BusinessDay 28 Oct 2018

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

MRS, Total, Cadbury lead as cost of sales rises to N631 bn in third quarter

Nigerian art, culture push ahead at NAFEST

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Sunday 28 October 2018 Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$77.66

-0.07 15.17%

Gold

10yr Bond

$1,23.80

-0.00 15.39%

Cocoa

$2,251.00

20yr Bond

-0.03 15.21%

inside Entrepreneurship key to unlocking Africa’s economic development – Elumelu p. 4

Atiku must run on his record of public office, not questionable private businesses – Keyamo

Vol 1, No. 238 N300

How Peter Obi changes political dynamics in APC

Sources claim party shopping for Osinbajo’s replacement on religious ground It’s all rumour - APC chieftain

BY OUR REPORTERS

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he emergence of Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and a staunch Roman Catholic, as the vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may have changed the

thinking in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over who runs with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

Credible sources told BDSUNDAY that the thinking in the APC right now is that much of the support given to the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket in 2015 by the Redeemed Christian Church of

God (RCCG) community has been eroded in the past three and a half years.

This feeling of loss of support base in RCCG, the sources said, is causing discomfort within the APC camp and the party may have decided

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Supreme court aftermath: Amaechi, Abe camps in deep negotiation to hand Abe APC ticket?

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APGA: One last chance to right the wrongs, reclaim Imo in 2019 p. 28-29

L-R: Nike Akande, former president, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Abimbola Fashola, wife of former governor of Lagos State; Sarah Sosan, former deputy governor, Lagos State; Pauline Tallen, former deputy governor, Plateau State; Nkechi Okorocha, wife of the Imo State governor; Siju Iluyomade, convener, Arise Women, and Omolewa Ahmed, wife of the Kwara State governor, at the 10th annual Arise Women Conference in Lagos, yesterday. Pic by Olawale Amoo

Joy unlimited... as parents of separated conjoined twins relive experience CHINWE AGBEZE

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ast year, the story of James and John Ugwoke, a set of conjoined twins whose parents were soliciting for funds to fly them to India to have them separated,

made headlines.

The twins born to Mr. Obinna Ugwoke and Mrs. Amarachi Ugwoke on May 8, 2017 at First Covenant Hospital, Abule-Ado in Satellite Town, Lagos, were joined at the stomach. The couple could not afford the mil-

lions of naira that was needed for the surgery.

Rev. Fr. Vincent Ezezue, the parish priest at Saints Michael, Raphael and Gabriel Catholic Church (Archangels’ Parish) in Satellite Town, where the Ugwoke family worships,

launched a campaign in October 2017 to raise funds for the surgery and in November, the twins underwent a successful surgery at Narayana-HealthMazundar Shaw Medical Centre, Bangalore, India. It’s now

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How Peter Obi changes political dynamics ...

Continued from page 1 to do something about it.

“Recall that in 2015 the Redeemed Christian Church of God stood solidly behind Yemi Osinbajo, who is a pastor of the church, and voted overwhelmingly for the APC. It appears that huge support may have been lost. I am sure the leadership of the church cannot boldly mobilise their members to repeat the feat of 2015,” an Abuja-based analyst, who claimed to have the ears of some APC apparatchik, said.

“What I heard now is that following Peter Obi’s emergence as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, and the seeming loss of the massive support from the Redeemed community, the thinking is that getting a vice president from another Pentecostal church with an equally large congregation may create a counterbalance.

The search, as I heard, is narrowing down to Deeper Life and Four Square. A running mate from such a denomination could help defray, to a large extent, the massive support the Catholic community is expected to give Obi,” said the source, craving anonymity.

The source, who claimed that the Roman Catholic Church controls the largest population of Christians in the country, said it was, therefore, desirable that whoever wished to enjoy

huge votes from the Christian community should consider big denominations.

“I must tell you that a good number of people vote on religious sentiment, and many people in Redeemed are beginning to say, ‘Hey guys, this was not what we bargained for’.

“I think it is also necessary at this point to add that with Atiku Abubakar being a core Muslim from the core North, take it or leave it, he is going to enjoy good support from the Muslim North. He is also expected to attract the sympathy of other Northerners through the help and mobilisation of other former PDP presidential aspirants who have since pledged to work for the victory of the party and of Atiku.

“So if, for instance, Kwankwaso divides Kano votes, Aminu Tambuwal divides Sokoto votes, Ibrahim Dankwambo divides Gombe votes, Sule Lamido divides Jigawa votes, Makarfi divides Kaduna votes, Saraki divides Kwara votes, and so on, that would destabilize the APC in no small measure. Then when you add the massive votes from the Catholic members, your guess is as good as mine. So, this is why there is a high level calculation going on right now,” the source said.

It was also gathered that the “disturbances” on the General Overseer (GO) of the RCCG by politicians,

who go as far as reporting the vice president to the GO as if the GO must dictate to the vice president on what to do simply because he is a pastor in the church, may have become frustrating, hence the rumour about the unlikelihood of massive support from the church.

A leader in Deeper Life Church, who reacted to the purported plan to look to the church for Buhari’s running mate, said that was far from thetruthastheChurchwould not allow itself to be dragged into politics for any reason.

“Let me establish this fact first: Deeper Life Bible Church as the name implies is a bible-believing church.

We practise the Bible. We love our country and we do everything to promote peace, unity and development of our dear fatherland. We wholly believe in the scripture that says we must pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Nigeria, in our own case) for in it we have peace. We not only pray, we work towards the progress of our country through many ways.

So, it is simplistic to say that Deeper will go into partisan politics. Anybody saying that is not reading well our lifestyle and message,” the leader said.

“Let me also add that there will never be a time when Deeper Life will begin to announce on its pulpit for members to support one party or

one candidate against the other. We are apolitical and will remain apolitical.

We perform our civic role of exercising our franchise during elections as bonafide citizens of Nigeria, but using the church as a rallying point, no. We pray for political leaders and offer our pieces of advice as God leads,” he said.

But Moshood Salvador, an APC chieftain and a former chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, said such insinuation was not true, stressing that there was no plan to replace Osibanjo with any other candidate ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Salvador said the party was happy with the performance of Osinbajo, stressing that it was rare to find a vice president with such loyalty to the President.

“I am not aware of such move towards next year.

The party is putting in strategy in place to win the election. I don’t think changing the VP would make any meaning,” said Salvador in a telephone conversation with BDSUNDAY, yesterday.

“Osinbajo has been loyal in all ramifications to the President and even when Buhari was not around, he acted well and performed.

For you to say they want to change him based on religious denominations, I am not aware of that,” he said.

L-R: Bismarck Jemide Rewane, Non-Executive Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc.; Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation; and Babatunde Savage, Chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc., at the Pre-AGM Cocktail of Guinness Nigeria Plc., that held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja recently.

2019 election: Group mobilises maritime, allied industries’ support for Atiku

Atiku Abubakar

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

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takeholders under theaegisoftheCommittee of Maritime and Allied Industries Stakeholders for Atiku Abubakar (CMAISAA) have moved to muster support for Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in the upcoming 2019 general elections.

Members of the body during an extraordinary meeting held in Lagos on Saturday, October 20, 2018, unanimously adopted Atiku as the favoured presidential candidate of the maritime and allied industries in the forthcoming election.

A press release jointly signed by Obiajulu Agu and Ari Ayuba, convener and co-convener, of CMAISAA declared Atiku as a leading maritime and allied industries stakeholder, in whom all other patriotic stakeholders are well pleased. “We eagerly look forward to his ascending to the highest elective political office in the land.

“Atiku is not only one of our own; he is adequately equipped to acquit himself most creditably as Nigeria’s President. Having retired honourably as a top officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Atiku has remained a strategic investor in the maritime and allied industries, the gateway to the nation’s economy.

Such an immensely gifted industrialist can only be an invaluable asset to Nigeria as President,” the statement said.

According to the group, Atiku has consistently made bold interventions to uplift efficient service delivery in the multifaceted maritime and allied industries, for the growth of the economy.

“Even though they are main arteries sustaining Nigeria, the maritime and allied

industries are not operating in isolation. It is, therefore, a matter of great joy that Atiku’s record of excellence is extended to his investments in several other sectors, including education, agriculture, manufacturing and hospitality,” the statement further disclosed.

With his sterling track record, the group stated, it was easy to imagine that, under an Atiku administration, Nigeria will attain heights that have remained as mere potential over the years.

The 2019 polls, according to CMAISAA, offers Nigerian electorates a golden opportunity to have at the helm of affairs, a man like Atiku, who is imbued with the combination of being a true nationalist and an internationalist, blending comfortably in either urban or rural settings for impactful positive goals wherever he goes.

“Atiku is widely-accepted across Nigeria, because he truly understands and equipped with appropriate capacity to manage her peculiar socioeconomic dynamics in order to restore the faith of Nigerians and the rest of the world in ‘Project Nigeria’ for genuine unity, progress, and prosperity of the country,” CMAISAA stated.

CMAISAA is a coalition of strategic operators in the maritime and allied industries, critical sectors of the Nigerian economy, who are concerned about restoring faith in Nigeria for genuine unity, peace, progress and prosperity to reign.

The members are filled with angst that Nigeria is in bad place, and, are, therefore, interested in working for and actualising the enthronement of good governance in Nigeria. The group is also driven by the firm belief that Nigeria will realise her full potential under the Presidency of Atiku Abubakar.

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Entrepreneurship key to unlocking Africa’s economic development – Elumelu CHUKS OLUIGBO

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he founder and chairman of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Tony O. Elumelu, on Thursday reiterated his commitment to championing Africa’s economic development by supporting and training a new generation of entrepreneurs whose successes can transform the continent, delivering opportunity, job creation and social impact.

At the 4th annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum held at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, which had over 5,000 African entrepreneurs, private and public sector leaders and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem, Elumelu restated his firm conviction that entrepreneurship is the key to unlocking Africa’s economic transformation and that Africa’s future is in the hands of Africans.

The annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum, which is the largest gathering of African entrepreneurs in the world, is a unique opportunity for bringing together young business talents, creating dynamic networks and transmitting the message to policymakers that a vibrant and responsible private sector will deliver economic transformation.

“Our Foundation and its unique approach of training,

…as 4th annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum holds in Lagos mentoring and funding has proven that entrepreneurship is the key to unlocking economic transformation of our continent,” Elumelu said. “I believe so strongly that success can be democratized and if we can match ambition to opportunities, this extraordinary generation can achieve anything.”

Now in its fourth year, the Forum marked the graduation of the 2018 cohort of

the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, following a rigorous nine-month period of training, mentorship and funding, bringing the total number of beneficiaries of the programme to 4,470, with over 300,000 applications received to date.

One of the highlights of this year’s Forum was the unveiling of TEFConnect, a revolutionary digital community that brings

together the complete entrepreneurship ecosystem across Africa and beyond, including entrepreneurs, investors and the broader business community on one platform, connecting them digitally with three vital elements for success – capital, market and business tools. Africa is riding a wave of rapid technology-driven change in payment systems, education, agriculture and

L-R: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, governor, Kebbi State; Awele Elumelu, trustee, Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and CEO, Avon Medicals; Folarin Aiyegbusi, business information specialist, TEF; Tony O. Elumelu, founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation; Nana Akufo-Addo, president, Republic of Ghana, and Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, governor, Bauchi State, at the 2018 TEF Entrepreneurship Forum and launch of TEFConnect organised by TEF in Lagos, recently.

FG commissions 1.5MW SURA off-grid power project to empower SMEs

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OLUSOLA BELLO & MICHEAL ANI

h e Fe d e r a l Government, weekend, c o m m i s sioned the 1.5MW SURA Shopping Complex off-grid independent power project in Lagos as part of its Energizing Economies Initiative (EEI) targeted a t e m p o w e r i n g Sm a l l and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

The SURA off-grid project will serve over 600 shop-owners out of the 1,047 shops in the complex, with all shops metered to curb the complaint of estimated billings.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who commissioned the project, said the government built the project because it believes that SMEs hold the future of the Nigerian economy

and their growth signifies growth for the country. He said other similar power projects were in the pipeline to cater for other markets across the country.

“The only way we can grow this country is to give the hardworking people in the country the facilities to run their businesses, whether it is power, money. That is why we are going across the country to provide the resources to our people to get their work done smoothly,” Osinbajo said.

The EEI is an initiative of the Federal Government that was launched in September 2017 targeting MSMEs, with the objective of supporting the rapid deployment of off-grid decentralized electricity solutions that will provide clean and consistent power to economic clusters in Nigeria through private sector developers.

The initiative is being

implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), an agency under the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. Its aim is to increase energy access and economic growth by assisting private sector developers to provide clean, reliable and affordable power to economic clusters such as markets, shopping complexes and agricultural/industrial clusters across Nigeria.

Babatunde Fashola , minister of Power, Works and Housing, who was at the commissioning, said the event signified success, progress, and much more projects on the way to better the lives of the citizens.

The success of the project, Fashola said, was as a result of the minigrid policies that have enabled democratization of access to power, giving the populace the right to choose, noting that the SURA independent power project is the

third of other such projects by the government that has yielded success.

Other lined up to benefit from the projects, he said, include about 13,000 shops in Sabon Gira market, 37,000 shops in Ariaria market, as well as 37 universities, with the first phase of nine universities and one teaching hospital already underway.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, MD/CEO, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), said the project was 100 percent funded by the private sector with strong commitment by the Federal Government.

Ogunbiyi noted that the project has also succeeded in creating jobs for the populace, promoting gender inclusion as more women have been encouraged to join the sector than they did last year. “Over 90 percent of people working on the project are under the age of 35,” she said.

infrastructure and TEFConnect fulfils a critical role in linking entrepreneurs across the continent.

“With TEFConnect, we have created a tool that provides a digital platform to host ideas, champion success and demonstrate Africans’ ability to use the most advanced technologies to take charge of their economic destinies,” Elumelu said.

Commencing with a series of goodwill messages from key stakeholders in the investment, governmental and development communities, the event featured a pitching competition, panel discussions, as well as a vibrant interactive session between Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and the entrepreneurs, moderated

by Tony Elumelu.

The Forum also featured a session on the role of the private sector in Africa’s economic development with Dr. Awele Elumelu, TEF trustee, founder, Avon Medical, and Gavi Champion for Immunisation in Africa, moderated by Eleni Giokos, CNNMoney Africa Correspondent.

Parminder Vir, CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation, also unveiled the TEF Impact Documentary featuring success stories of the

Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs.

President Akudo-Addo underlined the importance of galvanizing the broad entrepreneurship ecosystem, calling on public sector representatives to encourage, support and replicate the work of the Tony Elumelu Foundation in their respective regions.

“Nothing is changed or developed on its own. People must get up, speak, have discussions and change the dialogue,” Akufo-Addo said.

Other prominent attendees at this year’s Forum include Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu, Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar, former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Nike Akande, president, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

Since its inception, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered African entrepreneurs across the continent with a $5,000 nonrefundable seed grant, a bespoke training programme designed specifically for the African environment, and access to a dedicated group of mentors, significantly contributing to economic growth, job creation and revenue generation.

#JusticeforOchanya: NAPTIP to monitor prosecution of suspected rape culprits

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he National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the weekend condemned the rape and death of Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbaje, the girl who was allegedly raped by father and son.

Julie Okah-Donli, director-general, NAPTIP, at a press conference in Abuja, Friday, promised to probe the victim’s aunt whose silence may have contributed to the girl’s demise.

Okah-Donli expressed grief over sexual violence against minors, which she deemed ‘ugly’ and ‘disturbing’ and affirmed that the perpetrators are being charged to court.

“NAPTIP will continue to monitor the situation in court, ensuring justice to the deceased,” she assured.

“In addition to the ongoing prosecution of the principal suspects in the matter, the Makurdi Zonal Command of the NAPTIP has been given a directive to ensure that the roles of other accomplices especially those whose conspiracy of silence led to the

tragedy, are reviewed for any possible action.”

The victim, Ochanya, a 13 year old student of the Federal Government Girls College, Gboko, died on Sunday after battling Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) and other health complications at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital after being subjected to years of rape and sodomy.

The alleged rapists, Andrew Ogbuja, Head of department,CateringandHotel Management, Benue State Polytechnic, and his son, Victor Inalegwu Ogbuja, a final year student at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi allegedly consistently and ruthlessly sexually molested and sodomized Ochanya from age 8 to 13.

Okah-Donli called on the Governors’Forumtodomesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), toaddressnaggingissuesrelating to sexual violence happening in states throughout the federation. “The necessary legal framework must be put in place, as no effort should be spared to protect our children,” she stated.

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News 2019: If elected, I’ll end insurgency in three months - Mailafia

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“We will close the borders and renegotiate with neighbouring countries on the influx of people into the country.

Movement of people must be controlled,” he said.

He added that they expected to stay for a period of three months.

“Give me three months; I will crush insurgency in the North East. Don’t see me talk-

ANRP presidential candidate, Fasua, flays Buhari’s war on corruption INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

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residential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Tope Fasua, has castigated the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari, stressing that the President has surrounded himself with corrupt people, who are allegedly perpetrating corruption on his behalf.

Fasua said this in an interview with BusinessDay while also revealing that his intention to contest the 2019 Presidential election was motivated by the desperate situation of the country, which requires a sense of urgency to address.

He pointed out that Nigeria has been on the downward spiral for too long adding that the leaders have betrayed the people’s trust and squandered the nation’s resources.

“Buhari is not fighting corruption, Buhari probably does not understand what corruption is, and you can’t fight what you don’t understand. He is deliberately refusing to understand it because his style is to dodge behind and some of his people perpetrate corruption and they end up favouring him one way or the other.

“Buhari thinks he is smart but he is not so smart and we are

Huawei offers free ICT training for 1,000 federal civil servants

athew Ndagosoon, the Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, has appealed to the people of the state to shun acts capable of fueling the crises in Kaduna, urging residents to accommodate one another and settle their differences amicably.

“As members of one nation, we must seek ways of understanding, of building bridges to one another based on a solid foundation of truth.

Rumour mongering is responsible for the crisis and it is causing more deaths than guns in Kaduna,” said Ndagosoon.

According to him, the two major religions in the state preach against violence, hence the need for residents to brace peace and avoid acts that breach the peace in Kaduna.

“I am not oblivious of the pain that has been caused by the loss of loved ones, both Christian and Muslim. At the same time, I ask that all reflect on the reality that violence only begets more violence. This suffering has gone on for too long and we beg that it be stopped for the common good,” Ndagosoon stated.

However, the cleric thanked the state government and security agents for their quick intervention in bringing the situation under control.

Last week, the Kaduna State Government imposed a 24-hour curfew in Kaduna following violent clashes in parts of the state. The violence erupted four days after 55 people were killed in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja

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OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja he Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obadiah Mailafia, has vowed to crush insurgency in the North East within three months if elected as President in 2019.

The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who fingered foreign conspirators in the fight against insurgency, pointed out that Nigeria has the capacity to garner sufficient intelligence to defeat the insurgents.

Mailafia promised to shut the boarders of the country in order to check the influx of illegal persons.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja at the weekend, he lamented the seeming abuse of the ECOWAS protocol, adding that people who come into the country from neighbouring countries are expected to do so legitimately.

The ADC presidential candidate, who decried the rate of abuse of immunity in the country particularly with regards to corruption matters, lamented what he called the cosmetic approach to the anti-graft war.

Kaduna Catholic Archbishop appeals to residents to give peace a chance

watching and the youth in this country understand exactly what is going on. You cannot say that you are not corrupt and you get to government only for you put all your family members there.

That in itself is corruption and total unprofessionalism and if you are unprofessional there is no way you cannot be corrupt because it goes hand in hand,” he said.

Fasua noted that Nigeria has not defined corruption in holistic terms but more fixated on monetary corruption or what is called “Grand Corruption.”

The Economist said corruption still thrives in the current government, which seems to be cowed.

He disclosed that only two former governors are in jail, since the government started their anticorruption mantra, which cannot be attributed to them as the cases have been on for about 13 years.

“I remember when Nuhu Ribadu went to the floor of the senate to say that he has a record of 31 corrupt governors , so what happened to those ones?” He asked.

Fasua added that corruption has morphed into different forms including fraud associated with the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and multiple contract scams through fraudulent documents involving banks, yet President Buhari does not know.

ing like a soft voice. Inside me is a lion. I studied Military Science. Give me three months I will crush insurgency; we have the technology to crush insurgency,” he further said.

He fingered international conspiracy against Nigeria in the fight against insurgents, alleging that they train insurgents and give them intelligence on how to attack the Nigeria military.

Lagos lauds YEF over success of project in schools INIOBONG IWOK

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he Lagos State government has lauded the Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) for the successful implementation of GOAL project in junior and senior secondary schools across the state.

Speaking during the Goal experience sharing in Lagos State, the chairman Lagos State Sport Commission, Adedayo Kweku, who was represented by, Abiola Aregbesola, praised the foundation and standard Chartered bank for their effort over the years in empowering girl-child in the state.

Kweku said the GOAL initiate of the foundation had empowered and equipped the girl-child, while also helping them contribute meaningful to the growth of the country.

Principal of Adebola Baptist Junior High School Surulere, Odum Chinyere, commended the foundation for the project, stressing that the teachings and trainings had instilled confidence in the girlchild to learn the required skills for growth, while equally building confident in them.

Speaking on the GOAL project, the Executive Secretary of YEF, Iwalola Akinjimoh, disclosed that the GOAL project was primarily a

girl-centred empowerment project supported by Standard Chartered Bank, in order to prepare them for their roles as mothers and leaders at all government levels.

Akinjimoh, stressed that the project was a broad intervention that focus on every aspect of the child, stressing that Nigeria was one of the fifteen countries globally where the programmes was been executed.

Speaking further, Akinjimoh, said the foundation had finalised plans to extend the Goal programmes to male in the selected schools in the state, stressing that since the males are the leaders and make the decisions it was important they know the challenges confronting the girls child.

“The Goal project is strictly for the girl child empowerment project and it is supported by standard Chartered bank, the bank is pushing this project internationally so Nigeria is just one of the 15 countries that are running the goal project.

“It is a broad intervention that focuses on every aspect of the child’s life. Some girls have been on the GOAL project for about six years, they have been trained on entrepreneurship, give loans that have enabled them set up business or funding their education.

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bout 1,000 civil servants across major ministries, departments and agencies are to undergo Information Communication Technology (ICT) under the corporate social responsibility of Huawei Technologies, Nigeria.

Xue Man, Huawei’s Vice President disclosed this at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ‘ICT for Change’ initiative with Federal Government, which took place at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

“ICT for change is a training initiative aimed at empowering civil servants with fundamental ICT knowledge and skills. The training will enable them to keep pace with the rapid advancement of ICT technology and the increasing demand for digital transformation, e-government and smart city capabilities.

“With our rich experience in ICT, we will design and deliver the programme with our best subject matter experts. Our target is to provide free ICT to 1,000 civil servants.

“The ICT for change training is part of our efforts to be more localised and fulfill our social responsibility not by simple material donation, but by mind enlightenment and talent cultivation,” Man who was flanked by Frank Li, Huawei Vice President African Region; Tank Li, Huawei Managing Director, Nigeria and Yang Yang, Deputy Managing Director, Nigeria, said.

While applauding President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration quest to adopt the use of ICT to drive the change agenda in order to take Nigeria to a higher developmental level and ICT contribution to GDP by 20 to 30percent in the next four years, the Huawei Vice President expressed optimism that the collaboration between the partners will be highly beneficial.

“We totally agree with Mr. President’s point of view. According to the study from Huawei and Oxford Economics, over the past three decades, everyone US dollar invested in digital technologies has led to 20 US dollar rise in GDP. “As a global leading ICT company, we are willing to work together with the government and our local partners to bring digital to every person, every home and every organization in Nigeria.

“The government sector is one of theindustriesmostinfluencedbyICT. We hope that by working together with the federal government, the ICT for change initiative will help to equip civil servants with the necessary knowledge to face this great digital transformation,” he assured.

Speaking earlier, Winifred OyoIta, Head of Service of the Federation who applauded the synergy between Huawei and Federal Government, expressed optimism that the ICT training under the company’s CSR will go a long way to achieve the 2017-2020 civil service strategic reforms on capacity development and technological know-how.

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News Abia security outfit denies imposition of illegal levies on traders UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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he Abia State Vigilante Group has debunked allegations making the rounds that its officers manhandle and impose illegal levies

on traders in the state.

This is coming on the heels of a publication by a regional newspaper which alleged that men of the state security outfit manhandle, intimidate and impose illegal levies on the traders.

The group in a press

statement signed by its media officer, Benny Uche, said that on the contrary, its officers had been friendly with traders and residents of areas where they had been posted to work.

The group made it clear that they had been

operating under a law by the Abia State House of Assembly that established it, and insisted that its officers were law abiding and have been working in line with the law.

“Our major responsibility is to protect lives and property of all Abians

with the assistance of our sister security agencies in the state,” and called on Abians especially traders to disregard the allegation.

The state security outfit commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for providing funds to all secu-

rity agencies in the state which it noted had made it possible for them to carry out their functions effectively and efficiently, adding that the governor since the inception of his administration, has been managing the state resources prudently.

2019: Abia SDP Assembly candidate urges constituents to cast their votes wisely UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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hukwuemeka Osogbaka, a candidate for the Ikwuano state Constituency, Abia State House of Assembly on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has urged his constituents to take their destinies in their hands by ensuring that they vote right candidates during the 2019 general election.

Osogbaka, who made the call at his residence in Umuahia while addressing his people, alleged that Ikwuano people had suffered a lot of intimidation, marginalisation and victimisation in the hands of their Umuahia counterparts, urging them to cast their votes wisely and not to sell off their conscience thereby leaving their future in jeopardy.

The politician, who lament-

ed the poor state of things in the area, regretted that the people had been misrepresented overtime and called for their support to ensure they are salvaged from their piteous condition.

“It’s obvious that my people have been marginalised for so long and we have absolutely no representation for the past four years; so I came into the race as a result of the pressure from my people based on the antecedents I’ve set; so I don’t consider the incumbent,” he said.

He debunked the notion by some persons who alleged that he was a cosmopolitan politician, saying, “Well, I’ve been there before, I live in the community, I live in Umuahia and I go to Ikwuano every day, I go to my village every day. It’s just 30mins away from where I

live. So, you won’t describe me as a cosmopolitan politician rather I’m at home with my people and I feel them and I know their problems. I’m a grassroots leader. I’m not an abroad politician, I live in Umuahia,” he assured.

The one-time member of the Abia State House of Assembly appealed to the people not to forget in a hurry how much they have been marginalised economically over the years, adding, “as the elections come, they should realise that we’ve been socially marginalised.

This is the time for a change; we need to change the political leadership in Ikwuano to make a head-way. It’s the same people that have been there since1994. They have to let our younger ones come into limelight and bring changes that would move us forward.”

Delta State Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (3rd right), his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuayi (2nd left), President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick (left); Deputy Governor of Kano State, Nasiru Gawuna (right), and others, as the NFF President Presents the Trophy to Enugu State Governor, during the Final between Enugu Rangers VS Kano Pillars, at Stephen Keshi Township Stadium, Asaba.

PIX BRIPIN ENARUSAI

Akwa Ibom government opens up on Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road project …Says, ‘Contract reviewed from N28.3bn to N71.3bn within 3years’ ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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kwa Ibom State government has opened up on the controversy surrounding the cost of the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road project awarded by the immediate past administration of the state.

The 25-kilometre road links Uyo the state capital with Ikot Ekpene town in Akwa Ibom north west senatorial district and was designed as a dual carriage way.

Speaking in an interview, Ephraim Inyangeyen, the state commissioner for works said contract for the road project was first awarded in 2011 by the previous administration to Julius Berger at a cost of N28, 364,575,803.22 adding that it was later reviewed with the addition of N23, 560,228,339.00 in 2013.

According to him, the project later received another upward review with N19, 448,373,217.67 in 2014 bringing the total cost of the project to N71, 359,177,144.00.

Inyang, who said though

the bulk of the money had been released by the time the present administration came into office in 2015, the project did not achieve up to 50 percent completion adding that by the time the road was “hurriedly commissioned in 2015,” construction stopped at Kilometre 15 maintaining that the road did not have the final asphalt on it even at where construction had stopped.

The commissioner who spoke against the claims that the state government has neglected the senatorial district and has not done much towards the completion of the road said Governor Udom Emmanuel has since gone ahead with the project taking it from Kilometre 15 to kilometre 23.

“What we have done is that since the coming of Governor Udom Emmanuel, we have done the final asphalting of kilometre zero to 15 and we are taking it from kilometre 15 to kilometre 23, that is 8 kilometres and the remaining 2 kilometres, we are paying compensation soonest.

“All this did not even take into consideration the flood, the outfall drains that were

supposed to have been done on that road. It is the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel that is coming up to consider constructing drains because all the communities on that road are having flood situations.

“If you say this road was abandoned at N71billion and it was supposed to have been completed in December 2014 and with two revisions, why was it not completed? Where did the money go to? These are very simple questions,’’ he said.

He explained the present administration did not “meet any money that we were supposed to use to pay compensation adding that the facts needed to be put in the public domain.

The commissioner who promised to present more facts about projects executed by the previous administration in the state “when the need arises because the facts have to be given to the public with figures and dates” pointed out that like the “the Ikot Ekara road in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, if anybody comes to deny the fact that the construction of that road was not properly

handled by the construction company and they want to contradict the fact that payment for that job was not properly done, we will come out with the figures,’’ he said.

He defended the achievements of the present administration saying that apart from the projects it has executed including a good number of factories established in partnership with the state government, peace and security has been restored in Akwa Ibom State.

“Governor Udom Emmanuel has restored peace to the state where people sleep with their two eyes close in Akwa Ibom. And I don’t think any Akwa Ibom person wants to send away that peace because it is not something you get so easily,” he said.

Inyangeyen lauded the National Assembly for passing the Electoral bill and expressed the hope that it would be signed into law by Mr. President to forestall plans by any group or individuals to rig the forthcoming general elections adding that making the use of card reader mandatory was a welcome a development.

2019 election must be a game changer - Gambari SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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brahim A. Gambari (professor), Chancellor of Kwara State University and Pro-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, has said that the 2019 general election must a game changer for good governance as Nigerians want to see a restructured country where the people’s energies are efficiently tapped and run for overall national wealth creation.

Gambari, who spoke on the topic, ‘Education For peace, Democracy and Development’, at the 34th Convocation ceremony of University of Ilorin, pointed out that for a meaningful growth of good governance and democracy, there is evidently the need to develop and strengthen the institutions of democracy, including all arms of government, political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies and the press.

The former foreign minister of Nigeria said: “The government should allow the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a free and fair elections in 2019 and beyond. The 2019 elections must be a game-changer.

“Nigerians want to see non-selective intensification

of anti-corruption battle on all fronts with thorough investigation and conviction which serve as credible deterrence.

“They want to see an improved economy where there is job creation and wealth creation, they want to see a fiscal regime that firms up the naira against other currencies through effective control of the oil economy and a well diversified economy culture.

Gambari, who opined that for our nation to properly chart an enviable course of development stressed that there should be serious programme of political education for our people on their rights and obligations to the State.

“As former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan said in his report, In larger freedom, there will be no peace and no development without people exercising their freedom to choose the government of their preferences and respect for human rights in any country,” he stated He further explained that Nigeria must realise the fact that there is no other civilized method of expressing preferences for politicians seeking elective offices than utilising the democratic process.

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CRIME WATCH Guards nabbed for allegedly robbing Innoson motor’s lawyer … Items allegedly stolen recovered

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he Lagos State Po l i c e C o m mand said it i s i n v e s t i g a ting two security guards, assigned to guard Prof. McCarty Mbadugha , a Lagos lawyer, from Strongcity Security Services for allegedly attacking and robbing the man that hired them for security services.

1 9 - y e a r - o l d Ki n g sley Okon Asuquo and

18-year-old Isaac Edet, 18, were alleged to have claimed that the victim does not pay their salary as at when due.

According to the Lagos State spokesman, Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), the guards planned with others who are at large to rob and kill the victim if the necessary. ‘‘The Command had on October 13, 2018, at

about 1730hrs, received information from a credible source that armed bandits held one Barrister Joseph Mbadugha aka Prof McCarty Mbadugha, hostage in his office at JohnVic Igbanogo street, Lekki Phase one, Lagos; that the armed men were seen wearing Strongcity Security Services uniform,’’ CSP Oti, who confirmed the story said.

Based on the informa-

tion, CSP Oti said operatives from Maroko Police Station and FSARS Ikeja, jointly mobilised to the scene. ‘‘On sighting the operatives, the hoodlums ran in different directions to avoid being arrested but one of them, who gave his name as Isaac Edet, was nabbed at the scene,’’ the Lagos spokesman said. ‘ ‘ Du r i n g i n t e r r o g a tion, he mentioned and led detectives to arrest his partner in crime, one Kingsley Asuquo. Interestingly, both suspects are staff of Strongcity Security Services, attached to the victim. They claimed the victim does not pay their salary as at when due, hence they planned with others at large to rob him,’’ said CSP Oti. The Lagos State spokesman said the alleged robbers succeeded in dispossessing the victim of a bag containing laptop, N40,000 in cash, three cheque booklets and one iPhone-6. All these items, he said, were recovered from the alleged thieves in the course of investigation.

Meanwhile, Imohimi, Lagos State Commissioner of Police has directed the head of the Command’s Intelligence Unit to fish out the suspects at large for prosecution.

The Command hopes that this information would halt the rumour making the rounds on the social media that the lawyer was attacked by unknown assailants.

Police reforms beyond garment change EBERE OKEY-ONYEMA “I am looking for Officer Uweoji”.“Go under the bridge!”

I sat down on a bench, my eyes roaming round the prefab that characterised offices for officers.Theceilingbrokenand in colours of brown and white reflected daily threat from rain.

Some partitions jutted out like an incisor tooth. They were soaked and could no longer hold sway. It was Zone 2 Police Headquarters Lagos!

The men and Officers were busy attending to complainants, suspect, and lawyers. They were really on duty. Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) was on strike for increased minimum wage.

Someone asked if Police can also go on strike? Well, Doctors go on strike, Nurses go on strike. They all offer essential services.

The view of the dilapidated office, reminded me of a story I wrote years ago: ‘Before Ore Haram Emerges’ (unpublished). It told of the deplorable state of Otu Ore barracks we passed as the bus driver rummaged through the paths and forests in Ore to beat the dead end that characterised the Onitsha expressway.

I counted one, two, three and four clad in uniform. They came to do ‘it’ by the wall. The male suspects in detention banged on the iron rails to draw attention to their need to urinate and also rushed to the gutter by the wall. I wanted to ease myself and I was shown a gutter near the wall! I tried to chat up one of the officers that this was not healthy and he said it was for my own good.

There truly exists a toilet I presumed had seen better days.

As the world marked the Global Hand Washing Day on October 15, the central issue is promotion of sanitation and hygiene. Currently, five states

in Nigeria are contending with cholera. The statistics in Yobe and Borno are alarming with women and children the most affected. With the state of refuse on Lagos streets, it would not be breaking news if the “Centre of Excellence” with a population of about 21 million people becomes affected. Moreover, the place of Lagos as a key economic hub in Africa must be in focus.

I am concerned because “security matters are not matters of fancy”. Could their working environment impact on their responses? I am convinced that there is influence of the environment on every worker. Occupational safety includes sanitation and hygiene. There should be a determination of the management to see those in charge of protection and defense of lives and property have good working environment as “reforms without addressing systemic gaps are unlikely to yield the desired results” (Punch, September 12, 2018).

I implore that likely hazards from continued usage of offices ‘under the bridge’ be averted. How? I propose an evaluation of the current site of the Zone 2 Extension. Can the location be redesigned and rebuilt to fit into the role as an office? The men and officers are our friends, brothers, sisters, fathers and colleagues; let’s give them a better sense of belonging. It is their human right. Beyond the government, I call on well meaning Nigerians /Organisations to be actively involved in Police Welfare beyond garments.

Can we have a CSR vote beyond Patrol vehicles and aprons to essential details of their work such as effective toilet and water system? As we look forward to 2019, we expect an improved security service delivery. It begins with a holistic analysis and response to their needs.

Gang wars sponsored by politicians, not allowed in Lagos - CP

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mohimi Edgal, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, has said that the command will not allow gang wars and cult related activities sponsored by politicians in Lagos State.

Edgal disclosed this recently during a one-day town hall security summit towards a violent free 2018 elections held at Arcade Event Centre, Tafawa Balewa Square area of Lagos State.

“We cannot allow cultist groups to begin to fester hoping that they will receive patronage from politicians. Lagos is a cosmopolitan state, an elite environment so there is no room for thuggery in Lagos,’’ said Edgal.

The commissioner of

police also urged on politicians to abide by the rules. ‘‘INEC has made it clear that any form of campaign or political activity is not allowed for presidency and National Assembly until November 18, 2018 and not before,’’ Edgal said. ‘‘The governorship will commence

on December 2, 2018 and not before. So, any person or group must be patient.

Political activities will not commence under any guise before the scheduled dates,’’ he said.

Continuing , he said, ‘‘We don’t need to disguise campaigns in the name of thank you tour or

any other political activity before the stipulated time. Politicians should not go to public places and give money out. ‘‘I am also advising that they should not give money out because most of the troubles and killings that come up are usually because of money shar-

ing. It is the fight over that money that usually leads to the loss of life. It doesn’t make any sense if a politician’s good gestures would lead to the loss of lives.’’

The commissioner of police, also lamented that cultism has taken a frightening dimension. ‘‘The recent incident that occurred at Ikorodu road, according to interim investigation report, was that a politician embarked on a thank you political tour at Ikorodu road and because it was not controlled, cultists hijacked the gathering and there was mayhem which led to loss of lives,’’ Edgal said.

