BusinessDay 06 Jan 2019 by BusinessDay

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

2019 and Buhari’s missed opportunity in maiden visit to Akwa Ibom

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Dearth of infrastructure in South East is discouraging businesses - ECCIMA DG

??Investors take position as

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Julius Berger, Union Dicon, 15 others gain N48bn p.42

Sunday 06 January 2019 Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$57.02

-0.13 15.13%

NSE

10yr Bond

30,638.90

-0.13 15.54%

Gold

$ 1,286.60

20yr Bond

-0.30 15.24%

Vol 1, No. 246 N300

2019: The final push Parties, candidates in frenzied hunt for votes

CHUKS OLUIGBO & INIOBONG IWOK

Cocoa

$ 2,358.00

fter what appeared like a lull in the 2019 electioneering campaigns by many political parties and their candidates, the political firmament has come alive once again. Political parties have constituted their campaign councils and across the states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, billboards, posters and other campaign materials of candidates jostling for various political positions have taken up every inch of available space in towns and villages, highways and byways. Candidates and their parties have begun to

inside

take their rallies to the electorate with renewed vigour. To every keen observer, it is clear that the stage is set for the final push and onslaught by political parties and their candidates to sell their agenda and policies to the electorate in a bid to get the much-needed votes and clinch victory at the polls. Nigeria holds its Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 16, while the governorship/state Houses of Assembly elections hold March 2, 2019. Political campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections commenced on November 18, 2018 while campaigns for the

governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections opened on December 1, 2018, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections. Following the lifting of the ban on campaigns by INEC, there was an initial pickup in political activities in the country as major contenders in the presidential election launched their campaign documents outlining their plans and policies for the country and its citizens. The fire, however, went out as quickly as it had started. It was as if the candidates

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APC never promised Nigerians restructuring Ajomale p.18/19

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A peep into Los Angeles’ rich heritage p.26/27

The solution to Nigeria’s problems is for Christians to return to God - Prophet Otuomachi

L-R: James Ibori, former governor, Delta State; Ifeanyi Okowa, governor, Delta State, and Edith Okowa, wife of the governor, at the flag-off of Governor Okowa ‘s campaign for his second term bid in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, weekend.

Businesses cleaning out on back of 2019 polls AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

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here are expectations that business in Nigeria may start slow in the first half of 2019 but would pick as the year progresses into second half.

This explains why Nigeria’s business environment has been deteriorating ahead of the general elections scheduled to hold in February. Experts attributed this to the uncertainties surrounding

the environment as many businesses now operate in waitandsee mode in preparation to the forthcoming election. The situation is expected to continue till after the elections, so that it becomes clear as to who will be

in power. Though in 2018, the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has done well to keep the naira

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Issue of the Week A controversial appointment at INEC James Kwen, Abuja

ahmoodYakubu, chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has been labouring to convince critics that the appointment of Amina Zakari as the head of the Presidential election collation for the 2019 general election was done in clear conscience. Yakubu has explained that Zakari, contrary to all insinuations, is not related to President Muhammadu Buhari. Zakari, INEC National Commissioner, was Thursday appointed the Chairman of the Presidential Election Collation Committee, a development which sparked a controversy in the build up to the general election. Her appointment has been opposed by other political parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) individuals and groups. For instance, PDP at a press conference in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan rejected Zakari’s appointment on the grounds that “she is President Muhammadu Buhari’s blood relation”. Ologbondiyan said such an appointment would assist Buhari, the APC and INEC to rig the presidential election and it could fuel violence, adding that it would be injurious to Nigeria’s democracy. “Today, we have been informed that Yakubu, apparently in furtherance of the plots to rig the presidential election, has appointed Amina Zakari, a blood relation (niece) of the APC candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, as the chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee. “The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation vehemently and unequivocally rejects, in its entirety, the appointment of Amina Zakari, President Buhari’s blood relation, as the head of the collation of results, in the same election in which his uncle, President Buhari, as a candidate, has displayed a huge desperation to win. “The appointment of Zakari, who had been openly accused in various quarters as being the link person between INEC and the Buhari Presidency in their schemes to rig the election for President Buhari, constitutes a direct violence against the

Yakubu

presidential election and the PDP will not, in any way, whatsoever, accept it”, the PDP Spokesman said. Similarly, APGA described Zakari’s appointment as a desperate attempt to rig the forthcoming elections and the appointment had shown why President Buhari refused to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill into law. Mike Angel, the Director of Strategic Communication of the campaign organisation of the party’s presidential candidate, John Gbor said “aside from being nepotistic, it’s highly unethical. It’s a desperate attempt by the APC regime to rig the election wholesale. We can see the reason why President Buhari would not assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill”. On his part, former Governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose wrote on his twitter handle that, “ instead of INEC appointing Amina Zakari, a blood relation (niece) of President Buhari, as the chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee, why not just appoint one of the President’s children as INEC chairman”. “The same @inecnigeria that is promising free and fair elections turning around to appoint a known blood relation of President Buhari, a candidate in the election as head of its Collation Committee? Why are these people so brazen in their plot to impose themselves on Nigerians”. But in his reaction, Yakubu told journalists in Abuja that, “let me say categorically that she is not related to the Presi-

Zakari

dent. She is from Jigawa State the President is from Katsina State”. The INEC Chairman stated that contrary public misconception, Zakari duty as Chairman National Collation Committee is to arrange the venue while he remains the constitutional Collation Officer for the Presidential election, a function he will not share with anyone. “Let me state very categorically that the responsibility of managing the venue does not in any way involve the collation of results. Under the Nigerian constitution I am the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation and the returning officer in the Presidential election. “I am not going to share that responsibility with anyone in the Commission. I am absolutely responsible for the coordination of the Secretariat for the collation of results but somebody has to prepare the venue”, Yakubu maintained. In his reaction, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, observed that the history of Zakari’s Amina’s engagement in INEC has been a subject of “public criticism” for quite some time. Speaking through the spokesperson of his Campaign Team, Kassim Afegbua, who featured on the Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, he said: “We have seen her roles in previous elections, and so to that effect, we know she is being accused of being partisan in the way and manner she has been conducting herself within the INEC and her responsibility, hence, somebody cannot just come

and rub off all that. “If we say somebody is a niece that means maybe the mom is a sister to President Buhari and this is a daughter to a woman who is a sister to the president.” According to him, the relationship between Zakari and Buhari was not the main issue, but the standards upon which INEC operates. “INEC must as a matter of responsibility allow the electoral process to be seen to be transparent, to be devoid of any partisan inclinations to an extent that the participants in the electoral process would see that INEC is fair enough in the way and manner in which they deploy staff (whether ad-hoc or permanent) in the process of conducting elections,” he said. He pointed out that the beauty of elections and the transparency of it, “is the fact that people who are participants should naturally own it, are buying into your own (INEC’s) decisions and policy framework, so that in the final analysis they will say yes given a level playing field in the respective aspects of the election, INEC has been able to live up to its bidding”. By the same token, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Charles Udeogaranya, also decried the appointment of Amina Zakari as head of collation of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the 2019 general election. Udeogaranya, now a People’s Democratic Party (PDP), chieftain, described the appointment as a recipe for chaos. “This is the worst attempt

at election result falsification,” he said. According to him, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commissioned it first step towards announcing fake and fictitious 2019 election results by appointing President Buhari’s niece, Amina Zakari, as head of INEC’s collation centre. “The world must step in now and caution INEC over this deadly step as Nigeria will not accept false election results from INEC. INEC must be put on notice regarding the grave danger and consequences of organising anything short of a credible election. “INEC without hesitation must withdraw this appointment as the 2019 general election stakes are unimaginable high.” Ayodele Fayose, immediate past governor of Ekiti State, said mockingly, “Instead of INEC appointing, Amina Zakari, a blood relation (niece) of President Buhari, as the Chairperson of INEC Advisory Committee and Presidential election Collation Center Committee, why not just appoint one of the President’s children as INEC Chairman?” Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of Aviation, PDP described the appointment as “outright manipulation.” According to Fani-Kayode, “Amina Zakari, Buhari’s niece and a member of his staff when he was Chairman of PTF, has been appointed Chairperson of the INEC Advisory Committee & Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee. Do you still believe that there will be a free and fair election in Nigeria on Feb. 16th?”

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Cover

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Parties, candidates in frenzied hunt... Continued from page 1

Buhari

and their parties had gone back to sleep as they were neither holding political rallies nor taking their campaigns to the Nigerian electorate in other ways. Tomiwa Erinosho, a political strategist, had attributed the lull to the fact that the political parties and their candidates were still strategizing, putting their houses in order after the primaries. He had also feared that by not kicking off their campaigns in earnest, the opposition political parties might be playing into the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC). Some analysts had also suggested that paucity of funds could have been responsible for the slow start of the campaigns, while others had fingered the non-constitution of campaign councils by the political parties. The approach of the yuletide was also mentioned as a factor, given that a number of candidates had either travelled outside the country to cool off or gone to hibernate in various parts of the country a few days to Christmas. Now, with the celebrations clearly over, and with some of the other issues apparently sorted out, the drums of war have begun to sound afresh as the country is beginning to witness increased political activities. Expectedly, the two frontline

Atiku

parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have been in the lead in the campaigns across the country. With its announcement of its campaign council on December 28, the APC appears battle-ready. The party flagged off flag off the President Muhammadu Buhari 2019 Presidential Campaign in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, December 28, with Buhari claiming that his administration has delivered on his 2015 promises hinged on security, economy and fighting corruption and urging the electorate to give him another term in office to consolidate on his achievements. The story has been the same across the state. In Sokoto, the APC in the state is set to launch its campaign for the general elections today, according to a statement signed by Yusuf Suleiman, the state director-general of APC Campaign Council, and released to newsmen in Sokoto on Friday. On his part, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate, has taken his campaign to Ibadan in Oyo State (South-West), Kwara State (North-Central) and Sokoto (North-West). The tempo of these political activities will continue to increase progressively until the elections, according to analysts. The analysts say Nigerians should expect

Moghalu

an increase in propaganda, fake news and verbal attacks from all sides as the elections draw closer. They also project that there may be last-minute defections by some politicians who may feel cheated out in the political calculations ahead of the elections. And they are not ruling out further clampdown on perceived opposition by the ruling party. Some cite the recent ordeal of Dino Melaye, a senator representing Kogi West, as a possible act of intimidation or an attempt to put the outspoken senator out of circulation before and during the elections. While the tempo of the campaigns has been on the increase, pundits, however, regret that the campaigns have largely centred on verbal salvos against one another, especially between the APC and PDP. The supporters of the two parties have continued to exchange invectives with reckless abandon, apparently living up to the axiom that all is fair in love and war. Th o s e w h o s p o k e w i t h BDSUNDAY charged parties and their candidates to focus their campaigns on practical steps to tackle the myriads of problems bedevilling the country, rather than attack on personality. Soji Adejumo, national president, Yoruba Council of Elders and a professor at the University

Ezekwesili

of Ibadan, said the candidates and their parties should use the campaign to sell their policies to Nigerians, stressing that the candidates should be able to explain how they intend to source funds to execute their programmes, especially in these times of lean resources. “They have all brought out roadmaps and we have seen them. I expect them now to convince Nigerians how these roadmaps would be implemented,” Adejumo said. “It is not just to put pen to paper, you should tell us how you are going to implement this agenda and manage the little resources available to us and even source for funds to execute them. It is not just to promise heaven and earth, but the real campaign would start now. I think Nigerians were just being overanxious. Don’t forget that campaign requires a lot of resources,” he said. Yinka Odumakin, publicity secretary of pan-Yoruba cultural group, Afenifere, said that Nigerians were no longer interested in hearing empty promises, adding that only a presidential candidate who was interested in true federalism and restructuring of the country would be acceptable to Nigerians. “Nigerians have been deceived in the past. Let me tell you, we are

wiser now. Anybody promising to build schools, hospitals, markets may not get our votes except we go back to the fundamentals,” Odumakin said. “The Federal Government has been funding the budget through borrowing, selling our assets, even when the states have resources but cannot tap them because of the law which says the resources belong to the Federal Government. Any presidential candidate who is not talking about true federalism for Nigeria and resource control is just joking. That is the only way forward for Nigeria,” he said. But Femi Carrena, a chieftain of the main opposition PDP in Lagos, accused the ruling APC of diverting attention from the fundamental issues. Stressing that it was obvious that the ruling party was not interested in holding a free and fair election, Carrena said, “APC is not ready for campaign and you can see that rather than tell Nigerians what they have done within the three years or more they have been in power, it’s been lies, attacks on personality and the PDP. But I would advise the candidates to focus on campaign. This is the time they can do that. For us, we are concerned about the state of Nigeria. As you can see, things are not working. We have to restructure Nigeria.”

enjoyed anything from the current government. We have not benefited anything from the current administration. The only way out for us is to win the 2019 election by ensuring we deliver the Atiku/ Obi ticket. “Kogi State is fully Atikulated. There is no time to lose and we all must relocate to our villages and be in direct touch with the voters because only then have the power,” he said. Unveiling the members during

the inauguration was the highpoint of the ceremony as youths, former commissioners, former and serving lawmakers and local government chairmen delivered their goodwill massages. Also speaking shortly after the event, the head of the Media and Publicity depart of the presidential campaign council, Usman Austin Okai said that without fear of intimidation,theywilldirectlyengagevoters and give them cogent reasons to vote for the PDP in 2019.

Victory is a must for Kogi PDP - Idris VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

he Presidential Campaign Council of the People’s Democratic Party in Kogi State was formally unveiled and inaugurated on Monday at the council’s secretariat in Lokoja. In his remarks, the DirectorGeneral of the Council, Clarence Olafemiextensivelychargedmembers of the council to see their nomination into the various stand-

ing committees as a call to service and a patriotic obligation to the people of Kogi State. “We have a task at hand and we must take it seriously and work very hard to deliver it. We must be united and work assiduously towards ensuring that by all legitimate means we deliver Kogi State to our great party,” Olafemi said. He equally emphasised that for the outcome of the general election to favor the party and its presidential candidate, His Excel-

lency, Atiku Abubakar, all hands must be on deck and members of the party, affiliate organisations and supporters must work round the clock to ensure effective mobilisation of voters from their immediate environment. Also speaking, a former governor, Ibrahim Idris, who happens to be the Executive Chairman of the Council, noted that failure to clinch the presidency in 2019 is not an option. “Victory is a must. We have not

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News

Benue PDP bids fallen members farewell BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

t was a sorrowful and tearful moment in Oju at the funeral rites of eight members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who died in a ghastly motor accident on Friday, 28th December, 2018 on their way to the Zone C senatorial campaign flag-off in Agatu. Representatives, candidates for various elections and party stalwarts as well as bereaved family members battled to hold back tears as they took turns to give funeral orations at the combined church service. Governor Samuel Ortom in a funeral oration described the deaths as tragic and painful, saying the patriots died when their services were most needed in the build up to the 2019 general election. The governor while praying God to grant their souls eternal rest and their family members to bear the irreparable losses, directed the immediate ap-

pointment of one member of the families to provide succor for them. Governor Ortom, who also told mourners at the funeral service that the excavated portion of the Aliade-Oju road would be worked within three weeks, also charged Igede nation to remain peaceful as they go into the final phase of the 2019 elections. Former Senate President, Senator David Mark and senatorial candidate for Zone C in the 2019 general elections, Abba Moro, in separate orations, said they were heartbroken and personal losses to them. They consoled the bereaved families and prayed God to grant their fallen heroes and heroine eternal rest, describing their deaths as tragic and traumatising. Member representing Oju/Obi federal constituency in the National Assembly, Samson Okwu, who could not hold his tears, said he lost key members of his campaign

Senatorial candidate flags-off campaign, urges supporters to vote out APC BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

he House of Representatives member representing Buruku federal constituency and the People’s Democratic Party’s candidate for the Benue Northwestsenatorialdistrict, EmmanuelJevhasflaggedoff his senatorial campaign at J S Tarka’s Institute of Political Studies, Gboko. Jev thanked all party chieftains, the leadership of the party in zone B and by extension Benue, and party supporters who took time out of their busy schedules to grace the occasion. The lawmaker, who congratulated all party candidates over their victories in the recent party primaries, stressed the need why APC shouldbevotedoutofpower

by2019andbereplacedwith PDP. Responding, the immediate past governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam first expressed happiness over what he saw at the gathering, he advised the electorate to correct their previous mistakes of voting in people who donothavetheinterestofthe zone at heart. AformerSenatepresident, Iyorchia Ayu said one does not necessarily need to be at the helm of affairs before one could be recognised as a leader, so the weak should pave way for the energetic ones to move the zone forward. Also, former speaker protempore, Terngu Tsegba advised the electorate to vote in all PDPs candidates following their track records of achievements.

team in the accident, pointing out that the day would remain a black day in the history of Igede nation. Bishop Methodist

Church in Oju Local Government Area, Reverend Odeh Ocheke, urged the congregation to prepare for the last day as nobody

knows when and where the final day would come. Governor Ortom had on arrival, paid homage on the Adirahu Ny Igede, Oga Ero,

a retired Commissioner of Police, where he condoled the entire Igede nation on the tragic loss of their illustrious sons and daughter.

Islamic group to partner Brotherhood of the Cross and Star on unity in Nigeria MIKE ABANG, CALABAR

he chief Imam and chairman of Inter Faith Committee, an arm of Islamic religion in Bwari, Abuja, Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf Idris, has disclosed that the religion of Islam will work closely with Brotherhood of the Cross and Star to promote and entrench unity among religions and the tribes in Nigeria. He said they have extensively studied the works, preaching and actions of Leader Olumba Olumba Obu, the founder and spiritual leader of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, and that these have aligned with the teachings of Islam which they propagate, say-

ing both can come together to engender unity in the country and among mankind. Sheikh Idris led a large delegation of Islamic leaders and faithful to attend the 100th birthday anniversary celebration of the renowned spiritual leader which grand event held at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar. Speaking extensively on the ideals of peace and unity,, Idris said Olumba Obu is a different religious leader and gift to the country whose teaching and sole aim are to unite humanity and religions as well as reform and free man from vices. He said Nigeria was suffering much because of deep-seated hatred for the people, division and

lack of respect for different peoples and religions, adding that the Interfaith committee was pleased that one man was tirelessly working at bringing understanding among Nigerians. He cautioned against religious intolerance and violence saying Islam was against such things that disunite or cause harms, and stressed on political, religious and social unity. “Nigerians must come together. Nigerians must eschew division, and the political leadership, too, should learn to work towards ideals which promote unity. We as an Islamic group have decided to partner the spiritual leader of BCS whose aims and works are towards unity. This way, we want to reduce violence and intol-

erance amongst religions and tribes in the country”, he said. There were arrays of key traditional rulers, other religions leaders, military top brass, foreigners and even politicians amongst others that graced the Centenary celebration of the spiritual leader. Planning committee Chairman of the Centenary Celebration, Christ Shepherd, Patriarch Bassey Imowo, recounted that apart from teaching his teeming adherents about divine ideals, Obi has singlehandedly impacted economic fortunes of many South-South states through establishment of several economic ventures, employment, scholarships, welfare centres and philanthropic services.

Anyanwu, MAN Imo/Abia branch boss, reels out major achievements SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

embers of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Imo/Abia branch, have been made to embrace the Alternative Security Exchange Market (ASEM). It is an alternative funding window market of raising cheap funds which was introduced to them to help members scale up their manufacturingandbusinesses. Nwabueze Jones Anyanwu, MAN chairman of Imo/Abia

branch, who is serving the last lap of his two-time regime, stated that the doggedness of hisadministrationalsoresulted in the increased membership of MAN as many companies registered as full members. They include JIUXING IntegratedIndustriesLimited,makers of agricultural vehicles, still binsandstructures,etc.Hi-tech Diagnostic Limited, producers of pharmaceutical products including HIV kits. Highest Investments and Marketing Co. Nig Limited, manufacturers of different kinds of ceramics and

marble processing. Others are Skyrun Global Investment Limited, which manufactures single/three phase prepared meters, meter boxes, electric irons and other electrical appliances, Phoenix Specialties Nigeria ltd that produces drugs and other pharmaceutical products. Nwabueze Anyanwu’s regime was able to also get the government of Imo state to a round table discussion which resulted to eliminating the multiple taxations imposed on manufacturing firms by vari-

ous tax agencies of Imo State government. These were contained in a document from MAN made available to BDSUNDAY in Owerri. His administration also was able to bring the chairman of of Abia State Board of Internal Revenues Services for a discussion on the incessant and outrageous demand notices by the Abia State government revenue collectors. The issue was resolved amicably and “a desk officer was stationed at the BIR to receive complaints

that would arise from the operations of the law. The Council (MAN) presented a position paper on the stateofthemanufacturing sector, suggesting a way forward for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at a two-day programme organised by the Federal Government in collaboration with the Abia State government. The programme was aimed at fine-tuning ways to reduce bottlenecks and speed up the ease of doing business within the MSME subsector.

Amongst other numerous achievements, the Chairman said his administration was able to resolve the problems between members of MAN and the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) on the issue of disconnection of members’ power lines on discrepancies arising from “MYTO 2.1” for which MAN secured a court injunction against the Nigerian Electricity RegulatoryCommission(NERC)and the Distribution Companies (Discos).

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BDSUNDAY 5

News 2019 will bring fulness of life to all Nigerians - APGA measures introduced by the federal government in the outgoing year would begin to bear fruit. He appealed to Nigerians to remain prayerful and continue to live in peace and harmony with one another. He described 2018 as a very excruciating year for many Nigerians, but urged those that went through one sad experience or another to continue to look at the bright side of life, “because no condition in life is permanent”. Oye called on INEC not to dash the hope of Nigerians in the electoral process by ensuring that the 2019 general election is free and fair. He prayed God to bless and keep Nigeria United amidst mounting insecurity, ethnocentricity and corruption that have threatened the stability of the country.

Innocent Odoh, Abuja

he National Chairman of All the Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ozonkpu Victor Ike Oye, has said that the incoming year will bring in abundant wealth and health for all Nigerians. In his New Year message released in Abuja today, and made available to the BusinessDay by the APGA National Director of Publicity Iheanacho Oguejiofor, Oye predicted that 2019 would be better than 2018 in many aspects, especially in the general welfare of Nigerians. His optimism was predicated on the fact that God “is a merciful and gracious God that will not allow his people to suffer unduly”, expressing hope that some of the fiscal

Ozonkpu Victor Ike Oye

Ajimobi proposes N285b budget for 2019, ...stops revenue from JAC from next year Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

overnor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state, yesterday presented a total of N285 billion budget for 2019 to the State House Stateof Assembly. This is as the Governor announced the stoppage of earning revenue through the Joint AllocationCommittee(JAC) with the local government chairmen as from 2019 ow-

Ajimobi

ing to reconstruction of accounts. Christening it the ‘Budget of Sustainability, Ajimobi said the capital expenditure is expected to gulp N163.7.47, recurrent expenditure is expected to gulp N121.53 billion. ’The governor who presented the 2019 budget to the state House of Assembly on Monday noted that of the huge sum proposed for 2019 , the state hopes to rake in N117 billion from the Federation Account and raise N115.5 billion internally (Internally Generated Revenue IGR). With N6.33 billion balance brought forward, the governor proposed capital receipts of N46.17 billion for the new year, bringing the total to N285 billion. Under the recurrent expenditure, personnel cost is N41.14 and overhead cost N28.72. The state will spend N51.67 billion on consolidated revenue fund charges.

Completion of all these going and newly awarded road projects will cost N38.5 billion while N3.2 billion will be used to settle outstanding retention’s on completed roads. The state hopes to rake in more revenue through the ongoing digital mapping of the state which is expected to be concluded in 2019. It will enhance collection of land use charge, housing enumeration and population census, among others. Ajimobi plans to focus more on sustaining ongoing and new agriculture projects that are geared towards food production, preservation and employment generation for the citizenry. They include the state’s partnership project with Dangote Industries on rice outgrowership and organic integrated farm, establishment of agriculture zones to enhance food production and completion of the mega silo in Aawe.

Ajimobi reminded the lawmakers of his promises during the presentation of his first budget in 2011. He emphasized that he has accomplished his promises as he reeled out his achievements in enthroning peace and security, outstanding infrastructural development, improved education and healthcare delivery, urban renewal, agricultural development and youth development, among others. “Without any doubt, our administration is leaving Oyo State much better than it met it. To paraphrase Augustus Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire, ‘We met Oyo State a State of bricks and we are leaving it a State of Marble”. The governor however stated that the state earned N6.7 billion from the subhead in the outgoing year. He said the reconstruction of account has led to the stoppage of the revenue as from 2019.

Vote for candidates who will enhance our economy - Ogbulafor

incent Ogbulafor, a former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has advised the electorate in Nigeria to vote for a candidate who would enhance the business sector of the country in the forthcoming general election. Ogbulafor, in his new year message to Nigerians, counselled the electorate to vote intelligently in order to elect a candidate who would improve

the economy and create employment opportunities for the unemployed, particularly the youth. He noted that the Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu had done very well to improve the economic structure of the state, hence the need for the Abians to re-elect him in the forthcoming governorship poll. His words, “In my mind, I think Gov. Ikpeazu has done reasonably well. No one man

can correct the ills of Abia State. You will only do your bit, when you are on the stage and leave it for another person to continue from there”. “May God forgive those who think Ikpeazu has not done well, because if you are on the stage, if you are in the position of Ikpeazu, you will know that things are not easy. “There are too many things that the governor handles and also distributes the income or flow of money equitably. So,

it is not possible for one man to touch every aspect of the economy in the state. “So, for those who feel he has not done well, I sympathise with them and may God forgive them. In my own mind, having been exposed to governance and leadership, I think Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has done extremely well and should be given the opportunity to be returned elected as the governor of Abia state,” he said.

Makurdi shuts down as Ortom flags-off governorship campaign Benjamin Agesan, Makurdi.

akurdi, the Benue State capital literally stood still as the incumbent Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, officially flagged off his second term governorship campaign in the ancient city.Ortom is vying for the number one seat on the platform of the People’s Democratic party, PDP.Addressing the mammoth crowd that thronged out at the IBB Square to welcome the candidate, Ortom said “Benue do not vote for those who will change the narrative of our killings for their selfish interest. I wonder how a Benue indigene will come out and say Benue killings are done by Benue people! We must defend our land fiercely. Benue in my time will witness progress and stability. Some elements in the opposition are saying I have achieved nothing. May be they are induced by intoxicating substance. I have recorded milestones in Education, Health, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Labour relations, Traditional institution etcetera. Some people say I am stubborn, but I am not stubborn because I am only working for the good of my people who voted for me

overwhelmingly. I can’t abandon them because that will be callous and irresponsible. I love you not because I need you. But I need you because I love you. I was smelling victory but now I can see victory. The Bible says better is the end of a thing than the beginning. Also Speaking, the former Senate President, David Mark said, the mammoth crowd at the IBB square is an indication that PDP is going to produce the next Governor who has been working hard to defend Benue people and this is the time to pay him. He said a vote for PDP is a vote for peace, progress, and defence of our ancestral home, he urged PDP supporters not to divide their votes for other political parties. Former senator and political leader of Benue State, Ior-

chia Ayu said PDP is back in full swing like when it started in 1998. “I am sure we will win and return Ortom to government house and all the Assembly members on PDP platform will be returned to the house.

Balogun-Fulani-led APC inaugurates campaign council, advotes massive support for party SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

he All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Ishola BalogunFulani in Kwara State on Friday inaugurated a 45man Campaign Council for 2019 elections. The party Chairman, Balogun- Fulani, however, called on the electorate to give massive support to APC’s presidential candidate, Muhammad Buhari and Kayode Abdulwahab Omotoshe, gubernatorial candidate in Kwara State. He said that the inauguration of the campaign council was in line with the recent decision of the Ilorin High Court. According to the chairman, the court granted the 13 reliefs sought by the applicants in the matter, adding that the sixth relief allowed his leadership to undertake activities and processes related to election at all levels of government in the state. He noted the objective of the party is that all its candidates must win, hence the call on members of the campaign council to work assidiously for successful outing in

the elections. The APC chairman, however, extended hands of fellowship to the aggrieved members of the party, asking them to return to the party’s mainstream. While acknowledging the need for the party’s members and stalwarts to work together as a team, Balogun- Fulani said the leadership of the party was open to dialogue. He said:: “Our business today is to inaugurate our campaign council for our part. We are doing this with the authority we derived from the court judgment. As you are aware we have it specifically on the 13 reliefs we asked the court to give us and all were granted but it is relief six that has brought house here today. “We read the relief because some people are saying we don’t have it. We appreciate our President Muhamad Buhari who has given us the opportunity to go to curt yo seek redress a d he has said that as a man of honour anything that cones from the court he will obey. Also our engergised national chairman who has made similar commitments.

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Magnus Abe hits hard at APC hqtrs for giving Tonye Cole flag ... Says they were not properly advised by their lawyers ... Sure to win back the flag Ignatius Chukwu

any members of the Ch i b u i k e Am a e c h i faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State who hailed Magnus Abe few days ago believing the man had surrendered after the flag issue in Akwa Ibom State may have a huge shock waiting for them. This is because Abe, the leader of a splinter group, who predicted victory for a united APC in the coming elections in the state and for also saying there would soon be reconciliation, has revealed his real meaning which may not be what they understood. The same Abe, senator representing Rivers SouthEast Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has said on New Year day that he was sure to win back the flag from the highest courts in the land. By this, he has made it clear he was not stepping down for Cole until the Supreme Court decides. By this, Abe seems to

Abe

hope for a repeat of what happened in the PDP in the past when Celestine Omehia got the flag, won the election in 2007, but lost it to Amaechi five months into governance due to a Supreme Court decidison. Abe said during a crossover church service on Monday in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State that his God asked him to contest the governorship position of the state in 2019. Abe expressed optimism that neither the scheming of men nor the artificial obstacle created by men will stop his dream from coming to frui-

tion. He said, “I want to say that, a lot had been said about me, a lot had been said of me, a lot had been said on me. “One thing that I will like to share with all of you is that I know that this particular journey that I am on, to run for the governorship of Rivers State in 2019, it is my God that asked me to go and do this. And that is why no machination of men, no work of the hand of man, no artificial obstacle created by men will stop our dream from coming true. “We will not only run for the governorship of Rivers State in 2019, we will be sworn-in as the Governor of Rivers State in 2019. “So for me, I am not afraid; we will continue our struggle,” he said, saying if the lawyers had advised those who were doing certain thing properly, they could have known that that was not appropriate to hand over the flag of our party to a man in defiance of an existing judgment of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. “You cannot have a situation that a Court had said does not exist.

2019 elections: APGA alleges intimidation in Abia GODFREY OFURUM

he All progressives G r a n d Al l i a n c e (APGA) in Abia State, says its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the county, would not be intimidated, by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its agents, as it is sure of winning massively in State. This is as the party decried the destruction of campaign billboards and vehicles of its candidates in various locations in Abia State. Chidi Ajaegbu, Abia Central Senatorial candidate of APGA in the forthcoming general elections, in an interaction with journalists in Aba, the State’s commercial hub,

mane because of the peculiar needs of the area. Explaining the outreach scheme, the Founder, African Health Now, Nana EyesonAkiwowo, said that her organization discovered that some expectant mothers were ill-prepared for child birth and would only come to the clinic for delivery without attending ante-natal clinics and requisite amenities. “Our goal is to break that cycle by supporting these women from pregnancy to delivery and postpartum with the Maternity Go Box”, she en-

thused. Nana disclosed that some boxes would be warehoused with the Centre to cater for new mothers who may come for assistance in the near future. A cross section of the expectant mothers thanked Globacom for coming to their aid in their time of need. One of them, Mrs. Patience Orji, a hair dresser, said “we thank Glo for this gift because most of us in this area cannot afford to buy some of the items in the boxes because we are struggling to make a living”.

early last week, my campaign billboard in Ariaria, Aba, was also destroyed. “We are law abiding and do not intend to join issues with the hoodlums that are destroying the billboards, but ultimately, we want to find a legal solution, by asking the law enforcements agencies in the State, to take action to protect these billboards, because what could happen is that if they continue to destroy our billboards, the indications is that at one point our supporters may want to retaliate and it could lead to breakdown of law and order in the State. “So we therefore appeal to the commissioner of Police in the State, a fine gentleman, to please intervene to protect these billboards”.

Buhari too frightened to leave power, may plunge Nigeria into deeper crisis- Ononuju Innocent Odoh, Abuja

public affairs analyst and a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Pary (PDP) Katch Ononuju has warned Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari is desperate to hang on to power by whatever means possible because he is frightened that Nigerians may reject him in the polls in 2019. Ononuju told Business-

Glo partners African Health Now to empower women in Lagos oremost telecommunications network, Globacom, has partnered an international community development organisation, African Health Now (AHN) to present “Maternity Go Boxes” to over 300 expectant mothers at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Iwaya, Makoko, Lagos. The “Maternity Go Box” contains most of the items needed by a new mother to make child delivery stressfree. The items included six yard cloth for backing the baby, sanitary towels, baby clothes, soaps, wipes and other essentials needed to stabilize the new mother. Welcoming the expectant mothers at the event held recently in Iwaya, Lagos, Globacom’s Regional Manager, Lagos 2, Mr. Victor Kalu, explained that Globacom was partnering AHN to improve the health of women by increasing pre-natal care, reducing infant mortality and supporting mothers to deal with post-partum depression. He noted that the choice of Iwaya Primary Health Centre, a waterfront community supporting about 40,000 residents, was ger-

alleged that the PDP in the State is deploying all manner of antics, including destruction of campaign billboards, to intimidate opponents, especially APGA candidates. Ajeagbu, a chartered accountant and immediate past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) explained that his billboards in Ikwuano, Umuahia and Ariaria, Aba, have been destroyed by hoodlums. He appealed to law enforcements agencies in the State, to take action to protect these billboards, to forestall breakdown of law and order in the area. According to him, “They destroyed my campaign billboard at Block Bus Stop in Ikwuano, Umuahia, about three weeks ago and just

Day in an exclusive chat that theplanbyPresidentBuharito deploy soldiers across the nationinthenameof“Operation Python Dance” is nothing but a panic attempt to intimidate opposition voters and undermine the electoral process. He alleged that because Buhari has not achieved anything in almost four years as President, he is prepaing to rig the elections by writing the results and forcing people to go court, warning that this could plung the nation into

deeper crisis as the other parties will not take it lightly with the President. “Buhari has nothing to campaign on, he has now brought in the destabilising logistic of frightening everybody by deploying soldiers, claiming is a python dance. Those are soldiers that will allow the APC chieftains to move about freely and as they move about freely they legitimise the fraud. So the country could go deeper into crisis,” he said.

Akwa Ibom holds solemn assembly, announces plans to set up new airline Another recipient, Mrs Modinat Faremi, a petty trader expressed gratitude for the gesture adding that it was a great relief to her as she had been struggling to raise money for some of the items before the presentation. Apart from African Health Now , Globacom is also partnering with renowned USbased Nigerian actor, Dayo Okeniyi, and his Positive Vibes Only (PVO) group as well as Dr. Debo Odulana, the Chief Executive Officer of Doctoora.com, to deliver the maternity kits.

L-R: Esther Uwah, assistant director, Nursing, Primary Health Centre, Makoko/Iwaya, Lagos; Justina Abdulateef, Glo, account manager, public sector, Lagos; Aminat Ndaka, one of the 300 beneficiaries, a hair dresser, 28 year-old; Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, founder, African Health Now (AHN), and Victor Kalu, Glo regional manager, Lagos 2, at the presentation of maternity boxes to expectant mothers in Iwaya, Lagos recently.

ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

kkwa Ibom State has held a solemn assembly to usher in a new year with plans to launch an airline as part of its determination to ensure maximum utilisation of its modern airport and the support facilities. To be known as Ibom Air, the state government says the new airline would bring joy to the people adding that Akwa Ibom will soon blaze the trail as the only state in the country to have a wholly owned and run airline. According to Governor Udom Emmanuel, other investments in the area of agriculture , education and youths empowerment have all added values to the economy maintaining that the state government has fulfilled its promise of industrialisation. “We promised you improved electricity has, you all witnessed to this undeniable fact that our electricity has improved significantly , we promised our youths , our women and our elders, traders empowerment, we

have done just that,’’ he said. Governor Emmanuel who spoke at the solemn assembly noted that since assumption of office more than three years ago, he has not disappointed the people saying that explains why Akwa Ibom is attracting investors and enjoying peace and progress while Uyo, the state capital has become one of the fastest growing cities in the country. “That is the reason we are able to embark on numerous capital projects when others can’t even pay the salaries of their workers, the reason why we are expanding and consolidating our infrastructure amenities such as the construction and commissioning or ongoing works on over 1700 kilometres of roads,’’ the governor said. He also said the state government has remodelled health facilities in Etinan, Ikot Okoro, Ituk Mbang, Iquita, Ikono, Emmanuel Hospital , Eket adding that he came as a governor to serve the people.. “The resources available to our people have been used to take care of our people. As they say, a good job executed demands more job to be done.

