that knowledge in the handling of their various posts.

Commander, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in Adamawa, Muhammad Abdu (left); and Deputy Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Adamawa Command, Nehemiah Dashwep (right), decorating Assistant Commander of NSCDC, Bamaiyi Kurpwa, with his new rank in Yola... yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Aviation union flays detention of members Olusegun Koiki

eading union in the Nigerian aviation industry, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, has demanded unconditional release of its members detained by the Department of State Security Services, DSS, on the order of the Akwa Ibom State government. The union alleged that the members were wrongly arrested by the DSS for belonging to the union and kicking against unprofessional conducts of the airport manager. Therefore, ATSSSAN,

in a petition to the director-general, DSS, demanded immediate release of its members. The petition dated July 7, 2015 and signed by the general-secretary of ATSSSAN, Comrade Captain Tarnongu, stated that the union expects the DG, DSS to use his good office to redress the injustice meted out to its members by the state government. The petition emphasised that under a democratic society, the rule of impunity is strongly frowned at, noting that the crisis between its members and the Akwa Ibom Airport Develop-

ment Company Limited, ADCL, began when they embarked on a strike to express their grievances over the management’s high handedness and mismanagement of the airport. The union also decried the fact that its members were arrested for protesting unpaid wages and allowances and the desperate transfer of 150 specially trained staffers to ministries and departments outside the airport. The petition maintained that the management of ADCL had been displaying unparalleled anti-union attitudes, add-

ing that the Resource Administrator in ADCL, Barrister Idara Etim, in a memo directed the workers not to join any unions of their choice. But, the union insisted that there was right to freedom of association in the country’s constitution and therefore, workers were free to belong to unions. The petition also alleged that the state government plans to spend $34 million to train workers to replace those redeployed to ministries, saying it was a grand scheme to corruptly mismanage the state’s tax payers’ money.

MOSOP suspends 4 officials for misconduct Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

ovement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, said it has suspended four of its members over alleged misconduct. The umbrella body of the Ogoni people in Rivers State, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday said the suspension was ratified during its steering committee meeting on Tuesday. The statement which was signed by Mr. Bariara Kpalap, spokesman of MOSOP, said the committee received and adopted report of its disciplin-

ary committee headed by HRH Mene Suanu Baridam. The statement reads: “The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, at its steering committee meeting held in Port Harcourt yesterday, received and adopted the report of its disciplinary committee headed by HRH Mene Suanu Baridam. “It as well accepted the recommendations of the committee with some amendments. “Consequently, the apex decision-making organ of MOSOP indefinitely suspended Messrs. Nenniibarini Dube (Secretary-General), Mr. Elvis

Ikomah (Assistant Secretary-General) and Mr. Legborsi Esaen (Publicity Secretary) who were found guilty of gross official misconduct. “The steering committee however reduced the suspension of the Federation of Ogoni Women’s Associations,’ FOWA’s president, Mrs. Rose Zoranen-Michael, to three months for having shown some remorse. “In view of the vacuum created by the suspension and the importance of those offices to the effective administration of the movement, the steering committee resolved and appointed Mr. Michael Porole as

Acting Secretary-General between now and the next steering committee meeting when he would be replaced. Similarly, Hon. (Pastor) Chris Asigbor was appointed Acting Publicity Secretary of the organisation. “MOSOP has therefore called on the Ogoni people and the general public to note the developments aforesaid and suspend dealings with them as officials of the umbrella Ogoni body or transact any business with them on behalf of MOSOP. “We warn that whoever relates with them as indicated above, does so at his or her peril,” the statement said.

North

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Salary deduction masterminded by opponents of new govt –Niger APC PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

he All Progressives Congress, APC, Niger State has condemned the recent deduction in the salaries of civil servants’ June salaries, saying the action was master-minded by the opponents of the APC government in the state. Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement yesterday in Minna, claimed that the act was meant to paint the APC government in bad light before the civil servants by the Consultant on Ghost Workers engaged by the immediate PDP government. “We are aware of one MARAVIER group engaged by the previous government to detect ghost workers, the firm was engaged for only six months, but they have served for years and now they want to frustrate the APC government in connivance with some unscrupulous elements” the statement said. Vatsa in the statement

said the claim that the deduction was as a result of a technical error, was a shallow explanation that further expose the ulterior motives behind the act. The party therefore, urged the government not to waive the act aside in order that impetus are not laid for the adversaries of the government to master-mind their plan to frustrate the implementation of the good programmes and change designed for the good people of Niger State. “Realising that those dubious people who do not want Niger State to work, are still around, we in APC will continue to mobilise support for the government and therefore encourage the government to thoroughly investigate the incident and brought those involved toface the wrath of the law.” It then called on the government to immediately disengage the service of the firm from further carrying out their dubious acts of denying civil servants of their rights.