“As stakeholders, we must not take the issue

of cultism with levity because it has the potential to dislocate the peace across the state. We will not allow people to come from anywhere and heat up Lagos Island in the name of politics,’’ said the commissioner of police.

Edgal hopes that in the next couple of weeks, local government chairmen and traditional leaders in Lagos will receive invites to come and receive cultists who voluntarily renounced cultism. ‘‘Cultism is known for nothing but robbery drug abuse, drug peddling, rape and other social vices. We must join hands to ensure that these boys and girls begin to contribute their quota to the development of society,’’ Edgal added.

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CRIME WATCH

Pregnant woman killed in Port Harcourt cult wars T

There is no cause for alarm in Bariga, Shomolu and Onipanu - CP

…Fleeing cult kingpin, Osama, holds tight to a pregnant woman as shield, but assailants mindlessly shoot both to death …She was the pillar of our family – weary husband

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FAVOUR ICHEMATI, Port Harcourt

hey call him Osama , probably because of his reputation in the cult world in the Garden City, but his real name is Lawrence Ododo.

Osama was believed to be hiding from hit men from a rival cult gang in the raging cult wars in Diobu, a bustling part of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

On October 16, 2018, luck seemed to run out on him. He went to a drinking saloon located in Ikoku spare parts zone, owned by one Lucky Udom, a mother of two, who was six months pregnant, according to the husband who spoke to BDSUNDAY later.

According to eye witnesses, Osama settled that morning for some sticks of cigarette and as he asked the pregnant woman for lighter, two figures appeared along the street. He immediately recognised them as hit-men from a rival group but they had blocked the exit. He ran to the woman and held her firmly and put her forward as a shield.

BDSUNDAY investigations revealed that the hitmen asked him to leave the woman alone, but Osama was said to have even held her tighter. Then, the guns boomed.

This is the story of the assassination of both Ododo (Osama) and Lucky Udom.

The rest is a journey in tears and sorrow with confusion in the Udom family on a day luck ran out on Lucky Udom.

Lucky was mother of member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and a daughter about to graduate from secondary school. She read Banking and Finance but settled for business. She was eager to add at least one more child and God answered her prayer six months back only for her to die with a suspected cultist.

Diobu has been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent times due to ceaseless killings and robberies. Some said it was due to the disbandment of the Diobu vigilantes who had held the peace of the area together, but the authorities dismissed this line

Lucky Udom

of thought. What is true is that no day or night passes these days without brazen robberies or shootouts, though the Rivers State police command led by Zaki Ahmed said he has mapped out a new containment strategy.

For now, many say the Diobu area has witnessed series of crimes and that this has got to a climax especially since the shooting to death Lucky Udom.

A native of Bayelsa State married to Ufon Udon from Akwa Ibom State, Lucky was six months pregnant before the tragic incident that occurred on the said Tuesday morning.

In an interview with newsmen, a motor spare parts trader in the area, ThankGod Orlu, said the deceased sells alcohol-

ic drinks and cigarettes which were highly patronised by the men in the area.

He admitted that Lucky was not frequent in her shop prior to the tragic day due to her pregnancy, but that it was her husband that was often coming to keep the place running.

Unfortunately, the day she found strength to show up so as not to lose most of her customers, death came to claim her.

Sources said she was still arranging her wares and sweeping the shop when a known cult leader believed to be wanted by the police came calling, asking for cigarette which she was said to have obliged him and continued what she was doing.

It was told that Osama’s cult group is in op-

position to another cult group which has been in search of him. As he was still smoking the other cult group traced him at Lucky’s shop with their arms. After warning him to leave the woman alone, they allegedly suddenly opened fire and when they saw that they had hit the women, they took their time to shoot both of them to death, eye witnessed stated.

They then allegedly fled the area as people ran in different directions. News soon got to the husband.

In an interview, the aggrieved husband said when he came to the scene, his wife was long dead. He said he then notified the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Mile One station, and also the Mayor of Port Harcourt, Victor Ihunwo. He said they both responded to his call and promised to do something about the situation.

Udom said together with his son and daughter, he would miss his wife forever especially as he said Lucky was pillar of his home who also helped him to manage his finances. He described her as a loving and caring woman.

He said: “She is a good wife and wonderful mother to her children.” He said she studied Banking and Finance at the Rivers State University but resorted to selling drinks due to absence of jobs in the country. Ufon Udom cried out for justice, urging the authorities to apprehend the killers. Often, however, cult killers are hardly apprehended or put on trial.

The bereaved husband appealed to public-spirited citizens and the leaders to come to his help especially in the education of the children. He said the economic hardship has made it difficult to fend for the family, only for his pillar of support to meet untimely death.

Udom revealed that his wife had survived a terrible sickness that would have taken her life, only to succumb to the bullets of assassins. “I even sold my car just to see she was treated”, he lamented as he appealed to the local council and the state government to assist the family in this tragic situation.

he Lagos State Police Command said it’s attention has been drawn to the news making the rounds on the internet t h a t Ba r i g a , Sh o m o l u and Onipanu areas in Lagos, may become violent due to the funeral activities of some cultists were scheduled to hold in Bariga, Shomolu and Onipanu areas in Lagos Lagos State spokesman, Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) said the writer went on to advise members of the public to be “cautious and avoid late night outing” ‘‘The Command hereby categorically states that there is no cause for alarm in any part of the state.

The entire state is safe and secure and is being policed by dedicated men and women who are on foot, motorcycle, air, vehicular and boat patrols every

day,’’ said CSP Oti. ‘‘The Command urges the public, particularly those in the aforementioned areas to regard the news about the impending mayhem, as baseless, unfounded and a handiwork of a jobless alarmist.’’

The Lagos State spokesman the corpses of the deceased cult leaders were still in the mortuary and the police was yet to release them to their families. ‘‘Criminals are hereby warned to stay off the state as the Command will swiftly round them up even before they have the chance to strike in any part of the State,’’ CSP Oti said.

Once again, Edgal Imohimi, the Lagos Commissioner of Police, assures members of the public of their security at all times and admonishes them to take stories emanating from social media platforms with a pinch of salt.

ActionAid urges police commands to beef up community policing unit VICTORIA NNAKAIKE,Lokoja

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ctionAid Nigeria has called on the Nigeria Police to beef up its Community Policing Unit to attract public trust in the force for effective communication and collaboration to address insecurity that is trying to run the nation’s economy down.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day round table advocacy meeting held on Thursday at Saatof Hotel in Lokoja with the theme “Community Policing”, organised by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with Participation Initiatives for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID).

The communiqué which was signed by Anicetus Atakpu, acting coordinator, Humanitarian and Resilience Unit, ActionAid Nigeria and Halima Sadiq, Program Officer, PIBCID, has it that shielding of criminals by communities and parents was one of the major challenges in criminal justice in the country, stressing that there was need for attitudinal change between community members and the police, if the war against crime must succeed.

“The Police must be civil and friendly when dealing with community members. There is need to build trust between the Police and Commu-

nity through constant and periodic meetings and sensitisation”.

The communiqué also hinted that the need for the Police to be proactive in relating with communities in dealing with security issues should the targeted on while the communities on the other hand, must be sincere in their engagements with the Police for them to synergise “Communities need capacity strengthening in relation to providing the Police with useful information while the Police must put in place a system for ensuring confidentiality of information received from the communities.

It emphasized that respect for laws and Human Rights was key, adding that the meeting aimed to strengthen the Community Policing Unit of the Kogi State Police Command in preventing violent extremism.

The meeting also aimed at forming a strong linkage between the police and ActionAid’s Community Action Response Team (CART) Project in four rural communities.

Many representatives from communities include Osara , Osaragada/Aku in Adavi and Ofuloko and Okpakpata communities Igalamela-Odolu Local Government Areas of the state also participated in the one day stakeholders meeting.

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Oyingbo: Emerging modern transportation hub

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JOSHUA BASSEY

yingbo, a popular commercial cum residential community in Lagos, is undergoing transformation that will see it emerge as a modern commercial and transportation hub.

Oyingbo over the years had been a dirty and disorderly settlement where urchins, popularly called ‘area boys’, displayed dexterity in pilfering and harassment of commuters within and around the old (now demolished) Oyingbo Motor Park. But this old order is gradually giving way, and Lagosians are excited about the new development.

A visit to Oyingbo shows a modern bus terminal rising from what used to be a disorganised motor park. It is coming with state-of-the-art facilities that will compare and compete with its kind anywhere in the world.

When completed, the Oyingbo Bus Terminal which is part of the Bus Reform Initiative (BRI)

The new Oyingbo Bus Terminal nearing completion

of the outgoing administration of Akinwunmi Ambode will be the biggest terminal in Nigeria’s commercial centre.

Situated along the Muritala Mohammed Way, the imposing structure, which is nearing completion, will sure be a

Safety at work: NECA explains collaboration with NSITF …as both hold SWIP in Lagos JOSHUA BASSEY

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imothy Olawale, Director General designate of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has explained the reasons for continuing collaboration with the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), saying it is to ensure a safe work environment for employees of its member companies.

Olawale spoke during the 2017 NSITF-NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) Southwest Interactive Forum held at the NECA House, Lagos, last Wednesday, as he re-emphasised the need for NECA member companies to continue to put in place measures that guarantee safety in work places.

According to the DG designate, the collaboration of the two institutions is in furtherance of the NSITF’s mandate of not only ensuring safety at work but also ensuring that injured workers get prompt treatment and compensation.

Olawale said the collaboration over the years has ensured that where occupational hazards happened, the victims were adequately compensated, rehabilitated and treated fairly.

“NECA has effectively served as a veritable support pillar, - first to the Fund to deliver on its mandate - secondly; to our members as vanguard of employers’ interest as contributors to the fund, and by extension those of their workers who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the contributions by employers and the services

rendered by the Fund. We have also provided the platform over the years for the Fund and employers to interact and resolve arising issues in the course of the implementation of the (Employee Compensation Act (ECA 2010), the objective of which is to ensure that we are all happy and united in the path of advancing our mutual cause that we have to thread together,” he said.

Olawale, who commended the new management of NSITF under the leader of Adebayo Somefun, for sustaining the partnership, also praised what he termed “opendoor policy of NSITF which has helped a great deal in effective delivery of service.

On his part, Adebayo Somefun, managing director of NSITF, said the Fund has been providing artificial limbs to workers who lost their limbs as a result of accidents at work places and in the course of duty.

“From inception of the Fund to when this administration assumed duties, the Fund had provided twelve (12), this administration has improved upon the achievements by paying for forty-two (42), bringing the total to fiftyfour (54).”

Somefun listed some other pursuits of the Fund to include the migration of about 22,400 active and contributing employers from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) into the NSITF Abuja region and setting up of a task force to accelerate adoption, enforcement and payment.

“When concluded, this will be the largest single enforcement exercise in the history of the Fund,” he said.

beauty to behold, and a statement of Ambode’s audacity in governance.

It is located in the heart of Oyingbo; sharing boundaries with Iddo, Yaba and Ijora/Costain corridor. It is one of the major terminals conceived, designed

and constructed to redefine public transportation and align Lagos with modern trend globally.

Others have been completed and ready for public use with some of the 800 high capacity buses ordered by the government

already arriving the state and awaiting flag off of operation.

Other terminals already completed include Ikeja, Yaba, and TBS on Lagos Island.

Facilities being installed at the Oyingbo Bus Terminal designed as a hub for commerce and transportation include ticketing boot, relaxation spot, an eatery, free wifi, modern restrooms, among others.

The facility will provide modern buses for travellers within and outside Lagos, as it is centrally located to help commuters connect other parts of the state such as Ijora, CMS, Ikeja, Orile, Yaba, Okokomaiko, Badagry among others.

Buses, according to officials, will also to be available for trips outside Lagos, to north, southeast and south-south parts of the country.

Habib Aruna, the chief press secretary to Ambode, told BD Sunday that the governor would deliver the project before his exit from government in May 2019.

“Governor is Ambode is committed to this project,” said Aruna.

Uber, LASG partner to empower start-ups, SMEs

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ber Nigeria has announced strategic partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to create business and economic opportunities for small and medium enterprises and start-ups.

Lola Kassim, the general manager, Uber West Africa, made this known at a news conference in Lagos on Friday. She said that the partnership involved a campaign tagged “UberPitch’’ for its patrons (Uber riders) and its driver-partners.

“UberPitch is an initiative that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, learn from highly successful business leaders and potentially get capital from the trust fund to effectively run their businesses.

“UberPitch is in line with our clear commitment to Africa and the goal of continually creating business and economic opportunities for all. Our partnership with the LSETF is focused on ensuring that these entrepreneurs build viable and successful businesses.

“This is essentially our way of giving back to the community that hosts us and as well as generating traffic for the organisation,’’ the Uber boss said.

Akintunde Oyebode, the CEO, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund said that its mandate of job creation by supporting entrepreneurship and employability was a vision it shared with Uber.

According to Oyebode, since its inception two years ago, the company has provided funding worth N6 billion to 8,000 businesses and trained over 3,000 unemployed Lagos residents with a view to finding them job placements.

“Through these activities, the Fund has enabled jobs for over 25,000 people, improved productivity of small businesses statewide and ensured that Lagos State remains on a path of sustainable economic growth.’’

Also speaking on the UberPitch campaign, Margaret Banasko, Country Marketing Lead, Uber West Africa, said that the campaign was divided into two

phases.

“The first phase is where Uber Riders who run tech-enabled businesses submit or “pitch” their ideas.

Shortlisted candidates stand the chance of winning workspace vouchers of up to N1.8 million.

“The second phase requires business owners to pitch their ideas to a panel consisting of the LSETF and globally recognised business leaders.

“These entrepreneurs receive mentoring from the highly successful role models and potentially get capital to effectively run their business,” Banasko he said.

As part of activities to reward driver-partners, Uber Nigeria recently presented two brandnew cars and other consolation prizes to driver-partners who participated and came tops in the UberFreekick campaign.

Uber’s mission, which started in 2009, is to solve a simple problem of how to get a ride at the touch of a button. The Uber network is now available in more than 600 cities in over 80 countries spanning six continents.

LASU suspends student over Indian hemp

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he management of Lagos State University (LASU) has suspended one Ofodile Cluisom, a 200-level student of Industrial Public Relations and Personnel Management Department for two semesters for alleged possession of substance suspected to be Indian hemp.

The university also issued warning letters to 12 others for alleged misconduct bothering on alleged abortion, indecent dressing, conspiracy and sexual

assault.

The university official bulletin said Cluisom was suspended for failure to appear before a panel of investigation for unlawful pos-

session of substance suspected to be Indian hemp.

“LASU Senate at its 247th statutory meeting considered and ratified the recommendations of the Committee of Provosts, Deans and Directors on the misconduct of students.

“Consequently , Ofodile Cluisom of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management is suspended from the university for 2017/2018 Rain semester and 2018/2019 Harmattan semester,” it said.

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PhotoSplash

L-R: Muyideen Apena, head, channels management, First City Monument Bank (FCMB); Oluwakayode Adigun, divisional head, service management & technology, FCMB; Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, managing director of Samdex Paints Limited, his wife, Favour Ezeugwu; Salisu Usman, manager, Karu branch (Nasarawa state) of FCMB; Oluseyi Achioya, group head, property development & management services, and others, during the commissioning ceremony of the new FCMB branch at Karu, Nasarawa State.

L-R: Kyari Bukar, lead judge, The Next Titan; Ubi Franklin, guest/celebrity judge; Mide Kunle-Akinlaja, executive producer, The Next Titan; Adewale Adetayo, general manager, SIFAX Haulage & Logistics Company/guest judge and Chris Parks, judge, The Next Titan during a special boardroom session for SIFAX Group’s task where the contestants were asked to come up with innovative solutions to solve Nigeria’s logistics challenges.

L-R: Lola Shoneyin, director, AKE Arts and Book Festival; Yemi Osinbajo, vice president, Federal Republic of Nigeria; and Abubakar Suleiman, managing director, chief executive officer, Sterling Bank Plc, at the opening of the 2018 edition of AKE Arts and Book themed Fantastical Futures in Lagos... on Friday. Photo: Sterling Bank

Folake Ojelabi, project manager and Deise Smith, creative director, both of Gemona West Interior Designs brandishing the prestigious African Property Awards for the Best Office Interior Category which the company won and was held at The Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Hotel Dubai, United Arabia Emirates recently.

Cross section of the Winners of the Stimuno School Colouring Competition in Domican Nursery and Primary School and staff of Dexa Medica(Makers Of Stimuno - Immune Boosting drug recently in Lagos.

Some traders being profiled by officials, during the inauguration of TraderMoni, in Lafia, Nasarawa.

An official of GDM (l), profiling the traders at the inauguration of TradeMoni in Gombe.

L-R: TY Bello, Award-winning photographer and Judge for the photo competition; Chioma Okolie, corporate social responsibility lead, Airtel Nigeria; Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President/special guest speaker; Opeyemi Lawal, media and sponsorships senior manager, Airtel Nigeria, and Sunmi Smart Cole, Nigeria’s foremost photographer, who also served as a Judge during the just concluded Open Day for Gardeners in Lagos.

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News Feature How consistency, professionalism won Sam Nda-Isaiah chieftaincy title in Akure Kingdom

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YOMI AYELESO, Akure he Ufulenta Festival, in Akure, the Ondo State capital is being celebrated after the five days of Eru Owa, when the princes and princesses present kola to the Deji of Akure, while the Deji in turn, gives them gifts of tubers of yam.

During this period, according to investigation, commercial activities of the provincial city will be shut down, while traders take their wares to ldi-Agba over a period of seven days.

It was also gathered that the period is when notable Nigerians, who have been seen to contribute to national development, are awarded with varying chieftaincy titles.

Last week Saturday was indeed a memorable day in the life of Chairman of Leadership Group, publisher of Leadership newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah as he added another feather to his cap as he was conferred with the chieftaincy title, the Aare Baaroyin of Akure kingdom, by the Deji of Akure, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi.

The rites for the title, which was the first in the history of the ancient kingdom was performed on Nda-Isaiah by the Asamo of Akure, Chief Rotimi Fasakin, at the ceremony to end the two -week long 2018 Ulefunta /Oyemekun festival.

The colourful ceremony, which took place at the Deji’s expansive palace in Akure, the Ondo state capital was performed amidst heavy pomp and pageantry as dignitaries from all walks of life including prominent sons and daughters of the ancient town graced the occasion.

Also, members of the Hausa community dressed in their usual traditional regalia were on hand to add special glamour to the event with the beats of their beautiful drums.

Not left behind are the traditional Chiefs from the Akure community who came to honour the Chairman of the Leadership Group who is now a new face of the Yoruba Cultural Media Ambassador.

Speaking after being conferred as ‘Aare of Baaroyin’ of Akure Kingdom amidst thunderous ovation, Nda -Isaiah said that he would continue to propagate the rich cultural value and tradition of the Akure Kingdom using his media enterprise.

He explained that premium would be placed on the district customs and tradition of the ancient town as he is being recognised for the title which he noted would spur him to do more for humanity.

Deji of Akure and Sam Nda-Isaiah He said, “I was surprised when I was told that the Deji wanted to confer on me a chieftaincy title.

I said, I don’t know him and he doesn’t know me. This is a very big honour to me. It is a thing that I will not joke with.

“This will be the beginning of my relationship with Akure Kingdom, apart from the time I served in the state. I appreciate this and I cherish it. I will sustain and make sure that there is mutual benefit from both sides.”

Nda-Isaiah described Africans as the most blessed race in the world, mostly the Yoruba race, in terms of their cultural endowment stressing that their position among other regions cannot be quantified.

The Leadership boss who further described the ancient town of Akure as one of the most oriented kingdom in Nigeria considering its heritage, pointed out that the town has made a remarkable landmark judging by its history in the Yoruba race.

He pledged his total and unalloyed loyalty to the Akure town, saying he was prepared to work with every member of the kingdom in order to achieve success for his new office.

Nda-Isaiah had earlier expressed his willingness to know more about the cultural value and heritage of the Akure Kingdom. “I am humble with this chieftaincy title conferred on me as the Aare Baroyin of Akure Kingdom.

“I am grateful and will be willing to play my loyalty and service to the kingdom. I am also sure that I will be told my exact duty and work about this title because

I am willing to display mine.

“I wish the entire kingdom long life and prosperity and I also know that the town is very peaceful but I want to know more about the town and its cultural event.

“So, I am happy about this my new title and thank the Almighty God and the Kabiyesi for fishing me out for this title.

“Of course, it is a big title that I have accepted and which comes with a big responsibility. I am now a son of Akure land, and not an ordinary son but member of this community.

I am happy about this my new title and thank the Almighty God and the Kabiyesi for fishing me out for this title

“I am very proud of the Deji and I know within my power I am sure we would all work together to achieve more success,” he said. Earlier, the Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi said that the decision to confer the honorary chieftaincy title on Nda-Isaiah was based on his recognition of his tremendous contributions to the growth of the media industry in Nigeria.

Oba Aladelusi, who described the Leadership boss as a media guru that has made his landmark achievement, said as the new ‘Aare of Baroyin’ of the Akure Kingdom his position should be used to leverage goodies for the ancient land.

The monarch said the title which is the first in the history of the ancient town will go a long way to add new credibility to the media entrepreneur.

“We don’t just confer titles on people if such beneficiaries cannot justify such titles but we are doing this today for Sam NdaIsaiah, he is eminently qualified for it as the Aare Baroyin and that is why we deemed it fit to bestow on him.

“Akure town is beginning to change for good and we now have some super-calibre set of people in this Akure Kingdom.

“To have you as our son is a great one for us and we must thank you for accepting this title.

You are now part of us and we will forever cherish you. We are happy to see you here and as our newest son of our town.

“So, you now have the key to enter anywhere in the town. Your new title is a powerful position in

the ancient city and I know you would not regret accepting it,” the Deji added.

Sam Nda-Isaiah was born in Minna on May 1, 1962 and attended Christ Church School, Katsina Road, Kaduna, between 1968 and 1974; Government College, Kaduna, 1974–1979; and the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, 1979-1983.

While at Government College, Kaduna, he led the school to win the Kaduna State Schools Challenge – a quiz competition among all secondary schools in the then Kaduna State (now comprising Kaduna and Katsina States).

At the University of Ife, he was the national editor-in-chief of the “Student Pharmacist”, the official publication of all the pharmacy schools in Nigeria.

On graduating as a pharmacist, Sam worked at the Minna General Hospital, after a stint at the Kano Specialist Hospital. He did his NYSC at the General Hospital, Ilawe Ekiti, and the State Hospital, Ikere Ekiti, both in Ekiti State in 1984.

In 1985, he joined Pfizer Products Limited where he worked until 1989. He resigned and launched into serial entrepreneurship. Sam was a member of the Daily Trust Editorial Board as well as a member of the committee appointed by the Kano State Government to revive The Triumph, the state-owned newspaper.

His Monday column in Leadership under the combined titles of “Last Word” and “Earshot”, which he started in Daily Trust before the establishment of Leadership, is one of the most popular columns in Nigeria before 2015.

Through this column, he has firmly established himself as a pro-good governance exponent.

Early versions of his articles, now distilled into a book entitled “NIGERIA: FULL DISCLOSURE”, are a compelling narrative on the audacity of the Nigerian paradox.

His entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish the Leadership Group in 2003. He started with Leadership CONFIDENTIAL, a subscription-only authoritative and elitist newsletter.

A year later, he started Leadership, first as a weekly newspaper, after launching “NIGERIA: FULL DISCLOSURE”, a compilation of his articles.

The chairman of Leadership Newspaper Group is also a member of the Institute of Directors, a member of the Vienna-based International Press Institute, a member of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and an executive member of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

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Feature How technology firms cash in on Nigeria’s lack of constant electricity JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

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echnology companies focused on creating solutions to solve critical economic issues are riding on the back of Nigeria’s unfortunate reality of poor power supply to bring into the market, technology solutions that can somewhat make lives more comfortable.

Data on Genset Import/Export Trade from United Nations Statistics Division show that as at 2016, Nigeria was the second largest market for electricity generator driven market in Africa, as figures for the worth of generators in the country are expected to hit $450 million by 2020.

In a country with a population of over 180 million people, 90 million of which lack electricity supply, it is unsurprising that technology solutions like inverters, power-banks, reachable fans and lamps, and low voltage capacity electrical equipments have been pushed into the market and are selling out very fast.

Very recently, Simba Industries, one of the leading companies in the power backup industry in Nigeria, introduced KStar UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems to the market. KStar is recognised for its specialised power backup solutions, capable of handling mission-critical electrical equipment including hospital diagnostic and surgical apparatus, data centers and Bank ATMs. A UPS is a device that provides battery backup when the electrical power fails or drops to an unacceptable power voltage level.

Unlike traditional online UPS systems, KStar, during its launch in Lagos, assured that its products can

L-R: Rajneesh Gupta; Chief Operation Coordinator, Simba Group, Suresh Kumar; Head, Simba Service, Napoleon Idisi; Manager, Simba Service, and Kyle Liu; Leader, KStar Nigeria, during the launch of KStar Online UPS held in Lagos recently. handle a wide range of applications which have peculiar power needs, such as factory machinery, where power requirements at startup are huge, and where power failure can often lead to significant cost escalation, as machines need to cool down and be restarted.

Ranked 6th among all global UPS brands, the Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with revenue of $477 million in 2017 and staff strength of over 3,000 people saw the need to capitalise on Nigeria’s poor power supply situation and made use of its extensive research and development (R&D) unit with about 362 employees working on hardware, software, structure, testing and others, to develop a solution that will solve pending electricity issues.

Speaking to members of the press in Lagos on October19, 2018, the representative of Simba Indus-

tries, Prasanna Sridhar, explained that KStar is the sixth largest manufacturer of UPS in the world, offering high quality products and full service support to more than 90 countries.

Sridhar noted that the different ranges of KStar UPS can cater to every power demand and needs across different sectors, including manufacturing, oil and gas, medical establishments, businesses and other key industries.

“Hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world depend on reliable power back-up solutions for their critical systems. Downtime is simply not an option for them, as it results in potentially millions of dollars of losses per second. TheKStar UPS draws on the latest research and development to offer unparalleled power backup solutions for a diverse range of industries” he said.

Electricity downtime is a major

hindrance to business growth and development in Nigeria and technology solutions to help cushion the effects of huge financial loss due to redundancy is always a welcome idea, not only to individuals and SMEs but also for large business organisations and enterprises.

BDSunday finds that Nigerian banks have adopted the KSTAR SOHO inverter used to power their automated teller machines (ATMs) across the country, the KStar 120kva High Frequency UPS have also been used in factories across the country in the last six years while the 60KVA High Frequency UPS have been installed at premier Lotto Office, Surulere, Lagos and is connected to 16 blocks of 200AH batteries to support sensitive load at remote sites.

A 20KVA three phase UID Transformer based low frequency UPS, powering an ISUZU elevator in a residential building in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.

With its headquarters in Shenzhen, China, KStar also has a worldwide service network with 14 over-

seas service centers, two offices in Africa (Nigeria and South Africa), 40 overseas service engineers and a 24/7 service and response team.

Suresh Kumar, head of Simba Service, assures that the company will provide power audit consultation, installation, 24 hour customer support, and annual maintenance contracts to customers.

“At Simba, we believe that total customer satisfaction is only achieved, when a good quality product is supported by attentive and responsive customer care and after sales service. Simba Service is at the heart of our value proposition to customers,” Kumar said.

KStar offers an extensive range of UPS solutions, including Online Transformer/Transformer-less UPS, Line Interactive UPS and Modular UPS all of which are aimed at delivering optimised energy sourcing, cost savings as well as minimising downtime – thereby meeting the critical needs of its customers in various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Olatunji celebrates bankers for professional, academic excellence SEYI JOHN SALAU

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t was a moment of joy for families, friends and business associates of Messrs Timothy Arowoogun, Akin Morakinyo, Olabode Oloruntoba and Morakinyo Oloyede, all Doctoral Degree holders as they were celebrated and hosted by their mentor, Pastor Samuel Olatunji.

At the event, which held at the main auditorium of Royal Masters School, Central Business District, Alausa, the host described the four Doctoral Degree holders as rare gems who, despite their tight schedules as bankers, still devoted ample time to acquire additional academic laurels outside their professional callings.

He lauded the resilience of the four scholars for excelling in their first and second-degree programmes which he described as the first mountain, saying that out of doggedness they surmounted another mountain leading to the award of Doctoral degrees.

Olatunji said: “When these guys work in the bank as bank-

ers, accountants and all of that, they were not in academics and of course they made their marks in banking at various levels. We worked together and they were marvelous. Remarkably, they went on beyond banking to do what is very rare in Nigeria for dogged pursuit of academics to the highest level.

That shows commitment, vision, sacrifice and determination. The kind of virtue that made them successful in their careers and for them to have conquered the first mountains in their lives, in their careers to that level and still pursued another career, another mountain in another sector entirely and to the highest level, is truly commendable.

Olatunji, who is the chairman of the Royal Masters School, said the idea to celebrate them and rejoice with members of their families and wives, especially was borne out of the great impression they have created in his mind, saying their doggedness to selfdetermination, achievements and focus excited him.

He tasked others who were with them in the banking sec-

Olabode Oloruntoba (left) Timothy Arowoogun (second left) Morakinyo Oloyede (second right) and Akin Morakinyo, all outstanding men of letters nurtured under the headship of Pastor Samuel Olatunji in banking industry, during the celebration of their accomplishments in Lagos, recently

tor and still struggling to find their footing by striving harder to achieve success.

Arowoogun, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) obtained Doctor of Science (Ph.D) in Environmental Sustainability

from OAU; Morakinyo, member of the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA) obtained Ph.D in Economics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Oloruntoba holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree with specialisation

in International Business from Babcock University, Ogun State while Oloyede, head, Group Human Resources at Oodua Investment Company Limited holds a Ph.D in Applied Psychology from Olabisi Onabanjo University also in Ogun State.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Feature 11 months after, parents of separated conjoined twins recount experience Continued from page 1 eleven months since the conjoined twins were successfully separated.

It was drizzling on Wednesday morning when BDSUNDAY visited the Ugwokes at their home in Satellite Town to know how the twins were doing. The sitting room of their apartment was upside down and one of the twins was busy rearranging the things while the other was nowhere in sight.

“They are hyperactive. You can see how they have scattered the room,” said Amarachi Ugwoke, the twins’ mother. “This is John, James is asleep.”

She explained that the twins usually got up about 4am when their elder brother and sister get up to prepare for school.

“They [the older children] leave with the school bus at 6am. When they are getting ready for school, the sound would wake the twins up. They retire to bed after the elder ones leave for school,” she said.

Obinna Ugwoke, the twins’ father, a spare parts dealer at ASPMDA market, located at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex along Lagos-Badagry Expressway, told BDSUNDAY that the previous year was a challenging one for the family.

Recounting the experience, he said he got married to his wife in 2013 and by 2016, his wife was pregnant for the third time.

“Our first son, Chinonso, is four years old while our daughter, Mmesoma, is three years old,” he said.

While his wife was pregnant with the twins, Mr. Ugwoke said she underwent four scans at Dunamis Diagnostic Centre and three at Rovina Medical Diagnostics, both within Satellite Town.

“At Dunamis, they were not sure if the twins were conjoined or not. So, they referred us to one scan centre at Abule Egba, which they said was the best in scan services.

We got to the hospital and after the scan, we were told that the babies were separate and not conjoined.

They even showed us the scan result,” Mr. Ugwoke narrated.

At this point, the second twin, James, emerged from the bedroom and went on to assist his brother John who had been rearranging the sitting room all alone.

When the residue of sleep had cleared from his eyes, James noticed a stranger in the room (this writer) and stood staring for all the time the stranger was in the house.

Unlike John who was playful and giggled at any slightest opportunity, James was observant and did not warm up to people easily.

With so much seriousness displayed on his face, John hurried to the kitchen and pushed a 25-litre container full of water. A sizeable quantity of water poured on the floor and he began to clean it with

Conjoined twins, James and John, with their parents before the surgery

his bare hands prompting their mother, who sat listening to her husband’s narration, to rush to the kitchen.

Mr. Ugwoke narrated that with what appeared to be good news from the scan centres they had visited at that time, the couple began making preparations for the arrival of the twins.

On Thursday, May 4, 2017, his wife went into labour and was taken to First Covenant Hospital, but they were asked to come back as it was not yet time. Three days later, on Sunday, they were back in the hospital.

“I told my sister-in-law to sleep at the hospital while I go home to take care of the children. I don’t like staying in the hospital while my wife is about giving birth. When my wife gave birth to our first two children, I just got a call from the hospital that my wife put to bed safely. So, I was expecting the hospital to call me this time,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

When the waiting became too long, he got very worried. The next morning, he got to the hospital and met his sister-in-law in tears.

He asked what the problem was and was told that his wife had to undergo a caesarean section.

“I went in to see the doctor and caught a glimpse of my wife. Her

private part and everything was outside and she was almost dying.

Confused and worried, I signed for the surgery to be done after which I excused myself to go and look for money for the cesarean operation,” he said as he cuddled one of the twins.

On her part, Mrs. Ugwoke, who had her first two children through normal delivery, said the experience was a harrowing one.

“I went into labour around 8pm on Sunday. Between 9pm and 10pm, the head of one of the babies was seen. I got on the delivery bed and nurses started pulling the baby. I kept pushing till 6.30am the following day. The doctor said the nurses took a big risk because I was not supposed to push for more than four hours since they knew I had twins,” she narrated.

She said when her husband got back to the hospital and asked after his wife, the nurses told him that she had put to bed.

“The nurses told me the doctor who carried out the surgery said my wife and twins were fine and I could see them if I wanted to. I was about going inside the theatre when the doctor told me the twins were conjoined. I was confused and asked to see them,” Mr. Ugwoke recalled.

When he got inside the theatre

and set his eyes on the conjoined twins, his heart skipped a beat.

“I did not know where to start from. I was out trying to get money for the caesarean section without knowing that the biggest surprise was on the way. But the doctor tried to convince me that separating conjoined twins was a small deal. He said he would consult the people that would help us and confirm appointment,” he narrated.

The doctor, identified simply as Dr. Enabulele, referred them to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, where he said the twins could be separated.

“We immunized the babies but the doctor said they could not be circumcised yet because of their condition. When the babies were 10 days old, we went to LUTH. Everyone was surprised and that moment and they attended to us very well,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

“At LUTH, they tried to educate me that separating conjoined twins was not the kind of surgery that could be done immediately. We were told to wait for the babies to grow a bit so they would be able to bear the pain. The hospital said they would do the surgery when the babies were a month old,” he told BDSUNDAY. The conjoined twins and their mother were given a place to stay

at LUTH pending the time the surgery would be done.

“They kept me and the twins where they keep dead children.

Anytime they kept a dead child close to us, I would gently carry my babies and go outside. It was not easy at all,” Mrs. Ugwoke recalled.

After staying in the hospital for more than a month, Mr. Ugwoke reminded Dr. Ladipo Ajayi, one of the doctors at LUTH, that they said the surgery would be carried out in a month’s time, but he was told they had to wait for a while longer.

“Whenthesurgerywasnotdone after three months, my wife was worried. She said that was not the initial arrangement and asked that I meet with the doctors to know whattherealproblemwas.Thedoctors said we should exercise some patience, that they would separate the conjoined twins. In fact, they said that time that the CMD (chief medical director) was not around,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

After disturbing the doctors at LUTH over separation, Mr. and Mrs. Ugwoke were told to go for a CT scan at a particular place in Surulere because the CT scan machine at LUTH wasn’t functional.

“We went there around 7am and stayed there till almost 6pm because it was difficult to get the twins’ vein. When they got the vein and entered the test, it failed.

The first two times failed but the third sample which was collected around6.30pmwassuccessful.We paid N75,000 for the test,” he said.

The result of the test showed that the twins were conjoined at the liver and both the portal and hepatic veins were joined together.

“The doctor told us that case had got to another level since the twins were sharing vital organs.

We were told that they shared the same vein that conveys blood from the liver to the heart and that if it’s tampered with, the children might die,” he said.

Before then, Mr. Ugwoke said the doctors usually came around every Monday to check on the twins and ensure that their temperature was stable, but after a while, they stopped doing so.

At that point, the couple decided to see the CMD at LUTH to know what their fate was.

“I called one of the doctors to know what was happening. I told him that if they at LUTH could not separate the twins, they should write a medical report for me so I can go out on the streets and ask people to help me. Without a medical report, people wouldn’t believe me.

“I explained to the doctor on phone that showing people the medical report would authenticate my story and enable people assist me. But she said she could not write a medical report without the CMD

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Feature

The twins with their parents 11 months after surgery

giving her the go-ahead. I told her I needed to see the CMD and she agreed and hung up,” he said.

When the couple met with the CMD, they were told to be patient as the hospital had ordered for the machine which would be used to separate the twins. The moment the CMD mentioned the worth of the machine, Mr. Ugwoke said he became very worried.

Recalling a discussion he had had with one of the doctors before going to meet the CMD, he said, “The doctor told us the machine they ordered to be used for the separation was worth N5 million.

Now, the CMD was telling us that the machine was worth slightly above N1 million. I tapped my wife when he said so.

“At that point, I knew the doctors were not sincere. As an Igbo man, I’m always very alert. I told my wife I had to go out and look for assistance outside because I didn’t understand the way they were handling the situation at LUTH anymore.”

The couple got the phone number of the next-in-command to the CMD and they were invited for a meeting which had the CMD and chief surgeons in attendance.

“At the meeting, I told them I wouldn’t let them touch my babies because I observed they were not serious. I could see that they were insisting on carrying out the surgery in the hospital just to make name and money for the hospital and they did not care about the children’s survival. By this time, the twins were five months old and the hospital was still foot-dragging.