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News APC presidential campaign council asks Atiku to step down James Kwen, Abuja

he APC Presidential Campaign Council has called on the Presidential Candidate of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to throw in the towel for the forthcoming presidential elections, following the widely published refutal by investors in Etisalat and Keystone Bank that the family members of President Buhari have anything to do with both companies. Atiku had alleged that there were reports of how members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s family now own substantial share in Etisalat Nigeria which has an estimated $2 billion (about N727 billion at 360 per dollar) of its estimated $20 billion global net worth. The PDP Presidential Candidate also expressed shock at reports from unimpeachable sources that the first family now plays big in the nation’s financial sector after acquiring mouthwatering shares in Keystone Bank with total assets of $1.916 billion (equivalent to N307.5

Atiku

billion). But Festus Keyamo, Director of Strategic Communications, APC Presidential Campaign Council in a statement said, the result of the fact-check on the allegations which was published in some news outlets, clearly shows the dept of desperation, deceit and debauchery to which the Atiku campaign has sunk. KeyamoarguedthatAtiku and PDP have no moral compass, no scruples, no direction in their present attempt to smear just everyone in sight in order to run a campaign of ‘we-are-all-corrupt.’

He stressed that, “rather than respect the feelings of Nigerians by offering clearcut responses to straightforward allegations of taxevasion, grand corruption in and out of office, impending sealed indictment waiting for him in the US, Atiku Abubakar has decided to drag the world down with him as he goes down in a blaze of infamy. “He has decided to go wild with wild, unsubstantiated allegations against the President and Vice President, throwing caution to the wind in the process. We alerted

the public about this impending avalanche of fake news a few days ago. This is the classic hallmark of a sinking campaign boat, clutching at straws, as Nigerians have woken up to the realisation that these are deceitful people who have nothing to offer. That is how its Vice-Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi was reeling out false statistics with a straight face throughout the Vice-Presidential debate. Till today, he has not apologised to Nigerians for taking them for a ride. It is a real shame. “We call on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to apologize to Nigerians and especially the family of the President for adopting this unwholesome tactics and telling tales by moonlight that have clearly backfired. The public space is now full of jokes about President Buhari buying the whole of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the National Stadium and even the Presidential Villa. Instead of making a mockery of a serious campaign with such infantile lies, Atiku Abubakar should admit it is all over for him and the PDP, throw in the towel and endorse the candidacy of President Buhari.

Africa Volunteer Network shares special Christmas experience for children in Lagos

frica Volunteer Network (AVN) created a unique Christmas experience for the children from Vigilant Heart Charitable Society (VHCS), an orphanage home situated in Lagos. It was all fun and excitement as the kids were treated to an amazing time at Meadow Hall School grounds, where there was a movie viewing of ‘The Greatest Showman’ and an outstanding music performance from the kids, entertaining guests present. The children, who engaged in interesting outdoor games and other fun activities prior to the

movie viewing, were truly in a magical place, as they jumped and danced around happily. Christmas Magic Moment is an initiative of Africa Volunteer Network (AVN), a group

focused on creating impact in disadvantaged communities and inspiring less-privileged children across Africa to identify and develop their talent in order to maximize their potential.

AVN is a platform built on the back of volunteers, and its December29thoutreachwas the first of its kind. Mobo Akpene, founder, AVN, said the initiative is a very dear one and that AVN is committed to working and inspiring children in Africa from less-privileged backgrounds. “Leveraging our volunteer networks and expertise, AVN hopes to impact the lives of many children, by spreading a message of love, providing them with relevant support, and inspiring an environment that allows them to thrive,” Akpene said at the event. With over 52 million orphans in Africa, many of whom have no support and are forced to cater for their own well-being at a very young age, Africa Volunteer Network says it hopes to continue to create inspiring moments that help lessprivileged children turn their dreams into reality. The Network also expects to extend the Christmas Magic Moment initiative to many more orphanages in the coming year, with the hope that it serves as a constant reminder to these kids to believe in their dreams and work towards achieving it.

Group urges Christians to see Nigeria’s present challenges as wake-up call SEYI JOHN SALAU

he Christian Press Editors Association of Nigeria (CPEAN), a body of independent Christian media professionals, has urged Christians and the church to see the present socioeconomic situation, political menace and other social crisis as a wake-up call to intensify spiritual and moral awakening through sincere evangelism, true fellowship, fear of God, messages of salvation and calling into righteousness the already declining Christian value and culture. According to CPEAN, Nigerian Christians are called to maintain sanity, imbibe the culture of value, and promote love and peace among themselves, wherever they may be and in whatever they do, especially in this new year. Gr a c i o u s Ak i n t a y o, president of the group, said CPEAN enjoined Nigerians to develop character of godliness to sanitize the system and societal value, mostly during and after the 2019 general elections. “There is no other country better than this beautiful one God has divinely blessed and strategically positioned as throttle to the world with uncommon natural resources, endowments, material gifts and human talents that are in abundance to us,” he said. According Akintayo, it is time for church leaders

to drop their personal ego, titles, denominational barriers, church doctrines and traditions; to destroy the spirit of disunity among them and allow the spirit of oneness to rule over spiritual divisions and distractions. “To redeem and salvage this country’s peace, progress and prosperity, God is relying on the church, Christians and church leaders whom much has been given. If the virtue of Christ teachings and sound biblical doctrine value with the fear of God can be entrenched into our system to reposition, redirect and occupy individual minds, homes, society and our land, we will experience a great turnaround, revival and harmony,” said Akintayo. He added that Nigeria is so spiritually blessed beyond any curse that it cannot be left in the hands of wicked people with evil minds and devilish desires to run its affairs. Ro m a n u s Ob i e k o s i , general secretary CPEAN said as Nigerians goes to the polls, the electorate are at the receiving end and should shun act or vices culpable to jeopardizing their conscience and chances of voting to elect their right candidates. “As Nigeria goes to the poll, we call for transparency, free and fair election with secured environment devoid of any form of violence, crisis, thuggery, vote buying and wanting destruction of lives and properties during and after the election.

Goldberg Lager celebrates New Year with consumers ...as Wande Coal serenades Benin residents

oldberg Lager Beer, Nigeria’s golden premium q u a l i t y l a g e r, thrilled the city of Benin as the town ushered in the New Year. Along with consumers and music lovers, the brand provided an unforgettable experience. The spectacle of culture, arts and music, tagged Unlimited Fun, held at Kada Plaza on the night of December 31st. The grand crossover event was an ample fill of energy, excitement and entertainment, as it featured a special appearance from Nigerian music star Wande Coal along with other artistes on ground to thrill the audience. Excited music fans and brand loyalists turned up en masse to enjoy a cool night of music, arts and culture as they ushered

in the New Year in style. Speaking on the event Emmanuel Oriakhi, the marketing director, Nigerian Breweries said, “We at Nigerian Breweries recognise the beautiful season of yuletide, as such we have put together this Unlimited Fun event and a host of other exciting nationwide activities to help consumers usher in the new year as we are truly delighted to be part of the festivities, because delivering highly engaging and memorable moments to our consumers, is something we take immense pride in.” Goldberg Lager had previously hosted audience in Ota to a premium gathering, filled with music lovers and brand loyalists on the eve of Christmas, to celebrate consumers during yuletide.

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We ‘II ensure peaceful 2019 elections - Buratai YOMI AYELESO, Akure

he Chief of Army Staff,Major. Gen. Tukur Buratai on Th u r s d a y a s sured that the military and other security agencies would ensure adequate security of lives and property before,during and after the 2019 elections. Buratai gave the assurance during the flag off of the Operation ‘Egwe Eke III’ at the theatre headquarters in Owo, Ondo State. The Chief of Army staff noted that the exercise was aimed at checkmating the threat that may arise before, during and after the 2019 elections and the activities of kidnappers in the state. Represented by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division of Nigerian Army, Major.Gen. Okwudili Azinta, he added that troops would be deployed to flash points across the state,adding that the exer-

cise would be carried out both on land and water. His words: “ This exercise which will be on from today till February 24 to checkmate the activities of criminals before, during and after the coming elections. “ Our men will be everywhere in the state both on land and water to check the threat of criminals who might want to catch on the current security situation in the country and Ondo State to cause trouble. “Let me also assure the people of the state that there will not be hidden place for kidnappers in the state.” Buratai who frowned at how politicians engage youths with arms and ammunition for the purpose of election, noted that the military was ready to flush out political thugs ahead of the election. Speaking at the event, Ondo state gove r n o r, O l u w a r o t i m i Ak e r e d o l u , SA N c o m m e n d e d t h e Ni g e r i a n

Innocent Odoh, Abuja

Buratai

military for their efforts in ensuring peace in the state and country in general. Ak e r e d o l u w h o r e vealed that no meaningful development could take place in a society devoid of peace,added that the state

APM’s Akinlade offers to complete APC, Amosun’s capital projects in Ogun RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta

dekunle Akinlade, the governorship candidate of Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Ogun State has declared that he would complete all the ongoing capital projects initiated by Ibikunle Amosun-led All Progressives Congress government if elected in the 2019 general election. Akinlade stated that being part of APC government in the state in the last

seven and half years, making lots of feats in terms of infrastructure development and economic vibrancy for which Ogun state internally generated revenue increased from N750 million to N7 billion monthly, he could never do less but increase the tempo of works undertaken by Governor Ibikunle Amosun. Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Alake of Egbaland and Egba Traditional Council, Akinlade noted he was coming out as governorship candidate of APM in the state

as part of succession plan designed for the development of economy, infrastructure and social life, saying state resources would be evenly distributed in all nooks and crannies to better lives of the people. “Governor Amosun has begun secession plan long time ago but he was praying to God to give Ogun state the right person and today, I have chosen by God and the good people of Ogun state. We are the best and most qualified team of all the governorship candidates.

Niger leads as police receive 242, 455 applications for recruitment Innocent Odoh, Abuja

ith just a few days left to the close of the recruitment portal for the 2019 Police Constable recruitment, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has received a total of 242, 455 applications as at 1 pm, 2nd January, 2019. A statement issued on Thursday by the Acting Head of Press and Public Relations of the commission, Aaron Kaase, said that Niger State so far has the highest number of appli-

cants at 15, 633 followed by Kano State with 15, 079 while Katsina State is third with 14, 582. Others are Kaduna with 13, 882, Bauchi 5th with 12, 652 and Adamawa 6thwith 11, 449 applicants. Bayelsa State has the lowest number of applicants at 1, 258, followed by Lagos State with 1, 358, Anambra State 1, 618 and Ebonyi State 1, 659. A summary of the applications shows that 212, 716 applicants are males and 29, 694 females. Benue State has the highest number of female applicants at 2,251 followed

Atiku decries INEC’s volt face over incident forms, insists on Smart Card Readers, PVCs

by Akwa Ibom State with 1, 772 and Osun is third with 1, 721. Zamfara State has the lowest number of female applicants with 27 followed by Jigawa 33, while Sokoto has 34. The Chairman of the Commission, Musiliu Smith IGP (Rtd.) has reiterated that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure a merit based recruitment exercise and warned applicants that the exercise is absolutely free, so any applicant who pays for assistance will be prosecuted alongside the receiver, if caught,” the statement said.

government would patner with all security agencies to ensure criminals are wiped out. The governor urged military and other security outfit to clampdown on political thugs ahead of th forthcoming elections.

he Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has noted with deep concern, reports that contrary to the promise the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC made in 2018, at different times and in multiple locations, that it would not use the controversial incident forms, the Commission has backtracked and decided to allow the use of the unreliable incident forms. The former Vice President in a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, said INEC’s decision is “unacceptable to the Peoples Democratic Party and Atiku Abubakar. Any decision to use incident forms in the February 16, 2019 elections is an attempt to toe the line of President Muhammadu Buhari, who thrice refused to sign the amended Electoral Act, for fear of the use of card readers, which would prevent rigging by desperate power mongers. Atiku Abubakar noted that data from the 2015 elections show that 75% of the almost

14 million people who voted without biometric accreditation in 2015, were linked to Muhammadu Buhari. He added that there are no reliable and accurate means of knowing who those voters were and whether they were genuine voters or sham voters. “This disproportionate number of voters who voted without biometric accreditation in 2015 affected the integrity of those elections and we hold the INEC to its oftrepeated promise not to use anything but the Smart Card Readers and PVCs for the 2019 elections,” the statement said. The Wazirin Adamawa accused the Muhammadu Buhari administration of being desperate to avoid the use of Smart Card Readers and PVCs for the 2019 elections adding that the reported volte face by the INEC can only raise concerns about the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau. He reminded the INEC that the world is watching and Nigerians are alert to see if the present Chairman and board of INEC would place national interests above narrow oligarchic interest.

Oyo releases N204m for pensioners’ gratuities payment Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

heOyoStateGovernment has released the sum of N204.235 million for another set of 81 retirees to offset their outstanding gratuities. The government has so far released over N1 billion for the payment of retirees in 2018. The payment of the over N204 million was for the year 2012 gratuities of the retired Civil Servants and Teachers, under the payroll of the State government across all the grade levels. The Oyo State Head of Service, Olawumi Ogunesan, while disbursing the Cheques on behalf of the State Government to the beneficiaries

in Ibadan, hinted that the Ajimobi led administration in the State is responsible and committed to the wellbeing of both serving and retired civil servants and will continue to pay the gratuities to the pensioners based on merit without any influence or favour. The Head of Service, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Adejoke Eyitayo said that government was making concerted efforts to ease the pains of the pensioners in the state, stressing that the disbursement was done to make life easier for the senior citizens, who had served the State meritoriously for the thirty five years. She appealed to those that

are yet to receive theirs not to lose hope, noting that efforts are in top gear towards the payment of their gratuities as soon as possible. Ogunesanadvisedthebeneficiaries not to venture into a business without having an in-depth knowledge in such business and abstain from fraudsters who may want to dupe them. Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Kazeem Mudathir thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi forreleasingthehugeamount of money as their gratuities despite the paucity of funds in the State, noted that the procedures followed in paying the money was purely on merits as nobody collected anything from them before releasing the money.

L-R: Abdulhameed Abubakar, director, africapractice; Olusegun McMedal, chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State chapter; Moyo Aderemi, consultant, africapractice, and Tim Newbold, director (West Africa), africapractice, at the 3rd Lagos PR Industry & Gala Awards (LaPRIGA) where africapractice was awarded “Best PR Agency to Work”.

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News 2019 election: Agoro predicts shocking outcome for Buhari, Atiku Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

scorn Nigeria over this issue. “However, it is too late even to correct such a mistake that has never been made before in any part of the world. It will be a game of the hawk and the dove living together in Nigeria”. For Nigeria, he said: “Year 2019 will be a year of retributive justice and vengeance, therefore, everybody should be careful and watchful of unexpected dangers and life-threatening events.” A g o r o, w h o i s a l s o chairman of National Action Council and presidential candidate, said Nigeria must prepare for the sudden death of one of her leaders.

rimate, Founder and Spiritual Leader, Merciful Christ Church, Spiritual Head Aladura Christian Communion, Olapade Agoro has said that the nation made a big mistake by announcing both President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar as candidates for Presidential Election to hold February 2019. In his new year revelation made available to newsmen in Ibadan, Agoro said the outcome of election will not favour Buhari and Atiku, saying that “the Almighty God said that He will laugh to

Agoro

Elections: Despite strike, ASUU agrees to let lecturers participate as INEC staff

he Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has agreed to allow its members work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2019 general election. The ASUU president, Biodun Ogunyemi, made this known while briefing journalists after a meeting with INEC. He said ASUU will not

stop its members from participating in the election as temporary staff ”as that is part of their community service.” “We placed on record that our relationship with INEC dated back to 2010 when Attahiru Jega was chairman. Even though we are not in the position now to do everything we were doing that time, we have assured them that we will not stand on the way of our members participating in the election as ad-hoc staff,”

he said. He s a i d d e s p i t e t h e ongoing strike by the union, it would not stop any of its staff from taking part in the electoral process. He assured that ASUU will continue to work with INEC to further deepen the content and the process of elections in Nigeria. The INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, expressed delight at the position of the lecturers.

“We had a very successful meeting with the union, we are very happy with the assurance that we received from the union,” he said. “I am happy to say that as a result of this meeting, Nigerians should rest assured that 2019 general election is fully on course.” He said the commission would secure collation and returning officers from the pool of university officials it has access to.

the movement, which he said is devoted to encouraging Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora to contribute to the development and growth of the country and continent. ‘‘Motherlands Beckons movement is gaining momentum. It is basically a concept to create a platform for Africans in diaspora to add to the growth and development of the continent. Apart from just coming to enjoy themselves,’’ he said, stressing that: ‘‘No matter how little they must begin a process of Africa’s resuscitation and growth.’’ Adeeko, he said has heeded the call to lift his fellow Nigerians. ‘‘A 25 year old Atlanta - based, African - American with a Nigerian father and a Caribbean - America mother, has heeded the call. Based on that he started by feeding one thousand children and youths this holiday

season.’’ He disclosed that this is just the beginning of his contribution, as he has indicated interest to take his kind gesture to another level next year by ensuring that over 5, 000 Nigerians are fed and entertained. ‘‘He is hoping that by next year he will feed 5, 000 children and youths with the support of other friends of his from the USA that will come down with him for a major celebration. That will not only just be food but full entertainment for those that cannot enjoy the Yuletide because of the economic hardship on the continent and Nigeria,’’ revealed Akinboboye. Adeeko’s contribution to the wellbeing of the children and youths, he said was part of the Motherland Beckons’ Diaspora Nigeria Economic RecoveryProgramme,which he said was created for this

...to become top Nollywood film of 2018 and third biggest movie of all time Ifeoma Okeke

bonyLife Films’ Chief Daddy closed its 2018 record-breaking run with an astounding N235,469,368 - the highest box-office total for a Nigerian film in 2018 and the third-highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time. The Niyi Akinmolayan film overtook King of Boys and squeezed past Merry Men, the 5th and 4th on the list of highest-grossing films, and into third place behind The Wedding Party and The Wedding Party 2. This amazing feat makes EbonyLife Films a producer of all three movies at the top of the all-time box office chart. The emergence of Chief Daddy capped the end of a remarkable year for Nollywood, despite a slow start, in which three films went beyond the N200 million barrier, a feat only achieved by the Wedding Party movies in 2016 and 2017. Ayodeji ‘AY’ Makun had his biggest hit to date with the dramatic comedy, Merry Men, that posted N235.2 million by the end of its run. Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys was the second big Nollywood movie of 2018, scoring over N220 million. Also, it was a landmark year for Niyi Akinmolayan, who directed two films, The Wedding Party 2 and Chief Daddy, that gained no.1 status in the same year.

purpose where Nigerians and African – Americans abroad can come and contribute to the growth of Africa. ‘‘If we have one thousand Bolaji’s feeding a thousand people that will be one million children and youths benefiting from such legacy that will help allviate some of the hardship that they have gone through in the year and they can look forward to a Bolaji’s movement for next year.’’ Akinboboye, therefore, expressed appreciation to Adeeko for the initiative, which he said was self – motivating. ‘‘Motherland Beckons is grateful to Adeeko for this personal initiative because he came up with the idea as what he will like to contribute to the development of Nigeria. ‘‘He has now be asked to bring with him a minimum of five people next year for this continent building project.’’

One interesting aspect of Chief Daddy’s performance over the holidays was that, despite Aquaman posting higher revenues due to higher ticket prices for its 3D and IMAX screenings, many more viewers went to see Chief Daddy, making it the most-watched movie for the season. The Niyi Akinmolayan film opened in cinemas on Friday, December 14th and has maintained the number one position for local movies since then, despite competing with a strong lineup of holiday releases. And Chief Daddy is off to a bright start for 2019, with revenues over N14 million on New Year’s Day, taking it to N250,260,945 in total. Moses Babatope, COO of FilmOne Distribution is pleased with the film’s performance. “Our overall goal for Chief Daddy was N200 million, given the glut of releases on the December schedule, but it reached the target in just 16 days. It has exceeded our expectations, making it one of a handful of films that have made 2018 an outstanding year for Nollywood.” Mo Abudu, executive producer, is excited about her film’s trajectory. “We knew Chief Daddy would do well but it has outperformed our projections. It’s a little reminiscent of the early days of The Wedding Party, when all the shows were selling out but we had no idea how far the film would go.

EFCC raises alarm over scam mail Innocent Odoh, Abuja

Motherland Beckons’ DNERP lifts for 1,000 Nigerian children, youths

or over 1, 000 Nigerian children and youths, last year’s Yuletide celebration will be a season to remember for a long time as they were feted to a befitting celebration by Motherland Beckons through one of its activations, Diaspora Nigeria Economic Recovery Programme (DNERP). This time, it was at the instance of a Nigerian based in Atlanta, America, Bolaji Adeeko, who feted them to a rich and wide selection of foods under the auspices of the DNERP. Adeeko was elated to have lifted the children and brighten their festive season with his kind gesture. Speaking on this development, Wanle Akinboboye, founder and president of Motherland Beckons, described it as a significant milestone. According to him, it was a great push for

‘Chief Daddy’ races to N235.5m in 18 days

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised alarm over the discovery of a scam mail used by unscrupulous elements to defraud unsuspecting members of the public posing as EFCC staff. A statement issued on Friday by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Tony Orilade, said “the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to the activities of fraudsters who disguise as officers of the Commission and send scam mail to individuals, purporting such to be from the EFCC, with the aim of extorting money from them.” The statement added that the commission has uncovered a number of email addresses, telephone numbers and websites used by unscrupulous persons to perpetrate such fraudulent activities, and is acting on

them. “In some instances, they send fraudulent emails, letters and make telephone calls to unsuspecting members of the public, by also impersonating government officials and organisations. “While alerting the public of these fraudulent activities, the EFCC states that anyone who enters into any agreement with any such impostor does so at his/her peril,” the anti-graft agency warned. The EFCC has stated severally that none of its officers will demand for gratification to “kill” an investigation, and no operative will invite a suspect to any location apart from EFCC’s designated offices, which can be found on its website. “Members of the public are, therefore, advised not to send money to any fraudster demanding money in the name of the EFCC for whatever purpose, and to desist from engaging in any communications with them,” the EFCC further warned.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

PhotoSplash

President Muhammadu Buhari; Umaru Dembo, director general, Buhari Support Group Centre, during group meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, with them are members of the group, Robert Boroffice (r);Tayo Fashogbon (3rd-r) and Fidel Ayogu (4th-r).

L-R: Marketing Manager, Hero lager, Mr. Obum Okoli presenting a cheque to Mr. Cashmir Wilfred, winner of the Hero lager consumer promo, tagged HEROnaires Mega promo, at the presentation of prizes to winners by International Breweries, Awka, Anambra state…recently.

L-R: Shehu Abdulrahman, Ali Tariq, Friends to the Kogi State governorship aspirant, Mustapha Mona Audu, governorship aspirant Kogi State and Ahmed Nakande during a media parley for His Governorship ambition in Abuja. picture by TUNDE ADENIYI.

L-R: Ayodele Orekunrin, Tech Engineer, Inlaks Energy; Doyinsola Ogunshola, student of Vivian Fowler School and gift winner (middle) and Abayomi Subair, Team Lead, Power System Engineering, Inlaks Tech Resource Centre, during a training session on solar electricity generation for the students, organised by Inlaks

Arthur Mbanefo (r), elder statesman/chairman of occasion; Samuel Akpata, author of a book “Sand, Sun and Surprises”, his wife Victoria, during a book presentation in Lagos.

L-R, Sani Juli, Member of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Funila Socio-Cultural Association, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, Nationa President of the Association, Saleh Alhassan, National Secretary, Hardo Shehu Dauje, member and Hauwa’u Abdullahi, North Central Zone Women Leader of the Association during the press briefing on the Amnesty International Report 2018 and Atiku’s Naked Dance, in Abuja. picture by TUNDE ADENIYI.

L-R: Austin Aka, Regional Trade Marketing Manager, Benin/Akure; Kenneth Ediale, Regional Business Manager, Benin; Wande Coal; Olufunmilayo Ogunbodede, Brand Manager, Goldberg; Omotunde Adenusi: Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Brands at the Goldberg Unlimited Fun crossover event that held in Benin.

L-R: Marketing Manager, Hero lager, Mr. Obum Okoli presenting a cheque to Mr. Ikeme Osita, winner of the Hero lager consumer promo, tagged HEROnaires Mega promo, at the presentation of prizes to winners by International Breweries, Awka, Anambra state…recently.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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11 Inside Lagos

BRI: Lagos targets Q1 for flag off of operation ….as official confirms buses on ground, explains delay Stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

he Bus Reform Initiative (BRI) of the current Lagos government, to which billions of naira have been sunk, will eventually take off in the first quarter of 2019, a source in the state ministry of transportation has confirmed to Inside. The BRI is basically aimed at transforming the Lagos public transportation system with the injection of brand new and passenger-friendly buses. A total of 5,000 buses are targeted but it will take off with 820 buses which the ministry source confirmed are all on ground. “All the buses needed for the take off of the scheme are ready. By this first quarter, they would be rolled out,” the source said, while also dismissing the fear that Ambode’s exit from government on May 29, 2019 would impact the scheme negatively. On the delay so far experienced, especially with regard to the Ikeja Bus Terminal, one of the terminals built by the government to drive the project, the source said that the government was taking the time to put in place necessary infrastructure that would guarantee a smooth and seamless scheme once op-

erational. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Ikeja BusTerminal in March 2018 preparatory to the flag off the scheme. The state government subsequently brought in buses some of which were stationed at the terminal, but later removed. On why the buses were removed, the source, who asked not to be quoted, said it was to allow the contractor return to site to correct some defects noticed after the terminal was commis-

Lagos lawyers seek overhaul of criminal justice system

ome Lagos-based legal practitioners have called for a reform of the justice system and the various provisions of its laws in order to enhance the Nigerian judiciary. The lawyers said in separate interviews that the Nigerian legal system had been mired by many challenges ranging from applicable laws to their implementation. They held that a review was now imminent and called for an overhaul of the legal system. A constitutional lawyer, Spurgeon Ataene, described the judiciary as embattled, especially with episodes of invasion of the homes of judicial officers, which had left a sour taste. “The arraignment of some judges is indeed a sad commentary for the judiciary; the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) should evolve and articulate policies that will fortify the judicial arm of government,’’ he said. Ataene called for an interface with the arms of government, in order to avoid serious conflict. “It is important for the CJN to interface with the executive and legislative arms of government in finding effective ways of resolving conflicts, rather than exposing the judiciary to needless public ridicule. “More so, it is important for Judges to deliver on their mandates, and endeavour to reduce the burden of justice on the citizens and not being overbearing,” he said. He also called on the CJN to re-

store the past glory of the judiciary. In the same vein, a lawyer and rights activist, Anthony Makolo, called for the downward review of the cost of filing processes in court, to reduce the burden on the common man. “Prisons are exploding in population daily, and judicial officers are partly responsible for this. “Judges and magistrates should be bold in the interpretation of the law. “The administration of criminal justice law, must be strictly complied with to the latter, so that once the 60 days window lapses and no information is filed against an accused, a judge or magistrate is duty bound to set such accused free,” he said. He said that applying the law with restraint had been the bane of justice delivery, adding that it should be discouraged. Another rights activist, Ogedi Ogu, clamoured for the judiciary to take a bold step in tackling the evident challenges in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. “For instance, the judiciary must invoke its powers on statements obtained from suspects by way of torture, and inhuman treatments. “It is only when the judiciary takes a bold step and out rightly rejects such practices that those saddled with the responsibility of investigation would find other means of obtaining statements without inhuman treatments,’’ he added.

sioned. “If you go to there (Ikeja terminal) now, you will notice that it is covered with tarpaulin. Some defects were discovered, so the contractor is back to correct the error. Because of this, the buses had to be removed to the former taskforce/KAI site at Alausa, close to the State House,” said the source. A number of bus terminals and new bus stops fitted with solar power panels are being constructed in different parts of Lagos metropolis in connection

with the BRI project. Some of the bus terminals include those on Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way, Ikeja, Oyingbo, Yaba, Tafawa Balewa Square-TBS (long completed) and another on Awolowo Way, also in Ikeja. The governor, Ambode who approved the purchase of 820 buses to be injected into the public transport system under the BRI, said it was to bequeath a world-class system and enhance connectivity across the state. In June last year, Ambode assured operators of ‘Danfo’ of

plans to absolve them into the new transport initiative. He further explained the rationale behind the initiative, saying the new buses and terminals were conceived to redefine public transportation with the view to making the state globally competitive. “Like we have said, we are doing bus terminals to actually improve on the management of transportation in the city. Some people would have noticed that we are beginning to receive some of our new buses. We have actually ordered 820 buses and we believe that by end of September (2018), the 820 buses should be in Lagos. “The intention is not to drive away ‘Danfo’ buses. Buses in Lagos right now are never enough. Government is intending to inject 5,000 but we do not intend to operate them and so whoever is going to operate the buses would recruit drivers and personnel to work on those buses,” he said. Ambode added that, “apart from adding to the aesthetics of the state with the impressive blue and white colour, the new environmentally-friendly high capacity buses, were also equipped with modern facilities to bring about comfort and seamless travelling experience along the dedicated routes.

Stakeholders kick as contractor vacates site of Orile Tanker Park

ix months after its construction was flagged off, the contractor engaged by the Lagos State government to build the Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu (ABAT) Tanker Terminal, near Orile Iganmu, Lagos, has left site and withdrew its equipment. The tanker terminal was conceived to address the menace of indiscriminate parking of petroleum tankers on major roads especially around Apapa axis. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode flagged off the construction in August 2018 with Planet Projects Limited as the contractor. A visit to the site showed no presence of the contractor, its staff or equipment, a development already raising concern among stakeholders, who feared that the project may eventually be abandoned. Remi Ogungbemi, president of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), who spoke with Inside Lagos, described as worrisome the abandonment of the site by the contractor, saying “this project is crucial to the effective management of traffic congestion in Apapa and its environs.” According to Ogungbemi, who was present on August 6, 2018 when Ambode flagged off the construction, “I have gone to the

government to find out why the contractor has left site. I was told that they had something to sort out. But four months after that, the contractor has not returned.” Ogungbemi said it was imperative that the state government continued with the project, because the deployment of taskforces on the roads to manage traffic was never a lasting solution to the congestion in Apapa. “The tankers and trailers must have somewhere to park. That is an enduring solution to the gridlock,” he said. Another stakeholder and former Lagos zonal chairman of Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Tokunbo Korodo, also expressed shock at the development. Korodo said there could never be a permanent solution to the congestion problem in Apapa and Lagos in general unless the tankers and trailers were provided a place to park. “As long as fuel comes to Apapa, the tankers will come and if there is no opportunity to enter freely, they will park on the roads. Recall that Ambode flagged off the expansion of the Orile Tanker Terminal on August 6, 2018 as part of solutions to the Apapa gridlock. Ambode said the expansion of the terminal was one of the reso-

lutions reached at during a meeting with stakeholders, especially in the maritime sector. “One of the other resolutions is that we should have authorised truck terminal park and so my visit to this place is to flag off the reconstruction of this terminal so that we can accommodate 1000 trucks. “We will do this in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) so that the call-up system can work efficiently. “The expansion we are adding to this particular terminal in which we have decided to acquire the adjoining land, we will use that primarily for non-petroleum trucks so that we can sectionalise these trucks and allow the call-up system to work,” he said. He also disclosed that the state government had concluded plans to utilise an expanse of land in Ijanikin area, along Lagos-Badagry Expressway with a capacity to accommodate additional 5,000 trucks. “I have just been briefed that we have an additional land space in Ijanikin that can accommodate 5000 trucks. “We will explore that possibility immediately; all that we are doing is just to make sure that there is a permanent solution to this whole idea of trucks destroying our bridges and roads,” Ambode said.

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Gani Adams and the preservation of indigenous culture

editor Zebulon Agomuo

powerful that he could singlehandedly subdue towns. Subsequent Aare Onakakanfos were to follow in this tradition of fearlessness, bravery and gallantry. History has it that most of them had amazing mystical powers that made them live and act mysteriously. For instance, it was alleged that Kokoro Gangan, the first Aare Onakakanfo, had supernatural powers that made him disappear and appear as he wished. Not only that, it was alleged that he also had powers that made him listen to conversations about him, irrespective of the distance. It could, thus, be established that in the olden days, Aare Onakakanfos were dominant men who possessed unusual, paranormal powers. This couldn’t have been otherwise because in those days the influence of kingdoms and empires were measured by the fierceness and invisibility of their military. However, in contemporary times, the trend seems to be changing. For instance, Late Chief S. L. Akintola, the then Premier of Western Nigeria and the 13th Aare Onakakanfo, was a colourful politician and a brilliant lawyer. Similarly, his successor, Late Chief MKO Abiola, was an affluent industrialist with wide-ranging interests in diverse sectors of the national and global economy. He was equally an accomplished politician and statesman who was famous all over the world. Hence, it could be accurately asserted that in the modern era, dexterity in the art of

Frank Aigbogun

DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja assistant EDITOR Chuks Oluigbo

Tayo Ogunbiyi Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SERVICES Oghenevwoke Ighure GENERAL MANAGER, ADVERT Adeola Ajewole ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Patrick Ijegbai CIRCULATION MANAGER John Okpaire DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (South) Ignatius Chukwu HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES Adeola Obisesan

n January 13, 2018, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, officially installed Iba Gani Abiodun Adams the 15th Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland at the ancient town of Oyo. The pomp and grandeur of the event sufficiently attested to the substance of the Kakanfo chieftaincy title in Yorubaland. The office was last held by late business mogul and winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola, who died in detention in 1998 after refusing to give up his mandate annulled by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida. The Kakanfo chieftaincy title was instituted by Alaafin Ajagbo (1587-1624) who installed a native of Iwoye (in present-day Republic of Benin) and daring hunter, popularly called ‘Kokoro Gangan’, as the first Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland. Kokoro Gangan was alleged to possess magical powers that made him untouchable and beyond repression, by any means. According to history, he was so

warfare is no longer a desirable feature in the appointment of an Aare Onakakanfo. The appointment of the current Aare Onakakanfo follows in this contemporary tradition. In proclaiming Adams as the 15th Aare, Alaafin of Oyo declared that “his antecedents in the promotion of Yoruba culture are unquestionable, and he has a clear vision of where the Nation should be in its cultural reawakening both at home and overseas”. In view of Adams’ undying and conscientious passion for the promotion of Yoruba culture and tradition, his appointment as the 15th Aare Onakakanfo is, no doubt, a befitting one. In 2011, Adams founded Oodua Peoples’ Union (OPU) as a body for Yoruba people in Diaspora and he has since established branches of OPU in major countries across Europe, Asia, Africa North America and South America. One of the most fundamental goals of the body is to foster unity and harmony among all Yoruba sons and daughters all over the world. It is in view of his zeal for preserving indigenous culture and tradition that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, is identifying with the installation anniversary of Aare Gani Abiodun Adams. The main goal is to ensure that younger and coming generations of Nigerians take pride in their language, culture and tradition. This way, they can desist from perceiving foreign culture as superior to theirs.

Towards this end, the Union will be unveiling two books in honour of Aare Gani Abiodun Adams. The historical publications will be publicly unveiled on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja. It is the firm conviction of the Dr. Qasim Akinreti-led Lagos State Council of NUJ that for our beloved nation to move forward, we must go back to the path of holding our culture in high esteem and with great reverence. For the avoidance of doubt, our indigenous culture is laid on certain core values for the development of the people and their homeland. Sadly, ‘civilization’ and technological advancement have encouraged new generation of compatriots to abandon these traits. We need to take a cue from developed nations such as China, Japan, Germany, Portugal, USA and a few others that use their culture as veritable tool for developing morality and social justice in the society to attain enviable heights. They respect their language and other cultural values so much so that they can do anything to preserve them. We need to follow same trend by rebuilding the collapsed wall of our cultural and traditional heritage. This is why the Lagos State Council of NUJ is collaborating with Aare Gani Adams to trigger cultural renaissance in our land. Ogunbiyi, assistant director, Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, is chairman, Publication Committee, NUJ, Lagos State Council.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

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CARL MANLAN Manlan is an economist and Chief Operating Officer of the Ecobank Foundation. He is a 2016 Aspen New Voices Fellow.