Masari laments dearth of English, Mathematics teachers …seeks TETFund’s funding of states’ tertiary institutions MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

atsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has lamented the dearth of English and Mathematics teachers in the state. This is even as the governor said the state was in acute shortage of teachers in both its primary and secondary schools. Masari stated this when he paid a visit to the management of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TEFFund, in Abuja, Tuesday evening. He said the state, once prided as pace setter in education in the northern part of the country, had lost the glory. He urged TETFund

to help the state with funding its tertiary institutions, while his government focuses on revamping primary and secondary schools. His words: “In Katsina, we have a College of Education that has existed for 20 years. And in Katsina, we have no English or Mathematic teachers. Today, one of the biggest problems we are facing is the issue of English and Mathematics teachers. “And, you know, without English and Mathematics, you can’t go anywhere. That is the truth. This is one of our major challenges.We hope TETFund will focus more on our College of Education so that we produce teachers that will teach at the foundation level.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ECA probe: Arewa group demands neutral panel JOEL AJAYI ABUJA

group, Voice of Arewa Youth, VAY, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari, to constitute a neutral body to probe alleged claim that the NNPC withheld N3.8 trillion of the N8.1trillion generated from oil receipt and $2.1 billion said to have been unilaterally withdrawn by the Goodluck Jonathanled administration. The group also noted that the four-man committee set up to unravel the issue is made up of parties in the matter and may be biased. Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, leader of the group, Mallam Bello Khalifa,

stressed that as desirable as the probe is, considering the deficit of development in the country, the composition of the probe panel was faulty, maintaining that an interested party in a matter cannot be an unbiased umpire. He explained that prior to the committee, some of its members had openly accused persons in the former administration particularly the former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozie Okonjo-Iweala of not been prudent in the handling of the nation’s finances. According to him, as laudable as this move is, considering the deficit of development in the country, our fear is that the exercise if not properly handled might not yield

the expected result. “This is evidenced in the suspicion that exists between the members of the present executives and the previous one. While the present administration accuses the former of lack of prudence in the management of the nation’s resources, the previous administration sees the incumbent as speaking as an opposition and advises it to put on the toga of a government. “As trivial as these varying views may seem, one thing is clear, both parties are suspicious of each other. Besides, some of the governors were part of the previous administration and kept mute over these issues only to cry foul when the previous govern-

ment lost re-election. “We have observed that while the steps taken by President Buhari to seek answers to contentious issues bothering on NNPC remittances of funds to the nation’s treasury and the Excess Crude Account, ECA, caution must be taken not to turn the exercise into a political witchhunting, but rather, seek a perceived neutral organ of government to properly investigate the gray issues for the overall interest of all Nigerians.” The group further appealed to the president to steer clear of issues that could portray him as not keeping to his words when he declared that his government will not witchhunt members of the past government.

Muslim women during Ramadan Tafsir at Masalanchin Tsofon Makabarta Fadaman Madah in Bauchi, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Plateau council chairmen to challenge dissolution in court JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

ouncil chairmen and other officials in the 17 local government areas of Plateau State who were sacked recently by Governor Simon Lalong, have cleared the air on their stand over the matter, stating that they have resolved to challenge their dissolution in court until justice is done Making their position known yesterday during a press conference in Jos, the Plateau State capital, the ex-council bosses and their supporters who were visibly shocked by the fate that befell them, wondered why the governor would

turn round to dissolve the councils despite his several assurances that he would not do so. They maintained that the issue was more worrisome even when nothing incriminating had been established against them. Chairman of Associatıon Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, in the state who is also the chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Mr Emmanuel Loman who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, stressed that they do not believe that Governor Simon Lalong, has the right to dissolve a democratically elected council officials in the state when their constitutionally al-

lowed three-year tenure had not expired They therefore, faulted the decision of the governor on the matter, saying that his action cannot be justified under Section 25,sub-sectıon 1 (a) to (f) of the Local Government Law of 2007 which spells out conditions upon which elected council officials could be ousted. He pointed out that the law stipulates that such conditions include; “war, imminent danger, breakdown of public order and safety, occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity or public danger which clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of the state,” maintaining that

none of the requirements have been met in any of the LGAs in the state let alone, all the 17 LGAs to warrant their dissolution. The chairman expressed regrets that since the Supreme Court frowns at any act of executive recklessness, the governor ought to have been guided by the unambiguous pronouncement of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the case of ONUEBBO and ORS vs Attorney General of Imo State which declared that the frequent dissolution of local government councils and appointment of caretaker council chairmen by state governors is not only illegal, but highly undemocratic.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Thursday, July 9, 2015