“I asked the CMD if the hospital had successfully separated conjoined twins before. I told them if they had done so, I would like to see the picture before I could allow them touch my twins. We were told that a set of conjoined twins was brought to LUTH sometime in the past. The two were alive

but one died at a point and they decided to cut the dead one off. I told them that that wasn’t what I asked,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

Convinced that the hospital could not separate conjoined twins successfully, he requested for assistance which the hospital declined.

“I asked them to assist me with the name of a hospital abroad where the twins could be separated successfully and what it would cost to have them separated. I also pleaded with them to assist me by calling on the government and Ministry of Health so they could come to our aid because I learnt that separating conjoined twins was not something one person could handle,” he said.

“By then, the children were almost six months old. The doctors refused to assist even with a medical report. Before this time, one of the doctors at LUTH had told my wife that the hospital did not have the machine to separate the twins, that we should go out and ask people to help us.”

Leaving the hospital that day, Mr. Ugwoke went to his church to meet with a member who was aware of what they had been going through and had assisted them in many ways.

“Mrs. Ubaka visited my wife the day she was delivered of the twins. She bought pampers and so many things for the twins. She told the Reverend Father when the hospital referred us to LUTH and the Reverend Father said if First Covenant was not doing anything, we should take the twins to LUTH,” he recalled.

“After staying in LUTH for about six months, I met Mrs. Ubaka in church and relayed our experience to her. After the meeting, I went back to the hospital and Mrs. Ubaka went straight to our Reverend Father and told him that we had been at LUTH for almost six months without any positive

outcome. Thirty minutes after I got back to the hospital, my phone rang. It was Mrs. Ubaka. She said I should come back to church, that our Reverend Father was waiting to see me.”

The following Sunday, Mr. Ugwoke said, it was announced in church and a fundraising campaign was set up to raise money for the surgery abroad.

“The twins’ picture was displayed in church like in a cinema explaining who the parents are and soliciting for assistance for the surgery. So, people started making donations into the church account for surgery. Also, at ASPMDA where I trade, a committee was set up to raise money for the twins and the money realized was paid into the church account,” he said.

WiththeassistanceofRev.Fr.VincentEzezue,Mr.UgwokemetMark, a journalist with African Watch who referred him to another journalist at the Guardian Newspaper.

“Mark told me to give the Guardian reporter a picture of the twins and all the details so that they could help me raise funds for the surgery. I did. That same day, Mark helped me draft a letter to the Minister of Health which I took to Lagos State Government House at Alausa. I was told to come back after one week. I did and was told to come back the following week,” he narrated. After two weeks, Mr. Ugwoke went back to Alausa and this time, with a copy of the Guardian Newspaper where the story of the conjoined twins was published as a proof.

“They told me they had a lot on their table and that they still owed workers’ salaries. So, they could not help us. At least as a Lagosian, I felt they should have been able help us. No amount was too small,” he said in an emotion-laden voice.

“While I was on my way to Alausa on that fateful day, I even bought the Guardian and attached

the pictures of the twins to show them that it was not a fraud. They should have helped me.”

To get a rough estimate of how much the surgery would cost since LUTH declined to help, Mr. Ugwoke was directed to a company at Ikeja that specializes in assisting those who want to travel abroad on health grounds for a fee.

“LUTH said they would not give us any letter and that the only option was that we allow them separate the twins when they are one year old. Even then, they said it was 50-50. At a time, one of the doctors told my wife to choose who she loves more between James and John,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

“Through a lady I met in one hospital at 21 Road in Festac Town, I was linked to one Bose who works in a company that specializes in helping those in critical health conditions travel abroad for medical attention. It turned out to be the same place our doctor at First Covenant Hospital told us about.

We were given the costs of doing the surgery in three American and Indian hospitals. We opted for Narayana-Health-MazundarShaw Medical Centre in India for slightly above N8 million because the price was neither the highest nor the lowest of the prices we were given. Then, the company charged $1,000,” he said.

Three weeks after the church set up the fundraising campaign, Rev. Fr. Ezezue announced in church that the money needed for the surgery was complete and the couple was asked to thank the donors. Still, the church followed up on the visa arrangements and other things.

“We travelled on Friday, November 17, 2017 through Etihad Airways to India and arrived India the following day at almost midnight. We were given a place to stay.

Thehospitalstartedrunningvarious tests on the twins from Sunday till Thursday after which they confirmed that their liver was joined.

“The doctor said when they opened their twins’ stomach, they would know what else they were sharing. They assured us that the surgery will go well by God’s grace,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

They were told that the surgery would last from 8am till between 5pm and 5.30pm.

“At 8am on Friday, they came and carried the children. They said they would call me if something was going to happen. Around 2.30pm, one of the doctors called us. I asked what the problem was since they said they would finish the surgery by 5pm, but the person that called didn’t say.

“My wife was worried. She feared thatsomethingbadhadhappened to both or either of the twins.

We hurried down to the hospital.

When we got there, we were told that the babies were fine. I said, ‘To God be the glory’. My wife knelt down and started praising God and crying,” Mr. Ugwoke narrated.

The couple was told to wait for 20 minutes after which they went inside the Intensive Care Unit to see the children for the first time since they were separated.

“They were breathing slightly but we wanted to hear them cry.

After we had dinner, went back to the hospital after 8pm expecting to hear them cry but we didn’t. The next day, we went back around 8am. One of the twins cried and in the evening of that day, both of them cried,” Mr. Ugwoke said looking at his wife. Both of them shared a smile.

“Three days after the surgery, they brought the twins to where we were lodged. For three days, both of them looked very healthy.

They were crying and defecating well. We called our Reverend Father and told him that the children were alive,” he said.

Before departing for Nigeria, x-rays and scans were conducted on the twins and the doctor assured Mr. and Mrs. Ugwoke that everything was fine.

“We asked for a date to come back for checkup but the doctor gave us only Paracetamol and assured us that there was no need to come back. The doctor said that if we needed any assistance, we should consult a surgeon in Nigeria, but he said there was nothing to worry about. He said the children would lead normal lives and we should give them normal food,” a visibly overjoyed Mr. Ugwoke said.

On Monday, December 11, 2017, the couple arrived in Nigeria with the successfully separated twins and on the insistence of the Rev. Fr. Ezezue, took the twins for checkup.

“Our Reverend Father insisted that we go straight to a hospital in Lekki from the airport to ensure that the surgery was indeed successful. They did x-ray, checked their livers, kidneys, all their organs, even the vein that was joined together. The hospital confirmed that everything was fine. We stayed at Lekki for two days and on the third day, we went home,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

“Since then till date, there has been no complication. The worry we had at a time was with James.

His umbilical cord used to bring out pus. We saw a doctor who said it was a normal thing for anyone who underwent surgery. Everything has been fine since then. We are grateful to everyone who donated to save the lives of our twins and we pray continually that God will bless them for their kindness,” he said.

Having undergone a successful surgery, the children were given the names Chizaram (God answered me) and Chimeziem (God did me well).

“That period, we prayed and prayed until it was as if our head was on fire,” Mrs. Ugwoke said. “It wasn’t a good experience but I’m glad it ended on a happy note.”

The children are a year and five months old now, and the couple says they plan to enrol them in school about this time next year.

“They were supposed to start school last month but I want them to be strong because of what they went through. Now they are at home, we can monitor them. At school, many people wouldn’t know what they had been through and may not be able to give them that attention. I want them to start school two years after the surgery,” Mr. Ugwoke said.

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Shameless sex predators and the evil of rape

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Sunday 28 October 2018

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

O

nce again, the ugly reality of the dreadful subject of rape in our society has been brought into the fore as Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbaje, a 13-year-old girl who was raped by a lecturer and his son in Benue State, recently passed away. The young girl reportedly battled Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) and other related medical problems at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, before her sad demise. Autopsy report affirmed the cause of her death to be sexual molestation of a minor.

According to reports, Mr. Andrew Ogbuja, the 51-year-old lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Benue State, and his son, Victor Inalegwu Ogbuja, a final year student of Animal Production at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, had consistently molested and raped little Ochanya since she was eight years old.

Ochanya was living with the family as a result of her relationship to Mrs. Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja, the lecturer’s wife who is

her cousin, before she was turned to an object of sexual pleasure for both father and son. Reports had it that though the girl usually took ill, it was really hard for the hospitals in Ugbokolo to discover precisely what was wrong with her, even when she sometimes collapsed.

However, after severe grilling, the deceased disclosed how she had been sexually abused by the sexual predators but could not confide in anyone because she was threatened with death by the murderous duo if she ever told anyone about their evil escapades. The poor girl further revealed that she was often drugged by the twosome, which often made her unconscious of their dastardly act.

Andrew Ogbuja has allegedly jumped bail and is currently at large. Angered by the repulsive and disgusting event, Nigerians are demanding for justice for the late girl. Lots of concerned people are particularly irked that the Police have not arrested the lecturer and his son since the death of Ochanya.

Though a global phenomenon, the appalling side of rape in our clime has to do with recklessness of the perpetrators, lackluster response of justice administrators and absence of institutional supportive system to help the victims. More worrying is that a good number of suspected rapists move freely on the streets after

committing the heinous act. Also worrisome is the fact that not much is being done in respect of strengthening our weak law to incisively deal with perpetrators of rape.

Rape victims suffer a sense of abuse that goes beyond physical injury. They may become skeptical of men and experience feelings of embarrassment and disgrace. Victims who suffer rape trauma syndrome experience physical symptoms such as headaches, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. They may also develop psychological disturbances related to the circumstances of the rape, such as intense fears. Fear of being raped has social as well as personal consequences. For example, it may prevent women from socializing or traveling as they wish while worried and unenlightened parent can use it as excuse of limiting educational progress of girl-child.

Rape takes away from the victim, human rights such as right to life (as it led to death in some instances), right to dignity of human person, right to personal liberty and security of person and right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It is a crime against basic human rights and it also violates the victim’s most cherished of the fundamental rights - the right to life.

Digging into the provisions of the law on rape and sexual abuses, it is clear that a lot still has to be

done if we must achieve a rape/ sexual abuse-free society. A bothersome issue is the idea of giving culprit option of paying fine of such amount as ridiculous as N250,000 which can be easily afforded by the culprit and his family. Of what use is the fine compared to damage caused the rape victims?

As a result of the lack of concern about rape, precise and reliable statistics concerning rape are not available. Rape, has also remained an under-reported crime. This is due basically to insensitive and sometimes hostile treatment by law enforcement personnel. Health centers are another culprit in double or more correctly jeopardy rape victims are suffering in this clime. Dramatic changes have to take place in public attitudes toward rape if we are ready to stem the tide.

The heinous crime represents a slap on our collective sensibility and as such it must be frontally addressed. It is, therefore, essential that all stakeholders work together to make sure that rape does not have a stronghold in our society. Hence, it has now become urgent to amend our laws for rapists to contend with more profound penalty. Rape is too monstrous a crime to be treated with levity. All hand must, thus, be on deck to tackle it!

Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

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BDSUNDAY 17

Sunday 28 October 2018

Interview

‘We are moulding youths to solve Nigeria’s leadership problem’ Over the years, Nigeria as the world’s most populous black nation grapples with socio-political leadership challenges that have negatively impacted her economic development. To address this, Youthniversity Consult under its Leadership Launch Pad initiative, focused on empowering graduates to address leadership challenges, has taken the lead in the grooming of next generation of purposeful leaders. Bamidele Adedeji, managing director of Youthniversity Consult in this interview with KELECHI EWUZIE, speaks about his passion for driving the project, its different facets and the future. Excerpts:

L

What is Leadership Launch Pad programme all about? eadership Launch Pad is a training programme which offers an intensive leadership training designed for university and polytechnic graduates in Nigeria.

You can call it a learning intervention for youths.

It is specifically designed for university and polytechnic graduates under the agency called Youthniversity Consult, a company that focuses on development and deployment of the leadership potential of Nigerian youths.

Youthniversity’s intervention is anchored on the conviction that the future of Nigeria lies in the hands of the youths who constitute more than 60 percent of our present population.

When you look at Nigeria, it is not subject to any debate that we have leadership challenges. In the words of late Chinua Achebe, the problem with Nigeria is simply the failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character, land, climate, water or air. The Nigerian problem is the inability or unwillingness of its leaders to rise to the responsibility and challenge of personal examples which are the hallmark of true leadership.

A lot of people are of the view that Nigeria has had a wasted past and that the present generation is foundering like a ship lost in the storm. Youths are the future. So, it is important to train them on becoming good leaders.

Our concern at Youthniversity Consult is to rescue the future of Nigeria by training the youths and preparing them to lead well.

Who qualifies for this leadership Launch Pad training?

We are throwing the training open to graduates because we believe that with their level of education, it would be easier for them to understand what will be imparted and to cope with the intensity of the 3-day programme.

We are targeting about 5 million youths. However, we are starting with a class of 50 people in the first batch, which is coming up in November 19 to 21 while the second batch will hold from November 26 to 28th 2018. Intending participants should register their interest on our website:www. youthniversity.com Through this programme, we are determined to prime and unleash the energy of our youths for the rapid advancement of the nation. In the future, we will hold this

Bamidele Adedeji training in Abuja, Port Harcourt and other parts of the country.

It is important to note that after the training, there will be mentorship where the process of grooming the right leaders will continue. Moreover, all those who have passed through Leadership Launch Pad will form a network or club of leaders spread all over.

After training these youths, we will release them into the world to infiltrate, integrate and influence their environment. They will proceed into their immediate environment with the mandate to penetrate, persuade and prevail thereby causing the required transformation in the leadership space.

Participants will be taught selfawareness. They will discover that they are much more valuable than what a politician can hire for peanut in order to attend a rally during elections.

Today’s politicians have casualised the Nigerian electorate who they engage (as rally attendees, thugs, and paid voters) during elections and discard as soon as

the elections are over. This is just the same way factory owners treat casual workers. It is high time our youths realised that as citizens of Nigeria, they deserve more than this level of treatment by the politicians.

The levels of training the youths will be put through include self leadership, servant leadership and national leadership. After the learning, they will lead by clear examples before they can begin to influence the nation.

What is the challenge with leadership models as it is being taught in Nigerian educational system?

The type of leadership training these youths are going to undergo within the three days duration of the programme is not the pedantic, theoretical or academic type as its being taught in classrooms.

We will be teaching leadership in a practical way. Participants will see themselves in such leadership teaching module as if they are looking in a mirror. We are teaching leadership with sharp-shooting

illustrations that will go straight to the core problem of the nation.

The programme will release some powerful insights that will incite the youths into positive actions.

There is the need to generate some productive anger. There is no anger in this land, and that is why the youthsaredocileandcontinuetotolerate mediocrity. Nigeria is 58 years old with nothing much to celebrate.

We want us to get angry so that we would suspend independence celebration for five years in order to engineer rapid development of the country across all sectors.

When we start the training, we will release some of these gems via the social media platforms so that as we are teaching the classes, we are teaching the rest of the nation.

Why did it take this long to come up with this training?

We needed to incubate it. We needed to put it together as a sure package before launching it and to be able to get the right result. The concept took us about one and half years to put together.

It will interest you to know that we are not parading any known names as part of our facilitators at this training. We are bringing knowledgeable people who are fresh and loaded. People who are dissatisfied with the way Nigeria is at the moment.

For example, Nigeria is not yet a country. The word country comes from count. It is not just about land area, internationally recognised boundary.Acountrymeansapeople who are counted, a country where every life counts. When lives in Nigeria begin to count, our votes will count. It is the failure of leadership that Nigeria has never had a reliable census figure since independence.

Politicians after politicians mouth the idea of fighting corruption, but all to no avail. They are not fighting corruption. They are only pretending. It is quite sad that corruption is at the foundation of Nigeria. Corruption as is being experienced in Nigeria currently is not the common type. Ours is congenital, cultural, concomitant and compelling.

Government pays N18, 000 which amounts to 50 dollars a month all in the name of minimum wage. Who can survive honestly with that kind of money anywhere in the world? The current minimum wage to workers in Nigeria is an insult to humanity.

Governments in Nigeria even owe workers several months of unpaid salaries. How are the workers surviving? Pensioners are not paid for years and they expect

the working class to be honest and patriotic. Failure to pay salaries and pensions are the worst form of corruption. It is a symptom of a failed state. It is so bad that graft has been grafted into the fabrics of Nigeria. We need to deal with it.

This is the responsibility leadership must dealt with.

Ahead of 2019 general election, what impact will this training have on youths?

This training will definitely influence the forth coming election because the youths who will attend will be exposed to what leadership is not, which I believe is the starting point. It is important for people to know what leadership is not, before we can proceed to what leadership is.

We will use this training programme to quicken peoples’ conscience. We realised that the nation has lost so much time. That is why we title the programme Leadership Launch Pad in contrast to Stepping Stones of Spring Board.

What is released from a Launch Pad travels faster and goes farther.

What is your take on the nottoo-young-to-run law and how does your training key into it?

This training will help those who are young and who decide to vie for elective positions. This will show them how to run well and not just to go in a blend, but to go in there and make a difference. We are sure that this programme will have positive outcomes because it is going to be very interactive with each batch of trainees coming up with workable solutions to the problems of Nigeria.

May we know in your own opinion, what is wrong with the Nigerian education system?

The Nigerian education system is not geared towards making graduates employable or even self-reliant. This situation is so because successive governments have not paid attention to education. The sector will suffer when lecturers are owed salaries. Everything boils down to allocation of resources. Check our budget and see the percentage we give to education, and then compare it to what other countries give to education. We need able and visionary leaders. It is the solution to our present predicament.

How do you hope to fund this laudable programme?

The training is free to the participants. To avoid distraction, breakfast and lunch will be served free. Writing materials, certificates of attendance and branded souvenirs will be given free also.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Interview

Atiku must run on his record of public office, not

Spokesman of the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, FESTUS KEYAMO, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has challenged the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to campaign on his record of performance in public office instead of his much-touted questionable private businesses. In this interview with JOHN OSADOLOR and JAMES KWEN, Keyamo says President Buhari has all it takes to win the 2019 election based on his performance in anti-corruption fight and the economy. Excerpts:

T

he 2019 elections are fast approaching, the opposition is getting stronger and Nigerians are waiting and watching. As spokesman of the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, what are you going to tell Nigerians about the person of the president and what are the old things that need to be reemphasized?

Well, except people who want to be outright mischievous and who do not want to look at the circumstances that we found ourselves as a nation in 2015, any dispassionate assessment of the president and his performance in the context of what he met on the ground, which is public knowledge, will agree that the president performed a miracle, keeping the country afloat, keeping the economy afloat, ensuring that there was no mass retrenchment of workers in the public service, that there was no downsizing. Many countries that went through economic crisis just like Nigeria, public sector workers had lost their jobs. There was mass retrenchment because of the economic crisis in 20162017 and the first and second quarter of 2017 when the GDP stood below 1 percent. The fact that the president piloted the nation gently and deftly through that period is a huge credit to him and his team.

People will say he should have done things differently, he should have adopted different strategies to tackle the economy, but if you interrogate them further, none of those people will be able to tell you a clear alternative plan that they would have executed. I am saying this deliberately, I want to be very clear on this, none of them could give a very clear, deliberate alternative plan they would have executed at that time with the condition they met on the ground. They will only criticize, draw them out and ask what they would have done in that circumstance, then you will not have an answer from them. We went through the same crisis as Venezuela and some countries and they went into clear depression and people ran away from the country. It shows that it could have been worse for Nigeria because in the case of Venezuela and such other countries, it was a case of adopting wrong economic policies to tackle the drop in oil prices and they went into depression, petroleum prices affected the entire country in very negative ways. What opposition has done or is doing now is very clear and Nigerians should understand this and see through it. They are playing on the very unfortunate economic slump caused by external factors. They are playing on the emotional issue to see whether it will take them through the finishing line in 2019.

However, if you look at it most dispassionately, what we are seeing now is a classic case of a wrongdoer wanting to take full advantage of his wrongdoing and benefit from his wrongdoing. That is the test case we are seeing now, because you have people who depleted the national reserves that could not cushion the economic crisis. It is the same party that depleted those reserves to $29 billion from $50 billion-$60 billion that they met. It is that same party we are talking about, they are saying they want to rescue Nigeria now.

It is the same party that could not save to create the cushion Nigerians could have

had during that period, the cushion in the form of buoyant foreign reserves because that is the only thing that could have taken us through that period without a slump in the Naira.

That was the same thing that happened in 2008, remember, but at that time Obasanjo, credit to him, had left some foreign reserves, so we passed that period.

There was a slump also but we were able to go through it. Now, in order to refresh the economy in such time of crisis, everybody agrees that you have to spend, you have to bring in money and invest in critical infrastructure to boost the economy. That was what the government did, they went out borrowing, not borrowing to pay salaries.

They went out borrowing to invest in critical infrastructure because before [President] Jonathan left, they were already borrowing to pay salaries. Borrowing to pay salaries is like throwing money into a well, you are not seeing critical infrastructure, there is no return for investment unlike what we are going to have now.

So the summation of that question is that President Buhari has proved to be a very deft and prudent manager of resources at a very critical time before the GDP began to rise and we have passed the worst already. The GDP is rising again, I think we have GDP growth of 1.9 percent or so and it keeps rising. That, I think, is one of the most critical credits we must give to the president.

Of course, you know that they said it may be stale but for me it is not stale. This second point is still critical in Africa, that nobody has been able to question the integrity of Mr. President. That is clear even to his worst enemies, the opposition. The perception of his person has not changed

even with the opposition. The perception that he does not steal, he does not stock money somewhere or hide money somewhere in bank account or the wife has one hidden property or there are stories of people going to the Villa as we had in the past where the First Lady was collecting money left, right and centre; those stories have not been heard of.

So, perception is very key, perception to galvanize the citizenry to believe in a cause. When the citizenry feel that the head is not doing what he is preaching, you cannot galvanize the people and that is what happened in the past regimes. I do not think that since 1999, there is a president, or one set of president, first lady and vice president that there is a perception, and it has come to stay, that they do not want to benefit from any deal going on somewhere; that their names have not been linked with deals going on anywhere.

In the past it used to be that once there is a contract going on somewhere, they will say the president or vice president or the first lady is interested in that deal and the people believed because there was perception that they were corrupt. Now if you go and tell anybody that is bidding for a contract that the N5 billion you are adding is for the president, is for the first family, the person will first look at you and say, ‘Are you are silly? What are you talking about?

Buhari? Are you telling me that Buhari said you should put N5 billion on top of this for him, or the vice president said this deal going on in Customs, some containers are for him or the first lady or the president? That was what we used to know in this country before. We have seen a first lady now whose younger brother, the same father, the same mother, has lost an election in

the party of her husband. I am not commenting whether it is negative or positive, I don’t know whether he will win the appeal, I don’t want to pre-empt, but we are seeing it now that there was an opposition to it in the first place. In the past there wouldn’t have been an opposition in the first place; that the first lady’s brother was running, all aspirants would have dropped.

They would have run away. They would know it’s waste of money. That is positive side of it. It will tell you about the person of the president and his wife. That is the second selling point.

His personal integrity has not been impeached by anybody.

They made all the noise, but I am sorry, we are going into an election. They said, ‘Don’t talk about the past about the other people’, but now that was in the past when the government spokespersons were only to sell and promote government achievements. I am here to promote the achievements and to compare it with the opponent’s because we are in a competition. So don’t tell me not to talk about you when you are talking about me. No. In my office now, it is a competition. They think they can harass people, pilot people, pilot me on how to run my campaign. I am sorry, an opponent cannot tell me where to punch him.

Atiku Abubakar must run on his records. He cannot deceive Nigerians. He cannot run on promises. So, let’s get it clear from now on that Atiku Abubakar has a record in public office just like the president. All those talks about creating jobs are balderdash. Don’t tell me about private businesses or eateries or companies you formed, those ones are not open to public scrutiny, they are based on nebulous documents of companies that we cannot scrutinize. What we can scrutinize is your record in public office. So, he has to run on that record, you cannot come and run on the record that I am a private businessman. No, you are not Donald Trump that

Sunday 28 October 2018

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BDSUNDAY 19

Interview questionable private businesses – Keyamo came from nowhere; you came from the public sector, you have been vice president for eight years. So, if you are looking at my records, I must compare it with your record. You have a record.

Run on that record. Let’s look at it. How many jobs did you create between 1999 and 2007?

Run on that; don’t run on the number of eateries and schools you opened. As vice president, how many jobs did you create? We lost jobs, so there is rising unemployment because it has been rising systematically, not that unemployment started rising in 2015. You said you are coming to create jobs, now tell us what you did about jobs, whether unemployment was wiped out between 1999 and 2007; come and tell us how you wiped unemployment then. Don’t tell us about your private companies; tell us about your public record.

Don’t deceive us. Did you build one single rail line between 1999 and 2007, which is critical to the economy of the nation? Tell us one rail line you built, despite the fact that there was a cancellation of our debt. Even if you say you got our debt to be cancelled, it is a lie. It was the G-8 policy that cancelled those debts. There was the G-8 general policy on Africa that time and we just fell into it, it was not just a complete negotiation by Nigeria alone. Nigeria did not go for debt negotiation.

Check, it was G-8 and 18 countries benefitted.

Sub-Saharan Africa was 14 or so and most poor countries so that they can start on a clean slate, so their debts were forgiven. So, nobody should get credit for that. And despite the fact that they wiped out the debt and started on a clean slate, no debt was serviced at that point. They should have built critical infrastructure with the money because they freed up funds. What G-8 wanted at that time was for African countries to develop.

Instead of servicing debt, they freed up funds for themselves. Why did you not complete the Second Niger Bridge? Why did you not complete the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which was the most important road in the country? And you are telling us what now? To come and do what?

We are waiting!

It took President Buhari six months to appoint ministers and in the implementation of the TSA, banks lost all the staff that handled public sector accounts. Also, there was a ban on the influx of dollars, which economists said was very significant, adding to our problem besides the fallen oil prices. How do you look at that?

I have looked at all the countries where the price of oil fell. I looked at Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Angola and I laugh because all of them have ministers in place, so why didn’t the presence of m ministers prevent them from going into reces-

sion? They should answer me. People just repeat a lie one thousand times and the lie wants to become the truth. That the presence of ministers will prevent you from going into recession is balderdash; that is the simple argument that I can put.

Another person was saying policy direction, policy direction. So the ministries don’t have policy directions? They don’t have instructions? The bureaucratic heads of those ministries, the ministries are not run without them; don’t they know how to implement policies without the ministers?

The ministers are important but they are not the necessary pole you need to put on the chessboard to prevent us from going into recession, and they have been driving this point since as if it is one huge gap that was opened that really made us go into recession. Other countries had ministers but they went into recession, why didn’t the ministers prevent them from going into recession? They should answer me. They should tell us not about all these fanciful things. In clear language, no buoyant foreign reserves that gave foreign investors the confidence to come and invest in your economy – because when they see the credit level of your foreign reserves, that is what gives them the confidence. So, those who pulled out was because of the foreign reserves they saw, those who wanted to come did not come. Who depleted the foreign reserves? Was it Buhari? He tried to build it, he has built it now almost to 100 percent, I hope you know that; almost 80 percent, though it dropped a bit in the last few weeks because of some fluctuations in oil prices and all of that, but he has built it to that appreciable level, it was approaching $50 billion. From the very tightest position he found himself, what would you have done? Tell us, just tell the nation; don’t tell us the fanciful ideas of policy, tell us what you would have done in this stark reality of the drop in oil prices. Oil production dropped from 2.2 million barrels per day to about 700, 000 barrels per day and then the price also crashed at the same time. All these factors conspired together at the same time. How would you have reflated the economy without borrowing? We were borrowing in the last regime to pay salaries, it is a recurrent expenditure. The president has not borrowed one kobo to pay salaries. Just look at it, and you are saying someone is not a better manager

of resources because he did not steal to form private companies all over the place?

Is that the price the president should pay for being honest? That he did not float companies all over the place? That he did not have children to float companies? It is the worst logic I have ever heard from the worst minds. Apart from being the head of state, see the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).

PTF was a parallel government. The budget available to the PTF at that time was one of the biggest budgets ever. Buhari had the complete control of that budget.

Is it a scorn that the man did not establish any business?

I am appealing to the conscience of Nigerians; I am tapping on the conscience of Nigerians. Has it become a crime, a thing of derision, that a public officer did not steal money to establish businesses?

Are we fools that we will think that Atiku picked money on the road to establish businesses? That in 1982 or in the 1980s when he left Customs he was a billionaire, that he picked the money on the road? Are we idiots, are we really idiots? I am in this campaign as a crusader and that is why I told you I will not collect one kobo for the role I play. I am saying it on tape, I will not collect one Naira. It is a crusade for me to do what is right and history and posterity will record me. It is the same type of attack my boss got in 1984-85 when this same man was doing the same thing I am doing now supporting him. He was blacklisted by the NBA at that time simply because of Buhari. He suffered because of Buhari.

He knew there was problem coming and that happened when they toppled him; what followed at that time was one of the worst era of corruption we witnessed in this country. That was what they wanted to do, the elites, the powerbrokers; they wanted him out at that time and they wanted the person in the mode of a Babangida, which is the same thing they are telling us now – liberal, reach out, friends everywhere, in business circles, that was the image of Babangida and Nigerians slipped into the worst era of corruption. It was institutionalised. It is the same thing that is about to happen, that is why some of us are screaming too loud: don’t let this happen. That is why in the agenda of Atiku Abubakar, he has no anti-corruption as his agenda. He said jobs, security, economy, that is the three. No anti-corruption and that is the elephant in the room. In Africa, without the anti-corruption nothing works. You want to create jobs without fighting corruption, you want to create economy without fighting corruption, you want to fight Boko Haram and terror-

ism without fighting corruption, and the money they steal from the arms, there is no passion for it? You want Nigerians to believe you and follow you? That is all about trust. He doesn’t want to put it. He can’t put it. I dare him to put it and I will draw him out to a debate. He can’t put it. How do you want to fight corruption now with a Congressional report in the US saying that they collected bribe on your behalf?

The Siemens that gave the bribe has been convicted and they have confessed but the person who received is in the country here and they said we should talk about issues.

Character is not an issue? They should not tell me how to run my campaign. Character is an issue. What Atiku Abubakar campaign is telling us is that character is not an issue, that we should run issues-based campaign.

Character is not an issue when there are reports here and there?

What about the TSA? It is unfortunate that there are some collateral damage. The nation must find a way to cushion some collateral damage from the TSA. But every revolutionary policy must have its advantages and disadvantages as well. What you normally do is put it on a scale, which is more advantageous? We know in the past that we had the TSA. They put the policy on the table but they never implemented it. It was the Jonathan administration that developed the idea but they never implemented it. Not even 10 percent implementation. Jonathan didn’t start the process of implementation because they have no political will. It was just an indictment on them, no political will because that is the key to cutting down waste and blocking loopholes in public service which is our major problem, because once you do that you will free up a lot of funds for capital projects.

Now we talk about the downside but the advantage is that it blocked what the vice president calls grand corruption where people just take money indiscriminately from the agencies, parastatals and the MDAs and they just tell the Federal Government, ‘This is the balance’ – the balance of what they spent directly without referring to a central paying system. Everybody was just doing what they liked. It was guerrilla government that we had then, no central command. They were running guerrilla financial system just per MDA. In fact, if you see what I saw as a prosecutor in the EFCC, you won’t believe it. Because these cases are in court, I don’t want to go Continues on page 20

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Interview Atiku must run on his record of public office...

Continued from page 19

they are Igbo-speaking and they are part of Ohanaeze and they were given powerful positions when the government started. Minister of State for Petroleum and GMD NNPC, he is an Igbo-speaking man. There is no correlation between appointments and development. The most undeveloped part is the East with the worst roads, Enugu-Owerri road is the worst. For 16 years the major road PDP did was Onitsha-Owerri Road, one-hour drive, with all the heavy ministers and appointments in the area. The Second Niger Bridge remained like that despite the heavy earnings. The President just within two years has done that. They should give the President some accolades.

into the details but I am speaking from the bottom of my heart what I saw.

There is a lot of excitement since Atiku Abubakar was picked as the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party. There have been reports that your camp is jittery now. How do you react to that perception?

It is a normal thing. There is excitement within their camp. You should also know that there is anger within their camp.

Some people are threatening to leave their party too. It is a perception created in the air by a section of the press. We know the game. It is not the actual issue on the ground. If you enter some parts of the country they are shouting, ‘We don’t want’. Wait, you think the president is unpopular? You think he has lost his support base? In the middle of recession when some people wanted to take advantage of it, they gathered in the square near Hilton for one week calling on people to protest but nobody turned up. They wanted to take advantage of that situation by instigating people, but the people trusted the President. The support base has not changed! So, nobody is jittery. The numbers are good! Those people who have waited patiently since 2003, who were patient, who kept voting him, they never go anywhere; not only the lieutenants but the masses, those numbers that kept returning to the polls, they are not going to go overnight, they are only going to grow. They trust him. Nothing is shaking here, nobody. We have never been so confident.

The President has consistently won.

In 2016 even in the heat of the recession, the President’s party won Edo. That was when we were passing through difficult times. That was in the heat of recession when everybody would have revolted, but they trusted the President, they knew the arguments on the ground. They won Edo, they won Kogi, they won Ondo, they won Ekiti, they won Osun. I just count the numbers for you. It is the numbers that matter.

You said your principal has not lost his support base, but looking at the fact that both him and Atiku are from the North, don’t you see Atiku breaking into that base?

Prof Bolaji Akinyemi said something very significant two weeks ago. The former Foreign Affairs Minister, a well-read man, said somehow, the Northerners don’t trust Atiku. You heard that statement from Prof Akinyemi, I am not the one saying it. He is not even in APC, he is apolitical, I am sure you know. Atiku had not emerged at that time. PDP made the mistake that they have made over the years and the mistake they made in 2015 which they are repeating now by abusing the President all the time, calling him a Muslim Jihadist, saying he is the parochial man from North and all that, which is not true, I repeat. As untrue as these statements are, the President is gaining the truth on two fronts. One, you are making his people trust him the more, that is what happened in 2015. That is why he swept the entire North except Gombe that narrowly escaped. He swept the entire North because he was presented with that image. You know it is parochial kind of politics. When the noise was coming from some anti-Muslim areas, it just appeared that they boxed themselves into those areas. South South, South East people were shouting because you cannot enter South West because we have

Muslims there. South West is divided into two – 50 percent Christians, 50 percent Muslims. But in the main Christian areas of South South and South East, he lost and these sentiments continue. Even though a southerner is not on the ballot now, these sentiments continue because they thought it was their strongholds and kept the campaigns to keep these regions to themselves, presenting the man as a demon, anti-Christan. Small thing that happens they must link it to religion.

Somebody has been beheaded, it is Fulani herdsmen. That rating is being used in the last two years to instigate hatred in some parts of the country against him. But they forget that in the part of the country where you have the highest number of voters, you are rallying them behind.

They saw him as their hero, as wrong as that narrative, is so we are calling them to continue to do that. It is a sure loss for them in the election except they begin to address issues.

The point I am making is that there is now more support in the South. Because it did not happen one day, we do not know the Armageddon but if you know the amount of defections in 2015 to APC from the whole of the South South to now, it is actually monumental.

Let’s look at APC after the primaries.

There are a lot of issues. How are you ensuring that these things don’t become an issue in 2019?

I don’t want to go in the details of these intra-party conflicts. The party will be in the better position to address those issues. I know there is an appeal committee in place to resolve some of these issues.

However, politics is a situation where interests collide so badly that they must not be in the same room. Even in smaller parties that have potential to win their locality like APGA, there were shootings in Anambra that someone had to run for his life. We know that in PDP primaries in some places there were shootings and scattering of ballot boxes. Any ruling party, because the interests are many, must have these problems. All parties that are strong have these issues. If you see any party where they are shaking hands and handing over flags to candidates, know that the propensity of the party winning elections is not great. It’s just an African thing so we should not even debate that.

In very developed country, we also have major parties. So you cannot run away from that fact. We cannot. It is a measure of the size of those parties, their capacity to win elections that attracts interests that are diametrically opposed into the

fold and the fold cannot contain everybody, somebody must give way.

How do you think the herdsmen attacks in the Middle Belt will affect the President’s chances?

You see, some people said funny things about what is happening in the Middle Belt. We have a situation where a section of the country is crying more than the bereaved. That is the situation, and they are doing that for political reasons. The people who trumpet anti-Buhari linking it up to Buhari that he is the one perpetrating it are not coming from the Middle Belt. They are coming from the South South and the South East. Why? Because they want to turn that narrative to their advantage. Many people in the Middle Belt are not linking it to Buhari. Why? Because they know it is an exogenous problem. So the very people who are there are not shouting anti-Buhari. You are the one shouting anti-Buhari outside the place. I saw in the Middle Belt Christians gathered and they were fasting and praying for Buhari to come back. I tweeted it.

Some people may doubt the authenticity of local government elections now but APC just swept the local government polls in Plateau State. They swept all and no protest. The President’s party!

The people who are affected there, are they trusting the President less because of that? Will he lose vote significantly because of that? The simple answer is no. There are stories of how they turned the situation into political fortunes, how it were that Christians killed Christians.

Will you go and tell the Birom people who have been having problem with Fulani that Buhari caused the problem when they know what happened in the past in Jos? When they know there was a time 2,000 of them died in 2004, when the governor had to be suspended from office for six months? You want to go and tell these people that Buhari caused these crises?

The people of the South East are complaining of not being well represented in terms of appointments. Do you think Buhari will still garner their support?