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Africa’s philanthropic potential Since 2015, Africa’s household spending growth has averaged 3.5%, and by the end of 2019, consumer demand is forecast to add as much as $1.1 trillion to African GDP – further evidence that a growing number of Africans have the financial means to help the African continent achieve its human-development objectives. What is needed now are the tools to adequately channel Africans’ new philanthropic capacity. The international community should continue to support progress across Africa, and better resourced countries should fulfill their unmet SDG funding commitments. But Africans do not need to wait for the world to come to the rescue; we have the resources we need right here at home. After so many decades of dependence on foreign funding, it is time that wealth – and not poverty – dictates how the African continent develops.

t has now been more than three years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the money required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the agenda’s key targets – remains elusive. In fact, less than half of the $6 trillion in annual financing that is needed has even been pledged. But while the dearth of global funding could be viewed as a tragedy for the Global South, for Africa, it actually represents a tremendous opportunity. Foreign aid has long supported Africa’s progress. But Africans are increasingly able to invest in their own solutions. By 2025, African household and business spending could hit $5.6 trillion, and Deloitte estimates that by 2030, a half-billion Africans will have disposable income. If every African with the means contributed a

dollar a month for a year to pool our own resources, the benefits would be profound. But before we can even begin to dream of legions of homegrown donors, the immediate goal must be to create networks and strategies to maximize the benefits of African giving. The first step is to build philanthropic infrastructure – the technological, legal, tax, and accountability systems needed to ensure that donations are secure. While digital financial services have already made fundraising easier, the scale of online giving in Africa remains small. For example, Africa’s largest online fundraising platform, M-Changa, launched in 2012, has collected money from more than 340,000 donors for some 29,000 projects. China’s Tencent charity platform, by comparison, solicited 28 million donations in just three days last year. Moreover, Africa’s civilsociety organizations (CSOs) must become more adept at persuading potential African

ANDREA BOGGIO & COLIN OHRT

How to stop losing the fight against malaria

Boggio is a professor of legal studies at Bryant University, where he researches the intersection of health and science policy; Ohrt, founding director of the Consortium for Health Action, is a physician who works on eliminating drug-resistant malaria.

hen it comes to fighting infectious diseases, progress cannot be gauged by the availability of resources; the most important metric is the number of lives saved. By this measure, the world is on the verge of losing its battle with malaria. After years of impressive gains, global efforts to combat the mosquito-borne illness have stalled. According to the World Health Organization’s most recent malaria report card, 219 million cases were reported in 2017, an increase of three million from the previous year. Moreover, while total annual deaths remained essentially unchanged

at about 435,000, declines in some regions reversed. More alarming, the death toll could climb far higher. Data from the Consortium for Health Action – a nonprofit group committed to eliminating incurable malaria in Southeast Asia – shows a high risk of drug-resistant malaria spreading from Asia to SubSaharan Africa, the world’s most malaria-affected region. This is not an unprecedented concern. In the late 1950s, resistance to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine emerged in Cambodia and spread to (and throughout) Africa during the 1980s, resulting in a two- to sixfold increase in malaria-related mortality. Without urgent and coordinated interventions, it could happen again, but much faster this time. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce this likelihood; one of the most important is to expand prevention, screening, and treatment programs for those at high risk. These include regional peacekeepers, a common if often-overlooked source of transmission of malaria parasites between Asia and Africa. Security personnel in Southeast Asia are infected at high rates with plasmodium falciparum, a parasite that causes a deadly form of the disease. In 2016, for example, research led by the US Armed Forces

donors that they are worthy aid recipients. According to EPIC-Africa, a Dakar-based nonprofit that tracks CSO effectiveness, there is little credible data on the number of African CSOs, what they do, and how they effect change in the places where they operate. In other words, donors have little way of knowing whether their money is being well spent. If African philanthropy is ever to serve as an effective catalyst of human progress, greater CSO transparency will be needed. Aware of these shortcomings, EPIC-Africa has formed a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to create the African CSO Excellence Awards, a program designed to recognize organizational capacity on issues like strategic ability, leadership, governance, financial health, and project monitoring. The ultimate goal is to strengthen philanthropic infrastructure to make charities more effective and more accountable. Finally, Africa’s philanthrop-

Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok found that 10% of military personnel in Northwest Cambodia were carriers. When infected Cambodian soldiers were deployed to Africa, as many may have been between 2010 and 2016, virulent strains of malaria were at risk of being spread. From Cambodia, the malaria parasite strains may move across Myanmar to India and Bangladesh, which account for about 15% of the current United Nations peacekeeping force. When Indian and Bangladeshi soldiers are stationed in Africa without malaria screening, the risk of deadly disease transmission may increase dramatically. With pre-deployment testing, medication, and widespread use of insecticide-treated uniforms, this source of malaria migration could be contained. At the moment, however, most governments and aid organizations are maintaining a status quo that largely excludes these high risk groups. For example, we have observed that treated mosquito netting, which is an effective means of disease prevention, is distributed in insufficient quantities in high-transmission areas, and there the use of available netting is low. In 2015, the WHO set 2020 as a deadline for halting the

ic push should target economic growth. One of the best ways to shift Africans’ focus from poverty reduction to wealth creation is by supporting small and medium-size enterprises – including female-run farms. That way, when governments build systems that connect intra-African trade to global value chains, well-resourced SMEs can maneuver to take advantage. And when SMEs succeed, jobs are created, helping more people find means of upward mobility. The African diaspora, as well as Africans on the continent with disposable income, can help governments achieve the SDGs by directing resources to organizations that are best positioned to create African wealth. By strategically pooling their financial resources, Africans could end poverty, eradicate diseases, improve health-care systems, and educate the continent’s children. All of this would help Africa realize its economic potential – including its potential to fuel global prosperity.

transmission of plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia, and called for total elimination of malaria from Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong Subregion by 2030. These ambitious targets are still achievable, but only if three key challenges are addressed. First, a coordinated strategy is needed to target the disease in areas where transmission rates are highest, the so-called malaria islands. While many of the resources to accomplish this are already available, flexible funding and new partnerships will be essential to reduce infection rates among military, forestry, and police personnel, as well as other at-risk populations. Second, the international donors must recognize the urgency of the looming malaria pandemic. At the moment, their commitment is still insufficient. For example, The Global Fund, one of the world’s most important anti-malaria supporters, suffers from a lack of funding effectiveness. Aid recipients in the region complain that the Fund’s money cannot be used for several unmet needs, including pay-for-performance incentives to motivate staff. The Global Fund justifies its approach as necessary to ensure long-term program sustainability and hostcountry participation. But, faced with a public-health emergency

(c): Project Syndicate

in Southeast Asia, and by extension, Africa, insisting on rigid adherence to the standard funding rules may be penny wise but pound foolish. And, finally, we need new sources of money. A natural place to look is the United States military, for whom malaria is the number one infectious disease threat. Unfortunately, the US Department of Defense has declined to offer anything more than research support, which may lead to a few extra publications, but will not help eliminate this malaria threat. Even with a change of heart, philanthropic organizations – especially the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – will be essential to filling the effective funding void, especially by offering financial incentives for implementing effective elimination operations. With the right level of support and coordination, we can eliminate multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria in Southeast Asia. The alternative – poor implementation, ineffective spending, and misdirected research – will mean that still-evolving malaria parasites will eventually reach Africa, a deadly scenario that would turn back the clock on decades of progress. (c): Project Syndicate

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Perspective

To be the best in 2019 AYO OYOZE BAJE

“Your potential is unlimited. Aspire to a higher place. Believe in your abilities, in your tasks, in your judgment”. - Bryan Adams.

y dearly beloved readers and ever faithful friends and fans, let me begin by wishing you all a year full of divine grace, favour, love, mercy, peace, protection and all-round prosperity. For, those are the same goodies I wish for myself. The New Year presents before us all vast and varied opportunities in different fields of human endeavour. More like an empty canvas before an artist, the picture you eventually paint on it would depend largely on your vision, dreams, desires and experiences. All these encompass what you have seen, heard, smelt, eaten and the people and places you have encountered. Others include the ideas that sprout out of your fertile imagination, virtually on daily basis. And more importantly, the positive ACTION you take to actualize those ideas. Oh yes, your MIND! That is where it all starts from. According to Norman Vincent Peale, the best–selling author of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ your subconscious mind is like a fertile field. Be careful what you sow in it for that is what you will eventually harvest. So, what you dream of, think and talk about, wish for and do everyday of the New Year would define your fortunes or failures over the coming months. This is not the time for selfdeceit. No! This is not the period to look back at your past mistakes and keep blaming yourself or others and waste precious time dwelling on them. No! You must look deep inwards and out of sober reflections ask yourself the critical questions before you make those all-important New Year resolutions. What are your capabilities and limitations too? Are you at the right place doing the right things? Life is dynamic and you must be ready to move forward. Interestingly, 2019 will don different colours and flavours from the previous year. For instance, political campaigns as well as the 2019 general elections will attract much public attention. New op-

portunities will spring up for printers, events organizers, advertisers, entertainers, fuel marketers and transporters. Others include brand managers, media consultants, public affairs analysts, political economists and of course, those INEC will engage before and during the elections. You must be sensitive, like the insects with their antennae sensing the environment for available substances to survive on. To succeed, you should be open to the happenings in your environment. And muster the capacity to maximize the economic benefits derivable thereof. You must be able to dream big and to dare all odds to be on the receiving side of the billions of Naira that will exchange hands. But mind you, one is strictly against vote buying, as it is both an insult on Nigerians and an avenue that brings curse on oneself! Firstly, you should understand yourself. Who are you in the real sense of it? What mission has God, your creator brought you here to achieve? What are your natural endowments; your talents and innate abilities? What do you enjoy doing so effortlessly that gives you self satisfaction? Have your educational career and experiences positioned you along this line? What problems can you solve with your aptitudes? What value can you add to human existence? Until you are able to answer these all-important ques-

tions, you may end up like the rudderless boat swept up and down by the seasonal tides. May that not be our portion. Now, what is my major prediction for the New Year? Even in the absence of a crystal ball, one can see several young, enterprising, courageous and creative Nigerians smiling all the way to the bank before this year runs out. One is not talking about the sons and daughters of the devil, especially the political thugs, hired assassins, kidnappers, armed robbers and drug traffickers. Or, the

our new generation of engineers should accept responsibility that they are the solution providers of today. They must read widely, train continuously and synergize with other professionals. To make this effective, they should work in teams. They should see their environment as their constituency, communicate effectively, be fair and ethical and learn to choose wisely

yahoo boys with the Logo Benz mindset and all those who would want to take the short cut to riches. No! Rather, the focus here is on those who would see a half-filled cup of water rather a half-emptied one, like those of who complain everyday, without making efforts to be solution providers. In the timeless words of Engineer Titi Omo-Ettu, a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Engineers, “our new generation of engineers should accept responsibility that they are the solution providers of today. They must read widely, train continuously and synergize with other professionals. To make this effective, they should work in teams. They should see their environment as their constituency, communicate effectively, be fair and ethical and learn to choose wisely”. You do not have to be an engineer to drink from this fountain of knowledge. In 2019,if you want to be rich and successful you must be a problemsolver or a solution-provider. I commend these words to you. Think about this for a moment: Where was Aliko Dangote during the military era and where is he today? What magic wand did the Kano state- born entrepreneur wave to become Africa’s richest and most powerful man according to Forbes magazine? Did he travel out to foreign lands to make his fortunes? The answer is obvi-

ous to us all. After a thorough research into his phenomenal rise to his home-grown wealth I discovered these traits, as revealed in my upcoming book: ‘Unveil the Billionaire in You’. His success secrets are traceable to having an eye on lucrative businesses; by p rovid in g u s valu ab le products we need virtually on daily basis, being a risk taker, having the courage to move from buying and selling to manufacturing, and being futuristic in his ventures. Others include multiple streams of income, staying close to the power brokers and having a global perspective. If you claim that he and Mike Adenuga, Jim Ovia, Femi Otedola as well as Tony Elumelu all became billionaires because they are captains of industry, what about our young entertainment icons such as Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Davido, Ali Baba, Omotola Jalade, Genevieve Nnaji, Mercy Johnson, Mo Abudu, Kemi Adetiba or the world acclaimed Nigerian-born blogger named Linda Ikeji? Yes, that reminds me on the need to add technology to your line of business and start to smile to the bank. Even as we complain daily about the prevailing, harsh economic environment, new millionaires are spring up everyday. So, what is the best way forward, for you? The answer, I dare say Is in You, as the Peak Milk advert would admonish us. Truth is that many of us our own worst enemies! We have to realize that inside every problem there are seeds of greatness; of success, of fortunes waiting to be harvested, sowed, and nurtured to fruitiness, if only we but look closely enough. For instance, our own Larry Izamoje saw the opportunity in sports broadcasting when others never saw a kobo in it. Today, Brilla FM is a success story. Similarly, Dr. Sunny Obazu Ojeagbase who never saw the four walls of a university has raised many millionaires over the years and pioneered Success Digest Enterprise Development Attitude as well as Complete Sports. Simply put, you have to discover who you are, capitalize on your abilities, overcome your weaknesses, apply information technology, never be easily discouraged by daunting obstacles but take them as stepping stones to move on to the higher ground. Take that first step now! Welcome to 2019, the year of limitless possibilities.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Politics IGP Idris: PDP’s needless fuss on tenure extension Emmanuel Umohinyang

ne of the issues that dominated the media space towards the end of 2018 was the clamour that the tenure of the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris should not be extended The clamour as usual came from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose stock-in-trade has always been to kick against every move connected with the Muhammadu Buhari Administration. This time, their cry is that having served the mandatory thirty five years in service, Idris must vacate his position for a fresh hand to take over. Surely, this is one of the most illogical positions any serious-minded political party or person can take on this very important issue. Seriously hooked at, it only portrays, the opposition PDP as a party that either has a hidden agenda or is afraid of the IGP for no just cause. This is in view of the fact that the issue at hand is not as shallow as the PDP has made it appear. How come the PDP is viewing the issue as if the moment an IGP spends the mandatory number of years, the occupant’s tenure cannot be extended by a single day? The truth as far as the matter is concerned is that President Buhari as commander- in – Chief of the Armed Forces is vested with power to extend or not to on the matter. The PDP should therefore not pull wool over our eyes by turning the law upside down as it did in its sixteen years in office. As the man in the saddle, the ideal thing would have been for the PDP and the its allies in the Conference of United Political Parties(CUPP) to wait on the President to decide in line with the law. What is curious is that some other officials past and present, including permanent secretaries have enjoyed tenure extension, so why should IGP Idris case be different? The fact that the scenario is playing out weeks to the general elections has further exposed the antics of the PDP and their collaborators. It will therefore be safe to say that as far

Ibrahim Idris

as the main opposition party is concerned, the fear of IGP Idris is the beginning of wisdom as far as 2019 is concerned. Closely looked at, the party is fighting an imaginary enemy as the IGP has demonstrated a high degree of professionalism since his appointment Though one is not saying that the police under his leadership has been perfect, it will not be out of place to say that a great measure of credibility has been restored to the Institution by Idris. This may be unconnected with the fact that IGP unlike most of his predecessors was trained by the United Nations(UN). After his training, he served in different parts of the world and was well garlanded for his professionalism in the course of his duties. What the PDP cite as reason for the Idris-must-go campaign is indeed laughable and the butt of jokes among seriousminded people. They alleged that the police may not be neutral in the coming elections as the institution was partisan in Osun and Ekiti States, where the party recently lost elections.

But the truth of the matter is that the police under IGP Idris has been more professional in election duties, so far conducted under his leadership compared with the dark days of the PDP. Have we seen policeman hijacking in ballot boxes as we saw under elections conducted under the PDP? Have we seen masked police men on any election duty with intent to instill fear into voters on election say under the current IGP? Never! Though Idris obviously has his faults like everyone, the facts speak for itself regarding how far he has remodeled the police Perhaps, for the first time, we are seeing a Police Force that treat Nigerians with respect and courtesy in a very long time. Recall that recently, a police team led an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police was at the home of a Nigerian who was accidentally killed in the course of duty. This IGP has also demonstrated that it will not condone indiscipline by dismissing an official of the F-SARS who recently killed a LASTMA Official in Lagos and others engaged in acts of indiscipline. Public outcry against Special Anti-

robbery Squad (SARS) has also been addressed by the IGP. Under the latest arrangement, a code of conduct has been reeled to officers as a way of instilling discipline. These and many more should not be surprising as Idris comes across, as a humane officer in his dealings with his men and the public. Due to his efforts , the Federal Government recently acceded to the calls for an increase in the wages of the police as a way of motivating the officers and men. This may have been started by his predecessors, but the fact that the current IGP saw it to a conclusive end by getting President Buhari, to approve the increase speaks volume. Furthermore, one cannot but be baffled about accusation against the Police high command about changing of commissioners of police in some states The truth of the matter is that this is an issue that has been largely politicized by the opposition, as it is not the duty of any governor or political party to decide how long a commissioner of police should stay in a state. The IGP is the one charge of police operations and has necessary information and it is on the strength of such information that he relies on in taking actions. Instead of making a needless fuss about the tenure of IGP Idris, Nigerians should be calling for an extension of the tenure of the IGP because he has brought sound, workable and credible reforms to the police. Was it not the same police under IGP Idris that provided security in Anambra State where All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) won the governorship and lately senatorial bye- elections? Under him, even the PDP has won elections in Benue, Oyo, Kogi and Kaduna states even as foreign observers have hailed the outcome of such elections as they have been adjudged as credible, free and fair, as opposed to what PDP is telling us. Those fighting IGP Idris are surely fighting the wrong person. If their fear is about the coming polls, the police under his leadership is surely not the issue but the Nigerian electorate whom the PDP serially raped for sixteen years. • Umohinyang, a social commentator wrote in from Lagos

Fayose is suffering from personality disorder, says Fayemi’s aide

he Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications, Segun Dipe, has described the immediate past governor of the State, Ayodele Fayose, as someone suffering from a personality disorder, which is narcissistic in nature, and which makes him have an inflated sense of self-importance. Dipe was reacting to Fayose’s criticism of the Federal Government’s Trader Moni programme, which the latter ignorantly described as “an avenue for advanced votes buying, and direct re-looting of the Abacha loots.” Fayose however failed to explain how the programme could amount to “relooting of Abacha’s loots.” According to Dipe, Fayose was being deliberately mischievous as usual and had failed to realise the fact that his political music had since stopped playing, yet he kept dancing like a mad man in the market to no music.

Trader Moni, Dipe said, “is an interestfree loan programme of the federal government as an enterprise and empowerment programme scheme was created since June 2018 specifically for traders and artisans. The social investment programme was set up in June 2018, approved by the National Assembly long before President Muhammad Buhari became the Presidential candidate of the APC or the party flagged off its campaign and is being implemented by both the federal government and the Bank of Industry.” “It is rather absurd for Fayose to view Trader Moni as a vote-buying mechanism,” Dipe said, adding that the programme had already been carried out in 33 states, with Ekiti, where Fayose branded himself as friend of the masses, and two other states waiting to benefit. This is the same Fayose, who, as a governor also denied his state from benefitting from the school feeding programme, despite its wide acceptance and benefit to learning.

“Not only is the Trader Moni, a properly conceived project, it is accepted, appreciated and much celebrated by the beneficiaries who see the money being loaned them uncollateralized by the federal government as a timely and positive intervention in their businesses.” Dipe however advised all discerning minds to disregard anything coming from Fayose’s camp. “It is sad that those who ruined the past are the same people now pontificating on how to reconstruct the future. Fayose can no longer be trusted anywhere. He is not only out of power, but out of relevance. Like a fish out of water, he is gasping for breath and finding it impossible to survive out of power while looking for every and any straw to hang on for relevance,” he said. “Even within his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Fayose is now being treated like a leper. Imagine him, a onceupon-a-time gadfly in PDP, now running

helter-skelter, begging to be given a role to play, no matter how small, in the campaign of his party’s Presidential candidate. We can now see why he is doing the unsolicited punditry to no particular audience.” The governor’s aide however advised the people of Ekiti State in particular, and Nigeria in general, to steer clear of Fayose and his goons, who would be doing everything to worm themselves back to relevance. This, he said, they would be doing by finding faults where there is none, and trying to discredit the good intentions of the incumbent administration of Dr. Fayemi in Ekiti. Dipe noted that while the incumbent Governor of the State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, is doing everything to restore the values of the state and shift the attention of the people of Ekiti away from the dark days of his predecessor, Fayose on the other hand is trying hard to keep those dark days in their consciousness, by taking his mouth to where his brain has refused to go.

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Politics 2019: Nigerians react to IGP’s looming tenure extension Innocent Odoh, Abuja

s the Nigerian public awaits the much-anticipated tenure extension for the out-going Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim, by President Muhammadu Buhari, the political and social landscape is already suffused with predictably mixed reactions. Ibrahim Idris clocked 35 years in service on Thursday January 3 having enlisted into the police on January 3, 1984. According to the service rule, civil servants are to retire on completion of 35 years in service or on attainment of 60 years of age. The out-going IGP will however, be 60 years of age on January 15, having been born on January 15, 1959. So which ever rule that applies, the IGP will retire officially in January. The reactions are elicited by the strong indications from the Presidency that the IGP tenure will be extended by six months. Speaking to BusinessDay on Thursday, veteran politician and member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Buba Galadima, expressed certainty that President Buhari will retain the IGP allegedly for nefarious reasons during the elections. He said: “Buhari just wants to use the IGP as an attack dog during the elections and that is why we are saying that we must come and ensure Buhari goes in 2019. It is not in the interest of this country that this man (Buhari) continues; he will destroy the small success that we have made in this democracy.” Although Galadima admitted that President Buhari has the right to extend the tenure of the IGP, he noted it is not for any political exigencies. “For example the next person in rank is

Idris Ibrahim

a woman from the South East and Buhari does not want to entrust her with the running of the election. Now, this is a message o the south easterners who believe that Buhari will hand over to them in 2023. “If he cannot entrust you with the IGP, how can he give you president in 2023? I am just calling on my Igbo brothers, those who are saying that Buhari will give them presidency in 2023 let them first secure the position of the IGP, and then we know that he is serious,” he said. Also speaking to BusinessDay on Thursday Public affairs analyst Katch Ononuju expressed no doubts that Buhari would retain all the Service Chiefs including the IGP. “Buhari is keeping all the Service Chiefs and he is keeping them because of these elections. The IG will stay and do the job

for Buhari because Buhari is so frightened about the 2019 election that he will never entrust another person with the IGP, especially from the south east,” he said. Renowned security expert, Majeed Dahiru alleged that the anticipated tenure elongation for the IGP is simply because of his over- partisan loyalty to the President. “The major political players in the system will tell you that he is very partisan, so the anticipated extension of his tenure will just be a reward for his partisanship,” he said. However, former Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lawrence Alobi during a current affairs programme on Channels Television (Sunrise daily) said it is necessary for the IG’s tenure to be extended, arguing that retiring him at this critical time of election

will not augur well for the system. He said: “We know how election is to our democracy and stability of our nation. If at this critical moment you change the leadership of the police force I don’t think it is an act of wisdom. For me, we should be thinking about national interest not individual interest. “If they bring in new IG within two months to election he will begin to plan new strategies, how to study what is on ground. So, extending the tenure of the IG is better in the interest of this country, it is better for the Nigerian police and it is better for the elections. The other service chiefs have been given extension, so I don’t see any reason this IG should not be given extension,” he said. If the tenure of Idris Ibrahim is extended, then he will join the other security heads whose tenures were extended by President Muhammadu Buhari. They include, Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Yusufu Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar. President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Idris the 19th indigenous Inspector General of Police, IGP on March 21, 2016 to replace Solomon Arase, who retired from service on June 21, 2016. Prior to his appointment, he was an Assistant Inspector General of Police (Operations), FHQ Abuja. He also led the Police Mobile Force as well as the Kano State and Nasarawa State police commands as Commissioner of Police. IGP Idris hails from Kutigi, Lavun in Niger State. He joined the Nigerian Police after graduating from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. He also holds a degree in Law from the University of Maiduguri.

2019: Nigerians demand purposeful leadership, free and fair election Iniobong Iwok

he year 2019 promises to be an eventful one for Nigeria and Nigerians. However, there is the belief among the citizenry that 2018 was a challenging and difficult year in which several unpleasant events shaped the landscape of the country. It was a year that the nation’s economy finally moved out of recession after it slipped in mid-2016. The National Bureau of Statistics had said that the Gross Domestic Product GDP grew significantly in the first quarter of 2018. Apart from the lingering Boko Haram insurgency in the northern region of the country, a major worrying incident Nigerians are praying against in 2019 is the frequent bloody clashes between farmers/herdsmen majorly in the north-central states which had claimed thousands of lives and destroyed property worth millions of naira. The worst hit states are Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Taraba.

There is, however, a renewed wave of optimism among Nigerians that with the general elections just few weeks away, a new crop of leaders that would meet their yearnings and deliver the much-talked about dividends of democracy would be ushered in after the elections. There is a general belief among some sections of the populace that the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have failed to deliver on their numerous campaign promises. Ironically, expectations were high among Nigerians in 2015 when Buhari assumed office after defeating former President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). With the elections barely weeks away, Nigerians are demanding free and fair general elections from the nation’s leadership. They are also asking for the repositioning of the economy, job creation and an end to the current strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Felix Oboagwina, a political economist,

wants President Buhari to desist from acts that would put his name in jeopardy, lamenting that some of the president’s recent decisions do not signify that the general elections would be free and fair. “Well, personally in 2019 I want a peaceful election that would be free and fair. So we are expecting Buhari not to be deceived into taking decisions that would not only put his name in the mud, but would put the country in fire this year. I am saying this because recent events have not pointed to the fact that the general elections would be free and fair. How can he appoint his niece to be the head of the collation centre of INEC? It is suspicious,” Oboagwina said. Also speaking, Lola Ogunbanwo, an undergraduate, urged the Buhari administration to meet the demands of the striking university lecturers. Ogunbanwo lamented that successive administrations in the country have given little attention and budgetary allocation to the education sector in spite of the sector’s importance to the nation’s

development. “It is a new year and as you can see, the universities have been shut for some months now. We are urging Buhari to meet ASUU demands so that we can go back to school. Is it because their children are not schooling in the country, is that why they are all behaving like this? If you look at this year’s budget, how much did they give to education, in spite of its importance to the nation’s development?” he said. Ruth Uchendu, a lawyer, advised Nigerians to vote wisely and choose credible leaders who would deliver the dividends of democracy to them, while attributing bad leadership for the current precarious situation of the country. “2019 is a very important year for Nigeria and Nigerians. For me, I don’t expect much from this Buhari administration. I am worried that Nigerians would again be blindfolded into voting the wrong candidate in the general election. The current APC government has failed us. There has to be a change and that change is Atiku and Peter Obi,” he said.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Politics 2019 and Buhari’s missed opportunity in maiden visit to Akwa Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

resident Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to Akwa Ibom State, the first since he was elected more than three years ago was a missed opportunity which he should have used to present his scorecard in his bid for re-election. Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who led a litany of his party stalwarts to launch his campaign in Akwa Ibom State, the first of such in the series of electioneering campaigns leading up to the scheduled general election beginning next month, was visiting Akwa Ibom State for the first time in more than three years. After the much-hyped and media blitz over the launch, many were left wondering whether the import of the campaign had been achieved and whether it was worth it. First, the visit generated much controversy in many aspects, from the venue to whether the state governor, Udom Emmanuel would be allowed to receive him at the airport and to the appropriateness of the date of the event. There was a breach of protocol at the airport when the president’s wife recently visited the state when the governor’s wife was almost not allowed to receive the vice president. Before the president visited Akwa Ibom State for the launch of his presidential campaign, the Ibibios, the majority ethnic nationality in the state who are considered to be the fourth largest in the country had fixed same date for the coronation of their newly installed king, His Eminence Solomon Etuk as the Oku Ibom Ibibio IV. His predecessor, Obong Robert Obot, Oku Ibom III was assassinated in 2011 when political killings, kidnapping and other violent crimes took their toll in the state during the tenure of Godswilll Akpabio as governor. Regarded as the patriarch of Ibibio nation and with the date for the coronation already fixed, the APC had insisted that the coronation should be moved forward to give way for the presidential campaign launch. Many had argued that if an Emir in the northern part of the country were to be installed or to be given staff of office, the Federal Government or the party in power not dare to insist that such an important cultural and traditional event be postponed but had happened in Akwa Ibom State and APC eventually had its way. As the controversy over the date was resolved, the issue of the venue became another major sticking point. While the state government insisted that the use of the Akwa Ibom international stadium for the event would hurt the playing turf and scuttle the chance of the stadium hosting international matches, APC insisted also that it had the right to use the facility at all cost. According to Ita Solomon Enang, a former senator and special adviser to the

Buhari

Tinubu

Akpabio

Ekere

president on National Assembly Affairs (Senate), the president has the right to use any facility in any part of the country maintaining that the party would not hesitate to use force in order to have access to the stadium for the presidential campaign launch. Thanks goodness, the matter was amicably settled without the use of any force after the “little misunderstanding” was sorted out and the stadium put to use by the party. And when the party officials and the president got to the stadium, with the party leaders including women and the governorship candidate of the party in the state, many indigenes of the state were wondering and speaking aloud what they stand to gain if they should vote APC. For instance, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, minister of transportation had boasted that Boko Haram insurgents had been restricted to only Borno State unlike in the past but did not mention the increase in the

casualty figures of service men being killed almost weekly by the insurgents. According to him, the party has fulfilled its promises to improve the economy, ensure security of lives and property and fight corruption, insisting that the party had promised to bring change to the country and has succeeded in doing so. Bola Tinubu, the party national leader’s speech at the event that further showed that the party was not ready to reward Akwa Ibom for its contributions to the national economy when he admitted that though Akwa Ibom State is an oil producing community, it has nothing to show for it, a statement which speaks directly to the neglect the state had suffered over the years. And when President Buhari finally mounted the podium to speak as a presidential candidate, he failed to tell the crowd and party supporters his achievements in concrete terms, what he has done in Akwa Ibom State since his as-

sumption of office in terms of projects executed and others in the pipeline. For instance, the Calabar Itu highway constructed many decades ago which the Federal Government says contract for its construction has since been awarded, has yet to achieve any significant percentage of completion. In fact, what President Buhari said was no different from what he has been saying at different events across the country: the fight against corruption and insecurity and the focus on the economy. In a speech that did not last up to 10 minutes, the president ended his presidential campaign launch without any word of succour or comfort. It was a platform that he ought to have fully used to sell his party to the state with the hope of winning more votes in the coming elections. In all, it was a missed opportunity for the party in which many in the state believe that its achievements in the last three years are not visible enough and are at best more of unfilled promises.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Politics

he general election is just weeks away. Do you think the country is well prepared? In 2015 the situation was worse than this. The polity was heated up and everybody was afraid that Nigeria might not exist after that election. Everybody thought it was the end of the country. But some people even feared for the worst, because of the postponement of the election for two week; they alleged that there were plans by the PDP not to hold a free and fair election. The anxiety was so much that many though it could be the last election in the country, while some thought that there might be a civil war. There were lots of conjectures; There was the fear that perhaps the election should not hold, but the election was held and we saw the sincerity of INEC, the chairman of INEC stood his ground on several occasions when he was put on the spot. But today the situation is not that bad and people are already speculating that this would happen, and that would happen. The situation is not that bad as at last time. What often happens is that the loser would always claim that election was rigged in favour of the other person. Even the elites are part of the people creating this fear and anxiety in the minds of the people. Even the Senate President is part of the people saying the election would not be free and fair, but this is not new in Nigeria; it has been there. In 1999 and 2003 there was the fear about the safety of the country after the general elections, there were complaints and fears that we might not pull through the election. To me, I think God is with us. And you find out in the end that all this apprehension is unnecessary. It is those that want to win at all cost, those who want the election to go their way, when it is obvious that it may not go their way, that are creating this apprehension. To me, this election is going to be transparent, free and fair,

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Nigerians are much clever now and they have thought and known who they want to vote for

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Henry Ajomale

APC never promised Nigerians restructuring - Henry Ajomale Henry Ajomale until last year was the chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Lagos State for twelve years, a close political associate of the National leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In this exclusive interview with Iniobong Iwok, he talks about the forthcoming general elections, the refusal of the party to give a second-term ticket to the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, among several other issues in the polity. Excerpts: and nothing (bad) will happen, because it is only a handful of people that are speculating this. Nigerians are much clever now and they have thought and known who they want to vote for. Many people have already made up their mind on who they are going to vote for; there is no undecided group here in Nigeria; it is not like America where we say “these are the undecided.” Are you saying the fear that INEC may not conduct a free and fair election is not justified? Let me ask: in 2015 when the National Security Adviser came out openly and said the election must be postponed, what was in your mind? Was it not that the government wanted to rig the election? But they could not. If you have money, you can spend it, but the election would eventually go the way the people want it and you would say it was rigged, that INEC was compromised.

But whatever the result of the election, INEC would be accused. They have to do what they have to do. What I have to say is that a popular man cannot lose election in his house, because of your money, if the people have made up their mind that they would not vote for you, they would not vote. Don’t you think that the President’s refusal to sign the amended electoral bill has fuelled this assumption? The existing law was the one that was used in 2015, and it is still there. To me, using the card reader is good, but the other one where you electronically transfer result may not work. They may put the result in the social media, and that means the result could end up in the hands of all these social media guys and it may cause apprehension in the polity. The other time, they declared Obasanjo’s result in 2007 in the

social media, and when INEC announced its own it was a total different result entirely. Let us hope this result does not get into the hands of these guys. We have fake news very common these days. It is a problem. In the end people don’t believe the social media anymore because 90 percent of what they carry is not true. There are existing laws used in 2015, which is OK if the President refused to sign. Whether it is signed or not has no effect on the existing law. To me, we have existing laws that can be used to conduct free and fair elections. But do you have confidence that INEC can conduct a free and fair election as presently constituted? I believe they can, unless somebody is deceiving you that it is impossible, unless you doubt the integrity of the present chairman of INEC. In 2015 many people did not

believe that Jega could withstand all those intimidations. To me Yakubu would not want his name soiled and he has done elections in one or two states. It may not be perfect but there is no perfect election anywhere. Look at the American elections; they even said Russia interfered in it. If they can do that in a high technical electoral process like America, what would happen if Russia intervened in our election process because there are already talks about that? Bangladeshi has just finished their election. The opposition is complaining even when the other candidate clearly won. What is your view about the worrying trend of vote buying in our elections? Who bought votes the more in Ekiti and Osun state? Was it not the same PDP that was shouting vote buying? To me a loser would always find one thing to say against the other person who has won. Vote buying to me, is not bad as people are saying because that you caught one person does not mean that everybody is buying votes. What about the Trader Moni, which the opposition has criticised and called a form of vote buying?

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Politics Poverty is high in Nigeria. 10,000 is a lot of money to some people and can turn their life around. If you go to Oshodi and check the total goods some of the traders are selling and the woman would be there from morning to night, the total cost of their goods may not be more than N5,000. These women sit in the sun from morning to night, when you give that kind of person 10,000 that money can turn their life around. And for those that collect the money, they can turn around the business and their profit would increase. This is a country where banks don’t give loans. I don’t see how any reasonable person can condemn that policy. The banks would not give loan and we have a government giving money to aid people. This is one of the best things that have happened to this country. Atiku has promised to restructure Nigeria within six months of assumption of office? Everybody is talking about restructuring, is it that easy? Can a man restructure the country alone? Atiku is only deceiving Nigerians. The process is not as easy as it seems; he as to go to the House of Representatives, go the Senate and the 36 states’ Houses of Assemble. Can that be done in 6 months? Don’t let anybody decisive you,We are not in banana island. He has to send a bill to the National Assembly. And he as to raise a committee to advise him that is, if the National Assembly can allow us have a referendum. But we need a sovereign national conference for that. What Atiku is saying is impossible. He would just come in one night and change the way things are done. You have to send a bill to the National Assembly and in this country one year that bill may not pass through and you are talking of six months. He is not sincere. But the APC also promised restructuring in 2015? No, we did not. It was when we got there that we established a committee to go and look at the possibility of restructuring Nigeria and it was given to the governors of Kaduna state and one other state and they came out and said that it was impossible. It is not the programme of the party and even if it is, the party hasto convince the president to accept it, and it is not part of the campaign promise of APC. Afenifere has said they would not support Buhari for second term if he does not back restructuring of the country. They have over-stayed their welcome. Who are they speaking on behalf? Who appointed them? Who elected them? Afenifere is a cultural group. There is another Afenifere renewal group, the Yoruba council of Elders, and the Oduduwa group. These groups are many. The Afenifere is not speaking on behalf of theYorubas; they are speaking on behalf of their cultural group.