NASS crises: Our grand design to bounce back –PDP WILLIAMS ATTAH GOMBE

Men at internally displaced persons camp in Durumi, Carrying bags of rice given to them by NEMA Zonal Coordinator, Abuja Zonal Office, Mr. Ishaya Chonoko in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Terrorism: Kaigama calls for extra vigilance J USTIN TYOPUUSU JALINGO

ollowing renewed insurgency attacks in parts of the north, President of Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria and Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, yesterday called on Nigerians to be extra vigilant to prevent further attacks. Kaigama made the call while fielding questions from journalists shortly after he had a peace meeting with the Aku Uka of Wukari, Dr. Shekarau Angyu, the Massa Ibi at his palace in Wukari, Taraba State. The cleric was accompanied on the peace

meeting by Secretary of the Catholic Bishop Conference and Bishop of Gboko Diocese, William Amove Avenya, Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, Charles Hammawa, Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese, Peter Adobo and the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe. Kaigama, who commended the efforts of the federal government in the fight against terrorism, urged Nigerians to be extra cautious and alert to happenings around them, even as he called on security officers to step up intelligence gathering. “The federal government is working hard to ensure peace in the

country. But this is a collective fight. There is a tactical move by the President to ensure that peace returns, but these attacks are guerrilla kinds of attacks. “There are not attacks by identifiable persons. Women are now suicide bombers, wrapping bombs in their clothes. People ride on motorcycles and throw bombs and many other unusual tactics. This is a difficult war to fight and it calls for collective effort and vigilance to win the war,” he said. Earlier, Bishop Charles Hammawa of Jalingo Diocese told the Aku Uka that they were in his palace to sue for a peaceful relationship be-

tween him and his counterpart in Benue - the Tor Tiv, for permanent peace to reign in their domains. He charged the traditional ruler and people of Taraba and Benue to remember their good old days and embrace peace for development to thrive. Responding, the Aku Uka thanked the Catholic bishops for their visit, but blamed the religious, traditional and elite class for the problems of the country because of their lack of insincerity. He assured the bishops that the problem between Jukun and Tiv was long over and that the groups were not anticipating any crisis between them again.

Katsina Assembly set to dissolve LGs JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

atsina State House of Assembly is poised to sack the 34 elected chairmen and 361 councillors in the state’s local government areas. This is even as the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state has continued to kick against the plan to dissolve the council areas. It would be recalled that the state government and entire House of Assembly members were elected on the platform of the All Progres-

sive Congress, APC. The PDP had alleged that probe of the immediate past administration led by Ibrahim Shema by the current government was aimed at witch-hunting the party and its members. But the state Assembly yesterday accepted recommendation of a committee that was set up by the state government for the council areas to be dissolved. The committee had been set up to investigate allegation of diversion of N7.5 billion from the councils’ accounts to an account belonging

to the state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON. Chairman of the committee, Bello Abdu Danmusa, who presented the recommendation to the House, said same was in line with section 81A (b) of the Local Government Law as amended. Danmusa said the committee had also recommended that necessary steps be taken to abolish the Joint Local Government Account in the state. He said the committee had observed that the N7.5 billion was illegal-

ly diverted through the connivance of the councils’ chairmen. He said all the 34 council chairmen and staff of the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs had appeared before the committee and confirmed the diversion of the funds.

Gov Masari

ormer Deputy National Chairman of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and chairman of the party’s Post Election Review Committee for the North-East and NorthWest, Shuaib Oyedokun, has described the crises in the National Assembly as one of their grand designs of coming back strong. He told journalists in Gombe during their sitting for the North-East zone that old PDP members in the National Assembly were teaching lawmakers the art of playing politics. According to him, “Our older elements (PDP members) who were there before, are now with them and teaching them how to do it. Look at how it happened; it’s a game of wits and that shows experience.” He added however: “It appears President Muhammadu Buhari will remain the beneficiary if he remains neutral, because there will be people who will run his programmes. While we are teaching the APC how to do it, we are also improving because when you teach, you read more to be able to impart knowledge.” He attributed the party’s failure to complacence and carelessness, saying “We were not careful enough. We couldn’t manage our success and were complacent. This failure

has taught us a lot and this exercise is an innovation.” He said PDP is not dead and that the exercise is aimed at shaping the party for future success, adding: “What happened before is that we allowed too many of our people to go on secondment to other parties. Some are just on Hijra (refugees), some went to Umra (lesser hajj), and when you go, you are bound to come back due to circumstances beyond your control. “I am from South-West; all my people who are in APC had always been swimming in streams, they had never been exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. Now they are in the Atlantic Ocean and are almost drowning, our older elements who were there before, are now with them, teaching them how to do it. Look at how it happened; it’s a game of wits and that shows experience.” He also warned that the entire process in the National Assembly must not be tampered with by external factors. “The whole process had been democratic, the party is just a ladder for you to climb and be there, you are already in a house that is semiindependent, they have rules that guide them and they have to follow their rules. Any external factor coming to scuttle that rule is undemocratic. If they make any move against what is being operational now, then they are killing democracy, so they better be warned.”