Constitutionally, most senior ministers come from the East; we have four senior ministers from the East only one is a junior minister. In the North, we have seven junior ministers. It is so bad, the narrative in this country. Their constitutional right was given to them and they made senior ministers. If not for political delineation you have Delta Ibo, but for political convenience they fall into South-South but

What do you have to say about Orji Kalu, Babachir Lawal, Akpabio and Maina that have issues of corruption but are in APC? First of all, INEC will not even register you as a party if there is a clause in your constitution that certain Nigerians cannot join your party. One critical clause for INEC to register a party is the clause that this party is open to Nigerians of all creed, all colour, all belief. If you block some people out, INEC will deregister you.

That is what we call section 33. So, even if you take those people into the party, they cannot go to pulpit of the party and preach its gospel. Who is the leader of the party? The leader of the party remains Muhammadu Buhari, so they cannot control him, he controls them. When a sinner is coming to church, he is coming on the umbrella of the priest. This is the situation of all those joining the party. In honesty, nobody can stop them. Let them be coming but don’t let them be leaders of the party. Buhari is the national leader of the party. That is what we are selling to Nigerians which the leaders of the other party lack. Then for those who have corruption cases but join APC, we have members of PDP since 2015 that have been refunding money and are under investigation. Most importantly, the issue of Maina, when they testified about him in the National Assembly, there was no correspondence to the President by the Head of Service, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, minister and all that. But less than 24 hours when it came out, the President said, ‘Get him arrested’. That is what I talked about earlier. How do you react to scandal as a President? The man fled, he was declared wanted and people for mischief are saying the President is hiding him somewhere. I am not saying that in terms of corruption we are where we should be because it was pervasive.

The vice president has branded it grand corruption, let’s tackle the grand corruption first where people just opened the treasury and took out money. There is serious effort to end this humongous stealing. No government recovered money like this government since 1960.

People have rubbished the government about the money but the money has to be taken back to the federation account and it will go into budgeting before use, and that is what is being used for the social intervention programmes that captured 12 million people, conditional cash transfer to traders and school feeding programme. Instead of sharing it among the big boys, let the poor people eat the money instead. So the grand corruption, they have addressed it. It takes time, cultural reorientation to stop all of that. And you cannot in your true conscience say we have not moved from where we were in 2015. It may be painfully slow but there is some movement. There is a deliberate effort. There is a focal point.

Sunday 28 October 2018

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Off Duty With

Bolatito Adebola Mobile: 08053859391, email - iambolatito@gmail.com twitter - @iambolatito

Dangote joins bosom friend, Otedola, in Monaco

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heir cordiality and closeness has never been a subject of discussion and they keep on cushioning the relationship even outside business. The two never want to be far from each other for any reason because of the seeming Siamese bond between them.

It may no longer be news now that the The Forte Oil, Zenon and Geregu Power Plc. boss, Femi Otedola has been vacationing abroad for over a month now. The Lagos state-born Femi Otedola and his bosom friend, Kano state-born billionaire industrialist and Africa’s Forbes-rated richest man, Aliko Dangote were recently spotted in the ancient rich city of Monaco, France having the best of time and perhaps discussing more business opportunities that are beckoning. That was few days ago, but before one could say Jack Robinson, Dangote was back in Nigeria at his desk in office

doing what he knows how to do best. He apparently went to share in the good times his pal was having abroad vacationing, which his friend, Otedola also reciprocates when he also goes holidaying. But be that

as it may, another feather was recently added to Dangote’s already full cap, as he was named World’s 6th Most Charitable Person

by Richtopia, a digital periodical that covers business, economics, and financial

news, based in the United Kingdom. Aside Dangote, Tony Elumelu, chairman of United Bank for Africa was also included on the list as the 11th and these two were the only Nigerians on the list.

Ex-banker and his new find love

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ust like the earth is a beautiful bride that needs no manmade jewel to heighten its loveliness; so also it is paradoxical with human beings.

For some time now, many have been wondering about his new impressive come-back verve in the political firmament, especially in the ruling party of the state, APC. The former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is no doubt showing from his demeanour that old wine gets better in an old bottle. The re-emergence of the grandson of the famous and renowned Penkelemes of Ibadan family, Adebayo Adelabu in the volatile politics of Oyo state has taken a refreshingly different and unique dimension.

Presently, events unfolding in the state have indicated that

BAF, as he is fondly, is gradually taking the driver’s seat in the political train of the state.

The indices of his fast-growing relevance cannot be ignored for obvious reasons.

Since the out-come of the APC governorship

congress of Oyo State favored him overwhelmingly, having emerged the flag bearer of the party, BAF has been the recurring decimal in the state and even beyond. Adelabu has since been savouring the victory, and he has been in appreciative mood, moving from one end to the other and simultaneously formally accentuating and consolidating his 2019 ambition, consulting APC stakeholders in Abuja and back home in his state. His philanthropic and charitable gestures have also resumed new dimensions, with lots of goodies and projects for his constituents and Oyo state citizens in general. He sure has the ace to carry the day, when the game gets going and political watchers are giving him the go-ahead. Bayo Adelabu is stealthily answering this question in the affirmative, and will surely prove bookmakers wrong come February 2019, when the real game will be played and won.

Seyi Tinubu gaining more grounds, marks birthday

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orget that he is the son of National chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former two-term governor of Lagos state, and the many super contacts at his disposal, this young but very enterprising guy, Seyi Tinubu, has not allowed all these edges to get into his head by just idling away and lazily, depending on and squandering away the stupendous wealth of his father, unlike most of his fellow silver spoon kids.

Seyi, aside his very demanding work schedule, still finds time to hibernate with the less-privileged at the earliest

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opportunity his tedious job allows. Someone once saw him doling out wads of Naira notes to some have-nots while driving off at a location not too far from his Loatsad Promomedia outfit. That is the hall mark of a chap who met money at home and he is still adding more to it, without any encumbrance. The lawyer-trained Seyi Tinubu is fast becoming an enigma in the industry he has found himself, with all vigour, astuteness, industriousness and aggressive business acumen. Recently, he added a year, but chose to celebrate it in a low profile and gave out sundry cash and kind items

to some selected needy and poor people who did not even know where their largesse was coming from or Seyi’s identity. That is the hallmark

of a guy who would not allow his bourgeois background to make him look down on his fellow human beings who are not as lucky as him.

Ayodele Ogunsan, generosity personified

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any successful people in their endeavours always have one story or the other to tell about their thorny road to success, but highly entrepreneurial Ayodele Ogunsan will never shy away from the humble beginnings he had before fate smiled on him to become a thriving auto engineer. This is why he does not forget at any available opportunity to give back to the society that made him, always doling out to the needy and helping the indigent from the much God has endeared him with. Here is a man who cannot afford to see a fellow human in pain or want. He is ever ready to go the extra mile by way of helping them, and this generosity and philanthropic gestures cut across all boards nay ethnic, religious, age or gender boundaries.

Ogunsan has over the years come to register his name in the firmament of the Nigerian enterprise world, having risen from grass to grace and is now standing shoulder to shoulder with

industry giants. The auto dealer and higher education consultant, Ayodele is the Chairman, Executive Group, a conglomerate comprising Executive Motors Limited, Executive Voyage and Logistics, Executive Trainers and Executive Education Consulting Limited and related business ventures with a special focus in automobiles sales and services particularly on Peugeot brand. Dr. Ogunsan, a very decent and stylish man, has shown through his diverse business exposures in Nigeria and abroad, that success and achievements are the result of hard work, resilience, focus, drive and commitment, without cutting corners.

Amaka Amatokwu adds a year

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t’s still celebration time for enterprising and homely Amaka Amatokwu, a virtuous woman of valour driven with innovative ideas and creative concepts and an Amazon in business in Africa and the Diaspora. The CEO at The Pyne Project & Awards, with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry, added a year few days back and characteristic of her she threw a sparse birthday party for self, where family, friends and staff came to jubilate with her on her day. This woman has been so relevant in the industry that she operates and she doesn’t hang any hair around herself for this, without even any crave for publicity. It was indeed a modest birthday celebration that almost gone unnoticed by the prying eyes of the ever scooping eyes of media. Amaka is the

President and Founder of the Women in Hospitality Nigeria Initiative, a movement started to create uniformity and build an official presence in the Nigerian hospitality industry with an association of women in Nigeria and abroad.

Her platform aims to provide encouragement to women in the hospitality industry with the promotion of gender diversity and leadership in hospitality and tourism. She is known to have a wealth of hospitality experience and it was her birthday no doubt, but effervescent and industrious Amaka would not allow such a day to whittle down her zeal and dint of hard work and continuity in innovativeness and work resilience, thus the mild celebration. To Amaka, birthdays are worth celebrating, but must not be allowed to come in the way of work.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

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Politics

2019: Benue bishop joins guber race, vows to eradicate poverty BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

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he General Overseer, House of Joy Ministry, Bishop Sam Zuga, has joined Benue governorship race on the platform of the Nigeria People’s Congress (NPC), promising to eradicate poverty and ensure peace that will guarantee security of lives and property.

Speaking with journalists weekend at The House of Joy Ministry, Sam Zuga City in Gboko, the Bishop spoke on how he intends to run his administration differently.

Asked why he believed in himself to be the best candidate among other aspirants, Zuga had this to say: “I did not have an intention to contest for governorship seat in Benue State. A group of people came on this altar some weeks ago telling me that I should join their political party. They looked at what is happening in Benue State and they discovered that if I am elected as governor of the state, things would be better.

“Then, I gave them my conditions: The first condition was that I would ask the will of God; let the will of God be done. And other conditions I had given them. After all, the decision was taken in their favour. So they organised primaries, I went there and they adopted me as their consensus candidate.

“That’s why I am in the race. I did not just jump into the race; I was invited into the race. But I accepted the invitation because I know inside me I have leadership qualities; I know inside me that leadership is all about representing the interest of the people, I know inside me that leadership is all about providing solutions to problems; I know inside me that leadership is all about seeing ahead more than the people who are following you.

If you are seeing ahead, knowing what will happen in the next ten years, and then you start preparing the people towards that direction, that is leadership.”

According to him, “All these things I have been doing over the years. Leadership is what I am born for, I am living for, and I am going to die for. So going into the race of becoming the Benue state governor is just like adding maggi into the soup. I have been a caterer, I put everything into the soup, remaining just Maggi. That is why I believe I can be the best person for the job”.

Asked how he would be able to fulfil his promises, considering the fact that he asked people to apply for loan as empowerment, but nothing was done about it.

Zuga responded thus: “We are in a society where people dwell so

Sam Zuga

much on rumours. That is why the present government has tagged it fake news.

“The problem of African society is mindset. If the generality of Africa will become something better tomorrow, it’s not bag of money but change in mindset.

“We have set our minds on negativities, we have set our minds on complaints, we have set our minds on ‘it will not work’ and we believe in today. People don’t want to follow due process”.

He explained that contrary to people’s complaints, a lot was being done. He said that even a day before his interaction with the press, a seminar was held to that effect.

He disclosed that his plan was not to give bags of money to people but to change their approach on issues.

According to him, “what an African man needs is financial intelligence because many people collect loans from their villages which they don’t repay and sometimes they don’t achieve what they collect it for.

So he will find out what people want to do with money so that he will do it for them, so that at the end of the day, they will return the capital to the empowerment foundation and keep their profit.

“If you want to change the product, you must change the process.

My own process is not about giving people bag of money. If I give you money today, I will become your enemy tomorrow because you

cannot pay. So the idea is to invest in people, give them the necessary skills and teach people how to use money.

“We cannot give people money to go and spend on burial, buy ice fish and pay bride price.

“I have made myself available as a propeller. If you want to work, I will help you to work. But if you are looking for money to go and squander, I will show you the way out”.

Fielding questions on why he had been quiet about the killings in Sankera, he said the crisis was too deep that one could not just rush into it. It was the fight between underworld giants which started long ago and is only manifesting now.

“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

He wondered where the youths got money to buy guns because

Before I will leave office after four years, I will leave every Benue indigene with a lot of money to spend by making them financially independent

according to him, AK47 could not be bound with four hundred thousand naira (400,000). Unless it was provided for them by the rich politicians.

He lamented that instead of giving the youths skills like ICT and doing things for them that would put food on the table for their children and wives, the politicians decided to arm them with weapons.

“So, if you jump into Sankera now in the name of trying to quell the crisis, where will you start?

“The most important thing is to go and get the same authority that people got but used it wrongly, and then use it correctly to stop the crisis,” Zuga said.

On how he intends to eradicate poverty, the candidate said he would enrich individuals through skills acquisition programmes, provide social amenities in the villages to ensure urban to rural migration in order to prevent brain drain.

“It is wrong that all resources are in the hands of the government while the government does not have enough representatives to reach people.

“If I am elected, I will start my work from the village before I will come to the state capital. Before I will leave office after four years, I will leave every Benue indigene with a lot of money to spend by making them financially independent. I will train and equip every individual with what they know how to do best,” he said.

On insecurity, whether the Federal Government has done enough to quell the crisis, particularly herders/farmers crisis, Sam Zuga said he had nothing to blame the Federal Government about. They had done what they were supposed to do.

He said Benue was an independent state with a governor who is supposed to have the capacity to secure his state with little external help.

“Although the Benue State government has done their best, the best they have done is not enough to end the crisis”.

He said if he is elected as governor, he will adopt peace measure by ensuring peace across state borders.

“The cheapest way of handling insecurity is looking for peace. The cost of war and the consequence of war are higher than the cost of looking for peace.

“So every avenue that will help to bring peace, I will look for it,” he pledged.

Asked whether the Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law should not have been made, Bishop said: “I am not going there to condemn what has happened before; I am going there to bring solutions to existing prob-

lems that are on ground.

“The law has been there and has come to stay. If I say it should not have been there, that is not part of the job. Part of the job is to ensure that the law that has been there is kept and obeyed.

“But if the law is there but killings continue, the law was coming with the hope that killings would stop. But rather, the killings have increased. So, better solutions have to be provided.

“Zoning is not a constitutional matter. However, conventionally, people respect zoning a lot. Coming from Sankera where Suswam has just left office, do you think you will be favoured?”

Again, the Bishop repeated his slogan, “If you want to change the product, change the process. You cannot be doing the same thing and expect a different result. In Benue State, we have been doing zoning over the years and the result is not palatable.

“Now that we have finished zoning without good result, do we continue until there is no Benue State?

“If someone performs well, he should be allowed to extend his service after four years. I have something to offer, so Benue people should just change the process”.

As whether the Christian Community in Benue State has unanimously endorsed an NKST pastor as candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for governorship, to represent their interest, Zuga said he could not remember when that kind of a thing took place. He said that Benue State was not for Christians alone and so whoever that will go there will be for the interest of all Benue people, irrespective of religion.

“Pastors live on offering. People take care of them particularly the NKST where I come from, the church pays their school fees, clothes them, provides food for them and their wives.

“How can you be living in that way and be able to take care of people? In my own case, I started solving problems right from when I was a teenager.

“At age 24, I built a secondary school in my village, Abako, which has produced many PhD holders today.

“I also mounted a grinding machine that grinds free of charge, the cassava Chips which I donate to people in my area.”

Bishop Zuga advised Benue people to eschew money politics.

He said they should not mortgage their future by collecting money to vote politicians whom they believe cannot deliver on their mandate.

“I am presenting myself for selfless service, not to give money,” he said.

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Politics Fayemi in the saddle: Forgetting the past, reaching for the future

stressed that his second coming was not for vengeance, but to bring the culture of prudence and financial propriety to bear in the governance of the state.

He alleged that the past government took N170 billion loan for projects, which would not stop his administration from delivering dividends of democracy to the citizens.

The governor promised that under his administration Ekiti would not degenerate into the level of allowing school children to pay taxes in their quests to receive formal education, promising to reinstate the N5,000 social security for the elderly and make tremendous positive impacts in the areas of agriculture, social investment

and economy.

“In the last four years, Ekiti was governed by a rudderless, inept and egregiously corrupt government, which was led by those who deceived our people through the instrument of stomach infrastructure,” Analysts have however, faulted the Governor’s decision to probe the previous administration, stressing that it may just be another effort in futility, considering the outcome of previous probes in several states across the country, urging him to focus on repaying Ekiti indigenes who voted for him with good governance and policies that would transform the state.

An activist and National President of Voters Awareness initiatives, Wale Ogunade, advised the governor to diversify the revenue-generating resources of the state and concentrate on the provision of infrastructures in the rural areas rather than wasting time on probe which may not yield any fruit.

“The governor has only four years to rule the state, if the people are saying he did not do well in his first tenure this is the time for him to redeem his image. I would advise him to focus on rebuilding, rearranging and growing the state. The system has been battered, the down trodden have been taken for a ride by the previous government; her should provide roads, tap into the resources and agricultural potentials of the state, pay salaries.

“Ekiti state is rich in mines, rocks and being a former Minister of this Ministry, let him tap these resources, the wastage of resources should stop,” Ogunade said.

But a chieftain of the PDP, Sunday Ekanem, said that he would not be surprised if Fayemi decided to probe Fayose’s administration since the same scenario happened during the former administration, but advised the governor against such move, urging him to settle down for work since he has only four years to go.

“I am not surprised with his move; considering that Fayose also did same thing to him, he was even banned from occupying public office in the state. If I were him, I would let the past be and focus on the task ahead. Don’t also forget that the result of the election that brought him to office is still being challenged in court. Let create jobs, and provide environment for business to grow in the state”.

as Buhari lost the presidential election in 2011. These dogs and baboons are waiting in the wings to unleash mayhem in equal measure or even beyond the experience of 2011.

A lot has dreadfully changed between 2011 and now. Many youths are now more deprived than they were then; they are now more ethnic-conscious than then; the country is now more divided than it was eight years ago. The texture of politicking has changed. Hatred level has now been elevated to statecraft and hate speech has almost become a national anthem. The jobless youths are being prepared to go full blown into thuggery. The

vibrations are already being felt across the length and breadth of the country.

A large number of the elite group in Nigeria do not vote. Their children do not vote. On Election Day, they sit back in their cozyparlours in front of giant-sized television screen to watch what goes on. They are bothered about the election to the extent that their candidates win by hook or crook. And usually, they know the outcome of the election before the voting begins. In the event there’s a change in their calculation and plan, they unleash their “dogs and baboons” to move into action. 2019 may not be different.

L

INIOBONG IWOK

ast Tuesday, Governor Kayode Fayemi, assumed the mantle of leadership of Ekiti State for the second time.

Fayemi had previously ruled the state between 2010 and 2014, under the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

A native of Isan in Oye Local Government Area of the state, Fayemi was until now the Minister of Mines and Steel in the incumbent Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Upon his venture into politics, Fayemi had worked as a former Director of centre for Democracy, Development, a research and training institution dedicated to the study and promotion of democratic development, peace-building and human security in Africa.

Prior to the establishment of the Centre, he worked as a lecturer, journalist with The Guardian and City Tempo, researcher and Strategy Development adviser in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

In 2014, Fayemi then an incumbent governor of the state was defeated by the immediate past governor, Ayodele Fayose, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Fayemi had disputed the result of the gubernatorial election, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with security agents to rig the election in Fayose’s favour.

However, he re-reclaimed his crown after winning the July 14th, 2018, gubernatorial election. He had emerged as the candidate of his party in a controversial primary, which was contested for by major political gladiators in the APC in the state such as; Segun Oni, Babafemi Ojudu, Senator Arise, Bimbo Daramola, Bamidele Faparusi, Yinka Akerele, among others.

The Ekiti APC gubernatorial primary was held twice, after the first exercise was disrupted by political touts who had alleged that the chairman of the electoral committee and Nasarawa State Governor, Almakura Tanko, was working to favour an aspirant, while the primary was subsequently postponed indefinitely.

In the gubernatorial election, Fayemi defeated several aspirants, including Kolapo Olushola, of the PDP, who was the

Fayemi

anointed candidate of Fayose to replace him. Olushola was then the Deputy Governor the state.

This was amidst protest by the PDP and some election observers’ who alleged that the election was marred by irregularities, intimidation of voters and vote-buying.

However, as Fayemi assumed office, political observers have urged him to focus on the task ahead of rebuilding Ekiti state, while initiating policies that would positively impact the lives of the downtrodden.

They also tasked him on job creation.

In his speech at the inauguration programme, Fayemi had vowed to probe the administration of his predecessor Ayodele Fayose, although he had earlier

2019 and the menace of hoodlums

T

ZEBULON AGOMUO

he insecurity situation of the country is worsening by the day on account of job losses and escalating youth unemployment.

It is purely a reflection of bad economy; many people seem to agree.

Bandits are all over the place dispensing miseries. Blood-letting has become a pastime in the country. It seems now that bandits are in possession of bigger guns than what is available to security agents.

With the level of anger being shown by many individual politicians over perceived ill-treatment by their party leader-

ship, and threat to deal with those they perceive are behind their political woes, they may resort to hiring of hoodlums, who they may also arm with dangerous guns to do their bidding.

When in 2011 Buhari said that the “dog and baboon” would soak in their own blood, he was not referring to animals in the real sense of the word. He was referring to lesser mortals with the capacity to do street fights without qualms. He was talking about animals in human skin who have no “brain” of their own but manipulated and teleguided.

These “dogs and baboons”are the youth that went on a killing spree as soon

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Sunday 28 October 2018

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Politics Supreme Court aftermath:

Amaechi, Abe camps in deep negotiations to hand Abe APC ticket?

A

IGNATIUS CHUKWU

s the implications of the October 22, 2018 Supreme Court verdict against the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State settles, negotiations are said to have opened to bring the two factions (Magnus Abe leads the other) back to a ticket.

Fears are rife in the national APC caucus that Rivers may join in the growing list of states where the APC may not field governorship candidates due to the wrangling from the primaries.

The fears are said to arise from the strong words used by the Supreme Court in handing the judgment against the Amaechi faction and the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt who granted a stay of execution to the Amaechi faction over the victory won by Abe faction at a the High Court.

The Chief Justice of the Federation is said to have headed the five-man panel that sat on the appeal.

The panel said the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt engaged in “a sacrilegious exercise of discretion” by ignoring the doctrine of stare decisis in its June 21, 2018 judgment, given in favour of the APC, despite the party’s decision to conduct its congresses in Rivers State in breach of subsisting orders of the High Court of the state. The apex court said it was wrong to allow a party that disobeyed a court order to turn round and benefit from the act of disobedience.

How national APC views the verdict Sources said the national leadership of the APC seems to read the ugly handwriting on the wall by interpreting the language of the apex court especially as the Chief Justice of the Federation was part of the panel that showed huge anger at the APC and the Port Harcourt Appeal Court division. The anger shown against disobedience to a court order and the berating of the Appeal Court for entering favourable judgment to those who disobeyed the high court seemed to resonate with the widespread impression that Amaechi’s administration shut down the courts for one year. The national leadership of the APC is said to interpret this to mean that the highest level of the Judiciary was sore with Amaechi’s style and this could deny the APC an opportunity to field a governorship candidate in Rivers State should the party hold on to Tonye Cole to a point when the submission deadline would elapse.

It was gathered that the national APC feels that the Amaechi faction may still lose the main appeal and the party would lose its chance. The option to them is to appeal for reconciliation of both factions so that Abe could be supported to fly the flag and face Governor Nyesom Wike.

This view is said to find credence in the fact that some national henchmen of the party have been fighting against Amaechi over the months in the effort to make him less influential in the presidency. Such opponents are said to impress on President Muhammadu Buhari that Amaechi has many political injuries with many ‘enemies’ in both the senate and the judiciary, pointing to episodes during his screening as minister and screening of the topmost leadership of the apex court. The recent acrimony between Amaechi and other leaders of the

Walter Onnoghen

party during the election of the party chairman that brought Adams Oshiomhole was also mentioned as another contributor to bad blood against Amaechi. Some are said to want to get even at him. Besides, some South-South leaders of the party are said to be wary of the growing influence of Amaechi and may want to cut him to size.

The national leadership is said to say that since Abe conducted what looked like unchallenged primaries (direct) and INEC and some security agencies have started backing the exercise, that the result should be used to send in Abe’s name. Some even said INEC gave Abe nomination forms too.

Wike

in the election.

Not decided The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu, on Wednesday, said no decision had been taken on Rivers State. “The Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers APC governorship primaries has been subjected to different interpretations. As at today, the party has not yet taken a position on the ruling. We have a legal department and they will look into it and do what is right on it. The party will come out clearly on its position after studying the judgment.”

Negotiations Unconfirmed accounts of the negotiations indicated that a meeting has already been held but that it broke up because both Amaechi and Abe rejected the terms put forward by middlemen. It was gathered that the national team is offering Amaechi to bring a deputy governor and majority of the national lawmakers but Abe to take governor and majority of the state lawmakers. Hot tempers and threats were said to have greeted the proposition, but the peacemakers think that is not too bad.

They are optimistic that tempers would cool down enough for both parties to realise that half of something is better than full of nothing. Inside sources said some persons in both camps are adjusting to the possibility of losing their positions to allow for trade-offs if that would bring peace.

There are indications that the next negotiation meeting would be final, either to make or mar. If it goes well before the Wednesday deadline, an announcement may come that Abe is the flag bearer. If it does not go well, a shocking decamping of big weights may be the consequence.

Buhari’s order Buhari is said to have given the national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, up till next week Wednesday to sort out all lingering gubernatorial crisis in the party. This is said to mean that Oshiomhole and the NWC do not have all the time to wait out the game in court. They think all matters should be negotiated now and done with.

On the other hand, Amaechi followers say there is no particular pressure of time because the electoral time allows change if ordered by the court. This would mean that if Cole is cleared even late, INEC would accept his name. Many however think this would be a slim gamble going by the doggedness with which Governor Wike and all Amaechi detractors want to fight him in the courts to ensure that his candidate (Cole) does not get ahead. This is seen as easier than facing Amaechi, Cole and FG

Abe’s aces Apart from the primaries looking to favour him, Abe’s smoothness, intelligence, large following in Rivers state and wide contacts seem to play in his favour. Some say a contest between him and Wike may be less acrimonious. Others say his stay in the senate, Nigeria’s most influential centre of politics, may have ingratiated him into the national political hallway. He was said to have used this much during Amaechi’s battle for clearance in the senate and during the crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly to get the House of Reps to take over the House, an action that bought some reprieve for Amaechi.

Other sources traced a remote connection between Abe’s larger family and the first family and most of the heavyweights that push against Amaechi. It appears that every heavyweight that does not want

Amaechi is now heading to Abe’s corner. Some of them are said to have evidence of Abe’s loyalty over the years especially when during the political crisis of 2012-2015 when there were huge offers for anyone close ally that was ready to betray Amaechi. They seem to think that Abe deserved Amaechi’s support at a time like this. Amaechi has consistently demanded for a riverine governor to balance the rotation. Many also see a lot of reason in this.

Amaechi, elections and courts Some are said to be beginning to view Amaechi with destiny in courts for his political successes or failure. He is on record to be the first man in Nigeria to win an election he did not contest, just because the apex court found the PDP guilty of wrongful substitution. It is not clear if things are still smooth between Amaechi and the judiciary but many judicial officials hold it against him for closure of courts and often make statements suggesting anger. Top lawyers around Nigeria insinuate that a person who closed the courts should not be given benefits in the courts. This may be mere sentiments but some persons around Amaechi are said to be feeling the heat. As it is, some top persons Amaechi may think are still with him are said to be peeping into the Abe bag.

Top lawyers hint that Amaechi may not have shown enough sensitivity to the feelings and body language of the judiciary. Since the Supreme Court made him governor without contesting an election, all due to due process matter, the top lawyers say they expected him too to know that any time the courts give an order, it should be respected, even if it is being challenged at appeal level. Of course, lawyers close to Amaechi have demolished every leg of argument put forward against the minister. They said everything Amaechi and the main APC faction did was defensible in law.

Abe reaction and the hints therein Abe hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court which nullified the congresses of the party held on the 19, 20 and 21.

He said: “I am sure that you have all heard of the historic decision of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which affirmed the position of the High Court of Rivers State that the action of the party excluding members of this

Amaechi

party from the process and depriving them of the constitutional right was wrong; and to do so in the face of a clear order of a court of competent jurisdiction is nothing but senselessness.

“And so for anybody to continue to parade themselves either as a candidate of the APC arising from a process that has clearly been voided by the court is nothing but political rascality of the highest order”.

“And I think it is time for right thinking members and leaders of this party to put this whole thing to an end and put the party in a frame to begin our hard-work towards the realization of our dream of taking over Rivers State”.

According to him, “Luckily the party conducted proper primaries here in Rivers State in the form of the direct primaries. And I believe that the proper thing to do is to do the right thing since the other primary was done in clear violation of an existing order of a Court of Competent Jurisdiction”.

Facts of the Supreme Court verdict A panel of five justices of the court held, in a judgment, that the APC acted in “condemnable, egregious and preposterous” manner by proceeding to conduct its ward, local government and state congresses of May 19, 20 and 21, 2018, respectively, in Rivers State, in disregard of a pending court order restraining it from so acting.

The panel said the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt engaged in “a sacrilegious exercise of discretion” by ignoring the doctrine of stare decisis in its June 21, 2018 judgment, given in favour of the APC, despite the party’s decision to conduct its congresses in Rivers State in breach of subsisting orders of the High Court of the state.

The judgment was on an appeal by 23 APC members, including Ibrahim Umar, David Ndah, Prince Morris, Kudem Bale, and Otokim Jack, who were aggrieved by the outcome of APC’s congresses.

Justice Centus Nweze, who read the lead judgment, upheld the appeal and set aside the June 21, 2018 order of the Court of Appeal, with which it stayed the execution of the May 11 and May 30 orders made by the High Court of Rivers State stopping the conduct of the congresses.

Justice Nweze, after reviewing the handling of the case by the Port Harcourt division of the Appeal Court, said: “Regrettably, the lower court

Abe

condoned the condemnatious, egregious and preposterous approach of the respondent herein (APC).”

He said the Supreme Court will not support such unruly conduct as exhibited by the APC in Rivers State.

Justice Nweze added: “Well, this court (Supreme Court) has a duty to resist this attempt to achieve forensic victory through jiggery-pokery. True to its constitutional mandate, this court cannot lend its weight to this unhealthy approach.

“Therefore, I have a duty to allow this appeal. Accordingly, I hereby enter an order setting aside the ruling of the lower court delivered on June 21, 2018.”

Justice Nweze upheld the contention by the appellants that the Appeal Court ought not to have granted the order of stay of execution in favour of APC while the party was still in disobedience of the order of the High Court.

He noted that on May 11, 2018, “not minding the invasion of the court by hoodlums, an invasion that was charaterised by the destruction of items of the court, the court was still able to deliver its ruling and issued an interlocutory injunctive orders restraining the respondents from conducting its congresses…

“As if that was not enough, on May 19 and May 20, and May 21, respectively, in notwithstanding the pendency of the injunctive orders, the respondent (APC) went ahead to conduct the ward, local government and state congresses.

“This defiance has prompted the high court’s order of mandatory injunction of May 30. The restraining order cancels state congresses of May 12, 19, 20 and 21.

“Despite the subsisting orders of the court, orders of May 11 and 30, the respondent in the most impudent manner, besieged the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division for an entreaty to favour it with an order of stay of proceedings and order of stay of execution.

“The lower court sitting on both favoured the respondent, that is, the applicant before it, with an order staying the execution of the ‘order of injunction made

by the High Court of Rivers State, Port Harcourt in the ruling delivered by Nwogu J, on Friday, May 11, 2018.’

“The simple truth, therefore, is that, when the respondent applied for stay of execution before the lower court, it was in gross disobedience of the positive order of the trial court.

“From all indications, notwithstanding this unfortunate development, the lower court still found it legitimate to favour the respondent with a positive order of stay of execution. This was wrong,” Justice Nweze said.

He faulted the Appeal Court’s failure to abide by the doctrine of “stares decisis” and refusal to subject itself to the Supreme Court’s decision in the case – the Military Governor of Lagos State Vs Ojukwu. He said the Appeal Court, by its conduct, “embarked on a journey of self-immolation and the Japanese ‘harakiri’” journey, Justice Nweze described as a sacrilegious judicial exercise of discretion.

“Indeed, nothing could be a more sacrilegious judicial exercise of discretion than the lower court’s ill-advised embarkation on this ill-fated journey of self-immolation, or what the Japanese call the harakiri, that means suicide, all in an attempt to in an attempt to circumvent the authority of this court,” he said.

Justice Nweze described the decision of the Appeal Court to disregard the established precedent of the Supreme Court as gross insubordination.

He said: “This court (the Supreme Court) is the highest court in Nigeria; its decisions are binding on every court, authority or person in Nigeria.

“By the doctrine of stares decisis, the courts below are bound to follow the decision of the Supreme Court. The doctrine is a sine qua non for certainty in the practice and the application of law.

“The refusal, therefore, by a judge of the court below to refuse to be bound by this court’s decision is gross insubordination.”

Justice Nweze described the attempt

by APC’s lawyer, Hakeem Afolabi (SAN), to distinguish the case from the Supreme

Court’s decisions in Military Governor of Lagos State vs. Ojukwu, and Odogu vs. Odogu, as superficially attractive, but feeble.

He frowned at what he described as APC’s lawyer’s “advocacy style” in the case, and said lawyers must draw a distinction between their role and status as lawyers, and their political interests.

The lawyer to the appellants, who are supporters of Senator Magnus Abe, Henry Bello, said the imperative of the Supreme Court’s judgment was “a warning to politicians to always be obedient to court orders ahead of 2019 elections”.

Alleging exclusion, Ibrahim Umar, David Ndah, Prince Morris, Kudem Bale, Otokim Jack and others had, in May 2018 sued the APC and sought to stop its congresses.

Justice Chiwendu Nwogu of the Port Harcourt Division of the High Court of Rivers State, on May 10, 2011, granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the APC from conducting the congresses.

The party went ahead to conduct the congresses on May 19, 20 and 21.

This prompted Justice Nwogu to nullify the congresses in his ruling of May 30.

Dissatisfied with the May 30 ruling of the High Court, the APC proceeded to the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, praying for an order of stay of execution of both the May 11 and May 30 orders of the High Court and an order of stay of proceedings before the said High Court.

The Court of Appeal on June 21, 2018, granted the APC’s request, a development which prompted the plaintiffs in the High Court to appeal to the Supreme Court to challenge the order of stay of execution granted by the appeal court.

Conclusion: No single authority has confirmed awareness of any negotiations going on between both camps. Inquiries sent to people that should know drew blank.

The publicity secretary of the APC, Chris Finebone, said it was not possible. He said; “Assuming without conceding that such move is contemplated, what will be the basis? Will it be based on indirect and direct primaries? Does the APC constitution recognise such? Will it be a political party run based commonsense of its constitution? The possible answers all point to impracticability’.

Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the media consultant to Flag Amachree, the party chairman that was stopped by the court, said in a text message: “I must confess that I am not in the picture of such a dialogue. Though I doubt such a dialogue between Amaechi and Abe because of any Supreme Court judgment as we are not under any pressure to warrant that but if I get any hint contrary to this, I will revert accordingly. But I know Abe very well. He has gone very far with Wike on this project that to bring him back may be highly impossible”.

Parry Saroh Benson, the media officer to Abe, said “No comment”.

If Abe gets the candidature, the equation in the state would change drastically.

It is not clear if Wike will still be smiling should his opponent shifts from Cole to Abe. Whether negotiations are going on or not, however, the national body which is under mandate to sort out all such matters before middle of next week (end of the month) would force some actions in the Rivers APC scenario, good or bad.

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Politics Not the elite but Nigerian voters that will determine Buhari’s fate in 2019 – RBM Goodluck Obi, activist and social commentator is the national coordinator of Re–Elect Buhari Movement (RBM). In this interview, he speaks on issues surrounding Executive Order 6 and other issues bordering on national interest, including the coming general election which he said President Muhammadu Buhari will win straight and square. Excerpts: Recently, former president Olusegun Obasanjo said that Nigeria’s next President must have a good knowledge of Economics. Is that not an indictment on President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies? t is a very bad thing if we try to arrogate to ourselves the position of a student and teacher. Obasanjo has no moral capacity to advise the country, Nigeria, because he once had the opportunity to rule the country for eight years. Having said that, I am not aware Obasanjo has any record of performance in the area of economy for him to advise the country that whoever must head us must be superlative in economy.

Remember his recent visit to Indonesia where he raised the issue of the present government not signing a treaty and telling the gathering that a President who will sign it is coming. That was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. What Obasanjo must understand is that the country has moved on from where he left it. We are not in that desperate era of 1999 when he wanted the Military to leave at all cost, and in that desperation we brought in a man who had little or nothing to offer. Also, his endorsement of his former vice is very funny because as at 3rd of August this year, the same Obasanjo had said Atiku Abubakar is not a worthy successor. Don’t also forget that the same man declared the seat of the Vice President vacant. Atiku had to go to court to reclaim his seat. So, Obasanjo should not be telling Nigerians issues about the economy or leadership. It is funny when he talks about some magical ideas about what the economy should look like. Don’t forget this administration inherited an economy that was at its lowest ebb and has tried to revive the economy. We have a President who has the best of economic experts around him, and so far so good, he has been able to stabilise the economy. So, people should not sit in the comfort of their room in Ota and begin to tell a country of about 200 million Nigerians how to rule their country.

assessment being national leader of the APC and being an influential leader in the country. Having said that, I have always said those who will determine the fate of the current President are the Nigerian electorate, not the elite. I can assure you that most elite may not even find their PVCs. They think they are still in the era where elitist advice would tinker the way the people will vote. The people have become wiser, and in 2019, Nigerians will determine their next President, not any other person.

I

Don’t you think the former President’s position is informed by current statistics about poverty and unemployment rate?