Henry Ajomale

The last time they supported Jonathan against Yorubas’ will and they failed. The Yorubas are happy were they are. You will see that the votes will be different this time than what we had in 2015 for APC. In 2015 Ohaneze did not get themselves involved like this. The governors and politicians were the only individuals involved. We have not seen this kind of enthusiasm before in Igbo land; we did not have it in 2015, and right now we are contesting in all the Igbo states in the east so there is already improvement. There is a relation between the government and the ethnic groups. You saw the crowd in Akwa Ibom when Buhari visited recently to campaign. In 2015, we did not have such a crowd; it means we are progressing. I agree we need strong opposition like PDP, but it should not be based on lies and innuendos. PDP is an association of looters. Which of them have not been in power? They looted the country dry. People are coming out of university. You are pushing them to labour market which you did not prepare for. When the oil prices were high, you did not do anything, and because they cannot see that money again they want to come back to power. In the oil sector, everywhere, this government has blocked illegal mean of looting the country. You can’t base your profile on looting. Look at the two former governors sentenced to jail for looting the treasuries of their states. Buhari should be praised for having the courage to do that. What is your view on the

denial of a second-term ticket for the incumbent governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode by your party in the state? I was not there as the party chairman in Lagos State. I had just left office. I am surprised just like everybody that a siting governor can lose to somebody from outside.Iif I was there and it happened under my watch then I can talk; but I was not there, so I can’t say much. You are a chieftain of the party in the state, are you saying he does not deserve a second term? If you ask me if Buhari deserves a second term, I would say yes. If you ask me if Kaduna Governor deserve second term

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I may not be able to answer. Things have changed. It is not necessary that somebody must go to second term in office; we have some House of Assembly and House of Representatives members who did not go for second term. His supporters alleged that there was gang up, while he also alleged maltreatment because he did not settle some people I was the chairman of the party in the state for twelve years, and I won all my elections without any doubt. So I believe these crops of leaders of the party would also win the coming elections. Yes he said that my name even appear on the list, that I collected some money but that is not true. But as he performed up to expectation to deserved a second term in office? He has done a lot in the state; he moved focus from the elite areas to the populated areas like Alimosho and Agege; he has done 21 rural roads in Alimosho which he commissioned, there has been transformation of Agege motor road. And the road to the airport, when they finish the work, it will be of international standard. But sometimes the priority may be wrong, may there was a mix-up in his priority. This is just like what happened in Ekiti State when Fayemi lost the election. People were saying they were hungry and he did not take care of them, rather he was busy constructing roads. On the other hand there was a man who was campaigning, eating with them and making promises, but when he got to office, he could not pay salaries of workers. I have learned. I must ensure

the truth at all time. Let me say what is he doing may not be the best things that Lagosians need. Those who have been in power know why. Am a member of the party and I would continue to be a member. If anything happens I still remain in the party. Some APC members in Lagos State recently defected to Accord party, pledging to support PDP candidate, Jimi Agbaje in the gubernatorial elections are you aware? They said they are about 25,000. Can the airport hotel accommodate 25,000? Is that space enough to accommodate such a figure? If what they are saying is true, if they had used stadium like Agege and Onikan we may say it is a different thing. If they are saying 25,000, what is the population of Lagos. What is the ratio? Is the solution to jump from one party? It is another of their problems; they are coming back to beg us to be allowed to come back to the APC. Do you know these defecting members? Yes I do, maybe five or six of them, but certainly not 25, 000. Where they got that figure from I don’t know. I know that they are members of APC, and I have been in APC since 1998 and I know our members, but I know a lot of those people I saw there are not member of APC. But they said they left APC because they were maltreated? If have been the chairman of your local government and because you are no more in power, you are saying you are being maltreated, all these years you have held different positions including council chairman, councillorship or the other, and now because we say let give chance for the younger onesto take over and you want to die, that is your problem. When you are aging the best thing is to step down. We know some people who have always occupied one position or the other in successive administrations in this state. Is your party not afraid of the PDP candidate, Jimi Agebaje who has promised to free Lagos if elected governor of the state? Tinubu was a governor during the term that ended in 2007. If he is still in power, lucky for him, and they have not disgraced him and they still respect him it means something good is with him. Why is Agbaje accusing him now? Something is wrong with him. Lagos is developing every day. If the state is enslaving people then we may not see this kind of development. Agbaje is our good customer, we know him, this is the third time he is contesting, so it is not strange. He has always been contesting, he has said it before and it is not acceptable to the people of Lagos. The last time he said he would not contest the governorship position again and he is coming again, it means he cannot be trusted.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Politics

A lookback at 2018 ... major events that shaped the year

To most Nigerians, 2018 was a year to remember for some diverse reasons especially within the realm of politics. This is not surprising judging from the fact that the politicking ahead of the 2019 general election was expected to dominate discourse now that the gladiators have once again taken the centre stage.

Saraki

Multiple defections and invasion of the NASS by DSS s the year progressed, the bickering between the Executive and the Legislature became accentuated and mutated in varied forms. The mistrust between the National Assembly leadership and the Executive arm of government became palpable such that the passage of the 2018 budget; approval of funds for the conduct of the 2019 polls for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC; and refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari, on four occasions, to assent the Electoral Act amendment bill, among others became casualties of the growing tension between the two arms of government. The crisis between the two arms worsened when on July 24, security personnel invaded the residence of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki to allegedly prevent him from presiding over the planned defection of lawmakers in the National Assembly. Saraki however, outsmarted the security agencies and sneaked into the National Assembly where he presided over the defection of 14 Senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties. Then in the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, also presided over the defection of 36 members of the House to PDP and other parties. Some state governors such as the Governor of Sokoto State, Waziri Tambuwal; Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and the Governor of Kwara state, Abdulfatah Ahmed and many of their supporters also dumped the APC for the PDP. Although the ruling party had some like Godswill Akpabio, who joined its rank from the PDP it was nonetheless dazed by these developments and the APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, threatened fired and allegedly plotted to undermine or impeach the leadership of the National Assembly especially when Saraki and Dogara also defected to the PDP. Then on August 7 masked men of the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded the National Assembly to allegedly effect a change of its leadership by paving the way for APC lawmakers to gain access to the chambers to impeach Saraki and Dogara. This caused widespread tension and anger among Nigerians, who saw the action as a huge aberration and massive threat to democracy. The former Director General of the DSS, LawalDaura, was later that day fired by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo. Osinbajo was so embarrassed by the action such that he allegedly threatened to resign if President Muham-

Oshiomhole

Adeosun

El-Zakzaky

Although the former Minister was qualified to be issued an NYSC exemption certificate, because she was above 30 at the time she returned to Nigeria, she reportedly however, forged the exemption certificate and was exposed by an online media platform. She resigned and went back to the United Kingdom. Insecurity on the rise The year entered on a sad note with widespread killings and devastation of farm lands allegedly perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen in states such as Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Kogi and Nasarawa. The high point of the national outrage over the killings was the funeral of 77 people killed in Benue state. Massive nationwide protests followed the killings especially after two Catholic priests presiding over a church service were killed in Gwer East local government of the Benue

Buhari

Atiku

madu Buhari, who was on a 10-day vacation to London, did not acquiesce to the removal of Daura. Prior to this development, a group of thugs apparently led by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, had on April 18, sneaked into the Senate Chambers during plenary and snatched the mace in full glare of security operatives Resignation of Kemi Adeosun Adeosun Former Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun on September 4 resigned from office after a prolonged but intense pressure over questionable discharge certificate of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). According to some reports Adeosun “had qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1994 and she was qualified for NYSC exemption on return to Nigeria after clocking above 30 years of age.”

state. About 3,600 were said to have been killed in the herdsmen attacks in 2018 according to the Amnesty International. Scary! Meanwhile despite the heavy investments to fight insecurity in the country, the Boko Haram insurgents said to be “technically defeated’’ have remained resolute in their attacks against military and civilian targets in the North east. Recently Nigerians were shocked at the news of killing of over 50 soldiers of the 157 Task Force Battalion of the Nigerian army in Metele, Borno State by the Boko Haram and their allies. Armed robbery and kidnapping also intensified across the state as well as communal clashes in places such as Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa and Plateau states, where several people have lost their lives and property worth billions destroyed. Shiite/security agents’ clashes El-Zakzaky

Late Shagari

Late Badeh Nigerians and the international community were appalled at the escalation of the clashes between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria popularly known as Shiites and security agencies which led to the killing of mostly the sect members between October and November. The sect scaled up their protests pressing for the release of their spiritual leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been under detention since December 2015, when his supporters were killed in Zaria, Kaduna state, during a procession, which the army said constituted a death threat to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. Presidential candidates emerge for the 2019 election Buhari Atiku Between September and October 7, 2018, Presidential candidates of about 70 political parties emerged to challenge incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari for the Nigeria’s number one seat of power. President Buhari himself clinched the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defeated other contestants to win the presidential ticket of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Others include; Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP); Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN); Oby Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Yabagi Yusuf Sani of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Jerry Gana of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Obadiah Melafiya of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Mohammed Shittu of Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA); John Gbor of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) among many others. Death of prominent Nigerians Shagari Badeh The on a sad note, many prominent Nigerians passed away in 2018. Top on the list is Nigeria’s first executive President of Nigeria Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari who died at the National Hospital in Abuja on Friday December 28, 2018. Others include; Chief Sonny Odogwu; Alhaji Maitama Sule, Senator David Dafinone; Chief Anthony Anenih; Dr. Frederick Fasehun; Hon. FunkeAdedoyin; Senator Ali Wakili; Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh (retd), Major-General Idris Alkali (retd); Professor Sophie Oluwole; Ace comedian, Baba Sala; and Raggae musician, Ras Kimono, among others.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Life&Living

Goodbye 2018!

…How to keep your New Year resolutions in 2019

Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

t’s a New Year and I’m sure most people are excited about what 2019 has to offer. Whether you spent the last day of 2018 in church, at home with family, at a party or at the night club, I’m sure we all have goals that we would like to achieve in 2019. Typically, every New Year starts with the “New Year New Me” mantra. Seems like it’s a chance to start afresh on a new slate and what better time to start than on the first day of a brand new year. However, statistics over the years have shown that 80 percent of people who make New Year resolutions do not get to achieve them and most forget about the resolutions before the end of the first quarter of the year. The most common resolutions include losing weight/ being more health conscious, saving money, being closer to God, being more adventurous among others. These seem easy enough to achieve until you start the journey. A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait

or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life. When you are making resolutions or writing down goals for a new year, try to be as realistic as possible so that it becomes easy to successfully achieve them. Follow these simple steps to keep your New Year resolutions: • Be honest with yourself: Nobody knows you better than you

know yourself so try and make resolutions that you think you can keep. Start small, and do not give yourself unrealistic targets. • Be slow and steady: Don’t be in a hurry to see drastic changes in behavioral patterns. Change one behavior or habit at a time. Unhealthy behaviors develop over the course of time and cannot be changed overnight. A gradual but steady change process is more

practical. • Don’t keep it secret: Talk about your plans to make changes or to achieve something on your goal list. Share your experiences with family and friends who will encourage and push you to achieve your resolutions. • Track your progress; and don’t beat yourself up, perfection is unattainable. • Plan ahead and outline your

plan: Your resolutions should be well thought out and planned, not something you just came up with on New Year’s Eve. It will also help not to have too many goals to keep up with. If you wish, you may break them up into goals for each quarter of the year. • Sick to it and don’t give up: Try and make up SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Style by Zenith: Marrying your finances with lifestyle IFEOMA OKEKE

healthy finance and healthy lifestyle go hand in hand. If your bank account and budget are in good shape, chances are that your lifestyle will be pretty much in good shape, too. Style is a 360 of every human being, whether it is food, clothes, what you wear or how you style your hair, it is a whole 360. When you marry these with your finance, then you have collaboration. This is the thought of Zenith bank in putting up the recently held maiden edition of its ‘Style by Zenith.’ According to the bank, if it does customers finances, then it should be involved in their lifestyle. The two-day event which was absolutely free and open to all, gathered all of the society’s biggest players from the food, fashion, media , automobile, accessories, music and arts industries who converged for mind-blowing experiences - music concerts, runway shows, exhibitions – one that can best be pictured only when experienced. “Style by Zenith” transcends the fashion enthusiast’s fashion show and the foodie’s food fest, it expands to a true ‘Life-style’ status, by also including key lifestyle

factors such as shopping, beauty and music all in one grand fair. Wunmi Ogunbiyi, general manager, Zenith Bank said the event was just a baby in the making and at its incubation stage, adding that what is important is collaboration between its customers’ lifestyles and what Zenith bank does. “We will keep on doing this. It is not like there is a time table because your lifestyle doesn’t

have a time table. The main thing is just that this is an aspect of your lifestyle. There is the food aspect and the children aspect. “The next event may not necessarily be fashion, it could be health. It is a 360 of your lifestyle. If there is something to be said or done in six months, we could have another event. It could be another year, depending on how the need arises. As a bank, we recognise that life-

style has its own peculiarities and we are able to make an impact,” Ogunbiyi added. Kaycee Kennedy, CEO of Virtual Exchange Limited, a strategic partner Africa for international premium fashion, lifestyle and entertainment television network, Fashion One explained that Zenith bank is going into retail banking to help develop the creative industry. Kennedy noted that Zenith

bank has placed itself as a financial institution that is willing to fund the creative industry by providing that platform that will make it possible to educate people and create a perfect interaction within the industry. “We sit in the industry space and they provide the financing and funding. This is not a runway show or fashion. Zenith bank is getting into a lifestyle. They are looking at the entire lifestyle ecosystem and fashion is a component of that eco-system. “Other financial institutions have looked at fashion as a single entity but Zenith bank is looking at lifestyle ecosystem. We hope to develop the business of fashion. It is about time we stopped seeing fashion as entertainment, we need to look at the business of fashion. “The Nigerian music today has gone global because somebody provided the platform to take Nigerian music internationally. Nollywood industry has gone global because DSTV provided African magic. Nobody has created a platform to take the African fashion to the international world. So, what we are trying to do in Fashion One standpoint is to create a platform that will tell our fashion story to the world,” he added.

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Oghareki, Oghara in Delta State. In addition, the company presented free school bags to over 5000 young pupils drawn from 8 primary schools in Oghareki community,

Oghara, Delta State. Ogbechie’s commitment to the educational sector is second to none, even as he currently sponsors selected youths for an allexpenses-paid university

scholarship. This shows that philanthropy runs in his vein, and this is another spectacular drive by Ogbechie to give back to the society. Humanitarian and charitable Gabriel Ogbechie, is one of Nigeria’s leading operators in the downstream subsector of the oil industry, will tell you that his experience as an entrepreneur comes in handy, having grown his oil company from a mustard seed to an oak, and this is a lesson worth learning by anybody that wants to successfully navigate the turbulent and murky waters of business.

Garlands For Tomi Somefun’s Unity Bank

his virtuous lady will simply not cease to amaze her many admirers in the corporate world, on account of her doggedness and innovativeness at virtually all her duty posts in recent times. Since the industrious and workaholic Tomi Somefun took over the topmost post at Unity Bank Plc well over two years ago, she has been breaking new grounds with innovations and re-invention in the banking sector, just as she is still not relenting in her unwavering effort to take the bank to an enviable and unassailable height much to the delight of her employers. Recently, Mrs.

Tomi Somefun, the MD/ CEO of upwardly mobile Unity Bank Plc received a much-deserved award on behalf of management and staff of her bank from the Presidency and a recognition award from Rice

Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) for the bank’s active and unrelenting participation in the initiative at the 3rd anniversary of the federal government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP),

in Abuja, the FCT. It was indeed a defining moment for the astute banker and human resources manager who has been showing that what a man can do a woman can even do better, and that exactly what she has been doing since she berthed at Unity Bank few years ago. Little wonder commendations and recognitions have been trailing her for a while, the recent of which we just told you above. She has been receiving garlands and accolades for the yeoman’s job she is doing at the new generation back and does not appear to slow down a bit as the New Year begins in earnest.

Abdulwasiu Sowami Ups Ante with Forte Oil

hen you think big, believe big and dream big, the results will be big and even bigger, because all dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them. This is the making of silent billionaire and astute businessman, Abdulwasiu Sowami, the quintessential and prudent MD/CEO of Prudent Energy, who for some time now has been doing his things and business underground, albeit legitimately. Until recently, Wasiu’s name hardly rang a bell. But he is as powerful and prosperous as they come. Despite his intimidating wealth and stature, Wasiu is hardly goaded to believe himself capable of feats other-

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Gaberil Ogbechi, the cheerful giver e is a very charitable person and he will stop at nothing to do the best for the lessprivileged. Recently, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie and his formidable team at Rain Oil Limited continued its tradition of yearly corporate social responsibility and investments across the country via a double intervention in the education sector in Delta State. The Dr. Gabriel Ogbechieled company reportedly built, commissioned and donated an ultra-modern block of classrooms to Oreki Grammar School,

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wise unachievable if he were of modest means. The billionaire magnate who lives a life of modesty does not subscribe to the usual vanities that eventually consume his fellow deep pockets in the circuits of the filthy rich as Wasiu shies from living out loud. The man of substance and high network of business concerns just subtly acquired billionaire Femi Otedola-owned mega Forte Oil Company, at an undisclosed but very staggering amount, given the volume of businesses Forte Oil was into before the acquisition. The silent billionaire Sowami is an alumnus of the University of Maiduguri with a prized Master’s degree in

Corporate Governance from Leeds Becket University, UK. He began his career with Besse Oil and

Service Limited, and later moved on to Cosmos Oil Limited and later to Ignite Energy Limited.

Aiteo Boss, Benedict Peters is Man of Year

here can never be no audacious time for city businessman and oil mogul, Benedict Peters, Executive Vice Chairman of Aiteo Group, than what he is wallowing in at the moment. Despite all his intimidating travails and business downfalls in the immediate past, the man rose from all the quagmire and affront to his person as a compulsive businessman to rejuvenate his almost dwindling business fortune. In the wake of all these, the Ghanaian top businessman and big industry player, Benedict Peters, against all odds and expectations emerged the prestigious 2018 Vanguard Businessman of the Year. This is in apt acknowledgement of his immense contribution to oil and gas development in Africa through visionary leadership, ser-

vice and transformational realignment of a sector dominated by international oil companies, as well as improving on the lives of people and societies across the African continent.

Kennedy Okonkwo Serenades his people at Xmas

he yuletide that just passed by will forever linger in the memory of some people who have never had it so god at such period, even through no fault of their own. For real estate merchant, Kennedy Okonkwo it was another chance for him to bring the goodies and freebies of the season to his native people back in his hometown. Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, the millennial real estate entrepreneur lit up his hometown of Ojoto in Anambra State with a Unity Carnival and Football competition that was powered by Victoria Crest Homes, his real estate company providing affordable luxury living to Nigerians. The carnival, tagged “Ojoto Unity Carnival” is a live entertainment concert organized to thrill the indigenes who have come to celebrate the season from far and near. It was an all-star concert that featured top superstar musical artistes and comedians like Phyno, Kcee, Humblesmith, Ruffcoin, Bracket, Funnybone, Frank De Don, Jimmy Jatt and a host of others. The Football competition, tagged “Igwe Unity Cup, Ojoto 2018” is a football competition played by teams in Ojoto community and

hosted by Victoria Crest Football Club. The competition, which kicked off on Xmas day at Ojoto Boys Secondary School pitch witnessed a display of sportsmanship characterized by love and harmony amongst the players. Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo has been greatly involved in giving back to his community in recent times as he has recently constructed roads in his village and bought transformers to light up his community. The indigenes are giving him credit for impacting positively in the lives of his people in Anambra.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Arts Again, Calabar enthralls revelers in Africa’s biggest street party

OBINNA EMELIKE f you were in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, during the yuletide, you will be appreciate the resilience and determination of a people to build and package offerings that people from across the world visit to enjoy. Truly Carnival Calabar is worth seeing. It offers a 32day (December 1 to January 1) excitement across different genres of entertainment, cultural displays among others activities that culminate with the main carnival, aptly tagged Africa’s biggest street party. The 2018 edition was not different; it rather surpassed the previous editions. From the carnival village, beauty pageant, children outings, music festivals, competition, bikers’ parade, international carnival to the main carnival, Calabar entertained the indigenes, the reason for the carnival, the visitors, revelers and foreigners alike. It paraded 50,000 costumed revelers who performed in five major carnival bands and other 10 non-competing bands in a 12 kilometer parade route dotted with live DJs, live musician artistes, steel bands, which combine to build incredible floats. The 2018 edition of the carnival, which had seen three dryruns to prepare participants ahead of the main event, was flag-off at the Millennium Park by Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River State who was assisted by top dignitaries. The excited governor was happy to open the door for the five competing bands; Passion Four, Seagull, Freedom, Masta Blasta and Bayside to lead the way, engage onlookers, employ all their creative ingenuity in interpreting the theme of the carnival, which is Africanism and also to impress the judges at the

different adjudication points in order to emerge winning band of the 2018 carnival. The very long carnival and colorful float, the music blaring from every corner, revelers who danced to the rhythm and the many acrobatic shows set the carnival apart. The huge crowd was a testimony to the popularity of the carnival. The revelers were highly costumed in glamorous attires that reflected the cultural heritage of the African people, while the drama, dance and music were designed to tell the Africanism story and theme of the carnival. There were over two million tourists on ground in the city of Calabar, and 50 million television audience who watched live broadcast of the street parade and never wished it would end. The number keeps growing every year, and is a feat no destination in Nigerian and even West Africa has achieved long after Festac 77. The crowd included people

from over 26 countries from different continents who joined in the procession. The countries are; Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, Indonessia, Lithuania, Brazil, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Switzerland, United States of America, Canada, Ukraine among others who also participated in the International Carnival competition at These countries who participated in the International Carvival competition at the U.J Esuene Stadium. At the end of the electrifying carnival, which sustained excitement from the afternoon to the early hours of the next day, Passion 4 emerged the overall winner of the bands and street parade, Seagull won the second place, while Freedom emerged third place. However, the best king and queen of the carnival went to Bayside band, while Akw Ibom State won the best Cultural Carnival, with Anambra and Enugu states following respectively.

At the International Carnival, which held a day after the main carnival at the U.J Esuene Stadium, South Africa, best the over 26 participating countries to emerge overall winner, Mexico won the second place while Lithuania emerged third place winner. The participating countries include; Ghana’s Carnival Queens, Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia, Lithuania, Brazil, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Switzerland, United States of America, Canada and Ukraine. Apart from the winning countries, the likes of Ethiopia, Ukraine, USA, Kenya, Ghana, Swaziland and Brazil were sought-after by the crowd. Swaziland wooed the crowd with her fascinating energetic steps and performance with bold bare skin Swazi dance, while Ghana excited with a blend of acrobatic and bare skin dance mixed with some spiritual display. Earlier, the residents and visitors were treated to a breathtaking

showpiece by over 5,000 power bikers and 300 vintage cars drivers. The atmosphere was electrifying like a car race scene. The stern looking bikers came from America, Canada, Australia, Germany and other parts of the world including Africa to participate in the second edition of the Bikers’ Parade at the carnival. The parade was ‘wonders on wheels’, while the vintage cars parade drew people back in time with a wide range of convertibles numbering about 300 and other vintage cars that existed in 70s. Flagging off the event at the Millennium Park Roundabout which serves as the take off point, Cross River governor, Prof Ben Ayade intimated that “ As governor Ayade rightly pointed out while flagging off the parade, “This is a new version of what our Carnival Calabar entails. Today, we are taking you through different actions on wheels. This is a new option and we just introduced this to ensure that we pump the adrenaline of young people.” Speaking further on the performances, the governor was impressed with the interpretations of the theme; Africanism by the competing bands. “With the theme Africanism, Africa has the opportunity of telling the whole world its story the way it knows best which is through its dance and bright colours. Civilisation started in Africa, so Africa must take its pride of place in the world. We are also here to show that Africa as a continent is the future, Europe is the past while Asia was the present,” he said. But Gab Onah, chairman, Cross River State Carnival Commission, was impressed that the 2018 carnival was peaceful as usual but surpassed the previous editions in colour, participation, activities and excitement for the visitors. For Ikechi Uko, consultant on the International Carnival, the international carnival, which is now in its fourth edition, is mature, was a huge success and has spiced the overall carnival with unique excitement. Uko, who is also the CEO of Akwaaba Africa Travel Market, said that the international version of the carnival was appealing to participating countries that come with their creative ingenuity to electrify Calabar. The visitors are grateful for the huge feting in Calabar, while the organisers are excited at the overall success of the 2018, but also work towards a better and bolder edition this year.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Arts Sand, Sun and Surprises, memoir of Prof. Akpata, launches in Lagos OBINNA EMELIKE

and, Sun and Surprises, a book authored by Professor Enosakhare Sa m u e l Ak p a t a has been formally launched. The unveiling was the highpoint of Professor Akpata’s 50th wedding anniversary dinner, which took place on December 29, 2018 at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos. Enosakhare Akpata is a retired Professor of Dentistry while his wife, Victoria is a retired Microbiology Professor of the University of Lagos. He taught at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 13 years and at Kuwait University for 10 years. Before then, he was a professor of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Lagos for 21 years. The memoir focuses on the writer’s experiences while living and working in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) for 23 years. “After working in the Middle East for 23 years, I returned to my country, Nigeria in 2011”, Professor Akpata said. “In conversation with friends at home and abroad, a topic that invariably came

L–R: Samuel Akpata, Solomon Uwaifo, chief launcher of the book and Arthur Mbanefo who was the chairman of the occasion displaying the book.

up was about my experiences in the Middle East. Some of them have found it astonishing that I was able to survive in Arab countries for that length of time, considering the quaint stories that they had heard about the region. Others have been curious and wanted tips on life in the Middle East, in case they emigrate, or needed to advise others who had similar plans. Hence, I decided to write this memoir.” He further said that the book, published by Narrative

Landscape Press, will appeal to people who intend to go and work in the Middle East, who want to visit the place on holiday and people in the Middle East who wish to know what expatriates think of them. The first chapter describes the author’s professional background, while the second chapter deals with the social impact of the collapse of the Nigerian economy following the fall in the world price of crude oil in the 1980s, how the bleak

economic situation resulted in massive devaluation of the Naira and consequently, a steep decline in the purchasing power of Nigerians. Therefore, the middle class who had skills that were marketable outside Nigeria started to emigrate. In the next chapter, the author gave an account of his first trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the cultural shock that he experienced during his first few weeks in Riyadh. The process endured by expatriates in finding suit-

able accommodation, obtaining the national identity card and driver’s license are described. The book also contains information on the fascinating dress code for men and women in the region, as well as, the surprisingly impressive physical development of the region. A few of the landmark buildings such as Al-Faisaliyah Center and Kingdom Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as, the Kuwait Tower are highlighted. Some challenges faced by academics teaching in the Middle East are mentioned in the book. Although the medium of instruction in the universities is Arabic, professional subjects were taught in English in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. As exposure to the English language by Arab schoolchildren was minimal, students in these professional disciplines had to grapple with lectures delivered in English, especially during the first few years of their university studies. Strategies adopted by English-speaking expatriates to contend with this problem are highlighted in the book. A chapter of the book is devoted to various leisure activities that could make life pleasurable for expatriates in the Middle East. These

included indoor and outdoor sporting activities, eating out, parties, music and even concerts. The book also addresses the question of religious worship in the Middle East. Aspects of Islamic worship that impacted on the lives of non-Muslims are described, for example the five daily prayer times and the ‘Eid’ celebrations. The ways to manage the restriction on non-Islamic religions in some other parts of the region are described. Brief reference is also made to the problem of the religious police in the region. While also disclosing that the book took him three years to write, Professor Akpata spoke on some of his challenges, “One of the challenges was getting illustrations because at the time I was there, I did not think I was going to write this book; otherwise, I would have taken a lot of photographs. Photography wasn’t really my hobby at that time. And if I wrote to the people who are still over there, they were suspicious of what one was going to do with the pictures. My close friends were rather apprehensive and were not willing to send pictures. That was the greatest challenge.

sien, Friday Ekpo, Nduka Ugbade, Stephen Keshi, among others and Nigerians were passionate about watching their local clubs play. Boys played street soccer, interhouse soccer and it was fun. Unfortunately, our parents kicked against a career in sports and entertainment and we had to choose to either be a lawyer, doctor or an engineer. Today, the table has turned and the former is now the rave of the moment. Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Victor Ikpeba, Obafemi Martins among a host of awesome Nigerian footballers made the game of football a delight to watch. Fond memories of what we experienced growing up in the 80’s are captured in the book, making it easy for children in this generation to connect with our past, explore our world, and be inspired to be the best at what they do.”

It is not in doubt that the title of the book, which has a filmy ring to it and the style of writing were influenced by the movie side of her. Her previous book ‘The Quest For The Gem of Arubia’, which was shortlisted for the 2016 ANA/ Ngozi Chuma Udeh Prize for Children’s Literature was fantasy based. The Dreamer, The Traitor And The Forgotten encourages children to discover their talents, and encourages parents to aid in harnessing their talents rather than opposing their chosen field. Children will find the illustrations by Trevon Crox visually appealing and be further drawn into the world of possibilities, keeping them engrossed with the story until the last page. Children learn that irrespective of the nature of their birth, or what friends, families have tagged them as, they can achieve their dreams if they believe in themselves and work towards achieving it.

The Dreamer, The Traitor And The Forgotten

A football themed children’s book by Augusta Okon

he Dreamer, The Traitor and The Forgotten is the latest children’s book from Augusta Okon, a film critic and adaptation advocate. The sports based book hinged primarily on the game of football, which is a departure from the norm, and explores the world of a child as a young dreamer with the desire to shape his future and leave his footprints in the sands of time. The story is one of courage, hope, determination to succeed in the face of adversity and a clarion call to children never to give up on their dreams. The story is woven around Prince, a nine-year old, who has dreams of becoming a great footballer. However, his parents kick against it, preferring the highly rated profession carrying prestige and the weighty financial reward. As events unfold, he realizes there is a traitor who is bent on pulling him

down. No one believes in this young dreamer living in the backward town of Imoren, not even his friends. An encounter with The Forgotten, a mean old man feared by the indigenes with a haunted past, sets him on course into discovering something that would change his life forever. Speaking on the choice of football, Augusta Okon, the author, said, “I chose the game of football based on its global acceptance and I dare say it is the number one sport that commands a huge viewing audience both locally and internationally. The game of football has proven to be a powerful medium and unites people of different tribes, religion and race every time a match is played. Growing up in the 80’s, I heard of players such as Thunder Balogun, Mathematical Segun Odegbami, Samuel Okwaraji, Henry Nwosu, Muda Lawal, Philip Osondu, Fatai Atere, Etim Es-

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Travelogue

A peep into Los Angeles’ rich heritage P

IFEOMA OKEKE

eople travel for various reasons: to learn from other people’s culture, seek pleasure, shop, see family and friends or just to relax. However, in meeting some of these essential needs, there are places many people dream of visiting because such places are embodiments of what an IDEAL city should be. An ideal city cannot just be a museum piece or just a throwback to the past, as enjoyable as it might be. The ideal city must be a vital, contemporary city, one that combines history with energy. We dream of a city that has a combination of history, vital cultural life, is prosperous, endowed with exciting physical features, such as great rivers, bays and harbours, mountain ranges, with at least one season with a gentle and comfortable climate. We dream of these cities as being well-managed and administered, relatively clean and absence of congestion, offering mobility, access, the capacity to partake and enjoy in urban life. In these cities, you find education, business, pleasure, tourism, entertainment and history to mention but a few. One of such few cities across the world that has stood out to provide a combination of these features and even more is the City of Los Angeles (LA). Los Angeles is a sprawling Southern California city and the centre of the nation’s film and television industry. Near its iconic Hollywood sign, studios such as Paramount Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers offer behind-the-scene tours. On Hollywood Boulevard, TCL Chinese Theatre displays celebrities’ hand- and footprints, the Walk of Fame honours thousands of luminaries and vendors sell maps to stars’ homes.

Arts attractions at LA

4-hogwarts-castle-universal-studios-hollywood So, it was with excitement that I received the invitation to visit the amazing city of Los Angeles. I couldn’t contain my joy as I did a quick check on what to expect and the likely places to visit within almost one week of my stay in LA, I had no doubts that the Christmas was going to be one of the most special for me. Ethiopian Airline connects Africa to LA There was a quick meet and greet at the airport. I was glad to meet my colleagues representing other media houses both from Nigeria and Ghana invited by Ethiopian Airlines to experience LA and marked the airline’s first flight from Lome to LA. This is after the carrier had flown from Addis Ababa via Dublin to Los Angeles since 2015. Lome has therefore become the only and first to connect nonstop the West Coast of USA with West Africa. Connections to major West Africa cities: Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Dakar, Abidjan. This therefore implies that Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is only one of two airports in the world to service six continents with nonstop flights and the only U.S. West Coast gateway airport with nonstop service to Africa. This new air service is part of ET’s plans to connect more African countries to the United States

of America and the rest of the world. Los Angeles no doubt is one of the most visited cities across the world, little wonder why ET is helping make travel experience seamless for passengers who would love to visit the city. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Upon arrival at the beautiful Los Angeles International Airport, (LAX), after about 20 hours on air via Lome, one could find solace just beholding the amenities at the airport. It was obvious to all that a lot has been invested into the airport to make facilitation of passengers easy. In 2017, LAX handled 84,557,968 passengers, making it the world’s fifth busiest and the United States’ second busiest airport following HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport. As the largest and busiest international airport on the U.S. West Coast, LAX is a major international gateway to the United States, and also serves a connection point for some passengers traveling internationally. The airport holds the record for the world’s busiest origin and destination airport, since relative to other airports; many

Interior of grammy-museum more travellers begin or end their trips in Los Angeles than use it as a connection. It is also the only airport to rank among the top five U.S. airports for both passenger and cargo traffic. The amenities at the airport should point way to other contemporary international airports across the world. Some of the innovations at the airport include dining and retail options, expanded ticketing area, VIP lounges, automated passport control kiosks, walkway connector, automated screening lanes and biometric e-gates, to mention but a few. After the seamless immigration process, the group of ten set out for the Hilton Hotel where we lodged all through our stay in LA. You can only imagine how the ride was from the airport. The good roads and lovely buildings around while we drove to the hotel took our attention away from how far or close the airport was to the hotel. Hilton Los Angeles Airport Before getting to the hotel check-in counters, expectedly, everyone took out their phones to see if we could get free Wi-Fi after being in offline mode for almost a day. I could see smiles

The Simpsons Ride Exterior, Universal Studio

beaming on the faces of my colleagues as though they had won a jackpot as phones started beeping with messages from social media platforms and emails. Located a quarter mile from Los Angeles International Airport with complimentary shuttle, this Hilton property boasts of four dining venues including Andiamo, a northern Italian restaurant. Guests enjoy choices of American and Chinese breakfast buffets. The hotel, which is equipped with numerous rooms has WiFi (fee applies), feature bright and modern furnishings. The next day, we were all charged up to commence our tour around LA. We had been told to put on comfortable shoes and jean trousers because we were going to ride bikes. It had been over 15years since I last rode on a bicycle but I was going to give this a try. Bicycle Tour of Venice with Bikes and Hikes LA It was indeed an amazing time touring the streets of LA on a bicycle even though I was always behind my colleagues, just to make sure I wasn’t going to hit anyone or vice-versa. So I rode slowly and thankfully, the

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Travelogue

Universal Studio 1(1)

Hollywood walk of fame

smooth roads made the ride quite pleasurable as I cycled graciously and steadily around beautiful streets and historical locations of LA. One of such locations is Venice. Venice is a beachfront neighbourhood on the Westside of the Californian city of Los Angeles. Venice was founded in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it merged with Los Angeles. Today, Venice is known for its canals, beaches, and the circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half-mile pedestrianonly promenade that features performers, mystics, artists and vendors. Since 2010, Bikes and Hikes LA has shown thousands of guests the great city of Los Angeles up close, personal and in an eco-friendly, health conscious way: through guided LA biking and hiking tours. After an hour and half ride, lunch was served at Rose Café, an iconic restaurant in the heart of Venice, serving locals and trav-

Bikes And Hikes LA

ellers alike since 1979. Now, 36 years later, Chef Jason Neroni has kept the roots of the Rose that the community knows and loves, while introducing his seasonal, globally influenced cuisine. Chef Jason Neroni’s menu focuses on local Southern California cuisine with an international influence from his world travels. The bakery celebrates American classics, as well as some of the original Rose bakery classics re-conceptualised with their innovative techniques. Comedy & Magic Club There won’t have been a better way to rest after spending the first long day in LA than what we had that night. It was a memorable comedy show at the Comedy & Magic Club located in Hermosa Beach. The club’s beachside location has long made it a favourite destination for comedians and audience members alike. Many of the top comics in the industry have and continued to call this their home club. Jay Leno, Arsenio hall, Gabriel Iglesias and others are

regular performers. The comedy resonated with everyone present whether foreign or the local, as laughter filled the entire hall that one wish this could last forever. The interior of the club serves as a museum housing comedy memorabilia from Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball, Robin Williams, Ray Romano and more on display. The club is open Tuesday through Sunday and also prides itself on being a fundraising force in the local community. Walt Disney Concert Hall, Arts District & Grammy Museum The tour around the Walt Disney Concert Hall was phenomenon, especially knowing that people with passion for arts and culture invested so much to make the centre one that would be admired by the world. The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, and 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves, among other purposes, as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The hall is a compromise between an arena seating configuration, like the Berliner Philharmonie by Hans Sharon and a classical shoebox design like the Vienna Musikverein or the Boston Symphony Hall. Lillian Disney made an initial gift of $50 million in 1987 to build a performance venue as a gift to the people of Los Angeles and a tribute to Walt Disney’s devotion to the arts and to the city. The Arts District tour was led by renowned curator and Los Angeles Arts District expert Cindy Schwarzstein. The two-hour walking tour with Cartwheel Art offered an insider’s look at the history of the neighborhood as well as the bars, cafes, shops, galleries, breweries and distilleries at the center of this district’s vibrant core. To wrap the day up was a tour of the ‘almighty’ GRAMMY Museum. It was as though we were with artists and international musicians you could think of as their pictures and videos around the museum seemed as though they were performing right before us. The museum pays tribute to music’s rich cultural history. This 21st-century museum explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music - the GRAMMY® award. The current exhibit spotlights GRAMMYnominated artist Katy Perry and how she transformed music and fashion. Universal Studios Hollywood Day three seems to be my best in Los Angeles. It was a mix-