Nasarawa to build two parks for articulated vehicles IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

asarawa State government said it acquired 40 hectares of land for the construction of two articulated vehicle parks in Lafia, the state capital. Governor Umaru AlMakura disclosed this when on inspection visit to one of the proposed parks at Duduguru Junction, along Markudi road in Lafia. Al-Makura explained that the two proposed parks, which have 20 hectares of land allotted to each, are located in Duduguru along Makurdi road, and the oth-

er in Shabu, few kilometers away from Lafia city center. He said while the articulated park in Duduguru is designed to accommodate heavy duty vehicles parked at Akunza roundabout and other areas along the Makurdi road, that of Shabu is to stop the indiscriminate parking by such vehicles along the Lafia-Jos road. He said the essence of the parks is to curtail indiscriminate parking by trailers on the high way, adding that after completion of the parks, the state government will impose stringent measures against indiscriminate parking along highways in the state capital.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

World News Let’s not be afraid of the gun lobby, which does not even represent the majority of gun owners in America. –US DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL, HILLARY CLINTON

Afolabi Gambari

WITH AGENCY REPORT

ormer rebels who backed Cote d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara are among 20 people charged with war crimes committed during post-election violence in 20102011, judicial sources in Abidjan said yesterday. Some of them, including two senior commanders, are now in the military. Until now, only those who supported the previous government have faced justice, prompting criticism from activists. More than 3, 000 people died after former leader Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat Both sides were accused of atrocities in the bloody clashes that followed the disputed polls. Gbagbo is awaiting trial at the

Post-election violence: CIV moves against former rebels

Ouattara

International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against

Tunisian wall to combat terror

unisia government yesterday announced plans to build a wall along its border with Libya to counter the threat from jihadist militants. Prime Minister, Habib Essid, said the wall would stretch 160km (100 miles) inland from

to 20 years in jail in Cote d’Ivoire for her role in the violence. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said it welcomed news of the indictments, which would help to rebalance legal proceedings related to the post-election violence. “All of them have been charged in proceedings concerning the most serious crimes committed during the crisis,” a judicial source said, confirming an earlier report about the charges. Presidential elections are due to be held in October, with Ouattara considered a clear favourite.

the coast, and be completed by the end of 2015. The gunman who killed 38 people in an attack on a beach resort is believed to have received training in Libya. Tunisia declared a state of emergency following the attack last month.

humanity, which he denies. Earlier this year, his wife, Simone Gbagbo, was sentenced

more than 1, 400 armed officers at hotels and beaches. Last week, Mr Essid said the gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, had probably trained with the Ansar al-Sharia group in Libya, though Islamic State (IS) earlier said it was behind the attack.

Essid said the Tunisian army would build the wall, which would have surveillance centres at certain points along it. Authorities had already tightened security following the Sousse attack, in which 30 Britons were killed, deploying

RCCG FOUNTAIN OF BLESSING WOMEN CONVENTION

PHOTO: ADELE ADEMOLA

WORLD BULLETIN

Debt latest: Greece pledges ‘credible reforms’ Greece Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, has promised his government will submit what he calls credible reform proposals to its creditors today. Tsipras spoke yesterday during a fractious debate on the Greek debt crisis in the European Parliament. Greece is desperate for a third bailout to avoid bankruptcy and possibly crashing out of the euro currency. Meanwhile, the Greek government has insisted that there is no threat to food and fuel supplies. In a statement, the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructures, Maritime Affairs and Tourism reassured both the Greek citizens and the visitors of adequate food supplies in the market amidst stable prices.

Russia frowns at ‘genocide’ tag Russia yesterday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have described the Srebrenica massacre as “genocide”. Four other members of the council abstained while the remainder voted in favour. The killing of some 8, 000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 by Bosnian Serb troops was the worst massacre in Europe since World War Two. The motion had angered Serbia, which rejects the term. It had been drafted to mark the 20th anniversary of the atrocity, which came amid the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia into independent states. During the Bosnian War, which saw Serbia-backed Bosnian Serb forces fighting the Muslim-led Bosnian government, thousands seeking shelter at what was supposed to be a UN refuge were slaughtered.