Job creation is not always the job of government. Nowhere on earth that government creates jobs. No government can claim to have created jobs. What government does is creation of an enabling environment for jobs to be created mostly by the private sector. I do not think the Federal Government and even the states have the capacity to employ unemployed youths.

When you also look at government policy on creation of jobs, it has been tailored towards the ‘YouWin programme’ of the last administration. Also, look at the social intervention programme of this administration, N-Power. What government does

Goodluck Obi

is to create the enabling environment for investors to come in. In most cases, when the environment is conducive, the artisans will do better in their businesses and by so doing expand their businesses. It is when business grows that you will talk about employment. Remember, we still have a crisis with the labour over the issue of minimum wage. It is part of the issues we are dealing with. In an environment where the economy runs itself, you don’t need to engage people on job creation; jobs will be created by the private sector.

Government cannot put everybody into the civil service. It is not possible. It’s not done anywhere. If you go to other parts of the world, jobs are already waiting for you before you leave the university. I saw it in Holland. Government’s job is to create an enabling environment, so it is not about this government. Unemployment has been one of the issues our country has been facing since 1999. Why has government policies on this issue not worked? It has not worked because there is no sincerity of purpose, and I’m happy this President has come to change the narrative. It is under the Buhari administration that we have seen that agriculture is thriving. There is a massive boom in that sector. That is why Brazil is bringing $1.1billion into the agricultural sector. The ambassador said they are also setting up a tractor Assembly plant in Bauchi State. This is a part of the gains being recorded by this administration.

Former Vice President Atiku’s business

profile is being touted as an advantage in economic management; is this not a plus for him?

We are all aware that former vice president Atiku Abubakar is a retired customs officer and became Obasanjo’s vice president from 1999 to 2007. A good business man should be able to bring his area of specialisation to bear on the government. Let us look at what the Customs generated under the administration he headed the economic team and the Buhari administration. Recall that the late president Umaru Musa Yar’adua had to cancel some of the ugly economic policies of that administration which fell under Atiku. Nobody should deceive the people that Atiku is a wizard when it comes to business. These are smokescreen. Is it Atiku’s American University that the poor cannot afford? We should not allow a man who has no idea of how a country should be run to lead us. We are not going to be deceived by the PDP who say we should dwell on issues without wanting us to talk about corruption. In all Atiku’s campaign, you will never find an area where you will hear him to talk about corruption. Nigerians will not be fooled by those talking about a better economic manager. We should not allow anybody to take us back to where we are coming from.

APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, has admitted not less than twice that President Buhari and APC have lost some goodwill, is this not a minus ahead of 2019?

Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu may be right in his

What is your take on the controversy surrounding the Executive Order 6?

There has been a lot of talk about the Presidential Executive Order 6 now known as EO6. That was not the first Executive Order signed into law by the President. If you look at the Nigerian democracy, it is patterned along the American democracy.

One thing I have discovered is that whenever the government takes steps to deal with the menace of corruption, you always have those who have something to hide raising their voices to high heavens, but I want to assure those without skeleton in their cupboard that the government will not do anything outside the law. The judgment given by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja has made it very easy for every Nigerian to go about his normal business. No provision of Order 6 will be brought to bear without the court. These are just administrative policies of government to strengthen the anti-corruption drive, so those who are talking about the violation of section 43 of the constitution have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide, and I think we should commend this administration, because every President since 1999 has always whittled down the anti-corruption war when we approach an election era, but here is a President who says he will continue to push against corruption even until the last day of the ballot.

How do you juxtapose your position with that of senior lawyers who say the Order devalues the constitution?

Whatsoever any opinion any lawyer may have given on the issue of EO6, I think those opinions cannot be superior to the position of the Federal High Court. Don’t forget that those lawyers are also entitled to their opinions. It will be very wrong if we think that government policies will be received with joy at all times. That is why we have diverse opinions on issues like this, and I want to commend those lawyers that went to court to test the legality of the EO6 for taking that bold step, and also to appreciate her lordship for the verdict. I do not want to dwell much because I understand that they have gone to the court of Appeal. I will rather stand by the President on EO6 than dwell on the opinion of senior lawyers

Sunday 28 October 2018

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Politics ‘Why Northerners will vote against Buhari in 2019’ Sebastian Uremadu is a professor and a political analyst at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.

In this interview with UDOKA AGWU in Umuahia, Uremadu spoke on major issues currently trending in the nation’s political clime. He spoke extensively on why Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF) and Arewa Youth Consultative Forum ( AYCF) and Northern Elders are not in support of President Buhari’s 2019 presidential bid and other national issues. Excerpts: As a political analyst, what is your take on ACF/AYCF position on President Buhari’s 2019 2nd term ambition? ell, the single most important reason why the President of AYCF and Secretary General of ACF, Shettima Yerima, Anthony Sani and their likes would not like Buhari to win in 2019 is not that he is not performing but because he would use only four years to complete his second term to make it eight years, but they do not like that. They want eight more years. Secondly, he has promised to hand over to the Igbos in 2023, if he wins in 2019.

You know that the eight years plus six years of Obasanjo and Jonathan’s rule did not augur well with some northern leaders.

Some of them who only lived on government then could not bear it. It was like 100 years to them; hence they would want the north to be in power by Atiku taking over from Buhari. That is the issue.

Again, Yerima is among the northern people who would never want the Igbo become anything good in Nigeria, they and the likes of Ango Abdullahi, Kwankwaso would be rejoicing when the Igbo are perpetually marginalised and they shall be clapping their hands, shouting ‘Ranka dede’ to one another.

Whenever the Igbo are marginalised everybody is happy, but they should know that they are not God, who created the Igbo and Nigeria.

Igbo are a major ethnic nationality in Nigeria, which formed the three tripod stands on which the Nigerian nation leans. Any disruption of it as it has been since the end of civil war shall never go well for the nation Peace, unity and prosperity shall only

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Uremadu

come when the north and, in fact, all Nigerians realise that it has to revert to what it used to be right from 1914 and in the days of Zik, Saduana and Awolowo, when the Southeast as a political bride joined with the north to form governments and then it would be alright. That is to say, any deviation from that natural course of things shall never go well for the Nigerian nation.

Sometime ago, an important person from the Middle Belt like Shettima Yerima, a doctorate degree holder in a chat, told me that he has sworn over the grave of his grandfathers that an Hausa-Fulani man shall never rule Nigeria again because, the Fulani herdsmen have killed his sister in Southern Zaria; that it would be the turn of the middle belt to rule, that Igbos should support them to win in 2019, and they would build infra-

structure for the Igbos of Southeast.

I told him to shut up his mouth. In PDP primaries, did any of the middle belt man win? Even Bukola Saraki managed to get third position; and people like David Mark and Jerry Gana were nowhere near position of importance! Did Atiku Abubarkar not emerge as PDP flag bearer? The middle belt people are minorities in the north just like the people of South-South to the South-East and West of Nigeria. When you make a minor a major as Nigeria is trying to make the Igbos minor through state creation, things will not go well!

President Muhammadu Buhari shall win 2019 elections because he has good intentions for Nigeria notwithstanding Yerima’s hatred for Buhari’s bid to return back to power or for an Igbo becoming President in 2023. It is our turn and we shall produce the President in the next four years after Buhari.

The northern youths just like the Middle belt people are not to tell Nigerians who should rule and who should not; it has to be the decision of the three major tribes of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo plus the minorities of the north, South-east and South-west.

This was how Shettima Yerima, last year, out of youthful exuberance, gave quit notice to the Igbos as if they own Nigeria. He and his likes have continued to fan embers of hatred against the Igbos thereby escalating IPOB agitations. It is unfortunate that he displayed his pathological hatred for the Igbos.

Some of the yardsticks of measuring the Buhari administration are the high level of hunger and poverty in the land. Do you truly think that such a leader deserves a second term?

I don’t think there is hunger in the land but

if there is hunger, I think it is more due to our reluctance to slough off the old habit of consumption without production. I am sharing the Secretary General of ACF, Anthony Sani’s view here, because we have been used to easy life on oil wealth that is not a result of hard work. Buhari’s government is working hard to create an enabling environment for able-bodied Nigerians to work and fend for themselves through diversification of the economy which is not a day’s job but by conscientiously directing efforts to make what we desire possible.

What is your take on Atiku’s emergence as PDP flag bearer and choice of former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, as his running mate?

It is in order and it shall never pose a threat to the APC. The choice has come because both men are businessmen, they only know about how to make money either through fair or foul means. Had Atiku chosen a technocrat like Okonjo Iweala, it would have served him three purposes. One, she is a woman, two, she is a technocrat and three, she has dual link to Abia and Delta States. However, Peter Obi is a former governor and he performed in Anambra State as a governor. I would have regretted if he has chosen opportunists like Soludo and Ekweremadu as Vice President.

Generally, he has reasoned well by choosing his running mate from the South-east, since it would be the turn of the Igbos to produce President of Nigeria after the north.

But their pair would not pose a problem to APC because President Buhari is performing in the three areas he has chosen, which include diversification of the economy into agriculture and industry and intensified fight against corruption.

Is Nigerian Senate a retirement home for ex-governors?

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

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merican theologian and author, James Freeman Clarke, once said: “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation”.

As the 2019 general election gather steam, one issue that has been of serious concern to political watchers is the recycling of political leaders in the country.

As it stands, a trend that has become synonymous is that the upper legislative chamber - the Senate - has become the retirement home of outgoing and ex-governors.

Already, 25 governors and deputy governors have picked the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial tickets to contest the National Assembly elections billed for February 16, 2019.

For instance, in the Eighth Senate, there are over 15 ex-governors and former deputy governors, even as political commentators say the number is likely to increase in the Ninth Senate. They hinged their argument on the fact that while none of those currently occupying the positions are willing to give up their hold on the seats, outgoing governors and ex-governors are already warming up to contest the senatorial seats.

In the current Senate, senators who once served as governors include Senate President Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Godswill

Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Theodore Orji (Abia), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), who is currently serving a 14-year jail term for corruptly enriching himself while holding the office of governor.

Others are Jonah Jang (Plateau), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), and George Akume (Benue).

By the same token, former deputy governors who are in the Senate are Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti) and Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia).

Also, serving governors whose names have been sent to the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as senatorial candidates for the 2019 general election include: Rochas Okorocha (APC-Imo), Ibrahim Geidam (APC-Yobe), Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar (APC-Zamfara), Ibrahim Shettima (APC-Borno), Ibikunle Amosun (APC-Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (APC-Oyo), Tanko Al-Makura (APC-Nasarawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (PDP-Kwara).

On why governors keep turning the National Assembly into a retirement home, a political scientist, Dickson Ilori, posited that “as long as they see it as a place to make unquestionable amount of money as allowances, they would continue to go there”.

He said the revelation by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts in March this year that each senator

receives N13.5 million monthly as ‘running cost’ would continue to attract governors to the legislative body.

On his part, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), described the development as unhealthy.

Sagay lamented the trend where governors use their influence to push for their emergence in their respective political parties.

“I think it’s an unhealthy development and most objective people have not been happy about it. What it really means is the love of power. You are in one centre of power, but when the law terminates that with tenure, you quickly move to another big centre,” he said.

According to him, “Usually, they get nominated because they use their clouts as governors to push out any other deserving person.

It is undesirable and you find out that quite a number of them, not all, are usually under investigation before they completed their tenure as governors.

“I think they should give a breather to allow the investigation to complete because once they get to Senate, they tend to be obstructing most of those things using their powers and colleagues to block what is going on”.

Yinka Odumakin, spokesperson of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, said governors turn the Senate to retirement homes for their selfish interests.

“I don’t think our Senate should be a retirement home for governors. After running a state for eight years, many of them are tired,” he said.

“Many of them are going there to do deals, seek for cover and negotiate. We should have vibrant people in the Senate; we should bring on those who are ready to make sound input and not those who are on the verge of political retirement,” he further said.

Also, the Executive Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), Olanrewaju Suraju, said the senatorial ambition of serving and former governors is a major threat to democracy and good governance, adding that they are using it to remain politically relevant in the country.

His words: “The trend of many of these former governors heading to the legislature is that they are not used to accountable governance. Go and check their antecedents in their states; they never allowed their state houses of assembly to check their books. What you are having ultimately is the same set of people who will be running a continuation of that level of one-man show.

“The Senate, and by extension the National Assembly, has the chances of being converted to the enterprises of some of the senators who see themselves as power brokers and influencers in the system. This will ultimately create a major source of the rift between the legislature and the executive.

“The other challenge is that quite a number of them don’t even understand the business of lawmaking. They are using the Senate as a retirement ground where they still remain relevant in the political scheme and using it for negotiations.”

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Politics

APGA: One last chance to right the wrongs, CHUKS OLUIGBO

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ith the emergence, Tuesday, of Ike C. Ibe, a former acting speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, as the consensus governorship candidate of the New All Progressives Grand Alliance (N-APGA), APGA now has a fresh window to correct the mistakes it made during the recent primary elections and reposition itself to take over the state in the 2019 general elections.

Ibe was elected during a meeting which had in attendance 12 of the aggrieved governorship aspirants in the party who have been operating under a new platform known as N-APGA. The aggrieved aspirants also reached a consensus that the national leadership of APGA, if it wants to right its wrongs, should promptly forward Ibe’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the duly elected governorship candidate of the party for next year’s elections.

Sam Amadi, a former chairman of National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and one of the governorship aspirants, told journalists in Owerri, the Imo State capital, that APGA’s National Working Committee (NWC) now has a chance to submit Ibe’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its governorship candidate in the state or the aggrieved aspirants would explore the next available option.

“At the meeting, we elected Ike Ibe as the consensus governorship candidate of APGA in Imo State. Twelve governorship aspirants were in attendance. If the party fails to forward his name to INEC, we will explore the option B,” Amadi said.

Ziggy Azike, one of the aspirants, said following the expiration of the October 7 deadline given by INEC for all political parties to conclude their primary elections, the aspirants had told APGA national leadership to send a dummy name to INEC as the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State pending when a candidate emerged.

“Now that we have elected Ibe as a candidate through a consensus arrangement, we expect the NWC to substitute it with his name. We have always said that only internal democracy, justice and fairness will move APGA forward,” Azike said.

Before the governorship primaries, many pundits had said time and again that God had positioned APGA to take the lead and play a central role in the redemption of Imo State in 2019.

Some analysts had also seen the

We are learning from this experience. We have the human infrastructure to sack Governor Rochas Okorocha and his acolytes from the Government House, Owerri.

Ike C. Ibe

influx of many credible governorship aspirants into the party as a positive sign, warning, however, of an impending implosion if the primary election process was not well managed.

“It is a fact that APGA in Imo State still retains enormous support from the Imo populace. It is the party that took Rochas Okorocha to Government House in 2011. APGA nearly made Martin Agbaso governor if not that powerful forces who had denied the party of victory in the past also frustrated his victory. That tells the strength of APGA in Imo,” John Osuji, a political analyst, had said in article.

“With its victory in Anambra State governorship election last year, Imo State could be its next victory point if it harnesses the level of its followership. Because of its electoral appeal, it has become a new destination point for all manner of politicians who want to ride on the popularity of the party to become Imo State governor. It made the mistake in 2011 and it will be catastrophic if it happens again,” Osuji had warned.

He had, therefore, advised the party to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff in order to save the party from implosion.

In the end, the national leadership of APGA had failed to live up to expectation as the party’s purported primary election in Imo State, as elsewhere, ended up as a

charade.

The APGA governorship primaries in Imo State, originally scheduled to hold October 5, dragged on for several days without making headway. On the night of October 7, Ifeanyi Araraume, a two-time senator and a recent entrant into the party, was announced as the party’s governorship flag-bearer.

Jerry Chukwueke

Eberechukwu Ejikeme, the returning officer who announced the result, said Araraume polled 583 votes to defeat his co-contestants Okey Ezeh (61 votes), Frank Nneji (48 votes), Daniel Kanu (90 votes), Ike C. Ibe (15 votes), Ikedi Ohakim (27 votes), Humphrey Anumudu (13 votes), Stanley Amuchie (14 votes), Uche Onyeagocha (43 votes), Stephen

Nwoga (27 votes), Sam Amadi (11 votes), Nick Opara-Ndudu (14 votes), and Ziggy Azike (14 votes).

The announcement of Araraume as the winner of the party’s governorship primaries angered the other aspirants, who categorically rejected both the candidate and the entire process, accusing the APGA leadership of committing “theft and betrayal of historic proportion”. The aspirants, who began

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reclaim Imo in 2019 a series of protests, also passed a vote of no confidence on the Victor Oye-led National Working Committee of the party, recommended the sack of Peter Ezeobi, the state chairman of APGA, and formed a pressure group within the party, known as N-APGA. “We have resolved and expressed lack of confidence on APGA executive.

We have resolved and expressed lack of confidence on Willie Obiano who is the national leader of the party and NWC. We have resolved that the state party chairman must go and the national chairman must go,” said Amadi, who spoke on behalf of the other aspirants during one of the protests.

“As a result of this ugly development, we hereby establish a new platform, now to be known as n-APGA. And all the monies that they have collected from us must be refunded or they will be handed over to the EFCC,” Amadi said.

In a telephone conversation with BDSUNDAY on Wednesday, Ike C. Ibe, N-APGA’s consensus candidate, pointed out what was wrong with the primary election that purportedly threw up Araraume as the party’s governorship candidate.

“There were no congresses in Imo State APGA, there were no processes of electing delegates, there were no delegates elected in accordance with the party constitution and guidelines.

And so, since these preliminary prerequisites were not taken, any outcome of the process, even though we think there was no process, any outcome of a purported process was manifestly wrong and unconstitutional,” Ibe said.

“We are in court on that aspect, and the governorship aspirants are united in that, and also representing the legislative aspirants and many of the ad hoc delegates, many of the people who bought forms to aspire for ad hoc delegates, we represent all of them as well as ourselves. That matter is standing at the Federal High Court in Owerri,” he said.

Ibe said in filing the lawsuit against the party, the group followed the party’s constitutional requirements, which include issuing a pre-action notice. And so, he said, the party is aware that the aggrieved aspirants are in court.

The APGA leadership, Ibe said, had also claimed it had not submitted the name of any candidate to INEC and the group now wants the party leadership to make a public announcement to that effect as well as recognise him as the rightful governorship candidate.

“The party also told us that even if we say we don’t support what they have done, do we even have a consensus candidate to present to the party?

The party thought that we as aspirants cannot come together to get a consensus candidate from among ourselves.

We have proven them wrong by coming together and my colleagues elected me as their consensus candidate. And we have now told the party, ‘Well, this is the consensus candidate you were asking for. Submit the name of the consensus candidate’. If they don’t, well, that means they are not acting in good faith which they claim they are.

But if the party does not accept our consensus candidate, then there are

Ifeanyi Araraume

several options open to us and we will be prepared to exercise our options,” he said.

Asked what possible options the aggrieved aspirants would take, he simply said, “When we get to the bridge, we will cross it.

We don’t want to speak for now; we will wait for the party to do the needful. If they don’t do the needful, well, every human being has options.”

Before Ibe’s emergence as the consensus candidate, some of the aggrieved aspirants had left APGA and moved on. Ikedi Ohakim, a former governor of the state, has gone on to pick the governorship ticket of Accord Party. Okey Ezeh, CEO of Savvycorp Limited and one of the strong pillars of the party, is rumoured to have moved

to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Uche Onyeagocha, a former member of the House of Representatives, is reported to have pledged support for Emeka Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. Even at the meeting on Tuesday where Ibe was elected as the consensus candidate, some of the aspirants abstained from voting.

All of the above point to a crack in the N-APGA APGA house, but Ibe said it would not affect APGA’s chances in next year’s governorship election if the party leadership does the right thing. He said the majority of APGA members in Imo State are angry at what

There were no congresses in Imo State APGA, there were no processes of electing delegates, there were no delegates elected in accordance with the party constitution and guidelines

the party did are still waiting in the wings for the party to do the right thing, which it now has an opportunity to do by recognising the consensus candidate duly elected by the aspirants.

“I know for sure that if the party does the needful, the entire Imo APGA will rejoice. We have been in this party for many years, building the party, then all of a sudden, somebody who does not know anybody in the party, who nobody in the party knows, was purportedly given the ticket. So the party members are angry. If the party does the right thing, there will be peace in the state, the party members will rally around us and we will win,” Ibe said.

“APGA is the party to beat in Imo State, so long as the right thing is done. But if the right thing is not done, APGA people also have the potential of finding greener pastures elsewhere. N-APGA is a major pressure group in the party.

For now we are all staying in the party looking forward to the party doing the right thing and that has extended across Imo to Abia, to Anambra, to Enugu, and even to Lagos. There are so many people who are aggrieved about what the party did and they have shown support in what we started here and it is spreading like wildfire.

So, it is in the best interest of the national leadership of the party to do the right thing to appease

all the aggrieved members of the party across the state, otherwise the party will collapse,” he said.

The national leadership of the APGA seems to have also realised its mistakes. The party leadership recently set up a reconciliation committee headed

by Jerry Chukwueke, the party’s vice presidential candidate, with the objective of reconciling and bringing all aggrieved members of the party on one page.

Chukwueke, while addressing journalists in Owerri on Tuesday, acknowledged that the party actually made some mistakes during the party primaries in Imo State.

“It is very clear that a few mistakes were actually made during the party primaries in Imo State.

Delegates’ list was compiled and sent to the state, but what is not clear is why the list did not surface when it was supposed to, and even up to the point of accreditation,” Chukwueke said.

“We are learning from this experience. We have the human infrastructure to sack Governor Rochas Okorocha and his acolytes from the Government House, Owerri. We will do all it takes, with reason, to win the general elections. We appeal to all our aggrieved patriots to engage with us in this national assignment,” he said.

But speaking on Tuesday on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants who elected Ibe as the party’s consensus candidate, Amadi said the group had resolved not to meet with the reconciliation team headed by Chukwueke. The group, he said, had also resolved not to meet with Araraume, the purported governorship candidate of APGA, arguing that “there was no primary in Imo APGA which produced him or anybody as its governorship candidate”.

Pundits, however, say APGA leadership, if it intends to make an impact in the 2019 elections in Imo State, must seize this opportunity to reconcile its aggrieved members. They say the party’s prospects remain bright if the right thing is done.

“In spite of the mistakes of the past few weeks, I believe APGA’s chances in Imo State are still high.

The people still believe in APGA more than they believe in APC or PDP. APGA is still the desired alternative platform, but the national leadership of the party has to work hard to win back the people’s trust which it shattered during the primaries,” said an analyst on condition of anonymity.

“The party has done well to set up a reconciliation committee. It must now do everything possible to ensure a true reconciliation and bring everybody on board.

If that means retracing its steps, reversing its previous decision and recognising Ike C. Ibe as its governorship candidate in the state, so be it,” he said.

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SundayBusiness FG pumps $461m to transform ‘world’s 3rd worst airport’ in PH IGNATIUS CHUKWU & DAVID EJIOHUO

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he Federal Government says it pumped $461million into the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, which in 2017 was rated the world’s third worst airport.

President Muhammadu Buhari in Port Harcourt Thursday, October 25, 2018, said the Federal Government’s removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) from domestic air travels would reduce air fares, enable speedy movement of more people and spur business activities that would stimulate the economy.

The Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in his remarks, said the Federal Government injected $461million into the airport projects to enable construction. The project was started by the past administration but lingered so long that it was part of the points of anger in the oil region during the 2015 presidential elec tion which the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, a son of the Niger Delta, lost.

Now, the pumping of funds and the rescue effort is said to have altered the poor rating by Sleep in Airports in 2017.

Speaking at the commissioning of the new terminal of Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa, President Buhari said the decision by the Federal Government to remove VAT from domestic air transportation was in line with global best practices of making air transportation affordable, which will subsequently lead to the creation of more jobs by the air transport service value chain.

He said the removal of VAT will also increase revenue for the government with more traffic at the airports.

The President noted that the increase in national population with consequent surge in air passenger traffic necessitated upgrading and construction of new airports across the country.

“I am very pleased to formally commission the new International Terminal of the Port Harcourt airport, Omagwa, today. This ceremony represents a significant landmark for international air travellers, particularly from the SouthSouth region and the entire country.

“You will recall that after opening the

Buhari and Wike at the event

major airport terminals in the country in the late 70s and early 80s, not much was added to increase the passenger handling capacity of these facilities by successive administrations.

“Following the large increase in national population with consequent surge in air passenger traffic, the capacity of the airport terminals became woefully inadequate to cater for the increase in passenger traffic,” he added.

The President said decisive actions had to be taken by the Federal Government to ensure that terminals meet minimum international standards for the travelling public.

“The Federal Government responded to a global trend in which aviation became a catalyst for economic growth as a result of massive and speedy movement of persons, goods and services in a safe and secure manner.

“As part of the infrastructure renewal program, the construction of four new international terminals at Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano airports was embarked upon by the Federal Government with a view to modernising the aging airport infrastructure to meet

BATN to launch ‘Support Package’ for new parents

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n a move aimed at deepening worklife balance for its employees, British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to launch a comprehensive support package known as Parents@BAT for new parents.

This new initiative introduces a range of new global parental benefits, including a minimum of 16 weeks fully-paid maternity leave for new mothers and adoptive parents, flexible working options and online parental coaching support.

The benefits launch across BAT’s entire global footprint will help new parents at BAT to balance their home and work lives during the demanding and exciting first year of parenthood.

This is a transformative step for many of the 180 countries in which the Group operates, offering significantly better terms than existing requirements in countries, including the USA, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Nigeria, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt and Pakistan.

Speaking on the scheme, CEO at British American Tobacco, Nicandro Durante, said: “This new range of parental benefits

reflects our commitment to building and maintaining a diverse business and supporting all of our employees at every stage of life. We want to ensure no one at BAT has to choose between their career and their family and that’s why this will be available to colleagues all over the world.

We are looking forward to seeing these changes benefit our current and future workforce.”

“The arrival of a new child is, of course, a very special time for the whole family so we’re committed to helping parents spend valuable time with their new arrival. If our people are happy, then we are happy,” he further said.

Group HR Director at British American Tobacco, Giovanni Giordano remarked: “We want to do everything we can to support new parents in the run-up to maternity leave; during the challenging first year of parenthood, and on their return to work.

“The parental benefits we are announcing today will help to do just that.

I am proud that we are able to offer this on a truly global scale.

global aviation standards and improved service delivery in tandem with best international practices,’’ he said.

President Buhari said at the presentation of the 2017 Budget to the National Assembly he promised to upgrade and develop Nigeria’s transport, power and health infrastructure, and complete a number of stalled infrastructure projects, which includes major airports, roads and power projects, and the completion of the Kaduna–Abuja as well as Itakpe to Warri Railway lines.

The President said Nigeria, having an advantageous central location within the sub-region with a desire to develop into a regional air transportation hub, must upgrade its facilities to take advantage of its assets.

In his remarks, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike said the state was safe for visitors and investments, commending the Federal Government for its intervention in ensuring a better airport for the people, which will attract more investments.

Wike also said the state government will revamp the road leading to the international terminal for ease of access for the public.

Dell expands UltraSharp monitor family with innovation in mind

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s a new generation floods the job market, there is increasing focus on delivering superior experiences to both employees and customers.

Enabling the workforce with better technology, including the right monitors, is a way to heighten employees’ experience, which in turn impacts customer experience.

The proliferation of data gives rise to the demand for better visualisation tools. Research shows that there is growing demand for larger screen size, better support for multitasking, higher resolution monitors and a clutter-free work area to enhance the visualisation of data. As demographics change and millennials become professionals, visually appealing monitors that help in productivity will be key to attracting and retaining the best talents.

Dell, the world’s No. 1 monitor brand, is meeting the demands of the future workforce with its new range of Dell UltraSharp monitors. Featuring innovative design and technology to drive productivity with ultimate screen performance and an outstanding user experience, the new monitors are designed to cater to users in financial services and insurance, trading floor, financial analysis and accounting, media post production, programming, and engineering.

“As the world’s favourite monitor brand, Dell continues its legacy of leading innovation with multiple firsts in the industry. Once again, we have pushed the boundaries of display technology to deliver the world’s first 49-inch curved dual QHD monitor.

This new monitor offers an immersive panoramic experience without compromising design or functionality,” said Kirk Schell, senior vice president, Dell Displays & Engineering.

“This revolutionary 49-inch curved monitor is focused on enhancing the performance and productivity of deskcentric users such as financial traders, bankers, creatives and engineers. With the new UltraSharp family, we remain committed to providing the best to meet the visualisation needs of our commercial customers,” said Schell.

GroFin wins in SGBs category at the 2018 ‘Finance for the Future Awards’ ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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roFin, a pioneering private development financial institution specialising in financing and supporting small and growing businesses (SGBs) across Africa and the Middle East, has been announced as one of the winners of the Finance for the Future Awards in the Building Sustainable Financial Products category.

Finance for the Future Awards is run

by ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and A4S (The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project) along with their partner Deloitte.

The prestigious awards saw nominees in the different categories, such as HSBC (UK), Coca Cola, Standard Bank Group, amongst others.

According to the organisers, Finance for the Future Awards is held every year and has six categories, namely, Embed-

ding an integrated approach, Innovative project, Communicating integrated thinking, Investing and financing, Building sustainable financial products and Driving change through education, training and academia.

In the Building Sustainable Financial Products category, the nominees competing with GroFin were Abundance Investment (UK), Environmental Finance (UK), QBE (Australia) and Yes Bank (India).

The award ceremony took place in London and GroFin was represented by its CFO, William Morkel, who collected the award on behalf of the company.

“I would like to dedicate this award to our employees, as well as our clients and investors. It is testimony to the collective effort we undertake here at GroFin to bring about positive social and financial impact in the lives of the people we serve,” said Guido Boysen, GroFin CEO.

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SundayBusiness NAFDAC, fake foods and drugs with human parts!

Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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or the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to succeed in its determined battle against the importation and sales of fake, adulterated, unwholesome and hazardous foods and drugs, it has to step up its public enlightenment process. It should also go into more partnerships with concerned stakeholders.

This has become imperative, given recent reports of the huge worth of fake, counterfeit, sub-standard and expired food and drugs apprehended and subsequently destroyed by the Agency. While in February, 2012 such counterfeit materials worth N279 million were destroyed in Awka, Anambra state, it never deterred others with evil mindset from their nefarious activities.

For instance, in March 2016, it was reported that N1 billion worth of

fake food and drugs were destroyed at the Sagamu Local Government dumpsite, in Ogun State. Also, in May 2017, N105 million worth of similar goods were destroyed in Nasarawa and Benue states.

And in July 2018, some N650 million worth of substandard, falsely labelled medicines, unwholesome food products and cosmetics were set on fire by NAFDAC after seizure in Kaduna state. About a month later, the NAFDAC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Abubakar Jimoh explained that among the items seized in Ogbeogonogo Market, Delta state were various brands of unregistered insecticides worth N250, 000 adding that they were seized from hawkers.

Also in August this year, the Abia State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Olisa Okeke reported the arrest of one Samuel Chukwu for allegedly faking a food seasoning product owned by another importer. He said that the original product was imported from South Africa by a Nigerian, who had been the sole distributor until the fakers went to China to produce the adulterated version!

As if all these saddening truelife crimes are not enough, the Ports Inspection Directorate and all ports and borders in the country have been put on the alert. What for, you may ask? It has become necessary following reports of possible circulation of medicines/ drugs from China contaminated with human remains from fetuses, infants’ flesh and viruses! They are reportedly brought into the country as small packages.

Much as we are gladdened that the NAFDAC’s Registration and Regulatory Affairs Directorate was also on the lookout and the

Director General has contacted her counterpart in South Korea for additional information there is serious cause for worry. This is just as pharmacists, under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) alerted the Federal Government of possible circulation of such medicines/drugs in Nigeria.

Even as one cannot but agree with NAFDAC’s Director General, Dr. Moji Christianah Adeyeye that: “Drug counterfeiting is an act of economic sabotage and also terrorism against public health,’’ and as we also commend President Muhammadu Buhari for reinstating NAFDAC personnel to our ports of entry and borders much more has to be done than promised.

To begin with, let us look at the root causes of the acts of importing of fake food and drugs, or adulterating standard ones and selling them. Truth be told, there is pervasive poverty in the land; with Nigeria becoming the capital of mindless misery from the global perspective. There is joblessness, ignorance and lack of access to quality food and drugs. With a deplorable Human Development Index, HDI the citizens are wont to look for any means to make ends meet.

One would therefore, admonish our policy makers and those who implement them to make a paradigm shift. The ordinary citizen would be more interested in knowing about avenues to get cheap, quality food, primary healthcare delivery that is both qualitative and affordable than reeling out figures about how much billions of Naira or Dollar

Heineken Nigeria Campaign winners embark on sensational adventure across Europe

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molara Bamgboye, Gregory Ayodeji, Aregbesola Abdulkareem, George Osadolor, Afolashade Adu, Oladoyin Falodun, and Arinze Ifejirika, winners of Heineken Nigeria Campaign embarked on an all expense paid adventure to Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona on Friday 12th October, 2018.

The world’s leading international premium beer brand, Heineken rewarded the seven lucky consumers to end the Heineken 192 Countries Campaign.

While on the trip, the winners explored the birthplace of Heineken, Amsterdam, visiting iconic locations, including enjoying VIP passes to the ‘Heineken Experience’; a historic brewery which was designed for consumers to connect with beer-making and the history of Heineken.

One of the winners, Omolara Bamgboye said, “I am delighted to be on this trip because it is everything I had hoped for and more. Heineken has an amazing way of rewarding consumers and this European experience is a dream come

has been seized from whatever fortune-seeking politician. At the end, their lives are not positively touched by the humongous sums so recovered. There are adequate laws to serve as deterrence but it goes far beyond that.

So, one’s humble suggestions would include the need for the federal government to employ more people into the Immigration and Customs Services, identify and block all manner of porous borders and adequately fund NAFDAC to carry out its onerous duties to the nation.

On its part NAFDAC has to set a template for more pragmatic partnership with the media-print, electronic and online. And as one has severally suggested, its messages should be in as many local languages as possible for effective dissemination sown to the grassroots.

Unlike in some foreign countries Nigeria cannot boast of adequate Non- Governmental Organizations, NGOs focused primarily on health enlightenment. We need them.

NAFDAC’s synergy with the NYSC using the youth corps members, local government administrations and the traditional institution is a welcome idea but they have to be re-jigged and sustained.

The citizens-including manufacturers, importers, retailers and eventually the consumers have to be enlightened on the implications of their actions. The public should note that NAFDAC has created a process for detecting a fake product, and alerting them so they can act. It is an easy and straightforward 2- step process: Step 1

true. I am really excited and grateful to be a part of this experience”.

Obabiyi Fagade, Senior brand manager said “We are glad to give the winners a glimpse of our history as they explore the best of Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona. This trip is our way of appreciating our consumers by giving them the opportunity to explore three out of the 192 countries that Heineken is present in”.

The Heineken 192 Countries Campaign winners were

treated to various memorable experiences in Paris including exploring the Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Louvre Museum, while also visiting iconic locations in Barcelona.

Heineken is recognized for developing interactive and innovative campaigns and breaking new grounds in its approach to marketing.

These innovative strategies not only create revolutionary experiences, but also deepens connections with consumers.

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

MAN laments ‘unfriendly’ manufacturing environment in Imo, Abia SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

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L-R: Blossom Isika, service lead, mass and youth, Airtel Nigeria; Chioma Okolie, CSR lead, Airtel Nigeria; Praise Fowowe, motivational speaker, and Olubunmi Abejirin, head, mobile experience, Airtel Nigeria, during the celebration of the annual international customer service week in Lagos.

If you suspect that any product might be fake, or in fact you should make it a habit, to always check that the product is genuine. NAFDAC has a handy tool for this. All products must have a NAFDAC registration number, and so before you buy or consume any product in Nigeria, do a quick check to see that it is a genuine product. Go to this link – http://nafdacverify.com.ng/ , and then enter the registration number. If the number turns up as unrecognised, then you should move to step 2 below.

Step 2 Go to http://www.nafdac.gov.ng/ index.php/stakeholders/consumersafety/send-us-a-complaint and make a complaint using the complaint form. Ensure that you have all the relevant information to make the complaint, including the name of the product and when/ where you purchased it.

Ideally, what should happen is that NAFDAC receives and reviews the complaint, and then should contact you for a follow up and more information. After which the investigations department of NAFDAC will swing into action to identify whether the product is indeed fake, and if it is, take action to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, and also to recall the product and remove it from circulation.

How this vital information would be made available to every citizen remains a challenge. Help NAFDAC for it to protect your health.

orried by the continued harsh and unfriendly manufacturing environment faced by manufacturers in Imo and Abia States, Jones Nwabueze Anyanwu chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Imo/Abia, has urged the governments of the two states to urgently address the challenge.

“The operating environment in Imo and Abia States was rather challenging and unfriendly for the manufacturing sector.

Manufacturing in Abia State was bedeviled by poor and dilapidated road network, epileptic power supply, flouting of court injunction restraining the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Osisioma from disconnecting members, militarised/crude method of taxes and levies’ collection by tax contractors, and security agents,’’ Anyanwu said.

On the situation in Imo State, he bemoaned the condition the remaining manufacturers who are still operating along Owerri/ Onitsha road industrial layout, Irete in Owerri West Local Government Area are facing.

“Owerri-Onitsha road industrial estate in Imo State is suffering rapid road dilapidation

occasioned by massive sand excavation activities,” he further observed.

He said the economy had continued to face several other challenges as a result of macroeconomic distortions such as the problems of increased level of poverty, poor social services, poor infrastructural development and high interest rate on borrowing.

The MAN chief however, urged the governments of Imo and Abia States to urgently address the various manufacturing challenges facing the economy and manufacturers on that axis.