Walt-Disney-Concert-Hall

ture of adventure, excitement and fear. This mix can only be possible at the Universal Studios Hollywood. Considered the entertainment capital of L.A., Universal Studios Hollywood includes a movie-based theme park and Studio Tour. As a leading global entertainment destination, Universal Studios Hollywood delivers highly themed immersive lands that translate to real-life interpretations of iconic movie and television shows. Recent additions include “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ™,” “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” and “Springfield,” hometown of America’s favorite TV family. Amid the excitement that came with other activities such as the rides and tours, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter made me shiver. I thought I was strong, only after I experienced this part of the tour. With the ride being in the dark with bursts of low light throughout, plus the sudden jolts, stops and slow movement, it’s easy to see why I say it is thrilling! Plus, you add scary dinosaurs, witches, dragons and many others appearing out of darkness and it’s enough to scare a grown adult, seriously, I haven’t seen anything like this! The adjacent Universal CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex also includes the all-new multi-million dollar, completely redesigned Universal CityWalk Cinema, featuring deluxe recliner seating in screening room quality theatres, and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert stage. Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center The evening was sure different with a bit of a twist to our activities. It was a basketball evening! The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are two of the most exciting teams in the NBA, and it is always a treat for fans when the two match up. There were exciting actions on the court, some of the best basketball players in the world, and an energetic crowd: these are the things you can count on when the Mavericks and Clippers go head to head. It was indeed a great time at the arena during Mavericks vs. Clippers games. I loved my popcorn that night

as it helped douse my anxiety as to which team will win. Sadly, we had to leave that night before the game ended because some of us were already tired from the day’s long activities. So, we headed back to Hilton, our home of rest. Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood & Highland centre As the date of our departure gradually set in, this day was memorable for us all, especially as we came across the home of Hollywood stars. Steps from the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood & Highland center offered endless shopping, dining and entertainment options, as well as incredible views of the legendary Hollywood Sign from the center’s bridge. In addition, starline tours showcased the very best that the City of Angels has to offer. The tour brings many of Los Angeles’ greatest movie locations to life as we passed them in their custom bus while viewing the related movie clips on a very large HDTV such as scenes from Transformers, Iron Man, Blade Runner, The Artist, The Fast & The Furious and Star Trek! Lunch at Citadel Outlets The last lunch at Los Angeles already made us miss the city. The VIP experience at Citadel Outlets was second to none. Sitting in a very relaxed state with various brands of drinks to taste from made the afternoon quite enjoyable. Citadel Outlets is a 700,000 square foot mixed-use commercial property, featuring a hotel, four office buildings, and Los Angeles’ only retail outlet center. The historical façade was built more than 75 years ago and is located just 10 minutes south of Downtown Los Angeles and 25 minutes north of Anaheim off Interstate 5. After touring around for a choice meal to have before we say goodbye to Los Angeles, we all settled for a Chinese meal. It was simply the right choice. It was delicious and some of us went for more. In the evening, we set out for the airport. I personally felt a deep sense of loss as I was almost getting accustomed to the life and food of LA. I have to face the reality that Nigeria is my country with the hope that our country can invest in turning its states into tourist attractions.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Entertainment

Star Lager wraps up yuletide celebrations in style ...with Burna Live Concert, One Lagos Fiesta ANTHONIA OBOKOH

ational premium beer, Star Lager threw its weight behind the highly-anticipated Burna Live Concert in continuation of its remarkable sponsorship last December to deliver iconic music concerts. Thousands of music fans were thrown over the moon when award-winning singer and songwriter, Burna Boy, stormed Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, blowing the minds of his teeming followers with epic performances. The concert also witnessed groundbreaking performances by some of Nigeria’s finest artistes, such as Davido, Wizkid, Tuface, D’banj, Timaya, Duncan Mighty, and Patoranking with support from DJ Consequence and Dj Spinall. The show, which was anchored by popular hype men Shoddy and Jimmy, saw Burna Boy mesmerise the audience while belting out hit tracks from his rich collection,

including Heaven’s Gate, Yawa, Like To Party, and a host of others. True to its “Shine On” tagline, Star Lager Beer added some spice to the event with its Star corner. The corner was definitely a sight

Odunsi, Teni shine at Tiger Beer’s biggest niche party of 2018

iger beer kicked off the “Uncage Series” by hosting the biggest niche party of 2018 December 29. Borne out of a growing desire to provide a platform where alternative sounds and their audiences can meet, showcase their talents and network, as well as celebrate the dynamism of the African sound, the party featured stellar performances from Odunsi and Teni. The brand uncaged the arts at the beautifully tucked away treasure that is the African Artists Foundation, Victoria Island, Lagos featuring some of Nigeria’s budding talents and influential personalities from the alternative music scene. Fresh off a remarkable year, Od u n s i i s o n e o f t h e m o s t sought-after talents in the country. The release of his album was followed with a sold out concert. He’s already being considered as one of the pioneers of the alternative music genre.

Teni had also had a tremendous year. The witty songwriter with a knack for crafting fanfavourite Afro-pop tunes was, without doubt, the break-out star in Nigerian music last year. She delivered a breathtaking performance that got all in attendance on their feet. Also in attendance was Funbi, the soulful singer whose 2016 hit song “Hallelujah” is still considered one of the best alternative music compositions in recent memory. Th e Al t e r n a t i v e , o r Al t é movement as it is famously called, is one that encourages young creative Nigerians to step out of the box of normal societal conventions; a concept Tiger Beer shares and seeks to celebrate. Adding spice to the occasion were different rooms highlighting the accessibility and fluidity of the arts. From The Graffiti Room to the Henna Room and the Body Art space, there were good vibes all round.

to behold with its signature blue design. In fact, the brand pulled out the stops in providing the atmosphere to match its very ambitious narrative. It was indeed a night of glitz, glamour and great music, combined with ice cold Star Lager Beer. Speaking on Star Lager’s sponsorship of the concert, Emmanuel Oriakhi, marketing director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., said, “Innovation is what drives Star Lager as the brand is always at the forefront making beer drinking easier and fun in every space. The innovation approach is geared at breaking new grounds for consumers to enjoy Star Lager. Also, Nigerian music has over the years showcased its progressive

and extremely expressive streak. This explains why we have this rich assemblage of Nigerian music stars who push boundaries and do things differently like Star Lager Beer.” Meanwhile, after a full month of giveaways, sponsorships, partnerships, fun and excitement, the brand culminated its celebrations of the festive season with the finale of One Lagos Fiesta on December 31, 2018 gathering the biggest music superstars across the country as well as over 100,000 Lagosians. Star had all through the month of December provided a great atmosphere for fun-seekers as well as building a 58ft “Aro Meta” statue made out of over 3,000 crates of Star Lager which stood

as an Iconic Landmark at Eko Atlantic. “This month, we have celebrated with Lagos, the birth place of Star and ensured no Lagosian was left out of the festivities. With giveaways and optimal experiences, residents and indigenes were sure to have had a great time,” Oriakhi in December. “We appreciate the Lagos State Government and organizers of all the events we partnered with for giving us the opportunity to be a part of the year-end activities. 2019 is going to be a great year and we can’t wait to shine on with our consumers even as we announce all of the big plans we have in store for them,” he said. The One Lagos Fiesta Grand Finale comprised series of thrilling musical performances from some of Nigeria’s biggest names. The New Year countdown had excited consumers who thronged designated locations to enjoy a night of music, arts and culture as they witnessed the energetic performances from Nigeria’s biggest superstars. A massive fireworks display also lit up the Eko Atlantic skyline for almost an hour with impressive configurations as thousands of attendees rang in the New Year. “We take pride in delivering highly engaging and memorable moments to our consumers nationwide, and we are determined to keep upgrading experiences for our fans through the One Lagos Fiesta. We have a few more exciting activities lined up for fans this new year and we are truly delighted to be part of the festivities,” said Oriakhi.

Flavour thrills Anambra fans …As Life Beer hosts Bridge of Progress parties

he highlife king, Flavour Nabania thrilled all in attendance as he ended 2018 with a fun-filled, exciting concert. The show which was proudly sponsored by Life Continental Beer featured various talented acts including Phyno, Chidinma, Obiligbo Brothers and Awilo Longomba. Flavor, who began his performance with a rendition of his fanfavourite song “Oyi”, electrified the stage with his verve and gusto as he thrilled all night long. Known for his use of live instrumentation, the multi-talented singer was at his ever impressive best, using the band brilliantly as he rendered some of his most iconic songs. In fact, the crowd simply could not get enough of the highlife maestro. Life Continental Beer, on its part, provided the atmosphere and ambience to match, allowing consumers to treat themselves to the quality tasting beer while enjoying the beautiful music performance. The concert marked the end of a sensational six-day period

in which the brand provided the people of the East with non-stop entertainment. The week started with two “bridge of progress” parties in Anambra and Owerri, on the 26th and 28th, respectively, before heading to Awka, Anambra State, for the Flavour of Africa concert. Now with an amazing six days of fun and festivities under its belt, consumers of Life Continental Lager Beer in the East are once again reminded of just how much the brand is invested in culture and its people.

Speaking after the concert, Emmanuel Oriakhi, marketing director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said, “Life Lager is the first beer to be brewed in the Southeast of Nigeria. The brand has always been very close to its roots and its people. In 2018, we took steps to further deepen this connection. We realize how much it means for the people of Enugu to be able to celebrate the year-end festivities with friends and family and we wanted to be part of that experience for our loyal consumers.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Politics My goal is to liberate Ovia federal constituency from oppression, under-development - Idahosa Dennis Idahosa is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ovia Federal Constituency. The former commissioner for Investments, Public and Private Partnership to the immediate past governor in the administration of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, is contesting against the incumbent representative of the constituency, Omosede Igbinedion of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with IDRIS UMAR MOMOH in Benin-City, the House of Representatives hopeful spoke of his goal and programmes to better the lots of the people of the constituency. Excerpts: Why are you in the race to contest the forthcoming election for Ovia Federal constituency? want to give thanks to God Almighty for giving us the grace to see the year 2019, thank our royal father the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and most especially the people of Ovia federal constituency for giving me the opportunity to be a candidate of APC for the forthcoming general election. The reason why I decided to run for the position was that I believe it is a divine call from God. As you rightly said, I already have what it takes for a man to be comfortable. The people of Ovia federal constituency have experienced backwardness, lack of effective representation and have also been oppressed by certain individuals in all spheres of human endeavours. There is this strong spirit in me that has given me confidence that the Lord has called me at this hour to liberate the people from the oppression. I believe that was one of the reasons why I am running. Secondly, in 2015, we unanimously supported a young woman that we all have confidence in at that time. I did everything to make her succeed because, I felt she was young and also a woman, because I have so much respect and love for women and I am also a youth. And I believed as at that time she would represent these groups. But unfortunately, when she got there, she did extremely contrary. She was never on the floor when important issues concerning the federal constituency are discussed, she was not there to attract any development to our constituency, and there was no single individual that was empowered because of her absenteesm. So, we the people of Ovia federal constituency decided that we needed a change. At first, I was not willing to be that person, but like I said earlier that because of the divine call, I became convinced, that was why I decided to offer myself to run for this election. If elected, what are those things that you will do differently from the incumbent and those that have occupied that position before now? Anything she has done I will do completely different. I will be on the floor of the house at all times when importance issues are being addressed. I will attract a lot of development to my constitu-

Dennis Idahosa

ency, job opportunities to youths and women empowerment in the constituency. I will also build two skills acquisition centres in each of the two local government areas that make up the constituency, to train youths, and at the completion of the training, provide soft loans for them to establish themselves. At the moment , I have the curriculum vitaes of youths in the constituency and when there are jobs opportunities, I don’t have to come looking around for them because I already have their CVs and that will make it easy for me to help them in the various federal government job opportunities. I will also empower our women. I keep stressing women and youths. It may interest you to know that I lost my father at the age of six. My mother bacame everything. She was the husband as well as the wife. So, from that time to this very moment, she decided to sacrifice her life at the age of 40 to this very moment. She sacrificed even her personal comfort and all for her children. That has given me so much passion about women. That was why when I was serving as commissioner during the administration of Adams Oshiom-

hole, I sacrificed my salaries for widows in my local government area, and the other part went to the youths because there are lots of youths who have no job. I didn’t take one naira for myself. If I am able to do that then, I am still very much ready by the grace of God, to also continue on that selfless act in bringing change and dividends of democracy to the doorstep of the people of Ovia federal constituency. Politicians make to many promises when seeking votes, but do the opposite when elected. Now, how would you convince the people that if given the opportunity to represent the constituency in the National Assembly, you live up to your promises? I have also decided within my heart to give a reasonable percentage of my salary to the Ovia people, including all the job opportunities I can attract to the people of the constituency from the federal government ministries, departments and agencies. I will not wait in my office for them to give me the jobs, I will go about soliciting for Federal Government jobs and others, for the benefit of the people of my constituency. I want to leave a mark that will

be almost impossible for any other person to match, and I believe I am ready to serve my people in all ways to bring change and development to my constituency. Ovia feral constituency, particularly at Ovia North-East Local Government is an oil producing area; what will you do to ensure that the constituency benefits from the proceeds of oil exploration? Oil producing area is in one ward which is Oduna ward in Ovia North-East Local Government Area. I went round in the ward few weeks ago and I saw the level of development in the ward, and they are remarkable. I also want to appeal to the EDOSOPADEC to extend that kind of development across the Ovia North-East Local Government so that there will be visible development and presence of the agency in the locality . I am going to work with the federal, state and local governments in making sure that the development and opportunities that they deserve, especially the oil producing local government have it. There are two major political parties contesting elections in the state, the APC and the PDP. The incumbent you are contesting against is of the PDP, and the image of the father reigns large in the constituency. What are the chances of APC in the elections ? To me, I see it as an election easy to win because, with all due respect to some notable personalities in the constituency, I promised myself that throughout the campaigns, I will not insult anybody, but am going to talk on issue-based campaigns, things that affect my federal constituency as well as the normal people in Ovia federal constituency. I am not a rich man’s son. I was born and raised into a humble family. I was born and raised in Igbobazuwa, went to farms like other normal persons born in the villages. I know what it takes for you to come home and there is no food available for you at home; your friends are at school and you are in the farm trying to transport the produce to the market. I known and I have experienced it. That is what is giving me the edge and confidence that it is not all about name but about what you can bring to the doorsteps of your people. By the grace of God, the election in Ovia federal constituency will be one of the most comfortable zones for the APC in the state. The election will be won

with not less than 69 percent, by His grace. As the campaigns for the general election gather momentum, do you see President Muhammadu Buhari coming out victorious? President Muhammadu Buhari, I think, is very strong and what is giving him the edge more than others is that the main opposition, especially the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), made a blunder by giving their ticket to somebody who has so much confidence in money, instead of integrity and morality, because, Atiku Abubakar is someone who had served the country as a Vice President and we all saw the high level of corruption and injustice that characterised the administration during their tenure and we cannot again afford to entrust the sensitive position of President of the country into the hands of such person. I believe if it was somebody else that has credibility and integrity, PDP would have had a little bit of chances. But President Muhammadu Buhari is a man of integrity, a man that has fought insecurity in the country and willing to bring Nigeria to the next level. Every human being has his or her faults, no one is perfect. I believe Nigeria is in safe hands with Buhari and we will get to the next level with Buhari. I urge every right-thinking person that wishes this country well, to support the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in next month’s presidential election so that, together, we can all take the country to the next level. What is your new year message to the people of Ovia federal constituency and Nigerians? My new year message to the Ovia federal constituency, Edo people and Nigeria at large, is that, as God has given us this grace to see the year 2019, we should all be very careful during the electioneering campaigns. We should shun hate speeches and focus on issue-based campaign, and do whatever it takes to keep peace in this nation, avoid politics of division, focus on all that we have achieved as individuals and as a country. We cannot continue to rely on government alone. We should be creative and use all the potentials and talents that God has given us to contribute our quota to the development and growth of our great country, so that at the end of the day we will have a wonderful and lovely country that we will be proud of.

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Focus

Towards a safe and orderly migration

A global migration compact may help combat the myth that migrants are liabilities

KINGSLEY IGHOBOR

n August 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May visited countries in Africa, sparking hope of increased foreign direct investments (FDI) in the continent. Mr. Macron was in Nigeria, Ms. Merkel visited Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, and Ms. May made stops in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Apart from the question of FDI, these influential leaders were looking at how to stem the flow of African migrants traveling to Europe in search of jobs and better lives. “I believe in a win-win game. Let’s help Africa to succeed. Let’s provide new hope for African youth in Africa,” President Macron said in Nigeria, explaining that it was in Europe’s interest to tackle migration from Africa at its roots. New York Times writers Eduardo Porter and Karl Russell echoed the French president’s sentiments: “If rich countries want fewer immigrants, their best shot might be to help poor countries become rich, so that fewer people feel the urge to leave.” Africans on the road Every day hundreds of Africans, including women and children, strike out in search of real or imagined riches in Europe or America. About a million migrants from sub-Saharan Africa moved to Europe between 2010 and 2017, according to the Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.–based nonpartisan fact tank. While Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa are the top way stations for subSaharan migrants moving to Europe and the US, Pew lists South Sudan, Central African Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, Eritrea and Namibia as having some of the fastest-growing international migrant populations living outside their country of birth. Africans are on the move because of “conflict, persecution, environmental degradation and change, and a profound lack of human security and opportunity,” states the International Organisation for Migra-

tion (IOM), in its World Migration Report 2018. Migration corridors mostly used by Africans are Algeria to France, Burkina Faso to Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt to the United Arab Emirates, Morocco to Spain, and Somalia to Kenya. Of the 258 million international migrants globally, 36 million live in Africa, with 19 million living in another African country and 17 million in Europe, North America and other regions, Ashraf El Nour, Director of IOM, New York, informed Africa Renewal. When unregulated and unmanaged, migration can create “false and negative perceptions of migrants that feed into a narrative of xenophobia, intolerance and racism,” UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres noted at an event in New York last September. “The narrative of migrants as a threat, as a source of fear, which has colored international media coverage on migration, is false,” said Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a UN body that deals with trade, investment and development issues, in an interview with Africa Renewal. Orderly migration The Global Compact for Migration, the firstever intergovernmentally negotiated agreement on international migration, could counter negative perceptions of migrants, experts say. The IOM states the compact will help achieve “safe, orderly and regular migration,” referring to it as an opportunity to “improve the governance on migration, to address the challenges associated

with today’s migration, and to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.” The compact consists of 23 objectives, among them mitigating the adverse drivers and structural factors that hinder people from building and maintaining sustainable livelihoods in their countries of origin; reducing the risks and vulnerabilities migrants face at different stages of migration by respecting, protecting and fulfilling their human rights and providing them with care and assistance; and creating conditions that enable all migrants to enrich societies through their human, economic and social capacities, and thus facilitating their contributions to sustainable development at the local, national, regional and

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They start creating routes to get food from their home country,” he said. Ethiopian restaurants in Nairobi, Kenya, including Abyssinia

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global levels. The compact also refers to enabling faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances and fostering the financial inclusion of migrants; ensuring that all migrants have proof of legal identity and adequate documentation; and providing migrants with access to basic services. The Global Compact for Migration is not legally binding, but its provisions can be a powerful reference point for those formulating immigration policies as well as for human rights advocates in the face of mistreatment of migrants. Negative attitudes or even violence against migrants typically stem from fears that they take jobs away from native-born citizens or that they engage in criminal activities, according to a study by the South Africa–based Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), a statutory research agency. In the HSRC study, which focused on South Africans’ attitudes toward immigrants, 30% of the public blamed foreigners for “stealing jobs from hardworking South Africans,” while another 30% pointed to immigrants’ criminal activities. But IOM South Africa countered that “immigration does not harm the long-term employment prospects or wages of native-born workers,” adding that “migrants are twice as likely to be entrepreneurs [as] South African nationals.” The South African government regularly condemns xenophobic attacks. Economic perspective of migration Mr. Kituyi said that most

migration studies focus on “the plight of migrants, the crisis of international solidarity or humanitarian challenges.” He wished that more attention were paid to migration from the perspective of economic development. Ms . Lú c i a Ku l a , a n Angolan migrant who is a researcher in the UK, concurred, adding that conversations about migration should shift to the migrants’ contributions to their new society. “One of the main things they [immigrants] do in the economies they get into is create value. They enter niches where they are more competitive… and it can boost the local economy,” Mr. Kituyi elaborated. Many migrants are talented professionals and offer expert services in their new countries. Iso Paelay, for example, left Liberia in the heat of the war in the 90s and resettled in Ghana, where he became a star presenter for TV3, a leading media house in the country. Apparently, Liberia’s loss was Ghana’s gain. Mr. Kituyi points to a phenomenon of migrants going to other countries to engage in the ethnic food business. “They start creating routes to get food from their home country,” he said. Ethiopian restaurants in Nairobi, Kenya, including Abyssinia, Habesha and Yejoka Garden, serve Ethiopian dishes such as injera. Abuja International Restaurant in Union, New Jersey, sells Nigerian food such as eba, amala and fufu and the popular beer Gulder. In New York, Africans and others throng “Little Senegal,” a single street in Harlem, to shop for anything African—foodstuffs,

music CDs, hair products, religious items and finely tailored clothes. While working hard, earning money and making contributions to their new countries, African migrants also “remit small monies back home to support their families,” explained Mr. Kituyi. “Eighty-five percent [of immigrants’ earnings] goes to the host country and 15% to the country of origin through remittances.” “A good chunk of the money I make here [in the US] I spend here; I pay my bills and get things for myself. I remit some to upkeep my parents,” concurs Ms. Christy Emeagi, a lawyer who left Nigeria “because I wanted a better life for my unborn children.” The inclusion in the Global Compact for Migration of ways to make remittances faster and safer will be sweet music to African migrants. In 2017, remittance flows from migrants to sub-Saharan Africa were $38 billion, reports the World Bank. That is more than the $25 billion official development aid (ODA) to the region that year. Cu r r e n t l y, s a y s Mr. Kituyi, “it is painful to see an overly high cost of transaction mostly going to international payment services like Western Union, PayPal and so on.” Achieving the objectives of the Global Compact for Migration may take some time, experts believe. Nevertheless, the compact’s immediate impact is that safe, orderly and regular migration is currently at the forefront of global conversation. And that is a step in the right direction. Culled from Africa Renewal

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Interview Nigeria needs free, fair and credible elections – Edward Kallon Edward Kallon is the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, a country that recently exited a painful economic recession. At the same time, insecurity stemming from the continuing terrorist activities of Boko Haram insurgents has not abated. Under these conditions, some 80 million Nigerians will go to the polls in February 2019 to elect a president, the governors of 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states and all federal and state legislators. On these and other pertinent issues, Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor interviewed Mr. Kallon. These are excerpts:

hat are the main areas the UN is focusing on in its work in Nigeria? Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, and, with a projected population of around 200 million, it is the most populous country on the continent. Its sheer size and its economy are important for West Africa, Africa and the world at large. That’s why it is critical for the international community to support the political and socioeconomic development in the country. Nigeria is too big to fail; if it fails, the continent will suffer. Specifically, what is the UN doing in the country? Nigeria is a lower-middle-income country, meaning that partnerships are very important. In July last year we signed the Partnership Framework for 2018 to 2022. Based on this framework, the UN will support the government in three key areas: the first one is in governance, security and human rights; the second area is assisting the government to provide quality basic services; and the third is supporting inclusive growth and development. With the UN reforms, our focus is to work better together, to foster our synergies. Our key priority is to bring the UN system together to support the government of Nigeria to implement the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]. What are Nigeria’s key challenges? One of the challenges facing Nigeria is weak institutions at the federal, state and local levels. It is critical that institutions are strengthened and the governance architecture put in place. Another critical problem is the unreliable supply of electricity, although of late I am seeing some investments in the power sector to try to address the problem. I’m hoping these investments continue. Nigeria also needs to improve its infrastructure, which is critical. About 65% of the population is under 24 years. This is a youth bulge that can yield demographic dividends, but it is also a risk if investments are not made to make these youths productive. You mentioned support for “inclusive growth.” Do you mean women’s empowerment? It includes the empowerment of women; it has to do with the implementation of the SDGs, focusing on stimulating the economy and social investment. So our engagement is very catalytic. The

This is a youth bulge that can yield demographic dividends, but it is also a risk if investments are not made to make these youths productive. How receptive is the government to your ideas? The government is very receptive of the UN in general, and that’s the reason why I am here [at the UN General Assembly] with them. There is an acknowledgement of the contributions we are making to their socioeconomic development. But let’s be clear that the UN itself is not going to develop Nigeria for Nigerians. Our role will continue to be catalytic.

Edward

UN’s comparative advantage in Nigeria is fourfold: technical assistance; policy advisory services; the UN’s convening power; and strengthening capacity to deliver basic services. However, due to current challenges, including pockets of instability in some places, we are also supporting the government in providing humanitarian services to the affected populations. How challenging is Nigeria’s security situation? Let’s put it this way: in general, the country is relatively safe, but we have pockets of instability. For example, we have the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast that is now in its ninth year, and which has killed an estimated 27,000 people. There is also an emerging concern about tension between herders and farmers, which is affecting at least 17 of Nigeria’s 36 states. This is quite worrisome because it has to do with issues of access to land and water made worse by the desertification in the North. The herders are forced to move their cattle down south, towards the riverine areas, and this creates tensions and clashes between them and farmers. In some of these areas there is a collapse of traditional conflictresolution mechanisms.

How are you assisting the country to deal with this? We are now thinking of supporting the federal states in reactivating the traditional conflict-resolution architecture. And there is also a need to modernize pastoralism, which is critical in the sense that nomadic life cannot be sustained because of demographic changes and pressure on land and water. We also have the old remnants of the Niger Delta Avengers, who are quite destructive, and the remnants of indigenous people of Biafra who are agitating for a separate republic. There is also the critical issue of hate speech, kidnappings, and petty crimes, which can happen in any populous country. Do these security issues pose an existential threat to Nigeria? I cannot say that the unity of the country is threatened. Nigeria has a dynamic social structure that one must appreciate. And you can only appreciate it if you understand its dynamics. There is, absolutely, the need to work on inequalities, better management of available resources, and to create opportunities for youths. About 65% of the population is under 24 years.

Nigeria has a three-tier governance structure (federal, state and local government). How do you interact within this structure? Well, it has been very clear to me that I need to engage at the federal and state levels. Vertical and horizontal linkages are critical. Most policies are made at the federal level before they are adopted and implemented by the states, which is where we can make a difference in people’s lives. Of course, the political landscape is quite dynamic in Nigeria. For the 2019 elections, for example, we are talking about 91 political parties and over 81 million eligible voters. Regarding the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in February 2019, what’s your assessment of the electoral process so far? We are advocating for free, fair and credible elections. If we end up with a contested election result, it can destabilize the fragile balance in the country. And I don’t think it is in the interest of Nigerians. The economy is coming out of recession and they have put in place very viable policies that have started to make an impact. How do you see Nigeria in 5 to 10 years? If Nigeria is successful, it can take the whole of the subregion or even the continent to prosperity. So it is critical that Nigeria’s policies and practices work, and I am hoping that the current development efforts will continue. They have an economic recovery plan that’s focused on diversification, which is key to reducing the dependency on oil and to making the economy competitive.

Culled from Africa Renewal

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Interview Dearth of infrastructure in South East is discouraging businesses - ECCIMA DG In this interview with Regis Anukwuoji, the Emeka Okereke, director-general of Enugu Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), in this interview with REGIS ANUKWUOJI, advises the Federal Government to use the trader-moni more wisely to increase productivity and create more employment opportunities. Excerpts: As a manager of SME operators, do you think the best option in solving the economic challenges of this country is by sharing N10, 000 to selected petty traders, which the Federal Government calls social empowerment programme? ell, if you are talking about business and SME development and the stipends that are given out to micro business operators, we call them micro operators, small traders, for me it is social empowerment programme but it is a one time off thing, I do not think it will create meaningful impact in their business development because it is just like an envelope you dished out to somebody for certain intended social satisfaction. Well, N10,000 can really start a business but I wonder how far it can go with the rate of our inflation and the capacity of our naira, so for me it’s just an intermediate effort by the government to encourage micro traders certify certain level of their desires, It would not make much impact in terms of expanding their business or starting a reasonable business, because it is a one time off empowerment thing. Relating it to what Americans call social security, there is more of stable thing as far as you are alive you are entitled to certain amount of money, annually or monthly for your upkeep. It is not actually for them to use that and start up a business or do any kind of trading with it. It is just for upkeep. But if it is a one time off thing, it does not really make much meaning as far as I am concerned. It is just giving somebody a stipend for the person to satisfy immediate desires that may not be sustainable, so it is not a bad thing on its own. But if it is meant to encourage the business of micro-enterprise as claimed I don’t know how far that one could go, you know N 10, 000 one time off thing, but if government had carefully studied the society and get data of certain level of people at the micro business level and wants to empower them say on a monthly basis this is your stipend to encourage you to do one thing or the other it will be more understandable but if it is just a onetime thing where one just go to the market and start dishing out money to selected group of small traders. To me, it has no meaning, and cannot encourage anybody.

What do you think government should have done in alternative? Yes, in alternative, assuming government earmarked the sum of one billion naira and said they are going to do empowerment for the masses (people), as I said that kind of empowerment, I don’t know how to define it, but I believe it is just an effort of Federal Government to show concern to her citizens, but for it to be brought into business and for it to yield fruit, I think government should have done better in terms of encouraging an aggregate of the people who can hardly add value to the economy in terms of productivity, thereby expanding the scope of employment opportunities. I think that would have been more meaningful. In my own estimation, engaging some stakeholders, using their business associations, for instance, association ‘A’ we are empowering ten of your members with ten million naira to increase their capacity of doing business where each of them are given one million naira. I feel that by the end of the day, it will

Regis Anukwuoji

encourage more employment and it will expand the capacity of such small businesses, industries, than just dishing out N10,000 to those who look at it as pocket money; that will just satisfy one or two immediate needs and is not recorded. Anyway, I don’t know how the government gathers its data, going to the market to do that, I feel it would have been better if they can aggregate certain number of businesses and see what they are doing and give them a meaningful amount of money that impact in their businesses and engage more hands (employments) and of course, productions will go up. The people of South East are known for doing well in business. How can you assess the business environment of Southeast region? There is no two ways about it, it is a naked truth that the South East economic environment is very challenging and of course, it is also the truth that small scale businesses are thriving in the South East despite the not-socomfortable business environment. If the business environment is better than what it is, you can imagine the level of economic activities that would have been going on in the zone more than what it is presently. The business environment is very challenging. Where do you start, if you take off basic infrastructure, we are still battling with bad roads, it is shameful and it is a kind of disincentive for any business that is not ready to have its foot in the South East, but if you are determined that S/E is a viable economic environment that has future, then you may not mind to invest. Honestly speaking, if an investor comes in as it is and a new investor for that matter, certainly such an investor will be somehow discouraged. There are lots of things, apart from roads, talk of conveyance system in terms of transportation, apart from roads, talk of seaports, and talk of the cargo airport. It is very challenging for businesses to reach their potentials here, if you want to import your raw materials, you have to go basically through Lagos. You have to transport it to the South east by road and you know it will add to the cost of doing businesses. Compared to those zones where facilities are available. At Onitsha inland port I am happy that the managing Director of Nigerian Water Ways once said that

Nigeria is losing a lot of income, a lot of business investment opportunities because the Onitsha inland port is still dysfunctional and I know several efforts have been made in the past by the government, to bring it upstream, Unfortunately, we learnt that dredging the seaport is a major problem, because the more sand are removed it revolves around, but we do believe that something can still be done, if they actually mean to dredge the Onitsha seaport and make it functional. I am happy the Managing Director (MD) of Nigerian Inland Waterways said this himself that Nigeria is losing a lot by not making Onitsha Inland Seaport functional. So these are part of the challenges the businesses in these part of the country are facing, and if these obstacles are addressed , I am sure that the economic expansion that would follow suit will be very large in terms of adding to our GDP, in terms of creating more opportunity for employment, in terms of even starting up businesses in the South East. Business environment is very challenging but I am happy that the South east Governor’s Forum are working through what they call Ease of Doing Business in the South East to address some of these challenges within their capacity because there are some of these issues the states cannot address because they are exclusively in the Federal Government’s directive and responsibilities. But the thing is that the present South East Governors are aware of the challenges and they are doing their best to take those ones within their immediate confine and responsibility, while also liaising with the Federal Authorities to address critically some of these issues like the Onitsha Inland Port, Akanu-Ibiam International Airport, that is yet to reach about 35 percent of its full potentials because of the level of facilities, because of the alleged conduct of how the Federal agencies and officials in the airport are handling issues concerning the airport, So, these are parts of the discouragement people in this part of the country in businesses are facing and it will be important that government look into these matters and address them properly. It is all about Nigeria, it is not just about South East, because S/E will add to National aggregate, not just within the confines and corridors of the South East. The growth of the South East economy is a growth of Nigerian economy and it’s imperative that Federal Government address critically the infrastructural structure that are facing this part of the country in terms of hindrance to economic growth and development. Do you not think it would be faster and better to develop the zone (S/E) economically by the businessmen in the zone pulling resources together to establish mega business than the one man-effort activities? Dangote, I think, is still the principal driver of Dangote’s group of industries, may be systematically he has repositioned his operational approach to go beyond him, so there is really nothing wrong if a business man who knows his onions, want to go solo 100%, there is nothing wrong about that, however how have you structured your management, have you been able to engage the hands of professionals that can help you run the business beyond yourself, how do you see it, are you ready to welcome innovations, are you ready to engage professionals who know

it better than you in certain areas you are blessed, you have the capital to invest but when it comes to professional management, you also need to engage people that will help you in running the business to achieve its full potential, and I think that is where Dangote got cutting edge, if you go to Dangote today, it is run by well qualified professionals, who report to the CEO in the day through defined structure and lineup. So there is really nothing wrong, but I think part of the problem in this part of the country is that we want to own the running of businesses, because there are two different things we need, to begin building confidence that others can help us achieve our potentials, do more than we had expected, and visionalise To answer your question, there is nothing bad for business men in this part pulling their resources together for a common investment interest .But I also do know that the issue of trust, and confidence amongst us have been our major problem, that most joint venture businesses or partnerships had cracks and from that experience most people are scared of going that way, either way, we must have levels of trust on people. We cannot do it alone, we should structure our business, in a way that even when we are not there, the business can run. You can still own 90% or 100% of the business, but do not assume that because you are the sole investor, that you will also be the sole driver and professional that will run the business. You must clearly spell out your strategy, your structure and your approach in running such business. The issue of trust and confidence is equally there. Having said that, I know most people who are very conscious not to trust the owning of their businesses with some other people also coming from experience. However that should not limit your scope and vision, we can never do it alone, we can never do it alone, we must work with people, they are very critical and necessary without them you cannot get close to your target; you must work with people but it is important you also do diligent and even as we engage people to work with, we can equally make them part of the system, if it is 2%,even if it is 1%, it will make them to be committed to know that if this business goes down ,their interest also goes down. So I agree with you, the way you structured the question, why can’t we pull our resources together to increase the scope and capacity of our business. I started with Dangote and I said that Dangote is still the major owner of companies, but he has engaged professionals, who know their onions, who are helping him to meet the demands and even expand beyond the original vision he had, so why can’t we replicate it here. So by and large partnership joint venture businesses are important in pulling resources together, for the bigger picture is also important, but in all this, we must structure, we must strategisxe, we must have an open mind of how we want to run this business through co-operation, through goodwill, for the good of the majority of all the stake-holders and interest that has to do with that business, and that interest includes those you are going to provide services for or sell your products to. It is also a challenge to entrepreneurs especially at this level that finance generation is very challenging, to start a business. We can say let us pull our resources together and start a mega business.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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BDSUNDAY 33

Interview

‘The strength of Cartier lies on its wide and differentiated collections’ Since 1847 (171 years ago) Cartier has been in the business of designing and selling luxury items worldwide, including wrist watches, jewelries among others. Alessandro Patti, managing director, Africa and Israel, Cartier, visited Polo Luxury Group, its business partner in Lagos. He spoke to Obinna Emelike, on the secrets of the luxury brand,

hat is staying power of the brand for over 171 years now? The staying power is longtime vision and always. From the time of our founders, we want to create the style that is timeless. We have sustained the business over 100 years now by always sharpening our creativity, keeping the style, been timeless, and focus on clients always. As well, we have been this long in business because we offer products and services in the best way possible to our clients all over the world just to have them satisfied. Th e s e e l e m e n t s c o m e through the brand equity, which is basically our promise to our customers. The important thing is to keep these promises of quality in production, and quality in services for years and centuries. This is the secret of Cartier. Our strong brand equity with the best product, best service and long term vision have been our strength all these while. How luxurious is the Cartier brand? I will answer in two steps. First, it depends on the client. Luxury starters when the need stops. The essence of luxury is to reward oneself, reward someone you love, celebrate success among others. We have two types of clientele; the ones who want to be inclusive and the others who want to different themselves. The inclusive ones are the “me too” syndrome. So, all my friends have nice cars or nice watches and they say, “me too”, I want the “me too” watch or luxury item. We see these as typical reactions in the growing luxury market like in China. Everybody has this trendy bag, or jewelry, so, “me too”. I want to be part of this elite group through this product, so, I have it, and so I am. Then we have the ones that want to differentiate themselves, these happens more in Europe. Since everyone has this Cartier steel, I don’t want that. I want to show that

and contemporary, as well.