Uber taxi sparks SA row In recent weeks, drivers of Uber, the app-based taxi firm, have been at the receiving end of the wrath of Johannesburg’s notoriously tough traditional metered taxi drivers. Taxi drivers in South Africa have had a fierce reputation dating back to the days of apartheid and have often resorted to violence to protect their routes. The dispute with Uber drivers began a week ago but tension has been simmering for months. In the posh business area of Sandton, a passenger was pulled out of an Uber car a week ago and the driver was threatened with whips and batons. The meter taxi drivers say they are angry with Uber for taking their customers, and making business difficult for them.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Thursday September 4, 2014

I think we are good to go this time. So, it’s onward Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations until we get there

Everest Onyewuchi and joel ajayi

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday confirmed that it is in talks with former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, to coach the team, following last weekend’s sacking of Stephen Keshi. In a statement, the NFF said its president, Amaju Pinnick, had met with the former FC Cologne and Juventus central defender in London on Tuesday, adding that Oliseh would assume the position with a Foreign Technical Assistant, whose job description would centre on development programmes, especially working with clubs’ youth teams and certified academies toward developing the game from the grassroots. Current stand-in Coach, Salisu Yusuf, will also be in the new team, but with greater devotion to the home-based team, otherwise known as Super Eagles B, and will be the interface between the technical crew and the home boys. The NFF said once contract talks are finalised, Oliseh, on assumption of duty, will be expected to come up with a five-year developmental plan to fashion a unique playing and coaching philosophy for all the national teams, and will for this purpose, interface regularly with coaches of those teams. “An offer has been made, and there is understanding, but we have to work out the final details

of the agreement in a few days. Of course, the Executive Board has to give approval for his appointment based on the final terms to be agreed,” Felix Anyansi-Agwu, chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, was quoted in the statement. “We are also looking at how he will periodically organise clinics and seminars for coaches of Clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League, probably once in a month, so as to strengthen the playing philosophy across board. A robust youth development programme, elite player development strategy and performance programmes to drive higher standards, among other core sustainable development programmes, are also part of the proposal,” Anyansi-Agwu added. Pinnick said, “Sunday Oliseh has vast experience and immense knowledge of the game, and will certainly add value to what we are doing. He has bought into our vision and objectives towards the development of Nigeria football. He will command the respect of the players and we trust he has the temperament to work harmoniously with the Technical and Development Committee, the Technical Directorate and the Technical Study Group. “On our part at the NFF, we will give him all the support to succeed as we have been giving to all our coaches. Subject to the approval of the NFF Executive Committee, we will conclude negotiations by weekend and he will be unveiled next week.”

Sport

h e s i Ollhave foreign …to be unveiled next week

Federer cruises to semis, meets Murray

–Morocco defender, Mehdi Benatia

wil F F N – t n a assist

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday Oliseh (left) and NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, at the Marriott Hotel, London on Tuesday

Emenike set to replace Gyan at Al Ain

igeria’s Emmanuel Emenike is set for a loan move to Al Ain in the UAE to replace Ghana striker, Asamoah Gyan, who is moving to Chi-

na.

Oliseh, 40, is presently a FIFA instructor, and runs a consultancy that trains and assesses coaches worldwide. He is also member of FIFA Technical Study Group. He was in the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 1994, and played in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup final competitions, with the Super Eagles reaching the Round of 16 in both. He was also in the Nigeria U-23 side that won Africa’s first Olympic football gold in Atlanta 19 years ago. Oliseh played for Reggiana, FC Cologne, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, VFL Bochum and RC Genk in an illustrious professional career, during which he played under some of the best coaches in the world. He won 63 caps for Nigeria between 1993 and 2002, picking up Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze medals. Oliseh holds a UEFA Pro License, and coached Belgian lower division club, Vervietois between 2008 and 2009.

BBC Sport reported yesterday that Al Ain have accepted an offer for Gyan from Shanghai SIPG, who are coached by ex-England boss, Sven-Goran Eriksson. The 29-year-old arrived in China on Wednesday to undergo a medical and finalise a contract with Shanghai SIPG. Emenike is due to arrive in the UAE today to complete a season-long loan from Turkish side, Fenerbahce. The deal will include an option for Al Ain to buy Emenike at the end of the loan. The 28-year-old, who only scored four league goals in 27 matches, has a lot to live up to - during his four years in the UAE Gyan scored 95 times 83 appearances.

Emenike

Sports

Thursday, July 3, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wimbledon Open 2015:

Federer cruises to semis, meets Murray

Sterling

‘Why Sterling wants out at Anfield’

eports yesterday said forward Raheem Sterling wants to leave Liverpool because he does not want to play for Manager Brendan Rodgers. The 20-year-old missed training yesterdayday, but was at Melwood on Tuesday where he attended a 25-minute meeting with the Reds boss. According to the reports, Rodgers reiterated his desire for the England international to stay at the club, claiming that if Sterling wanted more money, then he was confident that a deal could be reached between the player and the Liverpool hierarchy.