He further said the federal, inter-state and feeder roads in the two states were death traps and could not allow free movement of goods and human beings.

Anyanwu decried the several check points mounted by the security agents in the South East and South-South regions and the consequent tolls paid by the manufacturers to the police and army personnel at those check points. He stressed that such also had contributed to the problem of transportation of raw materials and finished products.

He described the multiple taxes and levies and the militarised method of collection as unfair because such had cost loss of lives in both states.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

SundayBusiness How beneficial is mortgage guarantee programme for low income home seekers?

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t is always amazing how quickly the euphoria and expectations that greet any new initiative in Nigeria die down just a few months after the announcement, introduction or launch of such initiative.

The mortgage industry in the country seems to be the most active in Africa in terms of products and programmes launch which includes the National Housing Fund (NHF), Nigerian 0RUWJDJH७ 5HȴQDQFH७ &RPSDQ\७ ௱105&௲௵७ 0RUWJDJH७ *XDUDQWHH७ Programme, plus smaller initiatives by the primary mortgage banks (PMBs), yet it has all been motion without movement.

The industry is fraught with problems and challenges arising from environmental to institutional and governmental lapses, actions or inactions and, one way or another, these are impacting negatively on housing supply, demand and ownership.

Experts are of the view that homeownership level has remained low at less than 5 percent in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, due more to the absence of a functional mortgage system than anything else.

The country has practically no process that supports housing development and homeownership unlike advanced societies such as UK and US where there are bodies such as the building society in England which subsidises mortgage and delivers same to home buyers either through banks or by themselves.

Mortgage sector stakeholders in Nigeria including the central government, have tinkered with many ideas, policies and programmes aimed to grow the sector and make mortgage

loans readily available to those who need them. But result is hardly seen.

A major problem with the mortgage system in Nigeria is accessibility and the second one is clarity. When a borrower approaches a mortgage bank for loan, the bank will begin to make impossible demands, asking him for things that he cannot provide which, for him, makes mortgage inaccessible.

In terms of clarity, there is no XQLȴHG७V\VWHP௷७,W७LV७REYLRXV७WKDW७ 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 about it and, if people don’t know, it means such a process does not exist. &XUUHQWO\௵७ D७ QHZ७ LQLWLDWLYH७ NQRZQ७ DV७ WKH७ 0RUWJDJH७ *XDUantee Programme has been ODXQFKHG७E\७WKH७&HQWUDO७%DQN७RI७ 1LJHULD७௱&%1௲७DQG७DSSDUHQWO\௵७LW७७ holds out hope for low income earners who ordinarily cannot take mortgage loan because it is unaffordable to them.

The programme is coming ZLWK७VRPH७EHQHȴWV७DV७D७KRPHownership enabler. It is a kind of mortgage which is given to a borrower by a lender, where an LGHQWLȴHG७WKLUG७SDUW\७ZLOO७WDNH७UHsponsibility for the loan if the borrower defaults. The programme is structured in such a way that once the borrower defaults, the third party receives a claim from the lender, pays the lender off, and assumes responsibility for the mortgage.

As such, mortgage guarantee products incentivize lenders to accept loans with lower downpayments, thus increasing affordability. With increased af-

fordability, more people will be brought into the mortgage net, making more money available to more home seekers. ,W७LV७KDUG७WR७VHH७KRZ७EHQHȴFLDO७ this programme is to low income earners. Even if it is, the industry is yet to see a guarantor for a low income earner seeking mortgage loan and the number that wants loan facilities is unimaginable.

Besides incentivizing mortgage lenders, a quality mortgage guarantee programme is also used to provide credit loss protection to lenders in case of borrower’s default and, according WR७&%1७RɚFLDOV௵७D७UREXVW७SULPDU\७ mortgage market is a synergy of several components, all working together to effect affordability and access for intending buyers.

Mortgage guarantee products exist in various forms, and are administered by different agencies. Tokunbo Martins, director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department (OFISD) DW७ &%1௵७ H[SODLQV७ WKDW௵७ గLQ७ PRVW७ cases, the national government of the host country is the driver of any successful mortgage guarantee programme, which they administer either through a government agency, a private entity or a hybrid encompassing both types of entity”.

The programme may, however, have its highpoint as homeownership enabler which lies LQ७LWV७QXPHURXV७EHQHȴWV௷७,W७LV७D७ product of great value to any housing market because it is an opportunity for both the supply and the demand sides of the mortgage market. It provides potential opportunity of lower down-payment for borrowers, while opening up a larger mar-

Microsoft 4Afrika deepens Data/AI capabilities in Africa to enhance employability, entrepreneurship JEREMIAH MBATA

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igital transformation is re-imagining industries around the world.

Technology is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessity for staying in business.

Research shows that modern technologies like AI will contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, making it the biggest commercial opportunity in today’s fast-changing HFRQRP\७ ௱3Z&௲௷७ $,७ LV७ DOVR७ H[pected to create 2.3 million jobs E\७௻௹௻௹७௱*DUWQHU௲௷७ గ7KH७ DSSHWLWH७ IRU७ WKHVH७ WHFKnologies exists in Africa,” says Ryno Rijnsburger, chief technolRJ\७RɚFHU७DW७0LFURVRIW७௽$IULND௷७ గ0RUH७ DQG७ PRUH७ FRPSDQLHV७ – including several of the local partners we work with – are starting to experiment with and enact

their strategies towards this.

As AI opens new business and employment opportunities, now is a crucial time to equip Africa’s young people with the skills that will enable access to higher payLQJ७MREV௵७LQ७IDVWHU७JURZLQJ७ȴHOGVఘ௷ Microsoft, through its 4Afrika Initiative, is throwing its global weight behind developing data and AI capabilities in Africa, through a deep and prolonged investment into skills and the youth, via initiatives like internships, training, events, challenges, and strategic partnering. గ:LWK७WKH७SDFH७RI७FKDQJH७GULYen by AI, there is an increasing need for life-long learning, onthe-job training, apprenticeships and other programmes that deliver training in a more nimble manner,” adds Rijnsburger.

Earlier in the month, Microsoft participated in Data Science Ni-

JHULDఖV७$UWLȴFLDO७,QWHOOLJHQFH७௱$,௲७ bootcamp, to build the capacity of local developers in using AI WR७GULYH७ȴQDQFLDO७LQFOXVLRQ௷७7KLV७ week, the tech giant also provided sponsorship and mentorship at the International Python &RQIHUHQFH७௱3\&RQ௲௵७ZKLFK७WRRN७ place in Kenya (October 25 to 26) and the Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) Innovation Day (October 24 to 25).

In partnership with the Botswana Innovation Hub, Microsoft 4Afrika launched its 17th AppFactory (Apprenticeship Factory) in Africa. Three of these AppFactories are currently running in Nigeria and *KDQD௵७ LQ७ FROODERUDWLRQ७ ZLWK७ local partners Mobile Web *KDQD௵७ /RWXV७ %HWD७ $QDO\WLFV७ and Sidmach Technologies, which recently graduated its ȴUVW७VHW७RI७DSSUHQWLFHV௷

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com)

ket for lenders who make the decision to finance the target population for the programme.

The importance of this programme in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized in a country where typical down-payment is over 20 percent, with extremely high additional costs for regularization, titling and other homebuyer responsibilities. గ0RUWJDJH७ JXDUDQWHH७ LQ७ RXU७ market will also be used as a valuable tool to regularize and standardize the market in every area from documentation to underwriting to collateralization and mortgage dispute resolution. These are major issues we need to resolve”, Martins noted. ७గ2QH७RI७WKH७PRVW७LPSRUWDQW७ benefits of mortgage guarantee is that it has the capacity to HQFRXUDJH७WKH७LQȵX[७RI७LQYHVWRU७ funds, both local and international, into the mortgage market. A well-executed mortgage guarantee programme provides comfort to intending investors by signaling the presence of standards in the industry, that would likely reduce the risk of losing their invested funds”, he disclosed.

In addition to all these, the programme also ensures increased DFFHVV७WR७KRXVLQJ७ȴQDQFHఄ७DFFHVV७ WR७ KLJKHU७ DPRXQW७ PRUWJDJHVఄ७ better loan terms of rate, term

HWFఄ७PDUNHW७VWDQGDUGL]DWLRQ७DQG७ LQFUHDVHG७ FRQVXPHU७ OLWHUDF\ఄ७ more stable property values, and overall more stable and improved national housing sector leading to better economy.

It also ensures reduction of FUHGLW७ ULVNఄ७ H[SDQVLRQ७ WR७ QHZ७ markets/deepening of existing PDUNHWVఄ७UHGXFWLRQ७LQ७FDSLWDO७DGHTXDF\७UHTXLUHPHQWVఄ७HQKDQFHV७ DFFHVV७WR७ȴQDQFLQJ७VXFK७DV७SRUWfolio risk rating, refinancing, securitization.

With all these in place, mortgages become more affordable WR७ FLWL]HQVఄ७ PRUH७ SHRSOH७ FDQ७ meet their housing needs on WKHLU७ RZQఄ७ ७ WKHUH७ ZLOO७ EH७ ȴQDQFLDO७ V\VWHP७ VWDELOLW\ఄ७ PRUH७ MREV७ and economic security for the FLWL]HQVఄ७ ७ EHWWHU७ VRFLDO७ LQFOXVLRQ७ and contentment for the citizens, and achievement of political and economic promises.

Like any other economic plan or policy, the programme which has proposed pilot project with 1LJHULD७ 0RUWJDJH७ *XDUDQWHH७ &RPSDQ\७ ௱10*&௲७ DV७ VSHFLDO७ purpose vehicle (SPV) is not without constraints. The project consultants, while cautiously optimistic about the viability of the SURMHFW௵७KDYH७LGHQWLȴHG७PXOWLSOH७ constraints to its success and according to the OFISD director, the biggest constraint the 1978 Land Use Act.

Glo-powered African Voices features African film personalities

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KH७ *OR௶VSRQVRUHG७ &11७ African Voices will this week beam its lights on African ȴOP७SURIHVVLRQDOV७ZKR७DUH७ VKRZFDVLQJ७ WKH७ FRQWLQHQWఖV७ ȴOP७ prowess across the world.

The weekly half hour programme highlights the activities of three Nigerians, Kunle Afolayan, B.B. Sasore, Derin Adeyokunnu and an Egyptian, Bushra Rozza who have all been outstanding in WKH७ȴOP७SURGXFWLRQ७LQGXVWU\௷ 1LJHULDQ७DFWRU७DQG७ȴOPPDNHU௵७ Kunle Afolayan was born 44 years DJR७WR७WKH७IDPLO\७RI७ODWH७LFRQLF७ȴOP७ actor and producer, Adeyemi Afolayan aka Ade Love. A graduate of Economics and a banker before YHQWXULQJ७LQWR७ȴOP७PDNLQJ௵७.XQOH७ ODWHU७ DWWHQGHG७ ȴOP७ SURGXFWLRQ७ course at the New York Film Academy.

From 2005 to date, Kunle has produced a number of highly UDWHG७ȴOPV७LQ७WKH७FRXQWU\௵७LQFOXGLQJ७WKH७)LJXULQH७ZKLFK७ZRQ७ȴYH७ major awards in the African Film $FDGHP\௵७ DV७ ZHOO७ DV७ $URURPLUHఄ७ Phone Swap and October 1. At the first edition of Nollywood Week held in Paris, in May 2013,

Phone Swap also won the Public &KRLFH७ $ZDUG७ ZKLOH७ 2FWREHU७ ,௵७ the thriller he produced in 2014 dominated the show at the 2015 edition of the Africa Magic ViewHUVఖ७&KRLFH७$ZDUGV௵७KHOG७LQ७/DJRV௵७ carting away 10 Awards.

The next guests are the duo of B.B. Sasore, and Derin Adeyokunnu, the brains behind the popular comedy movie, BaQDQD७,VODQG७*KRVW௷७7KH७ȴOP७ZDV७ written and directed by Sasore while Adeyokunnu handled the SURGXFWLRQ७ H[FOXVLYHO\௷७ 7KH७ ȴOP७ EURNH७ER[७RɚFH७UHFRUG७LQ७௻௹௺ఀ௵७ grossing over 35 Million Naira in its opening week. Sasore has also gone ahead to produce a IDLWK௶EDVHG७ PRYLH७ *RG७ &DOOLQJ௵७ scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2018.

42 years old Egyptian actress and Singer, Bushra Rozza, is the next guest. From 2002 when she came into the arts through a comedy series tagged Youth Online, Rozza has gone ahead to participate in other series, including Emperor, The Aunt Nour and Dignitaries, which has raised her SURȴOH७VLJQLȴFDQWO\௷७

Sunday 28 October 2018

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BDSUNDAY 33

Consumer Watch Consumers lament influx of substandard products in Nigerian market

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NGOZI OKPALAKUNNE

he influx of substandard products in Nigeria is alarming; as a result, consumers hardly buy original products in the open market whether in the rural or urban cities.

Investigation reveals that some of these substandard products which include drugs, electronics, Information Communication Technology (ICT) products, building materials, machinery, cars and spare parts, handkerchiefs, towels, keys and padlocks, among others are imported mostly from China and other Asian countries.

According to reports, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) stated that in 2011, a large percentage (up to 85 percent) of goods in circulation in Nigeria were either substandard or counterfeit.

SON also observed that in 2014, the level went down to 40 percent (in certain industries) which still implies that out of every 10 products, four are counterfeit.

These statistics highlight the need for the government, manufacturers, MNCs and consumers to step up efforts in the fight against counterfeiting. The fact is that almost all original products have fake in Nigeria and because an average consumer cannot afford the original due to high cost, such consumer is then left with option of buying product of no value which may not stand the test of time.

A cross section of consumers who spoke with

BDSUNDAY bemoaned the situation and blamed the government agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that only standard products come into the country for the menace. Recounting her experience, a consumer, Blessing Chukwudinma said: “l went to buy disinfectant at a super market and before payment, l requested for the original, on getting home l discovered it was fake, l quickly went back to the super market to return the product and collect my money back, but they refused”.

She therefore, stressed the need for the enforcement of consumer right in Nigeria and added that if consumers in Nigerians are aware of their rights they will not be taken for guaranteed by producers of fake producers.”

Innocent Duru regretted that Nigeria has been turned into a dumping ground for fake products. For him, it is difficult sometimes to identify fake product as it often has same resemblance with the original. Duru however, appealed to consumer goods manufacturers both locally and internationally to comply with standards.

On her part, Chioma Iwuchukwu-Nweke, a former general-manager, Phillips Nigeria, affirmed that counterfeiting was designed to mislead the public and all who are involved in buying and selling the product in order to make easy money by free-riding on the reputation of others.

It is hard to pinpoint where the fake product

or packaging is originally made, where the shipment originates, and who is responsible for exporting the product. In West Africa, she said, most fake products exist in the informal trading markets rather than in the modern retailers, adding that ‘’a research on a particular product indicates that the best performing products where consumer demand is high tend to fall prey to counterfeits, including dry irons, kettles, blenders, Philips AVENT, baby bottles and certain lighting products such as TLD (tubes), starters, energy-saving lamps such as Genie lamps, halogen lamps and fluorescent tubes.

“The issue of counterfeit products has serious repercussions on consumers’ health and safety. Buyers are often looking for the best

deal and are not necessarily aware of the risks involved in purchasing a counterfeit product.’’

According to her, “Global Intellectual Property Centre (GIPC) world-wide, cross-border trade in physical counterfeits alone cost the global economy USD 250 billion a year. In Africa, counterfeit products are posing serious concerns for local economies and brands who have worked hard to build reputation and consumer confidence in their markets.’’ On the other hand, she urged the public to become more vigilant and question products that seem to be unusually cheap, appear poorly made, or have generic packaging; especially when shopping at more traditional trade stores.

On how to avoid buying counterfeit products, ex-

perts gave the following tips: Learn to spot a fake: Don’t rely on retailers or the government to protect you from counterfeit products.

The sheer quantity of these products makes this nearly impossible. The most important tip? If a deal is too good to be true, the product is probably fake Shop at reputable retailers: Counterfeit goods do make their way onto the shelves of even the largest, most established stores, but less reputable retailers are far more likely to sell counterfeit products.

Shop at authorised retailers: Many companies, particularly those that sell appliances, electronics, and luxury goods, sell only through authorised retailers.

You can find out if a retailer is authorised to sell a certain brand by calling the manu-

facturer or checking its website.

Thrift shops, fairs, and flea markets are great places to get used and handmade items, but you should be very wary of new brandname goods at these types of venues. While you can find legitimate bargains on used goods, it’s also a good idea to carefully examine any used product, such as tools or electronics that could pose a safety hazard.

Be particularly careful when buying online: Online auction sites are rife with counterfeits, and since you can’t inspect the goods first, it’s hard to tell what you’re buying. Look for sellers with lots of good feedback, and ask questions about where they got the merchandise.

Also ask for the seller’s address and phone number; if they won’t give it to you, there may be something amiss. Spam emails will almost always direct you to illegitimate sites. If you order from one of these sites, chances are you’ll get fake goods- if you get anything at all. Once again, whether you’re shopping online or at the corner store, be wary of deep discounts.

Be careful when shopping abroad: You can find counterfeit products just about anywhere, but in some developing nations and in popular worldwide tourist destinations, you can be almost certain that the goods you’re buying are counterfeit. Once again, if a deal is too good to be true, the product’s probably a fake.

Political will, joint efforts needed to reverse losses of N450bn in GDP due to malnutrition in Nigeria

…As HarvestPlus announces Nutritious Food Fair in Lagos

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fforts to address malnutrition in Nigeria require both collective and political will, a coalition of nutrition advocates led by HarvestPlus said.

At a gathering in Lagos to announce the 2018 Nutritious Food Fair, the Country Manager for HarvestPlus, Paul Ilona said urgent and coordinated efforts were needed to improve nutrition and end the 450 billion naira annual losses in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) caused by malnutrition in Nigeria.

But beyond losses in GDP, Ilona stressed that the number of deaths and irreparable damage to the growth and well being of children under five and women were alarming.

“For instance, if you take vitamin A deficiency in Nigeria, 30 percent of children under five years are

estimated to be vitamin A deficient and a deficiency in vitamin A lowers immunity, impairs vision, and may lead to blindness and even death,” he said. Globally,

about 2 billion people in the developing world do not get enough essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, Zinc, and Iron in their daily diets.

Ilona described the lack of essential vitamins and minerals as “Hidden Hunger,” adding that those who suffer from this situation were usually vulnerable to illnesses and infections.

“In severe cases, hidden

Development partners at the Unveiling of the Largest Traditional Pot at the Press Conference/ Flag Off Ceremony for the 4th Nutritious Food Fair at the guest house of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ikeja, Lagos.

hunger can leave children blind, stunted, or with reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), and increases a woman’s risk of dying during pregnancy,” he explained.

To address the challenge of malnutrition, HarvestPlus and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, in the last two decades, developed and released provitamin A cassava varieties. IITA and HarvestPlus also developed and released Provitamin A maize varieties. These varieties are being disseminated to farmers using a multipronged approach including awareness campaigns.

Francis Aminu of Dangote Foundation said Dangote Foundation would partner HarvestPlus to end malnutrition in Nigeria. “Dangote Foundation will make a presence at the NFF,” he said.

He reiterated Dangote’s commitment to invest in nutrition and to provide opportunity for every Nigerian child and woman to live healthy.

Chris Isokpunwu, head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, commended HarvestPlus for its efforts in fighting malnutrition in Nigeria.

While pledging the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve the nutrition of women and children, Isokpunwu called for joint efforts from both the private and public sectors to help fight malnutrition.

Other participants at the event included the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Technoserve, and the International Potato Center (CIP) among others.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

How much can media influence 2019 elections?

DANIEL OBI

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o an average Nigerian, the media was largely instrumental to the emergence of APC in Aso Rock in 2015. The minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has equally acknowledged this role.

In September 2015 during the launch of a book - Nigerian media leaders: Voices beyond the newsroom edited

by Richard Ikiebe, a media scholar, in Lagos, the APC spokesman Lai Mohammed emphasized the contribution of the media saying that the party was in full support of the book launch in appreciation of the role of the media in bringing about the change of government.

The media role in 2015 elections appeared as something long planned.

Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, after 16 years of military interregnum, naturally witnessed the lifting of press censorship. The new press freedom heralded the proliferation of electronic and print media, some of them established principally to propagate political views. Prominent news outfit that emerged include Daily Trust, The Su n , Th e Na t i o n , Th e Compass, Leadership and a host of others.

Within this period, other old media outfits deepened their political interest and many of the

existing media were accused of brazen partisanship which manifested in their biased reporting.

Th i s m u c h w a s a t tested to by the report of the Commonwealth Observer Group to Nigeria’s 2015 elections led

by Bakili Muluzi, former President of Malawi .

“Many advertisements were highly provocative, and made accusations about opposing candidates which were potentially defamatory. It is of concern that print and broadcast media were all too willing to publish and broadcast these lucrative adverts without censure by the regulatory authorities. Many newspapers published ‘wrap advertisements’ which looked like normal front pages, but were in fact paid-for advertising masquerading as news”, the report said.

The then opposition party APC, leveraged the party’s communication machinery and the party’s influence on the dominant South West media to mount a successful media campaign that helped sway public opinion in its favour. The party understood that what was really important was not what was said but how it was said, where and to whom. This worked.

The APC and its communication machinery understand the ‘mediatised’ society. It ‘employed’ the media (the powerful and influential South West media) to

listen to it. Some of the politicians within the party were accessible to journalists and editors and this resulted in frequent reports in favour of the APC. After three years however, opinion is now divided. Some in the media are still holding strong to the views expressed during the 2015 elections, others are dancing different tunes while some others are on the fence. This, according to experts, will make for an interesting 2019 election campaign.

A media analyst, Bolaji Okusaga, the Managing Director of Precise (Reputation Generation) firm said the Media will play two roles in the 2019 elections, as agenda setter and as a disruptor. According to him, the media

is already leading conversations on a myriad of issues, amongst which include the decamping of political players and conversations around challengers to the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari. In setting agenda, the media is raising the political temperature by exciting the voting public and leading conversations on a post 2019 scenario.

As a disruptor, he said the media, given its nature, which takes after the various tendencies within the public space, is also partisan and though it maintains a façade of neutrality, “but it’s glaringly disrupting the political space by taking sides.

From editorials to news coverage and analysis, while some newspapers

and electronic media platforms are pitching their tent with the ruling party, others are siding with the opposition.

According to him, in this air of disruption, the public is certain to be influenced and this influence will translate into a political harvest for side that exerts the most influence.

The immediate CEO of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, Bello Kankaroffi said ethnicity, religion and money will play more roles in the 2019 election.

In his view, Akonte Ekine, the CEO of Absolute PR agency based in Lagos said emotions and actions or inactions of the government and the opposition as portrayed by the media will further

contribute to outcomes of 2019 elections. He cited the demolition of the FM radio belonging to the musician, Yinka Ayefele, by the Oyo state government, activities of Fulani herdsmen that have killed many people in the country, level of fulfilment of 2015 campaign promises, strength of the opposition as objectively or subjectively displayed in the media as factors that will determine the elections.

According to him, unlike in 2015 when there was total media bias against the Jonathan led PDP, this time APC is enjoying media friendliness.

“I don’t see much criticism of APC in the media.

Again the party does not have liver to contain criticism” and that is why it over-reacts when it faces attacks.

Other commentators believe that social media instead of traditional media will have upper hand in influencing 2019 elections as more than 100 million mobile internet users are exposing issues and taking their discussion about political landscape online.

It is believed that politicians and their supporters will employ both traditional and social media largely this time to shape narratives in their favour towards the 2019 elections. While it appears that more traditional media have soft spot for the ruling party, social media is exposing more issues.

IIDA 2018: Winners emerge, get N3m reward

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hree outstanding Nigerian children who have demonstrated courage and bravery in the face of adversity have been rewarded with N3m each at the 11th edition of the Indomie Independence Day Award (IIDA) IIDA is a corporate social responsibility initiative from the stable of Dufil Prima Foods, the maker of Indomie Instant No o d l e s . Th e a w a r d , which began in 2008, is geared towards recognising children below the age of 15 who have exhibited extraordinary acts of her-

oism in the face of danger or societal challenges.

The IIDA initiative has so far benefited 40 Nigerian children who have shown exemplary heroic character.

D u r i n g t h i s y e a r ’s award, which took in La g o s , m a s t e r s El i j a h Ephraim Umanah, Victor Olayiwola and David Nengi Ayomide Pepple won the Intellectual, Physical and Social Bravery categories of the award respectively. The award fetched them the sum of N1 million each.

In his welcome address, Dufil Prima Foods

Group Managing Director, Deepak Singhal, reiterated the company’s commitment to positively affect every Nigerian child. Deepak said: “As a company, we believe that in every child lies the seed of greatness. This is in consonance with Indomie’s core values. We believe that in the Nigerian child lies the qualities of excellence. This award mirrors the belief of our company that children with extraordinary qualities should be celebrated.

“We are not only encouraged and inspired by the stories of courage and

selflessness displayed by these children, we also take delight in the fact that we are able to celebrate and empower these children”.

The Founder of Rise Networks, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, who delivered the keynote address at the event, stated that children are key to Nigerian’s future development and growth.

Akerele-Ogunsiji emphasised the need for the empowerment of the Nigerian child, saying that “it is apparent that for any nation to develop economically, there is a need to

improve the nation’s human capital by investing heavily on her education”.

Umanah, a 13-year-old senior secondary (SS1) student of Centenary Staff College in Uyo won the Intellectual Bravery category for creating reading glasses, using torchlight, solar panel and universal serial bus (USB) ports.

Receiving the award, Umanah, who was overwhelmed by emotions, said: “I feel extremely happy and very proud for the award. I thank Dufil Prima Foods for finding me worthy for this award. This award has encouraged me

to continue on the path of invention,” he said.

Olayiwola, a 15-yearold boy from Lagos and whose story of heroism evoked compassion from the IIDA audience, was adjudged winner of the Physical Bravery category for saving his mother from a car accident, which later resulted to his left leg being amputated.

Nine-year-old Pepple from Port Harcourt won the Social Bravery category for using his art talent to seek financial assistance for his younger brother who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Sunday 28 October 2018

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EquityMarket MRS, Total, Cadbury lead as cost of sales rises to N631 bn in third quarter TELIAT SULE

TELIAT SULE The cost of sales of firms operating in the real sector of the Nigerian economy continued to rise in the third quarter of the year. Sixteen firms which were drawn at random from among the firms operating in the nation’s real sector and which are listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) saw their combined cost of sales rise by 4.5 percent to N631.31 billion in September 2018 up from N604.35 billion in comparative period in 2017.

In terms of gross earnings, the firms realised N883.19 billion as revenue which translated to an increase of 4.3 percent when compared with N846.77 billion they collectively made in September 2017, the analysis of their unaudited third quarter results shows.

The cumulative profit after tax (PAT) of the listed firms under consideration amounted to N57.16 billion in contrast to N50 billion made in comparable period in 2017, representing an increase of 14.32 percent.

When the cost of sales is expressed as a percentage of revenue, this shows much a firm expended to produce goods and services during the period. With a combined N883.19 billion revenue and cumulative cost of sales at N631.31 billion, the industry cost of sales during the period stood at 71 percent, implying that on the average, a firm expended N71 to generate N100 during the period.

This ratio is particularly of interest to investors as it shows how efficient the management of a firm is during a particularly period.

MRS Oil Nigeria topped the table of the firms with the highest cost of sales to revenue during the period. The firm expended N71.98 billion as cost of sales to generate N76.07 billion revenue during the period. This implies that 94.6 percent of what the firms generated as revenue during the period was expended to earn the money. By implication, MRS Oil spent N95 to generate N100 during the period under review. That was higher than 93 percent which was its cost of sales to revenue in similar period

in 2017.

As a result, MRS Oil made a loss after tax of N425.76 million as at September 2018 compared with a profit after tax of N809.16 million in September 2017.

Total Nigeria, another downstream player occupied the second position in that it spent 86.4 percent of its revenue to generate a naira revenue. In the period under consideration, Total Nigeria earned N226.91 billion revenue out of which it expended N195.94 billion to generate it. That was an improvement over 89.8 percent which was its cost of sales to revenue in comparable period in 2017.

The decline in Total Nigeria’s cost of sales to revenue boosted its profit

margin during the period as it rose from 2.69 percent in September 2017 to 3.38 percent as at the end of the third quarter 2018.

Cadbury Nigeria’s cost of sales to revenue rose from 77.7 percent as at September 2017 to 80.3 percent in September 2018 following a 14.34 percent increase in its cost of goods sold which trended upward to N21.65 billion in 2018 from N18.94 billion in comparable period in 2017. The company ended the third quarter in profitability when it announced N171.95 million profit after tax as against a loss after tax of N64.45 million in 2017. The return to profitability is traceable to a 10.7 percent rise in revenue from N24.37 billion in

September 2017 to N26.96 billion same period this year.

Construction giant, Julius Berger had its cost of sales rise by 19.5 percent, which was higher than 12.3 percent increase in gross revenue during the period. The firm realised N118.47 billion as gross earnings and N94.11 billion as cost of sales, resulting in cost of sales to revenue at 79.4 percent, higher than 74.7 percent in similar period in 2017.

McNichols had its cost of sales to revenue at 79.4 percent as at September 2018, a fair improvement when compared with 85.1 percent in comparable period in 2017. The decline in cost of sales to revenue boosted its profitability which witnessed 15.54 percent upward

movement to N27.86 million from N24.12 million during the reference period. Capital Hotels also had its cost of sales to revenue at 74.4 percent where others were below the industry average.

The cost of sales to revenue for the industry during the period stood at 71 percent. the firms with cost of sales to revenue lower than the industry average include Ikeja Hotels, 69.5 percent; Unilever, 68.8 percent; NASCON Allied, 67.1 percent; Caverton, 63.6 percent; Portland Paints, 63.1 percent; Nigerian Breweries, 56.2 percent; Berger Paints, 55.8 percent and Transcorp, 53.7 percent. Others are BOC Gases, 46.9 percent and Transcorp Hotels, 26.6 percent.

Diamond Bank clarifies position on capital injection as 4 directors resign

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ur attention has been drawn to recent media reports concerning new equity investment in Diamond Bank Plc. Such reports have speculated on the identity of a new investor, with permutations on the structure of the investment.

We wish to notify the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the General Public that these reports are far from the truth. Diamond Bank is not in talks with any party, global or otherwise, for any capital injection. While previous communication from the bank has

highlighted a need to shore up the Bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), the preferred option is an internal capital management programme that has been explained in detail to analysts and investors.

While we recognize the need to expand our options in the short

term, we have no concrete new development to report and will notify The Exchange once there is any.

Meanwhile, four directors of the bank resigned during the week.

They include Oluseyi Bickersteth, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Juliet Anammah and Aisha Oyebode.

“The directors are resigning for varied personal reasons, which include focusing on their priorities. Daimond Bank will update the market with any further developments in due course”, the bank said in a message to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Arts

Meet the A-list artists for Art X Lagos ...Yinka Shonibare leads the pack Stories by OBINNA EMELIKE

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nce again, the 2018 edition of ART X Lagos is set to hold from November 2-4, 2018 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Building on the success of the previous editions, the fair promises to deliver an exciting programme of talks and specially curated projects, attracting a broader audience of collectors, high net worth individuals, connoisseurs, cultural practitioners and art lovers.

However, the fair is attracting globally acclaimed visual artists whose works speak volume of creative ingenuity and depth.

Yinka Shonibare Foremost of the artists is Yinka Shonibare MBE, an award Winning British-Nigerian artist. Shonibare is the key-note speaker at this year’s edition and he will be presenting a special exhibition exploring his career highlights, and he will also give the keynote talk within the ART X Talks programme.

Shonibare is a master of technical and visual versatility, well known for his embrace of richly patterned Dutch wax textiles, which are applied to the surface of canvases and three- dimensional landscapes.

Working across painting, sculpture, photography, film and installation, Shonibare’s work examines race, class and the construction of cultural identity.

Shonibare’s works have formed part of prominent collections, including the Tate Collection, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C; Museum of Modern Art, New York – among others.

Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, Cote d’Ivoire, contemporary artist Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, also known as Aboudia is an African contemporary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He will be presenting his new series of paintings at ART X Lagos

Yinka Shonibare’s ‘Venus de’ Medici’

2018, where he will exhibit his works at the Out of Africa gallery booth.

Aboudia first drew international attention for his work chronicling the civil war that broke out in Abidjan in 2011.

He has since become known for creating multi-layered, mixedmedia paintings of Abidjan street scenes, featuring childlike figures rendered in a style that draws from the aesthetics of graffiti and traditional African carvings and captures his subjects’ innocence as well as something much darker and chaotic.

According to Aboudia, the laughter and tears of children remain his driving force, and to provide concrete assistance to them and their mothers.

Aboudia has held solo shows in New York, London and Barcelona, and his works are held in major international collections.

Zanele Muholi, South African artist and visual activist Zanele Muholi is a photographer and visual activist. She is the co-founder of Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW) and Founder Inkanyiso (www. inkayiso.org), a forum for queer and visual (activist) media.

Muholi studied Advanced Photography at the Market Photo Workshop in Newtown,

Johannesburg, and in 2009 completed an MFA: Documentary Media at Ryerson University, Toronto. She is an Honorary Professor at the University of the Arts/ Hochschule für Künste Bremen.

Muholi’s self-proclaimed mission is to re-write a black queer and trans visual history of South Africa through ongoing photographic projects. One of her ongoing series is Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail, The Dark Lionness), which confronts the politics of race and pigment in the photographic archive through self-portraiture characterized by the use of heightened contrast.

Awards and accolades received include France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2017) and the Africa’Sout! Courage and Creativity Award (2016). Zanele Muholi will be showcasing her works at the Stevenson gallery booth at ART X Lagos 2018.

Cyrus Kabiru, self-taught sculptor Cyrus Kabiru is a self-taught sculptor whose practice straddles the intersection between fine art, haute couture, performance and documentary, yielding works that articulate his experience of contemporary Africa. Cyrus Kabiru will exhibit

at the SMAC gallery booth at ART X Lagos 2018.

He is best known for his intricate found-material sculptures, which he fashions and recontextualises from discarded urban fragments and obsolete technology. The most publicly documented of these has been the series C-Stunners: wearable art in the form of striking pieces of eyewear that capture the confidence and attitude of a young generation of globally aware Kenyans.

Kabiru’s work is held in numerous collections, including the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town, South Africa; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, USA. Recent exhibitions include All Things Being Equal, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town (2017); and Making Africa – A Continent of Contemporary Design, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain (2015 – 2018).

Joy Labinjo, award-wining artist Award winning artist Joy Labinjo is one of the artists bringing her unique work to ART X Lagos 2018. She will be exhibiting her works at the Tiwani Contemporary gallery booth. Joy Labi-

njo graduated from Newcastle University with a BA in Fine Art, where she was awarded the coveted Woon Art Prize in 2017.

Labinjo’s paintings draw on her British-Nigerian heritage and explore the relationship between belonging, identity and culture. In her current work, she uses family photographs as a starting point for her paintings.

Piecing the images together according to vibrant colours, patterns and poses, she creates collages which, in turn, inspire the compositions of the paintings. Labinjo’s eclectic visual vocabulary and mixed technique explore various modes of representation and echo her experience of multiple identities – growing up Black, British, Nigerian in the 90s and early 00s.

Her recent and forthcoming exhibitions include: The Everyday Political, Cafe Gallery Project, London, UK (2018); The Accumulation of Things, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham, UK (2018); Gatherings, Goldtapped, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (2018); and Belonging, Morley Gallery, London, UK (2018). Labinjo’s first solo exhibition at Tiwani Contemporary will take place in November 2018.

Paul Onditi comes with mesmerizing and intriguing works Paul Onditi is a young artist from Kenya, whose engagement with contemporary practice is rapidly gaining international attention.

He will be showcasing his captivatng works at this year’s ART X Lagos at the Retro Africa booth.

Onditi’s richly layered mixed-media images explore contemporary global issues through the use of highly experimental, labour-intensive techniques. Filmstrips, prints, transferred images, and layers of pigment, caustic acid and oil paint are meticulously patched together to capture the tensions embodied in the ideological, political and religious divisions that have plagued our collective existence since time immemorial.

Onditi studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach am Main, Germany, and returned to Nairobi in 2010, where he now lives and works.

He has exhibited locally and internationally, including at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt (2010), was invited for a solo show at VOLTA New York in March 2016, and was selected to represent Kenya at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017).

Ranti Bam, award-winning ceramist Ranti Bam was born in Lagos, Nigeria and raised in London.

She received an MA from The Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, where her thesis was entitled ‘How can art and design help man understand his inseparability from his environment?’: A dialogue between the known and the experienced’. The research allowed her to make tangible her love of Eastern philosophy, etymology and clay.

After extensive travels, including a two-year pause in Greece, she was accepted onto the renowned City Lit ceramics degree course.

Ranti’s work is inspired by a love of words and metaphor, and by her fascination with the extraordinary properties of clay.

She makes constant reference to the concepts of Light –metaphorically and physically, in process and form; Organic states; rawness – by working intuitively and collaging freely cut slabs of clay around a thrown base; and play – by pushing what she calls “this wondrous material” to its limits.

Ranti Bam will showcase her works at the SMO Contemporary booth at ART X Lagos 2018.

Alimi Adewale, Lagos painter and sculptor The renowned Lagos artist Alimi Adewale, whose work explores various aspects of urbanisation, and the condition of everyday man will exhibit at ART X Lagos 2018, at the ArtHouse – The Space booth. In richly textured “sculptural” portraits and landscapes, often rendered in oil on canvas or in mixed media involving photography and acrylic paint, Alimi combines elements of minimalism and abstraction to evoke the movement, tensions and intensity inherent in the cosmopolitan environment.