Alessandro Patti

I do not belong to this class, I will take the plan gold or another variant to differentiate myself. So, how luxurious Cartier is depends on the type of the clientele; the inclusive or those that want to differentiate themselves. How is the journey so far for the Cartier brand in Nigeria? Cartier brand Cartier is one of the luxury brands in Africa. We have been working over 55 years on the continent. We have been in Nigeria for about 15 years with the Polo Luxury Group; our credible partners here and one of our long lasting relationships in Africa. We are happy working with Polo. I can say that the values of Cartier and the values of Polo Luxury Group are very well connected; we all share creativity. Cartier has a contemporary art foundation in Paris and when you enter the Polo Luxury building you will see a lot of arts, creativity and passion for luxury goods. These are common values we share. How receptive is the Cartier brand in the Nigerian market? We have a worldwide collection. The strength of Cartier is that we have a very wide and differentiate collections. It means that we don’t create specific products for specific markets but according to the

taste. The Nigerian client will prefer for example the generous dimension. For example, in the Santos collection we have two sizes; the big and the small. So, we will focus on advertising and engage with millennials on the big size in order to make a proposal on the correct product they want to wear. On the other side, from our point of view, we will try to engage with them more with local events, client experience in the new stores, and more international services. So, we want to be the first luxury brand in terms of service, quality and engagement. Cartier is among the top brands for Nigerians Can you describe the Cartier experience for clients? The values of Cartier are tradition, elegance, innovation and creativity. So, it is a unique balance of watches designed over 100 years ago, but with a contemporary touch. We do not want to show off; we want to be elegant and stylish. We want to differentiate with styling elegance because we need to keep our promise; our famous brand equity. There are other brands out there to please specific clients, they do very sparkling products, but that is not the case with Cartier because it is not part of our promise. So, the Cartier experience is elegance, style, timeless

What informed the partnership with Polo Luxury Group? John Obayuwana, chairman of Polo Luxury Group, is truly the master of this company. He likes art, he has a sense of luxury and a sense of style. He is truly passionate of nice things; it can be a nice piece of art, luxury item or unique experiences. Whenever you go out with Mr. Obayuwana you will experience taste of good things. He is successful, but the blend of being a businessman and have the sense of beauty, which he has transferred to Jennifer and both are transmitting to their team, is very rare. So, it is a blend of vision, sustainable business, good investment, sense of beauty and the passion for good thing. He is satisfied with the very best, and so is Cartier. He is living this experience with a very simple spirit because he believes in it and not for the sake of showing-off. I have met very few businessmen with his blend of business vision and passion for beauty. Whenever I come here, he takes me to contemporary African galleries where we experience wine and food; it is a blend of experience. You cannot do this business only focusing on profit because you cannot transmit your passion. When we hosted the private viewing the previous day, clients were asking, John, what do you think about this products, since you know me, what is good for me? He is really a guide to his clients. I am talking about John’s personality, but he transmitted this to his company and all the people. He is elegant and the way he talks to people is very formal. When you enter the Polo family, you feel a sense of beauty. Is Nigerian positioned as gateway for Cartier brand in Africa? Yes. There are five key countries in Africa for the Cartier brand and Nigeria is one of these countries. The uniqueness of Nigeria is that you are

a huge population. Though the ones who can afford luxury are limited, we know that these few travel a lot and have become ambassadors of Cartier. When you go to London or New York, my colleagues over there keep telling me we have specific Nigerian clients for this and that. You can see that the Nigerian client has a sense of beauty, sense of art, most of them are art collectors, they are very refined and they look for unique pieces. They are really looking for the top and the best and that is why they are simply satisfied with the best. However, having these ambassadors, it is important to treat them well. The community of Nigeria is key for the success of luxury in Africa because all African countries are looking onto Nigeria as one of the biggest economies to also lead in the luxury segment in Africa. How has your anti-fragile model sustained your clientele base? It is a model we are developing for the Cartier brand. It means despite the economic crisis, which is like an earthquake, and the longest period without earthquake means that a new earthquake might come soon. There will be economic crisis because it a cycle. The point is to create a business model that can be flexible. Anti-fragile means flexible, rapid adjustment and healthy financial KPIs. Polo has watches and jewelry division where the prices are pretty high. Then it has another section called Polo Avenue where you have more affordable items. So, when you have an upward economic cycle, your watches and jewelry division grows faster and when you face a little bit of downturn, clients hold back a little. But the good thing about Polo is its ability to welcome the same clients and still connect with them no matter the economic situation. This is the vision of Polo, that they find a way to be anti-fragile and stay connected with their clients and Cartier will develop this further with Polo.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

TheWorshippers

‘The solution to Nigeria’s problems is for Christians to return to God’ Prophet Prayer Chinonye Otuomachi is the founder of Gospel of Redemption Evangelical Mission Worldwide. The young preacher, whose father is also a minister of the gospel, speaks about the forthcoming 2019 elections and what Nigerians should expect in the course of the year. SEYI JOHN SALAU brings you excerpts: As an anointed man of God with divine capabilities to revelation, what should Nigerians expect in 2019? 019 is a good year, sincerely. God told me 2019 is a two-way coin and you will have to choose which side of the coin you want by your attitude. People will recover many lost opportunities this new year. A lot of companies that have been closed will open again. What are the major events that will shake the country this new year? Let me say a little about government. There will be a lot of betrayal. The ruling party will need intensive prayer to overcome backstabbers. Secondly, we need prayers for the Easterners. Some people should not take laws into their hands to take away peace from people’s heart. A lot of things will take place in Lagos and the government of the day will change a lot of things but prayers must be made over his life. Also prayers should be made against flooding. It will be very terrible. I see a lot of quick money platforms coming up that will defraud people. River State needs prayer also. With the rampant killing of Christians in the north and the constant clash of herdsmen and farmers, what is the solution scripturally or will technology solve the problem? The solution is for Christians to return to God because the bible

Omiyale Yomi Martins: Associate pastor at Lighthouse International Christian Centre (LICC) Teacher of the Word and a Tax Accountant Email: omiyaleyomi2013@gmail.com Mobile: 08077587734

olossians 4: 12: Says “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” The perfect will of God is God’s best for us. It does not get better than knowing what is God’s plan for us. Initially the perfect will of God for a life might not seem to be the right decision but in the end it speaks. Today’s scripture gives us one of the keys to staying in God’s perfect will for our lives - labouring fervently in prayers. Do you want God’s best for your life? Do you want to live the best life possible? Do you want to be the head and not the tail? Do you want to be the best you could ever be? If yes, please read today’s piece carefully. I think it’s best that I illustrate this with a personal testimony. I finished my youth service in July 2012

Chinonye Otuomachi

says, ‘Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach.’ Christians, the future of Nigeria is in our hands and on our knees. Yes, there are some measures that can be taken by the government but fighting won’t help the situation. Away from politics, how did you get into the ministry or did you stumble into it as an alternative route to survival? Well, let me start by saying this,

my ambition when I was in school was to become an architect, which did not actually turn out well because of finance and other issues. Later, because things were not working at home, I determined to become a soldier, went for training but still did not pass through. It was in that process that things started happening in my life. I was told things were not working because God wanted to use me. Firstly,

before my mother got married, she encountered an angel who told her that her first child would serve God and that would be her only son. Secondly, my parents are dedicated ministers of God, so this ministry thing is in my blood, not in my head. You are a young minister. From experience, many who started early end up unsuccessful in their ministerial calling. What could be responsible for this? Life is made up of decisions. We are a product of our decisions; you decide to fail or decide to succeed, and indecision is still a decision which is a decision for failure. If others have failed, I refuse to by God grace. He will see me through and, mind you, there are many that scale through. Technology is currently disrupting every sector of the economy, with Christendom not excluded. Do you see this as a challenge to the ministry and Christians at large in terms of replacing their bibles with gadgets at homes, churches and offices? Of course, the bible says that towards the end of time, knowledge shall increase. The only thing we Christians should do is that we should be wise as the children of light and maximize the good aspect of technology and use it as a platform to hasten the preaching of the undiluted gospel of God’s kingdom and by this we can reach out to many and save some from destruction and grips of the forces

of darkness spreading their junks via technology. With technological disruption changing the face of how we do things, what would you say is the financial implication of running a modern church with respect to millennials? The bible says, “For by prosperity shall cities be spread abroad and silver and gold belongs to God” (Haggi 2:8). This then follows that if we do the right thing, we shall get the right result. That means God’s promise shall be yes and amen in terms of providing finance to run the modern church. There is need for right mindset about finance in the modern church. If people sponsor shows and projects that have no eternal value, how much more the work of God that has eternal value? What is your opinion on mobile worship centres, like having online meetings with modern social communication platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Google hangout, and Skype? The bible says we shouldn’t forsake the assembly of ourselves together. Therefore, the gathering of ourselves together is God’s command and we must adhere to it. But on the other hand, we should maximize the use of social media to spread the gospel to a wider audience and especially for those who ordinarily due to their schedules may not fit into the conventional gathering together at a particular place or time for fellowship.

How to be in the perfect will of God and I strongly believed that I was going to get a good job within a few weeks. My belief was hinged on the fact that I had given out my CVs to so many of my dad’s friends who were highly placed. I had received promises from many quarters so I believed that this should not take long at all. The idea I got was that I was going to choose between jobs; so funny? Well, days turned to weeks and weeks to months yet I was still jobless. After 3 months of making calls to the people I had sent my CVs to without any progress at all, it dawned on me that I was going to get my job from God and not man. So, I stopped calling anybody and started praying - especially in other tongues. After a while of praying in other tongues, the lord spoke to me and said, “Light will come out of your darkness. I believed his word strongly and patiently waited for the manifestation. Then on a fateful day my elder brother called me. Well it’s not what you think; it was not good news.

He remembered that he had a friend in PwC and put a call across to his friend to find out if there were any openings for graduate entry. Well it seemed my brother called late; his friend told him that there was a graduate recruitment but the deadline for the application closed just a few days before my brother called. So my brother was quite sad when he told me the story. I think he would have been more sad if I had told him that KPMG (a competitor to PwC) had sent me a test invite which I saw after the test date. My brother had also sent my CV to KPMG: very funny. Well a few days after, my brother called again; this time he was excited. He told me that he received a call from his friend that the application deadline had been extended; he sent me the link and commanded me to apply immediately. I did apply but to be honest I was not excited. I had made so many job applications without receiving any test invite that I was beginning to lose faith in job

applications. Well they sent a test invite: I passed the test after which they sent another test invite. I still did not believe I was going to get the job. My test was on a Friday in Lagos but I had an interview for a government job in Osogbo on Thursday. It was very certain that I would get the Osogbo job because I was third best among the thousands of applicants for the job. So I was trying to ensure that PwC (something that was not sure) will not stop me from getting something very sure. The truth is, if they had told me to do my interview for Osogbo job on Friday, I would have done it - I would have forgotten about PwC: a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. But can you remember the Osogbo job? The one that I was third best in the state for the test? I was not given that job. The powers that be hijacked the process and shared it among their loved ones; Thank God for God. Now because my name starts with Y, I was scheduled for the last

day of the PwC test. Anyone who missed the computer generated test would not be able to write it again because the tests are scheduled from UK (so I heard). You know what? I got to the venue by 1:30 pm for a test that was scheduled for 1:00 pm. Luckily for me there was a system downtime (which never happened since the start of the process) and the test scheduled for 1:00 pm was delayed till 2:00 pm. To cut a long story short, I got into PwC; that is what happens when you labour fervently in prayers especially in other tongues. My people, I have seen enough in life to know that prayer works. That is the reason for my addiction to prayer. May you not miss diamonds when you are busy looking for stones; in the name of Jesus. May you not miss gold when you are busy looking for scraps in the name of Jesus. Divine opportunities will not bypass you in the name of Jesus. Shalom You are Lifted.

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BDSUNDAY 35

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Inspirations Standing tall in crisis (1)

Pastor I.S James 2 Corinthians 4: 8 –18

e are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you… for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…KJV You do not really know a man until you see him when he is in crisis. Don’t think you really know that fellow you are trying to marry or get into business with. Wait until you see him/her under pressure or when he/she is disappointed. Character is not made in the Sunday school or in the Praise/Worship arena. It is manufactured mostly in the furnace of affliction. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation” (Jn. 16:33). He never said we are not

going to have crisis, trouble, problems. But he promised to be with us till the end of the world. Your Christianity is not total if it does not equip you for the roughness of this world. Everyone is going through one crisis or the other. It’s either a family crisis (for example, partners coming under the pressure of unfaithfulness, etc.) or some other crisis. There is pressure everywhere. The pressure to join some occultic groups today is stronger than it was some years back, especially in our post primary and tertiary institutions. It is a testimony to the declaration of Jesus of signs that will herald his Second Advent. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold (Matt.24: 12). Our text is a summary of Paul’s experience in the furnace of affliction. He was troubled on every side. The same apostle that was highly anointed; a spiritual giant with lofty credentials; one who was caught up to the 3rd Heaven and who saw great things that mortal men cannot utter; one whose aprons and handkerchiefs healed the sick. The same man was troubled on every side. This testimony should encourage every one of us. Many have this belief that only unbelievers go through crisis and tough times. Ask Job. The declaration that Job was a perfect man wasn’t made by any man but by God Himself (Job1: 1). It wasn’t sin that brought his calamity on him. There are those who think that whenever one is going through hard times, it must be as a result of a past wrong doing. Job’s friends may be considered diplomatic in their accusations compared to how we tend to react to similar situations today. You don’t

have to be a sinner to have problems. It wasn’t even Satan that caused Job’s problems. It was God. Satan was walking to and fro, when God called his attention (Job 1: 1-12). Satan was minding his own business as it were when God called him saying, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’ How many of you would like the Lord to call Satan’s attention on you? I don’t want you to miss out the fact that God did all of that because he trusted Job. He knew Job. Does he know you like that? Can he boast of you like he did with Job? Trust Satan to take a mile when he is given an inch. He didn’t wait for one week to do Job in. He wrecked Job in one day. Job suffered from the sorrow of heart to the body of affliction – bereavement, bankruptcy and boils. David the Psalmist of Israel had his fair share of troubles. The very man after God’s heart had many crises (Psalms 132:1). Hebrews 11 is popularly called the bible’s hall of fame for faith persons. Many believe that if they can have great faith they’d have no problem. Such belief system is rubbished by the experiences of those described in this chapter. Psalms 34:19 says: Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Let the afflictions come, the Lord will deliver us from all of them. Matthew 13: 21 says afflictions arise for the sake of the word. Every good Christian attracts Satan. He will always come after the Word inside of you (to deprive you from bearing fruit). Count it all joy the when you fall into trials, Apostle James admonished. If you don’t have any faith in God, Satan won’t bother you. It

angers the devil that you have faith in God. It angers him that you are not crying when you are in crisis! He is infuriated when you keep your cool without any money in your pocket! You can be sure that he’d multiply his attacks against you in such a situation. There are five things about affliction, which you need to know. 1. Afflictions should always be seen as light. Paul was beaten with rods and stoned. He was left for dead. Several terrible things happened to him that could have destroyed his spirit but he utilized the grace of God that is available in every time of affliction. At a time he said, “Death worketh in us…” Yet he called all these things ‘light affliction.’ Begin to see your crisis in the same way. As you see it, so it will become to you. When the spies Moses sent came back from their mission, the majority of them reported that the men they saw were giants. Caleb and Joshua (who saw the same inhabitants) didn’t describe them that way. They saw them as ‘bread.’ If you describe problems as big, great, etc, they will become exactly that to you and vice versa (Proverbs 18:22). Act like a Christian. A Christian is one who doesn’t say bad things against his destiny. Always describe your afflictions as light. • To be continued next week…

Dr. Iruofagha James is the Founding Pastor, Glory Christian Ministries, Odo-Olowo Street, Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, Ijeshatedo, Lagos. www.isjames.org Tel: 08060599144

End well...Start strong

REV. Yomi Kasali

@rev.yomikasali

his was what I told my son when he got involved in a friendly relay race competition recently in our church. This is the secret of winning relay races in life, you choose your best runners in the first and last legs of the race to do just the above, Start Strong and End Well. Let me inspire you today as we begin a new year 2019; you have to take life as a relay race with the winning tips above as your guiding philosophy for the race, Start Strong and End Well. The scriptures that comes readily to mind is what reminds me of who God is in time and out of time through the Prophetic lens of John the Divine. I am the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is coming -- the Almighty.’ I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and End -- the First and the Last. Happy are those doing His commands that the authority shall be theirs unto the

tree of the life, and by the gates they may enter into the city (Rev 22 v 13-14). God is the beginning and ending of everything in life and the Apostle enjoins us to obey His Commands If we want to enjoy the tree of life and enter the beautiful city through its gates. These simply means ‘winning in life’ because the tree of life and city are symbolic as much as they are literal. They stand for enjoying the best of life through winning and victory by obeying His Word. I will love to share 5 Tips on how to End Well and Start Strong towards enjoying the Tree of Life and walking into the City that many will not get into. 5 TIPS ON STARTING STRONG AND ENDING WELL

show you what is in store.

START AND END IN CHURCH OR GOD’S PRESENCE: This is my great counsel and I discovered this tip in scriptures, once you begin with God and also endeavor to end with Him, Winning is guaranteed for you. ‘In the Beginning God Created...’, start your 2019 with fasting and prayers.

START AND END WITH JOY AND EXCITEMENT: There is Power In ‘enthusiasm’ and ‘optimism’. So many people kill themselves by being pessimistic about life always and lose the joy of living. Make sure you are happy and hopeful about the coming year because the devil can only stop you if you lose your enthusiasm and energy for 2019.

START AND END WITH A VISION/ DREAM: The first thing God created in the beginning was “Light” which speaks About Vision or Dreams. The vision of the ‘Bright and Morning star’ ends the scriptures in Rev 22 v 16. You have to ‘see’ before you ‘move’, and if you cannot see your 2019, then ask God to

START AND END WITH A PRAISE AND SONG: This is my practice for over 15 years, I always ensure I sing and dance away the previous year and dance into the new year with joy of the Lord. It will be well as you sing praises to Him for giving you breath and health

to see 2019. Dance, sing and praise God Into the dawn of 2019. START AND END WITH A WORD: Make sure you start the new year with a Word as you end the old one with a Word of Thanks. Let me share what God is laying on my heart with you for 2019; ‘DOMINION’ is what He wants us to appropriate as believers whilst not losing track of other things He may want to do for us. I will see you in the new year and have a beautiful year ahead in Jesus name. Be Inspired. Rev. Yomi Kasali is Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Feature

Suicide still on the rise In recent times, a number of Nigerians, especially teenagers and young adults, have taken to suicide as a viable option in resolving family issues. SEYI JOHN SALAU writes that this trend may portend that the family unit has fast lost its grip as a bonding cell for individuals and this could trigger a larger societal breakdown if actions are not taken urgently to nip it in the bud.

ccording to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), close to 800,000 people die globally due to suicide every year. This translates to one person every 40 seconds. Going by the WHO Suicide Ranking, with 15.1 suicides per 100,000 population in a year, Nigeria is now the 30th most suicide-prone (out of 183 nations) in the world. Nigeria is also ranked 10th African country with higher rates of suicide, leading countries like Togo (ranked 26th), Sierra Leone (11th), Angola (19th), Equatorial Guinea (7th), Burkina Faso (22nd), and Cote d’Ivoire (5th). Currently, suicide is rated as the second leading cause of death among 15-29-yearolds globally, according to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), and it is pertinent to note that suicide occurs throughout a lifespan, as it is not a one-off accident. On 28 December, 2018, the news broke of a 300-level undergraduate student of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Aisha Omolola, who committed suicide in her apartment at Samaru in Zaria, Kaduna State. The nation was yet to recover from Aisha’s suicide when another suicide case of a popular Disc Jockey, Seun Omogaji, widely known as DJxgee, was reported. The Lagos-based disc scratcher died hours after posting a cryptic note on his Instagram page. Reports on social media suggest that DJxgee allegedly took his life by gulping an insecticide, ‘Sniper’, over an unresolved marital issue with his wife. Suicide is a global phenomenon. In fact, 78 percent of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2015. Suicide accounted for 1.4 percent of all deaths worldwide, making it the 17th leading cause of death as of 2015. In the case of the two recent suicide incidences in the country, unresolved differences within the smallest unit of the society (family) were fingered. While Aisha in her note put the blame on the doorstep of her mother, Omogaji’s note hinted at marital differences. Both cases, if critically examined, indicate the seemingly lack of communication in most relations, something that prompted someone on social media to ask, “What do people do in a relationship; just chat and fuck?” Her reaction was based on another twitter post of a guy who allegedly claimed to be Aisha’s boyfriend, yet he did not know about her attempt to commit suicide. Aisha in her letter wrote: “Just like I said, If I am no more, please hold my family especially my mum and dad responsible. I have tried to be the best I can be, stayed away from them just because they blamed me for their mistakes and they can’t love, help and take care of me like their own. “My mum has made life a living hell for me because she is bipolar and frustrated, accusing me of being a witch, and a cursed child even though my brother is responsible for my education and up-

opioids overdose

keep. “The only thing she helps me with is my feeding money. I have gone out of my way to take care of my mum by giving her food and money but I still end up being her problems. “My brother can’t stick to his promise anymore because he feels I am not his responsibility and I have my own family. I hope and believe that now that I am gone, It will bring them relief and happiness. “I am so sorry Collins, I had to leave you this way, Maryam Olayemi you have being more than a bestie to me. I am also sorry to all my friends and well wishers, I love to be happy but I’m nothing but a broken child. I don’t believe in God anymore, because I can’t see my purpose anymore. I love you all so much.” On his part, Omogaji a.k.a DJxgee, left a note which read: “Okay, there is a twist to this last respect people give to their loved ones when gone. Black as signs of sadness but in my case, please rock white because I love the colour so much. To all that I have made to smile and to those I have pissed off, trust me, I’m only being human. Enikorewa, I love you so much; Eriayo, your name sums it all up; you are truly the reason for my joy. Omobolanle Ajoke, you know I care, Moradeke, my mum, may my God heal you; and to my in-laws, stay blessed always.” Recall that in August of 2018, a middleaged woman was alleged to have jumped into the Lagos lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge. She was not the first person to have used the Third Mainland Bridge in an attempt to take her own live in the recent past. Also in 2017, about five persons attempted committing suicide by jumping into the Lagos lagoon through the popular Third Mainland Bridge, a bridge that connects the mainland to the island.

Coincidentally on Sunday March 17, 2017, a young man named Orji Allwell was alleged to have jumped into the Lagos lagoon from the same Third Mainland Bridge. Similarly, on April 8, another man attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a canal in Festac, which was closely related in proximity to a lady rescued by group of young men who acted swiftly shortly after she jumped into the canal at Maza-Maza, in an attempt to take her life. On Tuesday 23 October 2017, a senior lecturer with the Biological Sciences Department of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Professor Frank Onyezili committed suicide. A case that was closely related to depression and loneliness by sources close to the university don. The recent case however, raised the question on the prevalence of suicide, especially along the Lagos lagoon and the Third Mainland Bridge, being linked to cases of depression or mental disorder in Nigeria, and Lagos in particular. Suicide not primarily resultant effect of mental illness After incidences of 2018, a Lagos based medical practitioner Otefe Edebi made clarification on incidences of mental illness stating that not all suicide act should be associated to mental illness because some people attempt such out of frustration. Edebi, who is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychologist, Tranquil and Quest, a private psychiatric hospital, mental health facility and rehabilitation center in Lagos said although the prevalence of suicide is on the increase in Lagos, it cannot be categorically associated to mental illness. “Not all cases of suicide are associated to mental illness: people can have socioeconomic challenges that will make them feel like there is no hope for tomorrow and

then take their life,” said Edebi. According to him, there is a need for a psychological autopsy to ascertain the remote and immediate cause of suicide, which will explore the events around the individual to find out about their medical history. “It is only after an autopsy has been done that we can possibly attempt to say there was mental illness linked to the act of suicide itself,” Edebi stated. However, he opined that in preventing incidences of suicide more attention need to be given to probe into what people do especially on social media. Therefore, the general public should be more sensitive to people’s plight. “We should start probing more into calls and pay attention to persons around us, because there are usually signs that are drop softly, and because we think it is just something people can get past, we do not pay attention to them. But, by paying more attention to what people put up on social media and their comments which are equally important. “Because of the increase in cases of suicide, the society should be more sensitive to people’s plight because many times before people carry out suicide act; they have a drop line here and there. Someone can put up something on his Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram just saying am tired: we should take such claim more serious as a community,” said Edebi. Aside the recent attraction to ‘sniper,’ an insecticide other common methods of suicide in Nigeria are hanging and firearms. Scientifically, a few studies in Nigeria have looked at rates of suicide, while unconfirmed reports by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) showed seven Nigerian states with high suicide rates. They include Ogun, with the highest rate, followed by Lagos, Ebonyi, Delta, Oyo, Ondo and Kano.

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Sunday Business Businesses cleaning out on back of 2019 polls

ventions, primaries, press conferences and other gathering associated with the preparation of election. The business of event management is also thriving ahead of the election because companies that specialise in event management are contracted every now and then to organise one political meetings or the other including the already held primaries and convention, and people into this kind of business are currently making it big. Election period is also an opportunity for those talented in organising events to make it big. It will include securing venues, availing the required facilities on time, and preparing programmes.

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

here are expectations that business in Nigeria may start slow in the first half of 2019 but would pick as the year progresses into second half. This explains why Nigeria’s business environment has been deteriorating ahead of the general elections scheduled to hold in February. Experts attributed this to the uncertainties surrounding the environment as many businesses now operate in waitand-see mode in preparation to the forthcoming election. The situation is expected to continue till after the elections, so that it becomes clear as to who will be in power. Though in 2018, the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has done well to keep the naira valuation in check and this is very important to providing the needed stability for business to flourish even in the New Year. However, Nigerians especially business owners are still being encumbered by not only the high cost of foreign exchange to naira but also the relative scarcity of foreign exchange. Tony Anakebe, managing director of Gold-Link Investment Ltd, a Lagos-based firm specialised in import and export business, said that one of the major challenges faced by businesses in 2018 was relative scarcity of foreign exchange as many importers and manufacturers that depends on import for their raw materials found it difficult to have access to the required volume of foreign exchange to do business. “Aside from the 41 items prohibited from accessing forex from the official window, those items allowed to access forex officially also found it difficult to have access to the amount of money required for their business transactions in 2018,” Anakebe said. Business owners on the other hand, believe that sourcing of foreign exchange in 2019 will be lighter as expectations are high that the international price of oil will either increase or remain stable; thereby, boosting national revenues, contributing to business growth and help in shoring up the nation’s foreign reserves. Meanwhile, irrespective of how good or bad the nation’s business landscape appears; there are several small and medium scale businesses that are currently making it big in this period of election. Going by previous trends, pre-election spending is also expected to generate opportunities for the small scale businesses. These businesses ride on the electioneering campaigns including conventions organised by different political parties in the country to feather their own nest. BD Sunday investigation shows that demand for items such as paper, stationeries, printing material as well as electronic display units would likely witness a sharp increase in the next few weeks to come. Therefore, if you want to earn throughout the campaigns and elections you can try one of the following business ideas. Printing: First on the list of businesses presently making it big ahead of the general elec-

tion is printing business. Elections and campaign strategies involves a lot of printing of several items including posters, flyers, banners, stickers, mufflers, t-shirt, face-cap branding of vehicles, booklets, armbands and among others. Politicians and political parties make use of these items as campaign channels where their pictures, party logos and campaign promises are made known to the electorates. Transportation: Transportation has remained very vital sector in the economy and it has also been seen very crucial in both the campaign and elections period. Transport business is expected to receive greater boost in the course of this year’s general elections as people will travel more to the rural areas to execute their civil right while many others especially those residing in violence prone cities, will travel home fearing eruption of chaos. Also, campaigns involve traveling to different geographical locations to meet prospective voters. In the course of the electioneering campaign and party conventions, card carrying members of different political parties would be expected to move from their base to cities where the conventions and campaigns would be slated to take place. Members who can afford to pay flight ticket go by air while the upcoming ones travel by road. During the above mentioned situations both airlines and transport companies tap into the opportunities created by the election. Hospitality: Another business that is presently making it big ahead of this year’s election is the hoteliers and owners of event centres that are strategically located. For instance, during the 2018 national convention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was nominated as the presidential flag bearer for the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, most of the hotels located in the garden city were fully booked following the need for party

members to lodge within the period of the convention. Also, in most state capitals where the political parties hosted their primary elections to nominate their flag bearers in various capacities ahead of the elections, owners of event centres and hotels also benefited from the opportunities created by this compulsory political move. Notwithstanding, politicians in their various capacity has been hosting various media conferences, constituency meetings and other strategic brainstorming sessions in hotels and event centres for the benefit of the people into such business. Catering and event management: Food is what gives us energy to keep going and run other businesses. It is an industry that will never fail irrespective of the economic situation. This is because people must eat, come rain or sunshine, and every gathering has its meal time popularly known as ‘item seven’. Therefore, it is expected that people who are into business of catering for large crowd will boom during campaigns and elections. Such people would be contracted to cater for the guests during the campaign, strategic meetings, con-

Business owners on the other hand, believe that sourcing of foreign exchange in 2019 will be lighter as expectations are high that the international price of oil will either increase or remain stable; thereby, boosting national revenues, contributing to business growth and help in shoring up the nation’s foreign reserves

Media and Public Relations: Media practitioners are another set of business owners that are expected to smile during this campaign and election period. This is because many political parties now engage print media with advert slot; television stations with political commercials; radio stations with political jingles; outdoor advertising firms with billboard advert slots and other types of advertisements. Creative writers and advert agencies are also engaged by these politicians and political parties to develop interesting advert themes, jingles and commercials for them. Also, the Public Relations (PR) firms benefit hugely from the campaign and election proper. This is because most of these firms are engaged to execute the audience engagement strategy through the media. They organise press conferences, interview sessions and ensures that stories around their clients (candidates) are placed in the media. This multi million naira worth of contract create opportunities for media practitioners to benefit from during the campaign and election. Souvenir making: Souvenir making is another big business during the election period as politicians and parties distribute gift items that come with their pictures and party logos. Therefore, at this time of slow economic activities, Nigerians are advised to venture into making custom T-shirt and caps, which are commonly used for publicity during election campaigns. Aspirants for public offices have their pictures and names boldly printed on custom T-shirts and then distribute them to people free of charge as gift. Also, companies into bottling of branded water are usually contracted by political parties and aspirants during rallies to produce such branded bottled water in bulk and they are distributed to guests free of charge. Comedians Comedians are not left out during the election campaigns and conventions. Most of them are contracted by political parties to perform as part of the activities to engage the public and the voters. Sometimes, some of them are contracted to be the master of ceremony during these political events.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Sunday Business

How First Bank raised the stakes for customers at yuletide

W BOLATITO ADEBOLA

hen the Christmas and New Year period approach many corporate citizens always want to titillate their customers with freebies and unique offers and bonuses. This was exactly what Nigeria’s pioneer commercial bank did last year ending and it was indeed a grandstanding and epoch-making event for FirstBank. The season of yuletide greatly caught up on Nigeria’s numero uno bank, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and it cannot go unnoticed that the bank really made its numerous customers and followers on its respective social media networks get a feel of the season, which was actually the reason for the season. With the mouth-watering event, Burna Live, powered by FirstBank, to celebrate the season with its numerous customers that have remained faithful to the brand over the years, it was a rare opportunity given to them to spice up the yuletide celebration. Korede Adeagbo, one of the beneficiaries of this largesse, enthused, ‘this is a great moment for me from FirstBank, and I want to thank them for making my Christmas a memorable vibe, and I hope this opportunity #DecemberIssaVybe will present itself again next year. I just can’t wait to have this experience next December.’

The event, Burna Live, made a definitive statement in the showbiz and corporate world which customers and those who witnessed the event enjoyed to their utmost satisfaction. A-list artistes at the allembracing event spoke volumes of how FirstBank is taking the shine off its competitors and even celebrating Nigerian top stars in a grand style. Enthusiastic fans and customers alike at the galaxy night were swept off their feet when the various invited artistes started dishing out their favourite tunes in celebration of the festive period. It is however not surprising those customers of the bank are still wallowing in the momentum and this is very rare among corporate bodies. For the record, FirstBank doled out sizzling VIP free tickets to its sundry customers to attend events they ordinarily cannot afford, on account of their exorbitant entry fees, simply to ex-

perience the fun and razzmatazz of Christmas, through their recent campaign, #DecemberIssaVybe, a la #FirstBankIssaVybe, which trended mostly on the social media. The financial industry heavy weight , First Bank of Nigeria Limited, made available premium access to top events in Lagos this December and in January, like Rhythm Unplugged, Bobby Brown and Bel Biv DeVoe, Olamide Live in Concert, Wizkid Eko Atlantic, Oba Eshugbayi, and Davido Live, amongst others. Like the saying, ‘happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment, even when people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness,’ but for Olamide Benjamin, Folarin Adubi and Ope Daramola, they got their great sense of happiness with the chance to #vybe it up with FirstBank at the Wizkid VIP Experience, held on Wednesday, 19 December 2018,

at the prestigious Eko Hotels & Suites. They won VIP tickets each by following #FirstBank on any of its social media pages, tagging three friends on the post, announcing the respective giveaways, using the hash-tags, #FirstBankIssaVybe and #DecemberIssaVybe, and correctly answering the questions asked. According to Folarin, who is a Wizkid super-fan, it was a golden experience. He said, “FirstBank does not know what it just did for me. I’m a huge fan of Wizkid and seeing him live has been one of my biggest dreams.” The winners got to party all night and entertained not just by Wizkid but huge stars like Tiwa Savage, British-Nigerian Skepta, Teniola and Maleek Berry among others. “I really enjoyed myself and I want to thank FirstBank for the experience,” Olamide said. For Ope, a major highlight was walking the blue carpet where she got to interact with the stars and take glamorous pictures. Memorably, countless lucky Davido fans saw him live, all thanks to #Firstbank. Two of the lucky fans of Davido , Tina Ediale and Timilehin Anibaba, got to see the singer at the Live in Concert on Thursday, December 27, 2018. “It’s a good initiative from FirstBank and a great way of connecting with young people like me. Most of us would love to attend the concerts but ordinarily cannot afford the tickets especially VIP but thanks to FirstBank we got that opportunity,” Tina

enthused. Timilehin, who could not contain his excitement, exclaimed, “I was surprised when I won but I’m grateful for the ticket,” he said. “It’s a great initiative from FirstBank.” At the FirstBank Vibes with the Stylish Kids at Nativeland, it was a denim affair at the Nativeland festival on Friday, December 28 where four lucky cool kids got to vybe , VIP style, with FirstBank. “I just can’t commend FirstBank enough for this initiative,” another winner, David Amelia said. “They have really proven that December is truly a vibe.” Still in the attitude of the festive season, some lucky winners were privileged to see star actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as Esumirin in Moremi, in the musical stage play. The stage play, directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, also starred Bimbo Manuel, Kunle Afolayan, Lala Akindoju, Femi Branch, Bambam from Big Brother Nigeria, and Tosin Adeyemi as Moremi. The play was based on the life of legendary Moremi, one of the famed heroines of Yorubaland, who risked her life and sacrificed her only son to save Ile-Ife from marauders. One of the winners, Princewill Pamo, expressing his love for stage plays, could not thank FirstBank enough for the opportunity. “I’ve always be a fan of Nigerian theater and I’m so excited FirstBank was so gracious enough to give me a ticket (to the play); I really appreciate them,” he said. “The entire promo is awesome,” Princewill commended FirstBank. “It’s everywhere. The bank has been supporting plays, concerts this season by buying and giving out VIP tickets. It’s really a wonderful thing it’s been doing,” he concluded.