However, Sterling countered that by telling Rodgers that his concerns were not over money or the club itself, but rather that he did not want to play for the manager, something which Liverpool management immediately refuted. The Liverpool squad is due to travel to Australia and the Far East on Sunday to begin pre-season training but Sterling has indicated it would be in everyone’s best interests if he did not join that tour. Manchester City has so far had two bids for Sterling rejected.

Taraba players protest salary delay Justin Tyopuusu JALINGO

ver 50 players of Taraba Football Club were at the state Government House in Jalingo yesterday demanding the immediate payment of their salary arrears for nine months. The team’s assistant captain, Kevin Njoku, told National Mirror that the players had also not been paid their contract fees. “At the initial stage, we agreed that the contract fee should be paid in installment together with our salaries,” Njoku said. “But neither the contract fees nor the salaries have been paid to us till date,” he added. “We want all our supporters

even-time champion Roger Federer yesterday reached his 10th Wimbledon semi final on with a 6-3 7-5 6-2 win over French 12th seed Gilles Simon. Federer will face Andy Murray who defeated Vasek Pospisil also yesterday also in another quarter final game for a place in Sunday’s final match. Federer set a new serving record as he defeated Simon, eclipsing Wayne Arthurs’ 16-year-old record of 111 consecutive unbroken service games - reaching 116 in a run that began before Wimbledon, before dropping serve late in the second set.

to understand that the financial problem we are facing is responsible for the team’s poor performance. “We were topping the league in the beginning of the season, but we are currently lying at the bottom.” Secretary to Taraba State Government, Mr. Anthony Jellason, who addressed the aggrieved players, assured them that their entitlements would be paid soon. “Our administration inherited huge liabilities which was responsible for the state financial challenges, but I assure you that government will look into your problems in due course,” Jellason said.

The Swiss fired 11 aces and 36 winners as he secured a sixth win in eight meetings with Simon, who was attempting to reach the last-four of a major for the first time. “The stop and go with the rain are always tough but I think I used them to my advantage. They helped me rather than hindered me,” Federer said. The number two seed had defeated Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon final before the latter gained revenge just weeks later in the Olympic Games final. “We both like to look back on that summer of 2012. If we knew

I would win Wimbledon and him Olympics, I think we both would have taken it. It was a great summer for us,” Federer said. Federer broke for a 3-0 lead in the first set against Simon before rain sent the players off Court One for the first rain delay. When they returned, Federer swiftly claimed the opener on the back of 15 winners to Simon’s four. It had little effect on Federer, as a service winner and back-toback aces gave him the second set 7-5, breezing through the decider with breaks in the first and seventh games.

Federer

Rivaldo wins in comeback game

razil legend, Rivaldo, marked his comeback from retirement with victory, although only after he was substituted. The 43-year-old announced last month that he would be returning to the pitch to help Brazil’s Serie B club Mogi Mirim, which he owns, fight its way out of the relegation zone. True to his word, the 2002 World Cup winner started himself in a League match against Nautico late onTuesday, returning to the football field for the first time in 15 months. Rivaldo had a free-kick saved

and hit a shot from range well wide, before being substituted in the 68th minute with his side 1-0 down. Yet Mogo Mirim were level two minutes later as Serginho equalised before netting the winner in the 88th minute as his side celebrated their first win of the season. However, they still remain bottom of the Brazilian first division with just six points from their first 11 games. Rivaldo was pleased with his efforts in his side’s win as the team looks to climb up the standings.

“After one year and three months, I started training back again and went out to play at a match after just 20 days and that inspires any younger player,” he said, adding, “We are still in a difficult situation and we are doing our best to get out of it.”

Rivaldo

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Thursday, July 3, 2015

Athletes competing in a recent Youth Games

NSC moves on Youth Games Joel Ajayi ABUJA

he National Sports Commission (NSC) says it is exploring ways to resuscitate the ailing National Youth Games next year. Director General of the NSC, Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, said in Abuja yesterday that the commission had resolved to encour-

age grassroots development as the cardinal objective of his administration. NYC made its debut in 2013 with Yakmut as the first chairman of its main organising committee. More than 200 young athletes were discovered with most of them currently representing the country at various international competition.

“We may reconsider organizing another NYC depending on how things turn out because grooming young athletes has remained so dear to my heart,” Yakmut said ahead of the next National Sports Festival to be hoisted by Cross River State. “We will soon be meeting with the new Deputy Governor of Cross River who is the Chairman Local Organising committee of

NSF to discuss on how to host this year’s sports festival. “We are currently focusing on giving our athletes adequate training ahead of All Africa Games in September.” The NSC’s top official, however, expressed delight with the completion of athletes’ high performance center in Abuja, which he believed would enhance Nigeria’s chances.