7-Up, Afrocultour partner in Songs Of Nigeria Festival

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he organisers of Songs Of Nigeria Festival (SONIFES) have announced that the 10th edition of the event would hold at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja on November 15, 2018. They made the

announcement at a press conference held recently in Lagos. 7Up, a brand in the stable of Seven Up Bottling Company Limited, is partnering with Afrocultour to bring the Songs of Nigeria Festival, which is aimed at celebrating Nigeria’s diverse

culture expressed in songs, music, dance and drama.

Chuks Akamadu, general secretary, SONIFES, noted at the press conference that this year’s edition would feature the arts and cultural troupes from Kastina, Benue, Abuja, among other

parts of Nigeria, and will be chaired by Victoria AguiyiIronsi, former First Lady of Nigeria while Boss Mustapha, secretary to the Government of the Federation, will be the keynote speaker.

He said the theme of this year’s edition of SONIFES

is ‘Harnessing Nigeria’s Cultural Diversity’. Segun Ogunleye, senior brand manager, Seven Up Bottling Company, said his delighted with his organisation’s involvement with SONIFES as 7up and Nigeria’s common history.

He said the first bottle of 7Up was produced on October 1, 1960 the day Nigeria had her independence. Ogunleye said 7Up has always supported anything that will promote Nigeria’s diverse culture in several ways.

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Arts Nigerian art, culture push ahead at NAFEST ...Rivers, NCAC commend event

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OBINNA EMELIKE hen the National Fe s t i v a l o f Ar t s and Culture (NAFEST), started in 1970, soon after the civil war, it was a direct response to the bitterness and discord occasioned by the war.

Years after, the festival still builds bridges of friendship among tribes and people of Nigeria by celebrating the cultural diversity and encouraging exchanges among the cultures.

At the 31st edition of the festival, which held across different venues in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from November 2227, 2018, people across the diverse cultures in Nigeria converged to strengthen their friendship, made gainful exchanges and paraded innovative products.

The elaborate festival, which held on the theme, “Nigeria: Our Festivals, Our

Heritage” attracted over 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

As well, the opening ceremony at Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt, was all about colour and elaborate showcase of the diversity of the country as Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, stole the show with his beautiful Ikwere traditional attire.

In line with the essence of the festival, the governor noted in his speech at the opening ceremony that cultural diversity is the strength of the country, as well as, platform for the empowerment of the people.

“Our diversity defines and binds us as a nation. We need to take advantage of the strength in our diversity, the human and natural resource endowments to build a united and prosperous nation”, Governor Wike said.

He commended the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) for up-

Runsewe, director general, NCAC, recalled that the initiators of festival created it in line with the then policy of national reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation. Over the years, the festival, according to him, has become a platform that brings Nigerians together in a friendly atmosphere to celebrate the country’s unity.

He also observed that the state is peaceful, hence it has been hosting many national and international events and enjoys the highest air traffic and hotel patronage in the country outside Lagos and Abuja.

Tonye Oniyide Briggs, Rivers State Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, expressed the appreciation of the state to the Runseweled NCAC for offering them the opportunity to host the first ever NAFEST in the

state.

However, the weeklong festival featured many exciting activities; from cultural parades by participating states, boat regatta, traditional cuisines and wrestling competitions, skill acquisition, dance drama, tales by moonlight, essay competition, craft exhibition, command performances, among others.

At the Obi Wali Cultural Centre, over 600 participants benefited from free skill acquisition programmes including ; Ankara bag making, shoe and sandals making, soap and lotion, bead making among others.

Speaking at one of the training sessions, Runsewe said the skills acquired would held in taking many people off the streets, empowering them and fostering peace in the state.

The traditional wrestling bouts at the Shark Stadium saw Delta State emerging the overall winner, FCT, Bayelsa and Enugu won the second, third and fourth positions respectively.

Another highlight of the festival was the traditional cuisines competition at Rex Jim-Lawson Cultural Centre where Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Ogunyombo, Enugu, Kaduna, FCT and Gombe states presented freshly prepared local dishes from their states, food condiments, innovative food packaging and taste of the menus by the public.

One thing the participants will not forget in a hurry at the competition was the unique flag off by opening a calabash instead of the usual cutting of tape, viewed western by the organisers.

Afterwards, Idi Farouk, former director general, National Orientation Agency and chairman of the competition, led members of the high table to sample the menus at the various state pavilions.

As well, Runsewe noted that food is another uniting force in Nigeria, hence should be promoted beyond regions they come from.

The festival went further to thrill with command performance, state reception, gold tournament among others.

With the excitement of the 2018 NAFEST, and successful hosting by Rivers State, Austin Dressman, commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs and Culture, Bayelsa State, assured that states would be scrambling to host subsequent editions.

Ade’s symbolic gesture of layering his images, creating ghosting and the use of vibrant colours fit with the idea of time, nostalgia and loss that are consistent with the history of the Bar Beach.

Ade Adekola is an internationally-recognised, award-winning Architect turned conceptual artist.

He works primarily by exploring the possibilities offered by digital image making. He spent several years in Silicon Valley where he witnessed the dawn of the

digital transformation of photography. At this juncture, Ade started to explore the transformative power offered by innovations in photography. His enthusiasm was captured, and his experimental photography practice was born. Moving back to Nigeria in 2005 his creative emphasis shifted, as he started to concentrate on creating elevating images that reframe and redefine the Nigerian Cultural narrative.

As an image maker, photography is more his me-

dium than it is his craft. His practice is aimed at conceiving, orchestrating and delivering images so charged that one may experience them as objects. Typical in his work is the use of vibrant and at times electrifying colors.

His photography can be considered as performative; it refers to and creates vibrant memories of a time, questioning the boundaries between individual and collective experiences. His images are considered to elevate the visual plateau of Nigerian photography.

Cultural performance at the festival

holding the essence of NAFEST across 31 editions, noting further that the festival is also a vehicle to promote cultural activism.

As w e l l , Ol u s e g u n

L–R: Olusegun Runsewe, director general, NCAC), and Tonye Oniyide Briggs, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Rivers State, during the opening ceremony of NAFEST in Port Harcourt recently.

‘Ghosts of Bar Beach’ debuts

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allery B57 is set to open the doors of her new space for its inaugural exhibition, ‘Ghosts of Bar Beach’.

The exhibition will open on October 28, 2018 and ends November 11, 2018. The inaugural exhibition, a solo show by Ade Adekola, provides a post-documentary perspective to the history of Bar Beach, examining, how contemporary artists deal with the concept of nostalgia and memory.

“Our inaugural exhibition explores nostalgia and

memory, ‘Colour, the Colourful and the Spectacular’ at 57 Bishop Oluwole, Victoria Island, Lagos. Bar Beach conjures up several aspects of nostalgia from the 1500s with the naming of its environs as ‘Lago du Curamo’; to the 1800s with the British bombardment of Lagos; up to the 1970’s where it was a place of spectacle of death.”

Bar Beach’s long history as a beach, was truncated by the development of Eko Altantic City. The remastered images in this exhibition are presented with their elec-

trifying colours to provide access to moments of nostalgia and memories of Bar Beach moods lost for good.

Ade Adekola’s body of works is defined as ‘Post Documentary’, because of the long-time interval between shooting the images and creating the remastered works. The images do not document specific events but memories of a colourful past. Each image comes alive and creates a spark of resonance, sometimes in a slow meditative and contemplative pace.

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Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (SMS only) 08057511893

My life as Pas James’ son – Samuel Ajirebi

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amuel Ajirebi is a Nollywood actor but many simply know his as the biological son of Pa James of the Papa Ajasco fame.

Being the son of a popular actor has had its merits in the life of the young man but he feels his upbringing is the same as every other person.

“We were normal in the family. There was nothing extra ordinary in our family. My father paid our school fees just like every other father.”

Though the role ‘Pa James’ that his father played in the sitcom was that of a poor peasant, Samuel said that character didn’t affect him while growing up and nobody looked down on him because of the role his father played.

“The community we grew up in didn’t filter the attributes of any character played in the movies.

As far as they know, as long as they saw you on TV, you are a big man even if you played a gateman.

The status of my dad has never been an issue for people when they relate to me. Just the fact that he was known as an actor was all they needed. It didn’t matter if they perceived him to be on the high side of wealth or not.”

And since his father is a successful actor, many would have thought Samuel became an actor because of his father.

However he said, “I didn’t go into acting because my father was an actor. I would say acting was inborn. It came at a time I didn’t crave for it.

There was just an opportunity for a child actor to play a role and I was called to try out the role.

I would say that my father being an actor was a catalyst for my career to fly. It was his availability that made them say, ‘hey you have a son, let him try this role’. It wasn’t pre-meditated and I thank God it.”

But then, when Samuel’s career was getting so much attention, he was off the screen and not just a few wondered what could have happened.

Explaining the hiatus, Samuel said, “I went back to school and I went to do something engaging.

I went to focus on my education. I studied Law which was quiet time consuming. Law is not a course you just give a part of your time. It warranted my going off the screens for a long time.”

On why he chose Law as his choice of course, Samuel said, “A look at the entertainment industry would make one see that the wealth in it is not the display or the show. The wealth in it is the intellectual property and if it is not well handled, the person who you see have a great show will end up

Mercy Johnson, Uriel Oputa, Bisola Aiyeola make ELOY Award’s list

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being broke and that person at the back who handles the intellectual property gets the riches. So I went to study Law and I concentrated basically on intellectual property Law.” However, Samuel said he is back on the screens and back for good.

“I am back to the movies. I would say I missed it while I was away. I missed the mainstream Nollywood.

I saw the industry evolve from where it used to be.

In my own capacity, I kept featuring in stage plays in school. I was very active in the Dramatic group in school, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.” And since he came back, Samuel said he has had no reason to regret being an actor.

“I have never had any reason to regret this profession. But there is this silent competition in the industry.

The industry is evolving and there is always a new trend to catch up on every day. I don’t think locally alone. I see myself getting into the foreign movies.

There is a lot to shape in me. That is enough challenge for me. I hope to have taken a space of my on in the industry. I would have sunk my feet that anybody would know me as an icon in the movie industry. I see myself championing international course and also being very relevant in the Nigerian scene.”

t is going to be a clash of the titans as some notable female celebrities including Mercy Johnson, Bisola Aiyeola and Uriel Oputa, battle it out in the 10th Edition of The Exquisite Lady of the Year (ELOY) Awards set to hold very soon.

Other female personalities will also battle it out is several other categories including ELOY Award for Author, Chef of the year award, ELOY award for Technology and On Air Personality of the year.

The awards, put together by Exquisite Magazine and led by its publisher Tewa Onasanya, have been consistently celebrating women of excellence in different field to empower and inspire other women.

According to the organisers, the spotlight is beaming on women, since it is evident in Nigeria and around the world, policymakers, financial institutions, business support organizations and more are waking up to the idea that women are good for

the economic prosperity of the nation and they are recognizing the untapped potential of women.

“The aim is to have it grow each year as we recognize and award outstanding women and their roles in society.

From their humble beginnings, they have grown to become people other women and men admire and emulate while striving for success,” the organisers said.

Heineken rewards consumers with world class trip

Controversies trail Wizkid, Tiwa Savage’s Fever

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he cyberspace has been agog in the last few days as the visuals of Wizkid’s Fever featuring Tiwa Savage hit the internet.

The video which showcased the entertainers in steamy love scenes has been the talk of the town as so many people feel the two artistes are in a relationship.

However, it seems the pop artistes do not care whose ox is gored even as the video is generating more and more views.

On his instagram handle, Wizkid had posted, “This one is special to me. (I) made a movie with my Best friend!”

So many people commended him and wished they were in his shoes.

However, the person that has been trolled endlessly since the video was released is Teebills, Tiwa’s estranged hubby.

So many people have gone to the young dude’s instagram account to drop snide comments concerning his ex and Wizkid.

With the instagram handle,

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Luckystar2019, this commenter said, “What Tiwa did is like a footballer being a ball boy in a game. Tell me one big artist that’s dancing a song they didn’t sing? @donjazzy, shame on you for being wicked and greed. Thunder fire Wizzy and Tiwa for adding pains to this guy.”

Another fan with the handle, amannaheysea, posted , “Some people are just jobless, how does this video (fever) affect @ teebillz323 ? It’s childish for people who are bothered about this.

The truth is Tiwa can do what she likes. @teebillz323 is moving on for good. He is a real dude.”

And with the handle, @bestaob, andother commenter said, “Tee Bobo, your younger bro is just helping you take care of your leftover. Please don’t mind them. Wizzy can never do such. Na just tricks inugo.”

t was an incredible time in the lives of some Heineken consumers as the brand rewarded seven lucky consumers with an all-expense paid travel European experience to Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona.

The winners had a treat of a life time as they explored virtually all interesting and exciting places in Europe. The winners explored the Chinese pagoda-style restaurant situated in the centre of Amsterdam near the Central Station.

This unique experience was amplified by the mystical exotic surroundings.

The winners visited Zaanse Schans, where they toured the wooden houses and browse the shops. Their day out at Zaanse Schans was fun and

educational.

Bliss gathered that the lucky winners also had the opportunity of visiting the town square in Amsterdam, known for its notable buildings and frequent events.

The Dam Square lies in the historical center of Amsterdam, approximately 750 meters south of the main transportation hub, Central Station. So, of course they learnt a thing or two about Amsterdam’s history.

The winners had a fun filled day enjoying the ultimate experience. The unique flight experience features an enormous spherical screen and special effects such as wind, fog and various scents. ‘This Is Holland’ helped them learn more about the Netherlands by showing an inspiring movie of Amsterdam’s history.

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Entertainment Why Nigeria’s obsession with Telenovelas will not fade anytime soon In 2018, one would think that television programs filled with predictable, caricatural, theatrical and overly dramatic plot twists would be less than successful. Telenovelas like On The Other Side of The Wall, Gangaa and The Promise, however are proving that school of thought wrong. More than a handful of Latin America programming including Prisoners of Love, You Are Mine and Waiting For Love have become household favourites in Nigeria and it is not hard to see why.

While many of these shows generally recycle the same storylines and actors, there is something about these Latin American tales that Nigerians find addictive. What is this something or thing that can compel Nigerians to dedicate their time, attention and allegiance to their television screens daily?

To truly comprehend this elusive phenomenon, we must first understand that the Telenovela appeal is not a function of one factor but a perfect combination of several factors. This perfect recipe can be referred to as the “evasion magic mix”.

The first part of the magic

mix is the fact that Latin Telenovelas are the perfect blend of Nollywood and Hollywood.

There is a thrill that Telenovelas give the everyday Nigerian viewer that is not in the format of Nollywood or Hollywood movies. There are elements in the larger than life scenarios and over the top characters depicted in these Latin Telenovelas which every Nigerian can relate to, while there are other unrelatable elements that serve as a form of evasion or escapism for the viewer.

The ability to exist in a world

different from yours, if not for a couple of minutes, but still identify with certain parts of your own world can be a truly satisfying one. This brings us to the very next ingredient of the magic mix; satisfaction.

Hollywood series, even when they are supposed to be comical, usually seem to be driving home some sort of intellectual proposition or the other. With Nollywood series, there’s usually a very visible moral lesson that the program is positioned to teach. The average Nigerian can escape all these agendas

Ink Eze of Aso Ebi Bella dances into MAPOLY ... And all the unmissable gist from the MTN Pulse Campus Invasion

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peyemi Awoyemi of Jobberman Nigeria, an online career portal; Ink Eze of Aso Ebi Bella, an online platform that focuses on weddings and aso ebi; as well as the delectable professional photographer, Busola Dakolo, were announced as speakers for the Pulse Talk Series.

The event was the MTN Pulse Campus Invasion at the Moshood

Abiola Polytechnic, (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State. Three powerhouses in one day, could that really be possible?

The students in the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Hall were ready when Opeyemi Awoyemi, got on stage to share his life story. He explained that he wasn’t special, neither had he done anything special, however, he had done something a little different - ‘self invest-

ment’. “Invest in yourselves”, he advised them, as he spoke about using time and money to build the future instead of spending it on frivolities.

Nkechi ‘Ink’ Eze also got on the stage and danced it out to the surprise of the crowd! And damn, can she move! She told her inspiring story of tenacity and hardwork. One of the many things that had the students nodding in unison was her advice to never be ashamed of one’s passion and with a knowing look she said that passion should be put online “even if it’s amala!”

One of the biggest moments of the series was when Busola Dakolo declared a photography competition open. The students who believed they had what it takes to win the competition were handed cameras to take pictures of Busola and the winner went home with a brand new Canon camera! Busola also taught attendees how to take the perfect selfie with phones. Now that was a bomber!

And that was how the MTN Pulse Talk Series, MAPOLY edition rocked - with pizzazz, fanfare and a student clicking away with a brand new camera!

when watching a Telenovela and simply be satisfied with the melodramatic characters in their English dubbed dialogue.

Since they made their debut on television screens across Nigeria some 26 years ago, Telenovelas have continued to garner a faithful following in Nigeria. Video Entertainment companies like MultiChoice, through their DStv and GOtv platforms, have also played a very significant role in ensuring that Nigerians get the latest episodes and series as they are being shown around the world.

For instance DStv’s EVA, Ze e Wo r l d a n d Te l e m u n d o channels have continued to churn out popular telenovelas like Twist of Fate, Lodestar, Zuba, My Heart beats for Lola, Manuel and Silvana, Iron Rose and Secret Love. These shows have stepped into their own as both pop culture phenomena and topical issues of debate amongst their fans. From dramatic crying scenes to romantic moments featuring sculpted men and women, Telenovelas seem to have it all and Nigerians want it all.

Kemi Adetiba delivers another classic with king of the boys

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emi Adetiba returns to deliver another classic almost two years after she made her feature film

debut.

With King of Boys, Kemi returns to the big screen not only with incredible guts but also, takes a huge risk in making a film such as this. And, if nothing, that in itself is an extremely bold move While it is not strange to see a Nollywood movie with the themes touched in King of Boys, it is not usual that it comes at this time in Nollywood’s present history.

Like Kemi’s feature film debut, The Wedding Party, most films with the big box office numbers in Nollywood in the past few years have been romcoms, romantic drama, with very few or none going the King of Boys route.

Dabbling its hands in scenes filled with intense dialogue, thought-provoking decisions by the main characters, and a portrayal of the lead protagonist in a way we are yet to see in Nigerian cinema, King of Boys follows the story of Eniola Salami (Sola Sobowale), a timid little girl, molested until she runs away from her parents’ toxic marriage, into the welcoming hands of a questionably enthused brothel owner.

Eniola does not find life easy as expected, in fact, as audiences

would predict, she finds her ‘job’ as a local prostitute hard and difficult to do. As a baby prostitute, she is forced into a life of strive, she however uses her street smartness to become a fearsome ruler of the Lagos underworld.

But she soon finds out that the more you seem prepared for what life throws at you, the more it’s likely to serve you a dish of unpredictable twists and turns, garnished with intense blows.

Some that may even test you to your very core.

The movie also marks the acting debut of veteran hip-hop artist Reminisce who puts in a performance that will shock many.

He alongside ill Bliss show their impressive acting prowess and brilliantly complement the other A-list cast.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

THINGS TO DO IN LAGOS It is another Sunday Funday and as always, I have somewhere for you to be at! Here are a few events happening today that will thrill you:

If book reading isn’t your thing, please feel free to try out the few listed things below….

Hit the beach since rain has agreed to stop falling “for now”, maybe. You know the weather is unpredictable, so why not jump through the beach waves now that you have the chance to.

Have lunch at Black Bell, Lekki, there prices are very pocket friendly.

Head out to the cinema and make sure you catch all the blockbusters. Tomorrow is Monday and you want to make the best of what you have today.

Movie Review Of SYLVIA By Linda Ochugbua

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am extremely very excited that I would be reviewing this lovely Nigerian movie because I usually don’t get this excited and happy when it comes to Nollywood. Sylvia avoided the regular issues that most Nigerian movies have (paying attention to details and weak storylines). It was also quite difficult to predict what the movie would be about, considering the fact that it was titled after a female, so we all assumed a simple love story about “Sylvia”. Well we were all wrong you know, the story took a whole new twist and when we got to the end of the movie we well all spell bound and reluctant to stand up and live the cinema. Believe me when I say that this would definitely make it to my top movies for this year, as I was overly impressed at how they could keep me wondering even weeks after the movie.

The script of this movie was well written and the producers did a perfectly amazing job. I must say that the crew was good and each cast chosen for each role did an amazing job at what was expected of them. For me Zainab Balogun and Chris Attoh was a perfect match and they totally killed it for me. I enjoyed how they started the story, led us into the story and gave us an end we never dreamt of or thought of.

“Sylvia” as it was titled started off slowly with Chris Attoh who was known as “Richard Okezie” in the movie, kept on having the same dream every night for years. In this dreams he met with a very pretty girl who he played with for hours from nightfall till dawn, she was called Sylvia and Richard could only see her at night, but she looked so real that at a point we actually thought she was human. He grew up still having this dream and every night they would play together and do all sort of things and as the dawn

of the day approached she would send him back to reality, but she always left him with a red hibiscus flower, which was his ticket back to her the next night, if he refused to accept that hibiscus flower, it meant he couldn’t return and would never see her again. She had powers and would most times give him solutions to his school assignment and later his work projects.

One day Richard okezie meets this beautiful and adorable lady called Gbemi, fell in love with her at first sight at after a while he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He proposed and then started planning the wedding, but there was one major issue, how he was going to break it to his long term unreal girl friend from the other world? You will have to watch it to know how things played out.

Cast: Zainab Balogun, Chris Attoh, Ini Dima Okojie, Lolo 1, Udoka Oyeka, Ijeoma Grace Agu, Lord Frank, Bolaji Ogunmola, Director: Daniel Oriahi Written by: Vanessa Kanu Casting 130mins Genre : Romantic Drama, thriller, suspense, violence

cinema.

To my verdict I would say this movie deserves a 9/10, yes it does, I really enjoyed it. If you haven’t seen any Nigerian movie this year, do make sure you see Sylvia, before it goes off the

Feel free to review any movie of your choice in not more than 200 words, please send us a mail to linda@businessdayonline.com and stand a chance to win a free movie ticket.

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The Restaurant Business With ‘Your Food Geek’ Uganze Ude Kalu

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ell us about Your Food Geek For as long as I can remember, I have always loved to eat out. I have always loved the art of dining out, so I am always encouraging people to go out there and have a meal. As against eating at home all the time.

But while at it, I noticed a constant gap; • For diners: People are beginning to embrace the culture of eating out. The average diner do not know where to go to, to have a meal. They do not have a guideline as regards to the “where to go”, “what to eat” and “how to get value” for their money.

They do not have knowledge of types of restaurants out there - as it relates to what they feel like eating, the type of restaurant that suits a particular kind of crowd and the type of restaurant that suits a particular type of “occasion” - all of these strongly influences the type of restaurant one should go to.

• For the restaurants - so many restaurants do not have the type of visibility that they require. Some of them are just existing on their own, without a lot of people knowing about them. And this affects sales and by extension, profits.

On the other hand, some of them do not have the measures or process in place, on how to deal with their customers/diners.

Now, these were some of the gaps I noticed were in existence in terms of dining out and that is where Yourfoodgeek, as a brand, steps in. To assist BOTH parties.

So after years of continuously eating out, I was spurred on to create these guides and measures - • a guide to assist diners make informed decisions on dining out, thereby getting value for their money.

• measures for restaurants to deal with diners • a platform for diners to share their experiences, which in turn serve as beneficial feedbacks to restaurants.

These feedbacks provide them with measures on how to serve the diners better a platform that assists restaurants create and increase visibility, which in turn drives up sales and profits.

Restaurants need to be visible to be able stay top on the mind of diners.

Are you a lover of food or do you just have a great interest in the ‘business’ of restaurants?

Yes, definitely, I’m a lover of all things food. It’s almost common knowledge. The truth is, I’m not a big “partier”. I consider going out to eat

my own type of entertainment.

Also, I have an interest in the business of restaurant.

Is the restaurant business in Nigeria any different from the ones outside the country?

Truth is, the hospitality business in Nigeria has improved greatly as compared to the times before now, and this includes the restaurant industry.

You see, people are beginning to embrace the art of dining out and this in turn has influenced an increase in the number and standards of restaurants in Nigeria.

Lagos alone as birthed so many beautiful restaurants.

I mean look around you, restaurants are sprouting up like mushrooms on a daily basis, and these restaurants, to a large degree can be said to be at par with their counterparts outside the country.

There’s still work to be done,

no doubt but we are doing great.

How do you mix food reviews with Law? I try not to make excuses, but time. With passion comes consistency and with consistency comes results. There are times when I get overwhelmed and I take a break and remember my “why”.

Do you just review Lagos food places?

My restaurant reviews go beyond Lagos as a state and Nigeria as a country. I have reviewed some restaurants outside the shores of the country and I am looking forward to doing even more.

What’s your favourite restaurant in Lagos, Nigeria and why?

That’s a tricky one. I can’t say I have a favorite restaurant in Lagos, or anywhere at all, as

each restaurant provides me with a new and different experience, based on the different cuisines that they all.

What’s been you worst restaurant experience?

I rarely make a fuss in restaurants as I try to look out for the best in any restaurant, but I have had a few experiences that left a sour taste in my mouth. I will admit I was not expecting a Michelin Star experience at this restaurant, but I also was not expecting to see a cockroach cut in half in my sandwich! It was the most horrifying sight ever and please don’t even ask if I had a bite already.

What’s the most amount of money you can spend on food?

I can’t really say. You see, I don’t put a figure on food while dining out. I mean, if I walk in, then I shouldn’t mind paying whatever bill that is passed on.

And besides I do my research before deciding on where to go to.

Do you think plating is vital when it comes to food presentation or is it just about the taste?

Nothing beats a great food presentation. It is as essential to the success of the dish as its taste and flavor. The way a meal is presented is what makes us want to taste it or not.

How big will your food geek be in 5 years?

Well, I’m looking forward to great partnerships, both local and international. I’m looking to form a formidable force, create more magic in my niche and become a huge authority in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, on all things restaurant and dining out... before 5 years!

Interview by Akumah Uzochikwa

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Travel

Ouidah, coastal city with many tourism frills EMELIKE OBINNA

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t the mention of Ouidah what often comes to the mind of most travelers is the Temple of Pythons.

Yes, the costal city in Benin Republic is famous for the temple, which houses over 50 royal adult pythons amid several shrines where offerings are made to ‘Dagbe’, the snake god.

But the main offering at the temple is the $1.50 entrance fee paid by each tourist and even more by the brave ones among them who hang the snakes on their bare necks to take pictures for remembrance and for social media.

The intrigue for most first-time visitors is that the temple is opposite a church, and faithfuls of both places of worship see no harm in it.

However, Ouidah is beyond the sacred python temple, the city is full o many tourism trappings.

The city, which played active role in the 17th to 19th century Atlantic slave trade, now lures tourists, especially African diasporas and lovers of adventure with its the Slave Route project.

Lined with monuments, the Slave Route takes tourists down the memory lane on the same tracks slaves were taken to the slave merchant ships. It starts at the Chacha Palace where the slaves are gathered, selected and bought, then to the Forgetting Tree, where salves are forced to circle the tree (male nine times and female seven times) for memory of their place of birth to wipe off.

From there you trace the route further to The Silent Place in Zougbodji where weak slaves were left to die and dead ones were buried.

Next is the Djegbadji Salt Village that leads to the Door of No Return, and finally to the slave ships heading to the Americas.

Like other doors of no return, the Ouidah door is a huge memorial arch on the waterfront, which offers platform for reflection and background for photographs.

Several artists and designers collaborated with Yves Ahouen-Gnimon, an architect, to realise the project.

The columns and bas-reliefs are by Béninois artist Fortune Bandeira, the freestanding Egunegun are by Yves Kpede and the bronzes are by Dominique Kouas Gnonnou.

Going by its authentic historic account and preservation project, the Slave Route site under La ville d’Ouidah : quartiers anciens et Route de l’Esclave, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 31, 1996 in the Cultural category.

But meters away from the Point of No Return is a huge cross marking the point of entry for Christian missionaries and Christianity in Benin Republic.

As well, you need to visit Ouidah Museum of History, which is housed in an 18th-century Portuguese fort to read the chronicles of the city’s slave-trading past.

What seems the ugliest account

Point of no Return

of the infamous slave trade happened in 1716, when Whydah Gally, a massive English slave ship, arrived to purchase 500 slaves from King Haffon to sell in Jamaica, and making Ouidah the second largest slave port in the trade.

Aside hosting the Sacred Forest of Kpasse dotted with bronze statues, Ouidah is home for religious pilgrimages. It is the spiritual capital of the Vodun religion and hosts an annual international Vodun conference.

As well, you need to visit the Basilica of the Basilique de l’Immaculée Conception, a Catholic minor basilica to dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

After a day’s tour, visitors can rest in any of the several accommodation options on offer at various hotels and resorts in Ouidah.

Top among them is La Casa del Papa, which sets between the sea and the lagoon, Djegba Hotel, Hotel de la Diaspora, Le Jardin Secret among others.

For outdoor dining, Le Musee, located in the heart of the town, is a good bet.

The more adventurous can also enjoy undisturbed swimming at the bank of the ocean, while watching the local fishing community drag their fishing net (full of fishes) out of the salty ocean water may be the highpoint for you.

Of course, you will be appreciated with peeled coconut by the locals.

Before you go, visit craft shops at the market centre, art galleries and fashion boutiques to buy souvenirs for your loved ones and remembrance of your trip to Ouidah.

You will be glad you did!

Basilica of the Basilique de l’Immaculée Conception

La Casa del Papa

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Travel Ways to enjoy long-haul flights Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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veryone loves a good holiday regardless of where it may be. With all the pressure from work, it’s no wonder many find themselves hunched over their office desks dreaming of an alluring holiday. But wait! Before you go on dreaming about that luxurious holiday in a faraway country, you’ve got to get past one thing – the flight.

The thought of cosying up in the comfort of your seat, just to hear a baby wailing for the next few hours is truly horrifying. What about the person next to you encroaching into your personal space? Let’s not get started on that annoying person who’s constantly kicking the back of your seat. The longhaul flight is every traveller’s biggest nightmare as it’s merely a means to an end.

But it doesn’t have to be.

What’s more, the trick to surviving and enjoying your future long-haul flights is within reach. These five tips and tricks will make your next long-haul flight a memorable and magical one where you’ll be begging to stay on-board despite reaching your destination.

faster on-board! Swap the wine and latte for a glass of water.

Pack your comfort gear Packing certain essential items for a comfortable ride is the first step to surviving your ordeal on a jet plane.

Combat all unwanted noise with your own set of earplugs! Earplugs are an amazing solution for blocking out any disruptions and giving you a peaceful rest. Do away with those noise-cancelling earphones that dangle surreptitiously and go for a pair of snug earplugs instead.

Eyeshades are also a nifty item to have on-board as you can determine your own bedtime without having the cabin lights dimmed!

Dress Comfortably Your outfit on-board determines how comfortably you’ll be travelling. Looking good might be a perennial concern for you but on a long-haul flight, it’s not worth the expense of feeling worn out when you land! Put aside your beloved pair of rugged jeans and opt for soft lounge pants instead. Choose a lightweight sweater or jacket that you can easily remove when it’s too warm or throw back on when it gets too chilly. Stow away any skin-tight outfits that you’re thinking of wearing! Trust me, you wouldn’t want to feel suffocated on a

15-hour long flight.

Bring a neck pillow Airline pillows are rather insufficient for a traveller who’s looking for an optimum level of comfort. Perhaps you’re one of those travellers who have been gifted with the ability to sleep anywhere, at any time and pillows seem redundant. The problem, however, comes when you awake from your slumber.

A stiff neck, sore back and throbbing headache isn’t the ideal condition to kick start your holiday! Bring a staple

Emirates affirms superiority with ‘Fly Better’ for Nigerian travellers

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mi ra t es, i n v it e s global travellers including Nigerian travellers to “Fly Better” with the launch of its bold new brand promise.

The new Emirates campaign will be launched on 1st November with a snazzy ad spot that showcases the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system ice and its diverse offering.

According to Tim Clark, the president, Emirates Airline, the airline has grown over time with brand promises to Nigerians unchanged; hence the new brand promise will not fail.

“On this day in 1985, Emirates flew its first customers from Dubai to Karachi.

While the airline has grown exponentially since, our promise to customers remains unchanged - flying Emirates means enjoying a better flying.

Similarly, the Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, corporate communications, marketing and brand, Boutros Boutros, “The drive to innovate and

‘be better’ is hardwired into Emirates’ DNA, and this enables us to deliver air travel experiences that are comfortable and enjoyable in every cabin class, time and again. Emirates was the first to introduce personal screens in every seat in every class, we led the way for better international telephone and Wi-Fi services on board, we pioneered private suites in first class, brought bars and shower spas on board, and we continue to introduce game-changing products like virtual windows. Now, we are affirming that superiority and inviting travellers to “Fly Better” with Emirates”.

Directed by Michael Gracey whose previous work includes the hit musical ‘The Greatest Showman’, the ad spot takes viewers on a fantastical journey as a cabin crew member morphs into an energetic dancer – transitioning between different dance styles from Bollywood to Hip Hop, representing the superior and

neck pillow on-board the plane to give your neck some support whilst you snooze.

Stay hydrated at all times Imagine having to sit through an 18-hour flight to Los Angeles from Singapore.

As the plane ascends, any moisture from your body is gradually sucked out. You’re engulfed in the dry, recycled air that the plane processes.

Average humidity levels in airplanes range from 10percent to 20percent, and that’s even lower than that of the Sahara Desert! Humidity is

definitely an issue on longhaul flights and hydrating is essential to keep you fresh (and healthy). The best way to hydrate is to drink up!

Water is readily available on most flights so don’t be afraid to ask for water every now and then to keep yourself in tiptop condition throughout your flight.

Se c on d ly, av oid d ehydrating liquids such as alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. Alcohol affects a person faster at higher altitudes, meaning that you’re likely to get dehydrated

Stay fresh with your personal toiletries The recycled cabin air doesn’t just dehydrate you, it messes with your skin too.

Ever had that dry, flaky skin as a result? Yeah, so have we. Soon enough, your face produces a layer of oil and the grime sets in. Spending long hours on a flight with bacteria and oil on your face isn’t going to make it any more enjoyable. That’s why you should pack your toiletries with you! Keeping fresh on the flight always makes it more bearable. Arm yourself with a toothbrush, toothpaste and your facial products, and you’ll feel as crisp and unblemished as you were prior to the flight. Just don’t forget to keep your liquids in a 100ml bottle and into a transparent resalable plastic bag!

Lucky for Singapore airlines’ passengers, the crew does hand out the airline’s own brand of on-board amenities including an individual toothbrush, toothpaste and knitted sock packs. Mouthwash, skin moisturizers, cologne and aftershave lotions are also available in the lavatories to keep you feeling fresh as well!

Air Peace excites customers with 4th anniversary gifts, wins travellers’ endorsement

diverse range of content on ice. The spot ends with Emirates’ trademark light humour.

A second ad spot that promotes Emirates’ extensive network of global destinations will run concurrently. This second ad takes us across the world to the tune of a catchy song composed specifically for the campaign. Taking viewers from the plains of Kenya to the Eiffel Tower and finally the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the ad is edited in a style that has now become Emirates’ hallmark, featuring seamless transitions between destinations and Emirates’ on board features.

The campaign was created in-house by Emirates’ head of brand, Richard Billington. The ice ad spot will debut on television from 1 November on the popular entertainment show ‘The X Factor UK’, and both ad spots will subsequently air across Emirates’ key markets across the GCC, in the UK, France, Germany, and the USA.

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est Africa’s leading carrier, Air Peace on Wednesday wove the celebration of the fourth anniversary of its flight operations around rewarding the loyalty of its customers with gifts ranging from free tickets to souvenirs and improved inflight refreshment.

In a related development, members of the flying public and aviation players have commended the carrier for leading efforts to transform air travel in Nigeria and the West Coast of Africa.

A statement signed by Oluwatoyin Olajide, the chief operating officer, said the airline centred the celebration of the fourth anniversary of its flight operations on members of the flying public as a mark of the premium it placed on them as the core of its business.

“Running an airline anywhere around the world is quite a challenge. But our wonderful guests have made the four years of our flight operations a very pleasant experience. From seven

aircraft and five routes at launch of our operations on October 24, 2014, our valued guests have supported us all the way to the top spot of the aviation business in Nigeria and the West Coast of Africa.

“Today, we operate into 14 domestic and five regional destinations, with plans for the launch of our long-haul flights to Dubai, Sharjah, London, Houston, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg nearing completion. From seven aircraft at launch, we now have a fleet of over 24 aircraft, excluding the 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft we recently ordered.

“In four years, we have scored a number of firsts and set a multitude of records in the aviation industry in Nigeria and the West Coast of Africa, including the acquisition as well as registration of Nigeria’s first Boeing 777 and setting up of a subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper to organise our effort to seamlessly connect unserved and underserved domestic and

regional routes under our no-city-left-behind project.

“On the economic front, we have created thousands of direct and indirect jobs for members of the public without discrimination on the bases of gender, religion, creed and tribe. We have done a whole lot in unifying Nigeria through air travel and positively impacted the economies of the country and its regional counterparts.

The airline, it was gathered, gave passengers who flew on its fourth anniversary gifts, including power banks, Bluetooth speakers, USB flash drives and pens.

The airline also allocated a number of free tickets to be won by its customers and members of the public participating in its social media engagements. The airline, reports said, also raised the quality of refreshment served on its flights.