Maternal health comes alive in Lagos community as Globacom, ‘African Health Now’ lift pregnant women FUNKE ADEDEJI

t is an axiomatic truth that health is wealth. Nobody can doubt the importance of health to life as it defines everything we do. Efforts to maintain physical, mental and psychological health are always supported and encouraged by all and sundry. The third President of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson is on record as saying “Health is worth more than learning” underscoring the primacy of health. In view of the foregoing, the statistics that about 550 women are reported to be dying daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy complications and childbirth is one that would disturb all well meaning individuals. In fact, this development is highly unacceptable to well meaning organizations and individuals who have resolved to contribute their quotas to platforms irrevocably committed to eradicating these menace and reducing to zero the incidence of infant and mother mortality rates on our continent. This is what must have informed the partnership between Globacom, a foremost telecommunications network and an international

community development organisation, African Health Now (AHN) to provide essential items urgently needed to stabilize a new mother and her baby before, during and after delivery. The items included six yard cloth for backing the baby, sanitary towels, baby clothes, soaps, wipes and other essentials needed to stabilize the new mother. The items were packed in a box aptly tagged “Maternity Go Boxes” . Over 300 expectant mothers who thronged the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Iwaya, Makoko, Lagos on Friday, 28th December, 2018 received the boxes at a well attended event. Welcoming the beneficiaries, Globacom’s Regional Manager, Lagos 2, Mr. Victor Kalu explained that Globacom partnered AHN to improve the health of pregnant women by increasing pre-natal care, reducing infant mortality and supporting mothers to deal with post-partum depression. He commended the choice of Iwaya Primary Health Centre which serves a waterfront community supporting about 40,000 residents who have peculiar needs. “It is gratifying that support for women and children is in sync with our forte in Globacom.

Globacom Regional Manager, Lagos 2, Victor Kalu, Founder, African Health Now (AHN), Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, Account Manager, Public Sector, Lagos, Justina Abdulateef and Assistant Director Nursing, Makoko/Iwaya Public Health Centre, Esther Uwah with some of the beneficiaries at the presentation of maternity kits to expectant mothers at the Iwaya Public Health Centre, Lagos, recently.

To date, we have robustly supported many of such initiatives. We would not rest on our oars because women are a critical part of our policy initiatives. We would always support initiatives like this and more. We congratulate the African Health Now especially the Founder, Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo for this very noble initiative”, Mr. Kalu enthused. Explaining the outreach scheme, the Founder, African Health Now, Mrs. Nana EyesonAkiwowo, said that her organization discovered that some expectant mothers were ill-prepared for child birth and would only come

to the clinic for delivery without attending ante-natal clinics and requisite amenities. “Our goal is to break that cycle by supporting these women from pregnancy to delivery and postpartum with the Maternity Go Box”, she declared. Mrs Eyeson-Akiwowo disclosed that some boxes would be warehoused with the Primary Health Centre to cater for new mothers who may come for assistance in the near future. A cross section of the expectant mothers expressed gratitude to Globacom for coming to their aid in their time of need. One of them, Mrs. Patience Orji, a hair dresser,

said “we thank Glo for this gift because most of us in this area cannot afford to buy some of the items in the boxes because we are struggling to make a living”. Another recipient, Modinat Faremi, a petty trader expressed gratitude for the gesture adding that it was a great relief to her as she had been struggling to raise money for some of the items before the presentation. In the words of Mrs Meton Esther “most of us who visit this Centre here in Iwaya are petty traders and artisans. This support will go a long way to assist us. God will continue to bless Globacom. Amen!”.

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SundayBusiness Same story, no impact despite interventions

ike most things in the Nigeria, the Nigerian mortgage industry in the last 12 months had little or no different story to tell as it failed to rise to impact-level despite interventions by the federal government in the mortgage and housing sector. This raised concerns among stakeholders that the industry may continue to lag for too long, meaning that mortgage would continue to be inaccessible and unaffordable. After the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the National Housing Fund (NHF), the next biggest intervention by the federal government in the mortgage industry is the establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) with a mission ‘to break down barriers to home ownership by providing liquidity, affordability, accessibility and stability to the housing market’. In addition to these, there have been other initiatives such as the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) which created the Family Homes Fund (FHF) and voted N1 trillion for affordable housing for Nigerians with potential capacity to generate upto1.5 percent increase in GDP by 2023. This was followed by the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme of the federal civil service to enhance affordable mass housing delivery just as the Mortgage Warehouse Funding Limited (MWFL) also came on board as a special purpose vehicle that serves

to provide short term funding for financing primary mortgage originations. In spite of all these interventions, both mortgage and housing are still struggling. Nigeria is expected to produce 1million housing units annually to bridge its housing deficit, but the annual production is estimated at 100,000 units. Recently, NMRC announced that it has refinanced mortgage loans totaling N18billion as at December 2018 which, it explained, was in line with its mandate to promote affordable home ownership in the country by leveraging funding from the capital market to deepen liquidity in the primary and secondary mortgage markets. “The deployment of the N18billion to refinance mortgage loan portfolios of member lending institutions has helped to boost liquidity in the Nigerian housing market, thus enabling mortgage lenders to provide more housing loans and encouraging long-term mortgage loan creation”, the company said in a statement in Lagos. But it remains to be seen where and how this deployment has impacted on either housing delivery or homeownership. It may not be safe to say that people have not bought or built homes as a result of this “deployment”, but the number, if any, may not be something to tell a tale, considering the need and the gap. Experts are, therefore, saying that there are problems with the country’s mortgage industry which, in their view, are fundamental. One

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria Some other skills and qualities of the procurement Professional include: ata and financial analysis skills: Success as a Procurement professional does not only require communication and interpersonal skills. It also requires sound data analysis skills. A good professional must be comfortable with data and must possess the skills to analyze them using various analytical tools. This is because our normal work has both technical components and commercial components. Through training, a young procurement practitioner can acquire the data skills. In other words, if you are not comfortable with figures, you will not make a sound procurement expert. Data gathered constantly in the procuring process should be properly analyzed and presented to inform management decision making. These patterns and intelligence cannot be established by simply using traditional data analysis methods. Data analysis is a highly sought after skill that many procurement professionals lack. Also ability to analyze Financials is a key skill which enables the procurement practitioner to understand how business decisions are arrived at by organizations

and help them to come to more intelligent conclusions rather than making rash buying decisions. Ability to demonstrate a skill for financial analysis as well as communicate this to stakeholders will you stand you out as a smart and skillful procurement professional. Strategic sourcing skills: Every organization has its corporate objectives. Procurement contributes its quota towards realizing these objectives through adoption of efficient sourcing approaches. Strategic sourcing is an approach to supply chain management that formalizes the way information is gathered and used so that an organization can leverage its consolidated purchasing power to find the best possible values in the marketplace. It requires the practitioner to upgrade his skills from the regular tactical day – to – day procuring to strategic buying. According to Wikipedia, Modern supply chain management professionals have placed emphasis on defining the distinct differences between strategic sourcing and procurement. Procurement operations support tactical day-to-day transactions such as issuing Purchase Orders to suppliers, whereas strategic so u r c in g in v o lv es s t rat egi c planning, supplier development,

of such problems is accessibility and the second one is clarity. Accessibility is a big issue because when a borrower approaches a mortgage bank for loan, the bank will begin to ask for things that he cannot provide. And these are things he cannot really provide in his life, meaning that, for such a person, mortgage is not accessible. In terms of clarity, there is no unified system. Paul Onwuanibe, CEO, Landmark Group, explained to BusinessDay that there is no where government has published a mortgage rate which the mortgage banks have to buy into or a mortgage standard or process which the banks have to fit into. “I don’t really know. It is obvious that there is no clarity in the mortgage system here and if there is any such thing, it is not yet published and so people don’t know and if people don’t know, it means such a process does not exist”, he posited. Besides accessibility and clarity, there is also the problem of interest rate which is hard to take because a borrower with low income cannot take a long term mortgage loan with double interest rate. It is simply not viable. This is because if the loan seeker borrows at 20 percent rate, it means that every year, he owes twice as much, and that is how bad it is. The implication of this is that if someone who has taken a mortgage loan is using it to build a house and he is building at a slow pace because his salary remains the same over the period, he will be

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) in trouble because the rate will be rising whereas his income is static. His salary needs to rise at the same geometric progression with the rate for him to be able to cope. This is why experts advocate a legislation towards this process which, of course, depends on how the legislation is applied. “In other societies, what happens is that you have a body set up that subsidises mortgage. It delivers this either through banks or by itself. In England they call this building society and they do a whole range of syndicating. So, the legislation around mortgage has to be fine tuned, implemented and advertised so that people can access it”, Onwuanibe advised. The structure of the Nigerian economy is another major factor militating against the growth of the industry. According to Onwuanibe, “the basic principles of mortgage is that you must have steady income and in gainful employment. You

must be able to provide income in multiples for the property that will be built for your use. If your income is N1 million, for instance, and the cost of the property is N1 million, unless you want to steal, you cannot afford that property because there is no mortgage for you at that rate given your income”. Given Nigeria’s wide housing demand-supply gap, the country needs to do something quickly to grow its mortgage industry. According to MKO Balogun, CEO, Global Property and Facilities International, “for us to get out of here, the mortgage industry has to improve and developers have to be encouraged to build mortgage-viable and ready properties; interest rate has to be reduced to single digit and made available; the whole process of securing mortgage has to be made clearer and more transparent, and mortgage has to be available on the high street such that every time you go out looking for it, you see it”.

The procurement professional part 2 contract negotiation, supply chain infrastructure, and outsourcing models. Getting the right mix and delivering optimum savings is a mixture of art and science. The procurement professional should acquire these skills. Contract management skills: Contract management is not just about Contract drafting. Some people assume they are contract management experts simply because they are lawyers. However, the reality is that contract management goes beyond contract drafting and interpretation. It involves monitoring the development, signing off and implementation of contracts as part of the foundation for a successful supplier relationship. It also requires technical knowledge of risk analysis and management, data analysis and commercial skills. These skills are vital for procurement professionals as they allow you to ensure that the initial benefits agreed in the contract are maintained throughout the contract life.Understanding of total cost of ownership: Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a financial estimate intended to help buyers and owners determine the direct and indirect costs of a product or system. It is a management accounting concept that can be used in full cost accounting or even ecological economics where it includes social costs. TCO has been adopted in Procurement profession to enable buyers in their cost computation in the contract process. By focusing only on bestlanded cost, your organization can achieve a very short-term benefit of buying something as inexpensive as possible. However, this myopic Purchasing practice can be very expensive in the long term. There is a difference between value and pricing. TCO looks at the

value rather than price. Therefore, other variables such as warranty cost, costs due to adjustment of production schedules and so forth are recognized by TCO and therefore, professionals are expected to acquire TCO skills. Risk management skills: Risk Management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities. In procurement practice, we consider three key categories of risk among others namely: operational risks, commercial risks and legal risks. Documentation is a major mitigation for risks in procurement. A successful procurement practitioner is expected to be skilled adequately in risk analysis and risk management in order to add value to the organization. It is instructive that these skills and qualities of the procurement professional as discussed here are not exhaustive. Some other skills required include Integrity, which is a combination of good character and morality; Knowledge and organization skills; Forecasting skills; Entrepreneurial skills; Collaborative Attitude/Behavior skills; A balance of quantitative and qualitative analytical skills; Attention to details; Creative solutions skills; Time Management skills; as well as Capacity to learn new techniques and approaches. These skills can be learned through training or on the job development to secure your future as a sought after procurement professional. They are both qualitative skills and quantitative skills and some are even behavioral skills. It is pertinent for the

professional to realize that these skills which in themselves impact on their general performances are a must have. We have situations in some organizations where some people are drafted to procurement and Supply Chain departments from other professional backgrounds and they assume that they do not require further training in the new field. This is not right. For any practitioner to add value to the procurement practice, he needs to internalize the culture, values and competencies of the profession. These are acquired through formal training and on the job development. Organizations must insist on every practitioner acquiring the minimum competencies required by the procurement profession. In conclusion, Procurement practice as a profession has come a long way. We are fast creating a distinct identity in organizations gaining recognition even at Executive Management levels in many organizations. We are therefore, building a team of professionals across all industries both in the private sector and public sector of the economy. To this end, Chief Procurement Officers must continue to insist on hiring and retaining individuals whose training and professional development are consistent with our professional goal of entrenching world class procurement departments with the right staff equipped with requisite skills. Our processes and procedures must be regularly updated and simplified for use by our well trained and motivated procurement professionals. Gob – Agundu Uche is a Fellow and Chartered Member of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, CIPS. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, CILT UK.

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SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

c c o r d i n g t o Dr. Sam Talabi, the Managing Director, Ta l o n Ni g . Lt d , wise investments in agricultural production and similar activities would provide good job opportunities for young graduates. These include those with the requisite training as well as others willing to drop the quest for white-collar jobs and get trained. Indeed, agricultural activities have for eons provided means of living as well as economic survival to people in rural environments. It would be recalled that in the pre- and post-independent Nigeria , the nation’s economic and developmental activities revolved basically around agriculture. This trend continued with agro-allied activities breeding entrepreneurship activities, until the early 1970s, when the discovery of crude oil upstaged the great role of agriculture. For over three decades, there has been a declining interest on the part of our young graduates

Spiritonomics

Debo Atiba

www.spiritonomics.org

he most important project that anyone can embark upon at the beginning of the year, is the project of seeking the face of God for direction and guidance. It is truly marveling that anyone would dare to go through life alone after considering its complexity and attendant challenges. Human wisdom and

Investment opportunities in Nigeria’s agric sector as regards making careers in agriculture. But the current clarion call for diversification of the economic base from crude oil and the global trend of bidding goodbye to fossil fuel provides yet another opportunity to go back to land. Incidentally, “the neglect of the agricultural sector, which has continued to hike food prices in the market, has been described as an opportunity for discerning young men and women to make headways. An enterprising individual can start by making the known challenges in agriculture and agro-allied sector has stepping stones to success”, Talabi insists. Agric experts have identified the factor that scares young people from farming is the fact that the quantities of products farmers produce are usually limited by the prospect of problems that make them perishable. For instance, food stuffs easily get spoilt and are usually sold at ridiculously low prices, thus making operators not to break even. This problem itself offers a business opportunity for thinking minds that would see one in creating a storage bridge between products and the market. According to experts, what a discerning young man needs is to have a good plan of action, which can attract the needed fund from financial institutions. Some of the challenges include lack of access to credit facilities, land and office space, among other relevant facilities. On his part, Shehu Mikail, the Chairman of Mastel Limited and also a thriving entrepreneur, says he has a strong passion for the development of agriculture in the country. He believes that before a country can be counted as one of the nation of the world

it must be able to conveniently feed its population. Therefore he says direct farming offer different business opportunities for people who genuinely have the interest. Mikail adds that the business of agro-allied is one area that involve the provision of chemicals and equipment that the can go into and be successful. Marketing agro- chemicals, he says, can be more thriving than going into farming operation. The Mastel Limited boss, who says he is passionate about seeing young people aspire to become agricultural entrepreneurs, says he decided to set up consultancy services in this field, teaching people the technicalities involve in agroailled business. His vision, he says, has always been that once they know these intricacies, they can start different venture in the sector. He adds that the preoccupation of this firm is to bring more youths into the terrain through system and structure incentive. To do this business, the expect says that a major thing an intending entrepreneur needs is a fair knowledge of the processes. The most important things are your: business plan, finance sourcing skill and a good marketing strategy, he says. He says that an intending entrepreneur may also need to understand the farming occupation and the different types of products available, including fertilizers of different types, equipment and product to venture into. Chief Executive Officer Farmer Agro Mr. Chinedu Ibe note that though the agroallied business is still much undeveloped in the country, it has the potential for growth. Despite the general outlook,

he says marketing of agricultural product alone can even generate business for young people. For instant, a young man can decided to explore the business of dealing in wholesale yam marketing. He observes that most of the perishable crops available in the market are product in the rural areas. “These are areas, where yam species are farmed and cheaply traded. What a young discerning entrepreneur needs to do is to raise some capital and make enquiries on where the product can be cheaply sourced. Another aspect is to identify market in cities, where the product can be sold, and there are many of such in Lagos and other cities,” he says. He, however, note that there may be the need for an intending entrepreneur in his business to have a good idea of agriculture, backed by good marketing strategies. His worry is about the deficiency in road infrastructure in the country, which hinders the transportation of agricultural product. Nigeria contribution to the Gross Domestic Product is an impressive 40% however, that is where it stops because it has one of the lowest yields in the whole world. Huge potentials exit for the following crop: Cereals: Maize, rice, sorghum, corn, millet, wheat. Root crops: cassava, yam, ginger, potato, coco, yam. Legumes: soya beans, groundnuts, cowpeas, fruits: Mango, banana, fruits: Mango, banana, orange, guava, papaw, pineapple. Vegetable: Cabbage, green pepper, carrots, lettuce, spice, onions, melons. Tree crops: Oil Palm, coca, rubber, coconut, kola nut, coffee, she nuts beniseed, cotton,

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

“CHANGE” most people must have had a very challenging year. Irrespective of the direction of the wind of “CHANGE”, we didn’t have to be affected by it, if we were following God’s specific instruction for our lives. Infact the wind of change would have served or worked in our favor by accelerating our progress if we were in the right path. Wisdom demands that we sit in the presence of God for direction and guidance. Many have never understood the role that the Spirit of the living God plays in us. Jesus Christ expressly said that it was expedient for Him to go back to the Father for the sole purpose of the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) to make His abode in, us to serve as our GPS. The word of God makes

it clear that the mission of the Holy Spirit is - to be our life teacher, to help us solve life’s riddles and challenges if we ask Him, and to open our eyes to see many-sided blessing that God our father positioned for us. These are His sole mission, and He added that the Spirit of God will be our bodyguards all the days of our lives as long as we are here on earth. What a loving father we have as God. The truth is that He is more interested in our success in life than we are, so why the much ado about nothing? Brethren, this is our best time in life to maximize the opportunities that are packaged in the New Year. We leverage on GRACE not on our strength (scripture says by strength shall no man prevail.

It also says that vain is the help of man). So for our effort and energy to count this year for maximum productivity, we must reconnect back to the GPS of God through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Our attitude and activities this year must be geared towards the studying of the WORD of God, Prayer and fasting. Please let no man deceive you that you don’t need this approach. Having great turnover in business or getting promotion alone cannot replace God’s definition for success which is LOVE, JOY, PEACE AND REST in Him. As you reconnect back to the GPS of God, I see you succeed beyond your wildest imagination. Remain blessed. @spiritonomics

cashew nut, sugar cane. Other: commercial growing of flowers and ornamentals and experimental orchards for more temperate fruits-apples, grape vines and pears have been successfully established in the high plateau regions. a . Food processing and preservation involving industries that will use agricultural product as raw m a t e r i a l s (s e e p r e v i o u s chapters). b. Livestock and Agriculture and agro-industries production: which possess great potentials for development? Grazing lands are abundant, facilities for animal feed production are plentiful, and the in-land rivers, takes and coastal creeks are sufficient to augment ocean fishery resources. c Agricultural inputs supplies and machinery, water resource development: especially for flood control infrastructure and irrigation d Commodity trading and transportation. e Development and fabrication of appropriate small-scale mechanized technologies: for on-farm processing and secondary processing of agricultural product f. Exploitation of timber and wood processing of activities: A wide range of wood resources abound These find useful application in food and beverage sub-sector like flour mills, breweries, chemical pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, wood product and industrial starch.

God’s GPS knowledge alone do not have the capacity to carry us through life. The original design of God for man is EASE which is consequent upon our dependence on Him. PROBLEMS and CHALLENGES are inevitable in life and God the Almighty is aware of this. That is why it is always a surprise to Him that we commit to be suicidal by being worried, anxious and stressed which results in high blood pressure and other illnesses. He created life, created us and established His GPS inside each and every one of us for the sole purpose of guidance and direction. But the sad news is that, upon all of these deliberate acts of God to make life beautiful for us, we willingly forsake His provision. Going by popular uproar of

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BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Innovation: Nigeria’s educational system tasked to equip students on problem-solving DANIEL OBI

o position Nigeria as a strong innovative and creative market, the country’s educational system must be properly directed to equip students to be more creative in problemsolving rather than just acquisition of certificates. Assessing Nigeria’s educational system, Chukwuma Ochonogor, CEO of 29-year-old Concept Nova, one of Africa’s foremost Information Technology and software development companies said recently in Lagos that talented people in Nigeria should be encouraged to optimize their talents through the educational system. In a chat with BusinessDay on Sunday, Chukwuma believed that with proper education and conducive environment Nigeria will be on the right path to sustainable IT innovations. In addition to proper direction of the educational system, he called for establishment of more

IT hubs such as Silicon Valley in US and other hubs around the word for more interactions among creative IT minds in Nigeria. “This is where creative minds come together; those great creative ideas and solutions are born”. Speaking further on the effect of technology on business, he said the primary reason for technology

is to bring about efficiency and to be able to optimise and bring information for predictive power. “This enhances better decisions, and solutions are made. When a firm adopts a technology, it becomes a competitive advantage for the firm”. Chukwuma said technology is not just nice to have; it is particu-

larly a need to have for business to survive in this fast-paced world. Looking at the effect of the public sector’s seemingly lethargy to adopt technology, he said the cost of public sector lethargy to IT is in many folds which include delay in service delivery. “This manifests itself in many ways such as our low Ease of Doing business rating, societal ill as people take extrajudicial means to solve things as they think that the bureaucracy is cumbersome to get things solved”. According to him, the public sector is the largest organisation in terms of clients it dispenses services to, which are the citizens and the general public. “Given Nigeria’s growing population, it means that there are more people that need to be attended to. IT therefore comes a long way in terms of data capture, record keeping, record retrieval compliance and business rules and transparency in the system. Though the private sector is driven by profit, the public sector really should be number one in terms of the use of IT solution. Therefore it is imperative for the public sector to adopt IT”, he said.

Hymnodia, hymn competition debuts, winner gets N5m

xcitement filled the air as shoppers, merchants and visitors were treated to melodious rendition of inspirational hymns at the Ikeja City Mall in Lagos last Sunday, by the team of Hymnodia which flaggedoff its Season One in grand style. The fun-spiced ceremony, which featured crowd-moving performances of the 30-member choir, signalled the commencement of the call-to-entry for Hymnodia, a unique reality-TV programme that seeks to reignite the hymn culture and promotes the nurture in the area of worship. During the flag-off, the team swung in tune with the lyrics, while shoppers demonstrated their enthusiasm by singing along with the choir, expressing delight at the gorgeous Hymnodia designer dresses. Kufre Ekanem, Managing Director of Philosoville Limited, initiator of Hymnodia, explained that Hymnodia seeks to revive the hymn culture and worship as a critical element of what cohesive societies require. He said that Hymnodia revolves around members of a world class choir who contest to showcase their skills as singers, writers and hymnodists, while collaborating to render soul-lifting renditions. “It is designed to redefine the perception on hymns and reposition the minds of Nigerians on the almost forgotten art and value of hymn creation, writing and singing,” Ekanem affirmed. To p a r t i c i p a t e , t a l e n t e d

young Nigerians are required to visit Hymnodia website, www. hymnodiahq.com, download and complete the Hymntestants application form and return scanned copy of completed form to info@hymnodiahq. com. Applicants are also expected to post a maximum 60 seconds self video of hymn rendition on Facebook, Twitter Instagram or their website with the hashtag #hymnodiahq, after which shortlisted applicants

would be invited to an audition. According to Ekanem, entries will be received from December 31, 2018 to January 21, 2019 and audiences will be regaled thereafter in the flow of creativity of choir performances during the 13 weeks of fun which the initiative would run through. The winner of Hymnodia will be announced at the grand finale of the contest on April 21, 2019 and will be rewarded with the ASAPH, a specially designed trophy, a brand

new car and cash prize of N5 million. “It is an initiative of nurturing talents in rendition of hymns which are inspirational and tells the values that redefines our perception and belief,” Ekanem stated. Hymnodia, which will be an annual event, aims to ignite rumination, regard and allure on the words within hymns beyond their oftwhistled melodies. It will lavishly reward the creativities and talents that excel in its defined categories.

L-R: Elisha Attai, founder, African Women in Leadership Organisation; Ezinne Kufre Ekanem, chief executive officer, Rosemary’s, The Soft Furnishing Company; Kufre Ekanem, managing director, Philosoville Limited, initiator of Hymnodia and John Senaya, chief executive officer, J S and Associates, during the flag-off of Hymnodia, a relity TV programme, at Ikeja City Mall, Lagos recently.

Goldberg Lager rings in the New Year with consumers

oldberg Lager Beer, Nigeria’s lager, thrilled the city of Benin as the town ushered in the new year. Along with consumers and music lovers, the brand provided an unforgettable experience. The spectacle of culture, arts and music, tagged Unlimited Fun, held at Kada Plaza on the night of the 31st of December, 2018. The grand cross over event was an ample fill of energy, excitement and entertainment, as it featured a special appearance from Nigerian music star Wande Coal along with other artistes on ground to thrill the audience. Excited music fans and brand loyalists turned up enmasse to enjoy a cool night of music, arts and culture as they ushered in the new year in style. Speaking on the event, the Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Emmanuel Oriakhi, in a statement said, “We at Nigerian Breweries recognise the beautiful season of yuletide, as such we have put together this Unlimited Fun event and a host of other exciting nationwide activities to help consumers usher in the new year as we are truly delighted to be part of the festivities, because delivering highly engaging and memorable moments to our consumers, is something we take immense pride in.” Goldberg Lager had previously hosted audience in Ota to a gathering, filled with music lovers and brand loyalists on the eve of Christmas on December 24th, to carry along consumers during the season of yuletide.

MTN Nigeria concludes 2018 Season of Surprises

TN Nigeria has just concluded the fourth edition of its annual Season of Surprises. A grand finale held during the last week of December 2018 at the MTN Plaza, Ikoyi, as hundreds of employees gathered to celebrate the altruistic initiative and its farreaching results. A statement said nearly 400,000 Nigerians had been touched since MTN staff around the country stepped out of their offices to surprise Nigerians in various localities across the country. The volunteers surprised unsuspecting Nigerians with various items in malls, markets, train stations, airports, orphanages, hospitals, schools. In the spirit of the season, MTN had seized the better part of the month to spread kindness across the country and promote a chain in which kindness becomes the norm. Speaking at the Grand finale, Olubayo Adekanmbi, the Chief Transformation Officer, MTN Nigeria, in the statement revealed that the initiative was one of the numerous ways the company demonstrates its philosophy of care.

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EquityMarket Investors begin to take a position as Julius Berger, Union Dicon, 15 others gain N48bn TELIAT SULE

nvestors have started to take a position in the Nigerian equities following 2018 year bearish run which caused significant depreciation in the prices of listed stocks on the Nigerian bourse. This sentiment has started to manifest as the first week of trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2019 ended with 17 gainers, 42 losers while the share prices of 31 other equities remained unchanged. Julius Berger, Union Dicon and Custodian Investment topped the year to date gainers’ chart as their prices appreciated by 15.7 percent and 8 percent respectively. The share price of Union Bank rose by 7.1 percent year to date; Cutix, 6.7 percent; Livestock Feed, 6.1 percent; while the share prices of Jaiz Bank and Okomu Oil rose by 6 percent and 5 Percent. Others on the gainers’ table at the end of the first week of trading in 2019 include Sterling Bank which gained 3.7 percent; International Breweries, 3.3 percent; Forte Oil, 3.1 percent; United Bank for Africa (UBA), 2.6 percent;

United Capital , 2.5 percent; Vitafoam, 2.3 percent; African Prudential, 1.8 percent; PZ, 1.7 percent and AIICO, 1.6 percent. Diamond Bank, with depreciation to the tune of 17.4 percent was the worst performing stock in the first week of trading in 2019. It was closely followed by GlaxoSmithKline which depreciated by 15.9 percent and Access Bank, FCMB and Champion Breweries shed 14.7 percent, 14.3 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from their prices to lead the decliners’ table as at January 4, 2019. The All Share Index(ASI) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange ended the week at 30,638.90 basis points representing -2.52 percent decline year to date. The ASI performance in the first week of January 2019 compares to -2.32 percent fall in equity prices in the first week of January 2017 and 1.78 percent price appreciation in the first week of trading in 2018. Similarly, the market capitalisation of quoted stocks closed at N11.43 trillion on January 4, 2019 as against N11.72 trillion on the last trading day of 2018. That amounted to -2.52 percent fall in market capitalisation or a loss of

N295.20 billion in the value of listed stocks in the first week of trading. Following the announcement of a merger between Access Bank and Diamond Bank, the share prices of the two financial institutions rallied in the weeks after the announcement, a deal which is expected to be finalised before the year end. The declines the

two stocks suffered in the first week of trading in the New Year signalled that investors are ready for profit taking. Chinonye Nnewuihe a senior analyst with Meristem Securities attributed the trend in the first week of trading to rebalance of portfolios among portfolios managers and considering that the market is having a low base, there

is a very high tendency the Nigerian Stock Market will close in the positive territory by year end. “At the beginning of the year, portfolio managers usually rebalance their portfolios for better opportunities. With the capital market having a low base now, there is a likelihood that the Nigerian capital market will close at the positive territory”, Nnewuihe said. At the end of the first week of trading, 1.65 billion units of shares were traded valued at N8.41 billion executed in 14,773 deals compared with 3.13 billion units of shares worth N14.34 billion executed in the last week of 2018. Expectedly, the financial services sub sector, led the activity chart as investors exchanged 1.15 billion shares estimated at N5.74 billion traded in 9,174 deals. By this the financial sub sectoral trades accounted for 70.08 percent of the market volume and 68.25 percent of the market value. The healthcare industry recorded 271.3 million shares worth N82.6 million traded in 219 deals. A total of 395 units of exchange traded products (ETPs) valued at N816,344.70 executed in 13 deals in the first week of trading in the new year as against 25,500 units worth N1.78 million in 15 deals in the last week of trading in 2018. Federal government bonds totalling 7,209 units worth N6.96 million were traded in 8 deals as against 686 units valued N689, 162.04 in 3 deals in the previous week. Meanwhile, Vitafoam has proposed N0.25 dividend per share for the financial year ended September 30, 2018. The management will seek shareholders approval at the annual general meeting, shareholders will be paid on March 8, 2019 for members whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on Friday 15, February 2019. The firm will also pay a bonus issue in the ratio of 1 new share for every 5 existing ordinary shares. “The board has approved a bonus issue of 1 new share for every 5 existing ordinary shares to shareholders whose names appear on the register of members at the close of business on Friday 15, February 2019. The new shares shall rank equally in all respect with the existing ordinary shares except they shall not rank for the dividend recommended for the year ended 30th September , 2018”, a statement from the company said.

GTB Board to ratify 2018 audited account January 30

he board of directors of Guaranty Trust Bank will meet on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 to consider the audited financial statement for the year ended December 31, 2018, a statement signed by Erhi Obebeduo, the company secretary said. The meeting is in line with the post

listing requirement of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. “Pursuant to the post listing requirements of the Nigerian Stock Exchange for quoted companies, Guaranty Trust Bank hereby informs you that the board of directors of our bank is scheduled to meet on Wednesday January 2019 , to consider

the audited financial statement for the year ended December 31, 2018. Issues relating to the year dividend may also be discussed at the meeting”, the bank said. “Kindly note that we are required to forward the audited accounts to the Central bank of Nigeria for approval prior to the release of the results on the floor

of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. We shall notify you of the decisions reached after the approval of the CBN is obtained”, the bank added. GTB is one of the tier-one lenders in the country that have consistently rewarded investors handsomely. In financial year 2017, the bank paid N2.40 per share as final dividend after

which it had initially paid N0.30 per share as interim dividend. At the close of business last Friday, the share price of GTB closed year to date at N33.50 per share, representing -2.8 percent year to date returns. Many analysts have expressed optimism that the bank will beat its annual projections.

Sunday 06 January 2019

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Travel 2019: It’s a new page, start it in style, embrace nature OBINNA EMELIKE Happy New Year! The year, which just kicked off is six days today; time truly waits for nobody.

hile time waits for nobody, you can make the most of your time this year by starting it in style and most importantly, embracing nature around you. If you were too busy to take a break last year, your resolution this year, which you should strive to keep, is to retreat for an escape as often as you can, but not in a way that will make you less productive. Considering that 2019 is an election and is full of uncertainties, you should be mindful of your expenses, especially for holiday this year. To make the most of your holiday or to travel on budget this year, nature within presents a good option and saves you the cost of flight tickets and accommodation in far destinations. Of course, the ever-enticing allures of nature are not hard to find. They are everywhere; from the lush green gardens and parks, the refreshing ocean breeze at the beaches, the beautiful landscapes and breathing sites to unique cultural events built around top destinations. As a matter of importance, resolving to find time to relax and delight in nature’s beautiful abode, will do you well health, lifestyle, business and leisure wise this year. They are really at your door step. As much as one works hard this new year, one of the resolutions should be to treat oneself to the best of leisure. In doing so, obviously, it will do you good to allow the power of nature to nurture your body and soul this new year.

You can go horse riding. It is an incredible experience to be on the back of such a strong and beautiful creature. You can ride through on the sprawling beaches, on a trail in a scenic area with one or more other people. The length of time varies, depending on the location and the price paid. Visiting a botanical garden will also heighten your communion with nature. The flowers may take your breath away. The education and experience that you get during your visit are priceless. You may have to pay extra for special exhibits and to view various parts of the botanical garden, but it is worth it. A picnic in the park where you can watch sunset will not be a bad idea. Pack a lunch, a fluffy blanket and head to your nearest park. Sit together with your loved ones or even alone as the case may be, enjoy fantastic food and experience a

sunset that you may never forget. One sure thing is the experience on the several kilometers of sprawling beaches that nature blesses the country with. Taking a walk on the beach in the evening is both romantic and inexpensive date with nature. Look out at the huge ocean, feel the sand beneath your feet and for lovers, great conversation with each other may be the magic. Why you should do this is that when you go in the evening, you get to view the colors of the sky and water in a whole different light than the day. Go on a bird or wildlife watch. The ability to see these giant animals in their natural habitat is something that everyone should do at least once in their life. Going while on a date with one’s lover is the perfect opportunity. Both of you will be in awe and it is an experience that you can share together.

Find time to relax and delight in these nature’s beautiful abodes. They are at your door step. For beach lovers; Inagbe Resort, Akodo Beach, Hermitage Resort, La Campagne Resort, Port Harcourt beach, Ibeno beach in Akwa Ibom, among others await your visit. Afi Mountain Sanctuary and Mambila Plateau are relatively good and offer some kind of safari tours. The Obudu Mountain Resort, Shere Hills, Afi Canopy Walk, Lekki Conservation Centre among others will surprise you with their fantastic eco-tourism potentials. A return visit will confirm the timelessness of their allures. City tours to Olumo Rock, Idanre Hills, parks and monuments cannot come short of visitors’ expectations because there are many excitements that will glue their eyes to the attractions. For the family-minded, the good thing is that most of these escapes have attractions

that make for an excellent family location. There is always something for everyone to do. Golf lovers can visit Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort near Uyo, Smokin Hill Golf Resort near Akure, Fifth Chukka in Kaduna, among others. The likes of Ikogosi, Nike Lake and Epe Resort also enthrall with their beautiful nature. The truth is that the excitements will usher you into your private retreat and set you on the mood for leisure. To live a healthier life and enjoy your stay at these destinations: Play soothing music of your choice as you relax in a hot shower or bath. The heat of the shower or bath is relaxing to the muscles and rejuvenates your body. Tell yourself about five things you really appreciated that day. Even in the worst of days there are some things you can reflect on that can make you smile because smiling relases stress. Laughter is a huge part of releasing stress; the more you laugh the better you feel and it makes the bad things not seem so bad. Sometimes, some of the events of the day are great ways to find laughter. Find a sport that you enjoy and can give you a release. No matter your choice of relaxation do the things you love. When you love doing something you are more inclined to stick with it and enjoy it. Find a way to release your stress and live a healthier lifestyle without anger, stress, and the ability to be stronger. And in some cases, turn off all T.V., radio, and sounds and allow yourself to sit in silence while you release your stress for the day. Meditation is a strong source, but if you are not into meditation then just a simple few minutes of silence help control your thoughts and release stress. Yes, you can, Mother Nature is waiting to welcome you in her abode this year. Cheers!