FIBA U-16: Yakmut charges team on success Paul Erewuba

Yakmut

irector General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, has tasked the Adeka Daudu-coached national U-16 basketball team to represent Nigeria well as the team departed Lagos yesterday for Antananarivo, Madagascar venue for the FIBA Africa U-16 championship which begins tomorrow. The Nigerian delegation is made up of 12 players and six officials for the championship which

will end on July 19. “It is a great privilege to represent Nigeria at 16 and I urge you players to be good ambassadors of your country and do us proud,” Yakmut said. The NSC’s DG also praised the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) President, Tijani Umar, for his board’s efforts at developing basketball at the grassroots. “The NBBF technical crew should use the opportunity given them to tutor the players for the championship,” he counseled. The 18-man Nigerian list include Daniel Menani Denis,

James Happy Rita, Seye Antorufa Anita, Okoli Maureen Chidimma, Oduah Vanessa Isioma, Akinbode James Onome Mary and Udueyin Omotayo Ruth. Others are Ibeh Chinelo Lucy, Ezekiel Monica, Okoye Ifunanya Rosemary, Adams Ene Blessing and Ezeh Jennifer Adaeze. The officials are Daudu Adeka (Head Coach), Ogunade Shomala Shola (Assistant Coach), Manuwa Ademola (Team Doctor), Salami Priscilla Eniaghe (Physioterapis), Famogbiyele Olayinka Kehinde (Accompanying Referee) and Okon Anya Patience (Team Secretary).

Players’ union inaugurates board Paul Erewuba

he Nigerian Football Players’ Union yesterday inaugurated an interim board to run the affairs of the body for one year, during which fresh elections will be conducted. Chairman of the occasion and former Nigeria international,

Clement Temile, a major protagonist of the cause to usher in lasting peace to the body, said the interim board headed by Harrison Jalla would organise the elections before the end of the year. Jalla is a chieftain of the National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF), a foremost Nigeria football players’ body that has been sternly rivaled by the

Austin Popo-led Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON) for almost a decade. “The proliferation of the players’ union has drastically eroded unity among Nigerian players, active or retired, as they do no longer speak with one voice,” Temile lamented, adding, “It was on this basis that I met other retired Nigerian players severally

to draw up a road map for the unification.” Popo has allegedly been one of a few dissenting voices in the plausible drive for a lasting peace. Although Jalla agreed to put his ambition aside and step down for the good of the Nigerian players at the last meeting, Popo shunned invitation to the meeting.

YSM U-19 enters semi-finals Afolabi Gambari

emifinalists have emerged in the maiden Youth Sports Management U-19 ‘Catch them Young’ Football Championship holding at the National Stadium, Lagos Legacy Pitch. In Wednesday’s quarterfinals, Divine Praise FC defeated YSMA 5-4 on penalties after scores at regulation time stood at 2-2. Obi’s FC and YSM-B also settled for 2-2 before another shoot-out gave Obi’s FC 4-2 victory. Obi’s will meet Ovation FC in one of the semifinal games today after the latter defeated Liberty FC 1-0 in another quarterfinal tie decided yesterday, while Divine Praise will meet Bethel FC who defeated Nicky Joint FC 4-2 in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter. The winners in today’s games will meet in the final scheduled for tomorrow at the nation’s oldest pitch, Onikan Stadium, Lagos. The 16-team tournament, organised in conjunction with USbased kit manufacturers, NIKE, will see trophies and NIKE products that include boots and jerseys awarded to the winners as well as outstanding individuals. Outstanding players will also be recruited into a programme organised by Youth Sport Management Limited where they will receive top class training from UK-based coaches. According to the President of YSM Limited, Olumide Ojo, the tournament aims to encourage young talent and offer the underprivileged the platform to play football.

WORLD RECORD

Fastest rugby league hat-trick

Vol. 05 No. 1152 Thursday, July 9, 2015

Is El-Rufai an infidel? G overnor Ahmed Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State is controversy personified. Right from his hey days as the boss of the Bureau of Public Enterprises to his tour of duty as the Minister of the FCT and to his latter-day roles as a vociferous supporter of the candidature of Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election, he has always courted controversy often with admirable outspokenness. For years, he has proved to be a stickler for what he believes is the truth, no matter whose ox is gored. When he won the Kaduna State governorship election last April against all odds, close observers of the El Rufai phenomenon expected the controversy to be rekindled. From the man’s actions and even inaction of the past one month on the saddle in Kaduna, the diminutive firebrand has surely not disappointed anyone.

ew York City FC has ruled out loaning new signing Andrea Pirlo to Manchester City, according to reports in the United States yesterday. Pirlo, 36, joined the new Major League Soccer franchise on Monday as the team’s third designated player after ending his four-year

N150

Guest Columnist

The fastest hat-trick of tries scored from the start of a match is 6 min 54 sec by Chris Thorman (UK) playing the semi-final of the Buddies National League Cup at Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK on 19 May 2002.