Meanwhile, members of the public have commended Air Peace for distinguishing itself through the delivery of exceptional flight services in Nigeria and West Africa.

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Life&Living

Ways to avoid disappointments during 2018 Black Friday sales sales), featured products would be made known to you before the sale kicks off.

JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

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lack Friday ‘awoof’ is on the way and I can already see folks with their wish list except those acquainted with minds like that of doubting Thomas: “That Jumia Black Friday is a scam!” Scam ke?

Nigerian e-commerce amd retail companies have fully adopted the concept of Black Friday and trust me, it is possible to get products for more than half the price of its original retail value and during the sales period.

In the last three to four years, a lot of people have benefited from it including our favourite Computer Village and Alaba boys who we usually run to. They usually get incredible deals om electronics from online stores like Jumia and Konga during Blavk Friday mega sales.

“I remember the Black Friday sale in 2017 and I picked up good deals: The Philips hair clipper originally retailed for N9,500 but I got it for N4,490k off the normal selling price.

Although folks consider me lucky, I don’t think it was luck. It’s just being smart and reading up,” a Jumia shopper confirmed.

Here are some myths about Black Friday in Nigeria; 1. You think it’s a scam Typically, Nigerians have the tendency to doubt anything and everything that looks too good to be true and that’s no fault of ours, there are indeed a lot of ‘419ers’ out there so

5. Be on track and on time To buy anything on the e-commerce store, you need to have a verified account with them. So if you don’t already, head on to Jumia, open your customer account and verify it conveniently right now. Do not wait until it’s too late, mske sure you keep yourself updated with latest discounts by signing up for newsletters, downloading the app and following the company in social media for updates.

6. You are browsing with a slow connection.

Damn! This can be so annoying during Black Friday sales! Especially when you are just about to confirm your order and your network just simply refused to connect. My candid advice! Do not go below the 4G bar.

we do need to be careful. However, there have been so many testimonies about greqt deals from credible retailers over the years so do not let your doubt make you miss out on huge savings.

2. You do not understand the whole concept Ever heard someone say “Black Friday is a demonic day where bad things happen?” Lol! In this part of tge world, Nlack is associated with gloom or bad. However, in simple

terms, the only day you can get jaw-dropping discounts on different products (not every, but most), is on Black Friday. Black Friday is an informal name for the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, the fourth Thursday of November, which has been regarded as the beginning of the country’s Christmas shopping season.

3. You don’t know the date of the event Similar to last year, Jumia has an-

nounced that its Black Friday sales will run from the 2nd to 30th, November, 2018. However, Jumia is also planning five treasure hunts every day and 25 flash sales! Remember, it’s the fastest fingers first.

7. Do not be greedy!

Put a leash on shopping appetite and avoid being long throat! In order not to waste your time, avoid trying to buy two (or more) products at the same time. It. Simply. Won’t.

Work. You are restricted to just one product during the flash sales.

4. You expect ALL products would be sold at 80% discount?

This is not how it works. Not ALL products will be featured in the “flash sales”, but little discounts will be applied to most products.

For flash sales (50% – 80% off

8. One Last Tip: Unfortunately, everyone will not benefit from the flash sales. If you are unlucky, don’t just give up.

Snoop around Jumia and you’ll find some nice deals lying around (although they might not be up to “80% discount”).

percent safe for consumption.”

According to Isa Hassan Shallangwa, head of marketing at WASCO, “Umami taste is a member of the five basic tastes – alongside with sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness. The safety of umami substance has been approved by authorities all over the world such as in the USA, EU, Australia, Japan, and Nigeria.

Ajinomoto is produced through a natural fermentation process of sugar molasses which are obtained from plants such as sugar cane. The benefit of Ajinomoto seasoning includes enhancing and promoting the deliciousness of our meals, it is economical, it reduces salt intake and it is rich in glutamate one of the free amino acids. Almost all seasoning contains MSG”, Shallangwa said.

MSG is used as a taste or a flavour enhancer. It was discovered and patented in 1909 by Ajinomoto Corporation in Japan. In its pure form, it appears as a white crystalline powder and when used in your cooking, it rapidly dissociates into free sodium and glutamate ions.

Glutamate is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid. It widely exists in all animal and vegetable

proteins. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, and one of the most common amino acids found in nature. As glutamate, it is present in virtually all foods.

Modern commercial MSG is produced by fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses.

The fermentation process is similar to that used in making beer, wine, yoghurt, vinegar and our traditional fermented condiments-iru, ogiri, daddawa, okpei, amongst others.

There is no difference between glutamate found in natural foods and that added as MSG. Glutamate itself is found naturally in human bodies as a protein. It is also found naturally in mushrooms, seaweed, tomatoes, nuts, legumes, broccoli, peas, fish, meats and most dairy products, and even abundant in human milk.

Ajinomoto MSG has been in the market for over a century and has stood the test of time. It can be widely used in any kind of cooking.

The appreciation of a delicious meal is something shared by people in every country and adding umami to ingredients can make them more appetizing without destroying their original flavour, colour or texture.

Need to enhance the taste of your meals?

Here’s what you need...

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IFEOMA OKEKE

aste is what makes us consider eating as a pleasurable experience – one that we like to repeat several times a day as food nourishes and energizes our bodies.

One reason why taste sensations are important is that they prepare our bodies for digesting food and Salt is a universal flavour used in improving taste. It has three major functions in food: preservation, flavour, and process-ability.

Salt in human diet is essential to a healthy life, but in common with many other dietary components, too much of it can be harmful. The main risk to health arises through increased blood pressure (hypertension) and is a consequence of the sodium content of common salt (sodium chloride).

In order to reduce salt intake and maintain that desired flavour, West African Seasoning Company Limited (WASCO), an affiliate of the Ajinomoto Group; a global food giant and makers of AJI-NO-MOTO seasoning products has proffered a solution to seasoning reaffirming that AJI-NO-

MOTO® Umami seasoning is safe for consumption as it enhances the flavour of the ingredients.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) improves the taste acceptability for foods with lowered salt content. It is best used in low-salt foods, which makes it easier for people to establish and maintain a low-salt diet.

Giving insight into the taste of glu-

tamate in food, Niki Junichi, managing director of WASCO, said, “Because glutamate is the source of the unique taste of umami, it enhances the natural flavour of many foods. Ajinomoto MSG has been used to add Umami, the fifth basic taste to enhance tastes and make dishes more delicious since it was discovered in 1909. MSG, based on scientific findings, is 100

Sunday 28 October 2018

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BDSUNDAY 45

Health&Science Can people with diabetes eat potatoes?

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eople with diabetes need to be aware of their carbohydrate intake. Although potatoes are a starchy vegetable, it is still possible for a person with diabetes to enjoy them as part of a healthful diet.

When a person eats, the body converts the carbohydrates and sugars into a simple sugar called glucose, which enters the bloodstream and raises sugar levels. This impact on blood sugar levels makes it essential for people with diabetes to monitor the number of carbohydrates that they consume.

Potatoes are a starchy vegetable, which means that they contain a lot of carbohydrates and can raise a person’s blood sugar levels.

In this article, we examine whether people with diabetes can eat potatoes.

We also cover which types of potato are better, the best ways to prepare and cook potatoes and general dietary tips for people with diabetes.

Potatoes and diabetes The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend eating starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, as part of a healthful diet.

It is a common misconception that people with diabetes need to avoid all potatoes and other starchy foods.

The reason for this misconception is that starchy foods are high in carbohydrates and tend to have a high glycaemic index (GI).

GI is a useful system for ranking foods from 0 to 100 according to their potential to raise blood sugar levels.

Foods with a high GI raise blood sugar more than those with a low GI. According to the ADA: low GI foods have a GI

betes as they are low GI and contain more fibre than white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of calcium and vitamin A. Carisma potatoes, a variety of white potato, are another lower GI option. Russet potatoes are high GI, so it is best to eat them in small quantities.

of 55 or less, medium GI foods have a GI of 56 to 69 and high GI foods have a GI of 70 or more Only eating foods with a low or medium GI can help a person control their blood sugar levels. While some varieties of potato do have a high GI, other factors can balance this out, including the portion size and method of preparation.

The ADA recommends combining a high GI food with low GI foods to help balance a meal. They also state that portion size is key to enjoying starchy foods as part of a healthful meal plan.

Another consideration is the cooking method. Deep or shallow frying potatoes in certain oils and fats, such as animal fats, can make them high in saturated and trans fats, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

Fats are also high in calories, which may be a consideration for people trying to maintain a healthy weight.

The best way to prepare potatoes

is to boil or steam them. Both boiled and steamed potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre but very low in fat, sugar, and salt.

Considerations when eating potatoes Potatoes are starchy vegetables, which mean that they have a high GI and raise blood sugar levels. However, people with diabetes can eat them in smaller portion sizes.

It is best to eat potatoes as part of a balanced, healthful meal. Other meal components, such as low GI foods, fibre, lean protein, and healthful fats, can help balance a meal out.

Eating high-fibre foods is beneficial as these help control blood sugar levels and increase the feeling of fullness.

Low GI foods can include other nonstarchy vegetables.

Best type of potatoes for diabetes?

Sweet potatoes are one of the best types of potato for people with dia-

Olive oil protects memory loss, helps prevent Alzheimer’s – study ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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ore and more people in countries including Nigeria with large and increasing older populations are suffering from the debilitating dementia of Alzheimer’s disease.

In a new study, Temple University scientists found that the oil, which is a component of the popular Mediterranean diet may protect memory and learning ability.

Domenico Praticò the study author said in a statement, Autophagy is a normal bodily process that deals with the destruction of cells.

“We found olive oil reduces brain inflammation but most importantly triggers a process called autophagy” Autophagy which helps broken down cells to flush intracellular debris and toxins. This includes amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the latter of which is associated with memory loss in Alzheimer’s The research, published in the journal Annals of Clinical Translational Neurology, was conducted on a specific type of mouse model that’s engineered to develop characteristics of Alzheimer’s, such as memory impairment.

Alzheimer’s disease in Nigeria.

In a research work by Osuntokun and others on Alzheimers disease in Nigeria shows that the age-related dementias of the elderly (those aged 65 years or more) are of major pub-

lic health importance in developed countries.

Developing countries, most of which are undergoing epidemiological transition and greying of population, currently contain more than half of the world’s population of elderly, a proportion that would reach 75% by 2020.

A recent autopsy survey of the brains of elderly Nigerians showed absence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the pathognomonic histologic lesions of Alzheimer’s disease and ageing found in 25% to 80% of normal undemented elderly Caucasians and Japanese.

The reported prevalence of dementia in sub-Saharan Africa varied widely (range: 2.29%–21.60%); Alzheimer’s disease was the most prevalent type of dementia.

Only two studies conducted in Nigeria reported incidence data.

Major risk factors identified include older age, female gender, cardiovascular disease, and illiteracy.

According to the Temple University scientists study, the researchers took a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease known as the triple transgenic model. These mice develop three key characteristics of the disease; memory impairment, amyloid plagues, neurofibrillary tangles The mice were divided into two groups, where one group received a chow diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil and the other group received chow diet without the oil.

The oil was started when the

animals were six months old before the actual symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin to emerge in a usual mouse model. While there was no difference in the appearance of the mice, at age 9 months and 12 months, the mice in the olive oil group “performed significantly better on tests designed to evaluate working memory, spatial memory, and learning abilities.”

At end of the study the mice were sacrificed. The brains were significantly different say researchers. The brains of the mice on the oil showed “synaptic integrity” said Praticò. Synapses he explained are connections between the nerve cells of the brain.

This integrity was lacking in those without the olive oil diet. A process called autophagy too was higher among the mice on the olive oil diet.

Praticò explained that there is a process called autophagy by which the cells break down and clean the toxins and the resultant debris including the amyloid plaques and the tau tangles that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. In their experiment when the mice were fed extra virgin olive oil rich diets, the levels of autophagy rose he explained. This reduces the levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau significantly.

Phosphorylated tau leads to formation of neurofibrillary tangles and this leads to nerve cell dysfunction and memory symptoms related to Alzheimer’s disease. Reducing phosphorylated tau could thus be protective.

Preparing and cooking potatoes The preparation and cooking methods that a person uses can affect both the GI and the nutritional content of potatoes.

For instance, whole potatoes have a lower GI than mashed or diced potatoes.

Allowing potatoes to cool slightly before eating them can also be beneficial. Cooking a potato makes the starch more digestible, which raises the GI. After cooling, the potato becomes less digestible again, which may lower the GI. The most healthful way to cook potatoes is to boil, steam, or microwave them without adding any other ingredients. Preparing potatoes in this way will ensure that they are very low in sugar, salt, and fat.

Keeping the skins of the potatoes on can provide additional fibre. Also, up to 50 percent of the phenolic compounds in potatoes are present in the skin and attached flesh. Phenolic compounds have antioxidant properties that may be beneficial to health.

What about other potato dishes?

Some potato dishes are more suitable than others for people with diabetes.

For example, a potato salad can be a good option as the potatoes are whole. However, other ingredients, such as mayonnaise, should be low-fat

with no added sugar. People can try this potato salad recipe, which uses low-fat mayonnaise and light sour cream to reduce the fat content.

Any recipes that use mashed or crushed potato, such as potato pasta, are less appropriate for people with diabetes. Processing the potato in this way increases its GI and the potential impact that it has on a person’s blood sugar levels.

It is also best to avoid fried potatoes as frying them increases their calorie and fat content.

General dietary tips for diabetes Meal planning is a valuable tool for people with diabetes as it can help them optimize meal timings and serving sizes of each food. A doctor or dietician can offer dietary advice and help with meal planning.

General dietary tips include eating more non-starchy vegetables and filling half of the plate with nutrient-rich vegetables, such as: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, peppers, spinach and other leafy greens, tomatoes.

Starchy and lean protein options should fill no more than a quarter of the plate. It is advisable to trim excess fat off cuts of meat to lower their saturated fat content.

The ADA’s “Create Your Plate” is a free online tool that can help people with diabetes plan a balanced meal with appropriate portion sizes.

Carbohydrate counting can also be a helpful technique for managing diabetes. Counting the total carbohydrate content of foods and meals will give a better indication of how they may affect a person’s blood sugar levels than GI. Culled from Medical News Today

Unilorin commissions NDB as 104 graduates bag MBBS degrees SIKIRAT SHEHU, ILORIN

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niversity of Ilorin has commissioned the Nursing Demonstration Block (NDB) to complement the State of the Art Clinical Skill Laboratory of the University.

The Demonstration Block is one the 17 projects commissioned to mark the 34th Convocation ceremonies of the University.

The Vice Chancellor, Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, who is also a professor of Engineering, in his stewardship account for the last one year, said Nursing students in the university excelled in external examination.

“In the month of March, 2018, the University of Ilorin was certified as a Centre for conducting professional examinations for foreign trained Nurses from November 2018”.

The Vice Chancellor equally disclosed that the University is setting up of West African Centre for infectious Disease and Epidemiology Surveillance.

Speaking on the performance of Nursing Department, Abdulkareem said the Department received a commendation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria in recognition of the outstanding performance in the previous professional examination of General Nursing and Midwives, respectively.

He said: “Our Nursing Science students performed excellently well in

the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria examination during the year.

“We have recorded 100 per cent in each of the examinations with over 90 per cent of them having Credits in either one, two or the three papers.”

The Vice Chancellor appreciated the Federal Government, private entity and other agencies for their supports.

He however, resolved that there would be continuous challenges including insufficient funds; adding that Federal Government is trying its best, but the university cannot stop asking for more assistance.

“We will need more interventions from government agencies like TETFUND to pursue our goals of generating innovative knowledge that will change the world and reform our students in all ramifications.

“As we are seriously re-committing ourselves to the prudent management of the intervention funds, we have also resolved to rigorously expand our internally generated revenue base.

“This we believe is a way of appreciating and complementing the enormous contributions and efforts of the government towards the revitalization of tertiary education in the country.

Business Day reports that the University graduated 104 MBBS, 18 graduands in pharmacy, 49 in Veterinary Medicine and 32 in Nursing as well as 25 Diplomat graduates of Management Sciences.

46 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 28 October 2018

Sports World Cup: Federation Could Messi absence decide the fate Amputee confirms team’s departure of this weekend El Clasico?

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Stories By ANTHONY NLEBEM

o doubt, that Lionel Messi have displayed a world class , mouthwatering and a standing ovation performance in the past El Clasico games where he had single handedly toe Real Madrid apart.

But that will not be said about the prolific Argentina playmaker, at the first El Clasico of the 2018/2019 LaLiga season as the Barcelona star is ruled out for Sunday El Clasico for the first time in 11 years after breaking a bone in his arm that will keep him out of action for three weeks.

The Barcelona star has played in the last 35 clashes with Real Madrid but will not feature next weekend and will be sidelined for around three weeks.

Across all the major competitions, the Argentine magician has started every match against Los Blancos apart from one league fixture in the 2015/16 season when he was suffering from an injury and only managed 34 minutes in a 4-0 win.

In his 38 appearances against Barcelona’s arch rivals, Messi has emerged victorious on 17 occasions, drawing nine and losing 12.

He has led the Catalans to some memorable nights both at the Camp Nou and the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and has hit two hat-tricks and five braces.

The No.10 has only missed two of the 40 matches played between the two greats of Spanish football since his debut, both because of injury.

Messi was absent in April 2006 through a hamstring issue and less than a year later he tore the same muscle and didn’t feature in a game which saw Madrid win, thanks to a goal from Julio

Baptista.

Without the best player in the world, the most attractive game on the planet will lose some of its sparkle, however, there is no doubt that all eyes will still be on events at the Camp Nou next Sunday.

Aside Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo is another big star that will not feature in the El Clasico following a big money move to Italian club side, Juventus.

For the past 10 years, it has been a personal playground Cristiano Ronaldo amd Lionel Messi. But neither of the two football ‘gods’ are playing on Sunday afternoon when Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns at the Nou Camp.

Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Juventus after a successful 9 years with Spanish giant Real Madrid that yielded 450 goals and 15 trophies including four Champions League crowns to his honour.

With Barcelona’s talisman sidelined after breaking his

arm in last weekend’s 4-2 victory against Sevilla.

This Sunday titan will be first El Clasico featuring neither Messi nor Ronaldo since December 2007, when Real Madrid triumphed with a solitary goal from Julio Baptista.

Since then, Messi and Ronaldo have dominated in the galaxy of world-class talent at El Clasico.

With 26 goals, Messi leads in El Clasico’s all-time leading scorer and 14 assits, while fellow rival, Ronaldo holds the record for the most consecutive El Clasicos with a goal; six games, all in 2012.

The big question ahead of the battle is how will Messi’s absence decide the outcome of the El Clasico and how will Barcelona cope without their star man?

Real Madrid form have dipped since the departure of Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane in the summer.

Los Blancos have drawn one and lost three of their

past four league games, including shock defeats by Alaves and Levante, to drop down to seventh in the table and leave new manager Julen Lopetegui’s position hanging by a thread.

The root of their problems is obvious: they have only scored once in those four games, and that came from left-back Marcelo in last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat

by Levante.

Even the midweek Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen didn’t offer much solace. True, Karim Benzema got on the scoresheet for the first time in nearly two months, but the 2-1 victory sealed by another goal from Marcelo - was far from convincing, especially in the kind of game they would routinely win by a street when Ronaldo was around.

How will Real Madrid overcome the absence of Ronaldo?

No doubt to say that Real Madrid are suffering for failing to buy a potential replacement for a player who scored at least 40 goals in each of the past eight seasons.

Real Madrid might have won the Champions League in each of the last three seasons, but last year they finished more than 20 points behind Barcelona.

Lack of experience at the elite level is also something that can be held against Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui, and he appears to have no answers. Lopetegui could lose his job if Los Blancos lose to Barcelona on Sunday, but the players have thrown their support to their manager.

“We are with Julen Lopetegui to the death,” Marcelo told beIN LaLiga after the game.

“He speaks to us clearly and there is a good relationship between us and him, we have to let him work.

ius Asaba, board member, Nigeria Amputee Football Federation (NAFF), has confirmed the departure of 10 out of 15 members of the of national team known as `Special Eagles’ for the 2018 Amputee World Cup in Mexico.

Nigeria will play its first match with Brazil on Sunday, October 28th.

Th e Wo r l d Am p utee Football Federation (WAFF) organised the tournament holding in Mexico from Oct. 24 to Nov. 5.

Asaba confirmed that

team featuring in the world cup are now in Mexico and the idea was for them to witness the opening ceremony held yesterday.

“The first batch left on Wednesday while some left yesterday through Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, for the tournament which kicked off yesterday with opening ceremony.’’

He said that the team had to travel in batches due to logistics encountered in travel arrangements.

the batch which comprised nine footballers and the national coach of Nigeria Amputee Football Federation (NAFF), departed the country aboard KLM Airline on Thursday.

He gave the names of the players as Oyeleke Sarafadeen-Lalekan, Kingsley Kelvin, Ugwu Au g u s t i n e , Bl e s s i n g Otutu, William Monday, Sanni Adeiza, Michael Chimobi, Ibeawuchi Emmanuel, Ezeji Chibuike Kennedy and Bamgbopa Abayomi.

“Ten members of Special Eagles out of the full

According to him, NAFF, affiliated to WAFF, will be making its first appearance at the mundial after missing out in three previous editions due to lack of sponsorship.

As a b a a d d e d t h a t the remaining two footballers and an assistant coach would depart on Saturday to join their colleagues’ for the opening match.

He commended NFF President Amaju Pinnick, the Super Eagles and individuals for their contributions, saying that it went a long way in making the trip a reality.

Mourinho will be at Real Madrid- says Calderon

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ose Mourinho has been linked with a sensational return to Real five years after he left the Bernabeu with Julen Lopetegui tipped to lose his job if Los Blancos lose to Barcelona on Sunday.

Manchester United lost 1-0 to Juventus in the Champions League in midweek to end their three-game unbeaten streak.

Results have been up and down at United this season and Mourinho is under pressure to get his team firing again.

And former Real president Ramon Calderon

reckons the Portuguese manager will soon return “If this president is with the team for a few years, and I think he will be, Mourinho will be here,” Calderon told ESPN. “No doubt. It’s the only coach the president has respected.

“For better or worse.

I think he will be here - if he leaves Manchester, of course.

“But sooner or later, I think he will be here.”

Mourinho ended up falling out with the Real hierarchy and, a year after winning the La Liga title in

2012, he was booted out.

But the manager is one of the frontrunners to join Real when Lopetegui is

inevitably sacked.

Antonio Conte is the current favourite, with the former Chelsea boss still

out of work.

However, Real would have to negotiate with Chelsea over the remaining eight months of Conte’s contract, which the Blues are still paying.

Arsene Wenger is also free but may not be too keen on taking up the Real post in these circumstances.

And Tottenham are determined to fend off any interest in their manager Mauricio Pochettino.

As for Lopetegui, Calderon is adamant the manager will get the sack imminently.

“Unfortunately, I think (Lopetegui) has been condemned (to the sack),” Calderon said.

“A few weeks ago the president thinks he is not the man to run the club.

“He’s been in touch with many coaches but it’s not by chance that (Zinedine) Zidane left and five important coaches rejected that bench.

“It’s because this president interferes very much with what is happening on the ground with the line-ups and the signing.

That for coaches is always a problem.”

Sunday 28 October 2018

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports

The sorry state of Lagos National Stadium JONATHAN ADEROJU

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he Lagos National Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria, which comprises an Olympic size swimming arena and a multipurpose arena used for basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wrestling and boxing matches and other sport related activities .

It was used mostly for football matches until 2001. It hosted several international competitions including the 1980 African Cup of Nations final, the 2000 African Cup of Nations final, and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

It also served as the main stadium for the 1973 All-Africa Games. It was closed and abandoned in the year 2004.

When the stadium was built in 1972, it had a capacity of 55,000. The capacity was then reduced to 45,000 in 1999.

The current state of the national stadium is in a depreciation state owing to the fact that this stadium happens to be the first national stadium in Nigeria.

The state in which it is now has gone from its days of glory to days of grass and habitat for event centres, night clubs, drinking bars, as against its primary function which is supposed to be a home for sporting activities.

The indoor sports centre which is used by almost all indoor sporting activities happened to be the only arena partially maintained.

This is because the main users which are the basketball federation take out time to clean its surroundings.

Speaking to BusinessDay a representative who chose to be anonymous said that “if one had come into this indoor sports say 5 months ago one would not be able to breath because of the stench of urine and faeces.”

The court in the arena is nothing to write home about as it doesn’t meet the standard of the international level.

BusinessDay also gathered that this indoor sports centre is been given to people for churches and events at the weekend to generate revenue, but yet this revenues are not used by the sports federation to maintain the centre.

BusinessDay also gathered that the roofing sheets of the indoor sports centre are leaking thereby allowing the rains destroy the floors of the court.

The basketball still makes use of analogue forms of time keeping and player substitutions.

The basketball federation stated that that there were moves by them to the sports federation to hand over the

indoor sports hall to them for sole ownership so as to make the management of the centre more effective but were denied the request.

BusinessDay took a tour to the boxing gym to find out that the state of the gym is in disarray, where the floors and roofs are all turn out no seats for spectators and even the rings are shaky; the place has been turned into in place for packing unused woods for building.

Boxing in Nigeria is a sport that has helped to place the name of this country on the lips of people all over the world especially in the last concluded Rio Olympics where Efe Agbaja knocked out his opponent in the first round, this is to show how much boxing should be paid attention to as many boxers are beginning to emerge.

This cannot be possible as the case maybe because the boxing arena in the Lagos state national stadium is not well equipped.

The surrounding looks more like a deserted area. The boxing federation has helped to reduce it by erecting buildings around it but still lacks proper maintenance.

BusinessDay also took a tour to the soccer pitch which holds more history than other sporting activity in the stadium has seen its last of glory days, a pitch that formerly used to host international matches is no longer used to even host secondary schools matches.

The entrance gate into the pitch has continued to remain locked, thereby restricting athletes from training on the pitch; the grass is no longer maintained as some spots are found without grasses.

The seats for spectators are no longer seats as every seat there has been damaged or are left without seats, the roofs on the stand are all pulled off as spectators would be at risk to heavy down pour of rain if a match is held in that field.

Nigeria supporters used to be regarded as one of the best supporters in the world; they would cheer the players on to victory. This field used to be a home to the Super Eagles class of 1994 up till the class of 2000 where they would intrigue fans with their beautiful skills and passion for the game.

This cannot be said of the latter as the stadium is now being used for different purposes such as churches, events and even mechanic shops have inhabited the stadium environment.

Under the seats of the spectators seat are used for mechanic shops and spots for petty trading.

But this depreciation of this stadium has not stopped businesses from opening up and flourishing as athletes still patronizes these shops and even outsiders.

BusinessDay found out

that these shops around the stadium such as bars, clubs, restaurants, fitness kits shops etc. pay rent every year at an average of N200, 000 and over 50 shops are located within the premises of the stadium.

Monies generated from these shops and events being held in the stadium should be used for the maintenance of the facility.

Recall the federal government wanted to hand over to the state government for maintenance but this act was thwarted for reasons yet unknown.

The stadium media centre now looks like a place where reptiles and insects now resides as no sign of human activity has been seen in that area the place looked deserted.

Even the entrance of the stadium does not have a welcome look as all the paints on the building from interior to the exterior all look washed.

This kind of appearance can chase away foreign investors from putting their monies into sponsoring a team that is resident in the stadium.

BusinessDay spoke to some aged athletes who had made the stadium their home since the inception; they expressed their disappointment on the mismanagement of the facility which in one time gave hope to their careers.

The idea of the stadium should be a place where athletes or aspiring athletes come in to improve their talents, but in recent day the reverse is the case as athletes no longer have good facilities to use and even the ones available are not properly maintained.

This poor development on the national stadium has brought about negative implications to sports in the country, as many aspiring athletes who reside in Lagos and its environs that are not opportune to access other national stadia, are deprived to gain whatever benefits the athletes over there enjoy.

Lopetegui is, however, under pressure arising from the team’s failure to record a victory in five games in all competitions before their UEFA Champions League victory over Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday.

Of the nine games so far played, Barcelona have won five, drawn three, lost one and are second on the log behind Sevilla. Real Madrid are seventh after winning four, drawing two and losing three

games respectively.

But form rarely matters in the El Clasico, as it is a game that thrives on passion and near-tribal rivalry.

Subscribers who upgrade to the GOtv MAX package will have access to El Clasico and also explore unlimited fun of world class channels such as FOX, ROK2, Star Life, BET, CBS Reality, SuperSport Select 4 including the newly added BET and SuperSport Select 5.

GOtv thrills subscribers with El Clasico cracker

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he Spanish league’s biggest and most anticipated club match, the El Clasico, will be aired live to GOtv MAX subscribers. Barcelona, the defending LaLiga champions, host eternal rivals, Real Madrid, at the Camp Nou, on Sunday, 28 October, 2018.

The game, which will be the 177th encounter between both teams, will be broadcast live exclusively on SuperSport Select 4 (channel 34) at 4:15 pm.

The two giants will renew their famous rivalry in unfamiliar circumstances. For Barcelona, this will be the first time that Andres Iniesta, their former captain, will not feature in the El Clasico in over a decade, following his movement to the Japanese league.

Also, for the first time since 2007, Barcelona’s current skipper, Lionel Messi, will be absent from El Clasico after suffering a broken right arm in his team’s game against

Sevilla.

Real Madrid will also be missing Cristiano Ronaldo, their iconic goalscorer and dominant feature for nine seasons, having moved to Italian giants, Juventus, during the summer transfer window. This will also be the first El Clasico for Real Madrid under Julen Lopetegui, a former player of the club and former Spanish national team manager, who replaced Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.

BDSUNDAY Global outcry against Journalist Khashoggi’s killing and global silence on listless killings in Nigeria NEW YOU CAN TRUST

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hile the killing of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi saddens hearts, the ways leaders of the world have reacted and audibly spoken against it warm hearts.

Khashoggi was killed in a fight in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. It shows that these leaders place high premium on human lives; It shows they care about the cost and worth of any citizen on any soil. It reinforces confidence in many a man and infuses the despondent with a ray of hope.

One would wonder Khashoggi isn’t an American citizen, yet his death worried American President Trump.

Trump was so concerned he said: “What had happened was unacceptable”, but added that Saudi Arabia was a “great ally”. US President Donald Trump said the arrests were an important “first step”, and praised the kingdom for acting quickly. He said the official explanation was “credible”, despite many US lawmakers expressing disbelief over the Saudi account.

He stressed the importance of Saudi Arabia as a counterbalance to Iran in the Middle East, and pushed back against the need for sanctions against the country in light of the new information, talking about the effect of such a move on the US economy. Earlier this week President Trump had warned of “very severe” consequences if Saudi Arabic was proved to have killed the journalist.

Donald Trump was not a lone voice. US congressmen condemned the killing, including a Republican highly critical of the Saudis, Senator Lindsey Graham, said they were skeptical about the report on the journalist’s death. Democratic senator Dick Durbin has called for the Saudi ambassador to the US to be expelled over the Khashoggi case.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, minority whips said he did not accept the Saudi government’s story as credible and called on “civilised countries” across the globe to take action. “Here’s what we ought to do and we ought to do it tomorrow morning, we ought to formally expel the Saudi ambassador from the United States until there is the completion of a third party investigation into this kidnap, murder and God-knows-what followed.

“Unless the Saudi kingdom understands that civilised countries around the world are going to reject this conduct and make sure that they pay a price for it, they will continue doing it.”

The UK Foreign Office described it as “a terrible act” and said the people behind the killing “must be held to account”. Turkey has vowed to reveal all of the details of the killing, according to a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development party quoted by Anadolu news agency. Australia, announced it is withdrawing from an investment summit in Saudi Arabia later this month - joining a growing boycott that includes the US, UK, Dutch and French finance ministers over the Khashoggi killing.

Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has called for a

I

SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER 2018

It’s therefore, rather unfortunate that the same world leaders who reacted almost instantly and audibly have pretended thus far not to see or feel “thorough investigation” to make sure “all relevant facts will be clear as soon as possible”.

The acknowledgement follows two weeks of denials that Saudi Arabia had any involvement in the disappearance of the prominent Saudi critic when he entered the consulate in Istanbul on 2 October to seek paperwork for his forthcoming marriage.

The Saudi kingdom had come under increased pressure to explain Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance after Turkish officials said he had been deliberately killed inside the consulate, and his body dismembered.

A joint statement by Britain, France and Germany has said “nothing can justify” the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, as the nations demand “credible facts” over the death.

The three countries said they condemned the alleged murder “in the strongest possible terms.” The statement adds there is an “urgent need for clarification on exactly what happened” when Khashoggi entered the consulate on 2 October, 2018. UK, France and Germany ‘urgently’ therefore, demand clarification of ‘exactly what happened’ in Khashoggi killing.

The Scottish Government has scrapped plans to appoint an energy specialist to help boost exports to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Holyrood had announced proposals earlier this month to appoint five new in-market energy specialists in countries seen as having significant growth opportunities for energy supply chain exports from Scotland, including the Gulf Kingdom.

“It cannot be business as usual with a regime that displays blatant contempt and disregard for international law and human rights. “The consistent inaction of your Government is utterly incompatible with our most basic values as a democracy. “We regard it as unacceptable that the UK Government not only remains

KAYODE AJULO Ajulo, a lawyer and founder of Egalitarian Mission Africa, writes from Abuja. silent, but actively enables this Saudi regime.”

There is a sharp and sad irony, however, between the Khashoggi case and the numberless killings of innocent citizens in Nigeria, my home country.

In the former’s situation, a life is lost, yet cry against it was loud. In Nigeria, killings happen in torrents and thousands; with impunity too. Between January, 2018 and now, for instance, no fewer than a thousand persons have died in different parts of the country.

Even at this time when the world is mourning and condemning the killing in Saudi Arabia, Agents of the State seem to have licence to kill without repercussions.

Officers and men of Nigerian Police Force open fire on unarmed and innocent citizens with history showing that the Police can go to any length to protect their own from sanctions for such killings, for instance, nothing substantial has been done in the prosecution of the officer that killed Ms. Linda Angela Igwetu, the NYSC member that was killed in July this year.

Last week, Anita Akapson, a UK-returnee daughter of one-time Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Senator, was killed while sitting in her car.

Scores of lives are being wasted in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Killers, on daily basis, invade the communities, opening fire on some young men and women. Insurgents and herdsmen take human lives at will with impunity.

It’s therefore, rather unfortunate that the same world leaders who reacted almost instantly and audibly have pretended thus far not to see or feel.

While it’s the business of a sovereign government to ensure security of lives and property of its citizenry, while the needless and countless killings happening in Nigeria signal abysmal on the part of government and crass lack of capability on the President, it does not suffice for the world powers to feign indifference or to snub the most populous black nation of the world. Injustice and rights abuse anywhere in the world should worry leadership equally, irrespective of individual’s stomached economic or political sentiments.

As Nigeria’s testy season of killings last and her dark hour persists, I hope that world powers would find the strength and voice to condemn the evil trend, and prevail on the Nigeria’s leadership to give primacy of place to human lives. And like Republican Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) told Trump in the case of Saudi, if President Buhari doesn’t end the wanton loss of human lives in Nigeria, he would lose Nigerians’ respect and his place in the annals of Nigeria.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

What legalisation of card reader means for 2019 elections

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ast week, the National Assembly passed the fourth version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

One of the highlights of the bill is the legalisation of smart card reader for accreditation of voters.

Described by pundits as one of the greatest technological innovations of Nigeria’s electoral process, the Smart Card Reader was first used in the 2015 General Election when the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega superintended over the commission.

Designed specifically for accreditation of eligible voters before voting, the portable electronic voting authentication device was configured to read only the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) issued by the electoral body. Prior to this time, use of the device was included in the guideline of the Commission, a development that elicited condemnations from lawmakers in the Seventh National Assembly who queried why it was not captured in extant laws.

Besides being used in the 2015 General Elec-

C002D5556

tion, Jega’s successor, Mahmood Yakubu, sustained the use of the technology in off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti, Osun, among others.

However, the use of the card reader has generated heated debate among stakeholders, as analysts have argued about the legality of the use of the device.

They cited the Supreme Court verdict in 2016 which upturned the judgments of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal and the Election Appeal Tribunal, which earlier annulled the election on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the law and election guidelines.

The apex court had ruled that both courts were wrong to place emphasis on the non-use of card reader machines in nullifying Governor Nyesom Wike’s election victory.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who delivered the lead judgment, said until the National Assembly amends the Electoral Act to give the card reader a statutory backing, it cannot be the basis for nullifying any election.

If signed into law, voters will now be accredited

only through electronic means, as the issue of incident forms which was used in the event of failure of smart card reader, in the accreditation of voters has been confined to history.

However, voting will still be done manually.

Section 49 (1 to 3) of the bill spells out the procedure for voting on Election Day as follows: STEP 1: An intending voter presents himself with his Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the Polling Unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.

STEP 2: The Presiding Officer uses a Smart Card Reader or any other similar technological device to verify, confirm or authenticate the particulars of the voter.

STEP 3: If satisfied with the accreditation of the voter, the Presiding Officer issues the voter a ballot paper and indicates on the voters’ register that the person has voted.

By OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

84 million This is the number of eligible Nigerians to vote in the 2019 general election according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

OBJ extols Akinkugbe’s virtues wage “You are one of God’s special gifts to our nation, a rare breed who epitomises the finest tradition of African nobility.

We cannot stop appreciating God for giving to the world an intellectual giant, a world-renowned clinician of whom the nation is justifiably proud.

We, your friends are proud of you, your achievements and contributions to the medical profession and to our nation.” - Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president, said at an event marking the official retirement of Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe from public service, at the University of Ibadan.

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