Chesney Hotel reveals upgrade, expansion plans

he Chesney Hotel Lagos has revealed plans for significant upgrades of its facilities and services as well as opening new outlets within Lagos and one other location in the country. This was revealed recently in Lagos at a reception to mark the Victoria-Islandbased hotel winning the Entrepreneur Africa award for CSR Compliant Company of the Year as well as a nomination for the Hospitality Brand of the Year. This is the latest in a series of recognitions like the Luxury Travel Guide Award for Africa and the International Diamond Prize for Excellence in Quality, among others. According to Chesney’s business development manager, Malvin Okorafor,

“ Tw e n t y - N i n e t e e n i s g o ing to be huge, not just for our hotel but for Nigeria in general. For us, the most obvious change will be the structural change. “Rooms will be renovated and modernised. We will also upgrade the poolside as well as the lounge, and add more options to our menu,” he said. “We’re also looking forward to expanding the brand to new locations. This is a project that should have taken effect in 2018 but we needed to be sure about every little detail because this is a brand that stands for quality,” he continued. The planned expansion will include another location in Lagos, as well other parts of the country as the hotel aims to be an indigenous hospitality chain that can

compete favourably with international brands. With a modern conference room that can seat up to 20 for corporate meetings, Chesney holds a special ap-

peal for the business traveller. The conference room is complete with audio visual equipment which include a built-in LCD projector &

screen, plus complimentary wireless internet access. Other pluses include shuttle services, complimentary breakfast for in-house guests and a swimming pool. Explaining what sets the hotel apart, Okorafor stated, “Forget the building, forget the designs, what we’re most concerned about is the passion of the staff. Chesney is as good as the energy and desire the staff bring to the workplace. This energy, which is channelled towards c us t o m e r s a t is fa c t io n, is what makes us different.” Nestled behind trees on the Akin Adesola end of Saka Tinubu, the hotel’s tranquility is a far cry from the other end of the street it occupies which is a bustling, commercial area, with multiple electronic and gadget shops.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Travel

Foods you should not eat before a long haul flight Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

ravel these days is tough enough without feeling ill when flying. With in-flight food scarce, passengers have learned to bring their own snacks to stave off hunger during air travel. While you think some of your picks for onboard snacks and foods are healthy, you would be surprised to learn that you may have been bringing the wrong foods aboard your flight, according to a dietician. Kate Scarlata, a Bostonbased licensed dietitian and nurse and a New York Times best-selling author understands the effects that certain foods travelers take for granted can actually have before and during a flight. “My big area is digestive health. Nearly 20 percent of people in the United States have irritable bowel syndrome, and that can be a concern when traveling,” Scarlata said. “But in general, people don’t like to experience digestive conditions, but they do when traveling. Gas expands on a plane, so if you have gas in your intestines, it will get worse. So you should eat snacks that will keep that at bay.” So before you board that next flight, check out Scarlata’s picks, below, for the worst foods you can eat on that plane and why they’re so bad for you. Sulfur-rich protein foods Consuming foods like protein powders, eggs and meat before a flight isn’t a good idea because it feeds

microbes that create hydrogen sulfide gas, Scarlata said. “It takes about three to five hours before passable gas is produced from the foods you eat, so if you are hopping on a one-hour commuter flight, the food you ate before boarding the plane or while on the plane should be fine,” she said. “But for longer flights, adjusting your pre-boarding meal or snacks might be helpful.” Nuts Nuts including almonds, cashews, chestnuts, flaxseed, hazelnuts, and pistachios are rich in fermentable fibers, which is a perfect recipe for intestinal gas, said Scarlata. “These fibers are fermented by our residential gut microbes and although these foods are healthy for most people, they can cause troublesome gas in your gut,” she said. “The bigger problem is that gas in your intestine expands while mile high in a pressurized cabin.” Dried Fruit

Most dried fruits, especially in large quantities – add sorbitol and fiber to the intestine, Scarlata said. “That pulls water in and creates a gut full of intestinal gas,” she added. Dried fruits also tend to be higher in sugar and calories, according to this post in Very Well. Sugar-free gum and mints These snacks are rich in sugar alcohols like mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol, Scarlata said. “These alcohols may speed things through your digestive tract a little too quickly,” causing bloating and diarrhea. You do not want to be on a flight, especially a long one, battling these symptoms. Hummus While this food is a staple in a healthy Mediterranean diet, you may want to think twice as a travel snack, de-

spite its convenience. “It’s common knowledge that legumes including chickpeas (used in hummus), dried beans, dried peas, soybeans, and lentils cause gas, something you may want to avoid in the mile high club,” Scarlata said. This advice also applies to things including bean dips, edamame hummus, and black-eyed pea dips. Granola bars with chicory root extract Chicory root is a rapidly fermented fiber and may contribute to travel bloat, said Scarlata, so look on the ingredients label before buying and packing them. Granola bars with nuts and or dried fruit can also be a problem inflight. Mexican Food Scarlata created a simple equation: onion plus garlic equals inflight gas. This food also tends to include beans, which is also a no-no inflight for the obvious reasons, and tortilla chips, which tend to be high in sodium and cause bloating. And spicy food can cause an upset stomach and an irritated bladder. Potato chips While tasty, these snacks are high fat and salt and have little nutrition, Scarlata said. This also includes the airlinefavorite snacks of pretzels and peanuts. “Too many heavily salted products can make you hold more fluids that cause bloating, along with swelling in the hands and feet,” she said. “They can also bring on symptoms of acid reflux.”

Lufthansa appoints GM for Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea

ufthansa has appointed Adenike Macaulay as its general manager, sales. The airline said that the appointment takes effect January from 1st 2019, according to the airline. In a statement by the airline, Macaulay would oversee all the commercial and sales activities of Lufthansa Group Airlines in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. In her new appointment, Macaulay will be based in Lagos, succeeding Robin Sohdi, who held the position since January 2016. She is expected to report

to Philippe Saeys-Desmedt, senior director sales SubSaharan Africa, Lufthansa Group based in Brussels, the new regional Headquarters for Lufthansa Group SubSahara Africa.

It noted that she was the first female and Nigerian to take the position. Macaulay started her career at Lufthansa in 2009 as a business analyst for West Africa, responsible for regional

results analysis, market and ad hoc reporting, competitor monitoring and sales planning In 2010, she took over leadership of the team as regional marketing manager, directing marketing activities as well as business analysis, pricing and sales support across seven regions in West and Central Africa. Five years later, she assumed the position of senior manager, customer, products and marketing for Sub-Saharan Africa, directing customer relations, product management and marketing activities across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Excitement as Air Peace begins flight operations at MMA 2

est Africa’s biggest carrier, Air Pe a c e o n Wednesday delivered on its promise to commence flight services at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Lagos, assuring that the extension of its operations to the terminal would afford it the right atmosphere to provide exceptional flight experience. The carrier, which operates its domestic flights from its hub at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, had promised to move its Lagos-Kaduna, Lagos-Asaba, Lagos-Akure, LagosPort Harcourt NAF Base and other flights under its subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper to MMA2. The airline’s Embraer 145 jet with registration number 5N-BUV took off from the MMA2 enroute to Kaduna Airport at about 7.20 a.m. shortly after a brief launch ceremony witnessed by excited staff, managers of the facility, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) and air travellers. Speaking during the inaugural flight from MMA2, Chris Iwarah, Air Peace corporate communications manager, said the airline was excited to deliver on its promise to move part of its operations to the facility. He described the MMA2 as one of the best terminals in the country, confirming that Air Peace would eventually move all flights under its subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper to the facility as part of its strategy to position itself for better service to its customers and deepen its no-city-leftbehind project. “We are quite hopeful that the expansion of our Lagos base to MMA2 will afford us the space and convenience to deliver first-class flight experience to our loyal customers. As a customer-oriented carrier, it is only strategic that we seek a better operational atmosphere for seamless passenger facilitation and exceptional

customer service experience. “This exactly is what MMA2 offers with its state-of-the-art facilities and we are indeed proud of our decision to annex it to our Lagos hub,” he said. For his part, Rodger Whittle, the group executive director of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operator of MMA2, assured of excellent passenger facilitation and experience at the facility. He said: “It is very exciting for us that Air Peace has come to MMA2 and we can now happily say that all the airlines in Nigeria operate from the MMA2. It is a fantastic thing for the operator, it is a fantastic thing for the MMA2. It brings the destinations of MMA2 to 24. Air Peace is bringing Kaduna, Akure, Asaba as well as Port Harcourt NAF Base. “This terminal will really offer a wonderful set of services to Air Peace customers. It adds tremendous value to the Air Peace proposition and it adds great value to the travelling experience of the customers. “In terms of customer experience, we are able to offer a lot more. We have the comfort and convenience of the terminal, we have electronic technology, we have Jetways and direct access to the aircraft for passengers, which is a very good thing.” Also speaking, Eniola Ade-Solanke, head of corporate communications, MMA2, said the terminal had the capacity even for regional operations and was attracting major airlines through the provision of excellent passenger experience. “We have the capacity, we have the resources and we have the facilities for their safety, security and comfort. The MMA2 is more than just a terminal because of the services we provide to users. We have a multi-storey car park, we have restaurants, we have banks and other businesses here that improve their traveling experience,” she said.

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Health&Science Giving up alcohol for just a month has lasting benefits

any of us will have enjoyed numerous glasses of wine, beer, champagne, or other alcoholic beverages over the Christmas holidays. Thus, in January, we may feel the need to take a break from alcohol. An alcohol-free month is the best choice we could possibly make for our health, British researchers conclude. Dry January is an initiative of the charity organisation Alcohol Change United Kingdom, which encourages people to try giving up alcohol for 1 month at the start of the year. Although the charity that promotes this effort is UK-based, thousands of people around the world pledge to take part in this campaign each year. It is fairly logical to assume that giving up alcohol for 31 days can only benefit health, since drinking regularly is a major risk factor for cancer, liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases, among other issues. Now, a study by researchers from the University of Sussex in Falmer, UK, shows just how much skipping alcohol for 1 month can improve your life and concludes that these benefits are long-lasting. The research, which Richard de Visser from the University of Sussex led, found that people who took part in Dry January in 2018 reported higher energy levels and healthier body weight. They also felt less need to drink alcohol, even several months after participating in this initiative. Alcohol-free month boosts long-term health De Visser and team analyzed data that they collected from Dry

January participants in three online surveys. A total of 2,821 people filled in a survey upon registering for the campaign at the beginning of January. In the first week of February, 1,715 participants completed a survey, and 816 participants submitted additional data in August 2018. The researchers found that giving up alcohol for a month helped the participants reduce their number of drinking days later in the year. The number decreased from an average of 4.3 days per week before taking part in Dry January to an average of 3.3 days per week afterward. Moreover, people who went teetotal for a month also got drunk a lot less frequently later on in the year. Rates of excessive drinking fell from an average of 3.4 times per month at baseline to 2.1 times per month on average.

In fact, Dry January participants also learned to drink less. They went from consuming an average of 8.6 units of alcohol per drinking day at baseline to 7.1 units of alcohol per drinking day later on. “The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term; by August, people are reporting one extra dry day per week,” notes de Visser. “There are also considerable immediate benefits: nine in 10 people save money, seven in 10 sleep better, and three in five lose weight,” he adds. Important benefits, however, are also available to those who give up alcohol for shorter periods. An alcohol-free month would be better, but even less than that can still boost a person’s health, de Visser says. “Interestingly, these changes in

Harmattan season exposes more risk of infection - experts ANTHONIA OBOKOH

ealth experts are advising Nigerians to limit their exposure to dust during this dry weather conditions, cautioning that it associated to various health implication on humans, affecting their skin, respiratory system and eyes. Harmattan period usually occurs between the end of November and March each year and it comes with dryness and dust because there is little amount of water in the atmosphere (low humidity), this increases the spread of infections or diseases such as dry skin, cough cold, catarrh, bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia. Ojo Sikiru medical practitioner based in Lagos, said harmattan comes with dust that can trigger different infections and affect people with certain allergic conditions. “The dryness and the dust can causes infections and asthma attacks as well as cause cold, cough, catarrh, and even meningitis. “People should protect them-

selves from these infections, it is rampant in both children and adults,” said Sikiru. Uzoma Onuoha, a gynaecologist at the Federal Medical Centre Keffi, said the season brings with it certain ailments, and harsh weather condition, pregnant mothers need to take very good care of their health this season and avoid dusty environments. “In season like this, asthma patients should be cautious because they tend to have more attacks

during this period, the allergies from the dusty environment can trigger attack,” he added. Public health experts advise that people should increase fluid intake, especially water to reduce dehydration caused by dryness. “Warm drinks like tea or coffee will help provide you with warmth to fight cold. “Wearing covered clothes and body moisturisers can be used to prevent dryness and cold,” he added.

alcohol consumption have also been seen in the participants who didn’t manage to stay alcohol-free for the whole month — although they are a bit smaller. This shows that there are real benefits to just trying to complete Dry January,” the researcher emphasizes. A long list of benefits The people who took part in Dry January last year noted numerous mental and physical health benefits as well as a “healthier” bank account. More specifically: 93 percent of participants reported experiencing a sense of achievement at the end of the alcohol-free month, 88 percent had saved the money that they would otherwise have spent on drinks, 82 percent of participants reported an enhanced awareness of their relationship with alcohol, 80

percent felt more in control of their drinking habits, 76 percent understood when they felt more tempted to drink and why, 71 percent of participants learned that they did not need alcohol to have fun, 71 percent said that they enjoyed a better quality of sleep, 70 percent reported better overall health, 67 percent had higher energy levels, 58 percent of participants lost weight, 57 percent reported improved concentration and 54 percent said that they noticed better skin health. “The brilliant thing about Dry January is that it’s not really about January. Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us that we don’t need alcohol to have fun, to relax, to socialize,” says Richard Piper, the CEO of Alcohol Change UK. “That means that for the rest of the year, we are better able to make decisions about our drinking and to avoid slipping into drinking more than we really want to,” Dr. Piper notes. “Many of us know about the health risks of alcohol — seven forms of cancer, liver disease, mental health problems — but we are often unaware that drinking less has more immediate benefits too. Sleeping better, feeling more energetic, saving money, better skin, and losing weight... The list goes on.” Richard Piper. So, be it this January or later in the year, you may want to try swapping alcohol for tea, juice, or water for a month or even a few weeks. It could make you happier and healthier, and your bank account will thank you too.

Culled from Medical News Today

Sedentary lifestyles: Middle-aged workers now more at risk than pensioners ANTHONIA OBOKOH

ost middle-aged office workers now spend as much time sitting down as older pensioners, says a new study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, .UK/US The study found that 45 to 54-yearold men spend on average 7.8 hours per weekday sitting down, compared with 7.4 hours for the over-75s. Sedentary work is the main reason for this inactivity. Only the youngest group of men surveyed – 16 to 24-year-olds – are significantly less sedentary than the over 75s on weekdays. Sedentary time is defined as time spent in any waking activity done while sitting, including working, eating, watching TV or time on a computer. Experts say that high levels of sedentary time - more than seven hours a day - increase the risk of an early death, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, even if people are physically active at other times of the day Nigeria with a large and increasing number of middle-aged office workers has an increased risk from sedentary lifestyle. The researchers said the figures highlighted the potential health risks of excessive sitting at work.

Experts say that high levels of sedentary time - more than seven hours a day - increase the risk of an early death, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, even if people are physically active at other times of the day. Lanre Yusuf a medical practitioner based in Lagos said with the population of Nigeria, sedentary life style in the work place is very dangerous to health. “Many middle-aged workers are affected with high levels of sedentary time, working on a lap top for more than eight hours, given much time in sitting is not healthy and it attributes to the increase in heart disease. “Ninety per cent of countries worldwide have recorded increases in lifespan but are likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. “This leads to risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, mental stress and hypertension which affect a billion people worldwide,” he said. WHO urged people to “get up and get active”, saying that insufficient exercise contributes to cancer, diabetes, depression and other non-communicable diseases. The UN health agency, in a new document, expressed concerns that “less and less people are active in many countries, with nearly a quarter of all adults and more than 80 per cent of adolescents being too sedentary”.

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Sunday 06 January 2019

Sports Mayweather reveals how he earned $9m in 9 minutes

Stories By Anthony Nlebem

opularlyknown as the ‘Money M a n ’ Fl o y d Mayweather has revealed he pocket a staggering $9,000,000 for just nine minutes work. The undefeated boxing legend came out of retirement for an exhibition fight with Japanese kickboxing knockout artist Tenshin Nasukawa . Mayweather earned $9 million for his involvement in the New Year’s Eve event, which was promoted by Japanese mixed martial arts organisation Rizin at the Saitama Arena. Nasukawa, 20-year, has not lost in 28 kickboxing fights, boasting an incredible record of 22 wins by way of knockout. Mayweather stunned the world of boxing when he agreed to take part in a special exhibition fight with Nasukawa - but the bout will not count towards his 50-0 unbeaten record. In three rounds under boxing rules, multimillionaire Mayweather revealed on Instagram

he will walk away with an eye-watering sum for his efforts. “What if I told you I was making $9,000,000 for 9 minutes of sparring in Tokyo, Japan,” he revealed in a post. “Would you do the same if you were me? I like to call it a 9 minute walk thru.” It pales in comparison to what the American earned for his last fight. Mayweather knocked Nasukawa down three times before the Japa-

nese’s team threw in the towel. “It was all about entertainment - we had a lot of fun,” Mayweather said after the fight, per BBC Sport. “They wanted this to happen in Japan, so I said ‘why not?’” The 41-year-old reiterated that he remains retired from boxing. Mayweather was reportedly $300,000,000 richer after his 10th round victory in August 2017 in Las Vegas over UFC icon

Conor McGregor. McGregor has made no secret of the fact he would be open to a rematch, while Mayweather has teased the prospect of an MMA bout with the Irishman. Although five-weight world champion Mayweather insisted he would retire after that win in the T-Mobile Arena, it is thought that he may be tempted into another money-spinning rematch with Manny Pacquiao next year.

Sarri says new striker needed at Chelsea M aurizio Sarri has admitted Chelsea need attacking reinforcements after they wasted a chance to cement their place in the Premier League’s top four with a 0-0 draw against struggling Southampton on Wednesday. Chelsea remain in fourth place,justthreepointsahead of fifth placed Arsenal in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League. It was a frustrating evening for Chelsea, who dominated possession but lacked any cutting edge, maintaining a worrying sequence for Sarri. His side failed to score for the third time in their last five Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, raising more questions about Chelsea’s need for a top-class striker in the January transfer window. “The club knows my opinion. I think we need something else for our characteristics,” Sarri said when asked if he would consider recalling on loan forwards Michy Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham. Quizzed on the possibility of signing a new forward, he made it clear the respon-

sibility lies with owner Roman Abramovich as he said: “It depends on the board, not me. “I have to think of my responsibility with the training. I have to try to improve my players in the offensive phase. “We played a good match for 80 metres, then we were in trouble in the last 20 metres. “We have to try to solve the problem. We were in control of every match re-

cently, but it was not easy to score the first goal.” With Olivier Giroud sidelined after suffering an ankle injury in Sunday’s win at Crystal Palace, Sarri opted to recall misfiring striker Alvaro Morata. Morata has played so badly this season that Sarri had used Belgian winger Eden Hazard in the central forward’s role recently rather than turn to the Spaniard, who had managed only seven goals this term and

none in the league since November 4. But, once again, former Real Madrid star Morata looked completely bereft of touch and confidence. It was no surprise Morata wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring when he met Cesar Azpilicueta’s long pass with a tame header straight at 22-year-old Angus Gunn -- the son of exNorwich goalkeeper Bryan Gunn. Having announced the signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic earlier in the day, Chelsea are planning ahead following a season of inconsistent displays from Willian and Pedro on the right flank. United States international Pulisic will return to Dortmund on loan before completing his move to Chelsea in the close season. For the moment, Sarri continues to use Willian, but the Brazilian’s bid to prove his worth was ruined when he was forced off with an injury late in the first half. Hazard hinted several times that he preferred to play wide rather than up front during Sarri’s experiment with the Belgian as a ’false nine’.

GOtv Boxing Night 17: WBF Champion Wahab eyes world title

ew World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental super featherweight champion Segun “The Machine” Wahab, has declared readiness to win the boxing body’s world title very soon. Wahab won the WBF Intercontinental title after defeating his Tanzanian opponent, Issa “Peche Boy” Nampepeche, at GOtv Boxing Night 17, held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. The unanimous decision victory entitles Wa h a b , w h o f o u g h t in Nigeria for the first time, to have a shot at the world title, currently held by Rwanda’s Patrick Kinigamazi. The Nigerian boxer said he was delighted at winning the vacant Intercontinental

super featherweight belt, but said his attention has now shifted to winning the WBF world title. “It was great to win the title in my first fight at home, a truly remarkable moment. However, I now have to concentrate on how I can win the WBF super featherweight world title. I am now a contender for the title, so I am intensifying my preparations to ensure I get the biggest prize in the weight division,” said Wahab. Wahab thanked GOtv Boxing Night for providing him with the opportunity to showcase his skills and win the title at home. He also thanked Nigerians for coming out en masse to support him during the fight, promising them that he would make the country proud by winning the world title.

Coutinho struggling to justify record fee to Barcelona

C Barcelona shelled out a club record 160 million euros (£143.7 million) to price Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, yet one year on from his signing, the Brazilian is struggling make the staring eleven. He is struggling to get a game while his former side are thriving in his absence. Coutinho, the third most expensive player in the world behind Neymar of Paris St Germain (PSG) and Kylian Mbappe, made a flying start to his FC Barcelona career. He had 10 goals in his first five months, giving the team a more direct outlet in midfield and an extra threat with his impressive long-range shooting. But his impact has waned. He has failed to start any of the La Liga leaders’ last three league games, falling behind Chilean midfielder Arturo

VidalandFrenchforwardOusmane Dembele in the pecking order. Coach Ernesto Valverde has stopped short of publicly criticising the player, and neglected to say whether he had a preference for Coutinho or Dembele. The Frenchman is the club’s second most expensive acquisition at 105 million euros. “It’s a long way from being a problem having them both. It’s an advantage,” Valverde said last month. “The coach is pro-Barca, he wants the team to win.” Valverde’s recent team selections, however, may offer a clue to his thinking. There was no place for Coutinho when Valverde fielded an unorthodox 3-5-2 formation in the recent 5-0 hammering of Levante.

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports

Nadal eyes more games in 2019 despite injury scare

Anthony Joshua eyes more belts in 2019 ...names Muhammad Ali one of his heavyweights of all time

t has been yet another successful year in t h e premier weightclass of boxing for British boxer Anthony Joshua, as he added one more title in the form of the WBO belt in early 2018, defeating Joseph Parker while triumphing over Alexander Povetkin later in September. Re t a i n i n g t h e WBA[Super], IBF, IBO and WBO titles, Joshua is aiming to reach the zenith in the heavyweight division as he plans to unify the belts, with the WBC title the only one that eludes him - currently in possession of Deontay Wilder. Making an appearance in the British television series Top Gear recently, Anthony Joshuagave one of his most candid interviews to Top Gear magazine’s Jack Rix, talking about the prospect of the Wilder showdown, recalling his first ever training session, and even taking the wheel himself while driving in a 400bhp Land Rover

Defender Works V8. Asked to name his top three heavyweights of all time, the Watfordborn fighter didn’t hesitate in revealing his favourites in the sport. “Jack Johnson, because of the era he was in, the adversities he had to overcome and he was the best,” came the reply from Joshua, as he disclosed the first name in his favourites list. Next in line was the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali, regarded as ‘The Greatest Of All Time’ and the most significant and celebrated sports figure of the 20th century. Joshua added: “Muhammad Ali! There was a civil rights movement happening in America. So, he uses the platform to preach to a wider audience about the issues and pressure that his community was facing and took it to a global stage. “He passed the legendary status and became as icon of the sport.” Continuing the d i s c u s s i o n f u r t h e r, the 29-year-old said:

“Thirdly, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, for me. When I went to boxing, fall in love with it and then when I looked at Iron Mike, he was a kid from Brooklyn, went through a lot of issues at a young age. I read his book.” The Brit told about the way Tyson conditioned his mind to think like a champion, which helped in Joshua’s own way as he progressed over the years. “I realised that if I had that in myself to think like a champion, I could become the champion,” concluded Joshua. AJ is scheduled to fight next on April 13, 2019, although the opponent is yet to be announced. Numerous names are being considered with Wilder, Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte and Jarrell Miller all in the mix. Nonetheless, it will be another enticing year ahead, not only in the sport, but specifically for the heavyweight division.

afael Nadal has started the season with yet another injury withdrawal but is still aiming to play more events than he did in 2018. “Because if it’s like 2018, I am not a tennis player anymore,” said the Spaniard, referring to a season in which he competed in just nine events and retired with injury during two of them. But that was a day before the No. 2 announced that he was withdrawing from this week’s event at Brisbane with a thigh strain, though saying he expects to be fit to play in two weeks at the Australian Open. Nadal also withdrew from Brisbane in 2018, subsequently also retiring at the Australian Open with a mid-match injury and not playing again till the clay-court season. He also retired with injury during the semifinals of the US Open, and did not play again for the rest of the season. Like Roger Federer and other players who have been on tour for a long time, the 32-year-old now gets exemptions that allow him to play fewer ATP tournaments with no penalties. Yet though he acknowledges that his biggest priority is to try to avoid injuries, Nadal says he is not deliberately playing less to extend his career. “I’m going to play when I feel ready to play, and I’m going to play the things that

makes me happy to play. I have plenty of years on the Tour,” he told press at Brisbane. “I never went slow. The thing is I always tried my best. All the thing that I don’t want to do is suffer more than what I did [during 2018]—that’s mentally kills you, you know. “You can’t go every day on court and practice with too much problems, no, because then this is difficult to keep doing this. “But at the same time I always think that, on the other hand, I enjoy a lot of fantastic moments in my career. So it will be not fair if I only talk about the injuries, no, because I had the chance to create a lot of opportunities to enjoy, a

lot of opportunities to play in front of the best crowds of the world and to achieve much more than what I have dreamed.” And despite his recent run of injuries on hardcourts, he still aims to keep doing just that. “I really believe that I have keep having tennis to play in my career, and I really feel that my body is not going worse every year, said Nadal. But one thing he’s no longer chasing is the No. 1 ranking, which usually requires playing a fairly heavy schedule. “Since a couple of years ago, it’s not my goal. My goal is just be happy doing what I am doing and be competitive all the weeks that I am playing, he said.

IOC supports fresh action against Russian athletes

he Athletes’ Commission of International Olympic Committee (IOC) indicated it would support fresh sanctions on Russia by world anti-doping agency WADA after a missed doping data deadline. A WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will meet in Montreal from Jan. 14 to Jan. 15 to hear from an inspection team. The team’s five members were not allowed to retrieve data from a Moscow laboratory by a Dec. 31 deadline. The CRC will then submit a report to the WADA executive committee and could recommend that Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) once again be ruled non-compliant and face new sanctions. The Athletes’ Commission went out on a limb in supporting WADA’s decision last September to conditionally reinstate RUSADA, which had been suspended since November 2015 over alleged state-backed doping. Other athletes’ groups and anti-doping organisations had spoken out strongly against RUSADA’s reinstatement while the Russian athletics federation remains banned by the IAAF. “As members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, we are extremely disappointed

and concerned by the fact that RUSADA has missed the deadline,” the Athletes’ Commission said in a statement. “We expect the CRC in its meeting…to make the appropriate recommendations to the WADA Executive Committee in the light of its decision of September 2018. “These recommendations should lead to immediate measures and actions.” While not spelling out the `appropriate recommendations’, the statement noted that support for RUSADA’s provisional reinstatement had been made on an understanding. This understanding was that a missed deadline would lead to “stronger and more effective sanctions”. A spokesman for the IOC President Thomas Bach told Reuters: “We have taken

note of the statement of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, which the IOC fully supports.” Athletes’ Commission chair Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic swimming champion and now Zimbabwean Sports Minister, told Reuters in October that “if we don’t get what we want, then we must be strong in our reaction. “If it is not done we will have to make some tough decisions,” she added. The head of the U.S. AntiDoping Agency (USADA) challenged WADA on Thursday to make a quick ruling. “Let’s see if a decision on Jan. 14 happens, but let’s not forget that’s it’s just a recommendation that has to go to the WADA executive committee,” USADA chief Travis Tygart told Reuters.

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Much Ado about Buhari’s attendance at the Presidential debate

igeria’s presidential system is patterned after that of the United States of America (USA). The most populous black nation in the world has copied a lot from America, including debates by contenders for certain categories of political offices during general elections. Historically, the first general election presidential debate was said to have held on September 26, 1960, between U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Democratic nominee, and Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee, in Chicago at the studios of CBS’s WBBM-TV. The most prominent and successful presidential debate in Nigeria was held in 1993 between Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, then presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Since the return of the country to civil rule in 1999, presidential debates have continued to hold, though not on a regular basis and the refusal of some candidates to feature has never disqualified anybody. Thus, the presidential debate ahead of the 2019 polls is not likely to invalidate the chances of any of those listed for the poll on February 16. Ahead of the Presidential debate organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group slated for Saturday, January 19,2019, many Nigerians are eagerly looking forward to that date for various reasons, ranging from the reasonable to the mundane. A greater number of those who want to watch the are not looking to hear the presidential candidates elucidate plans on how to make Nigeria join the league of prosperous and progressive nations on earth. They are preparing themselves to laugh; make fun of candidates that are not endowed with the skill of

oratory. Less than three weeks to the exercise, the rave in town has been whether or not the sitting President and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, would be at the event flesh and blood. Speculations have run riot over whether or not the President would be represented by the Vice President and vice presidential candidate of the APC, Yemi Osinbajo. This is too simplistic! What rather should bother any well-meaning Nigerian citizen is how whatever that would be verbalised by the candidates would be brought to fruition in the fullness of time. On the debate day, some of the candidates may try to impress their audience and the viewing masses by merely, robustly employing their oratorical skill. They will no doubt mesmerise many, but the question is, does the solution to the myriads of Nigeria’s problems lie in the power of oratory? The country has several thousands of citizens who can speak so very well, who have also been in the system at one time or the other, yet the country has continued to oscillate from bad to worse. So, it goes to say actually that it is of no benefit to anybody if after listening to sweet and wonderful “renditions” on January 19, and when it is time to perform the doing of the promises, the citizens discover they have been duped, raped and left castrated once again. There is no doubt that Nigeria’s economy is in tatters and urgently needs resuscitation. The country itself is generally sick, needing a physician that not only understands the cause of the ailment, but also has the right antidote to the malaise. Many Nigerians are expecting to see Mr. President at the debate. Ordinarily, the President would

not have had much work to do at the debate had he been adjudged to have piloted the affairs of the country in the right direction in the last three years and half. What he needed to have done would have been to tell his countrymen to judge him by his superlative scorecard. The other day, Femi Adesina, special adviser to the President on media, reacting to the speculation that Osinbajo could represent Buhari at the debate, said the issue was not about eloquence but what the political parties had to offer the country if elected. Adesina added that his principal had not made up his mind whether or not to be physically president at the debate. “When it gets to that decision, Nigerians will know what his decision is. We will surely cross the bridge when we get there,” he said. Methinks that why the President and his party appear to be stammering over the possibility of his appearance at the debate is the perception of his below-par performance in the first term. There is no guarantee that the candidate who would perform best at the debate would be the best president if voted into power. It simply does not follow (that way). President Buhari is being criticised today on the economic front, not because he does not hold a degree in Economics or a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), but because he is said to have no single economist in his team. As President, Buhari does not necessarily need to be an expert in economics, but he must have a fair understanding of the workings of the economy, and then surround himself with experts who will fill the gap. Lai Omotola, group managing director, Masters Reality International Concepts Limited (MRICL) and chancellor of E-Boot Camp

Limited, recently observed that “There’s a fundamental problem with our President. In everything in life, one is not supposed to know everything in life, but the chief executive is supposed to know those that know. I don’t have to know. I don’t have to know everything about the economy, but should be able to spot people that know and would deliver. The issue of the economy is the major weakness of our president and it is too late for him to acquire the skills.” As expected, the main opposition party in the land, PDP, has continued to make a bone out of the proposed debate and the cloudy signals over the President’s appearance at the event, especially after the Vice Presidential candidates’ debate staged on December 14, 2018, in which the umbrella party’s candidate, Peter Obi, was said to have carried the day. The PDP has continued to taunt the APC, saying that the President is afraid of participating in the debate because the ruling party has nothing to show for the years it has been in the saddle. The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “The APC and its presidential candidate are scared. If you say President Buhari should debate, what will be the basis of his debate? He has failed to fulfill the three promises he made to Nigerians in 2014/2015, so the referendum, as far as the 2019 elections is concerned, is the failure of President Buhari in office and they don’t want PDP to speak on that. “We are not surprised that they are laying the foundation of running away. But Nigerians want to hear from anybody who desires to be their president in 2019.” According to Ologbondiyan, “They (Nigerians) want to listen to what such a candidate has to offer and what he is bringing to the table and what difference he will make. So, if President Buhari comes to

2019 and election phobia

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debate, will he talk about his taxation? Or the grinding economic condition of our nation or the hunger he has plunged Nigerians into? “Is he going to talk about the incompetence of his administration? But we will drag them to the debate.” The PDP spokesman was reacting to an observation by Chibuike Amaechi, director-general of the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, during an interview with Arise News Television, that the campaign committee would sit to deliberate before deciding if Buhari would be part of a debate for the 2019 election. However, beyond the seeming quibbling over the reasonability or otherwise of the appearance, it must be understood that the proposed debate is not just for APC and PDP; other parties fielding candidates for the slot are also participating. But, if any candidate believes that he/she cannot avail him/ herself of the opportunity created by the debate (which is aimed at “elevating national discourse and providing the public with the opportunity to assess, first hand, the depth, character, knowledge, comportment, temperament and sincerity of the candidates)” then, such an individual and his/ her party should meet the voting masses at the polling units.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff he concerns over the forthcoming presidential election seem to be heightening by the day, as a many Southerners living in core Northern states and Abuja are said to have concluded plans to relocate their families to their villages ahead of February 16, poll. Mostly affected are those operating small scale businesses in capital cities and prominent markets across the North East, North Central and North West. I can’t forget my experience during the Goodluck Jonathan re-election bid in a hurry. I was one of those who ferried their families to the South for the fear of unknown. Unfortunately enough, the general election was postponed sequel to President Jonathan’s approval and other stakeholders’ consent. For me at that period in time, it was the best decision to take considering the fact that the environment wasn’t conducive for the electorate who are non-indigenes. Like never before, it was a time the opposition was beating the drum of war against the incumbent! In the present circumstance, except for those who are civil servants and those whose children are in boarding schools, many people have concluded arrangements to move to areas they think are less-volatile. The development,

Zebulon Agomuo

however, is unfortunate as it will ultimately affect pupils’ education and livelihood of thousands of Nigerians. It may also trigger hike in food prices. As we speak, the polity is has been heated up, with the unresolved crisis trailing the delay in the implementation of the N30,000 new national minimum wage, which may eventually lead to shutdown of the entire economy any time from now, if the ongoing negotiation between the Federal Government and the leadership of the labour unions remains deadlocked at midnight of Monday. It is also disheartening that up till this moment, the Federal Government has failed to ensure that the two-month old nationwide industrial action declared by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is suspended. The APC-led government does not seem to realise that these unresolved crises could cost it the re-election it so much desires. According to the time-table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President and National Assembly elections are expected to hold on Saturday, 16 February 2019 while the State Governor/State Houses of Assembly as well as FCT Area Council elections are to hold a fortnight after. The INEC and various security agencies, which

benefited from the N262 billion approved by the National Assembly for the elections, to step up action towards curtailing criminal acts and insecurity across the country in order to ensure safety of lives and property as well as guarantee credible, free and fair election. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives before embarking on the Christmas and New Year recess passed a motion sponsored by Patrick Asadu on the lingering and cyclical labour strikes embarked on by workers in the critical sectors of health and education, amongst others. He noted that the development of the nation and wellbeing of citizens is hinged on these critical sectors which are crippled by these cyclical strikes. He urged the Executive to honour agreements entered into with the unions to ensure these actions are averted. He recalled sadly that the 2018 Budget did not accommodate the implementation of the agreements entered into by the unions with government. He hoped the 2019 Budget as presented would accommodate the agreements. In his contribution, Yussuff Lasun, deputy speaker wondered why it seemed government had surrendered the education sector to private hands and completely hands-off the sector.

N45m

This is the amount the Presidency said it would spend to evacuate sewage at the State House.

Bianca’s widow’s mite! “We affirm that Igbo are a nation of resourceful and determined people. Our optimism is boundless. Our dynamism and tenacity is proven to the world. We are indestructible. The Almighty God has proven this fact to our enemies and our oppressors throughout history. There is nothing we cannot achieve if we put our minds to it, but, unity of purpose and a higher commitment to the common good are imperative, if we are to succeed.” Bianca Ojukwu, wife of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

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