Sola S l

Ojewusi

Besides breaking from the prevailing system and appointing Ifueko Omoigui, erstwhile boss of FIRS and a non-indigene as the arrow head of the body he set up to revitalize the tax regime in his state, El Rufai has come up with astounding policy pronouncements that continue to confound observers. One of such is the recent decision to break from the norm by deciding that the entirety of the federal allocation to local government areas would go their coffers. Not only that, he went the extra mile to add 10 percent of the state’s own IGR to the federal allocation! In a world where governors have turned LG funds to personal heirlooms, this attitude is, simply put, revolutionary and I hope other states would emulate it. True development begins from the grassroots and when the LGs are starved of funds, the superstructure suffers. That has been the tragedy of under development faced over the years by states. But even more astonishing was El Rufai’s courageous decision to halt the coffer-draining system of free feeding of the Kaduna faithful during Ramadan and other festivities. Ordinarily, this would not have been a dust raising executive decision in a different clime. But considering the environment in which this decision was taken, and given years of unfettered enjoyment of this periodic largess, one must really admire the courage of the hand that signed this monumental policy somersault into law. The decision, expectedly, has generated copious controversy. To many, this au-

THERE IS NO INFIDELITY IN AN ACTION WHICH SEEKS TO SAVE A STATE FROM THE CLUTCHES OF POVERTY dacious decision by a Muslim against a practice that fellow Muslims have enjoyed over the years is not only rude but the height of executive infidelity. Against the backdrop of other states sustaining this practice despite the prevailing, crushing economic circumstances that are not amenable to such monumental waste of public resources, many consider the Kaduna Governor’s decision as way off the line. “It’s a Kaffir’s decision!” not a few have blurted and such reaction in a religiously volatile clime can be intimidating indeed. But I admire El Rufai’s decision to stick to his guns. Which now engenders the question: Does this decision really make El Rufai a kafir or infidel? Or does it show the admirable courage of a leader in the face of terrible economic and social circumstances? Given the state of the nation and the pass in which we have found ourselves, I will vote for El Rufai under this circumstance. Mark me, I’ve not always been an admirer of this man. In the run up to the 2015 presidential election, as his Facebook friend, I’ve had enough oc-

casions to bitterly disagree with many of his postings. But on this score, I doff my hat for his bold and courageous decision to take a money-guzzling anomaly by the horn. The problem with many of our leaders is their inability to distinguish between realistic economic decisions and silly emotional attachment to anachronistic government practices. In a season when governments are finding it hard to meet even the most basic of responsibilities due to lean resources, any leader who defies unrealistic policies, no matter how sensitive should be commended. So, it really takes courage to break from such entrenched counter-productive policies. For those who have refused to accept the dictates of a season enmeshed in economic depression, I urge restraint. In the era of fast dwindling resources, any decision aimed at blocking all fiscal drain pipes should be commended rather than condemned. Nigerians must begin to appreciate the secularity of our constitution. The tendency to engage in extra-budgetary spending in favour of religious seasons is not only inimical to the fiscal welfare of the polity, it is in gross violation of our economic well being. So, as far as I’m concerned, there is no infidelity in an action which seeks to save a state from the clutches of poverty. I am sure God will not frown on such wise decision. Kurungus! Super Eagles coaching conundrum I will not retire this week without reference to the coaching uproar going on at the football house in Abuja. It is no longer news that Stephen Keshi has finally been nailed for his “indiscretions”. So that’s really history. What is news is the manner of manager the NFF will replace Keshi with. Amaju Pinnick and co must surely be aware of the huge responsibility they have on their shoulders now. Ojewusi wrote via solaojewusi@yahoo.com

Sport Extra

No Manchester City loan deal for Pirlo stay at Juventus. Frank Lampard agreed to sign for New York City last summer, only to move to Manchester City for the whole of the 2014-15 season and miss the start of the MLS campaign in a controversial switch that brought the two clubs

bad publicity in the USA. Although MLS players such as Robbie Keane, Thierry Henry and Clint Dempsey had joined Premier League clubs on loan in January in past years, NYC officials insist Pirlo will not follow suit.

The 2006 World Cup winner, who is set to make his MLS debut against Orlando City on July 26, has however taken the decision with equanimity. “I am here to play and make this team win trophies,” Pirlo said.

Pirlo

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